RSS
My take on UConn/Stanford
Well, apparently not even UConn's winning streak can last forever.
Once UConn got by Baylor on Nov. 16, the Dec. 30 game at Stanford was circled as the game where the NCAA basketball record winning streak could come to an end. I was of the opinion that UConn would not win that game not against a veteran Stanford team featuring three 1,000-point scorers and seven players standing 6-2 or taller. So despite people referring to it as a "stunning upset" it was anything but. I was more surprised that Stanford lost at DePaul than I was that UConn lost at Stanford. That being said, why did it happen?
When I watched the game, it reminded me a lot of the UConn/Pittsburgh men's game. Both games were on the road against physical teams and coaches who have beaten UConn in the past. Both Pitt and Stanford took advantage of the Huskies' reliance on their superstars and the other players simply stood around and waited for either Kemba Walker or Maya Moore to win the game.
UConn's offense seemed doomed from the outlet as four of the Huskies' first five shots were 3-pointers. There was none of the crisp, cool, calculating offensive sets UConn is known for running. Compounding matters was that Stanford did not led Connecticut get out in transition as the Huskies managed two fast-break points.
Stanford's defensive effort on Moore was impressive. The Cardinal chased her, bumped her, refused to let her get into the rhythm and almost always had a taller player on her whether it was Chiney Ogwumike, Joslyn Tinkle or any of the other Stanford defenders getting a crack at her. Help was never far away. There would be no repeat of Moore's 41-point explosion against Florida State. Kelly Faris and Bria Hartley did their best to step up but it simply wasn't enough.
The biggest question mark around the post-Candice Wiggins Stanford teams was whether it had good enough guard play to beat UConn. The answer before Thursday night was no. Jeanette Pohlen's emergence into an elite player has been something to behold and she had a Maya Moore-type game last night. However, I don't think Lindy La Rocque's contributions should go unnoticed. She had 3-pointers 70 seconds apart in the first half with the second coming in the next possession after Tiffany Hayes made her only field goal of the game. I'm not privy to UConn's scouting report on Stanford but I'd have to imagine that the name Lindy La Rocque was pretty far down the list.
So what came out of Thursday night? Other than ending the winning streak and forcing the UConn players to answer the same questions about setting history, not a heck of a lot. UConn is a very good team, a national championship contender as is Stanford. That hasn't changed. If the teams meet again this season, I would think it would come in Indianapolis which would mark the fourth straight year the teams would meet in the Final Four. If that game happens, UConn coach Geno Auriemma will use this game as a teaching tool as will Stanford's Tara VanDerveer. Both teams will be better off for having played this game by the time the NCAA tournament comes around. I'd venture to say that Tiffany Hayes won't be 1 of 9 from the field nor will she sit for the final 6:20 as she did last night if there is a rematch.
This will, however, not be the end of winning streak talk since UConn will be going after an NCAA Division I record 70th straight home victory when Villanova comes into Gampel Pavilion on Jan. 5.
Although UConn beat No. 2 Baylor, I would expect the Lady Bears to ascend to the No. 1 spot when the polls come out early next week. As a voter in the Associated Press poll, I think this could be the most difficult poll I will ever have to put together. I value head to head matchups when I vote so I don't think it is a foregone conclusion that I will drop UConn from the top spot since it beat Baylor although the Lady Bears went to Connecticut and only lost by a point although I am leaning towards making Baylor No. 1. Stanford is another team I will have to ponder what to do with. They are coming off one of the most impressive weeks of basketball in recent memory. The Cardinal absolutely schooled No. 4 Xavier and then beat UConn by 12 in a span of three days but also have road losses to Tennessee and DePaul. Undefeated teams like Duke and West Virginia had more difficulty than I thought they would in wins over Temple and St. Bonaventure yesterday and Tennessee has a loss to Georgetown on its resume as well as a defeat to Baylor. Something tells me you are going to see wildly divergent polls being sent in by the voters.
