Some thoughts on last nites game

[Tonyc]

Well it wasnt pretty but it did allow some of the kids who dont get much playtime a chance to play. They now know where they are and where they need improvement to get to where Geno needs them to be. Bottom line they got a chance to play alot of minutes. So how did that affect our chemistry???? You saw what it did to our chemistry. It wasnt there. Now take into consideration that we had a long layoff and we've had many long layoffs this season. You absolutely can not get goin if you dont have the chance to get goin. So we finally play a game and then the next day fly to Knocksville and play a game under alot of pressure then fly back the next day and play an afternoon game with 2 key players injured. With that we're have to play some freshman who dont have alot of experience at the college level and expect the team chemistry to flow. It was obvious and you could see the hesitation as well as not knowing where to go and what to do. They werent ready to step in to this situation and it showed. Thats what happened. Dont blame the players for a poor second half because under the circumstances it may have been expected. Young, without a lot of experience and theyre suppose to step in and make it happen. The youngins need more time.

Now with that said we do need to work on playing against a zone. Two games in a row we struggled against a zone. Next we need Paige back and ready to go in a couple of days. We have a tuff stretch coming up with Ak Depaul and SC. We need to be on our game. We need Edwards and Nika to gain more experience because they are gonna see more minutes then the other freshman. The other freshman need to get it, get Geno's instruction and transform that into game situations. They need minutes too which I dont think they will get in big games, at least for now. They werent ready yesterday.

You dont judge a team by one game win or lose, good or poor. Understand this was one game and with all the cancellations and postponements its tuff. Dont forget we went 10 day quarantine too. We still have alot of talent. Paige is terrific. Evina has come along way and with the brace off looking even better. The team hasnt changed for the bad we've gotten better overall. Yesterday we just seemed to take a step back due to not having Anna and Paige. Coming back from Tenn in with a short time to get ready to play and having to depend on freshman without much game time experience did not work out well yesterday. Hey we won by 30+ and it wasnt pretty. We were struggleing against Tenn and had a 9pt lead in the 4th qtr. What changed. We played Zone defense. Maybe against top teams thats what we have to do with this team. It forces them to shoot from the outside and it keeps us out of foul trouble. When Paige went down in the Tenn game Tenn made a comeback. Along with us not continuing to play zone. It shows you how valuable Paige is to this team. Same thing yesterday. Paige was out and we didnt look the same. BTW we now know why Anna hasnt looked like herself. Get well Anna, we need you.

I thought for her first game Nika handled the ball pretty good. She was nervous as expected and she will need some time but shes one tuff girl with determination. She wants it and wants it bad. She will develop and become a very good player. Evina Christyn and Griff we can depend on. Liv is coming along. Liv may not be a banger but against Tenn in the 4th qtr she made some nice blocks, and got some good rebounds. Shes still developing her outside shot and that will make a huge difference down the road. With Liv outside and Edwards down low we've got a nice high low. These next couple of games against ranked teams, 2 on the road will tell us where we are. Good or bad if we win were fine. You know your only as good as your last game. We can't judge players on one game, good or bad. There was a girl this week who scored 50 pts in a game. Is she the next Michael Jordan??? NO

Its been a funny season . At this point in prior years we have a bunch of games under our belt and are playing much better. The only break we usually have is for exams . This season we've had alot of breaks and some breaks we are unable to run practices. Its gonna be up and down. We've seen good teams struggle against not such good teams and we've seem good teams blow out good teams and its all because of the crazy season we're in. Dont expect that to change either We proved one thing at Tenn. We know how to win under alot of pressure We learned yesterday we could beat an average team by not playing well

Hold your head up high and realized it aint gonna be either way the entire season. We've got the talent and we've got the coaching. We havent had enough games consistently to be where we need to be. My guess we're a month behind where we should be So we just push forward until we get there.

Nothing is as good as it seems, and nothing is as bad as it looks.

 

[warbler1055]

Really good summary of the season so far. You stated the obvious and absolute truth, with PB this is a different team. The players are all better with her. We could be a contender with Paige.

