Playing UConn Basketball, the players have come to understand now....

[BlueSkyGLW]

As the team is currently functioning, with nine players in rotation, it may be Auriemma’s best chance since 2016 to capture No. 12. Notably, he said during the tournament that for the first time in a few years, the Huskies are playing the kind of basketball to which he and their fans are accustomed to seeing.

“I think none of us had really understood what it meant to play UConn basketball,” Evina Westbrook said. “You kind of understand why UConn has been successful. If this is UConn basketball, the way we’ve been playing. I’m so happy that we figured it out and we’re figuring it out at the right time.”

A revelation from Don Amore's article.....

Selection Sunday storylines: Late-season surge bounces UConn women into a likely No. 2 seed and some homecooked games

The UConn women’s basketball team may not have an easy road to the Final Four, but after a strong finish to the season and dominant performance in the Big East Tournament, it might involve fe…

www.courant.com

 

[Huskee11]

I love this current team and I think they have a great shot to win it all. But, to be honest, I have trouble concluding that this is the best chance to win since 2016.

We were undefeated going into the 2017 and 2018 Final Fours. Those teams had won their Elite Eight games by 38 and 29 points, respectively.

I am still in shock that we lost to Mississippi State in 2017. And that Notre Dame game in 2018 was one that got away.

But the big advantage this team has over those teams is depth. It is also a bigger team than the 2017 and 2018 versions, and it is overall a better defensive team than those teams were, even though they had incredible defenders in Kia and Gabby.

And strange as it may sound, this team may now actually be healthier than those teams were. Kia was far from full strength in 2017, and Lou and Gabby were not nearly 100% in 2018.

 

[BlueSkyGLW]

I love this current team and I think they have a great shot to win it all. But, to be honest, I have trouble concluding that this is the best chance to win since 2016.

We were undefeated going into the 2017 and 2018 Final Fours. Those teams had won their Elite Eight games by 38 and 29 points, respectively.

I am still in shock that we lost to Mississippi State in 2017. And that Notre Dame game in 2018 was one that got away.

But the big advantage this team has over those teams is depth. It is also a bigger team than the 2017 and 2018 versions, and it is overall a better defensive team than those teams were, even though they had incredible defenders in Kia and Gabby.

And strange as it may sound, this team may now actually be healthier than those teams were. Kia was far from full strength in 2017, and Lou and Gabby were not nearly 100% in 2018.

If you go back to 2017, Katie Lou wasn't quite fully healthy though she could play well enough through the regionals. But more important, the pressure on the team just kept building up even if they won't acknowledge it: going through that long 111 game winning streak and all the attention it was getting.....for a team that no one was repeating the role they played before except Kia. They also had a very short rotation and the starting 5 likely was going more on adrenaline during the tournament.

So, the start to the Miss State game where they quickly fell behind was not surprising. That they recovered to tie the game with seconds to spare in regulation showed their resilience. The dynamic of failing to score on their last shot stunned and they were slow to react defensively. So, I understood the loss, though no less painful.

However, I was really disappointed with the loss to ND the following year. We had Azura Stevens instead of Natalie Butler, so big improvement, right? In the back of my mind, Geno didn't have full trust re: Azura on defense and went to the extent of playing Gabby even when she was less than 100% in crucial moments. I never really figured out why he was unable or unwilling to play them together more....including or maybe especially, the ND game. This game I didn't understand why UConn lost and it still haunts.

The others after were lesser potentials.

I think last year was derailed when Nika was injured on top of a very inexperienced team. The defensive intensity they had when she was on the floor was missing against Arizona, even in the games before that but it was not noticeable because they dominated, including against Iowa. Still, even if Nika was healthy and the faced Stanford in the final, I don't think they would have won, given the potential matchups.....unless, of course, Paige played an otherworldly game.

So, this year's team, with last year's starters intact and more experienced along with the addition of three excellent players who have helped save the season, has the quality depth that those other teams did not have. Added psychological bonus: through their travails during the season during which they have learned to dig deep to succeed, they were counted out. Now that they are healthy, they would want to show them who they really are, won't they?

The Huskies will be hunting like a pack of wolves and woe unto the Wolfpack if they are in the same Regional.

