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GO UCONN!!!!!
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I bet you wondered what happened to my Blog after the UConn/South Carolina game. Right? Did Doggydaddy pass out from the stress of that game? Jump off a bridge?
Well, it's a much simpler explaination. I'm sure you would like to hear about it.
I believe I mentioned that I was going to Tampa for the Giants-Tampa Bay Monday night football game. It's a four hour drive from Boynton Beach to Tampa and we were on the road for the entire UConn-South Carolina game. I followed via ESPN Gamecast and of course was up happy with the result and especially the UConn play in the second half. But I haven't watched the game and I'm pretty sure I won't view it on reply. I don't see the point.
I couldnt't get the internet to work on my laptop at the hotel otherwise I would have put something together about the game. But my contributor and friend Phil did a great job talking about the game and I would refer you to his entry in this blog. It is fantastic. I'm moving it up in the blog.
So, I'll just share a few pictures of my Tampa adventure.
Me and my son Jay at the game
Granddaughter Mya with a beautiful sunset behind her
at the rooftop restaurant before the game
Granddaughter Noa sporting her Brady shirt and me with my Giants hat.
See how happy I am before the game?
We dropped off the dogs here for the night.
Doghouse? Sound familiar?
Not so happy after the game!
Bucs 30 Giants 10
Not a good day for my teams!!
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By Phil
I haven’t seen so much wailing and gnashing of teeth in a long time, and I’m just talking about what I saw in the mirror.
Yes, we are unhappy, and trying to figure out what we did wrong. Simply shrugging it off would be an insult to this team. South Carolina is ranked the top team in the country for a good reason, yet we know we can play with them, we know we have the potential to beat them, and this loss stings, as it should.
But let’s see if we can follow the advice of a man who knew a thing or two about basketball, John Wooden:
Yes, we are unhappy, and trying to figure out what we did wrong. Simply shrugging it off would be an insult to this team. South Carolina is ranked the top team in the country for a good reason, yet we know we can play with them, we know we have the potential to beat them, and this loss stings, as it should.
But let’s see if we can follow the advice of a man who knew a thing or two about basketball, John Wooden:
"Losing is only temporary and not all encompassing. You must simply study it, learn from it, and try hard not to lose the same way again. Then you must have the self-control to forget about it."
It is understandable to try to examine what went wrong, but let’s not overreact. This team still has the potential to be one of the best in history.
As an interesting exchange on the board, someone pointed out we are on a 13 consecutive Final Four streak, and someone else pointed out that making the final four is not our goal. I agree with that statement. It’s an awesome testament to the level of expectations this organization has created. I’ve heard Geno speak at various gatherings, shaking his head at the notion that making the final four could be a disappointment. He simultaneously appreciates, as few on earth can appreciate, how hard it is to make the final four, while knowing that it is reasonable to expect more.
We have made 13 consecutive final fours, but it’s not like each of those seasons ended on the cusp of a championship game. We’ve had much success beyond final fours. This team has that potential.
It is easy to say that our goal is a national championship but let’s examine what that means. I won’t be surprised if you could find 100 teams in this country, certainly 50, where team players and/or coaches would proclaim that their goal is to win a national championship this year. It is standard coach speak to set stretch goals. So how can we figure out whether they mean it as a reasonable expectation?
I suggest that one can look at the actual results of the season and determine whether the organization is happy about the results. There are some teams whose realistic expectations ought to be to make the tournament yet have declared that this year their real goal is to win the national championship. If they do well and make the final four, then fall short, will the coach go to the administration and support a cut in pay for missing their goal? Not likely. Maybe that’s extreme but asked the team to assess the year’s performance, and I guarantee they will express pride in the accomplishment.
There is a very small handful of teams that can legitimately set a tougher goal. South Carolina is one of those teams. Stanford, despite a recent setback, is probably also on the list. UConn is on the list. If you asked, I bet Brenda Frese would say that Maryland is on the list, but they haven’t been to the final four since 2015, and I guarantee that if they make the final for this year and then fall short, they will be telling the world what a great season they had. There may be others who proclaim a national championship is a legitimate goal, but almost all of them will be secretly, maybe even openly, happy if they make the final four.
