Reality Check

[baggerbob]

Over the last 3 year's Uconn lost 6 1st round draft picks, 2 of them on the World Cup team. It takes time to replace that much talent.

 

[j66kicker]

Over the last 3 year's Uconn lost 6 1st round draft picks, 2 of them on the World Cup team. It takes time to replace that much talent.

Why? Nick Saban doesn't seem to have that problem...

 

[JustinesGuy]

No attack here for sure, I still feel for your loss of Justine. Your gushing was always palpable and sincere.
As to your question here can you really be serious???
Our recruiting has become flawed, maybe lazy!
Next year we are a top 25 team and can GENO handle it? More importantly at his age does he have the gusto to turn this around? IDK.

My guess is some would find it off base to second guess the coaching and recruiting that has brought the UConn women's basketball program to heights never dreamed of for a couple of decades. I am sure your cred from the old field house has you proud as it should. Can you say at that time you ever thought you would see the day you had to pay to see a women's game???
Just sad they can't have a couple of actual loosing seasons before the so called diehards jump of the band wagon. Some only need to see the first loss in 126 regular season games.... ....

I respect your post believe me. I don't think im second guessing the coach, but I think its ok to comment on what I see and voice my concerns for next year. I have been very worried about 2019-20 for 2 years now. When I first touched on these feeling on this board I was ripped apart so I stuffed it away. With a solid recruiting class and a bounce back year from MW things would have stabilized and the future would be a bit brighter. The problem is none of those things happened. We ended up with a recruiting class of one nice player. We missed on so called locks like Boston and perhaps Brunelle etc... The way I see it, Geno is playing home run ball with recruiting. Look at the results of this recruiting style. Two great seniors leaving, one great jr point, 1 ok Sophomore, 1 great freshman and the rest of players that can barely get off the bench today. Not good. I feel like next year is going to be painful but if we miss fire on the next recruiting class, I shudder to think what the product is going to look like. We don't even need a generational player, I would take a solid 4 girl recruiting class with heart and edge... Im not jumping off a wagon but I hope im completely wrong about my assessment.

 

[JonathanXIV]

Why? Nick Saban doesn't seem to have that problem...

Oh come on. Has Alabama won every championship over the past ten years? These comments are really getting silly.

 

[j66kicker]

Oh come on. Has Alabama won every championship over the past ten years? These comments are really getting silly.

Not as "one-and-done" as MBB, but Alabama sends a lot of players to the NFL before their senior seasons, and still manages to restock the cupboard every year.

Nick sez: "In the NFL the worst team gets the top draft choice. But in the NCAA the BEST team gets the top TEN recruits."

What is it that "takes time" for UConn?

 

[jonson]

Impressive numbers indeed . Two factors that speaks to both efficiency and impact though is the Oregon schedule. Specifically Sabally was not very impactful against Syracuse (1 for 7) Mississippi State (1 for 3) or Michigan State (5 of 12). So that average is greatly padded by performances against teams like North Dakota state ( 27 points) and Alaska Fairbanks 21 points. Do you really think that Megan couldn't drop 27 points on the Jack Rabbits?

Actually, Sabally scored 27 at South Dakota State--a really solid team imo. And, no, I don't think it's a given that MW would drop 27 points on that team. I could add that MW has had some clunkers as well (agains Purdue, Oklahoma, and St. Johns, for instance.), but I realize that all of this is "eye of the beholder" stuff. That said, to these eyes, Sabally is playing better--more impactful, in your terms--bb at this point of the season. (Her stats from tonight against Washington were 19 pts., 12 rebounds, 4 steals, and 3 blocks.)

