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St Johns Postgame Thread

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There really was zero to complain about for the game (I know shocking from me!). Geno did mention at halftime the lackluster start to Q2 and SJU went on an 8 point scoring spurt midway thru Q4, but overall a solid trouncing.
  • Sarah finally had a game where she scored in the mid-20's. That's been missing lately. She makes the impossible look easy
  • So glad Azzi got to the FT line. 100% from FT's on the season. Still, she needs more than 8 shots (although with 6 FT's, it was more like 11). Her defense is really elite.
  • Blanca continues to shine. She's got AA in her future and we are lucky to have her.
  • Even tho Williams only had 4 points on 5 shots, I thought her movement around the basket looked much better
  • Kayleigh with an insane drive and popped a bunch of points in Q4
  • KK is just insane. Possibly one of the most fun players to watch.
  • Ash is so solid
  • Was nice to see Caroline get extended minutes.
Overall the team played really good basketball for much longer stretches (especially on offense). The defense continues to be elite. I am curious to see how that will translate to our games vs. ND and Tenn. I think it's pretty clear no team in the BE will have any offensive answers. Would not be surprised to see no team get to 55.

I think maybe 2-6 in the BE is pretty even. The bottom 4 are pretty awful. Would love to see the teams who end up 2 and 3 really make a push and possibly get NCAA bids.

I keep pushing the "get Sarah and Azzi more shots" narrative. I firmly believe Sarah should be POY and Azzi should be 1st team AA. My worry is that on a great team, with so many other really good players, that the scoring will be so spread out that when it comes time to vote, the voters will look at their more "modest" numbers and not use their eye test in actually watching how spectacular they are in every game.
 
HuskyNan said:
Geno knows what the players need. If Gandy isn’t up to speed yet, maybe her confidence would be harmed by not being able to accomplish what she was able to in high school. He knows better than the fans
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Many of the people (not all) that complain about Gandy not getting some minutes will often complain that other players on the bench can't really improve or are being hampered because Geno only plays them 8 minutes a game for example. Now, all of a sudden these extra few minutes is supposed to be big for Gandy?

Anyhow, excited to read what he is saying about Gandy.

In the interim, this team looks so amazing. Sarah is just unreal.
 
EricLA said:
There really was zero to complain about ...

I keep pushing the "get Sarah and Azzi more shots" narrative. I firmly believe Sarah should be POY and Azzi should be 1st team AA. My worry is that on a great team, with so many other really good players, that the scoring will be so spread out that when it comes time to vote, the voters will look at their more "modest" numbers and not use their eye test in actually watching how spectacular they are in every game.
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yes, that's on the voters in these awards/recognitions. the fault is solely on them, not the uconn - geno approach to the game. it's a bummer that the players pay such a price for being true to the admirable 'team-comes-first' ethic.
 
A couple of lineup thoughts. Geno started the second quarter with a lineup I really don’t like. A lineup that had no KK on the floor. And no K9 on the floor. We didn’t start the quarter well and he had KK back on the floor quickly; within 2 minutes I think. I think you have to always have either KK or K9 on the floor when the game is competitive. Otherwise, you have to shift and have Azzi at point and that really takes her away from what she is great at. If either KK or K9 gets hurt though… you have to have a plan. So, I guess I do understand experimenting with it. But I don’t think it works very well.

There was also a time Geno had both KK and K9 on the floor. That’s interesting. It gives you really good on the ball defense. It creates more of a slashing and cutting attack on offense. K9, we are hoping her outside shooting will improve as the season continues to progress. If K9 and KK are on the court together; I probably prefer Azzi over Shade as the third guard… just because she is the better shooter. And defenses won’t ever help off her.
 
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ec33 said:
That would hold if the NCAA still ran college athletics. I am not certain a judge would agree should Gandy wish to take it that far.

College football players would still be granted a redshirt. Reeks of discrimination and a violation of Title IX (or whatever excuse the judge could find to rule in favor of labor).
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I think what is being missed in this discussion is that the rules that will decide Gandy's ability to have a 5th year at UConn are not those now in effect, but those which will be in effect in the summer of 2029, when her first four years will have been used up. I think, as you suggest, that it is reasonable to believe that by then a WBB player who played in 2 games in her freshman season will be permitted to treat that season as a redshirt year, and therefore will be able to play for a 5th year if she chooses.

