Post Mortem

[TheObvious]

It's really quite clear:
1. SC is a topnotch team.
2. We lose our biggest player to help counter their height.
3. We lose our best outside shooter to counter their inside play.
4. Westbrook re-injures her ankle, plays only 19 minutes.
4. Our two senior leaders, NO & CW score 6 pts total & commit 7 fouls.
5. SC out-rebounds us 49 to 24!!
5. SC makes 17 free throws (out of 26) to 1-4 Uconn!!

In postgame interview Geno was very complimentary toward SC,
but he noted Uconn scored the same number of field goals as SC: 22,
and even though it looked like a rout, when they got the game down to two scores, I think he felt they could win, BUT he needed someone other than Paige to get hot from outside. Not to be.

2023: Geno predicts Uconn will be back in the Final Four.....

 

[Bama fan]

It's really quite clear:
1. SC is a topnotch team.
2. We lose our biggest player to help counter their height.
3. We lose our best outside shooter to counter their inside play.
4. Westbrook re-injures her ankle, plays only 19 minutes.
4. Our two senior leaders, NO & CW score 6 pts total & commit 7 fouls.
5. SC out-rebounds us 49 to 24!!
5. SC makes 17 free throws (out of 26) to 1-4 Uconn!!

In postgame interview Geno was very complimentary toward SC,
but he noted Uconn scored the same number of field goals as SC: 22,
and even though it looked like a rout, when they got the game down to two scores, I think he felt they could win, BUT he needed someone other than Paige to get hot from outside. Not to be.

2023: Geno predicts Uconn will be back in the Final Four.....

Whew! Looking at the thread title, I thought perhaps someone died.

 

[TheFarmFan]

It's really quite clear:
3. We lose our best outside shooter to counter their inside play.

I missed when Fudd entered the transfer portal.

 

[veryolddog]

Look......SC is not just a good team, they are a great team. Staley and her coaches recruited top notch rebounders and cutters and slashers that are not intimidated by anything with lots of desire and determination in their hearts and minds. And, they really taught them how to play UConn basketball.

A few years ago, I watched UConn play that type of basketball and they marched to the National Championship. They use to throw the opposition out of sorts and ruined their game plan. There is no reason why Connecticut cannot return to UConn style basketball with people who can really fight for a rebound and have cutters and slashers driving toward the basket.

I guess that we have to wait and see.

 

[WFFL]

People are just making up ridiculous rumors on multiple non-creditable websites. We will be back in the F4 and we will take down SC !!!

 

[iri10]

Look......SC is not just a good team, they are a great team. Staley and her coaches recruited top notch rebounders and cutters and slashers that are not intimidated by anything with lots of desire and determination in their hearts and minds. And, they really taught them how to play UConn basketball.

I agree wholeheartedly with the first two sentences of the paragraph. I respectfully must disagree with the 3rd sentence...unless you mean that they're well taught to defensively counter UConn basketball.

No UConn offense has ever resembled the offense of SC's team this year. SC shot 43% from the field for the season, and 37% in the UConn game. They shot over 50% on seven games this year. By comparison, the 2015-2016 UConn offense averaged 53% shooting over the entire season. High percentage shooting is typical for UConn's other championship teams as well.

UConn has had some good slashers and drivers in the past. He's also had some good rebounders and rebounding teams in the past. But Geno has always utilized them differently. He has never built his offense around an unusually high degree of certainty that his team will get the offensive rebound.

The real ancestry of Dawn Staley's offense this year is not any Geno team, but rather that of Pat Summitt. Lest anyone think I'm being dismissive here, I'm not. Because when you have the right personnel to run that style and you're good enough to teach it to them properly, it can be quite effective...as Pat's record and the results of Staley this year show.

As far as Dawn Staley's defense goes, I think that she has a very good grasp of the zeitgeist of the current college basketball game, in terms of what they can do and can't do under the eyes of the refs. She has figured out the exact intensity of defense required to disrupt virtually any offense without getting called for too many fouls. And she's recruited in the correct way to hit that intensity. And that, truly, is to her credit.

