Simply Domin8ing

[Tonyc]

Preseason many of us had this Dream of seeing Paige Azzi and Caroline all playing together. We thought we finally had height to go along with them. I was thinking hey we have a shot at going undefeated and winning our 12th NC. Then the injuries haunted us again. We were left with a depleted team with alot of inexperience. Early on we lost 3 games to top teams and didnt look like UConn teams of the past. Many fans were predicting we would loose 8-10 games and maybe more and not win the Big East. We dropped in the polls and out of the top 10 and looked to be on the verge of possibly falling out of the top 25. Then Geno once again worked his magic. This has to be one of the greatest accomplishments in any sport. To loose 5 top players to injuries and rebuild a team that is totally domin8ing their opponents. UConn has a new look now. The real test will come this week against Marquette and ND and I am confident we will continue on our march to March.

To see what this UConn has become since the Texas game is amazing. To rebuild a team without the players you were counting on in such a short time and to get them all on the same page, and playing with confidence and having fun is had to explain. These kids are playing with blind faith. They are coachable. To see this team evolve into what they are today is almost explainable.

Looking at the scores every day to see who is winning and loosing and by how much and seeing top teams struggling against unranked teams makes me realize how good UConn is now. Now some fans are saying the Big East is weak and UConn is beating up on weak teams. Well look at the scores from the past 2 weeks and see top teams who imo are suppose to be so good winning by less then 15 pts against teams not much better then teams UConn is beating by 20, 30 or 40 pts and on the road for the most part. Some of you still dont believe. Some of you are waiting for this week when we face Marquette and ND to see what happens. You gotta Believe.

Now we are dismantling teams without Azzi Caroline Jana Yanna and Griff. On paper most fans would think UConn didnt have a chance. Most fans would think how is that possible. The answer is simple....Geno. Geno has shown time after time that he is the greatest coach in WCBB and maybe any sport. His record and accomplishments have proven it. He's got the kids believing in themselves. I remember Geno saying you cant win a NC without good guard play. Well we have 4 guards in our starting lineup and without a real big. The development of ICE is critical and she seems to be getting better each game. Let me bring up something about Amari. She looked good again yesterday. I feel because she played more minutes then just 1 or 2 minutes. I think in her head she wasnt in there for mop up minutes she was in there with a chance to play significant minutes and she show us what she can do with significant minutes. Look at her pts and rebounds and compare those to some of the others who played more minutes then she did. We all know we could use her with her height down the road and perhaps down the road is where were looking.

Playing 4 guards who can handle the ball, who are quick and aggressive is what has gotten UConn to this point. What UConns defense has done is expose opponents lack of ball handlers and lack of quickness which has helped, create turnovers and get out on the fast break. By creating turnovers we get more processions which helps make up for lack of rebounding. This is a special bunch,

I looked at the bracketology and saw UConn is a 2 seed. Thats impressive considering where we were as a team, and what we've become. We are playing right now like a 1 seed. The scores prove it. Some of you are thinking yeah but we have a tuff week coming up, lets wait and see what happens. Barring any more injuries I dont think we have to much to worry about. We should be concerned a bit but not worried because we're playing with belief and confidence. Judging from the scores of their last few games Marquette and ND will have their hands full playing UConn. ND will be a really good test for UConn. ND has a great guard in Hidalgo. They also have Citron and Westbeld back. They also have a height advantage. . This will be a good test for UConn and UConns defense.

 

[Bone Dog]

I’m also in awe of what Geno has accomplished this season, @Tonyc. He lost 5 players who probably could have started on any D1 team. Heck, that group of 5 together could have been the starting lineup of a top-20 team. One more ball handler is all it needs. That’s who’s sitting on the bench. This is rather like last season when our non-playing bench was Paige Azzi Ice Jana Caroline and they also could have been the core of a top-5 team. It’s like fate says to Geno, “Recruit the best team you can. Then try to win without 5 of your best players.” And he’s done it again.

What this season shows me is how well Geno recruits players. None of us knew exactly what sort of contribution the freshmen could make this season. And Geno undoubtedly would have preferred to give them only limited minutes as he prepared them for next season. But he must have known exactly how coachable this class is. I might have guessed it about Ashlynn, maybe. But I had no idea they’d be this coachable, this early.

One thing that gives me pause about our tournament prospects is how quickly the offense stagnates once Paige goes to the bench. And if Paige Aaliyah and Nika are on the bench it no longer resembles a top-50 team. We need to build stupendous leads early in order to rest the seniors. Perhaps a month from now this will be less true and KK Ash Ice and Q as a unit will be able to compete on the level we need all by themselves. But I don’t think they’re there yet.

