Just some thoughts on where we're at

[Tonyc]

Just briefly. I will agree we were gassed against SC. It showed. We also showed our inexperience and didnt have enough experienced players to sub. We were in this game and I will repeat again when we were in a Zone we caused SC problems. SC played great maybe their best game in quite sometime when we went to man to man. Everybody was hitting and Littleton had only it 2/15 from trey and hit 2 in row against us. Boston and Zia went off big time. Geno sat Paige and gave her a rest because it was obvious she was running on low. So heres where Im going with this.

We need our players to get more playtime. I thought this tournament was a bit premature with so many inexperienced players. I felt we shouldve had a few more games under our belt against some cupcake to get Edwards Dorka Fudd Caroline Piath and Deberry some experience. Now with Seton Hall ND Georgia Tech UCLA Louisville Marquette Depaul all coming up till the end of the year how are these kids gonna get in the flow of the offense. Clearly over the past 3 days our starters needed a rest and our non starters showed they are not acclimated to UConns system. Geno had no fresh bodies to put in without loosing team chemistry. What I would really like to see is the team play without Paige Evina Christyn and Liv and give the other guys a chance to figure it out but we cant do that now. Now we have to go with what we have.

All those posts with fans thoughts about the game are legit. I wish we could put the players in a microwave and bingo theyre ready and up to speed but we cant. Their development will come as we move forward against good competition. It will take time. The good news is Azzi and Liv look to have had break out games. Azzi on offense and Liv on defense. I think we all thought we were at a different level then we showed. Clearly we need more time. The talent is there, now all we need is time to develop and gain confidence. Over the next few weeks if we get big leads we need to find playtime for our non starters. We cant keep playing our starting five all those minutes with 25+ point leads. We have scary good talent and some kids who I feel can put up alot of points but until they gain experience it aint gonna happen.

 

[Longtime fan]

Just briefly. I will agree we were gassed against SC. It showed. We also showed our inexperience and didnt have enough experienced players to sub. We were in this game and I will repeat again when we were in a Zone we caused SC problems. SC played great maybe their best game in quite sometime when we went to man to man. Everybody was hitting and Littleton had only it 2/15 from trey and hit 2 in row against us. Boston and Zia went off big time. Geno sat Paige and gave her a rest because it was obvious she was running on low. So heres where Im going with this.

We need our players to get more playtime. I thought this tournament was a bit premature with so many inexperienced players. I felt we shouldve had a few more games under our belt against some cupcake to get Edwards Dorka Fudd Caroline Piath and Deberry some experience. Now with Seton Hall ND Georgia Tech UCLA Louisville Marquette Depaul all coming up till the end of the year how are these kids gonna get in the flow of the offense. Clearly over the past 3 days our starters needed a rest and our non starters showed they are not acclimated to UConns system. Geno had no fresh bodies to put in without loosing team chemistry. What I would really like to see is the team play without Paige Evina Christyn and Liv and give the other guys a chance to figure it out but we cant do that now. Now we have to go with what we have.

All those posts with fans thoughts about the game are legit. I wish we could put the players in a microwave and bingo theyre ready and up to speed but we cant. Their development will come as we move forward against good competition. It will take time. The good news is Azzi and Liv look to have had break out games. Azzi on offense and Liv on defense. I think we all thought we were at a different level then we showed. Clearly we need more time. The talent is there, now all we need is time to develop and gain confidence. Over the next few weeks if we get big leads we need to find playtime for our non starters. We cant keep playing our starting five all those minutes with 25+ point leads. We have scary good talent and some kids who I feel can put up alot of points but until they gain experience it aint gonna happen.

All very true. But Geno is not likely to do as you hope. He requires players to earn playing time in practice. So if Mir is going to get action in a game, she has to force the coaches to give it to her. Same with everyone. My hope is that Piath Gabriel is a capable;e player by the end of the Big East tournament. But it isn't going to happen by her getting two minutes of garbage time, every third game. She is our biggest, strongest candidate for post play. But will she ever get there?

 

[cferraro04]

We are in my opinion exactly where I thought we would be. It used to be there was UConn and then there was everyone else. The difference between the number one rated team in America and everyone else was stark... Now, South Carolina can claim the mantel of the number one team in America...and, unfortunately then there is everyone else.

