Thoughts on Last Nites Game

[Tonyc]

Started like a lion and finished like a lamb. We lost focus and poise and didnt continue to put the hammer down. We let up. The result foul trouble which helped allow Buffalo to score at will and they scored and shot the ball with vengeance. I expect the coaching staff to let it all out with the performance especially in the 4th qtr. What happened is , we got into a comfort zone with a big league and settled for shooting treys instead of passing the ball around and using patience to get a good shot. Buffalo didnt let up and the result we rushed, didnt set our feet before a shot, instead of shooting the ball in rhythm we chucked up a bunch of shots. Buffalo didnt lay down they never gave up give them credit. During the NCAA's your gonna have an off game and in many cases you loose that game. We won this one and we need to hope we dont do this again. Buffalo got off to a slow start, we hit them with a punch and instead of falling they kept coming back. Then the foul trouble and we were defenseless. This is a lesson and I hope we learned from it.

At this point in the season there is no teaching, we are what we are. Last nite was a learning experience, of not to let up. When you drop the hammer you dont let up. We've got a few days to get it back together. I expect the roof blew off the locker room last nite and I expect practice to be really tuff over the next 2 days. We wait and see.

 

[ctfjr]

ugly just ulgy

and their #24 was a real beast

 

[warbler1055]

Survive and advance!!! But this is the NCAA tourney, one and done. They escaped with so many mistakes, sloppy turnovers, missing layups, missing shots altogether, stupid fouls. Playing like this and the tourney is over!!!

 

[veryolddog]

Hopefully, they got all of this out of their system and now with five more games, they will regain their composure and press onward with a lot more skill.

 

[GoUconn7961]

Perhaps listen to the post-game presser on Facebook and gain some perspective..
I love listening to Geno's version of things vs our speculation.

 

[eebmg]

Down the stretch, we fought the common battle of how to run time off the clock with being aggressive and confident. We have to do better with that moving on.

 

[mbr33ct]

One cannot be aggressive with 3 or 4 fouls to their name. 4 of the 5 starters for UConn finished with 4 PF each. I'm just saying the refs made sure this game was not going to "flow smoothly".

 

[PAHuskeyFan]

Great game? No
Did we win? Yes
Do we move on? Yes
Does the team know they got out of focus/off target? Yes.

Ok... lets prepare for Albany

 

[FanHam]

Crystal had a bad game, which is almost unheard of. The team collectively spit the bit on about a half dozen bunnies they didn't finish in the second half. They shot horribly for an extended stretch in the second half. Buffalo is a superb WCBB team with a great coach.

We won by 12.

And we're concerned why?

 

[HopJim]

Reminded me of Notre Dame Final 4 game of 2 years ago. Buffalo just kept driving into their UConn defender and getting fouls.

 

[Sam.the.Man]

Hopefully, they got all of this out of their system and now with five more games, they will regain their composure and press onward with a lot more skill.

Five?

 

[MD#12Fan]

Reminded me of Notre Dame Final 4 game of 2 years ago. Buffalo just kept driving into their UConn defender and getting fouls.

We can slide over and help and then recover after the player picks up their dribble.
Kyrie complained the other night about the poor strategy by Brad Stevens of not doing that against Kemba Walker, who lit them up for 18 points in the last 7 minutes of the game.
Come on, we can do better than that. How many times do we have to get lit up like that?
How about Jackie Young? Remember that? And then with no help D against the one player that can beat us, we allow a million offensive rebounds. Ugh

 

[Topsail]

my big issues were 1st Buffalo had too many second chance points that is all about effort of boxing out. The one that stood out was in the 4th Q Lou and megan were next to each other on the far side of the basket. the shot went up and they stood there as the UCF player swooped in between them grabbed the rebound and scored. second, we sure looked panicked in the 4th Q when the game tightened. we were forcing passes, taking ill advised shots( CD firing up a 3 early in the shot clock instead of working the offense. I just hope this does not happen again especially in the 4th Q as we move on or next time it could be a different outcome.

 

[PacoSwede]

my big issues were 1st Buffalo had too many second chance points that is all about effort of boxing out. .....

i too was concerned with that ... but even more worrisome was the poor free throw performance ... gotta focus to be champs ... focused and confident

but most of all, ya know, win

 

[cabbie191]

Movement in the 4th quarter slowed considerably - not nearly as many sleek cuts, etc. Was that because they lost focus or because they were getting tired? I opined the latter and my bride yelled at me "Connecticut players don't get tired!"

Regardless, I don't understand the logic when your team is up by 24 points late in the third why you don't use your bench to give some rest to the starters. Three of them played all 40 minutes, Crystal 36 and Christyn 33.

 

[Topsail]

I should have added , thank God for Pheesa!

 

[01Neaggrad02]

More Fouls called then there were minutes in the game. When I see something like that I think the refs wanted to become part of the game. Some of the fouls were absurd.

