Great three-quarter court pressure and ball denial the whole game. The refs did let her grab and hold a bit too much but, you hv to adjust and know they are going to "swallow their whistles." Overall, this was a great game!
@@lecowardjames Paige is an amazing player. I just don't think she and Geno are a good match. She should either declare for the draft of enter the Portal. I think she actually should go to Iowa and fill the void that CC has left. She would be a perfect fit for Iowa!
@@lecowardjames Lol The young lady has been injured that would have made others hang it up. She has Not Been In a Big game like this since her freshman year. She knows that her skills and confidence in her injured parts are holding up and is JUST RECENTLY been able to play harder..Why do you not understand THIS IS THE REASON SHE OPTED TO RETURN NEXT YEAR INSTEAD OF LEAVING. YOUR Snarky hatw comment is inappropriate.
Both teams fought hard so they deserve all 💐💐💐. Uconn should be proud no matter how the game ended, those 24 final 4 appearances with 11 rings can't be broken by this loss...
UConn's consistency of excellence is unmatched 30 years later and people are still hating, they must be doing something right. The UConn Culture has not wavered!
I would like to see Paige win a championship before she leaves. This may be a hard one to get over. But Geno really is going to need to get to work on 2024/2025 pretty soon. Some other teams have already spent about 2-3 weeks on it. The Strong commitment will be announced tomorrow. And I hope UConn has a plan B if it doesn't go in their favor.
This guy might be the best coach I’ve ever seen. I understand he’s had a lot more talent than most of the teams he’s played over the years, but the way his teams always look to the bench during the games shows the respect and trust his players have for him.
What beat Geno this game was that Iowa and Caitlin Clark had a higher game IQ then he did. Those final seconds were masterfully played by Iowa. Caitlin missing that FT and hitting the rim in just the right spot to have the bounce land in the hands of her awaiting two players. Caitlin managing the clock at the end by bouncing the ball off of Paige's back! Brilliant!
I disagree. UConn’s trapping of Iowa and their double coverage on the ball really messed up Iowa. UConn just missed too many shots. The foul shots were 14-4 in favor of Iowa. That was the game.
Do you all not understand what geno is doing? He is lighting a fire under her ass. This is what he does. She will NOT let this happen next year. Just like when he benched Stewie. Quit thinking Geno is an asshole and mean. He hasn't won 11 National Championships because he doesn't know what he's doing.
I can take or leave Geno's commentary. Put it this way: Paige Bueckers, who was actually out there playing her heart out, handled the postgame presser with much more maturity and grace.
Geno is right that she didn't have enough shot attempts and needed to be more selfish. Or demand the ball. There were stretches in the 2nd half when the game was slipping away when she needed to take some of the shots rather than teammates who were missing. He's simply saying that maybe it was something physical.
@@914Rocky He's not calling her immature, though. Just saying she needs to be more selfish, at times, and be the one taking shots when the team is losing ground.
Coaches and players shouldn’t be required to participate in a press within two hours or less after a game. There is too much emotion and the funky press may ask all kinds of questions of questions to stir up those emotions. A loss is a loss and a win is a win let the fans express the feelings and thoughts in social media and exclude the press.
Marshall didnt slow down paige if you really watched their was 3 defenders around paige for most of the game . Paige was great congrats to uconn on this incredible season .
From the first minutes I thought that Paige lacked that dynamism that characterizes her, and now I hear that it wasn't just my impression. But if I know Paige at all, she'll never use that as an excuse for her less-than-stellar performance
@@lecowardjames Oh, here you are again, but this line is now old, stale I dare say. Dude, if you want to be taken seriously you should really revamp your repertoire. Take care
The comment wasn't inappropriate but the timing was AWFUL! His comments about Paige are spot on! I have watched Paige play since her junior year of high school and I've never seen her look so passive and tentative in a big game! Geno's right about that part. However, he should have delivered these comments to Paige either privately or within the confines of the team!
@@gregoryharlston0602 I really wouldn't know or speculate, I have so little experience observing her play. I do know that even if accurate, considering her resume to this point, they need not be expressed at all much less through a third party conversation and in public. That was extremely bad form. Perhaps it's time for him to pack it in if he can't control himself or thinks it a good coaching move to throw a generational baller like her under the bus.
So he is the coach and knows they faltered at the wrong time. This is a learning experience for both of these good players and young ladies. No coddlng ..a chance to grow as a wonan. Gino knows.
Amazing job by Gino this season with the injuries they had. With Fudd healthy next year, they'll be really good again and can legitimately threaten a team like S. Carolina. If Sarah Strong picks Uconn, then look out.
