Tennesse vs South Carolina

[oldude]

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.

Just need to win the last game....🤔

 

[EricSD]

FWIW I also think it has a lot to do with matchups. Tennessee is a team that is very long at every position. That will give some teams trouble for various reasons. SC is a team that is very strong in the post and has shoot-first guards that will give teams trouble. Teams like UCONN and L'ville are more reliant on guard play and want to speed you up. Stanford doesn't seem like they want to speed anything up, but still stronger on guard play altho they have a freshman post who is doing pretty well.

I haven't see enough of aTm to make an intelligent observation on them (not that my observations are intelligent...). The point I'm making is that the genetics of certain teams might make them more, or less, susceptible to strengths of other teams. Team A might be able to consistently beat team B, who might be able to consistently beat team C, who might be able to consistently beat team A.

Then you have to account for teams/players having bad games. Paige had a pretty crap shooting night against Tennessee until the very end. UCONN had a pretty crap 3-point shooting night vs. SC. It would be one thing if all the shots were contested, but most of our 3 point shots were fairly open.

I do think, like most everyone else, that there's a lot of parity this year and no one team is head and shoulders above the rest. A lot will depend on the NCAA draw and regions. Frankly, I would like to play SC again in the NCAA's - maybe in the semi-finals. But who knows. Be careful what you wish for right? Maybe we will get lucky and we will have a L'ville upset Griner/Baylor semifinal type scenario, and get a NC game against a team we match up well against!

 

[bbsamjj]

I think the bigger question is: Why is SC struggling so much (relatively speaking) compared to last year's team, which went 32-1, even while starting 3 freshmen?

The answer is pretty clear: the losses of Herbert Harrigan and, even more so, Harris--despite Harrison very good year, have been very hard for the team to adjust to, and they seem to lack the leadership/killer instinct teams need to be truly great. That could change, but doesn't seem like the team has gelled the way it needs to yet.

Also, someone else mentioned that Dawn only recruits certain types of players. There is a difference between the types of players Dawn recruits and those who decide to come to SC. For example, I know she very much wanted to land Diamond Johnson, who is currently 2nd in the NCAA in 3-pt FG percentage (to Paige).

 

[FanFromMaine]

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.

And some refs would have called a foul on them earlier...

Having just watched the SC/UT replay, neither team was impressive. Great athletes by suspect basketball skills especially at guard.

So, with UConn defense amping up, neither team appears as dangerous as they had seemed earlier in the season.

I have not seen the Baylor or PAC12 guards nor Haley Van Lith this year, but I really like our guard trio. And I agree with the notion that the tournament demands great guard play.

 

[psconn]

No, we are all cheering for Tennessee. No one hates them now.

 

[oldude]

I think the bigger question is: Why is SC struggling so much (relatively speaking) compared to last year's team, which went 32-1, even while starting 3 freshmen?

The answer is pretty clear: the losses of Herbert Harrigan and, even more so, Harris--despite Harrison very good year, have been very hard for the team to adjust to, and they seem to lack the leadership/killer instinct teams need to be truly great. That could change, but doesn't seem like the team has gelled the way it needs to yet.

Also, someone else mentioned that Dawn only recruits certain types of players. There is a difference between the types of players Dawn recruits and those who decide to come to SC. For example, I know she very much wanted to land Diamond Johnson, who is currently 2nd in the NCAA in 3-pt FG percentage (to Paige).

SC’s struggles are all about Harris moving on to the pros. Their half court offense gets stuck at times, something that seldom happened last season with Harris at pg. If you slow down SC’s transition offense like UConn, LSU & TN each were able to do over the last 3 games, the Gamecocks are in trouble.

 

[JordyG]

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.

Next year from what I can see, Dawn has recruited pretty much more of the same: Great athletes that can run the floor. It appears that Johnson may (or may not) be a good shooter. To me she looks a lot like Zia Cooke and that means the pass is secondary. Rivers is going to have to prove she can be a consistent shooter from the perimeter, but she does have some size.

 

[JordyG]

Tough watching Dawn in the post game presser. Very fidgety, seems like she had peanut butter stuck on the roof of her mouth. Watch her continuous facial expressions.

Sometimes watching Geno pre and post game interviews is equally as annoying with his many pauses, nose squeezes, sniffs and throat clearings. Dawn's team however was affected more by the UConn loss than we realized, and after both games she looked shell shocked and close to tears. This loss to UT she called "devastating".

