Teams arent as bad as their losses and Teams arent as good as their wins.

[Tonyc]

Well for most teams these 3 to 4 games in a row, in holiday tournaments, without a bench hurt teams. Players need rest and who knows what activities go on when the kids have time off. A mini vacation on the beach, visiting the sites. Yeah the starters on all teams got tired. Maybe not so much those like SC who played their bench. We saw that with some of the sluggish play, losses and upsets over the holiday tournaments. Which proves to me.... Teams arent as bad as their losses and teams arent as good as their wins. I base that on the environment, aphnosphe, and quality of the tuff teams they all played.

I was excited when UConn went on their run against SC and built a double digit lead in the first qtr when playing a zone, only to have SC come back when UConn went to a man to man. IMO the man to man tired UConn out where a zone may have saved their strength. This resulted in SC running UConn into the ground. SC was rested because they played their bench and UConn didnt. Now whether UConns bench was ready or not to play in a big game their starters needed a rest. It was both teams third game in a row and SC used their bench in the first two games and UConn didnt as much . When shots are falling short, in some cases, its a result of the legs getting tired. Hey for all top ranked teams who lost or were upset there were issues of being tired and injuries which didnt allow for deep bench to play thus the starters were run down. I have to believe most players were in good shape but being in shape playing 3 games in a row in a great place like a vacation spots takes its toll.

I dont take the losses that seriously with what we've learned from this. We learned alot from this tournament. Over the next 11 games UConn is home for 3, plus one at Mohegan Sun so maybe count that as 4 home. Thats alot of travel. So with the holiday break ending UConns next 4 games @ Seton Hall on the 3rd, ND @ home on the 5th, Ga Tech on the road on the 9 and travel back to NJ for UCLA. Alot of travel not alot of rest. IMO this is a big factor on how UConn will play unless the bench see time. Theres not alot of time inbetween games. We will see how we play.

Another point is we have alot of talent. Our talent is inexperienced at the college level. It will take time for them to learn the UConn system and play the college game. The coaches need to teach train and develop our rising stars. It will take time and patience so everybody needs to dig in because once it comes together it will be worth it.

 

[Stymie]

As Bill Parcells, noted NFL coach said:
“you are what your record says you are.”

 

[EricLA]

Another point is we have alot of talent. Our talent is inexperienced at the college level. It will take time for them to learn the UConn system and play the college game. The coaches need to teach train and develop our rising stars. It will take time and patience so everybody needs to dig in because once it comes together it will be worth it.

Actually, our talent is NOT inexperienced. Every single starter has had at least 1 year college basketball experience, and 3 starters are seniors+. One starter is a former NPOY. 1 player off the bench is a 2 time Big 10 1st team player (Dorka), and the other started as a freshman (Nika) for much of last season till her injury.

Yes there are a couple of freshmen off the bench who are getting acclimated, one suffering with a minor injury (Fudd). Griffin has not been available this year. I wonder what her play will be like once she comes back, but she's a junior and not inexperienced. Yes Dorka has had mental lapses and is still learning the UCONN way, but of the 9 players Geno has gone to for the majority of PT this season, 7 of them have college experience.

Our starting 5 is the same starting 5 that ended last season. That's about as great a beginning as any team could ask for. Yet it appears to me that both Edwards and Muhl have taken steps backwards, not forward. Their play has been a mystery to me.

Sometimes UCONN fans seem to have unrealistic expectations. But this year, losing NO starters from last season, and in fact, only losing reserve guard Makurat, I don't think it was unrealistic to expect this team to be really good right out the gate. But inexplicably, the defense has been really bad.

I'm all for patience. We are waiting for Aubrey to come back. Fudd has had a lingering injury. Dorka, Caroline and Azzi are all new to UCONN. But our starting 5 is super-experienced and they have been disappointing as a whole. Some have obviously been better than others, but defense is a team effort, and it's just not there.

 

[Vowelguy]

Teams arent as bad as their losses and Teams arent as good as their wins.

