I Look at it This Way

[TheObvious]

3 starters sat on the bench, did not play. The other 2 starters tried to take up the slack by scoring a total of
53 pts. Against a hot Villanova it wasn't enough. We did not have a TEAM out there.

Until Nelson-Ododa, Williams, Ducharme, Fudd and Bueckers play 3-4 games together, we won't know how good we really are. For now we should expect inconsistency.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

I think if the game of basketball and its outcomes were a matter of rankings in a class...we wouldn't need to play a game. Bracketology and picking the winners must be real easy for you.

 

[hoophuskee]

I find it unbelievable some fans are using H/S references for a college game.

We hear how much the H/S game vs College is much different. But not for some UCONN fans I guess.

 

[hoophuskee]

It's not. an excuse. It's reality.

 

[Boreifs]

Our two bigs combined for two rebounds against a much shorter team. A loss was inevitable.

 

[Boreifs]

Hard to believe people are jumping on you for stating the obvious.

 

[TheObvious]

Not outmanned, out teamed.
TEAMs win and lose games, not 2 stars. Last night should have demonstrated that.

Basketball's like an orchestra that produces a sound greater than the sum of its individual superstar parts. Teaming grows from continued practice and playing of the five members.

I'm not claiming Uconn will be great by March 1, but I'm anxious to find out.

 

[hoophuskee]

Not outmanned, out teamed.
TEAMs win and lose games, not 2 stars. Last night should have demonstrated that.

Basketball's like an orchestra that produces a sound greater than the sum of its individual superstar parts. Teaming grows from continued practice and playing of the five members.

I'm not claiming Uconn will be great by March 1, but I'm anxious to find out.

And yet we have posters here trying to use individual subjective H/S rating stats as a key barometer.

Well- got to run. Good talk here.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

Obtuse, how? Rankings are about talent, no? And now, it's not? For the record, I'm satisfied with what I saw last night...even the effort. I don't think it's an excuse to say that with the other three starters the outcome would have been different. I can't think of ANY team, professional or otherwise, where removing three starters wouldn't compromise their chances of winning.

 

[CocoHusky]

3 starters sat on the bench, did not play. The other 2 starters tried to take up the slack by scoring a total of
53 pts. Against a hot Villanova it wasn't enough. We did not have a TEAM out there.

Until Nelson-Ododa, Williams, Ducharme, Fudd and Bueckers play 3-4 games together, we won't know how good we really are. For now we should expect inconsistency.

Nelson-Ododa, Williams, Ducharme, Fudd and Bueckers did play 4 games together at the beginning of the season.
There were inconsistent play then and poor defense then as well. The injuries have only added to the UCONN inconsistencies. There are inconsistencies across WCBB and this is the only thing that gives me hope for the post season. The #4 team Lady Vols came to UCONN and got bead down on Sunday. The #6 team at the time Louisville came to UCONN and waked away with a 5 point win against a UCONN team without Paige and Azzi. As @Vowelguy and many others have pointed out, this team could come up against the wrong matchup and lose at or before the Elite Eight or it could come up against the right team and make it to the FF.

 

[Carnac]

3 starters sat on the bench, did not play. The other 2 starters tried to take up the slack by scoring a total of
53 pts. Against a hot Villanova it wasn't enough. We did not have a TEAM out there.

Until Nelson-Ododa, Williams, Ducharme, Fudd and Bueckers play 3-4 games together, we won't know how good we really are. For now we should expect inconsistency.

I was thinking the same thing. Take 3 starters off of Villanova's team and see how they do. Anyone here thinks that "IF" we had Bueckers, ONO, and Ducharme out there we would have lost? I think not. Villanova was hot yesterday shooting 51.8% from the field, and out rebounded us 37-21. That's 16 more possessions than us, and we only lost by 3. I tipped my turban to them and said we'll see you next time when we're at full strength.

When Paige went down, I predicted that UConn would lose one or more conference games. This loss did not come as a surprise to me. We've got DePaul tomorrow. We need to be ready for them, though I doubt they'll come in as hot as Villanova did. They will also try and take advantage of us while we're down. At some point THIS month, we will return to full strength, then we'll see how things turn out. A tip o' the turban to Azzi and Christyn for trying to carry the team last night, each playing all 40 minutes.

No, we did not play a perfect game last night, but we did do some good things. One game does not a season make. Let's see how we do tomorrow night against DePaul.

 

[Boreifs]

And yet we have posters here trying to use individual subjective H/S rating stats as a key barometer.

Well- got to run. Good talk here.

He never said that. You are interpreting his post, in my view, incorrectly. Every player he mentioned also has a proven track record as a college athlete. On paper, UConn still should have won that game. Villanova, by the way, also basically only played six.

