Undefeated or Not

[Rowdy831]

Well, I don't necessarily like it, but you are quite correct. Paige and Azzi cannot even be in the same conversation with UConn greats until they do the things that the greats have done. NPOTY is truly unique, but if that's all there is, it doesn't come close to getting Paige as the 4th on the Mt. Rushmore.

To me UConn hasn't had a team that could win a championship since Stewie. In fact they did some amazing playing to make it to every final four before last season. To win a championship you need one clutch great player, and then a supporting cast that can play a role on a consistent basis. I think with Paige they had one of those components but her first year they lacked the others. The last two years she just wasn't healthy enough to carry the team on her back without some serious help.

This year she is healthy and she has a healthy supporting cast. She may even have the best group ever at UConn so my expectations are very high for this team.

 

[Rowdy831]

Yes they can win all their games. The difference between Geno's team and the others over the years has been they play to a standard, not an opponent. When they play a normal game they usually blow them out because they play the same as if they were playing a top 10 team. They beat top 10 teams because they are use to playing at a high level so the pressure doesn't effect them the same way.

To me this team has the make up to be mentioned with the best teams in UConn history. I think they will play with a lot of intensity and they will also have a chip on their shoulder after how last season ended. I would be shocked if they don't win all their games since the have the best group of players in the country and Geno.

 

[MSSportsGuy]

To me UConn hasn't had a team that could win a championship since Stewie. In fact they did some amazing playing to make it to every final four before last season. To win a championship you need one clutch great player, and then a supporting cast that can play a role on a consistent basis. I think with Paige they had one of those components but her first year they lacked the others. The last two years she just wasn't healthy enough to carry the team on her back without some serious help.

This year she is healthy and she has a healthy supporting cast. She may even have the best group ever at UConn so my expectations are very high for this team.

I somewhat disagree. The 2017 and 2018 editions were a razor thin margin of balls bouncing a certain way to make the NC game and I think UConn would have won the finals had they made them. It was just a few plays that went the way of MSU and ND.

This team is very complete and checks the boxes. After the last two seasons everyone is paranoid about health and rightfully so but if it holds, I expect a NC or at worst Runner Up for them.

 

[Bone Dog]

I wouldn't say Clark is better. But, I wouldn't say Paige is better either. Both are amazing players. Both were POTYs. Both have beaten my team (a very good defense) with superlative efforts. . Clark's performance last year was no better than Paige's performance against us as a true freshman. Each has taken their team to the national championship game.

Somehow Clark has made it into this discussion, and maybe that makes some sense. We’re talking about a particularly awesome version of the Huskies, and Clark is a ‘pretty good’ player, too.

@visitingcock’s response is more or less the one I’ve made before. Paige and Clark have similar accomplishments. Still, I much prefer Paige as a player and a person. She did what she did in the face of two tons of adversity.

But perhaps I should’ve included a forecast for Iowa in my original comment. Others have suggested Stuelke and O’Grady will more than make up for the loss of Czinano and Warnock. I don’t agree. Stuelke is ready to step into a starting role, though she hasn’t been the clutch shooter Warnock was. Still, she is an excellent defender and rebounder. O’Grady is not ready to be their 30 min/g post presence. She is too slow and doesn’t have the array of post moves Czinano had perfected. Bluder is an excellent coach and may be able to get more from O’Grady, but that is still more of a wish than a reality.

Without a strong frontcourt, Iowa’s backcourt will come under intense pressure. Recall the game UConn played against them. Aaliyah shut down Czinano single-handedly (Dorka was injured) and Nika successfully contained Clark. The game was close because Martin had the perimeter shooting game of her life. It wasn’t enough, and it’s not likely she’ll be able to bail out Iowa on a regular basis. Oh, and Azzi outperformed Clark statistically (and in reality) by a wide margin. Lou and Caroline pitched in, too. Iowa’s backcourt is not going to be in the same league as Nika Paige Azzi Caroline KK Ashlynn, which means there will be too much pressure on their frontcourt.

Accordingly, I think Iowa will be good enough to come in third in conference, beating teams that can’t apply enough pressure. And they may make the sweet sixteen. In other words, their season will be comparable to LSU’s but without all the transfer noise.

