Execution, not score, is coaches’ point of emphasis

Ignore the scoreboard. That’s the advice for how to watch the NCAA women’s Final Four this weekend at Nationwide Arena.

Don’t fixate on who is winning and losing. Focus instead on the quality of play. After all, the number of points a team scores is secondary to how well a team plays — or so says the most successful women’s coach in history.

“I’ve never believed that the final score is going to be indicative of how you played,” said Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma, who oversees a program making a record 11th consecutive trip to the Final Four. “That’s never the issue. The issue is, are you getting the most out of the kids you’re coaching? … Do they compete?”

UConn definitely competes. So do Notre Dame, Louisville and Mississippi State, all No. 1 seeds that will bring their takeno-breaks brand of basketball to the Arena District. It’s the aggressive style of play on offense and defense that defines each of the four programs. Going all out, all the time, is their identity. And that is what fans will notice if they keep their eyes on the court instead of the basket count.

Mississippi State coach Vic Schaefer agrees with Auriemma’s idea of prioritizing “how” over “how many.”

“We have a saying in our locker room: It’s not what we do but how we do it that separates us from the rest of the country,” Schaefer said. “Anybody who hasn’t seen us, I think they will be impressed by how hard these kids play.”

Schaefer said every coach could learn from Auriemma’s emphasis on making every possession about competitive precision.

“It’s not just about winning for (Connecticut). It’s how they win and play the game. … That’s the piece that gets lost in all this: the way they play the game and dominate, in all facets, not just one.”

Given how Columbus is an “effort” city — fans here appreciate when a team goes all-in for going all out — few will be disappointed in the energy put forth by not only the Huskies and Bulldogs but also Louisville and Notre Dame.

Describing his Cardinals, Louisville coach Jeff Walz echoed his fellow coaches.

“It’s not just beating somebody; it’s how you play,” he said. “I really like how we’re playing right now.”

To clear up confusion and put a stake through a strongly held perception, none of the four coaches contends there is only one right way to play. The stereotype is that the men’s game is more popular because of its superior athleticism, but the women play more fundamentally sound.

Auriemma laughed at the absurdity of such a notion.

“I always get a kick out of that,” he said. “I hear people say that quite a bit. ‘Hey, Connecticut or Louisville or Mississippi State or Notre Dame — wow, they play basketball the right way.’

“I'm thinking, ‘How many coaches know that they’re playing basketball the wrong way?’ I don’t know that there’s a right way and a wrong way to play.”

There is, however, the UConn way, the Mississippi State way, the Louisville way and the Notre Dame way.

“I think every coach makes a decision that ‘This is the way that I see the game. This is what’s comfortable for me. This is what I believe in. This is what I know, and this is what I’m going to teach my team,’ ” Auriemma said.

For each team, it comes down to playing hard, playing well and letting the score fall where it may. That explains why Auriemma thinks this could be the strongest Final Four he has seen.

“The fans are in for a treat. I don’t know if the coaches are, but certainly the fans are in for a treat,” he said.