Observations & Thoughts on UConn Heading to the Big Dance

[angelo]

Some doubts on our centers....

 

[browns]

Excellent summation and analysis as always. I'd like to address a few points specifically.

We're coming close to the end of an era. Watching Paige and UConn play over the course of 5 years has been an absolute joy and pleasure. While her style of play on the court is spectacular, what is truly memorable about Paige is the time & love off the court that is devoted to her fans, specifically to a young generation of "I wanna-be Paige" when they grow up.

Anticipating Paige moving onto the WNBA is similar to sending off your first child to college. Yes, it's inevitable, a facet of life, and you are genuinely happy for them, but there is a part inside, perhaps selfishly, wishes they would stay a little while longer. Enough for now, there are potentially 6 more games to enjoy her in a UConn uniform.

As you noted, in the Villanova game, Paige was scoring at will. In the second half, she took her foot off the pedal offensively, sensing she didn't need to score, allowing Sarah to take over that responsibility. Personally, I'm not concerned with UConn's seeding. With the number of quality teams and potential overall winners, the Elite Eight games will resemble Final Four match ups. In her previous Elite 8 games, Paige has scored 28, 27, and 28, leading her team to victory.

In past Final Fours, there was an "out" as to why UConn didn't pick up #12. In her freshman season, Paige and the team were immature, not prepared for the step up, thinking that Baylor was the toughest game they would face. The next year in the championship game against SC, UConn needed to be at 100% healthy to have a realistic shot at beating SC. As we know, Paige was playing at 70% healthy at best. Last season, UConn reaching the Final Four was likely the ceiling after the plethora of injuries. Paige was running on fumes, and they almost made it.

This season, Paige has paced herself. She's played less minutes, shot the ball less, but more importantly, she has more weapons at her disposal. In her last 7 games, Paige has become notably aggressive offensively, particularly in the first half. Reaching the Final Four and delivering in the finals is all that matters. She's demonstrated she can lead the team to a Final Four. This is the year she delivers a NC.

Sarah Strong has been more impressive than I imagined she would be. While she talent, her technical abilities and overall fundamentals set her above nearly everyone. There is not a glaring weakness to her game, or an area that calls out for immediate improvement. She is a sublime talent.

UConn has been blessed with iconic players, from Diana, Maya and Breanna. Like Paige, each could have score many more points if that was their primary focus. The beauty of the UConn offense is that it's not designed for one player, but for whoever has the best opportunity in each possession. Crisp passing, back cuts, screen and move are signatures of a UConn offense.

In a previous post, Nan discussed how pundits dismissed the competitiveness of the Big East. I believe it's a blessing in disguise. During the regular season, UConn had the luxury of playing bench players and resting the starters. This will pay dividends when the tourney begins. It's a long season, and mileage accumulated has a way of showing when the tension rises, deeper into the tournament. Unlike some other teams that were show stoppers early in the season, UConn took some licks early on, but like they historically do, they got progressively better.

This is the best team that Paige has played on. As the year has shown, any of the top 6 teams can beat one another. I would like to see UConn have another shot at ND and/or USC. I think the outcomes would be much different, particularly with a healthy and available Aubrey.

Wouldn't it make for great television to see a SC/UConn rematch for all the marbles? Paige stamped her mark on the national stage in the regular season win over SC in the pandemic. What a fairytale ending it would be if she could close the final chapter with another win over them.

When Paige was a freshman the team overlooked Arizona after the tough game against Baylor and should have won the Naty that year
Her soph year it wouldn't have mattered if Uconn had 2 Paige's out there they wouldn't have beaten SC..SC was just that much better
Last year the hype was CC vs Paige ..well it turned out that neither one played that great but when it came down to crunch time Paige was passive..took 3 shots for 4 points in the 4th quarter while Clarke scored 8 points in the last quarter to bring Iowa to the championship game
Is Paige going to passive or aggressive like her coach has told her to be since she came to Uconn..there is no excuse this year playing with another AA in Sara plus Azzi

 

[RockyMTblue2]

I don't think we get home this year. God knows I want it. Do we send Paige off without a ring? Seems unthinkable doesn't it.

