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Post by bulkey on Dec 3, 2023 16:57:56 GMT -5
This game was both closer and less close than the pt. difference.
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Post by pinotbear on Dec 3, 2023 17:00:44 GMT -5
although I understand the "plot line" to the commentators mentioning the 3 losses, "the most since 1980-whatever", all 3 are against top-10 teams, on either their home floor, or neutral floor. I'd wager that wasn't the case in 1980-whatever.
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Post by rukia on Dec 3, 2023 17:01:13 GMT -5
We have gone on runs against both Texas and UCLA. Was it all us? Or did those teams take their foot off the gas? I honestly don’t know.
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Post by rukia on Dec 3, 2023 17:02:04 GMT -5
Again, I am glad the ball state game is next. A nice homecoming game for Nika should help give the mentality of the team in a good place.
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Post by huskyharper on Dec 3, 2023 17:02:45 GMT -5
Not enough chocolate in the world. Can't believe they shot almost 60% and lost.
Positive: the frosh are growing up fast. We get Ayanna back, kids keep learning, watch out March.
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Post by swash on Dec 3, 2023 17:04:59 GMT -5
Why wait until now to bring in Q ? Definitely Quality minutes when she was in there.
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Post by huskyharper on Dec 3, 2023 17:05:17 GMT -5
TX had 68 shots to our 44. Sad, very sad.
I will not feel sorry for Ball State. Nope, not at all.
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Post by rukia on Dec 3, 2023 17:07:15 GMT -5
Ice is 100% behind the other three freshmen right now imo. So, I understand why Geno has tried to go small with his starters.
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Post by swash on Dec 3, 2023 17:07:18 GMT -5
I thought flops were illegal. Guess not, if you're tx I'll believe that is a rule when there is a rumor of it being called ... even once ... in any game with video evidence.
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Post by huskyharper on Dec 3, 2023 17:11:10 GMT -5
Aaliyah and Nika both played 38 minutes. I can't imagine how exhausted they will be in the locker room. They left everything out there.
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Post by linkster on Dec 3, 2023 17:16:33 GMT -5
Listing all the problems I see is like walking into the Nordic Lounge's all-you-can-eat seafood buffet. I don't know where to start. So I won't. UConn's problem is deeper than " this or that player needs to play better". Unforced errors, indecision and hesitation are all evidence of a lack of confidence. What happened to free-wheeling basketball? I've decided to accept what is likely to continue until changes happen. Go Huskies!
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Post by swash on Dec 3, 2023 17:24:55 GMT -5
Ice is 100% behind the other three freshmen right now imo. So, I understand why Geno has tried to go small with his starters. Disagree. All four newbies showing signs of life ... and a few rookie mistakes. Ice played 26 minutes. KK with 24. That's a lot of opportunity to do something stupid, and well a couple of gaffe's should be expected. Each also showed some nice maturity and made some nice plays, too. Ash got 11 minutes, with much more good than bad. Qadence played eight quality minutes, but that was enough for some "future AA" moments and a clunker or two of her own. That's what we should hope for from them. Do your best. Make some plays. Learn from the mistakes. Get better. All of those seem to be happening.
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Post by rukia on Dec 3, 2023 17:26:49 GMT -5
My biggest concern with ice is the rebounding.
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Post by linkster on Dec 3, 2023 18:00:17 GMT -5
Shade & Q combined to shoot 5-5 and only one TO in 19 minutes. Not bad considering it was a road game in a packed and hostile arena.
In an effort to be positive I am happy to see that Geno is sticking to his game plan of using the freshmen instead of playing the vets 40 min. If UConn goes anywhere this year they need the seniors to have fresh legs in March.
I also feel good for the dejected Texas fans I rode with in the elevator to my car after UConn buried Texas by 40+ in the regionals several years ago. It took a while but they got a win, finally.
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Post by rukia on Dec 3, 2023 18:10:24 GMT -5
I do think Texas is a lot better than last year. Harmon in healthy. And Morris was a bad fit on that team.
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Post by bulkey on Dec 3, 2023 19:14:27 GMT -5
I un-stuck this maybe earlier than we usually do. Maybe I want to forget it sooner than usual. :-) But I'm bumping it to keep it available to late comers. Lots of ugly comments on the side of this IG. Lots of folks who don't understand basketball and just like winning. http://instagram.com/p/C0aC3x6uEaL
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Post by aubreyfan on Dec 3, 2023 20:03:32 GMT -5
Sometimes the ball just doesn't bounce your way. At least they fought hard and came back several times. They have the heart of a champion. Just not the talent. Texas seemed to get some pretty ridiculous flop calls going their way. That hurt. Booker was hotter than normal. Harmon is pretty much unstopable with that pull up jumper from the top of the key. She's a great player no doubt. Texas deserved to win but I think on a neutral court maybe we had a good chance. Paige didn't have her normal game.
