UCONN WCBB is Great for the Game

[hoophuskee]

Last year and this year we have heard many times “the other team needs to score.” Looking back on last night the teams that won through upsets scored over 80 points. Scoring the basketball is vital and fun to watch. The game is evolving into more than just win a pounding 55-52 game. Teams with terrific defense and struggling offense and win by slow pace is boring. The game is evolving and seeing that scoring is also important. As the Miss State coach says “I WANT MY TEAM TO CHASE THAT TEAM (UCONN).”


In order to chase THIS TEAM, you need more than just defense and rebounding. The style that we see now is that teams know they need to develop offensive fundamentals. IMO the beauty of basketball is watching the beauty of fundamental play. And the beauty of pace. Super athletes playing at great pace is such a joy to watch. This is why UCONN is great for the game. The opposing coaches will push player’s at lower levels that they also need to score AND SHOOT. And they need to learn to PASS (don’t turn the ball over).


The ability to put the ball in the basket vs watching a 55-53 mud-match is definitely more enjoyable. The game is changing – for the better because you need offensive fundamentals. And THAT makes the game more enjoyable to watch.



**Also. This is why I’m under a bit of belief UCONN has the best recruit in the nation coming next year. We have a player coming in that can push pace and can score. If she is able to defend along with the offense she will bring, she will become extremely DANGEROUS year-over-year come Tourney Time.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Last year and this year we have heard many times “the other team needs to score.” Looking back on last night the teams that won through upsets scored over 80 points. Scoring the basketball is vital and fun to watch. The game is evolving into more than just win a pounding 55-52 game. Teams with terrific defense and struggling offense and win by slow pace is boring. The game is evolving and seeing that scoring is also important. As the Miss State coach says “I WANT MY TEAM TO CHASE THAT TEAM (UCONN).”


In order to chase THIS TEAM, you need more than just defense and rebounding. The style that we see now is that teams know they need to develop offensive fundamentals. IMO the beauty of basketball is watching the beauty of fundamental play. And the beauty of pace. Super athletes playing at great pace is such a joy to watch. This is why UCONN is great for the game. The opposing coaches will push player’s at lower levels that they also need to score AND SHOOT. And they need to learn to PASS (don’t turn the ball over).


The ability to put the ball in the basket vs watching a 55-53 mud-match is definitely more enjoyable. The game is changing – for the better because you need offensive fundamentals. And THAT makes the game more enjoyable to watch.



**Also. This is why I’m under a bit of belief UCONN has the best recruit in the nation coming next year. We have a player coming in that can push pace and can score. If she is able to defend along with the offense she will bring, she will become extremely DANGEROUS year-over-year come Tourney Time.

I watched those in the 1990s. They featured the Lady Vols. That's one of many reasons why I'm a UConn fan.

 

[UcMiami]

I think the moment when the 'new era' of basketball was born was in Philadelphia on April 2, 2000 in an epic 19 point destruction of Tennessee's vaunted defense and rebounding machine.

I believe it was that summer that Pat contacted Harry to try and learn and understand this new fangled motion offense. ND won the next title, Uconn the next three and the game was changed forever. TN had a mini revival in 2007 and 2008, but it was the just the death rattle of the old style of offense.

 

[Kibitzer]

Hmm. I'm not so sure about downplaying defense in favor of more and more scoring.

The Miss. State coach may want to chase "that team" that defensively limited his team to 4, 12, and 20 points over quarters 1, 2, and 3 respectively.

 

[UcMiami]

Hmm. I'm not so sure about downplaying defense in favor of more and more scoring.

The Miss. State coach may want to chase "that team" that defensively limited his team to 4, 12, and 20 points over quarters 1, 2, and 3 respectively.

I don't think you can aspire to that type of defense until you learn how to play that type of offense - how can you defend something you never see in practice nor understand.

 

[bags27]

IMO the beauty of basketball is watching the beauty of fundamental play. And the beauty of pace. Super athletes playing at great pace is such a joy to watch. This is why UCONN is great for the game.

+1000 A great analysis, supported by Geno's constant assertion that basketball, esp. women's basketball, must be more entertaining, and that comes from more scoring and greater athleticism. Men's basketball, IMHO, esp. in the one-and-done colleges and in the NBA, takes it to too great an extreme: these are just incredibly gifted athletes playing a game that can no longer fully challenge their abilities (like tennis). But not so in the women's game. That's the perfect venue for the full expression of their athleticism.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

We are lucky that Dawn Staley still believes in unidimensional offense. Her team's Achilles Heel, apparent to many of us, is now quite visible to all. Guard play is critical to a well rounded, polished offense. It is ironic that this former WNBA star guard, who played "at the highest level", leads a team with this infirmity.

