I think we've reached a new peak

[Tonyc]

Monday nite will be another blowout. Dont kid yourself. UConns defense will eat up the Jackrabbits and just about everybody they face. UConns defense puts fear in opponents heads. It also put doubt and hesitation not to make a mistake in their heads. That is very hard to overcome even if and opponent feels like they can get it going.
Paige has that look in her eye. She knows what she has to do and there is nobody like her. She will control the game and team. She is focused and as the leader on the team she will take over when she needs to. Yesterday she recognize Azzi Ash and Sarah were hot and she feed them and they ate it up.

Caroline is a pleasant surprise. She looked comfortable. Shes coming around. She will be an asset moving forward. Just think about having a Caroline who can do some of the things she did before she got hurt. She is a threat to score and she showed yesterday shes not afraid. This is big moving forward.

I did hear the announcers at half time mention Lindsey Gottlieb and USC were not happy that UConn was in their bracket. I dont care how much of a positive attitude an opponent has from here on out. Once they face UConns defense the self doubt will settle in and then having to worry about UConns Big 3 or 4 or 5 well when UConn gets going thats gonna be it. Having Ash hit her shots yesterday and Azzi shooting without hesitation and more so shooting and looking for her shot is a huge plus.

Yesterday was a big step forward. Everybody else got going and didnt depend on Paige to carry them. Paige was the facilitator and leader and that did alot for the mental side of the game for Azzi Ash and the team. Being on ABC nationwide opened alot of eyes and that too put doubt in many peoples minds knowing just how good UConn is playing. UConn has leaders. UConn has a tremendous defense. UConn has 3 scorers that can score alot of points with most importantly confidence. We were a well oiled machine yesterday. We have been inching towards that since we began to get healthy. The missing pieces of the puzzle are back and getting healthy again. The most important piece of the puzzle could be the one we unexpected and that is Caroline. If she gets her shot going its gonna be lights out. I see a team having fun and all those smiles show confidence. Paige has that look and that look is the will to win.

 

[MooseJaw]

Tonyc, please, tell us what you really think. this brought a big smile to my face, it's obvious to me that you view our Huskies through the eyes of a child. A wonderful thing, in my opinion. All the good things about WCBB you see in our Huskies in spades. Tony you write with respect for the game and what UConn brings to the table. I wish more fans, ours or not, could look at our team or theirs through your eyes. In my mind you are the ultimate "fan" you bring respect, knowledge, love of the players, coaches and the game.
I hope we are able to celebrate the next 5 games like we did for the last game. I want number 12 very much, I want to celebrate here on the BY, with great fans like next12, Tonyc all other posters here on the BY and yes even you Huskynan.

 

[Next 12]

Tonyc, please, tell us what you really think. this brought a big smile to my face, it's obvious to me that you view our Huskies through the eyes of a child. A wonderful thing, in my opinion. All the good things about WCBB you see in our Huskies in spades. Tony you write with respect for the game and what UConn brings to the table. I wish more fans, ours or not, could look at our team or theirs through your eyes. In my mind you are the ultimate "fan" you bring respect, knowledge, love of the players, coaches and the game.
I hope we are able to celebrate the next 5 games like we did for the last game. I want number 12 very much, I want to celebrate here on the BY, with great fans like next12, Tonyc all other posters here on the BY and yes even you Huskynan.

THANK YOU Moosejaw for the compliment. Tonyc and I have been on the same page forever. As a FAN, you are suppose to root with all your heart for your team and extoll all the possibilities that could happen and don't think any negatives I leave all the negatives to the posters with all the numerical data and heavy thinking. I watch the game for enjoyment, like yesterday's game and was clapping for Caroline like crazy when she scored. That's what fans are suppose to do. But that's just me. GO HUSKIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[EricLA]

This is a mojo killer. Let's just enjoy each game and not discuss how much we expect to win or blow anyone out and if teams are "scared" of us. Good grief - if this was on the men's board, Tony would be hanged LOL.

 

[baggerbob]

Monday nite will be another blowout. Dont kid yourself. UConns defense will eat up the Jackrabbits and just about everybody they face. UConns defense puts fear in opponents heads. It also put doubt and hesitation not to make a mistake in their heads. That is very hard to overcome even if and opponent feels like they can get it going.
Paige has that look in her eye. She knows what she has to do and there is nobody like her. She will control the game and team. She is focused and as the leader on the team she will take over when she needs to. Yesterday she recognize Azzi Ash and Sarah were hot and she feed them and they ate it up.

Caroline is a pleasant surprise. She looked comfortable. Shes coming around. She will be an asset moving forward. Just think about having a Caroline who can do some of the things she did before she got hurt. She is a threat to score and she showed yesterday shes not afraid. This is big moving forward.

I did hear the announcers at half time mention Lindsey Gottlieb and USC were not happy that UConn was in their bracket. I dont care how much of a positive attitude an opponent has from here on out. Once they face UConns defense the self doubt will settle in and then having to worry about UConns Big 3 or 4 or 5 well when UConn gets going thats gonna be it. Having Ash hit her shots yesterday and Azzi shooting without hesitation and more so shooting and looking for her shot is a huge plus.