If you really believed that ok. But we all know that you don't.
If UConn had the win and not the loss, you'd be stating that it was the greatest team of all time.

 

[jchusky]

Actually, our talent is NOT inexperienced. Every single starter has had at least 1 year college basketball experience, and 3 starters are seniors+. One starter is a former NPOY. 1 player off the bench is a 2 time Big 10 1st team player (Dorka), and the other started as a freshman (Nika) for much of last season till her injury.

Yes there are a couple of freshmen off the bench who are getting acclimated, one suffering with a minor injury (Fudd). Griffin has not been available this year. I wonder what her play will be like once she comes back, but she's a junior and not inexperienced. Yes Dorka has had mental lapses and is still learning the UCONN way, but of the 9 players Geno has gone to for the majority of PT this season, 7 of them have college experience.

Our starting 5 is the same starting 5 that ended last season. That's about as great a beginning as any team could ask for. Yet it appears to me that both Edwards and Muhl have taken steps backwards, not forward. Their play has been a mystery to me.

Sometimes UCONN fans seem to have unrealistic expectations. But this year, losing NO starters from last season, and in fact, only losing reserve guard Makurat, I don't think it was unrealistic to expect this team to be really good right out the gate. But inexplicably, the defense has been really bad.

I'm all for patience. We are waiting for Aubrey to come back. Fudd has had a lingering injury. Dorka, Caroline and Azzi are all new to UCONN. But our starting 5 is super-experienced and they have been disappointing as a whole. Some have obviously been better than others, but defense is a team effort, and it's just not there.

sorry but are you really going to tell me that the season relies on Aubrey Griffin coming back? If that's the case then the team has bigger problems. I just don't know how this became all of a sudden a player that was a make or break season. I saw plenty of minute lineups and projections by posters and in none of them had Griffin playing more than 10-15 min. I just don't buy what you're selling.

 

[Travelman6]

As Bill Parcells, noted NFL coach said:
“you are what your record says you are.”

If only it were that simple and black and white, alas, it is not. that is why teams with tons of losses sometimes still win championships, because they are actually (still) very good, and better than their record would have indicated.

 

[Florida Fan]

sorry but are you really going to tell me that the season relies on Aubrey Griffin coming back? If that's the case then the team has bigger problems. I just don't know how this became all of a sudden a player that was a make or break season. I saw plenty of minute lineups and projections by posters and in none of them had Griffin playing more than 10-15 min. I just don't buy what you're selling.

Aubrey coming back with a reliable outside shot could be a deal maker, making her a slasher/shooter/defender. But that wishful thinking has yet to materialize.

 

[JellyBean]

 

[Zarathustra]

I'll try to keep my eyes on the final game of the NCAA TOURNAMENT.
This is a time for team building, cohesion, and development, etc.
and
As Coach says " maturity'!

 

[eebmg]

Has any major program had such a bizarre schedule with 1 game followed by a week , then 3 games in 3 days and then another week + delay. This does not seem ideal in building up chemistry, rotations etc. ??

 

[UcMiami]

I agree that the first month of any 5 month season is a learning curve for young teams and this team has 8 freshmen and sophomores plus a first year grad student in Dorka with only 3 dressed seniors for games and no juniors. They played one exhibition game, one home game and then went to the Bahamas for a tough tournament. Geno has talked about flow on offense, but I would also say the defensive flow is pretty bad as well. Getting 14, now 13 players together to play as a team is not a simple art and is made much more difficult with the youth of the team. I expect things to start getting better and more into rhythm with the team over the next couple of weeks.

Another thought - we debated starting line-ups and I thought starting Nika over Aaliyah which was the most frequent 2020 starting line-up would have helped get the offense flowing early and kept the defense aggressive. I think Nika seems a little lost in her role to date on this team and would have been more effective starting even if she was the first player subbed for. And Aaliyah might also be playing more effectively if she was starting games on the bench.

 

[EricLA]

sorry but are you really going to tell me that the season relies on Aubrey Griffin coming back? If that's the case then the team has bigger problems. I just don't know how this became all of a sudden a player that was a make or break season. I saw plenty of minute lineups and projections by posters and in none of them had Griffin playing more than 10-15 min. I just don't buy what you're selling.

