- UConn vs. DePaul Game Thread -

[JordyG]

DePaul uses 10+ players in their regular rotation so not sure this is an excuse for this performance.

Hard for a team to wear themselves out physically when the coach makes hockey line changes. This is the same pace they used last year. This year the DePaul team couldn't mentally maintain focus for 40 mins.

 

[hoophuskee]

While this comment is more rhetorical than anything, when you are up 50+ in the last quarter and 3 of your starters have ankle/foot issues, you use your bench. Each year for several years, 2+ starters have had to sit out due to stress fractures or bad ankles. As a long term fan, understand this is standard Geno practice but while I trust 99% of his plan, never understood this one. By the way, while in Bill We Trust, I don't believe Belichick is perfect either .

I'm not sure but I think we are arguing here/ have different views. First off - if we're going to talk about the last three or 4 years- 3 years we won the title and the other year to start the year most were predicting we were more of an E8 team and we made FF - I don't know what you can argue about that in which Geno "needs" to change a philosophy. Winning 111 straight and losing game 112 on a buzzer beater in overtime isn't good enough? Are you arguing how he uses his bench? I'm not sure what you are saying above. I mean Geno couldn't be any closer to perfect than the past 4 years, could he? "Belchick" isn't "Geno," is he?

To add to Geno's philosophy please read the post below started in bold and in italics. Also do you recall when we found out a player was missing free throws on purpose so she could stay in the game rather than get pulled after she made the 2nd? What is that telling you? These kids want to play. Read below. If it is your opinion that you don't want to play your star players because you're afraid of future injuries, imo you are eventually going to lose a lot of recruiting battles because word would have gotten out. Now consider when you would have started your philosophy, imo you wouldn't have been able to sustain a thing. And if you ever "rested a player" or rushed putting her back in when she wasn't mentally ready / or given op points when she was out-- and you wound up losing (very easily could have lost to Tulane for example) - then you'd be in huge trouble.

What I never understood is why fans who have no idea of the injury felt like Geno is wrong to play a kid in which the Doctor's cleared the kid and Geno's vast experience believes the 20 year old super-fit kid is fine. I don't get that. For those that criticize that, they only know of "reports." Yet they believe the reports they "hear" are more knowledgeable than the Dr's and Geno (and the staff)? Really?


On the “LATEST ON LOU” thread posted by RockyMTblue2

Well I just heard the broadcast and it is a stitch - so Katie Lou. "Janelle just told me I'm going to have to limit my minutes on Sunday . I'm going to be on a minute count and I don't want to do that. So I figured I'd come right to you and tell you that I don't want to do that." Geno: "You're saying you don't want to play at all?" Lou "No. I wanna play the whole game or I don't want to have to come out." Geno: "Well we'll make that decision when I watch you play. If I think you look good then you'll play a lot. If I don't think you look good, you're not..." Lou: "Okay, fair enough." ... a little chat ... "But, we are not the same team without her. You can talk all you want about this kid iss good, that kid is good ...but, you know...Lou is the only kid we have that bridges that gap between guard and forward....Lou floats between the two and stretches the defense...." Really great stuff.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Gabby often had that deer in the headlights look in her freshman year. She turned out ok. The frosh that stay will be fine.

You should go back and watch some of those games. There is no comparison between Gabby then and what this year's group have shown thus far. She was really good ( 8.3 PPG, 5.7 REB, 63% FG, 1+ assists and steals).

And it's not just the freshmen that have struggled.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I looked at the minutes per turnover stats as a rough measure of mistakes that the bench players are making. One TO per 15-20 minutes isn't bad, but one TO per 3-5 minutes is abysmal. I think all the newbies can and will do better. They are afraid of making mistakes, which causes them to make mistakes. Here's some good news: (1) they have lots of time to improve; (2) the conference teams are weaker than N.D., UCLA, DePaul, etc., so the newbies can improve under easier conditions.

 

[Gus Mahler]

I got a chuckle out of Bob Joyce and his version of Illinois Geography. Normal, Illinois is dab smack in the middle of the state, not in the far Southern part.

You know how it is: Anything south of Chicago is southern Illinois.

 

[Gus Mahler]

Was I the only one to see Jasmine Lister on the sidelines, the first timeout?

Nope.

 

[oldude]

DePaul uses 10+ players in their regular rotation so not sure this is an excuse for this performance.

Scratching my head as you are saying exactly what I said