I know UConn is nowhere near as point guard centric as it once was, but we need a better one than we have had for 3 years. Paige was the last great PG for us. We don't have a PG who can rally and wake up the team when they fall into a chemistry funk which can be fatal in the NCAAs. We don't have one who shoots well enough to reduce double teaming inside if other 3 ballers go sour. Maybe lightning will strike for Kaitlyn, a long shot but within the realm of possibility but not KK.

We can win. South Carolina is proof of that. But I also believe that a substantial contributor to that win was South Carolina players taking us for granted and not getting up for that game. Nobody is doing that in the NCAAs.

 

[Tonyc]

We saw what Paige did in her freshman season in the NCAAs against 3 really tuff teams in the NCAAs . Her play against Indiana and NC State was monumental. I saw that look in her eye in the BE tourney. She has a better supporting staff to work with this season. I believe UConn will roll over most teams moving forward. We are to good at every position on both sides of the ball. Sarah can dominate the middle against most bigs and Jana and Ice are pretty darn good. Our defense will hold teams in check. We have enough scorers and shooters that I dont think we all go cold at the same time. We saw how well Nova shot the ball under our pressure in the BE tourney. Eventually our pressure D overwhelmed them . To loose UConn would have to have an off shooting nite by everybody and our opponent would have to be able to score over 70 pts and I dont see that happening. My thoughts are reduction to the ridiculous. The chances of UConns offense going ice cold and our defense going ice cold and our opponents being that good without a go to player are slim. Most opponenets dont have great defenses that can stop Paige Azzi and Sarah. Most teams dont have the ball handlers that can handle pressure defense. We are a fine oiled machine running on high octane with alot of energy. We are going to be very difficult to stop .

 

[Bone Dog]

We saw what Paige did in her freshman season in the NCAAs against 3 really tuff teams in the NCAAs . Her play against Indiana and NC State was monumental. I saw that look in her eye in the BE tourney. She has a better supporting staff to work with this season. I believe UConn will roll over most teams moving forward. We are to good at every position on both sides of the ball. Sarah can dominate the middle against most bigs and Jana and Ice are pretty darn good. Our defense will hold teams in check. We have enough scorers and shooters that I dont think we all go cold at the same time. We saw how well Nova shot the ball under our pressure in the BE tourney. Eventually our pressure D overwhelmed them . To loose UConn would have to have an off shooting nite by everybody and our opponent would have to be able to score over 70 pts and I dont see that happening. My thoughts are reduction to the ridiculous. The chances of UConns offense going ice cold and our defense going ice cold and our opponents being that good without a go to player are slim. Most opponenets dont have great defenses that can stop Paige Azzi and Sarah. Most teams dont have the ball handlers that can handle pressure defense. We are a fine oiled machine running on high octane with alot of energy. We are going to be very difficult to stop .

I'd like to believe what you say, clutch it to my chest like a rosary. But there are reasons to worry. And, by the way, that was Paige's sophomore season.

You're absolutely right, Paige does have a fierce look in her eye. This is definitely tournament Paige we're witnessing. Unlike some others, I don't discount the win over SC. That was for real. But the losses to ND, USC and Tenn are worrisome. Those were performances that could recur, just as easily as the way we played against SC. We've all tried to make our peace with them, and excused them in one way or another. Our explanations mainly turn on Azzi not being available or having poor shooting night, or Ash, or Kaitlyn, or Jana. We can probably get past the first two rounds without peak offense from everyone. But I don't think we can win it all firing on only two cylinders.

For me the question isn't can this rotation play awesome defense for 6 straight games. I'm sure they can and will. The question in my mind is can Paige consistently rally enough scorers for the last 3 rounds. The freshman year ended early because she couldn't get enough help to lift the team past Arizona. Sophomore year, a similar story against SC -- injuries and illness were the problem then. Last season, Paige carried the team as far as she could, relying on Aaliyah and Nika and a bunch of youngsters. They faltered in the final four and Paige looked spent from carrying them that far, and I don't think that squad was getting past SC even if they had squeaked by Iowa.

