ND may not beat us again

[Tonyc]

Im going out on a limb and I know this will get alot of response. I dont think ND beats us again this year or next. Next year because Diggins graduates and yes ND has a couple of good post players coming in.

Im baseing my opinon on a couple of things. We beat ND in every stat and lost by one point and missed 3 shots at the end of the game with seconds left. Mabray and McBride had terrific games. I dont think that happens again and I know the next game is at ND. I also think UConn will be healthly next time as John A mentioned in his articles today that Stokes will be back vs LVille next Tuesday. Shes practicing the club today.

We are going to see a different team from here on out for the rest of the season. The shooters we wanted to shoot down the stretch did and missed. They will grow from this. KML shot over 200 shots from the corner and wing where she missed againest ND. This team is driven and I think the next time we play ND Diggins with her comments has dug herself into a hole she wont get out of. In our next meeting we will bring it and bring it hard. If you rewatch the game we were down 7 in the first half and came back by getting the ball inside with BB and Bria doing alot of penetration. That changed alot of the game. As I said in another post we lost this game early with Doty hurt and on the bench early and KML and Dolsen with 2 quick early fouls. Next time will be a battle of confidence. JMO bring on the comments. LOL

 

[msf22b]

I agree with everything you said Tony
Except for your evaluation of the Notre Dame kids.

Mabrey, like KLM is a lights out 3-point shooter, especially unopposed with ice-water in her veins. She also is a fine point and will soon show that aspect of her game as Diggins graduates. She is going to be a handful.

McBride is a wonderful competitor and a tough kid. No reason to think she'll shrivel up and go away.

When we played our best, we were superior, just got to do it for the whole game.

But to underestimate their talent and grit is a mistake we should not make again.

 

[FairView]

Tony, you always makes me feel better. Thank you.

 

[Samanthabrown3]

Tara says that the Stanford women use their smarts and learn a lot about an opponent from a loss. I think UConn is the same. Fouls are always a problem in a UConn-ND game, and I'll bet both the players and the coaches are figuring out how to deal with that.

 

[jplotinus]

Hard to say if ND jinx is finally over. I'd say forget ND for the time being. We're done with ND for quite awhile.

Next obstacle against a high ranking team is Duke in <2 wks. Before that are conference games versus some teams that also play smash mouth basketball when all else fails, like Georgetowne, Marquette, Lville, and Cuse.

I only hope the team plays smart, gets better and takes things one game, etc...

 

[cferraro04]

Wow! I think Tony said exactly what I was thinking. Diggins gave UConn staff plenty of bulletin board fodder to motivate this team. The players themselves and KML in particular have no shortage of motivational fodder given ND has won 5 out of the last 6 games and the last two has had KML looking inward wondering if she could have done more. Kelly is shouldering the blame, Dolson feels that UConn allowed itself to be out-toughed, Bria did not have a great game, Stewie is participating in the freshmen learning curve as is Morgan and Moriah. Morgan and Kiah are both recovering from injuries and rounding out into game shape. Breanna and Dolson and KML had good games and their defensive assignments hold up under scrutiny. Kelly and Stewie both have been the recipients of some scrutiny while shouldering the blame themselves...but both had quietly filled the stat sheets Steward: 10 points, 9 rebounds, 6 blocks; Kelly 1 3points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, 5 steals, 1 turnover. Anyone getting the stat line these girls got would be ecstatic...

I agree with the poster who correctly asserted that the ND kids are hard-nosed but our kids are pretty hard-nosed as well, I believe because we expect so much out of our kids that they sometimes shoulder a bad rap and the idea that they are not tough enough is nonsense...they just need an attitude readjustment and I believe Geno and staff in their practices going forward coupled with ND by their play and Diggins and Muffets post game comments will give it to them. We as fans should realize here and now that we have a national championship contender in this team... It isn't next year or some future year...we have all the pieces this year and we have the potential to have a very special year with a group of very special players. I cannot wrap my head around what ND lost from their roster last year and what they got compared to what we lost and what we got. Every bone in my body screams that we should beat this team and like TonyC said, we did beat them on paper in just about every category and still lost at home by one.

