UCF Postgame Thread

[BlueandOG]

So did their coach

So interesting. I saw the coach and players leave without shaking hands. I assumed it was a COVID thing. I didn't realize it was a classless thing. BOOOO UCF!

 

[cohenzone]

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.

Don’t discount Notre Dame as much as I’d like them to flop.

 

[LoboDays]

Substitutions will continue but not like we saw toward the end of the BE season. Paige, Azzi and CW will get the majority of minutes. Evina will probably wind up with more minutes than Nika. CD will be last in minutes unless Geno wants just one big in the game for stretches.

 

[boontonbomber]

Substitutions will continue but not like we saw toward the end of the BE season. Paige, Azzi and CW will get the majority of minutes. Evina will probably wind up with more minutes than Nika. CD will be last in minutes unless Geno wants just one big in the game for stretches.

That would be a mistake, but you may be right.

 

[ShmiCO]

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.

I wonder if it was the roar of the crowd that through her off stride, more than UCF?

 

[oldude]

I wonder if it was the roar of the crowd that through her off stride, more than UCF?

Hope not. It’s going to be very loud in Bridgeport this coming weekend.

 

[LoboDays]

I wonder if it was the roar of the crowd that through her off stride, more than UCF?

Well that’s it!! Fans should be banned at Bridgeport. It’s the least we could do so Dorka can make a freaking layup.

 

[ShmiCO]

Hope not. It’s going to be very loud in Bridgeport this coming weekend.

Two differences: it won't be her peers making the noise, and she'll have some time to consider how to deal with it. I maybe it just what she ate yesterday.

 

[ShmiCO]

Well that’s it!! Fans should be banned at Bridgeport. It’s the least we could do so Dorka can make a freaking layup.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

Nika was part of a 9-2 run.
Bad fouls we're committed by every player last night. Not sure her one bad foul should be highlighted and the rest go unbothered.

Well...the coach saw it differently.

 

[oldude]

Two differences: it won't be her peers making the noise, and she'll have some time to consider how to deal with it.

Honestly, I really don’t think it’s fan noise. I just think Dorka was hyped up and sped up by UCF’s pressure and she rushed her shots a bit. I think she’ll be fine against Indiana on Saturday.

 

[Geesworld]

Well...the coach saw it differently.

So did I

 

[EricSD]

So I didn't post anything right after the game because I wanted it to settle, and re-watch the game, which I did. My thoughts FWIW.

First, Geno is not God, all joking aside, even tho 99% of the time he makes great decisions. This game he did not defer from the game plan one bit. Bring the ball slowly up the court against the press, play methodically on offense, and hopefully get someone open to take a shot. It was nothing like any UCONN offense we've seen in the past.

It almost felt like he was so worried about the UCF defense that he let it get into the heads of the players as well. I'm not saying I'm right - I'm sure there was way more going on during the game on the court, but that's what it sort of looked like from my perspective.

I've seen players break presses in the past - one guard drives up the floor. The defense can't keep up so they either body and foul, or let the player get past them. We did that twice and UCF was out of position on defense. The rest of the entire game was a slow, methodical, offense.

Even passing the ball around, instead of zinging the pass, players would pause, hold the ball, then pass. It was the most excruciating offense I've seen UCONN play in a very long time, and not being on the floor, perhaps that's all they could do.

So my question was - why not switch it up? Our defense can certainly switch between zone and man, so why not switch up how the ball is brought up the court? In fairness the announcers did say UCF statistically has the best defense in the nation, and I believe that.

Regardless, Geno did what he did for the entire game and we squeaked out a win. Maybe there was no other way to run the offense. Maybe if the team had been 100% healthy for longer they would have been more comfortable trying other things.

And in fairness, the number of missed layups was mind boggling. That had nothing to do with how the ball was brought up the floor, or the pace the offense was run. Coaches can have the greatest game plan in the world, but the players still need to execute it.

Bottom line we live to fight another day. On the positive side, our defense was outstanding. Christyn and Azzi especially played really good games. Paige was surprisingly off. Maybe not surprising given her injury layoff. Our post players shot 2-12. Never thought I'd say this, but we won based on our FT shooting. The post was 8-10 and Azzi and Christyn had some clutch ones down the stretch. On to Indiana!

 

[hookshot]

Two differences: it won't be her peers making the noise, and she'll have some time to consider how to deal with it. I maybe it just what she ate yesterday.

that's Goulash

 

[sun]

When evaluating Paige's performance, the individual fan decides whether her glass is half full or half empty.
Rather than criticize her performance and 2nd guess why she played 32 minutes, I prefer to focus on the glass that's half full.
She had 2 turnovers but succeeded in bringing the ball up court numerous times against a tough press by using her court vision to make cross court passes.
She had a steal and a block, and also created UCF turnovers by causing them to commit fouls.
Some folks said that they see rust, but she shot 4 for 9 = 44% which is better than the team's shooting stat of 29% for the game.
The only player to shoot better than Paige on the whole team was Nika who shot 1 for 1.
Paige distributed the ball the best that she could.
And she generated a lot of excitement from the fans and her teammates.
If BB players were actors, then Paige deserves an Oscar for pulling the dogsled through a blizzard.

