Watched the ND game 3 times and Im thinkin

[HuskylnSC]

I started watching the first quarter again. I’m very sorry, but I see a real problem with the referees. The clawing that ND does on defense surprises me. All throughout the game. It surprises me how it seems to be ok with the officials. For just one instance, see the 7:49-7:54 sequence. Katie is fouled no? The official is standing 5 ft. away or so, staring at what’s going on. There are only 2 reasons for that negligence. One of them is incompetence. The other I’d rather not say. I hope it’s my imagination.

Please check my thread 'In defense of the refs'
The first period is usually the worst as the refs adjust to the speed of the game.

 

[connie]

At 9:30 Gabby smacks Young on the arm as she receives a pass. Should this have been called? M

Likewise, Gabby tends to use her left arm to push off/create space when driving to the lane with her right hand on the ball. I also notice that Phees really bodies up aggressively when establishing a position in the low post. She and Sheppard were really going at it throughout the game. It was very enjoyable to watch the battle. Arguably, a number of those confrontations could have been called on either side. But the refs
let them play. I thought the game was called fairly consistently with no distinct advantage to either side.

 

[Wbbfan1]

The ending of the game was a result of what happened during the previous three quarters. Which ever team missed three or four shots in a row, the other team immediately went on a mini-run and scored 6-8 straight points . The first three quarters, ND was getting the 2nd or 3 chance opportunities and ended up scoring a basket after an initial missed shot. Late in the Game it was UConn that got the 2nd and 3rd chances and scoring a basket. ND was limited to one and done and starting taking three point shots. Fortunately for UConn they missed. A great win, that could have just as easy gone ND's way with a couple of three point shots dropping for ND.

Don't understand why the ND players didn't go after Azura' to draw her 5th foul. Who knows might have made a difference.

 

[meyers7]

Eveyone's talking about Megan Walkers rebounds, I was impressed with her move to the basket and scoring.
Once she gets her confidence by seeing her shots go in, she will be a load to stop.
She will be our next All American

I think she'll be one, but not sure if she'll be our next. Hopefully Nurse and/or Stevens can beat her to it.

 

[CocoHusky]

Can someone explain to me what is going on at 25:07? Jackie Young gets a layup. I've watched this play a couple dozen of times and with all the switching going on I—surprise, surprise—can't figure out how she got such an easy shot. I know there are some basketball tacticians on the boneyard who are just dying to tell me. Thank you.

Jackie Young is a smart player that's all. This is typical ND OOB box set and UCONN knew what was coming, you call tell because Crystal is pointing at Gabby which probably means the scout called for Jackie to screen up on Gabby who was guarding Arike. UCONN's plan was to switch and Crystal did switch onto Arike. Instead of going all the way up to where Gabby was Jackie went two steps up and came back down the lane for a wide open layup. ND got three layups out of the OOB sets during this game all because the ND players read and reacted better than the UCONN defense.
Also of note was that there were two UCONN subs right before that play. Gabby's sub was especially late and at the last second Gabby switch positions with Megan providing just enough confusion for ND to take advantage.

 

[meyers7]

Can someone explain to me what is going on at 25:07? Jackie Young gets a layup. I've watched this play a couple dozen of times and with all the switching going on I—surprise, surprise—can't figure out how she got such an easy shot. I know there are some basketball tacticians on the boneyard who are just dying to tell me. Thank you.

This is a great play by ND. Mabrey sees that Lou, Crystal, MW and Gabby all have their back to the lane. Young moves high toward Ogunbowale, as if to set a screen. Gabby follows O. Crystal angles to pick up O. moving toward the baseline. This leaves the lane completely open. Young darts straight back to the basket and Mabrey makes a perfect skip pass, hooking around Phees. Crystal's back is to the basket. Young goes straight to the hoop.

I am not knowledgeable enough to say that this is a breakdown on D. Looks to me like a beautiful read by Mabrey, and great communication and execution by a highly skilled team playing against a very athletic and talented defense.

What a game!

Crystal should have stayed with Young between her and the basket. Bad defense on her part.

Pretty well explained. But I wouldn't put it all on Dangerfield. 1) well executed by ND 2) there were 2 players subs and 2 assignment switches (after the subs) prior to the inbound play which probably makes it harder to get everyone on the same page 3) Williams was involved and we know with her migraine she was not having a good game 4) but mostly it was just poor defensive communication (which the players and coaches have acknowledged happened through out the game) - Williams tried to fight through the screen and stay with her man, while Dangerfield started to switch which left Young open - lack of communication between Dangerfield and Williams.

 

[CocoHusky]

Crystal should have stayed with Young between her and the basket. Bad defense on her part.

