My opinion, as a fan

[HuskyNan]

Sometimes people forget that the guys on the other teams are Division I athletes. Are the Tulsa players high Division I athletes, no, but they can pass the ball and make shots if they aren't guarded well. Last night UConn's defense was, let's say, not good so Tulsa made a bunch of shots they might not usually make against the Huskies. What's my point? I think rather than fretting about an outlier game, why not appreciate how good the Huskies have been for consecutive years now? Teams cannot score on them and it's not because the other team can't play. It's hard work and the Huskies have been so good at it, it looks effortless, but it's not. UConn has made some really good teams look downright bad and they've been doing it for decades now.

Last night Crystal, the team's point guard who averages 11.4 points a game, had 3 points in 15 minutes. She sat because of her shin splints. Lou, the team's leading scorer at 16.8 ppg, had 3 points in 15. The poor kid is all banged up and Geno didn't need to have her seriously hurt playing a lot of minutes against Tulsa. Gabby, hampered by a nagging hip injury, had only 7 points. In other words, the team didn't have its usual scorers on the floor to bail them out, except Kia, that is. The subs had trouble scoring - they played at a crazy fast speed and made some ill-advised passes into the post which ended up being turnovers. When players can't score, they get that "I need to make a bucket fast" mentality and it all falls apart. UConn usually does that to other teams but last night it did it to itself.

Like I said, I consider this game an outlier, a one-off. With the PG and top scorer on the bench, the game was just too atypical to get upset over. The subs' play was disappointing but not altogether horrible. Some players looked lost, some looked just too inexperienced to be effective. Honestly, I came away more hopeful than not, mostly because I don't expect them to be perfect out of the box, so to speak. It's a learning curve and the curve is different for everyone.

Re: Geno's comments to the press - he's been saying that stuff for years and year. Check out Phil's quotes page. Some of those quotes go back into the 1990's. The more things change, they more they stay the same.

 

[jcoton56]

Agree Nan. You have 3 AAs, the leader of an olympic team, a future AA and one of the best point guards in the country. To this mix the coaches are trying to seamlessly blend 3 frosh, 2 sophs with little PT and an injured transfer. This is a bump in the road and there will be more. The only thing that I find puzzeling near February is the clear lack of focus that the backups have esp as a group. They have ability and they have each shown proper reactions enough to know that good play is possible. Better days are ahead.

 

[huskyrob1]

Sometimes people forget that the guys on the other teams are Division I athletes. Are the Tulsa players high Division I athletes, no, but they can pass the ball and make shots if they aren't guarded well. Last night UConn's defense was, let's say, not good so Tulsa made a bunch of shots they might not usually make against the Huskies. What's my point? I think rather than fretting about an outlier game, why not appreciate how good the Huskies have been for consecutive years now? Teams cannot score on them and it's not because the other team can't play. It's hard work and the Huskies have been so good at it, it looks effortless, but it's not. UConn has made some really good teams look downright bad and they've been doing it for decades now.

Last night Crystal, the team's point guard who averages 11.4 points a game, had 3 points in 15 minutes. She sat because of her shin splints. Lou, the team's leading scorer at 16.8 ppg, had 3 points in 15. The poor kid is all banged up and Geno didn't need to have her seriously hurt playing a lot of minutes against Tulsa. Gabby, hampered by a nagging hip injury, had only 7 points. In other words, the team didn't have its usual scorers on the floor to bail them out, except Kia, that is. The subs had trouble scoring - they played at a crazy fast speed and made some ill-advised passes into the post which ended up being turnovers. When players can't score, they get that "I need to make a bucket fast" mentality and it all falls apart. UConn usually does that to other teams but last night it did it to itself.

Like I said, I consider this game an outlier, a one-off. With the PG and top scorer on the bench, the game was just too atypical to get upset over. The subs' play was disappointing but not altogether horrible. Some players looked lost, some looked just too inexperienced to be effective. Honestly, I came away more hopeful than not, mostly because I don't expect them to be perfect out of the box, so to speak. It's a learning curve and the curve is different for everyone.

Re: Geno's comments to the press - he's been saying that stuff for years and year. Check out Phil's quotes page. Some of those quotes go back into the 1990's. The more things change, they more they stay the same.

I say ban Geno from the Boneyard!!!

 

[Twolf]

Sometimes people forget that the guys on the other teams are Division I athletes. Are the Tulsa players high Division I athletes, no, but they can pass the ball and make shots if they aren't guarded well. Last night UConn's defense was, let's say, not good so Tulsa made a bunch of shots they might not usually make against the Huskies. What's my point? I think rather than fretting about an outlier game, why not appreciate how good the Huskies have been for consecutive years now? Teams cannot score on them and it's not because the other team can't play. It's hard work and the Huskies have been so good at it, it looks effortless, but it's not. UConn has made some really good teams look downright bad and they've been doing it for decades now.

