DePaul Postgame Thread

[choochoo]

From the Magnificent Seven , we have morphed into the Effulgent Eight. All the ladies played well, and everyone got a respite. Good win and I did not see any injuries! I think I did see a "frick you" come from the mouth of our sweet Lou Two, too.

yes you did ,I saw it also.

 

[Redux]

Doug Bruno ... angry at the referees

If the refs had called fouls the way Doug seemed to want them to, he would have had three players fouled out 15 minutes into the game. And probably two bench payers in trouble. I don't think there's any comparison between the teams: DePaul tended toward indiscriminate and not all that effective brawling while UConn pushed the envelope to the extent the refs allowed in a very focused, controlled and largely unemotional way. That's an oversimplification, bit of hyperbole (one of my several regrettable flaws), but descriptive.

The refs were consistent, except that they called a couple of close ones at key times just to keep control. You can't be 100% consistent, you've got to pick some spots to rein in. Those couple of calls did go UConn's way, luck of the draw.

 

[Boreifs]

Sorry if people don’t like it. He seems like a great guy, but his program is rarely relevant nationally, usually plays a style that good programs have little problem handling and he doesn’t seem to adapt. His camp might be top notch and do a lot for kids. I’m all for it. It has zero to with coaching competitive D1 hoops I don’t judge if it’s better or worse that a lot of schools don’t demand as much of the ladies’ teams as they do the men, but I guarantee you that DePaul gives Bruno more leeway than it does the men coaches. Arguably the men’s coaches generally face tougher competition overall. UConn men’s fans grumble about Hurley because they have lost early in the NCAA pointing to it as not acceptable. And the administration looks at such things. Bruno’s DePaul makes some NCAAs, they are not close to being a threat to ever win it. I made a simple statement. He is overrated compared to coaches at other programs and is never on the chopping block . Maybe that’s a better way for college sports, it also a fact. Harry Peretta was a legend who was given miles more rope than they would give any Villanova men’s team coach. If you want to have a serious discussion about how “big time” programs have different expectations for female hoops from male (changing at some schools) let‘s do it. A “dislike” is a cop out, which I appreciate you didn’t do. I never use the thumb’s down.

For the record I give Edwards the Badass and people can dislike it all they want.

So, pick out a comparable program (urban campus, non power five, women’s ) and tell me who has outperformed him. I can’t think of one school that even comes close to his success. Your criticism is, in my opinion, totally without foundation, unless you start naming coaches who have done better in the same circumstance.

 

[my2cents]

Everyone played really well.

 

[Blond D.]

The bigger concern for me about Nika is her TOs. She's averaging nearly 4 per game since Thanksgiving, and those would haunt the Huskies vs. SC.

A lot of those turn overs are account of the person shes passing to didnt go get the ball. Or there was a miscommunication. Being the point guard and being in charge of bringing the ball down is gonna make you more susceptible to turnovers.

 

[#12in21]

That was a good look on Nika freshman year. It would send a message to Tennessee on Thursday that we are a tough bunch. Tonight's game once again showed we can give as much as we take in terms of physicality. We have a tough group of players.

 

[MSGRET]

I know that DePaul is not a top tier team, however a lot of positives from the game. In my mind, AE laid claim to Big East player of the year award. The 3 that came in off the bench all contributed in their own way. Nika had an off game but didn't seem to hurt the Huskies all that much. Aubrey did Aubrey kind of things, things that other players just can't replicate. Dorka was solid as always and Lou is Lou.

Boy I would love more off games like she had tonight 10 assists, should have been at least 15, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks, plus most likely a nice shiner tomorrow.

 

[cohenzone]

So, pick out a comparable program (urban campus, non power five, women’s ) and tell me who has outperformed him. I can’t think of one school that even comes close to his success. Your criticism is, in my opinion, totally without foundation, unless you start naming coaches who have done better in the same circumstance.

See, you are picking out the drawbacks and not the opportunities. Obviously it started at a different time, but UConn was hardly a program anyone in their right mind would pick as the place where the most dominant team in female hoops history would spring up. In the boondocks, no history, going into a league with few teams having any national success.

Do good players exist in Chicago hs hoops? Other urban areas where kids might not be troubled by an urban environment (Chicago is a pretty terrific city, could be used as a selling point). Chance to compete against UConn. The bottom half of most P5 leagues have historically not been very good.

More to my point, the DePaul men’s program exists in exactly the same situation that you say Bruno is stuck with. Same city , same league, everything The administration is not satisfied with making the NCAA sometimes or once in a while beating ”better” teams more often than the women’s program does. Prove he doesn’t get more leeway than the men’s coach. It’s a different standard. Not saying it’s worse, just different. Bruno competes in the world he competes in. The record is okay, but he doesn’t adjust to give his teams much chance to upset better teams. DePaul’s mens coaches would never survive.

