Geno - This one was on you

[Big Mick]

This one stat tells most of the story:

===> Irwin: 32 minutes, 0 for 4 shooting, 2 rebounds, 3 personal fouls and ZERO points.

And, how about that 4th quarter:
===> 6 points scored.
===> The reason: No post presence, thus allowing Baylor to defend the perimeter with numbers as there were JUST 3 players on the floor that were ever going to shoot.

Seriously....

 

[Dove]

The only thing about this post I take seriously is your avatar.

 

[BostonBay]

I would have been upset if I paid good money for a ticket tonight and Geno basically threw in the towel in the 4th quarter for teachable moments. That 4th quarter was plain-and-simple embarrassing to watch as a UConn fan. I'd rather Geno yell, make his points, and send his best 5 out there again to at least battle to the end. They still would have lost but at least they could have shown some fight and regained some confidence going into the next game. This is a new generation of players, and I sure hope he knows what he's doing with his star players.

 

[hoopsfan22]

They have a game on Saturday at 1. What point was there in having everyone grind it out to the end just to lose by 5 instead of 13 and then put Saturday's game in jeopardy?

 

[Big Mick]

Dog'gone it @Dove - the few astute basketball fans on here will agree with my assessment.

 

[Dokey]

This one stat tells most of the story:

===> Irwin: 32 minutes, 0 for 4 shooting, 2 rebounds, 3 personal fouls and ZERO points.

And, how about that 4th quarter:
===> 6 points scored.
===> The reason: No post presence, thus allowing Baylor to defend the perimeter with numbers as there were JUST 3 players on the floor that were ever going to shoot.

Seriously....

No, Kyla didn’t cost us the game. Aubrey and Liv were ineffective as well but they didn't cost us the game either. Baylor was just the better team. But I do think it is in our long term interests for Anna to be starting. It will pay off in March and 2021. And Kyla will get decent minutes.

 

[j66kicker]

They have a game on Saturday at 1. What point was there in having everyone grind it out to the end just to lose by 5 instead of 13 and then put Saturday's game in jeopardy?

OMG let's not leave it all out there for Baylor, 'cause we'll need everything we've got for that big Houston battle coming up! @#$%^&*???

 

[southofnorth]

This one stat tells most of the story:

===> Irwin: 32 minutes, 0 for 4 shooting, 2 rebounds, 3 personal fouls and ZERO points.

And, how about that 4th quarter:
===> 6 points scored.
===> The reason: No post presence, thus allowing Baylor to defend the perimeter with numbers as there were JUST 3 players on the floor that were ever going to shoot.

Seriously....

What about all the times Kyla was wide open at the top of the key after passing/screening and instead whoever she gave the ball to went one-on-one? Kyla did not lose this game for UConn. No one individual lost this game for UConn and Geno can only do so much with what he has. Baylor outplayed UConn tonight on both ends of the floor.

 

[uconnfan68]

This one stat tells most of the story:

===> Irwin: 32 minutes, 0 for 4 shooting, 2 rebounds, 3 personal fouls and ZERO points.

And, how about that 4th quarter:
===> 6 points scored.
===> The reason: No post presence, thus allowing Baylor to defend the perimeter with numbers as there were JUST 3 players on the floor that were ever going to shoot.

Seriously....

The only beef I had with Kyla is that she should shoot more.

 

[tower1]

No, Kyla didn’t cost us the game. Aubrey and Liv were ineffective as well but they didn't cost us the game either. Baylor was just the better team. But I do think it is in our long term interests for Anna to be starting. It will pay off in March and 2021. And Kyla will get decent minutes.

Kayla was terrible. She is not ready for this type game. Too slow doesn't jump, They were shooting over her at will. At least Griffin would get us some rebounds. Geno you screwed up.

 

[BostonBay]

Whoever was guarding Kyla was "cheating" and clogging up the middle. She cant beat anyone off the dribble. If Kyla isnt making outside shots, let alone taking them, then she's a liability.

 

[UConnCat]

ONO shot 0-8 with her last shot from 8 feet not hitting the rim. Kyla shot 0-4. Aubrey shot 0-2 and looked overwhelmed. Anna shot 1-2 but couldn't get an open shot. The suggestion that playing 1 or 2 of this quartet over the others would have made a difference in tonight's game is hilarious. Perhaps we were spared Liv going 0-12 and fouling out. This was a 3 vs 5 game any way you slice it.

