UConn is Very Dangerous

[Tonyc]

The fire power is there. The go to player(s) are a lock and both are generational players. UConn has height depth speed defense and more then one good defensive player. There is nothing missing on this team. SC and Stanford are great. This season UConn is off the charts good. The difference between UConn and say SC or Stanford. We have to go to generational players who play at a different level then anybody else. Those of you remember Diana and Geno saying we've got Diana and you dont. Well we've got Paige and Azzi and you dont. P&A are not just great players they are better then great players playing at a level that no other player plays at thus called generational players.

Uconn has the ability to score more points then any other team in WCBB HISTORY. There isnt a team in WCBB that has a Paige and an Azzi. Add to them Edwards who this season will become a dominate force along with Dorka due to the ability of Paige and Azzi getting them the ball. You add in Evina CW Liv and Caroline and the sky is the limit. The sky is the limit because Geno is developing them and imo he has a team that Im lost for words to describe because they are that good. Could they loose? Maybe If they loose a game its because they lost it themselves and not because the other team is better because there isnt a better team. UConn has it all.

How do you defend UConns scoring attack??? How many teams have defenders that can stop P&A ??? Stop them from not only scoring but distributing the ball and making plays. Understand both can score whenever they want to but both are team players who make plays and find open team mate First. This is a very special group and lead by seniors and a couple of young guards who are beyond their years in talent and both have the mind set of winners. There are two types of players in the world. Those who think they can and those who think they cant...and theyre both right. Paige and Azzi know they can and their confidence will demoralize good opponents who try to stop them.

So to break it down. Paige and Azzi can score as many points as they need to score and they cant be stopped. They can take over a game much like Diana and Stewie did. There should be no arguments there. Their attitude to get everyone else involved and their ability to do that is something that only a few players in the past 25 years had. Now lets take a look at everybody else. Everybody else will be better because of the Paige and Azzi show. Thats just the way it is. Everybody else has the ability and skills to make an impact because of P&A. Caroline can shoot from any where and score from anywhere. Shes a special player who will complement P&A. Edwards will grow into her own and be a tremendous force by the end of January. We have height and the most important piece of our height is getting Amari and Piath up to speed for this season and for next season. Next season because Liv graduates, and we are told Dorka will stay 2 seasons so we need a backup for Dorka next season ala we need Amari and Piath to be able to step up. As we stand now Liv and Dorka are gonna be much improved and with P&A handling the ball well the skys the limit. I dont think fans realize how good this team is.

I dont see many scoring droughts due to the fact that we have so many shooters and scorers. I see UConn scoring alot of points and everyone being involved. This is a very unselfish team. I see P&A scoring as many points as they need to for UConn to win. Much like Diana did and Stewie did. They took over games and stepped up when the team needed them to. I see UConn as a team scoring over 100 pts almost whenever they want to. Theyve got the fire power to score quickly and in bunches. They also have the defense determination and depth to make that happen. It doesnt matter if an opponent slows it down we've got the defense, depth and scoring to beat them. I dont think fans see what I see. We have a bunch of double digit scorers. More then 5 who can put up big numbers and that is something you dont see often. Players coming off the bench and you loose nothing. This is a big part of why I think UConn wins it all. Early on UConn will go through some growing pains as they develop but as the season progress they will be a well oiled machine. This team has the ability to beat ever opponent by double digits because they have so many leaders who can make it happen.

Let me end on this note. I expect the fan excitement to be through the roof. Expectations are as high as theyve ever been. This is a very special team that will only get better as the season progress's. The key to the season will be the development of Amari and Caroline and the impact of Dorka and Liv. They rest of the team is at a very very high level. So who starts? LOL I dont think that matters because UConn needs to develop players to replace our graduating seniors. Liv CW and Evina will graduate so the development of Amari and Piath and Caroline Saylor and Azzi is what is needed to replace them. Nika Mir and Griff will get their minutes too, based on their development. Their impact is intensity on both sides of the ball and that can change the direction of the game.

Buckle your seats

 

[CocoHusky]

How I feel after reading a @Tonyc post!

 

[tchalla1]

The fire power is there. The go to player(s) are a lock and both are generational players. UConn has height depth speed defense and more then one good defensive player. There is nothing missing on this team. SC and Stanford are great. This season UConn is off the charts good. The difference between UConn and say SC or Stanford. We have to go to generational players who play at a different level then anybody else. Those of you remember Diana and Geno saying we've got Diana and you dont. Well we've got Paige and Azzi and you dont. P&A are not just great players they are better then great players playing at a level that no other player plays at thus called generational players.

