Is UConn Unbeatable in the Final 4?

[mets1090]

Admittedly I am the eternal pessimist, but Maryland plays three guards that can all penetrate and I'm having trouble figuring out who KML is going to guard.

Maybe Maryland should worry about who is going to stop KML.

 

[uconnever]

Not unbeatable. We blow Maryland out. Beat ND by 15. Also just wanted to say that I know we will be good next year, but I have heard people say we will be better.....I don't think so. I think we blow people out because of KML really hitting her threes and putting on fast points. Next year that will be gone. We replace Stokes with The transfer.....her name escapes me at the moment and Boykin so were good there but KLS won't hit threes like KML because it just takes time to adjust. Therefore the pull away ability won't be as devastating.

 

[Hope]

No one is unbeatable. Let's just say UCONN is a tough "out"

Mike Tyson said, "everybody has a plan until you punch them in the mouth."

 

[HoopsFan21]

Are there any teams with good guards left? We're not too great at stopping dribble drives. Usually it goes something like dribble drive, pull up jumper, a foul and an one or dribble drive, completely blow past the defender for an easy 2.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Yes.

 

[rford53]

Not unbeatable. We blow Maryland out. Beat ND by 15. Also just wanted to say that I know we will be good next year, but I have heard people say we will be better.....I don't think so. I think we blow people out because of KML really hitting her threes and putting on fast points. Next year that will be gone. We replace Stokes with The transfer.....her name escapes me at the moment and Boykin so were good there but KLS won't hit threes like KML because it just takes time to adjust. Therefore the pull away ability won't be as devastating.

Natalie Butler is the fore mentioned transfer.

 

[jsloanjr]

UCONN has the enforcers behind the guarding the basket........Plus, misses leave UCONN off and running......Lets see what the score is at 10 minutes into the game.........MD is a fun team to watch when the other team plays no defense........Tenn ran out of gas on Monday and they had no answer for #42 of MD in the post........UCONN has a trio of stoppers, plus #42 will have to run and chase the UCONN bigs.........I like Gabby to have a huge game and impact.

 

[huskeynut]

Admittedly I am the eternal pessimist, but Maryland plays three guards that can all penetrate and I'm having trouble figuring out who KML is going to guard. Although our team defense is much better now I still have visions of the Stanford game messing with my mind. So, NO, no one is unbeatable if the stars are mis-aligned.

Maryland's guards will have to deal with the enforcer - Kiah. Most teams know when she is in the game, the lane is closed off to any who dare enter.

 

[Zorro]

There ain't no hoss that's never been rode and there ain't no cowboy that's never been throwed. Nothing is certain but death and taxes but Vegas has UConn 23.5 over the turtles. (ND is 3.5 over the chickens.

 

[Zorro]

Maryland's guards will have to deal with the enforcer - Kiah. Most teams know when she is in the game, the lane is closed off to any who dare enter.

That is, of course, if she gets into the game. After Dayton, one has to wonder.

 

[hoophuskee]

No. They are not unbeatable. Honestly I do think we beat Maryland, and I don't think it will be by single digits. The reason is that MD is one of those teams that can be offensively challenged. Against Tennessee they only scored 58 points in a dreadfully ugly game. Against Duke they scored 65.

Having said that, Maryland is a high scoring team who is capable of putting up big offensive numbers BUT against teams who traditionally play tough defense, or a team like Duke with size, they become a bit scoring challenged. I think UCONN's defense is far superior to Tennessee's and while I'm not ready to say we keep MD in the 40's, I have a hard time seeing them score over 60 vs. UCONN.

Which brings me to SC vs. ND. Honestly, I think SC has been very underwhelming in the tourney. 2 point win over UNC, 8 point win over FSU. BUT they've played UCONN already once this year and I think more than ND, who has faced UCONN many times, that beatdown we put on them taught them more about us than it did us about them.

I'm not saying I think they would beat UCONN in a NC game, but I do think more than any of the 3 other teams, they have learned the most about how to play UCONN. Having said that we also learned how to play them. I was talking to my dad the other day and said I'd rather face ND in the NC game than SC. Why? At this time I think we match up better with ND. They don't have any big strengths that we would struggle with compared to the size of SC. Not saying ND would be easy, as we'd have to figure out how to contain their guards, but it's not like they could throw a bunch of 6'4"+ kids at us...

I don't agree. USC can't score enough. ND has shot makers and a legit offense and ball movement. Size is overrated if you don't have the necessary skill. USC has some skill - but ball movement is shaky. I'd much prefer to play USC. And the more cracks ND has at us - the better chance they can pull off a huge surprise (I'm talking about next year too.).

 

[hoophuskee]

Dayton should've lost to Louisville.


As Laettner said "Any team can be beaten on any given night"...

Sure Dayton should have lost. If a few of Dayton's starters caught the flu Louisville would have had a good chance.