Please read my post. Nowhere did I say anything close to "the season relies on Aubrey Griffin". No one should be "buying what you are selling" because I never said that.

Here is all I said about Aubrey (and btw i talked about every player who plays). "Griffin has not been available this year. I wonder what her play will be like once she comes back, but she's a junior and not inexperienced. I'm all for patience. We are waiting for Aubrey to come back. Fudd has had a lingering injury. Dorka, Caroline and Azzi are all new to UCONN. But our starting 5 is super-experienced and they have been disappointing as a whole. Some have obviously been better than others, but defense is a team effort, and it's just not there.

 

[Inthepaint]

Finally watched the SC game at Atlantis.
Although I was less than thrilled with the 4th quarter and how it turned out, there were some things I actually liked in the first 3 quarters.
Thought Liv was putting her best effort forward on both ends. Best post play UCONN has showed so far.
Evina looks healthy and ready to lead on the court as well as off.
Paige was Paige despite being covered like a cheap suit.
Don't know if the 4th quarter reflected fatigue or just plain confusion and lack of focus. Seems like they really need to play in order to sort out the whole question of who is out on the floor, who gets inserted at a critical time. It may get even uglier until Azzi, Caroline, Nika, & Dorka know what they are expected to do. IMHO, UCONN has always played best when they play off each other's skills.
I always thought that Nika and Ayleeah played best when they were on the floor together, especially when they were pressing and harassing on defense. One holds a leg while the other skins.
Let's see what happens against Seton Hall on Friday. Good time to start establishing an identity and force the bad shots, turnovers and other lapses that will let them transition.

 

[Millenial23]

Apologies and nothing against Aubrey, but she didn't have terribly much of an impact her first 2 years, so why do so many expect her be such a game-changer this year? Especially coming off injury. I hope it's true, but that seems like a bit of a stretch to me.

 

[Carnac]

Actually, our talent is NOT inexperienced. Every single starter has had at least 1 year college basketball experience, and 3 starters are seniors+. One starter is a former NPOY. 1 player off the bench is a 2 time Big 10 1st team player (Dorka), and the other started as a freshman (Nika) for much of last season till her injury.

Yes there are a couple of freshmen off the bench who are getting acclimated, one suffering with a minor injury (Fudd). Griffin has not been available this year. I wonder what her play will be like once she comes back, but she's a junior and not inexperienced. Yes Dorka has had mental lapses and is still learning the UCONN way, but of the 9 players Geno has gone to for the majority of PT this season, 7 of them have college experience.

Our starting 5 is the same starting 5 that ended last season. That's about as great a beginning as any team could ask for. Yet it appears to me that both Edwards and Muhl have taken steps backwards, not forward. Their play has been a mystery to me.

Sometimes UCONN fans seem to have unrealistic expectations. But this year, losing NO starters from last season, and in fact, only losing reserve guard Makurat, I don't think it was unrealistic to expect this team to be really good right out the gate. But inexplicably, the defense has been really bad.

I'm all for patience. We are waiting for Aubrey to come back. Fudd has had a lingering injury. Dorka, Caroline and Azzi are all new to UCONN. But our starting 5 is super-experienced and they have been disappointing as a whole. Some have obviously been better than others, but defense is a team effort, and it's just not there.

Eric, there is a lot of truth in your take. I've been thinking a lot about UConn this past weekend. Lots of thought ran through my mind. Here are a few:

About 5-6 years ago, Kara Lawson was doing color for a UConn women's TV broadcast. One thing I remember her saying was: "There's UConn, a BIG gap, then there's everyone else." At THAT time, she was correct. UConn WBB had no peers. We were far and away THE BEST team in WCBB. WE were the elephant in the room. Those days are over, and the gap has completely closed. Whether we want to admit it or not, UConn has fallen back with the other top ranked teams in the country. Teams no longer fear UConn. How can you fear a team that was held to 3 points in a quarter? This summer, we were all excited about the potential fortunes of this team, given the new players coming in. We reveled in the amount of "depth" we now had and would be able to use and enjoy all year.

