UConn v. South Carolina 2025 | Page 2 | The Boneyard

UConn v. South Carolina 2025

David54 said:
Shouldn’t really be a ton of pressure today a road game we are not expected to win. I’m not even sure it will matter much regarding seeding as the s curve not strictly followed . So hope they can play loose.
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You are correct, it won't
 
The problem with relying on three point shooters is that they frequently blow hot and cold. Post players tend to be more reliable scorers if not as flashy. I just hope Azzi is blowing "hot" today.
 
huskyd said:
You've touched on something very important, Tony: expecting to win vs expecting to lose. At the moment, SC is expected to win this game. Even in key games when UConn was favored (eg, all the games so far this season), they acted as if they expected to lose. That's crazy, and totally unlike any Husky bunch I remember. Tony is correct: we need to get back to believing in the UConn mystique. We are about WINNING: doesn't matter how often we're in the top 10, or how often we get to the Final Four, or how many games we once won in a row, or even how many NCs we've gotten. Once you start thinking about losing instead of KNOWING you're going to win, nothing good is likely to come. Ask Vince Lombardi about second place. It doesn't exist.
Anyone who is comfortable with the Huskies losing on Sunday better find another team.
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If they give it their all and come up short, well that's reality and I I would be comfortable with a Huskie loss.
 
Pre game on ABC has been interesting. Possibly because of time constraints (or laziness) they really don't delve into availability other than Watkins and Fudd. No mention of lack of Aubrey in UCONN early losses or UCONN being without two of their "bigs" currently (Ice being a true big and Morgan being that small lineup hybrid big)...
 
There is one thing in these big games that we no longer have. It has eroded away over the last 8 years. We had a 6th man on the court the uniform, and now it is gone.
 
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Dugway said:
Just a few predictions:

It’ll be similar to the ND and the USC games in which we will come out, seem intimidated, and start the game poorly. In the Second Qtr, one of our big three will come on strong, we will hold our own and even get a little bit back. 3rd, unfortunately we get beat up again, and lose what we gained in the 2nd. And the Gamecocks will play the prevent in the 4th in which neither team will play up to expectations.

All in all, we are going to play solid defense, but even so, So Car is going to put 77 on the scoreboard. A big part of that will be due to lack of rebounding and giving up poorly guarded 3-pt shots.

Paige, Sarah & Azzi => Don’t know which, but One of the three will have a good game, 20-pts. One will have a pretty good game, 15-Pts. And one will have a poor game, 5-pts. Between them we score 40-pts in total.

KK & KC => between them we score another dozen pts.

Jana & Aubrey => between them we score another dozen.

Ashlynn => she will be quiet and take just three shots for 2-pts total.

So Car 77
UConn 66
MOV -11

After the game, the Boneyard will have a bunch of really nasty comments posted about how bad we are, how bad the Big East is, and that we will be lucky to make it to the Sweet 16. Another portion of the comments will be pollyannaish in that we are inexperienced, with a bunch of different lineups and have yet to gel it all together, even though this will have been the 27th game of the season. I will be reading them all and thinking that the truth is somewhere in between those extremes and rooting for us regardless.
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Absolutely nothing is as delicious as eating CROW
 
RSHERMVIKES said:
I have a feeling in the back of my brain, (and at 77 I don't get too many feelings anywhere) that this could be UConn's best game of the year!
The healthy players will step up for Ice and Morgan being out and play their hearts out for a 2 point win!
The talking suits don't think UConn have a chance and Geno and Staff loves the underdog look!
UConn pride takes over and motivates our girls to an outstanding performance!
But then again I'm 77 and I can't remember my name sometimes!
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What are the Lottery numbers??? :)
 
What an awesome performance by the Huskies, I'll admit I did not see that coming at all, but they dominated every aspect of the game. Kudos to the ladies, now lets see that effort every game for the rest of the season. On another note, how about Jana, that was somewhat of a break out game for her.
 
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RockyMTblue2 said:
There is one thing in these big games that we no longer have. It has eroded away over the last 8 years. We had a 6th man on the court the uniform, and now it is gone.
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Interesting point and I somewhat agree with you. It's good for the game though that stars are spread around to 7-16 teams now. More big games, and the much awaited quick growth in TV.

