How Far Will UConn's Defense Take Them?

[oldude]

We’ve spent a lot of time on the BY discussing the problems with UConn’s offense this season. The Huskies don’t move, pass or shoot quite like the team we’re used to watching. Sometimes the offense gets “stuck” with turnovers up as well. While there are some things the Huskies can improve upon individually and collectively on the offensive side of the ball, after 25 games the Huskies are who they are this season. At the same time, the one good thing that has been relatively consistent all season long is that the Huskies are a very good defensive team. Even against the likes of Baylor, Oregon and SC, UConn held all of them under their season averages by 10 pts or more, with particularly good defensive stretches against both the Bears and the Gamecocks.

In his postgame presser following the Tulane game, Geno had some interesting comments. Specially, he remarked that while UConn’s offense continued to struggle, the Huskies had been spending “80% of their practice time on offense.” So, he finally decided that the best way to improve the offense was to, “stop practicing offense.” Geno’s logic was simple. Perhaps by doing a better job pressuring opposing teams defensively, UConn’s offense would get a boost with more easy transition baskets. This is not just wishful thinking. We saw exactly that in the 2nd halves against both TN & USF, as well as the 2nd qtr against Tulane.

In the two practices leading up to the Tulane game, UConn focused on defense, and the results were impressive. Poor Tulane. They scored a pedestrian 13 pts in the 1st qtr and then things just got worse. In the next three qtrs the Green Wave scored 8, 5 & 5 pts respectively, all while shooting a horrendous 20% from the floor with 24 turnovers. Tulane faced a ferocious defensive effort by the Huskies. Megan shut down their top scorer. Christyn played as hard on the defensive side as I’ve ever seen her play. Crystal and Anna were tipping passes and forcing turnovers all over the court and Liv was an imposing presence in the paint. What was even more impressive is that the fierce defensive effort didn’t stop once the Husky starters sat down. Aubrey was her typical harassing presence. Kyla was taking charges and Molly was seemingly everywhere hustling on defense.

Bear Bryant once said, “Defense wins championships.” Of course, he was talking about football, during an era when many teams just pounded away on the ground. Whether or not the Bear’s wisdom is transferrable to basketball, in this day and age, when teams jack up 20-30 three-point shots per game, remains to be seen. But the one thing that appears clear is that the UConn coaches and players have embraced this intense focus on defense.

UConn still has some excellent offensive players who are capable of lighting it up on any given night, but the Huskies will go as far as their defense takes them this year. We will have to see whether this season ends somewhere prior to the FF, or if UConn is able to scratch and claw their way back to a 13th straight FF. If the Huskies somehow manage to be one of the last 4 teams standing, all bets are off as to who comes out on top.

 

[eebmg]

I don't think it is realistic to think we can hold the top teams to under 70 points so we better be able to score in the 70's against the top teams. A very tall order. Who knows? If our players come in with enough positive emotions and truely believe they can win and just go at it without fear, maybe??

 

[CocoHusky]

To Fort Wayne, Indiana hopefully.

 

[oldude]

I don't think it is realistic to think we can hold the top teams to under 70 points so we better be able to score in the 70's against the top teams. A very tall order. Who knows? If our players come in with enough positive emotions and truely believe they can win and just go at it without fear, maybe??

I pretty much agree, although Baylor was certainly heading for something under 70 until UConn lost their poise in the last 4 minutes, chucking up ill-advised shots and then fouling Baylor players and sending them to the line. But what I think Geno is looking for is a little tougher defensive effort against top teams, forcing them to take and make tougher shots and hopefully a few more turnovers resulting in easier transition baskets. It might not work against, SC, Baylor or Oregon, but if UConn gets the right draw in the Big Dance, I think it works against the likes of MD, Louisville, Stanford, UCLA, OR St, etc.

 

[eebmg]

I pretty much agree, although Baylor was certainly heading for something under 70 until UConn lost their poise in the last 4 minutes, chucking up ill-advised shots and then fouling Baylor players and sending them to the line. But what I think Geno is looking for is a little tougher defensive effort against top teams, forcing them to take and make tougher shots and hopefully a few more turnovers resulting in easier transition baskets. It might not work against, SC, Baylor or Oregon, but if UConn gets the right draw in the Big Dance, I think it works against the likes of MD, Louisville, Stanford, UCLA, OR St, etc.