Then the season started, and surprisingly we saw for ourselves that the things we expected to happen didn't. Very quickly the team proved not to be as deep as we thought. Players we thought were going to perform at a high level CONSISTENTLY didn't. Admittedly I didn't read most of the post game comments after the SC game. I didn't need to. I already knew the tenor and direction most of them took. I also noticed how many other top 10 teams lost last week. Most of those teams lost to teams ranked below them, or not ranked at all. As bad as I hate to admit it, THIS UConn team may not be as good as we hoped it would. I'm NOT throwing in the towel here. It's much too early for that. I'm just going by what I see. Talk is cheap. Games are not won on paper.

I'm concerned about the team, not so much the individual players. We could have and should have won the SC game. We took a 3 point lead in at half time, then completely got out played in the 2nd half. Why, what happened? SC didn't stop playing, why did we? If we were good enough to win the first half, we were good enough to win the second half. Being held to 3 points in the 4th quarter is of grave concern to me. How can the number 2 ranked team in the country be held to 3 points in 10 minutes of play?

THAT is a question Geno, his staff and the players MUST find the answer to BEFORE they take the floor again this Friday at Seton Hall. After the SC game, we were all mad, disillusioned and a little embarrassed. Three points in the 4th quarter. How do you hold one of the most offensively potent teams in the country to 3 points? Of the 6 other games SC has played this season, only Clemson was also held to 3 points in the 2nd quarter of their game. Clemson is unranked and does not have the talent or expectations UConn has.

If UConn has aspirations of winning the national championship this year, they are going to have to be able to defeat the likes of South Carolina and others of their ilk. The only road to the national championship this year goes directly through Columbia South Carolina. There will be no detours. Unless and until we prove we can defeat them, I can't realistically engage in talk (or hope) of winning the national championship. It's similar to the other schools in the BIG East Conference wanting and expecting to win the conference championship this year without having beating UConn. We have to be ready willing and ABLE to do our own dirty work. We can't expect another program to do it for us (knock off SC).

What we do against the Big East Conference mid-majors and lower ranked teams that we'll probably not see in the tournament is of no consequence. UConn could beat Seton Hall by 40 points Friday, it wouldn't mean anything. Seton Hall (3-2) is not ranked, nor are they a true barometer for where UConn is right now. How will we perform against the top 5-6 teams in the county? THEY will provide the final hurdles to the national championship.

Right now, I think (the way we are playing as a team) there may be some other teams we wouldn't fair too well against. I think today there are some top 15 teams UConn would have a tough time beating. I want to see how we perform against Notre Dame, UCLA, Oregon, Louisville and Tennessee. Those games (win or lose) will tell me EXACTLY where we stand. Our next test is against Notre Dame at home in 6 days. Let's see how we do against them and go from there.

 

[Carnac]

Finally watched the SC game at Atlantis.
Although I was less than thrilled with the 4th quarter and how it turned out, there were some things I actually liked in the first 3 quarters.
Thought Liv was putting her best effort forward on both ends. Best post play UCONN has showed so far.
Evina looks healthy and ready to lead on the court as well as off.
Paige was Paige despite being covered like a cheap suit.
Don't know if the 4th quarter reflected fatigue or just plain confusion and lack of focus. Seems like they really need to play in order to sort out the whole question of who is out on the floor, who gets inserted at a critical time. It may get even uglier until Azzi, Caroline, Nika, & Dorka know what they are expected to do. IMHO, UCONN has always played best when they play off each other's skills.
I always thought that Nika and Ayleeah played best when they were on the floor together, especially when they were pressing and harassing on defense. One holds a leg while the other skins.
Let's see what happens against Seton Hall on Friday. Good time to start establishing an identity and force the bad shots, turnovers and other lapses that will let them transition.

If UConn expects to be and remain one of the elite teams in WCBB, they CANNOT have anymore 3 point quarters again.....ever!! Top ranked elite teams don't have 3 point quarters, the cause them.

