When the going gets tough

[Baroloboy]

A hallmark of Geno's teams for the two decades I have been following them is that they always lived by the old adage that when the going gets tough the tough get going. I am sad to say that we just didn't do that tonight and to the credit of MSU they did that repeatedly. We shot 43.5% from the field while MSU shot only 37.3%. From the arc we shot 46.7% :MSU shot only 27.3% yet we somehow found a way to lose. 17 turnovers, many at key times, and missed foul shots played a big part. But at the end of the day they were just mentally and physically tougher than us this one night.Even sadder than the lose itself was the terrible decision by Sonia leading to the game changing turnover. I feel so bad for her ending her career on play like that. It must be a crushing blow.
Having said that let me be clear IMHO this should not detract from the incredible season we had and the spectacular year all five of our starters had. Both individually and as a team we blew the roof off the pre-season expectations of all the pundits had. No one could

 

[YellwJcket999]

A hallmark of Geno's teams for the two decades I have been following them is that they always lived by the old adage that when the going gets tough the tough get going. I am sad to say that we just didn't do that tonight and to the credit of MSU they did that repeatedly. We shot 43.5% from the field while MSU shot only 37.3%. From the arc we shot 46.7% :MSU shot only 27.3% yet we somehow found a way to lose. 17 turnovers, many at key times, and missed foul shots played a big part. But at the end of the day they were just mentally and physically tougher than us this one night.Even sadder than the lose itself was the terrible decision by Sonia leading to the game changing turnover. I feel so bad for her ending her career on play like that. It must be a crushing blow.
Having said that let me be clear IMHO this should not detract from the incredible season we had and the spectacular year all five of our starters had. Both individually and as a team we blew the roof off the pre-season expectations of all the pundits had. No one could

Great post

 

[ballhawk]

I've heard Sue Bird say that after UConn's loss in the semifinals in 2001 the team had a fire in them for the next year. They were not going to lose and they absolutely were going to win the national championship. I believe that next year's team will be just as resolute and they will be determined to go undefeated, win the national championship and be one of the all-time great women's basketball teams.

 

[UcMiami]

Every time you lose a game, there is another team on the court that won it. Mississippi State won this game. They did to us what we had done to them last year and to Oregon this year, they played stifling defense and disrupted everything we wanted to do. And they took the air out of the ball on offense and just mauled us on the boards.
Our defense was still very good, but we could never really get any momentum on offense.

And by the way, we still have one streak going - we are undefeated in regulation in 160 games over 4+ seasons! Small consolation, but sort of interesting.

 

[YellwJcket999]

Great post

Except for the part about Saniya. She played well and scored. She produced above her average and could have possibly won the game for us. She was aggressive while almost everyone else had shrunk from the pressure of the big stage.

When we needed a game winning play to win the game she wasn't afraid to pull the trigger. That takes guts. She did not shrink from the moment. How many of our other superstars did not show up/step up when the game was on the line?

 

[VAMike23]

I've heard Sue Bird say that after UConn's loss in the semifinals in 2001 the team had a fire in them for the next year. They were not going to lose and they absolutely were going to win the national championship. I believe that next year's team will be just as resolute and they will be determined to go undefeated, win the national championship and be one of the all-time great women's basketball teams.

Yep - With respect to next year's team, the rest of WCBB had better watch out. For real. This loss lit a fire, plus the talent . . . . it will be downright scary!

Just sayin'..!!

 

[veryolddog]

This has been a great season and this team exceeded my expectations by a wide margin providing great sports entertainment all season long. They generated excitement and exhilaration in watching what was supposed to be a very mundane season. The gains in maturity, responsibility, and leadership of all of these young people was truly wonderful to observe.

All season long, the top rated teams in this country took their place in line and expected to defeat this under rated team from Connecticut because it graduated its top players. This was the year that every Coach licked their chops to unseat UConn. Ok, it finally happened but not after the demonstration of "greatness".

A fire has been lit, and in the next five to six months, a new version of the UConn system, more experienced, more enthusiastic, and more determined, will be on the hardwood floors giving all comers a chance to meet excellence.

 

[drweo]

This has been a great season and this team exceeded my expectations by a wide margin providing great sports entertainment all season long. They generated excitement and exhilaration in watching what was supposed to be a very mundane season. The gains in maturity, responsibility, and leadership of all of these young people was truly wonderful to observe.

All season long, the top rated teams in this country took their place in line and expected to defeat this under rated team from Connecticut because it graduated its top players. This was the year that every Coach licked their chops to unseat UConn. Ok, it finally happened but not after the demonstration of "greatness".

A fire has been lit, and in the next five to six months, a new version of the UConn system, more experienced, more enthusiastic, and more determined, will be on the hardwood floors giving all comers a chance to meet excellence.

Well said. Your thoughts are an essential takeaway from this great season. Despite all the attention on the streak and thus on UConn's continued domination, this was a different team from past ones, a new set of players in starting roles. And they responded to the challenges magnificently, repeatedly. Their achievements are what they and we should remember and celebrate while we look forward to next season.

 

[hjoerring]

It will be easy for the novice to assign blame to Chong. Blame is a cottage industry that can be found everywhere you look, if willing. The funny thing for me was that I had serious doubts about us winning. I just didn't see us going into this post-season with a bang. Yes, there were 2 games where we overplayed our opponents, but there was a sense of tiredness and a sense of being banged up that I saw on faces and read on bodies. Sizes and numbers matter and, we may talk about being physically fit, but in the end those things come due. I think our five were exhausted from all the minutes played from game to game. I also took very seriously the comment from Miss. coach that his team was built to play with Uconn, this time around. And they were. Two good things from this lost are 1) we will give up the idea that we only need a good 5, and 2) everyone including the incoming freshmen are all in the bag competing for starting and playing time. Had we won things would have been a little different.

