Northeastern Postgame Thread

[Majic Hands]

I happen to to be pleased with Amari tonight.

Amari, Was, Engaged.
I'm thinking that she keeps putting in the effort she'll get more minutes.

If she keeps earning minutes she can be a contributor by the end of the year.

Just my opinion

 

[Carnac]

Ameri showed some GRIT. A tech Foul can be bad or to show who you are. Patterson, is a Frosh, so I'll give her credit even for the early foul trouble and minimal scoring. Dorka too--she finally came around in the second half. LOU, is all Geno hope and said she was. IneS needs the USA Div one time, I have great hope for her. I agree, I've played against Nika type of players--I wanted to lay them out on the floor, but respect them I did, as I do Nika. Thank you Geno for Ameri I think you saw a light bulb turn on in her head tonight. Score rebound defend lose her kool all what I want from a "big". Maybe the numbers weren't huge but they showed up in the stats never-the -less. Good practice game for the team, good teaching game for the Coaches.

Yes, AmAri did show some grit this evening. I am bias. I bought a "season seat" on the front row of her cheering section. I'll be there for every game all year. I was very happy to see her enter the game late in the 3rd quarter. I don't look for Geno to go beyond a 7 player rotation for Texas.

 

[Carnac]

I was at the game. It was a good crowd. The lower level student section was filled as usual but the upper student section was also filled. They add a lot of energy to the place. They will be out in full force for Texas I am sure.

The defensive intensity is what stood out to me as the most positive thing, as it did oftentimes last year. They were locked in from the start and were contesting everything. It wasn`t clear to me what on earth Northeastern was trying to do on offense, poor ball movement and 8 assists for the entire game, but whatever it was UConn was not about to let them do it easily. Lots of UConn players diving on the floor, I don`t know how many times I was checking to be sure we had five players up and moving well. Nika was driving them crazy.

Azzi couldn`t hit from three but did everything else very well, including handling the ball and playing defense. She can play the point and is a good defender. With her foot problem taken care of, we are seeing a much quicker player this year.

Aubrey looked like what I remember she looked like, only better on the offensive end. A little hesitancy a couple of times, but overall very good. Moving really well.

Lou is invaluable, at least at this point. Even when Caroline returns she will be a huge contributor.

We pulled down 18 offensive rebounds but if there is one thing I would like to see, it would be finishing inside better. We did ok and drew a lot of fouls in there but would like to see stronger putbacks. Notwithstanding that, I think our big players overall played very well.

This was kind of a tough game to watch. The refs were calling a tight game and there was very little flow to the game, lots of starts and stops. 44 fouls called, 27 on Northeastern. Our outside shooting was off. I found myself often holding my breath as one UConn player after another hit the deck going after a loose ball. Actually, Northeastern probably deserved almost all of those 27 calls.

Northeastern is like a lot of teams these days that try to overcome lack of talent with physical play. We took 26 free throws, which is a lot for us I think. In any event, playing a physical team is probably a good thing with Texas coming up next.

I`m glad we got through it in one piece and let`s get ready for the Longhorns!

Thanks for the report Huskee11. It's ALWAYS nice to get the perspective from someone who was at the game. You see a different game when you see it in person, rather than a camera lens. Look forward to more reports in the coming weeks.

 

[Carnac]

The stat of the game for me: ONE rebound for the guards. That's not necessarily a bad thing -- UConn won the boards 46-30. It indicates just how much Aaliyah, Dorka, Ayanna, and Aubrey vacuumed up the misses.

I love the energy this team plays with.

This is the Azzi we've all been waiting to see.

Lou is a much better all-round player than I'd expected. She has great footwork on defense, loved her taking charges.

I really really hope Caroline is able to play against Texas. I'm worried about Nika and Ayanna fouling. OTOH, I trust that the fear of the wrath of CD will at least keep Nika in check.

I suspect she'll show up for Texas with the same effort and poise. Lou is a gamer!!! And a keeper.

 

[TeamFirst!]

Article about the game from the Seattle Times:

Fudd scores 26 as No. 6 UConn beats Northeastern 98-39

Azzi Fudd overcame a poor shooting start to score 26 points, leading No. 6 UConn to a season-opening 98-39 victory over Northeastern.

www.seattletimes.com

 

[Boreifs]

Yes, AmAri did show some grit this evening. I am bias. I bought a "season seat" on the front row of her cheering section. I'll be there for every game all year. I was very happy to see her enter the game late in the 3rd quarter. I don't look for Geno to go beyond a 7 player rotation for Texas.

If Caroline plays, it will be eight.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Same as last Sunday.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Overall, I liked the effort tonight.

The negatives: Yanna got in foul trouble and fouled out. Azzi, strangely, missed most of her 3-pointers. We were sloppy with the ball and had too many TOs, though Northeastern was aggressive on defense.

