Some thoughts

[Cuango]

Not liking what I’m hearing from Geno! This is about as frustrated as I’ve seen him. This team is fried and it’s difficult to see how things are gonna get better. We simply don’t have the players! This team is running on fumes and worse, they don’t look as though they want to be out there in the first place! They look almost mechanical and I cannot find any sign of enjoyment or fun as I watch them play.
Caroline looks completely lost and I have to wonder if bringing her back was a mistake. I feel so bad for her! Of course, the other injuries are sad as well but at least they, as far as I know, have a set timetable. Caroline is having to deal with the uncertainty and frustration of her neck and head with no, as far as I can tell, firm assurance of when or if her symptoms are going to go away. Maybe she would be better off just shutting it down til next year. It can’t be much fun having to run to the bench for ice every time she gets bumped on the court!
Obviously, they have my full support but watching them is pretty painful right now. This is a team that practically radiated the joy of the game up until a few weeks ago, now it looks like they’re doing chores. This is what mental and physical exhaustion does. At first you can call on your reserves and fight your way through it but at some point, the reserves become depleted as well and that, I believe, is where we are now.

 

[GoUconn7961]

Even if we had Azzi, a final four was a long shot. No Paige, no final four IMO. There's a chance we do not make it out of the first weekend. Wonder how long it's been since we haven't made at least the sweet 16?

I can't remember the year, but it was a team Shea was on. I think they lost to Iowa.

 

[CL82]

I do not think we'll see 15 straight Final Fours.
That's OK. Lot's of teams never make one FF, let alone 15.

This is not our year.

Maybe let the games play out before you decide it’s not our year?

The slump really didn’t begin after the South Carolina game. As I recollect, we were already really dragging for at least the two games prior. Yet these young women rallied incredibly to play a competitive game against the top team in the nation with a severely depleted roster. I’m not going give up on them until the final tick of the last game in the season.

 

[npignatjr]

Not liking what I’m hearing from Geno! This is about as frustrated as I’ve seen him. This team is fried and it’s difficult to see how things are gonna get better. We simply don’t have the players! This team is running on fumes and worse, they don’t look as though they want to be out there in the first place! They look almost mechanical and I cannot find any sign of enjoyment or fun as I watch them play.
Caroline looks completely lost and I have to wonder if bringing her back was a mistake. I feel so bad for her! Of course, the other injuries are sad as well but at least they, as far as I know, have a set timetable. Caroline is having to deal with the uncertainty and frustration of her neck and head with no, as far as I can tell, firm assurance of when or if her symptoms are going to go away. Maybe she would be better off just shutting it down til next year. It can’t be much fun having to run to the bench for ice every time she gets bumped on the court!
Obviously, they have my full support but watching them is pretty painful right now. This is a team that practically radiated the joy of the game up until a few weeks ago, now it looks like they’re doing chores. This is what mental and physical exhaustion does. At first you can call on your reserves and fight your way through it but at some point, the reserves become depleted as well and that, I believe, is where we are now.

Also what I'm seeing sitting down staring at the floor early in the game. When leading body language matters and that is a bad look.

 

[meyers7]

How does the team make a run? The need to have enough rest between now and the tournament to get their legs back and just as importantly their mental sharpness back.

Yes but that would be after a long break between the BE tournament and the NCAAs

BE final is March 6 (if they make it there). First game of NCAA's is March 17/18th. So you're looking at least 10 days off between games. That's a decent break.

 

[npignatjr]

BE final is March 6 (if they make it there). First game of NCAA's is March 17/18th. So you're looking at least 10 days off between games. That's a decent break.

That would hopefully help them recover, physically and mentally.

 

[Happydad745]

With Fudd we make it to the elite 8- final four this year- doubtful,

 

[snowkot]

...she was pulled after one ill advised (but taken by many) shot that missed. Her size under the boards --as a back stop--can work. She has a lot of learning to do.

