Tulane Postgame Thread

[eebmg]

I sit courtside; she looks to be an inch taller than Kyla, who is 6’2”.

Ok. Maybe she was 6' 3" last night but was 5' 11" in the 3 prior games?

 

[oldude]

I sit courtside; she looks to be an inch taller than Kyla, who is 6’2”.

OK, I will respectfully defer to your first hand observation.

 

[Boreifs]

6' 3" ???

I sit courtside; she is an inch taller than Kyla, who is 6’2”.

 

[eebmg]

Maybe the way Anna is built (strong frame) makes her look taller on the court? Her official height is 6' 1"

 

[veryolddog]

I would respectfully suggest that the other team was held to 31 points by a ferocious defensive effort from UConn’s entire team. Geno commented after the game that the team spent the last two days in practice largely working on defense, and it certainly showed, holding Tulane to their lowest point total of the season.

After 25 games it’s pretty clear that this UConn team has a number of challenges on offense. Geno is smart enough to know that this team will go as far as their defense takes them, and the team seems to be embracing that identity. It certainly won’t be pretty, but I will happily accept 13 more ugly wins this season.

You may be correct in your assessment and you have a better grasp of this than I do. However, you still have to consider, that this Tulane team, may have scored 20 points less because UConn women practiced defense for two days. How would this defense be against Oregon or Baylor or SC? Playing together and making the ball go through the hoop when the other team is also playing great defense against you is a heck of a lot more challenging. I am not convinced that this team has the fortitude to step up and do this and maintain composure to win that game.

 

[oldude]

You may be correct in your assessment and you have a better grasp of this than I do. However, you still have to consider, that this Tulane team, may have scored 20 points less because UConn women practiced defense for two days. How would this defense be against Oregon or Baylor or SC? Playing together and making the ball go through the hoop when the other team is also playing great defense against you is a heck of a lot more challenging. I am not convinced that this team has the fortitude to step up and do this and maintain composure to win that game.

Certainly the 3 teams you mention pose a much bigger challenge for UConn defensively. But It’s worth noting that UConn held all 3 teams to double-digits less than their season average. UConn particularly clamped down on Baylor until the last 4 minutes of the game, and they did a really good job on SC for the first qtr.

 

[BBallF]

True, but a couple of them they were waiting for her shot... she was only 8’ away.

It makes me crazy when she doesn't shoot those first. Also, are there different rules in international play for putting the ball in play from out of bounds? She has made two turnovers this year just doing that. One, moving when she couldn't because it wasn't a made shot and the other having her foot on the line when she threw it in. It may just be a lack of focus.

 

[Ozimoto]

I need to see them put two good games together back to back before I have any reason to believe they will get past the elite eight. The poor free throw shooting is costing them significant points every game. That will catch up with them and bite them in the behind going into post season play, likely resulting in a loss in a close game.

 

[ucbart]

It makes me crazy when she doesn't shoot those first. Also, are there different rules in international play for putting the ball in play from out of bounds? She has made two turnovers this year just doing that. One, moving when she couldn't because it wasn't a made shot and the other having her foot on the line when she threw it in. It may just be a lack of focus.

She makes a lot of silly, silly turnovers. I think it's just a lack of focus and experience.

 

[psconn]

She makes a lot of silly, silly turnovers. I think it's just a lack of focus and experience.

Anna's got tons of potential and there's alot to love in her game. That end line violation/ turnover though... I'm surprised Geno didn't put her on a bus to Storrs to swim laps in the pool right then and there. He's getting soft in his old age.

 

[psconn]

6’3”?

I suspect a bun vs. ponytail illusion OR a Hartley Unit conversion error.

 

[Bama fan]

I suspect a bun vs. ponytail illusion OR a Hartley Unit conversion error.

Perhaps @Biff could post a Hartley Unit Conversion Chart at the top of the board along with the other permanent posts? Not sure how to eliminate the bun/ponytail illusion issue. Having so very little hair up there , I am unqualified to opine.

 

[meyers7]

Could not agree more. Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Oh yeah, those Cajun Cars

 

[Roger G]

All true and the optimism is great. I think the big takeaway is not the size of the win but rather the intensity of the team defense, the best of the year. I also can't remember the last time Meg dove on the floor for a loose ball but she did it last night. Anna was much more animated and shuffling side to side on defense. They were all as a group simply better, tighter, more aggressive, switching at screens earlier and communicating. Geno said they stressed defense in practice and maybe that will be the team identity that has been missing. You are right that we have to remember who we are playing but if it is going to be team defense for March it has to be against everyone. Let's see what happens on Sunday.

