I am feeling very positive

[cohenzone]

The fact that no seniors are included in the Uconn’s key personnel of hopefully in March we'll be ok, is quite serious and very alarming and a serious indictment against the seniors. What I'm hearing and reading is we're depending on freshmen and sophomores to lead us to the chip. That's not good at all bcuz if we set the expectations on them and it doesn't happen we will label them as bust. The onus should be on the seniors to lead as the freshmen and sophomores develop, while helping out, into leaders who will deliver in their junior and senior years.

I think there are a bunch of sky is falling over reactions. The seniors definitely add to the team. Maybe not overwhelming as some would like, but no team will think they don’t have to worry about them.

 

[eyeroll]

I think there are a bunch of sky is falling over reactions. The seniors definitely add to the team. Maybe not overwhelming as some would like, but no team will think they don’t have to worry about them.

Agree on the over-reactions. I think we also forget that the vast majority of success in the program happens outside of games. How many of the players between last year and this year have said that EW is like their team Mom? Building and sustaining this requires building a culture and none of this happens without that. All the stuff we don't see, which is probably 95% of it, is what actually builds and breeds the success. The games are an outcome of that. So sure, throw the seniors out with the bathwater and see how the team reacts to that. Those seniors are likely providing leadership in so many other ways...I mean we've literally heard the younger women say that. So, those that are saying "ditch the seniors" and focus on the youth - although I agree with the sentiment in terms of giving more folks PT and having a shorter leash - Geno has to be very careful how he handles that. These are smart, observant young women and these days, rightly so, younger folks care about how people are treated, sometimes above and beyond the other stuff.

 

[Purchase1]

Honestly with all we have it makes me more excited for March when everyone of our pieces is back. It’s going to be a nightmare for a 1 seed to see us in their bracket in Bridgeport.

 

[Cuango]

I believe that if both Nika and Azzi come back around Christmas time UConn has a chance to win their remaining games. Nika is one of the best defensive players on UConn and is the ONLY true point guard on the team, she should help in those two departments. In the last half of last season Nika would drive into the paint and pass out to the open shooters or pass off to someone in the paint. If she can get back to that when she's healthy it will change the offense dramatically. While Azzi is one of the best shooting guards in the Country and should help take the pressure off of Caroline Ducharme, CW, and EW. Those two will also help in opening up the paint with either their passing or shooting.

In reference to your second sentence, I assume you mean; With Paige out, “Nika is the only true point guard on the team”?

 

[cohenzone]

Agree on the over-reactions. I think we also forget that the vast majority of success in the program happens outside of games. How many of the players between last year and this year have said that EW is like their team Mom? Building and sustaining this requires building a culture and none of this happens without that. All the stuff we don't see, which is probably 95% of it, is what actually builds and breeds the success. The games are an outcome of that. So sure, throw the seniors out with the bathwater and see how the team reacts to that. Those seniors are likely providing leadership in so many other ways...I mean we've literally heard the younger women say that. So, those that are saying "ditch the seniors" and focus on the youth - although I agree with the sentiment in terms of giving more folks PT and having a shorter leash - Geno has to be very careful how he handles that. These are smart, observant young women and these days, rightly so, younger folks care about how people are treated, sometimes above and beyond the other stuff.

BTW, in 1999.2000 Geno significantly reduced playing time for two seniors who had played roles, in one case a big role, as Sophs and spent a lot senior time watching the others. Paige Sauer and her Oklahoma pal Stacy Hansmeyer were the two. That team had some pretty good non seniors with Shea, Svetlana , Schumacher, Sue, Swin just to mention a few. I remember being surprised Paige got so little time.

 

[Bald Husky]

Against Marquette after Christmas the starting line up, assuming Nika and Azzi are back, will be the same that started the Louisville game. The team at least is playing together, and I think they can do great things after their physical and mental break from UConn basketball.
Following reasons:

1- Coming off injuries, Nika and Azzi will not be in playing shape, so Geno will slowly ease them into the line up to spell the starters. Eventually they will pick up more PT as the season progresses as long as they are up to it.
2- There is nothing wrong with what the team has done the last few games in the first quarter, in fact the team has been playing pretty well. But playing over 35 minutes will not have the same effect on the game in the fourth quarter as in the first and second quarters. EW and EWs play in the second half will improve if they can get relief during the game from Nika and Azzi.
3- Nika has the same mentality as Paige as in pushing the ball up the court. When she comes in, the contrast between her and Evina will be noticeable. Teams will have to adjust to the game we have always played, and this is when Caroline will knock down those open 3s.

