Tennessee Post Game Thread (merged) | Page 4 | The Boneyard

Tennessee Post Game Thread (merged)

I'm not sure what KK's problem is with her hand. It looks by the way its taped either a broken or dislocated middle finger.
I had that once and trying to play with your hand taped like that is REALLY hard. Its hard to get a feel for the ball and hard to grip it. Considering what she had to play thru ( not only the tape but there had to be some pain) I think she did GREAT!
 
Talaysia Cooper was being pitched as an AA candidate earlier in year. Not sure she touched the ball in the first 5 minutes. 8 pts in 28 mins
I havent been following TN so I dont know if she's cooled or the team/coaches have abandoned her. But I continue to have doubts about the Caldwell system.

Strong and Azzi were able to play 37/39 minutes despite the pace.
 
Absolute legacy game by Azzi. A lot of what she did on the floor won't show up on the stat sheet, despite filling it up really well! In the 2nd half she really controlled the tempo and was the PG UConn needed through the press. I think that really helped turn things around.

Sarah seemed a little rattled by the full court press at times and got sped up. It's easy to forget she's a Sophomore. However, she still got her buckets and did what UConn needed her to do.

Tale of Two Point Guards - KK is our best defensive PG, but K9 is our best offensive PG. K9 brought some amazing energy into the 3rd quarter when we needed some offensive energy. I think K9 has taken some leaps about bounds in the last month, and it's been exciting to see.

Allie and Ash have both grown in their defensive games this season and that has really helped our team. The both look very confident.

Serah was fantastic. A lot of what she did also won't show up on the stat sheet, like boxing out those lane drives for K9 in the 3rd. Those long transition passes to Serah had clearly been worked and she did a great job positioning herself to catch and finishing them.

Just a really outstanding effort by the whole team, especially that 2nd half.
 
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Some great observations by a number of posters.
My feeling is that, although UCONN can be beaten (but it would take a remarkably efficient performance by an extremely talented team - with UCONN having a real off-game), we will never have to face an opponent with as much depth of long, fast and talented athletes. They are a unique problem that UCONN dismantled in a brilliant second half after being confronted by a defense that caused a number of self-inflicted wounds in the first half.
Azzi was magnificent today in all aspects of the game.
Sarah was great for the most part, but it seemed like she really started imposing her will in the second half when she realized that she was not going to be helped out by any whistles from the refs. As others have noticed, I wonder whether she's not 100% physically.
On the subject of physical ailments, what exactly is KK going through with that large wrap on her right hand? She's a warrior, but I wonder whether it contributed to her turnovers today (in addition to the UT pressure).
Serah's second half showed real resolve, and Kayleigh continues to show tremendous talent and grit. It was also so good to see Allie follow up her career day with a really good second half.
It was, in parts, a concerning but, ultimately, tremendous game for the Huskies (especially playing the game without the player who best matches up with Tennessee's size and athleticism).
For now, let Blanca and all with injuries take their time in healing, and let's get ready for March.
 
Nolefan said:
K9 imo was the spark plug on UConn’s run that basically put the game away .. Tennessee is really big and athletic and to be honest hit some prayers during their run .. UConn settled down and put them away .. K-9 don’t press her she breaks it with such ease .. not sure about KK today but she didn’t have her best game .. Azzi and Strong was lights out today .. Serah had a stellar game also .. Shade she’s just all over the place and hit key shots in the big run .. Allie is gonna be a good one …
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Did anyone else notice KK's right pointer finger in a wrap (and maybe splint??) in the 2nd half??? I didn't notice that in the 1st half and never heard the announcers mention it...perhaps that explains her off game???
 
Bone Dog said:
In the Chat, there was a lot of complaining about the refereeing, and yes, maybe a few fouls were missed. But frankly, Tennessee played their hearts out in the first 3 quarters, challenging every pass, every dribble, every loose ball. That's what people were mistaking for fouls, and it's exhausting for Tennessee and for their opponents. They deserve credit for the effort today. But I would fault Kim for not modulating their effort better. They had clearly run out of gas -- mental and physical -- by the 4th quarter. Her roster is not quite as strong as last season, mainly because of all the new faces, and she has to play Cooper and Spearman a lot more. Unless she can adjust, this problem is only going to get worse. It's not 'hockey line' substitution if two or three players get substantially more minutes. And that means she shouldn't demand so much effort from her team in the first half.
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I would never commit as a player to that style, I feel like the players can’t get into a solid rhythm because of the substitutions. If I’m a top player, there is no way I go there.
 