Point of order - Juhász was at the scorers table before the air ball, apparently the decision to sub her out was made before. Frustrating for me, off what we were seeing from both players at the time. Besides, if every player was subbed after one poorly considered air ball...

As defensive rebounding with this team has been a fatal flaw, I second TCC Kid's point.

 

[Longtime fan]

Yup. And he also said that when the team was going thru a super long win streak, some deficiencies were hard to coach. If you are on a 80+ game win streak, I'm sure there's a feeling of invincibility, therefore harder to get thru to the players. He also mentioned that some of these issues came out full bloom during the tournament, and if you cannot solve them, you go home. The losses to Miss St and ND in 2017-2019 come to mind.

I couldn't help thinking, as I watched Geno work during a UCONN timeout in the waning seconds of the St. Johns game, that whatever play he drew up, he knew deep down he didn't have the players on the court to execute it to perfection. Too much fatigue. He could draw all his genius on the chalkboard, but it wouldn't matter. And it didn't. This has to be a really stressful , difficult year for Geno and the coaches as well as the players and fans. No one is having fun. I hope this is not the beginning of the great unraveling.

 

[Longtime fan]

Also what I'm seeing sitting down staring at the floor early in the game. When leading body language matters and that is a bad look.

I agree with you 100%. And my fear is that this could push Geno toward retirement, faster than any of us feared. He has been beset with bad luck. The competition is improving at a faster pace than UCONN. We may have missed completely on some recent recruits, and our best recruits are all injured. 80 % of our players on the court are international players and 1/3 of the bench players are. This is South Florida style. But without them, we have nothing. And when AZZI , Paige and Ice return, each will be a question mark ( injury fear ). His mom died. And she was an inspiration and motivation for him. He has not had time to mourn and has gotten sick as a result. It is possible that UCONN won't win the Big East tournament ( another milestone shattered), and could go out as early as the second round in the big dance.He has tried everything, and the well is empty. And, as you point out, no one is having fun.

 

[Longtime fan]

In a message on February 11, I addressed the bench issue, expressing among other things, the concern that the physical and mental toll on the bodies of the five starters will have repercussions for the rest of the season. “The gas tank may be empty by the time of the Big Dance.” It appears that I was in error because it seems that the tank has been pretty much empty since the team’s magnificent game against South Carolina of February 5.

We have seen a series of distressing circumstances - a much higher rate of turnovers per game than in recent seasons, poor decision making in a number of bad passes each game, a resurgence of missed layups that so plagued the Huskies last season, getting out hustled, and players fumbling passes (Edwards in particular). The Huskies appear mentally and physically exhausted. The team has averaged just 61 points per game in the five contests since South Carolina, not one of which was well played by the Huskies, and with losses to Marquette and St. John’s. The Huskies haven’t lost two conference games per season in a decade.

The welcome return of Caroline Ducharme has not seemed to have helped that much, although her presence was decisive in a two point win over Creighton last week. So what does the future hold? Obviously, none of us really know, but unless the team gets some rejuvenation pills and the return of Azzi Fudd, neither a Big East championship nor a long run in the NCAAs is assured. The team that played last night will have trouble in both the Big East semis and finals and, likely, the round of 16 in the Big Dance.

This unfortunate situation is the result of several factors - a weak class of incoming freshmen due to the season long injury of Ice Brady, a squad with just 12 players (and the 12th was not added until the last minute after the Bueckers and Brady injuries), the unprecedented series of injuries this UConn team has suffered, and lastly the conference schedule. The women’s season is one week shorter than the men’s and it appears as if the Big East has largely adopted a schedule that features one home game followed by an away game. Cutting down on the number of trips per season would be of some help.

The St. John’s loss will bump UConn down to a no. 2 seed, and put the Red Storm in the mix for an at-large berth in the NCAAs.

The moral of the story is that the Huskies will not be able to compete for a national championship without more players and a stronger bench. Still, it ain’t over until the fat lady sings.

