UConn leads 94-31 ... at the half

[MilfordHusky]

In case anyone forgot the St. Francis game last March. @VAMike23, I'm talking to you.

 

[CocoHusky]

That St. Francis coach should have been fired for malpractice. He actually though that was the right strategy to try and out tempo UCONN.

 

[Centerstream]

Interesting thread.
Because of the current break between games, I was going to post a thread for BYers to post their favorite game replay(s).
This game is on my list, along with Lou's 10 for 10 game against USF, the Big 3's Final game against Syracuse, all NCAA games where we have beaten ND, MD, and South Carolina.

 

[Centerstream]

That St. Francis coach should have been fired for malpractice. He actually though that was the right strategy to try and out tempo UCONN.

No, they played the same way in this game that they played all season. A coach should be fired for changing the way they play for 1 game and losing that game in record fashion.
Should Vic have been fired for losing to UConn by 60 in the NCAAs the year before the "Biggest Upset Ever in WCBB"? I think not.

 

[JordyG]

That St. Francis coach should have been fired for malpractice. He actually though that was the right strategy to try and out tempo UCONN.

Well hell, Doug tries it every year, and uses line hockey changes to boot.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

That St. Francis coach should have been fired for malpractice. He actually though that was the right strategy to try and out tempo UCONN.

You're too tough on him CoCo. He knew he was taking the longest shot in basketball history, but didn't want to just be another team ground to hamburger by trying the usual against our Huskies.

 

[ed4ourgirls]

There was no way St. Francis was going to beat UConn. I think the coach did
exactly the right thing in letting his kids play the way they played all year, and
no doubt the way they most enjoyed playing.

Yes the score was ridiculous, but would his kids have had as much fun playing
a tight slow-down game and losing by 50? I think not.

 

[Carnac]

In case anyone forgot the St. Francis game last March. @VAMike23, I'm talking to you.

When you talk about "records that will NEVER be broken", you can start with THIS game. 94 points in the first half is ridiculous, but UConn did it. In a NCAA tournament game no less. What makes it even more intriguing is that the game was not against a low mid-major "cupcake", but one of the best 64 programs in the country at the time.

You can put this game right next to their 111 consecutive game win streak. To break this record, you've got to score practically every time down the court, and the other team has got to help you by playing at a fast pace.

 

[Huskee11]

I was there. 55 points for UConn in the first quarter. St. Francis` defense was good at getting the ball after it went through the hoop. Practice makes perfect.

Watched the highlights above. Lou played well but watching her move then versus now, it is really noticeable how much better "now" is. Night and day.

 

[Bigboote]

That St. Francis coach should have been fired for malpractice. He actually though that was the right strategy to try and out tempo UCONN.

How do you propose the coach should have approached the game in an effort to win? And make sure that it's in an effort to win, not an effort to lose. IOW, in effort to win, not minimize the loss?

 

[HuskyBandDad]

When you talk about "records that will NEVER be broken", you can start with THIS game. 94 points in the first half is ridiculous, but UConn did it. In a NCAA tournament game no less. What makes it even more intriguing is that the game was not against a low mid-major "cupcake", but one of the best 64 programs in the country at the time.

You can put this game right next to their 111 consecutive game win streak. To break this record, you've got to score practically every time down the court, and the other team has got to help you by playing at a fast pace.

Um no. The 64 teams who make the tourney are not always the best. I am not a betting man but I would bet most of the teams in the Power 5 conferences who did not make the tourney would probably beat St. Francis. Not like Uconn did but ...

 

[EricLA]

That was one of the most enjoyable games ever that wasn't a NC game or something equally as meaningful. One thing that stood out was the number of bunnies Azura missed, often several times. She must have had close to 10 offensive boards in collecting her own missed shots! Very Tina Charles-like...

Oh, and Batouly with not 1, but 2 reverse layups. Girl has some moves! Hope we get to see much more...

 

[Golden Husky]

Wasn't there a game--Robert Morris maybe--where UConn led something like 41-4 after the first quarter?

 

[RockyMTblue2]

I went back to the St. Francis presser and he stood his ground. At one point he said I wasn't going to try what the last 300, 400, 500 to lose to UConn did and admittedly it was a very long shot but my kids were going to play their game in the NCAAs. For a guy who'd been crushed he held up, though I though it was a bit tacky when he dropped his gum into his drink cup and later was sipping it!