We certainly have our work cut out for us to beat ND in their gym at the end of the season, to beat them in the Big East Tournament and if necessary to beat them in the NCAAs but if we lose it won't be for lack of motivation and I think we have the talent edge. Mabry and Lloyd are wonderful players but they are freshmen and we have the players that can stop them, Diggins is an AA but so is Bria and KML, Faris and Dolson deserve to be in the conversation as does McBride for ND. ND is notably thin in the post we are about to get some help there with both Kiah and Tuck on the mend. Breanna Steward is going to be an absolute beast by the time March rolls around...she will adjust to the physicality of the college game and when she does she won't make the mistake of bringing the ball down so the guards can strip her and if she keeps the ball over her head there isn't a ND player who is going to stop her...that block by Braker was an absolute anomaly and it won't happen again. Kelly probably won't miss another break-away lay-up for the rest of her college career, KML if in the same position to knock down an open three for the win is about an 8 out of 10 chance and I'll take those odds over and over again. Bria will be back to her old self by our next meeting with ND. I know going to South Bend is going to be tough but I'm betting that we come away with the "W".

By the way, how do you think UConn's next opponent feels...knowing that they are going to get the blunt of the bounce-back from UConn's one point loss at home in their regular conference season opener to their number one rival in the Big East? They have to know that they are in for a long evening.

 

[storrsbred1]

IMO, the mistake many are making is looking at the skills of individuals. Yes, UConn has talented players. So does ND. Based on the last 5 or 6 games, their players are just as talented as ours.

This is all about the mental game. ND believes they can win the game. They have proven it the last 5 of 6. Until UConn can win the close one against them, ND currently has the upper hand.

 

[VAMike23]

When it comes to playing ND, talk is cheap. The players know this and have said as much. Hence their frustration.

Talking about how things are all going to change the next time (or two times? maybe three?) we play them is just a broken record goin' round and round until we actually do play them differently. We managed to break through last year in the BE Tourney and it was a great sight to see. Here's hoping this team figures out its own way forward next time we lace 'em up in South Bend.

I'll be watching just as closely and rooting just as hard as anyone on the BY on March 4 we we play the Irish. I have no doubt the team will be digging deep for a new level of resolve as the weeks pass leading up to that game. But until then, all these continuing rosey prognostications of 'next time!!' against ND are sounding much like the following:

 

[Wbbfan1]

I'm not sure I agree as its troubling that we heard and saw the same things in this game that we did after the Semi Final loss last year.

ND was the more aggressive and physical team and seemed to get every lose ball. ND controlled the boards even though UConn is the bigger team. ND gets to the line significantly more then UConn does. At times Skylar and the rest of ND imposed their will on UConn and UConn always seemed to be counter punching to respond to what ND was doing.

Who is the one player that will put this team on their back and refuse to lose a game. I'm not sure there is one, its a team by committee. Skylar is obviously that player for ND. She may not be the player that wins the game, but she pushes the other players to enable them to win the close games. She is their catalyst, like Sims is for Baylor. Bria Hartley has to be the catalyst if this team is going to beat Baylor and/or win a National Championship. Bria has to start imposing her will like Skylar does for ND. If Bria is unable to do it, then someone else has to step up and impose their will like Renee and Tina did and demonstratively show the team we aren't losing this game. This team is full of nice guys, its time for someone to step up and be the demonstrative player that leads the team to a win in a close game.

 

[Forty_four]

VAMIKE23: you have coined the perfect phrase for many overly optomistic posters on the Boneyard: "rosey prognostications".

 

[JoePgh]

I also think UConn will be healthly next time as John A mentioned in his articles today that Stokes will be back vs LVille next Tuesday. Shes practicing the club today.

I'm surprised this hasn't gotten more comment. John A's Courant article did indeed say that Kiah is practicing as of today. (The team took a second consecutive day off from practice yesterday). It also quoted Kiah as saying that she could have played Saturday if the other bigs had gotten into foul trouble. I'm sure Geno thought that winning the game wasn't worth that risk.

I did not notice the statement that she won't be back playing until the Louisville game next week, but I guess that makes sense.

With Kiah, everything depends on her effort and commitment. If she has enough of both (not the case thus far), she can make a huge difference for UConn's chances. Geno was quoted in the article as saying that there is a lot of stuff that they can't really run until Kiah is available, and that sounds very plausible to me.