 

[Goodgood]

This is not the same team that won the AAC last week. Too many three point attempts, a couple of missed treys and the momentum shifted allowing Buffalo to recover. All game long. We played much better when we didn't try to score quickly on threes. This team looked more like the bad team that barely beat the AAC teams during the season. Difference? 3-point attempts. No rebounding allowing multiple second chances for the other team.

 

[Triad]

Started like a lion and finished like a lamb. We lost focus and poise and didnt continue to put the hammer down. We let up. The result foul trouble which helped allow Buffalo to score at will and they scored and shot the ball with vengeance. I expect the coaching staff to let it all out with the performance especially in the 4th qtr. What happened is , we got into a comfort zone with a big league and settled for shooting treys instead of passing the ball around and using patience to get a good shot. Buffalo didnt let up and the result we rushed, didnt set our feet before a shot, instead of shooting the ball in rhythm we chucked up a bunch of shots. Buffalo didnt lay down they never gave up give them credit. During the NCAA's your gonna have an off game and in many cases you loose that game. We won this one and we need to hope we dont do this again. Buffalo got off to a slow start, we hit them with a punch and instead of falling they kept coming back. Then the foul trouble and we were defenseless. This is a lesson and I hope we learned from it.

At this point in the season there is no teaching, we are what we are. Last nite was a learning experience, of not to let up. When you drop the hammer you dont let up. We've got a few days to get it back together. I expect the roof blew off the locker room last nite and I expect practice to be really tuff over the next 2 days. We wait and see.

The most factual line above: We are what we are.
Using that line; this team has played about 6 games just like this one in some manner they can no longer score or make a pass or throw the ball away. Why? Not even Geno know. They are like a group that are great when they are not challenged but when the get push back they lose confidence and focus. That's who they are.Not a DT or Maya or Rene among them.
The major problem is the reliance on Collier to do all be all and teams can shut her down, what then where then who then? Geno's problem.\It won't be solved this year.
It is time for Uconn fans to be realistic: 12 isn't in the cards. It was a fun run, good kids to watch, lots of entertainment what more can REAL fans want???

 

[mbr33ct]

The most factual line above: We are what we are.
Using that line; this team has played about 6 games just like this one in some manner they can no longer score or make a pass or throw the ball away. Why? Not even Geno know. They are like a group that are great when they are not challenged but when the get push back they lose confidence and focus. That's who they are.Not a DT or Maya or Rene among them.
The major problem is the reliance on Collier to do all be all and teams can shut her down, what then where then who then? Geno's problem.\It won't be solved this year.
It is time for Uconn fans to be realistic: 12 isn't in the cards. It was a fun run, good kids to watch, lots of entertainment what more can REAL fans want???

Thanks for being "realistic"...did UConn lose last night?

 

[Triad]

Movement in the 4th quarter slowed considerably - not nearly as many sleek cuts, etc. Was that because they lost focus or because they were getting tired? I opined the latter and my bride yelled at me "Connecticut players don't get tired!"

Regardless, I don't understand the logic when your team is up by 24 points late in the third why you don't use your bench to give some rest to the starters. Three of them played all 40 minutes, Crystal 36 and Christyn 33.

If Geno used his bench in the 3rd quarter of the Buffalo game: rack it up in L column. He has 5 he can trust, usually, not in this game,, the 6 and 7th have minimal trust and the rest --no trust at all: OR worse than that he trusts they will screw up at most dangerous time..
No, Uconn players don't get tired: They get exhausted. Geno is stuck with what he has and beyond 5 (maybe 6 if Coombs is added) he can trust. ONO gives good minutes but fouls at really bad timing. Without her presence the basket isn't as well protected and teams attack it easily and often, rebounding without ONO is a crap shoot if Collier is pushed away. Uconn has to release the only 2 that dribble drive and attack when the Collier or 3 balls fail.

 

[Triad]

Thanks for being "realistic"...did UConn lose last night?

If Buffalo had another 5 minutes yes. Remember this wasn't Louisville or Baylor or ND or MD this was a 10th ranked team. Had that been any of those mentioned--L column filled.

 

[NEforceUConn]

The most factual line above: We are what we are.
Using that line; this team has played about 6 games just like this one in some manner they can no longer score or make a pass or throw the ball away. Why? Not even Geno know. They are like a group that are great when they are not challenged but when the get push back they lose confidence and focus. That's who they are.Not a DT or Maya or Rene among them.
The major problem is the reliance on Collier to do all be all and teams can shut her down, what then where then who then? Geno's problem.\It won't be solved this year.
It is time for Uconn fans to be realistic: 12 isn't in the cards. It was a fun run, good kids to watch, lots of entertainment what more can REAL fans want???

Thanks for your interest in UConn basketball

 

[NewCorn]

ugly just ulgy

and their #24 was a real beast

Our #24 wasn't too bad either.

 

[Urshurak]

The ticky tacky fouls called (on both sides) needs to be reviewed and some entity (whatever that is at the NCAA) needs to get those refs in a room and TRAIN them. The least involved the refs can be the better. That is the polar opposite of what happened in this game. They simply couldn't play due to the horrendous officiating. I really hope something is being done about it and this game is being reviewed.