The positives: Azzi shot 15-16 from the FT line and inside the arc. Any game in which she gets 7 FTAs is a good game. The team generally shot FTs well. I've been saying this since June: Lou is a bucket. Take note. Nika really pushed the pace on offense and harassed the Northeastern players on defense. Lots of aggressive defense in the passing lanes by several players. Liya looked like one of the best bigs in the nation, and Dorka wasn't far behind. Aubrey looks like the player we remember, and may be better on offense. Yanna grabbed some rebounds above the rim--spectacular. I liked Amari's lefty hook--wow! And Ines made some nice plays in her time.

 

[TeamFirst!]

Watching the game a 2nd time I'm seeing Ayanna is just a force on offensive rebounds. She boxes out very well and has a great work rate. She is actually jumping when others are looking. Great reaction time and leaping ability as well as strength. I think she's a lock for 12 rebounds a game if we give her 30 minutes. I love our bigs just rebounding and letting the guards shoot more ideally. Take a layup but when doubled they should be passing quickly and not dribbling around trying to make something happen. Either shoot or pass.

And Aubrey is clearly going to be an important part of the team this year. That added depth is huge, and the flexibility to play wing or down low.

 

[Stymie]

Nika had her chance-no rebounds.
Time to sit her down….

Geez….
Sense of humor is in short supply here

 

[Zinethar]

The number of fouls have been mentioned here but what stuck out to me was I think every UConn player got hit in the face by a Northeastern player during the game. Way too often. And often not in tight contact. I actually was not at all upset by Amari's Technical. I thought originally it was bogus but in review it was definitely a foul but did not seem intentional. I loved her being feisty. Great hook shot. I absolutely loved Geno's comment about Ayanna where he said he saw a couple Stewie rebounds tonight.

 

[Jingo]

That's because, generally, foreigners have better fundamentals, eh? The play of the night occurred when Ines stole the pass, made a looong pass to Lou downcourt who made an acrobatic pass to Aubrey for the lay-in! Ines & Lou have gr8 court vision and other superior fundamentals!

 

[sun]

All of the non-starters are so much fun to watch.
They're so athletic and everyone hustled, even Amari.
She showed some grit and that she belongs.
A few air balls shows that everyone gets tuckered out from all of the running.
Azzi is simply outstanding, she's technically perfect in so many respects.
Never a wasted move, she's like lava that flows smooth, runs super hot & efficiently fills in all of the cracks.

 

[Jim R]

All of the non-starters are so much fun to watch.
They're so athletic and everyone hustled, even Amari.
She showed some grit and that she belongs.
A few air balls shows that everyone gets tuckered out from all of the running.
Azzi is simply outstanding, she's technically perfect in so many respects.
Never a wasted move, she's like lava that flows smooth, runs super hot & efficiently fills in all of the cracks.

 

[gold2323]

So far I like what I see but anxious to see Caroline back….it will gives us more depth and more versatility.
I am anxious and a bit apprehensive about Monday but we are blue bloods so we will meet the moment.
Is early but Geno CD and the coaching staff barring any major injuries (knock on wood) will have this team come March, firing in all cylinders.

 

[freshler40]

The intentional was a bogus call. She got nailed with the same type of play earlier and it was a common foul.

The TOs are a lack of game experience. I was glad to see the hustle and doing the little things, like tipping balls. She was moving like she had a purpose

Liked the big step up for Amari despite the poor decision bounce passes. She was very engaged in this game! She has grown well and will be a key player with more playing time.

Dorka needs to keep the ball up high after her rebounds. She immediately takes it down where the Nikas of the world exist. Other than that, we are structure for success at all positions and show little drop off and even some pick-up with bench energy. WOW, this is some team.

Many ref calls were suspect. They too are in early season form at some positions.

 

[Majic Hands]

Geez….
Sense of humor is in short supply here

Yea. The belittling of a specific player here on the BY of a kid who literally gives her all. Has worn the fabric of our patience kind of thin.

I've actually ignored two poster who can't quit attacking her. Probably because the fabric of my patience now has a big duck**ing hole worn through.

 

[uconnever]

The stat of the game for me: ONE rebound for the guards. That's not necessarily a bad thing -- UConn won the boards 46-30. It indicates just how much Aaliyah, Dorka, Ayanna, and Aubrey vacuumed up the misses.

I love the energy this team plays with.

This is the Azzi we've all been waiting to see.

Lou is a much better all-round player than I'd expected. She has great footwork on defense, loved her taking charges.

I really really hope Caroline is able to play against Texas. I'm worried about Nika and Ayanna fouling. OTOH, I trust that the fear of the wrath of CD will at least keep Nika in check.