The ghost of the UConn uniform showed up in Columbia today, however, to perplex Dawn and quiet 18,000.:D

Geno still managed to recruit amazingly well in the tougher market. The whole Paige era has been plagued by injury. Even today we had 4 injured from the full roster!

We were just fortunate that the 2 recent injuries don't really limit the team, as we have other comparable players at those spots.

SC on the other hand is only dealing with 1 injury, but it was a big one. Not from a scoring standpoint, but from a post defense, rebounding, intimidation, enforcer standpoint, Watson was missed in the frontcourt.

UConn also has an amazing core coming back for next 2 seasons. KK, Ash, Morgan, Allie, Sarah, Ice and Jana are not flashy, but they are all solid players providing many strategic options. It's also easy to integrate an Azzi, Caroline, a transfer, or freshman star with this kind of unselfish group.

The ghost of the uniform, and Geno/Chris are not done yet.
 
Wow did not see this coming. Maybe the most unexpected UCONN beatdown I’ve seen in nearly 30 years of following the spot. I’m not shocked UCONN won since I knew they were dangerous if they can hit shots but this was just an assault on a very good South Carolina team. The biggest surprise to me was the 48-29 advantage on the glass and Jana El Alfy turning into a beast out of nowhere after struggling much of the year. Congrats on the beat down. Very curious how this will affect potential seeding but that result definitely shakes things up for both South Carolina and UCONN.
 
uconnfan68 said:
My jaw hit the floor with Jana’s crossover. Rebecca’s was there too.
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Did you notice that she did that against Joyce Edwards, the #2 recruit in this year's freshman class?

Maybe that sort of play is reflective of her overseas experience, where she had to get to the basket on her own rather than relying on teammates to hit her with an entry pass.
 
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JoePgh said:
Did you notice that she did that against Joyce Edwards, the #2 recruit in this year's freshman class?

Maybe that sort of play is reflective of her overseas experience, where she had to get to the basket on her own rather than relying on teammates to hit her with an entry pass.
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Jana had room to make that move because the spacing on offense was terrific today, best I’ve seen all season.
 
packwrap said:
Interesting point and I somewhat agree with you. It's good for the game though that stars are spread around to 7-16 teams now. More big games, and the much awaited quick growth in TV.

The ghost of the UConn uniform showed up in Columbia today, however, to perplex Dawn and quiet 18,000.:D

Geno still managed to recruit amazingly well in the tougher market. The whole Paige era has been plagued by injury. Even today we had 4 injured from the full roster!

We were just fortunate that the 2 recent injuries don't really limit the team, as we have other comparable players at those spots.

SC on the other hand is only dealing with 1 injury, but it was a big one. Not from a scoring standpoint, but from a post defense, rebounding, intimidation, enforcer standpoint, Watson was missed in the frontcourt.

UConn also has an amazing core coming back for next 2 seasons. KK, Ash, Morgan, Allie, Sarah, Ice and Jana are not flashy, but they are all solid players providing many strategic options. It's also easy to integrate an Azzi, Caroline, a transfer, or freshman star with this kind of unselfish group.

The ghost of the uniform, and Geno/Chris are not done yet.
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Had to miss the game and came home at 4:20 and climbed aboard. Got to say they gobsmacked me today. It certainly was what the doctor ordered. I'm sure it moved Geno's needle too; maybe Miss Calm and Collected too. Gotta hunt down the replay in AM, but highlights will tide me over.

Very, very happy for the kids that brought it home.
 
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JoePgh said:
Did you notice that she did that against Joyce Edwards, the #2 recruit in this year's freshman class?

Maybe that sort of play is reflective of her overseas experience, where she had to get to the basket on her own rather than relying on teammates to hit her with an entry pass.
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Where’s she been hiding that all year? She was so much better today than she’s been all year. Maybe just at the right time.

Also, our “small” crew is basically 5 point guards. It’s a true weapon.
 
Coach Geno is finally seeing daylight in an important game re: what he has been seeing in this team emerging a little bit at a time: that it is equipped to make a run for the national championship #12.

