Most Disappointing Semi Loss

[MSSportsGuy]

I don't want to be seen as a negative Nancy and no I have no desire to relive the 2017 semifinal game but I am curious what FF lost was the most disappointing for the fanbase. We know the Huskies are undefeated in the NC but was wondering what people thought about the semis where the team didn't pull it out.

I had MSU having a 0% chance to win in 2017. I also totally missed the 2011 semis against ND and could have been knocked over with a feather when I saw the NC was the Irish and A&M rather than UConn/Stanford. Just wondering what some of the fans think.

 

[WiseOne]

All of them!

 

[Bigboote]

For me, definitely 2017. It’s because UConn was so dominant all season, I didn’t even consider the possibility they’d lose in the semis. Heck, MSU played a great game, but until Saniya put up the final brick, I still thought UConn would win.

I’d seen quite a bit of MSU that season because I really enjoyed watching them. In hindsight, I should have seen the possibility that they’d beat UConn. The combination of a swarming defense, strong post player, and streaky three-point shooting was dangerous.

 

[oldhusky]

The 17 & 18 losses were both very bad for several reasons. First those post Stewie teams were undefeated to that point and generally considered the best team in the Final Four on both occasions, so we were significant favorites in both games. Second both were last second losses, where any one of dozens of plays could have been the difference between winning and losing. Third it was not just one player having an off day, but many of our key players.

Lastly I would pick the second one against Notre Dame as the most disappointing to me of the two, because you hope that kind of a loss (17) puts a chip on your shoulder and makes you more dedicated and prepared to insure it doesn't happen the next year, but again we came up short as the favorite, making that one even more disappointing.

The year after those two we lost by a decent margin to a Notre Dame team that IMO was just better than us, and last year it was a pretty big upset, but I cut some slack because we were so young. I do think the relatively weak out of conference schedule due to Covid presented us with too few challenging games to give us more experience against top competition. This year they will have more "Final Four" like games on the schedule.

 

[Plebe]

I don't want to be seen as a negative Nancy

Well, it's either negative Nancy or ...

All of the semifinal losses have been like a red hot searing dagger to my soul. The only exception I'll grant would be the 1991 loss to Virginia because I was totally oblivious to UConn at the time.

 

[fireford]

All were painful in their own way but to me in 2017 loss to Miss St felt like a perfect storm that was fated to happen. Going into the season it was supposed to be a "rebuilding" season for Uconn's standards and expectations weren't that high until they continued to win during the season.
2021 was similar to 2017 in that we weren't sure what to expect from such a young team and with a COVID-shortened season. Similar to 2017 it was a coulda, shoulda, woulda finish that wasn't in the cards. Team wasn't mature enough to meet the moment of an opponent that had the skill set and the game plan to take them down but at least were able to take solace in that most everyone would be back and hopefully this would be a "teachable moment" that will make the team even better the following season.
The other FF losses were also disappointing in their own way but if forced to vote for most disappointing I'll go with 2018. That one was more disappointing than the others because:
-Everyone was back except for Chong and they added Azura Stevens so they expectations were that this team SHOULD win from out of the gate and they were even more dominant that regular season than the year before (won most of their games handily and prior year more games went down to the wire)
-It was the same movie we had seen the year before with a buzzer beater loss after a back-and-forth game. The year before part of me was actually happy for Vic Schaefer, Miss St, and the whole "good for the game" thing. Had no such feelings for Muffet and ND.
-Team should have learned and gained mental toughness from tough FF loss the prior year and once again failed to be up to the challenge. Only this time we couldn't say "well at least everyone is back again for another crack" as it was the final crack for Williams, Nurse, and Stevens.
-As we've lamented on here many times before Stevens playing time in that game was grossly mismanaged. Uconn was down, she sparked a rally, then went back to the bench when the team looked like it was going to take control and put the game away and just like that ND was back in it.
-Jessica Shephard played a huge part in ND win when she should have been sitting out a year after transferring like many others did.

I'll stop there because my blood pressure rises with every bullet point and just say I go with 2018 as my answer for the reasons listed (and probably more that I don't feel like listing).

 

[jbc021592]

2011 FF was shocking to me. Maya Moore was in her prime (really dang good) and the overwhelming favorite. Skylar played the best game in a ND uniform in my opinion.

 

[JellyBean]

The one that disappoints me the most was the 2012 Final Four against ND. I think we had played Notre Dame like 5 times that year and the build up for the match up was great! Just the team could not finish off Notre Dame and Skylar Diggins in that Final Four. Skylar was hyped that game too and it showed. We just could not match ND's energy. We went to OT in that game but just watching the team play, the level of intensity just did not match Skylar and ND's energy. That game was a disappointment.