Uconn has the ability to score more points then any other team in WCBB HISTORY. There isnt a team in WCBB that has a Paige and an Azzi. Add to them Edwards who this season will become a dominate force along with Dorka due to the ability of Paige and Azzi getting them the ball. You add in Evina CW Liv and Caroline and the sky is the limit. The sky is the limit because Geno is developing them and imo he has a team that Im lost for words to describe because they are that good. Could they loose? Maybe If they loose a game its because they lost it themselves and not because the other team is better because there isnt a better team. UConn has it all.

How do you defend UConns scoring attack??? How many teams have defenders that can stop P&A ??? Stop them from not only scoring but distributing the ball and making plays. Understand both can score whenever they want to but both are team players who make plays and find open team mate First. This is a very special group and lead by seniors and a couple of young guards who are beyond their years in talent and both have the mind set of winners. There are two types of players in the world. Those who think they can and those who think they cant...and theyre both right. Paige and Azzi know they can and their confidence will demoralize good opponents who try to stop them.

So to break it down. Paige and Azzi can score as many points as they need to score and they cant be stopped. They can take over a game much like Diana and Stewie did. There should be no arguments there. Their attitude to get everyone else involved and their ability to do that is something that only a few players in the past 25 years had. Now lets take a look at everybody else. Everybody else will be better because of the Paige and Azzi show. Thats just the way it is. Everybody else has the ability and skills to make an impact because of P&A. Caroline can shoot from any where and score from anywhere. Shes a special player who will complement P&A. Edwards will grow into her own and be a tremendous force by the end of January. We have height and the most important piece of our height is getting Amari and Piath up to speed for this season and for next season. Next season because Liv graduates, and we are told Dorka will stay 2 seasons so we need a backup for Dorka next season ala we need Amari and Piath to be able to step up. As we stand now Liv and Dorka are gonna be much improved and with P&A handling the ball well the skys the limit. I dont think fans realize how good this team is.

I dont see many scoring droughts due to the fact that we have so many shooters and scorers. I see UConn scoring alot of points and everyone being involved. This is a very unselfish team. I see P&A scoring as many points as they need to for UConn to win. Much like Diana did and Stewie did. They took over games and stepped up when the team needed them to. I see UConn as a team scoring over 100 pts almost whenever they want to. Theyve got the fire power to score quickly and in bunches. They also have the defense determination and depth to make that happen. It doesnt matter if an opponent slows it down we've got the defense, depth and scoring to beat them. I dont think fans see what I see. We have a bunch of double digit scorers. More then 5 who can put up big numbers and that is something you dont see often. Players coming off the bench and you loose nothing. This is a big part of why I think UConn wins it all. Early on UConn will go through some growing pains as they develop but as the season progress they will be a well oiled machine. This team has the ability to beat ever opponent by double digits because they have so many leaders who can make it happen.

Let me end on this note. I expect the fan excitement to be through the roof. Expectations are as high as theyve ever been. This is a very special team that will only get better as the season progress's. The key to the season will be the development of Amari and Caroline and the impact of Dorka and Liv. They rest of the team is at a very very high level. So who starts? LOL I dont think that matters because UConn needs to develop players to replace our graduating seniors. Liv CW and Evina will graduate so the development of Amari and Piath and Caroline Saylor and Azzi is what is needed to replace them. Nika Mir and Griff will get their minutes too, based on their development. Their impact is intensity on both sides of the ball and that can change the direction of the game.

Buckle your seats

Very nice assessment, Tonyc, on UConn's overall strengths and depth that although there are several teams with talent and depth, as you aptly pointed out, there is uniqueness in UConn's. Let's talk team weaknesses or areas of improvement and it starts with perimeter shooting and perimeter defense. Our backcourt must have better perimeter defenders and our frontcourt must demonstrate improved perimeter offense, i.e., the ability to hit a 10-foot jumper to prevent teams (as SC did) from packing the lane and offering up LIV and Aaliyah 10-12 footers which they declined to take.
Even with all of the above excellence that you meticulously pointed out, if we can't improve in those areas, we have vulnerabilities...

 

[MooseJaw]

Tonyc, as always an excellent post. I can't wait to see the ball fly down the court without touching the floor, crisp sharp passing galore. My favorite part of the Husky game, and no team does it better. Paired with what should be a high octane scoring machine we may well see an offensive Kraken. While we will have a high powered offense, there are some games when the basket looks like it's 12 feet high and the rim is the size of a donut hole. When and if we find it hard to buy a bucket we have the talent to put a lock down defense to work.
Do we win every game, dang I don't have a crystal ball, that spot is taken by a dedicated BY legend. I'm looking forward to his take on your post. What I do know is that from now to the first game I'll get twitchy and cantankerous in anticipation. I don't want to wish any part of my life away but darn the time is dragging. Let the high flying Husky's loose!

