This feels like the end of a dynasty...like the Patriots

[BostonBay]

UConn & Patriots teams - feels like their 20+ year dynasties are coming to an end. Teams are no longer afraid of them. Teams are catching up in terms of coaching and talent development. I know we're supposed to have a good recruiting class coming in next year, but we all know that is a crapshoot. This team is far behind in terms of physical players with size. That doesnt get fixed in a year. Look at South Carolina. That team is stacked with young, gifted physical players, including Boston who is a generational talent. The days of dominance are over I'm afraid....

 

[southofnorth]

UConn & Patriots teams - feels like their 20+ year dynasties are coming to an end. Teams are no longer afraid of them. Teams are catching up in terms of coaching and talent development. I know we're supposed to have a good recruiting class coming in next year, but we all know that is a crapshoot. This team is far behind in terms of physical players with size. That doesnt get fixed in a year. Look at South Carolina. That team is stacked with young, gifted physical players, including Boston who is a generational talent. The days of dominance are over I'm afraid....

Good. Then let it be done. Watching UConn lose is tough, but it makes the championships all the more exciting since now there's a question mark on if they're good enough. Other teams getting better is good for women's basketball.

On the other hand, who knows? Maybe in another decade we'll look back on these last few years like the years following Rebecca Lobo or Diana Taurasi when UConn went 4-5 years without a championship only to return to dominate the sport.

 

[sarals24]

We lost one game. Have you seen the players we have coming in next year? And the next?

We've been to the Final Four how many years in a row? I fully expect them to make it back this year. That is pretty freaking dominant. If you look at the national championships UConn has won, there are always periods of "down" time between a streak of titles. I expect another one is coming soon, and it will be Geno's final masterpiece!

 

[Plebe]

Good lord.

 

[jumpstart]

UCONN is far from over. I would agree the dominance is over but that has more to do with the other programs upping their game. The talent is still gathering but there are about 10 schools now that seem to haul in multiple top recruits.

 

[EricLA]

We lost one game. Have you seen the players we have coming in next year? And the next?

We've been to the Final Four how many years in a row? I fully expect them to make it back this year. That is pretty freaking dominant. If you look at the national championships UConn has won, there are always periods of "down" time between a streak of titles. I expect another one is coming soon, and it will be Geno's final masterpiece!

Breath of fresh air. I generally stay off the boards after a loss. Too much knee jerk, emotional frustration by fans.

 

[soxfan23]

UConn & Patriots teams - feels like their 20+ year dynasties are coming to an end. Teams are no longer afraid of them. Teams are catching up in terms of coaching and talent development. I know we're supposed to have a good recruiting class coming in next year, but we all know that is a crapshoot. This team is far behind in terms of physical players with size. That doesnt get fixed in a year. Look at South Carolina. That team is stacked with young, gifted physical players, including Boston who is a generational talent. The days of dominance are over I'm afraid....

This post is laughable at best!

 

[winlots]

BOSTON BAY: merely a blip on the radar screen my good lad. No need to fall off the dock of the bay. (With the Pats, you might have more serious concern, sad to say.)

 

[Longtime fan]

We lost one game. Have you seen the players we have coming in next year? And the next?

We've been to the Final Four how many years in a row? I fully expect them to make it back this year. That is pretty freaking dominant. If you look at the national championships UConn has won, there are always periods of "down" time between a streak of titles. I expect another one is coming soon, and it will be Geno's final masterpiece!

" I fully expect them to make it back this year." I would re-write that to say, " I fully hope...etc" There are teams out there just as good ( and possibly better ) than Baylor. South Carolina beat Baylor. Oregon is considered ( by Sue Bird ) to be the best in the country. Oregon State, UCLA and Stanford are all on the rise. All I am saying is that the team we saw yesterday is unlikely to get to the FF. Olivia is my main concern. She had played some awesome games earlier in the season, but has "fallen off" recently. Hopefully, a " sophomore slump?" But she was useless against Baylor. I think she had one blocked shot and no points. She doesn't have the strength to hang onto the ball when the ball is low to the ground. She didn't move well or pass well. And she didn't defend at all. She is a certain body type and will never be 240 pounds of beef/muscle. So she has to build from what her physique and skills allow....and that upside is huge. However, at the moment, something is amiss. Her outside shot is laughable....mostly she didn't even hit the backboard. Or it wasn't close to where the hoop resides ( while Cox was draining threes). Olivia's shot is so lame it isn't even a threat. She put up an "air ball" on her fade away jumper that was open. If her only game is "put backs" against 6 footers who can't jump, this team is going out early. And unless our " small team" players all start shooting like Maya Moore or Katy Lou or MKL, we can't compete.

