UConn has too much fire power

[DEpup]

Aside the 2019-20 season, what season has Uconn not had the most talent and firepower? they had it in 2017, 2018, 2019 or are we saying that the teams of Gabby/Dangerfield/Nurse/KLS/Collier/Azura/Williams weren't firepower? The issue with Uconn has not been about talent, it has been about mental toughness and having players that can close games out in the last 10 minutes of game or OT. Who is the person in the last few minutes that will rise up to the challenge? Also I would keep note that if you're going to use Stanford "barely" beating an Arz team after playing the most physical team in America South Carolina 2 days earlier I'd be cautious.

And don't forget depth.... I think they have had the best 4 or 5 on the depth chart on wbb but it was 6,7, and 8 on the depth chart that did us in each year. IMO.

 

[and one]

I'm over going into every season thinking UConn can run the board and get on a 50 or 100 game win streak. The women's game is maturing as the talent pipeline brings more and more good players into the college ranks. This is a good thing for us fans.

I've pulled for Carolina (I know - not generally well liked on Boneyard, which I can live with) since the mid-70s and watching them navigate a generally tough ACC schedule and tournament is great viewing. I hate losing to Duke but love that we take them on 2 or 3 times a year. Even championship years usually have some low points. Losing at least a handful of games isn't the end of the world. It is normal. This is where the women's game is going; a ways to go yet, but soon.

It is long shot we go undefeated; so what? It is money in the bank we go into the NCAAs as a high seed and have as good a chance to win it all as anyone. Who could ask for anything more?

 

[Jingo]

Theses been alot of posts over the years especially this season on height. There aren't alot of bigs that score alot of points. The presence of bigs intimidates players going to the middle. Depending on a big for points in most cases is not their purpose. Their purpose their purpose is for defense and rebounding. With that said against smaller post players bigs are able to get alot of points but having a good defensive big can negate that.

Uconn this season has alot of really good outside shooters. UConn should be able to put up alot of points in a very short time. We have shooters much like KML was for UConn. Other teams dont have the fire power and depth in fire power that UConn has this season. Defenses will have a problem defending UConn one on one. If one player draws two defenders that will leave somebody else open. If that player is having an off shooting night then we have players who can come off the bench and score. This team is loaded with really good shooters and scorers.

Against teams like SC and Stanford they like UConn have multiple bigs allowing them to play a high low. That could be a factor if defensively they are quick enough to keep up with our speedy guards. That could also put them in foul trouble. UConns ability to score alot of points will most likely result in the game being slowed down. That could work if opponents can keep up with UConns scoring. IMO the only teams that can threaten UConn are SC and Stanford and Stanford is not on UConns schedule. Stanford and UConn are on SC's schedule. Im looking forward to watching those games.

I look back a few years on how dominate UConn was with the 3 some of Stewie Tuck and MoJeff. Well this years team is similar. I expect AE's improvement to put her in position to become a better scorer and that along with are guards and wings will give us a dominate scoring attack that will not be matched by any other team.

Those fans concerned about what happened at the end of last season I believe have nothing to be concerned about this season. We have the depth and experience to handle any threats. We are for the most part a young team that will be dependent on some young players and those young players will be lead by upperclassmen who will complement them on the floor. I dont think many fans understand how good this team is and how much better they will be by the end of the season. In December we have UCLA and LVille then in January we have Oregon and SC. These tests will amplify our weaknesses as well as our ability to play in big games. These games will allow Geno to tweak his team.

Its been a while since Ive been this excited about the up coming season. As crazy as it sounds, I think we can begin to start another win streak much like we did in the past. This is a special group of players with alot of talent and we have more talent coming in next season. Dont be surprised with double digit wins against good teams. The fire power is there and the ability to go on runs and put up alot of points in a very short time is a reality that opponents will have to guard against. As good as SC and Stanford are and they are the cream of the crop this season I dont think they can contain UConns explosive Ariel attack. We're Going to the Top....the Very Top

I think there are too many selfish players on this team and that will be our downfall .. our BIGS will NEVER see the ball unless they get an offensive rebound .. thus, our guards [with their delusions of grandeur] will be our Achilles heel, eh?

 

[oldhusky]

Too much firepower is great, but how often and how it is used is still up in the air. I think the roster presents Geno with the ability to put pretty much any skillset on the floor. With this years addition of shooters, and last year bringing in much passing, having defenders, rebounders, and even a number of talented bigs, the ability to adjust for the opponent is probably better than it has been in a long long time.

