How do you feel about our team now?

[Frenchy]

Although I enjoyed the atmosphere, the crowd and students participation while never had a doubt about the outcome I felt disappointed, I was hoping to see a good 7 player rotation in preparation for the tournament. Instead I saw of a possible repeat of last year at the FF where 2 important players were way off their game(Kia & Dangerfield) and the only bench player (Azura) was so tense she couldn’t handle the pressure.
Although Azura did recover somewhat she kept taking threes instead of passing the ball or getting in the post where she belongs. Dangerfield obviously didn’t have her shot, which can happens to the best, but she was needed in the 4th qtr only to pass the ball to kill the clock rather than insisting in taking wild shots. Geno finally yank her out.
We all know Geno scheduled these type of games to flush out the weakness, but still we cannot feel too comfortable. I have my FF tickets and I am very confident we will make it there, but not to sure about the last big step.

 

[HoopsFan21]

Crystal is still dealing with her shin issue. Kia was given the task of wearing Durr like a blanket on a cold February night in Storrs. When Crystal was out, Kia had to play the point. I wouldn't say she had a bad night just because she didn't score a lot.

 

[bags27]

I can't say I loved the game either. Would rather have seen a tied game for 3 Qs and then UConn pull it out in the 4Q, which would have been exciting. But this way it was just drip, drip, drip, with a slight worry that maybe Louisville would catch up. But let's remember that Louisville is one of the best teams of the country, and, after the 1st Q, played like one. In fact, given that it had effectively thrown away the game with horrible shooting and turnovers and facing the #1 away, it played terrifically. Kudos to Louisville!

And big, big kudos to Z, who played 3 terrible Qs, but stepped it up when it mattered most: in the 4Q, when no one else was scoring and Louisville was quietly inching its way back in.

In a few weeks, it'll be the tournament and then it's win 6 or to go home. If UConn does manage go 6-0, within a few years no one will remember any of the wins, except the last one, and certainly not the scores of any regular season games.

So, good win tonight. It helps clinch the #1 overall seed for UConn to be in the best position to go 6-0 in the tournament. Next game up!

 

[Blueballer]

I feel fine thanks.

 

[TitleTown]

Although I enjoyed the atmosphere, the crowd and students participation while never had a doubt about the outcome I felt disappointed, I was hoping to see a good 7 player rotation in preparation for the tournament. Instead I saw of a possible repeat of last year at the FF where 2 important players were way off their game(Kia & Dangerfield) and the only bench player (Azura) was so tense she couldn’t handle the pressure.
Although Azura did recover somewhat she kept taking threes instead of passing the ball or getting in the post where she belongs. Dangerfield obviously didn’t have her shot, which can happens to the best, but she was needed in the 4th qtr only to pass the ball to kill the clock rather than insisting in taking wild shots. Geno finally yank her out.
We all know Geno scheduled these type of games to flush out the weakness, but still we cannot feel too comfortable. I have my FF tickets and I am very confident we will make it there, but not to sure about the last big step.

I feel the exact opposite. UConn just beat the #4 team in the country by double digits and were nowhere near playing their "A" game. UConn just had a bad shooting night, it happens. If we shot the ball like we normally do, then tonight would have been a 25 pt blowout. The majority of the shots that were missed were wide open looks.

 

[Bronx23]

I can't say I loved the game either. Would rather have seen a tied game for 3 Qs and then UConn pull it out in the 4Q, which would have been exciting. But this way it was just drip, drip, drip, with a slight worry that maybe Louisville would catch up. But let's remember that Louisville is one of the best teams of the country, and, after the 1st Q, played like one. In fact, given that it had effectively thrown away the game with horrible shooting and turnovers and facing the #1 away, it played terrifically. Kudos to Louisville!

And big, big kudos to Z, who played 3 terrible Qs, but stepped it up when it mattered most: in the 4Q, when no one else was scoring and Louisville was quietly inching its way back in.

In a few weeks, it'll be the tournament and then it's win 6 or to go home. If UConn does manage go 6-0, within a few years no one will remember any of the wins, except the last one, and certainly not the scores of any regular season games.

So, good win tonight. It helps clinch the #1 overall seed for UConn to be in the best position to go 6-0 in the tournament. Next game up!