Last night Crystal, the team's point guard who averages 11.4 points a game, had 3 points in 15 minutes. She sat because of her shin splints. Lou, the team's leading scorer at 16.8 ppg, had 3 points in 15. The poor kid is all banged up and Geno didn't need to have her seriously hurt playing a lot of minutes against Tulsa. Gabby, hampered by a nagging hip injury, had only 7 points. In other words, the team didn't have its usual scorers on the floor to bail them out, except Kia, that is. The subs had trouble scoring - they played at a crazy fast speed and made some ill-advised passes into the post which ended up being turnovers. When players can't score, they get that "I need to make a bucket fast" mentality and it all falls apart. UConn usually does that to other teams but last night it did it to itself.

Like I said, I consider this game an outlier, a one-off. With the PG and top scorer on the bench, the game was just too atypical to get upset over. The subs' play was disappointing but not altogether horrible. Some players looked lost, some looked just too inexperienced to be effective. Honestly, I came away more hopeful than not, mostly because I don't expect them to be perfect out of the box, so to speak. It's a learning curve and the curve is different for everyone.

Re: Geno's comments to the press - he's been saying that stuff for years and year. Check out Phil's quotes page. Some of those quotes go back into the 1990's. The more things change, they more they stay the same.

Last night is a perfect example of a college season- you will have 4-5 games where you are lights out great, 4-5 games where you are flat, and all the others will fall somewhere in between. UConn has had enough talent year in and year out to weather the flat games, and you will find they usually come against lesser opponents, which also helps. Actually last nights game will help in developing the bench, or at least one or two of the candidates for the 7th spot. You can rest assured that some of the young players have been told what they are doing in practice won’t work against D-1 teams, but any player, when under pressure, will go back to what their basketball habits are. It’s obvious that most of the young players last night went back to what worked in the past for them, but that won’t work now. Most coaches call that reverting back, and it becomes a very good teaching moment. In other words, you better listen & change. In coach speak- if you are getting 20 and 10 (points and boards) just carry on, but if not you might want to pay attention to what the staff is drilling into you on a daily basis. JMO.

 

[PAHuskeyFan]

Thank you Nan for the voice of reason.

 

[my2cents]

Even thought Frede/Culmo were acting like the sky was falling, that game was never in doubt. Geno used the "Bench" the entire second qtr., the play was spotty, but at least they saw some game action.
In games , you are going to always going to see inconsistent performance, check out the different qtr results in the Tenn/ND game.
The only consistent thing with our Huskies is...we always get the W's

 

[PAHuskeyFan]

Another note... after reading one of the articles in the "UConn in the news" thread... i believe the upper classmen will take a bigger role in fixing tbings... Gabby, Kia as seniors will step up, along with Phe and Lou. They hsve a job to do here as well, asnd have too much invested in the program to let things fall spart more. They want a championship!!

 

[uconnfan68]

Sometimes people forget that the guys on the other teams are Division I athletes. Are the Tulsa players high Division I athletes, no, but they can pass the ball and make shots if they aren't guarded well. Last night UConn's defense was, let's say, not good so Tulsa made a bunch of shots they might not usually make against the Huskies. What's my point? I think rather than fretting about an outlier game, why not appreciate how good the Huskies have been for consecutive years now? Teams cannot score on them and it's not because the other team can't play. It's hard work and the Huskies have been so good at it, it looks effortless, but it's not. UConn has made some really good teams look downright bad and they've been doing it for decades now.

Last night Crystal, the team's point guard who averages 11.4 points a game, had 3 points in 15 minutes. She sat because of her shin splints. Lou, the team's leading scorer at 16.8 ppg, had 3 points in 15. The poor kid is all banged up and Geno didn't need to have her seriously hurt playing a lot of minutes against Tulsa. Gabby, hampered by a nagging hip injury, had only 7 points. In other words, the team didn't have its usual scorers on the floor to bail them out, except Kia, that is. The subs had trouble scoring - they played at a crazy fast speed and made some ill-advised passes into the post which ended up being turnovers. When players can't score, they get that "I need to make a bucket fast" mentality and it all falls apart. UConn usually does that to other teams but last night it did it to itself.

Like I said, I consider this game an outlier, a one-off. With the PG and top scorer on the bench, the game was just too atypical to get upset over. The subs' play was disappointing but not altogether horrible. Some players looked lost, some looked just too inexperienced to be effective. Honestly, I came away more hopeful than not, mostly because I don't expect them to be perfect out of the box, so to speak. It's a learning curve and the curve is different for everyone.

