UConn-UCF thread without complaints

[Bama fan]

I am very glad we won. I am ecstatic that no one was seriously injured. Paige shot well, and I hope she shoots more moving forward. Azzi seemed not to be overwhelmed, and that is comforting. We had some struggles, but UCF played like demons. Go Huskies! (I am so appreciative of posters who do not feel obligated to bash the team and players when things are not perfect. Some comments are abusive.) But this particular thread is the place to be today! Thank you , @Husky Nan

 

[SLY63]

One game does not carry over to the next. We could easily put on a show and win by 20+ on Saturday. For those long time NCAA fans, how many teams have won a squeaker in the early rounds against a lower seed and then go on to win it all? (Answer = lots).

Hope this qualifies as a positive post

 

[ProSkeptic]

Positives from the game for me were as follows
1. Azzi is getting a taste of the dance and she likes it
2. We have three bigs so if two foul out Viola we still have one left
3. Another game back for Paige
4. Foul shooting
5. Great defense
6. A win

Who’s Viola? New transfer? Viola Davis? Didn’t know she was a baller.

 

[huskeynut]

I think we all expected this type of game. UCF came out and tried for that early knock out punch. It didn't work. We fought back and won. We proved we are just as physical as anybody. The team did not panic.

Reminded me of the old rivalry with Rutgers. Slug fest.

Win and advance is the name of the game. Onto to Bridgeport.

 

[jaydee602]

To those who question UCONN's toughness, her is Geno's post- game comment:
"Toughness is making all those free throws at the end," Auriemma said. "Toughness is getting a huge rebound at a big time. Toughness is Christyn making that 3 [early in the fourth to put UConn up by 11] when she had to make it. And I think we showed that. I think all the other stuff was just fluff."

 

[veryolddog]

What I was impressed with more than anything is that this team did not giveup, quit, or disappear under stress and duress. They continued to play hard and fight for the opportunity to score and defend.

 

[BRS24]

Survive and advance - Jim Valvano

I kinda knew that this game would be a bit physical, and that the offensive flow would be a bit out of whack, so I just enjoyed the game, and IMHO, if you look at the other 2nd round results, there were a lot of matchups that provided upsets, so no surprises with our game. As Geno has said, you can cruise thru the season undefeated, big scores, but if there's nothing to prepare you for a different type of game, there's no idea how the players & team will reach. Lots of teaching moments in game film, I'm guessing.

 

[Wilderness]

If they count Azzi’s free throws that hit the rim as misses I think she would still shoot over 70% from the line.

Great line! Definition of "calm" in my dictionary is a photo of Azzi at the stripe.

 

[DrummerDee]

Great win and just loved the poise of the UConn program. Also...what a crowd, especially the student section!! OMG!! Made me wish that I could attend the game. Holy smokes. That energy was EPIC!!

You aren't kidding! I was there, and you couldn't hear a thing!!

 

[JSB60]

They did what they had to do in order to survive a night of really poor shooting. That’s not a complaint, sometimes good shots don’t fall. Azzi was huge from the line, especially for a freshman in the biggest game she’s ever played.

 

[Newfie]

I was at the game and I needed a shot to be able to sleep last night, lol. Survive and advance, nothing else matters. Love this thread. Any missed shots were not on purpose for Pete's sake. They gave it everything they had, and it was enough to win. As others have said, definitely reminded me of the old Rutgers teams. Not easy to play against.

 

[Ozimoto]

They scored more points than the other team. They won. I'm good with that. Indiana awaits.

 

[CTGirl15]

I was happy with the clutch FT shooting at the end of the game, we need that. It's also great to see both a freshman and a senior calmly hit those, they both may need to do more of that in this tournament.

I also continue to be thankful for UConn's depth. Two starters fouled out, the opposing team made a run, but UConn still managed to win. Don't know if UConn teams of the past couple of years would have had the same outcome due to the shorter benches.

And while Paige is not fully up to speed, I am grateful for every moment she plays. A month ago, I'm not sure we could have envisioned her playing in a game like this against a tough physical team.

Survive and advance!

 

[ctchamps]

I enjoyed this game a lot more than the time I threw my back out and was bed ridden for six weeks. I correctly knew the artist in Nan’s original post.

All kidding aside the fans were incredible. I was not expecting a difficult matchup until the fourth NCAA Tournament game. I was hoping Paige could get additional games under her belt before then to get up to game speed. Obviously she is far short of her play compared to where she was before her injury but I believe this game accelerated her comeback and prepared her for games 3-6 far more than if we won in a blowout against an inferior team.

This game also reinforced the importance of defense and that players other than Paige are needed to step up at crucial times to win.

 

[Centerstream]

Jackson Pollack

Jackson Pollock

www.jackson-pollock.org

Pollack, from the movie The Accountant...

 

[Boreifs]

I have seen Indiana play quite often (it’s one of my alma maters) and we match up quite well with them. The biggest problem will be containing their Spanish point guard, who is very quick and totally fearless driving the lane. We may see more of Nika. The match up to watch , though, is Paige versus Grace Berger, who does most of her damage with pull ups within the arc.

 

[RedStickHusky]

I think that's the first piece of modern art I like. Can you please let us know who did it? Thanks

I'd be surprised if that's not Jackson Pollack, but I've been wrong once or twice before.

 

[jchusky]

I think people are going to miss Williams and regret they gave her so much criticism. Her stepback jumper was stuff that I doubt some Nba players could do. I was watching the game on stream and another person commented who didn't even know her name or follow closely the team saying that was a nice shot.

 

[psconn]

I have seen Indiana play quite often (it’s one of my alma maters) and we match up quite well with them. The biggest problem will be containing their Spanish point guard, who is very quick and totally fearless driving the lane. We may see more of Nika. The match up to watch , though, is Paige versus Grace Berger, who does most of her damage with pull ups within the arc.

I'm totally unfamiliar with Indiana... more like this please.

 

[OviedoFLHusky]

All year, we know that nothing has been easy for this team. They had to overcome a lot of adversities and find new ways to win, together, as a team. Doing so has given them mental toughness: they showed that they were above seeking physical retaliation, and instead made the shots they needed to win the game. So many other teams (including recent past versions of UConn) would have wilted. But not this time, not this team, and not in their house. Go Huskies!!!

 

[ctfjr]

My wife wants to know what freakin bunny I was yelling about

 

[ucbart]

Has this been talked about yet? On what planet is UCF a 7 seed? I've watched a lot of WCBB this season and especially in the last 3 weeks. That's a top 16 seed.

 

[RedStickHusky]

A novel thread concept. It'll be interesting to see how long it runs compared to the whiners thread. To me, the oddest (and most difficult) thing about last night's game was the pace/tempo. It's pretty unusual to see a UConn team trying to slow things down, but with UCF's aggressiveness, playing fast (and sloppy) was the game they wanted. FWIW, UCF missed 10 free throws in a five point loss. UConn definitely dodged a bullet last night, something tourney winners often have to do along the way.

 

[HuskyNan]

I'd be surprised if that's not Jackson Pollack, but I've been wrong once or twice before.

Did people not read the OP?

 

[RedStickHusky]

Did people not read the OP?

<Sheepishly> Not very well, apparently.