Providence Post-Game Thread | Page 3 | The Boneyard

Providence Post-Game Thread

Tonyc said:
I dont think there are any teams that give UConn a punch right now. If we stay healthy and out of alot of foul trouble I dont think there is a team that can stay within 10 pts of us. We have 8-10 players with no let up. Edwards and Liv are at a new level. Dorka is playing like an AA. our guards can all lite it up. You win a NC with good guards and we have a bunch of 'em. To play UConn as they begin to peak is pure Hell.

Some fans who like t stir the pot are talking about playing a good team. Well Depaul Creighton and Nova are good teams and UConn handled them. If your talking about SC or Stanford well that may happen in the NCAA FF. Understand what we have here. I dont understand how after watching this team which isnt at full strength yet destroy teams how you could even think they dont have a chance to win it all. I sincerely believe that UConn should beat any team in WBB by double digits and it may not be close. I know there are some really really good teams out there, but they are no way at UConns level.
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The potential irony of this season is that it's possible that we end the season with the best team in the country but without a single All-American, given all the injuries that we've had.
 
JonathanXIV said:
The potential irony of this season is that it's possible that we end the season with the best team in the country but without a single All-American, given all the injuries that we've ha
JonathanXIV said:
The potential irony of this season is that it's possible that we end the season with the best team in the country but without a single All-American, given all the injuries that we've had.
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You know I was just thinking about that. Most teams and fans have no idea how good UConn is right now and by the time they realize it....well its gonna be to late. It will be interesting to see what the selection committee does
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This thought occurred to me watching Friday's game and today's game only reinforced it. Let's face it, this season has been a slog. Every time we thought the sun was about to break through the clouds, another thundercloud rolled in. A seemingly endless series of injuries, constantly playing shorthanded, and never able to put the same team out on the floor for 3 games in a row. Not even having enough players to practice. It was tough to watch at times, I can only imagine how difficult it was for the players.

Now, finally, on the least week of the season we have everyone (save Aubrey, who has never played this season) back and on the court. The clouds have parted and we are beginning to see what this UConn team is capable of.

Anyway, that's a long setup for my observation. Sure, a full, healthy lineup is playing with intensity and effort, confident that everyone on the court is capable of making a contribution. But they are also playing with something else. Specifically, joy. They are playing with a sense of joy; they are playing as if they are remembering how much fun it is to play this game with your best friends, doing what they do best with those they care the most about. All of them, even those who haven't been injured or missed games, are playing like a weight has been lifted. And they are playing with an energy and effort and passion that is a revelation. And with smiles on their faces. It's wonderful to see. And no group deserves it more. Here's to another four weeks of joyful play.
 
Tonyc said:
I dont think there are any teams that give UConn a punch right now. If we stay healthy and out of alot of foul trouble I dont think there is a team that can stay within 10 pts of us. We have 8-10 players with no let up. Edwards and Liv are at a new level. Dorka is playing like an AA. our guards can all lite it up. You win a NC with good guards and we have a bunch of 'em. To play UConn as they begin to peak is pure Hell.

Some fans who like t stir the pot are talking about playing a good team. Well Depaul Creighton and Nova are good teams and UConn handled them. If your talking about SC or Stanford well that may happen in the NCAA FF. Understand what we have here. I dont understand how after watching this team which isnt at full strength yet destroy teams how you could even think they dont have a chance to win it all. I sincerely believe that UConn should beat any team in WBB by double digits and it may not be close. I know there are some really really good teams out there, but they are no way at UConns level.
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Agree Tony, but I think Villanova, Creighton, Depaul or Marquette, while not having near our talent, could come out strong and give us a run for a quarter or two (assuming they start hot and we start cold). I actually think it would be good for us..
 
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Totally agree with EricLA about Evina. If you don't shoot in a game you don't make up for it in practice and come out next game and be on. Shooting in a game is just different. This is especially true for her after her 17 point groove game. I am happy she took 13 shots today and kept on shooting it but no AWOLs from here on in please. If she is a scorer in our remaining games, I'm talking in the 10-12 point range, I don't think we lose. She does so many other important things but those points can be the margin of victory. Today's game was all about defense. The switching, the shot blocking, the deflections, the rebounding. It was pure UCONN. Shut them down, go on your run and Katie bar the door!
 