Next game is Saturday. I didn't want you to miss it.

 

[Biff]

Perhaps @Biff could post a Hartley Unit Conversion Chart at the top of the board along with the other permanent posts? Not sure how to eliminate the bun/ponytail illusion issue. Having so very little hair up there , I am unqualified to opine.

There is no doubt that Anna is taller than Kyla. Pretty easy to see and confirm. However I have no confidence in any reported player height. Most (if not all ) are exaggerated and have poor process control (shoes/no shoes, socks, head position, resolution of measurement etc.) Obviously most of them get inflated for general player promotional purposes.

In our English measurement system, nothing ever get reported beyond a whole inch. Depending on the measurer, the purpose or the technique, someone that is actually say 6' and 3/8 " could easily be be reported as 6'1". Another player could be 6' 1 1/8" and be reported as 6' 1" . Stand the two next to each other and wham one looks an inch taller than the next. Throw in shoes on/off and the crazy discrepancies can get wild.

Note that at approximately age 18 (less than 2 years ago) Anna was reported as 183 cm. That converts to 72.0472 inches or less than 1/16th of an inch over 6'.

It's unlikely that she grew much after age 18 (although possible) but it's also very improbable that she spurted anything close to 3" (7.6 cm) in that time.

We switched to Hartley units because the Hartley unit system is as accurate as you want it to be and probably just as accurate as most of these reported player heights.

Personally I don't believe Kyla is 6'2" so using her as some type of standard is not going to help.

In reality none of this is important although some tend to get wound up over it. What would actually be more telling for a basketball player is her standing reach and her jumping reach as well as wingspan. How high the top of your head is really matters little (except seeing over a screen etc) and a player certainly doesn't rebound or shoot from the top of their head. It's where the hands are that matters.

And I won't post an official Hartley Units chart because that's a closely kept secret and we don't want other teams to know the true height of our players.

 

[Zinethar]

For only the second time this year I had to wait until much later to watch the recorded game do to real life commitments. Combination experimenting started much earlier than I expected as I was thinking Tulane was better than they looked in this game. I loved the comments about Ania's height because I was thinking about it during the game. IF the heights of the other players have been recorded accurately she certainly looks and plays taller than 6'1". Geno even once said she was much bigger than he thought. Of course I doubt the height measurements are taken in sneakers so everyone is taller on the court. She is obviously taller than Meg and the same or taller than Kyla. I do think the listed heights are subject to the whims of the team. Basically I overall liked the game and it was good enough to keep me awake during my late night viewing .

 

[slug25]

Isn’t the Hartley Unit derived from the earlier Hilton Armstrong Unit? Too much converting will compound measurement error, so I suggest we simply agree that Anna is 6’ 1 5/8” sans bun and 6’ 4” bun included. Likewise, Liv is 6’ 8” with bun.

 

[psconn]

Isn’t the Hartley Unit derived from the earlier Hilton Armstrong Unit? Too much converting will compound measurement error, so I suggest we simply agree that Anna is 6’ 1 5/8” sans bun and 6’ 4” bun included. Likewise, Liv is 6’ 8” with bun.

I would put the true origin of the Hartley Unit back to 1958...

Smoot

Template:Unit of length The smoot (/ˈsmuːt/) is a nonstandard unit of length created as part of an MIT fraternity prank. It is named after Oliver R. Smoot, a fraternity pledge to Lambda Chi Alpha, who in October 1958 lay on the Harvard Bridge (between Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts), and...

units.fandom.com

 

[Longtime fan]

Liked OD's review as always. The only 3 negatives for me - Crystal's shooting, Anna's turnovers, Aubrey's FT shooting.

LOVED seeing Touly score. Same for Kyla. In a smackdown like this, I would have liked to have seen even more scoring - 30 points for the 2nd half is not great, but at this point, I'll take it!!

Anna was my POG in spite of her turnovers: 18 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 6 steals, 2 blocks, 0 fouls, but those 5 TO's... Anna had more blocks than Olivia!!

At one point; Olivia clanked two free throws, and then Aubrey clanked two. This troubles me. If Aubrey can't make free throws, in a "nothing " game, at home, against Tulane....how will she
ever make a shot ( not a lay-up ) in a game? She was 65% from the free throw line in HS career. Not good for a star. That is only allowed if you are 7' tall. UCONN used to win championships due to their excellence a the line.

