Much better to play tough competition late in season

[jchusky]

I wasn't thrilled with the ooc games that were scheduled this year. Ucla woulda been great to schedule in 2023, not this season. Oregon will be a coaching mismatch, Georgia Tech people tried telling me they are a top team, they are not. They suffer a bad loss at home to Auburn and they are just a middle of the pack Acc team to me. Obviously a lot of factors play into scheduling ooc games, but when you look at what South Carolina got: Duke, Maryland, Stanford, Nc st, Uconn twice, Tenn twice ( in conference) and then possibly playing Tenn in the conference tournament again.

 

[Millenial23]

You learn more from a loss than a win.

 

[Stymie]

Absolutely.

 

[Vowelguy]

I wasn't thrilled with the ooc games that were scheduled this year. Ucla woulda been great to schedule in 2023, not this season. Oregon will be a coaching mismatch, Georgia Tech people tried telling me they are a top team, they are not. They suffer a bad loss at home to Auburn and they are just a middle of the pack Acc team to me. Obviously a lot of factors play into scheduling ooc games, but when you look at what South Carolina got: Duke, Maryland, Stanford, Nc st, Uconn twice, Tenn twice ( in conference) and then possibly playing Tenn in the conference tournament again.

SC has 16 Conf games. UConn has 20.
They have 40% more non Conf games they can schedule.

I’ve said since day 1 that UConn needs to be lobbying hard to cut the conference sked.

 

[Blue Ghost]

Playing good teams have been a hallmark of UConn. It gives you an idea of where you are. Whether it's early or late. Everything is done for peaking in the Tournament.

 

[Dokey]

The problem isn’t so much playing tough teams early, it is not playing enough games early. Certainly you don’t want to go into a three game three day tournament after just one game.

 

[Tank]

I agree with what you say, GENERALLY. As in teaching children to walk (bad comparison), I would liked to have seen Uconn go against not one of the top 3 teams so early. About 10 games into the season Geno et al would know the weakness and ways to mask them. Paige is terrific but she is just a kid and relatively new to TOP level basketball. AZZI as talented as she is, is still a very green Freshman. The bench is largely composed of kids like this. 18 may say they are Women but inside the kid remains. A different view, opinion. Geno, unlike nearly all other coaches, won't throw his kids into games too big for them, usually. This was one.

I thought both UCONN and SC returned their FF lineups pretty much intact from last season. Why should UCONN players be shielded from early competition but SC, who has begun the season with the toughest schedule, not have to be? Or more importantly, not want to be. They are hungry.

The old days of UCONN WBB when they would play anyone, anywhere and anytime, and not worry about exposing a FF lineup to more than they can handle early on seems forgotten by some.

This post was supposed to be in response to the OP, but the talk of trying to “shield” this team early on is ridiculous. Maybe why the Huskies are stuck on the FF stage, or why they get out rebounded these days by 20 boards, turn the ball over more and don’t have the same fight everyone is used to seeing in UCONN when they face good teams.

Forget about trying to shelter this team early before the weak conference schedule starts. Throw them in the fire and see what you really have, get the most out of them early. And if they take a loss, learn from it and move on. That’s how the old teams built up their prowess and they never got out hussled or outworked. It’s like spoiling children early, makes them soft. And when they get hit they don’t know how to respond. Az had no business beating UCONN by ten, not even half the talent. They were fighters and scrappers though, and punched UCONN in the nose. Huskies need to get back to that as well or they are the most talented team once again but without the fight.

It‘s either that or this collection of super talent just doesn’t have the mental fortitude and attitudes needed to get up and punch back.

 

[jchusky]

SC has 16 Conf games. UConn has 20.
They have 40% more non Conf games they can schedule.

I’ve said since day 1 that UConn needs to be lobbying hard to cut the conference sked.

and there lies another big point, the benefits of being in a power 5 conference. A couple seasons ago the power 5 added more games in the men's side so that they would get more opportunities to get their teams in the tournament. This off course would cost a mid major or a non power 5 team to not get those opportunities.

 

[Vowelguy]

. A couple seasons ago the power 5 added more games in the men's side .

No idea what this sentence means.

 

[jchusky]

No idea what this sentence means.

they added more conference games in the power 5. Instead of 16 I believe it went to 18 or 20.

 

[SVCBeercats]

Not sure what UConn learned today except they were outmatched by a much more physical opponent.
This game might have done more harm than good. The players' confidence is shot, so is Geno's.
The risk is you overreact or change the wrong things. Does the scheme change, the lineups,?
This team has no identity yet and certainly hasn't gelled. Need this first.

"Much better to play tough competition late in season"​

Boston Bay? I don't believe it. More like Chesapeake Bay as in Maryland's Brenda Frese who is regularly roasted for her out of conference schedule of cupcakes.