Postgame: Too much[merged thread]

[SECbbfan24]

I really don't like Walkers shot, its very flat

 

[UConnCat]

MW was tentative? I listened more than I watched so I may have missed things, but I saw her getting wide open shots and just not making them.

Yes, I do think she was tentative in taking those shots. She didn't play or shoot confidently tonight and i don't understand that. She's a better shooter than she showed.

 

[nwhoopfan]

A loss like this was due for UCONN after struggling against much worse teams.

Agreed. They've been flirting with this for a good chunk of the season.

 

[WNBA 09]

Never seen landrum ever shoot that well. Nalyssa smith was a difference maker .

 

[Charliebball]

The bench got minutes, as folks have been clamoring.

ONO was way too thin to be in this game. Camara provided some physicality which was fine, but showed she was overmatched with those 3 fouls in a few minutes. And I dont know that Coombs did much.
They provided some rest and mental breaks for players who needed it like CW, but they're not up to it.

did you think they were going to out perform the starters tonight? You can't just throw them out there after barely playing and expect a master class performance...................the bench has to be used consistently in a variety of situations in order to have a chance at a good result...............

 

[Los24]

Kalani Brown had 20 points. Expected her to score in close but how many of those came on long uncontested 2’s. We didn’t start guarding her outside until late in the game.

I agree, I didn't understand why they left her alone at the top for so long?

 

[DaBball]

Kalani Brown had 20 points. Expected her to score in close but how many of those came on long uncontested 2’s. We didn’t start guarding her outside until late in the game.

She hit swished multiple of those against Oregon State last season until Gulich decided to play her tighter.

 

[PAHuskeyFan]

Never seen landrum ever shoot that well. Nalyssa smith was a difference maker .

and from the announcers, Brown doesn't make shots from the top of the key, etc, etc, etc. Baylor made the shots, UCONN didn't... either because of BU's Defense, UCONN's rushing the shots, or it was just a crappy shooting game.

 

[Plebe]

A loss like this was due for UCONN after struggling against much worse teams. Huskies need more from Walker/ONO going forward. The offense just looked awful, shots were missed but played rarely looked in rhythm. Theyll still be a strong title favorite.

Going forward I don't think this changes anything for UCONN, they still are the likely lock for a #1 seed in Albany. Baylor should be in line for a #1 if they win out the rest of the way.

I really can't say I consider UConn a strong title favorite. When you consider all the data points from this young season, the win over Notre Dame is the outlier. The games against St. John's, Oklahoma, Cal and now Baylor constitute a preponderance of the evidence at this point.

In terms of tournament seeding, much will hinge at this point on whether UConn loses any more games. If UConn fails to beat Louisville, then Notre Dame might turn out to be its only top-20 win. Not sure that wins over DePaul, South Carolina and UCF will make a strong enough resume to secure a #1 seed (of course, much will depend on what the other teams do).

 

[bantamlaker]

Really? Many here on the BY thought that was the game plan for tonight so why didn’t they do it. They didn’t even put much pressure on late in the game when down 8-10 points.

 

[BackBay]

Good to see Camara play. She's raw, but she can match up physically with anyone. This team needs someone who can do the "dirty work".

 

[willtalk]

I thought the key was the defense Didi Richards played on KLS. The one sequence when Katie had her mini scoring streak was when they took Richards off her and put Cox on. Richards went back on her and put pressure on her the entire second half. Katie then began to force her shots.

 

[Los24]

A talented team at home that was motivated after a loss and needed this win to have a chance at a 1 seed in March beat us.

Baylor deserves the win but I can see UConn beating them too. Just as we beat ND in regular season and lost in FF last year because the game went different. That said, I thought we can defend them good enough to win, but our offense needs to stay more fluid against these type of teams. Low assists, no fast breaks and low points in paint will need to be remedied.

 

[BackBay]

The Louisville game will be critical in terms of getting possibly the last #1 seed.

 

[Wbbfan1]

My last comment on this game is that I think if the Game is played in Storrs, UConn would have won by double digits. UConn's defense for the most part was good enough to win the game. UConn's shooting was so far off from their normal season average, that caused the loss. Probably doesn't happen in CT.

Still the team need to play Baylor to see what they'll face in the tournament. To win the National Championship they'll most likely have to beat team(s) with size similar to Baylor. I can forecast having to beat Baylor, Miss St and/or Stanford to win the National Championship.

 

[msf22b]

This evening, one of my fears came true
That at this stage of the season; UConn is just not a great team.
A good team, that can be bailed out by great and/or clutch shooting.

But a team that can be manhandled.