As great as this is, I think we go to mainly an 8 player rotation in the big dance. Maybe 10 minutes for player #9. They are all in shape except Paige and hopefully Paige will be there soon. That's an optimal rotation for this team. We need the rotation to be sharp and it's not going to be optimal unless they all get at least 25 minutes.
 
Maybe it's just my imagination but I'm wondering if Caroline is looking at the current depth and is thinking she needs to get at least some PT as a 4 going forward. She's focusing more on rebounding and on this team, she helps us more posting up instead of shooting 3 pointers. I'd like to see Paige, Azzi and CW take the 3s and everyone else hit the boards. It just makes sense for Dorka and all the bigs getting rebound positioning, knowing when Paige, Azzi and CW are going to shoot from outside. Those offensive rebounds make a world of difference.
 
I have just a few points:

Right now, among Liv, Dorka, and Aaliyah, at least one of them will have a very good game. After the last few years' angst about the lack of bigs on the Boneyard, that should be comforting to many.

Azzi cutting to the basket from the elbow and taking the bounce pass from a big is money, Dorka hit her twice and Amari once today, and I think it happened twice last game. I dunno just what makes it happen; I'm sure PC was "prepared" for it, but couldn't do anything about it.

I said it before the season and it's finally come to pass: The great thing about this deep team is that with so many different styles among the players, it's difficult for opponents to prepare. I kind of like the almost hockey-style subs Geno has done the last couple of games. The team plays very differently both ways depending on the lineups. As Tonyc among other posters say, it's a matchup nightmare.
 
Littlemin said:
I would give Bueckers a break, the better part of 3 months idle, she seems to be properly easing back in. She is moving very well and that is a big part of coming back from such a long injury layoff. She is very intelligently not trying to do too much, too soon.
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79 days.
 
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Ozimoto said:
I think the second half was used by Geno to work on stuff hence the apparent loss of efficiency/intensity. For instance, not as much on ball pressure and stifling man to man and more of a match up zone look defense.

Nika got knocked around a bit in the second half and she was favoring and ankle. Hope it was just a tweak and doesn't result in more of an aggravation of her on going ankle issues (hopefully no off season surgery needed like Lou had to go through).
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Paige had off season ankle surgery this past summer.
 
Surly1 said:
While DT was an incredible player in her UConn days, and as great as she was, she could never thread the needle like Paige. In fact, Paige is making the full court pass seem commonplace. It’s not the first time she has displayed an insane level of touch on those heaves. I think today’s was the most impressive yet, given she a tiny window to get the pass over a defender and into Christyn’s hands. Also, consider she’s played a little more than 20 minutes over the past 2 months and the pass becomes even more incredulous.

Her skill level, court awareness, timing, exuberance is beyond compare, but her court personality and supreme confidence in herself draws one comparison - Diana Taurasi.
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You might want to watch the 2003 Final Four game vs Texas. Diana had some great passes including one amazing pass to Willnett from half court that she shot from the hip. It was incredible.

Uconn fans have been very lucky to see such amazingly talented players through the years
 
HuskyNan said:
You might want to watch the 2003 Final Four game vs Texas. Diana had some great passes including one amazing pass to Willnett from half court that she shot from the hip. It was incredible. Uconn fans have been very lucky to see such amazingly talented players through the years
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Just the first 14 seconds of this video will convince them.
 
Surly1 said:
today’s was the most impressive yet, given she a tiny window to get the pass over a defender and into Christyn’s hands.
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Truly a football p[lay
QB throws a 35 yard TD pass to a streaking wide-out
She understood, signaled touchdown.
 
Redux said:
What might make more sense is to read a few of them over time, note the poster names, keep track. You may find some of them are consistently giving you better than you get from typical newspaper articles.
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I have read them, and I read 3 or 4 different news feeds, I watch the games, and other teams. I listen to the announcers...from my point of view, they are excessive in content. If I want to read a novel, I buy a John Grisham book.
 
