Save Us From Sabrina Ionescu

[FanHam]

She is a revelation. She is a coach on the floor, very athletic and nimble, she's got Larry Bird eyes, she can shoot and she isn't afraid to set her teammates straight when she's not happy with what they're doing.

Brenda Frese will have nightmares about her for the foreseeable future, I'm sure.

I had the volume down during most of the Oregon v. Maryland game and, frankly, wouldn't have watched very much of it if Maryland hadn't been losing for almost the entire game. I kept expecting Brionna Jones, et al to right the ship and step (figuratively, of course) on Oregon's neck. Never happened. Every time Maryland seemed to gather itself for a run, Sabrina found someone for an open shot, penetrated and scored or got fouled.

When I turned the volume up at the end of the game, I discovered she's a FRESHMAN!

I am 100, well 99.9 percent, sure Geno, CD, Marissa and Shea are cooking up a plan for her, but unless it involves an abduction I'm afraid we're all in for a long night Monday.

 

[Sonny44]

She is a revelation. She is a coach on the floor, very athletic and nimble, she's got Larry Bird eyes, she can shoot and she isn't afraid to set her teammates straight when she's not happy with what they're doing.

Brenda Frese will have nightmares about her for the foreseeable future, I'm sure.

I had the volume down during most of the Oregon v. Maryland game and, frankly, wouldn't have watched very much of it if Maryland hadn't been losing for almost the entire game. I kept expecting Brionna Jones, et al to right the ship and step (figuratively, of course) on Oregon's neck. Never happened. Every time Maryland seemed to gather itself for a run, Sabrina found someone for an open shot, penetrated and scored or got fouled.

When I turned the volume up at the end of the game, I discovered she's a FRESHMAN!

I am 100, well 99.9 percent, sure Geno, CD, Marissa and Shea are cooking up a plan for her, but unless it involves an abduction I'm afraid we're all in for a long night Monday.

They have 13 losses don't they, and play in the pac 10, right? I'm not losing sleep over this one.

 

[eebmg]

They have 13 losses don't they, and play in the pac 10, right? I'm not losing sleep over this one.

Thats ok. As long as our coaches lose a little sleep. No team is too good not to have some concerns.

 

[eebmg]

She is a revelation. She is a coach on the floor, very athletic and nimble, she's got Larry Bird eyes, she can shoot and she isn't afraid to set her teammates straight when she's not happy with what they're doing.

Brenda Frese will have nightmares about her for the foreseeable future, I'm sure.

I had the volume down during most of the Oregon v. Maryland game and, frankly, wouldn't have watched very much of it if Maryland hadn't been losing for almost the entire game. I kept expecting Brionna Jones, et al to right the ship and step (figuratively, of course) on Oregon's neck. Never happened. Every time Maryland seemed to gather itself for a run, Sabrina found someone for an open shot, penetrated and scored or got fouled.

When I turned the volume up at the end of the game, I discovered she's a FRESHMAN!

I am 100, well 99.9 percent, sure Geno, CD, Marissa and Shea are cooking up a plan for her, but unless it involves an abduction I'm afraid we're all in for a long night Monday.

I agree with almost everything said but I think she is not the most athletic in the pure sense of the word. She is not fast like Jordan Canada and I dont think she had great hops. In that sense, she is even more impressive. She has to do alot to get open and her
change of speed, leverage, positioning, intelligence, vision and toughness set her apart in my mind. As I said in another thread, next year, I think she will be an AA and Oregon will be a top 10 team. Need to buy the PAC 10 network next year?

 

[Stinger92860]

If the girls play their A game, they win. Simple as that.

 

[huskeynut]

Sabrina is very good, especially for a freshman. She has a great basketball sense, passes well and shoots well.

So we have a common opponent in Maryland. Maryland's defense has always been questionable and yesterday was no different. Sabrina had her way, pretty much, with moving around and running Oregon's offense. Tomorrow night will be a different story. UConn's defense is difficult to play against. Ask UCLA.