 

[Bronx23]

I agree with most of your thoughts in this post. AZ was very much what you described but there's still a learning curve with her. Most importantly is what she did and you said in the fourth quarter. She remains a work in progress and likely will all season. The two pieces of good news with her is she will have some big games, or periods of games because of her offensive skill set. She also realizes she will need next year to truly get all or most of this right.
The one thing I disagree with is the kudos to Louisville for playing really well after the first quarter. Not to nitpick but they were down twenty at the half. More importantly a team seeming playing well once they are out of it, is nowhere near the same as playing a truly tough, competitive game. They are a very good team but not in U Conns category, nor extremely close either.
Bronx23

 

[Jim R]

I agree with most of your thoughts in this post. AZ was very much what you described but there's still a learning curve with her. Most importantly is what she did and you said in the fourth quarter. She remains a work in progress and likely will all season. The two pieces of good news with her is she will have some big games, or periods of games because of her offensive skill set. She also realizes she will need next year to truly get all or most of this right.
The one thing I disagree with is the kudos to Louisville for playing really well after the first quarter. Not to nitpick but they were down twenty at the half. More importantly a team seeming playing well once they are out of it, is nowhere near the same as playing a truly tough, competitive game. They are a very good team but not in U Conns category, nor extremely close either.
Bronx23

Agreed - First, while the opposition does try and win, we need to bring for 4 quarters. Not saying we don't, but, would have loved that first quarter to be repeated three more times. Second, agree with bags on Z's 4th quarter. Again, its her first year playing under Geno, and sometimes, its simply a matter of emotional maturity (getting over the doubt). We know she's got the tools!
Good win that'll pay off come March

 

[connie]

Although I enjoyed the atmosphere, the crowd and students participation while never had a doubt about the outcome I felt disappointed, I was hoping to see a good 7 player rotation in preparation for the tournament. Instead I saw of a possible repeat of last year at the FF where 2 important players were way off their game(Kia & Dangerfield) and the only bench player (Azura) was so tense she couldn’t handle the pressure.
Although Azura did recover somewhat she kept taking threes instead of passing the ball or getting in the post where she belongs. Dangerfield obviously didn’t have her shot, which can happens to the best, but she was needed in the 4th qtr only to pass the ball to kill the clock rather than insisting in taking wild shots. Geno finally yank her out.
We all know Geno scheduled these type of games to flush out the weakness, but still we cannot feel too comfortable. I have my FF tickets and I am very confident we will make it there, but not to sure about the last big step.

No deep insights. Every game has its own character. This one was interesting for reasons many have noted. Yes, Louisville won 3 out of 4 quarters. Yes, from mid-way through the 2Q Louisville outscored UConn. But I'm not sure that really tells us much. The point is to win, and we did that. The second half offense was not consistent. Kia's 3s are not dropping (not surprising; she can be streaky; so long as she gets hot tournament time . . .). And we ratcheted down the defensive intensity (one probable consequence of which was fewer Louisville TOs and fewer fast-break points). Louisville had the right approach--just keep plugging away and try to make a game of it. Not sure the final score fairly reflects on the night. We just seemed able to stay relatively even (though not quite) as needed. And Louisville (esp. in the 4Q) did not play with the urgency necessary to climb out of a hole.

For whatever reason, this was not a night where a 20-point lead was going to grow to 30+. Louisville is just too offense-minded for that to happen. And the lack of bench play wears on the starters over 40 minutes. So, not surprised that the final margin of victory was 11 points. Important to bear in mind that we had a 19-point lead with 6 seconds left in 3Q, with Louisville really having done very little during the second half up to that point to effectively narrow the gap. I'll have to go back and look at the replay. But I seem to recall (?), we had a chance to close the quarter by holding for the last shot and increasing the lead to 21; however a Louisville shot at the buzzer (defensive lapse) cut the lead to 17 (I think). From there, the lead went down to 15 then up again, and so on, until the teams just traded shots and possessions until the game was safely out of hand. Credit Louisville with continuing to play. But, frankly, it didn't really matter. But for a few possessions here and there over the final, say 6 minutes, and the margin of victory could just as easily have been 17 points.

There are no certainties as we enter the home stretch. Is this team beatable. Of course. Will they be beaten? Well, very likely not before the final four. Will they get knocked out thereafter? Who knows? What we do know is that game after game, this team finds a why to win, with different players shining depending on the circumstances.

For a team that lost 3 seniors following the 2015-16 season and riddled with inexperience, question marks, a lack of size, a short bench, and a murderer's row of ranked opponents, UConn is now a phenomenal 61-1 since Morgan, Moriah and Stewie graduated. Who could possibly be dissatisfied with that?

 

[oldude]

There’s one thing I believe we all miss about this team. For the most part, the Huskies continue to play without a true Center, except on those occasions when Z suddenly realizes that she’s 6’6” and commits to being a force inside.

So UConn doesn’t have a true rim protector like Stewie or a powerful offensive rebounder like Steph who could gather up missed shots for easy putbacks.

