One Last Look Back to Duke Game

[RockyMTblue2]

Maybe I am alone, but the run up to the Duke game provided about as much tension and anticipation as has been mustered for me in this season, other than perhaps concern for the Maryland game being 7 thin. And though I predicted an 81-65 win, part of me wanted a bare knuckles brawl decided in the final minutes. So the game was a disappointment, except for the great pleasure of seeing KML on the court with that same beautiful stroke. That disappointment included the glaring lapses which our girls struggled with - like to see this reduced. Came away from the game with a few questions pertaining to a Duke team we may well see again in the NCAAs. Is Chelsea Gray going to get any healthier - can she rehab through a competitive schedule? What in the world is wrong with E. Williams? She looked sluggish moving up and down the floor and uncertain on offense. For much of the game if a Duke player attempted a 3 it was of the way down town variety - and the UConn defender was far away. Why?

 

[Bigpetunia]

Maybe I am alone, but the run up to the Duke game provided about as much tension and anticipation as has been mustered for me in this season, other than perhaps concern for the Maryland game being 7 thin. And though I predicted an 81-65 win, part of me wanted a bare knuckles brawl decided in the final minutes. So the game was a disappointment, except for the great pleasure of seeing KML on the court with that same beautiful stroke. That disappointment included the glaring lapses which our girls struggled with - like to see this reduced. Came away from the game with a few questions pertaining to a Duke team we may well see again in the NCAAs. Is Chelsea Gray going to get any healthier - can she rehab through a competitive schedule? What in the world is wrong with E. Williams? She looked sluggish moving up and down the floor and uncertain on offense. For much of the game if a Duke player attempted a 3 it was of the way down town variety - and the UConn defender was far away. Why?

My feelings mirror yours exactly. As ardent a UConn fan as I am, I must confess a bit of disappointment over the way things played out. Sure, I wanted a win, but if there's that much separation between number one and number two, I don't care what the reasons are...it's just not good for WCBB. We fans of our team know and love this sport for good reason...we're watching the game the way it was meant to be played. But, nevertheless, the national popularity of the sport is in big trouble, with most games, even by Top 25 teams, being played before half-empty arenas. This is not good for us! Yes, Geno is a better coach than others, and a better recruiter, but the sport desperately needs a higher level of parity. I suspect, and have all year, that Duke was not really the Number Two team, but that ND is, and maybe we'll face them in March, but putting a beating on so-called top-tier teams in their own arenas like we did Tuesday is a bit on the boring side. I've been rooting for A'ja Wilson to commit here....now, maybe, not so much. Go to South Carolina and get those fans as interested as we are!

 

[DobbsRover2]

So, um, UConn is just one team of 350+ D1 schools and put on a pretty reasonable example of how to play nice-looking basketball in a game that was played when we are not yet close to turning the calendar for the 2nd half of the year. Huskies did their job really well, and the other teams are mainly not thinking about them at this point. They're thinking about how to prepare to win their conferences, and make the NCAA tournament, and get set for winning some games in that tourney. Other than that UConn is the measure of the WCBB, and an excellent one, few sports fans notice the outcome of a Duke-UConn game, nor are they going to get all uglied up that the game wasn't close. All they know is that UConn is the name of WCBB again right now, and for the average sports fans that's a comfortable nugget of info that can keep them from being disemboweled if they have the misfortune to stumble into a rabid and rowdy group of WCBB fans at a holiday party.

The fact is, the top 25 teams by the Sags rankings are on average around 10 to 11 games into the season and they are averaging less than 2 games (1.8) against other top 25 opponents. The top teams don't play themselves that much this time of year, so the excitement isn't as high as when Jan-Apr roll around.

BTW, the women's number is not especially low, and the MCBB teams are averaging a dismal 1.28 avg. for T25 vs T25.

 

[EricLA]

So the game was a disappointment, except for the great pleasure of seeing KML on the court with that same beautiful stroke. That disappointment included the glaring lapses which our girls struggled with - like to see this reduced.

Seriously? That's your take away from the game? Just... wow.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Seriously? That's your take away from the game? Just... wow.

That is the take away I mentioned. In the hunt for perfection Geno has noted this group's penchant for occasionally going off the rails - going extremely sloppy, and they did it Tuesday night for two stretches. I wish Bria H had asserted herself more, but it was a solid performance. Lots of other things could be said, good and bad, mostly good. About Duke, their continuing underperformance is too bad for them.

Sorry I cannot get all girlish giddy about the game.

 

[DobbsRover2]

That is the take away I mentioned. In the hunt for perfection Geno has noted this group's penchant for occasionally going off the rails - going extremely sloppy, and they did it Tuesday night for two stretches. I wish Bria H had asserted herself more, but it was a solid performance. Lots of other things could be said, good and bad, mostly good. About Duke, their continuing underperformance is too bad for them.