 

[Bald Husky]

Indeed CW was a #1 recruit, and Evina was a #2 recruit to #1 Meghan Walker.

 

[Carnac]

Tonyc, you've done it again. You've got us ALL "jacked up." I nominate this post as the POD........Post of the Day. Entertaining, informative and motivating. Like Coco, you've got me dancing a jig, fired up and ready for the season to start today. I agree with everything you said, especially about this team's ability to score points, and score them in bunches.

Opponents must be careful because this team can put you in a double digit deficit with in the first 2-3 minutes (Paige and or Azzi jack up four 3's) at the start of the game, then you're in a hole playing from behind trying to catch up. When you're behind and trying to catch up, sometimes you don't always take good shots. Paige and Azzi are the star attractions on this team, but they also have friends that will join them. Those are the two players fans want to see most, and are more than worthy of the price of admission.

I remember reading a release from the UConn ticket office this past summer that reported they had already sold (at that time, probably more since) over 1100 NEW season seats for this season. UConn fans did not get to see their team in action last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the protocols that it placed on WCBB.

I fully expect Gampel to be either sold out, or every seat filled by students (that don't fit into the student section) after all of the paying customers are seated. The students filled Gampel on First Night. Most of them are going to want to attend home games during the season. They all WILL NOT fit into the student section with its limited seating capacity. I can see students lining up to get into Gampel for home games 3-4 hours before the doors open. No doubt UConn will be a HUGE draw at every stop on the road as well for the same reasons. Geno calls it "The Circus." Everyone likes the circus. UConn coming to your gym/arena is a great recruiting tool for those programs.

We all know there will be conference games that will be decided by the middle of the 3rd quarter if not halftime. This will allow Geno to insert players on the end of the bench into the game for long periods of time. Needless to say those players will be eager to pick up where the starters left off to show that they are worthy of his trust and confidence. November 7 can't get here fast enough. Arkansas has no idea what they're in for.

 

[Carnac]

Very nice assessment, Tonyc, on UConn's overall strengths and depth that although there are several teams with talent and depth, as you aptly pointed out, there is uniqueness in UConn's. Let's talk team weaknesses or areas of improvement and it starts with perimeter shooting and perimeter defense. Our backcourt must have better perimeter defenders and our frontcourt must demonstrate improved perimeter offense, i.e., the ability to hit a 10-foot jumper to prevent teams (as SC did) from packing the lane and offering up LIV and Aaliyah 10-12 footers which they declined to take.
Even with all of the above excellence that you meticulously pointed out, if we can't improve in those areas, we have vulnerabilities...

Very true!! Coaches teach and players learn to "take what the defense gives you." This is true in any sport. How many times have we heard football coaches and quarterbacks say this? You may want to drive the lane all the way to the basket, but if their rim protector(s) is not having any of that, but is willing to give you the "mid-range" area of the paint for uncontested shots, you take them!!! You'll get 2 points from those shots the same as you will from a lay-up. Take what the defense gives you!!! They're giving it to you. You can kill a team with a thousand paper cuts the same as you can with several large knife stab thrusts, it just takes longer.

 

[Carnac]

Tonyc, you've done it again. You've got us ALL "jacked up." I nominate this post as the POD........Post of the Day. Entertaining, informative and motivating. Like Coco, you've got me dancing a jig, fired up and ready for the season to start today. I agree with everything you said, especially about this team's ability to score points, and score them in bunches.

Opponents must be careful because this team can put you in a double digit deficit with in the first 2-3 minutes (Paige and or Azzi jack up four 3's) at the start of the game, then you're in a hole playing from behind trying to catch up. When you're behind and trying to catch up, sometimes you don't always take good shots. Paige and Azzi are the star attractions on this team, but they also have friends that will join them. Those are the two players fans want to see most, and are more than worthy of the price of admission.

I remember reading a release from the UConn ticket office this past summer that reported they had already sold (at that time, probably more since) over 1100 NEW season seats for this season. UConn fans did not get to see their team in action last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the protocols that it placed on WCBB.

I fully expect Gampel to be either sold out, or every seat filled by students (that don't fit into the student section) after all of the paying customers are seated. The students filled Gampel on First Night. Most of them are going to want to attend home games during the season. They all WILL NOT fit into the student section with its limited seating capacity. I can see students lining up to get into Gampel for home games 3-4 hours before the doors open. No doubt UConn will be a HUGE draw at every stop on the road as well for the same reasons. Geno calls it "The Circus." Everyone likes the circus. UConn coming to your gym/arena is a great recruiting tool for those programs.