When Paige gets back she will also have to play limited minutes in the beginning, maybe coming off the bench the first game back. We certainly do not want to push her too hard at first, but I'm sure she will force Geno to get her in ASAP. We just have to be patient, sit back, and barring any more injuries, we will again be a force in the tournament. Actually, it will be fun watching us roll over the pretenders that think they are better than us. It will be real fun to watch.

 

[JordyG]

Given the team is decimated with injuries, we showed grit.

We ran out of gas in the fourth quarter. The reason is we have no bench right now.

The team will be different when Azzi and Nika return, which I think will be soon.

Things could be much, much worse.

I agree 100%. Although they lost to Louisville the good signs were stark to me. I like UConn's chances come Boogie Time.

 

[JordyG]

I wouldn't mind her replacing Christyn at this point.

Careful. You're starting to sound exactly like I have from before the season began.

 

[JoePgh]

Careful. You're starting to sound exactly like I have from before the season began.

All of you people who are so eager to send Christyn to the bench should ask yourselves one question: who else does UConn have that is capable of defending a fast guard? (Don't say "Aubrey" until she is back on the floor!)

That alone probably justifies 25-30 minutes for Christyn even if her offensive contributions are zilch. But they aren't; she scored 8 first-half points against Louisville before going into a funk in the second half. She will probably always be inconsistent on offense, but her defense and hustle are constant.

And by the way, to those who said that van Lith's open 3's in the fourth quarter were Christyn's fault, I watched the replay, and you are wrong. Van Lith was Caroline's defensive responsibility, and Caroline Ducharme just didn't stay attached to her on either shot. Geno attributed that to mental fatigue from having to play too many minutes, and I think he was right.

 

[Striper69]

Given the team is decimated with injuries, we showed grit.

We ran out of gas in the fourth quarter. The reason is we have no bench right now.

The team will be different when Azzi and Nika return, which I think will be soon.

Things could be much, much worse.

Just watched the 4th quarter. I had DVR'ed the game but didn't get the last quarter.

Teams aren't psyched out by the UCONN uniforms or Conn. BBall venues/courts anymore. They're catching up to them. Right now they're taking advantage of UCONN's weakness's like any predator would. They smell blood so they're emboldened.

This situation will benefit UCONN in the long run. IMO

Caroline has game! Dorka is getting there. Watch out WCBB.

I still wish Liv would play low in the paint and bang like Caroline did this game. I'm hoping Alliya will get back the confidence she showed last season down in the paint. I think Chrissy will catch fire any game now.

No worries here. I'm looking forward to watching my beloved Huskies in person when they come to Omaha in a few weeks!

Go Huskies!!!

 

[Littlemin]

82, I completely agree with your take. That game showed us EXACTLY where they are, and exactly what Geno needed to see. Allow me to share a couple of observations here.........

1. Our girls DID show some grit! They played hard and never quit. That's all you can ask of any player (team). Again, I remind everyone that the gap that used to be there between UConn and the rest of WCBB is gone.....probably forever. It's gone whether you choose to accept it or not. There are other teams that are RIGHT NOW as talented as UConn, and in some cases with a deeper bench that the coaches are not reluctant to use. Look at the box score from yesterday. Look at the minutes the 5 reserves got. [Box score]

2. Our starters OUT SCORED Louisville's starters 60-47. Our starters did their job. The difference is they got no help and Louisville's players were able to make plays in the closing minutes of the game. Walz's bench scored 22 points, ours = 4. We lost by 5. Walz played 10 players, Geno played 7 with DeBerry only getting 3 minutes. Three of Walz's reserves got double digit minutes, yet his team was able to stay in the game. That "deep" bench we spoke of everyday during the summer has completely disappeared. During the game, the camera panned over to the UConn bench. I commented in the chatroom that our bench looked like a "MASH" ward. Most of the players on the bench were injured.

3. Only 1 LV starter player over 31 minutes. Ducharme and Williams played 40 minutes, Westbrook 38 and Juhasz 36. ONO would have played 36+ except for foul trouble. I think her prolonged absence was the difference in the game.
4. Our girls were tired in the 4th quarter, as opposed to the RESTED players Walz had on the floor.

