Some thoughts on last nites game

[Tonyc]

Alot happened last night. First we as fans were all afraid of UConn getting in foul trouble and injuries and last nite it showed up. That forced the non starters to step up and they did. I think in the first qtr they were a little unsure and maybe a little nervous. There was really nobody to turn to. ONO and CW were in foul trouble and CD was on the bench. But once the going got tuff and their backs were against the wall they realized it was up to them. "The Griff" had alot to do with that too. Her performance gave everybody else confidence that they could do it and they did. So lets paint the picture. ONO gets in foul trouble early. CW gets in foul trouble early . CD is injured and on the bench. That in itself was a nitemare for all UConn fans. There was nobody to turn to to bail them out. "The Griff" stepped up and then "The Big Mak attack" and "Good Golly Miss Molly". I think they all believe in themselves now and more importantly Geno knows what they can do and he can count on them Most importantly they all have confidence and know they can do it. This was a huge game for those reasons and in that this team came together and they scored over 90 pts. It was a huge uplift for the entire team and coaching staff. They now Believe.

With all that said the defense needs work. If they can all pick up on "The Griffs" energy/defense it will help alot. I heard Geno mention either on TV or in the interview in one of the threads on this board say we will not win all of our next 3 games which were Seton Hall, ND and Depaul. After last nite I gotta wonder if his feelings have changed. Hey werent not there yet but we know now weve got the pieces. Ive been saying we need a 5th starter who can score some points and a bench that can step up and last nite all that happened. UConn is not as invincible as their teams in the past but this is a really really good team. Mak hadnt been shooting well but other then her, our core 4 have. We were having problems scoring over 80 pts because the 5th starter and the bench werent scoring. Last nite changed all that. Another thing happened last nite. LVille lost to Ohio St. When we played Ohio St there were people who said gee Ohio St isnt that good and we struggled against them. Well Ohio St is better then most fans thought and last nite they showed it again. We beat Ohio St and LVille lost to them. How much better does that make our win over Ohio St look and you know what? After last nites performance with all the foul trouble and CD on the bench we are better then we were against Ohio St.

Last nite this UConn came a long way. They grew up. The gained confidence and belief. They won a game that many did not think under the circumstances they could win. Griff is the real deal. Shes will get better and develop a more consistent outside shot. Its still hard for me to believe how far we came last nite. We were thrown into the fire and came out shining. We overcame alot last nite. SH only had 7 treys before last nite. They shot the ball unconsciencely with people in their face and we still pulled it out. SH played their best game of the season. They were electric with a sell out crowd backing them and with all the problems that faced UConn we won.

With LVille losing UConn should be ranked 2 or 3 in the polls. Theyve earned it and they are much better then fans and pollsters are giving them credit for. With a win coming up over ND and Depaul and with all the road games we've won we've earned it. LVille should drop out of the top 5 and I would think the polls will look something like

Stanford
UConn
Oregon
Oregon St
Baylor
Lville

We still need Liv to stay out of foul trouble which would make me think we need to double down when opponents drive the lane . Liv needs to create space between her and the opponent and if she gets beat back off them. That will come as we go through the season. We've been tested even if some dont think that some of the teams we've played arent that good. One thing is for sure. Last nite Seton Hall was really good and Ohio St is better then advertised....so is UConn

 

[ShmiCO]

Good points Tony. I'm a west coast UConn fan, with very little exposure to SH. I was really impressed with the Pirates last night. Great shooting confidence, good shot selection and good speed getting off their shots. I think the game could have been much closer if their conditioning was on par with UConn. That's a little scary because conditioning is about effort and discipline, not natural gifts. My interest in next year's Big East conference schedule has been piqued!

 

[Steelerone]

Wasn't it great to watch a game where your team is down, your core players are out, and then players on the floor are the ones you have all these questions about? Then, to paraphrase Batman, Bam, Pow, Curnch, Boom, Zap - they all came through.

 

[veryolddog]

What Tony said and what my wife said watching the game: "They are playing like Sh.T." It is amazing how they came together and dug down and managed to claw their way back to score 90 points and defeat a pretty good little Seton Hall team. Tony's correct: Defense needs work, a lot of work. And playing with such a short bench. Geno is still trying to teach lessons during the game by holding Liv back when she only had 3 fouls. When I think of Oregon, Baylor, South Carolina, or even Tennessee this year, I am not sure that this is "the" team. I would like to be wrong and pleasantly surprised.

 

[bluedevil]

AG is still learning the ropes and Anna still isn't scoring enough..by March maybe...long way to go for both..

 

[warbler1055]

Actually I really enjoyed last night game. So sick of blowouts where UConn won by 30-40 points. We have played SH several times in the past, I don't remember ever seen a close game with them. So to see Molly , Kyla,
Griffin and Makurat playing their hearts out was a revelation. Finally Molly took some shots and made them, Griffin deserved all the accolades and more. And what a dogfight it was, SH played a fantastic game.

 

[Majic Hands]

Golly Gee, was yelling at the TV. Giving the head shake at many points.

