Kara Lawson

[magic]

I think Kara does a nice job. And I know they want to speed up the game. But, isit me, or has it just become nothing but a track meet ? Very few fouls called, with more physical play. Is thisby design , or a by product of the rule changes. ? I would likecto hear some discussion on this .

 

[sarals24]

What does Kara have to do with that?

I think in UConn games very few fouls tend to be called (although I think there were 21 and 17 in the ND game) because UConn doesn't foul much. I didn't see too many obvious fouls that weren't called tonight.

 

[DobbsRover2]

Yep, neither team fouls a whole lot, and though FSU's standard opponents have fouled a real lot, UConn isn't a standard opponent. Kind of guessing though that a combined 5 FTAs for the teams will be the low in a game for both teams this year.

 

[HoopsFan21]

I swear they did extra commercials between the 3rd and 4th quarters to fill time because of how fast this game was being played. It seemed like there was a 10 minute break, plus the extended Stewie post-game interview, just to pad time because there was 25 minutes until the next game.

 

[AboutWeston]

If I recall correctly, the old Big East had some teams that would mug folks...

 

[MilfordHusky]

If I recall correctly, the old Big East had some teams that would mug folks...

R U sure.

 

[magic]

What does Kara have to do with that?

I think in UConn games very few fouls tend to be called (although I think there were 21 and 17 in the ND game) because UConn doesn't foul much. I didn't see too many obvious fouls that weren't called tonight.

You obviously missed my point. I was not saying that Kara had anything to do with the way the game was being played. I was saying that since Kara was doing such a great job of explaining what sets Uconn apart from other teams, I would like her to address how the rule changes are affecting the way games are being played 4his year. I am seeing much more physical play. That doesn't mean I'm complaining. For instance there seems to be a foul " not called " on every single rebound now.

 

[vtcwbuff]

It's all about perception. I've watched every UConn game and I believe that so far this year the game is less "physical." There were a couple of missed calls last night (Jefferson got triple team mugged under the basket on one play) but on the whole I thought the game was fairly clean.

 

[HuskyNan]

FSU is a pretty physical team and an excellent example of the difference between "physical" and "dirty". UConn is the same so I figure the refs thought that each team was giving as good as it was getting and let them play.

Moriah kept getting shoved around by Brown last night, with no call. However, Mo got even by picking the kid's pocket a few times and staying in her face on defense. And, of course, winning the game.

 

[DobbsRover2]

Yeah, there were a bunch of times last night when an FSU player was extra "active" or just made a nice play to grab the ball from UConn, and it then seemed to inspire just a little extra stuff back from MoJeff and Stewie in return. MoJeff's next to last basket with a little more than 3 1/2 minutes left was one of the classic examples of "I'm getting that ball right back and shoving it down your net" moves. And after watching a lot of UConn's stars get beat up or yanked down from behind over the years, I can't really say that this year looks more physical than the old crap that was allowed.

 

[sarals24]

I love these type of games. Physical but not dirty, lots of up and down action, not a lot of stoppages for fouls. I wish more games looked like this and the Depaul game, to be honest.

 

[Monte]

I swear they did extra commercials between the 3rd and 4th quarters to fill time because of how fast this game was being played. It seemed like there was a 10 minute break, plus the extended Stewie post-game interview, just to pad time because there was 25 minutes until the next game.

I just can't get it out of my mind that the reason they created 4 quarters is to provide more time for commercials.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

I just can't get it out of my mind that the reason they created 4 quarters is to provide more time for commercials.

There are less breaks for commercials, but I think the time is longer. Games in general seem to be moving faster, at least in person, I've been to 4 U of A games so far.

As to foul questions, haven't seen a big difference in the live games or relatively few TV games I've seen. That said, of course foul calls out here in the PAC are "odd" anyhow, you can kill someone as long as you don't touch their shooting arm. But they are consistent.

 

[Geno-ista]

FSU is a pretty physical team and an excellent example of the difference between "physical" and "dirty". UConn is the same so I figure the refs thought that each team was giving as good as it was getting and let them play.

Moriah kept getting shoved around by Brown last night, with no call. However, Mo got even by picking the kid's pocket a few times and staying in her face on defense. And, of course, winning the game.

Nan- she threw so many elbows! She does it smartly- they are short powerful jabs a she rarely extends. One time one of the guards extended wildly on offense with no call!

 

[HuskyNan]

Nan- she threw so many elbows! She does it smartly- they are short powerful jabs a she rarely extends. One time one of the guards extended wildly on offense with no call!

A lot of coaches will tell their players to be pretty physical and let the refs decide how much they'll let go, then adjust to the refs. Apparently, the refs were willing to let a lot go. I saw Mo pinwheeling her arms a few times to keep from falling on her butt after being shoved. All it did was make Mo mad, though, because she almost always stole the ball or prevented the kid from being able to shoot right after.