For this campaign, Paige has better backup. She's got more experience backing her in Azzi Aubrey and Kaitlyn, KK Ash and Ice. But she's also got some freshmen who've never been under this much pressure before in Sarah and Jana. Paige is also a little better rested, though not by as much as we might have hoped for -- last season she averaged 32 mins, this season 30 mins. She also potentially has more scorers by one with Azzi. Mainly there's more depth and that means a little more insurance if one or another shooter goes cold. We don't have the post advantage we'd hoped to have when the season began -- Jana and Ice didn't develop as much as many of us (including me) had counted on, though Sarah surprised pretty much everyone. And we lost Ayanna. This means they are likely going to have to win the last few games despite being out-rebounded. Can they do it? Yes, I believe they can. But it is not nearly as sure a thing as it was in some previous NC campaigns.

If I had to make a prediction -- yes, it's turban time -- I'd say a lot will depend on Kaitlyn, more than any of us would like or expect. Paige and Sarah will do what they do. But I suspect at least one huge game will depend on Kaitlyn scoring 12 or more.

 

[Skeets]

Two final thoughts:

There's not a heck of a big difference in being the best #2 seed and versus the worst #1 seed.

A team can have an off offensive game. Sometimes the ball just refuses to go in the basket. But there is no excuse for a team to have an off defensive game. No matter what, I want to see stellar defense.

 

[BobbyJ]

We saw what Paige did in her freshman season in the NCAAs against 3 really tuff teams in the NCAAs . Her play against Indiana and NC State was monumental. I saw that look in her eye in the BE tourney. She has a better supporting staff to work with this season. I believe UConn will roll over most teams moving forward. We are to good at every position on both sides of the ball. Sarah can dominate the middle against most bigs and Jana and Ice are pretty darn good. Our defense will hold teams in check. We have enough scorers and shooters that I dont think we all go cold at the same time. We saw how well Nova shot the ball under our pressure in the BE tourney. Eventually our pressure D overwhelmed them . To loose UConn would have to have an off shooting nite by everybody and our opponent would have to be able to score over 70 pts and I dont see that happening. My thoughts are reduction to the ridiculous. The chances of UConns offense going ice cold and our defense going ice cold and our opponents being that good without a go to player are slim. Most opponenets dont have great defenses that can stop Paige Azzi and Sarah. Most teams dont have the ball handlers that can handle pressure defense. We are a fine oiled machine running on high octane with alot of energy. We are going to be very difficult to stop .

We can do this and We can do that. All this cocky talk is amusing. It's pretty easy to write all these checks when you're not the one who has to actually go out there and pay them off. Enjoy it while you can, maybe they'll be able to back you up this year.

 

[Bone Dog]

We can do this and We can do that. All this cocky talk is amusing. It's pretty easy to write all these checks when you're not the one who has to actually go out there and pay them off. Enjoy it while you can, maybe they'll be able to back you up this year.

There is no bookie or loanshark here demanding payment. It's not like the task for the team gets harder just because the fans express great confidence in them. We're only talking among ourselves on this forum. The one thing I will grant is that there may be some element of self-comforting behavior in these posts. The more optimism expressed may mean the more anxious some of us feel. But who am I to get in the way of how some folks manage their anxieties? This is a fun team to watch and almost as much fun to cheer on in threads like this. Do you really want to get in the way of it?

 

[Dugway]

When we get to the Sweet 16 and beyond, we need Azzi and Ashlynn to Ying and Yang with their streaks. On occasions during the regular season, they both would go cold during the same game … we need one of them hitting their jumpers in every one of the games!

Two, we need to stay out of foul trouble! We get to these tournaments and the excitement, the adrenaline, the anxiety must be kept under control. We have been the best team in the nation for not turning the ball over; we need to keep it up! Play fast, yet smooth and under control.

Three, particularly when we get deep into the bracket, we need to continue to play with confidence! With attitude! “We can’t be beaten” mentally! And with that, blow out some of those teams the way we did with S.C., to further instill the confidence.

 

[jdote33]

Had a dream the team lost 87-81 in the final four to Notre Dame. Paige had 17, still am pretty gutted for her. Geno only played 6 which made me livid. Jk.

All jokes aside, this is the healthiest the team has been in years heading into the tournament. I think Notre Dame, South Carolina, USC are pretty scary. But I don't think there is a team they don't matchup well with. I do think they should really try to get Azzi going these first two rounds.

