In search of the Perfect Game

[HuskyNan]

The 2002 Elite Eight game vs Old Dominion was spectacular. I can't find a video, which is a shame because I'd love to see the game again.

UConn dominates ODU in impressive fashion | CJOnline.com

 

[MSGRET]

Mine would be last years 90th straight win on National TV where UConn Schooled USF with a 102 to 37 win. The announcers were just in pure awe from the very beginning.

 

[oldude]

Don’t know that they approached perfection, but the two games last year before packed houses at Gampel vs the loaded Baylor & SC teams, both of whom towered over UConn, were probably as good as it gets relative to supreme effort and emotion.

 

[BroadwayVa]

After watching UConn dismantle USF on Saturday, it got me thinking about the idea of PERFECTION. Paraphrasing the French Philosopher, Voltaire, “The perfect is the enemy of the good.” That expression has been used for hundreds of years to describe the experience of many different groups, organizations and teams who aimed far too high, achieving far less than they were capable of. But when it comes to UConn WBB, the relentless pursuit of perfection is simply the natural order of things. To quote a short Italian philosopher, “We don’t practice until we get it right. We practice until we can’t get it wrong.”

The idea of achieving perfection got me thinking about what perfection might look like. During the course of a single season, UConn can claim to have achieved perfection on no less than 6 occasions. But what about playing the Perfect Game? Intellectually, the Perfect Game would appear to be an impossible goal to achieve. Miss a shot, give up 1 basket or commit 1 turnover and there goes the Perfect Game. So, the next question is just how close can the Huskies actually get to the Perfect Game, and what exactly would it look like?

Is the Perfect Game a huge mismatch that UConn wins by 80+ pts, with single digit turnovers, shooting 70%, while turning over the opponent 25+ times and holding them to under 30% shooting…or is it a supreme challenge against a powerful opponent in a close game where UConn’s tremendous effort and brilliant execution was the difference in pulling out a close victory?

I would respectfully submit that at times this season, UConn has played at a level approaching perfection. If I could take the 1st Qtr vs MD (32-11), 2nd Qtr vs Stanford (23-4), 3rd Qtr vs Cal (22-3) & 4th Qtr vs ND (26-9), I create a composite score against four ranked teams of 103-27 in UConn’s favor. Of course, it’s a fantasy rather than a reality.



From the standpoint of a real UConn game, I have a couple in mind that approach perfection IMO, but I really want to hear from my fellow Boneyarders. So here is my question to everyone. What UConn WBB game most closely approached perfection in your opinion and why? Please bear in mind this is a subjective question, so be assured there are no wrong answers.

Perfection is the enemy of Good in that wasting efforts and energies to approach the unapproachable does not allow the person, team, military to do that which is necessary.\
Perfection is a term that requires individual definition. I submit Geno HAS NOT had perfect seasons--or a perfect game. Mainly because I cannot define perfection for WBB. Is winning every game perfection? Is winning 11 NC;s perfection.
I doubt Geno would see it that way. Although all those accomplishments are amazing--I doubt they are Perfection. In practices the strive for perfection teaches players/students to not accept the ordinary.
As a fan of Uconn since Sue--I have seen NEAR perfection in many games. This past game against SF with the Frosh/Sophs the passing was so precise, crisp it approached the Sue teams The games and Quarters you define--certainly makes one think of perfection--

 

[CPD016]

For me the game that I can equate to perfection was the 19 March 2016 game against Robert Morris (first round of the ncaa tournament). With 1:14 left in the first quarter and Uconn leading 39 to 4 a time out is called. The announcer, Dave O'Brien, doesn't say anything for several seconds then says one word "GOODNESS" then is silent for several more seconds. Nothing more needed to be said. After 3 quarters Uconn led by 61.

 

[huskyd]

Here's a first definition of "perfect": "having all the required or desirable elements, qualities, or characteristics; as good as it is possible to be." Note that perfection here is not a condition but is aspirational. Because it is impossible to do everything perfectly in a basketball game, perfection cannot literally be achieved. Now, as good as "possible" is highly relative; what's good for UConn is far different from what's good for any other wcbb team. When Geno smiles at the end of a game and says that's as good as it gets, I take that to mean that his team has done as well as HE believes it can do. His reaction at the end of the USF game (as well as mine) made that game "perfect"--the word I used to describe it in my first post about the contest.

 

[facey76]

It was just a near perfect half in a 41 point stomping of a then #7 North Carolina. "Today we tried to play a perfect game of basketball," Auriemma said of the goal the Huskies set every time they step on the court. "Make every pass correctly, the right pass at the right time, every cut, make sure we rotate on defense -- make sure we do this, this and this. So we tried to do that, and for 20 minutes, we came pretty damn close.
***********************
“Monday we start the whole process over again; Monday, we start the chase – I call it the chase,” Auriemma said. “Somebody sent me … a pretty good Lombardi quote recently. It said…

‘Perfection is unattainable, but if you chase perfection you’ll catch excellence.’