 

[my2cents]

I think (if healthy) this team has the potential to be a special team. Because of our depth, they will run, way more than any team in the last 5 years. The half-court offense needs the ball in Azzis and Paige's hand to start and let them break down their defender and create mismatches. Everyone touching the ball, will only make it tough to get the ball back into our shooters hands, and causing lots of turnovers.

 

[and one]

My predictions:

• They suffer an early season non-conference loss
• They run the table in the BE, albeit with a tough game or two with Creighton
• They get to the FF

After that who knows

Over/under on losses? 2.5

I don't see a clean sweep - too many out of conference teams that could have a good game while we come in flat and get a loss. If anyone blows us out I'll be shocked.

I'm taking the under at two losses. If one of the losses is in the national tourney... ugh. If both are regular season/Big East tourney losses then we will have won the national championship - hurray!!

 

[Skeets]

I don't see a clean sweep - too many out of conference teams that could have a good game while we come in flat and get a loss. If anyone blows us out I'll be shocked.

I'm taking the under at two losses. If one of the losses is in the national tourney... ugh. If both are regular season/Big East tourney losses then we will have won the national championship - hurray!!

Geno would say (yes, I'm putting words in his mouth) that going undefeated is hard to do, otherwise everyone would be doing it. Or was that Yogi?

 

[Conndog]

The one weakness, assuming no one else gets injured, is center, especially against the tallest teams. Can Aaliyah and Ice and Amari fill that center position? Especially Amari with her height, can she really contribute this year? I hope she will play aggressively

 

[#12in21]

Geno would say (yes, I'm putting words in his mouth) that going undefeated is hard to do, otherwise everyone would be doing it. Or was that Yogi?

Guessing Yogi would have said going undefeated is hard because you can't lose any games to be able to do it!

 

[asuwish]

Im sure this will create alot of controversy. Is UConn that good? I think so, if healthy and if those coming back from injuries are playing up to their capabilities I dont think any team can keep up with UConns scoring. With all those scorers its almost like one pass and shoot and its good. That would be nice no turnovers or rebounds to worry about. LOL UConn has the ability to score in bunches and very quickly. No other team can do that. UConn has scorers, and shooters and depth in both. They have multiply ball handlers, and point guards. This is a team IMO that can only loose if they beat themselves. I say that because shooting at a high percentage will not be a problem.

Opponents will have a problem and its a huge problem trying to stop UConn. This roster could be one of the greatest rosters UConn has ever had. When you look at UConns undefeated teams they had multiple scorers and AA's. So does this team. When you have shooters and ball handlers like this team has, you know your going to be shooting at a very high percentage which means less rebounds and less turnovers. Think about the players who will be on the floor that can create their own shot? Picture having Caroline Aaliyah Azzi and Paige on the floor together. Is there a team that can stop them from scoring. Maybe not even slowing them down. Now add some others like Ice and KK.

The teams that Ive read about in many threads mention LSU SC UCLA Utah and Iowa as other top teams. These teams can not defend UConn well enough to keep them from scoring and score enough themselves to outscore UConn. These are all legit top teams and all have flaws in their scoring. They dont have what UConn has. Now with that said I also can see UConn winning every or almost every game by double digits. They may not however the potential is there. We saw in Paiges freshman year what she can do. We saw last season without Paige what Azzi can do. We saw Aaliyah as an AA and Caroline when so many of her team mates were injured take over a game. Now they are all together on the floor at the same time. Ain't that somethin to worry about if your playin UConn.

This years version of UConn has 3 to 5 AAs who can take over a game and imo a player in Paige that WCBB hasnt seen since Diana. Diana did not have the team mates that Paige has. Diana made everybody playing with her better. Paige has better players who she will make better. She can take over games and breeds confidence when playing and thats contagious. It boogles my mind when I hear UConn needs a big like 6'5 or above. There arent many over 6'4 out there that can impact a game on both sides of the ball. We have Edwards 6'3 ICE 6'3 and Yanna 6'2 all very good rebounders who take up space down low. Both Aaliyah and Ice can shoot from the outside too.