 

[Jingo]

Geno is smart enough to know that this team will go as far as their defense takes them

And the same goes for next season where I believe defense should be the linchpin of our starting five. But my defensive Fab Five did not receive a cordial reception, eh?

 

[MilfordHusky]

Tina Charles shot about 55% on FTs as a freshman at UConn. I guess that killed her career. It’s a shame. I thought she had potential.

And Gabby Williams jumped from 46% to 75% in one year.

 

[BBallF]

Next game is Saturday. I didn't want you to miss it.

Thanks. Appreciate the correction.

 

[Dokey]

Game was SO much fun! I was 4th row center and had a great view of the the players. All played well especially defense. Granted it’s a 12-14 team——but it was a good game to work on things. Anna was stellar except for her freshman turnovers. Loved that she had a few buckets that were “non-threes”. Her defense was very good and Mak tipped a lot of balls! I for one love her game and it was fun to focus on her and watch her every move!
Her end line violation I bet won’t happen again ! Liv and MW also stood out for me. Liv was looking for her shot and MW’s defense and offense were spot-on. I thought the movement was better but I found myself yelling at them to move in the second half. You could see the crowd was rootin for Evelyn to make her free throws. Anna was my player of the game. She flashed a couple of smiles.
Superb stat line except the freshman turnovers. Some of those were missed passes to a teammate that wasn’t paying attention or just wasn’t expecting the bullet pass! The gals played with passion and tenacity. It was SO fun to watch!

Let’s admit that the end line violation could be called in almost every game as players rush to start the play after an opponent’s basket but refs aren’t looking or let it go.

 

[Dokey]

There is no doubt that Anna is taller than Kyla. Pretty easy to see and confirm. However I have no confidence in any reported player height. Most (if not all ) are exaggerated and have poor process control (shoes/no shoes, socks, head position, resolution of measurement etc.) Obviously most of them get inflated for general player promotional purposes.

In our English measurement system, nothing ever get reported beyond a whole inch. Depending on the measurer, the purpose or the technique, someone that is actually say 6' and 3/8 " could easily be be reported as 6'1". Another player could be 6' 1 1/8" and be reported as 6' 1" . Stand the two next to each other and wham one looks an inch taller than the next. Throw in shoes on/off and the crazy discrepancies can get wild.

Note that at approximately age 18 (less than 2 years ago) Anna was reported as 183 cm. That converts to 72.0472 inches or less than 1/16th of an inch over 6'.

View attachment 51034

It's unlikely that she grew much after age 18 (although possible) but it's also very improbable that she spurted anything close to 3" (7.6 cm) in that time.

We switched to Hartley units because the Hartley unit system is as accurate as you want it to be and probably just as accurate as most of these reported player heights.

Personally I don't believe Kyla is 6'2" so using her as some type of standard is not going to help.

In reality none of this is important although some tend to get wound up over it. What would actually be more telling for a basketball player is her standing reach and her jumping reach as well as wingspan. How high the top of your head is really matters little (except seeing over a screen etc) and a player certainly doesn't rebound or shoot from the top of their head. It's where the hands are that matters.

And I won't post an official Hartley Units chart because that's a closely kept secret and we don't want other teams to know the true height of our players.

I am officially listed as 6’ 1” but am actually a quarter to a half inch shorter. And getting shorter, sigh...actually in high school I stopped measuring when I hit six feet and size 12 shoes. Several in grown toenails later I got remeasured for shoes and also discovered that extra 3 4 inch.

 

[MSGRET]

Some thoughts on the Tulane game:

• Stifling defensive effort by UConn all night long.
• The Huskies started a little slow, but they picked up the pace in the second quarter with one of those runs that we haven’t seen very much of this year, which pretty much ends all suspense concerning the outcome of the game.
• UConn is just a different team when Anna is knocking down shots. She still makes some head scratching decisions, like trying to inbound the ball with one foot on the baseline, but on balance she played well tonight.
• UConn is also a much better team when they work to get Liv touches in their half-court offense. When Liv is scoring in the paint, it opens the floor for everybody else.
• I know Christyn continues to struggle some on offense, but man is she playing hard on the defensive side of the ball. In the first half, her defense had a lot to do with UConn’s 2nd qtr run.
• Tulane is not SC, or even USF for that matter, but I was really looking for solid contributions from all the Huskies tonight, and everyone pretty much delivered.

I believe that Anna had started to throw in the ball and Crystal Dangerfield wasn't ready and when she did throw it in her foot had crossed the line. I think it was Meg that said after the play that Geno was mad at the players for not coming back for the ball.