Keep in mind for almost three-quarters of the game UConn did a good job staying with South Carolina. Did the three games in three days get to UConn...possibly but, is it an excuse when 18 to 22 year olds who play three games in three days to get tired...I suppose so...however, they are 18 - 22 year old kids who are in D-1 shape and they are the number two team in the country...they aren't supposed to get gassed. So, it is obvious that they have work to do. Am I worried? No...I am not in the least worried. In fact, I am damn glad that this happened in November. It gives these kids an honest assessment of where they are at and where they need to go.

Paige is great! She makes it look easy at times but, she is human and she needs others to step up to take the pressure off of her. We have the talent and we have it in abundance. What we also have is a lot of youth...yes, we have seniors but, the junior class is miniscule and with Aubrey on the injured list...it is essentially non-existent. So, we have Freshmen and Sophomores and then we have Seniors. The Seniors need to show up...they must show their leadership...Christyn, Olivia and Evina need to be more vocal and need to be more in charge. They need to lead the team....deferring to Paige in my opinion is a cop out.

Our post play has been exposed...before anyone jumps on Olivia she played a damn decent game today...unfortunately, she got out-played by Boston whose supporting cast made it easy for her to shine. Our other post players need to step up. Aliyah Edwards seems to be a step behind last year...maybe there is an injury that isn't being talked about, Dorka is a great acquisition but she isn't up to UConn speed yet...she will improve as the season moves along. DeBerry and Paith Gabriele are still a "work in progress". And, Aubrey Griffin's athleticism is absolutely missed in a game like this.

Then we get to our front court...defensively so far this year we are giving up way too many threes. We simply are not getting out on the perimeter and when we do...our defense isn't good enough to keep the quick guards from other teams in front of us...they are getting by and penetrating to the basket. So, in order to hide that weakness we are sagging off the three point shooters and the last two games before South Carolina (South Florida, Arkansas and to some degree Minnesota) made us pay from three. As much as we need to improve our defense we need to improve our offense even more. Don't get me wrong, we have more fire power than we have had in years...we saw a glimpse of it from Azzi Fudd against USF. And, we have seen Christyn Williams, Evina Westbrook go off in other games. We know Nika and Ducharme are capable of knocking down threes. So, the fire power is there but, we are not running off screens, creating shooting opportunities for our shooters...we have a lot of work to do in helping to get our shooters free.

Finally, we got exposed in the 4th quarter as not being able to handle extreme pressure...kudos to Dawn Staley and South Carolina for putting the pressure on UConn and holding them to only 3 points in the fourth...when was the last time you saw a UConn Women's team held to 3 points in a quarter.

I have no doubt that this team will improve, they will work hard up to the holidays...we will see the obligatory rust the first game back from the holiday vacation. Then I believe you will see incredible growth from this team through the second half of January and through February. Come March...UConn will be tournament ready. Hopefully, we will not get hit by the injury bug and will be at full strength for the Tournament. We also can't assume that South Carolina, Maryland, Stamford and others would similarly improve. We just have to keep the faith...work hard and it will pay off. It isn't like we don't have one of the most talented group of girls we have ever had....we certainly do have that.

 

[BobbyJ]

Just briefly. I will agree we were gassed against SC. It showed. We also showed our inexperience and didnt have enough experienced players to sub. We were in this game and I will repeat again when we were in a Zone we caused SC problems. SC played great maybe their best game in quite sometime when we went to man to man. Everybody was hitting and Littleton had only it 2/15 from trey and hit 2 in row against us. Boston and Zia went off big time. Geno sat Paige and gave her a rest because it was obvious she was running on low. So heres where Im going with this.

We need our players to get more playtime. I thought this tournament was a bit premature with so many inexperienced players. I felt we shouldve had a few more games under our belt against some cupcake to get Edwards Dorka Fudd Caroline Piath and Deberry some experience. Now with Seton Hall ND Georgia Tech UCLA Louisville Marquette Depaul all coming up till the end of the year how are these kids gonna get in the flow of the offense. Clearly over the past 3 days our starters needed a rest and our non starters showed they are not acclimated to UConns system. Geno had no fresh bodies to put in without loosing team chemistry. What I would really like to see is the team play without Paige Evina Christyn and Liv and give the other guys a chance to figure it out but we cant do that now. Now we have to go with what we have.