 

[Longtime fan]

Look......SC is not just a good team, they are a great team. Staley and her coaches recruited top notch rebounders and cutters and slashers that are not intimidated by anything with lots of desire and determination in their hearts and minds. And, they really taught them how to play UConn basketball.

A few years ago, I watched UConn play that type of basketball and they marched to the National Championship. They use to throw the opposition out of sorts and ruined their game plan. There is no reason why Connecticut cannot return to UConn style basketball with people who can really fight for a rebound and have cutters and slashers driving toward the basket.

I guess that we have to wait and see.

Right as rain. And with their core being the unmatchable Boston, the team becomes unbeatable ( pretty much ). I compare it to when we had Breanna as our core, and surrounded her with the best talent we could find. And we were unbeatable. The truth is ( my opinion ) UCONN upset both NC State and Stanford. NC State because we were "one basket better" after about an hour of play. Stanford had an off day at the worst possible time. If we played them five times, I think they win four. But that happens, and we had a lot to do with it. In the end, we scored more than they did. What I am saying is that this UCONN team over-achieved at the highest level, despite the added loss of Dorka ( which was a huge blow ). Great credit to this team. And, on the right day, they could beat SC. But not often. Not yet.

 

[BBallF]

A real problem in that game was that the refs, probably intimidated by Staley, put a halo on Boston as they did all tournament. She had 3 fouls called against her in 6 games. She shoves and pushes more than anyone in the game right now at that position. If you enforce the rules, she would have been on the bench. We had 4 FTs they had 26. Not possible under any stretch of the imagination unless the refs were both weak and unnerved because of the setting. I am not blaming them for the loss, we were outplayed, but fairness and enforcing the rules of the game would be a nice touch.

 

[BBallF]

I agree wholeheartedly with the first two sentences of the paragraph. I respectfully must disagree with the 3rd sentence...unless you mean that they're well taught to defensively counter UConn basketball.

No UConn offense has ever resembled the offense of SC's team this year. SC shot 43% from the field for the season, and 37% in the UConn game. They shot over 50% on seven games this year. By comparison, the 2015-2016 UConn offense averaged 53% shooting over the entire season. High percentage shooting is typical for UConn's other championship teams as well.

UConn has had some good slashers and drivers in the past. He's also had some good rebounders and rebounding teams in the past. But Geno has always utilized them differently. He has never built his offense around an unusually high degree of certainty that his team will get the offensive rebound.

The real ancestry of Dawn Staley's offense this year is not any Geno team, but rather that of Pat Summitt. Lest anyone think I'm being dismissive here, I'm not. Because when you have the right personnel to run that style and you're good enough to teach it to them properly, it can be quite effective...as Pat's record and the results of Staley this year show.

As far as Dawn Staley's defense goes, I think that she has a very good grasp of the zeitgeist of the current college basketball game, in terms of what they can do and can't do under the eyes of the refs. She has figured out the exact intensity of defense required to disrupt virtually any offense without getting called for too many fouls. And she's recruited in the correct way to hit that intensity. And that, truly, is to her credit.

I'm not giving her recruiting or coaching credit for Boston only getting 3 fouls in 6 games in the NCAA tournament. Rewatch the NC game alone. She has at least 3 before halftime. I'm giving her credit for working the officials before the opening tap and all during the game, weak and less capable refs than in the men's game putting a halo on Boston for the entire tournament, and the tendency for years, perhaps decades, for the refs in the women's games to tolerate far more body contact than the men's game ever would. There needs to be a complete debriefing of these refs of the rules. Restricting movement on cuts, holding your offensive player by hand checks, pushing off with your free hand when dribbling, pushing the opposing player out of position for a rebound, are all fouls. Never called. Yet move 2 inches on a screen and it's an illegal pick. In the NC game, I though I was watching an AAU high school game. Blow the whistle on the obvious stuff, figure out who touched it last, but let the girls play. I am not saying we win that game, but with those absentee refs, we had no chance to even keep it close.

