So, did we turn a corner last night?

[CL82]

I loved the game and definitely saw improvement and a preview of what Geno wants us to look like in March. I still think we are a flawed team. We are getting better at masking it with good ball movement and uptempo game, but we have the same vulnerabilities that we showed against Baylor and Louisville. I've said it before, if this team wins it all it may well be Geno's best coaching job. I think we have a shot at doing it, but it is still a long shot.


(Still doomed.)

 

[bantamlaker]

A long shot perhaps, but there certainly is no sure shot this year.

 

[Topsail]

We can win it all if our offense is dead on, nothing less. We can not keep the good teams from scoring.

 

[Los24]

Every team is flawed and I think we could beat either of the two teams we lost to even now.

The best improvements that I see with this team are (1) confidence and (2) individual improvement. I also think the tempo and ball movement is better but would not label that as "masking." Baylor has a lot of weaknesses that is "masked" with their height. That is our strength and it is a positive when we are able to play to it.

When we were down I sensed zero concern or panic which was not the case in the past even against non-ranked teams. Also, Megan and CW seem to have grown, understand their roles and playing within themselves. Lou is looking more like the 2xAA Lou we all know. Seeing shots drop in will certainly help all of them continue to improve and gain confidence. It goes beyond just scoring, you can see better passing and despite the 3pt outburst, team defense (evidence of collecting themselves and locking down in 3 Qtr.)

I give us as good of a chance as anyone which is all you can really ask. It actually makes rooting for them this year fun if taken from the right perspective and with appreciation (not entitlement and comparing them to the best ever teams.)

 

[Hayven]

I hope so, although the defense still needs work as South Carolina was still in the game at halftime, in comparison to the previous years. I think if KLS can find consistency from beyond the arc, and Squeaks remains aggressive, I like our chances.

 

[JoePgh]

I hope so, although the defense still needs work as South Carolina was still in the game at halftime, in comparison to the previous years. I think if KLS can find consistency from beyond the arc, and Squeaks remains aggressive, I like our chances.

Yes, the defense needs work. Giving up 79 points to a team that lacks any real offensive stars won’t get the job done in March. That includes allowing 36 points in the second half, after the amazing shooting of the first several minutes had stopped.

 

[Jaybird65]

We can win it all if our offense is dead on, nothing less. We can not keep the good teams from scoring.

Geno said as much last night in his presser. He does not expect the defense to get much better at all. Ono impacting the game in the middle is one thing that showed up last night. This is a year where we have to out score good teams. He said we need 60 from Collier, Samuelson & Dangerfield against good teams or we will have trouble scoring enough to win those games.

 

[Oldbones]

 

[DefenseBB]

For me, there are a few general notions I am confused about. SC has great guard play with its full rotation of players that Dawn finally embraced and is a reason they’re 14-2 since their opening struggles. In looking at the other top teams, I simply do not see that type of strength in any of them. Yes, there are single strong guards- Sabrina, Destiny, Asia, Arike, Chloe Jackson but not teams with both sets of guards and/or a pair of subs that SC has. If Olivia can grow off of these last few games and continue to minimize her fouls, she can be a great equalizer to the guard who can penetrate. She is also getting better offensively so we are not handicapped on that end like we are with any other sub.
I have come to agree with those that Mikayla has the defensive skills and dribbling abilities to contribute unfortunately her offense is still highly suspect and a liability that needs to improve to really help us.
The trend of the last few games has been good, but also we need to consider the team has finally played a group of Home games and is comfortable in that environment. That needs to continue on the road for 3 of our next 4 games, then we can say they turned the corner.

 

[eebmg]

I would like at least one more data point. I think the UCF game on the road can be tricky and
there is alot of motivation on their side. With a bit of layoff and returning to the road from an emotional high, I would love to see a dominant win. If we struggle (while winning), that would be a step back.

 

[msf22b]

I subscribe to Defense BB's analysis...the SC guards were fast, tricky, and shot the ball exceedingly well at the outset; they will be tough for all future comers.

Also Los' view that every team is flawed seems spot on.

But I still worry about ND; they're underachieving at present, but they have every position covered, esp. if healthy. Capable guards, strong inside game, height, bulk. They might very well come out of their stupor
and run the table (as they were expected to do). If not, it's Muffet's greatest failure as a coach.

If CW continues to score and improve...and remember Geno stated that he thought she would, we become a pretty difficult team to match up with, bulk excepting.