 

[Carnac]

FWIW I also think it has a lot to do with matchups. Tennessee is a team that is very long at every position. That will give some teams trouble for various reasons. SC is a team that is very strong in the post and has shoot-first guards that will give teams trouble. Teams like UCONN and L'ville are more reliant on guard play and want to speed you up. Stanford doesn't seem like they want to speed anything up, but still stronger on guard play altho they have a freshman post who is doing pretty well.

I haven't see enough of aTm to make an intelligent observation on them (not that my observations are intelligent...). The point I'm making is that the genetics of certain teams might make them more, or less, susceptible to strengths of other teams. Team A might be able to consistently beat team B, who might be able to consistently beat team C, who might be able to consistently beat team A.

Then you have to account for teams/players having bad games. Paige had a pretty crap shooting night against Tennessee until the very end. UCONN had a pretty crap 3-point shooting night vs. SC. It would be one thing if all the shots were contested, but most of our 3 point shots were fairly open.

I do think, like most everyone else, that there's a lot of parity this year and no one team is head and shoulders above the rest. A lot will depend on the NCAA draw and regions. Frankly, I would like to play SC again in the NCAA's - maybe in the semi-finals. But who knows. Be careful what you wish for right? Maybe we will get lucky and we will have a L'ville upset Griner/Baylor semifinal type scenario, and get a NC game against a team we match up well against!

Right!!! That is why your draw in the bracket is so important. Every year it seems like some #1 seeds have an easier path to the FF than others. You hope like the dickens you don't draw certain teams you don't match up well with. Every team wants to advance as far as they can. Of course, you don't pick your bracket, you play the next team up and try to play your best game of the tournament to that point.

Suffice it to say no team wants to draw a top 5 team early on. I remember a player saying during a media interview (during the Stewart era) that while watching the tournament selection show, the one thing she and her team were hoping for was that they were not put in UConn's bracket. She said they didn't care who else thay had to play. It may have been the year that UConn was undefeated. If the dice are rolling your way, they will be eliminated before you can see them. If not, you just roll up your sleeves, tighten your belt and handle your business.

 

[HuskyNan]

Man, there are times when some Boneyard threads sound a lot like the pre-teen bitch sessions I lived through as a 12 year old. Stop with the personal insults and dopey name-calling. Just stop. It’s embarrassing as a UConn fan to see that stuff.

 

[diggerfoot]

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 skilled fully 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.

I generally do not comment on other teams or their players’ flaws because I only watch them when they are playing UConn, but your comment about Boston also jumped right out at me previously. She appeared to be gassed towards the end of our game, remarkably so. If we are in a close game again with SC at the end, I will again like our chances.

 

[msf22b]

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

Sump'ting though...I daresay, it will knock them out of 2nd in the polls...
down to 4th or 5th.

 

[ABCDFE]

I generally do not comment on other teams or their players’ flaws because I only watch them when they are playing UConn, but your comment about Boston also jumped right out at me previously. She appeared to be gassed towards the end of our game, remarkably so. If we are in a close game again with SC at the end, I will again like our chances.

Yes I saw that as well, when Dawn pulled her in the fourth she was standing with assistant coach(?) and you could tell she was breathing really hard. Imagine if her conditioning was better, man.

 

[cohenzone]

No, we are all cheering for Tennessee. No one hates them now.

Can we still hate Notre Dame?

 

[dogged1]

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.

Damn, that's an awfully good observation on your part and some high end coaching by Dawn (even if she shouldn't have been able to get away with it).

So how does a coach who is that tuned in to the details of the game let her dominant post player get left so few opportunities to score especially at the end of the game? Does she have a flaw that an Associate HC like CD could correct? Or does she just need more time to learn the nuances?

 

[ME Husky Fan]

I just take a certain pleasure in seeing Dawn Staley lose. She yaps at the ref for every little call. Her teams beat the snot out of their opponents with glee. But heaven forbid you look sidewise at her girls. She is just unpleasant.

Hate to call out a coach but I couldn't agree more. She is a yapper. I wasn't rooting for The Vols as much as I was rooting for Coach Harper and against South Carolina/not USC.

 

[ME Husky Fan]

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.

Dawn suggested that her guards had a problem getting the ball to Boston in the 2nd half so perhaps part of that was Boston (or any post player) presenting herself and going to get the ball not allowing the ball to come to them. I see her with her hands on hips a lot - high school coach would tell their team to go after her when you see that. She does put up numbers but I'd give her 15 and 15 every night and move on and let the rest of the team beat me, if they could...

