Tennesse vs South Carolina

[darkstar1]

It was a great win for the Vols. I thought they had to overcome the refs down the stretch also. The Nike curse is alive!

Refs did all they could to assist SC. Boston again had great stats, but very small when it counted.

 

[huskeynut]

Dawns team loses two top 20 games and suddenly she's a terrible coach. Has everyone forgotten that uconn nearly lost 3 games in the past month?

The optimum word in your statement is "nearly." UConn didn't lose those games.

SC is flawed like many teams, UConn included. Is Dawn a terrible coach? - no. A great coach? - no.

 

[Waquoit]

The optimum word in your statement is "nearly." UConn didn't lose those games.

A near loss is called a win.

 

[meyers7]

UConn win at Tenn looking even better!

Or their win against SC looks worse.

 

[meyers7]

Love watching SC lose!

But NOT at the expense of watching TN win.

 

[Waquoit]

But NOT at the expense of watching TN win.

I usually agree with that sentiment, not today.

 

[jaundicedeye]

Frankly all of the teams in the top 10 are highly flawed. UConn however showed how glaring SCar's flaws are. Their guards are small and they are shoot first guards. The problem then is they're poor outside shooters and the entire team are average passers at that. They don't see the floor well except for driving lanes.

This goes back to Dawn. She recruited athletes, and although they can play a transition game, when good teams shut down their transition baskets they're just average in the half court. Don't get me wrong, they're a very talented team, and they're better than they showed tonight. But talent alone doesn't win championships. This team has the most dominant post in WCBB and tonight she had 12 shots. Cooke, again, had a whopping 22, and she made 6. Once again this team had a miserable 11 assists on 26 made baskets. Henderson had 6 of them. That's not a formula for championship basketball. Period.

I said this at the beginning of the season, and I'm sure every SCar fan is going to disagree with me, but Cooke is pretty much the same guard I saw at the U 16 America's, the U17 World's and the U19 World's. If she doesn't have her shot, if she isn't coming down on the break, she's not going to contribute much. Dawn's forward crew is very good indeed, and they play hard, tough defense, but they can't dribble the ball over the half court and set themselves up for the shot. Henderson is a fine talent with good speed and she's full of grit. She plays tough defense as well, and is the far better passer than Cooke, but she too is undersized, and taller teams, UConn included take advantage of that.

Now, if people look back they'll see I've always been very complimentary of Dawn and was pleased that she recruits well. I was one of those that wanted a real rivalry with UConn because I see it as good for basketball. But Dawn plays a simple up tempo offense: grab the rebound, pass it to the guards, run to the basket. When that fails dump it inside or drive the lane. When one commentator said UConn has less talent than SCar but executed better in their win, my response was, what offense is there that Dawn has to execute? I think Dawn has failed in two aspects so far. First, she's failed to recognize that she needs to recruit guards that can pass and she needs a selfless team that knows how to move the ball. Second, she needs to surround a dominant post with shooters. She has done neither.

Spot on! This SC team with Boston is very much like the early Aja Wilson teams that were missing savvy guards who could shoot. It took transfers to fix that deficit.

 

[meyers7]

I usually agree with that sentiment, not today.

If you're a "real" UCONN fan, you should never waiver.

 

[Urshurak]

She's won a natty (although I am confident she would not have beaten UCONN if little Ms. Williams had not sent us packing that year). There are only 6 coaches currently coaching who can say that. She's perhaps not the best Xs and Os coach, but she coached her team to a finals win and that has to count for something!

Agree, but didn't show last night.

 

[uconnever]

Trade off is that the win over SC does not look as impressive.

I put in other threads that I felt SC wasn’t as good as everyone felt. They can’t shoot....period. They are athletic and play defense, but if Dawn has a knock down shooter in her class next year.... watch out. But as of now, we will beat them anytime we meet them this year. The only team that can beat us because of personnel, is Stanford. Whoever is on their game if we meet will win because it’s a toss up.

 

[Carnac]

Watched this game at well As the Louisville game and caught some of the North Carolina state game as well
I think it’s safe to say there’s no great or dominant team this year and that the tournament is truly wide-open

if UConn can and at least shoot the ball reasonably well I do like their chances

I commented in another post that (IMO) there are no dominant teams this year. There are 4-7 teams that can get hot during the tournament, and play exceptional basketball for 6 games, especially if the ball bounces their way a couple of times. I agree with you that if UConn can play the rest of the season as they did against St. John’s, they have as good a chance as anyone else.

