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Message: [QUOTE="Carnac, post: 4519778, member: 5798"] [B]Very true!!! [/B]Allow me to illustrate a few observations........... Looking at the box score below, I want to point out several things.... 1. [B]Look at the minutes played by Villanova's starters versus ours - 150 to 194. [/B] 2. Note the total points by their starters = 54 compared to ours = 63. 3. Note the bench minutes provided by their reserves = 50 compared to our bench minutes = 6 4. Note the number of players used by Villanova = 8 compared to what Geno used = 6 5. Note the number of rebounds, assists, steals and blocks their bench provided. Patterson had 1 assist. UConn's 5 starters out played and out produced the entire Villanova team with only [B]6 minutes[/B] of help (and no points) from the bench. Patterson played those 6 minutes in the first half. You think our players might have been just a little tired in the 4th quarter.....knowing they could not foul out, and knowing they were not going to be subbed for......and knowing what they needed/had to do to win? I think the saving grace was the UConn players could tell their opponents were gassed too, especially Siegrist. Some of our players did not play up to their usual par. Everyone has an "off" day, but they played through it. Happy to report that none of them disappeared. They ALL produced and gave what they could. It's one man's humble opinion that this type of substitution pattern will not hold up in the NCAA tournament, especially against the highly talented teams they'll see the 2nd & 3rd weekend. [B]I'm not faulting Geno.[/B] I want to be very clear on that. He knows what he is doing!!! He was just playing the hand he was dealt. He did what he had to do based on 38 years of being a head coach to win the game. THAT was job 1. Would associate head coach Christine Daley have done it differently, perhaps, but we'll never know. What I am suggesting is that if Azzi and Caroline don't return by the end of next month (and there is nothing to suggest that they will), UConn's chances of going deep in the tournament are slim at best, regardless of what their prior tournament history of success is. What those teams did in the past has no bearing on THIS team, and the adversity it faces. One game at a time. Let's hope for the best, and keep hope alive. Keep your goggles on, Go Huskies. :cool: [ATTACH type="full" alt="1675107674931.png"]83660[/ATTACH] [/QUOTE]

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