5. Another disparity...LV went to the FT line 20 times making 17. We went only 10 times making 7. That's 10 points right there. Again, we lost by 5. We only turned the ball over 1 more time (14) than they did, but were unable to convert many of those TO's into points.

When you look at all of the variables, our girls really didn't play that badly. They were simply out-maned. They did the very best they could. Yes, they lost, but I'm very proud of them, and proud to call myself a UConn WBB fan!!! The sun rose this morning, and things will get better as the season progresses. I don't worry about Amari. She's a rose bud that has yet to bloom. Like all rose buds, she'll bloom when she's ready. When she does, Geno will play her. Everyone's timeline is different.

Geno tells us every year that on average, it takes most freshmen a full year to understand his system, and be able to function in it. She's still got 5 months left. Almost 1/3 of the season is already over. Now comes conference play. Time to get healthy and healed and get our wounded warriors back on the court, and more game experience for our newbies. Like the Somali pirate kept telling Captain Phillips throughout the movie "Relax, everything is going to be alright."

Another post proving stats lie; first, saying the starters did their job because they outscored Louisvilles’ is denying what anyone who watched the game could clearly see, namely that Ducharme and Dorka scored 2/3 of those points and more was needed from the 3 seniors.
Second, the disparity in foul shots was mostly due to Uconn fouling to stop the clock at the end of the game and to a lesser extent the passivity of Uconn on offense.
As for being out-manned, I disagree, just an excuse. With the money on the line this group has not been able to rise up and it is a consistent theme. Having said that, I am not for a second saying anyone quit(s), they don’t, but they also just don’t get it done. You come to Uconn to get it done, not lay eggs in the 4th quarter, that is the expectation. Is it the end of the world you don’t, of course not, but here’s the other side of the coin; IMO, Westbrook and Williams would not be considered top 10 draft picks if they didn’t play for Uconn, so you have to take the bad with the good.

 

[freshler40]

As a result of many years of work on my golf game and many hours on the practice range I learned that practice and play require different mind sets. Practice requires a lot of thinking and conscious control over the mechanics of the swing but when you go to play you need to forget all the inner talk focus on your target and trust your swing, good or bad. Trying to consciously control your swing mechanics during play is a recipe for failure where one bad shot leads to another as you try in vain to keep a half dozen swing mechanics thoughts in your head. I think that ONO and Williams think too much, trying to not make mistakes. "Don't do this, don't do that", is OK during practice but I'm not the only one who sees hesitation almost every time they receive the ball. ONO especially needs to start deciding what she is going to do BEFORE she gets the ball. I can't believe that Geno coached both Tuck and Collier, two of the best sealers down low I ever saw, and hasn't tried to get ONO to do her positioning work sooner. So maybe she is just too slow-footed? Who knows but I'd say she has about 3 weeks to change or else Juhasz/Edwards will be starting. And the way ONO fouls maybe that's for the best.

Of course the return of Bueckers also means everyone will be getting the ball where and at the perfect moment.

Excellent golf analogy, so true, there good range players, easy to do hitting many balls from the same position, like three point shooters but the tension of a game in front of them, watch out.
You also point out that Ono continues to hesitate, never spins left or right after getting the ball. She is way too predictable. In the first quarter of the Louisville game she made a quick right spin and scored. We never saw that move again. Why do we get away from what was working???? The guard making the pass into Ono cuts much too wide, doesn't continue into score. Why bother????? Let Edwards set this driving pick, not Ono. Beckers see this pick, other do not or aren't taught it.
Our half court offense is stale. Only CD dribbles with purpose, driving the baseline quickly, sealing off her defense for a rebound. CD also helped break the game long press by quickly either passing or dribbling the court. Try her at point some of the time. She has two or three pass vision that is missing from many of these players. We are stuck in our current offense. We have too many empty possessions, didn't hurt Louisville when they were turning the ball over in the second quarter. It was our game at that point but the guards didn't make it happen.

 

[freshler40]

BTW, in 1999.2000 Geno significantly reduced playing time for two seniors who had played roles, in one case a big role, as Sophs and spent a lot senior time watching the others. Paige Sauer and her Oklahoma pal Stacy Hansmeyer were the two. That team had some pretty good non seniors with Shea, Svetlana , Schumacher, Sue, Swin just to mention a few. I remember being surprised Paige got so little time.

