I dont see UConn losing

[BroadwayVa]

I agree. Problem is there is no guarantee we will play like that every game. This time of year all it takes is 1 bad game and your season is over.

Everyone knows what you say has merit---even Geno and the Team---so I'll put money on : If Uconn isn't impeded by the Refs--they will perform at 140 percent every game to the end. They shall control what they CAN control. That's the Geno way!!

 

[rugbymate]

Not sure what the oddsmakers are saying about our NC prospects but my guess is that it is around 3:2 . While we are definitely NC favorites , as many posters have identified, there are scenarios that could unfold that are not good. Would I bet 3 bucks to make two? Yes...but there is a long line of Baylor fans that would take the other side. Of the potential NC contenders, UCONN, MD and Baylor have the toughest road. IMO , the NC is highly likely to come from that group. If we get to the NC game we will probably be 4:1 favorites. I guess my point is that nothing is certain and I'll probably record the games and only watch if they win...the perfect antidote for massive stress.

 

[Longtime fan]

They're on a roll. Cuse is very athletic and quick and UConn rolled. Maybe MD wins and plays UConn. It doesnt matter UConn is playing at a very high level and most importantly theyre playing with confidence. They ran their stuff this past week like a steamroller. Not a chance for either opponent. Saturday afternoon UCLA shouldnt be any different and then Monday against the winner of Oregon and MD. Our side of the bracket is healthly and the opposite side has ND Turner out with an ACL and SC Coates out for the season. There could be two upsets on that side.

I am really really excited about where we are right now. Our non starters have improved immensely. They can hold their own. Nurse is back and playing at a level much higher then the beginning of the season and when we faced Murders Row. We limited our fouls the past two games. I heard Andy Landers say he thought Baylor had a chance to beat UConn as he thought they were at UConns level. No way Andy. Baylor doesnt come close to UConns level. Hey they just lost to West Va.

Here we go again...

I have to point out, once again, that when Baylor lost to West Virginia, they did it without their star player. Now, she is back. They saved her for the NCAA tournament. Losing to West Virginia is a sign of nothing.

 

[MikeR01950]

Baylor is good no doubt but I noticed yesterday's game especially cox... She had issues getting up and down the court .. Extremely winded. The issue is with bigs especially brown they can't afford to get into a running match up and down. I'm more worried about prince and jones then cox or brown. If UCONN loses it won't be the end of the world the streak will come to a end at some point. Almost like GENO stated he hoped they would lose get it out of the way... It would be a double wammy losing in the final four and the steak ends... The news media will be all over UCONN they chocked in the big game instead of what they did this season. So all in all the pressure is on UCONN and sometimes it's better not to have all the pressure!! I actually like Washington they are playing hot right now. They could cause Baylor problems to. To compete with Baylor u have to be able to score and defend which both Washington can do. Plum alone is very difficult to stop she can keep her team in any game. So Baylor by any means is no guarantee just like UCONN isn't. The teams remaining are here for a reason they earned it and have just as good as a chance to move on as any other team. Remember on any given play a key injury can happen. Major foul trouble bad shooting night and bad refs... All the teams still in the tourney can face this at any given time... Not to mention these players practice every day and a key injury can happen even in practice so no one is favored in my opinion ... U go out and play the games and whatever is meant to be will be.

 

[Carnac]

It's always fun to look ahead a bit, to see whats on the horizon. While I don't believe Baylor will lose next weekend, they are not invincible. They did lose the BIG 12 Conference Championship to West Virginia 15 days ago 77-66. So let's not get too carried away here. They got beat. They did not lose a close one, or get beat at the buzzer.They can get beat, They have been beat. They still have "chinks" in their armor, and Mulkey will not out coach Geno!!

In addition to losing to UConn, they also lost to Texas in Waco. If you had to bet everything you have on this match up (should it occur), who would you take? A team that has 3 losses, or the one who has not lost a game yet (34-0), and is playing their best basketball of the season? I'll be Lee Corso for a moment.................Where's the Husky head gear?

 

[Sonny44]

I am leaning towards agreeing with Andy. Baylor has a very deep bench with at least 6-7 legitimate scoring threats. They are very tall- Brown, Momprimier, Cox & Cave (4 posts). They have good outside shooting and good guard play.