Not really. Crystal correctly switched onto Arike. Correct because the rule of thumb is the player closest to the basket is most dangerous. Young made the smartest play of all instead of going all the way up top to screen Gabby she cut it off short and came back down the lane.

 

[chrissaran]

Lou kept UConn in the game, so there would be a game to save.

 

[Carnac]

True on both counts. I also went to the 4th quarter to replay it...left the ugliness of the first 3 quarters behind. Must be reason I NEVER went back to replay the Miss St game.

You said: "I NEVER went back to replay the Miss St game" - Me either. Like most UConn fans, I am emotionally involved with this team. I'm NOT ashamed to admit it!! I'm on the other side of the country. The distance between us is not a variable or an issue. I'd feel the same if I was local. I was sickened when UConn lost to Stanford mainly because it happened right before my eyes (I was in Maples Pavilion that night).

My seats were in a horrible location. I was on an island. I was surrounded by Cardinal fans. There were no other UConn fans close by. Also a victim of price gouging. I paid $55 per seat (normally $18) for two seats on the top section behind the basket. UConn was not projected (by Las Vegas/Massey) to lose, or should have lost. They were up 10 points with 6 minutes to go, but could not put them away. UConn lost that game the same way Notre Dame lost Sunday. Momentum simply overtook them. In ND's case, they were gassed at the end and couldn't stop the bleeding.

I watched the entire Mississippi State game live on TV. I don't remember all of the minute details, but I do remember the last few moments of the game in regulation and overtime. I really don't care for Morgan William (Itty bitty), although I'll give her her props, she made the shot that won the game. NO ONE in the sports world, or WCBB knew who she was before making that buzzer beater.

After that, EVERYONE knew who she was. She was everybody's hero. She must have done a dozen interviews with all of the sports media outlets after that. She had her 15 minutes of fame that night. Unfortunately, she was benched in the championship game for sub-standard play. If this sounds like "sour grapes", it is!!! Again, I was sickened by the outcome. None of us saw that one coming. It took me a couple of weeks to get over it. It felt like a trap door opened beneath me without any warning. I was sullen and not fun to be around the next few days.

So..................why would I want to watch the MS state game over again, and re-live the horror and shock that ensued? I'm not masochistic. I know and remember how it ended. I choose to watch the replays that make me feel good about the team, the progress they're making, and shows them in a positive light.

 

[wallman]

It is difficult to isolate individual plays without knowing of the defensive match ups that your coach wants. Last year it seemed that Uconn switched on everything as you had length at each position even with Chong. It will probably be a work in progress until the players new to the rotation know what he wants.

 

[JordyG]

Crystal should have stayed with Young between her and the basket. Bad defense on her part.

In that inbounds Gabby had Ogunbowale, Crystal had Young.

Pretty well explained. But I wouldn't put it all on Dangerfield. 1) well executed by ND 2) there were 2 players subs and 2 assignment switches (after the subs) prior to the inbound play which probably makes it harder to get everyone on the same page 3) Williams was involved and we know with her migraine she was not having a good game 4) but mostly it was just poor defensive communication (which the players and coaches have acknowledged happened through out the game) - Williams tried to fight through the screen and stay with her man, while Dangerfield started to switch which left Young open - lack of communication between Dangerfield and Williams.

Not really. Crystal correctly switched onto Arike. Correct because the rule of thumb is the player closest to the basket is most dangerous. Young made the smartest play of all instead of going all the way up top to screen Gabby she cut it off short and came back down the lane.

Yes and yes. Player recognition on simple rub screens like that is what makes ND and UConn such difficult teams to play. Here the late entry of the subs and Gabby's late recognition of her mark were part of it. The scheme was to switch on screens during the inbounds, but the onus really was on Crystal to recognize it was a quick rub screen and as a result it would be impossible for Gabby to switch. But let's give ND credit for their execution on that play.

 

[JordyG]

You said: "I NEVER went back to replay the Miss St game" - Me either. Like most UConn fans, I am emotionally involved with this team. I'm NOT ashamed to admit it!! I'm on the other side of the country. The distance between us is not a variable or an issue. I'd feel the same if I was local. I was sickened when UConn lost to Stanford mainly because it happened right before my eyes (I was in Maples Pavilion that night).

My seats were in a horrible location. I was on an island. I was surrounded by Cardinal fans. There were no other UConn fans close by. UConn was not projected (by Las Vegas/Massey) to lose, or should have lost. They were up 10 points with 6 minutes to go, but could not put them away. UConn lost that game the same way Notre Dame lost Sunday. Momentum simply overtook them. In ND's case, they were gassed at the end and couldn't stop the bleeding.