 

[caramel]

I think that people consistently forget, win or lose, the ball has to travel and go through a small opening consistently to win. Great defense keeps you in games, but you do not win unless you score, and 29% team shooting will usually not get you in the win column.
These are young women trying their best game after game, and sometimes it just doesn't work out, even for those expected to be the best.
If we look in the mirror, I am reasonably sure each of us have not been as consistent in our lives as Connecticut's women's basketball has been time and time again.
Support for this team, whether win or lose, is not much different than support from our boss and friends, as we most likely do not accept criticism any differently than these girls do.
Imagine, if you are thinking of spending four years at a school, and you have talent, and you read this board to see if there is support during your progress on the court for four years, and you read how you fail, are terrible, are too thin, cannot rebound, cannot shoot, cannot defend, are not strong enough, etcetera.
Would you want to come to Connecticut?
We as fans, are basically here to support out favorite team, not micro-manage and destroy the individuals that give what they have night after night.
Let us remember, before we tear people apart, that future prospects may be taking it all in and using the negative feedback as a part of the reason for not coming here.

 

[bebo1226]

Megan Walker had a bad game last night but can we please stop with this crap about her Not being a #1 recruit or not a starter. Name a player from the class of 2017 that is playing better basketball?

Janelle Bailey

 

[HuskyNan]

This has been my opinion for years now. Absolutely nothing to do with the loss to Baylor. I pointed out many times in 2016 that people really needed to take in the greatness of that season because that was it. The pinnacle of UConn WCBB. My point then is as it is today: the program's best days are behind it, and not ahead.

Years? Then you thought the team was going downhill while it was busy winning 4 consecutive championships?

 

[HuskyNan]

The funny thing is, if the team had hit 45% of its shots, no one here would be complaining about a lack of height.

 

[luckyhusky7]

When they start playing like the champions they're supposed to be. How about we get some recruits who can read this stuff and laugh it off because they have the confidence that they'll get it done.

BTW I wish the criteria for WOH was a 5-person AA team, not the wussy 10-player WBCA team. WOH is overpopulated with players who weren't 'real' first-team AA's and didn't lead their teams to NCs.

That said, I think KLS and Pheesa have what it takes to get it done - but they may have to get a little more demanding on what they expect out of the rest of the team. If they win the NC this year I will celebrate their WOH induction at least as hard as everyone else.

THEY LOST ONE GAME!

 

[NewCorn]

A lot not to like; Walker looked tentative from the get-go, not confident with her open looks, missed, and stopped shooting for a while. Pheesa from the outside also seemed absent from the "I'm open, I've got this": mentality. Lou busted her butt to get open and lead the team, and Crystal worked hard bringing the ball up to start the offense. We didn't look like the same group that brought it to South Bend and I agree we needed to get up the court before the defense was set. Not getting rebounds had a lot to do with not being able to use our superior speed. Their freshman and transfer played very well, their large players moved their feet, scored and swatted and Baylor stuck together for the duration. Case closed until next time.

Let me admit my bias. I'm a Pheesa fan. I think she is precious. How can you criticize her outside shooting against Baylor? She was 2-4 Lou, who is clearly a far better outside shooter, was 2-10. Pheesa carried the team in the first half. She seemed to wear down in the second half. But if Pheesa can go 2-4 or 2-5 on 3's every game UConn will rejoice. It's one game, one loss. This team will make the Final Four with a chance to win it all. How many teams can we confidently say that about? Let's keep it in perspective, flok.

 

[CTBballfan243]

I watched the Baylor game a few times and it just confirmed what I've felt about this group post Stewie and Uconn's prospects for next year. First of all Baylor is not a great team, they have a great coach with solid players and some good height. That said they are by no means a great team. We played the worst first half ive seen us play in years and we were only down by one?
We are going to have to face it, this group post BS are very very mortal. As good as Lou and NC are they just do NOT take charge and will the team to win. This game is a glimpse into what next year is going to hold, only next year is going to be worse. I don't know if Geno has what it takes at his age to rebuild this, and this is a complete rebuild when Lou and Phese graduate. I hate to break the news to all of you guys but were going to have two players that can play at a high level coming into next year. We have CD and CW as the only premium talent. MW is not what we hoped for when she committed. She's a nice player but not a super star, not worthy of a number one recruit out of high school. Our recruiting has become flawed, maybe lazy! Sure our freshman class looks promising, but only 2 kids committed? Our incoming class is a class of 1? REALLY? I can almost guarantee you she's not a generational talent. Next year we are a top 25 team and can GENO handle it? More importantly at his age does he have the gusto to turn this around? IDK.