“So the chase starts, and some people just get tired of the chase. Some don’t even start the chase. Some start it, realize they can’t catch it and they just stop. What I’ve been trying to teach my players all along is that’s the fun part – knowing that you can’t get to that and you’re going as hard as you can to get there anyway.”

Hays: Fine first half helps Huskies win 54th straight

As Graham Hayes said in concluding that article:

"Auriemma wants perfection in a manner more comprehensive than wins and losses. He doesn't want to beat an opponent; he wants to beat the game. And as Charles, Moore and the rest of the Huskies showed Saturday, he has a team that thrives on chasing just that goal."

Because of Geno and CD's vision and the buy in of coaches like Marisa and Shea and the resolve and talent of many young athletes we are fans of a sports program that attains excellence over and over again, remaining true to its mission and ideals.

That Georgia game in 2000 was really fun to rewatch, I recommend it. What a cast in that game. Fun to see the sophomore Tassk group as well as Bam Bam and Paige Sauer. A quote from the post game article about the player of that game - Sveta: "Connecticut two-time All-American Svetlana Abrosimova was brilliant throughout the contest, scoring a game-high 18 points and adding 11 assists, seven rebounds and four steals while playing 31 minutes without a turnover."
I note that Gabby has started doing something I love to see a swing player do, and that is emerge form the rebounding scrum with the ball flying straight up the court, it very often results in a two on one or three on two at the other end. Sveta did a lot of this in that Georgia game and in her career.

 

[connie]

For me the game that I can equate to perfection was the 19 March 2016 game against Robert Morris (first round of the ncaa tournament). With 1:14 left in the first quarter and Uconn leading 39 to 4 a time out is called. The announcer, Dave O'Brien, doesn't say anything for several seconds then says one word "GOODNESS" then is silent for several more seconds. Nothing more needed to be said. After 3 quarters Uconn led by 61.

Didn't one of the announcers in the subsequent game (MS or Duquesne?) comment in the 1st quarter: "didn't they study the Robert Morris tape" ?

 

[Bigboote]

Or the 2015 S16 Texas game. Or the 2016 Miss St game.

I'd add most of the 2016 NCAA tourney. I kept the final game against Syracuse (with the self-proclaimed best backcourt in basketball) on the DVR for a year or more and watched it a couple extra times. I don't normally do that, but I was so blown away with how well they played.

 

[Intpseeker]

Great Performers know in their heart that working for perfection of result is a distraction from that which they aspire to attain. Perfection of effort, on the other hand when you do the best you can, given constraints on time, physical and emotional health, etc. so my best may be qualitatively different from day to day, but I can look in the mirror and say I did my best.
I believe that Geno's teams use this approach, at least the players that get the system. You may get your butt kicked by coach, but did you stay in the moment and do everything you could do to get better; did you do your best.
Imagine if we all just did our best

 

[MilfordHusky]

I'd add most of the 2016 NCAA tourney. I kept the final game against Syracuse (with the self-proclaimed best backcourt in basketball) on the DVR for a year or more and watched it a couple extra times. I don't normally do that, but I was so blown away with how well they played.

The Final Four in 2016 was not really competitive.

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

The players on those 6 undefeated teams still say,"come to our practices, we haven't WON a practice all season, we fail in practice everyday!"

 

[oldude]

The Final Four in 2016 was not really competitive.

I beg to differ. 3 of the 4 teams were very competitive....

 

[tomcat]

There's a really big difference between dominant basketball and perfect basketball. Another By'er above mentioned the Philly game against TN. I was there, and IMHO, it was a fine example of dominant basketball,but was not perfect basketball (except, maybe, in a few spots). UConn made more than its share of mistakes in that game, and TN put up a fight, though the outcome really wasn't too much in doubt.

I've only seen perfect basketball, UConn style, a few times, and generally against either a team that cannot keep up with UConn or against a good team that on that particular night is either taken by surprise or overmatched. A strong team that is on its game will never allow the opponent to reach perfection, in my opinion.

As someone else pointed out, this is a game with an opponent, so the opponent often has something to say as to whether your team plays perfectly. One game I recall vividly was against Villanova in their arena. For nearly a half, UConn could do nothing wrong and Villanova could do nothing about it. In terms of competitive, Villanova was decent but not great, and during the period of perfection, could not find any way to stop UConn at all. Although I'm sure I watched them on TV, I don't recall the games against NC and SC that others have mentioned, but those are greater accomplishments because (presumably) the competition was so much better.

We attended the USF game, and while it was a dominant performance, I did not think it was perfect basketball. In fact, when I mentioned to her that I thought it was the best I'd seen the team look, my wife (who loves close games) said she thought they played better in a game we watched on TV earlier this year.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

This from Fuller today: "Auriemma’s quest is to coach the perfect game. No, not having every shot go in the basket or even to score on every possession, but to play the game the way he believes it should be played on both ends of the floor. He wants his teams to use movement to become impossible to guard and recruits players who can not only shoot but are willing passers, as well. Defensively, the goal is to take away the opponent’s first option and force the other team into the shots that Auriemma wants them to take."

