Putting UConn Women's Basketball in Perspective

[tomcat]

I was reminded how fortunate we are to be able to see the high level of basketball displayed by the UConn women when a friend and I took in the Arizona State-Texas/ElPaso women's game at ASU this week. It was a close game, wikth ASU pulling it out with a three-pointer at the end, but I realized that UConn would demolish either of these teams easily. I'd say ASU, which is taller, would lose by at least 20 to UConn and UTEP by at least 30. The game was fun, within limits, but it's nothing like Big East bball.

 

[EricLA]

it will be really interesting to see UCONN face the other top 10 teams on our schedule - i think in hindsight aTm is not really a top 10 team, but surely a top 20 team that UCONN crushed. i still think ND is really good and we could play Stanford 10 times and none of those wins would be blowouts (IMHO)...

depending on how we do against teams like RU, Duke, Louisville, Georgetown, Depaul and of course ND, there are very few teams out there who will play UCONN close. my point is that outside of the top 4-5 teams, i'm not sure there is a team out there that UCONN doesn't probably blow out on most nights.

this year i think there is some parity at the top. next year, Baylor and UCONN will be light years ahead of everyone else except for maybe Duke talent-wise (you could probably put 4-5 teams in the next tier), but the quality of the teams at the very top will be significantly better than the teams not named UCONN or Baylor...

 

[tomcat]

Eric, I think you're exactly right. The Notre Dame game will tell us a lot about UConn's strength relative to other teams and the rest of the Big East. Duke will be an interesting game as well. As for Stanford, they seem to be coming together as the year progresses, but have their weaknesses so that, as you say, any game against UConn would likely be close.

So Baylor is at the top, with UConn right behind. Stnford is first-class as well. Who is #4? ND? MD?

 

[DaddyChoc]

I look at it as... appreciate all the hard work the "top teams/players" put in AND the effort, courage and desire the "not so good" teams put in, cause they could just pack it in and go home.

again this is why its tough for me to bash any player, team or coach... very few of us make it to the very top of anything we do, would you want to get bash for your effort.

BTW a 3ptr at the end... an exciting ending no matter who was playing huh?

 

[Ozzie Nelson]

I look at it as... appreciate all the hard work the "top teams/players" put in AND the effort, courage and desire the "not so good" teams put in, cause they could just pack it in and go home.

again this is why its tough for me to bash any player, team or coach... very few of us make it to the very top of anything we do, would you want to get bash for your effort.

BTW a 3ptr at the end... an exciting ending no matter who was playing huh?

Like Chauncy Gardiner said in "Being There"..."I like to watch"...

 

[magical2]

it will be really interesting to see UCONN face the other top 10 teams on our schedule - i think in hindsight aTm is not really a top 10 team, but surely a top 20 team that UCONN crushed. i still think ND is really good and we could play Stanford 10 times and none of those wins would be blowouts (IMHO)...

depending on how we do against teams like RU, Duke, Louisville, Georgetown, Depaul and of course ND, there are very few teams out there who will play UCONN close. my point is that outside of the top 4-5 teams, i'm not sure there is a team out there that UCONN doesn't probably blow out on most nights.

this year i think there is some parity at the top. next year, Baylor and UCONN will be light years ahead of everyone else except for maybe Duke talent-wise (you could probably put 4-5 teams in the next tier), but the quality of the teams at the very top will be significantly better than the teams not named UCONN or Baylor...

Eric I would pay to watch the game this afternoon or this evening I can't wait! In fact I was going over Notre Dame's players and stats on there official site last night and writing notes, The threads and posts leading up to this game itself are going to be great to read and respond to I have a list here of the games which are really big and indicative of where we are as a team and ranking.Of course the schools you mentioned are going to be big ones along with NC, OK, Very brief comment for now re the ND game. They are really good,much better than the team we beat 3 xs last year only to lose to them in the Final Four UGHHH One comparison w can look at is our both having played Baylor! ND lost at home late in by double digits in a high scoring game,while we played them in Waco and were up, having blown an 11 point lead,with 4 mins left. Lessons to be learned,but a really winnable game This is where Geno's 6,7,8,9 and some mistakes led to the 66-61 loss Much more to say.
Agree with parity this year and next year WOW!!

