UConn has too much fire power

[Inthepaint]

What the heck are you talking about?

Maybe too many Muehl to Bueckers to Edwards layups?
Or Westbrook to CW touchdown passes?
Or ONO to Aubrey backdoor slices?
Yeah, bunch of glory hogs!!

 

[GoChips20]

T

Whilst I love Tony's optimism and enthusiasm, IMHO there is no way UCONN will be dominant against the best teams this season. Sure we will likely blow out anyone not in the top 10, but there is no team out there who will roll over for UCONN, and I'm betting fans of Stanford and SC like their teams' chances a lot too.

On paper, SC is stronger in the post. They have guards and wings who are simply more athletic than ours. Does this mean they win? UCONN certainly has strengths they don't. While they bring back top 10 PG Henderson, now a senior, they have no one like NPOY Bueckers. And very few teams will have the shooting prowess of UCONN. I'd stack up Williams and Westbrook against any pair of off guards in the country, and no one has the intensity or aggressiveness of Muhl.

I suspect they will start Henderson, Beal, Cook, Saxton and Boston, but given how Amihere has improved, she may supplant Saxton. Off the bench they will have Littleton, Amihere, Grissett, and Cardoso. Not to mention the quartet of freshmen.

I suspect UCONN will start Muhl, Bueckers, Williams, Westbrook and ONO. Griffin, Edwards and Juhusz off the bench with our quartet of outstanding freshmen. We have waves of post players we can throw at them. They have waves of athletic guards and wings they can throw at us.

UCONN will likely play them twice in the regular season, something i'm not keen on. We could face them a 3rd time in the NCAA's. Anyone remember ND and how hard it was to beat a team 3x in 1 season?

Anyway my point is - while of course I hope we win, will we? We won't know till the teams play. Both sets of fans will feel confident but nervous. SC is every bit as deep as UCONN. They are more athletic. We have better shooters. On paper. How will that translate? Geno will have to devise a way to stop their post players. They will need to stop our guards.

I do think Stanford is just a whisker below UCONN and SC, but any team that is coming off an NC and has 4 starters coming back (I think they lost Kiana Williams to graduation) but bring back 6th year guard Wilson as well as Hull, Brink, and Jones (final 4 MOP). Prechtel may be the 5th starter, but they are a bit thin after that - Belibi, Jump, the other Hull, and their quartet of freshmen led by Demetre and Iriafen.

Tara is a tremendous coach and has done more with less (on paper) than most other coaches. By that I mean she's made deep NCAA runs with teams on paper having little top 5 (or top 10) firepower.

Going to be an exciting season. Some of those seasons UCONN won with Stewie et. al. - the final 4 was super weak (the year we beat Syracuse), or another top team had a monumental upset (Baylor with Griner/Sims losing to L'ville). That won't be the case for the next several years. All IMHO of course...

Thank you for such a thorough, realistic, and well-constructed post. I understand this is a UConn board, but some of the other users here write their posts like “Yes SC added three of the top four freshman and the ACC FOY/DPOY, but Nika Muhl’s and Aliyah Edwards’s sophomore leaps give us the advantage.”

UConn and SC (alongside Stanford, NC State, Maryland, and perhaps a few others) will ALL be threats for the crown next year. Maybe one of these teams does indeed emerge as a cut above the rest, but until that happens, we should give credit to the clear pool of top team talent and see what happens.

 

[drweo]

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.

I agree that UConn has a lot of offensive strength, but I also agree with you that defense will be the key that unlocks the national championship.

 

[MSGRET]

Seems like you folks spend the off season laying around spinning pipe dreams of imagined glory. If you played in a Power 5 conference you might be ready for a Final Four win at long last. As it is, you beat up on a bunch of Seaton Halls and enter the Tournament thinking you're as potent as your pumped up stats make you appear. When you play the Gamecocks reality will dawn - and if you had the guts to go to Palo Alto your pipe dreams would evaporate. You're actually pretty good for a mid-major.

