UConn vs. Syracuse post game - on to the sweet 16! | Page 3 | The Boneyard

UConn vs. Syracuse post game - on to the sweet 16!

freshler40 said:
Amazed at the flopping by both sides without warnings by the refs. For much of the second half Syr only had 3 fouls. We needed to drive more to get to the line late in this game. We played six players and two didn't score. This needs to change or the future will be a challenge.
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I may get sworn at, but it looked to me that a lot of time Ice didn't seem comfortable with the ball in her hands. But she was working her behind off!
 
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I see several complaints about Syracuse's rough style of play. But I was impressed by their perserverance. UCONN is notorious for taking the spirit out of teams with extended scoring runs, especially at home. But Syracuse refused to be demoralized and kept coming back. Kudos the the Orange & their classy coach.
 
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Some thoughts:

-Paige can get herself open around the foul line and
score on virtually any play...really a different player
then say Clarke.

-She was also tough defensively on Fair at the end.

-We're going to see plenty of these one-on-one
scorers as we advance...Surely it's an important
area of concentration.

-Ice was on the verge of losing her composure at the
end...I would have put in another guard...But what
do I know?

-Ash has had a couple of good games in a row...very
helpful for the team...,How's that for an
understatement. And reliable on D and the boards.

-KK had some of her patterned drives where she
might have passed and then others where she might
have shot, but boy that 3 at the end was timely.
 
jaydee602 said:
Despite Burrows & Woolley being hot with nine 3-pointers, Fair tried to win the game by herself and took wild, desperate shots.
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Not to brag, but I do believe I mentioned in one thread how Fair has a tendency to play hero ball when it's late and the game is close (with varying success). With a lot of driving into the crowded paint and chucking up shots. :D

Maybe next time I'll give Coach Geno a call and save him some scouting time.
 
UConn did more than enough to cough that lead up on their own, but my god, that was a breathtaking display of bad officiating.

From the lengthy review on Paige’s incidental contact, to the review when Edwards clearly tipped it out, followed by the ridiculous shooting foul called on Paige when Fair flailed into her - the refs were making wild guesses down the stretch this one.

They continue to do a disservice to women’s basketball with their incompetence.
 
I really want Ice to do well, and I think she has skills and can contribute, but I think she would do better being less deliberate and just making quick decisions to shoot. Especially with sitting out a year rehabbing, she should know the offense a little. She can shoot the ball, so when she gets it, just let it fly. She will have to work on rebounding- after all, she is 6'3. But her touch around the basket just isn't there, and this surprises me. Maybe it was just an off night as lately she has had some good games. She did show quicker feet on defense tonight which is good, and there was one rebound where she really leaped for the ball and grabbed it, which is encouraging.
 
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UConn990411 said:
UConn did more than enough to cough that lead up on their own, but my god, that was a breathtaking display of bad officiating.

From the lengthy review on Paige’s incidental contact, to the review when Edwards clearly tipped it out, followed by the ridiculous shooting foul called on Paige when Fair flailed into her - the refs were making wild guesses down the stretch this one.

They continue to do a disservice to women’s basketball with their incompetence.
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As bad as the refs Are in the men’s game….and they are bad. The refs
In the women’s game are much much worse.
 
I needed a moment to collect my thoughts about this game, and especially the reffing. Here goes.
  1. I'm glad it's behind us
  2. The reffing was good enough in the first half in the sense that they let us play, but one consequence was Syracuse got away with a lot of rough play under the glass. Aaliyah especially paid the price for this. On the other hand, Nika got away with lots of little holds and grabs on Fair as part of her ball denial defense.
  3. It's clear after watching these two games -- and a few of their regular season games -- that Coach Jack's gameplan is to manufacture as many fouls as they can. There were some good ones and also some really cheesy ones, like a pretended intentional foul Wooley tried to hang on Paige. The refs didn't buy it, but they also didn't pin a technical on Wooley for the flop.
  4. In the second half, the refs starting calling a lot of fouls... on UConn. And they called hardly any on Syracuse. I suspect this was a result of Coach Jack's complaining. And it's easy to see why, since she needs Fair to be free to run wild in the second half. But also she needs to soften up the defense by getting as many opposing players in foul trouble as possible. I was disappointed the refs fell so thoroughly for this. Wooley and Wood ought to have fouled out in the 4th.
  5. Syracuse shot the lights out from 3 -- 39.4% as a team -- and 25% shooters shot >40%. This has been UConn's luck this season. Our opponents are on fire from 3, hitting bank shots and the like. Thank goodness Ash and KK shot really well from 3 as well. Ash 55% KK 100%.
  6. I thought Ice and KK looked extra nervous, as if the first round win had kinda freaked them out. They hadn't seen how tough tournament play can get. Well, now they've seen it twice and I hope that washes the nervousness out of them.
 
