UCONN scored 11 points over the last 13 minutes of the game...

[EricLA]

they were up 56-13 with 12:46 left in the game and were outscored 18-11 over the last portion of the game. With the talent UCONN has (I know the 3 freshmen and 2 sophomores were mostly in), that shouldn't happen. Really accentuates the realization that the underclassmen struggle to score.

Great minutes for the bench. But they got outplayed by one of the worst teams in the BE... Somehow that surprises me. I was really hoping the young'uns would have a chance to shine and perform well against a totally over-matched opponent...

Side note - UCONN 15 TO's, Cinci 14 TO's.

 

[Icebear]

Don't put too much into it, Eric. Geno slowed the game WAY DOWN and put the team into zone to boot.

 

[EricLA]

Slowing the game way down doesn't account for losing the last 13 minutes 18-11. Geno felt that the bench kids coming in knowing they'd get 15+ minutes should have been motivation enough for them to show what they could do and play well. He was asked about how he motivates the team when they are up big. Clearly he wasn't impressed with the bench either.

 

[semper]

Yeah, but the bench now knows where they are at, and how HARD they have to work. You can talk and talk, but at sometimes things have to be experienced.

 

[msf22b]

The starters other than Steff were none too impressive either, especially at the beginning.
Kelly had a really rough start in front of Brian Agler.
I wouldn't fancy her chances of being recruited out there.

 

[meyers7]

Well eric Geno also wouldn't let them break or push the ball. Made them wait til Cinci was set up defensively before running there offense. No press. Zone. The starters wouldn't look all that great with those shackles on.

 

[EricLA]

Well eric Geno also wouldn't let them break or push the ball. Made them wait til Cinci was set up defensively before running there offense. No press. Zone. The starters wouldn't look all that great with those shackles on.

Lol good point. Still, you do have to admit being outscored by cinci 18-11 over the last 13 minutes is not good, no matter who's on the court or what offense we are running...

 

[magical2]

Lol good point. Still, you do have to admit being outscored by cinci 18-11 over the last 13 minutes is not good, no matter who's on the court or what offense we are running...

POINT /COUNTER POINT EVERYONE IS RIGHT YOU GOTTA ADMIT IT WAS DIFFICULT TO WATCH
BUILDING A TEAM CAN BE HARD WORK
WHAT WE SAW OVER THE LAST 1200 MINUTES IS WHAT WE HAVE SEEN OVER AND OVER AGAIN
DURING THE LAST 10-12 MINUTES OTHER THAN DUKE
IRA

 

[cferraro04]

I guess we can now stop with the conjecture that our second string would be rated in the top 25 or that they could beat most other teams... They can't. They just don't have the consistency or the fire power yet. They need a lot of work. Kiah needs to be more offensively minded. Breanna needs to be more consistent, Tuck still has to get into game shape, Brianna Banks needs to be more consistent but, I do like what I see in Brianna. Moriah Jefferson needs to be able to knock down her shot...shooting 20 percent from three isn't going to cut it... She needs to become more of a penetrate and dish, draw the foul and get to the line kind of point guard. Heather...well, I don't know...whatever. Truth is UConn isn't that different than most WCBB teams when it comes to its second string...They are very talented no doubt...but as a unit they are better than some and not as good as others.... I will say this...I don't believe this game did anything in helping us prepare for Baylor.

 

[Icebear]

Well eric Geno also wouldn't let them break or push the ball. Made them wait til Cinci was set up defensively before running there offense. No press. Zone. The starters wouldn't look all that great with those shackles on.

Exactly.

 

[Icebear]

We knew from the first half against Duke that the wholesale substitution did not work. Shea noted so to Geno. Something to the effect, "We aren't going to do that again are we?" Last night with even stronger constraints on them as to what they were to run, the zone, etc. they didn't perform any better than before but the limits were much more limiting on the offensive opportunities. Good news is that during competitive games they will not play together as a unit and mixed into the first unit they are a manageable asset. No need for frustration or panic.

 

[doggydaddy]

Lol good point. Still, you do have to admit being outscored by cinci 18-11 over the last 13 minutes is not good, no matter who's on the court or what offense we are running...