 

[iri10]

I'm not giving her recruiting or coaching credit for Boston only getting 3 fouls in 6 games in the NCAA tournament. Rewatch the NC game alone. She has at least 3 before halftime. I'm giving her credit for working the officials before the opening tap and all during the game, weak and less capable refs than in the men's game putting a halo on Boston for the entire tournament, and the tendency for years, perhaps decades, for the refs in the women's games to tolerate far more body contact than the men's game ever would. There needs to be a complete debriefing of these refs of the rules. Restricting movement on cuts, holding your offensive player by hand checks, pushing off with your free hand when dribbling, pushing the opposing player out of position for a rebound, are all fouls. Never called. Yet move 2 inches on a screen and it's an illegal pick. In the NC game, I though I was watching an AAU high school game. Blow the whistle on the obvious stuff, figure out who touched it last, but let the girls play. I am not saying we win that game, but with those absentee refs, we had no chance to even keep it close.

Lots of truth here, but ultimately it's not Staley's responsibility to reform college basketball - she optimized for the situation that exists. And it's not just her pushing the limits - Paige was bounced around like a pinball in the Stanford game around the perimeter with not a ton of calls.

As I'm pretty sure we've discussed elsewhere, the administrators of the college game should look to the pros for guidelines on how to change the game going forward. I hope they'll see reason because it will make for a more entertaining product.

 

[BBallF]

The beauty and attraction of the women's game was always that is was basketball in its purest form. Now, the NCAA seems hell bent on turning the women's game into a smaller, other gender version of the men's game. The tourney is incredibly exciting. The basketball not so much when it is not grace but brute force and size. Purists like me who grew up with the game are offended by referees changing the game by not enforcing the rules. You are right about the NBA. Really ironic that that is a truer version of basketball now than the college game. They enforce their hand checking rule. Our refs don't. Dribble drive garbage now, not cuts, back doors, motion offenses. Why dribble drive? You can't do anything else when you can't cut or move. All you can do is high post screen and go 1 on 1.

 

[ballerfan]

Right as rain. And with their core being the unmatchable Boston, the team becomes unbeatable ( pretty much ). I compare it to when we had Breanna as our core, and surrounded her with the best talent we could find. And we were unbeatable. The truth is ( my opinion ) UCONN upset both NC State and Stanford. NC State because we were "one basket better" after about an hour of play. Stanford had an off day at the worst possible time. If we played them five times, I think they win four. But that happens, and we had a lot to do with it. In the end, we scored more than they did. What I am saying is that this UCONN team over-achieved at the highest level, despite the added loss of Dorka ( which was a huge blow ). Great credit to this team. And, on the right day, they could beat SC. But not often. Not yet.

As much as I don’t want to agree with you, I agree with a lot of what you’re saying. UConn overachieved. I was impressed and overjoyed that they got to the NC game. Against NCST we needed a 70% Paige (the percentage Dawn gave Paige) to will herself into one of her greatest performances. I give UConn’s defense some credit in keeping Stanford in check, but Stanford was surprisingly passive. Definitely not one of Stanford’s best games.

Where I disagree with many on the BY, I don’t think that SC was an obviously better team than UConn and that SC with Boston was almost unbeatable. True, SC overwhelmed UConn in the fourth quarter in the Bahamas. But it was « hell » for UConn this year. Most people say UConn benefited from Paige’s injury, that it allowed Caroline, for example, to step up and become a star. I disagree.

Paige was out for more than two months and never got back to her pre-injury level. She didn’t have time to fully reintegrate with the rest of the team, which would have improved, maybe not in the same way, even without Paige’s injury. Azzi was out for weeks and didn’t have more time to develop her game (for example, creating her own mid-range shot), and she didn’t have time to create a real Paige and Azzi show. Nika was injured for weeks, and when she got back, she didn’t have time to figure out how best to play with a new team that included Paige. Paige and Nika together on the court last year were a key to the team’s success. If Nika hadn’t got injured last year, UConn might have won the NC. The Nika that played in the Arizona game last year was not the same Nika.

I certainly don’t think the sans Paige lineup that cruised through the BE tournament would have made it to the FF.

I could go on. But imagine a game with a 100% Paige, an Azzi not sick during the final game who had had more time to acclimate to the college game and to playing with Paige, a Dorka without a broken wrist, a Caroline, even a less developed Caroline, not tentative because of a head injury, Liz and E not playing injured, and a Christyn having just a normal, not spectacular, game. Boston was 3 for 8 in the final game. Hardly unstoppable.