Of course, a lot could change in that amount of time (needless to say) regarding Gandy's pro prospects, UConn's recruiting fortunes with bigs, and her own desire (or lack thereof) to spend a fifth year in college.

The point is that it is pointless to spend a lot of brain cells cogitating about what is allowable in 2026 when that isn't really relevant to Gandy's situation.
 
Stagnant said:
A couple of lineup thoughts. Geno started the second quarter with a lineup I really don’t like. A lineup that had no KK on the floor. And no K9 on the floor. We didn’t start the quarter well and he had KK back on the floor quickly; within 2 minutes I think. I think you have to always have either KK or K9 on the floor when the game is competitive. Otherwise, you have to shift and have Azzi at point and that really takes her away from what she is great at. If either KK or K9 gets hurt though… you have to have a plan. So, I guess I do understand experimenting with it. But I don’t think it works very well.

There was also a time Geno had both KK and K9 on the floor. That’s interesting. It gives you really good on the ball defense. It creates more of a slashing and cutting attack on offense. K9, we are hoping her outside shooting will improve as the season continues to progress. If K9 and KK are on the court together; I probably prefer Azzi over Shade as the third guard… just because she is the better shooter. And defenses won’t ever help off her.
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Nice catch!
I just remembered, last year's early season game against USC that they lost (I was there-Hartford, great atmosphere), KK wasn't in during crunch-time. Kaitlyn wasn't playing all that great at the time. Geno blew that one. It's all good!
 
EricLA said:
There really was zero to complain about for the game (I know shocking from me!). Geno did mention at halftime the lackluster start to Q2 and SJU went on an 8 point scoring spurt midway thru Q4, but overall a solid trouncing.
  • Sarah finally had a game where she scored in the mid-20's. That's been missing lately. She makes the impossible look easy
  • So glad Azzi got to the FT line. 100% from FT's on the season. Still, she needs more than 8 shots (although with 6 FT's, it was more like 11). Her defense is really elite.
  • Blanca continues to shine. She's got AA in her future and we are lucky to have her.
  • Even tho Williams only had 4 points on 5 shots, I thought her movement around the basket looked much better
  • Kayleigh with an insane drive and popped a bunch of points in Q4
  • KK is just insane. Possibly one of the most fun players to watch.
  • Ash is so solid
  • Was nice to see Caroline get extended minutes.
Overall the team played really good basketball for much longer stretches (especially on offense). The defense continues to be elite. I am curious to see how that will translate to our games vs. ND and Tenn. I think it's pretty clear no team in the BE will have any offensive answers. Would not be surprised to see no team get to 55.

I think maybe 2-6 in the BE is pretty even. The bottom 4 are pretty awful. Would love to see the teams who end up 2 and 3 really make a push and possibly get NCAA bids.

I keep pushing the "get Sarah and Azzi more shots" narrative. I firmly believe Sarah should be POY and Azzi should be 1st team AA. My worry is that on a great team, with so many other really good players, that the scoring will be so spread out that when it comes time to vote, the voters will look at their more "modest" numbers and not use their eye test in actually watching how spectacular they are in every game.
Expand ...
You bring up a very valid point EricLA. How many of the voters for the Naismith POY, consisting of coaches, administrators and media members, or the AP POY, consisting of sports writers and broadcasters, actually get to see the nominees over a season and more than watching some highlight clips? Is that a requirement to be able to vote or can a vote be cast merely relying upon stats?
 
Azzi has to get minimum 15-18 shots a game. She needs to average 27 points a game. Regardless of anything. The team's going to need to know how to get Azzi a shot in clutch time. I felt like she was disappointed by yesterday's game. I think she needs to be in position to get player of the year if she plays well. The tempo is almost too fast on offense. An offense needs to be deliberate enough to get the ball to the right people sometimes.
 
