What Not To Blame For Last Night's Loss

Rowdy831 · Nov 27, 2023

This game was a blowout loss, don't let the final score fool you. UCLA is a talented team that has been together for the better part of a year and added a very good, very tall player to the mix. They executed their game plan to perfection and UConn is spiraling right now due to the loss of Azzi and Caroline. All in all UConn was destroyed by a very good team.

The bright side is they kept fighting and got a lot closer in the end. Also this team has the pieces on the team they just need to figure out who goes where and they need to play their best against good teams. I see a lot of comments about playing the Freshmen more but I don't think the answer to the long term problems will be found in that approach but they will contribute as they grow into college players.

JBK · Nov 27, 2023

Rowdy831 said:
This game was a blowout loss, don't let the final score fool you. UCLA is a talented team that has been together for the better part of a year and added a very good, very tall player to the mix. They executed their game plan to perfection and UConn is spiraling right now due to the loss of Azzi and Caroline. All in all UConn was destroyed by a very good team.

The bright side is they kept fighting and got a lot closer in the end. Also this team has the pieces on the team they just need to figure out who goes where and they need to play their best against good teams. I see a lot of comments about playing the Freshmen more but I don't think the answer to the long term problems will be found in that approach but they will contribute as they grow into college players.

Completely agree. Went to watch Iowa vs K state last night and other than Clark - Iowa has a bunch of role players that have been playing together in the same offense for years. They can shoot and pass really well !! K state also had a lot of 6’-1 very athletic players that could shoot and get to the hoop. ( tough team ).
You feel so sorry for our team not knowing if Caroline can ever fully return.
If not - we may see lots of zone and box and one’s.

The CDR-Ret · Nov 28, 2023

Bone Dog said:
Too many new threads on the same topic. That said, I agree with you, @TheObvious, that it sometimes helps to identify a single factor or maybe two. Shooting is clearly a primary factor. On the other hand, everyone here knows that this factor did not occur in a vacuum. It was in turn caused and exacerbated by other factors, including:

injuries (we lost two of our best perimeter shooters -- surely this is relevant to shooting woes, right?)

Recruiting and strategy (because yes, the shooters felt the pressure of having to make up for UCLA's size

turnovers [empty possessions impacts shooting and shooting opportunities]

rebounding [belongs with recruiting and strategy]

poor defense [we couldn't both pack the paint and challenge all the open 3s and 2s from their guards]

UCLA was too big [belongs with Recruiting and Strategy]

etc.

I can also sympathize with you in thinking that it's easy to get lost in the weeds of overly-subtle analyses of causes, and saying it was just a shooting problem does clear the mind. As fans this applies mainly to us. But if you think you're giving advice to Geno, it doesn't apply very well at all. The coaches and the players need to think in a more subtle way -- Geno can't just yell "Shoot better" at the players. He has to design offensive schemes, screens and motion, to get them good shots and open looks. And they have to have time to practice those schemes between games. And the fact is running offensive plays is a lot harder to do if you're overmatched in the post. It's also harder to do if your guards don't make shots (as I think you have in mind).

Agreed.

The factor that has been present in `80% of the UCONN women's losses in the past three years is finding out that a player either will not play or is lost for the entire season 36 hours or less from a game. I believe that is the emotional response for a team with good chemistry and a caring "family" of athletes, and it shows up in the second half of games, but by the second game after the the loss of the injured player, the team shows their resilience ( only lost in back-back manner in~1000 games...).

The good news ("always look on the bright side of life..." Life of Brian) is that Geno and Company HAVE won a NC with 6 losses before, and these Huskies have only lost to the #2 & #5 in the land (according to the AP).

RSHERMVIKES · Dec 1, 2023

The lack of healthy long range shooters cause a cluttered inside making it nearly impossible for Aaliyah and Aubrey and Ice etc to be successful down low!

CL82 · Dec 1, 2023