 

[Inthepaint]

If not us…who?
If not now…when?
For years now, April has been a time of “Gee, if only”
We are playing killer defense, we are healthy so we have more options at crunch time, our talent and experience are such that we are CAPABLE of winning out.
Our coaching crew are the best in the country
We just have to win the next six games, ONE AT A TIME.
Gonna be interesting if nothing else.
P.S. For the last time:
WE HAVE PAIGE AND THEY DONT!!

 

[tomcat]

Momentary lapses (like the whole second half of Creighton) aside, the team's weakness is at center. For probable the first three games, UConn can play small ball if it seems like that makes more sense (Geno has a really good feel for that) but beyond those games, someone other than Sarah who has some size had better come ready to play. Jana and Ice both have had their moments, and both looks good at times in the BE Tournament, but they need to be more than consistent for 5-6 minutes a game. Against massive and/or mobile centers, that just ain't gonna cut it.
Can they get to the Final Four? Absolutely. Anything more will happen because someone shows us more than they routinely have shown during the course of the year.

 

[Zarathustra]

There is no bookie or loanshark here demanding payment. It's not like the task for the team gets harder just because the fans express great confidence in them. We're only talking among ourselves on this forum. The one thing I will grant is that there may be some element of self-comforting behavior in these posts. The more optimism expressed may mean the more anxious some of us feel. But who am I to get in the way of how some folks manage their anxieties? This is a fun team to watch and almost as much fun to cheer on in threads like this. Do you really want to get in the way of it?

"ANXIETY"? What anxiety? In GENO, and Paige, and Sarah, and AZZI,
and KC and KK, and Sarah and ICE, and Ash and Aubrey and out
supportive cast off the extended bench: Carol, Allie, Q!
In all honesty, I will be sleeping better when the NC nets are back in Storrs!

 

[Zarathustra]

As I've written before, this team relies on the three point shot more than any other UConn Championship team. So basically, it's live by the three die by the three. (I know I sound like a broken record. Younger folks won't even knows what that means.)

Feel free to disagree.

I agree, but I also love our "Pick and Rolls". Beautiful...

 

[packwrap]

I think TV wants a JuJu v. Paige finals. That's as close to Bird/Magic as you are going to get in the women's game. You will see if there is any "consideration" of that happening on Sunday.

TV in this case is ESPN. They have the rights to the 2025 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament.

Now we just have to figure out which committee members ESPN will try to influence.

Seriously, It's just a great year for team and individual matchups! Already the elite 8 games will be epic. Paige, JuJu, Fulwiley, Booker, Hidalgo, Betts, Morrow, Prince, all their sidekicks, plus great potential rematches make for no bad matchups.

Highly, highly likely UConn v USC would happen earliest in the semis.

 

[fomalhaut]

I know UConn is nowhere near as point guard centric as it once was, but we need a better one than we have had for 3 years. Paige was the last great PG for us.

Pretty sure Paige is still on the team.

 

[BobbyJ]

There is no bookie or loanshark here demanding payment. It's not like the task for the team gets harder just because the fans express great confidence in them. We're only talking among ourselves on this forum. The one thing I will grant is that there may be some element of self-comforting behavior in these posts. The more optimism expressed may mean the more anxious some of us feel. But who am I to get in the way of how some folks manage their anxieties? This is a fun team to watch and almost as much fun to cheer on in threads like this. Do you really want to get in the way of it?

Anxiety? Nah, that stuff I bolded is being cocky. And very few athletes or coaches would say it out loud for the obvious reason, because they'd have to back it up. Some fans do it a lot because they don't have to. You don't have to brag and tell people how great you are at something. If you're really that good, people will be telling you. Let me know how great you are after you prove it.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Pretty sure Paige is still on the team.

Did I miss her return to Point Guard? I'll admit to being capable of that.

 

[oldude]

Did I miss her return to Point Guard? I'll admit to being capable of that.

I really don’t think there is a specific pg on this team. While Paige handles the ball and initiates the offense a lot, she also plays off the ball, running a couple miles a game trying to get open for her shot. The pg duties are very much a shared responsibility by Paige, Kaitlyn & KK.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

I really don’t think there is a specific pg on this team. While Paige handles the ball and initiates the offense a lot, she also plays off the ball, running a couple miles a game trying to get open for her shot. The pg duties are very much a shared responsibility by Paige, Kaitlyn & KK.