PacoSwede said:
geno is wise. he wants to hide gandy from the eyes of hungry poachers. if they don't see her, they won't be aware of her potential. why tempt savage thieves? and uconn doesn't need her to play a meaningless minutes in games; she's more challenged in practices.
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Leave it to the Boneyard to come up with a strategy not related in any way to improving a player's or a team's basketball skills! What's next? Ways to win using cunning and cleverness instead of by developing precise, efficient teamwork? Gotta love it! 😀
 
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BRS24 said:
Renee is a different generation of announcer, compared to Meghan Culmo. She uses a lot of current generation lingo, and now that UConn is on network tv more, (tru, TNT), hopefully there will be more of a draw. Unlike prior years where we only had a few games broadcast nationally, UConn is now getting more exposure to different audiences.
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From social media reactions, Renee was definitely a big hit with the younger UConn crowd. I enjoyed her enthusiasm and thought she was well balanced by her counterpart.
 
a lot of great things to say about this game. I'm gonna just spit out an opinion piece on the team down the road.

UCONN is a very very good team. Can they be beat, certainly, as Michigan showed when nothing is falling and the other team has a player or two playing out of their minds. My concern on January 8, is that even though i believe Blanca is the third best player on this team in terms of talent, I am starting to see in real time that going forward, Shade is the one member of the team that will be the major X factor. Come tournament time (especially latter stages) coaches will schematically try to take out Azzi and Sarah. The top teams have the players in my mind to make life difficult for these two. And if the rock isn't falling, I've been harping on who is the 3rd amigo in this equation. i believe it will be Blanca, but the more I see her she is an explosive player, but her shooting (although very good at this point) gives me concern. The way she flicks it, I'm amazed at how many times it goes in. Im also worried that with the law of averages her 3 point percentage goes back down to earth.

So the question for everyone is, when teams like Texas, UCLA, SC, who have the athletes take away the 1st and 2nd options, and then don't allow Blanca to drive and penetrate. Who will be that shooter that loosens up the offense. My only answer is Shade (maybe Allie), but Shade can be that person who makes 3 threes in a row and she's a very good defender and hustle guy. At this moment, I cannot trust, Blanca, KK, K9 or Allie to step into the big lights and calm the storm when SS and Azzi are struggling for a quarter or more. I'd love to be proven wrong on Blanca, but I am starting to feel this team's X factor will be Shade come Elite 8 and beyond.
 
ABCDFE said:
a lot of great things to say about this game. I'm gonna just spit out an opinion piece on the team down the road.

UCONN is a very very good team. Can they be beat, certainly, as Michigan showed when nothing is falling and the other team has a player or two playing out of their minds. My concern on January 8, is that even though i believe Blanca is the third best player on this team in terms of talent, I am starting to see in real time that going forward, Shade is the one member of the team that will be the major X factor. Come tournament time (especially latter stages) coaches will schematically try to take out Azzi and Sarah. The top teams have the players in my mind to make life difficult for these two. And if the rock isn't falling, I've been harping on who is the 3rd amigo in this equation. i believe it will be Blanca, but the more I see her she is an explosive player, but her shooting (although very good at this point) gives me concern. The way she flicks it, I'm amazed at how many times it goes in. Im also worried that with the law of averages her 3 point percentage goes back down to earth.

So the question for everyone is, when teams like Texas, UCLA, SC, who have the athletes take away the 1st and 2nd options, and then don't allow Blanca to drive and penetrate. Who will be that shooter that loosens up the offense. My only answer is Shade (maybe Allie), but Shade can be that person who makes 3 threes in a row and she's a very good defender and hustle guy. At this moment, I cannot trust, Blanca, KK, K9 or Allie to step into the big lights and calm the storm when SS and Azzi are struggling for a quarter or more. I'd love to be proven wrong on Blanca, but I am starting to feel this team's X factor will be Shade come Elite 8 and beyond.
Expand ...
Why assume a defined 3rd scorer is needed? SoCar 2 years ago didn't have defined 3rd scorer looking at their E8 and FF games.
And to what degree can arguably the best player in wcbb and a 2nd teammate to be likely #1 or #2 pick be "taken away?"
And if Tess Johnson and Jasmine Carson can go off a bit, then why can't someone like Allie?
 
