No Concerns

[oldude]

Close and Gottlieb always strike me as coaches who are "good enough" to bring talent to their team and get them pretty far, and even win some big games, but they lack the ability to take that next step.

Close and Gottlieb both have big checkbooks.

 

[BobbyJ]

Close and Gottlieb always strike me as coaches who are "good enough" to bring talent to their team and get them pretty far, and even win some big games, but they lack the ability to take that next step.

Agree. And next time you watch USC on tv, see how many times Gottlieb engages the much older asst. coach Beth Burns for advice etc. It's not like Auriemma venting or making comments to CD or the other coaches, many times Burns is doing most of the talking. I'm not sure who's calling the shots and I'm not impressed with her at all.

 

[meyers7]

What a bunch of nonsense. First, please replace the "we" with "I, meyers7". Simply put, I do not share your Doubting Thomas position of "I gotta see wins against the Top Five teams" to know how well UConn can play against them this year.

Having followed this program from the first year Geno and CD stepped in and took the reins, I can say without a doubt that I know we will do well against the "top 5 or so" teams out there. Just like I know "if we play well we can easily beat most mid-ranked to unranked teams". Just like I know that if any of the Top 16 seeded teams in our bracket get crazy hot and their entire team plays out of their minds (like Syla Swords did against us in Q4 this year) they can beat us even if we are playing well.

I know this from watching the Huskies play and evaluating the development of individual players, as well as the integration of players with each other in various rotations that Geno and staff put out on the floor this season. I know this from watching 1000+ WCBB games since the 1970s.

I do not need the Huskies to have played any of the top five teams this year to know this.

This year's team is special. With 11 games left, they are on course to be in future Boneyard debates on where they rank in the pantheon of great UConn teams. Will they win a National Championship? I believe so, but maybe not - a lot can still happen, especially in the Elite Eight and Final Four.

Are you of the opinion that if the Huskies do not win the NC it is due to them not playing well? Or, are you embracing the inverse corollary to that: the only way the Huskies win the NC is by playing well against the Top 5? I would disagree with either posture.

I suspect this will be a helluva NCAA tournament. I am hoping that Huskies continue to play like they did throughout last year's tournament. No reason to think they won't.

Go UConn!

Well you are lying because you don't "know". You can speculate and guess and even believe (and that's really what it is). But you don't know.

Are you of the opinion that if the Huskies do not win the NC it is due to them not playing well? Or, are you embracing the inverse corollary to that: the only way the Huskies win the NC is by playing well against the Top 5?

Neither, and that's the point. I don't have a evidence for that (and neither do you). But you're speculating, guessing, not "knowing".

Sorry, you're just out to lunch on this. You'd think after following this team for as long as you say, you'd know better. But I guess it just never clicks for some people.

 

[Inthepaint]

They’ll just have to play the games against whomever takes the court with them.
And do the best they can.
What their “best” is on that date will determine the outcome and whether #13 is in the cards.
IMHO, no one can beat UCONN this season. They can only beat themselves.
We know that Azzi & Sarah are the premier 1-2 punch in D1. We know Ash,KK,K9 & Jana have been in the pressure cooker & not wilted.
Let’s see what Blanca, Allie, Caroline , Serah, Ayanna & Kellis do when and if their moment comes.
No doubt we have the deepest pool of talent.
As for intangibles, don’t know anyone who got rich betting against Geno & crew.
I’m looking forward to dining on something other than crow Easter Sunday

 

[Skeets]

I don't know what Geno knows, but I do know this, Geno knows more than what we (the entire BY) knows.

 

[YKCornelius]

Well you are lying because you don't "know". You can speculate and guess and even believe (and that's really what it is). But you don't know.

Are you of the opinion that if the Huskies do not win the NC it is due to them not playing well? Or, are you embracing the inverse corollary to that: the only way the Huskies win the NC is by playing well against the Top 5?

Neither, and that's the point. I don't have a evidence for that (and neither do you). But you're speculating, guessing, not "knowing".

Sorry, you're just out to lunch on this. You'd think after following this team for as long as you say, you'd know better. But I guess it just never clicks for some people.

This latest post of yours underscores why your previous post was nonsense.