 

[hoophuskee]

UCONN needs Paige. Losing Anna along with Paige means two top shooters are gone. These should be their 2 best zone busters. They are also two of their 3 best passers.

 

[msf22b]

Without SNY and being in a restricted area, I watch replays...and look at box scores...listen in on the radio...I'm not so anxious to watch the replay of yesterday's game based on the commentary of our community.

I agree Tony, about the crazy season and its deleterious effects on team development (not only ours).

And I'm not going to get into individuals...well maybe one or two...
But If I'm Geno, I'm scratching my head, trying to determine exactly what I have and who I can count on day in and day out...

Paige, check, Evina, check...hmmm...and that's the problem...inexperience, inconsistency, lack of discipline, conditioning, you name it has been the hallmark of virtually all the rest...Certainly not all bad, just not your typical UConn...Perhaps that's everyone else's problem as well in this most disjointed of seasons.

I would not be surprised to see Saylor get a real look, when her quarantine ends...

 

[Carnac]

Without SNY and being in a restricted area, I watch replays...and look at box scores...listen in on the radio...I'm not so anxious to watch the replay of yesterday's game based on the commentary of our community.

I agree Tony, about the crazy season and its deleterious effects on team development (not only ours).

And I'm not going to get into individuals...well maybe one or two...
But If I'm Geno, I'm scratching my head, trying to determine exactly what I have and who I can count on day in and day out...

Paige, check, Evina, check...hmmm...and that's the problem...inexperience, inconsistency, lack of discipline, conditioning, you name it has been the hallmark of virtually all the rest...Certainly not all bad, just not your typical UConn...Perhaps that's everyone else's problem as well in this most disjointed of seasons.

I would not be surprised to see Saylor get a real look, when her quarantine ends...

If you have cards, you have to play them. Geno has nothing to lose by seeing what Saylor can do. Give her a chance to show whether she can play now or not. Don't assume anything.

 

[hoophuskee]

Without SNY and being in a restricted area, I watch replays...and look at box scores...listen in on the radio...I'm not so anxious to watch the replay of yesterday's game based on the commentary of our community.

I agree Tony, about the crazy season and its deleterious effects on team development (not only ours).

And I'm not going to get into individuals...well maybe one or two...
But If I'm Geno, I'm scratching my head, trying to determine exactly what I have and who I can count on day in and day out...

Paige, check, Evina, check...hmmm...and that's the problem...inexperience, inconsistency, lack of discipline, conditioning, you name it has been the hallmark of virtually all the rest...Certainly not all bad, just not your typical UConn...Perhaps that's everyone else's problem as well in this most disjointed of seasons.

I would not be surprised to see Saylor get a real look, when her quarantine ends...

I would give checks to CWill, Griffin and Liv too. UCONN just beat a pretty good team in Tenn. I get the feeling there is some panic going on - which if true I think is kind of crazy. If their top player is out- they aren't going to play as well. If their top player is a terrific shooter, and their other core player was supposed to also have been a terrific shooter in Anna are both hurt- they aren't going to play as well. If there is any serious analyzing going on over this game imo it is being way over-analyzed.

 

[blackbird]

I think Williams is quite obviously dependable. She might not be consistent every game - but she’s consistent in big games..when it matters.

 

[Dokey]

I think Williams is quite obviously dependable. She might not be consistent every game - but she’s consistent in big games..when it matters.

The second favorite game on the Boneyard—after dumping on Anna—is unloading on CW. Without CW, UConn would be in deep—well, stuff.

 

[itsasport]

What is being missed is the exponential increase in the number of quality players entering women's college basketball, and the quality of coaching as well (even at Tenn.)

Georgetown cannot recruit anywhere near the level of ranked players as does UConn They have suffered catastrophic injuries to many of their best players and as a result are playing with many bench players. Even so, they played remarkably well, with heart and never gave up. They are not there just for the scholarships. They have pride in their game. They clearly have an excellent coach.

Remember what the Miss. State coach was able to achieve with many unrenowned recruits.

So, I think that it is an insult to the Georgetown players and coach, and women's basketball in general, to dismiss the effort it took to beat them.