I think it is not reasonable to keep up defensive energy if your offense does not help out. So even if our defensive effort is herculean in the beginning, unless it translates into some easy offense and the set offense is at least competent, we will not be able to psychologically maintain it.

 

[Waquoit]

UConn is just a bit outpersonnelled this year. It will take all the tumblers to fall into place to make a run. The D is going to have to get a boost from the O. It can still happen.

 

[UConn2SF]

Defense could carry this team into the Final 4. The offense could prevent them from advancing beyond the sweet 16. Ultimately, when and where the season ends depends on whether the offense can adequately lighten the burden placed on the defense.

 

[BBallF]

I think all of these posts are spot on. One thing is for sure, even putting the offense aside for a moment, the defense has to be top shelf to get us to the FF. What I saw against Tulane however was defense waking up the offense. I saw the defense and offense interconnected in a way I haven't seen in a while. That's usually the way it worked at UConn. I don't think it was a coincidence that Anna played her best defensive game and she had also a strong offensive performance as well. Same thing with Meg. She played less than 3 quarters, in fact 7 minutes less than her season average, scored 1 point below her average, and yet shot 66% from the field some 19% greater than her shooting % this year. I think the defense being more intense and aggressive has had a positive effect on what was offensive lack of confidence. I understand it was not an elite team we were playing but if the defense we saw against Tulane becomes a habit it changes everything and it is also a lot of fun to watch. I also think "Offense wins games, Defense wins Championships" is still a valid mantra in women's college basketball. Geno's admitted shift in emphasis in practice attests to that.

 

[Boreifs]

This is the best collection of posts I have seen on this site this season. Thank you.

 

[Majic Hands]

I can see how having the team increasing there focus on defence. Striving to shut down the opponents offence, forcing turnovers, could take the mental pressure off the kids on the offensive end of the floor.

It seems to me that the kids are really in there heads on the offensive end of the floor.

 

[Bronxjeff]

I think one of the keys to the success of this plan is to make sure it begins at tipoff. When we fall behind even a single three in the first period it seems to get in their heads and the offense stagnates. We've proven we can come back from deficits, but we have to start off with confidence.

 

[BBallF]

I think one of the keys to the success of this plan is to make sure it begins at tipoff. When we fall behind even a single three in the first period it seems to get in their heads and the offense stagnates. We've proven we can come back from deficits, but we have to start off with confidence.

Majic Hands and Bronxjeff are exactly right. The tough early defense loosens them up physically and psychologically. You can't be tight or in doubt if you are already sweating on defense and focusing on it. As soon as I saw Meg dive on the floor against Tulane I said to myself "where has this team been?".

 

[Carnac]

This is the best collection of posts I have seen on this site this season. Thank you.

I second that. I liked every comment. Each was rational and on point. Thanks guys.

 

[Carnac]

I think one of the keys to the success of this plan is to make sure it begins at tipoff. When we fall behind even a single three in the first period it seems to get in their heads and the offense stagnates. We've proven we can come back from deficits, but we have to start off with confidence.

Bingo!! We can’t fall behind because of a slow start in the 1st quarter which has been the case in too many games this year.

Yes, a few teams are “slightly “ more talented than we are. There is no shame in that. The difference is they play like it, and didn’t shrink under the bright lights in a mega game against us. UConn was the biggest game on their schedule this year. Each one of them came out with attitude, grit and determination to play and play hard and win.

How do you only score 2 points in a quarter? SMH. There is absolutely no acceptable excuse or answer for that. That can’t happen. The game was over at that point. In those first ten minutes, UConn showed their opponent exactly where they were, and how prepared they were to compete that night.

Baylor and Oregon did so in our house, breaking a record that stood for years. They were not intimidated in the least in UConn’s 7 year home court win streak “mystique.” THAT is the attitude and swagger UConn needs to take into every game. Treat every possession like it’s gold. Limit the turnovers in the game, especially in the first half.

Make your bunnies, layups and free throws. Take good shots, and don’t be afraid to shoot when ever you have an open look. You pride yourself on being a basketball player, play like it. Some of UConn’s players were #1 in their class, or at the very least, top 5. They need to play like it. Crystal can’t do it alone.

 

[victor64]

I thought, with their lack of size, they would play more zone. They have not. What is weird, when they have played zone, it has not looked very good. Teams get lots of open three looks. Or so it seems.

 

[Boreifs]

I thought, with their lack of size, they would play more zone. They have not. What is weird, when they have played zone, it has not looked very good. Teams get lots of open three looks. Or so it seems.