Nika played 38 minutes yet again. I just don't get it. Of course she is going to put up some numbers if she plays the whole game. Put KK in for 38 minutes and you will see better numbers. And the possibility of expedited improvement. Ashlynn warrants more pt also. I know where I'd get those minutes. She's not God you know. Why not try something different? We start the game and get blown out over and over. Maybe it's who starts Geno. 4 steals in 7 games now for Nika. She shot well in part because it's a layup or a 3 point attempt with no one within 10 feet of her. 2 assists, Zero rebounds, 5 turnovers. 38 minutes pt. When the other team is great, and we don't have a ton of talent surrounding her, Nika is not our best option. Nika needs Azzi, Paige and someone like Lou to rack up those assist numbers. It's not happening this year.
Ice is still struggling but we need her and at this point we might as well play her hoping the transition improves. Her hands are not ideal and she doesn't seem to rebound well. Misses more bunnies than Donald Duck. Gotta go with her though and hope she gets better. Lots of turnovers though. It was a disaster in the 1st half.
We know what we have with the upper classmen. Play Paige and Aaliyah for sure but work the freshmen in for others. I would say play Aubrey also even though today wasn't her day. We are not winning this thing with so many people struggling to score. KK will help with more PT and against Harmon she looked like the best defender. Ashlynn doesn't hurt us when she's out there and helps a little offensively. It's our best shot to play the freshmen and Ice and hope they continue to improve.
What do we have to lose?
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Post by rukia on Dec 3, 2023 20:10:17 GMT -5
We need Paige to be the best player on the court when we play other teams with star players.
It is up to the coaches to put her in a position where she can control and take over the game. And I just don’t really think this off the ball experiment is working.
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Post by bulkey on Dec 3, 2023 20:29:36 GMT -5
In another thread, Geno says he's going to play his freshmen more.
What we can't see--I'm sure I can't--are the subtleties of defense. I think Nika plays terrific team defense. I don't know whether KK or Ashlynn is quite up to that yet. That's not just measured in shutting down your own guy or in steals. There are important aspects of cohesion--switching, busting through picks, weakside help, knowing when and when not to double up, etc--that are essential. Nika has all that. How much of that do we give up with someone else? I, for one, don't know, but I bet Geno does.
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Post by vtcwbuff on Dec 3, 2023 20:39:56 GMT -5
Again, I am glad the ball state game is next. A nice homecoming game for Nika should help give the mentality of the team in a good place.
Don't forget Ball State V Tennessee.
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Post by radylady on Dec 3, 2023 20:52:16 GMT -5
I think we are better at home than we are on the road. So, I am looking forward to playing games in Connecticut. YOu joined the team? How the hell did THAT happen?
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Post by radylady on Dec 3, 2023 20:53:57 GMT -5
We're probably not destined to win this game. BUT THERE ARE GOOD THINGS HAPPENING HERE. Aaliyah is back. Ice is playing a lot better. KK is showing her stuff. Build on that! Aaliyah with a great pass to Nika and a great bucket! Wish I had said this
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Post by radylady on Dec 3, 2023 20:54:41 GMT -5
although I understand the "plot line" to the commentators mentioning the 3 losses, "the most since 1980-whatever", all 3 are against top-10 teams, on either their home floor, or neutral floor. I'd wager that wasn't the case in 1980-whatever. Are any of them against the #1 team at the time (probably yes, but...)