I don't think UCLA will be a big threat. MD won't make the same mistakes as earlier in the season (this will be 6.5 of 10 in difficulty). Baylor will be 8.5-10

Baylor indeed could be a problem, especially with Coates out.

 

[hoopingcrane]

They're on a roll. Cuse is very athletic and quick and UConn rolled. Maybe MD wins and plays UConn. It doesnt matter UConn is playing at a very high level and most importantly theyre playing with confidence. They ran their stuff this past week like a steamroller. Not a chance for either opponent. Saturday afternoon UCLA shouldnt be any different and then Monday against the winner of Oregon and MD. Our side of the bracket is healthly and the opposite side has ND Turner out with an ACL and SC Coates out for the season. There could be two upsets on that side.

I am really really excited about where we are right now. Our non starters have improved immensely. They can hold their own. Nurse is back and playing at a level much higher then the beginning of the season and when we faced Murders Row. We limited our fouls the past two games. I heard Andy Landers say he thought Baylor had a chance to beat UConn as he thought they were at UConns level. No way Andy. Baylor doesnt come close to UConns level. Hey they just lost to West Va.

Here we go again...

Shocked, simply shocked, I say.

 

[Frenchy]

The key is not so much our 5 starters shooting their normal average but hopefully Williams and Collier major improvement in staying out of foul troubles. Napheesa reminds me of Dolson who was always in foul trouble which cost Uconn a championship in 2011 against ND.

 

[CTyankee]

I'm already going through withdrawal symptoms... No games tonight, no games to0morrow... Nutin until Saturday... Let the games begin!!!

And may The Force be with us!!!

 

[Fairfield Fan]

Maryland and Baylor should give us the toughest challenges. On paper, the NC game should be a walkover. ND and South Carolina are hobbled.

But one has to really be careful about no-name teams in big games. They have a way of really stepping up, and playing with reckless abandon. More than one "can't miss" team has stumbled in the championship game against a team who didn't have a chance.

But UConn are playing some of their best basketball of the season. They're playing like a cohesive unit.

 

[magic]

They're on a roll. Cuse is very athletic and quick and UConn rolled. Maybe MD wins and plays UConn. It doesnt matter UConn is playing at a very high level and most importantly theyre playing with confidence. They ran their stuff this past week like a steamroller. Not a chance for either opponent. Saturday afternoon UCLA shouldnt be any different and then Monday against the winner of Oregon and MD. Our side of the bracket is healthly and the opposite side has ND Turner out with an ACL and SC Coates out for the season. There could be two upsets on that side.

I am really really excited about where we are right now. Our non starters have improved immensely. They can hold their own. Nurse is back and playing at a level much higher then the beginning of the season and when we faced Murders Row. We limited our fouls the past two games. I heard Andy Landers say he thought Baylor had a chance to beat UConn as he thought they were at UConns level. No way Andy. Baylor doesnt come close to UConns level. Hey they just lost to West Va.

Here we go again...

There is only one question I would ask anyone. Which team has the best 5 players on yhe court right now ? All of this yearly talk about bench depth, and how tall the bench players are. The deeper any team gets, the shorter the bench becomes anyway. Why? Beacause just a handful of plays , or even one play can change the outcome of the game. Recently I have seen a change in uconn and the way they are playing defense. The huskies are well conditioned. Keep your man in front of you, attack the passing lanes, give up only difficult shots ! In the meantime everyone stays on the floor, and the opposing team is forced to outscore uconn. AINT HAPPENING !

 

[YellwJcket999]

The key is not so much our 5 starters shooting their normal average but hopefully Williams and Collier major improvement in staying out of foul troubles. Napheesa reminds me of Dolson who was always in foul trouble which cost Uconn a championship in 2011 against ND.

I think Gabby gets into foul trouble more than Collier. I am hoping that a Baylor-Uconn matchup doesn't involve the refs taking our weapons out of the game.
------------------------------------

A few earlier posts mentioned Washington upsetting Baylor. UW has to get by Mississippi State first. Only time will tell how things play out.