Should be a fascinating NCAA's

 

[DefenseBB]

I would like at least one more data point. I think the UCF game on the road can be tricky and
there is alot of motivation on their side. With a bit of layoff and returning to the road from an emotional high, I would love to see a dominant win. If we struggle (while winning), that would be a step back.

Though, to be fair, UCF has been impersonating Felix the Cat with all their last minute wins and play tonight at Tulane (in a major tailspin) on ESPN3. I do think their 20-3 record is very much overstated more a subject of soft scheduling than true strength. Massey has SoS at 78 and their offense at 127 so, to me, how don’t care how good their defense is, they can’t outscore UConn.

 

[eebmg]

Though, to be fair, UCF has been impersonating Felix the Cat with all their last minute wins and play tonight at Tulane (in a major tailspin) on ESPN3. I do think their 20-3 record is very much overstated more a subject of soft scheduling than true strength. Massey has SoS at 78 and their offense at 127 so, to me, how don’t care how good their defense is, they can’t outscore UConn.

Agreed. But if our offense looks ragged and disconnected, I would view that as a step back. Can't blame fatigue etc.

Not unrecoverable but a step back.

 

[Roger G]

What are there, about 10 ten teams that have any realistic shot at winning the national championship? Uconn most certainly has one of the best chances of those ten teams. I'm with Geno, there are piles of teams that would love to be where the Huskies are. Enjoy it. I don't know why there are so few people who recognize that our women would have won the Baylor and Louisville games under even slightly different circumstances, such as neutral courts. Remember, in the Baylor game, our team didn't even really have the offense flowing yet. Next time, those bigs are going to be exhausted chasing our quick players around when they run the offense as they do now. And I'll bet our shooters will do a little better than 29%. But no, some might say, Louisville will beat us. Wow! two in a row after losing fourteen straight; that would be surprising. We have a great chance of winning it all this year and that would be just another feather in the headdress of the chief.

 

[Carnac]

What are there, about 10 ten teams that have any realistic shot at winning the national championship? Uconn most certainly has one of the best chances of those ten teams. I'm with Geno, there are piles of teams that would love to be where the Huskies are. Enjoy it. I don't know why there are so few people who recognize that our women would have won the Baylor and Louisville games under even slightly different circumstances, such as neutral courts. Remember, in the Baylor game, our team didn't even really have the offense flowing yet. Next time, those bigs are going to be exhausted chasing our quick players around when they run the offense as they do now. And I'll bet our shooters will do a little better than 29%. But no, some might say, Louisville will beat us. Wow! two in a row after losing fourteen straight; that would be surprising. We have a great chance of winning it all this year and that would be just another feather in the headdress of the chief.

Here's a list of the AP's current top 10. I think this year's winner of the championship will come from the top six. The top 6 are all strong contenders, and won't go down easy. Four of the top five have only one loss. Easy or not, five of them will be eliminated. Which 5?

How the selection committee seeds and assigns teams to the various regions will determine who gets a cake walk to the final four, and who goes through an almost impossible gauntlet. Most WCBB fans agree, there is no clear cut favorite this year. Any one of the top six (and Stanford) have the capability to get hot, and put a string of six wins together.

The regional semi finals and finals are going to be intense. I expect all 10 of these teams to make the sweet 16. They can't all meet in the final four. Some of them will meet in the regional finals. Over the past several years, several #1 seeds have met their waterloo in the regional championship game.

My picks for the final four are: Baylor, Oregon, Mississippi State and Notre Dame. I hope I'm wrong, and some how UConn earns their way to Florida that last weekend.

The 2019 NCAA Division I Women's Final Four Basketball Tournament will be played on Friday, April 5 and Sunday, April 7. The Final Four will be played at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, with the University of South Florida serving as host.

 

[Roger G]

Here's a list of the AP's current top 10. I think this year's winner of the championship will come from the top six. The top 6 are all strong contenders, and won't go down easy. Four of the top five have only one loss. Easy or not, five of them will be eliminated. Which 5?

How the selection committee seeds and assigns teams to the various regions will determine who gets a cake walk to the final four, and who goes through an almost impossible gauntlet. Most WCBB fans agree, there is no clear cut favorite this year. Any one of the top six (and Stanford) have the capability to get hot, and put a string of six wins together.

The regional semi finals and finals are going to be intense. I expect all 10 of these teams to make the sweet 16. They can't all meet in the final four. Some of them will meet in the regional finals. Over the past several years, several #1 seeds have met their waterloo in the regional championship game.