 

[#12in21]

2017 for me was the one that got away, I fully believe that if that squad hadn't had the breakdown they had against Mississippi State they would have easily beaten South Carolina in the championship game. Having beaten SC already during the season, Geno, the coaches and the players had a tested gameplay that worked and SC would have had to make all the adjustments which I don't believe they could/would to beat UConn. I think for that team, an earlier loss (as Geno has suggested) to break the pressure of carrying on the record setting win streak may have made their game against Mississippi State a very different one.

They came into that game,IMO, overlooking Mississippi State with anticipation of a probable rematch with SC to bring home #12 and end that season with the 113 game win streak intact. Vic Schaeffer and the MS players came in with a great game plan, that they executed to a tee and Geno and UConn were on their heels from the get go. If not for Gabby playing an exceptional game and Saniya being solid throughout we would have had no chance at the end. Lou came alive for the second half and gave us a chance but neither Pheesa or Kia showed up.

That year if we had the kind of quality depth we have on our current squad we would be rooting for at least #13 this season. Even if Stevens had been eligible rather than sitting out her transfer year, an argument could be made, that would have been enough to make in game adjustments and we win that game. We'll never know. I agree with BlueSkyGLW assessment that last season if Nika had not been injured going into the final four we win the Arizona game and see what happens against Stanford in the final. As Geno said in a presser either just before or after the Arizona loss, Aubrey contributed significantly during the tournament to that point and Anna could potentially go off, but neither could bring what Nika brought to that squad and not having a healthy Nika who could go 40 minutes if needed was a game changer.

This season, as we enter tournament play, we are at a place we haven't been in years. We have a solid nine player rotation all of which have the coaches and teammates trust to go out and do what they do best. Within that group we have a handful who, for any given game, can potentially breakout and have a huge game. How many teams are in that position. We don't need any one or two players to consistently play exceptional games to stay alive we just need everybody to play really solid every game and one or two of the nine will exceed that on a given night. That alone should make us as fans extremely excited about this upcoming tournament, but beyond that we are hopefully anticipating the possible reemergence of Paige being Paige who has shown she can take it up a gear to sustained excellence, surrounded by a group of teammates playing at a level she has never experienced before.

All said, we are at the best possible place as a team, playing the best basketball we have played all season, with the greatest quality depth we have had in recent memory and are hungry and ready to fight for #12! Winning this one, if it happens, will probably be the greatest team achievement since the first one.

​

 

[nomdoux]

I think last year was derailed when Nika was injured on top of a very inexperienced team. The defensive intensity they had when she was on the floor was missing against Arizona, even in the games before that but it was not noticeable because they dominated, including against Iowa. Still, even if Nika was healthy and the faced Stanford in the final, I don't think they would have won, given the potential matchups.....unless, of course, Paige played an otherworldly game.

Geno said in his BEC postgame scrum last week that last year’s team was hanging by a thread when they edged Baylor & then didn’t take Arizona seriously.

Even down Nika, they should have won that semi but agreed that Stanford would have been a tough hill to climb short handed, absent Paige magic.

 

[tchalla1]

However, I was really disappointed with the loss to ND the following year. We had Azura Stevens instead of Natalie Butler, so big improvement, right? In the back of my mind, Geno didn't have full trust re: Azura on defense and went to the extent of playing Gabby even when she was less than 100% in crucial moments. I never really figured out why he was unable or unwilling to play them together..

I have to agree--the ND semi remains a complete vagary to me. Azura was killing them and the TV analysts were pointing out her plus/minus in the game, yet Geno played Azura sparingly the rest of the way. To this day, that is the most puzzling decision of Geno's and as you pointed out, why he felt he couldn't play Gabby and Azura together is mystifying as well....Yes, we should have beaten MS, but you have to give then credit--they won that game. Conversely, we LOST the game following year against ND. They had no reason beating us especially if we had played Azura more...

 

[oldude]

Just a comment on the idea that Geno felt he couldn’t “play Gabby & Azura together.” That really wasn’t the issue. The problem was that UConn struggled to play Pheesa & Z together. Both were most effective in the low post on offense. Neither was particularly effective as a perimeter player. In that ND game, Geno went with Pheesa, the more effective player in the low post.