All those posts with fans thoughts about the game are legit. I wish we could put the players in a microwave and bingo theyre ready and up to speed but we cant. Their development will come as we move forward against good competition. It will take time. The good news is Azzi and Liv look to have had break out games. Azzi on offense and Liv on defense. I think we all thought we were at a different level then we showed. Clearly we need more time. The talent is there, now all we need is time to develop and gain confidence. Over the next few weeks if we get big leads we need to find playtime for our non starters. We cant keep playing our starting five all those minutes with 25+ point leads. We have scary good talent and some kids who I feel can put up alot of points but until they gain experience it aint gonna happen.

Definitely not ALL. Probably considerably less than what you think. This is the same team that got beat by Arizona. They can't handle pressure defense or physicality inside. They're a long ways from the juggernaut you continue to envision.

 

[Vowelguy]

I thought this tournament was a bit premature with so many inexperienced players.

lol you've been saying all summer that this team wouldn't lose a game and it was a joke they werent preseason #1. NOW they're inexperienced?

 

[Charliebball]

even with a painful loss, this game will have lasting benefits for the team.......they've proven they can outplay the best defensive team they'll see all season so that in itself is helpful......experiencing fourth quarter pressure for the first time will be a learning experience......hopefully this will get them even more motivated and will eliminate that fear of loosing which sometimes bothered Geno's undefeated teams heading into the big tournament.........

 

[LoboDays]

Just briefly. I will agree we were gassed against SC. It showed. We also showed our inexperience and didnt have enough experienced players to sub. We were in this game and I will repeat again when we were in a Zone we caused SC problems. SC played great maybe their best game in quite sometime when we went to man to man. Everybody was hitting and Littleton had only it 2/15 from trey and hit 2 in row against us. Boston and Zia went off big time. Geno sat Paige and gave her a rest because it was obvious she was running on low. So heres where Im going with this.

We need our players to get more playtime. I thought this tournament was a bit premature with so many inexperienced players. I felt we shouldve had a few more games under our belt against some cupcake to get Edwards Dorka Fudd Caroline Piath and Deberry some experience. Now with Seton Hall ND Georgia Tech UCLA Louisville Marquette Depaul all coming up till the end of the year how are these kids gonna get in the flow of the offense. Clearly over the past 3 days our starters needed a rest and our non starters showed they are not acclimated to UConns system. Geno had no fresh bodies to put in without loosing team chemistry. What I would really like to see is the team play without Paige Evina Christyn and Liv and give the other guys a chance to figure it out but we cant do that now. Now we have to go with what we have.

All those posts with fans thoughts about the game are legit. I wish we could put the players in a microwave and bingo theyre ready and up to speed but we cant. Their development will come as we move forward against good competition. It will take time. The good news is Azzi and Liv look to have had break out games. Azzi on offense and Liv on defense. I think we all thought we were at a different level then we showed. Clearly we need more time. The talent is there, now all we need is time to develop and gain confidence. Over the next few weeks if we get big leads we need to find playtime for our non starters. We cant keep playing our starting five all those minutes with 25+ point leads. We have scary good talent and some kids who I feel can put up alot of points but until they gain experience it aint gonna happen.

“We didn’t have enough experienced players”? We start 3 seniors and 2 sophomores with Dorka and and Nika off the bench. Azzi is the only freshman in the box score. Many teams start freshman or get a lot of minutes on other teams. Experience has nothing to do with this teams problems.

 

[Bald Husky]

We have a lot of time to get better. I believe in 2004 the UConn men lost to Georgia Tech in a pre-season tournament. Later that season, the UConn men defeated Georgia Tech to win the National Championship.
It can happen!!!

 

[Huskie02]

“We didn’t have enough experienced players”? We start 3 seniors and 2 sophomores with Dorka and and Nika off the bench. Azzi is the only freshman in the box score. Many teams start freshman or get a lot of minutes on other teams. Experience has nothing to do with this teams problems.

Totally agree with you. A lot of our players are good to very good but page is our only great one. Azzi may turn out to be like page in time.
We need a dominant post presence and Liv and Dorka just don’t give it to us. We need another Stephanie Dolson or Rebecca Lobo or Kara or someone of that ilk.

