Some game thoughts - UCONN vs. Houston

[my2cents]

I think this board has gone off the rails.
If the "Bench" showed Geno anything/anytime they would play more.
If they play 3-5 minutes at the end of the game, or at the begining, he wants results.
Do they shoot, make baskets, steal, rebound, guard without fouling?
The answer is mainly NO, and in big games, he doesn't want them to embarrass themselves.

 

[boontonbomber]

For whatever reason, the "killer instinct"/"purpose"/"vengeance" factor has been greatly lacking with this group of players over the last few years. We saw it last year -- mediocre stretches at times, and of course the tight performance in the Final Four (again).

I don't know what the explanation is, but maybe the "practice til you can't get it wrong" mentality, combined with the personalities of the recent upperclassmen, doesn't produce enough of that kind of edge.

Very interesting post. It's something I began thinking about last season, watching Kia and Gabby. I thought as the season went on that, at times, they looked tired, maybe more mentally than physically. I even found myself wondering if they weren't, in some way, looking ahead to the WNBA, that these intense years at UConn, and they are intense, would soon be behind them, finally. Probably no players have the mental and physical demands that UConn players have( year 'round), and doesn't seem all that unlikely that it just wears them down. Maybe I'm reading too much into how Collier and Samuelson look , but seems like they are just going thru the motions at times. They're certainly scoring and rebounding, but I too wonder if they're worn down, and feeling even more pressure, with not a lot of support from the underclassmen. It's a long haul with UConn and Geno.

 

[BackBay]

Geno needs to improve the half-court offense, period. Too much "passing-drills" on the perimeter, for no purpose. Too much 3-point shooting. CD & CW need to penetrate more. Need more "easy" mid-range jumpers. Need more players attacking the basket for offensive putbacks. Against Baylor, everything was "too hard" & they put no pressure on the Baylor defense. That's the only way to win in March/April against the top teams. Or else, UConn is going to be playing on their heels, which is how they lost the last 2 years.

 

[Aluminny69]

I think this board has gone off the rails.
If the "Bench" showed Geno anything/anytime they would play more.
If they play 3-5 minutes at the end of the game, or at the begining, he wants results.
Do they shoot, make baskets, steal, rebound, guard without fouling?
The answer is mainly NO, and in big games, he doesn't want them to embarrass themselves.

Here's the problem as I see it. UConn starts two All Americans, one near All American, and one future All American. The jury is still out on Megan Walker. So naturally, anyone else will pale by comparison. Stated differently, there is a big dropoff in talent when any sub joins the starters.

And the subs too easily defer to the starters. There is a perceived difference when KLS misses a shot, vs. Molly Bent or Combes missing a shot. When all the subs are in, nobody seems able to take charge. This is Geno's dilemma, and I am one of the few who doesn't really have an easy answer for him.