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The biggest disappointment of the game

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watanabe said:
I kinda feel bad for the younger Samuelson sister. She may feel like she made a mistake right about now. Her sisters were Fabulous. Hope that works out as things go along.
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Do you really think Katie Lou Samuelson is questioning her commitment to UConn over last night's game? Are you serious?
 
I've seen UConn have to work on offense before, but they did score their points. Some decisions in crunch-time were questionable. But, the biggest disappointment was the defense. UConn has been able to go on runs, mostly due to the effectiveness of the defense. Stanford was able to identify the defensive weaknesses. I know Geno hates to lose, but I bet he makes the most of this loss. I hope he has enough time to get them ready for Notre Dame, but I'm sure they will be ready for the big dance.
 
Who is going to be the emotional leader on this team? Where is the fire going to come from? Talent is not an issue with this team. So we will see. On a side note, there is this, which I think is interesting and likely true:

Ally Auriemma @allyauriemma · 9h9 hours ago
I bet Dad is secretly very, very happy. Pressure is off. The team needed this. And we will get angry.
 
RadyLady said:
For me was the negativity of some of the fans on the game thread.
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Eh, that doesn't really bother me. It's expected. Just as there is Tony, there will be anti-tony's. They are just frustrated, and rightfully so. It was a frustrating game.

For me the worst part was, will be, the confidence shift. I imagine UCONN players will have lost a lot of confidence, realizing they can be beat. Going in knowing you will somehow overcome and win is a great thing to have. That's gone now. And worse is the confidence other teams will gain. They now know UCONN can be beat. The name on our shirt just lost some of it's power. Gonna make for a lot tougher season.
 
bschwartz said:
Ally Auriemma @allyauriemma · 9h9 hours ago
I bet Dad is secretly very, very happy. Pressure is off. The team needed this. And we will get angry.
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I doubt her dad is happy. Don't think he likes to lose. However I'm sure he can use this very constructively. And as always the team that plays us after our loss, look out. I feel very sorry for Creighton. (no, I really don't, let's crush them :D)
 
meyers7 said:
I feel very sorry for Creighton. (no, I really don't, let's crush them :D)
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I watched a Creighton game the other day (Wichita State). Defense. Don't give the skinny guard with the pony tail room to breathe, ever, regardless of how far she is from the basket, and keep a big body leaning on the post player with the afro inside. Do those two things all game, and Creighton is squelched.
 
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meyers7 said:
I doubt her dad is happy. Don't think he likes to lose. However I'm sure he can use this very constructively. And as always the team that plays us after our loss, look out. I feel very sorry for Creighton. (no, I really don't, let's crush them :D)
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Maybe not happy but I bet he is relieved to have the streak over and done.
 
Sluconn Husky said:
From Rich Elliot:

The Huskies are 0-7 in games decided by five points or less since Maya Moore graduated in 2011
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That is an exceptionally compelling statistic when compared to the teams' record overall. I'd be interested in going back further - back to Diana Taurasi's graduation. Outside of the game where Maya Moore stole the ball against DePaul, were there other wins? Since Diana Taurasi, can anyone remember a UConn player drilling a last shot to win a game?

I wonder if this isn't the coaching staff's belief that since the team does it correctly (over and over) in practice, it will translate to the game? Perhaps the sheer lack of ACTUAL close games is a factor?

Either way, clearly there are those who just have difficulty functioning under end-0f-game pressure; a very common tale in sports. The last-minute performers - the Taurasi's, the Sales', the Bird's are a rare breed.

That last play - where folks were utterly confused (to put it lightly) perhaps serves as a salient example.

No matter - this will get wallpapered over as the team steamrolls to victories, perhaps all the way to another National Championship...
 
Losses Happen....You are always disappointed when you lose.........But the biggest disappointment was seeing how the Stanford guards got in the lane so easily. I am sure Geno will "speak" to the team about that.

I really wouldn't want to be at the next practice. And I will pray for the players.
 
Since Ally certainly knows her Dad better than we do, I'd tend to credit her perspective. Plus, one thing I am sure of, is what D (and others) refer to in the ESPN piece broadcast the other night. Geno thinks "long-term", and looks further down the road than almost any of us - certainly further than one game, or even one season. And, I believe, he thinks on many levels, from what "the program" needs to what particular skill an individual player needs. So, he's a rare combination of a detail-oriented, long-term thinker, focusing on the smallest aspect and the horizon simultaneously.
 