Almost any team gets open three looks against a zone. IMO, it works well only against teams who can’t shoot the three. Teams used to be able to zone up Baylor; now that they finally have an outside game, that is no longer possible.

 

[MSGRET]

Bingo!! We can’t fall behind because of a slow start in the 1st quarter which has been the case in too many games this year.

Yes, a few teams are “slightly “ more talented than we are. There is no shame in that. The difference is they play like it, and didn’t shrink under the bright lights in a mega game against us. UConn was the biggest game on their schedule this year. Each one of them came out with attitude, grit and determination to play and play hard and win.

How do you only score 2 points in a quarter? SMH. There is absolutely no acceptable excuse or answer for that. That can’t happen. The game was over at that point. In those first ten minutes, UConn showed their opponent exactly where they were, and how prepared they were to compete.

Baylor and Oregon did so in our house, breaking a record that stood for years. They were not intimidated in the least in the Gampel “mystique.” THAT is the attitude our team must take into every game. Treat every possession like it’s gold. Limit the turnovers in the game, but especially in the first half.

Make your bunnies, layups and free throws. Take good shots, and don’t be afraid to shoot whenever you have an open look. You pride yourself on being a basketball player, then play like it. Some of UConn’s players were #1 in their class, or at the very least, top 5. They need to play like it. Crystal can’t do it alone.

Carnac, just one small correction on the "in our house" statement, the Baylor game was at the XL Center. You are correct in them not being intimidated in the playing on our home court. Although I have never understood why UConn plays half of their home games in the XL Center. Maybe two or three a year with the rest at Gampel, it is a college game and the college students should have the right to see their team in Gampel.

 

[victor64]

Almost any team gets open three looks against a zone. IMO, it works well only against teams who can’t shoot the three. Teams used to be able to zone up Baylor; now that they finally have an outside game, that is no longer possible.

Not if the wings are aggressive. Anna, Megan and CW are slow on their closeouts. Plus, the backside has to rebound effectively. Teams are getting too many second chances against the UConn zone.

 

[DefenseBB]

Carnac, just one small correction on the "in our house" statement, the Baylor game was at the XL Center. You are correct in them not being intimidated in the playing on our home court. Although I have never understood why UConn plays half of their home games in the XL Center. Maybe two or three a year with the rest at Gampel, it is a college game and the college students should have the right to see their team in Gampel.

I believe it is a "bulk contract deal" for MCBB, WCBB and Hockey to use the XL Center which holds significantly more than Gampel. There may be those more knowledgeable on that but given we are moving to the BigEast where we should see a bump in attendance, having games at XL is easier for the masses to get than Storrs.

 

[HopJim]

We’ve spent a lot of time on the BY discussing the problems with UConn’s offense this season. The Huskies don’t move, pass or shoot quite like the team we’re used to watching. Sometimes the offense gets “stuck” with turnovers up as well. While there are some things the Huskies can improve upon individually and collectively on the offensive side of the ball, after 25 games the Huskies are who they are this season. At the same time, the one good thing that has been relatively consistent all season long is that the Huskies are a very good defensive team. Even against the likes of Baylor, Oregon and SC, UConn held all of them under their season averages by 10 pts or more, with particularly good defensive stretches against both the Bears and the Gamecocks.

In his postgame presser following the Tulane game, Geno had some interesting comments. Specially, he remarked that while UConn’s offense continued to struggle, the Huskies had been spending “80% of their practice time on offense.” So, he finally decided that the best way to improve the offense was to, “stop practicing offense.” Geno’s logic was simple. Perhaps by doing a better job pressuring opposing teams defensively, UConn’s offense would get a boost with more easy transition baskets. This is not just wishful thinking. We saw exactly that in the 2nd halves against both TN & USF, as well as the 2nd qtr against Tulane.

In the two practices leading up to the Tulane game, UConn focused on defense, and the results were impressive. Poor Tulane. They scored a pedestrian 13 pts in the 1st qtr and then things just got worse. In the next three qtrs the Green Wave scored 8, 5 & 5 pts respectively, all while shooting a horrendous 20% from the floor with 24 turnovers. Tulane faced a ferocious defensive effort by the Huskies. Megan shut down their top scorer. Christyn played as hard on the defensive side as I’ve ever seen her play. Crystal and Anna were tipping passes and forcing turnovers all over the court and Liv was an imposing presence in the paint. What was even more impressive is that the fierce defensive effort didn’t stop once the Husky starters sat down. Aubrey was her typical harassing presence. Kyla was taking charges and Molly was seemingly everywhere hustling on defense.