 

[Monte]

I still feel this way about Lou........She is the best outside shooter on the team. This being so, think the rest of the team has to set her up more for shots.

 

[Blueballer]

Doug Bruno most overrated coach this side of Andy Landers. If he’d been coaching a men’s program he would’ve been gone years ago. Pulls an upset once in a blue moon.

Absurd observation. So you must feel the same way about Harry Perretta who coached at Nova for 42 years. Some of these coaches are great teachers and game strategists but they just don't get the very best players year in and year out. I always wondered how Harry or Doug (Or many others) would have done had they the same talent pool that Geno has had. I don't think that's diminishing Geno because in College you have to be able to do it all to win it all (And recruiting is a vital part of that).

 

[Redux]

Boy I would love more off games like [Nika] had tonight

We can preach all we want, but the sinners need to repent.

In addition two the non-stat leadership I have talked about, I'd add that the assists drastically under-describe Nika's passing effectiveness. She's like a chess player: many of the moves are not checks but they improve the attack profile, the overall strength of the team's offensive posture (not to mention the missed easy baskets, the "shouda been" assists).

The only negative I'm willing to hear a case for are the turnovers. There are going to be turnovers with the aggressiveness, so I discount a lot of them. But she thinks ahead and sometimes is not totally into the moment, and she either over-rates her own passing pace on the ball or underestimates defensive scope of action in response. She can throw hard and accurately but the pace sometimes isn't there.

Great as she is, she's got room for improvement, which is a good thing, looking forward.

 

[eggfit]

The one good thing about only having 7-8 players, is that the starting five are getting plenty of court time and beginning to really read each other's minds. Tonight all the gears were in sync. Everyone knew who was cutting and who was passing. And just having Nika race and race and race the ball down the court every single time, you can see how that wears the opposition down. And our bigs are getting much more aggressive each game. And Lou and Aubrey continue do all the right things in the most poetic way. And the fact that they all are like mosquitos on defense, literally smothering the competition, I shake my head in admiration. Congratulations to the coaching staff for all their hard work, too, in carving out this spectacle. Tonight was absolutely awesome!!!

 

[VA Huskie]

See, you are picking out the drawbacks and not the opportunities. Obviously it started at a different time, but UConn was hardly a program anyone in their right mind would pick as the place where the most dominant team in female hoops history would spring up. In the boondocks, no history, going into a league with few teams having any national success.

Do good players exist in Chicago hs hoops? Other urban areas where kids might not be troubled by an urban environment (Chicago is a pretty terrific city, could be used as a selling point). Chance to compete against UConn. The bottom half of most P5 leagues have historically not been very good.

More to my point, the DePaul men’s program exists in exactly the same situation that you say Bruno is stuck with. Same city , same league, everything The administration is not satisfied with making the NCAA sometimes or once in a while beating ”better” teams more often than the women’s program does. Prove he doesn’t get more leeway than the men’s coach. It’s a different standard. Not saying it’s worse, just different. Bruno competes in the world he competes in. The record is okay, but he doesn’t adjust to give his teams much chance to upset better teams. DePaul’s mens coaches would never survive.

I don’t think you answered boreifs question.

 

[cohenzone]

Absurd observation. So you must feel the same way about Harry Perretta who coached at Nova for 42 years. Some of these coaches are great teachers and game strategists but they just don't get the very best players year in and year out. I always wondered how Harry or Doug (Or many others) would have done had they the same talent pool that Geno has had. I don't think that's diminishing Geno because in College you have to be able to do it all to win it all (And recruiting is a vital part of that).

I swear people don’t read. I said I’m not saying it’s better or worse, just fact that schools like DePaul and Villanova give far more leeway to women’s coaches than men’s coaches. Perretta is a perfect example. Do you really think that Jay Wright could‘ve lasted more than 5 years if every year he played a style that left his team better than the lower tier of the BE but rarely challenging the best teams, and pretty much never getting beyond round 1 or 2 of the Dance or not making it at all even with a winning record? Harry, same style over the years. , no real change in national potential. Good hs women’s hoops area to recruit from: same league as UConn and for years also ND and Rutgers to offer as opponents. Harry I actually think gave his kids a better chance to spring upsets than does Doug because his style could mess them up, way more than DePaul’s attempt to outscore really good teams.