My Final Four (even with the injuries): Uconn, Baylor, Notre Dame, South Carolina

 

[LO TRADER]

It still surprising to me that few see any PAC-12 Teams in the final 4? Is that because most here see PAC-12 teams unable to keep up offensively (maybe with exception of UW)? What is it about Baylor, in particular, that makes you think Baylor will get to the final 4? I think Louisville and UW both have a decent chance to take out Baylor. And there is no guarantee that UCONN is going to face Maryland. Even though UO was the 5th best team in PAC-12 (by conference record), they are playing with confidence, and, appear fearless of any competition. Remember, UO recently beat UW in Seattle in the PAC-12 conference tournament, and UO hasn't looked back. I don't see Maryland blowing out UO. Lastly, Stanford has the best chance (of any of the PAC-12 Teams) to get to the final 4. Stanford is playing well as a unit now that Sniezek is running the point, and Alana Smith is getting all the minutes at the forward spot. I believe UCONN will playing Stanford for the NC.

 

[tbabe72]

It still surprising to me that few see any PAC-12 Teams in the final 4? Is that because most here see PAC-12 teams unable to keep up offensively (maybe with exception of UW)? What is it about Baylor, in particular, that makes you think Baylor will get to the final 4? I think Louisville and UW both have a decent chance to take out Baylor. And there is no guarantee that UCONN is going to face Maryland. Even though UO was the 5th best team in PAC-12 (by conference record), they are playing with confidence, and, appear fearless of any competition. Remember, UO recently beat UW in Seattle in the PAC-12 conference tournament, and UO hasn't looked back. I don't see Maryland blowing out UO. Lastly, Stanford has the best chance (of any of the PAC-12 Teams) to get to the final 4. Stanford is playing well as a unit now that Sniezek is running the point, and Alana Smith is getting all the minutes at the forward spot. I believe UCONN will playing Stanford for the NC.

 

[tbabe72]

we must not forget UCLA. we play them next not baylor.

 

[CTyankee]

There is only one question I would ask anyone. Which team has the best 5 players on yhe court right now ? All of this yearly talk about bench depth, and how tall the bench players are. The deeper any team gets, the shorter the bench becomes anyway.

Just saying... And as Geno has said... Any foul trouble (like Phessa or Gabby), and any injuries (like Kia or Lou) and we are in serious trouble.

Just saying...

Of course, it's been this way since the beginning of the season... Our team has managed to deal with it so far.. Nothing would say they can't deal with it now... In fact, they've had some previous practice...

Go Huskies!!!

 

[tomcat]

Not looking beyond UCLA at all, but folks brought up Baylor, and I have to say, Baylor is very good. Doesn't matter what happened last time, except possibly give Baylor some ammunition. It's a game that UConn could lose if:
--The refs decide to own the game. There are at least three games that were affected by this.More than bad calls, the refs staged a coup. This leads to
-- UConn getting into foul trouble. We've seen this scenario before; and
-- Obviously injuries. Two other teams already affected.
-- A bad shooting night. It doesn't happen often, but if it happens against a team of Baylor's quality, it could be a long night.

I still think UC onn has the horses to win, but we ignore the above factors at our peril.

 

[iamcbs]

If Uconn fans can't have rose colored glasses on while preaching the Uconn Religion to the Uconn faithful on a Uconn site---My guess is anyone not drinking that kool aide is on the wrong site!!
The ACL rolled ankle issue is being played out on a few top team right now---you are speaking the unspeakable to the Uconn faithful--Uconn has had bad shooting days/nights of late---and Foul trouble--now to make you hypothesis fair--ask the same questions about Baylor, MD and FSU ---if it's possible for Ct---it obviously is possible for everyone else. Even the Uconn faithful does not believe in invincibility of anyone--but there is a lot to be said for the best players playing their best BB under the very best coaching staff in WBB---the proof is in the pudding (11 nc's)

I'm just sayin on any given night anything is capable of happening, but I guess if you aren't "drinkin' the kool-aid" then this isn't the site to be on?

 

[BroadwayVa]

I'm just sayin on any given night anything is capable of happening, but I guess if you aren't "drinkin' the kool-aid" then this isn't the site to be on?

I agree--anything is possible any time--you are correct in that-----drinking the kool aid isn't necessary--but it surely helps.
I have worried a lot over this season that Uconn would come upon a monster and be devoured--but they are still chugging.
Can they be beaten--probably. Will they be beaten--we will only know by April --no point in losing bef0re they lose.

 

[BroadwayVa]

The key is not so much our 5 starters shooting their normal average but hopefully Williams and Collier major improvement in staying out of foul troubles. Napheesa reminds me of Dolson who was always in foul trouble which cost Uconn a championship in 2011 against ND.