It was Tara that ended the series NOT Geno, so if you want to talk about anyone not having the GUTS to play please direct it to the coach in Palo Alto.

 

[Zanzman]

It was Tara that ended the series NOT Geno, so if you want to talk about anyone not having the GUTS to play please direct it to the coach in Palo Alto.

Can’t believe it took so long for a b yarder to say this I just read it and was reading them all before I commented

 

[HuskyNan]

You need to remember, @Jingo is not a UCONN fan. He/she is a Griffin and/or Ossining fan. So unless Griffin or some other player from Ossining has a great game/season/career, Jingo is not gonna be happy. He/she will continue to talk up Griffin, complain about her playing time, and take shots at any other UCONN player whom he/she feels threatens Griffin's playing time. Well, until Griffin graduates, then he/she will disappear from the BY. We get these "player fans" every once in awhile. Some learn to like UCONN, but some never get past "their player".

 

[MSGRET]

Can’t believe it took so long for a b yarder to say this I just read it and was reading them all before I commented

I hate it when people accuse Geno of dodging other teams. I've seen Dukies, Vols, Terps, and others state it's UConn and it's never been UConn. Both Duke and Maryland ended the series because of their coaches were getting tired of geting whooped every time they played. Pat ended the series because she hated that Geno got Maya and not her. While there have been others these three stood out. Now the Vols have renewed the series and I believe that Maryland has a home and home starting next year. I hope that Kara changes the Blue Devils opinion of playing UConn.

 

[BobbyJ]

Seems like you folks spend the off season laying around spinning pipe dreams of imagined glory. If you played in a Power 5 conference you might be ready for a Final Four win at long last. As it is, you beat up on a bunch of Seaton Halls and enter the Tournament thinking you're as potent as your pumped up stats make you appear. When you play the Gamecocks reality will dawn - and if you had the guts to go to Palo Alto your pipe dreams would evaporate. You're actually pretty good for a mid-major.

As a 19 year old trash talker you must have missed the 11 NCs by UConn. Bye bye Precious.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

Better to have more than less or just enough. Life and injuries happen.

 

[Jingo]

You need to remember, @Jingo is not a UCONN fan. He/she is a Griffin and/or Ossining fan. So unless Griffin or some other player from Ossining has a great game/season/career, Jingo is not gonna be happy. He/she will continue to talk up Griffin, complain about her playing time, and take shots at any other UCONN player whom he/she feels threatens Griffin's playing time. Well, until Griffin graduates, then he/she will disappear from the BY. We get these "player fans" every once in awhile. Some learn to like UCONN, but some never get past "their player".

Jingo is a Christ the King fan - Chamique, Sue Bird and Tina Charles, eh? Both of HIS daughters played for Christ the King - Chelsea pictured - and both were starters and 1st-team All-City in New York City. Jingo coached for the Liberty Belles AAU club, for which Chamique, Sue & Tina played. Jingo coached against Brion Giorgis and considers him a gr8 coach. Jingo saw Aubrey play in the NY State High School tournament and considers her to be the 'best athlete' on the UConn women's team. Aubrey played phenomenal in the NY State tourney and is ready to 'break out'.
My favourite player on the UConn squad is [lottery pick] ONO who leads the team in rebounding, blocked shots, intimidation and is 2nd in assists behind Paige.
Money corrupts! Paying college athletes makes them think more about their stats than about what's good for the team IMO.
My favourite hoops motto [from iS8]: "Bring your game, not your name"
Paige certainly brought her game; let's see if Azzi can too!
There you have it!

 

[JoePgh]

It was Tara that ended the series NOT Geno, so if you want to talk about anyone not having the GUTS to play please direct it to the coach in Palo Alto.

Who says that the series has ended? This is not a Pat-Geno situation. I am not aware of any hostility or nefarious accusations being made by either UConn or Stanford against each other, unless you want to go back to the 1996 Olympics.