Oh, and as much as I admire Dawn, and I do in many ways (she’s a really good person), I believe Geno would have found a way to beat her with a fully healthy team that had had all season to figure out how to play together.

 

[Conndog]

I’m not sure UConn wins against SC even if Paige were 100%, Dorka was available, Azzi wasn’t sick, and Liv was healthy. It would be closer, for sure, but here is the problem- rebounding and aggressive play. Except for Paige at times, who on UConn would you describe as an aggressive player? The game that our guards play is stay outside and take the outside shot- Paige and Caroline go inside sometimes but not enough. The team generally doesn’t crash the boards. SC has been taught to have everyone go after the ball.

Also, the tendency to reduce who plays hurts us most in these tough games. Yes, injuries and health hurt us there, but look at how much time Piath and Amari got during the season during blowouts, when they could have gotten some meaningful game experience. As a result, they just aren’t developed enough to contribute, and how exhausted team was by end of game, because subs that could play just weren’t ready. How long did it take to put Caroline into the game? What matters if next year the team is 9-10 deep if during crunch time it’ll again be just 6 or maybe 7 playing? Develop the whole team during the season so that in big games they can try other personnel, who knows who might be hot? Who knows when someone may be injured or sick or get into foul trouble for a big game and a sub needs to play- will they be ready? Get everyone ready, but that only happens if they play during the season, and not just during the last couple of minutes in a blowout.

 

[ballerfan]

I’m not sure UConn wins against SC even if Paige were 100%, Dorka was available, Azzi wasn’t sick, and Liv was healthy. It would be closer, for sure, but here is the problem- rebounding and aggressive play. Except for Paige at times, who on UConn would you describe as an aggressive player? The game that our guards play is stay outside and take the outside shot- Paige and Caroline go inside sometimes but not enough. The team generally doesn’t crash the boards. SC has been taught to have everyone go after the ball.

Also, the tendency to reduce who plays hurts us most in these tough games. Yes, injuries and health hurt us there, but look at how much time Piath and Amari got during the season during blowouts, when they could have gotten some meaningful game experience. As a result, they just aren’t developed enough to contribute, and how exhausted team was by end of game, because subs that could play just weren’t ready. How long did it take to put Caroline into the game? What matters if next year the team is 9-10 deep if during crunch time it’ll again be just 6 or maybe 7 playing? Develop the whole team during the season so that in big games they can try other personnel, who knows who might be hot? Who knows when someone may be injured or sick or get into foul trouble for a big game and a sub needs to play- will they be ready? Get everyone ready, but that only happens if they play during the season, and not just during the last couple of minutes in a blowout.

I agree with everything you’re saying. I « liked » your post.

The point of my post was this sentence: « I don’t think that SC was an obviously better team than UConn and that SC with Boston was almost unbeatable. » The two most important words are « obviously better. »

How good UConn would have been without the injuries and with a full season playing together, I don’t know for sure, but better than they were during the NC game. A fully healthy UConn is better in some respects and worse in other respects than SC. Poor rebounding, as you said, made it much more difficult for UConn to win.

I, too, have been thinking about the lack of aggressiveness, and I think you’re absolutely right. Paige before her injury was aggressive but less so, understandably, after she came back. I’m hoping she’ll be back to normal next season.

The aggressiveness award goes to Nika. Her fierce playing style might be one reason why UConn plays well when Nika and Paige are on the floor together. Maybe the whole team should watch the Last Dance repeatedly this summer. Rodman is Nika’s favorite player.

Also agree that we need a bigger rotation. I have high hopes for Amari. Not yet aggressive but definitely fearless.