Last year we lost 3 games because we couldn’t score. This year we lost to Arkansas because we couldn’t stop them from scoring. We can’t allow a team to score 90 points and expect to win. We have to be able to get stops at crucial points in the game.

 

[Carnac]

I put in other threads that I felt SC wasn’t as good as everyone felt. They can’t shoot....period. They are athletic and play defense, but if Dawn has a knock down shooter in her class next year.... watch out. But as of now, we will beat them anytime we meet them this year. The only team that can beat us because of personnel, is Stanford. Whoever is on their game if we meet will win because it’s a toss up.

Stanford is a tough out this year. Not a team you want on your side of the bracket. You have to play your A game against them. They’re not going to beat themselves. Sure, they have warts like every other team. Like UConn, they are a team no one looks forward to playing, especially late in the tournament.

 

[jaundicedeye]

Despite my past feelings about Tennessee I have to say that I am favorably impressed with Kelli Harper.
She is very much a coaching upgrade. I enjoyed her post-game interview. She appears likeable, open and honest. I think Tennessee has a winner in her.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

Just

1) SC hubris bites them in the tushy and
2) Dawn might be a wee bit overrated as a bench coach.

I've been surprised at how she Staley seems to have failed to fully integrate Boston into her offense. Boston should be getting touches on virtually every possession in order to force the defense to key on her. But Boston seems to be an afterthought in the offense. Yes, she gets points in the teens. But she should be getting far more. She is clearly the best post player in the country. I suspect that Coach Geno would have used Boston in such a way to make her, and the rest of the offense, unstoppable. Clear difference in styles and effectiveness.

 

[ScottCT]

Stanford is a tough out this year. Not a team you want on your side of the bracket. You have to play your A game against them. They’re not going to beat themselves.

Stanford has given up big leads multiple times and tend to go into a 1v1 stagnant offense at times. They are flawed like everyone else.

 

[Vowelguy]

. But as of now, we will beat them anytime we meet them this year.

Sorta odd statement for a team we needed overtime to beat at home.
And let’s face it, some refs would’ve called a foul on that last play, meaning we lose.

 

[Carnac]

Stanford has given up big leads multiple times and tend to go into a 1v1 stagnant offense at times. They are flawed like everyone else.

True, and they played a lot of games where they DID NOT not give up a big lead. Don't forget, the Cardinal played nine weeks on the road due to COVID-19 regulations in Santa Clara County. Would you want to play Stanford in the tournament? Most agree that no team is dominant and without flaw UConn included. Perhaps you’d rather play Louisville or Baylor. I like Stanford’s chances. You can't duck a team in the tournament. You play whoever is is front of you. All I'm saying is if Stanford is my next opponent, I wouldn't count on them collapsing in the final minutes of the game.

Only one team will win all 6 games. All of the other elites will lose somewhere along the way. I see Stanford making the great 8. Not sure after that. Too many other elite teams in the field that can win it all (see the link below). I would not count on Stanford giving up a big lead in a game in March if I had to play them. Not saying that Stanford wins it all, just that they are not going to beat themselves. It’s understood that every team has warts. It was not my intention to suggest they didn’t.

Why each women's college basketball team in the NCAA's top 16 could win the 2021 NCAA title

 

[Charliebball]

Just

1) SC hubris bites them in the tushy and
2) Dawn might be a wee bit overrated as a bench coach.

I really don't know many who believe she's a great bench coach.............she's a better motivator and recruiter than she is a strategist........that's why I was a bit surprised she got the Olympic team coaching spot............

 

[donalddoowop]

Spot on! This SC team with Boston is very much like the early Aja Wilson teams that were missing savvy guards who could shoot. It took transfers to fix that deficit.

The transfers would not have made a difference if their other big player had not gotten injured. That injury forced Dawn to change her offense and it worked for the better. The transfers were playing when UConn beat them earlier in the season and it was not a struggle.

 

[Charliebball]

Davis called “soft” by her coach at halftime.

Staley says her pg struggles playing 40 minutes.

Davis is one of the most talented players in the country...........if she could ever add consistency to her game she would be unstoppable...........I was hoping she would transfer after last season and give Geno a chance..........