Geno lost this game because he failed at recruiting for 2-3 years. That is starting to be addressed.

 

[uconnfan68]

ONO shot 0-8 with her last shot from 8 feet not hitting the rim. Kyla shot 0-4. Aubrey shot 0-2 and looked overwhelmed. Anna shot 1-2 but couldn't get an open shot. The suggestion that playing 1 or 2 of this quartet over the others would have made a difference in tonight's game is hilarious. Perhaps we were spared Liv going 0-12 and fouling out. This was a 3 vs 5 game any way you slice it.

Geno lost this game because he failed at recruiting for 2-3 years. That is starting to be addressed.

They played the defending national champs pretty even for 35 minutes, without Liv. A little perspective.

 

[UConnCat]

They played the defending national champs pretty even for 35 minutes, without Liv. A little perspective.

They did, but playing 3 on 5 caught up with them. That can't be sustained against a team like Baylor.

 

[Jingo]

What about all the times Kyla was wide open at the top of the key after passing/screening and instead whoever she gave the ball to went one-on-one? Kyla did not lose this game for UConn. No one individual lost this game for UConn and Geno can only do so much with what he has. Baylor outplayed UConn tonight on both ends of the floor.

Yeah she was wide open and didn't take the shot? ... what's with that??? same old, same old, ...

 

[Big Mick]

@UConnCat - Let me school you, just a little.

With ONO in the game: we have a rebounder, a shot blocker and a post player that forced Cox and Smith to defend in the blocks regardless of whether her shot was falling or not. That effectively keeps them off the perimeter, preventing them for providing help defense....We create open shots via ball movement.

With Irwin in the game: when UCONN is on defense, whom on Baylor is she going to guard. And, when Baylor was on defense, they payed absolutely no attention to her as she was never going to make a shot, always passing off.

With Griffin in the game: we have an athletic player that is going to get rebounds and can actually play defense.

And finally, with both Liv and Griffin in the game: we now have 5 players on the floor that have to be guarder; we have post play; we have interior defense; and, we can actually win the ball back instead of after a Baylor made basket.

That 4th quarter proves my point.

 

[Dokey]

@UConnCat - Let me school you, just a little.

With ONO in the game: we have a rebounder, a shot blocker and a post player that forced Cox and Smith to defend in the blocks regardless of whether her shot was falling or not. That effectively keeps them off the perimeter, preventing them for providing help defense....We create open shots via ball movement.

With Irwin in the game: when UCONN is on defense, whom on Baylor is she going to guard. And, when Baylor was on defense, they payed absolutely no attention to her as she was never going to make a shot, always passing off.

With Griffin in the game: we have an athletic player that is going to get rebounds and can actually play defense.

And finally, with both Liv and Griffin in the game: we now have 5 players on the floor that have to be guarder; we have post play; we have interior defense; and, we can actually win the ball back instead of after a Baylor made basket.

That 4th quarter proves my point.

Aubrey will be a good player but, no, she isn’t there yet. Too many mistakes, Everyone wants to anoint her now. She’ll get there. Just not now.

 

[UConnCat]

@UConnCat - Let me school you, just a little.

With ONO in the game: we have a rebounder, a shot blocker and a post player that forced Cox and Smith to defend in the blocks regardless of whether her shot was falling or not. That effectively keeps them off the perimeter, preventing them for providing help defense....We create open shots via ball movement.

With Irwin in the game: when UCONN is on defense, whom on Baylor is she going to guard. And, when Baylor was on defense, they payed absolutely no attention to her as she was never going to make a shot, always passing off.

With Griffin in the game: we have an athletic player that is going to get rebounds and can actually play defense.

And finally, with both Liv and Griffin in the game: we now have 5 players on the floor that have to be guarder; we have post play; we have interior defense; and, we can actually win the ball back instead of after a Baylor made basket.

That 4th quarter proves my point.

Yeah. Liv and Aubrey were so effective. They were just playin' possum I guess. Just waiting for the 4th quarter.

You're funny.

 

[uconnfan68]

They did, but playing 3 on 5 caught up with them. That can't be sustained against a team like Baylor.

I didn’t see anyone but Kyla set a pick.

 

[Golden Husky]

If anyone knows, when was the last time two UConn starters went scoreless in the same game? I'm not trying to make a point here, just asking a question.

