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Message: [QUOTE="JoePgh, post: 2669908, member: 1131"] I have been reading this forum since the game ended on Friday night, and have limited my comments. Many of the comments border on the insane in their disregard for basic facts (never mind the loony theories about a conspiracy among referees and the NCAA to make Notre Dame the winner). So I will confine my reply to one point: UConn’s problem on Friday night was on DEFENSE. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the offense, except that no one other than KLS was hitting 3’s. The fact that they were able to score 89 points (79 in regulation) despite mostly cold 3-point shooting is actually a credit to the efficiency of the offense in difficult circumstances. Mississippi State was able to score only 58 points against the same Notre Dame defense in the same amount of time. In fact, UConn shot 49% for the game, hardly an indication of ineffective offense. They had 20 assists on 38 field goals. They even finished the game shooting 38% from the 3-point line (better than Notre Dame). So please quit with the jive about how Muffet’s brilliant, well-prepared defense left the UConn offense sputtering. No such thing occurred. Even late in the game, when they really needed to score, both Crystal and Napheesa got open 3-point looks which they made under pressure. UConn’s big problem, and the reason they lost, was inadequate defense. There is no way that Notre Dame should have scored 91 points, including 79 in regulation. Notre Dame shot 47% from the field, which IS an indication of relatively ineffective defense, compared to UConn’s normal performance even against top teams. Mississippi State held the same offense to 61 points, something that UConn should have been able to do. I have no answer for why Geno did not continue the zone defense, which had worked so well in the second quarter, into the second half, or why he didn’t give Azura more minutes. I would be interested in his answers if someone asks those questions. But those are the questions that Boneyarders should be asking (and several of you did), rather than making uninformed comments about how the offense needs to be completely overhauled. [/QUOTE]

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