Which was the biggest surprise?

[vtcwbuff]

This years NC or 2004?

For me it was this year. I was a non believer until Baylor fell.

 

[pap49cba]

I was shocked. I truly thought this team was at least one year away. Just goes to show, you need the stars to align.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Pretty similar to me, actually. In 2004, we had won the prior year and had a similar lineup. But we lost 4 games and failed to win the BE tourney. This year, we also lost 4 games and failed to win the BE tourney. A month ago, I recalled CD saying that the 2004 team had focused on the "last season", the 6-game NCAA tourney. I thought maybe this year's team could do that again. We had nagging injuries this year, had 3 frosh who experienced ups and downs, and could not close out ND in three tries. But we blasted several ranked teams. I knew we were close, but was worried about a Final Four with ND and Baylor, thinking that beating both was a huge task. But when I saw the first tourney game, even though Idaho was not a strong opponent, I thought the Huskies looked re-energized. I had hope.

 

[alexrgct]

This season. The 2004 team had been there before. Yes the regular season had been a grind, but Uconn had Diana and no one else did. The 2013 squad had a lot of talented pieces, but it never seemed to quite fit together. And in a close game, it wasn't clear who the go-to player was. In 2004, that was not in question.

I thought the 2012-13 team could challenge Baylor coming into the season because they'd only lost by five in Waco and were adding a monster freshman class while only losing Tiff. But then Bria didn't play to her established standard, the freshmen took time to come along (and didn't have the Bria versus Baylor or KML versus Stanford kinds of moments along the way), and injuries piled up. Notre Dame, a team that really should never have challenged Uconn, won three times in a row, and Baylor was able to defeat Uconn as well.

And then all of a sudden, the freshmen started playing better (especially Breanna, obviously, who changed things completely for Uconn), Bria stepped up a bit (igniting the initial runs against Lousiville and Notre Dame), and the injuries, though they didn't stop, didn't unexpectedly keep anyone out of the lineup. Uconn buried Maryland like I thought they would in December, eased past Kentucky without breaking a sweat, beat Notre Dame by the kind of margin I expected they would be able to coming into the season, and then demolished Louisville. I didn't see that coming.

The other thing about 2004 is that I don't think any of the #1 seeds struck fear in UConn's heart, and none were prohibitive favorites. Baylor, meanwhile was the defending champion and hadn't lost a game at full strength in nearly two years. The fact that they didn't advance past the Sweet 16 was absolutely mind-boggling.

 

[Vowelguy]

2003 beats them all

 

[doggydaddy]

This years NC or 2004?

For me it was this year. I was a non believer until Baylor fell.

You thought Uconn would beat ND?

 

[Geno-ista]

You thought Uconn would beat ND?

Doggydaddy- i thought we would bury Notre Dame in semis. I actually thought we were a better team all season, but we didn't really pull it together till the end obviously. Thd only team that scared me, that i think would have beaten anyone in a 2 of three or 3 out of 5- was Baylor. Shen they went down I was confident re Nat Championship. I figured we would bury Louisville also. I thought Notre Dame was better than us the prior two seasons- but not this yr. they were deeper and older and more talented than us in my opinion the prior two seasons. It took a little longer than i thought it would to prove it re ND.

 

[EricLA]

Doggydaddy- i thought we would bury Notre Dame in semis. I actually thought we were a better team all season, but we didn't really pull it together till the end obviously. Thd only team that scared me, that i think would have beaten anyone in a 2 of three or 3 out of 5- was Baylor. Shen they went down I was confident re Nat Championship. I figured we would bury Louisville also. I thought Notre Dame was better than us the prior two seasons- but not this yr. they were deeper and older and more talented than us in my opinion the prior two seasons. It took a little longer than i thought it would to prove it re ND.

I felt this way as well to a degree, and was not as nervous about the ND as I normally would have been. The way Breanna had been playing was something that was absent in the 3 previous matchups, and I really thought that would be the difference. I think I predicted an 8-10 point win. I did NOT expect an 18 point victory.