What does not good mean? They underperformed? No doubt. Frustrating for the fans watching. Absolutely.

Does it have any impact on the teams ability to win a national championship?

No.

 

[doggydaddy]

I guess we can now stop with the conjecture that our second string would be rated in the top 25 or that they could beat most other teams... They can't. They just don't have the consistency or the fire power yet. They need a lot of work. Kiah needs to be more offensively minded. Breanna needs to be more consistent, Tuck still has to get into game shape, Brianna Banks needs to be more consistent but, I do like what I see in Brianna. Moriah Jefferson needs to be able to knock down her shot...shooting 20 percent from three isn't going to cut it... She needs to become more of a penetrate and dish, draw the foul and get to the line kind of point guard. Heather...well, I don't know...whatever. Truth is UConn isn't that different than most WCBB teams when it comes to its second string...They are very talented no doubt...but as a unit they are better than some and not as good as others.... I will say this...I don't believe this game did anything in helping us prepare for Baylor.

That conjecture was stopped once the season started. It was unrealistic then and I don't think more than a few fans thought that to begin with.

 

[easttexastrash]

Second units are second units for a reason. Mulkey got so frustrated with her second unit against OU that she put the starters back in with about 3:00 minutes after the second unit let a 25 point lead dwindle down to 17 or 18 points. It's something she frequently laments about in post game comments. Williams, Johnson and Prince play well with the first team but overall the second unit is ineffective.

 

[Tonyc]

Well I guess all this shows that when you put 5 underclassman on the floor together without any veteran leadership they will struggle no matter what team they play for. Its good experience for them and we cant expect all that much except to see signs of what the next few years will bring. Right now our underclassman are stumbleing forward towards greatness. If we look back on Stef, BB, KML and Kelly and she the transformation over one year we have alot to look forward too with our underclassman.

We have alot of talent on the bench. We have kids who have won at every level. UConn is a whole different level then most other college teams. This is UConn and at UConn the goal is championships and almost every year UConn is right there and most other schools are not. At other schools the goal is to make the NCAAs or the FF. At UConn the expectations are higher.

So for me I sit back and watch the players develop knowing that there is a college level and there is a UConn level. Some reruits choose the latter and thats fine. However UConn is the cream of the crop and there are no exceptions. So sit patiently and lets see how this team develops.

 

[EricLA]

What does not good mean? They underperformed? No doubt. Frustrating for the fans watching. Absolutely.

Does it have any impact on the teams ability to win a national championship?

No.

Did I say that? No. I agree - in a NC game, probably a max of 8 players will see the court. I think most fans, myself included, were surprised to see the reserves dominated in 13 minutes of play by a really bad Cinci team. That was the point of the thread...

 

[doggydaddy]

Did I say that? No. I agree - in a NC game, probably a max of 8 players will see the court. I think most fans, myself included, were surprised to see the reserves dominated in 13 minutes of play by a really bad Cinci team. That was the point of the thread...

Did I put quotes around that statement and attribute it to you? Nope.

My bad. I thought I was in the thread talking about "cause for concern". Their performance was somewhat surprising. Can't argue with that.

 

[Tonyc]

Well I watched the game. Geno cleared the bench giving the underclassman so very well deserved playtime. He called off the pressure, had them sit back and work on executing plays. It wasnt about trying to outscore Cinny. It was about using their minutes to work on what Geno wanted them to work on. It wasnt about them going out and playing and scoring alot of points it was about them learning and developing them to play UConn BB. Thats what I saw.

 

[meganmatthews]

Well I watched the game. Geno cleared the bench giving the underclassman so very well deserved playtime. He called off the pressure, had them sit back and work on executing plays. It wasnt about trying to outscore Cinny. It was about using their minutes to work on what Geno wanted them to work on. It wasnt about them going out and playing and scoring alot of points it was about them learning and developing them to play UConn BB. Thats what I saw.

You are absolutely right, Tonyc. It wasn't about outscoring Cincy. It was about working on plays. I admire Gino. He did the right thing. Call off the dogs and work on plays. Uconn didn't seem very urgent in the first half either. There was no need to be. The game was played the right way. Good job.