The article mentioned that today will be the first day of the season (going back to October 15) when all 11 players have been healthy and available for practice. A one-loss record isn't bad at all in view of that circumstance.

 

[Shenandoah]

Realistically, I don't think that anyone expected UConn to sweep through the season undefeated. If there is such a thing as a good loss, this has the potential to be it. We'll see how the team responds from here on out.

 

[VAMike23]

Realistically, I don't think that anyone expected UConn to sweep through the season undefeated. If there is such a thing as a good loss, this has the potential to be it. We'll see how the team responds from here on out.

Actually, a lot of people on here expected and predicted that Baylor was the only team with a chance to beat us - and I'm including myself in that prior assessment. As for it being a good loss, let's hope so! They need to make it into a serious cup o' motivation.

 

[Olde Coach]

Talk, talk, talk. I'm tired of talk. The UConn players said BEFORE Saturday's game that they were "full of fight" for this game. They were going to "get even" (or impose their will on) ND this time around.

But when they got on the floor, they did not play defense at anything close to the intensity they played with against Stanford. Offense comes and goes for a variety of reasons; but defensive intensity is ALWAYS AVAILABLE --- if the heart is willing.

Watch the game again and focus on the defense. You will see a dozen plays where a UConn defender played "lazy defense", and ND made the Huskies pay. Whether veterans or rookies, ALL of the Huskies were too often "cruising" on defense at an 85% effort. That was/is simply not enough to beat ND.

Just my 2 cents worth -- but I'm right on target. The game was not lost at the offensive end of the court. It was lost on the defensive end.

 

[Aluminny69]

Im baseing my opinon on a couple of things. We beat ND in every stat and lost by one point and missed 3 shots at the end of the game with seconds left.

You need to check the box score again, Tony.
1. Obviously, ND beat us in THE most important stat, Total Points scored.
2. ND beat UConn in 3-ptrs. ND was 6 for 12, UConn was 5 for 23 ( perhaps the key stat!)
3. ND made 17 Free Throws, UConn only made 11.
4. ND had 18 offensive rebounds, UConn had 17.
5. ND had 45 Total Rebounds, UConn had 44, despite a height advantage.

 

[Aluminny69]

Talk, talk, talk. I'm tired of talk. The UConn players said BEFORE Saturday's game that they were "full of fight" for this game. They were going to "get even" (or impose their will on) ND this time around.

But when they got on the floor, they did not play defense at anything close to the intensity they played with against Stanford. Offense comes and goes for a variety of reasons; but defensive intensity is ALWAYS AVAILABLE if the heart is willing.

Watch the game again and focus on the defense. You will see a dozen plays where a UConn defender played "lazy defense", and ND made the Huskies pay. Whether veterans or rookies, ALL of the Huskies were too often "cruising" on defense at an 85% effort. That was/is simply not enough to beat ND.

Just my 2 cents worth -- but I'm right on target.

One has to wonder if this was due to the three hour practice on Friday, followed by the ninety minute practice on Saturday. (That's if the announcers were correct, and they said they were actually at the practices.)

 

[Olde Coach]

One has to wonder if this was due to the three hour practice on Friday, followed by the ninety minute practice on Saturday. (That's if the announcers were correct, and they said they were actually at the practices.)

+2 Alum69:

I was astounded to hear how hard Geno pushed the kids on Friday (3 hours) and on Saturday morning (for one hour) --- all of this on top of the sleep-loss after the Oregon game. This seems "ill advised" to choose polite words. I think Muffet was way ahead of Geno in choosing to provide her kids with lots of rest on both Friday and Saturday morning.

I don't care how "bad" the practices were, it is self-defeating to try and accomplish too much on the day before a game. Rest is more important. I'll bet my last dollar that the 85% defensive effort on Saturday had a lot to do with the lack of rest in preparation for the game.

I have a huge respect for Geno as a person and a coach. BUT, this said, I have to add that he broke a whole lot of rules of current big game training when he pushed the kids really hard in prep for this high profile ND game.

P.S. There is a whole lot of new (last five years) research in sport science that tilts very heavily toward an increasing respect for the role of REST in sports training. Geno has to be aware of this science.