 

[Bald Husky]

Look, we can go around and debate what would have happened if there was no sickness or injuries leading up to the NC game. It doesn't matter, SC was on a mission and obviously was the better team. Talk is cheap, so we should just think about next year. Luckily, we play them next year, so that is the target game to reclaim our reputation as one of the all-time bests. Although this years game was cancelled, I believe the game will be at home. Hopefully no injuries, and we can look forward to playing the top teams without worrying if we have a chance or not. Considering what we went through, we should be calling this year a success. Next year we will play SC again, the evil Tennessee, Texas, and ND. I'm looking forward to that, so now lets forget about crying about this year and start talking, and embracing, next years team. If Geno can get someone exciting from the Portal it will be exciting to talk about, as well as watching them play for our University. I'm proud of our accomplishments this past season, and I will proudly wear my "Everybody Eats" tee shirt during the summer months. Go Huskies!!

 

[baggerbob]

Lots of truth here, but ultimately it's not Staley's responsibility to reform college basketball - she optimized for the situation that exists. And it's not just her pushing the limits - Paige was bounced around like a pinball in the Stanford game around the perimeter with not a ton of calls.

As I'm pretty sure we've discussed elsewhere, the administrators of the college game should look to the pros for guidelines on how to change the game going forward. I hope they'll see reason because it will make for a more entertaining product.

Since Dawn has been coach 1 player has been a star in the WNBA, her and Vic's style doesn't translate well to the WNBA. If that doesn't change players will start to go elsewhere.
Last year's 1st pick had to be one of the worst of all time. The best teams spread the floor, and you have to guard everyone.
You also have the 3 second rule on defense, if you aren't guarding someone a technical, one shot and the ball.

 

[ballerfan]

Look, we can go around and debate what would have happened if there was no sickness or injuries leading up to the NC game. It doesn't matter, SC was on a mission and obviously was the better team. Talk is cheap, so we should just think about next year. Luckily, we play them next year, so that is the target game to reclaim our reputation as one of the all-time bests. Although this years game was cancelled, I believe the game will be at home. Hopefully no injuries, and we can look forward to playing the top teams without worrying if we have a chance or not. Considering what we went through, we should be calling this year a success. Next year we will play SC again, the evil Tennessee, Texas, and ND. I'm looking forward to that, so now lets forget about crying about this year and start talking, and embracing, next years team. If Geno can get someone exciting from the Portal it will be exciting to talk about, as well as watching them play for our University. I'm proud of our accomplishments this past season, and I will proudly wear my "Everybody Eats" tee shirt during the summer months. Go Huskies!!

I don’t understand the point of your post, but whatever. It would make my life easier if you told me up front what I should and should not write about.

I was not crying about this season, and I did not complain about or insult the team or any player. I said « I was impressed and overjoyed that they got to the NC game. »

 

[jdote33]

Heading into the tournament, I just couldn't see our team really struggling offensively. I thought if Azzi, Paige, and Caroline were on the floor we should be able to generate some offense. Unfortunately, those 3 didn't really get much time together and as most have stated probably did not really get a chance to build chemistry this season.
I really do think those 3 will be great. So I'm hoping the next two years will be about us having those 3 and the rest of the country doesn't. This probably can be a separate thread but I wonder if Azzi and CD can make a jump like kls and Phee did their sophomore year. I looked it up earlier today and both averaged 20 which is sort of insane at UConn.
I'm hoping years down the line without remembering all the details we will scratch our heads and think how did a team with those 3 only score 49 points in a championship game. The same way I still don't really recall or understand how the team lost in 01.
And not to belabor the point, but I agree with some of the posts about the impact of shortening the rotation. Admittedly I didn't always watch the team as closely as I did this year but is this something Geno does? Tbh, it makes me, just my opinion as a fan, not want to go after players in the portal. If PB and will play 40 minutes and AE will most likely play 30. Between the rest of the team is 90 minutes and I really want all CD, Dorka, and NM to play. They will commit dumb fouls, brick layups, and force shots but hopefully they can play through them. If Geno is going to go to a short rotation no matter what come big games (even vs SC in the Bahamas) or tournament time, it would be cool to reward the players who stepped up in the stars absence this season. In fairness to Geno, I did see Tara shorten her rotation as well.

 

[VAUConnFan]

Since Dawn has been coach 1 player has been a star in the WNBA, her and Vic's style doesn't translate well to the WNBA. If that doesn't change players will start to go elsewhere.
Last year's 1st pick had to be one of the worst of all time. The best teams spread the floor, and you have to guard everyone.
You also have the 3 second rule on defense, if you aren't guarding someone a technical, one shot and the ball.