 

[Kibitzer]

+1000 A great analysis, supported by Geno's constant assertion that basketball must be more entertaining, and that comes from more scoring. Men's basketball takes it to too great an extreme.

Excuse my editing -- for brevity -- but there are indeed occasional exceptions to the "more scoring is more entertaining" rule. I offer as evidence the nail-biter last night when Villanova beat mighty Kansas, 64-59. (I guess the "underwriters" won their bets.)

 

[bags27]

Excuse my editing -- for brevity -- but there are indeed occasional exceptions to the "more scoring is more entertaining" rule. I offer as evidence the nail-biter last night when Villanova beat mighty Kansas, 64-59. (The "underwriters" won their bets.)

You're of course right, Kibitzer: thanks for the correction. Nothing better than a low-scoring game with fierce defense, IMO, too. But maybe some less knowledgeable fans prefer the track meet type game.

 

[hoophuskee]

Hmm. I'm not so sure about downplaying defense in favor of more and more scoring.

The Miss. State coach may want to chase "that team" that defensively limited his team to 4, 12, and 20 points over quarters 1, 2, and 3 respectively.

I am downplaying one-dimensional play. A team with no defense can never go anywhere. That is a staple. But teams built with power defenses and limited offenses are/going to be more and more a thing of the past.

Anyhow you saw what happened on upset night. Every team that won scored 80 points or more.

There was an old rival that once held to a mantra "Offense sells tickets, defense wins games, and rebounding wins championships." Well, more and more we see without the overall skill of the three-point shot "you ain't winning nothin'" in a Nat'l Tourney."

IMO more skill is being "introduced" to the wcbb and that is a beautiful thing. I prefer the beauty of the Golden State Warriors vs the thuggery of 'The Bad Boy" Detriot Pistons. I prefer "spreading the floor" as we see in the WNA that last three teams that won championships, Minny, Phoenix and Indiana spread the floor. Yes even Phoenix spread the floor - Griner does move outside too.

 

[hoophuskee]

[

Excuse my editing -- for brevity -- but there are indeed occasional exceptions to the "more scoring is more entertaining" rule. I offer as evidence the nail-biter last night when Villanova beat mighty Kansas, 64-59. (I guess the "underwriters" won their bets.)

This is just the point I am making. That game was "close." But the type of game I feel is of lousy quality. That's why in this case I agree with Doris. Give me excellent quality any day. Look at the game you are referring to. Where is the skill? Villanova shot 40% from the floor and 22% from 3. They only committed 9 to's but only had 7 assists? Where is the shooting?

And while Kansas shot 46% from the floor they shot 27% from three and 64% from ft line. They're passing was awful with 11 assists vs 16 turnovers. This wasn't a game of quality. It just happened to be close. To me watching that type of play is boring. Like watching a mud-wrestling or the old style Detroit Pistons.

 

[Gus Mahler]

[


This is just the point I am making. That game was "close." But the type of game I feel is of lousy quality. That's why in this case I agree with Doris. Give me excellent quality any day. Look at the game you are referring to. Where is the skill? Villanova shot 40% from the floor and 22% from 3. They only committed 9 to's but only had 7 assists? Where is the shooting?

And while Kansas shot 46% from the floor they shot 27% from three and 64% from ft line. They're passing was awful with 11 assists vs 16 turnovers. This wasn't a game of quality. It just happened to be close. To me watching that type of play is boring. Like watching a mud-wrestling or the old style Detroit Pistons.

Depends on who's doing the wrestling . . .

 

[hoophuskee]

You're of course right, Kibitzer: thanks for the correction. Nothing better than a low-scoring game with fierce defense, IMO, too. But maybe some less knowledgeable fans prefer the track meet type game.

Are you serious?

 

[hoophuskee]

+1000 A great analysis, supported by Geno's constant assertion that basketball, esp. women's basketball, must be more entertaining, and that comes from more scoring and greater athleticism. Men's basketball, IMHO, esp. in the one-and-done colleges and in the NBA, takes it to too great an extreme: these are just incredibly gifted athletes playing a game that can no longer fully challenge their abilities (like tennis). But not so in the women's game. That's the perfect venue for the full expression of their athleticism.

This is so different than the reply you sent to Kib. I like this one A LOT MORE.