Muffet's Presser

[RockyMTblue2]

I started back into my second viewing of Muffet's presser and was reminded that she said their biggest problem was they got frustrated early and threw the game plan out and started playing one on one. Uh, Muffet, did you try to get them back on course and they ignored you for the whole game? A little introspection may be in order Muffet. Also, if you are still making up next season's OOC schedule you might want to ...

 

[meyers7]

Muffet sure isn't very happy. This loss really affected her.

Well they probably realize this is their one chance to take it to Geno and UCONN, but......it's just not happening.

 

[Ukonnfan]

seems like rivalry has seeped into bitterness for Muffett. ..concerning the fouls, i watched the game and I saw my more arm pulling, throat smacking by ND. just saying. I was very, very surprised that a flagrant wasn't called when Mabrey fouled Gabby. I feel like she is a dirty player.

 

[Papa33]

Re: The slant of MM's assessment of why her team lost-- quite aside from her emphasis on her players' failures to execute on offense-- she was the third opposing coach of a ranked (and vanquished) opponent to say that she wasn't sure why a critical component of her offense was clicking, that she would have to "look at tape" of the game to understand the problem. What do you think that suggests about UConn's defensive execution?

 

[meyers7]

Muffet was fine. Yes she is surprised about fouls, but go look at the box scores of games where ND won against UConn. A lot of these games over the past 5-6 years have come down to the free throws. I thought the game was called a little tight in the opening minutes, but otherwise was overall fair. Many of UConn's free throws came late in the game while a UConn player was in the act of shooting. Muffet may find this curious, but if your player makes contact with a shooter, the shooter's going to the line 99% of the time, and UConn shoots free throws better than ND does anyway.

The other thing to look at nowadays is when are the fouls committed. UCONN committed 15 fouls, ND committed 19. Not too big a disparity. However it seemed like quite a few of them were shooting fouls and add to that quite a few were in 1 quarter (the 4th). Anytime you get a bunch of fouls in a single quarter (5) you are going to get to the line now, for 2. Different than in the past when you had the bonus and double bonus in a half with the 1 and 1's.

For example, Team A and Team B both commit 10 fouls in a half, assume not shooting.
Team A commits 10 - 1st quarter and 0 in 2nd quarter.
Team B commits 5 - 1st and 5 in 2nd.

Team B is going to shoot 12 FT's. 2 each for fouls 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 in 1st quarter
Team A is going to shoot 4 FT's. 2 each for fouls 5 and 5 in each quarter.

Same number of fouls, different number of FT's.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

Wow!! Lotta sour grapes from MSquared! Classy not.

 

[huskeynut]

Re: The slant of MM's assessment of why her team lost-- quite aside from her emphasis on her players' failures to execute on offense-- she was the third opposing coach of a ranked (and vanquished) opponent to say that she wasn't sure why a critical component of her offense was clicking, that she would have to "look at tape" of the game to understand the problem. What do you think that suggests about UConn's defensive execution?

This is a great point. I see two major things here.
1. If MM looked a tapes of our previous games this season, she would have seen that those passes from the wing to the post didn't work that well for Baylor or Texas, who have a bigger front line.
2. If you have to "look at the tape" to see what happened, are you really aware of what is happening during the game? What are your assistant coaches doing? How can you make any in game adjustments. This is a Kim Mulkey moment all over again.

 

[bags27]

Following up on Huskeynut (I was typing while it was being posted), I think there are 2 issues here (and some may dispute that there are any issues; I get that):

1. It is just good sportsmanship to credit the other team at least a little (I know that she praised Gabby, but in some way that's faint praise, since it's saying that a player beat them, not the other team).

2. By doing that sly shrug about the fouls, she was completely disingenuous. Please don't excuse her by suggesting that she'll learn the "truth" from the tape. She's one of the smartest coaches in the business. She analyzed the rest of the game in real time, and she knew about the fouls in real time. That was just a passive-aggressive gesture on her part.

What does this mean? McGraw is a great coach running a great program. If ND hadn't been this strong so long it would have diminished UConn's achievements. But if you compare the teaching moment that Geno created after the Stanford loss to her ever-so-slightly dodging of these moments where she could have been a bit more forthcoming, a bit more emotionally honest, you will see a large part of the reason why there has been a gap between these programs over the past 2 decades.

