Again another close loss to ND and IMHO it was the obvious superior guard play by ND that directly led to their win. ND Guards scored 51 of their 61 points and consistently made plays on both the defensive and offensive end. They also had 13 rebounds and 11 assists with a negative stat of 9 turn overs.
Geno really played only Bria Hartley as a guard besides the 5 minutes that Moriah played. However, if we count Kelly, KML & Bria as they were matched up with the ND guards, they scored 21 of UConn's 59 points. They had 15 rebounds and only 7 assists with a negative stat of 13 turn overs. IMHO there probably should have been more assists, but I'll contribute that to missed shots. I realize Geno had a different plan then ND had and was trying to get the ball down low to the bigs to take advantage of the size differential. and that contributed to some of the points differential by the guards. However, IMHO it was the defense played by the ND guards that was a more significant factor on why UConn didn't have more points from Bria, Kelly & KML. It was also a failure by the same three to effectively defend ND's three guards.
IMHO this was a game UConn should have won as they won the battle at the free throw line (9 for UConn 6 for ND) and usually ND shoots 10+ more free throws then UConn. UConn won the rebounding 34 to 28. Like the other losses this year, it comes down to not having a guard that can make plays down the stretch. ND has guards that if necessary can create their own good shot as the shot clock is expiring, while UConn doesn't. I don't see it changing if UConn meets ND @ the Final Four.
Many won't agree with what I've written above and definitely most won't agree with the following comment. Some have said that Shea is right up there with Jen as a possible replacement for Geno when the time comes. I now no longer share that opinion. Shea is primarily responsible for recruiting and coaching the guards. If there has been a weakness for UConn over the last 4 years, its been getting consistent guard play and IMHO not having a true Point Guard. Why is it that UConn can't get enough guards during the last three recruiting years? Some of the blame has got to go to Shea. Shea may have identified some guards that have shown an interest in UConn and Geno and/or CD decided not to go after them. This we will never know. If that has happened, then I would say, she's not identifying the right players that will fit in at UConn. Obviously some guards who UConn identified decided not to come to UConn.
UConn did sign the #1 PG and overall #2 recruit this year, and by most experts/fans she has not lived up to expectations. Have to wonder why is that? Was she over hyped and not ready for play at the next level? I believe so, but teams such as Duke, ND and others were able to get their freshmen guards ready to significantly contribute towards the end of the year. Obviously from Geno's perspective Moriah hasn't. Both Shea and Moriah share the blame. Geno and CD are tough taskmasters, but from most accounts Moriah primarily interacts with Shea on a day to day basis. Shea's the one that should be coaching and getting Moriah in the right frame of mind to be able to play during crunch time.
Even last year, Banks didn't contribute significantly and over the summer rededicated herself and came back a better player, by most accounts. Have to wonder why it didn't happen during the season. Was she being properly coached and motivated? Obviously until this year, Bria has played extremely well as exhibited by her getting selected as an All American last year and we have got to give credit to Shea for her development. However, I haven't seen that much of an improvement in Bria since her freshmen year. Since Renee left, I haven't seen significant improvement in overall guard play by UConn on a year to year basis. That is coaching and recruiting the right players. Something is amiss in Husky Land when it comes to recruiting guards and their play. Its not equaling the play of the other positions on the team. Until it does, I don't see a National Championship on the Horizon.
