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Message: [QUOTE="JoePgh, post: 2645560, member: 1131"] Since Z got to be comfortable in the paint, my sense is that Geno has wanted the offense to center around her while she is on the floor. The first option is always to throw it in to her (as was the case when Tina was a junior/senior). That means that the defense has to focus first on either stopping the post feed or stopping Z when she gets the ball. That concentration of the defense in the paint allows the perimeter shooters to get open more easily. Can Z pass the ball out of a double team as well as Stef Dolson could in the latter part of her UConn career? No. (It wasn't Tina's strength either.) Azura will probably perfect that skill next year, but this year it is not a strong point for her. But I can't imagine that any defensive strategy against UConn would be to allow passes into her and then trap her so that she can neither score nor pass to teammates. That would be a very risky approach for any opponent. So that means that they will focus on stopping the post feed (which means clogging the paint and leaving Crystal / Kia / KLS at least somewhat open), or stopping Z from scoring once she gets the ball. Given her likely mobility advantage over her defenders, that is not a promising defensive strategy either. Also worth noting: Z is only on the floor about half the time. When she is on the bench (at the beginning of each half), UConn is a completely different team with a completely different offense. So the opponent really needs two defensive plans, one against UConn-with-Z and one against the "small ball" that UConn plays when she is not on the floor. That's a lot to prepare in a short amount of prep time. [/QUOTE]

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