Even during the game when ND cut the lead to 6 twice in the 2nd half, I really thought we were in control. As I said before, that was probably the most satisfying National Semifinal game I've ever watched...

 

[diggerfoot]

I felt this way as well to a degree, and was not as nervous about the ND as I normally would have been. The way Breanna had been playing was something that was absent in the 3 previous matchups, and I really thought that would be the difference. I think I predicted an 8-10 point win. I did NOT expect an 18 point victory.

Even during the game when ND cut the lead to 6 twice in the 2nd half, I really thought we were in control. As I said before, that was probably the most satisfying National Semifinal game I've ever watched...

The most satisfying semifinal for me was the time we beat the team with six Nykesha Sales by 27 points, whose coach then predicted that Tennessee would beat us in the final .... NOT! Not one of Vanderveer's finer moments, but I've since forgiven her for it.

 

[DaddyChoc]

I'm still in shock with #8

 

[jdubct]

I thought there was no way Uconn was going to win in 2004. I thought there was a better chance of beating both ND and Baylor this year.

 

[Tonyc]

I knew if we were healthy we could win it all. Injuries and the flu cost us 4 losses during the regular season. We came together in the NCAAs when the pressure was on we played like we can play and the thinking stopped, and we played for our lives every single game.

 

[Wbbfan1]

I'm going this year mainly because of Baylor. Baylor was the overwhelming favorite to win the National Championship because of Griner/Sims and the rest of their team.

 

[doggydaddy]

Doggydaddy- i thought we would bury Notre Dame in semis. I actually thought we were a better team all season, but we didn't really pull it together till the end obviously. Thd only team that scared me, that i think would have beaten anyone in a 2 of three or 3 out of 5- was Baylor. Shen they went down I was confident re Nat Championship. I figured we would bury Louisville also. I thought Notre Dame was better than us the prior two seasons- but not this yr. they were deeper and older and more talented than us in my opinion the prior two seasons. It took a little longer than i thought it would to prove it re ND.

I was actually asking Vtcwbuff.

I pretty much agree with what you posted. i picked Uconn by seven and I was holding back my optimism for mojo's sake...lol.

I picked them in every ND matchup. And I was surprised every time Uconn lost.

 

[doggydaddy]

I knew if we were healthy we could win it all. Injuries and the flu cost us 4 losses during the regular season. We came together in the NCAAs when the pressure was on we played like we can play and the thinking stopped, and we played for our lives every single game.

Tony, you can't blame the losses to illness and injuries. It's disrespectful to the opponents and Uconn had their chances to win and couldn't pull it off.

It was when Stewart started playing like the player we expected all season that Uconn looked unbeatable.

 

[Vowelguy]

I thought there was no way Uconn was going to win in 2004. I thought there was a better chance of beating both ND and Baylor this year.

2004? The defending champs who returned everyone?

2003 was the miracle year.

 

[alexrgct]

2004? The defending champs who returned everyone?

2003 was the miracle year.

I think the question is a matter of timing. In November of 2002, few people thought Uconn was going to repeat as champs. By March of 2003, despite the BET loss to Nova, it was not especially shocking. Conversely, in November 2003, there was a big SI cover asking the question of whether Uconn could win the NC in both MBB and WBB. By March of 2004, Uconn had dropped to a #2 seed and had some doubters.

 

[vtcwbuff]

I was actually asking Vtcwbuff.

I pretty much agree with what you posted. i picked Uconn by seven and I was holding back my optimism for mojo's sake...lol.

I picked them in every ND matchup. And I was surprised every time Uconn lost.

I thought they could beat ND but I wasn't sure that they would beat ND. I was confident that if they got to the final they would easily beat Louisville.

 

[Geno-ista]

I felt this way as well to a degree, and was not as nervous about the ND as I normally would have been. The way Breanna had been playing was something that was absent in the 3 previous matchups, and I really thought that would be the difference. I think I predicted an 8-10 point win. I did NOT expect an 18 point victory.

