Some thoughts on last Nite

[Tonyc]

Give MD credit they played better then I thought. They cut off the baseline, and over all played much better then I thought. I cant wait to see MD play ND that will be a Great Game. Another thing MD did was play very physical. Thus the foul calls and some no calls.

For UConn. Some rust, imo played way to fast at times thus the turnovers most of which were unforced. That was a huge problem in the first two quarters. Slowing it down and maintaining poise would've been better.

The refs let a lot go underneath. To many times Stewie was pushed off her feet. Twice I saw her posting up and just lambasted off her feet and no call... except for the fans reaction. A couple of times UConn went to the basket Gabby Collier and Morgan in particular and were banged missing easy shots and no call. Then a touch call from a guard. Hey UConn adjusted and won in the second half with very few turnovers.

Katie Lou Collier and Chong all showed signs of breaking out. Chong especially. Chong looked like she did in high school. Very encouraging and I feel this could've been Saniyas breakout game. She was confident, made some great defensive plays when it counted. Gabby has developed and continues to get better. Now the wait for Butler. The question remains when will she play. Im hoping Wednesday against Cinny.

This game was a wakeup game for our underclassman. I think we will see the improvement over the next few games. They need to contribute more. They need to take charge and not defer to Mojeff Tuck and Stewie. They need to be confident to take charge of situations. We saw some of that which is encouraging.

 

[Aluminny69]

If the Notre Dame game was not as close as the final score (10 point win), then Maryland WAS a lot closer than the final score. Four point difference with one minute to play. If Chong misses her shot, and MD comes down and makes a three, it's a one point game. That's the closest anyone has been to UConn in quite some time.

If you are expecting better Refs, forget it. Dee Kantner is the best in WCBB. And Brenda Frese also had some legitimate gripes on certain calls. If you think refereeing is easy, try it some time. It is much easier making calls from the stands, especially when you are partial to one team.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Tony C. I agree with much of what you write.
Why did Chong play?? Because she is an experience Junior and less likely to be rattled by the banging and shoving. Her 3 was big time.
She was always cutting looking for the drive to the basket--would have been nice to see that happen.
KLS, Collier, Gabby, Ekmark all have a lot to learn and getting into the games KLS, Gabby, Collier have been in this year--they are getting an education THANK YOU GEnO. Katie Lou has the talent and physical assets to become CLOSE to another Stewie--she has had moments.
It would be nice if Stewie took her under her (massive) wings and developed her skills a bit wider. Collier is coming along and will be a standout
hopefully before yer is out.

 

[CajunHusky]

It wasn't rust ....in multiple games they have struggled against big strong teams, and fast teams especially when those teams are well coached and disciplined. When have you seen the Huskies not get back on defense? even after an inbounds after a score? They gave up some easy ones they don't usually give up - but I am not willing to blame that on the Huskies, I think the Terps are just that good this year. I was really worried about Maryland ... I thought the Huskies would have trouble rebounding, and I think Shatori Walker is the real deal. They may have more trouble with Maryland if they meet in the NCAA. I think Phee struggled with physical play last night. Katie Lou played some good minutes in a high pressure game. Solid defense. But I think Natalie could have been a game changer against the physical play underneath.

I think it fair to say Coach has not found his team yet. If Saniya came overcomes her IT Band problem, the lineup at the end of the Terp game may end up the lineup going in to the NCAA .... Mo, Kia, Tuck, Stewie and Saniya.

 

[scotty0330]

Atmosphere was pretty solid. Most of lower bowl was full and the smattering of Maryland fans did them selves proud. It was a physical game and with the size of Maryland that is what they are going to do. When the ball movement was crisp UCONN held its own and was able to score inside. A couple of times offense seemed rushed, passes not as good and sloppy turnovers resulted.

Also surprised by the defense at times. Not only were fast break hoops made off of UCONN field goals, but folks were losing track of their man leaving often times uncontested three pointers. Gabby had a few moments early, and Katie Lou most certainly did late. Geno had enough and finally had to face guard some of the shooters (with Mo and Kia) since too much help was being given by the guards/wings.