At this pre-adulthood level you go with your best players. Grade levels don't matter except at Senior day. Some stop developing and don't have a game sense, never will in some cases.
I do like the fact that among the current inured, they and they alone have a ring-side seat to second guess the coaches without getting in the way. Some like Beckers, a future high-end coach, will be a sponge and is growing in a different direction that will help her court awareness.

Several areas of development are: Bigs need a lot of ball grasping drills.
Also need to hold the ball up high, shoot with short wrist movements
Use the glass more, that also helps refs see more arm fouls
Use a large Euro step through like CD did several times and not put the ball on the floor.
Keep your head up when shooting
Use quick release passes after defensive rebounds, Watch Jackson of the men. WOW, great first steps downcourt. CD also does this!
Set up, in our court some down low in bound passes for easy scores. Why we always seem to need to throw the ball at half-court to reset our offense and waist more of the clock is beyond me. This is a major weakness for both UConn teams!

 

[Inthepaint]

As long as we are accentuating the positive, I'm thinking of the POSSIBLE story of the NCAA tourney.
The wounded start to return to the ranks after Christmas,
With each return, we get a little stronger and begin to beat some of our BE rivals in conference play.
Will lose a game or two on the road
We lose another gruesome game at S. Carolina and maybe a hateful shocker against Tennessee (UUGGHH!!).
Think we will be organized and healthy enough to top Oregon.
Paige returns and after a couple of games we begin to look like the team we anticipated all summer.
We now have a battle tested Caroline Ducharme and hopefully Amari is able to really contribute in some of the blowout games in the BE.
Now the real story begins;
The Huskies sweep through the BE tourney and finish 27-7.
We stay in Bridgeport (NCAA is not totally stupid), but as a # 4 or 5 seed.
The pundits are all talking S.Carolina, Arizona, Louisville, Texas and a couple of Big 10 teams.
UCONN is dismissed as an also ran.
The disrespect serves as a little extra incentive. Our seniors, who , along with Geno, have had to shoulder the brunt of the early criticism, play like this is their last chance to show what they are made of. And it is.
We win a couple of tough physical opening round games.
Our bigs shine, including Amari, who is ready to play meaningful minutes to keep Liv and Dorka fresh for the 4th quarter and give us the big edge in the 16 and 8. We win the war in the paint and on the glass.
We make it to another Final Four and suddenly even ESPN sits up and takes notice.
Because of our crummy seed, we get matched up with Dawn Staley's #1 crew in the semi-final.
The Gamecocks know that they have our number and hit the court supremely confident and in high spirits.
The Huskies come out quiet and determined, like the Marines going up Mt. Siribachi.
We win a tough back and forth game in O/T. Liv and Dorka work the two posts like a tag team and get the best of Boston and Cardozo.
Now we have Monkey # 1 off our backs.
The final hill to climb is against our old friends from Arizona.
Now it's time to show our speed, passing and shooting. Paige and EW are relentless feeding into the lane. CW stops overthinking and drives to the rim a few times keying a big Husky run and focing an AZ timeout. The Wildcats respond quickly and collapse into the paint. Azzi, Caroline and Paige start raining 3's. Nika, Aubrey and AE steal, harass and mug.
We pull away in the 4th quarter. 12 point win as Paige dribbles out the last few seconds.
Geno can't get up the ladder to cut down the net, so Nika, who has managed to get another black eye during the tourney, elbows her way to the front and does the honors.
NC trophy # 12 returns to Storrs. UCONN is once again "Bad for WCBB"
The End

 

[oldude]

I like the general optimism of most of the posts on this thread. The one thing I think we all miss is how incredibly difficult it is to reconstitute a team in mid-season, forcing players into new roles, when the one player who makes everyone on the team better is out. Liv, Christyn & Evina were all better players with Paige on the floor. Hell, I might still be able to knock down a shot playing with Paige.

The emergence of Caroline & Dorka is really good news. If Azzi, Nika & hopefully Aubrey return after Christmas, that will also be really good news. If Paige returns sometime in February that will be the best news of all. In the meantime, the rest of the team will have the opportunity to fulfill the true potential of what only existed on paper: a deep roster that can play as a team and adjust to any situation it encounters.

 

[oldhusky]

In the Evina vs. Nika starting debate, remember Evina was a point guard for two years, pretty bad her first year, and more average the next, but with a high usage rate, quite a few turnovers, and so so shooting percentages. She went thru a major transformation to a lower usage rate more efficient player, moving mostly to the 3, but also playing at the 4 quite a bit. Personally I believe her best positions in order would be 2, 3, 1, then 4. With CW there was not much time at the 2 and she settled in as the 3, and did an admiral job when pushed into the 4. Her versatility can fit many places, but I see her as the third option at point guard.