 

[Jimbo]

I've successfully blocked out the details of a bunch of those games, but I do know that I was significantly more disappointed after 2018 than after 2017. The 2017 team, I thought, had exceeded expectations all year and by March had grown into the best team in the country mostly by default because there was no truly dominant team that season. I never had the feeling that team was invincible—remember, they won at Tulane in February by only 3, albeit with some major injuries. The way the season ended was brutal, but mostly I was proud as hell of them for staying undefeated as long as they did.

The 2018 loss, on the other hand… far more disappointing, for all the reasons that fireford just gave and I won't repeat.

In a couple instances of really difficult losses, my disappointment was muted somewhat by the feeling that we weren't likely to win the National Championship game anyway. I'd place 2012 and 2019 in this category. It's worse, for me, when I can't help thinking that a title slipped through our fingers when it was there for the taking.

2001 ranks very high on my list; even if it wasn't the most disappointing of all, it probably was the most infuriating.

1996 also was a very tough pill to swallow. Ugh.

 

[#12in21]

2017 was the toughest one for me. That team played its heart out all season with the pressure of keeping the winning streak going right up to their final game. They overachieved to say the least, fighting through many tight games throughout the season and pulling out the W time after time.. I am very confident, and believe the team was as well, that if we had made it to the championship game against SC we would have made it five NC's in a row. As hard as it was for me as a fan, I felt horrible for our women. They were the best team in the country that season and had worked their butts of to be so, so to lose by playing their worst collective game of the entire season in the penultimate game was devastating.

That game was a battle. Vic had an excellent game plan that their team carried out to a tee. Only Gabby and Saniya showed up for UCONN in that first half and then Katie Lou got going in the third and to close out the fourth. We basically had only three players that played at or above expectations, with Gabby leaving everything she had on the floor the entire game. Pheesa and Kia just didn't show up. We only got 1 point from the bench in 23 minutes of playing time by two players, MSU got 12 from the bench with 5 players playing 53 minutes. Yet we came back from a big hole to bring it even in the third and stayed so through the end of regulation. Our starters were exhausted, demoralized and devastated that they gave this one away - losing out on an unprecedented 5th NC in a row and ending the record setting 111 game run of wins.

They gave us one helluva of a ride though and I couldn't be prouder of being a UCONN fan than of that squad. They just didn't have enough left in the tank to get through to the finish line. Props to Vic and his squad though for doing what no one in 111 tries was able to do.

 

[BostonBay]

Definitely 2018. We had the better team on paper & gave it away in the 2nd half, including a missed short jumper at the end of regulation by Gabby that could have sealed it. Of course, the whole unfair Jessica Shephard transfer put a lemon on top of the bitter taste.

 

[HuskyNan]

Have you guys already forgotten this year’s game? What disappointed me is that Christyn said they overlooked Arizona. How do you overlook a Final Four team?

“I think we came out with the wrong mentality,” Christyn Williams admitted. “I thought we thought it was going to be easy, I guess, and we got flustered.”

What went wrong in UConn women’s basketball’s Final Four loss to Arizona?

Breaking down the Huskies’ biggest issues in yet another heartbreaking loss in the national semifinal.

www.theuconnblog.com

 

[MSSportsGuy]

I appreciate the feedback. I am/was genuinely curious which was the toughest pill to swallow.

I get the sentiments about 2018. Honestly the 2018 FF was the best I ever watched and involved the four best teams battling to the end of all three games. I of course was beyond ecstatic and shocked we won in 2017 and appreciated how Geno and the fans were so gracious when they spoke about the team. 2018 definitely would bother UConn more because of the animosity between the ND and the Huskies. I figured 2018 would be on a revenge tour and after our victory over Louisville I was dreading a UConn rematch.

As a fan I still remember the 1996 FF and seeing UT fight tooth and nail to stop UConn after losing the first three games of the series to them.

Thanks to all who have posted. I appreciate you sharing the feelings and memories.

 

[CTtoSanDiego]

Notre Dame in 2001. UConn was LOADED. And had 15 pt lead at the half. Total second half collapse, though Ruth Riley played great. Taurasi was something like 2 for 15, but being DT, she kept on shooting...

 

[FridaFriend]

I agree with the 2001 loss. It was a great UCONN team, but had lost its senior leaders to injuries. Svetlana was hurt during the loss to Tennessee in February and Shea was lost in the Big East final to Notre Dame. Sue Bird couldn't repeat her heroics against Notre Dame in the NCAA semifinal. Shea had had a poor game in the early season loss to Notre Dame and was tearing it up in the Big East final when she went down. The semifinal for me was really sad for me, more than disappointing. The 2001 team may have been the most talented of all time.