I still look for a close game. Oregon does a lot of the same things offensively that UConn does. Mirror teams are tough to play against. Yesterday we had an off game in many respects. I do not see that happening tomorrow night.

 

[johnnyc]

Shouldn't the thread title be.....'anybody else concerned about Sabrina Ionescu?'.

 

[CocoHusky]

Sabrina is very good, especially for a freshman. She has a great basketball sense, passes well and shoots well.

So we have a common opponent in Maryland. Maryland's defense has always been questionable and yesterday was no different. Sabrina had her way, pretty much, with moving around and running Oregon's offense. Tomorrow night will be a different story. UConn's defense is difficult to play against. Ask UCLA.

I still look for a close game. Oregon does a lot of the same things offensively that UConn does. Mirror teams are tough to play against. Yesterday we had an off game in many respects. I do not see that happening tomorrow night.

Another common opponent was Temple. Oregon only beat Temple by 1 point.

 

[HuskyNan]

Sabrina is very good, especially for a freshman. She has a great basketball sense, passes well and shoots well.

So we have a common opponent in Maryland. Maryland's defense has always been questionable and yesterday was no different. Sabrina had her way, pretty much, with moving around and running Oregon's offense. Tomorrow night will be a different story. UConn's defense is difficult to play against. Ask UCLA.

I still look for a close game. Oregon does a lot of the same things offensively that UConn does. Mirror teams are tough to play against. Yesterday we had an off game in many respects. I do not see that happening tomorrow night.

It wasn't the defense it was the 21 Maryland turnovers. It was the lowest IQ game I've seen from Maryland in a long time.

 

[magic]

It wasn't the defense it was the 21 Maryland turnovers. It was the lowest IQ game I've seen from Maryland in a long time.

Agreed. Maryland players looked almost disinterested and unprepared . I was shocked !

 

[augustaTC]

I agree with almost everything said but I think she is not the most athletic in the pure sense of the word. She is not fast like Jordan Canada and I dont think she had great hops. In that sense, she is even more impressive. She has to do alot to get open and her
change of speed, leverage, positioning, intelligence, vision and toughness set her apart in my mind. As I said in another thread, next year, I think she will be an AA and Oregon will be a top 10 team. Need to buy the PAC 10 network next year?

I'm kind of off-base a little, but boy, that PAC 10 conference sure seems to have attracted some excellent coaches, some excellent players and from what I've seen of the four (!) of their teams in the tournament, they come in battle hardened and ready to play. Glad UConn will be seeing more of them. Good for everyone.

 

[EricSD]

It wasn't the defense it was the 21 Maryland turnovers. It was the lowest IQ game I've seen from Maryland in a long time.

That and the curious lack of energy or sense of urgency. They simply didn't seem to know what they were doing. Against UCONN early in the season, they looked like the 3rd best team in the nation (behind UCONN and Baylor). As the season wore on, not sure what happened. People can point to soft schedule, but I don't believe that's it.

Brenda is not a good X's and O's coach. And her team failed on that account (TO's, low BBIQ). She's more the cheerleader/motivator. Sadly, her team failed on that account too.

Having said that, Oregon is a decent team. However, the style they play, and their inability to do much as a team (Ionescu is a terrific scorer, facilitator, leader, etc). Take her out of the game even in a small way and this is a 20+ point win. Do what UCONN does best, and we win by closer to 40. Unless Geno brings in the bench with 8 minutes left in the 4th...

By "style they play", I mean they do not have the ability to play a cohesive team brand of basketball. They do a little passing, but they were most successful when Sabrina would have the ball in her hands creating offense. UCONN excels at taking the opposing team's best player out of her comfort zone. I simply don't see this being close...

 

[Gabbyfan]

Making reference to Oregon's prior losses has no relevance. As their coach said in their post game presser, they have improved tremendously over the year and defense is the key for them....it is the area where they have improved the most. Oregon is long and they will be a tough rebounding team. Our saving grace is they have never played us and have never been at this stage of the tournament. We will need our A game and stay out of foul trouble to win. I have every confidence we will prevail, but it will be a challenge. Assuming we do win, it will be a good tune up for us as we look down the barrel at Baylor.