A team in which the starting 5 is not completely integrated (as I've said before).
-My impression (need to watch/listen again) is that Baylor challenged Megan to shoot at the outset...and she did and missed; didn't rebound particularly well either...
-Ms Williams was MIA for a lot of the game...she's a freshman, happens
-The seniors tried to win the game by themselves; a bad formula for success.
-Baylor had a reasonable defensive scheme and it worked well; might have been less effective if UConn hit a normal % of shots.
-The bench played a bit but didn't contribute much...hard to blame them, they see so little prime time...it was almost desperation city to be expecting much.

The real question is: can Geno take this gifted but disparate bunch
(including the bench) and make them into a great team?

Stay tuned (I wouldn't just count him out yet).

 

[Jlong231]

did you think they were going to out perform the starters tonight? You can't just throw them out there after barely playing and expect a master class performance....the bench has to be used consistently in a variety of situations in order to have a chance at a good result.....

Exactly, this has been my point, they have to continually see consistent minutes, rather they are doing good are not, so they can get more game experience, and give the starters more then a few mins of rest, the starters, mainly Lou and phee will be worn out about time tourney comes around, because they more then anybody do so much, and teams will focus on them the most.

 

[Vowelguy]

Good to see Camara play. She's raw, but she can match up physically with anyone.

She got 3 fouls in 300 seconds of play.

 

[bballnut90]

I really can't say I consider UConn a strong title favorite. When you consider all the data points from this young season, the win over Notre Dame is the outlier. The games against St. John's, Oklahoma, Cal and now Baylor constitute a preponderance of the evidence at this point.

In terms of tournament seeding, much will hinge at this point on whether UConn loses any more games. If UConn fails to beat Louisville, then Notre Dame might turn out to be its only top-20 win. Not sure that wins over DePaul, South Carolina and UCF will make a strong enough resume to secure a #1 seed (of course, much will depend on what the other teams do).

Strong title favorite may be generous, but I'd still put money on UCONN over any other team in the tournament right now.

I'm guessing this loss may wake up a few players on this team to work a little harder and play with more urgency. This is one of the first groups I've seen from Geno where the team chemistry doesn't look like it has gelled yet. The talent is there and if any of UCONN's players shot a little better (or in CW's case, looked for her shot more), then UCONN could've won this game.

Overall this season is a lot more wide open than I think a lot of people expected it to be. Guessing it'll balance out as the season continues and we'll see a more established hierarchy emerge, but I don't see any team being head and shoulders better than any other top 5-10 team.

 

[IrishTiger]

My last comment on this game is that I think if the Game is played in Storrs, UConn would have won by double digits. UConn's defense for the most part was good enough to win the game. UConn's shooting was so far off from their normal season average, that caused the loss. Probably doesn't happen in CT.

Still the team need to play Baylor to see what they'll face in the tournament. To win the National Championship they'll most likely have to beat team(s) with size similar to Baylor. I can forecast having to beat Baylor, Miss St and/or Stanford to win the National Championship.

I’d Put ND in that category of teams they’d have to beat also in order to win it all.

 

[willtalk]

Players will always have off shooting night. The thing about Uconn this season is that they are thinner than normal off the bench. Having a good bench is the best insurance against key players having an off shooting night. Combine and off night with good defense and this is the type of result you can expect.

 

[PAHuskeyFan]

Strong title favorite may be generous, but I'd still put money on UCONN over any other team in the tournament right now.

I'm guessing this loss may wake up a few players on this team to work a little harder and play with more urgency. This is one of the first groups I've seen from Geno where the team chemistry doesn't look like it has gelled yet. The talent is there and if any of UCONN's players shot a little better (or in CW's case, looked for her shot more), then UCONN could've won this game.

Overall this season is a lot more wide open than I think a lot of people expected it to be. Guessing it'll balance out as the season continues and we'll see a more established hierarchy emerge, but I don't see any team being head and shoulders better than any other top 5-10 team.

I agree... 29% shooting ain't gonna get it done. Lou and Pheesa both had double doubles, but neither shot well enough to carry the team...but IF they could have have hit let's say 30 or 40percent of the shots they missed, the seniors could have made up the deficit. I still believe this team will be there at the end of the season. As much as I and many others hated the thread about a "loss at Baylor could be the best thing..." blah blah... it's happened, and there is no choice but to learn from it and move on. I love our Huskies and I will support them to the end!

 

[uconnfan68]

She got 3 fouls in 300 seconds of play.

2 were cheap.

 

[Charliebball]

I never expected this year's team to get through the season undefeated, heck they many very well lose another game before the season is over..................hopefully this regular loss will be a "freeing" experience for them..................the sun will still rise, the birds will sing and Geno will employ every psychological angle he has to build them back up as a better team going forward........

 

[WLT1717]

Agree on the defense all things considered. This team won't win a game like this without MW and CW playing aggressively and making shots. Both were way too tentative offensively.

Nailed it.