When UConn’s offense is flowing and the defense is relentless, it all looks easy, but it’s really very hard, depending on 5 players working together perfectly.

Give credit to Louisville for making some adjustments at half and giving UConn a battle in the 2nd half. It wasn’t going to affect the final outcome, but it does serve to demonstrate that this UConn team is vulnerable to a really good team, if the Huskies are not at their best.

 

[LasVegasYank]

Z's inconsistent play gives me agita. She plays soft and gets pushed around a lot, IMO. She needs (as some others do) a nasty streak and some work in the weight room. There's little reason she shouldn't be a consistent force inside. And please, stop with the three-point attempts. Work on the 6-8' shots that could be her bread and butter.

She did step up some in the 4th quarter last night and I appreciated that effort but there's still more to her game she needs to work on.

 

[Charliebball]

I think many of us would agree that this year's team started the season with incredibly high expectations...........if one judges a team solely on wins and losses then they have obviously been perfect................they have met every challenge put in front of them and yet in terms of quality of play, UConn has had a difficult time finding the consistently great level that one has come to expect from a Geno led team........whether it's due to injuries or lack of bench development this is an excellent yet flawed team that is fully capable of winning it all or falling just slightly short of the NC as it did last year..........

 

[Ellie]

I feel fine thanks.

Exactly the same for the past 25 years. How many fans of women’s basketball can say the same?

 

[meyers7]

Really people? You know there are a lot of people who talk about how negative it is on here. I usually just "whatever" them. But damn, we just took out the #4 team (probably a FF team, if not a NC game team) by double digits. The game was never in question. But some people still come on here and whine and complain.

Wake up and smell the coffee. Greatness does not mean perfection. Enjoy the ride, enjoy the team. Have some perspective. This is a really, really good team, whether they end up winning a NC or not.

Some day in the future, people are going to look back on this as the UCONN era. And think how wonderful it must have been to be a fan of UCONN during that period and wished they could have lived through it. Little will they know how miserable some of the people were who should have been enjoying the ride.

How do I fill about the team?

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Jewel says it for me and hopefully a lot of Husky fans. We have bust their butt AAs out there winning for us.

 

[BroadwayVa]

I can't say I loved the game either. Would rather have seen a tied game for 3 Qs and then UConn pull it out in the 4Q, which would have been exciting. But this way it was just drip, drip, drip, with a slight worry that maybe Louisville would catch up. But let's remember that Louisville is one of the best teams of the country, and, after the 1st Q, played like one. In fact, given that it had effectively thrown away the game with horrible shooting and turnovers and facing the #1 away, it played terrifically. Kudos to Louisville!

And big, big kudos to Z, who played 3 terrible Qs, but stepped it up when it mattered most: in the 4Q, when no one else was scoring and Louisville was quietly inching its way back in.

In a few weeks, it'll be the tournament and then it's win 6 or to go home. If UConn does manage go 6-0, within a few years no one will remember any of the wins, except the last one, and certainly not the scores of any regular season games.

So, good win tonight. It helps clinch the #1 overall seed for UConn to be in the best position to go 6-0 in the tournament. Next game up!

In the early days of Uconn it is my less than humble opinion Geno would think: Any Win is a GOOD win---No loss is a good loss. Geno still hates to lose or even come close. This was NOT a close loss--Geno turned a rout into a practice session. Watch it again. If Geno did not want Z to shoot three's do you really think she'd be shooting threes? According to reported Geno words--she can't miss a 3 in practice. When she starts hitting, I'm sure, he is sure, she'll be looking like KLS.

 

[Frenchy]

Self assessment in a family environment doesn't mean one doesn't appreciate the team great work! Kia gets one more foul in the first half and we are down the creek. I really like Azura's work but since she tends to pile up fouls in a bunch we do not have a deep bench.

 

[Charliebball]

Really people? You know there are a lot of people who talk about how negative it is on here. I usually just "whatever" them. But damn, we just took out the #4 team (probably a FF team, if not a NC game team) by double digits. The game was never in question. But some people still come on here and whine and complain.

Wake up and smell the coffee. Greatness does not mean perfection. Enjoy the ride, enjoy the team. Have some perspective. This is a really, really good team, whether they end up winning a NC or not.

Some day in the future, people are going to look back on this as the UCONN era. And think how wonderful it must have been to be a fan of UCONN during that period and wished they could have lived through it. Little will they know how miserable some of the people were who should have been enjoying the ride.

How do I fill about the team?

