South Carolina Postgame Thread[merged thread]

[Beemer]

Sure, Every loss a close game a coach makes a mistake because no coach is perfect all the time, right? And overall he was fantastic, correct?

You get no argument from me, he is the best.

Where you will get an argument from me is the notion that he's not be questioned. I think he'd be the first to admit he's made his share of errors and can always get better. I think that really accounts for his success in the later years of his career- he hasn't become complacent after all the success he's had & he is still growing as a coach.

 

[VaConnFan11]

Disagree with 2nd paragraph- Paige taking half the game off? First, we came back in 3rd quarter- in last 3 quarters, UConn played SC even essentially. The 1st quarter was a shocker. Paige didn't take it off, but it was quickly evident that SC that was quicker and bigger, that Liv was non-factor (due to groin injury primarily),and that UConn as a team wasn't crashing the boards. The disparity in rebounds was huge, when SC took a shot, it seemed that everyone on their team was in position to compete for rebound or loose balls. UConn, on the other hand, when they took a shot, usually no one was going after the boards.

Here are the differences in the game:
Rebounds- huge plus for SC, whole team went after the boards
Fast break- nothing from UConn, SC guards quick enough to get back on defense, SC had their break and were aggressive going to basket all game long
Free throws- undersized UConn squad did a lot more fouling, SC had more aggressive attack that usually is rewarded by refs. SC was 17 - 26, UConn was 1-4. That is 16 points right there. How could UConn have gotten more free throws? Needed more aggressive play that attacked basket and went after rebounds better
Height- injuries to Dorka and Aubrey hurt UConn a lot. Need more tall posts, this will be improved with upcoming draft, Brady and Patterson will be key players.
Team depth- SC just had more healthy players, they play a deeper squad than UConn anyway. Would be nice to play our depth more instead of shrinking the line-up as team advances in tournament.
Aggressive players- hope our mindset, which seems to favor pretty play, changes to more aggressive tone.
Turnovers- even (UConn one more)

Paige took 1 shot in each of the 1st and 3rd quarter. I know there's more to the game than scoring, but in this game when everyone knew points were going to be at a premium, the team needed her to score because no one else was.

 

[jazz]

34% is very respectable for a player not known to be a shooter. it is very average for a shooting guard however. at least that is how I evaluate this. I like the shooting guards to be closer to 40%.

 

[mudcat]

Proud this group fought to even get to this point, but a really underwhelming performance under the brightest lights. We came out looking the way we have in the national semifinal for the past few years. Just too big of a hole to climb out of.

The future is still bright, with Bueckers, Fudd, Edwards and Ducharme to lead the way. Ducharme was my bright spot for the game.

A shoutout to our seniors, for their years of contributions. I’m excited to see what this next generation looks like.

Is it too early to start the “predict the starting 5” threads? Lol

Unlike previous years, the starting five (barring injury) is pretty much a foregone conclusion (Bueckers, Fudd, Edwards, Juhacz, Ducharme).

 

[jchusky]

Paige took 1 shot in each of the 1st and 3rd quarter. I know there's more to the game than scoring, but in this game when everyone knew points were going to be at a premium, the team needed her to score because no one else was.

to me Paige never looked right aside that Nc st game, and judging from the presser she was just fatigued and exhausted having to carry the team the past 2 games. In this game there were slim but a few chances where she would beat the defender and instead of shooting she'd pass again, idk if that was by design but in the 2nd quarter she finally said the heck with it and started shooting. I think if she had done that 1st quarter SC prob wins, but at least it mighta been a closer game.

 

[meyers7]

Congrats to S. Carolina. They were the better team tonight, and all year. They deserved the NC.

Congrats to UCONN for getting to the NC game. Considering all the stuff they went through this year, to get that far was an incredible accomplishment. BE League Championship, BE Tourney Champ, FF appearance. Great season.

Congrats to the seniors. What a career. Although they never got their NC, still .... 4 League Championships, 4 Tourney Championships, 3 Final Fours (Covid), 122-14. Now on to the WNBA, best of luck to them.

If UCONN can get everyone back and healthy, next year will be a lot of fun. Hopefully they can pick up a guard from the Portal.

 

[SLY63]

I was being sarcastic because I don't agree one bit with your point. If you played her during the reg season then you would have probably played in the tournament before this game, right? And with all the close games, what makes you think a freshman would have risen vs UCF, NC State, and Stanford?

It's as if you are suggesting - as long as she get minutes she will produce vs all the tough teams in the NCAA Tourney.

