UCLA Postgame Thread

[DefenseBB]

Ok, I am here in Florida and enjoying the situation. Let me say 3 things:
1. This team is absolutely on a mission and no one is stopping them, I am sorry that Jen B, Cori C and Dawn all feel “slighted” but hey, how about winning the way UConn has and maybe you wouldn’t be doubted
2. There are an unbelievable amount of UConn and Paige fans here. She’s in the moment and on a mission. While she may not have led the team in points or assists last night, she is absolutely the key figure here by both the team and the audience.
No one else is close.
3. SC is absolutely a formidable opponent but they struggle with turnovers and don’t have the scoring threats we do. Heck, of their top three players only 1 starts ( Kitts) with Fulwiley and Edwards coming off the bench.
Overall I am optimistic but cautious. Go UConn
I mean I didn’t travel all this way to watch us lose…

 

[Plebe]

Uconn has been on a tear ever since the loss to Tennessee back on 2/6/25. They have only had 3 games within 20 points or less with 2 of those games being against Big East foe Creighton 72-53 win at the XL Ctr on 2/27/25 and a 70-50 win in the Big East Championship game on 3/10/25. The other was against the #1 seed USC in the Elite Eight in Seattle 78-64. They have out performed the point spread in every game they've played in the NCAA Tournament.

If UConn could bottle and sell the “10-day transformation” displayed between the TN loss and the win at SC, then NIL would never ever be a concern for our program.

Never in my life have I seen such a drastic turnaround in such a short time. The results since have shown it was no fluke either. SC is a formidable opponent and has proven tremendously resilient, but I still like where we are right now.

 

[BRS24]

Ok, I am here in Florida and enjoying the situation. Let me say 3 things:
1. This team is absolutely on a mission and no one is stopping them, I am sorry that Jen B, Cori C and Dawn all feel “slighted” but hey, how about winning the way UConn has and maybe you wouldn’t be doubted
2. There are an unbelievable amount of UConn and Paige fans here. She’s in the moment and on a mission. While she may not have led the team in points or assists last night, she is absolutely the key figure here by both the team and the audience.
No one else is close.
3. SC is absolutely a formidable opponent but they struggle with turnovers and don’t have the scoring threats we do. Heck, of their top three players only 1 starts ( Kitts) with Fulwiley and Edwards coming off the bench.
Overall I am optimistic but cautious. Go UConn
I mean I didn’t travel all this way to watch us lose…

In the alternative broadcast with Sue and Dee, they both said that this year's team is on a mission. Focused on what they have to do. In the past four years (excluding 2023), it seemed like it was a relief to just get to the final four.

 

[tomcat]

I saw the two games in person and am really glad I did. would love to drive back and see the final, but the ticket costs are quite high. I know it'll be a good game, but still....
A couple of impressions: The SC-TX game was not exactly an artistic masterpiece. SC was a lot better, to say the least, and TX had absolutely nothing to offer. I don't know where their vaunted defense was. It seemed to me that the two teams were competing to make the most mistakes.
The UConn game, on the other hand, was a study in domination. I didn't expect it, and most people in the arena, from what I could see, didn't either. It was an illustration of the principle that strong defense can lead to strong offense.
Three SC players impress me: Edwards, who is fast and a scorer; PauPau, an overall threat; and Fulwiley, who is the sparkplug who makes the whole team better. If UConn can neutralize two of these three, they have a great chance of winning.
In terms of UConn offense, the UCLA game reminded me to the SC game. Many players were hitting shots from all over. Azzi was on fire early, and that game UConn a lead that UCLA never approached. As a shooter, Paige was merely good rather than extraordinary. As a passer, that volleyball pass toward the end of the game will be in highlight reels for a long, long time.
IK thought that in their separate games both SC and UConn looked like they wanted it a lot more than the other guys, I have to admit that I was surprised that a Schaefer team (I think he's a darn good coach) would be as unprepared as they seemed, especially against a team they played three previous times. I thought SC was not spectacular. They just played their game, and it was head-and-shoulders better than Texas' game.

 

[mainerhuski]

Betts got away at least 3 if not 4 elbow fouls and she didn't get called on it once.

She’s been getting away with that elbow hook all season. Hoping that now that refs all over the country have witnessed it that maybe she’ll get called on it next year.

 

[fomalhaut]

I have now seen this type of "slap pass" three times, once by Walton, more than once by Jason Kidd, and now once by Paige. VERY select company!

It's also part of Nikola Jokic's arsenal of tricks.

 

[Centerstream]

Watching the replay and Cori Close reminded me of another coach with her facial expressions...Seton Hall coach Tony Bozzella

 

[Dugway]

UCLA thought this was California basketball. UConn said no. This ain't California basketball, this is UConn basketball.

I'm going to search for Sarge's "Winner's thread". If there's a winner, which I doubt, I want that person to buy me a lottery ticket.

I can tell you that my guess of a Triple Overtime game was a weee-bit inaccurate.

 

[Sifaka]

If UConn could bottle and sell the “10-day transformation” displayed between the TN loss and the win at SC, then NIL would never ever be a concern for our program.

Never in my life have I seen such a drastic turnaround in such a short time. The results since have shown it was no fluke either. SC is a formidable opponent and has proven tremendously resilient, but I still like where we are right now.

As they say in the old country, No hay necesidad de enseñar al gato a arañar.

 

[WLT1717]

Good point. Now you've got me wondering what Dawn is thinking about tomorrow's game. She knows as much as Geno does about this game. What did she see in yesterday's game?

Dawn Staley knows as much about the game as Geno?

 

[Bone Dog]

Dawn Staley knows as much about the game as Geno?

Not what I said. She knows as much about the pressures of playing in this game because she’s done a few of them. Maybe no eleven, but enough to understand what problems the pressure poses.

 

[WLT1717]

Not what I said. She knows as much about the pressures of playing in this game because she’s done a few of them. Maybe no eleven, but enough to understand what problems the pressure poses.

I stand corrected. She knows as much about “this” game. She doesn’t. But that’s OK.