Sorry I cannot get all girlish giddy about the game.

Well yeah, as another buzzy poster said, some of us feel that we have to express our inner Geno and get all hot and bothered when every play isn't perfectly played out by Z-ultragirl MagnumForce9999 robotoids out there. But it's Geno's job to get all hot and bothered, and his teams don't accumulate NCs unless he does that until the final game's buzzer. The rest of us are allowed to sit back and enjoy a nice show if we want, or not, if that is the preference.

Think I'll work on my inner giddy-up, though the girlish part might be a stretch for me.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

So Dobbs I ain't all hot and bothered over the Huskies lapses. I just think it should be in the conversation in the interest of a comprehensive look at a significant win. For me the glass is always just about full up when it comes to this team. On to CAL.

 

[HGN]

BigPetunia, why get down on UConn because its coaches do their job better that others ?.......They should be applauded. Don't wish good recruits go elsewhere because UConn is doing well. Why not come down on the other coaches and teams for not doing their job of recruiting and a better job of coaching ? Its like telling the one 'A' student in the class to dumb-down and be a 'C' student because all the rest of his classmates are average. The other teams have to raise their games. Not have UConn lower theirs.

 

[doggydaddy]

So Dobbs I ain't all hot and bothered over the Huskies lapses. I just think it should be in the conversation in the interest of a comprehensive look at a significant win. For me the glass is always just about full up when it comes to this team. On to CAL.

Rocky, between the number of days between games and working in Tuck and KML (and even Stokes), I really feel you are being way to hard on the team for these "lapses".

 

[DobbsRover2]

So Dobbs I ain't all hot and bothered over the Huskies lapses. I just think it should be in the conversation in the interest of a comprehensive look at a significant win. For me the glass is always just about full up when it comes to this team. On to CAL.

We all know there will be a lot of things that UConn will do better as the season progresses, but it's almost 4 months till the NC game and a lot of fun development to watch until the final polished product. Me, I was just happy with a reasonably big margin against a key opponent in which all the uncertainties of bringing back two players and a long layoff and all of the readjusting of the minutes with a bigger cast was in play. Not only is my glass pretty full up, but I'm just relieved as hell and the stomach has settled down a bit.

 

[meyers7]

Sorry I cannot get all girlish giddy about the game.

If you can't get girlishly giddy about beating the #2 team in the nation by 20+ points on their home court, coming off a week+ off, while integrating 2 major players who've been out over a month, ............I doesn't think you're gonna be too ecstatic this year (or ever).

 

[Zorro]

Plenty of room for dog-eat-dog "bare knuckles" competition among the lesser competitors. We will just have to make do with Husky basketball as an art form. (At least until the final four, and prolly even then.)

 

[mrmojack]

Speaking of lapses, did you catch the 2nd half of the mens game last night
against Stanford? It lasted the whole 2nd half.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Rocky, between the number of days between games and working in Tuck and KML (and even Stokes), I really feel you are being way to hard on the team for these "lapses".

You know that is a good point. Sorta lost sight of the time off factor with them playing so well when they were on. The reintegration thing I am not so sure of - gotta watch the game again.

 

[jsloanjr]

PCP, DUKE will not get the Final 4 this year..........They will have at least 4 loss in the ACC, UCONN and KY......6 losses and maybe more..........Lets see what they do against Albany tonight.

Coach P wants to be the players buddy or Big sister....Their performance shows against elite teams...........Cannot wait to see them play ND at full strength and the Cuse in the Dome...

 

[RockyMTblue2]

If you can't get girlishly giddy about beating the #2 team in the nation by 20+ points on their home court, coming off a week+ off, while integrating 2 major players who've been out over a month, ............I doesn't think you're gonna be too ecstatic this year (or ever).

Sorry, I save giddy for tremendous wins and pretty much anything from round of 16 on. That is just me.

 

[meyers7]

Sorry, I save giddy for tremendous wins

Beating the #2 team in the nation by 20+ points on their home court, coming off a week+ off, while integrating 2 major players who've been out over a month isn't a tremendous win????

I don't know that this team will meet your high standards this year.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Beating the #2 team in the nation by 20+ points on their home court, coming off a week+ off, while integrating 2 major players who've been out over a month isn't a tremendous win????

I don't know that this team will meet your high standards this year.

You are confusing two things. They have more than met my expectations already this year. The week the Super 7 had after KLM and Tuck went down - now that had all sorts of happy all over it. But we went into the Duke game with both having come off lay offs and the expectation of the Yard and the nation, was that UConn would roll by 20 or more and Duke as #2 was a pretender. Coach P all but conceded the game with her comments in every available forum leading up to the contest and her kids followed her lead. And UConn quickly built a lead. The run up to the game was still fun, but the game did not deliver the dose of tension that leaves you spent but satisfied and then some at the end of the win.

