UNC beat Syracuse in January next up UConn

[Tonyc]

Gotta wonder what UNC is thinking. They beat the Cuse in overtime in January. Guys this will be another blowout. The biggest difference in the game yesterday was UConns offense was clicking on all cylinders. UConns offense looked like it caught up to UConns defense and is at another level. We have seen over the past few weeks other players starting to click on offense. Against the Cuse it looked like it all came together and some of that was because in the prior game Azzi and then KK were on the bench with 3 fouls. This gave everybody else a chance to step up and they did. Against UNC we will see if this onslaught continues. The biggest question all season is how do you prepare for UConn? IMO you can't prepare for UConn if you did not start back in August like Geno did preparing his team for this March. Geno got started early before the season started and nobody else did. You dont prepare for your opponent a week before you meet them you prepare months in advance anticipating you're going to play them. Dont be surprised on Friday and Sunday if UConn looks a lot like they did yesterday. UConns defense takes teams out of their game. You saw what they did to a very good Cuse team and when Geno called off the dogs you saw the Cuse score much more easily but never enough to catch UConn. We've seen it since the FF last season. It takes more than talent to be great, and it takes more than talent to beat great. UConns scoring margin is averaging over 38pts. What will it take for a team to overcome that? The only thing that can stop UConn is key foul trouble, which will make them defenseless. I don't see that happening, because UConn doesn't need to foul they only need to apply pressure to opposing offenses. Preparing for Friday with all the hype and interviews this week won't be easy but Geno has his team ready.

 

[BRS24]

One of the things where UConn has an advantage is that there are no conference foes in the NCAAT that have played agains them 2-3x, and understand the how and what is needed to prepare to play them. IMO, you can watch a ton of game film, however that doesn't come close to actually playing on the court against UConn.

 

[BobbyJ]

Gotta wonder what UNC is thinking. They beat the Cuse in overtime in January. Guys this will be another blowout. The biggest difference in the game yesterday was UConns offense was clicking on all cylinders. UConns offense looked like it caught up to UConns defense and is at another level. We have seen over the past few weeks other players starting to click on offense. Against the Cuse it looked like it all came together and some of that was because in the prior game Azzi and then KK were on the bench with 3 fouls. This gave everybody else a chance to step up and they did. Against UNC we will see if this onslaught continues. The biggest question all season is how do you prepare for UConn? IMO you can't prepare for UConn if you did not start back in August like Geno did preparing his team for this March. Geno got started early before the season started and nobody else did. You dont prepare for your opponent a week before you meet them you prepare months in advance anticipating you're going to play them. Dont be surprised on Friday and Sunday if UConn looks a lot like they did yesterday. UConns defense takes teams out of their game. You saw what they did to a very good Cuse team and when Geno called off the dogs you saw the Cuse score much more easily but never enough to catch UConn. We've seen it since the FF last season. It takes more than talent to be great, and it takes more than talent to beat great. UConns scoring margin is averaging over 38pts. What will it take for a team to overcome that? The only thing that can stop UConn is key foul trouble, which will make them defenseless. I don't see that happening, because UConn doesn't need to foul they only need to apply pressure to opposing offenses. Preparing for Friday with all the hype and interviews this week won't be easy but Geno has his team ready.

How did you come up with this? Do you actually think that Auriemma is the only coach who begins preparing his team during the preseason for March tournament play? Staley, Mulkey, Schaefer? Every top coach and team in the country does this, it isn't something new or revolutionary that only UConn does. They all build and try to develop their rosters/teams for March. As for preparing for specific opponents, Auriemma wasn't preparing all season for Syracuse, NC or any other team not on the regular season schedule because he didn't know he'd be playing them. In fact, Chris Dailey said last night on her radio interview that she now has the scout for NC, she didn't start it last Aug.

 

[Bone Dog]

One of the things where UConn has an advantage is that there are no conference foes in the NCAAT that have played agains them 2-3x, and understand the how and what is needed to prepare to play them. IMO, you can watch a ton of game film, however that doesn't come close to actually playing on the court against UConn.

This is exactly why BE opponents like Villanova and Marquette are able to put together competitive quarters against us. They’ve seen it and aren’t overwhelmed right away.