 

[visitingcock]

. . .

If UConn has aspirations of winning the national championship this year, they are going to have to be able to defeat the likes of South Carolina and others of their ilk. The only road to the national championship this year goes directly through Columbia South Carolina. There will be no detours. Unless and until we prove we can defeat them, I can't realistically engage in talk (or hope) of winning the national championship. It's similar to the other schools in the BIG East Conference wanting and expecting to win the conference championship this year without having beating UConn. We have to be ready willing and ABLE to do our own dirty work. We can't expect another program to do it for us (knock off SC).

What we do against the Big East Conference mid-majors and lower ranked teams that we'll probably not see in the tournament is of no consequence. UConn could beat Seton Hall by 40 points Friday, it wouldn't mean anything. Seton Hall (3-2) is not ranked, nor are they a true barometer for where UConn is right now. How will we perform against the top 5-6 teams in the county? THEY will provide the final hurdles to the national championship.

Right now, I think (the way we are playing as a team) there may be some other teams we wouldn't fair too well against. I think today there are some top 15 teams UConn would have a tough time beating. I want to see how we perform against Notre Dame, UCLA, Oregon, Louisville and Tennessee. Those games (win or lose) will tell me EXACTLY where we stand. Our next test is against Notre Dame at home in 6 days. Let's see how we do against them and go from there.

I didn't know Columbia is hosting the tournament this year.

 

[Carnac]

I didn't know Columbia is hosting the tournament this year.

It's not. you know what I mean. I said it goes THROUGH Columbia. I didn't say or suggest that Columbia was hosting the tournament. You can get to Minneapolis from anywhere. Any team planning on winning the national championship, should plan on going through Columbia. The years that UConn won the national championship and even the ones it didn't, the road to the NC went THROUGH Storrs.

 

[jabstep]

Well for most teams these 3 to 4 games in a row, in holiday tournaments, without a bench hurt teams. Players need rest and who knows what activities go on when the kids have time off. A mini vacation on the beach, visiting the sites. Yeah the starters on all teams got tired. Maybe not so much those like SC who played their bench. We saw that with some of the sluggish play, losses and upsets over the holiday tournaments. Which proves to me.... Teams arent as bad as their losses and teams arent as good as their wins. I base that on the environment, aphnosphe, and quality of the tuff teams they all played.

I was excited when UConn went on their run against SC and built a double digit lead in the first qtr when playing a zone, only to have SC come back when UConn went to a man to man. IMO the man to man tired UConn out where a zone may have saved their strength. This resulted in SC running UConn into the ground. SC was rested because they played their bench and UConn didnt. Now whether UConns bench was ready or not to play in a big game their starters needed a rest. It was both teams third game in a row and SC used their bench in the first two games and UConn didnt as much . When shots are falling short, in some cases, its a result of the legs getting tired. Hey for all top ranked teams who lost or were upset there were issues of being tired and injuries which didnt allow for deep bench to play thus the starters were run down. I have to believe most players were in good shape but being in shape playing 3 games in a row in a great place like a vacation spots takes its toll.

I dont take the losses that seriously with what we've learned from this. We learned alot from this tournament. Over the next 11 games UConn is home for 3, plus one at Mohegan Sun so maybe count that as 4 home. Thats alot of travel. So with the holiday break ending UConns next 4 games @ Seton Hall on the 3rd, ND @ home on the 5th, Ga Tech on the road on the 9 and travel back to NJ for UCLA. Alot of travel not alot of rest. IMO this is a big factor on how UConn will play unless the bench see time. Theres not alot of time inbetween games. We will see how we play.

Another point is we have alot of talent. Our talent is inexperienced at the college level. It will take time for them to learn the UConn system and play the college game. The coaches need to teach train and develop our rising stars. It will take time and patience so everybody needs to dig in because once it comes together it will be worth it.

