UCF Postgame Thread

[CTFan]

If this had been a duel, each team would have gotten a gun and shot themselves. Sure glad we're not in that tough AAC . . .

That plays to Notre Dame’s favor, I think. Level of competition…

 

[Littlemin]

Geno's been a D1 head coach for 37 years. He's in his 28th straight sweet 16. He is watching and talking to his players constantly and knows where they are physically and mentally. No, he's not infallible, I've heard him own up to mistakes more than once, but the number of people in here that think they 'know better' is mind boggling. It's his team, he'll live with results. Personally, I'm not all that interested in the couch coach opinions.

They why are you on a board designed to discuss these things? You said it all “he’s not infallible”. I (and others) are just discussing the evidence that proves your point.
And yes, it is certainly his team and his is the only opinion that really counts, on that I agree 100%.

 

[KMac]

Coaches coach and fans analyze. I have said over and over Geno is the best and has elevated the game, but that doesn't mean in the 30 yrs watching him coach, I can't say something negative about last night and still be a fan of him and his teams. If you don't want to read assessments of the game by fans, why are you on this here reading these. People have opinions, that's what makes this interesting.

 

[FormerCTrez]

I’m still trying to understand the logics of declining the end of game handshake line after a game. I realize that Covid precautions are still being observed, but in basketball games, the players have just intensely mingled, and sweated on each other for 40+ minutes. So avoiding the line where a quick tap or embrace occurs doesn’t make sense to me.
I respect team’s (teams’) decision, but ............

 

[Martin]

He was looking for offense, and did not think they would provide it. I think Nika was hoping, but Ducharme had a poor game

Rather than poor I’d say incomplete. She only got a few minutes and made a sweet pass to one of my favorite players butterfingers who missed the layup. CD also put herself in great spots to receive passes something the other Huskies weren’t doing. She missed both layups but this isn’t unusual for Husky teams as of late. In a hard fought physical foul laden game her savvy play and BB IQ were needed. And his BE defensive player of the year sitting the entire second half? I don’t know how you explain that in this type of game. The first player off the bench was Dorka. I get it it was due to Ono I think picking up 2 fouls but Dorka in and Ono out didn’t make me feel good about the game. It served as a foreshadowing of things to come. Foreshadowing! I need to locate my freshman literature teacher to let her know I used foreshadowing in a sentence! Next victim, IU!!

 

[RedStickHusky]

They why are you on a board designed to discuss these things? You said it all “he’s not infallible”. I (and others) are just discussing the evidence that proves your point.
And yes, it is certainly his team and his is the only opinion that really counts, on that I agree 100%.

There are plenty of things discussed here other than why you are right and geno is wrong. Just not by you.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

My biggest take away.
The Big EAST Defensive player of the year and a All Big East player didn't play one minute second half.

I know this is against popular belief but Nika should be starting these games.

Not sure she should be starting, but against physical teams like UCF she's quite useful UNTIL she can't stop fouling. What good is the defense...if you give the advantage back in free throws? And her teammates aren't going to say it, but look at their faces when they played defense right down to the last second...and then Nika bailed out UCF. Look at the coach's face. That can zap the energy out of a team. Nika is a great asset, but she has to learn to control some of that explosion. Her offense, and what allows her to play in these tight contests...is her defense.

 

[VaConnFan11]

I didn't agree with Nika not playing in the second half. When UConn went up 12 points at the 5 minute mark, that's when I would have brought her back in. Looking at the boxscore, her +/- of 7 was second best on the team in only 6 minutes. I don't think UCF scored a basket when she was in. Just free throws that she caused herself.

I just hope that the half court offense doesn't get any worse. I don't think it can, but you never know. The forwards only shot 12 times. Luckily they made 8 free throws.

Every game is different and teams usually have to survive a scare along the way to win it all. If you can win a game where you shoot under 30% and the opponent makes more FG's, the rest of tournament should be a piece of cake.

 

[RedStickHusky]

People have opinions, that's what makes this interesting.

That might be the worst assumption I've ever read.

 

[cohenzone]

I never know how to respond when Boneyarders suggest Geno is infallible. Belichick is likely the best football coach ever with many championships, but hasn't gone far in the playoffs for several years and is unlikely to win one this year. Nick Saban is one of the best college football coaches ever, but has lost the championship two years in a row. Geno is the best womens's basketball coach of all time. His coaching skills are proven but that haven't been enough to get UConn to the final game in several years. Unlike the other coaches I mentioned, Geno can win it all this year but suggest we focus on how they play and coach now. The rest is a nice history lesson.

Read the Men’s hoop board. You’d think Jim Calhoun never lost a game to a lesser team or never had a team that didn’t make the NCAA tournament the way some go after Hurley. Fact is, (I think largely because of UConn even if some aren’t tuned into the last 20 years of the game) a lot more good female athletes are playing hoop now. Much deeper talent pool and much deeper competition For example, as good as Azzi Fudd is, there are a whole bunch of very good shooters out there.