 

[Jeff H]

I agree with the premise that there are more teams with superior talent that will make it harder for UConn to be as dominant as they have in the past, but the Patriots need to rebuild and potentially may not be too good for awhile, UConn is one of the best teams in the country and will continue for the foreseeable future. I'd be happy to place a bet on at least one NC in the next 3 years.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

wow. not even close. more like one hair found in a 20 gallon pot of wonderfulness, on our way to adding another 10 gallons of wonderfulness. calm down, its a good stew that geno is cooking up.

 

[VidNick]

I disagree. Feels more like the Strothers' era. Very good but not at the level of most Uconn teams. Don't know why the recruiting letup/transfers but it is what it is. Uconn hit the lottery with Maya and Stewie, plus the supporting cast of those years. Will Paige be another lottery winner? I am very impressed with Paige's skill level. Reminds me of Jackie Stiles who would have been an all-time great if not for injury. Add Paige plus the other recruits to this year's underclass and we have a contender I think.

 

[UConn2SF]

Something tells me you didnt react well to Y2K. Just a hunch. #OverreactorsGonnaOverreact

 

[Bigpetunia]

I don't wish to pile on the OP, but I must agree with others that the assertion in his/her post is silly, at least insofar as the UConn part is concerned.Once the fateful day arrives when Geno retires, the potential decline of UConn's fortunes can be seriously and legitimately debated. Until then, UConn's relative recruiting advantage over other programs will remain, as will be readily evidenced over the next two years. Still, having said that, there exists no doubt whatsoever that some of those other programs are doing a good job of narrowing the gap between themselves and the program from Storrs. This is a very good thing, great for the game and great for much-needed fan interest...we should all applaud that!

 

[JonathanXIV]

This team is far behind in terms of physical players with size. That doesnt get fixed in a year. Look at South Carolina. That team is stacked with young, gifted physical players, including Boston who is a generational talent. The days of dominance are over I'm afraid....

Surprised you are still posting on the Boneyard. I would have thought you would have jumped off the bandwagon after Diana graduated. Of course, you would have missed the last 12 Final Fours. UConn plays a game against a top team in which it is a 1 point game after three quarters during a bad shooting night and the dynasty is over?

You claim that we are "far behind" in terms of physical players with size and that it "doesn't get fixed in a year," while pointing to South Carolina, which did exactly that. We have six players (Westbrook) coming in next year, five of them highly ranked, and two top ten players the year after (and possibly Fudd). Excuse me if I wait another week or two before jumping off the cliff.

 

[BobbyJ]

UConn & Patriots teams - feels like their 20+ year dynasties are coming to an end. Teams are no longer afraid of them. Teams are catching up in terms of coaching and talent development. I know we're supposed to have a good recruiting class coming in next year, but we all know that is a crapshoot. This team is far behind in terms of physical players with size. That doesnt get fixed in a year. Look at South Carolina. That team is stacked with young, gifted physical players, including Boston who is a generational talent. The days of dominance are over I'm afraid....

LMAO. You're exposing your bias for Boston. But we can see that by your logo and repeated claims of her being a "generational" talent. And can you tell us what your description of a generational talent is? BTW, why don't you list ONO as one? After all, her stats are better in 2 of 3 categories. Boston- 13 PPG, 8.9 Reb, and 50 Blocks. ONO- 12 PPG, 9.3 Reb, and 55 Blocks in 3 less games.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

We've had lulls before. 2004 comes to mind. Didn't make it to the Elite Eight.

The recruiting classes for next year and the year after make us very competitive. Especially with a top-rated Big coming in the year after next.

But Coach Geno warned us that he's had two straight recruiting season "misses." And we weren't that good the year before that.

There are some very big, very talented teams out there. South Carolina has four freshmen who could, and probably will, take that team to the Final Four all four years. Boston is a can't-miss First Team All American right now.

