UConn - Notre Dame post game

[npignatjr]

Looks to me like ND had a game plan and executed it. We didn’t have one.

The ND coaching staff had a game plan and executed it, UCONN'S coaching staff didn't or the players couldn't make the adjustment. Anyone who has played if you are getting torched by a player only going to one side, without the coach telling you, you should almost automatically know to force that player to show you they can effectively use the other hand.

 

[Kat]

I am going to give credit to the Notre Dame team. The basketball legend that is UConn brings out the best in their opponents. You walk into Storrs, see the full house, the banners, the past championship players, national tv, etc. and you either crumble or compete. They stepped up.

 

[Willy Gee]

Great game by ND, however, I believe the loss is directly related to the extended interview with Diana in the 2nd quarter. It took the UConn's Ju-Ju right out of the game! I know there are others out there who are as sick as me, and believe the same!

I honestly (and irrationally) thought the same thing.

 

[Linart]

Could anyone hear if the crowd was yelling "Boom" when we put up a three? I couldn't tell. Although, come to think of it, the way we were shooting threes, they should have yelled "Clunk."

 

[HuskyNan]

We are not trashing players today. It was a team loss.

Non-UConn fans - some sensitivity is appreciated.

 

[Soxx]

Azzi disappeared against quality competition and wouldn’t have made a difference.

She may have in the past, but that’s just speculation if she had been out there last night.

 

[CTrefugee]

HH is very good, but UCONN not stepping into the lane to challenge her drives made her look better.

Much of this was Freshman (and Ice) not having enough experience to automatically back up whoever was guarding HH. When she drove around her opponent, nobody was there or stepped in. Geno will work on this.

Another Freshman problem is KK driving one on two or one on three without a plan.
This is another common Freshman error. They got away with it in high school. She will learn fast.

 

[msf22b]

Nan once wanted to label me the contrarian
I feel some of of that today...

It was a humbling experience last night in front of some of the great teams of the past and surely Geno was a bit distracted.

But some of the "sky is falling in" comments are going way too far for me...

The first is all the talk of Nika's horrible game.
When she was on the court the team was at its best
When she was off, it collapsed. That is not an opinion but based on the plus and minus analysis that at least one of the reporters had at his disposal and noted in the news conference. There was even a point during our first run, that Nika had Hannah looking almost rattled.

So, renewed emphasis in staying out of foul trouble (if effective) will certainly help.

I'm not saying that we will beat SC...but I expect that we will play a whole lot better...just as ND did after losing to Syracuse.

And a lower ranking in the NCAA's would seem to indicate a trip out West, and less gimme's in the initial rounds...But you still have to win games...And I am hopeful; even confident that we will win our share.

I know that there are people on the board who have followed the team since those initial championships and before...But I've been around long enough to remember Geno bemoaning the state of coaching throughout the country...He can't complain of that any more.

And I surely remember...it was Stevie's initial season, where ND had our number and beat us in three hard fought games in a row...when no one could contain Skylar and company ...And then in the NCAA semi's, we did; decisively.

So, amidst, the horrible embarrassment and disappointment, have faith; the ski is not falling in.

 

[SLY63]

And a lower ranking in the NCAA's would seem to indicate a trip out West, and less gimme's in the initial rounds...But you still have to win games...And I am hopeful; even confident that we will win our share.

Barring a miracle in Columbia, we are looking at a 3 or 4 seed (hopefully not a 4), and an uphill battle in the sweet 16. If we get a 4 seed, and face a 1 seed, I can't see getting out of the sweet 16.

 

[Soxx]

We have no bench, we can't lose a starter, and Nika took the game off

She's also a great defender. Could have used her a little more

Paige didn't have a great game, ND had something to do with that, but we need great Paige to beat the best teams

Nika “took the game off”? A step too far with those words.

 

[BBallF]

That’s where Aubrey was badly missed. On those high screens, the forward is supposed to hedge strong, driving the guard back while the defense recovers. Aubrey is exceptional at that technique. But when Hidalgo ran her defender into the screen, she frequently blew right by Ice, who was a step slow, directly to the basket.

Exactly. Instead of being stymied by the forward defender, she either got a lay up or a short pull up jumper with only token resistance.

 

[JellyBean]

I was able to watch the game this morning. Shout out to Fox Sports for the replay at 1am EST. I was able to read through #231 comments and a lot of you hit the nail on the head, Notre Dame just executed their game plan better than we did. We just got out coached and out played. It happens. If there was a 7-game series in college basketball, we would win in 6. Hats off to Notre Dame and Coach Ivey. She bested the legend, this time. Now we learn from this game, move on, and get ready for Villanova.

I ride with my UConn squad win or lose.

 

[todbo]

Nika “took the game off”? A step too far with those words.

As I remember, Nika's fifth foul came as we had battled back from a halftime deficit to tie the game at 60-60. From then on, ND outscored us 22-7. I believe that we have no one on the bench who can replace any of our starters in a tight game.

 

[Soxx]

But some of the "sky is falling in" comments are going way too far for me...

Thank you.

 

[CONNCAN]

Well said, Charlie (I'm learning that's your name.. if not, my apologies). Well done with your lengthy, yet on-point synopsis.

The only thing I'd add or modify is that I feel Sonia Citron was much better than just doing her job. I thought her defense on Paige (with plenty of help from teammates), and the combination of her key points and rebounds were pivotal in opening the Irish's lead in the second half. For a player sporting a leg brace, she was very impressive.