Let me end by saying that I have no insight into why Geno pushed the kids so hard on what would normally be easy training days. Maybe some day he will explain his reasoning.

 

[itsasport]

When two teams are essentially tied at the end of the came, whoever wins is just a matter of who can put the last shot in. It is more luck than an indication that one team is better than the other. What is interesting to discuss, as were are, is what does this game tell us about who might win when a banner is at stake.

I think that the ND players played to their potential, individually and as a team. They will not be much better in March. I think that UConn will be substantially better. Whether that means UConn will win, who knows. But assuming that the upper class doesn't play any better- Stewie, Kiah, Moriah and Morgan should be capable of a much greater contribution on offense, but much more importantly, on team defense. I look forward to see to watch their progess- particularly Kiah, now that she appears to have recovered from what seemed to be a season-ruining injury.

 

[pap49cba]

+2 Alum69:

I was astounded to hear how hard Geno pushed the kids on Friday (3 hours) and on Saturday morning (for one hour) --- all of this on top of the sleep-loss after the Oregon game. This seems "ill advised" to choose polite words. I think Muffet was way ahead of Geno in choosing to provide her kids with lots of rest on both Friday and Saturday morning.

I don't care how "bad" the practices were, it is self-defeating to try and accomplish too much on the day before a game. Rest is more important. I'll bet my last dollar that the 85% defensive effort on Saturday had a lot to do with the lack of rest in preparation for the game.

I have a huge respect for Geno as a person and a coach. BUT, this said, I have to add that he broke a whole lot of rules of current big game training when he pushed the kids really hard in prep for this high profile ND game.

P.S. There is a whole lot of new (last five years) research in sport science that tilts very heavily toward an increasing respect for the role of REST in sports training. Geno has to be aware of this science.

Let me end by saying that I have no insight into why Geno pushed the kids so hard on what would normally be easy training days. Maybe some day he will explain his reasoning.

This may also explain why he canceled the scheduled practice on Monday.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I thought we had turned the corner during the offseason. I'm usually optimistic, but I'm skeptical on this based on only 1 out of 6. When we get the 2nd one, I'll reconsider.

 

[msf22b]

I still contend that the very uncharacteristic game the team played on Saturday was lost on Monday night/Tuesday morning.

 

[Kibitzer]

TonyC, the incurable optimist, said in his OP that there would be a lot of response to his positive comments to lead off. On that, he was indisputably spot-on.

Now I have read the combination of analyses, criticisms, wishful thinking, Monday morning quarterbacking, and "rosy prognostications."

I still like the team, I still like our coaches, and I absolutely like our chances in future games with ND or anybody else. Most of all, I like and deeply appreciate the fact that not a single poster said, "Notre Dame wanted it more."

 

[phil sampieri]

TonyC, the incurable optimist, said in his OP that there would be a lot of response to his positive comments to lead off. On that, he was indisputably spot-on.

Now I have read the combination of analyses, criticisms, wishful thinking, Monday morning quarterbacking, and "rosy prognostications."

I still like the team, I still like our coaches, and I absolutely like our chances in future games with ND or anybody else. Most of all, I like and deeply appreciate the fact that not a single poster said, "Notre Dame wanted it more."

We played our C+ game9 ND takes some of the credit for that) ND played their B+
game and we lose by 1 point. That will happen just about every time against good teams. We both play our A game we win by 10. All the analyzing aside.

 

[uconnfan68]

TonyC, the incurable optimist, said in his OP that there would be a lot of response to his positive comments to lead off. On that, he was indisputably spot-on.

Now I have read the combination of analyses, criticisms, wishful thinking, Monday morning quarterbacking, and "rosy prognostications."

I still like the team, I still like our coaches, and I absolutely like our chances in future games with ND or anybody else. Most of all, I like and deeply appreciate the fact that not a single poster said, "Notre Dame wanted it more."

Funny you should bring that up. That's exactly what happened. Teams that don't go flat out, hair on fire, don't win these games. They pushed us around, had everyone playing about 4-5' further away from the basket, and they ran with us, and sometimes ahead of us.

 

[ABachelor6CR]

Tony, you always makes me feel better. Thank you.

That's our Tony!