UConn - SC post game

[Surly1]

Right now, there is big disparity between UConn & SC as programs. This year's SC team is better, more well-rounded than last season's team, which only lost one game to Iowa & Caitlin Clark. Kudos to Dawn for going out and addressing the one weakness they historically have had - outside shooting. That isn't the case anymore. Unlike UConn, who rely primarily on 2 players, SC has different players step up from game to game, depending on the situation.

Since the ND game, Paige has looked like a different player. She has notably slimmed down - the muscle she entered the season with has been trimmed away. Her outside shooting has been affected, the legs don't appear to be what they were at the start of the season. For her sake, I sincerely hope she returns next year, using the offseason again to build her body back up. She's had a fantastic season coming back after missing so much time. Next year, Paige will be fully back.

For now, UConn is outgunned against the top tier teams. No shame, but they will be hard pressed to beat teams with a combination of size and speed. This game displayed where Azzi, Aubrey and help for Aaliyah could have made a difference. Not saying they would have beaten SC, but the game would have been more competitive.

 

[Ct Dog]

The times they have a changed…….

 

[Topsail]

Did you not see when they listed all the UCONN players out with injuries?

Yes but Cardosa is playing this year where as ours are out for the season.

 

[uconnever]

Until we are healthy next year, this is how it’s going to be. Aaliyah and Paige don’t have the help they need and they get tired having to do everything. Getting a player like Strong and good health can sway things back our way. It actually isn’t as bad as it is. This year we have to just gain experience and each player get better because the final four is not happening this year.

 

[Cheddie]

Well... that was not what any UConn fan wanted, but what many of us feared. Congrats to SC for not only overwhelming us, but in beating us in every facet of the game. It's even more disappointing when one realizes that our result was no better than middle of the pack SEC teams vs. SC lately (Vandy lost by 17, Auburn by 22). What a get Paopao was for them from the portal.

The warning signs were there. A fair amount of lively debate recently by UConn fans over "who cares how you win - even if it's not pretty". Well, all the issues we saw, even in recent wins, were magnified and exposed in this game.

SC got contributions from almost everyone. Hall had an off shooting game, but SC had 4 starters in double figures, and got 19 points from the bench (UConn got 3 points from our bench - late 3 by Q).

Paige and Ash shooting 4-17 from 3 is not a recipe for anything good. The TO's and fouls from UConn actually weren't bad. We did show signs of life in the 4th quarter, but really had the end result of making the corpse more pretty. I think all our injuries really showcased just how little depth we have. When you start 2 freshmen and your only bench players are also freshmen, it's going to be inconsistent at best.

I think the team did do the best we could. Can't fault anyone for lack of effort or anything like that. SC is just the better team and while we are solid, all our flaws were exposed. I'm disappointed, but not down on the team. Look at what they have had to try to overcome this year!

SC is just the better [HEALTHY} team. Their depth and size just wore the Huskies

Was expecting a loss but was also hoping it would be a closer game.

IMO, the game was lost in Q1 when UConn had many chances to score but simply struggled to put up points. Let SCar establish and dominate too early.

It sucks that for the last 3 seasons we have had to play “short handed” against South Carolina. How different things might have been for every game if we hadn’t been beset by multiple injuries. Not saying UConn would have won them all (or any of them), but it would have been a more even playing field.

We are average this year, unfortunately. Not unlike last year. Just gotta close out the BE, win the BE tourney, and hope for the best going into the Big Dance.

Second that emotion!

 

[dtbtbtb]

Few thoughts:
*This was one depressing game.
*If SC does not win the NC this season, it will be a major shock.
*UConn is not a final 4 team at this point.
*In order to have a chance we needed a POY Paige (which didn't happen).
*AE is a fighter and had a real good game. She deserves to be an AA this season.
*Shade worked hard and at least got the confidence to shoot but clearly today was not one of her better games.
*You can't win in this level with only 3 scoring players...
*KK was totally taken out by SC. They had just as quick players and her lack of outside shooting was glaring in this game.
*It seems the ball had oil on it (when UConn was handling it) as so many passes looked shaky, and dribbling seemed like a challenge.
*UConn does not have a bench as Q and Ic are not ready to compete in this level.
*Pao Pao and Watkins where amazing but the key for SC is that they have what seems like endless number of quality players so when they sub in, there is reduction in the quality of their game.
*SC was so much better that it looked from the very beginning that they'll win, and the only question was by how much.
*The refs let a lot go without a whistle in the first half and that allowed SC to be very physical. By the way, the foul call on Paige when she was blocking out for the rebound was ridicules.
*So now, if UConn runs the table in the Big East, it looks like a 3 seed at best.
*This game showed how bad UConn needs the injured players.

 

[topogigio]

Every SC player was better than every Husky today! I don't even think we would have won with the 5 injured warriors on the bench. SC is relentless and deserves all the kudos. Only consolation is that Iowa got beat. Learn from the loss, move on, and hope we get sent out west!

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Getting a player like Strong and good health can sway things back our way. It actually isn’t as bad as it is.

And if SC gets Strong?

 

[JellyBean]

Like a few have already stated, this game went about as expected. Our beloved UConn squad did the best that they could out there. South Carolina is just the better team. It happens. We just have to learn from this game and move on and get ready for the next one. Heads up, UConn Ladies.

 

[Cheddie]

Right now, there is big disparity between UConn & SC as programs. This year's SC team is better, more well-rounded than last season's team, which only lost one game to Iowa & Caitlin Clark. Kudos to Dawn for going out and addressing the one weakness they historically have had - outside shooting. That isn't the case anymore. Unlike UConn, who rely primarily on 2 players, SC has different players step up from game to game, depending on the situation.