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Post by radylady on Dec 3, 2023 23:00:08 GMT -5
Sometimes the ball just doesn't bounce your way. At least they fought hard and came back several times. They have the heart of a champion. Just not the talent. Texas seemed to get some pretty ridiculous flop calls going their way. That hurt. Booker was hotter than normal. Harmon is pretty much unstopable with that pull up jumper from the top of the key. She's a great player no doubt. Texas deserved to win but I think on a neutral court maybe we had a good chance. Paige didn't have her normal game. Nika played 38 minutes yet again. I just don't get it. Of course she is going to put up some numbers if she plays the whole game. Put KK in for 38 minutes and you will see better numbers. And the possibility of expedited improvement. Ashlynn warrants more pt also. I know where I'd get those minutes. She's not God you know. Why not try something different? We start the game and get blown out over and over. Maybe it's who starts Geno. 4 steals in 7 games now for Nika. She shot well in part because it's a layup or a 3 point attempt with no one within 10 feet of her. 2 assists, Zero rebounds, 5 turnovers. 38 minutes pt. When the other team is great, and we don't have a ton of talent surrounding her, Nika is not our best option. Nika needs Azzi, Paige and someone like Lou to rack up those assist numbers. It's not happening this year. Ice is still struggling but we need her and at this point we might as well play her hoping the transition improves. Her hands are not ideal and she doesn't seem to rebound well. Misses more bunnies than Donald Duck. Gotta go with her though and hope she gets better. Lots of turnovers though. It was a disaster in the 1st half. We know what we have with the upper classmen. Play Paige and Aaliyah for sure but work the freshmen in for others. I would say play Aubrey also even though today wasn't her day. We are not winning this thing with so many people struggling to score. KK will help with more PT and against Harmon she looked like the best defender. Ashlynn doesn't hurt us when she's out there and helps a little offensively. It's our best shot to play the freshmen and Ice and hope they continue to improve. What do we have to lose? Ah, the fan faithful. How they love their team....so much. We have 4 Frosh who played, and 4 Upperclassman, a rotation of 8 KK did not start, but she played 24 good minutes, shot 2 of 4 from the floor, no threes, and made 5 of 6 free throws...total 9 points. She added 3 defensive rebounds and 2 assists, and 2 turnovers. Sadly, as a team we had only 5 offensive rebounds compared to TX 16, we did a good job on Defensive rebounds, and ran even on assists, steals and blocks. Turnovers were ugly for UConn with 21 compared to 9 for texas. Texas BTW listed the 5 starters, and 4 bench players who played for a total of 37 minutes scoring 6 points distributed between only 2 of the bench. The turnovers for UConn, were killers. You know, I find it interesting that Vic chose to keep Booker and Harmon in just about the entire game, and Muhammad and Gonzales were in the 30 + minutes category as well. I wonder how their box score would look if their best players were out and had to be replaced by less experienced teammates who were warming the bench - you know, like UConn's current situation - or subbed a little more liberally - just musing aloud. I think keeping these folks in the game shows a little respect for the reputation of the UConn Women's BB program, and for Geno, and just how badly they wanted to be sure that they won. Just sayin' The Diana Taurasi years at UConn were not undefeated seasons...in fact, there was only one undefeated season, her sophomore year, and that year included Birdy and the rest of the Fab Four. Her freshman year they lost in the National Semifinal after a spectacular melt down in the second half where a 19 point half time lead disintegrated and they went on to lose by 15. inexplicably Geno stopped coaching for that half. THAT loss was to Notre Dame I remember a lot, but I don't remember their ranking - they may have been 1. Her Jr and Sr years there were a few losses sprinkled in. TASS was gone. But this was a woman who put her team on her back and carried them to the two NCAA tourney wins those years, whilst being bruised and battered. and with each bruise, the swell of support grew. There were other similarly ranked, talented UConn teams that did not make it all the way. Why am I treating you to all these musings?? I have been on message boards for a long, long time. I do not remember any blatant disrespect for the coach and players as I am seeing this year. Seriously. I wonder who you folks really care about....the game, or bragging rights? Bragging rights are cool I must say, but at the end of the day, I am a UConn fan win, lose or draw. There is more diversity in WCBB these days, many programs have ramped up their recruiting, facilities and coaching and support staffs, so talent is spread out. Blowouts are fun and in the early years, we watched a LOT of them. My dad would call me to remind me that UConn was "putting on a clinic tonight", and don't forget to watch. As thrilling as they were to watch, I like some competition, seeing them work out how to solve the problem and get the W, so I am grateful for the challenges we see now. NOw if only (some of the) fans would have a lot of faith.