HOLMES, HILLHOUSE STUN MURRY BERGTRAUM
UConn recruiting target Bria Holmes had 23 points including the 1,000th of her career as visiting Hillhouse upset New York powerhouse Murry Bergtraum 77-73 on Thursday. Holmes, a junior forward, now has 1,018 points. Andreana Thomas had 17 points and nine assists for Hillhouse, which was coming off a loss to city rival Career. Murry Bergtraum, ranked as high as No. 8 in one national high school poll, will be the opponent when UConn signee Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis and Mater Dei of Santa Ana, Calif. plays in the HoopHall Classic on Jan. 14 in Springfield, Mass.
Once UConn got by Baylor on Nov. 16, the Dec. 30 game at Stanford was circled as the game where the NCAA basketball record winning streak could come to an end. I was of the opinion that UConn would not win that game not against a veteran Stanford team featuring three 1,000-point scorers and seven players standing 6-2 or taller. So despite people referring to it as a "stunning upset" it was anything but. I was more surprised that Stanford lost at DePaul than I was that UConn lost at Stanford. That being said, why did it happen?
When I watched the game, it reminded me a lot of the UConn/Pittsburgh men's game. Both games were on the road against physical teams and coaches who have beaten UConn in the past. Both Pitt and Stanford took advantage of the Huskies' reliance on their superstars and the other players simply stood around and waited for either Kemba Walker or Maya Moore to win the game.
UConn's offense seemed doomed from the outlet as four of the Huskies' first five shots were 3-pointers. There was none of the crisp, cool, calculating offensive sets UConn is known for running. Compounding matters was that Stanford did not led Connecticut get out in transition as the Huskies managed two fast-break points.
Stanford's defensive effort on Moore was impressive. The Cardinal chased her, bumped her, refused to let her get into the rhythm and almost always had a taller player on her whether it was Chiney Ogwumike, Joslyn Tinkle or any of the other Stanford defenders getting a crack at her. Help was never far away. There would be no repeat of Moore's 41-point explosion against Florida State. Kelly Faris and Bria Hartley did their best to step up but it simply wasn't enough.
The biggest question mark around the post-Candice Wiggins Stanford teams was whether it had good enough guard play to beat UConn. The answer before Thursday night was no. Jeanette Pohlen's emergence into an elite player has been something to behold and she had a Maya Moore-type game last night. However, I don't think Lindy La Rocque's contributions should go unnoticed. She had 3-pointers 70 seconds apart in the first half with the second coming in the next possession after Tiffany Hayes made her only field goal of the game. I'm not privy to UConn's scouting report on Stanford but I'd have to imagine that the name Lindy La Rocque was pretty far down the list.
So what came out of Thursday night? Other than ending the winning streak and forcing the UConn players to answer the same questions about setting history, not a heck of a lot. UConn is a very good team, a national championship contender as is Stanford. That hasn't changed. If the teams meet again this season, I would think it would come in Indianapolis which would mark the fourth straight year the teams would meet in the Final Four. If that game happens, UConn coach Geno Auriemma will use this game as a teaching tool as will Stanford's Tara VanDerveer. Both teams will be better off for having played this game by the time the NCAA tournament comes around. I'd venture to say that Tiffany Hayes won't be 1 of 9 from the field nor will she sit for the final 6:20 as she did last night if there is a rematch.
This will, however, not be the end of winning streak talk since UConn will be going after an NCAA Division I record 70th straight home victory when Villanova comes into Gampel Pavilion on Jan. 5.
Although UConn beat No. 2 Baylor, I would expect the Lady Bears to ascend to the No. 1 spot when the polls come out early next week. As a voter in the Associated Press poll, I think this could be the most difficult poll I will ever have to put together. I value head to head matchups when I vote so I don't think it is a foregone conclusion that I will drop UConn from the top spot since it beat Baylor although the Lady Bears went to Connecticut and only lost by a point although I am leaning towards making Baylor No. 1. Stanford is another team I will have to ponder what to do with. They are coming off one of the most impressive weeks of basketball in recent memory. The Cardinal absolutely schooled No. 4 Xavier and then beat UConn by 12 in a span of three days but also have road losses to Tennessee and DePaul. Undefeated teams like Duke and West Virginia had more difficulty than I thought they would in wins over Temple and St. Bonaventure yesterday and Tennessee has a loss to Georgetown on its resume as well as a defeat to Baylor. Something tells me you are going to see wildly divergent polls being sent in by the voters.
