Stanford Postgame Thread

[eebmg]

Very interesting, according to Geno, they never practice FT shooting.

Not to mention his hilarious exasperation of some of the last minute plays.

We keep shooting ourselves in the foot, than perform first aid and get on track

 

[Bama fan]

You never said UConn matched up just fine with Stanford, you said they matched up just fine with Oregon. That aside, thanks for the nice congrats. I knew going in that at least one of the UConn guards would kill you guys, and this time it was Evina Westbrook with her timely three’s and quick hands on defense, and her jumping ability on a couple of rebounds. CW also had a couple three’s. A lesson for Tara, when fouling in the closing minutes and hoping UConn misses at the charity stripe, don’t foul Azzi Fudd. I thought both Hull sisters could have been a little more aggressive on defense. Prechtal really impressed me, Tara should have played her more, could have been a difference maker. I also thought that both Edwards and Ono, though not dominant, were steady all game and together they helped a lot in getting the win.

If you ask Paige, I think she would tell you Lexi Hull was aggressive. She ran Paige over at one point!

 

[Skeets]

OK, I'll probably get demerits from Nan, but here goes. Why do so many people think Tara is "classy"? Please post some evidence of this. I have not seen very much class. I am still bent out of shape over Tara refusing to play Rebecca in the Olympics. I am convinced it was to spite Geno and UConn. Very Classy Tara...

 

[Bama fan]

So the music track, stanford was planning is a no go?

They will be dancing in the dark!

 

[MSSportsGuy]

OK, I'll probably get demerits from Nan, but here goes. Why do so many people think Tara is "classy"? Please post some evidence of this. I have not seen very much class. I am still bent out of shape over Tara refusing to play Rebecca in the Olympics. I am convinced it was to spite Geno and UConn. Very Classy Tara...

I think she’s very classy but isn’t perfect. I’d say Tara doesn’t like losing to Geno because he’s a male and she is one of the old guard still around from when the pioneers were all women. Frankly I’d say that is more of the issue some coaches have rather than the fact he’s won so much.

That being said Tara has coached for many, many years and turned out high quality players and students at one of the most difficult colleges in the country. She doesn’t draw negative attention to herself, regularly praises her team, does not appear to think of herself as bigger than her program, and isn’t known for negative behavior on the sidelines or in games. That’s classy.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

If you ask Paige, I think she would tell you Lexi Hull was aggressive. She ran Paige over at one point!

Not when UConn was shooting three’s or short jumpers. I thought they gave too much room to Westbrook and CW, as a matter of fact, I remember TV yelling at them to keep their hands up in their faces. They defended Paige well, but she still managed 14 points. Both girls are tall and quick, they will learn though. Felt bad for them after they ran off the court in tears.

 

[eebmg]

Just glad we can prevent a consecutive champion which we all know is bad for basketball. Your very welcome WBB.

 

[eebmg]

Not when UConn was shooting three’s or short jumpers. I thought they gave too much room to Westbrook and CW, as a matter of fact, I remember TV yelling at them to keep their hands up in their faces. They defended Paige well, but she still managed 14 points. Both girls are tall and quick, they will learn though. Felt bad for them after they ran off the court in tears.

You have a TV that yells? Pretty cool.

 

[Geew1992]

Especially from 4 different players not named Paige. Azzi, Christyn, AE, & Evina all came through at the line!

So did Ono

 

[Forego]

Normally, Geno saves all of his time outs until the end of the fourth quarter. Geno did something he rarely does in last night’s game. He called a time out early in the third quarter. Does anyone know what that was all about?

 

[eebmg]

And the real reason we won. Daniela.

 

[Bama fan]

LOL...When Dorka went down, do you think Geno decided, "Don't worry. We'll get Nika to grab some rebounds."?
Muhl wound up with EIGHT boards, most of them contested against much taller players.

No. I think Nika decided! She is determined to win and totally unafraid.

 

[mbr33ct]

What’s really amazing is that even though Stanford was always in striking distance, I never thought we were in fear of losing. We controlled this game from the tip and that is pretty remarkable.

That's what being an underdog does...pressure is off and squarely on the favored team.

 

[cohenzone]

Still processing what I just saw but one thing I know is that we are going to hear "11-0 in championships"... ad nauseum.

And remind us Boston is POY every time she touches the ball.

Last night was vintage Geno. The world needs to understand that year after year he creates top notch defensive teams. It’s his actual calling card. The O determines by how much they win. His teams tend to lose only when the opponent can match our D and we have trouble containing maybe one top scorer. Stanford is a really good ball movement team. We took that away from them. Most of their points came around the hoop on individual moves by Brink and Jones (wow can she finding at the hoop). Obviously, every one of our kids were foul line immaculate and none of them was named Paige. How clutch were they and how good was Evina despite that last turnover.

