Georgetown Postgame Thread

[BobbyJ]

More than a couple posts here (and Geno in the postgame Q & A) mentioned the lack of offense in the low post and lane, and the lack of ball movement via passing. Indeed, much of the game saw three very static guards positioned on the deep perimeter passing the ball back and forth, putting very little pressure on— or forcing defensive movement by— the G'town zone. Passes into the lane area require cuts timed correctly, but often Aubrey and Ono did not make cuts when and where a pass could get to them. If they did cut, they too often stood statically, easily located by the zone. In short, guards and center/forwards were not seeing each other to get cuts and positions that made passing possible. And when the ball was at the high post, I rarely saw baseline cuts or backdoor cuts to the basket. Static . . . static . . . static. Much work needs to be done on cutting and timing.

Spot on. Good passers see the holes in the zone and know just when to hit the cutters. Unfortunately two of the perimeter kids today can’t see it even when there was some movement. Those two inside kids have to constantly move and know where the other is for the dump down when the middle D commits. Bueckers is excellent at seeing this but she winds up having to direct the cutters so the defense knows where they’re coming from.

 

[MuchoDogYears]

Why in the world did Geno still have ONO, and Christyn, (and Nika-but I get it with her), still in the game when, with 4 minutes left,and a nearly 40 point lead, he could have played Piath and Autumn.

*It's rhetorical: I don't need to hear the same old "playing time is a reward for practicing well". It's only been 1 day since UT, and 2 guards were out injured.

Maybe Geno thought that the starters didn’t deserve to sit and relax the last few minutes of the game?

 

[MuchoDogYears]

Usually I'm amused at Geno's antics at the halftime interview, when he is dissatisfied with the team's performance. But today I just thought he was just grumpy and abrasive.

In junior high, I had a math teacher who said "If one or two people flunk a quiz, it's their fault. If everyone fails, it's the teacher's fault." Today was Geno's fault.

Actually, I thought he said at the end something like the players are supposed to learn and get better with coaching, so I guess us coaches are at fault for the way they played today. Kind of said sarcastically and maybe tongue in cheek but still ...

 

[MuchoDogYears]

I'm not really surprised, this UConn team is pretty much what I expected preseason. For the most part this is basically the same level team as last year. They swapped out their two best players, Dangerfield and Walker for Bueckers and Westbrook.

True. But they also added Edwards, a sorely needed, and talented, post.

Plus this years team, when healthy, has better quality depth.

Last years team had more experience than this years, but that’s the only advantage I see.

 

[Monte]

I was surprised that during most of the patterns, Nika had to keep pointing and directing the other players where to go. Isn't that learned at practice?.....and, there has been plenty of practices this year.

 

[Dokey]

Look, this is what I expected, everyone is now saying the same thing that I got jumped on after Butler game. But I think it is now clearer why this team isn’t jelling. Whatever is wrong with Anna’s leg has been plaguing her all season—she simply is not the player we saw at the end last year. UConn is about movement. Anna and Paige are the drivers of that movement. Without both in top form, this team is rudderless. The word Anna’s absence is “indefinite” is critical. Geno has to put Paige back in, though she probably should rest, but without her Arkansas is likely a loss. Without a healthy Anna, a FF may be a pipe dream. The level of competition hasn’t helped. Scrimmages have to be better learning experiences. There is a tremendous amount of individual talent on this team and too often we see five individuals running around out there.

I was happy to see Muhl take shots and make a couple but her stewardship often was just incessant back and forth passing to little point. Aubrey was a spark plug who took advantage of a weak team. But sometimes it seemed she was doing her thing while everyone else was otherwise engaged. And while she’s gone scoring more, she still seems unable to understand the offense. Edwards is too often a bull in a China shop. Against Georgetown, woefully short handed, as well as short, and young, Ono should have been fed all night and come away with 40 points.

I really only half watched the second half. Too painful.

 

[Skeets]

I agree 100%, once we stopped the press and went man, it was like a whole different game. If we would have kept the pressure on it would have been a different outcome. Everyone on the board can agree the game was over at halftime, we literally went into cruise control in the 2nd half. Plus in the 4th when Westbrook went out of the game, the game really went in another direction. The team just looked out of sorts in the 2nd half, un-UConn like.
But this game did give Mir a little confidence in herself. I don't really think we had a star of game, but Westbrook is truly improving every game.

OD, I noticed that in blow outs. UCONN seems to lose focus and intensity. A bad habit to get into. I'd like 40 mins of intensity regardless of who is on the floor. I like GA would agree...

 

[donalddoowop]

Winning when you score 80 is hardly a unique occurrence for any team.