It is hard to tell what position she is playing. If she plays PG I'm happy. KK not so much. Kaitlyn less not so much. I'd talk about next year but that is a divergence.

 

[Scud49]

I'd like to believe what you say, clutch it to my chest like a rosary. But there are reasons to worry. And, by the way, that was Paige's sophomore season.

You're absolutely right, Paige does have a fierce look in her eye.

Paige is going to turn into Diana 2.0 for us this time around.

 

[BBallF]

Paige is going to turn into Diana 2.0 for us this time around.

That would be epic.

 

[BBallF]

As I've written before, this team relies on the three point shot more than any other UConn Championship team. So basically, it's live by the three die by the three. (I know I sound like a broken record. Younger folks won't even knows what that means.)

Feel free to disagree.

I do. The difference is one of degree. You have 3 top tier mid range pull up jump shooters in Paige, Azzi and Ash, with Paige being able to create her own shot the best. So I don't think this team is a one trick pony.

 

[Conndog]

UConn has a good chance to win it, but they need everything to go their way and that usually does not happen. I will say something we don't talk about anymore and that would be the fact that there might not be any more teams that go undefeated, ever again, and that is a good thing for women's college basketball.

Don’t agree with saying “but they need everything to go their way”. At most, they just need to shoot well. But even if their shooting is off in a given game, they still would likely win against almost anyone. UConn makes other teams have bad games. They are as good as any team in the country on defense, they have good subs and great coaching, they do everything well and are hungry for a championship.

 

[BBallF]

TV in this case is ESPN. They have the rights to the 2025 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament.

Now we just have to figure out which committee members ESPN will try to influence.

Seriously, It's just a great year for team and individual matchups! Already the elite 8 games will be epic. Paige, JuJu, Fulwiley, Booker, Hidalgo, Betts, Morrow, Prince, all their sidekicks, plus great potential rematches make for no bad matchups.

Highly, highly likely UConn v USC would happen earliest in the semis.

Sorry, my cynical sense proved to be accurate. How is USC the 4th rated #1 seed if they beat the #1 overall seed both home and away and Texas got destroyed by SC in the SEC finals? We destroyed SC at home to further confuse the issue. Just a coincidence I guess that there will almost certainly be a USC-UCONN match up. Rebecca Lobo just said that it was the highest rated game all year. Really stupid of the Committee to do this at the Regional final level but you can make a case that they wanted to make sure they got this game. It would seem that Texas is now #3 not #4 which makes no sense at all. For once I actually agree with Charlie Creme.

 

[packwrap]

I try to be level headed, but you now have me converted to conspiracy theory.

UConn v USC, Iowa in bracket again??? Reagan Beers hanging around.

ESPN as you point out more likely now to get UConn v USC in Elite 8, than hoping for it as a semi or final.

 

[oldude]

I try to be level headed, but you now have me converted to conspiracy theory.

UConn v USC, Iowa in bracket again??? Reagan Beers hanging around.

ESPN as you point out more likely now to get UConn v USC in Elite 8, than hoping for it as a semi or final.

Chill grasshopper. UConn got a wonderful draw. The team that should be flipping out right now is USC.

 

[Urshurak]

Agree that USC is probably not very happy they have UConn. Lot of basketball before the E8 though.

First up, Arkansas State. I know zero about them other than they lost to Xavier….

 

[BBallF]

Chill grasshopper. UConn got a wonderful draw. The team that should be flipping out right now is USC.

I don't disagree at all. Assuming they seed the teams absolutely however, since UCONN was the highest rated #2 seed, that would mean that Texas was considered to be the third, not fourth highest. Since the USC-UCONN game was the highest rated game of the year, one wonders at the selection. However, let's treat it as a gift horse.

 

[AnonChoice]

I think TV wants a JuJu v. Paige finals. That's as close to Bird/Magic as you are going to get in the women's game. You will see if there is any "consideration" of that happening on Sunday.

Paige and Juju now playing in the same regional, so if they meet at all, they'll be meeting before the Final Four.