@@lecowardjames Are you kidding? She had 17, 4, and three in this game. I'd say that's pretty good. Plus Gino even said she didn't look right, so there was probably a nagging injury that bothered her. The game before against USC she had 28, 10, and 6 with three steals, so your way off.
But do you hear the answers by leaving out every other word? Geno responds to a specific question about Paige's performance below her normal standards, pointing out that she probably had some physical problem.
Blaming Paige and Aaliea for being "off".Wow what a coach. Bad call at end of game. Paige said in post game that you should not look to one play for out come of a 40 minute game. Suppose there was no call, UCONN takes a shot... there is possibility of it not going in whether it is a missed shot or defensed well. No guarantees. Now whats the argument?
@@Lobo1971-zz7zm I think all the coaches and players who made it into March Madness are amazing. The ones at this level have huge respect for each other. Whatever their style, they have provided us with some phenomenal basketball. Thank you and congrats!
Paige just looked absolutely gassed. she was the only one who didn’t sit and then you add how she’s why they got that far and it was unexpected to everyone else. She had clutch buckets that kept them in the game but I think everything just caught up to her
If there is one silver lining to this weekend for UConn... Sarah Strong just announced her commitment to the huskies. Geno will shake this off and get back to work come June. He is going to have a loaded roster all healthy again and fighting for starting position
I agree that Paige Did not quite look like herself. But everyone has off games and unfortunately she might have had one at the wrong time. Only she knows if there is something physically wrong. Proud Of how hard the girls fought throughout this entire season and definitely in this game. Playing at Uconn is a very difficult thing to do, With an incredible amount of pressure when nothing short of a national championship is acceptable. The saddest part of this game was the referees determining the game instead of letting the players decide the game. Hold your heads high ladies.
These ladies did an amazing job. Paige and Aaliyah did have off games but I would rather them lose here than get blown out in the championship. The loss in 2022 was bad. SC is bearable but you have to have tremendous amount of offense to beat them. UConn got as far as any 7 players can do! Amazing!
@@lecowardjames In UConn legend lore, I would agree. She needs to win a championship at UConn for that status. She has one more year to prove she is though. Her efficiency is better than everyone else in the league. She doesn’t have a team around her be a full superstar and win it all yet. Did you see the other “superstars” go down with their teams? I won’t agree with you at all. What is SC loses tomorrow? I bet YOUR superstars are not worth it either! Hahahahaha
@@lecowardjamesPlease, Paige got us to the national championship basically by herself in 2022 and the seniors did NOTHING to help her! We could have won that game if Evina and Christyn had score more than 10 points COMBINED. We lost Dorka too. Paige is a superstar but she NEEDS help! Stop trashing UConn’s future!
Gino looked off in his press conference. He normally doesn't say things that could be interpreted as blaming or negative regarding his Star players. 24 final4s not every interview is going to be perfect.
He's right but I would NOT have said it here and now! I've watched Paige play SINCE she was a junior in high school. That's the most passive I've seen her play in a big game! Geno should have said this to Paige in a closed setting!
This is the ultimate truth. 4 free throws for UConn, 14 for Iowa. 9 total fouls for Iowa, 19 for UConn. UConn only played 6 or 7 players. Iowa 8 or 9 players. UConn outplayed Iowa until the refs had UConn in foul trouble. UConn couldn’t even play tight defense in the second half. The same thing happened 2 years ago against South Carolina vs UConn. It’s cheap and maddening to watch the refs shift the game’s momentum.
A good coach should take the blame for his team's loss rather than passed it on his players. It is the coach's job to motivate and prepare his players in a high stake game such as this.
@@Lobo1971-zz7zmYou definitely have never played organized sports before. You know any other coach would tell her the same thing, right? Would’ve told her privately or publicly, but any other good coach would tell her the same thing. That’s why you go to a school like UConn. Or South Carolina, or Stanford or NC State etc etc etc. Those coaches would’ve said the same thing. It’s not about trying to hurt your feelings. It’s about telling you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear
@@hiphopsince81 I have watched Paige since High School. In High School, her Coach would let her play her game and run the offense. She would score 40 if needed. This coach has tried to change her Game since day 1. Just a few days ago he called her the Best player in the Tournament, but now something is wrong with her. Face it, he's a Jerk!!
What happened to the era in which credit is given to the opposing (victorious) team and you lament your shortcomings? All other comments can be made behind closed doors directly to those involved.
