SC Postgame Thread

[CocoHusky]

Now this is wishful thinking, 2013 shaky all season, blew a few games lost big East final by looking lost in crunch time. And then all of a sudden figured it out and won the NC. I hope, but this group IDK.

Name a single player on this team that is as good as Kelly Faris- the only starter on 2013 team not to be named AA?

 

[pvdoggy]

All the people who continue to speculate whether MW should leave after this year for the WNBA should stop. MW is nowhere near ready to compete at the next level.

 

[Britt87]

I expected some lean years after Stewart graduated. I just did not anticipate 5 years in the wilderness or longer.

What are you talking about? How is making the final four every year after winning 4 straight national championships lean? Did you really expect teams to not get better while Uconn continued to dominate? That's not how any of this works. There comes a point when EVERY dynasty is no longer going to win all the time. It took Pat Summit 9 years to get back on top and UT hasn't been to final four since their last championship in 2008, 12 years ago. It's not easy to do what Uconn has done and it will never be done again. Coaches are better and the talent is more spread out. If you think Muffett didn't become a better coach getting her behind handed to her year after year by Geno, you are mistaken. The same goes for Stayley. It's just time for parody in the women's game and you should embrace it.

 

[CocoHusky]

Every time Boston scored or grabbed a rebound, it turned my stomach. I think of what it might have been and could see her playing along side ONO.

Cooke flexing and beasting the UCONN guards turned mine!

 

[Carnac]

Congratulations to Dawn Staley, her team and all of Gamecock Nation. WCBB recognizes your program as the number 1 team in the country. You played like it tonight. You sent 18,000 ardent fans home last night very happy. I have nothing to add to what other posters are saying. We all saw the game. We all saw the same thing.

I've said this before, I'll share it one last time this season: "When people or teams show you who they are, believe them". You are what your record (against the elite teams) says you are ~ Bill Parcells.

After the first 10 minutes, the Huskies were never quite in the game. That dynamic exposed a cold hard truth. At this point of the season, or perhaps this year overall, THIS UConn team isn’t quite able to compete with or defeat the country’s elite teams.

So, with this game in the books and the city of Columbia in the rear view mirror, it's on to South Florida on Sunday, and the start of a new winning streak, and finish closing out play in the AAC.

 

[oldude]

Name a single player on this team that is as good as Kelly Faris- the only starter on 2013 team not to be named AA?

Crystal.

 

[Boreifs]

Just look at the stats. The players at the one, three, four and five cancelled each other out. At the two, Williams scored five while Cooke and Henderson had 21. Final score was 18 points; end of story.

 

[ABCDFE]

Now this is wishful thinking, 2013 shaky all season, blew a few games lost big East final by looking lost in crunch time. And then all of a sudden figured it out and won the NC. I hope, but this group IDK.

We don’t have a stewie type player on this team.

 

[CocoHusky]

All the people who continue to speculate whether MW should leave after this year for the WNBA should stop. MW is nowhere near ready to compete at the next level.

IDK she looked pretty good playing against the National team.

 

[Centerstream]

Yes and that was also the season that Stewie ran into a nearby phone booth and game out wearing her Supergirl outfit just before the Big Dance.

Well we have quite a few candidates that could happen to this year...

 

[pvdoggy]

IDK she looked pretty good playing against the National team.

I said it then, there is no pressure playing against the National team.

 

[Longtime fan]

Some thoughts on the SC game:

• A few bright spots in this game. Liv played hard against Boston putting in 39 tough minutes. Crystal again looked like the only Husky who didn’t forget how to shoot the ball. UConn battled all the way to the end, but the Gamecocks were clearly the better team.
• If I told you before the game that UConn would hold SC to only 11 pts in the 1st qtr, Husky fans would have been ecstatic. If I also told you that UConn would score only 2 pts, Husky fans would have thought I was crazy. UConn’s struggles shooting the ball in big games are hard to explain and difficult to watch.
• SC wasn’t a whole lot better starting out, except for Ty Harris, who continues to play outstanding basketball for the Gamecocks. But SC found their rhythm and although UConn started to shoot a little better, it was clear that baskets were going to be hard to come by for the Huskies all night long.
• I was worried about our freshmen heading into a big game against an athletic team, on the road in front of 18,000 fans. Clearly, the best thing about freshmen is that they become sophomores. Hopefully, Anna & Aubrey learned a few things tonight and they will be much more composed the next time they face a team of SC’s caliber.
• For the first time in many years, UConn will not have any signature wins over top 5 teams heading into the Big Dance. So long as the Huskies continue to take care of business in the AAC, they still look like a 2 seed, and maybe that gets them a good draw with an outside chance to make it back to their 13th straight FF. But right now, UConn does not appear to be able to stay with the top 3 teams in the country.
• Finally, BIG CONGRATS to Swin Cash for being named to the WBB HOF.