On one hand, you state: that "we know IF we play well we can easily beat most mid ranked to unranked teams easily." The premise behind your statement was: you know because you have seen it. On the other hand, you state in another post that "Geno knows, but we don't".

You didn't you use the term "speculate" in either of those statements pertaining to you and Geno, did you? Of course not, you used the term "know".

Nor did you take the undeniable position that nobody can see the future - not you, not Geno, not anyone else. If you would have, I'm guessing you probably would have eliminated any pushback. Certainly from me.

Instead, you ridiculously opted to base your contention of not knowing if we can play well against Top 5 teams simply on the premise that the world hasn't seen it happen yet this year.

The definition of speculating is forming a theory or conjecture about a subject without firm or conclusive evidence.

What is my firm evidence for knowing that this team can and will play well against Top Five opponents? Simple: past history of this program under Geno, coupled with this team's exceptional talent, resilience, depth, and development as the season has progressed. Every time UConn has had a team close to this year's caliber, they have played well against Top Five opponents in the NCAA tournament.

Visual and historical evidence is all I need to take the posture that "I know". Your "knowledge", on the other hand, is limited to what you have seen thus far. What a pity.

 

[BBallF]

You point to a level of schizophrenia here on the BY, lamenting the “lack of competition in the BE” only to “sound the alarm” about UConn whenever a BE team actually plays UConn competitively. There’s no winning that discussion.

Or the other psychotic side of the coin which is lamenting the "poor" competition in the BE and its projected catastrophic effect on us in March, and then being thankful that we have an "easy" schedule near the end of the BE regular schedule and in the BE tourney so we can rest and retool.

 

[BBallF]

I don't know what Geno knows, but I do know this, Geno knows more than what we (the entire BY) knows.

How do you know he is not a poster here or doesn't read what we have to say? Some of the comments here are pretty astute. Don't you find it odd that sometimes there are suggestions made here and the next game you see them? Brilliant ideas like "play good defense" or "box out" or "no illegal screens" - well, maybe not the last one. 😉

 

[fomalhaut]

How do you know he is not a poster here or doesn't read what we have to say?

I imagine Geno doesn't read the board himself, but probably has an intern or something who does, and occasionally points out something of interest.

 

[packwrap]

I'm not pushing a panic button here, but I have concerns. I remember all too well when UConn cruised into the NCAAs with a fantastic record and lost to Vic Shaefer and MSState in the last seconds. In an different year, I was among those in Denver suffering though a heartbreaking loss to Notre Dame against, again, a much-heralded UConn team. These things can and do happen.

I'm not sure any 'single game poorly played BE win' has anything to do with those close losses to Miss St and ND.

Those 'core 4' teams are still my all time favorites.

The thing is if you don't win these big games by 10+ points, they turn into a crap shoot, often coming down to the last posession. UConn simply lost 1 posession games against very good teams.

This current team is deeper than that 'core 4' group, but if we don't play our A game, today's SC, TX(there's Vic again), UCLA, LSU, MI, and maybe Vandy will be there to take a game down to the buzzer again.

 

[ERWUC65]

IMO all the top teams have clear deficiencies that will most certainly be exploited by Geno in the tournament. Our perceived deficiency at this point in the season appears to be in the post with concerns about Serah (and Jana, although much improved of late). Our advantage here, however, is the ability to go small, with Sarah and Blanca up front, Azzi at the point and the in and out of our pesky guards.

 

[oldude]

IMO all the top teams have clear deficiencies that will most certainly be exploited by Geno in the tournament. Our perceived deficiency at this point in the season appears to be in the post with concerns about Serah (and Jana, although much improved of late). Our advantage here, however, is the ability to go small, with Sarah and Blanca up front, Azzi at the point and the in and out of our pesky guards.

To some degree I view Jana & Serah as insurance against other Bigs UConn might run into in the tournament. But the truth is, other than Betts, who UCLA has built their offense around, there is no other true Big that is consistently involved in any team’s offense and frequently such players can be taken out of games by smaller, more athletic lineups.

Okot is a solid rebounder & defender for SC. But her scoring is generally limited to within 2’ from the basket. Both Oldacre & Cunningham at TX are similarly limited. Beers is a little more actively involved in OK’s offense. But she can disappear at times and she’s really not a good defender out on the floor.