CocoHusky said:
Just the first 14 seconds of this video will convince them.
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What a "sick" video. I couldn't pull away from watching the whole thing. DT is just "crazy." How lucky have us Husky fans been?

Back to this team-- I'm starting to scream and yell much more like what I did several years ago for several players instead of just 1 or 2. There's a feel of "craziness" settling in like the past. Can't wait for UCONN to face a top ten team. I believe UCONN deserves a 2 seed and shouldn't be in the South Carolina or Stanford bracket but whatever bracket - whoever UCONN faces - can't wait to see what "this current team" will show. Win or lose -even if they play SC or Stanford in round of 16 or whatever- who cares. Who cares about consecutive FF's.
 
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CocoHusky said:
Just the first 14 seconds of this video will convince them.
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That is a crazy video, a wonderful compilation of great and off the chart college and mostly professional-era plays by DT. I'd bet if Paige is fortunate enough to play another 18 to 20 years, her video will look every bit as good.

I got a special kick out of the play in which Diana fires to ball off the fallen opponent to deflect it out of bounds. That was eye-catching, and reflects a bit of DT's personality. It surely looked like she could have even more easily have just passed it to her teammate standing 10 feet away.

Anyway, CocoHusky, I have always ranked Diana as one of the all-time greats. The video convinces me she also has been capable of some darned amazing plays.
 
Redux said:
What might make more sense is to read a few of them over time, note the poster names, keep track. You may find some of them are consistently giving you better than you get from typical newspaper articles.
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Yeah, I always want to know what @oldude and @Eric have to say.
 
oldude said:
No worries. Paige hasn't forgotten how to shoot the ball. Today it appeared that she was focused on distributing the basketball. As for the competition, the semis and finals of the BE tournament will both be competitive games and the Big Dance will force the Huskies to play progressively stronger competition each and every game, just like every year, something that Geno and his coaching staff are as good at preparing for as any staff in basketball.
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I guess I am talking about the offensive aggressiveness. Her " Minnesota Nice" personality makes her less aggressive when the score is lopsided. Its a habit.
I would just like to see it before we are down 15 in a FF game as she and ( Fudd) are our two best weapons.
The Iowa game today was a textbook case of an extremely aggressive offensive player, who got 11 dimes too.
 
Surly1 said:
While DT was an incredible player in her UConn days, and as great as she was, she could never thread the needle like Paige. In fact, Paige is making the full court pass seem commonplace. It’s not the first time she has displayed an insane level of touch on those heaves. I think today’s was the most impressive yet, given she a tiny window to get the pass over a defender and into Christyn’s hands. Also, consider she’s played a little more than 20 minutes over the past 2 months and the pass becomes even more incredulous.

Her skill level, court awareness, timing, exuberance is beyond compare, but her court personality and supreme confidence in herself draws one comparison - Diana Taurasi.
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DT most certainly could pass like that since day one at UConn..in fact Geno said she kept hitting kids in the head at practice cuz they weren't expecting the pass.this with the great teammates she had..and she's still passing like that now
 
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CocoHusky said:
Just the first 14 seconds of this video will convince them.
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Not a fair comparison with mostly clips of DT pro ball. We don't know about the future, and Paige may never become as good as Diana, but she is certainly as good if not better as a "freshman" (played only a few games as a soph then injured)
 
CocoHusky said:
I'm not seeing things the same way you do. It won't be this year for Piath, so hopefully next year. Piath still has a substantial way to go to become an impact post for UCONN.
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I agree with you about this year for Piath. But I have to say I am impressed a little bit more each time I see her play. People can say "yeah, but it's against weak players." Maybe, but that ball moves. She is quick to shoot and keeps it above her head. I was surprised to see her dribble today and she did that okay. I'm starting to think that she will emerge next year as a strong post player.
 
browns said:
Well Clarke and Boston are locks an probably Morrow that only leaves 2 spots
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There are 15 A/A spots I think.

And 1st team A/a in one service gives 10 players 1st team A/A status.
 
hoophuskee said:
There are 15 A/A spots I think.

And 1st team A/a in one service gives 10 players 1st team A/A status.
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Won't be any AA this year.. when's the last time that happened
 
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