 

[Littlemin]

What is being missed is the exponential increase in the number of quality players entering women's college basketball, and the quality of coaching as well (even at Tenn.)

Georgetown cannot recruit anywhere near the level of ranked players as does UConn They have suffered catastrophic injuries to many of their best players and as a result are playing with many bench players. Even so, they played remarkably well, with heart and never gave up. They are not there just for the scholarships. They have pride in their game. They clearly have an excellent coach.

Remember what the Miss. State coach was able to achieve with many unrenowned recruits.

So, I think that it is an insult to the Georgetown players and coach, and women's basketball in general, to dismiss the effort it took to beat them.

I could not agree more; the level of disrespect on this board for virtually ANY opponent and even some Uconn players is mind boggling to me. I greatly admired the 2nd half performance by Gtown yesterday and their coach deserves a ton of credit for that.

 

[MD#12Fan]

Without SNY and being in a restricted area, I watch replays...and look at box scores...listen in on the radio...I'm not so anxious to watch the replay of yesterday's game based on the commentary of our community.

I agree Tony, about the crazy season and its deleterious effects on team development (not only ours).

And I'm not going to get into individuals...well maybe one or two...
But If I'm Geno, I'm scratching my head, trying to determine exactly what I have and who I can count on day in and day out...

Paige, check, Evina, check...hmmm...and that's the problem...inexperience, inconsistency, lack of discipline, conditioning, you name it has been the hallmark of virtually all the rest...Certainly not all bad, just not your typical UConn...Perhaps that's everyone else's problem as well in this most disjointed of seasons.

I would not be surprised to see Saylor get a real look, when her quarantine ends...

Internet service? Download on your device Fox Now. Game day go to live and you'll see a list of viewings and you should see the UConn game listed. Click it and enjoy. (or not)

 

[itsasport]

Clemson just blew away Syracuse 86-77 in overtime.

Clemson is ahead of SCar 47-43 in the 4th quarter

 

[MD#12Fan]

Oh crap! I'm going to go down this rabbit hole again! Hopefully the BY will not bludgeon me like usual.
Did you guys see the trapping? Did you see that it got better as the half (Geno pulled it back in the 2nd half) progressed? Did you see a couple of traps arise kind of organically? Best instincts IMO trapping and anticipating- Aubrey, Aaliyah, and NIKA. (PB of course, when she's on the wing, NOT on top)
Disclaimer- Geno has about 1100 more wins than me. I actually have 5 as a Div III college assistant. (yes, we were that bad) I would press with this team. We have physical talent and instincts to do it. And the depth. IMO the #1 reason to do it, is to open the court up to take advantage of our talent and skills. The polar opposite of that is watching our team's zone offense against a packed-in zone. We even have some shot blockers in the back.
Here's a historic team to consider- John Wooden's first title at UCLA in 1964. He had 3 NBA players (2 HOFers I believe), but the team was dramatically undersized. The back of the 2-2-1 press was 6'5" Keith Erickson. (I add 5-6 inches to the heights of women to equalize, so I think of Gabby as like 6'4" in man world) They were incredibly cerebral, though. Probably from practicing and playing this style 24-7. If interested google: ucla press keith erickson)
Ok folks- have at me.

 

[hoophuskee]

Oh crap! I'm going to go down this rabbit hole again! Hopefully the BY will not bludgeon me like usual.
Did you guys see the trapping? Did you see that it got better as the half (Geno pulled it back in the 2nd half) progressed? Did you see a couple of traps arise kind of organically? Best instincts IMO trapping and anticipating- Aubrey, Aaliyah, and NIKA. (PB of course, when she's on the wing, NOT on top)
Disclaimer- Geno has about 1100 more wins than me. I actually have 5 as a Div III college assistant. (yes, we were that bad) I would press with this team. We have physical talent and instincts to do it. And the depth. IMO the #1 reason to do it, is to open the court up to take advantage of our talent and skills. The polar opposite of that is watching our team's zone offense against a packed-in zone. We even have some shot blockers in the back.
Here's a historic team to consider- John Wooden's first title at UCLA in 1964. He had 3 NBA players (2 HOFers I believe), but the team was dramatically undersized. The back of the 2-2-1 press was 6'5" Keith Erickson. (I add 5-6 inches to the heights of women to equalize, so I think of Gabby as like 6'4" in man world) They were incredibly cerebral, though. Probably from practicing and playing this style 24-7. If interested google: ucla press keith erickson)
Ok folks- have at me.