 

[BroadwayVa]

Jewel says it for me and hopefully a lot of Husky fans. We have bust their butt AAs out there winning for us.

Didn't she play for Notre Dame??? And she sings, wow! You are right, busting and hustling all the while 4 of 5 maybe 5 of 5 are seriously injured and working this hard with pain. If they all 5 don't earn a shirt on the wall of honor, what does--some idiots anointing them AA's? It's OK Geno, just put an * on the shirt (I won't see it)

 

[Charliebball]

I agree with you........................ we have been spoiled rotten by greatness but nobody sets higher expectations for his teams then Geno so many fans feel they have the right to follow suite..........

 

[meyers7]

I agree with you.... we have been spoiled rotten by greatness but nobody sets higher expectations for his teams then Geno so many fans feel they have the right to follow suite.....

They can do whatever they want, but should remember they are fans, not coaches or players.

 

[Charliebball]

They can do whatever they want, but should remember they are fans, not coaches or players.

not sure what you are asking them not to do...............as far as I know the BY doesn't have a litmus test for basketball IQ...........................yet................

 

[VA Huskie]

Really people? You know there are a lot of people who talk about how negative it is on here. I usually just "whatever" them. But damn, we just took out the #4 team (probably a FF team, if not a NC game team) by double digits. The game was never in question. But some people still come on here and whine and complain.

Wake up and smell the coffee. Greatness does not mean perfection. Enjoy the ride, enjoy the team. Have some perspective. This is a really, really good team, whether they end up winning a NC or not.

Some day in the future, people are going to look back on this as the UCONN era. And think how wonderful it must have been to be a fan of UCONN during that period and wished they could have lived through it. Little will they know how miserable some of the people were who should have been enjoying the ride.

How do I fill about the team?

Love, love, love your thoughts meyers.

 

[UcMiami]

Meyers7 and Connie (got it right this time) - absolutely agree. I am finding it harder to participate on this board this year because of all the 'what is wrong with this team' posts about a 25-0 team that is playing some beautiful basketball. Seems posters have forgotten about the 5 less than perfect NCs, or the games like the Stanford NC game where Maya and Tina and their mates scored TWELVE points in the first half! going 5-29 from the field for 17%. That great 2002 team ... beat 23rd ranked VaTech by 9 scoring 59 total points.

It seems if Uconn loses a quarter or even a half the sky is falling these days, even when it happens against a top ten team when the team already has a 20 point lead. Against a team that beat ND by 33 a month ago.

Uconn, year after year gives us a glorious ride. Over the last 23 years no other team in sports has given its fans so much to celebrate and yet it never seems quite enough. 37 point MOV ... really should be closer to 40, 53% shooting ... you mean they miss 47% of their shots, 25-0 and 6-0 against top 10 teams ... yeah, but against one of those teams they only won by 9 and another they beat by only 11 and TX almost beat them losing by 4, etc.

I am not blind to issues with this team or any team Uconn fields, but for some reason Uconn WCBB is treated completely differently by their fan base than any other team in sports. The rarity of perfect seasons is not recognized as reality and the mantra of 'just win baby' is not a good enough standard. And that is a little sad, because this is a special team performing at a higher standard than any other team with a consistency unheard of in major sports.

 

[Charliebball]

Meyers7 and Connie (got it right this time) - absolutely agree. I am finding it harder to participate on this board this year because of all the 'what is wrong with this team' posts about a 25-0 team that is playing some beautiful basketball. Seems posters have forgotten about the 5 less than perfect NCs, or the games like the Stanford NC game where Maya and Tina and their mates scored TWELVE points in the first half! going 5-29 from the field for 17%. That great 2002 team ... beat 23rd ranked VaTech by 9 scoring 59 total points.

It seems if Uconn loses a quarter or even a half the sky is falling these days, even when it happens against a top ten team when the team already has a 20 point lead. Against a team that beat ND by 33 a month ago.

Uconn, year after year gives us a glorious ride. Over the last 23 years no other team in sports has given its fans so much to celebrate and yet it never seems quite enough. 37 point MOV ... really should be closer to 40, 53% shooting ... you mean they miss 47% of their shots, 25-0 and 6-0 against top 10 teams ... yeah, but against one of those teams they only won by 9 and another they beat by only 11 and TX almost beat them losing by 4, etc.

I am not blind to issues with this team or any team Uconn fields, but for some reason Uconn WCBB is treated completely differently by their fan base than any other team in sports. The rarity of perfect seasons is not recognized as reality and the mantra of 'just win baby' is not a good enough standard. And that is a little sad, because this is a special team performing at a higher standard than any other team with a consistency unheard of in major sports.