Geno is the coach and his standard for effort, no matter how arbitrary, is the standard his players must meet. In the Uconn WBB world, fail to meet Geno's standard and you will have ample time to consider the efficacy of that standard on the bench.
My concern is not about the coach's prerogatives. Rather, my concern is why three players who have demonstrated remarkable effort throughout the season chose to "take a day off." Could it be that the godawful level of competition in the AAC is finally getting to the players? How much intensity should we expect when, notwithstanding the benching of three stars, the Uconn reserves still won by 46 points? Geno's is the boss but his players are human. They are also not stupid. Playing in a conference where the "competition" is at a Division II or maybe even a Division III level has already gotten to the fans. Perhaps it is now the players' turn.