Entertaining game...happy to be in the Garden again. Still think that may be the best team UCONN sees this year.

 

[BroadwayVa]

If the Notre Dame game was not as close as the final score (10 point win), then Maryland WAS a lot closer than the final score. Four point difference with one minute to play. If Chong misses her shot, and MD comes down and makes a three, it's a one point game. That's the closest anyone has been to UConn in quite some time.

If you are expecting better Refs, forget it. Dee Kantner is the best in WCBB. And Brenda Frese also had some legitimate gripes on certain calls. If you think refereeing is easy, try it some time. It is much easier making calls from the stands, especially when you are partial to one team.

Refing "ain't" rocket science or brain surgery--it's a lot faster. Takes a special individual with great eye sight, thick skin, and terrific memory (for the rules) and able to make instant decisions--heck it's EASY.
But there are goood refs and way too many BAAAD refs. It shall ever be this way. Would you like every decision you make replayed on a tV screen for the world to see?? Not me , my ego isn't that big.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Atmosphere was pretty solid. Most of lower bowl was full and the smattering of Maryland fans did them selves proud. It was a physical game and with the size of Maryland that is what they are going to do. When the ball movement was crisp UCONN held its own and was able to score inside. A couple of times offense seemed rushed, passes not as good and sloppy turnovers resulted.

Also surprised by the defense at times. Not only were fast break hoops made off of UCONN field goals, but folks were losing track of their man leaving often times uncontested three pointers. Gabby had a few moments early, and Katie Lou most certainly did late. Geno had enough and finally had to face guard some of the shooters (with Mo and Kia) since too much help was being given by the guards/wings.

Entertaining game...happy to be in the Garden again. Still think that may be the best team UCONN sees this year.

Last April Md's coach spoke of the quickness of Jefferson, as apposed to her point, she apparently fixed the quickness issue--and play more like Uconn--rebound and run, get down court before the defense can set up--and it worked.
Uconn never REALLY lost it's composure---in tough games this year there has been a tendency to rush shots, by everyone except Stew
The 3 point line wasn't a terrific issue for Uconn to defend. If they could have moved the mountains inside it would have been a bigger score

many on this venue are a bit blushing because some posted very high difference between Uconn and Md scores. I try not to do that,
some one is always going to point out my lack of knowledge in predicting scores--

 

[trb123]

Less than 24 hrs ago, I had posted about working hard to lower expectations next year.
This game accomplished that mission. Here are some questions.

1. We were hurt by a shortage of big bodies last night. Will it worsen next year?
2. We recruited 1 player (Chong) in 2016-17, 2 players (KN and GW) in 2017-18 and 1 bench player (Ekmark) and 2 players in 2018-19. Does our recruitment look thin compared to other schools?
3. ND is playing on par with us for some time. Will MD and SCAR start doing the same?
4. Are our recruitments hurting because we are not P5?

I am still confident that we will win championship this season.

 

[Dillon77]

Give MD credit they played better then I thought. They cut off the baseline, and over all played much better then I thought. I cant wait to see MD play ND that will be a Great Game. Another thing MD did was play very physical. Thus the foul calls and some no calls.

For UConn. Some rust, imo played way to fast at times thus the turnovers most of which were unforced. That was a huge problem in the first two quarters. Slowing it down and maintaining poise would've been better.

The refs let a lot go underneath. To many times Stewie was pushed off her feet. Twice I saw her posting up and just lambasted off her feet and no call... except for the fans reaction. A couple of times UConn went to the basket Gabby Collier and Morgan in particular and were banged missing easy shots and no call. Then a touch call from a guard. Hey UConn adjusted and won in the second half with very few turnovers.

Katie Lou Collier and Chong all showed signs of breaking out. Chong especially. Chong looked like she did in high school. Very encouraging and I feel this could've been Saniyas breakout game. She was confident, made some great defensive plays when it counted. Gabby has developed and continues to get better. Now the wait for Butler. The question remains when will she play. Im hoping Wednesday against Cinny.