 

[CocoHusky]

How do you propose the coach should have approached the game in an effort to win? And make sure that it's in an effort to win, not an effort to lose. IOW, in effort to win, not minimize the loss?

No approach by St. francis was going to get them a win so I'll causally avoid that red herring. Within the game itself he gave up! He made no defensive adjustments. He made 16 substitutions in the first quarter alone, none of the kids coming into the game knew who to match up with- watch the St. Francis confusion running up and down the floor. He used no timeouts to organize his team or stop the UCONN run. The kids were desperately looking for instruction & direction and he provided none. Lastly an this might be more of an approach issue, St. Francis committed 17 fouls in the game NONE of which was strategic. What I mean by that is when faced with a superior speedy team you strategically foul to stop the fast break or stop the action so that you can catch your breath and organize you defense. Of course you would have to be playing defense in the first place and clearly St. Francis was not.

 

[Carnac]

Um no. The 64 teams who make the tourney are not always the best. I am not a betting man but I would bet most of the teams in the Power 5 conferences who did not make the tourney would probably beat St. Francis. Not like Uconn did but ...

HBD, you're splitting hairs here. OK, I won't argue with your take, it does have merit. You know the inference I was making here. There are a lot of weak teams in the bottom half of the most of the P5 conferences too (which is why they're there). Would you say that at that time, St. Francis was one of the best 64 teams? My take was they were not a tin can or a cupcake. If you don't agree, fine. I did not check to see their ranking at the time. It's really not that important.

They were 24/9 (16/2) (tied for 1st place in the North East Conf.) when they took the floor against UConn that night. 24/9 is very respectable. Most teams would be happy to finish 24/9 any year. It's not like they were a sub .500 team. I'm aware that there are several teams every year that are worthy of inclusion in the tournament that don't get in, because of automatic bids, and/or a bias to two from some members of the tournament selection committee. UConn did not pick them. They were the team the tournament put in front of them.

But my point was THIS St. Francis team WAS NOT a cup cake!!! Were they on UConn's level?, of course not. They were just glad to make to field, although they probably wish it had been against anybody else but UConn. They took one heck of a butt whuppin. No doubt the worst in school history.

I can't remember the player's name, but a few years ago, she said during a media interview (it may have been a player in the WNBA lamenting on days gone by) that during the women's selection show, her entire team (and the coaches) were eagerly waiting to see if they got in, who they played, and what region they were assigned to. She said they were ALL hoping and praying for the following:
1. To draw any team other that UConn in the first or second round.
2. Not to be assigned to UConn's region............................. for obvious reasons.
3. Not to be paced on UConn's side of the bracket.

She said her team figured they had a fighting chance against everybody else. There's always that "dark horse" that shows up every year that no one sees coming until it too late, and they get you. A lot of those lower seeded teams go into the tournament figuring "Why not us? Sometimes they make it to the second weekend. Their ranking at the time is really not important. Bottom line, my main point is that it is a record that will NEVER be broken!!!

 

[Plebe]

HBD, you're splitting hairs here. OK, I won't argue with your take, it does have merit. You know the inference I was making here. Would you say that at that time, St. Francis was one of the best 64 teams? My take was they were not a tin can or a cupcake.

Definitely not top 64, and definitely a cupcake. St. Francis finished the season ranked #147 in Massey and #162 in Sagarin. If not for the automatic bid system, they would've never even come close to consideration.

Their RPI was a bit higher, in the 90s, but still not close to top 64 even in that skewed metric.

 

[huskyd]

In case anyone forgot the St. Francis game last March. @VAMike23, I'm talking to you.

Makes me miss our dearly departed: Kia, Gabs, Z.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Makes me miss our dearly departed: Kia, Gabs, Z.

Z is missed, but it struck me how in that game, surrounded by pygmies, Z missed uncontested lay up after layup, and got her own rebound and scored on a second attempt mostly.

 

[HuskyBandDad]

HBD, you're splitting hairs here. OK, I won't argue with your take, it does have merit. You know the inference I was making here. There are a lot of weak teams in the bottom half of the most of the P5 conferences too (which is why they're there). Would you say that at that time, St. Francis was one of the best 64 teams? My take was they were not a tin can or a cupcake. If you don't agree, fine. I did not check to see their ranking at the time. It's really not that important.