 

[Next 12]

I couldn't agree with you more, Tonyc as usual. I wish I could be as articulate as you are, but I give it my best. I believe Marquette is rated too high as , if they were a problem, they should have lost by 10-12 points instead of 30. so, no problem. ND has not faced the relentless pressure that Uconn can bring to bear and I believe they will not be as controlled as they have been playing less defensive teams, so no problem. Put Nika on Hildalgo and KK on Citron and, no problem. I believe Uconn will win both game going away. GO FRESHMEN!!!!!!!! GO HUSKIES!!!!!

 

[Bone Dog]

I believe Marquette is rated too high as , if they were a problem, they should have lost by 10-12 points instead of 30. so, no problem.

Jordan King was wearing a knee brace last time against Marquette. She didn't look 100% and she's their engine. It wouldn't have been a 30 point blowout if she'd been in top form. I think we will win again, though they'll have home court advantage and may have a healthy King in the starting lineup. It may be a lot closer this time.

 

[NYCHUSKIES]

I’m also in awe of what Geno has accomplished this season, @Tonyc. He lost 5 players who probably could have started on any D1 team. Heck, that group of 5 together could have been the starting lineup of a top-20 team. One more ball handler is all it needs. That’s who’s sitting on the bench. This is rather like last season when our non-playing bench was Paige Azzi Ice Jana Caroline and they also could have been the core of a top-5 team. It’s like fate says to Geno, “Recruit the best team you can. Then try to win without 5 of your best players.” And he’s done it again.

What this season shows me is how well Geno recruits players. None of us knew exactly what sort of contribution the freshmen could make this season. And Geno undoubtedly would have preferred to give them only limited minutes as he prepared them for next season. But he must have known exactly how coachable this class is. I might have guessed it about Ashlynn, maybe. But I had no idea they’d be this coachable, this early.

One thing that gives me pause about our tournament prospects is how quickly the offense stagnates once Paige goes to the bench. And if Paige Aaliyah and Nika are on the bench it no longer resembles a top-50 team. We need to build stupendous leads early in order to rest the seniors. Perhaps a month from now this will be less true and KK Ash Ice and Q as a unit will be able to compete on the level we need all by themselves. But I don’t think they’re there yet.

Our players, who we lost this season due to injuries, can easily start their own team and be a top e5 team. Easily that's how good we actually are.. I hope Paige and company stay one more year and really rock the out of women's basketball.

 

[Cuango]

Preseason many of us had this Dream of seeing Paige Azzi and Caroline all playing together. We thought we finally had height to go along with them. I was thinking hey we have a shot at going undefeated and winning our 12th NC. Then the injuries haunted us again. We were left with a depleted team with alot of inexperience. Early on we lost 3 games to top teams and didnt look like UConn teams of the past. Many fans were predicting we would loose 8-10 games and maybe more and not win the Big East. We dropped in the polls and out of the top 10 and looked to be on the verge of possibly falling out of the top 25. Then Geno once again worked his magic. This has to be one of the greatest accomplishments in any sport. To loose 5 top players to injuries and rebuild a team that is totally domin8ing their opponents. UConn has a new look now. The real test will come this week against Marquette and ND and I am confident we will continue on our march to March.

To see what this UConn has become since the Texas game is amazing. To rebuild a team without the players you were counting on in such a short time and to get them all on the same page, and playing with confidence and having fun is had to explain. These kids are playing with blind faith. They are coachable. To see this team evolve into what they are today is almost explainable.

Looking at the scores every day to see who is winning and loosing and by how much and seeing top teams struggling against unranked teams makes me realize how good UConn is now. Now some fans are saying the Big East is weak and UConn is beating up on weak teams. Well look at the scores from the past 2 weeks and see top teams who imo are suppose to be so good winning by less then 15 pts against teams not much better then teams UConn is beating by 20, 30 or 40 pts and on the road for the most part. Some of you still dont believe. Some of you are waiting for this week when we face Marquette and ND to see what happens. You gotta Believe.

