Official Selection Show thread

[BlueSkyGLW]

I agree with you.

There is no way no way UCONN was just a 1 player team. It's not only wrong but insulting to the players that performed (as well as the insult to Geno.).

Secondly, a healthy Paige Buckers playing all year would've only made the team stronger. Great players which are unavailable that can defend, pass, and shoot don't make your team stronger when they are out. There's a reason why Paige is great.

Third, we hear what I feel as a myth that UCONN wouldn't have developed it's 9 player bench if Paige was in. IMO a complete myth. Many of us felt that the bench was going to be at least 8 players anyway even with Paige. Ducharme broke through as the 9th. But she broke through in just two games after the Azzi injury, CD broke through. In other words they were already at near full strength before the Azzi injury, and CD was so good 2 games later that she would have inevitably broke through. And you'd have to think Geno is an idiot if he couldn't see that. Look at the 2nd game vs ND (A Quality Opponent) - she comes in when the offense was sputtering in 2nd quarter and team goes on a 10-2 run. Then in the 2nd half she pours in 14. In other words, she showed right from the get-go that she was a player.

So with the history of early this year at the start of the season the offense was sputtering, and last year there were issues with the offense, that Geno wouldn't have played her any more? Geno is not an idiot. CD showed early on she was a beast. But what is she right now? The healthier Paige gets, CD is the 9th player. A terrific 9th player just as valued in that ND game as she is now.

And if we want to get really picky, we might be able to say that CD wouldn't have had the concussion if she wasn't playing as many minutes as she has. Which Chris D has eluded to her struggling a bit down the stretch.

Bottom line is that the team would've been stronger with a healthy Paige, and would still be a 9 player deep rotation.

Geno was not only praising Azzi in the preseason but also CD, so I agree.....he was going to find a role for her.

 

[Rb335]

4 Big East teams!!!!

A great first step for the league. Now we need those teams to pull a few upsets to establish the conference strength.

Moving forward, would love to see the big east seeding improve. Would love to see the 10 and two 11 seeds become seeds in the 4-8 range. Will be fun to track the leagues progress.

 

[jaydee602]

Or Boston or NYC or Albany

Exactly!

 

[MSGRET]

Never had it before, but darned if I'm not currently googling on where to find Schnitzel in Greensboro.

I don't have to look for it, my wife is German and makes d**m good Schnitzel. I can eat all of the varieties that she makes, if the meat is veal, pork, or chicken or the toppings is plain, yager sauce, light or dark, or ziguener. I LOVE them all. Don't get me started about her rolladen's.

 

[Husky fanatic]

When you say hefty bag are you referring to....... (in my best Rosanne Rosannadanna voice). Never mind.

Emily Litella

 

[BlueSkyGLW]

I believe that was a fair assessment. While I don't agree that Geno purposedly developed UConn this way, i do agree in part with what Peck said--it was a one-woman show, and UConn didn't acquire their beautiful balance until after Paige was injured--and I daresay had not this occurred, I serious doubt whether UConn would have developed in their great team tapestry, and certainly not to the level that we're seeing now. I mean Geno openly said as much in pressers: that he didn't like the way the offense went without Paige, and he didn't have anyone else in the line up to depend on. And he pretty much wanted Paige to shoot it every time. You have to admit, this isn't ringing endorsement of a whole team concept...

Well....we look at things differently. Geno's public utterances about players are often used as a tool, to be sure, using his public statements as a motivating driver to one or more players and he did that often to Paige who, by now, we all know is quite a stubborn one, especially about being a pass-first PG. Does that remind you of a few somebodies who played for him before? Those public comments were to push her to be an offensive weapon instead of just being a playmaker. She happened to understand it well because she not only had loads of assists but she also became the primary scorer. He knew that having the ball in her hands as a PG made that easier to accomplish: playmaker and scorer. (See the current wave of PGs both in pros and college, maybe especially in HS, too)

"Don't like our team without Paige?" - that's another motivator, one that was directed to all the others to raise their game for UConn to become a better team. After watching UConn for 27 years and listening to this coach for that long, you get it....what he is trying to do. It is easy to have wrong conclusions from Geno's public utterances......when you take them literally or in the context you think you know but actually not. I have learned to judge them a bit like wine: let time pass and see.

