Geno is the GOAT but I don't get it

[Ferrarifan]

Seriously, you are doubting Geno?

Yes. He is human, I think.

CD hasn't been quite the same since she had the head injury. Her time will come. Nika played well, but whose minutes do you give her? Paige? Christyn? They both were playing too good to pull for more than some needed rest.

I am no expert on concusions but is it really possible that it is still affecting her that much? You are right about Paige and Christyn. But, at some point, fatigue starts to affect anyone.

And don't forget that UConn could need to play again on Sunday with short rest.

Exactly! That is one good reason to play all of your capable contributors.

I agree. Good things happen when Nika is on the floor. But, I want Paige, Azzi and CW to be the core and play together for the most minutes. We lose certain things when Nika is out but it’s a sacrifice I’d choose.

No argument. Some things get better and some get worse. If it roughly balances out, I lean toward keeping all legs fresh.

1. If Caroline plays, who sits?
2. These last two match-ups haven't favored her game.
3. She has a tendency to turn the ball over.
4. I think she could be a huge asset tomorrow against Stanford.

Obviously you rest Paige, Azzi and Christyn more. Please expand on #2 and #4.

 

[CTBballfan243]

Nika and Caroline know their roles and do their jobs. If their job is to play 5- 8 minutes a game and that is what the team needs to win then that's what they will do.

 

[Ferrarifan]

To win the tourney teams need to win 4 games in 10 days. No matter how conditioned you think your team is you will wear down somewhat. Stanford used 12 players last year including giving some time to the 12th player in the first half. SC is very deep as well. The best time to sub is with about 2 min or less on the 1st and 3rd quarter. In real time a player can get up to 10 min of rest. The other advantage is your subs can go all out and wear the other team down. Full court pressure, whatever because these guys aren't fouling out. Tired often equals fouls and at the end of game players give up baskets not to foul out.

100% my thinking as well. And if Caroline is struggling in the bench role, it is up to Geno to fix it. I really believe that, if they came in and were asked to immediately press and trap hard, they would get locked in quickly.

 

[pk1234]

Yes. He is human, I think.

I am no expert on concusions but is it really possible that it is still affecting her that much? You are right about Paige and Christyn. But, at some point, fatigue starts to affect anyone.

Exactly! That is one good reason to play all of your capable contributors.

No argument. Some things get better and some get worse. If it roughly balances out, I lean toward keeping all legs fresh.

Obviously you rest Paige, Azzi and Christyn more. Please expand on #2 and #4.

"Obviously you rest Paige, Azzi and Christyn more".

It's win or go home. You're best players need to be on the floor as much as possible. Those three are our best guards right now. That simple. Paige didn't look like she needed more rest in 2nd OT on Monday.

 

[PacoSwede]

I agree. Good things happen when Nika is on the floor. But, I want Paige, Azzi and CW to be the core and play together for the most minutes. We lose certain things when Nika is out but it’s a sacrifice I’d choose.

you also lose things when paige, azzi and christyn need a blow and they don't get it.

coaches should know how to keep his team fresh (when he /she has the assets to do so, and uconn has 'em now)

fyi, geno mentioned in presser that he put nika in against nc state because his assistants kept urging him to ... so yeah, he does make mistakes that can be corrected

 

[JBK]

I know he tends to shorten the bench. Most of the time I understand why. Ducharme scored 28 points in a game this year and had a game winning bucket. He has called Nika the heart of the team and, five times, she lead the team in assists.

Against NC State, Muhl only played 8 minutes despite getting 2 rebounds a steal and hitting her only shot in those 8 minutes. And she had zero fouls. And we had a hard time stopping NC State from scoring. And Ducharme only played 5 minutes.

I have seen nothing from Muhl that suggests she is off her game. And if Ducharme is sitting because she is struggling, why is she struggling? The kid went from no confidence to massive confidence to no confidence again? If that is true, Geno and the staff need to ask themselves what they did wrong because that shouldn't happen. And, in my coaching days, whenever I saw it happen, it was usually the coach's fault. The guy is a genius but even a genius is wrong sometimes. We need that depth and only Geno can make it happen.

I do think we will need more scoring this weekend and Westbrook has not been able to do it. If he told Caroline you will be playing the 30 minutes on Friday, I am very confident she can put up 20.
Regulation against NC state was in the low 60’s and that will not cut it.

 

[Ferrarifan]

"Obviously you rest Paige, Azzi and Christyn more".

It's win or go home. You're best players need to be on the floor as much as possible. Those three are our best guards right now. That simple. Paige didn't look like she needed more rest in 2nd OT on Monday.

It isn't that simple or coaches would just play their starting 5 for 40 minutes. There are reasons to have subs. And fatigue is not always obvious. Maybe Paige closed out on shooters a fraction of a second slower and that enabled them to hit shots to keep NC State in the game. A well conditioned player could maybe play at 80-90% for 40 minutes. 90% of Paige looks really good. But, maybe, she could play full out for 30 minutes and, maybe, 10 minutes of Caroline at 100% is better than those same 10 minutes of Paige at 80 or whatever percent.