EricLA said:
There really was zero to complain about for the game (I know shocking from me!). Geno did mention at halftime the lackluster start to Q2 and SJU went on an 8 point scoring spurt midway thru Q4, but overall a solid trouncing.
  • Sarah finally had a game where she scored in the mid-20's. That's been missing lately. She makes the impossible look easy
  • So glad Azzi got to the FT line. 100% from FT's on the season. Still, she needs more than 8 shots (although with 6 FT's, it was more like 11). Her defense is really elite.
  • Blanca continues to shine. She's got AA in her future and we are lucky to have her.
  • Even tho Williams only had 4 points on 5 shots, I thought her movement around the basket looked much better
  • Kayleigh with an insane drive and popped a bunch of points in Q4
  • KK is just insane. Possibly one of the most fun players to watch.
  • Ash is so solid
  • Was nice to see Caroline get extended minutes.
Overall the team played really good basketball for much longer stretches (especially on offense). The defense continues to be elite. I am curious to see how that will translate to our games vs. ND and Tenn. I think it's pretty clear no team in the BE will have any offensive answers. Would not be surprised to see no team get to 55.

I think maybe 2-6 in the BE is pretty even. The bottom 4 are pretty awful. Would love to see the teams who end up 2 and 3 really make a push and possibly get NCAA bids.

I keep pushing the "get Sarah and Azzi more shots" narrative. I firmly believe Sarah should be POY and Azzi should be 1st team AA. My worry is that on a great team, with so many other really good players, that the scoring will be so spread out that when it comes time to vote, the voters will look at their more "modest" numbers and not use their eye test in actually watching how spectacular they are in every game.
Expand ...
Thanks Eric. I've been writing about this problem for SS and for a few weeks now.
 
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I don't see a teams 3rd best defender shutting down Blanca or her choking under pressure. She has super high confidence, great experience against high quality opponents, skills and speed to burn. I would love to see her starting in Ash's spot and get more PT with Azzi and Sarah.
 
ABCDFE said:
a lot of great things to say about this game. I'm gonna just spit out an opinion piece on the team down the road.

UCONN is a very very good team. Can they be beat, certainly, as Michigan showed when nothing is falling and the other team has a player or two playing out of their minds. My concern on January 8, is that even though i believe Blanca is the third best player on this team in terms of talent, I am starting to see in real time that going forward, Shade is the one member of the team that will be the major X factor. Come tournament time (especially latter stages) coaches will schematically try to take out Azzi and Sarah. The top teams have the players in my mind to make life difficult for these two. And if the rock isn't falling, I've been harping on who is the 3rd amigo in this equation. i believe it will be Blanca, but the more I see her she is an explosive player, but her shooting (although very good at this point) gives me concern. The way she flicks it, I'm amazed at how many times it goes in. Im also worried that with the law of averages her 3 point percentage goes back down to earth.

So the question for everyone is, when teams like Texas, UCLA, SC, who have the athletes take away the 1st and 2nd options, and then don't allow Blanca to drive and penetrate. Who will be that shooter that loosens up the offense. My only answer is Shade (maybe Allie), but Shade can be that person who makes 3 threes in a row and she's a very good defender and hustle guy. At this moment, I cannot trust, Blanca, KK, K9 or Allie to step into the big lights and calm the storm when SS and Azzi are struggling for a quarter or more. I'd love to be proven wrong on Blanca, but I am starting to feel this team's X factor will be Shade come Elite 8 and beyond.
Expand ...
I appreciate and applaud your optimism that halfway through the regular season Ashlynn will somehow make the necessary adjustments to address her eyebrow-raising 40.7 FG% - by far the worst of anyone in the current nine player rotation - and bring it up to par with the rest of her exciting-to-watch game.

But to present that hope alongside unsubstantiated worries and concerns regarding other players ability to sustain their documented delivery of high level, timely contributions is, well, perplexing at best.

You don't need to cast shade in order to enjoy Shade going forward.
 
Gael said:
Great defense. Possibly the best press since John Wooden's.

This was the ninth straight game, all blowouts, in which Gandy got no minutes. Yet, she's not on the injured list. This is very unusual. Something's off.
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Maybe redshirting?
 
