South Carolina Postgame Thread

[Rb335]

This season was interesting. I was surprised when the team didn’t miss a beat losing Paige. But as the season unfolded, I was concerned with how the national landscape was playing out. You could see a top 4 with a massive drop off to the 5th best team. Each of South Carolina, UCLA, and Texas were exposed to one another. Uconn was not.

I know you can only play the opponents in front of you, but our schedule was soft. Nobody could have predicted the injury to Juju, the exodus of players at ND, etc. And we never had that February game to be tested against a team like South Carolina.

Couple that with this almost fake depth. In this tournament, you saw how KK/Serah/Allie/Jana were not viable offensive options. Shade struggled a lot but did have a redemption final four. Same with Heckle to a degree.

We were a duo dominant team all season. And issues with that started in the sweet 16 when teams could focus on Fudd or Strong. Blanca emerged as the third part of the trio last weekend, but I felt we didn’t prioritize giving her that role all year, then just expected that from her to win a championship.

I don’t think this team was as dominant all year as it appeared on paper. And they got exposed when they finally played a team with similar talent. Credit to Dawn who came up with a plan to get under the skin of Azzi and Sarah. She forced officials to make a call and they didn’t, UConn never adjusted. First time I’ve seen Sarah actually struggle in college, and as evidenced by the jersey rip, she was never able to regain composure.

Unfortunate ending with Geno. Really makes the ending of this season feel especially messy.

 

[Huskie837]

I hope Geno gathers himself today and calls Dawn to apologize and then calls a press conference to apologize for his actions. It is the right thing to do....

 

[cancontent]

In an article by Daniel Connolly he is also quoted as reacting to Dawn's hurling apparent expletives at the referees and intimidating them to start the third quarter and the fact that no fouls were called on SC the entire quarter but 6 on UCONN. He said there is a double standard with her. She gets to say whatever she wants to the refs and he would be tossed from the game if he did. I think the more you read, the more you realize that it is just Dawn getting away with whatever she wants because she can.

I watched the press conference and I didn't come to the same conclusions as you did. I came out of it more confused actually. For example, the shirt tearing didn't happen as he thought and he didn't seem to appreciate that footage indicates otherwise. There were several times where Dee Kantner noted that the refs were making the right calls. I genuinely think he was frustrated but some of his explanations don't add up.

I disagree with your opinion about Coach Staley and the double standard however. For some reason it's only Coach Staley and Mulkey noted usually, but there are plenty of top level P4 coaches who go off and the refs seem to let it go. 🤷🏾‍♀️

 

[BobbyJ]

Pop psychology:

In the moments, Geno views the physical play and lack of calls as Dawn working/intimidating officials. He believes that is a huge factor in why SS did not have a better game and thus why UConn lost. Angry, upset, emotional, he lashed out at Dawn over a small slight from earlier in the night.

Pissed at Dawn, though for more than the handshake, he’s unlikely to apologize anytime soon.

That’s my take.


No laboratory rats were harmed in this process. Unfortunately.

I actually agree with this take. What I don't understand is why. At a time when your kids just lost a tough game, how could his mind be focused on something as unimportant as a ceremonial handshake 2 hours earlier? Just shake the opponents hands and get back and talk to and be with your kids. If he wants to complain about the refs, use the post game presser to do it. Don't embarrass yourself, your team and your fanbase over something so minor.

 

[sno-cat]

For all of us wondering what prompted Geno’s reaction, in his postgame he suggested that he waited 3 minutes for Dawn to shake his hand at center court before the game and she never came over. But there is a clear video of Dawn shaking Geno’s hand and giving him a hug before the game, so I have no idea if he was expecting another handshake or he’s angry about the loss and he’s just confused about what did or didn’t happen.

Older folks can get confused about the sequence of events.

 

[oldude]

Older folks can get confused about the sequence of events.

I resemble that remark……. 😣

 

[Vancat]

Disappointing, to say the least. but the thing that broke my heart was when Heckel started to cry.

 

[oldude]

Disappointing, to say the least. but the thing that broke my heart was when Heckel started to cry.

The good thing about being young is that you get over disappointment and move on. When you’re old like Geno it’s much harder.

 

[HuskyNan]

I agree with most of the earlier comments.

• Congrats to SC. Their athleticism and length on D was what did us in.
• Ash and K9 showed their grit
• I was surprised Geno took Sareh out and didn't play her much after Q1. I thought she started well and could have helped with the match-ups (especially keeping SC off the offensive glass.
• IMO the blame is 95+% on one thing ... the Big Least. We did not get the chance to run our offense against top 20 teams like teams like NC or ND and experienced nothing close to what we saw last night against SC. I don't know the answer but we need more OOC games against top 5 aggressive, athletic (SEC-type) teams like SC, TX, LSU.