 

[ME Husky Fan]

I think the conditioning and physicality of UCONN attests to the so-called disparity in the fouls being called - one opinion. A lot of times these undefeated preseason coronated #1's don't see any sort of real defense until they face UCONN and that to me is the big difference. As to getting the ball to Turner, its the same defense UCONN used and will use on Coates against So. Carolina. As to Allen - too hit or miss for me to be considered up their with the big time point guards at ND. One minute she lights it up the next she's MIA. Ogunbowale is too much like Plum and Mitchell (OSU) and that doesn't align with Muffet's way of executing so that will continue to haunt ND against the big time teams. You have to give Geno some big-time credit for where this team is especially coming away from the FSU game where at a lot of folks thought 3-5 losses coming, which still might come to pass but you have to be happy where we are for early December. I have to mention the interactions between Geno and Gabby during and after the game. I don't recall Geno showing this sort of admiration and affection for a kid's performance which was very, very deserving.

 

[oldude]

There is something truly disheartening about trying to beat UConn year after year for the other top WBB coaches. I am sure that they are all working as hard as possible to recruit top talent and coach them up to play their absolute best. I have seen this deflated response before from Dawn Staley, Kim Mulkey, Brenda Freeze, Karen Aston et al.

IMO the burden of trying to take down the Huskies fell the heaviest on Pat Summit and Muffet McGraw. Pat was the top dog until UConn dethroned UT. For several years it was back and forth and then UConn pulled ahead. Pat's frustration continued to mount, and I believe it was a critical factor in her decision to submit the infamous 32-page report to the NCAA detailing alleged recruiting violations at UConn, and then ultimately cancelling the series with the Huskies.

Muffet too had her moment in the sun, winning a national championship and 7 out of 8 matchups with the Huskies. It looked for a time like ND might dethrone UConn as the "top dog" in WBB, but again UConn surged ahead. After watching UConn hoist the NCAA championship trophy in each of the past 4 yrs, last nights game had to be the ultimate frustration for Muffet. This was the one she was supposed to win. She had to be thinking, "What in the hell do I have to do to beat this team?"

So I am inclined to give Muffet and all of the other frustrated coaches a pass on less than gracious behavior when it comes to the Huskies.

 

[UcMiami]

The other thing to look at nowadays is when are the fouls committed. UCONN committed 15 fouls, ND committed 19. Not too big a disparity. However it seemed like quite a few of them were shooting fouls and add to that quite a few were in 1 quarter (the 4th). Anytime you get a bunch of fouls in a single quarter (5) you are going to get to the line now, for 2. Different than in the past when you had the bonus and double bonus in a half with the 1 and 1's.

For example, Team A and Team B both commit 10 fouls in a half, assume not shooting.
Team A commits 10 - 1st quarter and 0 in 2nd quarter.
Team B commits 5 - 1st and 5 in 2nd.

Team B is going to shoot 12 FT's. 2 each for fouls 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 in 1st quarter
Team A is going to shoot 4 FT's. 2 each for fouls 5 and 5 in each quarter.

Same number of fouls, different number of FT's.

4 of the fouls by ND in the 4th quarter were not 'shooting fouls' per se, but they had passed into the bonus by then so they resulted in 8 of the free throws. (Just clarifying the difference - they were lose ball or 'floor fouls' and not in the act of shooting. (that was the only Q that ND went over the limit.)

 

[oldude]

4 of the fouls by ND in the 4th quarter were not 'shooting fouls' per se, but they had passed into the bonus by then so they resulted in 8 of the free throws. (Just clarifying the difference - they were lose ball or 'floor fouls' and not in the act of shooting. (that was the only Q that ND went over the limit.)

It is also fairly typical for the team that is behind to commit more fouls. You have to make something happen so you are pressing, trying to steal the ball and crashing the boards hard. That's when fouls occur.

 

[bags27]

So I am inclined to give Muffet and all of the other frustrated coaches a pass on less than gracious behavior when it comes to the Huskies.

I agree with your analysis, oldude. But I think it is self-defeating to be that way. A great coach has to be a lot of things, but nothing is more important than being a great teacher of your players. Responding that way doesn't make your players better; on the contrary, it helps condition them to feel a bit victimized, a bit of a tendency to look for an excuse why they didn't win.