The two teams have played many times since then, in Connecticut, Palo Alto, and neutral sites. They will probably play again before long, just not in the upcoming regular season.

 

[Zanzman]

Who says that the series has ended? This is not a Pat-Geno situation. I am not aware of any hostility or nefarious accusations being made by either UConn or Stanford against each other, unless you want to go back to the 1996 Olympics.

The two teams have played many times since then, in Connecticut, Palo Alto, and neutral sites. They will probably play again before long, just not in the upcoming regular season.

Don’t forget Tara cancelled the last scheduled game to avoid getting whooped by the Stewart led Huskies

 

[jchusky]

Don’t forget Tara cancelled the last scheduled game to avoid getting whooped by the Stewart led Huskies

my guess it won't be any time soon esp after the Nneka situation

 

[Alydar]

I agree that UConn has a lot of offensive strength, but I also agree with you that defense will be the key that unlocks the national championship.

+++

For all the attention that is correctly given to UConn's offensive potential I am convinced that their 2022 defense will be awesome. Defense is more about effort and teamwork than about talent. Last year UConn relied heavily on 3 inexperienced freshmen. This season the UConn defense will likely get lost in the media's attention to their offense but it will be their defense that will bring home the title.

 

[eebmg]

I hate it when people accuse Geno of dodging other teams. I've seen Dukies, Vols, Terps, and others state it's UConn and it's never been UConn. Both Duke and Maryland ended the series because of their coaches were getting tired of geting whooped every time they played. Pat ended the series because she hated that Geno got Maya and not her. While there have been others these three stood out. Now the Vols have renewed the series and I believe that Maryland has a home and home starting next year. I hope that Kara changes the Blue Devils opinion of playing UConn.

Are you sure about Maryland? I thought the series was renewed but it was postponed due scheduling?

 

[JonathanXIV]

Jingo is a Christ the King fan - Chamique, Sue Bird and Tina Charles, eh? Both of HIS daughters played for Christ the King - Chelsea pictured - and both were starters and 1st-team All-City in New York City. Jingo coached for the Liberty Belles AAU club, for which Chamique, Sue & Tina played. Jingo coached against Brion Giorgis and considers him a gr8 coach. Jingo saw Aubrey play in the NY State High School tournament and considers her to be the 'best athlete' on the UConn women's team. Aubrey played phenomenal in the NY State tourney and is ready to 'break out'.
My favourite player on the UConn squad is [lottery pick] ONO who leads the team in rebounding, blocked shots, intimidation and is 2nd in assists behind Paige.
Money corrupts! Paying college athletes makes them think more about their stats than about what's good for the team IMO.
My favourite hoops motto [from iS8]: "Bring your game, not your name"
Paige certainly brought her game; let's see if Azzi can too!
There you have it!

I’m always leery of anyone who refers to themselves in the third person. Eh?

 

[Jingo]

I’m always leery of anyone who refers to themselves in the third person. Eh?

I know, it's difficult to process, eh?

 

[Alydar]

Are you sure about Maryland? I thought the series was renewed but it was postponed due scheduling?

You may be right about Maryland and it may have been a Covid thing but Stanford has somehow been forgotten. When the series ended Geno said that Tara "wanted/needed" a break. That was in the Stewart years and she knew that the win in Maples was a fluke with an assist from the refs. Tara is a genius at devising defenses against UConn but they would only work once against the power UConn has now. Maybe she'd prefer that happen in the FF. But UConn is playing Oregon and UCLA so we will see how tough the competition in the PAC12 can be.

 

[Cuango]

Seems like you folks spend the off season laying around spinning pipe dreams of imagined glory. If you played in a Power 5 conference you might be ready for a Final Four win at long last. As it is, you beat up on a bunch of Seaton Halls and enter the Tournament thinking you're as potent as your pumped up stats make you appear. When you play the Gamecocks reality will dawn - and if you had the guts to go to Palo Alto your pipe dreams would evaporate. You're actually pretty good for a mid-major.

Good one, Pengy! Comedy is always welcome here on the Boneyard!