 

[UcMiami]

It will be easy for the novice to assign blame to Chong. Blame is a cottage industry that can be found everywhere you look, if willing. The funny thing for me was that I had serious doubts about us winning. I just didn't see us going into this post-season with a bang. Yes, there were 2 games where we overplayed our opponents, but there was a sense of tiredness and a sense of being banged up that I saw on faces and read on bodies. Sizes and numbers matter and, we may talk about being physically fit, but in the end those things come due. I think our five were exhausted from all the minutes played from game to game. I also took very seriously the comment from Miss. coach that his team was built to play with Uconn, this time around. And they were. Two good things from this lost are 1) we will give up the idea that we only need a good 5, and 2) everyone including the incoming freshmen are all in the bag competing for starting and playing time. Had we won things would have been a little different.

Nice post, and I actually think the toll on the team was more mental than physical. It is why some of us said it wouldn't be the worst thing to have a loss at the end of the reg. season or in the conference tournament. It would have been a chance to just breathe, pause, and come back stronger. We all say how nice that they are constantly talking about the ones who came before and built Uconn, but that is a burden too - the though of are we doing enough, are we rally playing Uconn basketball (whatever that means.) Just one more burden added to the streak, and streak of NCs, and being undefeated on the season.

I actually think they may have ended up this season playing more for the idea of 'UCONN' and not enough for just the joy of playing together as a great team. All those other things that we just brush aside as being a constant for every player that commits to Uconn can cumulatively take a toll. And at the FF they were playing in front of a large contingent of those ghosts, there in person, watching and judging and weighing their worth.

(That last highlighted sentence is not literally true - they were there supporting and encouraging and cheering. But the mind is a strange thing.)

 

[Longtime fan]

I've heard Sue Bird say that after UConn's loss in the semifinals in 2001 the team had a fire in them for the next year. They were not going to lose and they absolutely were going to win the national championship. I believe that next year's team will be just as resolute and they will be determined to go undefeated, win the national championship and be one of the all-time great women's basketball teams.

True, except next year's team will constitute four solid stars ( assuming no injuries or other interruptions ), 3 sophomores from an unusually unimpressive UCONN recruiting class, and 4 freshmen. And just because Megan Walker is the nation's number one recruit, does not automatically mean she is the next Maya Moore. So it is not like there are 7-8 experienced players who will band together and do what Sue Bird's team did. As of this moment, we don't really have a team for next year. We have a large group of players, four of whom will have Sue's passion and experience. I know that I am miserable today, and will remain so for a while. I love this year's team, performance and effort. It crushes me that they couldn't achieve their goal of a national championship, knowing that they had the ability to do so ( too many missed foul shots, missed open looks, missed put-backs, turnovers, etc ). I can't stand the fact that I have to wait until next fall to see them play again. But I think it is overly burdensome on them, and on us, to start fashioning, based upon what some other teams did, a menu of defined success for next year. The wounds are still too fresh. It is like the old cry ( and I am old ) about the once Brooklyn Dodgers, " We'll get 'em next year." And for about seven years in a row, that never happened.

 

[B BLOCK]

Nice post, and I actually think the toll on the team was more mental than physical. It is why some of us said it wouldn't be the worst thing to have a loss at the end of the reg. season or in the conference tournament. It would have been a chance to just breathe, pause, and come back stronger. We all say how nice that they are constantly talking about the ones who came before and built Uconn, but that is a burden too - the though of are we doing enough, are we rally playing Uconn basketball (whatever that means.) Just one more burden added to the streak, and streak of NCs, and being undefeated on the season.

I actually think they may have ended up this season playing more for the idea of 'UCONN' and not enough for just the joy of playing together as a great team. All those other things that we just brush aside as being a constant for every player that commits to Uconn can cumulatively take a toll. And at the FF they were playing in front of a large contingent of those ghosts, there in person, watching and judging and weighing their worth.

(That last highlighted sentence is not literally true - they were there supporting and encouraging and cheering. But the mind is a strange thing.)

Well said. IMHO the "ghosts" are as much a reason for this loss as anything. You beat a team by 60 points in the NCCA tourney you create an incredible hunger in the team you embarrassed. Miss St had their dream shot at Uconn and paid Geno and company back in spades.
Geno knew it, he understands it. WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND!!
Glad to see Saniya go out an outstanding contributor to a great season if not as an ultimate winner.
Saniya great career, best of luck and you always have a home back here in THE O!
.

 

[Waquoit]

The fact is MSU had more big game experience on the court than UConn did. And I think it showed. Forget the FT's, the team missed tons of lay-ups. That's the pressure.

 

[hoophuskee]

A hallmark of Geno's teams for the two decades I have been following them is that they always lived by the old adage that when the going gets tough the tough get going. I am sad to say that we just didn't do that tonight and to the credit of MSU they did that repeatedly. We shot 43.5% from the field while MSU shot only 37.3%. From the arc we shot 46.7% :MSU shot only 27.3% yet we somehow found a way to lose. 17 turnovers, many at key times, and missed foul shots played a big part. But at the end of the day they were just mentally and physically tougher than us this one night.Even sadder than the lose itself was the terrible decision by Sonia leading to the game changing turnover. I feel so bad for her ending her career on play like that. It must be a crushing blow.
Having said that let me be clear IMHO this should not detract from the incredible season we had and the spectacular year all five of our starters had. Both individually and as a team we blew the roof off the pre-season expectations of all the pundits had. No one could

14 offensive rebounds for the other etam didn't help. And yes the turnovers. All this summed up to allowing Miss State 21 more shots at the basket.

http://www.uconnhuskies.com/sports/w-baskbl/stats/2016-2017/033117.html