South Carolina Postgame Thread[merged thread]

[Amashutcha]

I think we'll be alright. Looking super bright for next season. Scary to think this will be Paige's first full offseason developing/honing her skills and not nursing an injury/post-op, and add + Amari. I'm excited.

 

[DrummerDee]

Bigger, faster, stronger… and they don’t foul?

Apparently not. 1-4, vs 17-26.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

We might be better next year as well...

There's always hope.

But I think most thought that this year's team would be a juggernaut. Nobody knew what would happen to so many players.

 

[BBallF]

I believe one of the announcers said Boston only had 3 fouls all tournament. I looked it up, Howard 0 fouls, Miami 1, NCState 2, Creighton 0, Louisville 0. Something is amiss here. Not saying we deserved the win, but seems that someone is getting preferential treatment. Hard to believe anyone would have this few fouls that play as physical as Boston. UConn I believe she had two.

They put a halo on her the whole tournament. She pushes and shoves and it's never called. If you touch her, it's a foul. The refs were very unfair in my opinion in their approach too the rules and the laxity in enforcing them and were just awful, almost afraid to call anything on the whole team.

 

[Cuango]

Despite the poor rebounding on our defensive glass, we did not give up that many points. the real problem was our offense, and you have to credit SC for their pressure.

The offense was what gave me hope we could win! When it was shut down, this result was inevitable!

 

[Sluconn Husky]

South Carolina will have EVERYONE BACK—except Henny and LeLe next year with Watkins and Cooper next year. They’re not going anywhere. My guess-Champs again next year. They were so dominant. I seriously thought UCONN would win to be honest, but just wow from SC. Just WOW. Dawn deserves it.

I thought UConn's chances were about 20%, and that was before it was known Azzi was sick and that apparently Liv was playing hampered.

SC may have won anyway, but that wasn't a fair fight, and nobody being honest thinks it was.

 

[rubymae4]

You’re right. My bad, what was I thinking? Positive reinforcement; tell her she’s great; and give her a trophy at the end. The 0 points… not a big deal. I’m sure her teammates were happy to know she was motivated.

There’s a world of nuance between “everything is great” and yelling at players. If you are so keen on this method, I suggest having someone criticize and yell at you every time they are unhappy with your performance…for months at a time. Measure your performance at the start of this experiment and then again at the end.

Also, YOU (and everyone else) doesn’t need to visually SEE Geno motivating his players (However he chooses to do that). It is possible for him to motivate his players without it being observable to you.

We’ve come a long in understanding human psychology since the days of constant negative feedback. Unfortunately, too many fields (athletics being one of them) think this is the way to get good performance. There’s plenty of research to show that isn’t true.

 

[Geesworld]

They put a halo on her the whole tournament. She pushes and shoves and it's never called. If you touch her, it's a foul. The refs were very unfair in my opinion in their approach too the rules and the laxity in enforcing them and were just awful, almost afraid to call anything on the whole team.

May I add, SC, camping out in the lane which really does help when a defensive player has to show help and also box out players who are planted in the lane.
Teams hate Our ball screens so they complain pregame and plant the seed in the officials minds. Geno please take note and protect these girls from poor officiating.

 

[JohnFSilver]

Just nothing Geno could do. I was critical of the lineup and his going back to the starting 5 to begin the third (tactical mistake). But, in the end, it didnt matter.

It’s going to be interesting next year as their top 4 players are all guards. They should go 3 guards next year and forgo an egalitarian offensive style where everyone touches the ball. Shoot a lot lord 3s, press, and get Paige in the open floor.

 

[Geesworld]

In terms of recruits? Yes. But, we all know the portal is huge now and I would not be surprised if UConn snags a player or two out of th

Who and Why

 

[hoophuskee]

There’s a world of nuance between “everything is great” and yelling at players. If you are so keen on this method, I suggest having someone criticize and yell at you every time they are unhappy with your performance…for months at a time. Measure your performance at the start of this experiment and then again at the end.

Also, YOU (and everyone else) doesn’t need to visually SEE Geno motivating his players (However he chooses to do that). It is possible for him to motivate his players without it being observable to you.

