Big Ten in the Big Dance

[KarlHessEatMy....]

I think Tennessee next year will be a very good team and Notre Dame will be there too. Its gunna take a night like against Stanford when UConn didn't shoot very well as a whole team but that is hard to do when all 5 players can score 20 points any given night. Next year UCONN will be loaded again. Stewart, Jefferson, Nurse, Tuck, Samuelson and don't forget the Big East freshman of the year transferred to UConn last year and will be playing next year. She is 6'5" and the same build frame as Stephanie Dolson. I don't see them losing next year. But I do agree with what was stated above. UConn will be great till Geno retires.. 

[dlrrk]

UConn is incredible. They make spectacular plays look common/easy.  Like huskerchode said... They can all score from anywhere.

 

a UConn opponent must play perfectly just to keep it relatively close, but who plays perfectly?   

 

My daughter thinks it's coaching...  She commented... "If Gino had Maryland's players for a year, he'd win a National Championship with Maryland's players." 

 

Obviously, you have to have players, and he has an easy time of finding and getting the best girls in the nation.  If he wants a girl he goes to her house and asks the kid if she wants to be a national champion.  Additionally, the talent pool for elite quality HS athletic basketball girls is so much smaller than the boys.  I'd argue that that is why you see far fewer upsets in the girls' NCAA Tournament (maybe I'm wrong). 

 

I'm sure the MD coach never expected to lose by 23.  Like many of us, she is wondering... What the heck happened, and how can it be stopped?

[KarlHessEatMy....]

I had the same discussion with someone the other day as well. I believe Geno's coaching has a lot to do with it as well. But I would love to see him coach another team someday to see if that is true!!!. Maryland does have some great girls I think.

[redsteve]

Things I have noticed with UConn:

 

1.  Everyone on the floor can score consistently.  Everyone.

2.  They play great D.

3.  When they get a lead, they never take their foot off the pedal.

4.  I never see them standing around looking confused or uncertain, even when the game is close (which usually only happens in the first half).

5.  No foul trouble.

 

Also noticed they don't dribble the ball much in the half court offense (except to drive to basket.)...lots of passing, and never putting ball on the floor. Real good movement without the ball.

 

On defense they play (some of the time, at least yesterday)....sort of a box and one zone....then will switch to a man to man. .....woman to woman

 

Of course the 60% shooting has some affect on the game.

[huskerchode]

Their defense is good enough that other teams tend to get late in the shot clock and then either have it expire or throw up a desperation shot several times.  They also do a good job of defending on inbound plays and have seen several teams get called for a few 5 second violations.  I don't think their defense was very good in the first half against Dayton, and I feel that was the main reason Dayton hung with them for a while.  But in the second half, they defended well and Dayton struggled. 

 

Maryland just couldn't get it together last night.  And they got burned on transition a few times early.  Wonder if that got in their heads a bit.

[arliepro]

UConn is incredible. They make spectacular plays look common/easy.  Like huskerchode said... They can all score from anywhere.

 

a UConn opponent must play perfectly just to keep it relatively close, but who plays perfectly?   

 

My daughter thinks it's coaching...  She commented... "If Gino had Maryland's players for a year, he'd win a National Championship with Maryland's players." 

 

Obviously, you have to have players, and he has an easy time of finding and getting the best girls in the nation.  If he wants a girl he goes to her house and asks the kid if she wants to be a national champion.  Additionally, the talent pool for elite quality HS athletic basketball girls is so much smaller than the boys.  I'd argue that that is why you see far fewer upsets in the girls' NCAA Tournament (maybe I'm wrong). 

 

I'm sure the MD coach never expected to lose by 23.  Like many of us, she is wondering... What the heck happened, and how can it be stopped?

 

Agreed - I think it's coaching too.  Auriemma has incredibly high standards.  He expects--and demands--the best from his players and gets it.  If they don't deliver, he finds others who will.

[huskerchode]

During the tournament a few weeks ago, I believe it was Rebecca Lobo talking about Geno.  According to her, he has always had the same coaching style, even when UConn wasn't always winning the national championship.  She said the difference is that now he is able to get the best recruits.  Not sure I buy into that completely.  I think it must be a combination of the two, with really good recruits getting the edge. 

[Cazzie22]

I agree that UConn is a tremendous team.  I don't think it is great for College BB that one team dominates every year.  I'm not into the idea that dynasties are a great thing (unless it's the New York Yankees!)!