We all know there will be conference games that will be decided by the middle of the 3rd quarter if not halftime. This will allow Geno to insert players on the end of the bench into the game for long periods of time. Needless to say those players will be eager to pick up where the starters left off to show that they are worthy of his trust and confidence. November 7 can't get here fast enough. Arkansas has no idea what they're in for.

Correction: The Arkansas game is Nov 14, not the 7th. The Fort Hays State exhibition game will be on Nov 7. Fort Hays is a Division 2 program. While they will provide UConn with some "run", and it will our first chance to see UConn in live action, they won't come anywhere near the competitive level of the Division 1 programs that UConn will see before the holiday break.

 

[huskyd]

You claim you are "lost for words," Tony. Well, your loss is our gain. Keep pumping out the good energy in however many words you can summon.

 

[asuwish]

The fire power is there. The go to player(s) are a lock and both are generational players. UConn has height depth speed defense and more then one good defensive player. There is nothing missing on this team. SC and Stanford are great. This season UConn is off the charts good. The difference between UConn and say SC or Stanford. We have to go to generational players who play at a different level then anybody else. Those of you remember Diana and Geno saying we've got Diana and you dont. Well we've got Paige and Azzi and you dont. P&A are not just great players they are better then great players playing at a level that no other player plays at thus called generational players.

Uconn has the ability to score more points then any other team in WCBB HISTORY. There isnt a team in WCBB that has a Paige and an Azzi. Add to them Edwards who this season will become a dominate force along with Dorka due to the ability of Paige and Azzi getting them the ball. You add in Evina CW Liv and Caroline and the sky is the limit. The sky is the limit because Geno is developing them and imo he has a team that Im lost for words to describe because they are that good. Could they loose? Maybe If they loose a game its because they lost it themselves and not because the other team is better because there isnt a better team. UConn has it all.

How do you defend UConns scoring attack??? How many teams have defenders that can stop P&A ??? Stop them from not only scoring but distributing the ball and making plays. Understand both can score whenever they want to but both are team players who make plays and find open team mate First. This is a very special group and lead by seniors and a couple of young guards who are beyond their years in talent and both have the mind set of winners. There are two types of players in the world. Those who think they can and those who think they cant...and theyre both right. Paige and Azzi know they can and their confidence will demoralize good opponents who try to stop them.

So to break it down. Paige and Azzi can score as many points as they need to score and they cant be stopped. They can take over a game much like Diana and Stewie did. There should be no arguments there. Their attitude to get everyone else involved and their ability to do that is something that only a few players in the past 25 years had. Now lets take a look at everybody else. Everybody else will be better because of the Paige and Azzi show. Thats just the way it is. Everybody else has the ability and skills to make an impact because of P&A. Caroline can shoot from any where and score from anywhere. Shes a special player who will complement P&A. Edwards will grow into her own and be a tremendous force by the end of January. We have height and the most important piece of our height is getting Amari and Piath up to speed for this season and for next season. Next season because Liv graduates, and we are told Dorka will stay 2 seasons so we need a backup for Dorka next season ala we need Amari and Piath to be able to step up. As we stand now Liv and Dorka are gonna be much improved and with P&A handling the ball well the skys the limit. I dont think fans realize how good this team is.

I dont see many scoring droughts due to the fact that we have so many shooters and scorers. I see UConn scoring alot of points and everyone being involved. This is a very unselfish team. I see P&A scoring as many points as they need to for UConn to win. Much like Diana did and Stewie did. They took over games and stepped up when the team needed them to. I see UConn as a team scoring over 100 pts almost whenever they want to. Theyve got the fire power to score quickly and in bunches. They also have the defense determination and depth to make that happen. It doesnt matter if an opponent slows it down we've got the defense, depth and scoring to beat them. I dont think fans see what I see. We have a bunch of double digit scorers. More then 5 who can put up big numbers and that is something you dont see often. Players coming off the bench and you loose nothing. This is a big part of why I think UConn wins it all. Early on UConn will go through some growing pains as they develop but as the season progress they will be a well oiled machine. This team has the ability to beat ever opponent by double digits because they have so many leaders who can make it happen.

Let me end on this note. I expect the fan excitement to be through the roof. Expectations are as high as theyve ever been. This is a very special team that will only get better as the season progress's. The key to the season will be the development of Amari and Caroline and the impact of Dorka and Liv. They rest of the team is at a very very high level. So who starts? LOL I dont think that matters because UConn needs to develop players to replace our graduating seniors. Liv CW and Evina will graduate so the development of Amari and Piath and Caroline Saylor and Azzi is what is needed to replace them. Nika Mir and Griff will get their minutes too, based on their development. Their impact is intensity on both sides of the ball and that can change the direction of the game.