Whatever it takes, I think Geno needs to get Caroline in there or we don't win #12. Look back at the games when the team was being carried by her. She is REALLY friggin good!!!

 

[cohenzone]

Can’t wait til Geno figures out that some BYers know more than he does. At long last he might win a few games.

 

[Centerstream]

It isn't that simple or coaches would just play their starting 5 for 40 minutes. There are reasons to have subs. And fatigue is not always obvious. Maybe Paige closed out on shooters a fraction of a second slower and that enabled them to hit shots to keep NC State in the game. A well conditioned player could maybe play at 80-90% for 40 minutes. 90% of Paige looks really good. But, maybe, she could play full out for 30 minutes and, maybe, 10 minutes of Caroline at 100% is better than those same 10 minutes of Paige at 80 or whatever percent.

Whatever it takes, I think Geno needs to get Caroline in there or we don't win #12. Look back at the games when the team was being carried by her. She is REALLY friggin good!!!

Geno said before the IU game that Caroline was going to have a bigger role. Then the game got underway, and things changed. And the coaches and players are the only ones that know what changed.

 

[Centerstream]

It isn't that simple or coaches would just play their starting 5 for 40 minutes. There are reasons to have subs. And fatigue is not always obvious. Maybe Paige closed out on shooters a fraction of a second slower and that enabled them to hit shots to keep NC State in the game. A well conditioned player could maybe play at 80-90% for 40 minutes. 90% of Paige looks really good. But, maybe, she could play full out for 30 minutes and, maybe, 10 minutes of Caroline at 100% is better than those same 10 minutes of Paige at 80 or whatever percent.

Whatever it takes, I think Geno needs to get Caroline in there or we don't win #12. Look back at the games when the team was being carried by her. She is REALLY friggin good!!!

You obviously don't think like Geno does...

 

[Blueballer]

I knew we would see at least one "Where's Caroline Ducharme?" thread this week.

 

[Mdoggie]

What I think UConn (Geno) needs or should do is never implemented therefore I never see if fail so it will always work at least in my mind.

 

[Ferrarifan]

You obviously don't think like Geno does...

You obviously don't know me. I agree with what he does and how he does it the VAST majority of the time. He is the GOAT and it isn't close. I even like his rough edges that so many people find offensive. We come from similar backgrounds. I "get" him more than most people do. I would even use the word VAST again as in, the VAST majority of people. You have no idea.

 

[JoePgh]

There are plausible arguments to be made in favor of more minutes for Nika and Caroline, but the idea that Paige and Azzi will be fatigued at the end of games is not one of them. Paige and Azzi played their best basketball at the end of the NC State game, specifically in the two overtimes. That happened despite Paige playing 45 minutes and Azzi playing 49 minutes.

Nonetheless, I think that Caroline fans (including myself) may well be gratified tomorrow night to see her on the floor for 15-20 minutes, or more if she is playing well. See my post on that subject earlier in this thread. If she does, though, it will be because Liv or Aaliyah get some fouls rather than because Paige or Azzi need to be rested.

 

[Mdoggie]

You obviously don't know me. I agree with what he does and how he does it the VAST majority of the time. He is the GOAT and it isn't close. I even like his rough edges that so many people find offensive. We come from similar backgrounds. I "get" him more than most people do. I would even use the word VAST again as in, the VAST majority of people. You have no idea.

I just wanna know if you have a Ferrari?

 

[Ferrarifan]

I just wanna know if you have a Ferrari?

Yes. It was a childhood dream.

 

[hoophuskee]

To win the tourney teams need to win 4 games in 10 days. No matter how conditioned you think your team is you will wear down somewhat. Stanford used 12 players last year including giving some time to the 12th player in the first half. SC is very deep as well. The best time to sub is with about 2 min or less on the 1st and 3rd quarter. In real time a player can get up to 10 min of rest. The other advantage is your subs can go all out and wear the other team down. Full court pressure, whatever because these guys aren't fouling out. Tired often equals fouls and at the end of game players give up baskets not to foul out.

Stanford used their PG 40 minutes vs Louisville, 40 minutes vs South Carolina, and 40 minutes vs Arizona.

Lexie Hull from Stanford in same Tourney played 38 minutes vs Louisville. She played 39 minutes vs SC,. Probably would've played more than 33 minutes vs Arizona if not for the 4 fouls.

If Williams can play 40 minutes in 3 straight games and many other teams such as ND for example winning a title with 6 and UCONN primarily goes 7 maybe 8 and won many titles, then there certainly is history of playing big minutes without a problem.

 

[JBK]

Yes. He is human, I think.

I am no expert on concusions but is it really possible that it is still affecting her that much? You are right about Paige and Christyn. But, at some point, fatigue starts to affect anyone.