Another strong Big East Win. Sarah Strong is looking like the Big East Player of the Year. KK, Blanca, Ashlynn and Serah did their parts with strong contributions from the bench.

St Johns had one gameplan: make Azzi Fudd a non-factor. They played her tighter, closer and probably smelled the cottage cheese from lunch on her breath. She still found a way to score and continue to impress me from the free throw line. I think if UConn needs a bucket they can get Sarah down low or Azzi at the free throw line and it's two points - no matter the circumstance. Which is a luxury.

Im curious though on Azzi Fudd touches because at times it feesl like there's four players on offense and Azzi's job was to keep the defense away. That works against St John but I hope they have some plans to keep her involved in the offense. She's so unselfish that when she passed this game, she rarely got it back so she just started taking it where she saw it. I think the next development in point guard play is to keep getting Azzi going. Renee pointed it out on the telecast and her insight into how she would keep running plays for her made my head nod. But that's a future problem, all is well now.
 
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hoophuskee said:
Why assume a defined 3rd scorer is needed? SoCar 2 years ago didn't have defined 3rd scorer looking at their E8 and FF games.
And to what degree can arguably the best player in wcbb and a 2nd teammate to be likely #1 or #2 pick be "taken away?"
And if Tess Johnson and Jasmine Carson can go off a bit, then why can't someone like Allie?
Expand ...
Didn't I say it in my post. If both of our stars are contained or having sub par games, you wouldn't be worried? I guess I'm just nervous nelly for nothing then. Simple math, Azzi and Sarah each are held to 14 points each (not highly probable, but not impossible), and nothing is working inside because some teams do have the talent and depth in the interior. Where will all the other points come from and how will they get the points? Yes I understand UCONN has a great defensive team, but figuring out how the team gets a ton of points outside of the big 2 on a down day is a concern. Now we may have the answer by the time this team reaches March, but i did say my concern as of January 8th
 
YKCornelius said:
I appreciate and applaud your optimism that halfway through the regular season Ashlynn will somehow make the necessary adjustments to address her eyebrow-raising 40.7 FG% - by far the worst of anyone in the current nine player rotation - and bring it up to par with the rest of her exciting-to-watch game.

But to present that hope alongside unsubstantiated worries and concerns regarding other players ability to sustain their documented delivery of high level, timely contributions is, well, perplexing at best.

You don't need to cast shade in order to enjoy Shade going forward.
Expand ...
Who's casting shade? I'm purely stating an opinion and a worry of mine and who i think could be an X factor in March as of January 8th. Not sure why you're raising Shade's 3 pt % in your response. I'm purely saying that she's one of the players who could be that 3rd shooter in March. My concern lies more with Blanca's high 3pt % coming back down to earth as it was in the 50%+ and that most likely isn't sustainable. At this point the team is playing amazing, resembling our top teams of yore, so I'm nitpicking and threw out an opinion piece possibly to temper my own optimism and maybe some others on the board. Remember other teams have scholarship players too and good coaches, and fluky things can happen (Louisville/Baylor circa 2013). Your sarcasm is unsubstantiated and at best perplexing, but not not surprising.
 
ABCDFE said:
Didn't I say it in my post. If both of our stars are contained or having sub par games, you wouldn't be worried? I guess I'm just nervous nelly for nothing then. Simple math, Azzi and Sarah each are held to 14 points each (not highly probable, but not impossible), and nothing is working inside because some teams do have the talent and depth in the interior. Where will all the other points come from and how will they get the points? Yes I understand UCONN has a great defensive team, but figuring out how the team gets a ton of points outside of the big 2 on a down day is a concern. Now we may have the answer by the time this team reaches March, but i did say my concern as of January 8th
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I don’t know what else to tell you. IMO my prior post applies. Below in bold is your post that I replied to. You are clearly looking to define a 3rd scorer. When I made reference to SoCar and LSU, I was implying/stating they didn’t have defined 3rd scorer either but it just happened their 4th or 5th scorer stepped up That’s UCONN too. But it seems you’re looking to define something similar to last year which isn’t the case for this team. They are more like SoCar from 2 years ago imo when someone like Tess Johnson stepped up in a couple of the games from the bench. She wasn’t their 3rd scorer for the season. In fact she was their 9th scorer. Though by end of year she was 1st or 2nd off the bench. And she was a freshman just like Blanca is.