This game was a wakeup game for our underclassman. I think we will see the improvement over the next few games. They need to contribute more. They need to take charge and not defer to Mojeff Tuck and Stewie. They need to be confident to take charge of situations. We saw some of that which is encouraging.

ND and Maryland are not slated to play during the regular season this year. The Irish played Ohio State in the ACC-Big Ten match-up this year.
The only non-ACC game we have left is when the Lady Vols come to South Bend.

The Irish had a tough time with Oregon State last night...not just Ruth Hamblin, but the team in general, which is very tall and rangy. Breanna Turner -- back in the lineup! -- missed some chippies she usually makes, but Hamblin is tough sledding. Need to go uptempo on the Beavers, but it's tough when you're having trouble rebounding.

 

[trb123]

Some vol nationals broke their (self imposed?) rule and talked about this game on their webpage.
Maryland deservedly earned their praise. One poster even admitted

They still finished second...UConn is to (sic) much.

 

[Wbbfan1]

Didn't think Collier and KLS showed signs of breaking out in last nights game.

Collier had a lot of hustle plays in the 1st half but her offense was completely out of sync. Thus the limited minutes in the 2nd half. She scored 2 points on 1-4 shooting with 4 Personal Fouls in 13 minutes of play.

KLS scored 4 points with 1 rebound and a good defensive steal that led to her being fouled. She did not take any 2 point shots and was 1-4 on 3's. I wonder when her 3 point shot is going to come around as she's missing Wide Open 3's and so far is an unreliable scorer.

Maryland's Quickness and size neutralized Gabby's play last night as she only played 15 minutes and scored 4 points.

This is still a difficult team to beat if the three Seniors (Stewie, Moriah and Morgan) stay out of foul trouble and have their usual game.

I know Butler will play when the coaches and RoseMary say she's ready. I hope its soon as she could have been helpful last night.

 

[PhillyCoach]

I was impressed with Maryland--they were not fearful of UConn . Brenda did a good job.
Yes, There was UConn rust. One week of finals and one week of vacation. At most, UConn had two short practices before this game. The second half with just one turn-over proved that point. It takes time to find a rhythm.
Reffing is a difficult gig. Whatever sport is played (and I don't care which side I am rooting for) I want consistency. Refs were OK, but I saw too many times UConn got BANGED with no call and then seconds or minutes later a ticky-tack touch foul is called against UConn.
Maryland scored inside, but so did UConn. Check the stats. I think it was even. However, Maryland bigs were tired more often and needed rests. Defend Jones and Kimb-Walker and their team will sputter. UConn has more weapons. Defense in the second half changed the game and OFFENSE won the game.
One key Note - Geno has stated that "there will be games where we have to win by scoring more than them." There will be and have been games like that. For example, Notre Dame (with their 3 pt shots) were scoring big time. However, UConn answered the salvo every time. When the UConn defense tightened (and the other team got more tired than UConn) UConn stopped them. They out scored ND too.
The Maryland game was the same. Maryland had scoring bursts and UConn answered every time. Getting close is frightening to many UConn fans--but winning almost every game ( in the last few years) by double digits is the reality. Like last year, when UConn had the highest scoring team and the best scoring defense----the goal is the same. On 25 offensive sets each quarter, UConn will find a way to score just one or two more baskets than the opposition. On defensive sets per quarter, UConn will stop the opposition one or two more times. That adds up to a double figures win. Think of that; just one more offensive score and one more defensive stop each quarter brings the win!!
Final take - UConn was confident (a little sloppy to start) that they had control of the game and expected to win. They won by double digits. Maryland is a good team, but they only have 2 stars. NOT enough to win it all, IMHO.

 

[Carnac]

Less than 24 hrs ago, I had posted about working hard to lower expectations next year.
This game accomplished that mission. Here are some questions.

1. We were hurt by a shortage of big bodies last night. Will it worsen next year?
2. We recruited 1 player (Chong) in 2016-17, 2 players (KN and GW) in 2017-18 and 1 bench player (Ekmark) and 2 players in 2018-19. Does our recruitment look thin compared to other schools?
3. ND is playing on par with us for some time. Will MD and SCAR start doing the same?
4. Are our recruitments hurting because we are not P5?