 

[GoUconn7961]

How did you come up with this? Do you actually think that Auriemma is the only coach who begins preparing his team during the preseason for March tournament play? Staley, Mulkey, Schaefer? Every top coach and team in the country does this, it isn't something new or revolutionary that only UConn does. They all build and try to develop their rosters/teams for March. As for preparing for specific opponents, Auriemma wasn't preparing all season for Syracuse, NC or any other team not on the regular season schedule because he didn't know he'd be playing them. In fact, Chris Dailey said last night on her radio interview that she now has the scout for NC, she didn't start it last Aug.

This is standard TonyC posting. It says you joined in 2013. You should know this by now.

 

[Tonyc]

How did you come up with this? Do you actually think that Auriemma is the only coach who begins preparing his team during the preseason for March tournament play? Staley, Mulkey, Schaefer? Every top coach and team in the country does this, it isn't something new or revolutionary that only UConn does. They all build and try to develop their rosters/teams for March. As for preparing for specific opponents, Auriemma wasn't preparing all season for Syracuse, NC or any other team not on the regular season schedule because he didn't know he'd be playing them. In fact, Chris Dailey said last night on her radio interview that she now has the scout for NC, she didn't start it last Aug.

I was referring to UConn pressure defense. No team we have faced including in last year’s FF was prepared for UConn defense and what it does to teams. I guess I should’ve been clearer

 

[donalddoowop]

I re-watched the NC vs Maryland game. I noticed that it is easy to drive on NC and they are rather slow. NC does not have a great three point shooting team and they do not have a tall dominating post player. Toomey is their post player, and she did not play much in the second half of the game. Maybe she was in foul trouble.

 

[oldude]

I will just chime in with this comment. You can not simulate UConn’s defense in practice.

 

[DaddyChoc]

How did you come up with this? Do you actually think that Auriemma is the only coach who begins preparing his team during the preseason for March tournament play? Staley, Mulkey, Schaefer? Every top coach and team in the country does this, it isn't something new or revolutionary that only UConn does. They all build and try to develop their rosters/teams for March. As for preparing for specific opponents, Auriemma wasn't preparing all season for Syracuse, NC or any other team not on the regular season schedule because he didn't know he'd be playing them. In fact, Chris Dailey said last night on her radio interview that she now has the scout for NC, she didn't start it last Aug.

can you please let TonyC do his thing, thanks #mojo

 

[HuskyNan]

Tony once predicted the team would go 195-0 and, dang, they went 111-0. I’m on board

 

[Skeets]

I will just chime in with this comment. You can not simulate UConn’s defense in practice.

Well, you could but your practice players would need to have NBA backgrounds. College kids aint gonna cut it.

 

[DaddyChoc]

Tony once predicted the team would go 195-0 and, dang, they went 111-0. I’m on board

during the short-lived EDD era

 

[my2cents]

I was referring to UConn pressure defense. No team we have faced including in last year’s FF was prepared for UConn defense and what it does to teams. I guess I should’ve been clearer

I understood what you meant Tony. This forum is called the Boneyard, because people find one bone to pick.

 

[meyers7]

Tony once predicted the team would go 195-0 and, dang, they went 111-0. I’m on board

Actually, when Tony did his 195-0 prediction (Delle Donne coming), they went 90-0. 111-0 wasn't until Stewie years. (37 in 2014/2015, 38 in 2015/2016 and 36 in 2016/2017 for 111)

But you know 90-0 is good enough. (had Delle Donne stayed.....that 2010/2011 season with Moore (Sr) and Delle Donne (Jr)....might have been another 39-0 season. 3rd one in a row.....117?)

By the way, we are at a 52-0 run now. 3 more to pass La Tech into.....4th. (yeah, we got 1, 2 and 3)

 

[Bone Dog]

I’m not counting streaks to measure @Tonyc ’s record. All’s I know is he called last season before that fall, before we knew exactly how great Sarah would be, never faltered for a second. It’s a gift. I’m on board.

 

[WiseWillie]

I’m not counting streaks to measure @Tonyc ’s record. All’s I know is he called last season before that fall, before we knew exactly how great Sarah would be, never faltered for a second. It’s a gift. I’m on board.