UConn played ND in the regular season

 

[uconnever]

Her name is Jovana Popvic, from Serbia. She’ll be a freshman this fall

Not in a rude way, but that's not good enough when it counts. We need to be more athletic, I'm talking like Kalana Greene, Tiffany Hayes, someone that can handle the physical teams like tonight. Jovana I think and hope will be a good player, but like Blanca, she won't be used to this kind of physical and athletic team. If this isn't addressed, we won't beat teams with this style. Gotta have some rough physical players with attitudes, can't have all nice girls. Then men are the same, need more physical players, gone too pretty. Need a mix.

 

[Viet Vet]

I don't think Geno will apologize to anyone and I for one hope he doesn't. Dawn left Geno standing at mid court for 3 minutes before the game waiting for her to come out. She knew the deal, she knew the tradition. She also exploded at him when he confronted her because she knew darn well what she did. I think Geno was not just reacting to her personally but rather to her failure to abide by a tradition of the game.

That does not excuse his walking away from the SC players without a handshake.

 

[maple]

Sarah sure is and if wasn't for Sarah and Azzi Paige wouldn't even have her 1 ring

No offense at all to Sarah, she’s a remarkable player who’s done great and has two more years to accomplish great things. But last night’s performance was not good. Let’s not even compare her to Stewart.

 

[BobbyJ]

That's exactly right. Everyone on this thread who starting criticizing Geno because of what they saw at the end did not wait for the facts. Dawn purposely left him waiting at half court at the beginning of the game, the traditional on court handshake. She knew exactly what she was doing and played the poor victim role at the end. Let her explain her behavior. How dare she embarrass him or any other coach? The speed at which people on this thread threw Geno under the bus was astounding and it was wrong.

Why should he care? He saw that Staley was still in her huddle, so give her 30 seconds and just go back to your own huddle. How can this be the main thing on your mind two hours later? I believe he was mad that she got away with hammering the refs all night and that it skewed the calls in the game. Right or wrong, go tell it to the media. Don't embarrass yourself and your team.

 

[Gusaford]

For all of us wondering what prompted Geno’s reaction, in his postgame he suggested that he waited 3 minutes for Dawn to shake his hand at center court before the game and she never came over. But there is a clear video of Dawn shaking Geno’s hand and giving him a hug before the game, so I have no idea if he was expecting another handshake or he’s angry about the loss and he’s just confused about what did or didn’t happen.

Love Geno but the notion that he was fuming because Dawn didn't shake his hand a second time pre-game seems like such a make-weight argument.

Seems clear that he was pissed that Dawn worked the officials effectively and got some calls her way and that the officials allowed the game to be played physically.

Perhaps all true, but UConn played poorly and didn't deserve to win.

I hope this blows over quickly.

 

[Ct Dog]

Refs were bad though, come on. They were all over Strong long before the halftime eruption. They allowed Raven Johnson to get away with a technical while staring straight at her.

Not sure what the post-game nonsense was about but the officiating played into SC's hands.

💯 we got dragged into a mud fight and that’s exactly what SC was built for. That’s DS approach has always been that. Sad for me personally because that’s not the women’s game i grew to love. 🤷‍♂️

 

[BlueandOG]

In my job, if I lost my temper and blew up at a representative of a competitor in front of all of our coworkers, employees, and friends, I would expect to at least be reprimanded. And that is even if I was justified in my anger. As a manager and representative of my company, I have responsibilities that are more important than my anger and that still holds no matter what I’ve accomplished at my job and how widely respected and perhaps loved I might be by my peers. An apology would need to be given to the competitor and their employee.

Geno is an employee of the State of Connecticut and his job is to coach the State’s women’s basketball team. I expect UConn will issue a formal apology to South Carolina. But if Dawn did something that offended or angered Geno, he should either discuss it in private with her, address it through both universities’ official channels, or the head of referees (if that’s the problem).

He took the spotlight off the young women of South Carolina. It was their moment and he took the attention off them and put it on him. It was wrong and he should apologize

.

Perfectly written. This is exactly correct. Think of the leadership example Geno gave. When the team, fans, and sport needed him to be strong, he was weak. I love him, but last night he embarrassed himself and our program. I recommend he get a PR person to help him take corrective action immediately.