 

[stamfordhusky]

Fouls per game are generally up this year in the women's games:

Last Year:
11.4 fouls by UConn per game
15.0 fouls by UConn's opponents per game

This Year:
11.9 fouls by UConn per game
15.6 fouls by UConn's opponents per game

There are, of course, various factors that can affect the fouls per game, and it's early in the season to make judgments. However the increased number of foul calls is directionally similar to the men's games - except that fouls are up a bit more on that side.


A major point of emphasis this year by the NCAA Rules Committee is to cut down on physicality away from the ball - which should lead to more foul calls. From the first part of this year's rule book:

Freedom of Movement/Players Moving Without the Ball/Screening:
Although there has been some improvement in these areas, there is still excessive physicality and a lack of freedom of movement in our game. Players must be permitted to move freely without being held, pushed, rerouted or impeded. Enforcing current rules will permit the freedom of movement that must occur.
As it relates to cutting (players moving without the ball), defenders must not be permitted to engage in illegal contact. A defender who legally beats the cutter to a spot on the floor is entitled to that spot; however, the defender is not permitted to extend an arm bar to displace the cutter nor is she permitted to hold the cutter or push the cutter with her hands or body. Likewise, the cutter may not initiate contact with the defender or push or hold the defender in any way

 

[UcMiami]

Interesting observation. I think it may not be significant for a couple of reasons and I wonder what the stats are for D1 as a whole:

1. Every year there are new rules and new 'points of emphasis' in most sports. It usually takes a month or two for those changes to become ingrained into the player's actions on the court. Perhaps the slight increases in fouls are a result of that transition, and as the season progresses and players become more familiar with what constitutes a foul they will return to he average of previous years. It would be interesting to see if that is in fact a standard occurrence - a decreasing curve in fouls through each season.

2. Refs also have a breaking in period - many have been off for the summer, others have worked different levels of the game. It probably takes a month or so to relearn the flow of the college game and to adjust to the new rules for them as well.

3. Specific to Uconn, the first eight games this year have been the best competition the team has ever scheduled (I think.) With the exception of Colgate, every team has either been a P5 power team or a top end mid-major. Based on rankings four of them have been in the top 25, based on Massey and Sagarin, five have been in the top 25, and two others fall into the 50-70 range. While a player can get lazy on defense and foul any opponent with reach-ins, it is more likely they pick up fouls at a faster rate the better their opponent is. And this year there have been more offensive fouls being called on Uconn than I remember, also likely to be the result of playing better defenders playing in better systems.

 

[stamfordhusky]

After a little research, her is some more info for all D1 teams combined:

Fouls per game (2013-14): 18.72
Fouls per game (2014-15): 17.52
Fouls per game (2015-16): 18.1 (through games of December 11th - approximate)

So the overall game is seeing more fouls than are called in UConn games. Factors that affect the overall number of fouls in UConn games would include: (a) amount of zone being played by UConn opponents; (b) UConn dominance that allows them to defend without fouling; (c) lack of intentional fouls in final few minutes of a close game. Many other possible factors as well.

 

[Geno-ista]

A lot of coaches will tell their players to be pretty physical and let the refs decide how much they'll let go, then adjust to the refs. Apparently, the refs were willing to let a lot go. I saw Mo pinwheeling her arms a few times to keep from falling on her butt after being shoved. All it did was make Mo mad, though, because she almost always stole the ball or prevented the kid from being able to shoot right after.

Nan-we all know what Mo is capable of and how tenacious she really is. But there was a resolve and something extra in her the other nite. Geno went into a crouched stance clapping crazily for her effort after one sequence. It was quite a tribute from him to her.

 

[Monte]

There are less breaks for commercials, but I think the time is longer. Games in general seem to be moving faster, at least in person, I've been to 4 U of A games so far.

As to foul questions, haven't seen a big difference in the live games or relatively few TV games I've seen. That said, of course foul calls out here in the PAC are "odd" anyhow, you can kill someone as long as you don't touch their shooting arm. But they are consistent.

You are right, the games do seem shorter, but the times between quarters are longer. There probably are less time outs because the coaches know they have plenty of time between the quarters. I like your comments.

 

[stamfordhusky]

You are right, the games do seem shorter, but the times between quarters are longer. There probably are less time outs because the coaches know they have plenty of time between the quarters. I like your comments.

There ARE fewer timeouts - by a significant margin. First, the number of media timeouts per game has been cut from eight to four under the new rules. Secondly, teams now only have four timeouts, rather than the five allowed by the old rules. Additionally, regular timeouts can be converted to media timeouts now, so the total number of timeouts will be further reduced in some games.

Note that there are two extra times for commercials now, i.e. at the end of the first and third quarters, but they are not timeouts. The number of timeouts is significantly less this year.