Against bad teams you can press all day and it will be successful. And GTOWN is a very bad team. I'm with you against any bad teams or teams that don't have good guards press them until game is comfortably in hand. However halfcourt execution needs to be worked on too.

Paige needs to understand she is the number 1 weapon in halfcourt. She won't learn unless you play her. And no reason not to play her 30+ as she continues to learn to try to be a scorer provided she is healthy.

 

[MD#12Fan]

Against bad teams you can press all day and it will be successful. And GTOWN is a very bad team. I'm with you against any bad teams or teams that don't have good guards press them until game is comfortably in hand. However halfcourt execution needs to be worked on too.

Paige needs to understand she is the number 1 weapon in halfcourt. She won't learn unless you play her. And no reason not to play her 30+ as she continues to learn to try to be a scorer provided she is healthy.

That rebuttal, paraphrasing, "pressing only works against poor teams" flowed from your keyboard too easily. You gotta have more than that. Pressing is a legitimate basketball approach. Of course, everything is based on your talent versus your opponents. Like any competition, you have to assess your strengths versus your opponents. Do you golf, coach hoops, play cards? applies to any competition.
I'd argue that we are a team of athletic guards. To me, that is our ace in the hole. Our initial starting lineup was 4 2's and a 4/5. That fact can actually be an advantage. It's incumbent on us to use it to our advantage.
If I've got a bout against a puncher, and I'm a boxer, then you better bet that I'm going to box, not stand there and punch.

 

[Jingo]

Without SNY and being in a restricted area, I watch replays...and look at box scores...listen in on the radio...I'm not so anxious to watch the replay of yesterday's game based on the commentary of our community.

I agree Tony, about the crazy season and its deleterious effects on team development (not only ours).

And I'm not going to get into individuals...well maybe one or two...
But If I'm Geno, I'm scratching my head, trying to determine exactly what I have and who I can count on day in and day out...

Paige, check, Evina, check...hmmm...and that's the problem...inexperience, inconsistency, lack of discipline, conditioning, you name it has been the hallmark of virtually all the rest...Certainly not all bad, just not your typical UConn...Perhaps that's everyone else's problem as well in this most disjointed of seasons.

I would not be surprised to see Saylor get a real look, when her quarantine ends...

Olivia, check ..

 

[hoophuskee]

That rebuttal, paraphrasing, "pressing only works against poor teams" flowed from your keyboard too easily. You gotta have more than that. Pressing is a legitimate basketball approach. Of course, everything is based on your talent versus your opponents. Like any competition, you have to assess your strengths versus your opponents. Do you golf, coach hoops, play cards? applies to any competition.
I'd argue that we are a team of athletic guards. To me, that is our ace in the hole. Our initial starting lineup was 4 2's and a 4/5. That fact can actually be an advantage. It's incumbent on us to use it to our advantage.
If I've got a bout against a puncher, and I'm a boxer, then you better bet that I'm going to box, not stand there and punch.

I didn't; say it will only work vs bad teams. I said I'd only use it vs bad teams or teams with not good guards.

As stated in the past with our disagreement on this subject -- imo too much risk vs reward. I want Paige playing as many minutes as possible. I want Evina playing 30+ minutes or maybe more in a big game rather than limit her minutes. IMo I believe there is a big separation between CWIll and Nika. Now with Anna hurt even more of an issue with depth. Thus I agree we do have athletic guards but they are better off not risking them with cheap fouls or wearing them down by going 40 minutes of hell when you don’t need to and can still win.

And just because you have athletes that can press doesn’t mean it will be successful.