Hypothetically, how many WNBA stars would Coach Auriemma have produced in his first 14 seasons in Storrs? South Carolina has produced as many WNBA Rookies of the Year as the storied program at Stanford, and one more than Notre Dame. There are, likely, a number of factors at play when young ladies choose to matriculate at South Carolina. Good players will make it to the WNBA regardless of where they played their college ball, and great players will become great pros regardless of where they developed their skills in college.

 

[Bald Husky]

I don’t understand the point of your post, but whatever. It would make my life easier if you told me up front what I should and should not write about.

I was not crying about this season, and I did not complain about or insult the team or any player. I said « I was impressed and overjoyed that they got to the NC game. »

This has nothing to do with you or anyone else specifically, I was talking in general. I was trying to say that instead of going over and over again about what happened last year, we should look to next year, and the new expectations of our team. Hoping for no injuries, new players, and the chance to play the top teams, SC included, at full strength. No complaining, and I don't know why you thought I was talking about you. So lets try this again, Go Huskies!!

 

[#12in21]

This has nothing to do with you or anyone else specifically, I was talking in general. I was trying to say that instead of going over and over again about what happened last year, we should look to next year, and the new expectations of our team. Hoping for no injuries, new players, and the chance to play the top teams, SC included, at full strength. No complaining, and I don't know why you thought I was talking about you. So lets try this again, Go Huskies!!

Haven't actually read through this whole thread just took a look a couple times, so I am somewhat with you on rehashing ad nauseam what transpired this season but given that the thread is titled 'POST MORTEM' you kinda have to expect that.

 

[ballerfan]

This has nothing to do with you or anyone else specifically, I was talking in general. I was trying to say that instead of going over and over again about what happened last year, we should look to next year, and the new expectations of our team. Hoping for no injuries, new players, and the chance to play the top teams, SC included, at full strength. No complaining, and I don't know why you thought I was talking about you. So lets try this again, Go Huskies!!

Hi Bald Huskie. Thanks for responding, and I’m glad you were not talking specifically about me. Your post came immediately after mine, which was my second post about UConn and the 2021-22 season.

It was my understanding that this thread, postmortem, was for people who wanted to talk about the season that just ended. Your criticizing the debate about what might have happened rubbed me the wrong way, because that’s what I wanted to talk about. I was trying to express my view that UConn was a great team that could have won and that SC with Boston was not so overwhelmingly dominant that they couldn’t have been beaten. For me this evaluation of the past was an important first step in explaining my belief that UConn doesn’t need major changes next year to win. An extra guard and big from the portal might help, but our current team, when healthy, is amazing. Just my opinion, of course.

As I misunderstood what you said and given that I otherwise enjoy reading your posts, I’m going to forget this unnecessary tiff. Go Huskies. Bonne journée à toi.

 

[hoophuskee]

Heading into the tournament, I just couldn't see our team really struggling offensively. I thought if Azzi, Paige, and Caroline were on the floor we should be able to generate some offense. Unfortunately, those 3 didn't really get much time together and as most have stated probably did not really get a chance to build chemistry this season.
I really do think those 3 will be great. So I'm hoping the next two years will be about us having those 3 and the rest of the country doesn't. This probably can be a separate thread but I wonder if Azzi and CD can make a jump like kls and Phee did their sophomore year. I looked it up earlier today and both averaged 20 which is sort of insane at UConn.
I'm hoping years down the line without remembering all the details we will scratch our heads and think how did a team with those 3 only score 49 points in a championship game. The same way I still don't really recall or understand how the team lost in 01.
And not to belabor the point, but I agree with some of the posts about the impact of shortening the rotation. Admittedly I didn't always watch the team as closely as I did this year but is this something Geno does? Tbh, it makes me, just my opinion as a fan, not want to go after players in the portal. If PB and Azzi Fudd will play 40 minutes and AE will most likely play 30. Between the rest of the team is 90 minutes and I really want all CD, Dorka, and NM to play. They will commit dumb fouls, brick layups, and force shots but hopefully they can play through them. If Geno is going to go to a short rotation no matter what come big games (even vs SC in the Bahamas) or tournament time, it would be cool to reward the players who stepped up in the stars absence this season. In fairness to Geno, I did see Tara shorten her rotation as well.

