Villanova Postgame Thread

[oldude]

Some thoughts on the Villanova game:

• This was a dog fight of a game between two really good teams who were fighting over the same bone. Everyone should know, don't ever try to take a bone from a Husky...
• It’s been 10 years since UConn had a conference matchup this BIG. While it isn’t quite ND-UConn, the game today between UConn and Villanova is the biggest WBB game yet in the NBE, with a national audience, NCAA tournament implications as well as conference tournament seedings in play.
• UConn’s win today over a very good Villanova team answers a lot of questions for the Huskies, and it certainly helps UConn’s seeding for the Big Dance. In addition, today’s victory practically assures UConn the top seed in the BE tournament, as the Huskies need only 1 win in their final 3 games to lock up the top seed, something that’s really important with the prospect of playing 3 games in 3 days with a very limited bench.
• Today, the refs got a little whistle happy on both sides, which clearly put added pressure on UConn’s limited rotation. Despite a bunch of fouls on everyone, the Huskies somehow managed the game effectively with a 6 players rotation.
• If you watch Villanova on offense, frequently, after they put up a shot, all 5 players sprint back on defense. Clearly the goal was to force UConn to try to score in the half-court offense as opposed to allowing UConn to get out in transition. It wasn't always pretty, but somehow the Huskies managed to put enough points on the board to come out on top.
• I guess that holding Siegrist under 30 points constitutes a moral victory of sorts. Aaliyah really worked her tail off battling the likely BE POY throughout the game, while holding her to only 22 points on 8/22 shooting.
• I kept waiting for a Husky to step up and win the game today. Today UConn got just enough from everyone, along with a HUGE SHOT & SOME FT's BY LOU to pull out a really hard-earned victory.
• Stat of the Game - UConn was +22 on the boards!!!
• UConn has faced some large, hostile crowds on the road this season such as ND, MD & TN. In addition, the Huskies have had some tough conference battles over the last few weeks. I have to believe those games helped the Huskies deal with the pressure of today’s game on the road against an outstanding Villanova team.

 

[Nolefan]

Gutsy win .. this team has no quit ..

 

[EricLA]

Tremendous win. Period. So incredibly proud of the entire team. Nothing was easy. Not perfect, but everyone's effort was needed. Great job!!

 

[jcoton56]

With a purpose. Great trust. Great effort. Business trip.

 

[Kaizen]

Lou the gladiator with 22 pts and 4 rebs...

 

[JJTB]

Nice win in that environment…liked the rebounding advantage….turnovers worrisome. On to the next one!

 

[southofnorth]

Lou deserves so much more respect than anyone (outside the boneyard) gives her. Same with Aaliyah. Both play every game all out. Gutsy win! Hope everyone gets some rest!

 

[LwrcasefaN]

Cool Hand Lou...!

 

[SLY63]

Great win. D was great. Nika showed poise after the 3rd foul.

Aubrey looks way off on both O and D and Nika with 0 points and 7 TOs, not her best effort.

What is the deal with all those tie ups when we were getting mauled?

We really need Azzi

 

[Huskie837]

Big shot by Lou…

 

[PAHuskeyFan]

Let me just say two things:
a/ WAY TO GO LADIES!!!
b. ALL Hail Mikes Mango!!!!!

 

[Happydad745]

If we had played this way last game it would not have close...great team effort. I was yelling LOU! every time she made a hard shot...she is a real gamer.

 

[HuskyNan]

Cool Hand Lou...!

Perfect!

 

[Centerstream]

The announcers stated the game flow in a single sentence "3 fouls in 15 seconds". Yup, that's a wrap.

 

[maple]

Good win.

That cold stretch in the later part of Q4 was difficult to watch, especially when Nova went on a small run. But UConn stepped up and widened the gap again and I could breathe once more.

AE, Lou, and CD had some absolutely clutch plays today. Credit to Nika for playing a longgggg time with 3 fouls — and still not fouling out!

There were some stretches today where I thought, oh yes, this looks like “classic UConn” and for a moment I forgot we were playing with such a depleted team! When the O and D is flowing, it’s like the girls aren’t even tired.

TOs are back up again, sigh. But it is what it is.

 

[socal613ws]

crazy how ppl were saying Griffin didn't look right but made the biggest play after Dorka whiffed on both ft's to get off reb

 

[Blueballer]

Tough tough game. Big win of course. Lots of gutsy performances. That was a war. And if the refs had taken control of the game it wouldn't have gotten that bad. Survival in more ways than one. Can we create some body armor for basketball players?

 

[pghhuskydoc]

First, how do you get that typed so fast, Old Dude?
I shudder to think where we’d be without Lou.
Really great defense played by the entire team, but loved the effort by the A-team (Aubrey and Aaliyah) on Siegrest.

 

[HuskyNan]

The announcers stated the game flow in a single sentence "3 fouls in 15 seconds". Yup, that's a wrap.

Well, people were complaining that there was too much holding without any call, now we got a game where everything was called. It’s the other edge of the sword

 

[Inthepaint]

Limp to the whirlpool and unwind

 

[eggfit]

Excellent game! Way to go!!! Strong defense!!!!!

 

[Brewski]

Lou! Top scorer two games in a row now. She's got game.

 

[Rb335]

Great win. Liked seeing Muhl play smart while in foul trouble. Loved the composure when the momentum shifted in Q4. Very nice win for the team. Now if they can figure out the turnovers!

 

[DefenseBB]

The referring was not great AT ALL, but the team gutted it out and remained calm under pressure. I was worried when Caroline went out due to the hit to the face (again, not foul) but she returned and my heart palpitations stopped.

 

[my2cents]

OldDude should be the only thread starter on the BY.
Best win of the year.
AE gets hit in the mouth, no call.
Caroline gets wacked in the head, no call.
But the worst call, Nika gets tackled, not only no call, but the ball comes loose and they call a jump ball.