MD Postgame Thread

[sun]

UConn scored a 3 with about 1:03 left in the game to make it 76 - 80.
At that point I thought that UConn would start fouling to save clock & regain possession but they didn't.
Then with about 35 seconds left in the game Miller scored a 3 making it 76 - 83.
From that point there was a fight for possession due to a poor UConn pass and too much time was lost.

There was easy opportunity to foul Miller before she made the 3 to preserve time.
At 76 - 80, it was already a 2 possession game and a foul would have made it a 6 point lead at the most, & still a 2 possession game.
Fouling seemed to be UConn's only chance and maybe it was a tactical coaching error to not try it.
MD was going to burn up most of the shot clock anyway.
The MD lead ended up getting stetched to 7 when at the 1 minute mark their lead was at 4.

 

[Centerstream]

Find a coach that agrees the player with the ball, their go to player, is not to be guarded. Over a bench player. That 3 effectively ended any UConn chance.

No our chances ended when Miller made 2 FTs at the 1:16 mark to make the score 80-73.
Plus Aubrey was on an island, someone else was out of position.

 

[Carnac]

Regarding all the "doctors" commenting on Dorka's thumb, suspect Geno remembers playing Butler in about the 2015 era with mixed results while her broken thumb was still healing. While she saved a few games, she also took alot of criticism for constantly dropping the ball. Her final year at George Washington, fully healed, she lead the nation in rebounding and double doubles.

Minor correction.........Natalie Butler finished at George Mason, not George Washington.

 

[donalddoowop]

There is the old saying about play with what you got, but Brenda is delusional. Even if she had her 4 players available, if we had one of three that are expected to return this season, we win, with two it’s a 10+ victory, with all three it’s 20+. Let these posers (md, nd) enjoy this, but they will regret meeting us at tourney time with a healthier squared.

Yes, just ask Villanova what happened last season the second time they met UConn.

 

[Bone Dog]

Caroline’s handle has always been what I would call serviceable but she can’t handle a press.

I agree about her handle — it’s not up to what Christyn could do, when asked, or Paige or Azzi. But the problem we’re witnessing may be more about her speed than her handle. When she’s fully recovered and back up to speed, I think she’ll be pretty good against a press, even with her serviceable handle. It’s usually a combination of things.

Christyn could put the ball behind her back to get through a triple team, and she had quick feet, so she was almost impossible to trap. She had a superb handle. Paige’s passing made it too risky to press her too much, plus she had a good handle. Azzi has a handle like Christyn’s.

Like Caroline, Nika’s handle is also serviceable, but given how feisty and determined she is, plus keeping her head up, she can break presses too. At her best, Caroline knows exactly when to pick up the ball and fling it down the court.