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Message: [QUOTE="Willowglen, post: 5234390, member: 9659"] Stating the obvious, this is a huge loss. One thing about Coach Gottlieb is that with her NBA background she gives her athletes freedom to play. In Watkins case, this means Gottlieb has few qualms about letting Watkins take over and dominate a game and will the team to victory. It is why with Watkins USC is a better team than UCLA, the tallest squad in the nation. This is an incredible loss no matter how talented Iriafen is. There have been times I have wished Geno would pull the trigger and let Bueckers dominate to victory in a close game. Bueckers is easily capable. But with Fudd in full swing now and Sarah Strong being the best athlete on the floor in any game, I don’t think Bueckers will have to be a one woman wrecking crew. I don’t think the South Carolina game was in any way a surprise, although one could concede S Car had an off night. UConn is the real deal and they deservedly exposed South Carolina. South Carolina’s best offensive threat is Tessa Johnson, and while a top 20 caliber player, she is not at Fudd’s skill level. And if South Carolina tries to shut Bueckers down (they can to a limited degree), they don’t have a very strong Sarah Strong with the ability to play multiple positions. I know this thread is about Watkins but UConn does not have its star player go crazy to win like USC. Watkins absence (barring a miracle she is not seriously injured) changes the tournament dramatically. A sad circumstance. [/QUOTE]

Verification: First name of men's bb coach