 

[Bigpetunia]

So South Carolina goes on the road and blows one against a well-coached and improving Tennessee. What does that say about SC? About the same thing that the UConn loss at Arkansas said about UConn...not a lot. I get a kick out of the fact that as deep as Tennessee hatred runs on our forum, for a lot of folks it now seems to be replaced by Dawn hatred. This is particularly ironic because Dawn is, in so many ways, a female version of Geno! Folks just don't like such brash personality traits when they're exhibited by the female persuasion! As always, the double standard prevails!!

 

[CocoHusky]

A few observations about the game that I not seen previously mentioned. Jordan Horston was removed from the starting for this came and came of the bench probably because she played so poorly in the prior game against TA&M where she totaled 2 points. Clearly this lit a fire in Horston as she played very motivated from the jump and especially down the stretch. Good for her and very brave of Kellie to make this move.
Boston made her last FG of the game at the 7:02 of the 4Q which put SC up by 3. From that point to the end of the game she had 1 FG attempt and was noticeably out of gas.
Pet Peeve: Dawn Staley skillfully play the refs during this game. With TN up by 3 points and TN possession Dawn Twice made 3 consecutive subs (one at a time) and none of which were at the scorer's table prior to the officials being ready to inbound the ball. This allowed Dawn to see how TN was set up to break the press and to make switches to get in favorable SC match ups. The result was two consecutive turnovers for TN. I don't know why these refs were so tolerant of Dawn making these subs. At one point Dawn even had 6 players on the floor and took her time deciding who needed to come off as the refs were waiting. Unless the rule has changed a player needs to be at scorer's table prior to the ball being ready for play to be allowed to enter the game.

 

[Carnac]

So South Carolina goes on the road and blows one against a well-coached and improving Tennessee. What does that say about SC? About the same thing that the UConn loss at Arkansas said about UConn...not a lot. I get a kick out of the fact that as deep as Tennessee hatred runs on our forum, for a lot of folks it now seems to be replaced by Dawn hatred. This is particularly ironic because Dawn is, in so many ways, a female version of Geno! Folks just don't like such brash personality traits when they're exhibited by the female persuasion! As always, the double standard prevails!!

There are some folks that just don't like anybody. There are a lot of UConn fans that don't have any dislike or find fault with Dawn. Most of them don't take the time to express that in writing, but they do exist. What did Dawn do to us (UConn Nation) that would cause us to dislike her or wish her program any "ill-will"? You don't like the way she conducts or expresses herself in her pressers? I know we aren't THAT petty.

A question to anyone that dislikes Dawn: what do you want her to do? What did she do to incur your wrath? I see Dawn and her program as a friendly rival, and hope that our yearly home and home series with them continues indefinitely. Those are good games for both programs. These games draw and create lots of media and fan attention which is great for WCBB. Not to mention the sidebar benefits it produces for recruiting purposes.

Perhaps I missed something. I'm too concerned about our program to be worried or concerned about Dawn or anyone else. I've got blinders on! My focus is on UConn. We have zero influence over this or any other program. We have have an opinion, but in the grand scheme, what are those opinions worth? Do they influence anything or anyone? Does Dawn give a rip about what we (the Boneyard) think?

What Dawn is or is not doing can be a distraction if we allow it to. Let's focus on our team and the road before us. I want UConn to win the championship THIS YEAR!!! I don't want to become side tracked because I'm looking over my shoulder to see what South Carolina or any other program is doing. I'm content minding my own watch fires.

Remember what that great philosopher Satchel Paige used to say: "Don't look over your shoulder, something might be gaining on you."

Thought for the rest of the season: pedal to the metal, full speed ahead. Ask no quarter and give none. Let's see how far we can go. Let's win this thing.

 

[Golden Husky]

SC was up by 16. Literally nobody to blame but themselves. Dawn doesn’t seem like a very good coach based on what I saw, which is surprising.

Up by 16, down by 16, what does it matter? The score was tied when they started the game and the order in which the points were scored doesn't matter. Which team has more points at the end, does.

 

[uconnever]

Sorta odd statement for a team we needed overtime to beat at home.
And let’s face it, some refs would’ve called a foul on that last play, meaning we lose.