The NC State game and the Stanford game were 1 to 2 plays away from a different outcome,. UCF wasn't that far behind. If she wasn't good enough all year I think imo what you are suggesting is Monday Morning QB.So when NC State used their bench players for example Jada Boyd and her +/- was minus 4 during regulation. When tara used her bench - who knows their bench could have cost them. But if UCONN used Amari more- then it wouldn't have affected the other close games that we eventually won?

Valid points, no one will know, but given what can happen (Dorka wrist, Liv groin -- both either out or not a full strength yesterday), I don't see any negative to having others more game-ready by giving them time in blowouts. I see it as managing risk and building a bench.

 

[hoophuskee]

You get no argument from me, he is the best.

Where you will get an argument from me is the notion that he's not be questioned. I think he'd be the first to admit he's made his share of errors and can always get better. I think that really accounts for his success in the later years of his career- he hasn't become complacent after all the success he's had & he is still growing as a coach.

Sure. he has. IMO every game that’s close any move could be the one anyone can randomly say "that's the move that blew it."

In this case, with Amari- I don’t think that just because you give a player minutes during the reg season that they will automatically produce during the high tension Tourney. For me- I value experience. And lo and behold how our seniors came through before this game but then it was the SC sr that came through in this game.

Anyhow where do you see the mistake here? You agree with some that it was DeBerry? Or Ducharme? Nika? My only counter to anyone suggesting that--- that those extra minutes he would have given in the NC State game or Stanford game while not having the starters or Evina in for example could have just as likely cost them. Agree?
=============================

And finally- when is it not the coach’s fault and you just lost to the better team?

 

[hoophuskee]

Valid points, no one will know, but given what can happen (Dorka wrist, Liv groin -- both either out or not a full strength yesterday), I don't see any negative to having others more game-ready by giving them time in blowouts. I see it as managing risk and building a bench.

I do.

Minutes the regular core team gets to play together.

Especially this year. Very especially this year. Less minutes for the core imo equals even less cohesiveness.

 

[DrummerDee]

Looks more shoulder than neck. Also what injury did Ono sustain in Fridays game?

Reimbursed her groin

 

[Carnac]

Our emotions are still on edge this morning (the day after the championship game. It was a very hard game to watch. A game in which we never had a lead. Many fans have their own thoughts on some things Geno could have done differently. SC got off to a very fast start and set the tone for the evening.

Once they return to normal, we can turn our sights and hopes toward next season. No, UConn did not win the NC. It was not their year. I look at the overall picture this way: 68 teams entered the tournament. Only two teams won 5 games. UConn was one of those teams. Given the trials and tribulations they endured this season, I see that as a MAJOR accomplishment. Geno said that some of his players were ill. We know Azzi was sick. She did not attend the morning shooound. Someone said that Geno looked a little green around the gills himself.

There were times this season when our team looked more like a MASH unit than a basketball team. We lost to a team that was better than we were plain and simple. Throwing rocks and pointing fingers won't change the outcome of the game. Geno and his staff will do the same thing every other coaching staff will do. Regroup and figure out how to do better with what they have, possibly adding a player or two from the portal if there's one there that can fill a need and wants to join your team.

UConn knocked off not one but two number 1 seeds this year. Let's not lose sight of that. We have a very good team. Their going to be good next season too. I'm looking to see if we get anyone from the portal that can help us, and I I'm particularly interested in seeing how our two freshmen come in and blend in with their new teammates and Geno's system, not to mention the return of Aubrey Griffin who has to be chomping at the bit to get back on the floor.

UConn fans are dismayed over yesterday's loss, but we went further than 66 other teams some of whom were very talented, but like UConn, it wasn't their year. South Carolina had the best team this year, simple as that. Let's see how many games we can win next season, and who the starting five should be. It's going to be a long spring and summer. It always is.

 

[temery]

Reimbursed her groin

Cash or store credit?

 

[Beemer]

Sure. he has. IMO every game that’s close any move could be the one anyone can randomly say "that's the move that blew it."

In this case, with Amari- I don’t think that just because you give a player minutes during the reg season that they will automatically produce during the high tension Tourney. For me- I value experience. And lo and behold how our seniors came through before this game but then it was the SC sr that came through in this game.

Anyhow where do you see the mistake here? You agree with some that it was DeBerry? Or Ducharme? Nika? My only counter to anyone suggesting that--- that those extra minutes he would have given in the NC State game or Stanford game while not having the starters or Evina in for example could have just as likely cost them. Agree?
=============================

And finally- when is it not the coach’s fault and you just lost to the better team?