Exactly! That is one good reason to play all of your capable contributors.

No argument. Some things get better and some get worse. If it roughly balances out, I lean toward keeping all legs fresh.

Obviously you rest Paige, Azzi and Christyn more. Please expand on #2 and #4.

Caroline can be the 1st sub off the bench and we need offense this weekend.
Geno is the best ever, but it is interesting that we were 0-5 in overtime games.
He is always dominated and close games are unfamiliar to Uconn !!!
The ESPN explanation from Geno of why not foul with 6 seconds against NC state made no sense if you listen to it
I love this sight because we can debate basketball and strategy - and Geno is the GOAT and that is no debate
Excited for legendary men and women coaches this weekend

 

[pk1234]

It isn't that simple or coaches would just play their starting 5 for 40 minutes. There are reasons to have subs. And fatigue is not always obvious. Maybe Paige closed out on shooters a fraction of a second slower and that enabled them to hit shots to keep NC State in the game. A well conditioned player could maybe play at 80-90% for 40 minutes. 90% of Paige looks really good. But, maybe, she could play full out for 30 minutes and, maybe, 10 minutes of Caroline at 100% is better than those same 10 minutes of Paige at 80 or whatever percent.

Whatever it takes, I think Geno needs to get Caroline in there or we don't win #12. Look back at the games when the team was being carried by her. She is REALLY friggin good!!!

Monday night:
Naz Hillmon - 40 minutes
Hailey Van Lith - 38 minutes
Jakia Brown-Turner - 48 minutes (out of 50)
Elissa Cunane - 48 minutes (out of 50)

Friday/Saturday:
Olivia Miles - 38 minutes
Maddy Westbeld - 37 minutes
Kai Crutchfield - 40 minutes
Hailey Van Lith - 39 minutes
Naz Hillmon - 38 minutes
Haley Jones - 39 minutes
Taylor Mikesell - 40 minutes
Jacy Sheldon - 38 minutes (the first two minutes she sat all tournament)
Ashley Joens - 40 minutes
Emily Ryan - 40 minutes
Lauren Jensen - 39 minutes

In March, you play your best players as long as they can play. I love Caroline and think she can be an All-American one day. But if Paige, Azzi and Christyn can go 38-40, they should be going 38-40. And by this point they should be conditioned to do so.

 

[huskeynut]

Ferrariman - I hate to say this but - you blew a head gasket.

This time is tournament time. It's all about the match ups as the game evolves.

 

[JBK]

Monday night:
Naz Hillmon - 40 minutes
Hailey Van Lith - 38 minutes
Jakia Brown-Turner - 48 minutes (out of 50)
Elissa Cunane - 48 minutes (out of 50)

Friday/Saturday:
Olivia Miles - 38 minutes
Maddy Westbeld - 37 minutes
Kai Crutchfield - 40 minutes
Hailey Van Lith - 39 minutes
Naz Hillmon - 38 minutes
Haley Jones - 39 minutes
Taylor Mikesell - 40 minutes
Jacy Sheldon - 38 minutes (the first two minutes she sat all tournament)
Ashley Joens - 40 minutes
Emily Ryan - 40 minutes
Lauren Jensen - 39 minutes

In March, you play your best players as long as they can play. I love Caroline and think she can be an All-American one day. But if Paige, Azzi and Christyn can go 38-40, they should be going 38-40. And by this point they should be conditioned to do so.

I agree with you, but Nika and Westbrook provide little offense - Caroline could provide a lot.

 

[pk1234]

I agree with you, but Nika and Westbrook provide little offense - Caroline could provide a lot.

Yeah I mean we can have that discussion all day between Nika, Caroline and Evina who should get the minutes when there's foul trouble or to rotate out one of the bigs. Probably depends on situations and match-ups, as they're all very good players who bring something to the team.

But the three main guards should be playing 38-40 minutes if they stay out of foul trouble. You don't win championships because of how good your 8th best player is.

 

[JBK]

Yeah I mean we can have that discussion all day between Nika, Caroline and Evina who should get the minutes when there's foul trouble or to rotate out one of the bigs. Probably depends on situations and match-ups, as they're all very good players who bring something to the team.

But the three main guards should be playing 38-40 minutes if they stay out of foul trouble. You don't win championships because of how good your 8th best player is.

Caroline was their best offensive player a month ago - not 8th —

 

[Conndog]

Seriously, you are doubting Geno?

The words "I don't get it" means the poster doesn't understand why this is happening, and I agree that this strategy or tendency is both a puzzle to me & is contrary to logic. Glad they mentioned this- after all, this is a discussion forum.

 

[pk1234]

Caroline was their best offensive player a month ago - not 8th —

My point is that's irrelevant. She's not better than Azzi, CW or Paige right now. So unless you want her starting at the four over AE, she's got to fight for minutes off the bench. She'll get her time again.