The Sky is falling.....,,,, We’re doomed I tell ya, doomed!!!!!!!

 

[JustinesGuy]

The Sky is falling.....,,,, We’re doomed I tell ya, doomed!!!!!!!

I can understand that it’s hard to see the forest past the trees. Your right the sky is not falling today. In fact we are a pretty darn good team. Sure we are flawed but so is any team without Stewie ha. We are going to forget all about this loss as we beat up on a crappy conference schedule and the offense is going to look beautiful and Lou and pheese are going to mask any issues that would be seen if you start to peal away the onion. We are a final four caliber team again this year. My greater point is Geno has grown a culture of excellence never seen in this sport but I’m afraid that this level of success will not continue. I’ve already posted my reasoning on who’s graduating, The current bench who will need to become starters next year, and I detailed the recruiting misses and small incoming classes of the past two years. We will be very challenged the next two seasons and if we have a poor recruiting class next year I shudder to think what the product will be. We will go from undefeated seasons and NC contenders to a top 25 team. You better hope we reload with whoever the top talent is.. Van Lith, Fudd, Bueckers and just as important other girls that ARE NOT top 10 overall kids that are solid hungry players to round out a class.
I hope im wrong!!

 

[CocoHusky]

Janelle Bailey

Bailey is having a good season, NC has 6 loses on the season.

 

[bebo1226]

Bailey is having a good season, NC has 6 loses on the season.

You wanted to know who from the 2017 class is playing good basketball-not who is winning more games. Bailey IS having a good season, and a strong player from that class, along with others who have been mentioned in earlier posts.

 

[Lynx23]

1) Lagunitas Super Cluster Ale (but just one)

2) Someone posted a while back that what Kia and Gabby accomplished as seniors was to preside over two FF chokes. I thought that was a little harsh. But true. I really really hope that Lou and Pheesa don't end up on THAT wall with them. I honestly think they have what it takes, but soon it will be time to put up or shut up. Let's see if they are really wall-worthy.

One can also argue that, post-Stewie, Kia and Gabby helped take this team within striking distance of two NC's. If you need to measure the value of these two players, imagine how much better this team would be today were they still around, with or without Azure. I got skewered by a few posters a while back when I stated that this team lacked a certain toughness. I know KLS and 'Pheesa are "tough as nails" according to some, but no one on this current team measures up to Kia's toughness and swagger. I think that's part of what's missing. After reading a few posts on this thread, I'm kind of glad Kia didn't make the WOH (she probably just missed the WCBA AA list by one or two); a bunch of you would already be falling over each other citing reasons why she didn't deserve to be there. BTW, Kia and Gabby were a big part of the greatest win streak in WCBB history, lest we forget. That carried on post-Stewie.

 

[CocoHusky]

You wanted to know who from the 2017 class is playing good basketball-not who is winning more games. Bailey IS having a good season, and a strong player from that class, along with others who have been mentioned in earlier posts.

No! I wanted to know who from the 2017 class was playing "better" basketball than Megan Walker.

Megan Walker had a bad game last night but can we please stop with this crap about her Not being a #1 recruit or not a starter. Name a player from the class of 2017 that is playing better basketball?

 

[CTBballfan243]

I can understand that it’s hard to see the forest past the trees. Your right the sky is not falling today. In fact we are a pretty darn good team. Sure we are flawed but so is any team without Stewie ha. We are going to forget all about this loss as we beat up on a crappy conference schedule and the offense is going to look beautiful and Lou and pheese are going to mask any issues that would be seen if you start to peal away the onion. We are a final four caliber team again this year. My greater point is Geno has grown a culture of excellence never seen in this sport but I’m afraid that this level of success will not continue. I’ve already posted my reasoning on who’s graduating, The current bench who will need to become starters next year, and I detailed the recruiting misses and small incoming classes of the past two years. We will be very challenged the next two seasons and if we have a poor recruiting class next year I shudder to think what the product will be. We will go from undefeated seasons and NC contenders to a top 25 team. You better hope we reload with whoever the top talent is.. Van Lith, Fudd, Bueckers and just as important other girls that ARE NOT top 10 overall kids that are solid hungry players to round out a class