Your first point: If you don't give a player minutes in the regular season it is nearly certain they won't be able produce in a high pressure situation such as the FF, especially if you're a freshman. The adjustment from HS to college play is enormous but the adjustment is astronomical going from HS to the Final Four. And the only way to gain experience, the only way to learn to deal with the pressure is to play the game. Nobody knows how well DeBerry might have played if she'd had more minutes. Instead she was thrust into a situation she wasn't prepared for and the lack of positive results shouldn't surprise anyone. That's on Geno, this is where his short bench strategy came back to bite him in the ***.

I have to be careful w/r/t Nika- I flat out love the kid, I love the way she plays and I make no secret about or apology for it. She's got her limitations but there is no question the team plays with more energy & confidence when she is out there. And UConn needed both last night. I would have had her out there all night long. Yeah she might have fouled out in the third quarter the way the officiating was going but in the meantime she would have made life hell for the SC guards and limited their scoring/passing attempts.

SC was the better team but UConn definitely could have played better/smarter too. It was too easy for SC and that is what really bothers me about this defeat. Nobody can win all the time but at least make the other team earn it. This game was over when SC went up 11-2 in the first quarter. 11-2.

 

[my2cents]

wrong again. Sounds like you are the one who is obsessed. they do guard NM, at least Stanford did anyway. Maybe 40-50% of the time, GA used her as a decoy on many occasions on one side of the court (with a stanford player guarding her - which opened things up) and ran offense (not entirely) through the other 4.

Other times, NM started the offense. By the way, NM's 3 point shooting in the tournament and throughout the year is just about as good/close or better than the rest of our guards AND GA doesnt rely on her to score. The problem is that those who we do rely on to score come up empty far too often. It is not a good sign when your shooters cant shoot it much, if any better ,than those who were not even recruited to be shooters. Our guards get open shots all the time, they just dont hit them with enough regularity...at least not this tournament for some, and for their entire career for others.

lol. Now, with only 5 players that can play at a time, we can have "decoys" out there. Nika , for all her positives, is not a great offensive player, and the other teams know that. They "Guard" her by staying 7 ft away to help guard our real threats. That she made some wide open threes during the tournament was good, but a tiny sample. She shoots 22% from the foul line, FOUL LINE.

 

[freshler40]

I agree with you about the early foul trouble defense. South Carolina has so much depth at the bigs with Cardosa and Amihere ready to come in if the South Carolina Bigs get into foul trouble. It allowed them to play with physical abandon. Paxton in particular and Boston could be called for over the back fouls on many occassions but they were not. For example Liv was called for over the back from the ref in back of her. Forget the foul ranting and back to why South Carolina can play with abandon is DEPTH I was amazed that Amari got a few minutes in the first half. I would have loved to see Paith rumble with them.
Lets face it we have had trouble with other teams bigs for 7 years since Stewie left.
South Carolina is an obstacle and they are big. Thank God Dorka is coming back. We added to players 6'2" I don't think it is enough without Amari and Paith getting time on the court next year.

No question that our two bigs, who only had four rebounds between them in over 65 minutes of play but another problem was the quick play of their small guard, another small fast guard that has been a thorn in our side in recent years. AK, AZ, read my lips! We need a strong defensive player (Griffen)? for such games along with a sizable big for picks and down low activities. I'm not sure that we can grow this talent with the surge of depth increasing in the women's game.
We did defeat two # 1's with a four smalls and a big (sort of). Pretty good don't you think but the path ahead is through SC and Stanford. Are we final four material as constituted with a good shot at the top rung? Better athletics are coming into women's basketball. Follow the money.

 

[hoophuskee]

Your first point: If you don't give a player minutes in the regular season it is nearly certain they won't be able produce in a high pressure situation such as the FF, especially if you're a freshman. The adjustment from HS to college play is enormous but the adjustment is astronomical going from HS to the Final Four. And the only way to gain experience, the only way to learn to deal with the pressure is to play the game. Nobody knows how well DeBerry might have played if she'd had more minutes. Instead she was thrust into a situation she wasn't prepared for and the lack of positive results shouldn't surprise anyone. That's on Geno, this is where his short bench strategy came back to bite him in the ***.

Well I don’t think you can count on Dorka being hurt and can't play. Then Liv suffering an injury that slowed her down then go out and rip the coach.