 

[hoophuskee]

Not unbeatable. We blow Maryland out. Beat ND by 15. Also just wanted to say that I know we will be good next year, but I have heard people say we will be better.....I don't think so. I think we blow people out because of KML really hitting her threes and putting on fast points. Next year that will be gone. We replace Stokes with The transfer.....her name escapes me at the moment and Boykin so were good there but KLS won't hit threes like KML because it just takes time to adjust. Therefore the pull away ability won't be as devastating.

I agree with this-

not regarding the blowouts but that our competition will have a better ability to play a "once-in-lifetime game." The only team I can see do that now in this ff is ND.

 

[NewCorn]

Not hard to tell.

Well, he didn't say what year he was talking about. Certainly not this year.

 

[hoophuskee]

Admittedly I am the eternal pessimist, but Maryland plays three guards that can all penetrate and I'm having trouble figuring out who KML is going to guard. Although our team defense is much better now I still have visions of the Stanford game messing with my mind. So, NO, no one is unbeatable if the stars are mis-aligned.

Those three guards aren't Diana Taurasi.

 

[HoopsFan21]

Those three guards aren't Diana Taurasi.

But ND's are better than ours.

 

[PalPa]

Well, he didn't say what year he was talking about. Certainly not this year.

I was talking about this year. It was a sarcastic reply to Ericsandiego's post when he said he would rather play ND than SC because ND has good guard play but can't throw a lot of big 6'3 and larger players against us.

 

[chrissaran]

Nobody is unbeatable. Geno and his staff know it, which is why UConn will be prepared for any opponent. However, that does not guarantee victory. If the Huskies play their best, they should win. It doesn't mean they will.

 

[ScarlettB]

Nobody is unbeatable. Geno and his staff know it, which is why UConn will be prepared for any opponent. However, that does not guarantee victory. If the Huskies play their best, they should win. It doesn't mean they will.

This. Exactly.

 

[chrissaran]

uconnever, Natalie Butler is already a better all-around player than Kiah Stokes. She averaged 13 and 13 at Georgetown. She is obviously not afraid to shoot. Also, Napheesa Collier is the most ready to play next year, and she will be a monster. Then you have Breanna and Moriah as seniors, Morgan the most underrated player in women's college basketball, Kia and Gabby with another year of experience, and Lou and De'Janae along with Saniya and Courtney. By tournament time the Huskies will be better. Greater depth at all positions.

 

[hoophuskee]

But ND's are better than ours.

??? Huh?

Allen is better than Jefferson?

 

[hoophuskee]

uconnever, Natalie Butler is already a better all-around player than Kiah Stokes. She averaged 13 and 13 at Georgetown. She is obviously not afraid to shoot. Also, Napheesa Collier is the most ready to play next year, and she will be a monster. Then you have Breanna and Moriah as seniors, Morgan the most underrated player in women's college basketball, Kia and Gabby with another year of experience, and Lou and De'Janae along with Saniya and Courtney. By tournament time the Huskies will be better. Greater depth at all positions.

Why is depth important when last year we didn't have any and in our biggest game in the tourney so far we really didn't use it?

Notre Dame, Baylor, Tenn - I'm sure many others are saying they will be better too. Then last year for example if someone spoke of UCONN having no depth we could easily reply you can only play 5 at one time. Having a lot of depth isn't that big of a deal.

Though next year we certainly are a beast.

 

[Woof 101]

Admittedly I am the eternal pessimist, but Maryland plays three guards that can all penetrate and I'm having trouble figuring out who KML is going to guard. Although our team defense is much better now I still have visions of the Stanford game messing with my mind. So, NO, no one is unbeatable if the stars are mis-aligned.

Eternal pessimist for sure but claiming to be a fan you do not have to become a optimist but wake up and slide a little closer to a realist. Anyone including yourself that keeps mentioning the Stanford loss must remember the first time the binkie fell out of their mouth add trauma.
No team at this time of the year is the same as they were that early in the season. We do not even have the same starting lineup. As for who KML is going to guard it does not matter, she will more than held her own on D as she has all season. That and out score who is supposed to try and cover her.
I am not saying UCONN is unbeatable but the loss to Stanford will have nothing to do with it and neither will KML's defense.

 

[HoopsFan21]

??? Huh?

Allen is better than Jefferson?

Mo is better than Allen, but not by as much as Loyd is better than Kia. Loyd as a junior NPOY candidate is miles ahead of Kia. Allen and Loyd, in my opinion, are the best guard tandem.

 

[hoophuskee]

Mo is better than Allen, but not by as much as Loyd is better than Kia. Loyd as a junior NPOY candidate is miles ahead of Kia. Allen and Loyd, in my opinion, are the best guard tandem.

So they have one guard better than us while we have one guard better than them while the other 3 positions we're superior too. So somehow we're supposed to fear ND big time because what Stanford did to us in November?