Andy Landers lasted forever, often had very good recruits but only in a blue moon did he really challenge Tennessee or threaten to win it all. UGA was not so gracious to coaches in its men’s program, I think it’s absurd to think most schools have same expectation of their women’s head coaches as they do the men. The test is how they compete in their arena. Maybe the survival of coaches like Harry and Doug is a far better thing than the firing of male program coaches who might actually have better records than either of them, but the fact remains that neither changed their styles over the years and neither style gave their teams much of a chance to be either nationally competitive or even realistically win their leagues. If you notice, GA has won big; NC or not and with all sorts of teams, even early on when great players weren’t lining up to come to UConn. Meaning he is adaptable. As are most good coaches based on who is on the roster.

 

[Rb335]

See, you are picking out the drawbacks and not the opportunities. Obviously it started at a different time, but UConn was hardly a program anyone in their right mind would pick as the place where the most dominant team in female hoops history would spring up. In the boondocks, no history, going into a league with few teams having any national success.

Do good players exist in Chicago hs hoops? Other urban areas where kids might not be troubled by an urban environment (Chicago is a pretty terrific city, could be used as a selling point). Chance to compete against UConn. The bottom half of most P5 leagues have historically not been very good.

More to my point, the DePaul men’s program exists in exactly the same situation that you say Bruno is stuck with. Same city , same league, everything The administration is not satisfied with making the NCAA sometimes or once in a while beating ”better” teams more often than the women’s program does. Prove he doesn’t get more leeway than the men’s coach. It’s a different standard. Not saying it’s worse, just different. Bruno competes in the world he competes in. The record is okay, but he doesn’t adjust to give his teams much chance to upset better teams. DePaul’s mens coaches would never survive.

Yeah, he’s only made the ncaa tournament 24 times, winning at least one game in the tournament in 13 of those appearances, and basically sweeping the regular season and big east tournament titles when Uconn was in the AAC.

I wouldn’t say he’s the best coach out there, but he’s no slouch. His biggest weakness has seemed to be recruiting, but has carved out great success getting those second/third tier type recruits with the ability to shoot.

 

[uconnfan68]

We can preach all we want, but the sinners need to repent.

In addition two the non-stat leadership I have talked about, I'd add that the assists drastically under-describe Nika's passing effectiveness. She's like a chess player: many of the moves are not checks but they improve the attack profile, the overall strength of the team's offensive posture (not to mention the missed easy baskets, the "shouda been" assists).

The only negative I'm willing to hear a case for are the turnovers. There are going to be turnovers with the aggressiveness, so I discount a lot of them. But she thinks ahead and sometimes is not totally into the moment, and she either over-rates her own passing pace on the ball or underestimates defensive scope of action in response. She can throw hard and accurately but the pace sometimes isn't there.

Great as she is, she's got room for improvement, which is a good thing, looking forward.

She’s not the only one that’s thrown an ill-advised pass. She’s also the engine that gets the team moving.
On a different note, I’m becoming quite impressed lately by the high-low passing action between AE and DJ, and it goes both ways! They combined to do a number on Morrow tonight.

 

[fomalhaut]

Nika seemed a little out of sorts at the very end, and had a couple of bad turnovers, but on the whole played an excellent game, back to her usual 10 assists. She also led the team at +47, despite being in at the end with the bench players (they had a little let down when she came out, but the bench players settled down when Nika came back in).

 

[freekimchee]

Good all around game by everyone. Obviously Lou is superb and AE is playing like a 1st team AA but...I'm really, really impressed with Aubrey's improvement this year in BOTH ends of the floor. Everyone runs...but Aubrey seems to glide. So fluid and athletic. I just love watching her fly!

 

[freekimchee]

 

[TeamFirst!]

Aalijah was the obvious player of the game, in a lot fewer minutes than the others, but somehow this team's DEFENSE has become a calling card. Gotta give the credit for that to all of them but Aubrey most of all. Aubrey snags 11 boards plus 4 steals and continues to shoot a good percentage. She's got to be the unsung hero award winner this year. I literally had her projected as bench strength going into the season. She's made herself a key player who has kept this team in the conversation as one of the best in the country. Her defense is making this team top 4 caliber. Without her performance this year, they are barely top 10. Look what they are doing with a smoke and mirrors lineup and clear deficiencies in outside shooting recently. They are doing it with defense, outstanding conditioning and a sprinkle of top shooting from Lou.

Glad to see the rookies get some PT and we are seeing SOME progress, right? If we can just get Azzi and Caroline back, watch out for Uconn this year. The way they are playing maybe even just one of the 2 will do it. Can't see this team even coming close to beating SC though. SC out rebounded Arkansas by 59 rebounds recently. Something like 32 to 2 on the offensive boards. I don't see the solution yet for that. Tennessee should even be a test. If they beat those teams this lineup will go down in history as the "lion heart" generation.

