Gotta disagree with you Tony, ND is NOT a good team. They are not ranked. They are not at a Duke or Ole Miss level. Let alone a Texas, S. Carolina, UCLA level.
Azzi was 7 for 9 from 2 pt range, and some of those were tough shots! What ever happened to Rodney Dangerfield?
Until yesterday ND was ranked 23rd. Even though they dropped out of the top 25, they are still receiving votes, to the tune of being ranked 28th. So they are a good team imo. More importantly, HH makes them a uniquely dangerous team if you let her control the action at both ends of the court.
You have tough standards. They are ranked in the top 25 in Massey (which is more important than AP) and ran into a juggernaut last night. They were staggered in the opening minutes falling behind 10 points but then played UConn even into the third quarter, but the Huskies superior conditioning took a toll and they couldn't keep up. But they never gave up. I'm as happy as the next band that we had a 38 point win, but I remember Notre Dame fans yelling "overrated" the last time they played UConn, which is the stupidest crowd reaction of all time and I don't plan to join in their nonsense.
I don’t really want to quibble, because we both love Blanquita. But I really can’t resist in this case, not after the work KK, Ash, Serah, and Kayleigh put in yesterday. It’s easy to rank players on most teams where teamwork isn’t quite so decisive an element of the coach’s strategy. I’d say potentially Blanca is the best player on the team. But actually she is the team’s 6th or maybe 7th best player. The starting 5 are the five best players on the team for what Geno needs them to be. And what he needs them to be is the next national championship team. This is UConn basketball.
ND is not in a good spot these days. Yes they have a "super star" on their roster, but outside of that they don't have much. I predict that they will have double digit losses and will be a 8-12 seed in the tournament
But if they get KK Bransford back in time, they could be the most dangerous 8-12 seeds in the tournament.
I don't think a player that has never averaged more than 9 pts per game would make much of a difference
Outside of Louisville and maybe Duke, the ACC is really not that strong this season. ND will get to 20 or more wins playing in a “weak conference.”
We’ve already seen Jana vs Beers. UConn won by 30
Well, I would disagree with you also then. They rank the top 25. ND is not ranked. Lot of teams....were or get votes, but that doesn't make them "a good team". In WBB, the #1 team (people talking about being one of Geno's best teams) shouldn't have a problem with a non-ranked team. And they didn't.
Agree completely. They are an interesting team for us to play because they have a player who creates an interesting challenge for our guards. It was an important learning/development opportunity for our defense, and it has served that purpose well. Other than that, this was not on the whole a challenging game for a great team.
It’s a semantic argument. Does getting into the NCAA tournament as an “at large” team make you a good team. ND will almost certainly do so. I would say that makes you a good team. I guess you have much higher standards.
Curious about Hannah-will have to watch more games. While she is obviously one of the best guards in college basketball, she spends alot of time just dribbling around trying to get her shot. Can't be fun to be one of her teammates. Is this caused by a lack of team talent or is this the coach's idea of the best way to win? Could be both but did not seem like a great tactic against any top 20 team.
More than dribbling around, there are times when HH just stands there with the ball in her hand surveying the defense as the shot clock is winding down. She did that several times yesterday which prompted me to wonder, “What in the hell is she doing?”
I agree with this well-stated assessment, Bone Dog.
Some have been commenting that they would like to see Ash shoot better. Has not been my concern since she is so clutch. Another game where UConn 3's were clanking and she stepped up and drained one at a critical time. No fear in anything she does on the court.
each of her threes just missed. She would be more effective with a drive then pull up jumper. She tries to go all the way to the rim most every time. Even with her growing pains, I feel the team is much better on OF and DF with her in and Serah out.
Bone Dog, what do you mean by "She just seems to intent on succeeding to fail"? As an educator, I am stunned that you might think that there is something wrong with a team-focused player who continues to push her envelope and does not get discouraged whenever her efforts do not meet with intended success. She continues to play and grow inside the UConn system which is EXACTLY what she needs to be doing.
And there's a possibility that we won't face Betts, Beers, or Crooks. We should see Jana as soon as she is out of her concussion protocol and has a couple practices under her belt.