Great game. Syracuse came to play and their player were not afraid of the moment, especially Burrows and Woolley. I though Fair made some amazing shots, but some of her body antics to get foul calls was a bit uncalled for and the refs fell for it. But again credit for that Syracuse team that never let the game get away. Survive and advance.

The good:
  • People say Hidalgo best two way player, however, I firmly believe that Paige is and she has to play cautious knowing the team needs her to be in the entire game. She is amazing and we are so lucky to be watching this generational talent
  • Shade was magnificent
  • Aaliyah got fouled a lot, but she battled and played really well for us
  • KK was really good too, a couple of ill advised drives and shots at the rim, but she was aggressive. She just needs to play at different speeds like Paige, where she's not going 100mph at the rim and hoping she gets the layup. She needs to have some change of direction and pullup action
  • Muhl was amazing tonight defensively.
The bad:
  • Ice was solid on D. There was a stretch she single-handedly turned the ball over and let Syracuse back in the game. She seems to lose the ball often and doesn't finish well around the rim. With her stature she should be a bully in the paint and more secure with the ball. Hoping she can work on that going forward. .
  • Too many offensive rebounds by Syracuse.
 
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Next 12 said:
A little nerve racking
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A little???
Next 12 said:
Plus, in the 4th qtr, the refs called 5 fouls on Uconn in 40 seconds. That was ridiculous!!!!
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It bugs me when big scorers like Fair (yes, she's a great player) are given more leeway to push off defenders than lesser offensive talents. A few seconds before Muhl fouled Fair on the three-point attempt, Fair committed a blatant offensive foul, as least as bad as Muhl's 5th.
 
I needed another bourbon after this one. Now I remember why I like blowouts!!!

That was a hell of a game. Down to the wire. KK with that 3 dagger was a thing of beauty. So happy for her. Syracuse is a tough team. Their 3 point shooting was unconscious. Kept them in the game.

Paige is Paige. Magnificent game. Ash is a stone cold shooter. I still do not understand why she is so open in the corner for her 3. She's been doing it all season.

Aaliyah the warrior. She battled all night while getting hammered. And kudos to Ice. I know she didn't score, and that bothers many, but she played good defense.

And Nika. Now the all time assist leader for UConn. She played great defense tonight. Fair was almost invisible with Nika guarding her.

We advance to the Sweet 16. Duke is next.
 
Took a while to get my heart rate down before I could post. The Orange are a good lot. I believe they beat ND 2x this season. Paige was spectacular, but needs to shoot more in games like this. Edwards looked out of sorts at times. Ashlynn is a killer! Nika simply can't continue to make bonehead plays this late in the season, or in her career. KK was solid, and Brady looked very unsure of herself (she had a number of open shots she passed up, and I kept yelling "go up strong"! When was the last time making the sweet sixteen such a big deal? On to Portland.
 
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In a way, 30 straight trips to the Sweet Sixteen in the 64-team era is even a more ridiculous stat than 14 straight Final Fours. That's 7-1/2 four-year cycles of players without a letdown. And tonight showed how tough it can be to avoid that letdown.
 
Conndog said:
I really want Ice to do well, and I think she has skills and can contribute, but I think she would do better being less deliberate and just making quick decisions to shoot. Especially with sitting out a year rehabbing, she should know the offense a little. She can shoot the ball, so when she gets it, just let it fly. She will have to work on rebounding- after all, she is 6'3. But her touch around the basket just isn't there, and this surprises me. Maybe it was just an off night as lately she has had some good games. She did show quicker feet on defense tonight which is good, and there was one rebound where she really leaped for the ball and grabbed it, which is encouraging.
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On board as far as her wanting her to do well, who wouldn’t but at this juncture, even with being out last year, she seems lost and it forces to play Edwards more than Geno would like and forces us to play small for far too long. Needs to step it up.
 
I don't care if we win another game this tournament.

I'm kidding. We still need to beat Duke (sorry @triaddukefan)

What I mean is no one should expect this group to accomplish more than they already have. They are already overachievers. Anything beyond the Sweet 16 is gravy. Relax, Huskies, no pressure. Just enjoy beating those Blue Devils.

And next season, after this experience, our freshmen will be the equivalent of grad students.
 
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