Buckle your seats

It's not a slam dunk! SC has 11 McD's all Americans and the dominant post player in WCBB. Then they added a 6'7 post transfer. Stanford played 12 last year and has size on top of size.

 

[DEpup]

The thing I'm going to be looking for is can they take contact and still score. I think the beat them up strategy is going to be on this year due to all the things that have been said in this string..it's the only option opponents will have. I think I should start a poll on how many black eyes and drawed blood will happen this year because I think the KLS treatment will be just the beginning.

The youngsters had trouble with being beat up last year, I think because they were freshman and playing 30+ minutes every game.

As Geno says, his players love for the beauty of the game can make them susceptible to over reacting to being mugged rather than expecting it and drawing fouls.. I hope being stronget will help them play through contact because its coming....

 

[Ozimoto]

Well, I suspect the "mugging" technique probably wouldn't work well on Nika. I think the "mugee" might get the better of the "mugger" in that scenario.

However, how she handles it might earn her a visit to Geno's chateau de bow wow though...

 

[Lawrence]

The fire power is there. The go to player(s) are a lock and both are generational players. UConn has height depth speed defense and more then one good defensive player. There is nothing missing on this team. SC and Stanford are great. This season UConn is off the charts good. The difference between UConn and say SC or Stanford. We have to go to generational players who play at a different level then anybody else. Those of you remember Diana and Geno saying we've got Diana and you dont. Well we've got Paige and Azzi and you dont. P&A are not just great players they are better then great players playing at a level that no other player plays at thus called generational players.

Uconn has the ability to score more points then any other team in WCBB HISTORY. There isnt a team in WCBB that has a Paige and an Azzi. Add to them Edwards who this season will become a dominate force along with Dorka due to the ability of Paige and Azzi getting them the ball. You add in Evina CW Liv and Caroline and the sky is the limit. The sky is the limit because Geno is developing them and imo he has a team that Im lost for words to describe because they are that good. Could they loose? Maybe If they loose a game its because they lost it themselves and not because the other team is better because there isnt a better team. UConn has it all.

How do you defend UConns scoring attack??? How many teams have defenders that can stop P&A ??? Stop them from not only scoring but distributing the ball and making plays. Understand both can score whenever they want to but both are team players who make plays and find open team mate First. This is a very special group and lead by seniors and a couple of young guards who are beyond their years in talent and both have the mind set of winners. There are two types of players in the world. Those who think they can and those who think they cant...and theyre both right. Paige and Azzi know they can and their confidence will demoralize good opponents who try to stop them.

So to break it down. Paige and Azzi can score as many points as they need to score and they cant be stopped. They can take over a game much like Diana and Stewie did. There should be no arguments there. Their attitude to get everyone else involved and their ability to do that is something that only a few players in the past 25 years had. Now lets take a look at everybody else. Everybody else will be better because of the Paige and Azzi show. Thats just the way it is. Everybody else has the ability and skills to make an impact because of P&A. Caroline can shoot from any where and score from anywhere. Shes a special player who will complement P&A. Edwards will grow into her own and be a tremendous force by the end of January. We have height and the most important piece of our height is getting Amari and Piath up to speed for this season and for next season. Next season because Liv graduates, and we are told Dorka will stay 2 seasons so we need a backup for Dorka next season ala we need Amari and Piath to be able to step up. As we stand now Liv and Dorka are gonna be much improved and with P&A handling the ball well the skys the limit. I dont think fans realize how good this team is.

I dont see many scoring droughts due to the fact that we have so many shooters and scorers. I see UConn scoring alot of points and everyone being involved. This is a very unselfish team. I see P&A scoring as many points as they need to for UConn to win. Much like Diana did and Stewie did. They took over games and stepped up when the team needed them to. I see UConn as a team scoring over 100 pts almost whenever they want to. Theyve got the fire power to score quickly and in bunches. They also have the defense determination and depth to make that happen. It doesnt matter if an opponent slows it down we've got the defense, depth and scoring to beat them. I dont think fans see what I see. We have a bunch of double digit scorers. More then 5 who can put up big numbers and that is something you dont see often. Players coming off the bench and you loose nothing. This is a big part of why I think UConn wins it all. Early on UConn will go through some growing pains as they develop but as the season progress they will be a well oiled machine. This team has the ability to beat ever opponent by double digits because they have so many leaders who can make it happen.