Yesterday was a big step forward. Everybody else got going and didnt depend on Paige to carry them. Paige was the facilitator and leader and that did alot for the mental side of the game for Azzi Ash and the team. Being on ABC nationwide opened alot of eyes and that too put doubt in many peoples minds knowing just how good UConn is playing. UConn has leaders. UConn has a tremendous defense. UConn has 3 scorers that can score alot of points with most importantly confidence. We were a well oiled machine yesterday. We have been inching towards that since we began to get healthy. The missing pieces of the puzzle are back and getting healthy again. The most important piece of the puzzle could be the one we unexpected and that is Caroline. If she gets her shot going its gonna be lights out. I see a team having fun and all those smiles show confidence. Paige has that look and that look is the will to win.

The thing I don't understand is. I have been under the impression, that loses early in the season, when some of your teams best players aren't playing or completely healthy,carry less weight in the seedings.

 

[jcoton56]

Tony, I would add that we should expect to see Aubrey’s fingerprints on some of these games also.

 

[Majic Hands]

This is a mojo killer. Let's just enjoy each game and not discuss how much we expect to win or blow anyone out and if teams are "scared" of us. Good grief - if this was on the men's board, Tony would be hanged LOL.

Humm I’ve been on the BY since 2017. Don’t remember ever visiting the MBB BY Board on purpose.

You just pointed out why there isn’t any need for me to visit.

Thank you

 

[BRS24]

I did hear the announcers at half time mention Lindsey Gottlieb and USC were not happy that UConn was in their bracket. I dont care how much of a positive attitude an opponent has from here on out. Once they face UConns defense the self doubt will settle in and then having to worry about UConns Big 3 or 4 or 5 well when UConn gets going thats gonna be it. Having Ash hit her shots yesterday and Azzi shooting without hesitation and more so shooting and looking for her shot is a huge plus.

1 - We're Doooooooommmmeeedddd

2 - IMO, this is an own goal by Gottlieb. You never complain about where and who you are going to play. Now the coaches have to convince the players "play no matter what"?? These are still "kids" and hard to undo stuff like that.

 

[Charliebball]

Peaking too early is not a good thing...............we'll know UConn has peaked when they cut down the nets after winning the National Championship.......

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Gotta say I am totally confused about what is going on in this thread. But it is a lot of fun!

 

[Cuango]

Just wanted to say what an incredible boost, the healthy, and ready duo of Aubrey and Caroline would be for the remainder of the tournament. Honestly, I was shocked at how good Caroline looked on Saturday! If she can bring that (and perhaps better) over the next five games and Aubrey can be vintage Aubrey for those same five games, we are looking at a different team. Aubrey especially, has the ability to completely change the game when she comes on the floor. I’m pretty sure there’s not another team in this tourney that is adding two quality players to their roster for the final five games of the tournament! Go Huskies!

 

[maple]

Well, I’ll be nervous for the rest of y’all. Lol. I never take any opponent lightly, especially during the tourney. I’ll be sweating it out until the buzzer sounds in every game.

I do think we should be able to handle the Jacks well, but, well, I just can’t allow myself to go down the path that everything is working for us, we’re peaking at the right time, etc. It’ll just feel like that much more of a disappointment if it doesn’t work out.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

My cure for cocky or complacency is one word: Arizona

 

[msf22b]

Monday nite will be another blowout. Dont kid yourself. UConns defense will eat up the Jackrabbits and just about everybody they face. UConns defense puts fear in opponents heads. It also put doubt and hesitation not to make a mistake in their heads. That is very hard to overcome even if and opponent feels like they can get it going.
Paige has that look in her eye. She knows what she has to do and there is nobody like her. She will control the game and team. She is focused and as the leader on the team she will take over when she needs to. Yesterday she recognize Azzi Ash and Sarah were hot and she feed them and they ate it up.

Caroline is a pleasant surprise. She looked comfortable. Shes coming around. She will be an asset moving forward. Just think about having a Caroline who can do some of the things she did before she got hurt. She is a threat to score and she showed yesterday shes not afraid. This is big moving forward.

I did hear the announcers at half time mention Lindsey Gottlieb and USC were not happy that UConn was in their bracket. I dont care how much of a positive attitude an opponent has from here on out. Once they face UConns defense the self doubt will settle in and then having to worry about UConns Big 3 or 4 or 5 well when UConn gets going thats gonna be it. Having Ash hit her shots yesterday and Azzi shooting without hesitation and more so shooting and looking for her shot is a huge plus.

Yesterday was a big step forward. Everybody else got going and didnt depend on Paige to carry them. Paige was the facilitator and leader and that did alot for the mental side of the game for Azzi Ash and the team. Being on ABC nationwide opened alot of eyes and that too put doubt in many peoples minds knowing just how good UConn is playing. UConn has leaders. UConn has a tremendous defense. UConn has 3 scorers that can score alot of points with most importantly confidence. We were a well oiled machine yesterday. We have been inching towards that since we began to get healthy. The missing pieces of the puzzle are back and getting healthy again. The most important piece of the puzzle could be the one we unexpected and that is Caroline. If she gets her shot going its gonna be lights out. I see a team having fun and all those smiles show confidence. Paige has that look and that look is the will to win.