Still some little rough edges but they are now showing connectedness along with full game effort, and in raising their confidence, everyone's performance level is elevating.

Many things to mention but lots of you have touched on them while in a state of euphoria, so no point repeating. But the fact that it reminded you of the good old days in flow, execution and effort means the first threshold has been passed: to have a game where you play this way for 40 minutes. Now, the next step is repeat and improve.....all the ingredients are there with their evident quality: from playing big to playing small. It is good to see quality depth not seen since Stewie's last year.

And, BTW, this was done against a team that some people here have claimed to be physically dominant compared to the fragile UConn. That physically dominant team was outrebounded by 19 - one measure of physical dominance, reversed. I did see this coming, though not necessarily against South Carolina, especially this jaw-droppingly good.

I trust they will continue to grow.....and the big girl, too, showed progress here. Looking forward to seeing the big girl as her comfort level continues to rise!

Continue to work hard, play well in the way your coaches want you to, stay healthy and prevail - your team is good enough to get $12 done, so surely you will deserve that win for the investment in effort and mental strength you shall have committed into this season and did in seasons past, especially you, Paige and Azzi in getting past your injury woes.
 
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RockyMTblue2 said:
Maybe it has been the case of up to now they were bored? :confused:
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Well, I kind of doubt they were bored against ND, USC and Tennessee, but they may have felt this game against So. Carolina was pivotal if they were actually going to make a run for a national championship.
 
RockyMTblue2 said:
There is one thing in these big games that we no longer have. It has eroded away over the last 8 years. We had a 6th man on the court the uniform, and now it is gone.
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Worked to our advantage in South Carolina. I do believe at least part of the dynamic behind the win was the GameCocks did not hold us in high regard.
 
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Just.A.Fan said:
Well, I kind of doubt they were bored against ND, USC and Tennessee, but they may have felt this game against So. Carolina was pivotal if they were actually going to make a run for a national championship.
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Humor didn't come through. Long ago I gave up lobbying for more emoticons.
 
BlueSkyGLW said:
www.nytimes.com

UConn finally jelled to upset South Carolina and put women’s college basketball on alert

Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd combined for 40 points and their best game together.
www.nytimes.com www.nytimes.com

A good article (lots of good things said well):

UConn finally jelled to upset South Carolina and put women’s college basketball on alert​

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A belief settled into UConn’s locker room before the game, Fudd said. The Huskies felt calm and ready. And from the jump, in front of 18,000 fans who had mostly come to watch reigning national champs South Carolina wallop an overmatched has-been, a vintage UConn emerged.

This part of the article in particular made me smile. :)
 
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RockyMTblue2 said:
Oh yeah, I seriously thought they were bored!
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Chuckles here. You guys are both right.:D

If SC looked at our '25 film, we really just never looked right, especially v good teams. Maybe Iowa St.

They had reasons to overlook us.

Then a different team showed up. All playing well. No droughts. No let up. Oops.
 
Thanks ABC for your detail and quality control!

I just turned on a replay. Before the game has tipped off, the network has a graphic showing the pictures of each teams five starters, while the talking heads tell us the players names and of course gabs uncontrollably.

Next to the players, is the team’s logo, and above the blue and white Husky, we are the “TEXAS” Huskies. ???
 
maple said:
A belief settled into UConn’s locker room before the game, Fudd said. The Huskies felt calm and ready. And from the jump, in front of 18,000 fans who had mostly come to watch reigning national champs South Carolina wallop an overmatched has-been, a vintage UConn emerged.

This part of the article in particular made me smile. :)
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While 2.2 million TV viewers watched setting the stage for 2.3 million the Texas at LSU second half of the ESPN/ABC double header.
 
visitingcock said:
While 2.2 million TV viewers watched setting the stage for 2.3 million the Texas at LSU second half of the ESPN/ABC double header
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Women's basketball, generally, has become much better and more watchable over the last 30 years, but especially the last 15 or so. It's good to see that the viewership numbers reflect that. As always, thanks for posting the numbers.
 
CL82 said:
Women's basketball, generally, has become much better and more watchable over the last 30 years, but especially the last 15 or so. It's good to see that the viewership numbers reflect that. As always, thanks for posting the numbers.
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I think one of the main reasons that it is more watchable is that during those same 15 years or so the men's game has drastically changed. It is no longer basketball it's more dunk-a-ball and individual play vs the women's below the rim and team play.
 