Remember all the talk about positionless basketball - a team of just basketball players? Yep, that is his ideal but difficult to achieve. He also referred to it again when Azzi's class committed. Sometime back, it probably was not a surprise that talk increased with the starting five during Gabby/Kia junior year in 2017 - except for Kia, everyone was playing in roles they did not have before but they quickly learned to switch positions at any time during the game. and, though he didn't say it much in public, he really wanted Gabby to shoot more but he also recognized that she was already carrying such a big load for a guard playing point-center.

 

[jaydee602]

Vegas has just posted the odds to win the National Championship. Here are the top six.:

• South Carolina+175
• Connecticut+350
• Stanford+475
• North Carolina State+1100
• Louisville+1500
• Baylor+2000

I'm surprised they had UCONN over Stanford.

 

[VaConnFan11]

They were actually out before the conference tournaments. At that time UConn was +750. I believe South Carolina and Stanford were ahead of UConn and North Carolina State & Louisville were the same as UConn.

There's been a lot of money pouring in on UConn since the BE tournament finished.

 

[eebmg]

They were actually out before the conference tournaments. At that time UConn was +750. I believe South Carolina and Stanford were ahead of UConn and North Carolina State & Louisville were the same as UConn.

There's been a lot of money pouring in on UConn since the BE tournament finished.

and seeing that Paige has a good shot at looking like her old self.

 

[jaydee602]

They were actually out before the conference tournaments. At that time UConn was +750. I believe South Carolina and Stanford were ahead of UConn and North Carolina State & Louisville were the same as UConn.

There's been a lot of money pouring in on UConn since the BE tournament finished.

Vegas always overplays UCONN because they get the most action. LOL.. they make us pay to ride the Husky Train!

 

[LETTERL]

Emily Litella

I loved Gilda Radner!

 

[mbr33ct]

50 miles as opposed to 160.

Basically, the NCAA should adopt a "mileage" criteria as well. No team/school should be placed in a regional with no fewer miles than...let's say 150-200 miles. The selection committee is challenged as it is but I like this "mileage" criteria.

 

[MSGRET]

After looking up her resume on coaching, I always take her comments with a grain of salt. Studio armchair coaching.

• Led by Katie Douglas, Stephanie White and Ukari Figgs, the Boilermakers posted a 28–1 record during the regular season ... won the 1999 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament (IMHO an inherited team)
• During Peck's three seasons as WNBA coach, the Miracle, which featured Shannon Johnson, Taj McWilliams-Franklin, Nykesha Sales and fellow Vanderbilt graduate Sheri Sam, posted a 44–52 record
• During her five seasons at Florida (2002–03 through 2006-07), the Gators posted a 72–75 record with two NCAA tournament berths. The 2006–07 season was a disaster—the Gators suffered through a 14-game losing streak and finished 9–22. Following the losing streak, the university fired Peck in February but allowed her to finish the season as coach.

(steps down gingerly from soapbox)

If Nell Fortner had not been appointed by the Olympic committee to be the head coach of the US Women's basketball coach in April 1997 she would have still been the HC at Purdue. Fortner became the HC after Lin Dunn had been fired, both Dunn and Fortner were responsible for most of the players, Peck had just been lucky enough to be one of the assistant coaches under Fortner.

The top 3 players on Purdue's championship team, Douglas, Friggs, and White were not signed by Peck and she wouldn't have been the HC, if the Purdue AD & the Senior VP of the new WNBA team the Orlando Miracle, (Now the Connecticut Sun) allowed her to stay for the Championship season.