Let me end on this note. I expect the fan excitement to be through the roof. Expectations are as high as theyve ever been. This is a very special team that will only get better as the season progress's. The key to the season will be the development of Amari and Caroline and the impact of Dorka and Liv. They rest of the team is at a very very high level. So who starts? LOL I dont think that matters because UConn needs to develop players to replace our graduating seniors. Liv CW and Evina will graduate so the development of Amari and Piath and Caroline Saylor and Azzi is what is needed to replace them. Nika Mir and Griff will get their minutes too, based on their development. Their impact is intensity on both sides of the ball and that can change the direction of the game.

Buckle your seats

I like it !

 

[CL82]

It's not a slam dunk! SC has 11 McD's all Americans and the dominant post player in WCBB. Then they added a 6'7 post transfer. Stanford played 12 last year and has size on top of size.

Those battles are going to be epic. I like our chances though.

 

[Kaizen]

It's not a slam dunk! SC has 11 McD's all Americans and the dominant post player in WCBB. Then they added a 6'7 post transfer. Stanford played 12 last year and has size on top of size.

South Carolina lost 5 games last year including UConn, NC State, Tenn, Texas AM and Stanford. Where are their dominant post players if they are 26-5 record last year?

 

[jchusky]

again it's not about offense, it's about DEFENSE. Stanford defense is the reason they won the ntl title. They couldn't hit anything vs SC until Haley Jones took over. Anna Wilson returns for her 6th year, Lexie Hull is a sr, Haley Jones is a jr. These guards are experienced and most importantly they are CHAMPIONS. To say that they can just be glossed over seems disrespectful. Can they score like Uconn's backcourt? No, can they defend them tho? yes

 

[veryolddog]

I hink that everyone will be surprised at how well our people will do this year especially Dorka J. The strategies as well as the alternaties that Geno has available is vast and can provide a formidable defense in the paint as well as a scoring capability. While in the past we have seen tentative playing, I think we are going to see a more aggressive inside game as well. In addition, I also think that smart playing by our inside players will have the opportunity to dish the ball to an outside player like P & A to score an undefended 3 point shot.

 

[CocoHusky]

again it's not about offense, it's about DEFENSE. Stanford defense is the reason they won the ntl title. They couldn't hit anything vs SC until Haley Jones took over. Anna Wilson returns for her 6th year, Lexie Hull is a sr, Haley Jones is a jr. These guards are experienced and most importantly they are CHAMPIONS. To say that they can just be glossed over seems disrespectful. Can they score like Uconn's backcourt? No, can they defend them tho? yes

Precisely. The UCONN season pretty much ended with the same weakness -lack of a game changing perimeter defender. UCONN second game of the season Park-Lane torched UCONN for 29 and the last game of the season Ari McDonald torched UCONN for 26. In between the Seton Hall 1st game and the Arizona final game UCONN also failed to effectively contain these perimeter players as well: Dungee got 37: Ramirez got 22 in the same game. Rogers of Depaul got 20 , Correrea of St Johns got 33, Parker from Butler got 18, Carda from Creighton got 24, Clark* and Warnock from Iowa got 21 and 20 ( same game), Carrington from Baylor got 22.
* Christyn Williams did an outstanding job of containing Clark in the second half.

Why am I bringing up BE games some of which UCONN won by 40 points or more? For me it is about the mindset. If UCONN had a capable defender it would have been great practice to employ that defender during BE games in preparation for bigger moments. I also remember reading an article about the Arizona game for which Jamelle did the scout and Aari Mcdonald was compared to Allen Iverson. The comparison was bothersome because it was almost a concession-as in we aren't going to be able to stop her. I just don't think that is the right mindset to have.
Last year's team had plenty of fire power & this years team has more. Getting to the next level and winning a championship IMO is not going to come down to a shootout or who has the most fire power. It will come down to who has the ability and the tools to damped the other team's firepower the most efficiently in stretches =DEFENSE.

 

[Cuango]

again it's not about offense, it's about DEFENSE. Stanford defense is the reason they won the ntl title. They couldn't hit anything vs SC until Haley Jones took over. Anna Wilson returns for her 6th year, Lexie Hull is a sr, Haley Jones is a jr. These guards are experienced and most importantly they are CHAMPIONS. To say that they can just be glossed over seems disrespectful. Can they score like Uconn's backcourt? No, can they defend them tho? yes