As you point out, the challenge for every single Big in WBB, when facing UConn, is how to possibly match up with Sarah when UConn goes with their small lineup. No one figured it out last year or so far this year.

 

[meyers7]

This latest post of yours underscores why your previous post was nonsense.

On one hand, you state: that "we know IF we play well we can easily beat most mid ranked to unranked teams easily." The premise behind your statement was: you know because you have seen it. On the other hand, you state in another post that "Geno knows, but we don't".

You didn't you use the term "speculate" in either of those statements pertaining to you and Geno, did you? Of course not, you used the term "know".

Nor did you take the undeniable position that nobody can see the future - not you, not Geno, not anyone else. If you would have, I'm guessing you probably would have eliminated any pushback. Certainly from me.

Instead, you ridiculously opted to base your contention of not knowing if we can play well against Top 5 teams simply on the premise that the world hasn't seen it happen yet this year.

The definition of speculating is forming a theory or conjecture about a subject without firm or conclusive evidence.

What is my firm evidence for knowing that this team can and will play well against Top Five opponents? Simple: past history of this program under Geno, coupled with this team's exceptional talent, resilience, depth, and development as the season has progressed. Every time UConn has had a team close to this year's caliber, they have played well against Top Five opponents in the NCAA tournament.

Visual and historical evidence is all I need to take the posture that "I know". Your "knowledge", on the other hand, is limited to what you have seen thus far. What a pity.

Yeah, I know, living in reality is such a pity. You (and a few others here) obviously don't like it, but I'm still gonna live there.

What is, is. What was, was. What will be, will be. But you're free to make up your own reality as you see fit.

 

[Skeets]

You and YK need to play nicely. We're all fans here aren't we? I'm a little surprised this discussion of "ideas" has been allowed to go on. It is mildly entertaining though...

 

[Bone Dog]

At some point toward the end of last season Geno admitted in a presser that “I think we’ll be a really good tournament team.” That was a sort of confidence I hadn’t seen him express in a few years. And the result really speaks volumes about whatever he saw that made him so confident.

In the most recent presser, after acknowledging the recent swoon and suggesting that all the top programs go through this every season, he said “I think the team is in a really good position heading into the BE tournament.” This is not quite as confident sounding as what he said last season, but it’s pretty close. He seems to be saying that the team is as healthy as it’s been all season. That’s a very good sign.

I’m probably not as confident overall as Geno is. I’d be a lot more confident if Blanca was playing at the level she showed in the first few weeks, like against tOSU or Utah. She was startlingly good in those games, even with the mistakes she made. I don’t see how any team matches up with her at her best if either Sarah or Azzi (or both!) are on the floor. Not SC, not UCLA, not Texas, not Vandy, not LSU. So I’ll be looking to see her progress over the next few games.

Also important is how the terror triplets play: KK Ash and Kayleigh. Last year it was Kaitlyn along with the havoc twins who provided the key support to our Big Three — and in hindsight I think pretty much all of us recognized the genius of signing Kaitlyn out of the portal. Geno “knew what he knew.” This season, I have a feeling he also knew something really important about adding Kayleigh. And I won’t even go on about Allie “Say no more” Threeball, though I could speak until the rest of you are weary on this topic.

Is UCLA more talented than last season? Maybe, maybe not. But they are definitely a talented veteran squad facing their last chance at an NC. That counts for something. I don’t think SC is more talented — injuries have taken a toll and Dawn has to play a pretty thin lineup. But the core of Joyce Raven Taniya and Tessa is very solid. Texas looks weaker than last season, when they underperformed. So does LSU. And I don’t think Vandy can really match up with the top 3 (or maybe 4) teams in a tournament setting, even with Mikayla’s and Aubrey’s heroics. But I will be thrilled to see whatever they can accomplish.

 

[oldude]

At some point toward the end of last season Geno admitted in a presser that “I think we’ll be a really good tournament team.” That was a sort of confidence I hadn’t seen him express in a few years. And the result really speaks volumes about whatever he saw that made him so confident.

In the most recent presser, after acknowledging the recent swoon and suggesting that all the top programs go through this every season, he said “I think the team is in a really good position heading into the BE tournament.” This is not quite as confident sounding as what he said last season, but it’s pretty close. He seems to be saying that the team is as healthy as it’s been all season. That’s a very good sign.