I believe that Peck was lucky and was not a great coach, but an opportunist. She only had 3 winning seasons in her coaching tenure and only one of them was a team that she had coached with the majority of the players that she recruited.

 

[MSGRET]

So, they had better make some noise......that's one better than what Charlie Creme projected. I was hoping Marquette would get in, too....

Maybe Marquette and Seton Hall can play for the WNIT championship.

 

[MSGRET]

The NCAA is a business at the end of the day, and they need to generate revenue from the less popular Women’s tournament any way they can. You could argue it’s actually pretty unfair to have the top 16 teams host the first two rounds. Yes, every team has the opportunity to play their way into the top 16, but once the tournament starts, it’s a huge advantage.

I’m not super familiar with why regionals are where they are, and why bids are accepted. But if you have a regional in the home state of one of the most loyal fan bases in the country, it’s a no brainer to figure out a way to place that team there. It might not be totally fair, but is the top 16 advantage fair?

Uconn in Bridgeport generates revenue, but also puts people into the seats. I remember watching a game when Karlie Samuelson was a senior, and their regional had less than 2,000 fans. In what appeared to be a rather large arena. A casual person tuning in must see that and question the true importance of what they are watching. It’s not a good look if you’re trying to grow the sport.

As a Uconn fan, I get the complaints, and understand it’s not completely fair. But I 100% understand why the committee did what they did and created a narrative to justify it. UConn’s injuries basically gave them a free pass to excuse any losses, or weigh those losses more heavily to get them into Bridgeport on the S curve.

Perhaps Ms. Antonelli was into something when she wanted all 16 teams playing at one location. I honestly don’t think it’s a half bad idea, and eliminates all of the geography concerns. Until that once location is near a top team, of course.

Las Vegas would love to be that city, but I think it was all 64, now 68, when she said the one location statement.

 

[STLCardinal]

I wrote a few weeks ago that I think the Selection Committee should seed the teams where they should be and let the chips fall. I believe they have done that. Good for them.

 

[Kaizen]

 

[mbr33ct]

UConn game on ABC. Finally ESPN is doing what CBS has been doing all these years with all games on TV and no "whip around" coverage.

 

[MSGRET]

UConn game on ABC. Finally ESPN is doing what CBS has been doing all these years with all games on TV and no "whip around" coverage.

Maybe it was part of the NCAA study on the differences between the Men's and Women's tournaments. I think it was because of all of the hoopla, which was deserved, on how the NCAA treated the women's game and they forced ESPN to do the same as the men's, no whip around.

 

[BlueSkyGLW]

This fellow Ben Pickman of Sports Illustrated has no respect for UConn. UCF defense will give UConn problems, etc. NC State metrics says they are a high scoring team and they have lots of weapons.....not a peep about UConn except the home crowd (am exaggerating just a little bit) (Maybe someone has posted this already???)

Women’s March Madness: Breaking down 2022 NCAA bracket - Sports Illustrated

State of the No. 1 seeds, players to watch, our national champ prediction and more.

www.si.com

 

[CB360]

So, they had better make some noise......that's one better than what Charlie Creme projected. I was hoping Marquette would get in, too....

I'm thinking/hoping for at least 2 games each from Creighton, Nova and Depaul

 

[triaddukefan]

I don't have to look for it, my wife is German and makes d**m good Schnitzel. I can eat all of the varieties that she makes, if the meat is veal, pork, or chicken or the toppings is plain, yager sauce, light or dark, or ziguener. I LOVE them all. Don't get me started about her rolladen's.

Is schnitzel similar to chicken fried steak?

 

[Nyskier]

I just realized what I felt while watching Rebecca Lobo with the Cast of Characters. It reminded me of a hostage video.

 

[Dynastic]

How many Florida teams are in? Lots!

6 I believe… a lot

 

[mbr33ct]

Is schnitzel similar to chicken fried steak?

I guess you can say that, usually the meat is pounded thinner and breaded like a cutlet or otherwise.

Schnitzel - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org