Now we are dismantling teams without Azzi Caroline Jana Yanna and Griff. On paper most fans would think UConn didnt have a chance. Most fans would think how is that possible. The answer is simple....Geno. Geno has shown time after time that he is the greatest coach in WCBB and maybe any sport. His record and accomplishments have proven it. He's got the kids believing in themselves. I remember Geno saying you cant win a NC without good guard play. Well we have 4 guards in our starting lineup and without a real big. The development of ICE is critical and she seems to be getting better each game. Let me bring up something about Amari. She looked good again yesterday. I feel because she played more minutes then just 1 or 2 minutes. I think in her head she wasnt in there for mop up minutes she was in there with a chance to play significant minutes and she show us what she can do with significant minutes. Look at her pts and rebounds and compare those to some of the others who played more minutes then she did. We all know we could use her with her height down the road and perhaps down the road is where were looking.

Playing 4 guards who can handle the ball, who are quick and aggressive is what has gotten UConn to this point. What UConns defense has done is expose opponents lack of ball handlers and lack of quickness which has helped, create turnovers and get out on the fast break. By creating turnovers we get more processions which helps make up for lack of rebounding. This is a special bunch,

I looked at the bracketology and saw UConn is a 2 seed. Thats impressive considering where we were as a team, and what we've become. We are playing right now like a 1 seed. The scores prove it. Some of you are thinking yeah but we have a tuff week coming up, lets wait and see what happens. Barring any more injuries I dont think we have to much to worry about. We should be concerned a bit but not worried because we're playing with belief and confidence. Judging from the scores of their last few games Marquette and ND will have their hands full playing UConn. ND will be a really good test for UConn. ND has a great guard in Hidalgo. They also have Citron and Westbeld back. They also have a height advantage. . This will be a good test for UConn and UConns defense.

Agree on Geno, this has to be one of the best coaching jobs of his career! It’s a funny thing, (I may be way off base here) but I’ve long felt, that the last three years have been very debilitating for Geno. There were times over that period where I was actually concerned for him. The near constant barrage of injuries and bad news for his players (and himself) really hit him hard and he just seemed to be beat down and depressed. Even through that, he managed to put competitive teams on the floor and won more games than he had any right to.

After all that, he seemed rejuvenated at the thought of this year’s team with a healthy Paige, Azzi, and finally, a big that would allow him to match up with the SC’s, and UCLA’s that had held such an advantage over his injury depleted squads over the past three years! Well, once again, the basketball gods deemed otherwise and left him with an even more compromised roster. This cruel blow would have broken many coaches, but against all odds, after a week or two of self pity, Geno reached back into his glorious past and reemerged with a completely new and optimistic attitude! Rather than succumbing to this seeming final blow, he reinvented his team by embracing the very thing that made them, in the eyes of the basketball world, a broken and hopelessly vulnerable team!

He accepted his limitations and turned them into a strength! He went small and decided to terrorize and outscore his opponents with speed, relentless pressure, and high level execution! Obviously, it has been a resounding success but, more important by far than the success that has ensued, is the clear and evident change in Geno himself! He is happy and engaged in a way that I have not seen in years! This team, and the circumstances that it has faced and overcome, has, I believe, given him a whole new lease on his coaching life! I am so happy for him!

 

[WiseWillie]

Agree with most of the previous comments (Geno is by far genius ) but a very real problem - not adjusting defense during a game to stop a drive into the paint and to the rim by a quick guard, like Hildago on ND or Rice on UCLA - exists and seems to have either alluded Geno and the coaching staff (very doubtful) or is instead their tacit acknowledgement that without a big presence (also not wanting to expose Aaliyah to getting a foul), it is something that simply can't be stopped by this team which seems a little strange. Hard to believe that our guards,especially Nika, can't handle that assignment. Any thoughts?

 

[Ozimoto]

Nika was in a walking boot last Thursday and has had multiple ankle sprains over the years. I know she said at the pre game press event that the boot was "precautionary" but you're not in a walking boot for nothing. That just might have something to do with the fact that she can't stay in front of the quicker guards out there.

From my perspective, the offensive player almost always has the advantage in a one on one situation because they are initiating the action and the defender is reacting to it. A quick guard that is a good ball handler will be very difficult to stop on a dribble drive by the opposing guard without a big to protect the rim.

In my opinion, this team playing a four guard offense (that maximizes scoring) does not have a back line rim protector that can shut down dribble drives by quick guards. If it did, we wouldn't be having this discussion.

 

[Audi1954]

Nika was in a walking boot last Thursday and has had multiple ankle sprains over the years. I know she said at the pre game press event that the boot was "precautionary" but you're not in a walking boot for nothing. That just might have something to do with the fact that she can't stay in front of the quicker guards out there.

From my perspective, the offensive player almost always has the advantage in a one on one situation because they are initiating the action and the defender is reacting to it. A quick guard that is a good ball handler will be very difficult to stop on a dribble drive by the opposing guard without a big to protect the rim.