I’m probably not as confident overall as Geno is. I’d be a lot more confident if Blanca was playing at the level she showed in the first few weeks, like against tOSU or Utah. She was startlingly good in those games, even with the mistakes she made. I don’t see how any team matches up with her at her best if either Sarah or Azzi (or both!) are on the floor. Not SC, not UCLA, not Texas, not Vandy, not LSU. So I’ll be looking to see her progress over the next few games.

Also important is how the terror triplets play: KK Ash and Kayleigh. Last year it was Kaitlyn along with the havoc twins who provided the key support to our Big Three — and in hindsight I think pretty much all of us recognized the genius of signing Kaitlyn out of the portal. Geno “knew what he knew.” This season, I have a feeling he also knew something really important about adding Kayleigh. And I won’t even go on about Allie “Say no more” Threeball, though I could speak until the rest of you are weary on this topic.

Is UCLA more talented than last season? Maybe, maybe not. But they are definitely a talented veteran squad facing their last chance at an NC. That counts for something. I don’t think SC is more talented — injuries have taken a toll and Dawn has to play a pretty thin lineup. But the core of Joyce Raven Taniya and Tessa is very solid. Texas looks weaker than last season, when they underperformed. So does LSU. And I don’t think Vandy can really match up with the top 3 (or maybe 4) teams in a tournament setting, even with Mikayla’s and Aubrey’s heroics. But I will be thrilled to see whatever they can accomplish.

The one possible difference that could matter between this year’s team and last year’s team is the absence of Paige, who served as a coach on the floor as well as a type of regulator, capable of summoning up whatever UConn needed in any given situation.

Other than that, this year’s UConn team is deeper and certainly as talented as last year’s. But it still remains to be seen how the Huskies will react when they are inevitably challenged during the Tournament.

 

[BBallF]

The one possible difference that could matter between this year’s team and last year’s team is the absence of Paige, who served as a coach on the floor as well as a type of regulator, capable of summoning up whatever UConn needed in any given situation.

Other than that, this year’s UConn team is deeper and certainly as talented as last year’s. But it still remains to be seen how the Huskies will react when they are inevitably challenged during the Tournament.

I think historically the 2 most challenging games are the Regional finals and the Semis. Last year it was the Regional Finals against USC and in years past we were knocked out in the Semis. I would point out that in both of the most recent Semis losses, we had no bench and were a tired team. A good bench is often overlooked as a way of saving a player's season long legs as well as game legs and as creating defensive challenges for an opponent. It's not easy to adjust when you are on defense and guard KK one way and then have Kayleigh who has a greater offensive repertoire and moves the ball up court at a faster rate at times and more diagonally than KK. If it's Allie you have to guard the 3 closely and the drives. Then for Blanca, it's off the charts. If it's the new Jana, it's another bag completely. Very anxious to see what she does tonight. While Blanca truly has been the X factor as you predicted, Jana is now the final missing piece to the puzzle.

 

[BobbyJ]

The one possible difference that could matter between this year’s team and last year’s team is the absence of Paige, who served as a coach on the floor as well as a type of regulator, capable of summoning up whatever UConn needed in any given situation.

Other than that, this year’s UConn team is deeper and certainly as talented as last year’s. But it still remains to be seen how the Huskies will react when they are inevitably challenged during the Tournament.

Good to see someone else acknowledge this. Bueckers’ presence demanded a lot of the defensive focus and allowed Fudd and Strong to play free and loose. And her confidence ran through the rest of the team. It will be interesting to see if the other two can generate the juice and make the plays to carry them this year.

 

[fireford]

While this year's team has more depth than last year, there is no denying that the "win it for Paige mantra" was a huge x factor in last year's tournament run. When she dropped 40 against Oklahoma last year it was clear that she was on a mission and it became infectious. The rest of the team wanted to win it for her just as much.
I tend to think that they might have played worse the first half of that Oklahoma game than they did in the recent Villanova game. If Paige doesn't get on a heater who knows what happens that game.

 

[Bigboote]

While this year's team has more depth than last year, there is no denying that the "win it for Paige mantra" was a huge x factor in last year's tournament run.