I will add my comments:

1. I think we learned what it must be like for fans of, say, E. Carolina when they play UCONN. You are never in the game and, most of the time, you are embarrassed for the players.

2. 2 points in the first quarter for UCONN. We got to see history. That's a plus. Do you think someone will make UCONN tee- shirts with a big number "2" on it?

3. I'm going to take the heat for this one, but; Christen Williams has to be the worst player ever to be given the award of POY in high school. I think she missed 5 lay-ups and, of course, her outside shots were zeros, usually hitting nothing. I fully expect her to be a bench player next year.

4. Dangerfield is the last hero of the great UCONN terms we have all known for the passed two decades. But she can't do it all by herself. When she leaves, we begin from scratch.

5. The shine even went off of the Polish star tonight, and I was shocked by how poorly Ania played. She couldn't hold on to the ball; she looked slow; her shot was not there, and she just faded away.

6. The team was lifeless. Every loose ball went to SC, and UCONN had one fast break. When it looked as though UCONN did have an opportunity, they never could convert. They just passed the ball aimlessly around, hoping someone could do something.

7. Aubrey looks like she has only played basketball in the driveway with her baby brothers. Do they even have a coach at Ossining High? Did you all notice when Aubrey had an open look and, instead of shooting, she just threw the ball away? I think the university might be better off if she took her great athleticism to the track or volley ball teams. She does not belong in a Division I basketball game.

8. Megan still just throws the ball away, absolutely destroying any possibility of momentum, and she is not particularly good at creating her own shot. She makes some of the most "telegraphed passes" I have seen since the the coverage of moon landing. And often those passes, if they are not to the other team, are to no one. She does not belong in any discussion for All American status.

9. Olivia looked like she was out there to play. She battled hard and made a few nice plays. She can't make a free throw for love or money. And everyone knows that they can disregard any shot she lines up from deep. Maybe in another lifetime. But, along with Crystal she gave her all.

10. Please don't anyone tell me we will have a bounce back game on Sunday ( or whenever our
next game is ). Beating some wounded duck like SMU or Tulsa does not even give this team the opportunity to do that. Those teams do not belong in Division I. I fear that our players begin thinking they are better than they are due to that level of competition. Thank the gods of basketball that UCONN is moving away from that next season.

So, if this is a measuring stick, we all know exactly where it is now placed. This team will likely still be,
at worst, a third seed in some location not near Connecticut. But I think the door closes immediately after the first round. And it could close in game one if we get up against a hot team.

There are not any good excuses for what happened today. You have now seen this year's team.

 

[CocoHusky]

Crystal.

Close but nope!

 

[ochoopsfan]

I would suggest the UConn game plan, in the future, does NOT include stops the day before at Sonic Burgers

 

[Dognusty]

Crystal Dangerfield can play, she kept UConn in the game. Let her go, if no other player steps up, run her off 10 screens every play like she is Reggie Miller.

 

[VA Blue Dog]

Disappointing game and disappointing season by UCONN standards. Lax on defense. Not swithching on the picks. Not fighting througn the picks. No motion on offense. No chance on loose balls over and over again. Megan, CW, Anna and Aubry a grand combined total of 14 pts. SCs defense was good but this is ridiculous.

 

[donalddoowop]

I expected some lean years after Stewart graduated. I just did not anticipate 5 years in the wilderness or longer.

Just what wilderness do you mean? The FF is in the wilderness?

 

[Bigboote]

I can't get by the lack of hustle. South Carolina just wanted this one more. I was harping on it all game, then in the fourth quarter one play typified it, and I paused and showed it to my wife. There was a long rebound, Aubrey and one of the SC players collided and went down, Megan reached down for the loose ball, and a Gamecock dived in and got it. If Megan had dived, UConn would have gotten one more possession.

It may all come down to a lack of concentration or attentiveness. Ill-advised passes, missed layups, poor cuts. . .

Hey, the next three years oughta be great between the Huskies and Gamecocks.

 

[HuskyNan]

I will add my comments:

1. I think we learned what it must be like for fans of, say, E. Carolina when they play UCONN. You are never in the game and, most of the time, you are embarrassed for the players.

2. 2 points in the first quarter for UCONN. We got to see history. That's a plus. Do you think someone will make UCONN tee- shirts with a big number "2" on it?

3. I'm going to take the heat for this one, but; Christen Williams has to be the worst player ever to be given the award of POY in high school. I think she missed 5 lay-ups and, of course, her outside shots were zeros, usually hitting nothing. I fully expect her to be a bench player next year.

4. Dangerfield is the last hero of the great UCONN terms we have all known for the passed two decades. But she can't do it all by herself. When she leaves, we begin from scratch.

5. The shine even went off of the Polish star tonight, and I was shocked by how poorly Ania played. She couldn't hold on to the ball; she looked slow; her shot was not there, and she just faded away.