In my opinion, this team playing a four guard offense (that maximizes scoring) does not have a back line rim protector that can shut down dribble drives by quick guards. If it did, we wouldn't be having this discussion.

That’s right, I remember seeing that during a pregame interview. That explains a lot. Obviously she’s not 100%. You have wonder if a scout from Notre Dame picked up on it. Hopefully nothing serious.

 

[Longtime fan]

Preseason many of us had this Dream of seeing Paige Azzi and Caroline all playing together. We thought we finally had height to go along with them. I was thinking hey we have a shot at going undefeated and winning our 12th NC. Then the injuries haunted us again. We were left with a depleted team with alot of inexperience. Early on we lost 3 games to top teams and didnt look like UConn teams of the past. Many fans were predicting we would loose 8-10 games and maybe more and not win the Big East. We dropped in the polls and out of the top 10 and looked to be on the verge of possibly falling out of the top 25. Then Geno once again worked his magic. This has to be one of the greatest accomplishments in any sport. To loose 5 top players to injuries and rebuild a team that is totally domin8ing their opponents. UConn has a new look now. The real test will come this week against Marquette and ND and I am confident we will continue on our march to March.

To see what this UConn has become since the Texas game is amazing. To rebuild a team without the players you were counting on in such a short time and to get them all on the same page, and playing with confidence and having fun is had to explain. These kids are playing with blind faith. They are coachable. To see this team evolve into what they are today is almost explainable.

Looking at the scores every day to see who is winning and loosing and by how much and seeing top teams struggling against unranked teams makes me realize how good UConn is now. Now some fans are saying the Big East is weak and UConn is beating up on weak teams. Well look at the scores from the past 2 weeks and see top teams who imo are suppose to be so good winning by less then 15 pts against teams not much better then teams UConn is beating by 20, 30 or 40 pts and on the road for the most part. Some of you still dont believe. Some of you are waiting for this week when we face Marquette and ND to see what happens. You gotta Believe.

Now we are dismantling teams without Azzi Caroline Jana Yanna and Griff. On paper most fans would think UConn didnt have a chance. Most fans would think how is that possible. The answer is simple....Geno. Geno has shown time after time that he is the greatest coach in WCBB and maybe any sport. His record and accomplishments have proven it. He's got the kids believing in themselves. I remember Geno saying you cant win a NC without good guard play. Well we have 4 guards in our starting lineup and without a real big. The development of ICE is critical and she seems to be getting better each game. Let me bring up something about Amari. She looked good again yesterday. I feel because she played more minutes then just 1 or 2 minutes. I think in her head she wasnt in there for mop up minutes she was in there with a chance to play significant minutes and she show us what she can do with significant minutes. Look at her pts and rebounds and compare those to some of the others who played more minutes then she did. We all know we could use her with her height down the road and perhaps down the road is where were looking.

Playing 4 guards who can handle the ball, who are quick and aggressive is what has gotten UConn to this point. What UConns defense has done is expose opponents lack of ball handlers and lack of quickness which has helped, create turnovers and get out on the fast break. By creating turnovers we get more processions which helps make up for lack of rebounding. This is a special bunch,

I looked at the bracketology and saw UConn is a 2 seed. Thats impressive considering where we were as a team, and what we've become. We are playing right now like a 1 seed. The scores prove it. Some of you are thinking yeah but we have a tuff week coming up, lets wait and see what happens. Barring any more injuries I dont think we have to much to worry about. We should be concerned a bit but not worried because we're playing with belief and confidence. Judging from the scores of their last few games Marquette and ND will have their hands full playing UConn. ND will be a really good test for UConn. ND has a great guard in Hidalgo. They also have Citron and Westbeld back. They also have a height advantage. . This will be a good test for UConn and UConns defense.

Very well written. But you obviously penned this before the Notre dame game. Hard to imagine winning it all with four freshmen, two of whom are in their formative periods. Maybe all four are, to tell the truth.

 

[Stinger92860]

If you decide to play a zone you would hope to limit the drives and as a result protect AE. If you are playing zone and you are worried about big fouls you could probably give meaningful minutes to Amari and ask the shorter guards to shoot over her should they penetrate. Could ND beat us from 3? They could but I’d like our odds. I’d like to add that in a zone I’d trust Amari than Ice at this time.