 

[huskyd]

Geez...was UConn even in this game... I don't think Muffet gave any credit to UConn for her loss. At least up to 4 and 1/2 minute mark according to Coach Muffet...the loss had nothing to do with UConn it was all about what ND didn't do. Finally, at 5:20 some props for Gabby. Also thought there was a little tongue in cheek from Muffet as she thought her players should have gotten to the foul line more..she said, that her players were fouled on EVERY play.

Right on, cferraro. A total absence of generosity on Muffet's part. She was "surprised" by UConn; she thought she had this one locked up. To watch her was almost painful; it appeared she was going to break into tears or to explode as she rocked back and forth and tapped her fingers rhythmically. Hopefully she brought her meds. Even her praise of Gabby was qualified by saying that Williams probably doesn't usually play that well. All in all a complete beat-down at least for the sour old coach. Such is the stuff of Schadenfreude.

 

[hussybulldog]

She thought she had the best team since she had the best center and best guard in the country, except that she should have blamed herself not having prepared her team for this game. Her team will miss FF again this year if she started to act like the coach at Duke.

 

[dwalks93]

Last night's ND performance and post game press conference has left me re-evaluating Muffet as a great coach.

Prior to yesterday I thought Muffet was the second best coach in the country. Traditionally ND plays team ball and executes like a well coached unit. ND's performance yesterday was anything but the above description.

ND did not lose because of foul disparities or bad calls. ND lost because they failed to play team ball and did not match UConn's intensity. Early on Ogunbowele seemed determined to take every shot and that kind of "me" play seemed to permeate through to the other ND players. How many charge calls did ND have in the first half because their players were out of control and trying to win a one on one battle? Where was the ball movement for ND? ND had a huge size advantage with Turner on the inside but failed to get the ball to her and instead allowed Ogunbowele to jack shots at will. In fact, Turner really was not a major factor till the last 5 minutes of the game when it was pretty much already over. ND needed to work the ball inside to open the perimeter for their 3 point shooters. Instead ND seemed more than content to play a one on one game.

Last night ND looked a lot more like Tennessee than UConn....great talent but a failure to execute. That is coaching....Muffet needs to own this loss. It is only becoming more apparent every year....when it comes to coaches, there is Geno and then there is everyone else.

 

[oldude]

Her team will miss FF again this year if she started to act like the coach at Duke.

I think you raise a distinct possibility. UConn exposed ND's weaknesses. They lack quickness. Outside of Turner, they do not appear to have a consistent incide presence. They have struggled somewhat with lesser teams GB, Wash, Iowa. Right now I might rank them behind UConn, Baylor, SC & MD. By the end of the season they may be further behind and very vulnerable to another upset on the way to the final 4.

 

[JoePgh]

Last night's ND performance and post game press conference has left me re-evaluating Muffet as a great coach.

Prior to yesterday I thought Muffet was the second best coach in the country. Traditionally ND plays team ball and executes like a well coached unit. ND's performance yesterday was anything but the above description.

ND did not lose because of foul disparities or bad calls. ND lost because they failed to play team ball and did not match UConn's intensity. Early on Ogunbowele seemed determined to take every shot and that kind of "me" play seemed to permeate through to the other ND players. How many charge calls did ND have in the first half because their players were out of control and trying to win a one on one battle? Where was the ball movement for ND? ND had a huge size advantage with Turner on the inside but failed to get the ball to her and instead allowed Ogunbowele to jack shots at will. In fact, Turner really was not a major factor till the last 5 minutes of the game when it was pretty much already over. ND needed to work the ball inside to open the perimeter for their 3 point shooters. Instead ND seemed more than content to play a one on one game.

Last night ND looked a lot more like Tennessee than UConn....great talent but a failure to execute. That is coaching....Muffet needs to own this loss. It is only becoming more apparent every year....when it comes to coaches, there is Geno and then there is everyone else.

It sounds like your analysis of the game is basically identical to Muffitt's. She did not attribute the loss to disparities in the foul count or the free throw attempts -- in fact, she didn't mention that at all in her opening remarks. She cited exactly the same things that you did in your post. When asked about the foul disparity, she said that she didn't understand it any more the questioner, which was probably an honest answer before she looks closely at the video.