 

[MooseJaw]

Sump'ting though...I daresay, it will knock them out of 2nd in the polls...
down to 4th or 5th.

Strange, ESPN personality {Charlie, you know who} stated that SC should still be a number 1 seed. I can think of at least 5-6 teams that would find this Ludacris. Three losses while other teams with less have a legitimate beef with Charlies ascertain. Charlie may turn out to be correct, but there are still games to be played and other top teams need another loss while SC needs to run the table for Charlie to be correct. Just my opinion.

 

[Happydad745]

What about UCONN's win vs Tenn as an away game?

We beat Tenn. with Paige shooting terrible...

 

[Tonyc]

I gotta tell ya SC lost because Davis went off. Burrell carried them in the first qtr. Then leading up to half time Tenn cut the lead. Davis got going and SC didnt adjust and that was the ball game. Both teams do not have good guard play. Tenn has Burrell and Davis when she gets going thats it. Both games depend on rebounding and fast breaks and getting the ball down low to the bigs. To win a NC you need a big or 2 in the middle, good guards good defense and a go to player. UConn has the most to gain over the next couple of weeks because of their youth that has potential and Geno has brought out alot of that potential, and will continue to bring it out. Many other teams dont have players who's potential can be brought out as much as UConns. We all know UConn has great young players who are getting better and will continue to get better. Right now with tournament time so close, we are what we are and Geno will go with it. We have 5 starters 2 players coming off the bench and Anna when she is better. Saylor MIr and Paith are next and that will happen only if we have a big lead, injuries, or foul trouble. We are at the finish line this crazy season and we are what we are and we need to tweak the weaknesses and play, just play. We have shown guts, relentlessness and energy. Thats what will win us a NC and if things get tight we've got Paige and as good as Stanford, LVille TAM SC and UCLA are they dont have what we have. Barring injuries foul trouble and a complete collapse we dont loose for the rest of this season and the nex 4 seasons. We will break alot of records comin up.

 

[Tonyc]

We beat Tenn. with Paige shooting terrible...

We're better then that now

 

[Bald Husky]

On the downside, our win over SC is less valuable now.

Yes, but the win against Tennessee looks better

 

[baggerbob]

Just

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

What worries me is she is the National coach, she better listen to her assistants, about offense or she might not want to come back from Japan.

 

[eebmg]

What worries me is she is the National coach, she better listen to her assistants, about offense or she might not want to come back from Japan.

That team coaches itself.

 

[baggerbob]

That team coaches itself.

That's why they lost that exhibition to Oregon last year. Need to have the right players and healthy.

 

[BobbyJ]

That's why they lost that exhibition to Oregon last year. Need to have the right players and healthy.

No, they lose exhibition games because they never have their full team available for them. And the top players play limited minutes while the coaches assess backups and rookies for the future.

 

[JordyG]

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!!

I'm a Dawn fan so it somewhat of pains me to say this. But aside from their brashness and their Philly background these two people have little in common. Dawn does not have Geno's ability for insightful quips. She doesn't have his sense of humor. They don't have the same mannerisms on the sidelines (or anywhere else for that matter), they don't try to intimidate the refs the same way, and they aren't as brutally honest about how their teams played in postgame. I have no problem whatsoever with Dawn raising a winners banner for last years team. Geno would never do that. They don't run the same type of offense, and aside from Asia they rarely chase the same recruits. They don't like the same music, watch the same TV, drink the same wines (if Dawn even drinks), have the same type of friends, or eat the same kind of food. I understand your sentiment, but I think you're barking up the wrong tree.

 

[Magy Cannon]

We beat Tenn. with Paige shooting terrible...

Paige is awesome. At TN, Rae Burrell and others guarded Paige very closely. Burrell's D has something to do with normally good shooting guards having off nights. Dungee didn't score as many points as usual against TN.

 

[Cuango]

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.

SC is really just a pumped up Arizona team. They both are poor shooting teams that rely on their defense to hold the other team’s scoring down enough to allow them to win in spite of their lackluster offense. Of course, Boston is a huge difference but as several posters have pointed out, she is clearly not being used to her optimal level.

 

[BostonBay]

I dont want to see SC again - worst case would be in the Finals. Therefore, hope SC keeps their #2 ranking. I think they are the worst matchup by far for UConn with Boston & their size depth, as well as experience. Not sure what Dawn was doing in the game, but she should have been feeding Boston a lot more in the post. I dont think she'll make the same mistake.