Clutch, clutch, clutch..... If anyone was wondering what would happen if Fudd and Strong played an entire game (or close to it), today showed the results. Shot after shot under high pressure siuations, great defense, powerful rebounding by both. Classic game and 2nd Half.
A few other comments:
-Azzi seemed to start out knowing she was going to score then appeared to forget she was the best shooter in the gym in the 2nd Q. Thankfully she remembered her shots, both midrange and 3-pointer and excelled on defense. Even with fresh Tenn players constantly coming in and Fudd playing 39 minutes, Azzi never seemed gassed. Have watched UConn for 20+ years and this could be the most complete game I remember one player having.
-Allie and Ash both started a bit slow but hit huge shots when critical. Allie can look overly deliberate but seems have a great basketball IQ since she tends to be in exactly the right spot when needed.
-This was one of the first games when Williams and Strong both showed emotion, particularly when rebounding. While I try not to waste my time criticizing the refs, for the past 4-5 games, this one in particular, it seems ok to push, grab, use illegal screens, etc.
-While I hate to say anything positive about Tenn, you have to give their coach credit for having her team ready to play. Most of their players were very poised for 3/4 of the game. That being said, I am not a fan of their mass substitution strategy. By my eyes, Tenn has 7-8 strong players I would think would get most of the court time. During parts of the 4th Q, some of those players were on the bench.
 
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Basingstoke said:
Some great observations by a number of posters.
My feeling is that, although UCONN can be beaten (but it would take a remarkably efficient performance by an extremely talented team - with UCONN having a real off-game), we will never have to face an opponent with as much depth of long, fast and talented athletes. They are a unique problem that UCONN dismantled in a brilliant second half after being confronted by a defense that caused a number of self-inflicted wounds in the first half.
Azzi was magnificent today in all aspects of the game.
Sarah was great for the most part, but it seemed like she really started imposing her will in the second half when she realized that she was not going to be helped out by any whistles from the refs. As others have noticed, I wonder whether she's not 100% physically.
On the subject of physical ailments, what exactly is KK going through with that large wrap on her right hand? She's a warrior, but I wonder whether it contributed to her turnovers today (in addition to the UT pressure).
Serah's second half showed real resolve, and Kayleigh continues to show tremendous talent and grit. It was also so good to see Allie follow up her career day with a really good second half.
It was, in parts, a concerning but, ultimately, tremendous game for the Huskies (especially playing the game without the player who best matches up with Tennessee's size and athleticism).
For now, let Blanca and all with injuries take their time in healing, and let's get ready for March.
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Kayleigh’s confidence and aggressiveness are impressive
 
oldude said:
Kim has to be careful. This is the 2nd game in a row that she has alluded to some type of motivational issue with her team. At some point that becomes a reflection on the Head Coach. The barbarians are already at the gates clamoring for Kim’s head on a platter. She doesn’t want to hand them the guillotine to do the job.
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While I am the last one to defend anything Tenn, I took Kim's meaning to be that some players didn't execute 100% of the time. Not necessarily a motivational issue but still not something a coach would necessarily say after a big UConn loss. Without sounding arrogant, I know of few teams in the past 20 years that did a perfect job against UConn.
 
Next 12 said:
I posted DEFENSE was the key to this game and 24 Points in the second half for Tennessee was it. They could not play the way they did in the first two quarters. 96 points for Uconn was their normal scoring, as all season. 38 game win streak and 10 more to the BE Title is a 48 game win streak and finally, a 6 game win streak and a 54 game final win streak for 2026 and NO 13 N.C. IT Is so nice to see Women's Basketball bact to normal. GO HUSKIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Actually there are eight regular season games left, then 3 games in the Big East Tournament if UConn gets to the Championship game. So if UConn wins out they would be 40-0. They are currently on a 39 game winning streak and if they win it all they would have a 58 game winning streak.
 
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This seems to be a milestone game for this season, so I would like to indulge in a few random thoughts

- K9 and allie seem to developed ESP. Heckel drives and the one person she caan always find is Allie - uncanny and a instant assist

-Azzi has a cooler head than Sarah, for the first time today I saw a few times where Sarah was angry. Her play, no calls missed chances. She allowed it to show a tiny bit.

- We better pray that Ash and K9 never collide in practice. The energy released might be dangerous for everybody.
 
Just a few things to add: I'd been thinking at halftime that maybe I've been too hard on Kim Caldwell. But in the second half, I thought, no, Tennessee looked pretty much as they did in the Mississippi State game. They looked selfish and dejected and by the fourth, tuned out. I saw a little bit of jawing between a couple of their players. She really needs to get them under control.

One thing I noticed in looking at their roster: Three players are on their third school. If a player can't be happy at her first two schools, I don't see any reason she'd be happy on my team.

I thought this was by far the most satisfying game of the season. UConn punched UT in the mouth, and UT punched back. Then UConn righted the ship and really put on a show. Geno tightened up the rotation as expected -- apparently even despite the large margin late in the fourth, treated it as a playoff game. Jana just got a few minutes, but I thought everyone else who played made a significant positive contribution. I was totally pumped with Serah's game, especially in the second half. At different points of the game, each player seemed to be keeping UConn together (or driving the bus). Really fun game to watch.
 
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