FairView said:
It was a disappointing game on many levels.
Stanford was able to shut down vital parts of our offense.
And when it counted, we couldn't stop them.
KS worries me for the rest of the season.
Others, who have performed before couldn't overcome Stanford.
It would have been a great game to win at the end.
Don't know where MJ was during much of the game.
UConn needed to make it unproductive for Stanford to live all over KML, and they could not.
Stanford had a great game plan and they executed.
If this keeps up, I'll have to buy a dog so I have something to kick.
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I'd rather you kick the wall, or a chair - no dogs... :eek:
 
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Icebear said:
Maybe not happy but I bet he is relieved to have the streak over and done.
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I agree. Geno will be like anyone else with a perspective: he'll be deflated and disappointed after a tough, tough loss but he will also see (if he doesn't already this morning) that it will take pressure off of the team--allowing it to focus a little better--and provide a lot of motivation going forward.

This team is still the favorite, in my mind, for the NC. It's just that now we see it will take a lot more work and more coaching to get the threepeat than perhaps many had thought.
 
Well, we have all sorts of opinions flying around. Some valid, some not even close.

In sports, some teams seem to have your number. Stanford seems to have ours. That's reality. It is what it is. Stanford had a great game plan and executed it well. K was face guarded all game and not allowed to get free. Stewie was hammered physically from the opening tap. Sinaya almost made them pay for ignoring her defensively.

Tara is a fine coach and tactician. Got to give her the props she deserves.

This is an early season loss for a team that is in transition from last year's juggernaut. Adjustments will be made, problems will be corrected. These girls don't like to lose! There is plenty of time to learn from this loss and move forward.
 
Rblack335 said:
Mine were KML, MJ and Kiah's performances as two seniors and your PG leader.

I think a lot of people expect Kiah to step in and immediately replace Stef. I just don't see it. She was a role player last season, providing good shot blocking and rebounding, but she isn't going to be the facilitator that Stef was. I think she will get better over the season, as she will be called on to provide solid minutes, but I just don't see her having the personality or drive to suddenly be the honorable mention AA people were calling her in the preseason. Her upside is huge, but looking at her past 3 years, I don't think she will ever reach it.

KML I have always thought was a bit slow, but had the IQ to make up for it. Tonight she continuously got beat off the bounce and couldn't shake her defender. She looked easy to guard (I know she isn't). Against good teams, I think face guarding her and taking away any space limits her game. She added a post up game her sophomore campaign, but this year and last, she has looked sluggish and reliant on being just a three point shooter. I think she falls in love with the 3 (10-13 last game), but against quality competition, she can't rely on scoring 30 points on set wide open shots. She didn't even look to be an option on offense. I know KML's game was due to a good defensive plan by Tara, but the plan wasn't complex or a foreign concept. I think she will figure it out. I also don't really know if KML is out of shape, or just not very quick. I tend to think the latter since her body hasn't really changed over the years.

Moriah looked lost and at times out of control. She wasn't an option on offense and wasn't looking to make an impact. Her minutes on the floor didn't really make an impression on me. She just seemed to be out on the court not impacting the game.

I think these three were viewed along with Stewie to steer the ship, and the three of them looked confused. I think this is just a young team that has been hyped up to be more than they are, especially on this board. Calling Williams a potential future AA before she played a game, saying Ekmark is better than Kelly Faris, and stating that this team is better than last year when we aren't any deeper, only younger at this point. Also saying Stokes is on the cusp of AA. These things may grow to be true, but right now, there is no evidence.

I don't think it was a good sign that three freshman failed to log minutes. It just showed that Geno didn't trust them in this game. I understand it was a close game and they are only two games into the season. These three freshman have time to grow and get better. But for them not to be considered now could be telling for future close games. At this point I would expect the ND game to only go 7 to maximum 8 deep.

We are starting a defending NPOY stewie, KML (soph AA) and Moriah (great sohp year). But Saniya was a virtual non factor in the tournament last year and Kiah was essentially a role player. Plus only bringing one freshman and a RS soph off the bench. We are inexperienced and are relying on players that have never been relied on like this before. It will take time, they will figure it out. But for right now, I think the top 5 or 6 teams in wcbb all have a chance.

This game was a serious reality check for me, and I'm assuming a lot of other posters. I expected a 20 point win. We aren't as dominant as we hoped, maybe its just not yet. But whatever we end up accomplishing this season, it will be fun to watch these players grow and get better.
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What about Coach's plan for the last min/30 second of a closely contested game?(or the lack of it)--either on the defense side or the offense side. Maybe he had a plan but the players did not follow through? Uconn has not closed out a close game for YEARS! (since 2011!) So they had better have a plan/execute it in those locations.
Also, Stewie had 3-second violation twice, that could be something to work on as well if she is expected to post up....
 
watanabe said:
It appears that neither the team or this forum were ready for a reality check.
Stanford played an incredible game. They deserved to win.
UConn was completely off their game. I wondered what happened to our defensive game, it wasn't there.
Stewie looked a bit under the weather. KML and MoJett didn't seem to awake. The team didn't show up.
Nurse was there, but to expect her to carry the team is simply unrealistic.
I kinda feel bad for the younger Samuelson sister. She may feel like she made a mistake right about now. Her sisters were Fabulous. Hope that works out as things go along.
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I agreed with and liked everything about your post except the last paragraph because I would think that the kid is smart enough to realize that the entire record speaks for itself and not this one game.
 