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MSGRET said:
I think one of the main reasons that it is more watchable is that during those same 15 years or so the men's game has drastically changed. It is no longer basketball it's more dunk-a-ball and individual play vs the women's below the rim and team play.
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You obviously haven’t been watching the UConn men under Dan Hurley. They defend, they rebound, they assist, and they pass the ball for the best open shot. Sound familiar?

UConn’s 30-0 run in last year’s Elite 8

 
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MSGRET said:
I think one of the main reasons that it is more watchable is that during those same 15 years or so the men's game has drastically changed. It is no longer basketball it's more dunk-a-ball and individual play vs the women's below the rim and team play.
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I don't think it's that men's basketball is somehow lacking so much as women's basketball is better than it was 15 years ago. There's better athleticism, better coaching, and more parity.
 
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CL82 said:
I don't think it's that men's basketball is somehow lacking so much as women's basketball is better. There's better athleticism, better coaching, and more parity.
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Sorry, I’m not sure what you are saying.. wbb has better athleticism than men? Disagree !

Or

Wbb has better athleticism than 15 years ago ? Agree!

I watch wbb because teamwork is better. I’ve never seen 5 men touch the ball on a fast break.
 
visitingcock said:
Sorry, I’m not sure what you are saying.. wbb has better athleticism than men? Disagree !

Or

Wbb has better athleticism than 15 years ago ? Agree!

I watch wbb because teamwork is better. I’ve never seen 5 men touch the ball on a fast break.
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Definitely the second one.

Did you watch any UConn men's basketball last year or the year before? The ball movement was terrific and the sets incredibly intricate lead to some really beautiful basketball.

I've seen plenty of fast breaks where the ball doesn't touch the ground although going through all five players is a rarity in either game. It's always impressive to see when it happens.
 
HuskyNan said:
You obviously haven’t been watching the UConn men under Dan Hurley. They defend, they rebound, they assist, and they pass the ball for the best open shot. Sound familiar?

UConn’s 30-0 run in last year’s Elite 8

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How many men's teams play the game like UConn's men? I agree with MSGRET. The men's game, even in high school, is hard to watch.
 
CL82 said:
Women's basketball, generally, has become much better and more watchable over the last 30 years, but especially the last 15 or so. It's good to see that the viewership numbers reflect that. As always, thanks for posting the numbers.
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So true. As the quality of play, talent, and coaching gotten better, so has the demand and viewership increased. Even better, the new generation of talent is going to make sure the viewership never decreases. The game is in great hands.
 
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CL82 said:
Definitely the second one.

Did you watch any UConn men's basketball last year or the year before? The ball movement was terrific and the sets incredibly intricate lead to some really beautiful basketball.

I've seen plenty of fast breaks where the ball doesn't touch the ground although going through all five players is a rarity in either game. It's always impressive to see when it happens.
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No, I very rarely watch men’s basketball. Part of a UConn game last year,

My favorite basketball was a SCar rebound outlet that was passed through through all other players before being laid up and in by the 5th player. 2020 against Miss State in the SEC championship, Last game of our 31-1 season as it turned out. :(:(
 
donalddoowop said:
How many men's teams play the game like UConn's men? I agree with MSGRET. The men's game, even in high school, is hard to watch.
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Many more than people in this thread are giving the game credit for. I watch all of the UConn men’s games and have seen many different teams. Men’s hoops is not just a dunk-fest by “look at me” players. Not at all.

People are criticizing a game they don’t watch :rolleyes:
 
HuskyNan said:
You obviously haven’t been watching the UConn men under Dan Hurley. They defend, they rebound, they assist, and they pass the ball for the best open shot. Sound familiar?

UConn’s 30-0 run in last year’s Elite 8

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Nan I haven't watched a men's basketball to include the NCAA Tournament for over 5 years. UConn may be an exception from the norm, but it doesn't interest me anymore. I played when I was in grade, JR High and High School, even played some in the military. The game is not the same as it used to be and if James Naismith was alive today he would agree.
 
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