 

[Dougie]

She is a revelation. She is a coach on the floor, very athletic and nimble, she's got Larry Bird eyes, she can shoot and she isn't afraid to set her teammates straight when she's not happy with what they're doing.

Brenda Frese will have nightmares about her for the foreseeable future, I'm sure.

I had the volume down during most of the Oregon v. Maryland game and, frankly, wouldn't have watched very much of it if Maryland hadn't been losing for almost the entire game. I kept expecting Brionna Jones, et al to right the ship and step (figuratively, of course) on Oregon's neck. Never happened. Every time Maryland seemed to gather itself for a run, Sabrina found someone for an open shot, penetrated and scored or got fouled.

When I turned the volume up at the end of the game, I discovered she's a FRESHMAN!

I am 100, well 99.9 percent, sure Geno, CD, Marissa and Shea are cooking up a plan for her, but unless it involves an abduction I'm afraid we're all in for a long night Monday.

I like your post but disagree with your "long night" conclusion. While we never take an opponent lightly, especially at this time of the year, Geno and company will have us well prepared for this team. I think it's a mistake to focus on just one player. Our staff looks at the opposition as a total machine and figures out a way to dismantle it. I like our chances.

 

[eebmg]

That and the curious lack of energy or sense of urgency. They simply didn't seem to know what they were doing. Against UCONN early in the season, they looked like the 3rd best team in the nation (behind UCONN and Baylor). As the season wore on, not sure what happened. People can point to soft schedule, but I don't believe that's it.

Brenda is not a good X's and O's coach. And her team failed on that account (TO's, low BBIQ). She's more the cheerleader/motivator. Sadly, her team failed on that account too.

Having said that, Oregon is a decent team. However, the style they play, and their inability to do much as a team (Ionescu is a terrific scorer, facilitator, leader, etc). Take her out of the game even in a small way and this is a 20+ point win. Do what UCONN does best, and we win by closer to 40. Unless Geno brings in the bench with 8 minutes left in the 4th...

By "style they play", I mean they do not have the ability to play a cohesive team brand of basketball. They do a little passing, but they were most successful when Sabrina would have the ball in her hands creating offense. UCONN excels at taking the opposing team's best player out of her comfort zone. I simply don't see this being close...

It seems to me that Brenda seems to always want to build this family upbeat environment and lead by emotion and positive vibes. That is fine to a point but when cracks in play start to show up, the warm feelings are not enough. You need to address them before they grow, provide accountability and give the players the direction and tools needed to fight through tough times. Scheduling her cupcake OOC was just a symptom of this feel good approach. You have to crack a few eggs to make a good omelet.

 

[Gabbyfan]

It wasn't the defense it was the 21 Maryland turnovers. It was the lowest IQ game I've seen from Maryland in a long time.

Maryland contributed some, but Oregon had a great game plan....they prevented 3 point shots with excellent perimeter defense and were able to rotate off the edge to get back into the interior for good rebounding and block the lane. Oregon will have to do this even better to give Uconn a game.

 

[GoUconn7961]

Maryland contributed some, but Oregon had a great game plan....they prevented 3 point shots with excellent perimeter defense and were able to rotate off the edge to get back into the interior for good rebounding and block the lane. Oregon will have to do this even better to give Uconn a game.

Having a game plan is great and it worked against MD. Executing it against an active defensive team like CT is another story. But, we'll see come Monday.

 

[UcMiami]

UCLA was the first game this year where I thought we played a talented team with as much or more athleticism at every position on the floor as Uconn has and it showed in the 'struggle' of a fifteen point win that never got to single digits in the second half. It showed in players showing some signs of being tired during the game. It definitely showed in the number of tipped passes as well as the number of steals and turnovers. And it showed in openings that closed quicker than expected and led to more contested shots. It was a pretty new experience for this team and they didn't handle it quite as well as they should have. Their coach got it right - it was a game of inches and not feet, and Uconn is used to a game of feet even against the top five teams we have played.