 

[Centerstream]

He never said that. You are interpreting his post, in my view, incorrectly. Every player he mentioned also has a proven track record as a college athlete. On paper, UConn still should have won that game. Villanova, by the way, also basically only played six.

Were their 5 starters the starting 5 for the majority of their games? During their current 8 game winning streak?
It may not be a factor but it seems that it helps when it comes to a game plan and for practices. Or maybe not .

 

[BobbyJ]

And it appears that UConn may lead the country in fans who stubbornly cling to what their players did against mostly overmatched HS competition. It doesn't matter, this is D1 college BB not HS. The difference should be obvious.

 

[BobbyJ]

He never said that. You are interpreting his post, in my view, incorrectly. Every player he mentioned also has a proven track record as a college athlete. On paper, UConn still should have won that game. Villanova, by the way, also basically only played six.

So why didn't the poster refer to their "proven" college record instead of reaching back for their meaningless HS rankings? And BTW, they don't play the games on paper. They have to "prove" how good they are every game.

 

[HuskyNan]

And only a UConn fan can parse one word - one that was never said by the OP, no less - and make such a sweeping statement. What the OP really said is that 3 starters were on the bench. The statement was not only true, it was, well, @TheObvious

 

[LoboDays]

Regardless of who is or isn’t playing on any given night, this team has been the proverbial riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. The effort, determination, hustle, aggressiveness we saw in the TN game took a night off in the NOVA game. Our defense smothered TN for 4 quarters. Last night, NOVA looked like they were having a “shoot around”. My guess is that we see a different team tomorrow night than we saw last night. It doesn’t matter who the players are. It matters who they want to be.

 

[Florida Fan]

I was thinking the same thing. Take 3 starters off of Villanova's team and see how they do. Anyone here thinks that "IF" we had Bueckers, ONO, and Ducharme out there we would have lost? I think not. Villanova was hot yesterday shooting 51.8% from the field, and out rebounded us 37-21. That's 16 more possessions than us, and we only lost by 3. I tipped my turban to them and said we'll see you next time when we're at full strength.

When Paige went down, I predicted that UConn would lose one or more conference games. This loss did not come as a surprise to me. We've got DePaul tomorrow. We need to be ready for them, though I doubt they'll come in as hot as Villanova did. They will also try and take advantage of us while we're down. At some point THIS month, we will return to full strength, then we'll see how things turn out. A tip o' the turban to Azzi and Christyn for trying to carry the team last night, each playing all 40 minutes.

No, we did not play a perfect game last night, but we did do some good things. One game does not a season make. Let's see how we do tomorrow night against DePaul.

Can you say SPOKANE,

 

[Carnac]

Can you say SPOKANE,

We’ve always EARNED our way into the east regional as a 1-2 seed. When you fail to do that, you’re at the mercy of the tournament selection committee. UConn does not have a birth right to east regional. Two things you (in past years ) could depend on, the sun rising in the eastern sky every morning, and UConn assigned to the east regional.

So it appears that as you say, they will be making another trip out west this season. From coast to coast is a 4 to 5 hour trip. For a lot of reasons, this has proved not to be UConn's year. Next year has got to be better than this one.

 

[ucbart]

After a little reflection and looking long term; while this loss sucked, us losing, even if we were down 3 of our 5 most important players, is soooo good for the future of the Big East. When Geno leaves, this conference has to be strong, and results like last night really help that.

I think this might secure the BE having four teams in the tournament. As of now, whatever teams make the semifinals of the BET, I think are probably going dancing, assuming one of them is UCONN.

 

[visitingcock]

The sun rose brightly this morning.

Everybody on your team is alive, even if need of some repair.

You are alive to fight another day.

You have not been eliminated from the NCAA tourney.

All is right with the world (join me @Tonyc .

 

[BobbyJ]

Regardless of who is or isn’t playing on any given night, this team has been the proverbial riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. The effort, determination, hustle, aggressiveness we saw in the TN game took a night off in the NOVA game. Our defense smothered TN for 4 quarters. Last night, NOVA looked like they were having a “shoot around”. My guess is that we see a different team tomorrow night than we saw last night. It doesn’t matter who the players are. It matters who they want to be.

It's not that difficult. ONO is directly and indirectly worth about 70% of UConn's defense. Her presence raises some weak defenders to mediocre and gives them a shot in every game she plays.

 

[ccwarrior]

It's not that difficult. ONO is directly and indirectly worth about 70% of UConn's defense. Her presence raises some weak defenders to mediocre and gives them a shot in every game she plays.

When she is in the paint, she can't change or block shots from behind the 3-points line