Even during the game when ND cut the lead to 6 twice in the 2nd half, I really thought we were in control. As I said before, that was probably the most satisfying National Semifinal game I've ever watched...

Not to beat this to death- I've watched the game 6-7 times and forgot it went to 6 relatively late. Makes it even more rewarding. Plus, midway in the first half, N Dame's body language was really bad, even earlier than that. Everytime they put a little run together, we crushed it. The journey was great- painful when it ends- win or lose. Easier when we win!

 

[JoePgh]

This year, I thought Notre Dame was a manageable obstacle, but beating Baylor would require manna from heaven.

Instead, we got Dirty Bird droppings (which included 16 3-leafed clovers), but they did the job.

 

[Geno-ista]

This year, I thought Notre Dame was a manageable obstacle, but beating Baylor would require manna from heaven.

Instead, we got Dirty Bird droppings (which included 16 3-leafed clovers), but they did the job.

We really did! But u know- it makes u appreciate all of our win streaks, and just how hard it is to win every night! Baylor really blew it- they should of or could have won 3-4!

 

[CL82]

When Geno predicted NC #8 this year I bought in, since he knows his team. But once Bria, Breanna's slumps made me skeptical and Steph's injury convinced me we were a year away.

I was glad to be wrong.

 

[Geno-ista]

When Geno predicted NC #8 this year I bought in, since he knows his team. But once Bria, Breanna's slumps made me skeptical and Steph's injury convinced me we were a year away.

I was glad to be wrong.

Cl82- that is something that got overlooked a bit- we won in dominating fashion from the regionals to the NC with Steph at what- 65%~75%???? She played great considering- but she really could not move well at all. And she was such a key to our offense all year.

 

[CL82]

Cl82- that is something that got overlooked a bit- we won in dominating fashion from the regionals to the NC with Steph at what- 65%~75%???? She played great considering- but she really could not move well at all. And she was such a key to our offense all year.

Amzaing that she could contribute material, given the injuries. She was still a critical piece of the puzzle.

 

[alexrgct]

Sometimes less can be more with a basketball team. No one wants a kid to get injured, but injuries can help forge an identity of a team.

I think a big part of Breanna stepping up was simply that she had to. Freshmen often feel like it's someone else's job to drive the bus unless it's clear that it's on them. In the BET championship, you saw some of that in the second half with Breanna. ND wasn't going to let KML get open, and Stef wasn't going to do it by herself. No one else was really playing well, and all of a sudden, Stewie starts hitting shots she hadn't been hitting all season. That snowballed as Stef became limited in the tourney. She was going to be a big body on D, command attention, set screens, pass, and rebound, but she wasn't going to be your primary finisher. Bang- Stewie, it's on you to respond. To her credit, she did. To a lesser degree, I thought Mo really started to pick it up after Banks went down. And as it became clear that Morgan was in the rotation ahead of Kiah for whatever reasons (be they physical, mental or both), her game picked up.

Deep teams can be great, but rotation and chemistry issues can also arise. It's why Geno doesn't ever use his allotment of scholarships, I believe. When you have fewer kids who can go, you're forced to figure out who you are as a team quicker. Notre Dame was able to do that earlier in the season because it was obvious they were only going as far as Diggins and McBride would take them, with Achonwa as a third option, Lloyd as the young up-and-comer, and everyone else playing hard as they could when they got minutes. But once the pieces came together for Uconn, it was lights out. Part of why ND seemed a bit defeated in terms of on-court body language (and possibly why Sklyar was so gracious in defeat, though I'm not a mind-reader) is that they always knew if Uconn put it together, they simply weren't as good. And once they saw it happening, there was a collective "Oh s***" moment.

Next season, the team is a bit lighter on players, but I think that's going to allow the kids to forge an identity quicker. Everyone knows their roles now except Saniya and maybe Banks.