Holly Rowe: Duke is going to focus on "us"

[pap49cba]

Holly Rowe ‏@sportsiren 2h
Spoke to all 5 Duke starters to preview #1 Uconn vs #2 Duke Tues. They said key is,"to focus on US" focus on each possession, stop, rebound

 

[CTyankee]

Hmmm... What does that mean??? Help!!!!

 

[pap49cba]

I guess it means they're not going to worry about what UConn does they're just going to worry about themselves.

 

[2ndCity]

They apparently are planning to focus on being very patriotic?

 

[John Glass]

Hmmm... What does that mean??? Help!!!!

" focus on U.S. "

 

[RockyMTblue2]

That sounds like a formula to not panic if the early game goes decidedly UConn's way.

 

[Buzzyboy]

That sounds like a formula to not panic if the early game goes decidedly UConn's way.

I think there may be a little bit of intimidation the way UConn seems to get a lead, open it up a bit, have a run and then cruise home. I think part way through that scenario, Duke has, in the past, lost hope and abandoned their game plan. UConn is so wonderfully disciplined and it usually pays major dividends. The only team that I've seen exhibit any of that same discipline has been Notre Dame and that's why they've had some success with us.

 

[semper]

Break it down, work play by play, etc. I've heard it before, esp. to help keep focus when the going gets rough. Didn't our players get that message vis a vis ND sometimes in the past? Seems I remember that.

 

[Icebear]

Wow, John, that was exactly the image I had in mind.

" focus on U.S. "

 

[BJLfromBK]

Honestly, it sounds like every one of our Huskies' responses in regards to future match-ups. Play our game the way we have been practicing day in, day out. Only difference is UCONN manages to follow through nearly every single half.

 

[Icebear]

Honestly, it sounds like every one of our Huskies' responses in regards to future match-ups. Play our game the way we have been practicing day in, day out. Only difference is UCONN manages to follow through nearly every single half.

Absolutely, it is what Geno and team have said many, many times.

 

[RegisteredUconn]

If they focus on themselves, they'll miss UConn going right by them. It won't be the first time either. In fact, that seems to have been their game plan every year.

 

[jsloanjr]

Duke is trying to compensate for their lack of intensity for 40 minutes. Coach JP has said many times they need to get to another level. The only problem, is that do not believe they can get there against UCONN. IMO, they are putting too much pressure on themselves to shut down UCONN on every play that they will forget to play offense......Geno expects a few new wrinkles tonight and I suspect, he has a few new things for DUKE...........The backdoor will be exposed tonight. Remember, UCONN schools very good at DUKE.....

 

[ChicagoGG]

Did the Dookies lift their material from CD's training class on how to speak to the media?? You can either play hard for 40 minutes or you can't. We will find out if they can tonight.

 

[msf22b]

Their points per game average seems to indicate that at least offensively they've improved in their playing hard for 40 mantra.
Perhaps that's the easy part.

 

[bruinbball]

Honestly, it sounds like every one of our Huskies' responses in regards to future match-ups. Play our game the way we have been practicing day in, day out. Only difference is UCONN manages to follow through nearly every single half.

Agreed. Isn't this what Geno says before every game? Focus on yourself and doing what you are supposed to do and the rest will take care of itself.

 

[ChicagoGG]

To paraphrase Yoda, "do or do not, there is no try...."

 

[easttexastrash]

It means that they know not to worry about the things that they cannot control, which in this case, is UCONN.

 

[Alydar]

It's one thing to maintain mental toughness for 40 minutes but where almost all teams not named come up short is in the energy needed to play that way for 40 minutes. Other teams, while well conditioned, are simply not used to UConn's level of energy expenditure and get gassed at some point. Fatigue and mental lapses usually go hand in hand and that is when UConn goes on a 15-0 run.

Duke has a shot at home where the energy of the crowd will help but looking at the games they have played to this point I doubt they are ready for the intensity they will face tonight.

 

[easttexastrash]

It's one thing to maintain mental toughness for 40 minutes but where almost all teams not named come up short is in the energy needed to play that way for 40 minutes. Other teams, while well conditioned, are simply not used to UConn's level of energy expenditure and get gassed at some point. Fatigue and mental lapses usually go hand in hand and that is when UConn goes on a 15-0 run.

Duke has a shot at home where the energy of the crowd will help but looking at the games they have played to this point I doubt they are ready for the intensity they will face tonight.

This is exactly what was said about Baylor last year. And I disagree. I think that it is the mental toughness that most teams cannot maintain. It is know that if you have a little bit of a bad stretch that you are going get bounced out of the gym.

 

[Buzzyboy]

It's one thing to maintain mental toughness for 40 minutes but where almost all teams not named come up short is in the energy needed to play that way for 40 minutes. Other teams, while well conditioned, are simply not used to UConn's level of energy expenditure and get gassed at some point. Fatigue and mental lapses usually go hand in hand and that is when UConn goes on a 15-0 run.

Duke has a shot at home where the energy of the crowd will help but looking at the games they have played to this point I doubt they are ready for the intensity they will face tonight.

In reality, even with two stars out for the last month, we were able to show remarkable energy levels that never seemed to drop off. Our lineup was very very short and so many of the team was playing an awful lot of minutes and I guess we performed pretty well, considering we're unanimous No. 1, right?

 

[caramel]

So much for looking at "us".They should have been looking at Breanna and Kaleena and company showing them why UConn is number one.Just imagine,if Kaleena wasn't a little rusty,and Morgan was at full strength,how it would have been.

 

[Jim]

They focused on "us" so much that they left KML wide open in the corner.