 

[#1florida]

Some thoughts on the South Carolina game:

• A couple weeks ago, a YouTube video asked the rhetorical question, “UConn, unbeatable or untested?” highlighting the fact that the Huskies had not played SC, TX or UCLA this season. Unfortunately, that question was answered today as UConn was tested by a formidable SC team.
• No team or player expects to lose the last game of the season, and yet, for most, that’s exactly what happens. In his postgame remarks, Geno will undoubtedly remind everyone that, “Winning a championship is hard.” But nobody much will listen, as the expectations by UConn fans are both incredibly high and, at times, unreasonable.
• For the players, coaches and fans, the loss to SC today is very disappointing. That’s normal. Unfortunately, there will always be those who will look to blame someone for the loss: Geno, the players, the refs, whoever. DON’T!!! The game is basketball. Sometimes good teams get beaten by better teams, and in this instance, SC was the better team.
• To those players who will be moving on from UConn: Azzi, Caroline, Serah and perhaps Ice & Ayanna as well, we thank you for all you’ve given to UConn WBB and wish you great success wherever your path in life leads you.
• To the entire team, the coaches and the support staff, Thank you for a great season. UConn WBB fans are truly fortunate.
• We can take some comfort in the knowledge that next season the Huskies will once again be loaded, and they are still coached by the best coach in basketball. #13 will have to wait a year. Only 8 months until next season…….

 

[BlueandOG]

Geno DID NOT say that. You are 100% correct that it was Dawn who said that.

What Geno did say is that "Dawn was completely abusing the officials and was using the most vulgar language imaginable"

The real problem was that Geno and his players were not used to playing against this type of physical team.

S.C. plays in the tough/physical SEC where these type of games happen every night. So they are battle tested.

We play in a league where the biggest question is whether we will beat our opponents by 60 or 70.

There IS NO EXCUSE for Geno's behavior. Full stop. His quibbling that the other players were too tough or the coach was too nasty makes us look like cupcakes.

 

[Rowdy831]

UConn looked the same way they did last weekend but they were playing a much better team. The thing I noticed was when SC has a fast break chance no one on UConn got back into the play and SC scored and easy layup. When UConn had those chances it seemed that SC was able to run them down and make a play on the ball.

UConn in my opinion looked and played like a tired team. They lacked leaders on the floor when they were most needed and the two All Americans refused to take over the game. With that said much of that was a result of how much better prepared SC was for the game. To me when two great teams play the stars cancel each other out and it comes down to the role players and they had a couple play outstanding on both ends of the floor.

As many have said the end of the game was a total embarrassment for the UConn program and Geno specifically. Even in the interview with Holly he went on about the officiating which wasn't what he needed to focusing on at that moment. Last week he complained about the balls, the rims and court times. Just a very odd post season by Geno. I half expect him to retire now.

 

[Ct Dog]

There IS NO EXCUSE for Geno's behavior. Full stop. His quibbling that the other players were too tough or the coach was too nasty makes us look like cupcakes.

I didn’t say it was and i don’t believe tough was the word he was looking for.

 

[oldude]

There IS NO EXCUSE for Geno's behavior. Full stop. His quibbling that the other players were too tough or the coach was too nasty makes us look like cupcakes.

Geno should think back to his battles with Rutgers under C. Vivian Stringer in the days of the OBE. Compared to those “rock fights” last night’s game was a walk in the park.

 

[#1florida]

Some thoughts on the South Carolina game:

• A couple weeks ago, a YouTube video asked the rhetorical question, “UConn, unbeatable or untested?” highlighting the fact that the Huskies had not played SC, TX or UCLA this season. Unfortunately, that question was answered today as UConn was tested by a formidable SC team.
• No team or player expects to lose the last game of the season, and yet, for most, that’s exactly what happens. In his postgame remarks, Geno will undoubtedly remind everyone that, “Winning a championship is hard.” But nobody much will listen, as the expectations by UConn fans are both incredibly high and, at times, unreasonable.
• For the players, coaches and fans, the loss to SC today is very disappointing. That’s normal. Unfortunately, there will always be those who will look to blame someone for the loss: Geno, the players, the refs, whoever. DON’T!!! The game is basketball. Sometimes good teams get beaten by better teams, and in this instance, SC was the better team.
• To those players who will be moving on from UConn: Azzi, Caroline, Serah and perhaps Ice & Ayanna as well, we thank you for all you’ve given to UConn WBB and wish you great success wherever your path in life leads you.
• To the entire team, the coaches and the support staff, Thank you for a great season. UConn WBB fans are truly fortunate.
• We can take some comfort in the knowledge that next season the Huskies will once again be loaded, and they are still coached by the best coach in basketball. #13 will have to wait a year. Only 8 months until next season…….