This was not a game that fascinated me with their seamless execution making good teems look like confused high schoolers.

LOVED this game. Aubrey, Molly, Anna, Kyla, anchored with Megan. Wow! you can see these kids figuring it out. Working through it. Refusing to lose. I can see this teem getting to be a smooth executing machine being compared to UConn teams of the past by the end of next year.

Just my take.

 

[Carnac]

Alot happened last night. First we as fans were all afraid of UConn getting in foul trouble and injuries and last nite it showed up. That forced the non starters to step up and they did. I think in the first qtr they were a little unsure and maybe a little nervous. There was really nobody to turn to. ONO and CW were in foul trouble and CD was on the bench. But once the going got tuff and their backs were against the wall they realized it was up to them. "The Griff" had alot to do with that too. Her performance gave everybody else confidence that they could do it and they did. So lets paint the picture. ONO gets in foul trouble early. CW gets in foul trouble early . CD is injured and on the bench. That in itself was a nitemare for all UConn fans. There was nobody to turn to to bail them out. "The Griff" stepped up and then "The Big Mak attack" and "Good Golly Miss Molly". I think they all believe in themselves now and more importantly Geno knows what they can do and he can count on them Most importantly they all have confidence and know they can do it. This was a huge game for those reasons and in that this team came together and they scored over 90 pts. It was a huge uplift for the entire team and coaching staff. They now Believe.

With all that said the defense needs work. If they can all pick up on "The Griffs" energy/defense it will help alot. I heard Geno mention either on TV or in the interview in one of the threads on this board say we will not win all of our next 3 games which were Seton Hall, ND and Depaul. After last nite I gotta wonder if his feelings have changed. Hey werent not there yet but we know now weve got the pieces. Ive been saying we need a 5th starter who can score some points and a bench that can step up and last nite all that happened. UConn is not as invincible as their teams in the past but this is a really really good team. Mak hadnt been shooting well but other then her, our core 4 have. We were having problems scoring over 80 pts because the 5th starter and the bench werent scoring. Last nite changed all that. Another thing happened last nite. LVille lost to Ohio St. When we played Ohio St there were people who said gee Ohio St isnt that good and we struggled against them. Well Ohio St is better then most fans thought and last nite they showed it again. We beat Ohio St and LVille lost to them. How much better does that make our win over Ohio St look and you know what? After last nites performance with all the foul trouble and CD on the bench we are better then we were against Ohio St.

Last nite this UConn came a long way. They grew up. The gained confidence and belief. They won a game that many did not think under the circumstances they could win. Griff is the real deal. Shes will get better and develop a more consistent outside shot. Its still hard for me to believe how far we came last nite. We were thrown into the fire and came out shining. We overcame alot last nite. SH only had 7 treys before last nite. They shot the ball unconsciencely with people in their face and we still pulled it out. SH played their best game of the season. They were electric with a sell out crowd backing them and with all the problems that faced UConn we won.

With LVille losing UConn should be ranked 2 or 3 in the polls. Theyve earned it and they are much better then fans and pollsters are giving them credit for. With a win coming up over ND and Depaul and with all the road games we've won we've earned it. LVille should drop out of the top 5 and I would think the polls will look something like

Stanford
UConn
Oregon
Oregon St
Baylor
Lville

We still need Liv to stay out of foul trouble which would make me think we need to double down when opponents drive the lane . Liv needs to create space between her and the opponent and if she gets beat back off them. That will come as we go through the season. We've been tested even if some dont think that some of the teams we've played arent that good. One thing is for sure. Last nite Seton Hall was really good and Ohio St is better then advertised....so is UConn

The Seton Hall game was a win for UConn in many ways. As you mentioned, with Crystal out, and ONO and Christyn in early foul trouble, it forced UConn to come together and fight their way back from a double digit deficit in the first half. Liv must stop using the "tomahawk" technique when attempting to block shots. THAT technique will more times than not put her on the bench prematurely in the first half.

UConn got away with her being on the bench for all but 4 minutes of the first half. They may not be so lucky if they do that against the elite teams. If you noticed her play in the second half, she only picked up 1 foul. She finished with 3. Somebody said something to her during her time on the bench. She could see how being on the bench hurt her team, and how they struggled without her.

She can't block every shot. She's got to learn how to pick her battles. As you said, sometimes she's not in position to block a shot, so back off. No cheap fouls. Liv must learn that she does not have to block a shot be be effective. If she can make a player change their shot, that's almost as good as a block. It was a fun game to watch because we saw 3 of the 4 reserves play extended minutes, overcome adversity, and contribute to a team win.

Seton Hall had no answer for Liv. Their tallest player is 6'2" (So. Femi Funeus). I don't believe she got in the game. They didn't contest the jump ball to begin the game. Had she stayed in the game, SHE quite possibly could have had a breakout game. Her first two baskets last night were real easy. One other small item that no one has mentioned. Seton Hall (5-3) had played 2 more games than UConn (6-0) before last night.