Agree

 

[Bone Dog]

My cure for cocky or complacency is one word: Arizona

I feel the same way... most of the time. That team beat SC in the regular season in a 1-v-2 matchup and got our hopes up. We were better than SC because we had Paige. But the signs of how unbalanced our offense was could already be seen. The fact is that game was SC's to win but for Paige's heroics -- everyone else faltered. In hindsight, it was inevitable that some team would knock us out of our groove. It could have been Baylor in the Elite Eight, at least until Didi Richards got injured. But for that, I think we'd have lost that game. And Arizona must have taken notes, because they did exactly the same thing, face guarding Paige for much of the game, and it didn't hurt that MacDonald was riding an incredible hot streak.

This year's team is not that team. It's much more balanced, much better put together, though it has weaknesses, too. Our post presence is not strong, and this makes it difficult to see how we'll manage the super-big teams, like UCLA or Texas. Maybe we won't have to, at least not both of them. But it will take a bit of Geno-magic along with a lot of Paige -magic to get by UCLA. It's easier to see how we'll win (or lose) against every other opponent. Our strength this year is in our guards and one particular 4-3 player. The guards by themselves are probably not enough -- I think we learned that last year. But Sarah presents a paradox to every opposing team. Defend her as a post or a wing or a guard? None of these approaches is quite satisfactory. And Paige knows exactly how to exploit every mismatch Sarah creates. This is how we'll win it all, if we do.

We're so used to spotting every flaw in our favorite team because we scrutinize them with special care. But we're also expert at overlooking the flaws on every other team, because we only consider them a few times a season.

 

[Dugway]

The thing I don't understand is. I have been under the impression, that loses early in the season, when some of your teams best players aren't playing or completely healthy,carry less weight in the seedings.

There really isn’t a difference in how UConn is seeded versus how USC is seeded. Technically they are a One and we are a Two, but what advantages does that get them?

The Trojans play Mississippi State tomorrow whereas we play So. Dakota State. Assume we both win, we go onto play winner of Iowa/Oklahoma. They would play the winner of Kentucky/Kansas State. Hummmm?

Is there any arguable difference in the degree of difficulty of any of those matchups?

 

[Cuango]

My cure for cocky or complacency is one word: Arizona

 

[Cuango]

Well said!

 

[jabstep]

Tony, I would add that we should expect to see Aubrey’s fingerprints on some of these games also.

I agree our best matchup defensively against JuJu would be Aubrey size-wise and athletically. It's just like when USC put JuJu on Paige last year for some of the game because of the size matchup. Other teams now have to match up with us. We have problems for all teams with our roster being a lot healthier than it has been in a while

 

[Frankus]

As an opposing teams fan, I fear UCONN's well run offense with Azzi at peak form much more than the defense.

 

[meyers7]

1 - We're Doooooooommmmeeedddd

Thank you. We gotta work hard to offset Tony.

 

[browns]

I agree our best matchup defensively against JuJu would be Aubrey size-wise and athletically. It's just like when USC put JuJu on Paige last year for some of the game because of the size matchup. Other teams now have to match up with us. We have problems for all teams with our roster being a lot healthier than it has been in a while

Not a bad point but I think JUJU is much stronger tham Aubrey..each game Aubrey has played someone has either blown by her for a layup or just taken her to the rim..that is what JuJu does best against everyone

 

[Bigboote]

This is a mojo killer. Let's just enjoy each game and not discuss how much we expect to win or blow anyone out and if teams are "scared" of us. Good grief - if this was on the men's board, Tony would be hanged LOL.

Time to pick your poison: Bad mojo or have tonyc make a negative post and the world stop turning.

 

[The CDR-Ret]

This is a mojo killer. Let's just enjoy each game and not discuss how much we expect to win or blow anyone out and if teams are "scared" of us. Good grief - if this was on the men's board, Tony would be hanged LOL.

I'm thinking that might be why the men have less than half of the NC's that the women have. If the men had fans that totally support them instead of focusing on the negative aspects.

I say focus on improving strengths (e.g. smothering team defense and reward with playing time) such that they cannot be overcome, and then work on the other little things with individuals who need it outside of the team work, and then bring it all together in teamwork practice. Kind of like what Geno, CD & Co. do!!!

Trust & embrace the process!!!

Leave negativity at the curb (or before you 'attack' your keyboard), and embrace the Tony C, Moosejaw, Next12, etc. mentality, and positively cheer on the UConn women as if each game is the National Championship game! Let errors on offense roll off (it's in the past, but learn from it) and get back on defense, get the turnover or defensive rebound and win the play in front of you!!

Go Huskies!!!

 

[Bone Dog]

I'm wondering if the mojo-worry-warts are the same folks who constantly warn us of the possibility of injury by loudly praying they don't occur. Talk about inviting bad karma!