Bear Bryant once said, “Defense wins championships.” Of course, he was talking about football, during an era when many teams just pounded away on the ground. Whether or not the Bear’s wisdom is transferrable to basketball, in this day and age, when teams jack up 20-30 three-point shots per game, remains to be seen. But the one thing that appears clear is that the UConn coaches and players have embraced this intense focus on defense.

UConn still has some excellent offensive players who are capable of lighting it up on any given night, but the Huskies will go as far as their defense takes them this year. We will have to see whether this season ends somewhere prior to the FF, or if UConn is able to scratch and claw their way back to a 13th straight FF. If the Huskies somehow manage to be one of the last 4 teams standing, all bets are off as to who comes out on top.

Dude, since I have been posting about defense since the beginning of the year, I am in violent agreement but:
-View Tulane as a great match up for UConn since Green Wade had relatively slow, methodical guards. Might be more indicative of UConn's motivation than skills that would translate to a Baylor or similar game.
-Current UConn team is good across the board at defense, but has no defensive stopper in the MoJeff model. Top opposition players typically get their points against UConn.
-I hate to overuse the "size excuse," but against the top teams, virtually every UConn player is smaller than their opposition. Even ONO gives up 20-30+ pounds.

Bottom line - UConn has the skills to make Final 4 but in addition to both the offense and defense having to click 100%, matchups will likely determine teams. Don't see any totally dominate team out there. Just like UConn not needing to face Brit. Griner several years ago (how much do we love Shoni Schimmel), this would be a great year for some upsets mixed in with some unique Geno strategy (some 8/10 shooting by Anna welcome as well).

 

[oldude]

Dude, since I have been posting about defense since the beginning of the year, I am in violent agreement but:
-View Tulane as a great match up for UConn since Green Wade had relatively slow, methodical guards. Might be more indicative of UConn's motivation than skills that would translate to a Baylor or similar game.
-Current UConn team is good across the board at defense, but has no defensive stopper in the MoJeff model. Top opposition players typically get their points against UConn.
-I hate to overuse the "size excuse," but against the top teams, virtually every UConn player is smaller than their opposition. Even ONO gives up 20-30+ pounds.

Bottom line - UConn has the skills to make Final 4 but in addition to both the offense and defense having to click 100%, matchups will likely determine teams. Don't see any totally dominate team out there. Just like UConn not needing to face Brit. Griner several years ago (how much do we love Shoni Schimmel), this would be a great year for some upsets mixed in with some unique Geno strategy (some 8/10 shooting by Anna welcome as well).

I would suggest that UConn does in fact have a defensive stopper, but that would involve playing Aubrey 30+ mpg, which could be problematic for the offense.

 

[HopJim]

I would suggest that UConn does in fact have a defensive stopper, but that would involve playing Aubrey 30+ mpg, which could be problematic for the offense.

You are likely right for the future but this year have not seen her excel against the quicker guards or true bigs. Her best games have been against teams like South Florida or TN, not the top teams with top players.

 

[oldude]

You are likely right for the future but this year have not seen her excel against the quicker guards or true bigs. Her best games have been against teams like South Florida or TN, not the top teams with top players.

In those big games Aubrey has almost always come in to replace one of the forwards. Should UConn run into one of the Top 3 teams again in the Big Dance, I would really like to see Aubrey get meaningful minutes covering Cooper, Ionescu or Harris. Ionescu & Harris in particular were both effective against the Huskies by backing Crystal down in the paint and shooting over her. Neither player would be able to shoot over Aubrey easily.

 

[Carnac]

.

 

[Boreifs]

UConn has been playing some of their "home" games at the XL for many years. I realize that it is not an "on campus" arena", but games played there are considered "home" games. UConn is ALWAYS the home team when they play there. I consider a loss in the XL Center a home loss. When UConn wins a game there, it is always considered/deemed a "home" win. It's not considered a neutral court. If you observe their "official" won-loss record, you'll see that games played and won there are listed as home wins. From a marketing point of view, I can understand why they choose to play some of their games at the XL. It's strictly busine$$.

Almost all of the games at the XL center are scheduled when the students are not on campus and vice versa. The only exceptions happen when they have to equalize the packages at eight games apiece.