 

[jchusky]

I really really hope people aren't saying stuff like a final 4 is given. Please take a look at the teams that could possibly be in the 5-8 line this season: Louisville, Nc st, Indiana (my upset final 4 pick), Maryland

Any of those matchups would be a very hard matchup for Uconn, they would be favorite but that doesn't mean it's going to be a cakewalk

 

[FormerCTrez]

Seems like you folks spend the off season laying around spinning pipe dreams of imagined glory. If you played in a Power 5 conference you might be ready for a Final Four win at long last. As it is, you beat up on a bunch of Seaton Halls and enter the Tournament thinking you're as potent as your pumped up stats make you appear. When you play the Gamecocks reality will dawn - and if you had the guts to go to Palo Alto your pipe dreams would evaporate. You're actually pretty good for a mid-major.

Craftsman, may I ask why you've flavored your statement with so many scotch bonnet peppers? You have to realize by now, (or maybe you don't know) that some UConn fans on the BY are great believers, and defenders of the players. They genuinely love all the players, will go to the ends of the earth to advocate for them. They believe the players walk on air, and that's okay, because most die-hard fans believe the same about their teams.
Having said that, the banter between/amongst the 'yarders is always interesting, funny and inciteful. At least from my point of view. Sure you can comment on someone's opinion, but there's no need for insults.
Also........ Just because you mentioned the Gamecocks and Palo Alto. a) The Gamecocks won 2 Final Four games in 2017 -- Semis and Championship. They earned it. How many has UConn won? How many has UConn earned? b) The Gamecocks and Huskys lost in the 2020 Final Four games, while the Cardinals (Palo Alto) won both. They earned it. Again, how many has UConn won, and earned? And, do you remember the last game between Stanford and UConn? I can. The last game between the Gamecocks and the Huskys was epic, and there's more to come. Thanks to both Dawn and Geno, they're not afraid of facing the foe. Their goal is to expand the women's game, and win championships.

PS: I don't believe UConn is avoiding tough out of conference games with anyone, as Geno is always looking for such games.

 

[Skeets]

Sometimes games are determined by which team make the last play.

Carnac, I almost always agree with you, but let me add UCONN can never let themselves get into the position were the last play is going to win the game, ever again.

 

[oldude]

Carnac, I almost always agree with you, but let me add UCONN can never let themselves get into the position were the last play is going to win the game, ever again.

While it’s not necessarily desirable, I’ll take my chances on a game coming down to the last play with the ball in Paige’s hands.

 

[meyers7]

Jingo is a Christ the King fan - Chamique, Sue Bird and Tina Charles, eh? Both of HIS daughters played for Christ the King - Chelsea pictured - and both were starters and 1st-team All-City in New York City. Jingo coached for the Liberty Belles AAU club, for which Chamique, Sue & Tina played. Jingo coached against Brion Giorgis and considers him a gr8 coach. Jingo saw Aubrey play in the NY State High School tournament and considers her to be the 'best athlete' on the UConn women's team. Aubrey played phenomenal in the NY State tourney and is ready to 'break out'.
My favourite player on the UConn squad is [lottery pick] ONO who leads the team in rebounding, blocked shots, intimidation and is 2nd in assists behind Paige.
Money corrupts! Paying college athletes makes them think more about their stats than about what's good for the team IMO.
My favourite hoops motto [from iS8]: "Bring your game, not your name"
Paige certainly brought her game; let's see if Azzi can too!
There you have it!

Our very own Coach Jumper. I guess meyers7 will see in a couple years.

My favourite hoops motto (from Flo): "Sprinkles are for winners"

 

[Stymie]

While it’s not necessarily desirable, I’ll take my chances on a game coming down to the last play with the ball in Paige’s hands.

Doesn’t the game coming down to a ‘last play’ demonstrate that many times, over the past 39+ minutes, the opposing team has repeatedly prevented you from executing as you had planned?
To me-last play=crapshoot.