My picks for the final four are: Baylor, Oregon, Mississippi State and Notre Dame. I hope I'm wrong, and some how UConn earns their way to Florida that last weekend.

View attachment 39584

The 2019 NCAA Division I Women's Final Four Basketball Tournament will be played on Friday, April 5 and Sunday, April 7. The Final Four will be played at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, with the University of South Florida serving as host.

Your post is very well presented. When I suggested 10 teams have a chance at the title, I wasn't speaking literally, but thanks for narrowing that down to six for me. I see you don't have Louisville going to the final four. That makes sense to me. And if they did make it and face UConn, the chance that they would beat UConn a second time in 16 games would be nothing but a fairy tale outcome for Jeff Walz. I strongly doubt it would happen.

I'm not guaranteeing UConn will be in the final four or win a national championship this year, so much can happen, but we have two of the all-time greats playing for us and Geno is a master at using losses to motivate his players.

Each of your final four teams have question marks. Yes Baylor has length, but they lost to Stanford. A good shooting night from the right opponent and they might go down. A good outside shooting team could be their Achilles heel. Notre Dame we already whooped once and we are much, much, much better now. And they lost to the Miami Hurricanes. LOL. Mississippi State may present the biggest danger and could keep UConn from the final four, but who have they beat? No one. And they lost to Oregon. I think we have a fair chance against them to say the least. Lastly Oregon, who has a good coach and a triple double machine for a leader, doesn't have the greatest coach of all time and two players of the caliber of Katie Lou and Napheesa. The point is that the other teams have just as many reasons to be doubted, so why anyone would give the edge right now to any other team is beyond me.

Time will tell, but I see no objective reason to count out the program that has been to the final four 19 times and won 11 championships. Is there anyone else on this board who still has any faith in what we have seen happen so many times? Yes this team is different, but they are coming together spectacularly. We have a strong chance at winning it all and doing it in amazing fashion.

 

[tomcat]

I'm feeling somewhat better about the team since the SC game,. They looked more confident in their offensive sets, and ONO looked better in her role -- perhaps ready to take on a little more. Realistically, their defense is as bad as that of any UConn team I've seen in a long time, which means it's all going to be up to fate. If they come across a good team that's having a great day offensively, they're toast. Which means, as several others have said, they have as good a chance as anyone.

One other thing: ND may deserve to be where they are in the rankings, but in the tournament, I would count them as one of the favored teams no matter what, just because they are ND. Gives me no pleasure to say so, but just sayin'.

 

[Hongster]

I don't think we have turned the corner. We need Gabby or Kiah Stoke to defend our basket. Our a defense is so weak right now. Unless ONO steps up and surprise me.

 

[Carnac]

Your post is very well presented. When I suggested 10 teams have a chance at the title, I wasn't speaking literally, but thanks for narrowing that down to six for me. I see you don't have Louisville going to the final four. That makes sense to me. And if they did make it and face UConn, the chance that they would beat UConn a second time in 16 games would be nothing but a fairy tale outcome for Jeff Walz. I strongly doubt it would happen.

I'm not guaranteeing UConn will be in the final four or win a national championship this year, so much can happen, but we have two of the all-time greats playing for us and Geno is a master at using losses to motivate his players.

Each of your final four teams have question marks. Yes Baylor has length, but they lost to Stanford. A good shooting night from the right opponent and they might go down. A good outside shooting team could be their Achilles heel. Notre Dame we already whooped once and we are much, much, much better now. And they lost to the Miami Hurricanes. LOL. Mississippi State may present the biggest danger and could keep UConn from the final four, but who have they beat? No one. And they lost to Oregon. I think we have a fair chance against them to say the least. Lastly Oregon, who has a good coach and a triple double machine for a leader, doesn't have the greatest coach of all time and two players of the caliber of Katie Lou and Napheesa. The point is that the other teams have just as many reasons to be doubted, so why anyone would give the edge right now to any other team is beyond me.

Time will tell, but I see no objective reason to count out the program that has been to the final four 19 times and won 11 championships. Is there anyone else on this board who still has any faith in what we have seen happen so many times? Yes this team is different, but they are coming together spectacularly. We have a strong chance at winning it all and doing it in amazing fashion.