My post was not about any team. Arkansas lost, so did UConn against ND. Those are not the only ones.

 

[donalddoowop]

She is running out of time to be exceptional at anything. She is a very good college player, as is CW. It is really unfair to expect anything more from either of them. IMO, they are both role players; Evina and Paige are the two studs.

Isn't that is what they are playing, college ball? If both are very good college players why would you complain? Usually, role players are good players, not very good. They are two talented players who are evidently playing in an offensive system that does not fit their skills. I see post on weaker teams that have more moves than ONO and they execute them a lot easier than she does. To me that is coaching. No jump hook, just the same three moves. The last two UConn teams have had trouble running the read and react system with much efficiency. If this team can't run it then, why not adjust?

 

[BobbyJ]

True. But they also added Edwards, a sorely needed, and talented, post.

Plus this years team, when healthy, has better quality depth.

Last years team had more experience than this years, but that’s the only advantage I see.

I mentioned Edwards further down in the post. She'll be fine next year but they need production now.

 

[Jingo]

Why in the world did Geno still have ONO, and Christyn, (and Nika-but I get it with her), still in the game when, with 4 minutes left,and a nearly 40 point lead, he could have played Piath and Autumn.

*It's rhetorical: I don't need to hear the same old "playing time is a reward for practicing well". It's only been 1 day since UT, and 2 guards were out injured.

Yeah Christyn played 40 minutes [again!] .. ONO played just 24 minutes and was high scorer [again]

 

[Jingo]

I'm not really surprised, this UConn team is pretty much what I expected preseason. For the most part this is basically the same level team as last year. They swapped out their two best players, Dangerfield and Walker for Bueckers and Westbrook. In overall effect it's basically a wash but against good teams, Dangerfield's experience will be missed. Without ONO their interior defense is non existent and they've got very little inside offense. ONO and Williams have barely progressed if at all and Edwards could've potentially been the biggest improvement especially inside but she's just not there yet. As for bench contribution, Muhl and McLean are basically Bent and Irwin. The other top 4-5 teams are not as good as last year but UConn will struggle to get to the FF. Elite 8 is a realistic goal IMO.

This team is MUCH better than last year's team with the addition of PB, EW & AE. Danger was a BIG loss, MW not so much from last year. ONO has improved greatly and surely will be a lottery pick, eh? Once we get a rhythm, IMO, with all our talent, we'll do exceptionally well in the post-season

 

[Phillyconn]

LOL

Today's game is what drives Geno and fans (yes, me) crazy about Christyn Williams. She reverted to her passive play today. She should have dominated today's game. Instead, she reverted to passive Christyn. Against Tennessee she was aggressive and took the ball to the basket. Today, Christyn just decided she'd shoot the ball from the 3-point line and if they go in great, if not oh well.

Christyn was not alone in mailing this one in.

Well, they were in a tight zone. No driving lanes.

 

[Phillyconn]

This team is MUCH better than last year's team with the addition of PB, EW & AE. Danger was a BIG loss, MW not so much from last year. ONO has improved greatly and surely will be a lottery pick, eh? Once we get a rhythm, IMO, with all our talent, we'll do exceptionally well in the post-season

Meghan was a HUGE loss!

 

[da60]

Just watched Geno's post-game press conference......man, was he upset from the start...the last thing he wanted to do was be there....but obligations. When asked an unintelligible question by a reporter, instead of giving a sarcastic answer, he hilariously spoke jibberish to himself....then stated that he doesn't want to get in trouble...I laughed to myself when I heard that question....his maturity was definitely intact. It was hilarious. Equally funny was when he spoke about the hockey game he was going to and and sarcastically alluded to the girls using hockey sticks and pucks to get something in the net. He is a funny guy, He will get the kids ready for Ark, and I feel Paige is a huge factor in what occurs. If you didn't see the press conf, go watch. Go girls.

 

[Boreifs]

Isn't that is what they are playing, college ball? If both are very good college players why would you complain? Usually, role players are good players, not very good. They are two talented players who are evidently playing in an offensive system that does not fit their skills. I see post on weaker teams that have more moves than ONO and they execute them a lot easier than she does. To me that is coaching. No jump hook, just the same three moves. The last two UConn teams have had trouble running the read and react system with much efficiency. If this team can't run it then, why not adjust?

Role players on a typical UConn team are very good players. Whether this is a typical UConn team is still up for debate.

 

[jaundicedeye]

She is running out of time to be exceptional at anything. She is a very good college player, as is CW. It is really unfair to expect anything more from either of them. IMO, they are both role players; Evina and Paige are the two studs.