 

[socal613ws]

it's good that they are finally gonna get tested, I really thought the big east would give Uconn a test, can only imagine what the scores would be if Paige, Fudd, Ducharme were healthy, win by 80? Aside maybe Nova I don't see another tournament team from this conference.

 

[hoophuskee]

I swear people don’t read. I said I’m not saying it’s better or worse, just fact that schools like DePaul and Villanova give far more leeway to women’s coaches than men’s coaches. Perretta is a perfect example. Do you really think that Jay Wright could‘ve lasted more than 5 years if every year he played a style that left his team better than the lower tier of the BE but rarely challenging the best teams, and pretty much never getting beyond round 1 or 2 of the Dance or not making it at all even with a winning record? Harry, same style over the years. , no real change in national potential. Good hs women’s hoops area to recruit from: same league as UConn and for years also ND and Rutgers to offer as opponents. Harry I actually think gave his kids a better chance to spring upsets than does Doug because his style could mess them up, way more than DePaul’s attempt to outscore really good teams.

Andy Landers lasted forever, often had very good recruits but only in a blue moon did he really challenge Tennessee or threaten to win it all. UGA was not so gracious to coaches in its men’s program, I think it’s absurd to think most schools have same expectation of their women’s head coaches as they do the men. The test is how they compete in their arena. Maybe the survival of coaches like Harry and Doug is a far better thing than the firing of male program coaches who might actually have better records than either of them, but the fact remains that neither changed their styles over the years and neither style gave their teams much of a chance to be either nationally competitive or even realistically win their leagues. If you notice, GA has won big; NC or not and with all sorts of teams, even early on when great players weren’t lining up to come to UConn. Meaning he is adaptable. As are most good coaches based on who is on the roster.

IMO it's wrong to compare wcbb to mcbb thus your point of "what if Doug was in the men's game" is way off base. The games are different - that’s the entire reason why you can't compare "leeway" ot discuss in any manner to make them similar/comparable. There is no "but what if . . ." They are different. If you are going to pretend that you compare them, then Geno would have annihilated "The Jay Wright's." How many top 5 recruits did Jay Wright get? He benefits because the men leave. Geno gets what Coach K and Calipari gets but women stay for at least 3 years- at one time it was always 4. That's what Doug is competing against. In wcbb, history shows us it's is extremely rare unless injuries hit UCONN hard- that they don’t lose to non-supreme teams that didn’t recruit similar super A'a's. And Wright didn’t get those top 5 or so players consistently, did he? Even if he beat UCONN at their weakest years he would have had to beat Stanford, SC, Notre Dame and Baylor for example who also had supreme 3-4 year players to compete against to get a title. Thus he never would have been able to build himself up like he was able in the men's game.

---------------
Now back to the thread -- wow was this great or what watching Edwards vs Morrow? We'll have this matchup again this year and full year next year for more. They both have elite quickness and power for their sizes. I love Edwards. Some don’t think of her as a center but I think she is a college center for the most part, and a power forward with the ability to also defend certain guards.

Thought Patterson looked extremely quick and fast. She has the build in the future to also match up against someone like Morrow while Amari has height. But the trifecta of Edwards, Patterson and hopefully Griffin for next year is an exciting thought in terms of elite athleticism. I'm pretty psyched thinking about that.

Lou continues to amaze. It's laughable how good of a scorer she looks. Can't wait for the Tenn and SC and Nova games to see how each player competes- Lou and Edwards and everyone else.

If I were an opposing team I'm thinking of playing UCONN either a box-and-one, or a triangle-and-two. SC wouldn't need to but for some other teams that might not be a bad idea. until UCON gets their shooters back.

 

[Boreifs]

Official stats

View attachment 83369

Please note Nika’s Plus/Minus.

 

[JellyBean]

View attachment 83365

That stat sheet of UConn is a thing of beauty!! The best line that jumps out to me is Nika's. Dang near a Double-Double in Rebounds & Assist! Nika had some fantastic passes. Hitting Lou on a few fastbreaks were probably my favorites. I know folks were complaining in the chat about her passing. It happens. I was just glad that Nika did not stop being Nika out there and she wasn't jacking up shots just to jack up some shots. She saw the game and realized; I don't have to shoot. I got these guys out there running the lanes, all I have to do is, get them the ball.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

Good all around game by everyone. Obviously Lou is superb and AE is playing like a 1st team AA but...I'm really, really impressed with Aubrey's improvement this year in BOTH ends of the floor. Everyone runs...but Aubrey seems to glide. So fluid and athletic. I just love watching her fly!

The faster the game, the better suited for Aubrey's skills. Unfortunately, UCONN has to watch its pace with the short bench.