We’ve come a long in understanding human psychology since the days of constant negative feedback. Unfortunately, too many fields (athletics being one of them) think this is the way to get good performance. There’s plenty of research to show that isn’t true.

Utter nonsense.

 

[JohnFSilver]

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.

This wasn’t a fundamentals problem. Lol. This was an athleticism problem. South Carolina were way quicker, struggler and bigger than UConn down low.

It was a mismatch inside.

Also, on moving screens, many times that is the offensive dribbler’s issue. Timing is off on those picks.

 

[Cuango]

I know Geno knows best but are you buying what he said at the press conference, about her play post injury.

Why not? Who would know better than him?

 

[jazz]

It was a guard that caused the most trouble

the guard was open in large part due to the attention given to SC bigs. better bigs for us an we dont have to collapse our defense on SC bigs.

 

[giddyup]

It was a guard that caused the most trouble

The rebounding differential killed us more than anything. Our offense was disrupted because they keyed on PB and there wasn’t another player stepping up as a credible secondary scoring threat. The truth is Gino needs to find a reliable pg and needs a good big. I’d say they over performed their talent gaps which were exposed against a faster, more athletic, bigger team.

 

[TouchdownHusky]

Let UConn fans not overreact and be critical. There was a lot to be impressed with tonight. The Huskies played harder than SC all game long. They played at a faster pace. Every ball on the floor, every contested rebound ended up in the Huskies hands. UConn was a balanced team with scoring contributions from everyone on the floor tonight, not just Bueckers. So how was SC too shutdown an offense where everyone was making their shots?
And Geno was outdoing Jim Calhoun at his fieriest, calling a timeout 60 seconds into the game to pull the starters off the floor. He made JC seem subdued the way he stomped and hollared at his team when it seemed that SC might get the odd rebound or loose ball. No, Geno, had them hustling at a frenetic pace and he wasn't gonna take his foot off the peddle, not for a minute. And, all game long his sideline body language "screamed" that this would be a war for the entire 40 minutes, in sharp contrast to that of a dejected and resigned Dawn Staley walking the sideline with her head down. Why he even was working the officials ripping them a "new one" for their contributions as SC's 6th, 7th and 8th players. You sure didn't see that from Dawn Staley. She just didn't seem hungry enough for that. Nope, turns out it was just the lucky bounce and the extra rebound or 25 that conspired against the Huskies.

 

[tchalla1]

Geno will have to start recruiting some longer better talented bigs. Cleary evident that UConn had no answers for Carolina bigs in the frontcourt.

He already has--Wait'll Ice and Patterson hit the courts next year.

 

[tchalla1]

Let UConn fans not overreact and be critical. There was a lot to be impressed with tonight. The Huskies played harder than SC all game long. They played at a faster pace. Every ball on the floor, every contested rebound ended up in the Huskies hands. UConn was a balanced team with scoring contributions from everyone on the floor tonight, not just Bueckers. So how was SC too shutdown an offense where everyone was making their shots?
And Geno was outdoing Jim Calhoun at his fieriest, calling a timeout 60 seconds into the game to pull the starters off the floor. He made JC seem subdued the way he stomped and hollared at his team when it seemed that SC might get the odd rebound or loose ball. No, Geno, had them hustling at a frenetic pace and he wasn't gonna take his foot off the peddle, not for a minute. And, all game long his sideline body language "screamed" that this would be a war for the entire 40 minutes, in sharp contrast to that of a dejected and resigned Dawn Staley walking the sideline with her head down. Why he even was working the officials ripping them a "new one" for their contributions as SC's 6th, 7th and 8th players. You sure didn't see that from Dawn Staley. She just didn't seem hungry enough for that. Nope, turns out it was just the lucky bounce and the extra rebound or 25 that conspired against the Huskies.

Very good commentary on tonight's game--however the Huskies did NOT play harder than SC did--the offensive rebounds and loose balls tell us all we need to know about the level of hustle and desire between the two teams. Following the trajectory of missed shots, you could see the SC players feet in motion and readying to get themselves to the ball. Unfortunately, our players often stood flat-footed. SC was not only the better team but they were more energetic and hungry, and when you have both of those things on your side, usually the game outcome is going to be in your favor....