I am still confident that we will win championship this season.

trb123, you bring up some very valid and salient points to ponder. I've been suggesting all summer that UConn needs to procure a talented "BIG" to back up Natalie Butler.
Right now, there's no one on the roster, and no one coming in that can realistically back her up.

UConn Nation knows that Geno and staff is painfully aware of this situation. I trust it will be a "front burner" item, and will be addressed and taken care of this summer.

 

[Geno-ista]

Saniya- showed a lot of moxy coming in with such quality minutes in the biggest fog fight of the season under the biggest lights- and boy we will need her.
Collier for the first time this year looked like a freshman and appeared to be overwhelmed. I don't think it will last long. Md is very very dangerous!

 

[bschwartz]

At some point this season, they are really going to need Butler. Ms. Staley got her game plan last night.

 

[EricLA]

At some point this season, they are really going to need Butler. Ms. Staley got her game plan last night.

Honestly, I'm not sure if SC plays down to the competition, but from what I've seen from them and Maryland, Baylor and ND, they are the most underwhelming of the quartet (to my untrained eye). SC has moments of terrific offense and smothering defense, then it seems like the entire team takes a pause for several minutes and one wonders what the heck happened.

I also am still bugged that Aja has her own custom uniform. I've looked at it closely and don't try to tell me it looks different because she rolls up the shorts and rolls her sleeves under. She got SC to make her a custom uniform different from the rest of the team. I'm not sure if she's a diva or not, but you'd never ever see that at UCONN.

 

[Huskies Rule]

Stewie was once again her extraordinary self, Morgan (17 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists) was magnificent in her typically super-efficient, yet understated and unspectacular way, but my tip of the cap, player-of-the-game award goes to the toughest, grittiest kid I've ever seen in WCBB...Moriah Jefferson.

The carnage and death wreaked upon Texas by the devastating tornadoes, so close to Moriah's home and family that she said (Jim Fuller's blog) that she knew people directly impacted, had to weigh painfully heavy on Moriah last night. What a distraction that must have been. And maybe that's why I don't remember ever seeing her beautifully infectious smile at MSG, even after finishing two incredible drives in traffic. But Moriah showed a focus and a not-to-be-denied determination last night that I couldn't believe. Playing all 40 minutes (17 points, 6 assists, 3 rebounds), running the offense and defending like a demon, Moriah is a warrior without equal.

 

[donalddoowop]

Honestly, I'm not sure if SC plays down to the competition, but from what I've seen from them and Maryland, Baylor and ND, they are the most underwhelming of the quartet (to my untrained eye). SC has moments of terrific offense and smothering defense, then it seems like the entire team takes a pause for several minutes and one wonders what the heck happened.

I also am still bugged that Aja has her own custom uniform. I've looked at it closely and don't try to tell me it looks different because she rolls up the shorts and rolls her sleeves under. She got SC to make her a custom uniform different from the rest of the team. I'm not sure if she's a diva or not, but you'd never ever see that at UCONN.

I believe the same. SC has trouble scoring as many as 70 points against the better teams. SC can force the ball inside if they want but Geno will have the team prepared for that. They will have to beat UCONN from the outside, not the inside.

 

[Geno-ista]

Honestly, I'm not sure if SC plays down to the competition, but from what I've seen from them and Maryland, Baylor and ND, they are the most underwhelming of the quartet (to my untrained eye). SC has moments of terrific offense and smothering defense, then it seems like the entire team takes a pause for several minutes and one wonders what the heck happened.

I also am still bugged that Aja has her own custom uniform. I've looked at it closely and don't try to tell me it looks different because she rolls up the shorts and rolls her sleeves under. She got SC to make her a custom uniform different from the rest of the team. I'm not sure if she's a diva or not, but you'd never ever see that at UCONN.