Oregon is a very good team playing with reckless abandon. But they are a team like all the others we have faced that will be slower and less athletic than Uconn at almost every position on the floor. They are well coached (like ND), they have more size (like almost everyone), they have good guards (like ND), but they do not present a new/different challenge to Uconn, one they haven't experienced before.

So Uconn had three off games this year - FSU followed by Baylor, Tulane followed by Temple, and UCF followed by USF in the conference tournament - a bad game followed by pretty brilliant outings. UCLA was a bit of an off game as well, and I suspect it too will be followed by a pretty brilliant outing. The alternative is that 110 games/9 FF/4 NCs has finally crept into their heads and the fatigue displayed yesterday was more than playing a different type of team. I am inclined to go with option one, an off game to be followed by continued brilliance.

And in terms of Oregon's run, they struggled against a decent Temple, beat an injured (and slow) Duke team, and handled a talented MD team with ease. An MD team that hasn't won an important game since Lexie Brown transferred. An MD team that while better than the version they put out 5 years ago that never played defense, is still not that interested in playing 40 minutes of defense. An MD team that thrives on transition and fast break offense, loving to run up the score on a schedule of grossly over matched teams as opposed to actually working on half court offense in those games. And an MD team that spent the last two weeks complaining about seeding, and regional assignment, and a lack of tickets, and dreaming about revenge against Uconn with a pretty mediocre game coach leading them.

Oregon is a really young, brash team led by a really good coach, with a lot of talented young players. They are playing really well and shooting really well. But Uconn has played teams like them before this year, and there are not going to be surprises. Sabrina is very good and poised, but she is not the physical challenge that Jordan was, Kia with a bad wheel will not be overmatched. They are a smart team, and those are always challenging, but Uconn teaches classes in basketball IQ.

So Oregon is definitely worthy of being in the elite eight and a team to be taken seriously (there aren't any bad teams left) but as long as mental fatigue has not set in, I am less concerned with this game than yesterday's.

 

[GoUconn7961]

UCLA was the first game this year where I thought we played a talented team with as much or more athleticism at every position on the floor as Uconn has and it showed in the 'struggle' of a fifteen point win that never got to single digits in the second half. It showed in players showing some signs of being tired during the game. It definitely showed in the number of tipped passes as well as the number of steals and turnovers. And it showed in openings that closed quicker than expected and led to more contested shots. It was a pretty new experience for this team and they didn't handle it quite as well as they should have. Their coach got it right - it was a game of inches and not feet, and Uconn is used to a game of feet even against the top five teams we have played.

Oregon is a very good team playing with reckless abandon. But they are a team like all the others we have faced that will be slower and less athletic than Uconn at almost every position on the floor. They are well coached (like ND), they have more size (like almost everyone), they have good guards (like ND), but they do not present a new/different challenge to Uconn, one they haven't experienced before.

So Uconn had three off games this year - FSU followed by Baylor, Tulane followed by Temple, and UCF followed by USF in the conference tournament - a bad game followed by pretty brilliant outings. UCLA was a bit of an off game as well, and I suspect it too will be followed by a pretty brilliant outing. The alternative is that 110 games/9 FF/5 NCs has finally crept into their heads and the fatigue displayed yesterday was more than playing a different type of team. I am inclined to go with option one, an off game to be followed by continued brilliance.

And in terms of Oregon's run, they struggled against a decent Temple, beat an injured (and slow) Duke team, and handled a talented MD team with ease. An MD team that hasn't won an important game since Lexie Brown transferred. An MD team that while better than the version they put out 5 years ago that never played defense, is still not that interested in playing 40 minutes of defense. An MD team that thrives on transition and fast break offense, loving to run up the score on a schedule of grossly over matched teams as opposed to actually working on half court offense in those games. And an MD team that spent the last two weeks complaining about seeding, and regional assignment, and a lack of tickets, and dreaming about revenge against Uconn with a pretty mediocre game coach leading them.