 

[tchalla1]

Bottom line: The better team won. Bigger, stronger, quicker, more athletic. And they're not going away.

True, but neither will UConn go away....

 

[jchusky]

I think Deberry shoulda started the 3rd quarter, again I'm not going to play coach from the couch but imo next year Big East games need to be treated as tryouts for players that don't play enough. If Deberry had gotten even 20 min vs a team like Xavier or Butler who knows how much confidence and development that would have helped. I know practice is indicator to how someone plays, but for someone who didn't play most minutes this season, she sure didn't shy away from the moment in this game. I think next season we are going to have a real competition for the bigs: Deberry, Dorka, Patterson, Brady.

 

[tchalla1]

a fast small guard put up a career performance does that sound familiar? SC was the best team all season, tip off the cap to them and Dawn Staley is going to be a force in wbb esp after Geno retires.

And I agree with the negativity towards Williams and Olivia need to stop, they did their best and gave 4 years each of great memories to this team. Please be respectful.

I am hoping to strike a balance here: Yes, we don't want to dump everything on CW and Liv but please let's also give some understanding to some of our UConn fans who are thoroughly ND bitterly disappointed with CW and Liv's showing in the biggest game of their lives. It's just happened too many times over the last four years... Incredibly subpar... This time, I won't even attempt to justify their performances and/or give mitigating circumstances for what I saw tonight. So we turn the page and on to the great freshmen and sophs that we have!

 

[jchusky]

I am hoping to strike a balance here: Yes, we don't want to dump everything on CW and Liv but please let's also give some understanding to some of our UConn fans who are thoroughly ND bitterly disappointed with CW and Liv's showing in the biggest game of their lives. It's just happened too many times over the last four years... Incredibly subpar... This time, I won't even attempt to justify their performances and/or give mitigating circumstances for what I saw tonight. So we turn the page and on to the great freshmen and sophs that we have!

Williams was always in a tough spot imo since the getgo, some say her best season was freshman year where she had a big time game vs ND. 2020 she had no help, 21 last season I thought she performed really well in the final 4, this game obviously was her worst, but again it didn't matter in the long run. SC was just not gonna be denied this title, Boston having to go through a year of having to watch her missed layup was motivation. Again I always think it's hard for the post 2016 teams to live up to that 4peat team. Breanna Stewart made it look so easy so everyone just assumed well the next batch of kids are going to make it look easy too and that just won't happen anymore. Just think what it took to get to this final.
An ugly win vs UCF, an Indiana team with 5 srs, a 2 OT game vs Nc st, and then beating the defending champions. And after all that you have to beat the best team in the country. Geno was honest after the post press conference, he said SC was the best team all season and it was going to take a special performance from each player. It didn't happen, but that's just credit to the gamecocks. It's dissapointing for Williams and Olivia right now, but I'm sure they'll remember more good times than bad and + they'll be in the Wnba if they choose too so that's going to be fun to follow their careers professionally.

 

[tchalla1]

Apparently not all players respond to in your face and I suspect Geno knew not to do this with CW.

I think you are correct--if after four years this has had no effect, Geno probably figured it's too late now....

 

[fomalhaut]

Considering Connecticut's injury/illness problems all year (continuing even into this game with Nelson-Ododa and Westbrook and Fudd), it was a miracle they even made it this year and even made a game of it at times (I had visions of a miracle rally when they cut it to 6 late); particularly playing against a strong team which had very few injury issues this year. There's no question South Carolina outplayed them tonight.

However, if this is the best refereeing we can expect in a national championship game, the NCAA has a big problem. 21 fouls to 11 against a much more physical team is ludicrous, and Boston got away with (among others) a walk where she took two steps from a stationary postion (there was another obvious walk early by one of the other South Carolina players), and one of the most blatant moving screens I've seen this year. She's far too talented to get special treatment from the refs.

 

[hoophuskee]

I hate to say this, but I think next year’s team will be better than this year’s.

I agree. UCONN will be much better next year. But I don't hate to say this. Not one bit.