 

[npignatjr]

3rd quarter the team leader, Paige, got frustrated by bad calls against her and non calls. She was run over non call, which led to a SC basket, argued with ref lost focus led to back to back inbounds play turnovers and consecutive SC baskets. Why is Boston afforded star calls?

 

[donalddoowop]

We have a lot of time to get better. I believe in 2004 the UConn men lost to Georgia Tech in a pre-season tournament. Later that season, the UConn men defeated Georgia Tech to win the National Championship.
It can happen!!!

One season the women's team lost three games to ND and still won the NC. UConn was not undefeated every time they won a NC.

 

[Dokey]

3rd quarter the team leader, Paige, got frustrated by bad calls against her and non calls. She was run over non call, which led to a SC basket, argued with ref lost focus led to back to back inbounds play turnovers and consecutive SC baskets. Why is Boston afforded star calls?

The last refuge of losers is blaming the refs.

 

[TCLG]

I enjoyed watching the game. The thing that hurt us the most were the offensive rebounds. We don't have the size down low to keep a team like South Carolina off of the boards. We will either improve in our ability to box out and get position or we won't. If UConn doesn't, it will be tough, but not impossible to beat a team like SC.

This was Geno treated Fudd this game reminded me of how he's handled a few young players in the past. They see limited minutes early on in a big game, and if they don't come out blazing or with a certain fire, they tend to find themselves watching.

They will learn and grow. Fudd will adjust.

 

[npignatjr]

The last refuge of losers is blaming the refs.

Just the facts. Can't ignore the facts.

 

[eebmg]

I enjoyed watching the game. The thing that hurt us the most were the offensive rebounds. We don't have the size down low to keep a team like South Carolina off of the boards. We will either improve in our ability to box out and get position or we won't. If UConn doesn't, it will be tough, but not impossible to beat a team like SC.

This was Geno treated Fudd this game reminded me of how he's handled a few young players in the past. They see limited minutes early on in a big game, and if they don't come out blazing or with a certain fire, they tend to find themselves watching.

They will learn and grow. Fudd will adjust.

Geno said he could not keep Azzi out there for long times because the second she came in, SC ran plays directly at her with less than optimal results. This is the area Azzi has to improve.

 

[Tonyc]

Nothing is good as it seems and nothing is bad as it looks We hung in for 3/4 of the game.

 

[BrianUC]

We are in my opinion exactly where I thought we would be. It used to be there was UConn and then there was everyone else. The difference between the number one rated team in America and everyone else was stark... Now, South Carolina can claim the mantel of the number one team in America...and, unfortunately then there is everyone else.

Keep in mind for almost three-quarters of the game UConn did a good job staying with South Carolina. Did the three games in three days get to UConn...possibly but, is it an excuse when 18 to 22 year olds who play three games in three days to get tired...I suppose so...however, they are 18 - 22 year old kids who are in D-1 shape and they are the number two team in the country...they aren't supposed to get gassed. So, it is obvious that they have work to do. Am I worried? No...I am not in the least worried. In fact, I am damn glad that this happened in November. It gives these kids an honest assessment of where they are at and where they need to go.

Paige is great! She makes it look easy at times but, she is human and she needs others to step up to take the pressure off of her. We have the talent and we have it in abundance. What we also have is a lot of youth...yes, we have seniors but, the junior class is miniscule and with Aubrey on the injured list...it is essentially non-existent. So, we have Freshmen and Sophomores and then we have Seniors. The Seniors need to show up...they must show their leadership...Christyn, Olivia and Evina need to be more vocal and need to be more in charge. They need to lead the team....deferring to Paige in my opinion is a cop out.

Our post play has been exposed...before anyone jumps on Olivia she played a damn decent game today...unfortunately, she got out-played by Boston whose supporting cast made it easy for her to shine. Our other post players need to step up. Aliyah Edwards seems to be a step behind last year...maybe there is an injury that isn't being talked about, Dorka is a great acquisition but she isn't up to UConn speed yet...she will improve as the season moves along. DeBerry and Paith Gabriele are still a "work in progress". And, Aubrey Griffin's athleticism is absolutely missed in a game like this.

