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Message: [QUOTE="ucmiami2, post: 5248483, member: 13062"] The experience factor of at final four is huge - it is a media circus unlike anything women's basketball players have gone through in their basketball lives before they get to one. The distractions, the media presence, the schedules all combine to throw off standard routines for teams and players. Geno has talked about how badly Uconn handled their first one, and how her has known when his team 'wasn't ready' in other years. But Uconn has the institutional memory and the players have the experience - if you play at Uconn there is the regular season championship, then the tournament championship, and then the final four and sometimes you win the semi and sometimes you don't, but the season ends with the final four each year. And the rookies learn from the sophomores, who were there last year, the juniors who have been their twice, and the seniors with their three trips, and they shepherd the transfers and rookies through the process. As for the coaching ... Geno had a plan, but it depended on UCLA missing from outside, and Uconn minimizing the driving and entry passes. And on Uconn playing multiple defenses - double and triple team the post sometimes and play it straight up on the next possession, running zone and switching back to man, but always pressuring the outside. UCLA got tighter and tighter on offense, and were run ragged on defense, the pace became another form of 'pressure' making UCLA run and seldom letting them set their half court defense. AND rebound! Geno also has the process and flow of building a final four team down pat - he knows how to build up to this stage of a season. He is the best to ever do it, just as he is the best at coaching undefeated seasons, how to keep the pressure on, but provide moments of relief, and to create controlled celebration while maintaining focus on the next game. Close did make halftime adjustments, and Azzi was shut down - 19 points in the first half, zero in the second, but Paige went off for 10 and Sarah for 14 in the second half compensation for that 'zero'. Paige and Sarah were getting the same shots Azzi had in the first half. And Sarah was as much of a match up issue for UCLA as Betts was for Uconn. And sometimes (especially playing Uconn) games can completely snowball. Hope people noticed how the bench actually increased the lead which almost never happens! Great season for Close, and great experience, and if they keep focused they will be back to the FF next year, and much better prepared. [/QUOTE]

Verification: First name of men's bb coach