While our O was different because of what SD brought to the floor the last few years, it was the D that was the problem. When Stanford had 38 at the half, I thought, well, we'll adjust and get then back to under 30 for the second half. It didn't happen. The trademark of making life miserable for the biggest scoring threats on the other team didn't happen either. MJ had an uncharacteristically unsure performance. If that trend were to continue, than this year could be different. It still took a very good shot to get the game into OT by a good team on a home floor that is notoriously tough on opponents.
 
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HGN said:
Losses Happen....You are always disappointed when you lose....But the biggest disappointment was seeing how the Stanford guards got in the lane so easily. I am sure Geno will "speak" to the team about that.

I really wouldn't want to be at the next practice. And I will pray for the players.
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So the open practice for season ticket holders on Thursday should be quite interesting. I can't wait!
 
hussybulldog said:
What about Coach's plan for the last min/30 second of a closely contested game?(or the lack of it)--either on the defense side or the offense side. Maybe he had a plan but the players did not follow through? Uconn has not closed out a close game for YEARS! (since 2011!) So they had better have a plan/execute it in those locations.
Also, Stewie had 3-second violation twice, that could be something to work on as well if she is expected to post up....
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We do not know what Geno's plan was, we know what transpired. Geno has often said that is outlined in the huddle is most often not what happens on the court. He has noted that he they lay out something and he looks at everyone and they all nod and then they go out and what occurs is unrecognizable.
 
Icebear said:
We do not know what Geno's plan was, we know what transpired. Geno has often said that is outlined in the huddle is most often not what happens on the court. He has noted that he they lay out something and he looks at everyone and they all nod and then they go out and what occurs is unrecognizable.
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Very, very, true.
 
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RadyLady said:
Sarcasm....hmmmm....

Seriously, the loss is disappointing. But not as disappointing as some of the things said on the game thread. IMO
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Wait do you actually find the game thread more disappointing than the Loss?
 
Huskyforlife said:
Wait do you actually find the game thread more disappointing than the Loss?
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Does it really matter? It's a new day.

If you really must know, then take a look at some of my posts. It will give you some idea of my thoughts during and right after the game. Fair enough?
 
elzorrogris said:
I did not get to watch the game, but just spent an hour or so reading over the game thread. As I understand it from reading the posts, we lost because;
1) Kia did not start and/or because she fouled out.
2) Stewie, in spite of her 23 points and 10 boards did not seem to be taking the game seriously.
3) KML is hopelessly out of shape.
4) Saniya, in spite of her 20 points, is a liability.]
5) Geno is a terrible coach in close games.
6) MoJet did not show up.
7) Kiah is a liability on offense.
8) Gabby, Courtney and Sadie did not play.

So it seems that we are doomed. Or maybe not. Could just be that all of the above is hogwash. Seems possible that maybe this was just one of those Murphy's law nights, as happens to other teams frequently but to our team very seldom. But then, as I said, I did not get to see the game.
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Nope, not Murphy's Law - I think your 1-8 summed it up very nicely.
 
UCONN played as bad a game as I have seen in a number of years.
Stanford executed their game plan and we were outcoached, outhustled, outplayed, outwhatevered etc., etc.
UCONN lost by 2 points in OT.

UCONN has the best coaching staff in the country.
UCONN has the best player in the country.
By the time significant games roll around we will have the best TEAM in the country.

A loss like this at this point in time may have been the best thing that could have happened to this team. A sloppy "WHEW" win would have done a lot less to further the mental development of the team.

New win streak starts the next game.

30+ - 0 the rest of the way
 
Easy to cope.
Stanford played a brilliant game, congratulations!
I personally think Geno (in his heart of hearts) is please that it turned out this way.
I hardly saw him up and coaching like past important games. This loss now sets the tone for everyone to focus, learn and gel as a team. Also important is taking the target off our backs.
Only ONE game is important and that one is in March. The rest of the journey is making sure we get there.
 
The biggest disappointment for me with the game was, we did not hold that 10 point lead with 6:30 minutes left. But we will figure those things out and build on it. Great game by Stanford.
 
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