 

[connboy77]

Eric I would pay to watch the game this afternoon or this evening I can't wait! In fact I was going over Notre Dame's players and stats on there official site last night and writing notes, The threads and posts leading up to this game itself are going to be great to read and respond to I have a list here of the games which are really big and indicative of where we are as a team and ranking.Of course the schools you mentioned are going to be big ones along with NC, OK, Very brief comment for now re the ND game. They are really good,much better than the team we beat 3 xs last year only to lose to them in the Final Four UGHHH One comparison w can look at is our both having played Baylor! ND lost at home late in by double digits in a high scoring game,while we played them in Waco and were up, having blown an 11 point lead,with 4 mins left. Lessons to be learned,but a really winnable game This is where Geno's 6,7,8,9 and some mistakes led to the 66-61 loss Much more to say.
Agree with parity this year and next year WOW!!

UCONN needs to take it to Notre Dame early, and keep up the intensity for forty minutes. I know its easier said then done, but I don't see any other way of beating Notre Dame on their floor.

 

[tomcat]

I look at it as... appreciate all the hard work the "top teams/players" put in AND the effort, courage and desire the "not so good" teams put in, cause they could just pack it in and go home.

again this is why its tough for me to bash any player, team or coach... very few of us make it to the very top of anything we do, would you want to get bash for your effort.

BTW a 3ptr at the end... an exciting ending no matter who was playing huh?

Actually, not so much. I had expected ASU to put on some kind of a run and pull out the win a whole lot earlier, but they just couldn't do it against a scrappy UTEP team. I just didn't think either team played very well.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

OK - its not Big East basketball. Its not top 25 basketball. Having moved to AZ I now have season tix to the UofA, only one loss but only BCS game was win over Syracuse - yikes, I know, its not Big East basketball.

That said, the "scrappy" UTEP team has only 2 losses in their pre-season, the first by 1 point to UCSB and then this one. ASU's style of play seems to favor low scoring games, incidently, so I would suspect the game you got was what would have been expected.

The talent level is simply not there in the non-top 25 schools to play UConn basketball. While I have seen folks act like it is a "dis" to say it, there is no question that UConn is UConn because they have the talent. What both gets UConn the talent (they wouldn't be coming if UConn wasn't UConn) and gets UConn the respect, wins, titles AND fans ultimately is GENO and his ability to do what he does with that talent. But, no matter how good a coach Geno is, while he might (probably) win a few more games with the talent on most teams, it would be a few years before UConn basketball emerged.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I am reminded of how fortunate we are when I watch most WNBA games. Yes, the athlete are better, but the style of play and coaching are not. The exceptios atr often the teams with UConn players, like Seattle and Minnesota.

Based on comparative scores, I think the top 4 are exactly right, with small gaps among them. Maybe Stanford is not that close to the other 3, but they are clearly above all the others. I think there is a scrum among about 8 teams to see who is next. I'd include TAMU in the mix. Right now, G'town looks hot.

Going forward, we have 1 more year of Griner. Odyssey Sims is great, but I think Baylor drops in 2 years. Who will compete with UConn? My best guess: Duke, with Chelsea Gray, Elizabeth Williams, and Alexis Jones. If Louisville can get Russell and Mavunga, they should be top 5. Jewell Loyd will star at ND. But Bria, Stef, Kaleena, Moriah, Breanna, Morgan, et al. should be in a class by themselves.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

I am reminded of how fortunate we are when I watch most WNBA games. Yes, the athlete are better, but the style of play and coaching are not. The exceptios atr often the teams with UConn players, like Seattle and Minnesota.

That's a good topic for next summer.

I both agree and disagree incidently. I think the style of play is not pleasant for someone accustomed to the type of game UConn chooses to play and many college teams play for better or worse. OTH I'm not sure that most college fans understand how the player talents and skills factor into the style of play that is going to produce a win in the W.

Likewise, there is a lot of not so good coaching in the W, because you generally have had college and NBA castoffs. That said, Agler has done his thing well for years, Dan Hughes is IMHO an excellent coach and there have been other good ones mixed in.

 

[triaddukefan]

this year i think there is some parity at the top. next year, Baylor and UCONN will be light years ahead of everyone else except for maybe Duke talent-wise (you could probably put 4-5 teams in the next tier), but the quality of the teams at the very top will be significantly better than the teams not named UCONN or Baylor...