 

[Twolf]

Kayla was terrible. She is not ready for this type game. Too slow doesn't jump, They were shooting over her at will. At least Griffin would get us some rebounds. Geno you screwed up.

First of all UConn doesn’t have any terrible players, and Kyla was put in a no win situation when Geno went small with the ineffectiveness at the 5 position. No way can she match up against Cox on a consistent basis, nor should she be expected to. Kyla is a role player, and has performed well in that capacity all season. She didn’t have a good game tonight, no doubt, but Baylor just has a much better balanced team at this point of the season. BTW, if you want to blast a player it’s helpful to at least know their name.
Yep, Geno screwed up much like Coach K did against SFA, Coach Cal did against Evansville, and Bill Self did versus Villanova. At least he’s in good company.

 

[Jingo]

@UConnCat - Let me school you, just a little.

With ONO in the game: we have a rebounder, a shot blocker and a post player that forced Cox and Smith to defend in the blocks regardless of whether her shot was falling or not. That effectively keeps them off the perimeter, preventing them for providing help defense....We create open shots via ball movement.

With Irwin in the game: when UCONN is on defense, whom on Baylor is she going to guard. And, when Baylor was on defense, they payed absolutely no attention to her as she was never going to make a shot, always passing off.

With Griffin in the game: we have an athletic player that is going to get rebounds and can actually play defense.

And finally, with both Liv and Griffin in the game: we now have 5 players on the floor that have to be guarder; we have post play; we have interior defense; and, we can actually win the ball back instead of after a Baylor made basket.

That 4th quarter proves my point.

Eggzackly...

 

[ocoandasoc]

Geno's game plan seemed to be to clog the lane, give up the threes, and play up-tempo to tire out the Baylor bigs. It worked in one aspect -- it kept the Huskies even in rebounds. But... Baylor shot the threes well (just because they usually don't shoot a lot of them doesn't mean they can't shoot them!) and it was UConn's only three offensive weapons that got tired out by the fourth quarter. (Watch a replay of the first quarter and then fast forward to the fourth quarter and it's pretty obvious. But playing three against five will do that to you.) UConn's motion was good for the first three quarters and got them some decent looks. But Nelson-Ododa sure didn't look like someone who should have just been added to the Wooden watch list and after Irwin missed her first couple of shots badly she just stopped shooting, or doing anything except handing the ball off. Once Baylor figured out that they only had to defend three tired players -- and only two from beyond the arc -- UConn had to start forcing shots, and you're not going to beat a decent team shooting 29%.

Mulkey is a great coach with a NC caliber team. Cox didn't look like this was only her third game back. And Kim has Cooper playing better than her previous two coaches. Tea still had plenty of turnovers, but she had some good assists and rebounds, played decent defense, and scored 27 points.

Against many of the best coached teams they've played this year where the pace was quick (ND, Cal, Vandy, DePaul) the Huskies have been outscored in the fourth quarter. That's not a big problem if you've built up a big lead over the first three, but it's death if the game is close or you're trailing. Most of UConn's signature runs came in response to Baylor runs tonight, and the Huskies couldn't seem to get any separation.

 

[hjoerring]

My 2-cents, from afar (saw the replay). What I saw was a Uconn team that was #1 because it was their turn (as with Stanford, etc). With the exception of CW we were outplayed-- they are a much more talented team than US. We do not have post players that are (yet) capable of handling them, both on offense and defense. Hence the collapse. Big and competent bodies do matter, and our inability to attract and hold such players is now playing its tricks on Us (and for a time). At some point you have to play in traffic and we have problems. Remove CW and we are not in the equation, as she is, to my mind, our only big time player.
As for Kyla, there is nothing to come after. She is there and I suspect that one of the Freshmen will be given a starting spot during conf.play. This is not a critique, but a view that we need a different set of skills at that position or re-enforcement elsewhere to compete with teams outside the AAC.

But, I was hardly disappointed and thought we competed well and fell behind when the big and strong showed that they too are fit and skilled. (Look at T'Cooper. She frustrated, a little, Dangerfield all game with here size, skill and experience).

 

[cbraarj]

They have a game on Saturday at 1. What point was there in having everyone grind it out to the end just to lose by 5 instead of 13 and then put Saturday's game in jeopardy?

Are you kidding me!