I think your assessment of Olivia and CW as very good college players but also as just role players is not only inaccurate but contradictory. On any given night they can lead the team stat-wise and with attitude and effort. They are relied upon so much more than role players and are critical to the team's success.
You can have the opinion that Paige and Evina are better players without minimizing the talents and contributions of the other two.

 

[Calbysdad]

Nika played much better after she was pulled and put back in. Goes 100% all the time. Hit a couple of 3s, tough on defense and made some terrific passes. Nerves probably had something to do with her slow start. When she went back in, she seemed more calm, more in command. Good job, Nika.

This was my observation too. Seemed like something clicked and I'm looking forward to the next game to see if it continues.

 

[LCConnFan]

She is running out of time to be exceptional at anything. She is a very good college player, as is CW. It is really unfair to expect anything more from either of them. IMO, they are both role players; Evina and Paige are the two studs.

IMO: ONO still needs to 'bulk up' and improve her hands (she has trouble holding onto the ball) to be a contender in post play in the WNBA. CW is an excellent player, but is too timid. We've seen her at times driving to the basket and when she does she's great. But most times she's willing to settle on shooting jump shots. Maybe 1 more year might bring the results needed for both to be serious contenders in the WNBA.

 

[Geesworld]

UCONN added 4 Freshman and a transfer to the rotation of two returning players this season. Somehow the expectation is to look like a clear cut favorite without even having a half a season (10 games) under their belts. I thought Geno and many others were a bit to harsh in their assessment after this game.
We've had four starting lineups in 10 games....That's great for continuity. ??

The ladies just had their first plane road trip and it happened to be against a program rivalry. I would guess team emotions are super high afterwards, especially with a young team that doesn't know any better. Mix in the fact that you only get one practice to prepare with a new starting lineup and rotations because you have two players in your top 8 rotation out. By no means am I saying there isn't room for judgement but at some point we have to let these ladies grow into their roles and understanding of who they are.

Having fun watching my UCONN

 

[jazz]

My 2 cents on the GT game.

I focused on some of our younger players since we were playing a very weak team.

1st half:

Team just passing it around the perimeter against the zone without Liv in there. Game looked disjointed. Hard to look good when the centrepiece of your offense isn’t there (PB) and your only experienced big is sitting on the bench. Also missed the passing skills from AM.

But if we hit just a couple more of the many open threes we missed in the 2nd quarter, we could have had about 45 points in the first half. The problem is that it makes it hard for our bigs to flash/post when we can’t stretch the defense with our shooting. We are an outside-inside team with no outside shooting….CW went 2-7 from three point land in 1st half. I think she missed her last 4.

Some good defense coupled with poor offense by GT and we still can only score 39. Sometimes the movement isn’t great but it is severely hampered when we can’t shoot the ball in the basket. The stats will say that we didn’t shoot terrible from 3 pt land in the first half – probably 40%, which is good but not when you get as many wide-open looks as we did. Not much inside (Liv only played about 10 minutes in the 1st half), not many easy baskets and there should have been more than a few. Can’t make a living going inside going to players 6-2 and less against a zone. If Liv played more, I think we would have played much better in the 1st half. You can see that the offense flowed better in the third when we had an inside game.

AG – very active in the 1st, running out on the beak, offensive rebounds, good movement/flash to the lane and take to the hoop. Nice job moving from one side of the lane to the other and finally gets a shot out of it. Gets out on the break and finishes as good as anybody I have seen. Nice work gathering the loose ball and getting it out of there to start the break for an easy two. Very active and good first quarter. Nice defensive recovery in the 2nd to knock away the pass. Nice help defense with the block.

NM – 1st TO not entirely on her, just trying to make something happen and beat the shot clock. Terrific take but missed the lay-in badly. Forced a TO but will not get credit in the scoring column for it. Nice off rebound. Beat easily in the open court and in the lane with quickness – not good. Weird how she bends at the waist and not with her knees. This compromises her lateral movement. Also needs to understand that she doesn’t possess high-end quickness and shouldn’t be so aggressive 35 feet from the basket.

Nice anticipation for the open court steal. Nice recognition to make a move and get the pull-up but got happy feet, resulting in the TO. Nice sequence in the late 2nd when she snatched the rebound, immediately pushed it up the floor and laid a nice pass to AG for the lay-up. Unfortunately, AG was fouled and missed both FTs and we ended up with nothing to show for it. But this does show some nice PG skills.

Mir – will not get the credit for it in the box score, but caused two straight turnovers in the press. Good defense in the paint. Nice sequence where she got the steal and then an offensive rebound and with the assist to NM on the 3. Then showed hustle going to the floor for the loose ball.