I know we should be significantly better, but to be way better the additions need to take significant playing time from the incumbents. If we are still playing Liv, Evina, and Christyn similar minutes, we will be somewhat better because we can confidently play talented players at 8-10 players deep. That by itself is not a quantum leap, however, particularly when you realize our very talented "third teamers" likely won't be relevant in big games until there is an injury. Some of that "too much" firepower doesn't get used.

If some of the seniors lose significant playing time because say Azzi, Aaliyah, Dorka or maybe Caroline clearly beat them out, then that is a big leap forward. At least by Uconn's exceptionally high standards, the seniors are good not great players. Even with as good a bench as Uconn has maybe ever had, the ceiling of this team with the seniors getting major major minutes, falls a little short of Uconn's best teams ever IMO. But some of the players on this roster have the ability to improve on players that are already good.

 

[Carnac]

I am very excited about the upcoming season - who wouldn`t be? The offensive firepower should be something to behold and I expect UConn to break the 100 point mark on numerous occasions. It will be fun.

But it isn`t always going to be like a DePaul game. In order to win a national title they will inevitably have to win one or more games that are ugly, walk it up, possession by possession, knock down, drag out, physical, poorly officiated brawls. (South Carolina, maybe?) UConn will simply need to be physical and able to defend, and to make contested shots and free throws. I think playing time will be dictated largely on ability to defend.

The good news is that we do have some very good defensive players on the roster. It will be interesting to see how well the offensively gifted newcomers play on the defensive end and adapt to the UConn defensive system - not to be taken for granted, an example being Azura Stevens who never really figured it out.

On the defensive end, a major plus this season is the additional depth which will allow UConn to press and to defend more aggressively, since foul trouble should not be the cause for panic that it has been in recent years.

The only way UConn doesn’t break a hundred is if he pulls his starters early. You’re right about leaning how to win “ugly.” Might as well begin in November.

If you can’t finish the ‘bunnies’, the “firepower” may not be enough.
Just sayin’...

Stymie, I nominate this comment as the "POD".........Post Of the Day". That is sooooooo true. If UConn had hit all of their bunnies in the two semi-final NCAA Tournament games in 2017 and 2018, they would not have lost to Mississippi State 66-64 OT, or the semi-final OT buzzer beater to ND 91-89. Just one more made bunny in regulation wins those two games for us, and we play for the championship two days later.

You MUST finish every play!!! That means you MUST make the easy shots (put-backs under the basket/layups), i.e., the bunnies. Don't give those back. Unless a player can dunk the ball, a bunny is the easiest shot they can have, even if it's contested. Either make the shot, or go to the line.

 

[hard2please]

its nice to see tony optimistic for a change they laughed at him the last time he predicted that 195-0 record, if edd stayed he probably would have been correct. tonys got my vote !

 

[JonathanXIV]

I think there are too many selfish players on this team and that will be our downfall .. our BIGS will NEVER see the ball unless they get an offensive rebound .. thus, our guards [with their delusions of grandeur] will be our Achilles heel, eh?

What the heck are you talking about?

 

[Charliebball]

if this UConn team plays to it's potential and stays injury free I think they will be very hard to beat.......obviously it only takes one hot shooting opponent on a cold shooting night to loose but UConn has way too much firepower to stay cold for very long........waiting to see how long it will take for PB and to combine for 50 points in a game......

 

[cferraro04]

Tonyc and I are and have been on the same page with regards to this years version of the Huskies. The fire power is off the charts...three point shooters like Paige Bueckers, Azzi Fudd, Christyn Williams, Evina Westbrook, Nika Muhl, Saylor Poffenbarger and Carolyn Ducharme all playing for the same team is unprecedented for a UConn team. Our front court...is deep Oliva Ododa, Aaliyah Edwards, Dorka Juhasz, Aubrey Griffin, Amari DeBerry and Paith Gabriele...is as deep as it gets for UConn. This team already had great ball movement...this years version, given the time needed will make other teams envious with how the ball will move around the perimeter, in and out; out and in..it will be a thing of beauty. Defensively by the end of January - early February this team will shut down other teams, they will be disruptive, they will block shots and get steals. Am I excited about this year's team? Huge understatement! Someone mentioned as I have in the past I just don't see how you keep this team under 100 unless Geno takes his foot off the gas (which he will do in order to spare teams from being blown-out in embarrassing losses). I expect record points off turnovers, record threes, possibly a record points per game, record low scores per game for their opponents. There is just no way to downplay how good this team will be come February...Geno knows it, Paige knows it, Tonyc knows it and so do we.

