So who is (are) the key player(s) to go deep inn the tournament? | Page 2 | The Boneyard

So who is (are) the key player(s) to go deep inn the tournament?

We need the point guard, the 2 forwards the shooting guard and the center to play well and we should be fine for a run to the FF.
 
Great comments by all. To me, the key players are going to be our post players and the members of the 2nd unit. Rebounding is going to be huge. If the post players can limit 2nd and 3rd chance shots, that is going to be huge. With the 2nd unit, whoever they are, if they can keep or boost a lead that has been generated by the 1st unit, this is going to be the key to going deep in the tournament, rebounding and 2nd unit keeping or taking that intensity up a notch or two.
 
I've said it before and will say it again -Paige at 50% is still better than almost every other player on UConn or the opposition. I expect her to have an unbelievable tourney and lead them to the final four. The fact that I have had final four tickets since the first day they went on sale, and have all flight and hotel reservations set, play no role in my thinking - well maybe a little!
 
To win it all or even just get to the final 4 we need Three of Paige, Azzi, CW, and CD to play well- I mean scoring the ball.
We also need 2 of the three bigs (ONO, Edwards, Dorka to play well (rebounding, out of foul trouble, and SCORING inside against good teams). Continuing to play elite defense will also be necessary. Limit turnovers. The path once they get to the regionals will be very challenging. They could win it all or they could lose any game from sweet 16 forward. No hiccups this year or they will be going home.
By the way, I am expecting Paige to be close to the Paige we know and love by the regionals.
 
The key is for everyone on the floor to be on the same page. One or two players won't be key for the whole tournament, although each game may come down to one or two players. It would be great if one or two go off for 15-20 each game. They're unlikely to give up more than 70 points in a game, but if they give up 50 they have to score 51.
 
Kat said:
I wasn't expecting Paige to even be back this year, so I consider anything she can contribute as a bonus. The silver lining around the injury cloud that hung over the team this year is that more players got time on the floor. This is a very confidant group right now. This will be a very competitive tournament and nothing is guaranteed but I like UConn's chances because we got Geno and they don't.
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Welcome to the yard Kat!
 
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After reading all the posts on this topic, it is pretty obvious who the key players will be: ANY and ALL of the players. That's where this team is at now. It is a great time to be a fan of this team. The most fun will be watching to see WHO are the players that will step up. I can't wait!!!
 
Azzi Fudd is the key to this particular NCAA run. I think Geno has been running sets for her since the Tennessee game to see how many ways he can use/get her open. He has ran:

Mid-range pull up and pops recently (Nova Game)
Back door for easy lay ups (she's finished most of them too)
Elevator and double screens for 3's all season
Deceptive drives to the rim when they run her off the 3 point line

Paige is getting more comfortable which is good because she's this team's best player. But until she returns to form, this team doesn't look as good on defense or offense when Azzi isn't on the floor. Evina and Christyn have stepped up HUGE but Azzi draws a crowd and opens up the lane more than anyone other than Bueckers. I'd like to see more Steph/Klay screens with those two once Paige is back back.
 
Blue Ghost said:
If you look at the last 4 Final Four losses (Miss St, ND, ND and Arizona). It's always has been a small quick or athletic guard that has given us the most problems. Our bigs usually neutralize the other bigs. If Liv, Dorka and AE can do that then it will come down to a healthy Nika guarding the other teams best guard (Destiny, SC) or CW guarding (Jones, Stanford). If Nika and CW win those battles then we should be fine with Paige, CW, Azzi and CD scoring. SC may have Boston and Stanford has Brink, but if we can shut down Destiny and the same with Jones from Stanford we have a great chance to win it all. It comes down to the guards in tournament play.
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No one is a bigger
Blue Ghost said:
If you look at the last 4 Final Four losses (Miss St, ND, ND and Arizona). It's always has been a small quick or athletic guard that has given us the most problems. Our bigs usually neutralize the other bigs. If Liv, Dorka and AE can do that then it will come down to a healthy Nika guarding the other teams best guard (Destiny, SC) or CW guarding (Jones, Stanford). If Nika and CW win those battles then we should be fine with Paige, CW, Azzi and CD scoring. SC may have Boston and Stanford has Brink, but if we can shut down Destiny and the same with Jones from Stanford we have a great chance to win it all. It comes down to the guards in tournament play.
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No one is a bigger fan of Nika than I am but I think Henderson is too fast and quick for her
 
topogigio said:
I've said it before and will say it again -Paige at 50% is still better than almost every other player on UConn or the opposition. I expect her to have an unbelievable tourney and lead them to the final four. The fact that I have had final four tickets since the first day they went on sale, and have all flight and hotel reservations set, play no role in my thinking - well maybe a little!
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topogigio said:
I've said it before and will say it again -Paige at 50% is still better than almost every other player on UConn or the opposition. I expect her to have an unbelievable tourney and lead them to the final four. The fact that I have had final four tickets since the first day they went on sale, and have all flight and hotel reservations set, play no role in my thinking - well maybe a little!
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If Paige is better than almost anyone at 50 % that would make her DT,Sue,and Maya all rolled into one person..so that means at 100% Paige, last year we should have beaten Arizona by about 20
 
The 3 point shot will determine how far we go. if Caroline can resurrect her 3 point shot, then defenses are much less likely to smother Azzi. If both of these freshmen are shooting the 3 and driving to the basket while in the game together, it's game over for the other team. Couple that with E and CW making their threes, and with a dash of Dorka draining her threes, and it's gonna be easy peezy!
 