 

[jazz]

2nd half:

We just can’t shoot from 3 point land with any consistency. The shots are there game in and game out; we just can’t make them. The most common factor with this unfortunately is CW. She is a shooting guard and needs to score and shoot a good percentage from 3 on a consistent basis for us to beat top level teams. We can’t have our shooting guard missing 8 or 9 threes in a row (all 5 in the second half and most are wide and I mean wide open!). That is really hard to do! This is going to be our Achilles heel.

Just don’t know what the heck we are going to get from CW on any given night with regard to 3 point shooting. My guess is that it will not be good. This is probably my biggest disappointment so far this year. We need her to shoot well and she just can’t do it! She at least took it to the rim with some success and had some assists as well. I thought this part of her game was ok. Padded her stats with some easy fast breaks layins later on.

Now if CW would have hit at least one of her 3 missed wide open 3 pointers in the third, we would have had a 24 pt quarter, not to mention the missed foul on NM which could have been another 2.

NM – nice smooth 3 pointer which ideally CW would have hit a moment before but instead threw up a brick. Nice perimeter defense in the early 3rd! That is how you move your feet and keep the player in front of you, knowing where your help is and the baseline is.

Nice drive and kick to an open CW for yet another wide-open miss (3X in the 3rd for CW!). Another great drive and dish to EW then to AG for the ‘and one’. Great finish from AG. Then a terrific overplay for the steal and could have had her first made lay-up of the year if not for the foul… Later on, she was fouled on the missed layup. Player hit her arm from what I saw but not called.

Showed nice feet and anticipation in the 3rd. Had a possession where she was all over the place on defense. Nice work! I felt like she grew up a bit during the game. Her scoring could have been better if not for the breakout foul called and then the non-call which was a foul.

Nice 2nd half until she had the couple turnovers trying to make things happen. Threw one up at the end of the shot clock – I’m not blaming her for the airball as I don’t think she would have taken it otherwise. Got happy feet later on.

I like her confidence though and hopefully she gets better at when to push, who to pass (or not pass) it to on the break and when to penetrate and when not to. Gaps close maybe a bit quicker here than overseas…

Has a long wind-up kind of shot– surprising for a guard. Can’t argue with the results. 2-5 from 3 pt land is good.

Some may not like NM as much as I do, but I think she is going to be a good option off the bench. Time will tell if she can do that with the talent we have coming in next year. She has some skills no doubt in my mind and she will get better. GT is not a good team but NM was solid in her 3rd game with meaningful minutes and no injury. She is not a superstar but a role player and will be good at that if given the opportunity.

AG - nice sequence with the offensive board for a 2nd chance opportunity after the EW miss. Later she has a nice drive and dish to Liv. This possession was all AG! Then she overplays, gives up the lane and GT scores 2 right back. Then did it again a couple of possessions later. Incredibly poor defense by AG. I’m starting to notice this from AG more and more; she has to know when a player can get around her when she is face guarding her so far away from the basket. This seems to happen 2-3 times a game.

Nice post up to draw the foul. I meant to mention this before, she shoots a lot of FTs which is another measure of how active she is. Had 10 in this game. This also gets the opposition in foul trouble and gives us a chance to score easy points. Relentless nature. I really like her game.

Went after yet another wide-open missed 3 pointer by CW the way D. Rodman used to. Almost had it. It thought she drew the offensive foul later on and then got the offensive rebound and put back. Another possession that was all AG.

She got about 5 offensive rebounds in this game and it is my belief that the second attempt is all about the offensive rebound no matter who scores thereafter.

AE– some good moments with help defense, blocks and rebounds. Not only is she big and physical, but she has really quick feet. At some point, this is going to manifest itself into production on the offensive and defensive end. She could grow into a force over the next 2 months. Geno working on the high low with AE and Liv -needs more work…

 

[Duncan Idaho]

Don't know if there was a lack of confidence dribbling and going left but there were countless opportunities from the wing going into the paint for short jumpers. When tried, Westbrook and even McLean got good looks.

 

[HuskylnSC]

And 7 of 18 on FGs, double Ugg. Only 2 RBs, triple Ugg

The 7 of 18 is cumulative. its all shots. 2 of 12 3 pointers plus 5 of 6 two pointers = 7 of 18

 

[SLY63]

Some general perspective:

1. This is not a great shooting team, so there will be good, bad and ugly games
2. This is a young team, relying on multiple freshman to contribute, which does not happen often for UConn teams.
3. This season is very challenging with multiple games cancelled and lack of top tier competition

These things lead to inconsistent play, which is exactly what we are seeing. IMO this team will never be the juggernaut of the Stewie years with consistent 50 point blowouts of lesser competition.