Things we know -

[VAMike23]

1. We can play small ball like nobody else!

 

[BigBird]

UCLA tried to slow the tempo somewhat. It didn’t make a huge difference. Huskies scored a few less, but it gained UCLA very little. They played almost the entire game with the UConn defense getting back on D and into position to compete.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Graceless of me I know, but I feel like the refs missed some pretty blatant UCLA fouls and find some very small ones on UConn.

 

[HoopsFan21]

Graceless of me I know, but I feel like the refs missed some pretty blatant UCLA fouls and find some very small ones on UConn.

They called the ones that mattered though because we had more FTs than them I believe. Though I don't like when the ticky tack type fouls get put on Gabby and Collier early. Definitely makes things harder than they have to be. Wonder what that long lecture Geno gave Gabby after the game was all about. Practically held up the handshake line it went on so long.

 

[VAMike23]

Graceless of me I know, but I feel like the refs missed some pretty blatant UCLA fouls and find some very small ones on UConn.

Crystal got body fouled on her layup attempt early in the 2nd, and Geno about lost a gasket. Easy call, no bodies in the way to obscure, clear foul. No call.

What!??!

 

[VAMike23]

They called the ones that mattered though because we had more FTs than them I believe. Though I don't like when the ticky tack type fouls get put on Gabby and Collier early. Definitely makes things harder than they have to be. Wonder what that long lecture Geno gave Gabby after the game was all about. Practically held up the handshake line it went on so long.

Can't be sure of course but I noted Gabby was letting her emotions get the best of her a few times tonight. I think GA was giving her credit as a senior and so not dressing her down for getting emotional but just reminding her they needed her to stay focused. Her 4th foul particularly was almost a frustration foul, and for what? They were way up and in control.

She also was quite chatty with the refs tonight, the whole game, more so than I recall in the past.

Love Gabby but I bet GA was telling her to be the leader we need her to be, and play the long game.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Can't be sure of course but I noted Gabby was letting her emotions get the best of her a few times tonight. I think GA was giving her credit as a senior and so not dressing her down for getting emotional but just reminding her they needed her to stay focused. Her 4th foul particularly was almost a frustration foul, and for what? They were way up and in control. She also was more chatty with the refs tonight, the whole game, more so than I recall in the past.

Love Gabby but I bet GA was telling her to be the leader we need her to be, and play the long game.

I sure was wondering about that. I figured her take was my take and it was getting to her.

 

[bags27]

this started out as a "things we know thread" and is turning into another bitching about the refs thread. Okay, we know that the refs sucked. What else do we know?

No one's said anything about Megan. We now know what Geno has obviously know since he's been giving her lots of playing time all this short season. This is someone with supernal basketball instincts. She flows along the court; she rarely makes a bad decision; she's got the confidence of a veteran. Unlike Crystal who had one terrific game last year (Baylor), you just know she's going to show more and more this year (in fairness to Crystal, Crystal had a lot more on her shoulders). That's something we know.

And then there is Crystal. 4 games into the season, she hasn't had a bad game. Yes, every game there's a moment when she thinks she's back in high school and needs to do it all herself. But really, she just came back to UConn this fall to claim this team as hers. She is going to be a top point guard for 3 years. We know that definitively know.

And we know that Pheesa is back! 'Nuf said.

 

[Golden Husky]

1. We can play small ball like nobody else!

Good things happen when UConn feeds the high post.

 

[Paesano]

Graceless of me I know, but I feel like the refs missed some pretty blatant UCLA fouls and find some very small ones on UConn.

Reffing matters. People blow it off because they want to believe the game has integrity. But even if the refs are unbiased, they can still be bad. And the worst thing refs can do is let the game get physical. Not only does it favor the lesser team but the risk of injury goes up. My son's senior year probably ended tonight due to a broken collar bone. That injury occured after the kid had wound up and threw an elbow on a previous play. The kid was upset that my son was fronting him on defense and fighting to keep that position. If a foul was occuring on either side, it should have been called before the punk lost his mind and turned it into a MMA cage match. The conference officials, his school board and his parents will be hearing from me again real soon.