Facts of the game are as follows; Uconn FG 44 points, FT, 4 points, total 48 points. South Carolina, FG, 44 POINTS, FT, 18 points. Number of fouls called, Uconn 17, SC 8. Did Uconn lose the game, (as poorly as they played.), or did the calls by refs help SC. IF you watched the game and think they were beaten by a better team, watch it again.

 

[1974yankees]

UConn played ND in the regular season

And that's it. And we played a not very good and over ranked Notre Dame team (at the time)

A Notre Dame team that was still trying to find itself after losing Miles.

We didn't play the other 3 final four teams and we didn't play A USC team with JuJu.

I realize nothing can be done about the conference we are forced to be in. We can complain all day until the cows come home about the Big East.

The bottom line is that football and money rule when it comes to the NCAA. We have a bad football team so they are not gonna put us in the SEC.

We are stuck.

I would rather be in the SEC and have 3 or 4 losses but become battle tested and hardened come tournament time. Than be undefeated with 38 blowouts against nobodies.

 

[Rowdy831]

Refs were bad though, come on. They were all over Strong long before the halftime eruption. They allowed Raven Johnson to get away with a technical while staring straight at her.

Not sure what the post-game nonsense was about but the officiating played into SC's hands.

Maybe so but the coach needs to make his point with the officials and maybe get a tech but not what Geno did. I was shocked.

 

[#1florida]

Outplayed, outcoached, and outclassed. Congrats to SC. It was a great ride up to the abrupt end. The things some pointed out as weaknesses were on full display today. Not a good look by Geno at the end either.

Not the ending anyone wanted from the UConn perspective. This team was NOT head and shoulders better than everyone else. Time to lick our wounds, have a great summer off, say goodbye to our seniors, and look forward to next season...

Last thing I will say for next year - I hope fans remember this when they start thinking about saying things like how great we are or how much steamrolling we are doing. We have to just enjoy the ride and appreciate how incredibly hard it is to win a NC. I enjoyed the ride very much this year and will miss Azzi, Carol and Serah.

BTW on edit - I should have also said - emotions will be raw on the BY. Give each other a break for a day or 2 LOL...

What game were you watching.

 

[Rowdy831]

I’m giving Ash, KK, and Kayleigh a shoutout. They tried hard all game. I have no idea what was going on with Azzi and Sarah. Serah, too, gave some good minutes

I thought they both looked extremely nervous, maybe even overwhelmed by the moment. Very strange look for sure.

 

[cancontent]

Facts of the game are as follows; Uconn FG 44 points, FT, 4 points, total 48 points. South Carolina, FG, 44 POINTS, FT, 18 points. Number of fouls called, Uconn 17, SC 8. Did Uconn lose the game, (as poorly as they played.), or did the calls by refs help SC. IF you watched the game and think they were beaten by a better team, watch it again.

Four of those fouls occurred while UConn was trying the stop the clock in the last 2 minutes. In reality it was 13-8.

 

[HuskyNan]

Appreciate this thread being open and allowing the tough discussions. Watching ESPN now, saw it all go down last night live.

Putting a lid on a boiling pot always leads to some kind of messy disaster

 

[maple]

And that's it. And we played a not very good and over ranked Notre Dame team (at the time)

A Notre Dame team that was still trying to find itself after losing Miles.

We didn't play the other 3 final four teams and we didn't play A USC team with JuJu.

I realize nothing can be done about the conference we are forced to be in. We can complain all day until the cows come home about the Big East.

The bottom line is that football and money rule when it comes to the NCAA. We have a bad football team so they are not gonna put us in the SEC.

We are stuck.

I would rather be in the SEC and have 3 or 4 losses but become battle tested and hardened come tournament time. Than be undefeated with 38 blowouts against nobodies.

UConn WBB has to play with the hand it’s been dealt. They’ve done it before, including last year. I’m so tired of this weak conference excuse. We had TWO AAs on the floor last night. Both of whom had last year’s FF experience, including other players who have tourney/FF experience. They did not perform well. Being in the SEC would give us some nice experience but at the end of the day you still have to show up and play to your ability.

Look at Texas, who actually IS in the SEC. They totally disappeared last night.

 

[#1florida]

💯 we got dragged into a mud fight and that’s exactly what SC was built for. That’s DS approach has always been that. Sad for me personally because that’s not the women’s game i grew to love. 🤷‍♂️

Thank you. I am glad someone else saw the same game I did. It was like a street fight. Too many Uconn fans putting all of the attention on Geno's reaction. If you have never coached at this level, please don't make Geno your scape goat.