Well, this year they have "win it for Caroline and Azzi" and possibly Ayanna and Ice, all of whom have had just brutal careers at UConn. Of course Caroline is unlikely to be playing in the final three games in crunch time as Paige did, but if I were a Husky, there is nobody I'd be playing harder for. It's not quite "Win it for the Gipper," but it's in the same spirit.

 

[fireford]

I'm sure every team with a realistic chance for the national championship has a player (usually a senior in particular) that they'd want to win it for so we're not unique in that regard. Plus the players you mention already have championship rings.
In the case of Paige it was different. A national championship is something that many felt was needed in order to validate her place among the all-time UConn greats.

 

[browns]

Good to see someone else acknowledge this. Bueckers’ presence demanded a lot of the defensive focus and allowed Fudd and Strong to play free and loose. And her confidence ran through the rest of the team. It will be interesting to see if the other two can generate the juice and make the plays to carry them this year.

Dawn tried everything to slow down Azzi and Sara and there was no answer for the 2 of them..Azzi was MOP of the final four but it could just have easily gone to SS.The 2 of them were by far the best players on the court that weekend
Paige was 12/31 in the 2 games and 0/5 from the 3 pt line while SS was 19/28 and 6/9 from the 3 and completely shutting down Edwards and Azzi shot 16/29 and 4/11 from 3..Paige had a fair 2 games while the other 2 were outstanding and certainly generated enough juice to bring home #12

 

[ERWUC65]

The one possible difference that could matter between this year’s team and last year’s team is the absence of Paige, who served as a coach on the floor as well as a type of regulator, capable of summoning up whatever UConn needed in any given situation.

Other than that, this year’s UConn team is deeper and certainly as talented as last year’s. But it still remains to be seen how the Huskies will react when they are inevitably challenged during the Tournament.

I think we got a glimpse of the future when Azzi took over at PG in the 2nd half of the TN game.

 

[BobbyJ]

Dawn tried everything to slow down Azzi and Sara and there was no answer for the 2 of them..Azzi was MOP of the final four but it could just have easily gone to SS.The 2 of them were by far the best players on the court that weekend
Paige was 12/31 in the 2 games and 0/5 from the 3 pt line while SS was 19/28 and 6/9 from the 3 and completely shutting down Edwards and Azzi shot 16/29 and 4/11 from 3..Paige had a fair 2 games while the other 2 were outstanding and certainly generated enough juice to bring home #12

Yes, that's what happens when good coaches focus their defense to try to take a player out of the offense and the other two scorers benefit. That's the point. This time around it'll probably be Strong who gets the extra attention and we'll see if Fudd and someone else can make the plays.

 

[YKCornelius]

Dawn tried everything to slow down Azzi and Sara and there was no answer for the 2 of them..Azzi was MOP of the final four but it could just have easily gone to SS.The 2 of them were by far the best players on the court that weekend
Paige was 12/31 in the 2 games and 0/5 from the 3 pt line while SS was 19/28 and 6/9 from the 3 and completely shutting down Edwards and Azzi shot 16/29 and 4/11 from 3..Paige had a fair 2 games while the other 2 were outstanding and certainly generated enough juice to bring home #12

Browns, I have a different opinion of Dawn's game plan going into last year's championship game. I think once the brackets were announced, all of the Gamecocks approached the FF thinking that they were going to reverse the outcome of the earlier loss by playing South Carolina basketball with more intensity.

I base that not just on her and her players' postgame comments after that regular season blowout loss to UConn, but also on her team's comments leading into the SEC and NCAA tournaments about being motivated to avenge the UConn loss by coming out right from the start of the game with proper focus and intensity.

So.... from my perch in the NC game. I saw Dawn employ basically the same strategy that she did in the first game (i.e., trying to shutdown/limit Paige) while counting on her team's increased focus and intensity to carry the day and to show the world who USC really is. I don't think Dawn tried anything in the NC to slow down Azzi and/or Sarah. Rather, Dawn's plan differed from the first game in that she wanted to minimize the damage inflicted in the first game from beyond the arc. That is what Dawn said in the postgame presser according to the NCAA transcripts.

I agree with BobbyJ's assessment that the statistical results of Paige, Azzi and Sarah were largely due to Dawn primarily focusing on a single star player. My personal opinion of Paige's two games in Tampa is she played well, not fair. I agree with you that play of Azzi and Sarah was outstanding.

My two cents. Go Huskies!