I think it is likely we win neither the Big East tournament nor the NCAA. In fact, we could go out early. The real issue is, will Geno allow himself to " re-gather" for one final push to glory next year. Counting on Paige, Azzi, Caroline, Ice Brady, Aubrey, Nika and Edwards, plus at least two freshman ( I just don't know much about Qadance for Jana, but the two guards are excellent). A kind of basketball poker game where UCONN "goes all in," and whatever happens, happens. Because we all know, there is no road to the championship without Paige at the top of her game. One more spin on the wheel of fortune. I think we can believe in that. But not much beyond.

 

[Centerstream]

All good lol.

I was not being snarky to you when I replied "obviously"...it was totally towards myself for missing the meaning of the •.
We are good. Thanks.

 

[fomalhaut]

Connecticut started their run of consecutive Sweet Sixteens in 1994, the first year of the 64-team tournament. They're the only team to win every first- and second-round game since then. Elite Eight is currently at 16 seasons.

 

[Longtime fan]

Connecticut started their run of consecutive Sweet Sixteens in 1994, the first year of the 64-team tournament. They're the only team to win every first- and second-round game since then. Elite Eight is currently at 16 seasons.

Pretty soon, all these comforting measures will be in the rear view mirror.

 

[Longtime fan]

Connecticut started their run of consecutive Sweet Sixteens in 1994, the first year of the 64-team tournament. They're the only team to win every first- and second-round game since then. Elite Eight is currently at 16 seasons.

In a message on February 11, I addressed the bench issue, expressing among other things, the concern that the physical and mental toll on the bodies of the five starters will have repercussions for the rest of the season. “The gas tank may be empty by the time of the Big Dance.” It appears that I was in error because it seems that the tank has been pretty much empty since the team’s magnificent game against South Carolina of February 5.

We have seen a series of distressing circumstances - a much higher rate of turnovers per game than in recent seasons, poor decision making in a number of bad passes each game, a resurgence of missed layups that so plagued the Huskies last season, getting out hustled, and players fumbling passes (Edwards in particular). The Huskies appear mentally and physically exhausted. The team has averaged just 61 points per game in the five contests since South Carolina, not one of which was well played by the Huskies, and with losses to Marquette and St. John’s. The Huskies haven’t lost two conference games per season in a decade.

The welcome return of Caroline Ducharme has not seemed to have helped that much, although her presence was decisive in a two point win over Creighton last week. So what does the future hold? Obviously, none of us really know, but unless the team gets some rejuvenation pills and the return of Azzi Fudd, neither a Big East championship nor a long run in the NCAAs is assured. The team that played last night will have trouble in both the Big East semis and finals and, likely, the round of 16 in the Big Dance.

This unfortunate situation is the result of several factors - a weak class of incoming freshmen due to the season long injury of Ice Brady, a squad with just 12 players (and the 12th was not added until the last minute after the Bueckers and Brady injuries), the unprecedented series of injuries this UConn team has suffered, and lastly the conference schedule. The women’s season is one week shorter than the men’s and it appears as if the Big East has largely adopted a schedule that features one home game followed by an away game. Cutting down on the number of trips per season would be of some help.

The St. John’s loss will bump UConn down to a no. 2 seed, and put the Red Storm in the mix for an at-large berth in the NCAAs.

The moral of the story is that the Huskies will not be able to compete for a national championship without more players and a stronger bench. Still, it ain’t over until the fat lady sings.

I didn't keep a count, but it also seemed that we missed 9-10 lay-up opportunities. And you are right, it seems we may have "missed" big time in recruiting. Specifically, we all expected great things from DeBerry and Patterson. Then "Ice" gets hurt for the year. And we have to go to Portugal for a back-up point guard, who the coaches don't play when it matters anyway. We have gone to Cairo to get a back-up post player, in case Ice can't return 100%. And if we didn't sign Lou ( at the last minute ) , can anyone imagine what the season would be now? So the best laid plans are not working out. And everyone is becoming exhausted and miserable. Not a good leap into the uncertain future;

 

[Rowdy831]

"The first weekend will be weaker teams that won't match up ", like St. Johns?