Oregon is a really young, brash team led by a really good coach, with a lot of talented young players. They are playing really well and shooting really well. But Uconn has played teams like them before this year, and there are not going to be surprises. Sabrina is very good and poised, but she is not the physical challenge that Jordan was, Kia with a bad wheel will not be overmatched. They are a smart team, and those are always challenging, but Uconn teaches classes in basketball IQ.

So Oregon is definitely worthy of being in the elite eight and a team to be taken seriously (their aren't any bad teams left) but as long as mental fatigue has not set in, I am less concerned with this game than yesterday's.

Great analysis! Awesome post.

 

[Buckaroobanzai]

Do not underestimate either the PAC 12 or Sabrina Ionescu. For what's it worth, the PAC 12 has the best conference RPI rating. I have watched several PAC 12 games this winter (more thru inadvertence than intention) and have been impressed by the quality of play and the coaching. Ionescu is indeed "Bird" like. If she is not tightly controlled, she will cause Uconn agita. That having been said, if Uconn brings its "A" game, lights out.

 

[Kaizen]

When we are scared by a team not even in both AP and Coach top 25 polls?

 

[HuskyNan]

When we are scared by a team not even in both AP and Coach top 25 polls?

In their last five games, Oregon has beaten #11 Washington, #23 Temple, #9 Duke, and #3 Maryland. Those are national rankings, not seeds. UConn would be wise to take Oregon seriously.

 

[Hamms30]

I agree with the points above, she seems like she has a very high basketball IQ and I was very impressed with how such a young team competed with Maryland. But was I the only one that thought Oregon looks and plays very slow? Lots of rebounds where they were flat footed and leaning rather than in position and jumping for the rebounds? I think UConn turns the tempo up and just simply outmatches them and runs them back and forth. Oregon seemed to really struggle when they would set the high screen and the Maryland big would cover the pick and then they'd start to trap Oregon to the sideline. You could see the guards dribble one way and change course as a "Oh S***" moment and then try to split the trap because other players weren't coming to help. The 6'6 girl could pose a problem though. Team would need to attack and try to get her in foul trouble early.

I think UConn wins comfortably and hopefully doesn't lull them to sleep for FF matchup.

 

[magic]

UCLA was the first game this year where I thought we played a talented team with as much or more athleticism at every position on the floor as Uconn has and it showed in the 'struggle' of a fifteen point win that never got to single digits in the second half. It showed in players showing some signs of being tired during the game. It definitely showed in the number of tipped passes as well as the number of steals and turnovers. And it showed in openings that closed quicker than expected and led to more contested shots. It was a pretty new experience for this team and they didn't handle it quite as well as they should have. Their coach got it right - it was a game of inches and not feet, and Uconn is used to a game of feet even against the top five teams we have played.

Oregon is a very good team playing with reckless abandon. But they are a team like all the others we have faced that will be slower and less athletic than Uconn at almost every position on the floor. They are well coached (like ND), they have more size (like almost everyone), they have good guards (like ND), but they do not present a new/different challenge to Uconn, one they haven't experienced before.

So Uconn had three off games this year - FSU followed by Baylor, Tulane followed by Temple, and UCF followed by USF in the conference tournament - a bad game followed by pretty brilliant outings. UCLA was a bit of an off game as well, and I suspect it too will be followed by a pretty brilliant outing. The alternative is that 110 games/9 FF/4 NCs has finally crept into their heads and the fatigue displayed yesterday was more than playing a different type of team. I am inclined to go with option one, an off game to be followed by continued brilliance.

And in terms of Oregon's run, they struggled against a decent Temple, beat an injured (and slow) Duke team, and handled a talented MD team with ease. An MD team that hasn't won an important game since Lexie Brown transferred. An MD team that while better than the version they put out 5 years ago that never played defense, is still not that interested in playing 40 minutes of defense. An MD team that thrives on transition and fast break offense, loving to run up the score on a schedule of grossly over matched teams as opposed to actually working on half court offense in those games. And an MD team that spent the last two weeks complaining about seeding, and regional assignment, and a lack of tickets, and dreaming about revenge against Uconn with a pretty mediocre game coach leading them.