 

[Carnac]

if this UConn team plays to it's potential and stays injury free I think they will be very hard to beat.......obviously it only takes one hot shooting opponent on a cold shooting night to loose but UConn has way too much firepower to stay cold for very long........waiting to see how long it will take for PB and to combine for 50 points in a game......

I'm guessing before the holiday break. Remember that Crystal Dangerfield tallied 19 points and five assists vs. Baylor (11/17), and Christyn Williams broke out for 28 points with 11 field goals at Notre Dame (12/2), both had their "breakout" games early (within the first 7 games) in their freshman year? If Azzi can find HER stroke and confidence early on, I'm guessing it can happen sometime in December.

 

[Alydar]

Last year UConn's MOV was 29pts/gm. The top MOV in the last 12 years was the 2015 UConn team @ 41/gm. So there is a target. In fact in the last 12 years UConn led the country 9 times. Which takes me to my point which is that UConn has always dominated other teams with their defense. Last year they depended on 3 freshmen to make significant contributions. Defense is all about communications and I expect a huge improvement on defense. In addition to the expected freshman to sophomore jump they are adding a high quality and experienced post in Juhasz. Her presence will allow Geno to keep 2 bigs on the court (ONO, Juhasz, Edwards) at all times. Last year there were a lot of games when one of the two posts sat due to fouls and UConn got beat (Ark & Ariz are two examples).

I read a comment that SC's guards/wings are somehow better than UConn's. I guess that poster missed the UConn-SCar game where Bueckers used both Cooke and Henderson repeatedly. They are certainly quick but they are tiny and are not very good outside shooters. They score a lot on transition but UConn took that away. I haven't seen Stanford play much so I can't say much but UConn won't face them until April. I expect that Tara will invent some variation of a triangle plus 2 but even her genius won't help.

 

[Woof 101]

I think there are too many selfish players on this team and that will be our downfall .. our BIGS will NEVER see the ball unless they get an offensive rebound .. thus, our guards [with their delusions of grandeur] will be our Achilles heel, eh?

No attack but your logic is suspect in my opinion on this one and others in the past. Sense the day Geno arrived the team has been a virtual example of how to share the ball. Season after season including last year they are one of the top teams in assists.
NCAA College Women's Basketball DI current team Stats | NCAA.com

Geno has begged players to shoot when open or penetrate and get fouled. I think a little research will show one that any player on UConn not performing as a team player will not be on the floor for but a few minutes. The word selfish has never been associated with UConn women's basketball and I doubt it will be this year.

 

[huskeynut]

I think there are too many selfish players on this team and that will be our downfall .. our BIGS will NEVER see the ball unless they get an offensive rebound .. thus, our guards [with their delusions of grandeur] will be our Achilles heel, eh?

Not even close to true.

 

[Stymie]

Not even close to true.

Err...please specify which players you’re alluding to.
You state this as a fact, not “I think”.
Pony up.

 

[Stymie]

Sorry, above addressed to jingo

 

[eebmg]

if this UConn team plays to it's potential and stays injury free I think they will be very hard to beat.......obviously it only takes one hot shooting opponent on a cold shooting night to loose but UConn has way too much firepower to stay cold for very long........waiting to see how long it will take for PB and to combine for 50 points in a game......

So, when will Paige assisted Azzi break Lou's 10/10 from 3? Freshman year? Game 1?

 

[Mdoggie]

Jingo thought he was posting on the men’s forum. Please accept his apology.

 

[Tonyc]

Regarding posts about playtime with all the talent on this seasons team. Playtime has always been earned in practice. The underclassman will need playtime to be ready to step into the shoes of this years graduating class. The seniors will need playtime because theyve earned it and need to be ready for the pros. So I dont see playtime being an issue. In the big games early on we will depend on our experienced players and those underclassman who have proven they can play on the big stage. Hey some will not see alot of playtime however with blow outs and I think this season there will be many and many early in the first half...playtime should not be an issue.