 

[Urshurak]

I couldn't agree with you more, Tonyc as usual. I wish I could be as articulate as you are, but I give it my best. I believe Marquette is rated too high as , if they were a problem, they should have lost by 10-12 points instead of 30. so, no problem. ND has not faced the relentless pressure that Uconn can bring to bear and I believe they will not be as controlled as they have been playing less defensive teams, so no problem. Put Nika on Hildalgo and KK on Citron and, no problem. I believe Uconn will win both game going away. GO FRESHMEN!!!!!!!! GO HUSKIES!!!!!

This post didn’t age well….

 

[Longtime fan]

Preseason many of us had this Dream of seeing Paige Azzi and Caroline all playing together. We thought we finally had height to go along with them. I was thinking hey we have a shot at going undefeated and winning our 12th NC. Then the injuries haunted us again. We were left with a depleted team with alot of inexperience. Early on we lost 3 games to top teams and didnt look like UConn teams of the past. Many fans were predicting we would loose 8-10 games and maybe more and not win the Big East. We dropped in the polls and out of the top 10 and looked to be on the verge of possibly falling out of the top 25. Then Geno once again worked his magic. This has to be one of the greatest accomplishments in any sport. To loose 5 top players to injuries and rebuild a team that is totally domin8ing their opponents. UConn has a new look now. The real test will come this week against Marquette and ND and I am confident we will continue on our march to March.

To see what this UConn has become since the Texas game is amazing. To rebuild a team without the players you were counting on in such a short time and to get them all on the same page, and playing with confidence and having fun is had to explain. These kids are playing with blind faith. They are coachable. To see this team evolve into what they are today is almost explainable.

Looking at the scores every day to see who is winning and loosing and by how much and seeing top teams struggling against unranked teams makes me realize how good UConn is now. Now some fans are saying the Big East is weak and UConn is beating up on weak teams. Well look at the scores from the past 2 weeks and see top teams who imo are suppose to be so good winning by less then 15 pts against teams not much better then teams UConn is beating by 20, 30 or 40 pts and on the road for the most part. Some of you still dont believe. Some of you are waiting for this week when we face Marquette and ND to see what happens. You gotta Believe.

Now we are dismantling teams without Azzi Caroline Jana Yanna and Griff. On paper most fans would think UConn didnt have a chance. Most fans would think how is that possible. The answer is simple....Geno. Geno has shown time after time that he is the greatest coach in WCBB and maybe any sport. His record and accomplishments have proven it. He's got the kids believing in themselves. I remember Geno saying you cant win a NC without good guard play. Well we have 4 guards in our starting lineup and without a real big. The development of ICE is critical and she seems to be getting better each game. Let me bring up something about Amari. She looked good again yesterday. I feel because she played more minutes then just 1 or 2 minutes. I think in her head she wasnt in there for mop up minutes she was in there with a chance to play significant minutes and she show us what she can do with significant minutes. Look at her pts and rebounds and compare those to some of the others who played more minutes then she did. We all know we could use her with her height down the road and perhaps down the road is where were looking.

Playing 4 guards who can handle the ball, who are quick and aggressive is what has gotten UConn to this point. What UConns defense has done is expose opponents lack of ball handlers and lack of quickness which has helped, create turnovers and get out on the fast break. By creating turnovers we get more processions which helps make up for lack of rebounding. This is a special bunch,

I looked at the bracketology and saw UConn is a 2 seed. Thats impressive considering where we were as a team, and what we've become. We are playing right now like a 1 seed. The scores prove it. Some of you are thinking yeah but we have a tuff week coming up, lets wait and see what happens. Barring any more injuries I dont think we have to much to worry about. We should be concerned a bit but not worried because we're playing with belief and confidence. Judging from the scores of their last few games Marquette and ND will have their hands full playing UConn. ND will be a really good test for UConn. ND has a great guard in Hidalgo. They also have Citron and Westbeld back. They also have a height advantage. . This will be a good test for UConn and UConns defense.

Just don't lose sight of the fact that the teams we are dismantling are Big East teams, most of which won't make it to the Big Dance.

 

[FanFromMaine]

Just don't lose sight of the fact that the teams we are dismantling are Big East teams, most of which won't make it to the Big Dance.

Same with every other team. No one plays only top tier opponents.

 

[WiseWillie]

In my opinion, this team playing a four guard offense (that maximizes scoring) does not have a back line rim protector that can shut down dribble drives by quick guards. If it did, we wouldn't be having this discussion.

 

[WiseWillie]

Agree, however, protecting Aaliyah our only true 5 from picking up a cheap foul on an opposing guard driving to the basket is a big part of the problem. In the Villanova game Ice did have a couple of blocks which is promising.