 

[AgStatesman]

A point I've wanted to make about Dorka for awhile but didn't feel like facing the BY backlash. Dorka does not have much natural athletic ability at all. The things she does well, you can tell she does them well because she's practiced that specific skill thousand and thousands of times. Watching her go after a rebound and you can see her fast twitch muscles just don't quite react fast enough. I give her a lot of credit, she works incredibly hard, but add libbing her actions is never going to be in her wheel house.

 

[GoUconn7961]

Well...the coach saw it differently.

In his presser he stated that he did not bench Nika due to fouls. He sat her because he wanted a scorer. We can debate that until the cows come home, but we can't change the past.

 

[OldSchooler]

No .. when the shooter hesitated in her motion, at least two of her teammates stepped into the lane, eh?

So did everybody else. Looked like a damn convention taking place in the paint. The fault lay with the shooter who double-clutched before shooting, but I didn't see her foot go across the line. (Like a lot of very interesting controversial plays, there was no instant replay to confirm this. In addition to the lousy announcing, I thought the TV directing -- on ESPN's flagship station, no less -- was terrible.) So rather than going to the video to determine who (i.e., which team) jumped into the lane first (which itself would have been farcically difficult to determine), he called a violation on the shooter (which probably wasn't true).

 

[GoUconn7961]

After reading this all again (painfully) -

- The team rushed their offense
- some of these kids (yes kids) haven't really been in this kind of atmosphere. How many times have they played in a sold-out LOUD arena since COVID took hold? I know it would certainly have my adrenaline over-hyped.
- Yes, layups were missed and need to be corrected
- UCF's very physical (and sometimes unnecessary) was very effective.
- We are not in practice. We are not on the bench.

Speculation is a Boneyard art, but it's a waste of time.

 

[visitingcock]

Well that’s it!! Fans should be banned at Bridgeport. It’s the least we could do so Dorka can make a freaking layup.

NCAA women's tournament breaks attendance record on opening weekend that showcased growth

 

[OldSchooler]

You're entitled to your opinion and at no point did I say UConn didn't play hard. I said I'd like to see them play as hard as UCF. Watch both teams play defense and then say it's "way off base."

I thought UConn's defense was pretty damn good. Held them to 47 points. And Geno agreed, mentioning in two post-game sessions that his defense enabled them to make up 20 points (from 8 down to 12 ahead).

 

[Watchdog]

Another night of an ugly chat room. What a disgrace some of the comments were.

These are young women playing a GAME. I see so many people saying they’re like daughters to them. Doesn’t seem that way in close games.

That being said it was a game dictated by defense, poor shooting and bad officiating.

A win is a win. NEXT!

I just tuned in to this and have seen nothing offensive mentioned except the behavior of the head coach and the little darlings of UCF.
Walking off with no handshake line is the epitome of poor sportsmanship and speaks volumes about attitudes that have been criticized here previously by me and others.
The issues that struck me about the game from UConn's perspective were how tentatively we played on offense and how little poise was shown by so many players (rushed and missed layups for example). Softly walking it up against a defense that was ready to swarm and double team seemed the wrong formula. Treat it like a press and break it for quick points.........if we could make a layup now and then that is.

 

[Millenial23]

When I walked into Gampel I thought they must have been giving free food or something to the students. I have never seen the students turn out for a women's game like that, and very rarely for the men. Yes, they were loud the whole game.

free tickets and they apparently just got back from spring break too.

 

[Watchdog]

UCF must be thinking, if we had made our FT it would have been a different ball game... like Belmont.

So maybe there's poetic justice at play. The exalted leader of UCF can go home and ruminate about the missed free throws all summer...............looooonnnnngggg................

 

[jaydee602]

We are such fickle fans! We complain when Geno substitutes when the team is scoring. Then we complain that certain players didn't get enough minutes. What a balancing act the coach has to manage!
And we all know that Geno will deviate from a strict script. He has won numerous championships by adjusting the game plan using his judgment & experience.
Second guessing is a fan's privilege, but this year's team is a challenge for a coach. I'm glad we have the best one!

 

[FormerCTrez]

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?

Also, what’s up with Coach Abe’s and Diamond Battle’s use of the pronouns him (Geno), them/they (the players)? These are everyday words, but it appeared to me that there was a conscious effort to avoid mentioning Geno, UCONN or anything Connecticut.