HOLMES, HILLHOUSE STUN MURRY BERGTRAUM
UConn recruiting target Bria Holmes had 23 points including the 1,000th of her career as visiting Hillhouse upset New York powerhouse Murry Bergtraum 77-73 on Thursday. Holmes, a junior forward, now has 1,018 points. Andreana Thomas had 17 points and nine assists for Hillhouse, which was coming off a loss to city rival Career. Murry Bergtraum, ranked as high as No. 8 in one national high school poll, will be the opponent when UConn signee Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis and Mater Dei of Santa Ana, Calif. plays in the HoopHall Classic on Jan. 14 in Springfield, Mass.
Labels: Bria Hartley, Bria Holmes, Geno Auriemma, Kelly Faris, Maya Moore, Tiffany Hayes
posted by Jim Fuller at
10:37 AM
6 Comments:
Glad to see that we watched the same game....UConn was just off-kilter all night. Certainly Stanford's play had much to do with it; I wonder if holidays and travel and emotional exhaustion also played a part as well.
As Geno said in an interview, most of these players had never been outplayed before. Their response will be interesting. Will they realize that a hard-working determined opponent requires another level of response?
As far as rankings, my guess would be Baylor # 1, Duke # 2, Tennessee # 3, Stanford and WVU as # 4 and # 5 (not sure what order), and UConn # 6.
.
Voters should Stop giving Too Much Credit for Blowout Wins over teams like Holy Cross, Lehigh, Howard, Sacred Heart, and Pacific.
.
UConn is #5 at best right now. Huskies do Not have a legitimate D-1 Top 25 Center. Huskies only have a Legitimate 5 Player Rotation - Moore, Hartley, Faris, Hayes, Walker
.
I say: 1) Baylor, 2) Connecticut, 3) Duke, 4) Stanford, 5) Tennessee, 6) West Virginia.
No surprise about Stanford. They are huge, strong from the perimeter, and experienced, having only lost Jayne Appel from last year's team. UConn's lack of height and the surprising lack of strength underneath from freshman Stephanie Dolson finally caught up with them. Indeed, it was surprising that UConn could play so badly and still be within striking distance late in the game. A big tribute to Coach Geno's coaching!
No surprise that Tennessee beat them: Tennessee is another very big, very strong team that matches up well.
Someone please explain why Maya Moore refuses to drive to the basket?
Stanford's physical play has no impact on all other games that Maya Moore has played.
Coach Auriemma clearly explained the importance of driving to the basket to Maya Moore at the FIBA World Championships.
Maya Moore has to learn to play outside of her comfort zone and drive to the basket, while protecting the ball, unlike her hot dog break away layups.
Driving to the basket consistently will benefit Maya and will benefit her open teammates when the defense rotates to stop her.
UConn will only win the 2010-11 NCAA championship if Maya Moore consistently drives to the basket and shoots 10 free throws per game - and if Stefanie Dolson and Heather Buck play like legitimate Division 1 centers.
#1 Baylor, #2 Duke, #3 Tennessee, #4 Stanford, #5 UConn
The only ranking that matters is the very last one of every season.
.
"Nobody can beat Dee one-on-one," Auriemma said. "You can't. You can't beat her. Somebody that shoots the ball like she does from where she shoots it. Somebody that is that big and physical and likes to hit people and be hit. It is hard to beat somebody like that. She grabs, she punches. She cheats. How are you going to beat her? How are you going to beat somebody like that? Maya would probably try to be honest and play by the book so she's got no chance."
.
Maya did a poor job of adjusting to the way Stanford was defending her as did her teammates. She needed to get into the paint or at least try to do so a little more in that game. That being said, if you look at her season to date, she has made some progress in that area as she is on pace to shoot more free throws than she did in any of her previous three seasons and already has more free throw attempts than Taurasi did in her entire career. The UConn coaches have been harping on her to become more than just a jump shooter. She did a lot better job in the Baylor game (16 2-point attempts, 10 3-pointers taken and 5 free throws) than she did against Stanford.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home