I went with my "gut" when I made those picks. But what do I know? I would have bet the farm UConn was going to win two years ago when they lost to Mississippi State. Nobody saw that one coming (UConn beat them by 60 points the year before).

I though UConn was invincible that year. Had they beat MS, they would have defeated South Carolina. I think those 4 teams have "the best chance" to win it all. Any one of them can pee in the bed at any time, get upset and sent home.

Again, there are no clear cut favorites this year. Anybody including UConn can get hot, find a rhythm and put a modest 6 game win streak together over 3 weekends.

All of your comments have merit, no arguments here. Three of the teams I picked have only one loss. It will be easier to pick 4 favorites you like once the brackets are revealed. Right now, it's a crap shoot. Some teams are going to have it easier than others based on their seeding and their placement in the bracket.

ND has 3 losses, but as we saw last year, they can do more with less, and can be extremely resilient when the situation calls for it. Nobody wants to play ND in the tournament, just like for years, no one wanted to play UConn, or be on their side of the bracket.

I would NOT want to play UConn right now. They're on a vicious roll, and I would not want to get caught in their wake. If they played Baylor and Louisville in Gampel this week, the results would be different.

Louisville depends a lot on Asia Durr. If she shows up and plays BIG, they have a chance. If a team can stop or slow her down (like UC did in the 1st qtr) the entire game, they're in trouble. I don't bank on teams that are dependent on just one player. Anybody can have a bad or off day.

Louisville can make it to the FF, but they're going to have to go through a least two very good teams to get there. Keep an eye on Iowa and Megan Gustafson, the leading scorer in the country. They have the makings of a potential dark horse.

IF (in BIG bold letters) UConn can play for 6 games like they played against South Carolina and UCF, they have a better than average chance of winning it all. They lost those two games because their shots did not fall. They shot 38% from the field vs Louisville. That's horrible!! They shot 29.4% against Baylor.

On the other hand, they shot 57% vs ECU, 62.9% vs Temple, and 56.9% vs South Carolina. All decisive wins. That's NOT rocket science. The numbers speak for themselves. When their shots fall, they win, and they win convincingly.

UConn is in a nice "vibe" right now. If they can maintain their current state of mind and body, they will be very hard to beat. The best thing to come of these last two games is that it appears that Christyn was emerged from the effects of hitting the wall.

Her shots are falling again, and she has her confidence back. They are going to need HUGE contributions from ALL of their starters, especially Walker and Williams if they are going to raise that trophy on championship Sunday in Florida. ONO may be needed for a few minutes in those last 3 games as well.

UConn will most likely have to face two #1 seeds that last weekend. I think UConn Nation should have a "corporate" group prayer before the tournament begins. A little divine intervention would not hurt. As Vic Schaefer likes to say: "Praise the Lord and go dawgs." Great post by the way.

 

[Ozimoto]

I am still concerned about the green people from South Bend. Seeing the results of their last two games it looks like they may have remembered how to play basketball...

 

[Roger G]

I went with my "gut" when I made those picks. But what do I know? I would have bet the farm UConn was going to win two years ago when they lost to Mississippi State. Nobody saw that one coming (UConn beat them by 60 points the year before). I though UConn was invincible that year. Had they beat MS, they would have defeated South Carolina. I think those 4 teams have "the best chance" to win it all. Any one of them can pee in the bed at any time, get upset and sent home. Again, there are no clear cut favorites this year. Anybody including UConn can get hot, find a rhythm and put a modest 6 game win streak together over 3 weekends.

All of your comments have merit, no arguments here. Three of the teams I picked have only one loss. It will be easier to pick 4 favorites you like once the brackets are revealed. Right now, it's a crap shoot. Some teams are going to have it easier than others based on their seeding and their placement in the bracket. ND has 3 losses, but as we saw last year, they can do more with less, and can be extremely resilient when the situation calls for it. Nobody wants to play ND in the tournament, just like for years, no one wanted to play UConn, or be on their side of the bracket. I would NOT want to play UConn right now. They're on a vicious roll, and I would not want to get caught in their wake. If they played Baylor and Louisville in Gampel this week, the results would be different.

Louisville depends a lot on Asia Durr. If she shows up and plays BIG, they have a chance. If a team can stop or slow her down (like UC did in the 1st qtr) the entire game, they're in trouble. I don't bank on teams that are dependent on just one player. Anybody can have a bad or off day. Louisville can make it to the FF, but they're going to have to go through a least two very good teams to get there. Keep an eye on Iowa and Megan Gustafson, the leading scorer in the country. They have the makings of a potential dark horse.