Then we get to our front court...defensively so far this year we are giving up way too many threes. We simply are not getting out on the perimeter and when we do...our defense isn't good enough to keep the quick guards from other teams in front of us...they are getting by and penetrating to the basket. So, in order to hide that weakness we are sagging off the three point shooters and the last two games before South Carolina (South Florida, Arkansas and to some degree Minnesota) made us pay from three. As much as we need to improve our defense we need to improve our offense even more. Don't get me wrong, we have more fire power than we have had in years...we saw a glimpse of it from Azzi Fudd against USF. And, we have seen Christyn Williams, Evina Westbrook go off in other games. We know Nika and Ducharme are capable of knocking down threes. So, the fire power is there but, we are not running off screens, creating shooting opportunities for our shooters...we have a lot of work to do in helping to get our shooters free.

Finally, we got exposed in the 4th quarter as not being able to handle extreme pressure...kudos to Dawn Staley and South Carolina for putting the pressure on UConn and holding them to only 3 points in the fourth...when was the last time you saw a UConn Women's team held to 3 points in a quarter.

I have no doubt that this team will improve, they will work hard up to the holidays...we will see the obligatory rust the first game back from the holiday vacation. Then I believe you will see incredible growth from this team through the second half of January and through February. Come March...UConn will be tournament ready. Hopefully, we will not get hit by the injury bug and will be at full strength for the Tournament. We also can't assume that South Carolina, Maryland, Stamford and others would similarly improve. We just have to keep the faith...work hard and it will pay off. It isn't like we don't have one of the most talented group of girls we have ever had....we certainly do have that.

Great post. The early loss may actually help the Huskies get motivated to work harder to keep up with SC. It's a long season, there's no doubt we will up our game by March.

 

[AmeriConn]

Totally agree with you. A lot of our players are good to very good but page is our only great one. Azzi may turn out to be like page in time.
We need a dominant post presence and Liv and Dorka just don’t give it to us. We need another Stephanie Dolson or Rebecca Lobo or Kara or someone of that ilk.

Those dominate post players choose elsewhere. Coach what you get.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

1-9-7 – Connecticut’s offensive output in the fourth quarter. One basket, nine missed shots and seven turnovers.

19 – South Carolina offensive rebounds, which were only six fewer than Connecticut’s total rebounds.


17-2 – South Carolina’s advantage in second-chance points. Given the above item, that should come as no surprise.


15 – Rebounds by Connecticut’s starting lineup.


15 – Rebounds by South Carolina star center Aliyah Boston.

These 26 numbers tell the story of No. 1 South Carolina's win over No. 2 UConn

What happened when No. 1 South Carolina and No. 2 Connecticut ran into each other at high noon Monday? Let’s answer by the numbers.

www.ncaa.com

 

[Sluconn Husky]

“The combination of their defensive pressure and our inability to handle that pressure is basically the game,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said.

...

“What we need to address as coaches is what happened that we can fix,” Auriemma said, “and what about what just happened that we can’t fix? Not all of those things that happened in the fourth quarter are fixable.”

...

South Carolina focused on, and shut down, UConn’s perimeter game with no fear of the Huskies doing anything in the post.

Dom Amore: UConn women’s loss to South Carolina is vivid proof there’s a lot to fix between now and March

We’ve learned the hard way in recent years that UConn women’s basketball players are human, the days of going years between losses, the era of endless 30-point blowouts is over. Still, …

www.courant.com

 

[Longtime fan]

We are in my opinion exactly where I thought we would be. It used to be there was UConn and then there was everyone else. The difference between the number one rated team in America and everyone else was stark... Now, South Carolina can claim the mantel of the number one team in America...and, unfortunately then there is everyone else.

Keep in mind for almost three-quarters of the game UConn did a good job staying with South Carolina. Did the three games in three days get to UConn...possibly but, is it an excuse when 18 to 22 year olds who play three games in three days to get tired...I suppose so...however, they are 18 - 22 year old kids who are in D-1 shape and they are the number two team in the country...they aren't supposed to get gassed. So, it is obvious that they have work to do. Am I worried? No...I am not in the least worried. In fact, I am damn glad that this happened in November. It gives these kids an honest assessment of where they are at and where they need to go.