Dolson---has only dreamed of being as mobile and have such a high shooting percentage as Napheesa---I don't remember that Dolson's foul trouble ALONE caused the loss to ND in 2011--there is the other side of the coin---other teams have to win once in a while--a Uconn loss isn't the end of the world or WBB for that matter.

 

[bizarro aj]

So according to most of you uconn is the only team that gets into foul trouble? What if jones from maryland gets into foul trouble? What if baylors bigs get into foul trouble? Uconn is the best at learning defense wthout fouling. Maryland is not at home so they won't be getting those bs calls like they did in December. As i said earlier in this thread, uconn will win the next 4 games by double digits.

 

[my2cents]

Usual caveats... foul trouble, poor shooting, injury, Baylor may be able to beat us.
In waching many games in this tournament, the one thing that stands out is the SPEED of Uconn vs everyone else...we are so much faster than any other team, combined with our size....their are virtually UN-GUARDABLE....
The other teams watch tape, and then BAM, they are in the game....and it becomes a complete blur to them....they get overwhelmed

 

[Buster]

New
"So according to most of you uconn is the only team that gets into foul trouble?"

No, it's just that we don't mind if other teams get into foul trouble!

 

[cohenzone]

Fact remains, over the last five years, no one in the country has been more right than @Tonyc.

Rigged in his favor. TonyC is clearly bad for the game.

 

[CocoHusky]

I don't remember that Dolson's foul trouble ALONE caused the loss to ND in 2011--there is the other side of the coin---other teams have to win once in a while--a Uconn loss isn't the end of the world or WBB for that matter.

Blasphemy!.
Dolson's foul trouble in 2011 FF was not the "only" reason for the UCONN loss but it was a big reason. She was not playing well but she was not the only one. Two of Dolson's fouls (2nd & 3rd) were offensive fouls.
Dolson picked up her 4th foul with ~14 minutes left in a tied game 38 to 38. By the time Dolson came back in the game, 6 minutes later, ND was up 7. ND stretched the lead to as many as 10 and UCONN closed to within 3.
ND eventually won by 9 scoring the last 5 points on FTs. If you want to blame someone for that loss blame EDD for leaving campus.[/QUOTE]

 

[bizarro aj]

How many times this season has foul trouble led uconn to a loss? Their same number of losses is the same number of teams that can beat uconn!

 

[temery]

The way we played Syracuse no teams can beat us ...period

And the same has been said about many teams, including men's basketball. Many of the teams to beat, have lost.

 

[GiladKatzDeli]

We are extremely blessed to be able to watch basketball excellence each winter. So long as we have passionate, engaged fans, Geno & CD, and good players who want to be part of something special, the championships will come.

This year's team has been a pleasant surprise. We're a year ahead of schedule in my opinion. A 'ship this year would be awesome, but an unexpected bonus that few would have predicted at the start of the season. We've got a good shot this year, but need to beat some very good teams who are capable of tripping us up.

 

[Shorty Dee]

The way UConn has shifted gears, and they played against Syracuse, I really don't see UCLA getting pass the Sweet Sixteen. Also, when UConn reach the National Championship, they will leave Dallas with their 12th Championship.
Now I know some are saying, what about Maryland? Well with Brenda Frese looking so far ahead, and the Terps wanting a rematch with UConn so bad, Maryland is like Tennessee vs Alabama. Do not look pass Oregon, because they could beat Maryland. Brenda Frese and the Terps have loss focus, and they want a
rematch with UConn too bad.

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

Ladies and Gentlemen, how quickly you forget, UCONN rises to a higher level like Hebrew National Hot Dogs when the Conference and NCAA Tournaments roll around!
Yes, MD, Baylor, and others have pieces that could prove dangerous to UCONN, but the reality was and still is no one rises to the occcasion at crunch time as our Huskies do!
With the best coaching staff in WCBB tirelessly prodding the players they draw the best out of everyone every second of every game!
Katie Lou, Gabby, Kia, Saniya, Phessa, Crystal Dangerfield, and Natalie are ALL at the top of their games right now, and Kia, especially has taken her game to previously unseen heights!
If they can avoid illness & injuries no one plays as hard as they do for the full 40 minutes! As Doris Burke has said, "UCONN just flat out out-works everyone in WCBB!"