Lou definitely does not move her feet well on defense. She moves like she is in quicksand. Her offense is where she separates herself. The time she takes to get her 3 point shot off worries me a little because the better teams she s gonna have less time to shoot but she’s gifted on offense and smart which will hide a lot of her defensive shortcomings. The things that stood out on the negative side were Dorka needs to finish better down low because that’s really her only negative but she will be needed down there most. Nika gets sloppy running the offense at times and needs to stop fouling and Lou’s defense on the ball. Really if those things get better, we can have a usual UConn season. If not 5-6 losses and a possible loss in the elite 8 depending on who we play

 

[Tonyc]

Looking at the box score UConn showed good numbers at each position. Rebounders rebounded and scored. Scorers scored. We made our foul shots at a high percentage. Defense was tuff especially Nika Yanna Griff and Azzi. We have alot of balance and we played as a team not looking for Paige. Thats huge. Texas will be a test and I like our chances.

 

[rubymae4]

Azzi couldn`t hit from three but did everything else very well, including handling the ball and playing defense. She can play the point and is a good defender. With her foot problem taken care of, we are seeing a much quicker player this year.

What impressed me the most about Azzi was that she didn’t let her poor 3-pt shooting impact her game. She did exactly what Geno preaches: there are many ways to affect the game. She stayed calm, kept shooting, and showed a level of confidence she didn’t have last year.

Geno is building her up beautifully. He knows he needs her to play well. That’s a lot of pressure for Azzi, but he is growing her confidence. She’s doing a lot of the media interviews now which shows how much he trusts her.

 

[rubymae4]

The number of fouls have been mentioned here but what stuck out to me was I think every UConn player got hit in the face by a Northeastern player during the game. Way too often. And often not in tight contact. I actually was not at all upset by Amari's Technical. I thought originally it was bogus but in review it was definitely a foul but did not seem intentional. I loved her being feisty. Great hook shot. I absolutely loved Geno's comment about Ayanna where he said he saw a couple Stewie rebounds tonight.

I noticed the number of face hits too. It’s rare to have a face hit where the player reacts to the contact, and the number was far above normal in this game.

 

[Bone Dog]

I think this team is going to be at least as good as the team that eventually got us to the NC game last year. There, I said it.

Yes, we don’t have Paige, who was a bit rickety down the stretch, probably from carrying the team as far as she did. But Azzi looks to be a much fuller court presence than she was last year and will only grow her game, even to titanic proportions.

And our front court depth seems better with Aubrey back, and could get to be much better as Ayanna and Amari develop. Our energy on the boards is phenomenal even now, and this was a weakness.

Our post scoring could become much better than last year, even if it seems a little erratic now. Aaliyah and Dorka look to be rising stars. And they will benefit from the next item, our perimeter game.

Our perimeter game is much better than last year, as is our ability to score in the midrange. We haven’t lost any punch in this area despite graduating 2 great players and may have gained a lot. We lost the NPOY but have somehow gotten stronger. And we haven’t even seen Caroline play yet.

Our primary opponent, SC, is probably just as strong as they were last year. PG is a question mark, but they have several candidates to make that position work. By contrast, we could bring a much stronger team to this matchup. I like our chances in the rematch before the tournament. Aaliyah and Aubrey look like they’re ready to bring the strength and energy we’ll need, and Dorka could well be a factor who can’t be accounted for in that game. If we win, we’d have to be the favorite in the tournament. But even if we lose this first game, I think we’ll come back for the rematch in the NC game even stronger.

Other teams may have gotten better from last year — Stanford, Texas, Louisville, ND, even Tennessee — but I really like our chances against all of them. There could be surprises early on, and of course injuries could derail this train. But if we beat Texas and NCst convincingly, and then Duke and Iowa, I even like our chances to run the table.

Even if we don’t get NC #12 this year, if we get knocked off in the FF, say to SC or Stanford, but play tough the whole way, imagine the consternation the rest of D1 will feel in view of the team we’ll bring back the following year.

 

[Bald Husky]

Nika had 3 personal fouls, big freakin deal. One of them shouldn't have been called. On the plus side, she had 7 assists and 6 steals. When you play the face-to-face defense that she plays fouls are bound to be called. At no time did her fouls affect her play or the teams play. Thats her game, and I wouldn't like her any other way.

 

[DefenseBB]

Glad to see that Geno played Deberry far earlier in the game tonight and even with mixed results, I think it will do wonders for her confidence.............she certainly didn't hurt the team when she was on the court......

4 Turnovers in such a brief amount of time did hurt the team....

Honestly, this team had 17 turnovers against Northeastern and only 19 assists. Aubrey and Amari were the main culprits with 4 TOs each, that can't happen....