Paige is great! She makes it look easy at times but, she is human and she needs others to step up to take the pressure off of her. We have the talent and we have it in abundance. What we also have is a lot of youth...yes, we have seniors but, the junior class is miniscule and with Aubrey on the injured list...it is essentially non-existent. So, we have Freshmen and Sophomores and then we have Seniors. The Seniors need to show up...they must show their leadership...Christyn, Olivia and Evina need to be more vocal and need to be more in charge. They need to lead the team....deferring to Paige in my opinion is a cop out.

Our post play has been exposed...before anyone jumps on Olivia she played a damn decent game today...unfortunately, she got out-played by Boston whose supporting cast made it easy for her to shine. Our other post players need to step up. Aliyah Edwards seems to be a step behind last year...maybe there is an injury that isn't being talked about, Dorka is a great acquisition but she isn't up to UConn speed yet...she will improve as the season moves along. DeBerry and Paith Gabriele are still a "work in progress". And, Aubrey Griffin's athleticism is absolutely missed in a game like this.

Then we get to our front court...defensively so far this year we are giving up way too many threes. We simply are not getting out on the perimeter and when we do...our defense isn't good enough to keep the quick guards from other teams in front of us...they are getting by and penetrating to the basket. So, in order to hide that weakness we are sagging off the three point shooters and the last two games before South Carolina (South Florida, Arkansas and to some degree Minnesota) made us pay from three. As much as we need to improve our defense we need to improve our offense even more. Don't get me wrong, we have more fire power than we have had in years...we saw a glimpse of it from Azzi Fudd against USF. And, we have seen Christyn Williams, Evina Westbrook go off in other games. We know Nika and Ducharme are capable of knocking down threes. So, the fire power is there but, we are not running off screens, creating shooting opportunities for our shooters...we have a lot of work to do in helping to get our shooters free.

Finally, we got exposed in the 4th quarter as not being able to handle extreme pressure...kudos to Dawn Staley and South Carolina for putting the pressure on UConn and holding them to only 3 points in the fourth...when was the last time you saw a UConn Women's team held to 3 points in a quarter.

I have no doubt that this team will improve, they will work hard up to the holidays...we will see the obligatory rust the first game back from the holiday vacation. Then I believe you will see incredible growth from this team through the second half of January and through February. Come March...UConn will be tournament ready. Hopefully, we will not get hit by the injury bug and will be at full strength for the Tournament. We also can't assume that South Carolina, Maryland, Stamford and others would similarly improve. We just have to keep the faith...work hard and it will pay off. It isn't like we don't have one of the most talented group of girls we have ever had....we certainly do have that.

Great read. The only thing is; there is no reason why we should be gassed and SC was not ( fourth period ). Unless they have a much deeper bench and gave more players a rest than we did. I surely did not track this. But Paige barely got a breather. Mir and Muhl played about 90 seconds. And Caroline didn't remove her warm up jacket. How much rest did Williams and Evina get?

 

[tchalla1]

Nothing is good as it seems and nothing is bad as it looks We hung in for 3/4 of the game.

So true, @Tonyc, so true. All is not lost today, sure we lost but at one point we were up 13 and teetered on 15 or 16 on the No. 1 team in the country--we were on the verge of blowing them out. We faded due to fatigue and the abilities of SC. We're fine, we're not that much off. Just some tweaking is necessary--no major overhauls as some are suggesting. So all is not lost today: Rome wasn't built in a day--it didn't fall in a day either...

 

[Sluconn Husky]

So true, @Tonyc, so true. All is not lost today, sure we lost but at one point we were up 13 and teetered on 15 or 16 on the No. 1 team in the country--we were on the verge of blowing them out. We faded due to fatigue and the abilities of SC. We're fine, we're not that much off. Just some tweaking is necessary--no major overhauls as some are suggesting. So all is not lost today: Rome wasn't built in a day--it didn't fall in a day either...

The inside, rebounding, and athleticism disadvantages aren't going to change.

 

[cferraro04]

The inside, rebounding, and athleticism disadvantages aren't going to change.

I am not sure I can agree with this... The addition of Aubrey Griffin back into the line-up instantly improves our athleticism. Once Azzi Fudd and Caroline Ducharme find their rhythm and learn to play within the UConn system...more options we become available. Ball denial on Boston, more pressure on SC guards will provide less opportunities for SC bigs to demonstrate their advantage. Improvement by our bigs, namely Dorka and DeBerry will also minimize their inside advantage.