Now I look at the other top teams. First we will see UCLA early on. So much talk about Betts height but at Stanford she saw very few minutes. I would have to think that is because she was not ready to play alot of meaningful minutes in Tara's eyes. Do you think she is ready now? I dont know we will have to wait and see however I think she will need alot of time to get up to speed with last season lost. Even without Betts UCLA is a very talented team.

Second SC has Cardoso who played behind Boston. Cardoso we saw at the Cuse and she is very good and very tall. She should be able to neutralize other opponents however she is foul prone and without Boston on the roster her backup will not be of that caliber.

LSU has a great team of scorers in Reese Morrow and Van Lith. They are all used to being the go to player. Reese and Morrow are not great outside shooters. Del Rosario @ 6'6 will take time to develop.
Iowas has Clark and she is fantastic. Can she do for Iowa what Diana did for UConn back in the day. That is make those around her better? If she does Iowa could be very competitive.

One team no one has talked about is Indiana. They have weapons and balance as does ND. ND needs to have a healthy proven point guard. Indiana could surprise alot of folks this season.

So lets hear from you and your thoughts. Im going with UConn as the team to beat and go undefeated if healthy and winning every/almost every game by double digits.

NO! But that's ok. There are a bunch of really deep teams and I think up front can be a problem if we get in foul trouble. If we are healthy and if Geno uses his depth and the right combinations I'll take our chances for six games in March.

 

[Inthepaint]

nice read tonyc. lots to consider. i agree the huskies can be awesome, and probably untouchable. lots of firepower.

i believe their best strength, however, will be on the other end of the court -- defense, team defense.

they have the personnel, and a large enough contingent. they typically have the discipline, communication, dedication and pride in that aspect of their game, and if they don't arrive with that, geno, his staff and huskies culture will assure they will learn it over the course of the season.

in addition to aubrey and nika, really good defensive players (for some reason ovelrlooked in this role) are liya and paige -- plus azzi (when healthy) is above average. yanna and amari could blossom at d and supposedly kk and ashlynn have plenty of promise.

you'll notice that a stifling defense can always be relied on to blunt even the best offense, and makes the winning difference when your own offense bogs down ... which the huskies, of course, likely won't suffer much this season.

the uconn d, however, will always come to the rescue if needed.

Guess I sound like a broken record,but…
Every point you keep the other team from scoring is as good as one you score yourself.
It’s not a question of high powered offense OR stifling defense.
Question of balance
Somebody is always saying that “It starts with defense”
Maybe it’s Geno

 

[rvwsleep]

If UCONN does not go undefeated and win a NC, I would be very surprised and extremely let down. I think one would really have to question the program (coaches/players/trainers) at that point.

If Bueckers and Fudd want to have any kind of legacy here, they gotta do it this year. (and next year really) Otherwise you can't really talk about them with Moore/DT/Stewart or even Charles/Bird/Jefferson etc.

"If UCONN does not go undefeated and win a NC, I would be very surprised and extremely let down". ???
So if UConn loses 1 game, during the regular season, and winds up winning the National Championship you would be "very surprised and extremely let down" ? You can't be serious.
And that 1 loss would cause you to "to question the program (coaches/players/trainers) at that point". Just tell me that you made a mistake and you didn't really mean what you posted.

 

[Lorcan]

Yeah.

I think we all expect UConn to do extremely well this season, but stating that one loss would ruin the season and let down a fan is just wild. For comparison, I don't think any of us consider the 2014-2015 season a let down or a disaster for UConn just because Stanford somehow managed to win against the Huskies in an early season overtime game in Maples Pavilion to deal the only loss to the Huskies that season. It's the regular season. Things happen, upsets occur, a player has an insane game, and one hopes that each team learns from those losses or games in order to take home the championship by the end of the season. Ultimately, regular season non-conference games are nice; however, they don't define the season.

 

[Cuango]

No, I saw her. She’s very good.

 

[Charliebball]

I think the days of undefeated seasons may be difficult for UConn with the increased competitiveness in WBB ..........if the team remains healthy, I could see them losing only one or two games all season..........frankly, I'm less interested in going undefeated during the regular season than I am about the team going on an undefeated run in the NCAA Tournament.......