I watched the entire Mississippi State game live on TV. I don't remember all of the minute details, but I do remember the last few moments of the game in regulation and overtime. It took me a couple of weeks to get over it. It felt like a trap door opened beneath me without any warning. I was not fun to be around the next few days.

So...why would I want to watch the MS state game over again, and re-live the horror and shock that ensued? I'm not masochistic. I choose to watch the replays that make me feel good about the team, and shows them in a positive light.

Do as I do Scoop. Watch the good quarters or halves over and over. There you see the teams potential on offense and defense and it makes for a better day. Let the coaches (or masochists) watch the mistakes repeatedly.

 

[hugefan]

If you picked apart the whole game at varying points anyone could say this person was doing this wrong and that person was doing that wrong. I will take what the coach says and does as I don’t know what he has asked each and every player to do.

 

[UConnCat]

Both teams made defensive mistakes that will be cleaned up as the season goes on. ND made a big one at the end of the 1st half that gave Lou an open 3. Both Mabrey and Thompson went with Crystal on the screen, leaving Lou wide open for the 3 which she nailed.

 

[Golden Husky]

That is why basketball more than any other team sport is a game of Timing and match ups. One aspect of Timing comes into play when you are playing a good team while your team is having an off night. If Uconn were playing a lesser team even with the off night circumstance in play they would still have won easily, but they were playing a very good team. There is nothing that mitigates and off night like depth. Another factor in Timing is not also how well your team is playing but how well the other team plays that same night.

This aspect of Timing ( players having an off night ) factor is more likely when a team is too reliant on too few players. In this last game Uconn not only had depth but also had really good player to step in and fill the void left by those on the bench.

Another aspect of Timing is which team of officials are working that night. As was mentioned by some posters they called the game relatively loose which according to some factored in ND favor. I am unfortunately commenting in generalities due to the fact I could not watch the entire game and mistakenly deleted my DV recording of it before I watched the rest of it.

I'd put it in a different way. Most team sports are about time and space. Whether you're a quarterback in the pocket, or a basketball or hockey player lining up a shot, you want time and space to execute. The defense tries to deny those elements. The team that wins the struggle for time and space also usually wins the game.

 

[CocoHusky]

It is difficult to isolate individual plays without knowing of the defensive match ups that your coach wants. Last year it seemed that Uconn switched on everything as you had length at each position even with Chong. It will probably be a work in progress until the players new to the rotation know what he wants.

If you picked apart the whole game at varying points anyone could say this person was doing this wrong and that person was doing that wrong. I will take what the coach says and does as I don’t know what he has asked each and every player to do.

Not really hard to determine the matchups that the coaches wanted on this particular play and there was a little bit of gamesmanship on the staff's part because UCONN wanted to see what ND was setting up. There is a lot going on in the few seconds surrounding the play. It was Kia's foul that led to the stoppage in play and her second of the half so she was coming out regardless. Part of the gamesman ship was Geno telling the ref he's subbing and then taking his time about it. You can tell this because the ref has his hand raised before Megan get's off the bench. So while all of this is happening ND is setting up to inbound the ball. Geno survey the floor and says you know what I don't have my best defender out there, "Gabby get in there" loud enough for the ref to hear and raise his hand again. Gabby goes in and is matched up Westbeld and Megan is on Arike. Shea doesn't like that matchup stands up and switches Gabby on to Arike and Megan on to Westbeld. So the UCONN staff made sure they had the matchup they wanted, this just better execution by ND. Watch the ref on the baseline with the ball, at least three different times he ready to hand the ball to ND and he has to wait finally putting his hands on his hip.

 

[UConnCat]

Some have questioned why ND didn't go after Azura in the 4th Q with her 4 fouls. UConn protected her on a few possessions by playing zone, and when Uconn played man Azura was guarding Westbeld who really isn't an attacking type offensive player in the lane and not 100% healthy. The real issue though was that Mabrey and Ogunbowale seemed determined to take the (perimeter) shots in the 4th quarter. There was one possession when Shepard posted Collier up and was clapping her hands and calling for the ball and Ogunbowale didn't make the pass. Had she gotten the ball that might have at least forced Azura to help. Shepard looked over to the bench as if to say I tried. On another possession Shepard again posted Collier up (same side of the floor) but instead of passing it to her Mabrey instructed Shepard to come out and set a screen. That's the play that resulted in Mabrey's travel. UConn ran much better offense during the 4th quarter even with 2 of its best players on the bench.

 

[hugefan]

CocoHusky wasn’t particularly talking about that one play as there were a few different scenarios brought up.

 

[Carnac]

In that inbounds Gabby had Ogunbowale, Crystal had Young.