With Nika she had a rough start last year, which was partly injuries, but also she sometimes was miscast as a wing when in the game with Paige. Standing in the corner waiting for an open three is certainly not what she does best. Then Geno decided to switch the roles and when Nika and Paige were in the game together, Nika was at the point and Paige off the ball. That worked better for both players, particularly Nika and the team as well. Paige could be a great player at several positions, Nika is a point guard that has far less value at other positions. She could be a defensive spark for a few minutes a game, but if she is to play significant minutes effectively, they need to be at point guard. Evina and others can be moved around more.

 

[Bigboote]

I like the general optimism of most of the posts on this thread. The one thing I think we all miss is how incredibly difficult it is to reconstitute a team in mid-season, forcing players into new roles, when the one player who makes everyone on the team better is out. Liv, Christyn & Evina were all better players with Paige on the floor. Hell, I might still be able to knock down a shot playing with Paige.

The emergence of Caroline & Dorka is really good news. If Azzi, Nika & hopefully Aubrey return after Christmas, that will also be really good news. If Paige returns sometime in February that will be the best news of all. In the meantime, the rest of the team will have the opportunity to fulfill the true potential of what only existed on paper: a deep roster that can play as a team and adjust to any situation it encounters.

The one thing that concerns me is the possibility that Paige comes back too late in the season to resurrect her last-year's role. I love the possibility of Nika and Azzi coming back for the Marquette game. What's been UConn's downfall this season? If Nika and Azzi just play 5 minutes in the first half and much of the fourth quarter, I see that as absolutely positive. Azzi offers a little instant offense, Nika instant defense and both some energy and a positive vibe. I think the most important thing, though, is among Nika, Azzi, and Caroline, they'll have more (and more consistent) movement on offense. If ONO can stay out of foul trouble, she and Dorka can provide the high-low that was missing in the 4th last game.

They'll have 10 weeks or so to get their sea legs under them. I do worry, though, if Paige comes back just a couple of weeks before the show.

 

[oldude]

The one thing that concerns me is the possibility that Paige comes back too late in the season to resurrect her last-year's role. I love the possibility of Nika and Azzi coming back for the Marquette game. What's been UConn's downfall this season? If Nika and Azzi just play 5 minutes in the first half and much of the fourth quarter, I see that as absolutely positive. Azzi offers a little instant offense, Nika instant defense and both some energy and a positive vibe. I think the most important thing, though, is among Nika, Azzi, and Caroline, they'll have more (and more consistent) movement on offense. If ONO can stay out of foul trouble, she and Dorka can provide the high-low that was missing in the 4th last game.

They'll have 10 weeks or so to get their sea legs under them. I do worry, though, if Paige comes back just a couple of weeks before the show.

So long as Paige is healthy, which I assume will be absolutely assured by the medical staff, I’m not too worried about her ability to step right in and compete at the highest level. If Nicollo Paganini took a month of from performing, I assume he wouldn’t forget how to play the violin.

 

[Bigboote]

So long as Paige is healthy, which I assume will be absolutely assured by the medical staff, I’m not too worried about her ability to step right in and compete at the highest level. If Nicollo Paganini took a month of from performing, I assume he wouldn’t forget how to play the violin.

Yes, but Hilary Hahn has played Bach EVERY DAY since she was about 8. (Actually I saw that quote before the birth of her two children; dunno if she managed it those two days.) I actually saw her first performance after her first kid was born, and if she did take a day off, it didn't show.

 

[Carnac]

Another post proving stats lie; first, saying the starters did their job because they outscored Louisvilles’ is denying what anyone who watched the game could clearly see, namely that Ducharme and Dorka scored 2/3 of those points and more was needed from the 3 seniors.
Second, the disparity in foul shots was mostly due to Uconn fouling to stop the clock at the end of the game and to a lesser extent the passivity of Uconn on offense.
As for being out-manned, I disagree, just an excuse. With the money on the line this group has not been able to rise up and it is a consistent theme. Having said that, I am not for a second saying anyone quit(s), they don’t, but they also just don’t get it done. You come to Uconn to get it done, not lay eggs in the 4th quarter, that is the expectation. Is it the end of the world you don’t, of course not, but here’s the other side of the coin; IMO, Westbrook and Williams would not be considered top 10 draft picks if they didn’t play for Uconn, so you have to take the bad with the good.