 

[Charliebball]

I wouldn't say Clark is better. But, I wouldn't say Paige is better either. Both are amazing players. Both were POTYs. Both have beaten my team (a very good defense) with superlative efforts. . Clark's performance last year was no better than Paige's performance against us as a true freshman. Each has taken their team to the national championship game.

I think the argument as to who is better will last into the next decade in the wnba. Are both "generational?" Will they be the Bird/Magic of wbb (if that role is not already being filled by Stewie and A'Ja)? Would like to see them face off in the tournament do-or-die this year (in another bracket than us. .)

I think Paige is the better all-around player.............her internal shooting discipline is the main thing that limits her scoring potential.......if she was given the green light to take any shot she could possibly make, I think she'd be averaging well over 30 points a game.......the only area where Clark has shown superiority is her ability to stay healthy and that's significant........

 

[CL82]

We look incredibly strong, on paper, as does LSU. The question is which team comes together better and plays more effective team basketball. I like our chances.

 

[Jaml]

The goal is the NC, not necessarily an undefeated season. There is a lot more parity amongst the top teams than when UConn was going undefeated. Any team can have an off night. It's better to have that happen during the regular season and learn from it.

One of the comments talked of LSU's defense being suspect. To that point, check out Hailey Van Lith on defense. Our guards should eat her alive; either shooting over her or driving past her. She is a defensive liability that Mulkey will have to scheme up something to keep teams from exposing her on D.

 

[Kat]

No one is going undefeated.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

Going undefeated is HARD. Throw in parity and it's even harder. I don't expect any undefeated teams anytime soon.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

The goal is the NC, not necessarily an undefeated season. There is a lot more parity amongst the top teams than when UConn was going undefeated. Any team can have an off night. It's better to have that happen during the regular season and learn from it.

One of the comments talked of LSU's defense being suspect. To that point, check out Hailey Van Lith on defense. Our guards should eat her alive; either shooting over her or driving past her. She is a defensive liability that Mulkey will have to scheme up something to keep teams from exposing her on D.

I thought it was just me that saw Van Lith getting left.

 

[visitingcock]

I think the days of undefeated seasons may be difficult for UConn with the increased competitiveness in WBB ..........if the team remains healthy, I could see them losing only one or two games all season..........frankly, I'm less interested in going undefeated during the regular season than I am about the team going on an undefeated run in the NCAA Tournament.......

Need to make that a Gamecock T-shirt.

 

[Ex Nutmegger]

I am planning on watching every game this year with the expectation of a victory (of course, I’ve always watched every game expecting victory, but this year the expectation level is back up where it was with Stevie, et al).

So I am with Tony C and the determined minority of boneyarders that are going with undefeated.

 

[MilfordHusky]

In several past years, particularly in the 2008-18 stretch, I often thought that UConn could/would go undefeated. I haven't thought about that in 5 years or so. Over the past 5 years, we have lost 3, 3, 2, 6, and 6 games. The low number was when Paige was healthy; we were upset by a high-scoring Arkansas team and were apparently over-confident against Arizona. The high numbers were when we missed several key players for several games or even the whole season. I expect that the number of losses will be low, probably in the 1-3 range. In the 5 year stretch starting in 2013, we had 3 total losses over 5 seasons, which is phenomenal. During Maya's career, we had 4 total losses over 4 seasons. I'd love to see a return to that. I'll have a better sense of things after the games against NC State, Maryland, and UCLA. Winning those--especially if impressively--will make me more optimistic.

 

[Tonyc]

Im really not concerned about anything. We have two 6'3 players who can play inside and outside and that should take care of itself. We have shooters that shoot at a very high percentage when theyre Not Hot. We have multiple guards and ball handlers and we have multiple go to players. Oh yeah and we've got Paige who is virtually unstoppable and clutch under pressure. No team can match that. My thought is what are the chances of all those things going cold in one game. On paper there are not good matchup against UConn. UConn has to many weapons and more weapons coming off the bench. As good as other teams are on paper they have flaws. I dont see that with a healthy UConn team. The key is to stay healthy and that means not over playing especially early in the season anybody and mostly those coming back from injury.