I absolutely agree with the first two paragraphs of this analysis. I am not sure why Geno played the starters so many minutes in the Minnesota game. South Florida gave us a run and it was a good time to test the reserves. Boom Azzi came thru but the starters still played too many minutes. Against South Carolina, we looked fantastic in the first half. The second not such much. I attribute it to tired legs. We will not play three games in a row at any time in the rest of this season. We need to continue to develop our bench. We have the talent. Paige was the super player that she is but you can't wear her out or get her hurt to run up scores for rankings.

 

[Postie]

Actually, our talent is NOT inexperienced. Every single starter has had at least 1 year college basketball experience, and 3 starters are seniors+. One starter is a former NPOY. 1 player off the bench is a 2 time Big 10 1st team player (Dorka), and the other started as a freshman (Nika) for much of last season till her injury.

Yes there are a couple of freshmen off the bench who are getting acclimated, one suffering with a minor injury (Fudd). Griffin has not been available this year. I wonder what her play will be like once she comes back, but she's a junior and not inexperienced. Yes Dorka has had mental lapses and is still learning the UCONN way, but of the 9 players Geno has gone to for the majority of PT this season, 7 of them have college experience.

Our starting 5 is the same starting 5 that ended last season. That's about as great a beginning as any team could ask for. Yet it appears to me that both Edwards and Muhl have taken steps backwards, not forward. Their play has been a mystery to me.

Sometimes UCONN fans seem to have unrealistic expectations. But this year, losing NO starters from last season, and in fact, only losing reserve guard Makurat, I don't think it was unrealistic to expect this team to be really good right out the gate. But inexplicably, the defense has been really bad.

I'm all for patience. We are waiting for Aubrey to come back. Fudd has had a lingering injury. Dorka, Caroline and Azzi are all new to UCONN. But our starting 5 is super-experienced and they have been disappointing as a whole. Some have obviously been better than others, but defense is a team effort, and it's just not there.

A quote from Geno.You can have the same players back but not the same team.

 

[Postie]

sorry but are you really going to tell me that the season relies on Aubrey Griffin coming back? If that's the case then the team has bigger problems. I just don't know how this became all of a sudden a player that was a make or break season. I saw plenty of minute lineups and projections by posters and in none of them had Griffin playing more than 10-15 min. I just don't buy what you're selling.

Aubrey has been like the Dow Jones her first two years up and down.Another quote from Geno.Sometimes when she is in I wonder why I don’t start her.Other times I wonder why I put her in at all.

 

[Postie]

Eric, there is a lot of truth in your take. I've been thinking a lot about UConn this past weekend. Lots of thought ran through my mind. Here are a few:

About 5-6 years ago, Kara Lawson was doing color for a UConn women's TV broadcast. One thing I remember her saying was: "There's UConn, a BIG gap, then there's everyone else." At THAT time, she was correct. UConn WBB had no peers. We were far and away THE BEST team in WCBB. WE were the elephant in the room. Those days are over, and the gap has completely closed. Whether we want to admit it or not, UConn has fallen back with the other top ranked teams in the country. Teams no longer fear UConn. How can you fear a team that was held to 3 points in a quarter? This summer, we were all excited about the potential fortunes of this team, given the new players coming in. We reveled in the amount of "depth" we now had and would be able to use and enjoy all year.

Then the season started, and surprisingly we saw for ourselves that the things we expected to happen didn't. Very quickly the team proved not to be as deep as we thought. Players we thought were going to perform at a high level CONSISTENTLY didn't. Admittedly I didn't read most of the post game comments after the SC game. I didn't need to. I already knew the tenor and direction most of them took. I also noticed how many other top 10 teams lost last week. Most of those teams lost to teams ranked below them, or not ranked at all. As bad as I hate to admit it, THIS UConn team may not be as good as we hoped it would. I'm NOT throwing in the towel here. It's much too early for that. I'm just going by what I see. Talk is cheap. Games are not won on paper.

