Stanford Postgame Thread

[jaundicedeye]

Their pregame sideline handshake was much more cordial even with smiling. I think after the game it was more like Stanford wanted to leave asap and let the Huskies have their well deserved spotlight.

Agree. Without the pre-game cordiality it could have been mistaken for something else.

 

[mbr33ct]

Just watch the game again and this time pay attention to the defense we played.
Then come back and post your sunshine comments.
Thanks.

...or just look at final score.

 

[jazz]

The contrast between Nika Muhl's charm and sweetness off the court and her fire, tenacity, and pugnacity on the court makes me laugh.

She's like the sweet girl you take on a date and then you go to give her a kiss goodnight and she gives you a blackeye.

 

[The deacon]

Personally, I think Stanford didn’t get a lot of open looks from 3. I also think Haley is a great player but if you look at her numbers this year she shot something like 27% from 3 so it’s no surprise she was 0-5 from 3 tonight. She really should not have been selected as an all American this year. We outrebounded them with maybe our best rebounder hurt. They were beatable. Our defense reduced their scoring output. If you guard Lexi Hull closely she cannot convert 3 pointers like she does when she’s wide open. They seemed to score almost at will in the paint but Brink does miss jump shots sometimes. Stanford was successful shutting down Azzi and to a degree Paige but our depth, hustle and defensive strength were enough to win.

I nearly always agree with your points, TeamFirst, but I'm a big advocate of Haley Jones, in general and that she definitely deserved All-American recognition. She is one of those players for whom the numbers sometimes don't measure up to her contributions. Last night, during a game in which her teammates all struggled, Haley had 20 and 11 against a defensively superb UConn team.

And if you remember, while agreeing Haley is not an especially good three-point shooter, at least three of those five misses were rather hurriedly hoisted up in the final minutes when Stanford absolutely had to fire up threes.

If I had my druthers (and I know I don't... LOL), Haley would join Paige, Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark among the first five players I'd have on my team. The fifth? Maybe NaLyssa Smith?

 

[CaliHuskyFan]

For every UCONN fan upset because we should have won by a larger margin without the turnovers, there is a Stanford fan lamenting all of those missed open shots. That team is lethal from outside, but they missed 43 shots and were 4 for 23 from 3 point range.

That is one amazing statistic.

Nika at 5'10 & playing 18 minutes; Brink at 6'4 & played 27 minutes! WoW!!!!

 

[mbr33ct]

Nika at 5'10 & playing 18 minutes; Brink at 6'4 & played 27 minutes! WoW!!!!

"Bigs" are overrated.

 

[BBallF]

Will Dee ref the championship game? Please tell me "no."

She is a nightmare in a big game. Considering the quality of the refereeing last night in our game, that is saying a lot. She and her fellow womens' refs have transformed this game into a mens' wannabe. No body fouls, no fouls for restriction of movement on cuts, no fouls for over the backs which are really pushes, but every screen is a moving one, every touch foul has to get called even if inconsequential in the backcourt or forecourt, and every walk gets called off of a received pass but no shuffle of the feet under the basket by a big is ever called. The NCAA controls the referees and the referees control the game. It's the continuation of a painfully slow deterioration of the sport despite everything these great players and coaches try to do. The amount of contact they now allow in the women's game is just startling and someday, after a bad injury to a player because of the excessive contact being regularly allowed, that player is going to try to get satisfaction in the only place the NCAA pays attention to, in a legal forum.

 

[cabbie191]

You have a TV that yells? Pretty cool.

We are going to set-up a new tv today to replace one that’s at least ten years old. I eagerly await reading about the yelling feature!

Better yet, maybe I can get a feed from the set to the UConn bench so it can give suggestions to Chris D as it surveys the full court! .

 

[jaundicedeye]

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

Actually, Stinger, it is not muscle memory. They are just bad habits. Muscle memory is neuromuscular and pertains to the engraining of motor movements through repetition.

 

[mbr33ct]

 

[BobbyJ]

View attachment 75201

Yeah, you can just see the hatred there.

 

[cabbie191]

This post is to address the question of whether Tara is a classy coach or not. I think she is and here's why.

With the exception of one year she took off to coach the national team, she's been at Stanford since 1985. That's 37 years at one of the most high profile teams in the country.

I don't follow Stanford with any regularity except how they impact UConn, but I don't recall a time when she said something that she had to later walk back.

I saw her at the opening tournament at Ohio State featuring OSU, UConn and I think Syracuse to start the 2017/18 season. This was an off year for the Cardinal - they went 24-11. They got hammered the first night of the tournament, losing to OSU by 21, followed by a 25 point loss to UConn the next night.

My seat was right by the locker room tunnel that Stanford used, and I can still see the anger in her face when she walked by after both losses. She was showing some raw emotion - but you didn't see this in the pressers after the games.

Think about how much emotional investment coaches like Dawn, Kim, Geno, Tara, etc., who regularly are in the conversation for making the final four, have in their players, their respective schools, as well as their careers. I'd think there would be something wrong if a losing coach didn't show strong emotion in wake of a defeat like her team suffered last night.

Kudos to a losing coach that can still show outward grace in this situation - Pat Summitt, asking permission to address and personally congratulate the UConn team after we beat her for the national title, comes to mind. But if they are a bit more "reserved" in the moment, well that's okay by me.