Re: Geno's comments to the press - he's been saying that stuff for years and year. Check out Phil's quotes page. Some of those quotes go back into the 1990's. The more things change, they more they stay the same.

The team looks much better with a few of the old with a few of the new. Almost as good as the main group. We know they’re all talented, but as a group the new folks haven’t gelled.

 

[Charliebball]

You are most clearly the voice of reason but I'm not 100% sold on this year's model.............even at their best this year's team does not match last year's team in it's intensity and while several players are vastly improved others have taken a step back.................not normally a major concern less then half way through the season but add recurring injuries to KLS, Crystal and now possibly Gabby not to mention the much maligned bench which Geno would prefer not to use at all and I believe there is reason for concern.............

 

[bags27]

Thanks so much, Nan, for reminding us that the the starters are far from 100% healthy. Nothing really major, but it's a question of managing pain, maybe for the rest of the season, for Crystal, Gabby, and Lou. Obviously, South Carolina can't be taken lightly, and UConn has to play 3 games between now and then (Feb 1).

So, it seems as if Geno has two challenges here:
1. get one or two of the benchers up to speed to be able to play in competitive games;
2. give the starters rest by putting a whole bunch of benchers in at once.

 

[Purple Stein]

- they played at a crazy fast speed and made some ill-advised passes into the post which ended up being turnovers.

LOL -- I skimmed this and read "made some ill-advised passes into the past" and thought "Wow, the subs really aren't on the same page as the starters."

 

[PAHuskeyFan]

Let's not forget that this years model of UCONN WBB has had some near perfect games (South Florida is one example). They have the tools to be a Champion. Don't let last nights "Geno experiment" cloud the picture.

 

[Bronxjeff]

I agree with you Nan that the the game wasn’t as ugly as decried by Geno and the broadcasters. Also, I agree with a number of other folks who opined that shuffling a couple of the bench in at a time might be a prettier approach, and more realistic in terms of playing goals for the tournament.

My one additional concern is that we didn’t see Batouly at all.

 

[Bedford fan]

I agree that nasty comments don't belong here. That said, part of the "fun" for some of us is analyzing what we see and not simply waving Huskie banners.
Obviously this team has not captured the magic of last year's squad. Likely it's a combination of reasons, injuries, fatigue and another year removed from the "four in a row" culture of excellence. Also, these huge expectations take their toll.
With Danger as the obvious exception, the last two classes do not appear to be as good as anticipated. They were all great HS players and many of them would excel in normal college programs. But this is UCONN and the demands are significant. The sophomores are not NC level players in a very competitive field. They can take some minutes but effort alone will not change talent and physicality. Can roles be found? Perhaps but they won't help in big games. Again, Danger is something else.
This years class looks very ordinary. MW was a terrific HS athlete but against big forwards and quick guards she seems overmatched. She does not look like a power forward and her shooting % from HS won't play at UCONN. She will have to become a very smart player and that takes time in this system. One of the new guards might develop into a player but likely won't dominate top competition.
How long can UCONN stay on top of the top?

 

[RockyMTblue2]

My one additional concern is that we didn’t see Batouly at all.

There is no clarity in her situation for sure.

 

[dogged1]

Sometimes people forget that the guys on the other teams are Division I athletes. Are the Tulsa players high Division I athletes, no, but they can pass the ball and make shots if they aren't guarded well. Last night UConn's defense was, let's say, not good so Tulsa made a bunch of shots they might not usually make against the Huskies. What's my point? I think rather than fretting about an outlier game, why not appreciate how good the Huskies have been for consecutive years now? Teams cannot score on them and it's not because the other team can't play. It's hard work and the Huskies have been so good at it, it looks effortless, but it's not. UConn has made some really good teams look downright bad and they've been doing it for decades now.

Last night Crystal, the team's point guard who averages 11.4 points a game, had 3 points in 15 minutes. She sat because of her shin splints. Lou, the team's leading scorer at 16.8 ppg, had 3 points in 15. The poor kid is all banged up and Geno didn't need to have her seriously hurt playing a lot of minutes against Tulsa. Gabby, hampered by a nagging hip injury, had only 7 points. In other words, the team didn't have its usual scorers on the floor to bail them out, except Kia, that is. The subs had trouble scoring - they played at a crazy fast speed and made some ill-advised passes into the post which ended up being turnovers. When players can't score, they get that "I need to make a bucket fast" mentality and it all falls apart. UConn usually does that to other teams but last night it did it to itself.

Like I said, I consider this game an outlier, a one-off. With the PG and top scorer on the bench, the game was just too atypical to get upset over. The subs' play was disappointing but not altogether horrible. Some players looked lost, some looked just too inexperienced to be effective. Honestly, I came away more hopeful than not, mostly because I don't expect them to be perfect out of the box, so to speak. It's a learning curve and the curve is different for everyone.

