OK i just watched the Towson game and i finally get it...

[EricLA]

It's really the first time i absolutely did not want to continue watching. the first half, Towson was basically incapable of even getting the ball over half court. it was like a college team playing against a junior high school team.

it's great that the team got to work so hard on the press and solid defense, and it may not have been the worst smackdown ever in a first half, but it was practically unwatchable to me, and i love seeing great UCONN execution at least as much as any other UCONN fan. boy am i glad they went zone in the 2nd half.

and by the way i'm NOT complaining about the schedule - by the end of the year we will probably have the #1 SOS in the nation. i really felt sorry for Towson...

 

[alexrgct]

UConn always plays good defense, but there's a level of scrappiness and intensity that's different from years past. It's a team with tremendous chemistry on that end of the floor. Although Geno recruits for and teaches defense at a very high level, this is the first team in a while that gets its collective identity from defense rather than from offense.

My advice would be to enjoy lock-down defense and hustle, because UConn is going to brutalize bad teams and play some intense, often exceptionally ugly games against good ones. This group of girls is playing with a chip on their collective shoulder, and they know that everyone, including their own coach in public statements, was setting the bar relatively low for them by UConn standards. In response, they're doing it their way. UConn had a rep for being exceptionally good but something of a finesse team during the Maya Moore era. I don't know that it was a deserved reputation, but it was out there. This is a team that will punch opponents in the mouth, and bad or weak-willed squads are not going to respond well.

Baylor and Notre Dame are going to punch back. So stay tuned.

 

[MilfordHusky]

This group of girls is playing with a chip on their collective shoulder, and they know that everyone, including their own coach in public statements, was setting the bar relatively low for them by UConn standards.

I was thinking the same thing. They play as if they were disregarded by the recruiting services and not even in the top 100. In fact, every one of the starters was top 10 or so on someones list, and Kaleena was a top, top #1.

For Eric--Towson is actually not a bad team. There are a lot of teams that are a fair bit worse. UConn can make some good or decent teams look bad. Like Texas A&M. Like Florida State, UNC, Oklahoma, Duke, and OSU last year.

 

[EricLA]

don't get me wrong. i enjoyed UCONN's defensive intensity. but several fans in the past have complained that blowout games are unwatchable. i usually love watching the blowouts because it really gives me a chance to focus on what UCONN is doing well, and appreciate their quest for perfection. However, i did NOT enjoy that game, especially the first half any more than i'd enjoy watching alex or milford step into the ring with mike tyson in his prime! plus, i'd want you guys to keep your ears anyway...

 

[MilfordHusky]

don't get me wrong. i enjoyed UCONN's defensive intensity. but several fans in the past have complained that blowout games are unwatchable. i usually love watching the blowouts because it really gives me a chance to focus on what UCONN is doing well, and appreciate their quest for perfection. However, i did NOT enjoy that game, especially the first half any more than i'd enjoy watching alex or milford step into the ring with mike tyson in his prime! plus, i'd want you guys to keep your ears anyway...

I understand. My point is that there may be more unwatchable games coming up, perhaps in 1 hour. If we press--we have the depth for it this year--some other teams will look really, really bad. What are the NCAA records for team defense? Someone look them up!

 

[EricLA]

I understand. My point is that there may be more unwatchable games coming up, perhaps in 1 hour. If we press--we have the depth for it this year--some other teams will look really, really bad. What are the NCAA records for team defense? Someone look them up!

very true, but you know, i did enjoy the Dayton and Buffalo games. not so much because they scored more - i could appreciate our defense because at least they were able to get the ball across mid court. Towson had something like 20+ TO's in the first half alone and couldn't even get the ball across mid court...

 

[MilfordHusky]

very true, but you know, i did enjoy the Dayton and Buffalo games. not so much because they scored more - i could appreciate our defense because at least they were able to get the ball across mid court. Towson had something like 20+ TO's in the first half alone and couldn't even get the ball across mid court...

You're like Siskel and Ebert critiquing the videos.

 

[Icebear]

From what I am reading this game did not fit the description of watchable.