They all do it. Here are the champion teams before UCONN won 3 straight in early 2000's. It's a myth that "you need fresh legs." It's just that we're fans that like to see our favorite players play. But here it is:


Baylor 2005 4 players played 32-36 minutes in a blowout.

Maryland 2006 5 players played 36-43 minutes. Game went OT.

Tenn 2007 5 players played 32-39 minutes.

Tenn 2008 3 players played 37-39 minutes.

UCONN 2009 4 players played 33-38 minutes in semifinal

UCONN 2010 3 players played 36-38 minutes.

Tex A&M 2011 3 players played 38-40 minutes.

Baylor 2012 3 players played 35-39 minutes.

UCONN 2013 in Semis 2 players played 35 and 37 minutes.

UCONN 2014 4 players played 38-39 minutes.

UCONN 2015 4 players played 39-40 minutes.

UCONN 2016 4 players played 37-39 minutes.

S. Carol 2017 3 players played 34-37 minutes.

N Dame 2018 4 players played 32-39 minutes

Baylor 2019 3 players played 37-40 minutes.

Stanford 2021 In Finals, Semis, and E8 Stanford pg played 40 minutes in each. Lexie Hull played 33 minutes 38, and 39 in the 3 games as well.

S. Carol 2022 In E8 SC played 4 players 33-36 minutes. Vs Louisville 3 players played 33-38 minutes. VS UCONN SC had 2 players play 34-35 minutes. While UCONN used their bench for 61 minutes vs 47 minutes vs SC. DeBerry only played 4. Did UCONN "wear down" SC?

 

[Littlemin]

They all do it. Here are the champion teams before UCONN won 3 straight in early 2000's. It's a myth that "you need fresh legs." It's just that we're fans that like to see our favorite players play. But here it is:


Baylor 2005 4 players played 32-36 minutes in a blowout.

Maryland 2006 5 players played 36-43 minutes. Game went OT.

Tenn 2007 5 players played 32-39 minutes.

Tenn 2008 3 players played 37-39 minutes.

UCONN 2009 4 players played 33-38 minutes in semifinal

UCONN 2010 3 players played 36-38 minutes.

Tex A&M 2011 3 players played 38-40 minutes.

Baylor 2012 3 players played 35-39 minutes.

UCONN 2013 in Semis 2 players played 35 and 37 minutes.

UCONN 2014 4 players played 38-39 minutes.

UCONN 2015 4 players played 39-40 minutes.

UCONN 2016 4 players played 37-39 minutes.

S. Carol 2017 3 players played 34-37 minutes.

N Dame 2018 4 players played 32-39 minutes

Baylor 2019 3 players played 37-40 minutes.

Stanford 2021 In Finals, Semis, and E8 Stanford pg played 40 minutes in each. Lexie Hull played 33 minutes 38, and 39 in the 3 games as well.

S. Carol 2022 In E8 SC played 4 players 33-36 minutes. Vs Louisville 3 players played 33-38 minutes. VS UCONN SC had 2 players play 34-35 minutes. While UCONN used their bench for 61 minutes vs 47 minutes vs SC. DeBerry only played 4. Did UCONN "wear down" SC?

No, it has nothing to do with fresh legs or favorite players; Uconn had a team clicking on all cylinders that Auriemma praised to high heaven and he still chose to break up that team for the NCAAs.
Funny, all the fans who insisted he had to do that in order to WIN the championship, now are filled with excuses and rationale why they weren’t good enough to do that with the team they put on the court.
No one will ever know what the outcome would have been had he left the team that was playing so well prior to the NCAAs intact but the fact is he did what he did and they ran into a well coached tough minded team that completely took the game to Uconn in the finals and Uconn had very few answers. All the posts in the world is not going to change that because lists of minutes played has absolutely nothing to do with putting your best team on the floor. I don’t think he did, others may disagree.