Oregon is a really young, brash team led by a really good coach, with a lot of talented young players. They are playing really well and shooting really well. But Uconn has played teams like them before this year, and there are not going to be surprises. Sabrina is very good and poised, but she is not the physical challenge that Jordan was, Kia with a bad wheel will not be overmatched. They are a smart team, and those are always challenging, but Uconn teaches classes in basketball IQ.

So Oregon is definitely worthy of being in the elite eight and a team to be taken seriously (their aren't any bad teams left) but as long as mental fatigue has not set in, I am less concerned with this game than yesterday's.

Canada is a tremendous " playground " player. She commits a borderline offensive foul on nearly every shot. She likes to push off or drive her shoulder just a split second before shooting. The officials refused to call anything. Now, that said, she is a great finisher. Huskies decided to let her go in 4th quarter with the big lead. Several uconn players took shots to the upper body in this game. Saniya was nearly decapitated on one play.
On to Oregon. Maryland decided to focus all of their effort on Ionescu, while Bando was open all day long for treys in the corner. This game wasn't decided until Bando hit three in a row after being off most of the game. Beating the huskies on monday will be a very tall order for Oregon.

 

[HuskyNan]

I agree with the points above, she seems like she has a very high basketball IQ and I was very impressed with how such a young team competed with Maryland. But was I the only one that thought Oregon looks and plays very slow?

Oregon deliberately slowed the pace against Maryland because the Terps are much more dangerous in a full court game.

I did think that Oregon dribbled too much. Gabby could set a record for steals if the Ducks do that anywhere near her.

 

[Kaizen]

In their last five games, Oregon has beaten #11 Washington, #23 Temple, #9 Duke, and #3 Maryland. Those are national rankings, not seeds. UConn would be wise to take Oregon seriously.

100% agree, but we have Napheesa and they don't ....

 

[msf22b]

When we are scared by a team not even in both AP and Coach top 25 polls?

Polls are polls
but toughness and hard wins are what count now.
Maryland may have been an overrated team (not by the NCAA)
But they're gone, replaced by a tough, young squad that shows no fear.

Re-watching yesterday's the first half confirms many of UC's conclusions.
It was a tight game with a dangerous opponent; a few more of UCLA's first half shots go in and its a real nail-biter. Not our best on either end of the court, but a pretty tight D in the 2nd quarter; wonderful play by Gabby, Napheesa and Saniya late settled it.

There really is increasing parity bur next season we take a talent and depth jump into unknown realms.

Still, there is a lot of good BB and better coaching about and the era of 40-point wins may be finally coming to a close, to be replaced by good, hard-nosed BB.

 

[Hamms30]

Oregon deliberately slowed the pace against Maryland because the Terps are much more dangerous in a full court game.

I did think that Oregon dribbled too much. Gabby could set a record for steals if the Ducks do that anywhere near her.

That's what I'm thinking. If you get Dangerfield on the ball to be a pest like she can do, I think Oregon will at 10 seconds on the shot clock before they even get to try to set up their offense. Kia or Gabby can do the same thing.

 

[GoUconn7961]

Oregon reminded me of when we played Villanova..they'd use up the shot clock and then hit a 3.

 

[mrmojack]

To put things in perspective, Uconn is a 24 point favorite over Oregon. We were a 20 point favorite over UCLA.
If we lose to a 24 point underdog, we did not deserve to be National Champions. We have tournament and Final
Four experience, we are playing in the state of Connecticut with a house full of Uconn fans. We have the best
basketball coach in Women's history. We have the best defense. We have Collier, Nurse, Samuelson, Williams
and Chong, some pretty decent young players I'd say.

Sabrina is a terrific player and will only get better. A freshman dominated team like Oregon, has a great future
ahead of them. They play in a great league with a lot of balance. I doubt this Freshman dominated team has
experienced the defense they will see tomorrow evening.

As the great philosopher Mike Tyson once said, "Everyone has a plan until you get punched in the face".

Go Huskies!!!!!