 

[Charlie]

MM sounded clueless (also classless) and wanted to blame the loss on fouls not being called! I know Geno would not blame it on fouls and learn from the game whether we win or lose - I guess that is the difference between a great coach and a decent coach. Also, I believe if ND played the schedule UCONN has played so far, they would have multiple losses. ND really only plays UCONN and DePaul and maybe Wash though I am not convinced Wash is better than our unranked game against Kansas State this Sun.

 

[oldude]

It sounds like your analysis of the game is basically identical to Muffitt's. She did not attribute the loss to disparities in the foul count or the free throw attempts -- in fact, she didn't mention that at all in her opening remarks. She cited exactly the same things that you did in your post. When asked about the foul disparity, she said that she didn't understand it any more the questioner, which was probably an honest answer before she looks closely at the video.

There was very much a tone of sarcasm in Muffet's voice when responding to a question about the disparity in foul shots.

 

[uconnell]

I think the conditioning and physicality of UCONN attests to the so-called disparity in the fouls being called - one opinion. A lot of times these undefeated preseason coronated #1's don't see any sort of real defense until they face UCONN and that to me is the big difference. As to getting the ball to Turner, its the same defense UCONN used and will use on Coates against So. Carolina. As to Allen - too hit or miss for me to be considered up their with the big time point guards at ND. One minute she lights it up the next she's MIA. Ogunbowale is too much like Plum and Mitchell (OSU) and that doesn't align with Muffet's way of executing so that will continue to haunt ND against the big time teams. You have to give Geno some big-time credit for where this team is especially coming away from the FSU game where at a lot of folks thought 3-5 losses coming, which still might come to pass but you have to be happy where we are for early December. I have to mention the interactions between Geno and Gabby during and after the game. I don't recall Geno showing this sort of admiration and affection for a kid's performance which was very, very deserving.

Bria Hartley freshman game where she pretty much carried the team. Geno gave her a hug and kiss after the game. It was well earned for both Bria and Gabby.

 

[oldude]

Bria Hartley freshman game where she pretty much carried the team. Geno gave her a hug and kiss after the game. It was well earned for both Bria and Gabby.

Geno is becoming a "softy". This season alone, not only did he hug Gabby last night, but he also hugged Danger after the Baylor game.....a freshman no less??? I think Geno has been taking sensitivity training on the sly....

 

[reno tony]

Thinking the same thing....all their fault they lost and no credit to UConn. And I was also thinking that if Lindsay Allen is the best point guard in the country, then it's a down year for point guards. She's good but I think I can find better.

I like Lindsey Allen. Especially since she took responsibility for the lack of offense during the game. She realistically doesn't need to shoulder all the responsibility but at least she is thinking like a leader. She is an excellent point guard and I hope she does well.

 

[choochoo]

Just leaving this here for comparison's sake…similar situation, the aftermath of a disappointing 12-point loss in December. Not a particularly fun night to relive if you're a UConn fan, but if you can bear watching just the first two or three minutes, I think there's a fairly stark difference between this video and the one at the top of this thread.

Miss Muffet needs to watch this video and learn how to lose graciously and not be a ass like she was in her presser.

 

[BoomBoom]

I'm grateful for the salt and stone of MM's temperament in these competitive contexts: it's a measure of how invested she is in this particular game, in her team and in the sport. Wouldn't want it any other way. To call her willful focus on her own team "passive-aggressive" assumes that her proper attention should be UCONN. The amazing game UCONN played spoke for itself. MM knows that. But why should she focus on it? UCONN's amazing game was a determining factor, but it wasn't the only one. ND didn't help themselves in a variety of ways.

On the one hand we say teams need to believe they can beat UCONN in order to actually beat UCONN (this belief would presumably require a strong focus on what the team can do to make that happen). On the other, we expect them to gild the lily when they lose? We want it all: the already beautiful win and the additional glitz of the loser focusing on how we made them that way?

Regarding the passing reference she made to the refs, that was hardly the main theme of her remarks. I doubt it would have come up if she weren't prompted by the reporter. Most of the reporters either loaded their questions or posed false choices. I'd hate to go through an interview after a tough loss with such poorly phrased questions.

Her comment about Gabby may have seemed qualified but it was accurate even in its qualification. Gabby has been amazing all year but last night was wonderfully of another order altogether. She just kept elevating--literally and figuratively. If Gabby's game last night were something she has had every time she goes out on the floor, Geno would be hugging her every night. And he'd be calling her play "magnificent" every night.

Give me a strong-willed rival over an invented villain any day.