If that's the case- I think it's illegal. It used to be many moons ago in my HS officiating days-

 

[Geno-ista]

Stewie was once again her extraordinary self, Morgan (17 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists) was magnificent in her typically super-efficient, yet understated and unspectacular way, but my tip of the cap, player-of-the-game award goes to the toughest, grittiest kid I've ever seen in WCBB...Moriah Jefferson.

The carnage and death wreaked upon Texas by the devastating tornadoes, so close to Moriah's home and family that she said (Jim Fuller's blog) that she knew people directly impacted, had to weigh painfully heavy on Moriah last night. What a distraction that must have been. And maybe that's why I don't remember ever seeing her beautifully infectious smile at MSG, even after finishing two incredible drives in traffic. But Moriah showed a focus and a not-to-be-denied determination last night that I couldn't believe. Playing all 40 minutes (17 points, 6 assists, 3 rebounds), running the offense and defending like a demon, Moriah is a warrior without equal.

This is a phenomenal post- great insight HS. Kudos to u!

 

[nd2tty]

I believe the same. SC has trouble scoring as many as 70 points against the better teams. SC can force the ball inside if they want but Geno will have the team prepared for that. They will have to beat UCONN from the outside, not the inside.

Agreed. MD made shots from outside the paint - particularly Confroy, SWK, and Pfirman - which helped Jones inside. South Carolina's 3pt shooting is abysmal: Mitchell (.373), Dozier (.333), Roy (.321), Sessions (.231), and Cuevas (.207) (Maryland has 5 players that shoot above 38% from 3, and shoot 40% as a team compared to SC's 30%). Overall, MD competed because they scored 70+ and played decent enough defense to keep UConn under 90-100 (unlike, say, OSU). SC will struggle to score 60+ against UConn, unless Mitchell is lighting it up from outside the paint and Coates and Wilson can get some freedom down low. And if Mitchell does start well in first half, you can guarantee she's getting face-guarded by Jefferson in the second.

 

[Tonyc]

I think one of the things were seeing is freshman mistakes. If Butler and Chong were healthy I have to wonder if UConn would have less turnovers in big games. Butler for sure would have a better impact at 6'5 underneath than a shorter less experienced player. Tuck had her hands full and with Butler playing along with Stewart, that would free up another big to help underneath. A thought for the SC game and the some of our other top games. As good as our freshman are and as good as they've looked theyre freshman and make mistakes. We have our Big 3 who have been able to make up for those mistakes however with more experienced players getting some time it could make a difference.

 

[LadyVols9]

was really impressed with Maryland. UCONN is at its best when outside shots are falling. if not, things get a little dicey because of the lack of bigs in the paint. i find it utterly bizarre that both UCONN and TN are struggling to land a big body while others like Baylor are bringing them in just to sit on the bench. don't get it.

 

[Tonyc]

was really impressed with Maryland. UCONN is at its best when outside shots are falling. if not, things get a little dicey because of the lack of bigs in the paint. i find it utterly bizarre that both UCONN and TN are struggling to land a big body while others like Baylor are bringing them in just to sit on the bench. don't get it.

I agree with you but those kids want to stay in Texas and they don't mind sitting. Remember you can only play 5 so those sitting do no good to anybody. Lets see what happens when Cox shows up. Lets see who likes sitting. One player doesn't make a team great anymore. You need 5 good starters and a couple of good players off the bench. Some teams have a lot of bigs and have to give them time of lose them. Im patient enough to see how this plays out. MD has a lot of bigs and they all get in foul trouble. Thus all get time and really a lot of their minutes hurt the team because they foul to much. That imo is because they don't understand how to play defense without fouling. If you have Cox you don't need 2 other post players provided she knows how to play defense and avoid foul trouble.

 

[Huskies Rule]

was really impressed with Maryland. UCONN is at its best when outside shots are falling. if not, things get a little dicey because of the lack of bigs in the paint. i find it utterly bizarre that both UCONN and TN are struggling to land a big body while others like Baylor are bringing them in just to sit on the bench. don't get it.

I can't speak about TN, but UConn got exactly what it wanted in a big, strong, rebounding 6'5" transfer. She just can't seem to find her way into games.