So I think we'll rebound. But we're not the team we were last year, or the year before that, or the year before that.

 

[CL82]

UConn & Patriots teams - feels like their 20+ year dynasties are coming to an end. Teams are no longer afraid of them. Teams are catching up in terms of coaching and talent development. I know we're supposed to have a good recruiting class coming in next year, but we all know that is a crapshoot. This team is far behind in terms of physical players with size. That doesnt get fixed in a year. Look at South Carolina. That team is stacked with young, gifted physical players, including Boston who is a generational talent. The days of dominance are over I'm afraid....

 

[Huskie02]

UConn & Patriots teams - feels like their 20+ year dynasties are coming to an end. Teams are no longer afraid of them. Teams are catching up in terms of coaching and talent development. I know we're supposed to have a good recruiting class coming in next year, but we all know that is a crapshoot. This team is far behind in terms of physical players with size. That doesnt get fixed in a year. Look at South Carolina. That team is stacked with young, gifted physical players, including Boston who is a generational talent. The days of dominance are over I'm afraid....

Every time I hear Boston’s name mentioned it’s like sticking a dagger in my heart. Imagine if she had chosen UConn over South Carolin, how good we would be. I know griffin is sometimes compared to gabby and Mir is a suppose can’t miss recruit, but these young women are in that mid level height bracket 5’9-6’1. Good size for a guard but not big enough to mix it up with the trees. We need more height! Williams and Walker may have the heart of a warrior, but the fact remains they were outplayed by the bigs last night.

 

[Littlemin]

I have no ties to Uconn, either the school or the state. Always a basketball junkie, first as a player, then as a high school coach but always a fan. Became a Uconn WBB rooter gradually, mostly in admiration of the way Auriemma and Dailey could incorporate the best of talents into a team.

It goes without saying the program set the bar so ridiculously high that it is just unrealistic, if objective, to expect that there would not be periodic “bumps in the road.” A bump in the road for Uconn? Losing consecutively in two FF semi-finals in incredibly close games and losing a regular season game to the defending NCs.

I agree with those who do not think this team stacks up to past Uconn teams. So what? Uconn and the two coaches almost singlehandedly lifted WBB to the point where their dominance is challenged. If you listened years ago to Auriemma discuss the “Uconn is bad for women’s basketball” mantra he was consistent in challenging other programs to catch up. To a large degree that is what has happened with a small sprinkling of Uconn being NOT QUITE as good, but still really damn good.

I did not think Uconn played very well last night, even the three stars who scored had holes in their games. Again, so what? It happens and it happened. If I have one concrete criticism it is that those three did not seem to trust their teammates and IMO appeared to be willing to play 3 on 5. That is what I saw but others could have seen it differently and I certainly respect that. As another poster shared, not being in practices, meetings, etc. gives one a very difficult angle to analyze the why of what happened.

Anyway, my two cents and I will just end with this, to all live and die with each game Uconn WBB fans, you can pretty much count on one hand the sports teams that have provided the sustained level of success your team does and there really is no end in sight.

 

[HuskyNan]

Good lord.

I Liked then unliked your post so I could Like it again

 

[UcMiami]

It is really hard to recruit when you have a truly loaded team - The 1999-2002 team was truly loaded and while Uconn got DT in 2001, the rest if the recruits in 2000 -2002 were pretty mediocre and not highly rated. Uconn got a nice haul of recruits for the 2002-3 team when everyone knew their Task force would be gone, and they surprising gelled nicely with DT and Moore and were able to continue the streak for a couple of years, but once DT left ...

Same sort of thing happened in the Renee/Tina/Maya period
Same sort of thing happened in the Breanna/Morgan/Moriah period

We are now in the post Breanna/Morgan/Moriah period and while this year is unlikely to bring a NC, the troops are lining up for next year. The streak of FF appearances may also be in jeopardy this year, but it had to happen sometime - the streak is more than double any previous streak already. Lets not be too greedy! And yeah, Uconn failed to tie their 99 game home win streak, so they now only hold the top two streaks at 99 and 98 as well as 3 of the top 4 - that 99 game streak was ended by an unranked St. John's team. That 2012 team was such a disappointment!

 

[FairView]

Open shots and layups that usually go in drop, and UConn wins this game.
I smell troll turds.