I agree with some of your points, but not all. They are not my stats. Stats can be used anyway you wish to illustrate a point(s). I maintain the starters DID do their job which was to score more points than their opponents. They did that. If you take away the bench scoring from both teams, who wins? UConn. They were out there as a unit, not individuals. You win or lose as a team.

Foul shots win games. Those 10 extra points helped Louisville win this one. It doesn't make any difference how you get to the line, just get there. They got there! If the other team puts you there out of last minute desperation, that's their problem. The reverse is also true. Louisville scored 10 more points from the line than UConn did. That is a fact, no lie there. You can't argue those numbers. 17 vs 7. If it had been 17 vs 7 the other way, UConn wins.

If one player scores 40, or two players score 25, or three players score 15, they're still part of a unit. One starter can go scoreless, but do other things that help the team win. I agree that the other members of that unit did not contribute that much to the over all bottom line, but they did contribute something. UConn's starters got zero support from their bench as far as contributing additional points or providing periods of rest breaks. That is not an excuse, that's a fact. And it's one Geno should be very concerned about.

You said: "As for being out-manned, I disagree, just an excuse." No excuse, fact. Walz used 10 players, Geno used 7. Six if you don't count the 3 minutes that Amari played. 10 vs 7 to me is being out-manned. If you're in a street fight, and one side has 10 roughnecks, and the other side only has 7, which side would you say had the better chance of winning the fight? You don't consider those 7 being out numbered? Out manned? At least three of those 7 are going to get double teamed, and probably go down faster than the other four. If you choose not to recognize 10 being more than 7, ok. All of the math classes I ever had recognized 10 having a greater value than 7.

As for the rest of your narrative, your points are valid, i.e., "they also just don’t get it done." Until they turn it around, UConn will continue to be on that roller coaster. We agree on some points:

"With the money on the line this group has not been able to rise up and it is a consistent theme. Having said that, I am not for a second saying anyone quit(s), they don’t, but they also just don’t get it done. You come to Uconn to get it done, not lay eggs in the 4th quarter, that is the expectation. Is it the end of the world you don’t, of course not, but here’s the other side of the coin; IMO, Westbrook and Williams would not be considered top 10 draft picks if they didn’t play for Uconn, so you have to take the bad with the good."

 

[veryolddog]

To the original poster: I am glad that you are glad. I am glad too. What I am glad about is that we have had a few players who would not have been given a chance to play, have come in as starters and as substitutes and shown that they are capable of producing significant resultts. Before her injury, we had a Paige centric team around which everything revolved. To her credit, she did try to incorporate others within the Team framework with little success.

If you are going to recruit above average players, I would like to see them play and contribute. It is incumbent upon every player to learn the system and play within that framework. I really object to above average players sitting around and waiing to play if ever. You have to get your players blooded if they are ever going to produce. Aaaah, what the hell do I know anymore.

 

[Littlemin]

I agree with some of your points, but not all. They are not my stats. Stats can be used anyway you wish to illustrate a point(s). I maintain the starters DID do their job which was to score more points than their opponents. They did that. If you take away the bench scoring from both teams, who wins? UConn. They were out there as a unit, not individuals. You win or lose as a team.

Foul shots win games. Those 10 extra points helped Louisville win this one. It doesn't make any difference how you get to the line, just get there. They got there! If the other team puts you there out of last minute desperation, that's their problem. The reverse is also true. Louisville scored 10 more points from the line than UConn did. That is a fact, no lie there. You can't argue those numbers. 17 vs 7. If it had been 17 vs 7 the other way, UConn wins.

If one player scores 40, or two players score 25, or three players score 15, they're still part of a unit. One starter can go scoreless, but do other things that help the team win. I agree that the other members of that unit did not contribute that much to the over all bottom line, but they did contribute something. UConn's starters got zero support from their bench as far as contributing additional points or providing periods of rest breaks. That is not an excuse, that's a fact. And it's one Geno should be very concerned about.

You said: "As for being out-manned, I disagree, just an excuse." No excuse, fact. Walz used 10 players, Geno used 7. Six if you don't count the 3 minutes that Amari played. 10 vs 7 to me is being out-manned. If you're in a street fight, and one side has 10 roughnecks, and the other side only has 7, which side would you say had the better chance of winning the fight? You don't consider those 7 being out numbered? Out manned? At least three of those 7 are going to get double teamed, and probably go down faster than the other four. If you choose not to recognize 10 being more than 7, ok. All of the math classes I ever had recognized 10 having a greater value than 7.