They were 24/9 (16/2) (tied for 1st place in the North East Conf.) when they took the floor against UConn that night. 24/9 is very respectable. Most teams would be happy to finish 24/9 any year. It's not like they were a sub .500 team. I'm aware that there are several teams every year that are worthy of inclusion in the tournament that don't get in, because of automatic bids, and/or a bias to two from some members of the tournament selection committee. UConn did not pick them. They were the team the tournament put in front of them.

But my point was THIS St. Francis team WAS NOT a cup cake!!! Were they on UConn's level?, of course not. They were just glad to make to field, although they probably wish it had been against anybody else but UConn. They took one heck of a butt whuppin. No doubt the worst in school history.

I can't remember the player's name, but a few years ago, she said during a media interview (it may have been a player in the WNBA lamenting on days gone by) that during the women's selection show, her entire team (and the coaches) were eagerly waiting to see if they got in, who they played, and what region they were assigned to. She said they were ALL hoping and praying for the following:
1. To draw any team other that UConn in the first or second round.
2. Not to be assigned to UConn's region......... for obvious reasons.
3. Not to be paced on UConn's side of the bracket.

She said her team figured they had a fighting chance against everybody else. There's always that "dark horse" that shows up every year that no one sees coming until it too late, and they get you. A lot of those lower seeded teams go into the tournament figuring "Why not us? Sometimes they make it to the second weekend. Their ranking at the time is really not important. Bottom line, my main point is that it is a record that will NEVER be broken!!!

I agree with a lot of this but I agree more with what Plebe posted in your reply to me. Too lazy to check but I think no other team from St Francis conf made the tourney?
The auto bid is good and bad. What does it say that a team who won their conf is a 16 seed? It is a very weak conf.
They want the slightest chance for a 16 seed to beat a 1 seed. Same for the men's tourney. Would love to see it. Just not against Uconn.
No disrespect but most teams Uconn plays during the entire season can be considered cupcakes. Even from larger conferences.

 

[Carnac]

I agree with a lot of this but I agree more with what Plebe posted in your reply to me. Too lazy to check but I think no other team from St Francis conf made the tourney?
The auto bid is good and bad. What does it say that a team who won their conf is a 16 seed? It is a very weak conf.
They want the slightest chance for a 16 seed to beat a 1 seed. Same for the men's tourney. Would love to see it. Just not against Uconn.
No disrespect but most teams Uconn plays during the entire season can be considered cupcakes. Even from larger conferences.

I began my response to you by saying I understand the crux of your comment, because as I said, it had merit, and that I couldn't argue against it, BUT.........................the thought I was trying to convey was that St. Francis was not a cupcake. They finished tied for their conference championship. They were 24-9. Cupcakes don't win 20 games in a season. They usually have a sub .500 record.

I guess maybe we should define the parameters of what qualifies a team as a cupcake. I don't care about any post season ratings or rankings. Those rankings nor the services that produce them determine the field of 64. Look at some of the other teams that made the field. Some of them did not win 24 games.

The tournament selection committee determines the field!!! I'll go by what THEY determine and sort out. St. Francis did not get in as an "At-Large" team, they got in by winning their conference. That is FACT. You can't argue that. I'm not going to debate the worthiness of the teams that did or didn't make the field. I'm saying that St. Francis made the field, and I don't consider them a cupcake, even though they got their doors blown off by UConn. We're debating semantics. You see things one way, I see them another, and I see and understand your point of view. Bottom line here, they made the field! If they were not among the best 64 teams in the country at selection time, they were at least in the top 100. What their raking or rating was is not important. They made the field. That's all that matters.

The main thought behind my original comment was that 94 points UConn scored in the first half will NEVER be broken. If you want to debate something, we can debate that. Whether SF was a cupcake or not is not part of my opinion of this record not ever being broken.

Plebe added his 2 cents to OUR conversation. He went out of his way to try and discredit my comment/opinion. I don't care what he thinks, and his comments DID NOT not change my mind. I didn't ask for his opinion. He thinks SF was a cupcake, fine. Just because he thinks it was, does not make it so. I'm not interested in his opinions, nor do I read or comment on his posts. He's dead to me.

 

[j66kicker]

The tournament selection committee determines the field!!! I'll go by what THEY determine and sort out. St. Francis did not get in as an "At-Large" team, they got in by winning their conference.