I guess you can say that, but we did win and I believe we have more room to grow than they do. They cannot shoot. We will shoot better on most nights than the way we shot against them. I was confident we would beat them then and am confident we will beat them by even more the next time we play them. Unless someone gets unbelievably hot like the player from Arkansas, (we will beat them if we play them again also) then the only team that is equally as talented is Stanford and to a lesser degree Louisville. I personally don’t believe we lose to any other team other than those two, and I’m not so sure they can beat us. It’s just I believe against those two teams we have a less margin for errors.

 

[MSSportsGuy]

I watched the entire game. UT played well in the second half and wanted it more.

SC did not play well and again I saw Boston not be a focal point on offense but UT played very good defense against her. The SC guards were cold for the most part and couldn't open up the floor.

I've read some of the Dawn put downs and honestly wonder why. She's been successful and seems to run a great program. I admit to not being a fan of her banner from the ranking last year as it seems childish and her going on and on about her team not being able to participate got old because everyone was in the same boat. Despite that, she's built one of the best programs in the country and will likely continue to be successful for years to come.

UT would have rolled over and never fought in a game like this even last year under Harper. They have more fight in them and the talent of some players is starting to show, even if they haven't done it for 40 minutes. They won't be an easy out if they play to their full potential in the tournament.

 

[BobbyJ]

There are some folks that just don't like anybody. There are a lot of UConn fans that don't have any dislike or find fault with Dawn. Most of them don't take the time to express that in writing, but they do exist. What did Dawn do to us (UConn Nation) that would cause us to dislike her or wish her program any "ill-will"? You don't like the way she conducts or expresses herself in her pressers? I know we aren't THAT petty.

A question to anyone that dislikes Dawn: what do you want her to do? What did she do to incur your wrath? I see Dawn and her program as a friendly rival, and hope that our yearly home and home series with them continues indefinitely. Those are good games for both programs. These games draw and create lots of media and fan attention which is great for WCBB. Not to mention the sidebar benefits it produces for recruiting purposes.

Perhaps I missed something. I'm too concerned about our program to be worried or concerned about Dawn or anyone else. I've got blinders on! My focus is on UConn. We have zero influence over this or any other program. We have have an opinion, but in the grand scheme, what are those opinions worth? Do they influence anything or anyone? Does Dawn give a rip about what we (the Boneyard) think?

What Dawn is or is not doing can be a distraction if we allow it to. Let's focus on our team and the road before us. I want UConn to win the championship THIS YEAR!!! I don't want to become side tracked because I'm looking over my shoulder to see what South Carolina or any other program is doing. I'm content minding my own watch fires.

Remember what that great philosopher Satchel Paige used to say: "Don't look over your shoulder, something might be gaining on you."

Thought for the rest of the season: pedal to the metal, full speed ahead. Ask no quarter and give none. Let's see how far we can go. Let's win this thing.

I don't think you getting sidetracked or distracted by Staley or not is going to have any effect on how UConn performs throughout the rest of the season. I don't think they're too concerned about her. 😎

 

[DefenseBB]

Frankly all of the teams in the top 10 are highly flawed.

Hold on, of the Top 10 teams are highly flawed. They all have “flaws” but none are highly flawed as they wouldn’t be a top team let alone a Top 10 team.

There are some teams that have significant more talent than others and have not reached their efficiency yet, either due to Covid-19 or due to lack of quality coaching that opens the door for any of these teams to get hot or peak at the right time to win it all.
I do not think anyone outside the Top 9 is winning it as the flaws on those teams is more egregious than the top 9.

 

[HuskyMJ]

I asked this on general forum but didn't realize the main board also had thread for SC-UT.

Why did Beal play so little even when Rennia was hitting all her shots in the 2nd half? Russell was guarding Rennia and in prior games she barely played. I thought Beal was one of the main rotation players who plays heavy minutes

 

[Carnac]

I don't think you getting sidetracked or distracted by Staley or not is going to have any effect on how UConn performs throughout the rest of the season. I don't think they're too concerned about her. 😎

Some fans seem to be. Why, I don't know. The team (Geno) is not, I agree. We've got approximately 13 games left
(4 conference, 3 conference tournament games and 6 NCAA tournament games) if we make it to the championship game. As die-hard UConn fans, we should concentrate on OUR business and those last 13 games. How wonderful would it be if we could some how win those last six games? We have as good a chance as any of the other elites. UConn Nation would be ecstatic and the BY would go crazy.