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Post by huskyharper on Dec 3, 2023 23:29:28 GMT -5
Sometimes the ball just doesn't bounce your way. At least they fought hard and came back several times. They have the heart of a champion. Just not the talent. Texas seemed to get some pretty ridiculous flop calls going their way. That hurt. Booker was hotter than normal. Harmon is pretty much unstopable with that pull up jumper from the top of the key. She's a great player no doubt. Texas deserved to win but I think on a neutral court maybe we had a good chance. Paige didn't have her normal game. Nika played 38 minutes yet again. I just don't get it. Of course she is going to put up some numbers if she plays the whole game. Put KK in for 38 minutes and you will see better numbers. And the possibility of expedited improvement. Ashlynn warrants more pt also. I know where I'd get those minutes. She's not God you know. Why not try something different? We start the game and get blown out over and over. Maybe it's who starts Geno. 4 steals in 7 games now for Nika. She shot well in part because it's a layup or a 3 point attempt with no one within 10 feet of her. 2 assists, Zero rebounds, 5 turnovers. 38 minutes pt. When the other team is great, and we don't have a ton of talent surrounding her, Nika is not our best option. Nika needs Azzi, Paige and someone like Lou to rack up those assist numbers. It's not happening this year. Ice is still struggling but we need her and at this point we might as well play her hoping the transition improves. Her hands are not ideal and she doesn't seem to rebound well. Misses more bunnies than Donald Duck. Gotta go with her though and hope she gets better. Lots of turnovers though. It was a disaster in the 1st half. We know what we have with the upper classmen. Play Paige and Aaliyah for sure but work the freshmen in for others. I would say play Aubrey also even though today wasn't her day. We are not winning this thing with so many people struggling to score. KK will help with more PT and against Harmon she looked like the best defender. Ashlynn doesn't hurt us when she's out there and helps a little offensively. It's our best shot to play the freshmen and Ice and hope they continue to improve. What do we have to lose? Ah, the fan faithful. How they love their team....so much. We have 4 Frosh who played, and 4 Upperclassman, a rotation of 8 KK did not start, but she played 24 good minutes, shot 2 of 4 from the floor, no threes, and made 5 of 6 free throws...total 9 points. She added 3 defensive rebounds and 2 assists, and 2 turnovers. Sadly, as a team we had only 5 offensive rebounds compared to TX 16, we did a good job on Defensive rebounds, and ran even on assists, steals and blocks. Turnovers were ugly for UConn with 21 compared to 9 for texas. Texas BTW listed the 5 starters, and 4 bench players who played for a total of 37 minutes scoring 6 points distributed between only 2 of the bench. The turnovers for UConn, were killers. You know, I find it interesting that Vic chose to keep Booker and Harmon in just about the entire game, and Muhammad and Gonzales were in the 30 + minutes category as well. I wonder how their box score would look if their best players were out and had to be replaced by less experienced teammates who were warming the bench - you know, like UConn's current situation - or subbed a little more liberally - just musing aloud. I think keeping these folks in the game shows a little respect for the reputation of the UConn Women's BB program, and for Geno, and just how badly they wanted to be sure that they won. Just sayin' The Diana Taurasi years at UConn were not undefeated seasons...in fact, there was only one undefeated season, her sophomore year, and that year included Birdy and the rest of the Fab Four. Her freshman year they lost in the National Semifinal after a spectacular melt down in the second half where a 19 point half time lead disintegrated and they went on to lose by 15. inexplicably Geno stopped coaching for that half. THAT loss was to Notre Dame I remember a lot, but I don't remember their ranking - they may have been 1. Her Jr and Sr years there were a few losses sprinkled in. TASS was gone. But this was a woman who put her team on her back and carried them to the two NCAA tourney wins those years, whilst being bruised and battered. and with each bruise, the swell of support grew. There were other similarly ranked, talented UConn teams that did not make it all the way. Why am I treating you to all these musings?? I have been on message boards for a long, long time. I do not remember any blatant disrespect for the coach and players as I am seeing this year. Seriously. I wonder who you folks really care about....the game, or bragging rights? Bragging rights are cool I must say, but at the end of the day, I am a UConn fan win, lose or draw. There is more diversity in WCBB these days, many programs have ramped up their recruiting, facilities and coaching and support staffs, so talent is spread out. Blowouts are fun and in the early years, we watched a LOT of them. My dad would call me to remind me that UConn was "putting on a clinic tonight", and don't forget to watch. As thrilling as they were to watch, I like some competition, seeing them work out how to solve the problem and get the W, so I am grateful for the challenges we see now. NOw if only (some of the) fans would have a lot of faith. Wish I could " like" your musings 100 times. Spot on, Lady. On another note, I still reach for the phone during games to call my Dad and Mom after a special play. 14 years since Dad left, 24 since Mom. Some things never change but it doesn't hurt quite as bad as it used to, just grateful for the memories.
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