Yes and yes. Player recognition on simple rub screens like that is what makes ND and UConn such difficult teams to play. Here the late entry of the subs and Gabby's late recognition of her mark were part of it. The scheme was to switch on screens during the inbounds, but the onus really was on Crystal to recognize it was a quick rub screen and as a result it would be impossible for Gabby to switch. But let's give ND credit for their execution on that play.

Right Jordy!! Good obs. You can bet this is something that the staff will address in practice and fix before the next game.

 

[JordyG]

Right Jordy!! Good obs. You can bet this is something that the staff will address in practice and fix before the next game.

Another interesting thing I found about this game. Young came into the game with a growing reputation of athleticism and someone willing to crash the boards. ND plays a lot of 3 guard sets. When she walked on the court she faced Kia who is taller, broader, not as athletic, and faster. Young immediately had problems. On occasion she was matched up against Lou, and Lou just posted her up on offense and her long arms kept her at bay on defense. When UConn went with three guards in the fourth her mark was Meg, who is bigger, stronger, faster and more athletic. On a few rebounds in the 4th Young attempted to box out Meg and Meg either blasted through her or out jumped her. Anyone notice that Meg has long arms and large hands? So Young throughout the game had issues with UConn's length and athleticism. If and when these teams meet again, that ain't gonna change, and I'm including next year when Meg presumably will move into the 2/wing spot. Young is a fine young player who clearly will feast on lesser opponents and teams. Not however against UConn, unless she has a night where everything she throws up hits the bottom of the net.

 

[HuskylnSC]

This is a great play by ND. Mabrey sees that Lou, Crystal, MW and Gabby all have their back to the lane. Young moves high toward Ogunbowale, as if to set a screen. Gabby follows O. Crystal angles to pick up O. moving toward the baseline. This leaves the lane completely open. Young darts straight back to the basket and Mabrey makes a perfect skip pass, hooking around Phees. Crystal's back is to the basket. Young goes straight to the hoop.

I am not knowledgeable enough to say that this is a breakdown on D. Looks to me like a beautiful read by Mabrey, and great communication and execution by a highly skilled team playing against a very athletic and talented defense.

What a game!

To me the key to the play is that Young did not actually set the screen, but moved as if she was setting the screen. Gabby did not feel a screen and stayed with her man. Crystal seeing what looked like a screen made the switch and Young became free. It was more of a good play on ND part that bad defense. Crystal could have played off and been in better position, but that would have opened Young for the low lob. I don't remember what Pheesa did, but she should have shaded the post to force the pass outside.

 

[cbraarj]

Not really. Crystal correctly switched onto Arike. Correct because the rule of thumb is the player closest to the basket is most dangerous. Young made the smartest play of all instead of going all the way up top to screen Gabby she cut it off short and came back down the lane.

Crystal for one didnt call out the screen or the switch because Gabby would have went with Young. Crystal had eyes on both players and Gabby just on Arike. Gabby was leaning towards Arike. It was Crystals call and it was the wrong call. Switching on that play puts your teammate in a huge disadvantage. Crystal would have been between Young and the basket.

 

[CocoHusky]

Crystal for one didnt call out the screen or the switch because Gabby would have went with Young. Crystal had eyes on both players and Gabby just on Arike. Gabby was leaning towards Arike. It was Crystals call and it was the wrong call. Switching on that play puts your teammate in a huge disadvantage. Crystal would have been between Young and the basket.

Nah.. I realize you are trying to blame someone but no one is a fault when the offense runs a perfectively executed play. If Crystal moves over to defend Young, Arike gets a layup at the basket. Just because crystal has eyes on both players doesn't mean she can defend both of them. She did the right thing by defending the player closest to the basket.

 

[cbraarj]

Nah.. I realize you are trying to blame someone but no one is a fault when the offense runs a perfectively executed play. If Crystal moves over to defend Young, Arike gets a layup at the basket. Just because crystal has eyes on both players doesn't mean she can defend both of them. She did the right thing by defending the player closest to the basket.

Who said Crystal defend both players. Gabby on top of screen and you would leave Young who is in the lane an open path to the basket. If Crystal would have called the pick and switch. Dont you think Gabby would have stayed with Young.

 

[CocoHusky]

Who said Crystal defend both players.

Nobody.

Gabby on top of screen and you would leave Young who is in the lane an open path to the basket.

This sentence does not contain a complete thought.

Don't you think Gabby would have stayed with Young.

No.

 

[cbraarj]

Nobody.

This sentence does not contain a complete thought.

No.

As a former player and coach I stand by what I said. I also did both very well!

 

[mhshuskies]

Lou kept UConn in the game, so there would be a game to save.

Well she was the best player on the floor and is better than any player on either bench available to play or not.