SU has watched most of the UConn women’s games this year. As I have said before, they play the game the right way – team-oriented, up-tempo, constant movement on offense. They were definitely an over-achieving team and getting to the Final Four with this 8-player roster represents a master class in coaching by Geno Auriemma and his very capable staff. You have to realize that he is so hard on his players that he needs assistants to build the egos back up of his players – especially the freshmen. SU thinks Paige Bueckers is one of the top 3 players in the country and will be a huge draw in the WNBA and the Olympic team going forward.
UConn was down 9 or 10 points late and fought back to have a shot at the game with 9 seconds late. Impressive. Bueckers had a tough game as Iowa employed a similar approach that UConn had on Caitlin Clark with a smaller player basically face guarding the whole game. Still, she should have had more shot attempts in this game and that actually falls on Geno who did not alter the offense enough to free her up.
So, was that screen by Edwards a foul? SU says no – not by the standards that college basketball calls screens. Forget the NBA where illegal screens are a staple of the game. However… UConn had been called 3 times for a similar screening foul earlier in the game, and you have to be aware that these refs were calling it a foul. Iowa had none. SU believes that it was marginally an illegal screen but you don’t call it at that point in the game. The Iowa defender did a good job of jerking her head back and got the call.
It’s funny: if they don’t make the call, Bueckers gets the last shot under pressure. Maybe she gets hit and there is no call and then that is the argument. SU has to say that she does not get the respect from the refs that Clark does. Several drives she was hit and knocked to the ground – no call. To her credit, no crying about it, no arms flailing or not getting back on defense, i.e.., no LeBron behavior.
General observations:
- NCAA women’s basketball refs are really bad. If you watch regular season games, it’s embarrassing at times. Just inferior. So many missed calls or incorrect calls. SU actually thought this game was called pretty well last night. Sure, the calls were favoring Iowa but UConn could not afford real foul trouble to any of the top 5 players and they survived for the most part.
- Love Ryan Rucco. Great announcer.
- There was a drive by Clark where she pushed off KK Arnold in the lane – sent her flying. Obvious offensive foul – no call. That’s what I mean about the officiating at the women’s games – not the same quality. So many games, nothing is called in the 1st quarter and then all of a sudden, everything starts to be called in the 2nd quarter.
- SU does not believe that you can blame the officiating for losses. You have too many chances to win the game in the rest of the game. Missed foul shots, turnovers, missed layups, etc. That’s where the game is lost. If the game comes down to the last play, you are at the mercy of the officials. Do you want to put yourself in that situation? You hope they call the play correctly but it’s not an easy job and there are misses.
- It is still super frustrating to see this game decided on that screen call. Wrong call at the wrong time.
If UConn can stay healthy which seems to be a big lift for them, they will have a really good team next year. South Carolina is much deeper and physical. SU will be surprised if Iowa can keep it close on Sunday. Bueckers and Clark are great ambassadors for the sport going forward. SU is not an Angel Reese fan – trash talker supreme. She is disrespectful but SU knows that I am not of this generation and many love this stuff. Act like you’ve been there before. Respect the opponent. Is it so hard?
The Yankees are off to a good start but the warning signs are flashing. Loaisiga is now on the 60-day IL and you know he will not be back. Despite being 6-2, the run differential is only +4 and they have won games where line drives late in the game found a glove. SU loves the left-handed bats in the lineup – who would have thought that was a good idea?? Will Stanton get untracked before he gets the annual injury? At least he is thinner this year but at some point, SU hopes he has to earn the at bats to be in the lineup. Dominguez will return this summer and then we will see who is playing.
While the Mets looked horrible for the first 5+ games, they have now eked out a couple of wins. Remember this: teams are not as good as they look when they are winning, and they are not as bad as they look when they are losing. The truth is somewhere in between. It’s a really long season. But for Yankee fans, it’s never too early to start complaining!