I was referring to the NCAA tournament.

 

[Greenfan]

New to posting on the Boneyard, but have been following UConn a couple of decades, and the Boneyard as well.
The level of doom and despair seems a bit overwrought, to put it mildly.
The pointing of fingers at the players and coaches is distasteful, to put it mildly.
The assumptions about the rest of the season, including tournaments, defeatist.

Everyone entitled to an opinion, that’s mine.

 

[hoopsnloops32]

What in the world? How are you going to tell Caroline what she should be doing with her body?

 

[cancontent]

What in the world? How are you going to tell Caroline what she should be doing with her body?

Why can't someone have an opinion? It sounds like there's genuine concern from their perspective that she may not be fully healthy and they're expressing that. How are you interpreting as they're telling her what to do?

 

[BRS24]

I couldn't help thinking, as I watched Geno work during a UCONN timeout in the waning seconds of the St. Johns game, that whatever play he drew up, he knew deep down he didn't have the players on the court to execute it to perfection. Too much fatigue. He could draw all his genius on the chalkboard, but it wouldn't matter. And it didn't. This has to be a really stressful , difficult year for Geno and the coaches as well as the players and fans. No one is having fun. I hope this is not the beginning of the great unraveling.

Agree, however, coaches will sometimes diagram end of game plays, even if there's no chance of winning, to see how it gets executed, and then figure out how to make it work when they need it most, BET or NCAAT.

 

[GoUconn7961]

Maybe let the games play out before you decide it’s not our year?

The slump really didn’t begin after the South Carolina game. As I recollect, we were already really dragging for at least the two games prior. Yet these young women rallied incredibly to play a competitive game against the top team in the nation with a severely depleted roster. I’m not going give up on them until the final tick of the last game in the season.

I’d be thrilled to be wrong and I hope I am. But I do get to voice an opinion like everyone else.

 

[hoopsnloops32]

Why can't someone have an opinion? It sounds like there's genuine concern from their perspective that she may not be fully healthy and they're expressing that. How are you interpreting as they're telling her what to do?

“Caroline needs to shut it down for the season” isn’t expressing an opinion. It’s rude and positions the poster as having more information about Caroline’s health than she has or that they know what’s better for her body. It’s not appropriate in my opinion.

 

[CL82]

I’d be thrilled to be wrong and I hope I am. But I do get to voice an opinion like everyone else.

Yes you do, and then other people get to comment on it. That’s kind of how the Internet works.

 

[tomcat]

There's not much to add to everything that other people have said here. The team continues to be, at one and the same time, heroic and disappointing. You have to admire their willingness to get out there and compete game after game. But let's assume they win the next two games. No good deed goes unpunished. They get the Big East tournament, three games in three days, assuming they keep winning (and I don't think that's a safe assumption at all). Then the Big Dance. Right now, UConn is ranked #4. The St. John's game results could drop the team 4 or 5 spots in the rankings. I think that even getting a 2 seed is dicey.

The problem is not that they lost the Sr. John's game. The problem is the way they've been trending. All the problems they've had -- bad passes, slippery ball, defensive lapses (Someone tell me: What was Dorka thinking last night?) have stayed with them. And it's not just as the game progresses; they make these mental mistakes in the first quarter as well. The absolute refusal to play the subs more in the easy games has come back to bite them in the anatomy. If (God forbid) someone gets hurt or in foul trouble, throw one of the benchwarmers in and they'll look like jacklighted deer.

Anyway, so UConn goes into the NCAA a 2 or 3 seed. All things being equal, it's likely they will get to the Sweet 16. My bet is that's where the season ends. Given how awful the season has been, injury-wise, that may not be a bad result.