And again the minutes you give that frosh in the Reg season you have no way of knowing if it will produce duringg the NCAA's. The strategy of the short bench has produced the 14 straight Final Fours. It produced getting to the final this year. To have an implication that DeBerry would not have cost UCONN any of the tight games vs NC State and Stanford is nothing more imo than throwing a dart. Monday Morning QB. Which as I said after any loss one can randomly do.

For me- I wanted Paige to shoot and shoot and shoot.

 

[hoopsfan22]

I do.

Minutes the regular core team gets to play together.

Especially this year. Very especially this year. Less minutes for the core imo equals even less cohesiveness.

I was with you right up until the part where Geno decided to blow up an established lineup just for the NCAA tourney.

 

[NYCer20]

Hey all. Been reading the board for a few years, since Paige arrived. I'm originally from Minnesota and was hearing about her and watching highlights of her from 8th grade on. Loved her Gretzky-esque feel for the game and her overall style of play from the time she was a walking 14-year-old hoops marvel.

Once she joined the Huskies, I became a UConn fan, which...was not always the case. Loved the '95 team, but like much of the college hoops world would cheer for their underdog foes for much of the Bird-Diana years, especially when Lindsay Whalen and my Gophers took them on in '04. Loved watching Maya so enjoyed watching those titles and was in sheer awe of Stewart and Co., so appreciated those titles just from the perspective of someone who enjoys watching players and teams do things no one has done before. But then also enjoyed seeing the streak end. And over the last decade just learned to appreciate the sheer absurdity of what Geno has done.

All that said....now fully on board with Paige and everyone.

Anyway, going into last night I legitimately thought they were going to win, even while understanding South Carolina was deservedly the favorite. Azzi was fully healthy and on her game compared to the previous matchup. They weren't playing their third game in three nights. They were just better overall than they had been back then. Then, of course...Azzi was again limited with illness. Liv too. And while they didn't have three games in three days, I do think the NC State and Stanford games within a week took their toll, physically, emotionally.

And still....even with the god-awful start. Even with not being able to grab a rebound. Even with getting no points from Williams from most of the game. Even with Westbrook hobbling. Even with Paige still not at 100 percent. Still, somehow, someway, they were down just six points to the best team in the country late in the third. That was remarkable. In ways it reminded me of the men's game last year, when Baylor just came out and bullied Gonzaga. Except that game was never close; the Zags were embarrassed. The Huskies though managed to hang in there, hang in there, hang in there and if they could have gotten one more stop and another score, cut it to 2 or even three, who knows.

They absolutely could have beaten South Carolina. If Kentucky can beat them, yeah, they could have too. It didn't happen but to me it doesn't mean UConn isn't still right there.

The only thing with Paige is I do wish she'd come out firing a bit more early in some of the games against top foes. Settling in, setting up others, waiting for things to happen works great against most of their opponents. But against the South Carolinas, Baylors, Stanfords, etc., I'd love to see her be a bit more aggressive early. The danger, of course, is that other players watch her too much and you do need some balance to beat South Carolina, but what hurts the confidence more of the other players: Being down 22-8 after one quarter or being down 20-16 with Paige having scored 10? At least you're still in it with the latter scenario.

Apologies for rambling introductory post but it's been a blast following the team closely past two years and reading this board and I look forward to seeing what offseason brings and the 2022-2023 campaign. Have a feeling the Huskies will be in the final two again.

 

[freshler40]

We needed to hit shots and we didn't. it caught up to us.

Tale of the tape but also when we got hot vs not hot. The defense is at a might higher level during the later rounds with little clear edge other than turnovers and rebounds.

 

[hoophuskee]

I was with you right up until the part where Geno decided to blow up an established lineup just for the NCAA tourney.

Don't think putting Nika on the bench was bad while playing last year's POY who was most responsible for beating NC State is called "blowing things up." I think it's called logic. And next year with her playing full season with Azzi and CD etc even more cohesion.

 

[ctchamps]

And when your team commits one or more fouls every game because they haven't been required to NOT MOVE WHEN SCREENING, there are consequence. You can teach effective, and legal, screening using two words, "Stand Still!" and requiring discipline.

Difficult to criticize anything about this team, but the Coaching Staff needs to do a thorough, and objective, self-evaluation. Then, Geno needs to fix what's wrong.

Geno, needs to start teaching fundamental. Rebounding position is not standing with your arms fully extended. Want proof? Stand with your arms stright up. Now, try to jump. You've eliminated your arms, and that's not a good way to rebound.