I think Stanford and SC are both being overhyped! Clearly they are both among the best teams in the country but two things really stand out to me. Stanford (all due credit to the National Champs) was extremely fortunate to win last year. They had to survive last second misses in both games of the FF. Sc is a little different. SC has become the darling of ESPN and gets all kinds of positive coverage as a result. You rarely hear any kind of objective analysis on their team in terms of personnel and coaching. One of the clearest examples of this is the constant promotion of Boston as this great unstoppable post talent. Now, I believe she is a good post player and could conceivably be a truly great and dominant one. However, she simply has not produced in a way that warrants all this breathless adulation. I believe her career stats are 13-10-1 w/ 2.6 blocks. Good? Yes, but not exactly dominant! Perhaps that will be seen this year? Dawn’s teams are almost always good defensively, but tend to be less accomplished on offense. Again, I acknowledge that both are good teams, just not great ones. Is UConn a great team? Again, we’ll have to see, but on paper I would have to say that UConn is (by far) the most likely of the three to be a truly dominant, memorable team that will be remembered along with previous great teams. Let the games begin!

 

[hoophuskee]

Not going to argue the point of defense or offense. IMO it's all semantics without some serious analytics on things such as "pace of play." How does Arizona feel? Do we think they believe the lost the game was about their defense or offense? I guess one can argue that they didn't shutdown Jones enough -so it was their defense. But this is all "perspective."

On the flip side did UCON lose in FF vs Notre Dame 91-89 because of their offense or defense?

SO in game that is 91-89 it was all about the defense? And in a game 54-53, it's all about the defense too? Nah. This all abotu "perspective."

I can recall years ago Lobo was talking about UCONN vs South Carolina I think in 15-16 she said during the game South Carolina has no shot to beat UCONN. They can't score enough.

IMO the game is and always be about "balance." And the way we look at it is- our own perspective. Was it Arizona's great defense that caused Liv to go 0-7 from the floor with just 1 point or did it also have to do with offensively Liv just wasn't that good? I'd say a combo of both.

 

[CTBballfan243]

The fire power is there. The go to player(s) are a lock and both are generational players. UConn has height depth speed defense and more then one good defensive player. There is nothing missing on this team. SC and Stanford are great. This season UConn is off the charts good. The difference between UConn and say SC or Stanford. We have to go to generational players who play at a different level then anybody else. Those of you remember Diana and Geno saying we've got Diana and you dont. Well we've got Paige and Azzi and you dont. P&A are not just great players they are better then great players playing at a level that no other player plays at thus called generational players.

Uconn has the ability to score more points then any other team in WCBB HISTORY. There isnt a team in WCBB that has a Paige and an Azzi. Add to them Edwards who this season will become a dominate force along with Dorka due to the ability of Paige and Azzi getting them the ball. You add in Evina CW Liv and Caroline and the sky is the limit. The sky is the limit because Geno is developing them and imo he has a team that Im lost for words to describe because they are that good. Could they loose? Maybe If they loose a game its because they lost it themselves and not because the other team is better because there isnt a better team. UConn has it all.

How do you defend UConns scoring attack??? How many teams have defenders that can stop P&A ??? Stop them from not only scoring but distributing the ball and making plays. Understand both can score whenever they want to but both are team players who make plays and find open team mate First. This is a very special group and lead by seniors and a couple of young guards who are beyond their years in talent and both have the mind set of winners. There are two types of players in the world. Those who think they can and those who think they cant...and theyre both right. Paige and Azzi know they can and their confidence will demoralize good opponents who try to stop them.

So to break it down. Paige and Azzi can score as many points as they need to score and they cant be stopped. They can take over a game much like Diana and Stewie did. There should be no arguments there. Their attitude to get everyone else involved and their ability to do that is something that only a few players in the past 25 years had. Now lets take a look at everybody else. Everybody else will be better because of the Paige and Azzi show. Thats just the way it is. Everybody else has the ability and skills to make an impact because of P&A. Caroline can shoot from any where and score from anywhere. Shes a special player who will complement P&A. Edwards will grow into her own and be a tremendous force by the end of January. We have height and the most important piece of our height is getting Amari and Piath up to speed for this season and for next season. Next season because Liv graduates, and we are told Dorka will stay 2 seasons so we need a backup for Dorka next season ala we need Amari and Piath to be able to step up. As we stand now Liv and Dorka are gonna be much improved and with P&A handling the ball well the skys the limit. I dont think fans realize how good this team is.

I dont see many scoring droughts due to the fact that we have so many shooters and scorers. I see UConn scoring alot of points and everyone being involved. This is a very unselfish team. I see P&A scoring as many points as they need to for UConn to win. Much like Diana did and Stewie did. They took over games and stepped up when the team needed them to. I see UConn as a team scoring over 100 pts almost whenever they want to. Theyve got the fire power to score quickly and in bunches. They also have the defense determination and depth to make that happen. It doesnt matter if an opponent slows it down we've got the defense, depth and scoring to beat them. I dont think fans see what I see. We have a bunch of double digit scorers. More then 5 who can put up big numbers and that is something you dont see often. Players coming off the bench and you loose nothing. This is a big part of why I think UConn wins it all. Early on UConn will go through some growing pains as they develop but as the season progress they will be a well oiled machine. This team has the ability to beat ever opponent by double digits because they have so many leaders who can make it happen.