The whole team came out so tight and nervous on the offensive end. KK dribbling the ball off her foot a couple times, Shade having her worst shooting game, Aliyah settling for long 2s early in the shot clock. Nika was the only one who came to play tonight and ofc the refs try to take her out of the game with some highly questionable calls
I think that Geno lacks awareness of his players. The injuries mean lack of conditioning and too much pressure of the players. Geno has been to enough of these tournaments to know that these players are under a lot of pressure both physically and mentally. He also knows that this tournament is exhausting. He has to limit those distractions and allow his players enough time to rest. Same goes to Coach Bluder too. Caitlin looked exhausted. Especially the day before at the pressers. Caitlin looked tired. Perhaps they don't need to have so many pressers and awards ceremonies in the lead up to these matches.
When you have 5 injured players, including several key players, there is not much you can do about the exhaustion. That's why Geno said it may have been something physical with the two he mentioned being "off".
@@kimlinden2280 When you have that many players injured - there is something wrong with the training, with the conditioning and with the rest and recovery and that is a coaching problem. Coaches always push for the players to take care of the ball on the court. Well Geno needed to take care of the players and clearly he didn't. The Coach IMO that does that the best is Coach Staley. She does that both mentally and physically.
Bueckers should do what's fair and right -- give her POTY award to one of her black teammates. She was just another player in the biggest game of the season.
I'm not really sure what Geno's doing here. On one hand, it sounds like he's saying he may have been injured. But, on the other hand, he's saying she didn't bring it. But, if she's injured, how much can she really bring? Paige was amazing in this game.
Did you see the foul against Paige at the beginning of the second half? She was so frustrated she through an elbow. It was after the elbow they called the Iowa foul.
So sick of this guy. This isn't the first time he's dissed her. This Team is nothing without Paige. This year she had to become a post player due to the number of player injuries. Maybe she's exhausted carrying the load for his Team. She should transfer to the Portal or enter the Draft.
He calls it like he sees it. You obviously are not a coach. He’s tough on them and they respond to it. He develops strong young women who become very successful. Why do you think a lot of kids go to Uconn. Girls are a lot tougher than you think. They love Geno.
Paige likes his style and honesty. If she didn't, she would have entered the WNBA draft this year. All he said was that she needed to be more selfish, at times, and that her personality leans towards being a good teammate. And, that there was maybe something physical going on. That's not exactly throwing her under the bus.
@@scottballantyne2904 LOL! You obviously are not a leader, if you are, probably not a good one. Because you will know, yes, hold everyone accountable, and maybe your star/go-to players to an even higher standard. But a good leader shoulders all the responsibilities right after a loss like this, then say whatever you need to to your players. But they would keep this in house, and definitely not throw this out there right after losing in the National semi-final. Granted, he’s arguably the most successful WBB coach of all time, but there’s a reason they haven’t won the big one for the last few years, even with constant top recruiting classes.
He knows her better than we do. He knows what she responds well to. I agree though that Paige could have won this game for UConn if she had played a bit better.
@@TheDisruptiveOnecredit to Marshall and Iowa for rarely letting Paige play confident for more than two minutes straight. It was surprising to me but she will bounce back and hopefully make the championship next year. Clark responded better to the adversity, and Paige looks devastated, so hopefully she can bounce back and realize what a great season she had and how high their ceiling can be.
The truth on that offense foul at the end of the game was that Paige didn’t wait for the screen to set, cost them the last shot. But Iowa missed too many shots and had too many turnovers. They should have won by at least 10.
I'm with Geno on Paige and the officiating. I was looking at the stats at halftime since I couldn't bear to watch the game. I was shocked by the amount of fouls against UCONN vs IOWA. It was like 10-1 and Paige definitely has to be more active. All her stats across the line were off. I don't think Paige is hungry enough to be great. She has a ton of natural talent but not enough fire. Paige was the #1 recruit and Caitlin was #4 in the 2020 class but Caitlin got better. Paige didn't quite develop as much, again not enough fire.
Caitlin played a ton more games than Paige has, so far. Caitlin didn't have the injuries that Paige has had, including missing more than one and 3/4 season's worth of games. Clark played 139 college games. Bueckers has played just 85. So, why would you expect them to have developed equally since the 2020 class?
His comments were spot on about Paige and she NEEDS to hear them but DEFINITELY not like this! She should have been given this feedback privately not publicly!
Everyone loves a Winner...and also Hates one as well. I have had the utmost respect for this man and his coaching style. Geno will have them back and look at what was sitting on the bench..they will be fine and back again pretty quick!
Hahahahah False! He and his staff got to. the final four with 7 healthy players!? Failed? Where are all the other teams with 14 healthy players? Get real troll!