Last season Paige amazed us on how she could take over a game and how she could get everybody involved. We saw her telling Saylor to shoot the ball to get her going. Thats leadership. Azzi is a generational player much like Paige. This duo is going to be off the charts and there isnt anything our opponents can do about it. They remind me of Stewie at her level to be able to do what she did when UConn needed somebody to step up. Now we've got 2 in Paige and Azzi. Some of you may doubt it. Some of you may not see it yet. But you will.

 

[Stymie]

Jingo thought he was posting on the men’s forum. Please accept his apology.

 

[Aluminny69]

I apologize in advance if this has already been discussed. I have a slight concern for a certain amount of unselfishness. That is, some players may give up open shots in the name of "sharing" the ball. Personally, I believe the mindset should be, get the ball to whoever is "hot" that night. As great as these girls might be, not everyone will be hot every night. This is what came to my mind after reading the Topic header.

 

[BostonBay]

Selfish?!? This team is too unselfish, especially in big games. I'd rather see a 3-person combo like Paige/Azzi/Dorku dominate the scoring & possession (80 points total among them) come Tourney time, rather than playing timid & seeing who is "hot" that game - that is a recipe for disaster. Let the other coach try to stop our big scorers if they can.

 

[Jingo]

Regarding posts about playtime with all the talent on this seasons team. Playtime has always been earned in practice. The underclassman will need playtime to be ready to step into the shoes of this years graduating class. The seniors will need playtime because theyve earned it and need to be ready for the pros. So I dont see playtime being an issue. In the big games early on we will depend on our experienced players and those underclassman who have proven they can play on the big stage. Hey some will not see alot of playtime however with blow outs and I think this season there will be many and many early in the first half...playtime should not be an issue.

Last season Paige amazed us on how she could take over a game and how she could get everybody involved. We saw her telling Saylor to shoot the ball to get her going. Thats leadership. Azzi is a generational player much like Paige. This duo is going to be off the charts and there isnt anything our opponents can do about it. They remind me of Stewie at her level to be able to do what she did when UConn needed somebody to step up. Now we've got 2 in Paige and Azzi. Some of you may doubt it. Some of you may not see it yet. But you will.

It's a bit premature to call Azzi a "generational player" after watching her play in the FIBA U19 games this past summer. I saw all the games. She was the 6th guard behind Paopao, Clark, Citron, Verlquist, & Johnson in that order. Lauren Betts was MVP, altho they gave that award to Clark.
"Bring your game, not your name" is the motto of the iS8 tournament in Queens. Sage advice!

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

Shocking that @Tonyc can manage to pack so much optimism into one post. . I love it!
Even with the amount of potential firepower that UCONN can put on the floor this season, it is very premature to be talking about another UCONN winning streak or presuming a championship.
For starters UCONN potentially faces South Carolina three times this season. Once will be at their place and the other two will be at a neutral site. SC returns 4 players (Boston, Beal , Cooke and Henderson) for whom this will be the 3 year of starting together. Combine that with the number 1 recruiting class and the fact that the two teams played into OT @ UCONN last season, I just cannot envision a scenario where either team sweeps all three games.
Despite all this potential firepower UCONN is not going to start another winning streak by getting into shootouts. UCONN will eventually have to defend as Arizona did against them last year and as they failed to do at Arkansas. Stanford and SC have been mentioned as potential teams that can give UCONN trouble this year. I suggest another team would be NC State. NC added a pair of players (Diamond Johnson & Madison Hayes ) that were among the best freshman in the country last year to what is a terrific returning (top 5) team. It would also not be wise to look past Louisville. Although Louisville lost Dana Evans last year that team has been bolstered by the transfer of Emily Engstler and incoming freshman Payton Verhulst. UCONN is definitely one of the top 3 teams in the country which is pretty much where UCONN has been sitting since the 2016-17 season. None of those seasons resulted in an undefeated teams nor did any of those team start of a winning streak worthy of being talked about by UCONN WBB standards. I hope this team can but I would count on it.

I agree with you; remember how dominant Maryland "seemed" to be on offense last season? Until they played a good defense.

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

Every year I have one desire or hope for the Huskies, to stay away from major injuries and/or sickness!
If UCONN can do that then let the chips fall where they may.
They certainly have the talent for great things but they need to be ON the court to get those results!
I don't predict any special results just please stay healthy!

 

[jabstep]

This year's team has all the parts. We all expect great things from them. We have 3 point shooters!! We have more quality bigs than I can remember. We have experienced seniors. We also have pretty good coaching. Let the games begin!!!!