That said, in my opinion. I think there are only three teams this year who could fail to win the national championship, and honestly feel disappointed. I don’t know whether it will happen, but it’s incredible testament to the organization that such a goal is even considered a realistic goal.
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UCONN VIDEOS AND QUOTES
Post Game Interviews
“The combination of their defensive pressure in the fourth quarter and our inability to handle that pressure is basically the game,” Auriemma said. “We just ran out of gas. We just fell apart.”
“To be honest, they punched us. We fell. We didn’t punch back,” said UConn senior Christyn Williams, who finished with 10 points. “We had a heck of a first half. Things were flowing offensively and defensively. It was just the fourth quarter really. They hit some big shots, and we couldn’t get it going offensively.”
“They’re a better team than us right now,” Auriemma said.
“For 30 minutes, I thought we were really, really, really good. And then the last 10 minutes, they were better,” Auriemma said. “They were better than us defensively. They were better than us offensively. They were better than us rebounding the ball. For 30 minutes, we were better and then for 10, the 10 that mattered the most, they were.”
“We’d much rather have this ‘L’ in November than later in the season in March,” Williams said. “We’re just going to take it and learn from it, and that’s really all that we can do.”
“The team you saw today, four months from now, it could be a completely different team. That’s the goal. And that’s generally how the season goes,” Auriemma said. “This team? This team’s got some work to do if that’s going to happen. We’re going to have to work really, really hard for that to happen. It’s not going to come easy for this team.”
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It was a tough day yesterday, but at around 4:00, two hours after the loss, UConn got a committment from the ESPN No. 8 2023 recruit, Kamorea Arnold. She is ranked No. 7 by ASGR She is also No. 8 in Blue Star rankings.
Arnold is a 5'8" guard and is a great start to the 2023 class.
From ESPN - Athletic lead-guard armed with a scorer's mentality; explosive in transition game, slices through the defense, motors and distributes; explosive 1 on 1 creator with mid-range game delivery that extends to the arc.
Here are some highlights.
Look for articles on her committment in the UConn Link Section
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The new Top 25 poll is out and UConn dropped to No. 3 with Maryland passing them to move into the No. 2 slot. Makes sense to me.
Two really ugly games Tuesday night. Maybe an UGGY among them.
No. 10 Louisville 72 Cal Poly 32
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Looks like my prediction came through. One of the two games with Top 25 teams produced a clear winner.
Poor Pol Caly. They had quite the game Tuesday night.
The Mustangs blew a tire against Louisville scoring only 32 points. They were exceptionally poor from the field going 12-59 for a sparkling 20.3%. They added an amazing 2-17 on threes for 11.8%, getting so close to the magic single digit percentage. And finally they add 23 turnovers.
Congreat to Cal Poly! Your latest UGGY award winner.
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By David in Naples
Through four games, the Huskies have shot 53% from the field and scored exactly 300 points. Three players are averaging double digits in scoring. Paige is at 20.5 ppg, Christyn is at 17.3 and Evina is 3rd with an average of 12.3 ppg. Azzi Fudd is 4th with 30 points and an average of 7.5 ppg. Liv is at 6.5 ppg and Aaliyah is 6th at 5.8 ppg.
The 300 points comes out to 75 points per game. However, the trend is downward with the Huskies having scored 95 points, 88 points, 60 points and finally 56 in the loss to S.C. UConn has given up 262 points for an average of 66 ppg. A number of stats are surprising. Most surprising is the 54 offensive rebounds for the opposition. Opponents have taken 253 shots vs only 215 for the Huskies. Another disturbing stat is the 58 turnovers vs only 50 for the other guys. Can't win big games with more turnover than your opponent and giving them extra shots at the basket.
Plenty of season to fix these issues.
Go Huskies..!!
The 300 points comes out to 75 points per game. However, the trend is downward with the Huskies having scored 95 points, 88 points, 60 points and finally 56 in the loss to S.C. UConn has given up 262 points for an average of 66 ppg. A number of stats are surprising. Most surprising is the 54 offensive rebounds for the opposition. Opponents have taken 253 shots vs only 215 for the Huskies. Another disturbing stat is the 58 turnovers vs only 50 for the other guys. Can't win big games with more turnover than your opponent and giving them extra shots at the basket.
Plenty of season to fix these issues.
Go Huskies..!!
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UCONN LINKS
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