This is Coach Geno's fFinest Hour. In all of his Final Four appearances and National Championships, he's never faced the hardships that this team has faced. Think of it: Five of his top seven players are out for the season, and either never played, or were injured early on in the season:
Presumed starting post player- Jana El Alfi
Certain starting guard- Azzi Fudd
Starting wing- Caroline Ducharmes
First off the bench/first front-court substitute and guaranteed spark plug- Aubrey Griffin
Second front-court sub- Ayanna Patterson
So not only was the team small to begin with, but it became one of the shortest teams to be ranked and make the tournament. 6'3" Aaliyah Edwards had no business playing the post, being a natural power forward. Plus, 6'3" Ice Brady was returning from serious knee injury, played few minutes, and was a non-factor most of the season. Amari DeBerry, though 6'5", was always a non-factor, and rarely even got off the bench. She, too, is down for the season with lingering symptoms from a concussion.
Yet Coach Geno coached this team into the Final Four, though on paper it has no business being there. It's brilliant coaching, perhaps the very best of his entire career.
SIMPLY AMAZING!!!!!