 

[MSGRET]

So did everybody else. Looked like a damn convention taking place in the paint. The fault lay with the shooter who double-clutched before shooting, but I didn't see her foot go across the line. (Like a lot of very interesting controversial plays, there was no instant replay to confirm this. In addition to the lousy announcing, I thought the TV directing -- on ESPN's flagship station, no less -- was terrible.) So rather than going to the video to determine who (i.e., which team) jumped into the lane first (which itself would have been farcically difficult to determine), he called a violation on the shooter (which probably wasn't true).

Go to post #387 of this thread and you would see that doing a double pump or clutch is a rule violation, so the official did get the call correct.

 

[JordyG]

So I didn't post anything right after the game because I wanted it to settle, and re-watch the game, which I did. My thoughts FWIW.

First, Geno is not God, all joking aside, even tho 99% of the time he makes great decisions. This game he did not defer from the game plan one bit. Bring the ball slowly up the court against the press, play methodically on offense, and hopefully get someone open to take a shot. It was nothing like any UCONN offense we've seen in the past.

It almost felt like he was so worried about the UCF defense that he let it get into the heads of the players as well. I'm not saying I'm right - I'm sure there was way more going on during the game on the court, but that's what it sort of looked like from my perspective.

I've seen players break presses in the past - one guard drives up the floor. The defense can't keep up so they either body and foul, or let the player get past them. We did that twice and UCF was out of position on defense. The rest of the entire game was a slow, methodical, offense.

Even passing the ball around, instead of zinging the pass, players would pause, hold the ball, then pass. It was the most excruciating offense I've seen UCONN play in a very long time, and not being on the floor, perhaps that's all they could do.

So my question was - why not switch it up? Our defense can certainly switch between zone and man, so why not switch up how the ball is brought up the court? In fairness the announcers did say UCF statistically has the best defense in the nation, and I believe that.

Regardless, Geno did what he did for the entire game and we squeaked out a win. Maybe there was no other way to run the offense. Maybe if the team had been 100% healthy for longer they would have been more comfortable trying other things.

And in fairness, the number of missed layups was mind boggling. That had nothing to do with how the ball was brought up the floor, or the pace the offense was run. Coaches can have the greatest game plan in the world, but the players still need to execute it.

Bottom line we live to fight another day. On the positive side, our defense was outstanding. Christyn and Azzi especially played really good games. Paige was surprisingly off. Maybe not surprising given her injury layoff. Our post players shot 2-12. Never thought I'd say this, but we won based on our FT shooting. The post was 8-10 and Azzi and Christyn had some clutch ones down the stretch. On to Indiana!

Yes. In the chat I kept complaining about UConn's poor ball reversal, his usage of Nika, and his determination to get the ball inside. For the entire first period I kept calling for Nika in the chat. Nika isn't a scorer, but when she finally entered she changed the game by settling the players, rattling the defense, bringing the ball up before UCF could set their defense, and getting players good looks. In her short time she had 3 points and I believe, forced two TO's. She never returned in the second half.

I kept complaining about Geno's unwillingness to mix up the offense. At one point I asked why didn't he set the down screen with Paige, and then hit Paige when she pops out to the arc. Soon after he ran what Geno calls the "wave" play (which is really the triangle) where Liv comes to the pinch post and gets the pass from Paige, Paige then sets a down screen, and either pops out to the arc for the return pass or cuts inside. Paige cut inside, got the pass, and hit the pull up. He didn't go back to it. Geno was very intent all game to take advantage of the size disparity inside. I asked why didn't he work the guards more since the forwards were missing so many layups.

Still, you're right. Maybe there wasn't any other way to run the offense yesterday. I ain't the coach. He sees what I don't. He knows more than I do. I also thought, for the most part, that the large crowd was a bigger negative for the players than a positive. A bigger detriment than their lack of court time together. The team wanted to play too fast, do too much, and wanted to performed too well, too quickly. But once again you're correct. On to Indiana.

 

[HuskyNan]

Also, what’s up with Coach Abe’s and Diamond Battle’s use of the pronouns him (Geno), them/they (the players)? These are everyday words, but it appeared to me that there was a conscious effort to avoid mentioning Geno, UCONN or anything Connecticut.

Geno didn’t mention UCF or it’s players by name either

 

[Watchdog]

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

Ducharme played 4 minutes and Nika 6 (with 2 fouls that may have lead to her benching). Hard to say someone had a bad game when they played only 4 minutes.
Edwards fouled out in 19 minutes with 4 points (1 for 3) and 4 rebounds.
ONO also shot 1 for 3 and ended with 5 points and 5 rebounds and 4 blocks before fouling out in 28 minutes.
Dorka was 0 for 6 with 5 rebounds and 2 blocks and played 20 minutes.
Might have been a case of needing the bigs more than guards last night.