 

[msf22b]

I agree with much of what has been said above with the following additional observations:

I certainly wasn't bored and although I have been an advocate of better scheduling across the top-25, this had the potential (as Geno himself stated) to be a legitimate game (and it was with the following caveats).

We had demolished essentially the same team three times previously; it certainly shouldn't have been a surprise that we would do it again.

Coach P has finally been exposed for the fraud she is for getting so little out of the terrific talent she has (yes, not as talented as ours, but much more than they showed).

Our team is so loaded with superior players that it is of little consequence if not everyone brings her A game. That potentially might come back to bite us against a team like ND (UTENN?). On Tuesday, Stewie was all-world in the first half, KML in the second. Stef and Mo were exemplary throughout and that was (essentially) enough.

Bria was psyched for the game, surely wanted to star in front of all her friends (on the duke team) but was ordinary, Banks didn't do much, Morgan has been discussed by the staff (possibly the same disease that Bria had), Chong…well looked like a freshman and Kiah did some dirty work.

There may well be a game where all comes together and everyone plays to their ability for 40 minutes. Can you imagine any team standing up to that onslaught? It would be certifiably manslaughter (woman-slaughter rather).

So wishing for perfection (as Geno is) is wishing for a level of exactitude unseen in the woman's game and totally unavailable to any other team.

I have a tiny bit of sympathy for your argument that the tall young lady from South Carolina stay home but can you imagine her with the rest of the recruiting class. Geno will have a great time playing them against the current unbelievable membership; may have to dispense with the men. Those perhaps will be the closest games UConn plays.

And of course Ms. Wilson will develop into the monster 3 or4 (whatever) that she aspires to be.

Everyone else in the coaching profession will have to take a hard look at themselves and figure out what they have to do to compete.
(North Carolina looks a lot hipper with Ms. Latta about).

 

[DobbsRover2]

Beating the #2 team in the nation by 20+ points on their home court, coming off a week+ off, while integrating 2 major players who've been out over a month isn't a tremendous win????

I don't know that this team will meet your high standards this year.

Oh c'mon, not even close. Might be mendous, or bimendous or even bi-1/2-mendous, but doesn't reach tremendous when it's still in December and against a team they've beaten now 7 times in a row. Now if it had come against Springfield or Southern CT or another school that has owned UConn, then that would be tremendous, and even peachy.

 

[ThisJustIn]

Just because someone expects "perfection" doesn't mean they over-indulge in picking at the flaws so much that the successes are lost or not celebrated. Balance is essential. If you don't identify what WAS successful, you risk the participants not recognizing (and repeating) what they did well. AFTER that, you identify the weakness that need to be addressed/worked on.

 

[semper]

Well, I was really nervous, but that's my personality. When Geno said in the presser that we would not have won easily without the "Artiste" ( I love that name for her, ala Geno in the presser), that was where I was coming from. I knew we'd be somewhat rusty, and never in my wildest dreams did I think the Artiste would have 7 treys. I was observant of Doggy's prediction that she would indeed be up to snuff, and he gave good reasons for it. Duke should have looked at that post, because their plan A didn't work.

Say, what was their plan B? I never figured that out?

 

[Bigpetunia]

BigPetunia, why get down on UConn because its coaches do their job better that others ?.......They should be applauded. Don't wish good recruits go elsewhere because UConn is doing well. Why not come down on the other coaches and teams for not doing their job of recruiting and a better job of coaching ? Its like telling the one 'A' student in the class to dumb-down and be a 'C' student because all the rest of his classmates are average. The other teams have to raise their games. Not have UConn lower theirs.

Thanks for the suggestion, but I can only assume that you didn't actually read my post. Down on UConn? Really?? Quite to the contrary...my only concern is that if other programs don't do a better job of stepping it up, thereby creating better parity and balance, ultimately it will be bad for us, simply because national interest in the game will be further diminished. Do we really wish to be the premier program of a mediocre field (besides us) with limited fan interest and poor arena attendance? I'm not too enthusiastic about that scenario.

 

[doggydaddy]

You know that is a good point. Sorta lost sight of the time off factor with them playing so well when they were on. The reintegration thing I am not so sure of - gotta watch the game again.

Well, for 8 games Banks, Stokes and Chong all new the rotation and when they would play and how long they would play. Now you have two players back that will get mane of the minutes those three played and got used to.

It will take time to get into a sub pattern. An adjustment not only for the players but for the coaching staff. I believe Chris said they should have played Chong in the first half.

 

[DaddyChoc]

this is sad... beat the so-called #2 team in country handily and a few still isnt satisfied. smh

Im thinking about logging off til after the championship, cant stomach this nonsense