Absolutely "POINT ON" - Sonia Citron's job last night was to try to STOP Paige Bueckers. Here is a player, who is essentially playing on a 1/2 a leg, with that bulky knee brace on. But Sonia did one heck of a job stopping UCONN's most important player. Offensively, yes, you need to point to Hildalgo and Westbeld. But from a critical difference maker, it was the defensive play of Sonia Citron against Paige Bueckers (as one poster said "Citron played Paige so tight, that Sonia could tell you what brand of Hair Conditioner that Paige wore last night")

 

[Zonepress]

As I remember, Nika's fifth foul came as we had battled back from a halftime deficit to tie the game at 60-60. From then on, ND outscored us 22-7. I believe that we have no one on the bench who can replace any of our starters in a tight game.

That covers it

 

[CONNCAN]

Totally agree with you. They almost never showed the last semi-controversial play, except for Nika’s 4th foul (which was imaginary to me).

Also Gus Johnson has to stop trying to be Stephen A. The game was exciting, he didn’t need to over hype things. SNY rules.

One has to remember that FOX and Gus Johnson HAS TO broadcast and call the game to a "National Audience" vs. SNY who broadcasts the games to a UCONN Audience. This is the biggest differential in styles. FOX was not going to call the game in the same manner as the SNY Broadcasters do. UCONN Fans may not like it, but again FOX wasn't catering to just the UCONN Audience (nor just the ND Audience) but rather a "NATIONAL AUDIENCE"

 

[VaConnFan11]

I have said this before and I will say it again, Geno is not a good in-game coach. Rarely scores after calling a timeout and rarely stops the other team from scoring when they call a timeout. He doesn't adjust to what the other team is doing.

I like the comments about "other teams/players have the games of their lives when they play UConn". The reason is because the are always wide open. How may wide open shots did ND get last night. The answer is, most of them. How many wide open shots did UConn get? Not many. ND took away the perimeter. They were guarding everyone past the 3-point line.

UConn misses too may layups. This has been going on for the past 3-4 years. Maybe longer. At this point it has to be coaching.

UConn seems to always be begging for fouls. Some are legit, some are not. I can speak from first hand knowledge. If you have a reputation of always begging for calls, you don't get the calls.

Reiterating something I said in the last 2 weeks; The Big East is bad!

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Only saw the first half. Won't be looking for the rest. Pretty shocking.

 

[jaydee602]

We are not trashing players today. It was a team loss.

Non-UConn fans - some sensitivity is appreciated.

Thank you, Nan! We needed that!!
This team played:
*with 4 freshman who are playing above expectations
*without 5 players who would start for any team in the country
*with an injured Paige who fell on her face for the 2nd time this week
*against a well coached, determined team with a superstar freshman
Many teams would have folded long ago faced with so much adversity. This exciting team has over achieved and shown a building confidence. They hit a stumbling block, but they will recover & continue to succeed. So, jump off the bandwagon at your own risk.
It is time to support them, not disparage & abandon them.

 

[Zanzman]

One has to remember that FOX and Gus Johnson HAS TO broadcast and call the game to a "National Audience" vs. SNY who broadcasts the games to a UCONN Audience. This is the biggest differential in styles. FOX was not going to call the game in the same manner as the SNY Broadcasters do. UCONN Fans may not like it, but again FOX wasn't catering to just the UCONN Audience (nor just the ND Audience) but rather a "NATIONAL AUDIENCE"

Gus Johnson wasn’t calling the game to much other stuff let us know who the fouls are on , always behind minutes on substitutions keep it on the court your supposed yo be watching

 

[AgStatesman]

DT said during her interview last night that this UConn team is gritty and gritty teams can be dangerous. I think that's exactly where we are at. Nowhere good enough to beat anyone with an average effort game, but can beat anyone with above average effort and playing well. Of course when our number one plays like number two, there is no chance of winning a top 25 game in that scenario.

 

[bbsamjj]

One has to remember that FOX and Gus Johnson HAS TO broadcast and call the game to a "National Audience" vs. SNY who broadcasts the games to a UCONN Audience. This is the biggest differential in styles. FOX was not going to call the game in the same manner as the SNY Broadcasters do. UCONN Fans may not like it, but again FOX wasn't catering to just the UCONN Audience (nor just the ND Audience) but rather a "NATIONAL AUDIENCE"

FWIW, yes the long interview with DT was annoying, but that's a call made by the FOX producers, not the announcers.

I found Stephanie White's analysis very insightful, especially about the matchups and how each team was trying to defend against the other. I agree Gus was...annoying,

 

[SJF]

That's what puzzled me. How does a kid who is five feet six score at will at the rim for a whole damn game? Geno never figured that out?

Got caught in some bad switches

 

[Zonepress]

Absolutely "POINT ON" - Sonia Citron's job last night was to try to STOP Paige Bueckers. Here is a player, who is essentially playing on a 1/2 a leg, with that bulky knee brace on. But Sonia did one heck of a job stopping UCONN's most important player. Offensively, yes, you need to point to Hildalgo and Westbeld. But from a critical difference maker, it was the defensive play of Sonia Citron against Paige Bueckers (as one poster said "Citron played Paige so tight, that Sonia could tell you what brand of Hair Conditioner that Paige wore last night")

Perhaps Geno should have put Paige in a pivk
And roll with AE 30 ft away from the basket or play isolation like nba
Where there was no ability to help no
Way ciitron could stay with Paige in isolation
And let the best player control the game
This is exactly what nd did with Hidalgo isolation
In fist half pick
And roll in 2nd half
It’s a players game but the nd strategy
Let them
Dictate how the game was played
UConn not so much