6. The team was lifeless. Every loose ball went to SC, and UCONN had one fast break. When it looked as though UCONN did have an opportunity, they never could convert. They just passed the ball aimlessly around, hoping someone could do something.

7. Aubrey looks like she has only played basketball in the driveway with her baby brothers. Do they even have a coach at Ossining High? Did you all notice when Aubrey had an open look and, instead of shooting, she just threw the ball away? I think the university might be better off if she took her great athleticism to the track or volley ball teams. She does not belong in a Division I basketball game.

8. Megan still just throws the ball away, absolutely destroying any possibility of momentum, and she is not particularly good at creating her own shot. She makes some of the most "telegraphed passes" I have seen since the the coverage of moon landing. And often those passes, if they are not to the other team, are to no one. She does not belong in any discussion for All American status.

9. Olivia looked like she was out there to play. She battled hard and made a few nice plays. She can't make a free throw for love or money. And everyone knows that they can disregard any shot she lines up from deep. Maybe in another lifetime. But, along with Crystal she gave her all.

10. Please don't anyone tell me we will have a bounce back game on Sunday ( or whenever our
next game is ). Beating some wounded duck like SMU or Tulsa does not even give this team the opportunity to do that. Those teams do not belong in Division I. I fear that our players begin thinking they are better than they are due to that level of competition. Thank the gods of basketball that UCONN is moving away from that next season.

So, if this is a measuring stick, we all know exactly where it is now placed. This team will likely still be,
at worst, a third seed in some location not near Connecticut. But I think the door closes immediately after the first round. And it could close in game one if we get up against a hot team.

There are not any good excuses for what happened today. You have now seen this year's team.

Exhibit A in ”the player is only as good as their last game” gallery. Hyperbole much?

 

[Zanzman]

Exhibit A in The “player is only as good as their last game” gallery. Hyperbole much?

Couldn’t like this enough

 

[wbball novice]

I need a pint of chocolate ice cream. Thought there was a chance in Q1 when SC was pretty cold shooting, but unfortunately UConn shooting was frustrating. 2 points. My impression was that UConn was doing pretty well rebounding in the first half, at least keeping up with SC, but the Gamecocks got their rebounding mojo back eventually, as well they should since they're bigger & longer from the TV perspective. I think UConn deserves some credit for SC's bad shooting in Q1; defense was working. The great big hostile crowd may have affected the freshmen.

CD does the heart good, really. Never seems to lose her aggression. Honey badger just don't care. Liv was a little better than her average given the atmosphere and Boston. Don't know why she had to resort to set shots away from the basket so often, but I guess credit to SC defense; hard to even get close to the basket. Because, as Megan & Christyn discovered, practically every player on SC is an excellent blocker or disrupter. Some of CW's attempted layups were expressions of despair, and she hasn't been fortunate with 3s or even midrange -- though, nice one at the end of Q2. Expectations were too high for Anna; she had fewer offensive contributions than was the case in Oregon, much less Memphis. To be fair, I doubt whether Kyla would have been better. Anna Mak's a good, very promising passer, though I don't remember anything memorable tonight, but her handle seems to get her in trouble at least once a game, and it happened pretty early in Q1. But her replacement Aubrey had trouble holding on to the ball as well, if I recall. The SC freshmen were scary good, which made the UConn kids seem maybe worse than they actually are. Ty Harris plays like CD & MW (on a good night) combined, and Herbert-Harrigan's play has matured, but surely what makes SC a powerhouse this year is their freshmen, who seem to be playing like juniors. I can't be too harsh with the UConn women; the SC women all seemed to be playing like seasoned veterans who had in addition size, speed, and strength. Should be an interesting final four. Wonder who takes over as point next year for SC?

Well, the ice cream seems soft enough by now ... I need to watch something not sports for a while.

PS Olddude was right; ONO did beat Boston at the toss-up at the beginning of the game.

 

[Centerstream]

I would suggest the UConn game plan, in the future, does NOT include stops the day before at Sonic Burgers

Kinda funny. I have been to a Sonic once and was completely unimpressed with the joint. Down here they are closing up left and right. I was very surprised when I saw that the team went to one in Columbia.

 

[Reypl21]

Which is a spot they dont deserve and will probably not have the opportunity to earn. That two seed is typically the best 2 seed. I think UConn is a 3 seed. If they get the 4th one seed, the committee would be protecting them IMO

 

[Bigboote]

I should have added to my earlier post, kudos to the Gamecocks and Coach Staley.

Baylor and South Carolina both play the swarming defense that just gives this team fits. It's easy to blame the Huskies for being in a funk, but the defense has a lot to do with it.

 

[UConner]

So we lost to the 3 obvious best teams We're not gonna lose to anybody else. There are 4 one seeds. Who's the 4th? NC State? Please... We easily could be the 4th one seed. Weakest sure but somebody has to be there