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.