Re: Geno's comments to the press - he's been saying that stuff for years and year. Check out Phil's quotes page. Some of those quotes go back into the 1990's. The more things change, they more they stay the same.

Up beat and positive yet still objective. Thank you Nan, great post.

 

[Sonny44]

Sometimes people forget that the guys on the other teams are Division I athletes. Are the Tulsa players high Division I athletes, no, but they can pass the ball and make shots if they aren't guarded well. Last night UConn's defense was, let's say, not good so Tulsa made a bunch of shots they might not usually make against the Huskies. What's my point? I think rather than fretting about an outlier game, why not appreciate how good the Huskies have been for consecutive years now? Teams cannot score on them and it's not because the other team can't play. It's hard work and the Huskies have been so good at it, it looks effortless, but it's not. UConn has made some really good teams look downright bad and they've been doing it for decades now.

Last night Crystal, the team's point guard who averages 11.4 points a game, had 3 points in 15 minutes. She sat because of her shin splints. Lou, the team's leading scorer at 16.8 ppg, had 3 points in 15. The poor kid is all banged up and Geno didn't need to have her seriously hurt playing a lot of minutes against Tulsa. Gabby, hampered by a nagging hip injury, had only 7 points. In other words, the team didn't have its usual scorers on the floor to bail them out, except Kia, that is. The subs had trouble scoring - they played at a crazy fast speed and made some ill-advised passes into the post which ended up being turnovers. When players can't score, they get that "I need to make a bucket fast" mentality and it all falls apart. UConn usually does that to other teams but last night it did it to itself.

Like I said, I consider this game an outlier, a one-off. With the PG and top scorer on the bench, the game was just too atypical to get upset over. The subs' play was disappointing but not altogether horrible. Some players looked lost, some looked just too inexperienced to be effective. Honestly, I came away more hopeful than not, mostly because I don't expect them to be perfect out of the box, so to speak. It's a learning curve and the curve is different for everyone.

Re: Geno's comments to the press - he's been saying that stuff for years and year. Check out Phil's quotes page. Some of those quotes go back into the 1990's. The more things change, they more they stay the same.

 

[Sonny44]

So did I come away hopeful. As I said in another thread; we played our subs for a whole quarter and didn't lose any ground. How many other teams could do that?

 

[Bigpetunia]

Expectations, and how they play out, are often in conflict. Last year's iteration of our favorite team performed considerably beyond all reasonable expectations, yet failed to win it all. This year's team, given our out-sized expectations, is under-performing, probably a good indicator of NC #12 coming this April. If we chill out a little bit, it's going to be fun to watch it all play out. If things don't go the way we hope, c'est la vie!

 

[huskyd]

Best (and shortest) response to last night: played 129 games; won 128 games (loss by 2 pts.).

 

[dogged1]

Best (and shortest) response to last night: played 129 games; won 128 games (loss by 2 pts.).

Posts like this make me MAD!

 

[Teacherdeb]

Expectations, and how they play out, are often in conflict. Last year's iteration of our favorite team performed considerably beyond all reasonable expectations, yet failed to win it all. This year's team, given our out-sized expectations, is under-performing, probably a good indicator of NC #12 coming this April. If we chill out a little bit, it's going to be fun to watch it all play out. If things don't go the way we hope, c'est la vie!

Thank you Big Petunia! I can only take so much doom and gloom, and you perfectly captured my feelings!

 

[Carnac]

Best (and shortest) response to last night: played 129 games; won 128 games (loss by 2 pts.).

What, me worry? Not yet. If last night's game was the last game of the regular season, I'd be a lot more concerned. There are still about 42 days left to make the necessary corrections and right the ship. It's too early to begin to spout doom and gloom. A lot of things can happen between now and then. It's interesting to read the reactions of some posters. It doesn't take much to "rattle" them. If UConn doesn't win a game by 40 pts, something is wrong, and Geno had better fix it...............now!!

 

[bags27]

If we chill out a little bit, it's going to be fun to watch it all play out. If things don't go the way we hope, c'est la vie!

 

[BigBird]

I will still maintain that (for me) the Tulsa game was fun to watch. Our starters did pretty well, and our bench busted their butts trying to play at a tempo that ultimately ill-suited them. They made mistakes. But they never quit on Geno or on each other. Of course Geno found their performance wanting. What should we have expected him to say? There were just too many mistakes.

But these younger kids gave what they had. My view is that if they stay the course, the lot of them will become good to very good players eventually. After 40+ years of college teaching, the one thing I am absolutely sure of is that human beings learn at differential rates, and they perform frequently in ways that are inconsistent. What foolishness leads us to suppose that our basketball team is an exception?