In semifinals, UCONN is 1-5 against Notre Dame.

 

[MSSportsGuy]

Notre Dame in 2001. UConn was LOADED. And had 15 pt lead at the half. Total second half collapse, though Ruth Riley played great. Taurasi was something like 2 for 15, but being DT, she kept on shooting...

Yes that loss was terrible but I've posted before and would tell anyone I will always believe UConn wins the NC if She and Svet were healthy. That was a great ND team but UConn should have won it all.

 

[shiverz45]

I agree with the 2001 loss. It was a great UCONN team, but had lost its senior leaders to injuries. Svetlana was hurt during the loss to Tennessee in February and Shea was lost in the Big East final to Notre Dame. Sue Bird couldn't repeat her heroics against Notre Dame in the NCAA semifinal. Shea had had a poor game in the early season loss to Notre Dame and was tearing it up in the Big East final when she went down. The semifinal for me was really sad for me, more than disappointing. The 2001 team may have been the most talented of all time.

In semifinals, UCONN is 1-5 against Notre Dame.

That is crazy. Didn't realize Notre Dame had that big of an edge against UCONN in the semis. Surprised ND doesn't have more championships. As a SC fan losing last season was worse than 2015 because of who was waiting in the championship for SC. The way we loss last season and 2015 was eerily similar and with the exact same score.

 

[Lorcan]

For Stanford, I’d have to say it’s either the 2011 TAMU Loss or when Karlie Samuelson was injured with Stanford leading against South Carolina in 2017.

 

[Plebe]

Okay well that's enough of this thread, alternately titled the "picking at old scabs" thread. Time to shut 'er down

 

[Alydar]

2008 for me. UConn was ranked No 1 going into the tournament and I was pumped to play Tenn in the final. Rene Montgomery was allowed to shoot by Tara and she did. And UConn lost. Still burns.

 

[CocoHusky]

My hurt locker in order: the next one, the last one, the one before that... & the first one.

 

[huskiemaniac]

2008 for me. UConn was ranked No 1 going into the tournament and I was pumped to play Tenn in the final. Rene Montgomery was allowed to shoot by Tara and she did. And UConn lost. Still burns.

And Geno allowed her to shoot, as well. Along with his poor use of Stevens in 2018 vs ND, these were his two poorest FF "moments", imo.

What annoys me most re: the losses from 2017 to now is that I think the team might not have had the intestinal fortitude/guts/balls to win the games, especially in 2017 and 2021.

I will always hate 2001 the most, and that goes a long way to making the 2002 team, and their undefeated season, my all-time favorite.

 

[Plebe]

Have you guys already forgotten this year’s game? What disappointed me is that Christyn said they overlooked Arizona. How do you overlook a Final Four team?

“I think we came out with the wrong mentality,” Christyn Williams admitted. “I thought we thought it was going to be easy, I guess, and we got flustered.”

What went wrong in UConn women’s basketball’s Final Four loss to Arizona?

Breaking down the Huskies’ biggest issues in yet another heartbreaking loss in the national semifinal.

www.theuconnblog.com

About the nicest thing I can say about that quote is that it is totally baffling.

Many folks on the Boneyard seemed to look past Arizona, but they had clearly caught fire in the NCAAT and were peaking, and they were just the kind of strong defensive team that could give UConn fits by "gumming up" its offense.

It's one thing for overzealous fans to see things a bit different than they are. And I was not even shocked by the loss itself. But for a key player — the most experienced one on the team, at that — to have entered the game with that mentality ... baffling, among other things.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

That is crazy. Didn't realize Notre Dame had that big of an edge against UCONN in the semis. Surprised ND doesn't have more championships. As a SC fan losing last season was worse than 2015 because of who was waiting in the championship for SC. The way we loss last season and 2015 was eerily similar and with the exact same score.

The Stanford loss was tougher in my book.

The missed put back at the buzzer was brutal.

You're right that we gave up the lead in both games off put backs following well defended wild shots.

The same final score, which was the same score as UVA's loss in the Final Four with Staley is some crazy trivia.

....

Having said that, I maybe took the Notre Dame loss harder now that I think about it. I was sadder for Boston than I was that the season had ended if that makes sense. Terrible thing to have happen to a player. Hope she gets her redemption.

 

[Waquoit]

The worst is the one where a player who shouldn't even have touched the ball "decided to make a play". What made it so bad is that even if said play was made, the opponent still had time to do just what they did. If a guy had done that he would be up there with Fred Brown and Chris Webber.