Let me end on this note. I expect the fan excitement to be through the roof. Expectations are as high as theyve ever been. This is a very special team that will only get better as the season progress's. The key to the season will be the development of Amari and Caroline and the impact of Dorka and Liv. They rest of the team is at a very very high level. So who starts? LOL I dont think that matters because UConn needs to develop players to replace our graduating seniors. Liv CW and Evina will graduate so the development of Amari and Piath and Caroline Saylor and Azzi is what is needed to replace them. Nika Mir and Griff will get their minutes too, based on their development. Their impact is intensity on both sides of the ball and that can change the direction of the game.

Buckle your seats

Yes, I think UConn will be ok this season.

 

[jchusky]

I think Stanford and SC are both being overhyped! Clearly they are both among the best teams in the country but two things really stand out to me. Stanford (all due credit to the National Champs) was extremely fortunate to win last year. They had to survive last second misses in both games of the FF. Sc is a little different. SC has become the darling of ESPN and gets all kinds of positive coverage as a result. You rarely hear any kind of objective analysis on their team in terms of personnel and coaching. One of the clearest examples of this is the constant promotion of Boston as this great unstoppable post talent. Now, I believe she is a good post player and could conceivably be a truly great and dominant one. However, she simply has not produced in a way that warrants all this breathless adulation. I believe her career stats are 13-10-1 w/ 2.6 blocks. Good? Yes, but not exactly dominant! Perhaps that will be seen this year? Dawn’s teams are almost always good defensively, but tend to be less accomplished on offense. Again, I acknowledge that both are good teams, just not great ones. Is UConn a great team? Again, we’ll have to see, but on paper I would have to say that UConn is (by far) the most likely of the three to be a truly dominant, memorable team that will be remembered along with previous great teams. Let the games begin!

I could say the same thing about Williams Olivia and Evina. They've had the capabilities to be GREAT, but either inconsistencies or not getting their game to the next level. With all due respect this seems like sour grapes to the gamecocks and Stanford. Stanford was "fortunate" to win a ntl title. No sir, they had the hardest travel schedule in the history of a college program. They went about 40 days being on the road or making up games due to covid, nothing they did was fortunate. SC while ranked high, some of their players still were young. Should we remember what that young team did to Uconn in 2020?

 

[Cuango]

While I agree that having a “lockdown” defender would be a great thing, I tend to think it is not the primary reason for our losses to Ark and AZ last year. I think we were the best team in the country last year but we were not dominantly best. We have not been truly dominant since Stewie’s last year. I think we could possibly be that again beginning this season. When I say dominant, I mean in the sense that the other team really cannot win unless we play poorly, choke, or suffer injuries. I mean, when you look at our last three losses in the FF, two were on buzzer beaters in the final seconds and one, last year, we lost to a team where the star (McDonald) basically beat us with imo one of the truly exceptional examples of leadership I have seen in many years. (Of course Coach Barnes was part of that as well) I saw that game as one of those “perfect storm” situations that come along occasionally in sports. You had a good veteran team with two senior leaders, one solid in all aspects, the other a defensive demon, blindingly fast and a foul drawing nightmare who (along with their coach) had that whole team believing that they were actually supposed to beat this young UConn team. Meanwhile, the UConn team was very young, overconfident, and overly reliant on one great young player. Nika was not 100% and AZ legitimately and convincingly beat us. However, I would bet a lot of money that if they had played a best of 7 (as the two teams were constituted last year) UConn would win every time. This is why good players, pool players, darts, cards, shooting, etc do not like to gamble on a single game. They know that anyone can have “one of those days” or even get lucky! However, if they can get these some opponents to play a “best out of….” series, their overall superiority will win the day. That is why I don’t see these past three losses as some kind of decline. We simply were not dominant enough to where we could have avoided the buzzer beaters and the “perfect storm” that we faced with AZ. Again, I am in no way diminishing the two buzzer shots or AZ’s obvious superiority in that one game. Winning championships always requires either total dominance or some lucky bounces on the part of the winner. It is difficult to imagine that many people would say that any of the three teams responsible for those three losses were actually better than us. However, when it’s one and out, anything can happen and that is what makes the NCAA tournament so compelling! I think we are in for a real treat over the next three to five years!