UConn women approaching another milestone

 

[Oldbones]

Seldom has UConn won a national championship when they were not the favorite. But in 2013, after 3 close losses to ND and another to reigning national champion Baylor, UConn arrived at the FF as the clear underdog.

UConn’s 83-65 beat down of the Irish with Stewie’s emergence as a big time performer in FF games was my close to perfect game. With Baylor’s upset loss to Louisville, the stage was set for the 1st of 4 national championships for the Big 3.

A renewed UCONN, thoroughly believing in themselves, improved about 20 points against ND vs. the first three head to head games(lost by 1, 11 and 2, then won by 18 and could have won by 30). The regular season loss to Baylor was by only 6. While I was happy to see Baylor fall, I would have bet on UCONN in the Championship game against them.

 

[oldude]

A renewed UCONN, thoroughly believing in themselves, improved about 20 points against ND vs. the first three head to head games(lost by 1, 11 and 2, then won by 18 and could have won by 30). The regular season loss to Baylor was by only 6. While I was happy to see Baylor fall, I would have bet on UCONN in the Championship game against them.

You may well be right about UConn beating Baylor, but quite frankly, after beating ND in the semis, I was delighted that Louisville was waiting in the final.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I beg to differ. 3 of the 4 teams were very competitive....

Ok, it was not fully competitive.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I think everyone can agree that the UCF game at Gampel was NOT the perfect game.

 

[Phil]

This from Fuller today: "Auriemma’s quest is to coach the perfect game. No, not having every shot go in the basket or even to score on every possession, but to play the game the way he believes it should be played on both ends of the floor. He wants his teams to use movement to become impossible to guard and recruits players who can not only shoot but are willing passers, as well. Defensively, the goal is to take away the opponent’s first option and force the other team into the shots that Auriemma wants them to take."

UConn women approaching another milestone

So here's my theory, which I just made up but I'm sticking to it.

The team I'll understand that Geno's goal is a perfect game. As has been well explained that doesn't mean 100% shooting, and it doesn't even mean zero turnovers. A well executed past to an open player who takes a shot and it just doesn't happen to go in doesn't disqualify the game as a perfect game.


The USF game was a pretty good game but it wasn't perfect. But it was pretty good. The team heard Geno talk about it in to this surprise he didn't focus on the few mistakes they made he actually praised them for playing a pretty good game.

So how on earth is that a problem? Because the team knows, in addition to Geno's quest for a perfect game, if there's ever a game that qualifies, he knows there's nothing more to be achieved and he will immediately retire.

The team had a meeting and even though he can be a bit of a pain in practice they don't really want him to retire, so they decided to make sure the next game wasn't in a perfect game. Unfortunately, while their original plan was to pick one player to make sure the game fell short of perfection, they are all loyal teammates and they all decided to make sure it wasn't perfect.

They achieve their goal Geno stays on to coach another game.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

So here's my theory, which I just made up but I'm sticking to it.

The team I'll understand that Geno's goal is a perfect game. As has been well explained that doesn't mean 100% shooting, and it doesn't even mean zero turnovers. A well executed past to an open player who takes a shot and it just doesn't happen to go in doesn't disqualify the game as a perfect game.


The USF game was a pretty good game but it wasn't perfect. But it was pretty good. The team heard Geno talk about it in to this surprise he didn't focus on the few mistakes they made he actually praised them for playing a pretty good game.

So how on earth is that a problem? Because the team knows, in addition to Geno's quest for a perfect game, if there's ever a game that qualifies, he knows there's nothing more to be achieved and he will immediately retire.

The team had a meeting and even though he can be a bit of a pain in practice they don't really want him to retire, so they decided to make sure the next game wasn't in a perfect game. Unfortunately, while their original plan was to pick one player to make sure the game fell short of perfection, they are all loyal teammates and they all decided to make sure it wasn't perfect.

They achieve their goal Geno stays on to coach another game.

Uh, waiter, I'll have a glass of what Phil's drinking.

 

[oldude]

So here's my theory, which I just made up but I'm sticking to it.

The team I'll understand that Geno's goal is a perfect game. As has been well explained that doesn't mean 100% shooting, and it doesn't even mean zero turnovers. A well executed past to an open player who takes a shot and it just doesn't happen to go in doesn't disqualify the game as a perfect game.


The USF game was a pretty good game but it wasn't perfect. But it was pretty good. The team heard Geno talk about it in to this surprise he didn't focus on the few mistakes they made he actually praised them for playing a pretty good game.

So how on earth is that a problem? Because the team knows, in addition to Geno's quest for a perfect game, if there's ever a game that qualifies, he knows there's nothing more to be achieved and he will immediately retire.

The team had a meeting and even though he can be a bit of a pain in practice they don't really want him to retire, so they decided to make sure the next game wasn't in a perfect game. Unfortunately, while their original plan was to pick one player to make sure the game fell short of perfection, they are all loyal teammates and they all decided to make sure it wasn't perfect.

They achieve their goal Geno stays on to coach another game.

A thoroughly convoluted and implausible argument......
Sure, I'll buy it...