It's shocking, and disgusting that believe we are being outcoached starting from the first day of practice. But I think we are.

I know there are those who will disagree, including some who will do so without engaging objective analysis. We all have opinions, but I think its time to remove the blinders. When you're done learning, you're done.

Gave you a dislike because you're confusing personal perspective with objective. And I declare this with an objective perspective.

 

[jazz]

Tale of the tape but also when we got hot vs not hot. The defense is at a might higher level during the later rounds with little clear edge other than turnovers and rebounds.

Be that as it may, our guards simply can't shoot well as a team and didnt throughout the tournament. I don't know the stats but I'd guess outside of Page and NM, our guards/wings shot less than or around 30% as a group. That aint going to cut it. Certain players or should I say 'player' needed to step up and make shots, but as has been the case for 4 years, she just didn't. Anyway, maybe it is me expecting more than can be delivered from her talent. Good but not great...no crime in that.

We had a great year though and this team beat 2 number ones in a row and and maybe with a bit more health and shots going in, it might have been a nail biter.

 

[HuskyNan]

Hey all. Been reading the board for a few years, since Paige arrived. I'm originally from Minnesota and was hearing about her and watching highlights of her from 8th grade on. Loved her Gretzky-esque feel for the game and her overall style of play from the time she was a walking 14-year-old hoops marvel.

Once she joined the Huskies, I became a UConn fan, which...was not always the case. Loved the '95 team, but like much of the college hoops world would cheer for their underdog foes for much of the Bird-Diana years, especially when Lindsay Whalen and my Gophers took them on in '04. Loved watching Maya so enjoyed watching those titles and was in sheer awe of Stewart and Co., so appreciated those titles just from the perspective of someone who enjoys watching players and teams do things no one has done before. But then also enjoyed seeing the streak end. And over the last decade just learned to appreciate the sheer absurdity of what Geno has done.

All that said....now fully on board with Paige and everyone.

Anyway, going into last night I legitimately thought they were going to win, even while understanding South Carolina was deservedly the favorite. Azzi was fully healthy and on her game compared to the previous matchup. They weren't playing their third game in three nights. They were just better overall than they had been back then. Then, of course...Azzi was again limited with illness. Liv too. And while they didn't have three games in three days, I do think the NC State and Stanford games within a week took their toll, physically, emotionally.

And still....even with the god-awful start. Even with not being able to grab a rebound. Even with getting no points from Williams from most of the game. Even with Westbrook hobbling. Even with Paige still not at 100 percent. Still, somehow, someway, they were down just six points to the best team in the country late in the third. That was remarkable. In ways it reminded me of the men's game last year, when Baylor just came out and bullied Gonzaga. Except that game was never close; the Zags were embarrassed. The Huskies though managed to hang in there, hang in there, hang in there and if they could have gotten one more stop and another score, cut it to 2 or even three, who knows.

They absolutely could have beaten South Carolina. If Kentucky can beat them, yeah, they could have too. It didn't happen but to me it doesn't mean UConn isn't still right there.

The only thing with Paige is I do wish she'd come out firing a bit more early in some of the games against top foes. Settling in, setting up others, waiting for things to happen works great against most of their opponents. But against the South Carolinas, Baylors, Stanfords, etc., I'd love to see her be a bit more aggressive early. The danger, of course, is that other players watch her too much and you do need some balance to beat South Carolina, but what hurts the confidence more of the other players: Being down 22-8 after one quarter or being down 20-16 with Paige having scored 10? At least you're still in it with the latter scenario.

Apologies for rambling introductory post but it's been a blast following the team closely past two years and reading this board and I look forward to seeing what offseason brings and the 2022-2023 campaign. Have a feeling the Huskies will be in the final two again.

Welcome!

 

[jazz]

lol. Now, with only 5 players that can play at a time, we can have "decoys" out there. Nika , for all her positives, is not a great offensive player, and the other teams know that. They "Guard" her by staying 7 ft away to help guard our real threats. That she made some wide open threes during the tournament was good, but a tiny sample. She shoots 22% from the foul line, FOUL LINE.

ok whatever. That is what I call it when GA lined her up on the left side to occupy the defender and ran offense on the right side. it opened things up.

I'm feeling a bit grouchy after last night. in the spirit of the end of the season, I'll just say check the stats and get back to me. I think now we can agree that as a group this team had a great year and since their own coach said they wouldn't get any better, they outperformed his expectations and anybody elses. They knocked off 2 number ones and just didnt have enough to get by the last one.