 

[Stymie]

Coaches coach and fans analyze. I have said over and over Geno is the best and has elevated the game, but that doesn't mean in the 30 yrs watching him coach, I can't say something negative about last night and still be a fan of him and his teams. If you don't want to read assessments of the game by fans, why are you on this here reading these. People have opinions, that's what makes this interesting.

Apparently, there are many individuals much more qualified to lead UCONN than Geno.
Unfortunately, we can’t pry them away from the Boneyard and get the down to the sideline.

 

[Aluminny69]

I don't think this is what Azzi meant, but this definitely was a "nasty" game!

 

[FormerCTrez]

I had to chuckle when reading some of the score predictions, including some that had UConn scoring as many as 77 or 80 points. I thought they would reach 60 while holding UCF in the 40s.

It's personal for UCF when playing UConn. Not sure why but there is always extra ooomph in their fouls. The only thing missing tonight was the chatter though that seemed to be directed mostly at Lou when she played.

I was being hopeful.

 

[Slipperman]

let's hope they got their stinko game out of the way last night. they are still too prone to lousy shooting nights which will not hold up against NC State or SoCar.

 

[hoopsfan22]

I’m still trying to understand the logics of declining the end of game handshake line after a game. I realize that Covid precautions are still being observed, but in basketball games, the players have just intensely mingled, and sweated on each other for 40+ minutes. So avoiding the line where a quick tap or embrace occurs doesn’t make sense to me.
I respect team’s (teams’) decision, but ............

Let it go. It's really not that important. I was hoping after Covid the practice would be done for good. There is nothing to gain from it but there's always the risk of a Michigan-Wisconsin or a player tripping your coach or some other dumb controversy coming from it.

 

[Martin]

This sounds totally against Nika.

 

[GoUconn7961]

Why? So I am not allowed to have an opinion about him because of his credentials? I spent 40 years of my life directly involved in basketball, played NAIA college ball, coachEd for almost 20 years, 11 of those as a head coach in the highly competitive Parochial A section in NJ. I scouted for a D1 and D2 scouting combine for another decade and a half. That does not make me right by ANY means but it does mean I am forming an opinion on a subject I am intimately familiar with, firsthand.
Personally, I would jump at the chance to talk to him because I think his decisions regarding the team since the end of the BE tournament have been dead wrong, both in changing the starting lineup and last night in-game coaching. And I think his reasoning of staying with an offensive team while they generated no offense is ridiculous. In game coaching means you adapt as things evolve, not stay a whole half with something that isn’t working.

Where did I say you weren't allowed to comment or second-guess him?

 

[FormerCTrez]

As I said in another thread, I was concerned about our freshmen playing like freshmen. Caroline clearly felt the pressure. So too did Dorka, a senior. They will both be better for the experience.

Academically, Dorka is a senior. But a “freshman” for the NCAA tourney.

 

[oldude]

Academically, Dorka is a senior. But a “freshman” for the NCAA tourney.

True. But Dorka had been playing so well, including the 1st round game vs Mercer, that I just anticipated that she would be up to the challenge posed by UCF.

 

[FormerCTrez]

Let it go. It's really not that important. I was hoping after Covid the practice would be done for good. There is nothing to gain from it but there's always the risk of a Michigan-Wisconsin or a player tripping your coach or some other dumb controversy coming from it.

I’m not holding onto the end of game handshake line pros or cons. I simply stated my opinion in response to a poster’s opinion. And I disagree with you, because something that can be gained from it is the respect to the opponent, win or lose — we battled for 40+ minutes, you kicked my butt, best wishes in the next round.

 

[Carnac]

Yeah. I think I left out the word spit. Well, I've made my feelings known about handshake lines so...

Agreed. UCF head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson showed to the world what a "classless" act she and her team is. Win or lose, it's customary to give a complimentary handshake to your opponent after the game, REGARDLESS of the outcome. It's not Geno's rule or UConn's rule. It's customary tradition. It's done across the entire landscape of Division 1 basketball as a show of good sportsmanship.

You are the leader of your program. Your players will follow your lead good or bad. What kind of message is she sending/imparting to WCBB and her players that they will later take out into the real world? I'm so happy we won this game, and they are no longer in our conference. I wonder what her response would have been, if during her post game presser, that question was posed to her?

 

[and one]

This was no doubt an ugly game. UCF now and Rutgers of old seem to be able to just make a game into a painful grind. Rutgers got a few wins that way and UCF is still looking for a first win against UConn. I'm not going to let this game dampen my hopes for a deep run. UConn has it's flaws, as all teams do, but on the whole it is a deep and talented team.

Just a couple of observations:

It was noted earlier in this thread that a lot of passes were less than crisp. I too cringed multiple times as long passes seemed to hang in the air forever. None were picked off but other teams will notice this tendency and try to take advantage.

There were several times that Paige was being guarded and saw a double team coming and rather than passing before the second player got in tight or dribbling away before the second player arrived she just waited until it was too late. It didn't help that her teammates didn't come to her to help out. The times I noticed didn't result in a turnover but not a good tendency.