IF (in BIG bold letters) UConn can play for 6 games like they played against South Carolina and UCF, they have a better than average chance of winning it all. They lost those two games because their shots did not fall. They shot 38% from the field vs Louisville. That's horrible!! They shot 29.4% against Baylor.

On the other hand, they shot 57% vs ECU, 62.9% vs Temple, and 56.9% vs South Carolina. All decisive wins. That's NOT rocket science. The numbers speak for themselves. When their shots fall, they win, and they win convincingly.

UConn is in a nice "vibe" right now. If they can maintain their current state of mind and body, they will be very hard to beat. The best thing to come of these last two games is that it appears that Christyn was emerged from the effects of hitting the wall. Her shots are falling aging, and she has her confidence back. They are going to need HUGE contributions ALL of their starters especially Walker and Williams if they are going to raise that trophy on championship Sunday in Florida. ONO may be needed for a few minutes in those last 3 games as well.

UConn will most likely have to face two #1 seeds that last weekend. I think UConn Nation should have a "corporate" group prayer before the tournament begins. A little divine intervention would not hurt. As Vic Schaefer likes to say: "Praise the Lord and go dogs." Great post by the way.

Agree with everything you said. And right back at you, really well done!

 

[RockyMTblue2]

I loved the game and definitely saw improvement and a preview of what Geno wants us to look like in March. I still think we are a flawed team. We are getting better at masking it with good ball movement and uptempo game, but we have the same vulnerabilities that we showed against Baylor and Louisville. I've said it before, if this team wins it all it may well be Geno's best coaching job. I think we have a shot at doing it, but it is still a long shot.


(Still doomed.)

A court has 4 corners and life is like a box of chocolates. This year's team has been like a box of chocolates, but yes I think the corner has been turned about as far as it will this year. Of course "we" are flawed, but every contender has flaws and I really like our chances.

 

[Willowglen]

New poster here - I like women’s basketball. UConn has lost two games this year at their opponents’ home stadium. I still think UConn is the slight favorite to win it all. Collier is one of the two or three best players in the country, and she is by far the most consistent of the bunch. And UConn beat Norte Dame, a team more talented than Louisville. It is odd to see UConn occasionally moribund on defense but it may be the AAU influence is extending to the women’s game now, even impacting Auriemma.

 

[Ex Nutmegger]

We have definitely turned the corner on offense over the last few games, our shooting is more crisp than earlier in the season - we are not hesitating and letting the defense close in. And our passing is really, really crisp.

I have gone back several times and watched a sequence in the Tulane game with 2:20 left in the third quarter. Napheesa rebounds the ball and brings it up the court. She passes to Christyn, who passes immediately to Megan, who passes immediately to Crystal, who passes immediately to Katie Lou, who immediately launches a perfect three point shot that barely ruffles the strings on the bottom of the net after it goes through the hoop. Meanwhile, all five Tulane players are trying to stop their heads from spinning on their shoulders trying to keep up with the location of the ball! I’m sure Crystal got an assist on that play. But if they were using Hockey scoring rules there would have been three or four assists on that play!

Its clear that ONO’s passing(and the rest of her game) is improving nicely. Olivia, Megan and Christyn are definitely communicating better with each other and with our three veteran stars. This is increasing confidence in all six in each other and in themselves. It surely means less pressure and more synergy.

And Batouly, Kyla, Mikayla and Molly are all starting to show that they have something to contribute as well

I believe this “small”, “under-maned”, “under-rated” and “under-appreciated”(by a few people here) team is going to surprise some teams and some people before the season is over.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Yes, the defense needs work. Giving up 79 points to a team that lacks any real offensive stars won’t get the job done in March. That includes allowing 36 points in the second half, after the amazing shooting of the first several minutes had stopped.

@JoePgh---Oh, Joe--you joined the other side. Uconn, like all in the top 25 are as stated a FLAWED-team -Geno will tell you NONE of his teams have been perfect. The wonderful thing about this year no one of the top 25 comes close.
The SC shot out their brains--played pretty decent hard BB. C-moore got 25 on exceptional shooting Cooper 20 on shots Barnham and Bailey would love. Sometimes some teams over PETER themselves aginst UC--we have seen this before and will again. When the chips were down--YOUR TEAM and mine pushed the W button and won. Love it for what it was, not what it could have been--