I'm concerned about the team, not so much the individual players. We could have and should have won the SC game. We took a 3 point lead in at half time, then completely got out played in the 2nd half. Why, what happened? SC didn't stop playing, why did we? If we were good enough to win the first half, we were good enough to win the second half. Being held to 3 points in the 4th quarter is of grave concern to me. How can the number 2 ranked team in the country be held to 3 points in 10 minutes of play?

THAT is a question Geno, his staff and the players MUST find the answer to BEFORE they take the floor again this Friday at Seton Hall. After the SC game, we were all mad, disillusioned and a little embarrassed. Three points in the 4th quarter. How do you hold one of the most offensively potent teams in the country to 3 points? Of the 6 other games SC has played this season, only Clemson was also held to 3 points in the 2nd quarter of their game. Clemson is unranked and does not have the talent or expectations UConn has.

If UConn has aspirations of winning the national championship this year, they are going to have to be able to defeat the likes of South Carolina and others of their ilk. The only road to the national championship this year goes directly through Columbia South Carolina. There will be no detours. Unless and until we prove we can defeat them, I can't realistically engage in talk (or hope) of winning the national championship. It's similar to the other schools in the BIG East Conference wanting and expecting to win the conference championship this year without having beating UConn. We have to be ready willing and ABLE to do our own dirty work. We can't expect another program to do it for us (knock off SC).

What we do against the Big East Conference mid-majors and lower ranked teams that we'll probably not see in the tournament is of no consequence. UConn could beat Seton Hall by 40 points Friday, it wouldn't mean anything. Seton Hall (3-2) is not ranked, nor are they a true barometer for where UConn is right now. How will we perform against the top 5-6 teams in the county? THEY will provide the final hurdles to the national championship.

Right now, I think (the way we are playing as a team) there may be some other teams we wouldn't fair too well against. I think today there are some top 15 teams UConn would have a tough time beating. I want to see how we perform against Notre Dame, UCLA, Oregon, Louisville and Tennessee. Those games (win or lose) will tell me EXACTLY where we stand. Our next test is against Notre Dame at home in 6 days. Let's see how we do against them.

 

[Postie]

If Oregon is at full strength that will be a tough road game.Also the Tennessee game will be a good test.

 

[meyers7]

I absolutely agree with the first two paragraphs of this analysis. I am not sure why Geno played the starters so many minutes in the Minnesota game. South Florida gave us a run and it was a good time to test the reserves. Boom Azzi came thru but the starters still played too many minutes. Against South Carolina, we looked fantastic in the first half. The second not such much. I attribute it to tired legs. We will not play three games in a row at any time in the rest of this season. We need to continue to develop our bench. We have the talent. Paige was the super player that she is but you can't wear her out or get her hurt to run up scores for rankings.

Probably to get the starters some minutes together with S. Carolina on the horizon where he probably figured they would need be playing quite a bit. They had only had 1 real game prior to MN.

UCONN didn't start of with any of the normal cupcake teams. In fact they didn't start off with very many games at all before jumping right in. Due to our poorer conference schedule these past few years, UCONN hasn't had the luxury of scheduling any cupcakes to get all the bugs out/cobwebs off before playing decent teams.

 

[ConwayGmck]

Finally watched the SC game at Atlantis.
Although I was less than thrilled with the 4th quarter and how it turned out, there were some things I actually liked in the first 3 quarters.
Thought Liv was putting her best effort forward on both ends. Best post play UCONN has showed so far.
Evina looks healthy and ready to lead on the court as well as off.
Paige was Paige despite being covered like a cheap suit.
Don't know if the 4th quarter reflected fatigue or just plain confusion and lack of focus. Seems like they really need to play in order to sort out the whole question of who is out on the floor, who gets inserted at a critical time. It may get even uglier until Azzi, Caroline, Nika, & Dorka know what they are expected to do. IMHO, UCONN has always played best when they play off each other's skills.
I always thought that Nika and Ayleeah played best when they were on the floor together, especially when they were pressing and harassing on defense. One holds a leg while the other skins.
Let's see what happens against Seton Hall on Friday. Good time to start establishing an identity and force the bad shots, turnovers and other lapses that will let them transition.

I don't think that's according to the rules......