 

[Bama fan]

Why in the world was Paige inboumding to AE and not vice versa? Ir worked out but geez!!

I guess because AE can just hand the ball back to Paige who can then run the play. And AE is a big body that is difficult to reach around? But it did work out as you say.

 

[eebmg]

That's what being an underdog does...pressure is off and squarely on the favored team.

There is always pressure on UConn players. No program is under more scrutiny. And god forbid Paige does not excel in her home state, haters will come out from under their rocks.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

I think she’s very classy but isn’t perfect. I’d say Tara doesn’t like losing to Geno because he’s a male and she is one of the old guard still around from when the pioneers were all women. Frankly I’d say that is more of the issue some coaches have rather than the fact he’s won so much.

That being said Tara has coached for many, many years and turned out high quality players and students at one of the most difficult colleges in the country. She doesn’t draw negative attention to herself, regularly praises her team, does not appear to think of herself as bigger than her program, and isn’t known for negative behavior on the sidelines or in games. That’s classy.

Well said, she is classy and is a terrific recruiter. The recruiting battles between her and Geno are well known. That being said, it was quite apparent at the handshake that they do not like each other. Unfortunately it has been that way for many years.

 

[GoUconn7961]

The best part of all of this is I kept the MOJO Gods happy on almost every prediction thread. I will continue to do my job for the Championship game. We Are DOOMED.

Thank you.

 

[Surly1]

I think the issue is that Stanford was sure they were going to win this game – perhaps even win it easily. They could not believe they were losing, and every time they got close and UConn pushed back, their disbelief grew. I read somewhere that at practice this week they were planning which dance to dance when they won. I love overconfidence like that. While I could do without the stress of these close ones .... damn I love it.
Go Huskies!

I have to disagree. There was no way they were overconfident. Confident yes and rightfully so. They were defending national champions and like so many previous UConn teams coming in to a final four, had earned that level of confidence. I think the Stanford players frustration or disbelief ensued from their inability to “turn it on” much like they had all year. Part of it was UConn’s dedication to making it difficult for them to execute their offense early in each possession, taking time off the clock, thus forcing them into shots their normally efficient offense avoids.

Rather than knock Stanford, this game is testament to how much UConn has grown as a team. Last year against Arizona, they didn’t play their best game, but did’t possess the will to impose themselves when their offense wasn’t clicking. This year, the growth is evident. The will is clearly there. It was a case of UConn’s will imposing themselves in a game that was offensively challenging for both teams. Evina & Nika played huge roles. Azzi had a tough game but made her free throws. Christyn struggled most of the night but responded just at the right time. Both Liv and Aaliyah performed levels above last year’s game against Arizona.

While SC is formidable, UConn can’t be counted out. There is a toughness and determination to this team. As Geno has stated many times, you don’t have to be the best team, you have to be the team that plays best that game. I have a belief that somehow they will find a way to win on Sunday. It could be another NC St type game or they can win ugly like last night.

Let’s go.

 

[pvdoggy]

Such a charismatic girl.

 

[oldude]

No. I think Nika decided! She is determined to win and totally unafraid.

The idea of 5’10” Nika replacing 6’5” Dorka is absolutely unfathomable. Except that’s exactly what happened, at least on the boards. Clearly Nika doesn’t know she’s short and has no concept of size or the limitations her lack of size would normally impose on her. What a remarkable competitor!!!

 

[Bigboote]

Surprised about the cold, no-look postgame handshake between Geno and Tara, after 35-plus years of being at the top of NCAA WBB coaching. Any thoughts?

According to Tara in her interview UConn had nothing to do with Stanford not playing well tonight.

Yes, I noticed both. In the in-game interview with Holly, Tara was critical of her team and gave no credit whatsoever to the UConn defense for their offensive woes. I'd wondered if something had happened -- some comment Geno had made that had maybe POed her. Then the brusqueness after the game. Contrast that with the way Geno and Wes greeted each other after Monday's game.

 

[LarryLegend]

the contributions of Nika cannot be overstated

 

[SJF]

Play loose, aggressive and smart. Avoid these bonehead plays.

 

[Stinger92860]

For Sunday, we need to clean up the offensive fouls 25 feet out and the reach in’s. Unfortunately, it’s muscle memory at this point and I have no idea how you fix it in under 48 hours. We could really use Dorka for this game.