As for the rest of your narrative, your points are valid, i.e., "they also just don’t get it done." Until they turn it around, UConn will continue to be on that roller coaster. We agree on some points:

"With the money on the line this group has not been able to rise up and it is a consistent theme. Having said that, I am not for a second saying anyone quit(s), they don’t, but they also just don’t get it done. You come to Uconn to get it done, not lay eggs in the 4th quarter, that is the expectation. Is it the end of the world you don’t, of course not, but here’s the other side of the coin; IMO, Westbrook and Williams would not be considered top 10 draft picks if they didn’t play for Uconn, so you have to take the bad with the good."

First off, no one said they were your stats.
Second, Uconn starters played more minutes than Louisville so it stands to reason they would score more.
Third, how and when you get to the line is very important and relevant; fouling to stop the clock is nothing more than a desperation move because you have been outplayed and are losing, and is a somewhat last resort, “unnatural” act to the game.
Fourth, your street fight analogy is one I can’t even consider since in no basketball game do you play 10 against 7 all at once like you describe so it is a totally specious argument.
Finally, we can certainly agree to disagree, no problem.

 

[Carnac]

First off, no one said they were your stats.
Second, Uconn starters played more minutes than Louisville so it stands to reason they would score more.
Third, how and when you get to the line is very important and relevant; fouling to stop the clock is nothing more than a desperation move because you have been outplayed and are losing, and is a somewhat last resort, “unnatural” act to the game.
Fourth, your street fight analogy is one I can’t even consider since in no basketball game do you play 10 against 7 all at once like you describe so it is a totally specious argument.
Finally, we can certainly agree to disagree, no problem.

MIn, I'm not going to go around and around with you on this. Yes, we will absolutely disagree on this. It's a glass of water filled halfway. We're looking at it from different perspectives. I posted a comment. I didn't ask you to like it or agree with it. You're one person. Lots of folks that read it did like it.

No, you didn't say they were my stats, but you attacked my post saying that those stats lied. I wanted to make that point clear! Regardless of how many minutes UConn players played, they outscored Louisville's starters. You keep trying to diminish the few things UConn's starters did do. Of course they played more minutes, they had no back up. That was not their fault. They did what they did.

The street fight analogy was in relationship to numbers. It was not meant to have any correlation with basketball. I could have used another example. The bottom line is 10 is more than 7, thus the side or group of 10 out number the group of 7. You can't argue that. It appears you have a problem with the use of the words "out numbered" My original post was positive by nature. I chose to comment on the positive things our girls did. I saw the game, but I chose not to harp on the negatives.

I've never had a problem with anyone here disagreeing with anything I post. I posted my opinion, you disagreed, your comments have been noted. We'll leave it there. We're not going to change each other's mind or perception on this one.

 

[Littlemin]

MIn, I'm not going to go around and around with you on this. Yes, we will absolutely disagree on this. It's a glass of water filled halfway. We're looking at it from different perspectives. I posted a comment. I didn't ask you to like it or agree with it. You're one person. Lots of folks that read it did like it.

No, you didn't say they were my stats, but you attacked my post saying that those stats lied. I wanted to make that point clear! Regardless of how many minutes UConn players played, they outscored Louisville's starters. You keep trying to diminish the few things UConn's starters did do. Of course they played more minutes, they had no back up. That was not their fault. They did what they did.

The street fight analogy was in relationship to numbers. It was not meant to have any correlation with basketball. I could have used another example. The bottom line is 10 is more than 7, thus the side or group of 10 out number the group of 7. You can't argue that. It appears you have a problem with the use of the words "out numbered" My original post was positive by nature. I chose to comment on the positive things our girls did. I saw the game, but I chose not to harp on the negatives.

I've never had a problem with anyone here disagreeing with anything I post. I posted my opinion, you disagreed, your comments have been noted. We'll leave it there. We're not going to change each other's mind or perception on this one.

Sorry to offend you, if you thought I was attacking you, you are wrong. A constant mantra of mine is that stats lie; I thought it was a discussion, not verbal warfare, obviously I was wrong. No worries that is what the ignore button is for. Have a great holiday