Of course Im a bit biased..... but next year I think UCONN and Duke will be the two most talented teams, though I definitely would put UCONN and Baylor as the two best teams.

Going forward, we have 1 more year of Griner. Odyssey Sims is great, but I think Baylor drops in 2 years. Who will compete with UConn? s.

Duke and Maryland.

 

[DaddyChoc]

That's a good topic for next summer.

I both agree and disagree incidently. I think the style of play is not pleasant for someone accustomed to the type of game UConn chooses to play and many college teams play for better or worse. OTH I'm not sure that most college fans understand how the player talents and skills factor into the style of play that is going to produce a win in the W.

Likewise, there is a lot of not so good coaching in the W, because you generally have had college and NBA castoffs. That said, Agler has done his thing well for years, Dan Hughes is IMHO an excellent coach and there have been other good ones mixed in.

I agree...

I watch girls/womens basketball from ages 10-40yrs... you learn to adjust to what you're watching.

I enjoyed Shamika Jackson (BC, SCSU) at East Catholic, Simone Roberts (PC) as a 12yr with the CT Shamrocks AAU team and Jacquie F. as a 16yr old jr/sr at Stonington HS.

some of the best basketball I ever watched

 

[connboy77]

Of course Im a bit biased..... but next year I think UCONN and Duke will be the two most talented teams, though I definitely would put UCONN and Baylor as the two best teams.

Duke and Maryland.

Until Maryland gets a defense they are not competing with UCONN and thats a fact.

 

[Buzzyboy]

Of course Im a bit biased..... but next year I think UCONN and Duke will be the two most talented teams, though I definitely would put UCONN and Baylor as the two best teams.

Duke and Maryland.

I do think that Duke will be tough as they've really recruited well over the past couple of years and there's nothing to suggest they won't continue to do so. I do have serious reservations about Maryland and North Carolina. I have NEVER been impressed with either of those teams though there is no question that they both do have some talented athletes. It's just the WAY they play. Maybe it's the coaching but despite their talent they are an easy mark. If UConn played Maryland and didn't put them away by at least 15 points or more, I'd consider it a case of a bad performance. Even more so, that holds true for North Carolina. I think their coach is a great recruiter but they just don't perform. On second thought, maybe it's the school that is the great recruiter. The University of North Carolina is a wonderful school in a great climate with wonderful facilities and how hard is that to sell to anyone. If UConn had that environment, they might not have lost a game in the past 15 years. I don't think we can complain, though. Little Storrs Connecticut has done quite well for itself.

 

[wire chief]

Eric I would pay to watch the game this afternoon or this evening I can't wait! In fact I was going over Notre Dame's players and stats on there official site last night and writing notes, The threads and posts leading up to this game itself are going to be great to read and respond to I have a list here of the games which are really big and indicative of where we are as a team and ranking.Of course the schools you mentioned are going to be big ones along with NC, OK, Very brief comment for now re the ND game. They are really good,much better than the team we beat 3 xs last year only to lose to them in the Final Four UGHHH One comparison w can look at is our both having played Baylor! ND lost at home late in by double digits in a high scoring game,while we played them in Waco and were up, having blown an 11 point lead,with 4 mins left. Lessons to be learned,but a really winnable game This is where Geno's 6,7,8,9 and some mistakes led to the 66-61 loss Much more to say.
Agree with parity this year and next year WOW!!

Give ND some slack. That Baylor loss was in Waco

 

[DaddyChoc]

BTW Simone (PC Friars) had 18pts in a win tonight against Jen's Hartford Hawks

 

[HuskyNan]

Symone Roberts.

Rachel Roberts, who was part of the best backcourt in CT high school bball in 2009, is the "other" Roberts from in-state. She's currently playing at Villanova. Her backcourt-mate, Bianca Simmons, is at UMass-Lowell.

 

[magical2]

Give ND some slack. That Baylor loss was in Waco

You are correct the game was in Waco as was our game! My point was an atttempt to make a comparison between a common
opponent ! I do think ND is an excellent team,with a really good coach! We are going to need to play our A game! The ist game being played in South Bend
is going to be a challenge. What I am not doing is writing that game off. I don't think that I attacked ND by stating they lost,even if it was in Waco!
I t should be a great game.