Edwards. We can beat anyone if we can rebound and defend the teams with tough, strong, bigs.
 
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CTrefugee said:
Edwards. We can beat anyone if we can rebound and defend the teams with tough, strong, bigs.
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as long as she doesn't return to her fowling days . . . We absolutely need her in the game.
 
Fun to debate and I think it’s a combination of ONO, AE and DJ. I think only teams with effective bigs are a problem for us. I’m not saying Williams ior any of the others are unimportant. But if we can at least neutralize bigs, we are a tough out.
 
cohenzone said:
Fun to debate and I think it’s a combination of ONO, AE and DJ. I think only teams with effective bigs are a problem for us. I’m not saying Williams ior any of the others are unimportant. But if we can at least neutralize bigs, we are a tough out.
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Defense wins championships, Olivia anchors the team. She must rebound effectively, and keep opponent's from easy baskets.
Have to not have the breakdowns they have had every year since Stewie left.
Stewie's teams sometime during the game created separation, not letting the game come down to a fluke play.
 
Caroline and Aaliyah and Azzi. They have crucial roles: Caroline is the tall guard that creates mismatches inside, Azzi is the deadly shooter with killer pop-up J, and Aaliyah is the inside strong forward that gives muscle and scoring down low. I think the others are steady and we'll get good performances from Liv, Dorka, Christyn, Nika and Paige (as much as she can give). But if we can get good points from the first three, we will win going away against any opponent.
 
Blue Ghost said:
If you look at the last 4 Final Four losses (Miss St, ND, ND and Arizona). It's always has been a small quick or athletic guard that has given us the most problems. Our bigs usually neutralize the other bigs. If Liv, Dorka and AE can do that then it will come down to a healthy Nika guarding the other teams best guard (Destiny, SC) or CW guarding (Jones, Stanford). If Nika and CW win those battles then we should be fine with Paige, CW, Azzi and CD scoring. SC may have Boston and Stanford has Brink, but if we can shut down Destiny and the same with Jones from Stanford we have a great chance to win it all. It comes down to the guards in tournament play.
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You are 100% right. Its the smaller quicker guards we have to look out for.
 
I'm saying, "TEAM" is the most important for us getting to the Final Four and winning the Final Four.

1. ONO is always the important piece. But now the depth has expanded in the post so it's now the committee.
2. Everybody loves Paige, but we are new team and we have plenty of scoring options, so again it's by committee.
3. The balance that this TEAM is showing will be the key to winning.
 
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One thing I am certain of, if Paige is 80%, she will give 100% of whatever she got. I don't believe she capable of playing any other way.

Nika is the pointy end of the defensive spear. Go gnat go!
 
Blue Ghost said:
If you look at the last 4 Final Four losses (Miss St, ND, ND and Arizona). It's always has been a small quick or athletic guard that has given us the most problems. Our bigs usually neutralize the other bigs. If Liv, Dorka and AE can do that then it will come down to a healthy Nika guarding the other teams best guard (Destiny, SC) or CW guarding (Jones, Stanford). If Nika and CW win those battles then we should be fine with Paige, CW, Azzi and CD scoring. SC may have Boston and Stanford has Brink, but if we can shut down Destiny and the same with Jones from Stanford we have a great chance to win it all. It comes down to the guards in tournament play.
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I believe Nika should guard Zia Cooke, Zia is the volume shooter on the SC team and if Nika can get in Zia’s head it can really frustrate the SC offense, Destiny seems to play within herself and IMO is harder to rattle. Dawn appears to me reluctant to pull Zia from the game even when Zia is obviously off. I think SC will be a tough match for any team but UConn has the team to beat SC!
 
jabstep said:
I agree with all of the posts. Essentially we need all of our Nasty 9 to play well as we have been. Certain matchups will dictate who will have good games. Keep turnovers low and play good D like we have been and we have the ability to win it all. I think we will. We have the BEST defense in the country right now because we can go hard all 40 minutes.
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IMO, Texas has the best defense, that is a team that I hope is in SC bracket and not UConn’s.
 
baggerbob said:
Defense wins championships, Olivia anchors the team. She must rebound effectively, and keep opponent's from easy baskets.
Have to not have the breakdowns they have had every year since Stewie left.
Stewie's teams sometime during the game created separation, not letting the game come down to a fluke play.
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Totally agree that defense wins championships. It creates great offensive opportunities and stymies the adversaries offense. Although ONO can block shots, the strongest big defender has been AE to these eyes. The real defensive strength has been on the perimeter where Nika, CW and Azzi have made it so tough.
 
darkstar1 said:
Totally agree that defense wins championships. It creates great offensive opportunities and stymies the adversaries offense. Although ONO can block shots, the strongest big defender has been AE to these eyes. The real defensive strength has been on the perimeter where Nika, CW and Azzi have made it so tough.
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For 4 years Uconn had Stewie who had the length and guickness to allow others to take chances on defense.
I still remember that Rutgers girl who stole the ball from Mo at halfcourt.
And Stewie chased her down and slammed the ball out of bounds. The Mississippi St game where Stewie made 3 or 4 blocks on the 1 possession.
In big games Geno always knew looking at Stewie she had her look, "I got this coach". He knew they would win.
 
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Conndog said:
Also, UConn is switching on defense so well, which renders screening ineffective.
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The switches are so smooth and seamless that if they didn't have numbers on the backs of their jerseys it would look like an optical illusion.
 
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