I think this is exactly the point. The committee did NOT select St. Francis. St. Francis got in by winning a cupcake conference. Many teams that did not get in were rated much higher than St. Francis and the other cupcake conference winners.

That said, I do agree with letting all conference winners in. That gives value to the regular season/conference tourney. The "better" teams who are displaced by cupcake conference winners aren't good enough to realistically win the NC anyway.

But, at the end of the day, St. Francis was definitely a cupcake (as will be next year's 64th seed).

 

[meyers7]

I began my response to you by saying I understand the crux of your comment, because as I said, it had merit, and that I couldn't argue against it, BUT.....the thought I was trying to convey was that St. Francis was not a cupcake. They finished tied for their conference championship. They were 24-9. Cupcakes don't win 20 games in a season. They usually have a sub .500 record.

I guess maybe we should define the parameters of what qualifies a team as a cupcake. I don't care about any post season ratings or rankings. Those rankings nor the services that produce them determine the field of 64. Look at some of the other teams that made the field. Some of them did not win 24 games.

The tournament selection committee determines the field!!! I'll go by what THEY determine and sort out. St. Francis did not get in as an "At-Large" team, they got in by winning their conference. That is FACT. You can't argue that. I'm not going to debate the worthiness of the teams that did or didn't make the field. I'm saying that St. Francis made the field, and I don't consider them a cupcake, even though they got their doors blown off by UConn. We're debating semantics. You see things one way, I see them another, and I see and understand your point of view. Bottom line here, they made the field! If they were not among the best 64 teams in the country at selection time, they were at least in the top 100. What their raking or rating was is not important. They made the field. That's all that matters.

The main thought behind my original comment was that 94 points UConn scored in the first half will NEVER be broken. If you want to debate something, we can debate that. Whether SF was a cupcake or not is not part of my opinion of this record not ever being broken.

Plebe added his 2 cents to OUR conversation. He went out of his way to try and discredit my comment/opinion. I don't care what he thinks, and his comments DID NOT not change my mind. I didn't ask for his opinion. He thinks SF was a cupcake, fine. Just because he thinks it was, does not make it so. I'm not interested in his opinions, nor do I read or comment on his posts. He's dead to me.

Face it Scoop you're wrong again. St. Francis (PA) is/was a cupcake. A delicious frosted cupcake. Hell, the team practically went into a diabetic coma after that game.

And records are made to be broken. So you're wrong about that point too.

 

[mbr33ct]

Bottom line, St Francis is in the record book...for now.

 

[HuskyBandDad]

I began my response to you by saying I understand the crux of your comment, because as I said, it had merit, and that I couldn't argue against it, BUT.....the thought I was trying to convey was that St. Francis was not a cupcake. They finished tied for their conference championship. They were 24-9. Cupcakes don't win 20 games in a season. They usually have a sub .500 record.

I guess maybe we should define the parameters of what qualifies a team as a cupcake. I don't care about any post season ratings or rankings. Those rankings nor the services that produce them determine the field of 64. Look at some of the other teams that made the field. Some of them did not win 24 games.

The tournament selection committee determines the field!!! I'll go by what THEY determine and sort out. St. Francis did not get in as an "At-Large" team, they got in by winning their conference. That is FACT. You can't argue that. I'm not going to debate the worthiness of the teams that did or didn't make the field. I'm saying that St. Francis made the field, and I don't consider them a cupcake, even though they got their doors blown off by UConn. We're debating semantics. You see things one way, I see them another, and I see and understand your point of view. Bottom line here, they made the field! If they were not among the best 64 teams in the country at selection time, they were at least in the top 100. What their raking or rating was is not important. They made the field. That's all that matters.

The main thought behind my original comment was that 94 points UConn scored in the first half will NEVER be broken. If you want to debate something, we can debate that. Whether SF was a cupcake or not is not part of my opinion of this record not ever being broken.

Plebe added his 2 cents to OUR conversation. He went out of his way to try and discredit my comment/opinion. I don't care what he thinks, and his comments DID NOT not change my mind. I didn't ask for his opinion. He thinks SF was a cupcake, fine. Just because he thinks it was, does not make it so. I'm not interested in his opinions, nor do I read or comment on his posts. He's dead to me.

We can agree to disagree. SF was a cupcake.