When fate put Caroline into the role of a go to player she responded like a champ. When all the injured came back she reverted back to being another freshman. She has a lot of good skills and I hope she plays well for the rest of our tournament run. I suspect that it won't be until next year before we see the confidence she had earlier this year.

 

[visitingcock]

let's hope they got their stinko game out of the way last night. they are still too prone to lousy shooting nights which will not hold up against NC State or SoCar.

Well, SCar only scored 49 against Miami. Y'all scored 52 against UCF.

Would you settle for a 52-49 ugly win against SCar?

 

[BrysonDeMan]

No knock on Dorka I think she is one of the more important players. I really like the way she plays and the energy she brings. I can easily look past any of her shortcomings for the value she brings.

could they use Dorka more when breaking the press? keep her just inside the half court line and high pass it to her. she can then distribute from there or even dribble out a bit before passing
it seemed like the guards were stopping just short of half court, getting trapped and then rushing their passes (and giving up seconds on the shot clock)

i'll make sure Geno knows all this on Saturday

 

[ClifSpliffy]

Why? So I am not allowed to have an opinion about him because of his credentials? I spent 40 years of my life directly involved in basketball, played NAIA college ball, coachEd for almost 20 years, 11 of those as a head coach in the highly competitive Parochial A section in NJ. I scouted for a D1 and D2 scouting combine for another decade and a half. That does not make me right by ANY means but it does mean I am forming an opinion on a subject I am intimately familiar with, firsthand.
Personally, I would jump at the chance to talk to him because I think his decisions regarding the team since the end of the BE tournament have been dead wrong, both in changing the starting lineup and last night in-game coaching. And I think his reasoning of staying with an offensive team while they generated no offense is ridiculous. In game coaching means you adapt as things evolve, not stay a whole half with something that isn’t working.

becuz this

is not the same as this

give it a rest already.
i once had a pretty famous nba pal sneak up behind me while i was at the foul line, and pants me in front of aboot 500 or so folks at hall neighborhood in Bridgeport. that was sum funny right thar, especially watching the vid.
and now, imma a sartorial expert. good thing nobuddy heard me whisper to him 'gonna get the glock!' when in rome, an all that.
im also a super soaker expert.

 

[Mdoggie]

This sounds totally against Nika.

Watch Nika on the sideline during the second half and you can see she was not bothered one bit. She was excited and the biggest cheerleader on every defensive stop or bucket UConn made.

 

[psconn]

The announcers discussed it but not very clearly. It looked like a lane violation because that's what a fake does. If you watch Paige come running in from half court, she's telling him what the call should be.

Faking on Free Throws - The Official Forum

Two funny moments from the NBE.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55zID...ture=rec-HM-r2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1j8ucgdVgCY&NR=1

forum.officiating.com

OK rule wonks, it took some time but I finally got the rule book downloaded. Here's the official rule:

Section 1. Free-Throw Violations
Art. 1. After the ball is placed at the disposal of a free-thrower, it is a violation when:
a. The free-thrower fails to release the try within 10 seconds and in such a way that the ball enters the basket or touches the ring or flange before the free throw ends.
b. The free-thrower purposely fakes a try or the free-thrower’s teammates or opponents purposely fake a violation.

Section 5. Free-Throw Requirements
Art. 1. After the ball is placed at the disposal of a free-thrower:
a. The free-thrower shall release the try within 10 seconds and in such a way that the ball enters the basket or touches the ring or flange before the free throw ends.
b. The free-thrower shall not purposely fake a try nor shall the free-thrower’s teammates and opponents purposely fake a violation

So the operative word here is "purposely" - making the call subjective. That "pump fake" was not part of her usual motion so it definitely was subject to referee attention, but, for example, if the ball had slipped in her hand making her double-clutch - no violation. No one claimed it was a slip or any other legit reason though. The UCF coach's only argument was apparently that everybody entered the lane so why was UCF getting penalized? This is not relevant to the correctness of the call. The referee (with Paige's help) determined that the motion was an illegal fake. His signal was the generic "free throw violation" signal right out of the rule book. It is used for lane violations also.

 

[Stinger92860]

Correct. Less time. I like the rotation of 9, tweaked once the game starts based on play and circumstances. Of cours

Caroline had a poor game? She played four minutes and missed two layups. If Geno had benched everyone who missed two layups, UConn would've had a pretty sparse array of players on the court by the second half. I hope if she has a good week of practice, Geno gives Caroline another chance in the next game. There will be games (including tonight) when it would be handy to have her point production.

The freshman gets a shorter least than the 5th year senior or an all-American

 

[Littlemin]

Where did I say you weren't allowed to comment or second-guess him?

I guess I misread the gist of your post, my bad and my apologies

 

[Stinger92860]

and pants me in front of aboot 500 or so folks at hall neighborhood in Bridgeport. that was sum funny right thar,

The Sheehan center? Lol. I grew up in the hollow.