 

[BlueSkyGLW]

Good explanation but he took out the "hot hand"

 

[oldude]

Good explanation but he took out the "hot hand"

Hardly a difference. Pheesa was 11/17 (1/1 from 3). Z was 8-12 with no 3-pt shots.

 

[visitingcock]

As the team is currently functioning, with nine players in rotation, it may be Auriemma’s best chance since 2016 to capture No. 12. Notably, he said during the tournament that for the first time in a few years, the Huskies are playing the kind of basketball to which he and their fans are accustomed to seeing.

“I think none of us had really understood what it meant to play UConn basketball,” Evina Westbrook said. “You kind of understand why UConn has been successful. If this is UConn basketball, the way we’ve been playing. I’m so happy that we figured it out and we’re figuring it out at the right time.”

A revelation from Don Amore's article.....

Selection Sunday storylines: Late-season surge bounces UConn women into a likely No. 2 seed and some homecooked games

The UConn women’s basketball team may not have an easy road to the Final Four, but after a strong finish to the season and dominant performance in the Big East Tournament, it might involve fe…

www.courant.com

And this is her fourth year of playing 30 or more games and averaging 28 or more minutes per game?

Is this an old quote?

 

[BlueSkyGLW]

Hardly a difference. Pheesa was 11/17 (1/1 from 3). Z was 8-12 with no 3-pt shots.

Don't remember stats off hand.....who else could he have taken out, Gabby (who was still nursing an injury, I believe)....that would defeat the argument of playing them together. So, you say, UConn was fated to lose through that last second shot?

 

[BlueSkyGLW]

Ahhhh, the limitation of words and how they can be misinterpreted - in this case, it would have taken much longer to explain the subtleties of what they, as a team, finally understood and embodied beyond the usual team play words you hear. Let's just leave it at that.....but I do get what she means - either that or I am projecting. I prefer the former.

 

[oldude]

Don't remember stats off hand.....who else could he have taken out, Gabby (who was still nursing an injury, I believe)....that would defeat the argument of playing them together. So, you say, UConn was fated to lose through that last second shot?

I don’t know about fate. UConn and ND were both making plays down the stretch. ND just made one more play.

 

[BBallF]

I love this current team and I think they have a great shot to win it all. But, to be honest, I have trouble concluding that this is the best chance to win since 2016.

We were undefeated going into the 2017 and 2018 Final Fours. Those teams had won their Elite Eight games by 38 and 29 points, respectively.

I am still in shock that we lost to Mississippi State in 2017. And that Notre Dame game in 2018 was one that got away.

But the big advantage this team has over those teams is depth. It is also a bigger team than the 2017 and 2018 versions, and it is overall a better defensive team than those teams were, even though they had incredible defenders in Kia and Gabby.

And strange as it may sound, this team may now actually be healthier than those teams were. Kia was far from full strength in 2017, and Lou and Gabby were not nearly 100% in 2018.

I also think a very big advantage besides depth is size. We were very outsized against Miss St and ND. Azure was never a power player like AE or Dorka. You now have a 6'5" and a 6'3" starter (the latter being ultra physical) plus a 6'5" first big reserve who can shoot, drive, cut, rebound and pass. We also have team speed.

Now we also have an X factor in Caroline. She is 6'2", is smart as hell on the court, has the arms of a much taller player, has moves without the ball that go back to the 1960s, and has every shot you can think of once she gets the ball. Plus, I'll take Azzi and Paige as shooters and scorers anytime. I realize that borders on heresy but both can score at will when they have to and don't have a shot that seems to goes awry with tiredness. Plus they both move well without the ball.

There is also the Nika factor. Kia was one of the best lock down defenders ever, but Nika is a trouble maker out there and a very emotional player who can turn a game around in a few plays. We should not be dominated underneath as in some prior and have to make up for it with speed and 3s. The other teams are different now also but I don't see us with a stark deficiency like I did with the smaller FF teams. It's a real collection of different talents now with several different weapons as well as the Evina factor. Plus, the team is still evolving because Paige is still recovering and improving. Who knows what it will look like on Saturday and in the future? The key is that the crazy UCONN defense has returned and it doesn't appear to have a size weakness at all. It's basically two full rotations with energy and punch. It's not even remotely comparable to the last 4 FF teams and that is a very good thing because it has great depth with very talented second wavers as well as size and power.