Is it acceptable on the Boneyard to say "ditto"? There's a multitude of Tonyc-isms that help keep the Boneyard flourishing. Not everyone may agree but that is what makes the Boneyard so interesing as a place for both reflection and forward-looking prediction with facts thrown in to keep it grounded in reality. Anyway, Tony, your batting average (oops, FG%) is pretty darn good, so keep it going.

 

[HuskyNan]

Now, if I can only get @Tonyc to remember to use paragraphs 😉

 

[MSGRET]

Now, if I can only get @Tonyc to remember to use paragraphs 😉

Nan, it's still better then what it used to be, just one paragraph at least 30 lines long. Now he's cut them in half, that's a start, maybe by next year he'll have it proportionate.😁😉

 

[Cornell Lt]

I was referring to UConn pressure defense. No team we have faced including in last year’s FF was prepared for UConn defense and what it does to teams. I guess I should’ve been clearer

Geno must have been impressed with how tOSU dismantled UConn a couple years ago with their full court press and decided it was a good thing to implement for his program.

 

[HuskyNan]

Geno must have been impressed with how tOSU dismantled UConn a couple years ago with their full court press and decided it was a good thing to implement for his program.

He was waiting until he had enough healthy players

 

[WiseWillie]

Now, if I can only get @Tonyc to remember to use paragraphs 😉

Nan, it's still better then what it used to be, just one paragraph at least 30 lines long. Now he's cut them in half, that's a start, maybe by next year he'll have it proportionate.😁😉

I say not so fast. Tony writes in what is called stream-of-consciousness style. It might meander but it flows.

 

[asuwish]

I was referring to UConn pressure defense. No team we have faced including in last year’s FF was prepared for UConn defense and what it does to teams. I guess I should’ve been clearer

SC and UCLA will be ready. They saw it last year. People think this will be easy. It will not!

 

[Next 12]

Not blowing my own horn, but if you check my posts from last year you will see I predicted Uconn would go all the way to NO.12 and never wavered once. This year I have been posting that Uconn will be undefeated and win NO 13 and never wavered from it. I am always positive about Uconn and never any doubts. Geno has coached the best team he has ever had this year and a loss is not evenly remotr, I don't care who-------UCLA-----SO CAROLINA or TEXAS. Uconn beat UCLA and SO. CAROLINA last year, Tho they didn't play TEXAS. Even with losing Paige, in my estimation we became a BETTER team with EVERY PLAYER playing harder to make up her loss, Thus a better team . 4 more to go and NO13. GO HUSKIES!!!!ALL THE WAY!!!!

 

[Cuango]

I re-watched the NC vs Maryland game. I noticed that it is easy to drive on NC and they are rather slow. NC does not have a great three point shooting team and they do not have a tall dominating post player. Toomey is their post player, and she did not play much in the second half of the game. Maybe she was in foul trouble.

What happened to Blanca Thomas? Wasn’t she recruited to pair with Toomey for a big time front court? I know she struggled her freshman? season but now I’m not seeing her at all!

 

[donalddoowop]

What happened to Blanca Thomas? Wasn’t she recruited to pair with Toomey for a big time front court? I know she struggled her freshman? season but now I’m not seeing her at all!

I am not familiar with her name.

 

[Bone Dog]

Geno must have been impressed with how tOSU dismantled UConn a couple years ago with their full court press and decided it was a good thing to implement for his program.

Now you have me wondering how this team differs from the tOSU of a few years back. They made a splash that season and dominated quite a few teams, but couldn’t get past the elite eight. A high energy full court press with a few really good perimeter threats and scrappy big guards. It was finely tuned smallball. They had a decent big in Mikulasikova, but often played five guards.

Geno took a similar game plan to an NC last season and has a shot at a second one this season. The difference from tOSU’s version is the frontcourt is bigger and faster. Last season the guard play featured Paige and Azzi which was a cut above what tOSU had to work with. And Sarah does all the work Cotie McMahon did then but with more dimensions in scoring and defending. In effect, Geno played a bigger smallball last season, and it’s even bigger this season with the addition of Blanca.

On the other side, McGuff had lost a premiere big in Dorka the previous season and retooled completely, going full on smallball. Could he have won an NC if he’d still had Dorka that season? Or would the presence of two bigs merely have distracted him from the smallball possibility?