Since the ND game, Paige has looked like a different player. She has notably slimmed down - the muscle she entered the season with has been trimmed away. Her outside shooting has been affected, the legs don't appear to be what they were at the start of the season. For her sake, I sincerely hope she returns next year, using the offseason again to build her body back up. She's had a fantastic season coming back after missing so much time. Next year, Paige will be fully back.

For now, UConn is outgunned against the top tier teams. No shame, but they will be hard pressed to beat teams with a combination of size and speed. This game displayed where Azzi, Aubrey and help for Aaliyah could have made a difference. Not saying they would have beaten SC, but the game would have been more competitive.

Geno really, really did not want to play her the minutes she's needed to be on court this year. She looked completely gassed at the end of the 2nd half.

 

[luminosity]

This game went about as expected but here's the reality that some UCONN fans simply have to face at this point: Even if UCONN was 100% healthy, this team is not as talented as SC and we would have probably still lost.

SC has assembled a deep roster filled with talent, many of which would be considered top talent at UCONN. Watkins, their 2nd second best center, would easily start at UCONN. Paopao would be the second best shooter. I haven't even mentioned Cardosa and how she would dominated this game by herself if she was playing. We haven't had a center with her talent in recent memory.

To add, which injuried player would have made this game closer? I love Azzi and Aubrey but both of them often wiltered against big time opponents. Jana is a unproven freshman. Ayanna was so-so as a freshman and is still unproven. Caroline is streaky and may never play again. We can blame the strength and conditioning coach and staff but the issues with the team are much deeper.

Furthermore, this game is kind of a bellweather of where UCONN is as a program right now. Other programs across the country have incredible young talent. ND has Hannah Hildago. USC has Juju Watkins. NC State has River Baldwin. USC has Wiley. Other programs have NIL deals and cultures that match if not surpass what UCONN has to offer. When Paige and AE leave, what do we have left?

So us fans can blame the refs, the injuries and "effort" (as if other teams don't play with effort) but the reality is that this is a good roster that can beat worse teams but will get their butts kicked against elite teams.

 

[HuskieDawg]

Against better teams we just don’t have enough offense. Nika and KK combined for 6 points today and aren’t players who can take over offensively or have consistent enough offensive games to know what you’re going to get. Add that to we won’t get much offense from the bench that means we have 3 players who will need to outscore the other team.

Our team is what it is and they’ll keep working, keep looking to improve, and see where things go.

Lets go win the BE tourney and then get to March Madness where “survive and advance” is the name of the game.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

To show how strong South Carolina is, of the nine players that played today, three were sophomores and two freshmen. They started just one senior. So seven of the top eight players today that blew out Connecticut will be returning next year.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

Geno needs to find his voice with the officials again. It's not why UCONN lost, but IMO he allows too much to go unchallenged. Kitts over Paige's back was atrocious. And maybe I need glasses, but all these calls on Brady are bogus., especially when you compare it to what goes without a whistle!

 

[The deacon]

Only consolation is that Iowa got beat. Learn from the loss, move on, and hope we get sent out west!

Nebraska's win over Iowa should be no consolation. What it might well mean is that the Huskers could be another lower-seeded NCAA team that UConn needs to be wary of.

 

[cgshuskie]

Our team did not play well. Again, seem like no game plan. Paige did not play like an all American. Ashlyn,KK, Ice and Q played like inexperienced freshman. LIke an earlier poster said, " we can't really play well against the elite teams".

 

[can4]

She cannot compete at this level

 

[Ozimoto]

Sometimes you just run into a team that is deeper, bigger, and more talented. It happens. Let it go and move on.

 

[freshler40]

Two common things I have witnessed in our 5 losses, quick guards who can score give us problems, and when we get behind we resort to one-on-one basketball. We stopped sharing the ball and then it was a free for all. I have no doubt an experienced KK next year will be better suited to guard quick guards than Nika, but we really needed Aubrey's defense, Azzi's shooting and Jana in the paint to allow AE to come out more on the perimeter. Simply put, we are a team that can beat 98% of the teams in the country, but clearly are not capable of winning against the elite teams, not this season. I am okay with that and have resigned to just enjoying the remainder of the season and the BE tournament.

The number of early misses puts us in a hole and results in a lack of intensity. We needed to keep this game under ten points at the half but didn't. We need more point production from guards early in the game. These point-blank misses hurt.
We have the talent and must be led by the more experienced players. We also gave up too any offensive rebounds. Hope the coaches can identify and improve the game plans and coach up several players who will provide a winning formula later this season.

 

[my2cents]

You are not going to beat the consensus #1 team in the country on their court, with 4 of your 7 players being freshman.
The 4 freshman did not play well and don't seem to be improving on what they need to improve on.
As a senior, Nika Muhl does not seem to step up in big games. Who was she guarding and passing to?
Paige did not play well either, the shots she passes up vs the ones she takes makes it harder to score.
No Bench whatsoever.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

Did anyone have a sense of what the game strategy was? Because I didn't.

 

[AmeriConn]

It’s difficult to come up with a game plan for SC when you have so few players.

 

[Huskie02]

Was expecting a loss but was also hoping it would be a closer game.

IMO, the game was lost in Q1 when UConn had many chances to score but simply struggled to put up points. Let SCar establish and dominate too early.

It sucks that for the last 3 seasons we have had to play “short handed” against South Carolina. How different things might have been for every game if we hadn’t been beset by multiple injuries. Not saying UConn would have won them all (or any of them), but it would have been a more even playing field.

We are average this year, unfortunately. Not unlike last year. Just gotta close out the BE, win the BE tourney, and hope for the best going into the Big Dance.

Don’t understand Ice. Her head just doesn’t seem to be in the game. She doesn’t run hard down the court, she is out of position for rebounds, just very disappointed in her overall play and development.