 

[Longtime fan]

gutsy win. in the end CW and Nelson Ododa came through

Everyone forgets how well Nika Mühl played and she should be acknowledged. Every time she enters, something good happens. She causes turnovers and fights for rebounds. She played a lot of quality minutes last night. Also, a shout out to CD who provided a decent amount of quality playing time. Her defense doesn't get noticed, but she is good. I also don't think her teammates are looking for her when she cuts to the basket ( often open). No surprise, because everyone seems to be waiting for Paige or AZZI to get open.

 

[Viet Vet]

This post is to address the question of whether Tara is a classy coach or not. I think she is and here's why.

With the exception of one year she took off to coach the national team, she's been at Stanford since 1985. That's 37 years at one of the most high profile teams in the country.

I don't follow Stanford with any regularity except how they impact UConn, but I don't recall a time when she said something that she had to later walk back.

I saw her at the opening tournament at Ohio State featuring OSU, UConn and I think Syracuse to start the 2017/18 season. This was an off year for the Cardinal - they went 24-11. They got hammered the first night of the tournament, losing to OSU by 21, followed by a 25 point loss to UConn the next night.

My seat was right by the locker room tunnel that Stanford used, and I can still see the anger in her face when she walked by after both losses. She was showing some raw emotion - but you didn't see this in the pressers after the games.

Think about how much emotional investment coaches like Dawn, Kim, Geno, Tara, etc., who regularly are in the conversation for making the final four, have in their players, their respective schools, as well as their careers. I'd think there would be something wrong if a losing coach didn't show strong emotion in wake of a defeat like her team suffered last night.

Kudos to a losing coach that can still show outward grace in this situation - Pat Summitt, asking permission to address and personally congratulate the UConn team after we beat her for the national title, comes to mind. But if they are a bit more "reserved" in the moment, well that's okay by me.

Well said. She is a class act.

 

[Longtime fan]

Just so wonderful. A great performance against a great team. Fearless, clutch play all through this game. A total team effort.

Was it Stanford's defense? It seemed to me, Paige and AZZI found it like going through a hornet's nest to get an open shot. AZZI's point production was unusually low for her time on the court. And the end of the game...where Connecticut just committed a basketful of unforced errors....was horrifying to live through. But we did. How about our best game of the season on Sunday? We have shaken off all the rust.

 

[EdSaid]

Will Dee ref the championship game? Please tell me "no."

I believe I read that 11 officials were assigned to the Final Four. There will be three 3 person crews, while 2 officials serve as backups for all three games. I interpret that to mean the officials that worked the semi-finals are done. So the answer is no. (I hope)

NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Committee names game officials for 2022 Women's Final Four

The officials for the 2022 Women's Final Four have been announced.

www.ncaa.com

 

[BRS24]

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?

IMHO, there was a difference between the NCSU 2 OT game, where it could have gone either way, probably a million times, so the post-game chat with Wes happened for a reason. Last night with Geno & Tara reflects a closely won game that prevents one team from winning another NC, and although Stanford had a lead for a little bit of time, it weirdly felt like UConn was managing the game and wasn't going to let it slip away.

 

[Beemer]

Nika at 5'10 & playing 18 minutes; Brink at 6'4 & played 27 minutes! WoW!!!!

I just finished watching the second half. Nika gives up 6 inches to Brink but that's all she gives up. Just a testament to her courage & determination to do whatever it took to help her team win. And look Coach no stupid fouls!!!

 

[rt bb fan]

Tara has had a thing with geno ever since KLS signed here. She stopped the UConn-Stanford series and has never renewed it. That’s on her. For the good of basketball especially since they both are good she should stop ducking UConn and renew the series that the fans would love to see again.

Wow. I never knew Tara cancelled the series because she did not get KLS and we did. Why didn't KLS want to join her sisters at Stanford?

 

[jaundicedeye]

How the hell did UConn win this game? 20 turnovers. An in-bounds mistake. Passes to nowhere. Let's just hope it's not a trend, that they got all that nonsense out of their systems tonight.

I guess you were too upset to see the team hustle, rebound and play defense?

 

[MSGRET]

I believe it was Rebecca that stated in the NC State game that the illegal screen calls are not Liv's or AE's fault, it is the fault of the player that is using the screen. The player is not cutting correctly where they force the defender to move into the screener, so the screener is forced to move to cut off the defender.

 

[Terrierdog]

WOW. Congratulations to you all. If someone would’ve told me we’d hold UConn to 36% shooting, I would’ve been extremely pleased. That is, unless Stanford would shoot worse at 34%.

I said before the game I felt UConn matched up just fine and it surely was an ugly game but your team truly fought and clawed to win it. I hope you guys take care of business on Sunday.

Thank you for posting. I'm a big-time UConn fan but I hate that anybody has to lose (except Tennessee, and perhaps South Carolina). Tara is a class act and Stanford has much to be proud of.

 

[MSGRET]

Will Dee ref the championship game? Please tell me "no."

I believe that since she reffed the first Semi-Final game then she is not eligible to ref the Championship game.

 

[hoopsfan22]

Wow. I never knew Tara cancelled the series because she did not get KLS and we did. Why didn't KLS want to join her sisters at Stanford?

The last of the series was 2014 I believe. Geno was asked in the pre-game about the series and said there was supposed to be one more game [in 2015] at UConn but it never happened. Not sure how games that are part of home-and-home series just get forgotten about. Guess it's one of those things we'll never know. Tara was also asked about the series in her pre-game, and I think she seemed open to resuming it. I don't sense any bad blood between the coaches or teams, so not sure why some are eager to make that happen. If I remember correctly Katie Lou said she wanted to do her own thing and not just follow in her footsteps as everyone assumed she would.