I can understand that it’s hard to see the forest past the trees. Your right the sky is not falling today. In fact we are a pretty darn good team. Sure we are flawed but so is any team without Stewie ha. We are going to forget all about this loss as we beat up on a crappy conference schedule and the offense is going to look beautiful and Lou and pheese are going to mask any issues that would be seen if you start to peal away the onion. We are a final four caliber team again this year. My greater point is Geno has grown a culture of excellence never seen in this sport but I’m afraid that this level of success will not continue. I’ve already posted my reasoning on who’s graduating, The current bench who will need to become starters next year, and I detailed the recruiting misses and small incoming classes of the past two years. We will be very challenged the next two seasons and if we have a poor recruiting class next year I shudder to think what the product will be. We will go from undefeated seasons and NC contenders to a top 25 team. You better hope we reload with whoever the top talent is.. Van Lith, Fudd, Bueckers and just as important other girls that ARE NOT top 10 overall kids that are solid hungry players to round out a class.
I hope im wrong!!

just enjoy the season and don’t worry about next year. This is a good UConn team. They might not make it to the final 4 but they are a really good team and fun to watch. Remember, nothing lasts forever. Yes, eventually another team will become the gold standard for WBB. Just be thankful you got to watch UConn when they were at their best. In the future, UConn will likely go the way of ODU and La Tech, and fade from the national scene. It won’t be anyone’s fault, it will just be a by product of conference realignment. So just relax and enjoy the present.

 

[luckyhusky7]

Here’s a bright side to the Baylor lost....we don’t have to wait 11 months until the next game. I’d take a loss in the middle of a season than a heart breaking lost in the final four.

 

[IWearShoes]

We played the worst first half ive seen us play in years and we were only down by one?

Not to be obtuse, but I think they played a worse 1st Half just two games ago in Norman when they trailed the mighty Sooners by 6.

This is UConn and this too shall pass. I actually think UConn appearing mortal probably makes them more brutal to play when the 3's start dropping again.

 

[Blueballer]

BTW I wish the criteria for WOH was a 5-person AA team, not the wussy 10-player WBCA team. WOH is overpopulated with players who weren't 'real' first-team AA's and didn't lead their teams to NCs.

WOW, so this is where this nonsense started. Speaking of walls , the last time I read such a crazy message it was on another wall. It was next to a toilet in a train station.

 

[Yorkeez4]

I don’t remember what the Boneyard was like between 2004 - 2008 when the Huskies failed to make the final four three years in a row. My guess is that it was not as bad as the posts we’ve seen this year.

The problem with being historically great is that the first kink in the armor brings out the doomsdayers. My expectation is that Geno will keep on producing winners.

IMO the fact that he keeps his standards high no matter what the outcome is the reason his record is what it is. I also admire the outstanding citizens that graduate from UConn under Geno’s and CD’s guidance.

 

[uconnfan68]

Why? Nick Saban doesn't seem to have that problem...

He has more places to hide his shortcomings.

 

[MSSportsGuy]

I've purposely stayed away but my frequent insomnia kicked in so I've read posts about the game. I watched this one start to finish. Baylor's size definitely impacted UConn and the outside shots weren't falling. Some nights are like that. The lack of size overall and solid games from Baylor's better players plus a great home crowd helped seal the deal. IBaylor looked good and UConn looked mortal and uncharacteristically out of synch but I watched the Huskies dismantle a pretty good ND team just a few weeks ago in a similarly hostile environment so I know the ladies have it in them to rise to the occasion.

I think most fans here are understanding that off nights happen and would be more inclined to accept the loss but given nail biting defeats in the last 2 Final Fours combined with some recruiting misses is starting to cause a little panic. There really isn't anything to panic about. This is still UConn, coached by Geno, with as good a starting five as there is when the cylinders are firing. There isn't a dominant post player and there isn't a lot of depth compared to some teams but they aren't short on talent. It's January, not March or April.

I'm no fan of Mulkey's personality overall but she's an excellent coach and has a good team this season. Baylor can definitely be there at the end of the tournament if the pieces fall into place.