 

[PAHuskeyFan]

Can't be sure of course but I noted Gabby was letting her emotions get the best of her a few times tonight. I think GA was giving her credit as a senior and so not dressing her down for getting emotional but just reminding her they needed her to stay focused. Her 4th foul particularly was almost a frustration foul, and for what? They were way up and in control.

She also was quite chatty with the refs tonight, the whole game, more so than I recall in the past.

Love Gabby but I bet GA was telling her to be the leader we need her to be, and play the long game.

After one foul call, Gabby was shown on tv going to the ref... reading lips... it looked like she was asking "What did I do?" The first time it looked like her tone may have been some what harsh...almost to where she could have gotten a Technical... the ref must have said something like "What did you say?" And Gabby looked like she asked in a calmer tone. I suspect Geno wanted to make sure she understood how much the Team needs her, and dumb fouls are one thing, but unsportsman like technical fouls are significantly worse.

 

[BroadwayVa]

1. We can play small ball like nobody else!

And if given the big ball, they'd still be UConn Women's Basketball--and WBB at its best.

Reffing matters. People blow it off because they want to believe the game has integrity. But even if the refs are unbiased, they can still be bad. And the worst thing refs can do is let the game get physical. Not only does it favor the lesser team but the risk of injury goes up. My son's senior year probably ended tonight due to a broken collar bone. That injury occured after the kid had wound up and threw an elbow on a previous play. The kid was upset that my son was fronting him on defense and fighting to keep that position. If a foul was occuring on either side, it should have been called before the punk lost his mind and turned it into a MMA cage match. The conference officials, his school board and his parents will be hearing from me again real soon.

Some people have taken the high road and state that Ref-ing is difficult and not all calls may be perfect--so all we can hope that if calls are bad--and all call are bad. That is unfair to all. Perfection in ref-ing impossible, and I see call bad simple because they are on Gabby or other Uconn--that's fans.\But some refs when hearing the crowd noise get into the Homey mode, and I think some of that happened in UCLA--not so say it does not happen in Ct.\ Head Ref official need to get more instantly into games to keep really bad ref-ing from happening.
Dang sorry for your son, hope all is well or will get well. The kid that did it should be suspended .
Being vocal for you son is your JOB. Do it well.

 

[Intpseeker]

Pheesa is, in fact back, although I wonder where she was before tonight. Seriously. Her play before her superb outing last night was tentative, but last eve, she was a force.

We have to stop talking to the refs. Makes us look as though we've been watching the young woman at USCe. Let the coaches take care of that piece.

From Gabby, I take it as a sign of how hard she works and how much she cares about the game, which also, I believe leads to some of her mistakes. Question: could she cut back a bit on the emotion and still play a kick-butt game. I think so.

 

[rugbymate]

IMO, one of the things we now know for sure is that barring injuries, no one will beat UCONN unless UCONN beats itself

 

[meyers7]

They called the ones that mattered though because we had more FTs than them I believe. Though I don't like when the ticky tack type fouls get put on Gabby and Collier early. Definitely makes things harder than they have to be. Wonder what that long lecture Geno gave Gabby after the game was all about. Practically held up the handshake line it went on so long.

Williams first foul, she asked the ref numerous times "what did I do?". She was not happy with that call.

Oops, looks like PA beat me to it.

 

[iri10]

Can't be sure of course but I noted Gabby was letting her emotions get the best of her a few times tonight. I think GA was giving her credit as a senior and so not dressing her down for getting emotional but just reminding her they needed her to stay focused. Her 4th foul particularly was almost a frustration foul, and for what? They were way up and in control.

She also was quite chatty with the refs tonight, the whole game, more so than I recall in the past.

Love Gabby but I bet GA was telling her to be the leader we need her to be, and play the long game.

Agreed. If you look at the sequence of plays leading to the 4th foul you could tell that she was super-frustrated at that point. There was some contact between the UCLA defender and Gabby while Gabby had the ball, and she sort of flicked her arm in the direction of the UCLA player. Not much danger of actually striking the defender with her arm, but that's not the sort of thing you see from her very much at all. Moments later she threw a poorly executed pass for the turnover, and that led to the 4th foul.

Geno was probably saying some variant of "You know the team loves you, but...cool your jets a little, will ya?"