ND Final Four team recognized.....

[CL82]

FACTS:

Achonwa got hurt.

UConn won the game.
​

OPINIONS:

Achonwa's loss did NOT affect the outcome. (UConn would have won anyway.)

Achonwa's loss affected the outcome. (Notre Dame MAY have won with Achonwa.)

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Well that's kind of what we do here until the start of the season Kib. It saves the wear and tear on the live horses.

 

[geneticrex]

I used to think that Achonwa was overrated also. But, go back and watch her play in the 2014 ACC tournament, and the first four games of the NCAA Tournament, and you would agree that she was playing inspired basketball, arguably the best of her career. Very unfortunate for her that she went down when she did. I'm sure UConn fans can sympathize with late season injuries.

Whoa, slow down.

I didn't say Achnowa was "overrated". I simply pointed out a historical accuracy. In the previous year's semi, a very accomplished and perfectly healthy Achonwa, ran into a very unhealthy Dolson and a UCONN team that saw the uber-talented Stewart finally blossom and in that game, she made little difference. Add the fact that in that game, Achonwa had the benefit of playing with the best distributor in ND's history playing the point.

As well as Achonwa was playing prior to her injury, there isn't a team in the ACC, or anywhere else for that matter that can throw a frontcourt of Dolson, Stewart, Stokes and KML at you. Jewel Loyd had a great year too, yet she experienced stretches of great difficulty against the best (by light-years) competition she had seen all year.

The second it clicked in Stewart and the officiating stopped falling for the "Flopping" Irish gymnastics, ND did not match-up with UCONN and the last 2 meetings prove it in spades.

Bottom line, ND would certainly have been a stronger team with Achonwa and to argue otherwise is illogical, but a UCONN team at full strength would have also been a better team and to think Achonwa could have made some miraculous difference in what could have been a 30 point affair if Geno put the pedal down for 40 minutes, is just as illogical.

 

[MilfordHusky]

ND had a very good team and a great season. They were clearly the 2nd best team in the country and had a nice undefeated streak. But they ran into an even better team.

 

[uconnell]

I agree with Geneticrex's comment about Stewie clicking but especially about the ref's not falling for NDs flopping. I really think the no flopping business is what really led to their downfall,especially when they lived at the line in previous games.

 

[geneticrex]

I agree with Geneticrex's comment about Stewie clicking but especially about the ref's not falling for NDs flopping. I really think the no flopping business is what really led to their downfall,especially when they lived at the line in previous games.

No question the way the games were called played a huge roll in the outcomes.

ND had a great string of last second and overtime wins against UCONN and while you have to give them credit for getting the job done in the last minute of those games, you could count the "questionable" calls in those affairs on one CALCULATOR!!!

I firmly believe that much of the discussion that followed those games concerning some of those calls, or lack thereof, reached a level that actually led to the officials in the last 2 FF games not falling for ND's acting.

 

[FairView]

I've heard that OSHA is incorporating video from those ND wins in their coursework for controlled falling without injury in the workplace.