And in regard to Sarah and Azzi, if they are going to be “taken away” in the context I believe you are speaking then it would mean they are nowhere near as good as we thought. In that case, then yeah the team is in trouble. Or awful refs put one of them in a bind and the other is off. But UCONN is built to play off of these two. It’s why vs Michigan they played 40 minutes. But if all they are scoring is 14 each as you suggest, then you have to consider they will be making good passes to open teammates- but not just 1 player. There are several others to pass to. My point in part is that it won’t be isolated to just 1 player (i.e. Ash). So, in this context, I wouldn’t consider calling it being “taken away.” IMO it’s why I think they are so great in that they will adjust even if they aren’t playing that well. That's what great players do. And these 2 are great even if they aren't playing that well. Being both poor shooers and passers as good as they are is too much imo fiction saying they are getting "taken away/shutdown."

"So the question for everyone is, when teams like Texas, UCLA, SC, who have the athletes take away the 1st and 2nd options, and then don't allow Blanca to drive and penetrate. Who will be that shooter that loosens up the offense. My only answer is Shade (maybe Allie), but Shade can be that person who makes 3 threes in a row and she's a very good defender and hustle guy. At this moment, I cannot trust, Blanca, KK, K9 or Allie to step into the big lights and calm the storm when SS and Azzi are struggling for a quarter or more. I'd love to be proven wrong on Blanca, but I am starting to feel this team's X factor will be Shade come Elite 8 and beyond."
 
Last edited by a moderator:
ABCDFE said:
Who's casting shade? I'm purely stating an opinion and a worry of mine and who i think could be an X factor in March as of January 8th. Not sure why you're raising Shade's 3 pt % in your response. I'm purely saying that she's one of the players who could be that 3rd shooter in March. My concern lies more with Blanca's high 3pt % coming back down to earth as it was in the 50%+ and that most likely isn't sustainable. At this point the team is playing amazing, resembling our top teams of yore, so I'm nitpicking and threw out an opinion piece possibly to temper my own optimism and maybe some others on the board. Remember other teams have scholarship players too and good coaches, and fluky things can happen (Louisville/Baylor circa 2013). Your sarcasm is unsubstantiated and at best perplexing, but not not surprising.
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Negative. You were NOT "purely stating an opinion....on who you think could be an X factor in March". If you were then there would be no issue - certainly not from me as I agree with you that Ashlynn could very well be an X-factor come March.

Instead, you stated that you "cannot trust, Blanca, KK, K9 or Allie to step into the big lights and calm the storm when SS and Azzi are struggling for a quarter or more" despite the fact that each of their shooting percentages are A LOT higher than Ashlynn's. That's shade, pure and simple. And misplaced shade as the FG percentages attest.

Heck, I bet if you were to ask Ashlynn, she would say that SHE trusts all four of those teammates to "step into the big lights and calm the storm".

Tell you what: after reading your double-down explanation, plus an additional comment of throwing "out an opinion piece possibly to temper my own optimism", it is clear that you are in a head space that I cannot fathom. So I will back out of this discussion and wish you the best with your heretofore unsubstantiated worries and concerns.

Peace and Go UConn!
 
BRS24 said:
She cannot, as she appeared in 1-2 games already.
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I read in an article that she can redshirt. I thought there was some criteria that if you did not play past the 8th game of the year, you can redshirt. It seems Sue Bird missed this by a game or two way back when. But, I'm not sure.
 
jazz said:
I read in an article that she can redshirt. I thought there was some criteria that if you did not play past the 8th game of the year, you can redshirt. It seems Sue Bird missed this by a game or two way back when. But, I'm not sure.
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You and Maggie Vanoni, the author of the CT Insider article are misinformed. Under the current NCAA redshirt rules she cannot redshirt this season unless the rules are changed by the time her eligibility runs out in 2029. That's when she/they would have to file for the waiver. The rules for BB are very simple, any PT at anytime in the season burns the year of eligibility unless there's a documented season ending injury before the midpoint of the season which was Jan. 7th against St. Johns.
 
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