I think our Ace in the Hole is Paige Bueckers and Evina Westbrook. I feel pressing them can unnecessarily wear them down or get them in cheap foul trouble. I want my stars playing. I want them on the bench as little as possible.

I can box in halfcourt by controlling tempo and win with halfcourt execution. NC State won as a boxer vs Phi Slamma Jamma. Duke beat UNLV as a boxer. Villanova beat GTOWN as a boxer. The stars at UCONN are unlikely to be worn down if UCONN controls tempo and runs when chances arise otherwise run a terrific halfcourt offense. Which if healthy they probably will do.

I hope I am not pissing you off with these disagreements. I respect your opinion a ton. Oldhuskie’s too. I think a pressing team is super exciting. But I see it in this case as Sugar Ray thinking he can outslug Roberto Duran. We don’t need to force pace in the fight and turn it into a brawl. With our superior guards we can outbox them with superior efficient play.

 

[MD#12Fan]

Disagreement is what makes it fun. There’s more than one way to skin a cat.
I think you turned around the boxing analogy on me. Last year we basically played a half court game with Baylor and they were bigger and stronger than we were. Everybody said we just missed makeable shots. I just thought that the shots were challenged by bigger people and that threw us off. (Tenn the other night?)
We let the blonde power forward (sorry old age) look like a superstar. IMO we decided to go toe to toe with them in the “middle of the ring” and they scored about an 8th round KO.
Remember, up tempo tires out the team getting pressed too. Remember- Loyola Marymount with Westhead watched the opponent grabbing their shorts as a sign that they had them where they wanted them.
What top 10 team in WCBB has a bench as good as ours. Now, if Nika is out there for 3 minutes to give PB a break, I would argue that is advantage UConn. She’s gunna make a mistake or 2 but she’s also gunna get in the opponent’s grill and at least maintain the tempo. On a good day, she’ll even give the group a jolt.
Til next time.......

 

[Jingo]

Oh crap! I'm going to go down this rabbit hole again! Hopefully the BY will not bludgeon me like usual.
Did you guys see the trapping? Did you see that it got better as the half (Geno pulled it back in the 2nd half) progressed? Did you see a couple of traps arise kind of organically? Best instincts IMO trapping and anticipating- Aubrey, Aaliyah, and NIKA. (PB of course, when she's on the wing, NOT on top)
Disclaimer- Geno has about 1100 more wins than me. I actually have 5 as a Div III college assistant. (yes, we were that bad) I would press with this team. We have physical talent and instincts to do it. And the depth. IMO the #1 reason to do it, is to open the court up to take advantage of our talent and skills. The polar opposite of that is watching our team's zone offense against a packed-in zone. We even have some shot blockers in the back.
Here's a historic team to consider- John Wooden's first title at UCLA in 1964. He had 3 NBA players (2 HOFers I believe), but the team was dramatically undersized. The back of the 2-2-1 press was 6'5" Keith Erickson. (I add 5-6 inches to the heights of women to equalize, so I think of Gabby as like 6'4" in man world) They were incredibly cerebral, though. Probably from practicing and playing this style 24-7. If interested google: ucla press keith erickson)
Ok folks- have at me.

I have mentioned the UCLA press in several prior posts arguing that we have the personnel to implement Wooden's famous 2-2-1 three-quarter zone press similar to the Hazzard/Goodrich/Erickson press of 1964. With UConn's current team I projected Mir&Aubrey on top with AE&PB in the back row[as anticipators] & Liv protecting the rim.
Additionally, as a HUGE bonus, this lineup would be an awesome rebounding squad, much better [relatively] than the 1964 UCLA squad that won the men's title.

 

[MD#12Fan]

I have mentioned the UCLA press in several prior posts arguing that we have the personnel to implement Wooden's famous 2-2-1 three-quarter zone press similar to the Hazzard/Goodrich/Erickson press of 1964. With UConn's current team I projected Mir&Aubrey on top with AE&PB in the back row[as anticipators] & Liv protecting the rim.
Additionally, as a HUGE bonus, this lineup would be an awesome rebounding squad, much better [relatively] than the 1964 UCLA squad that won the men's title.

Sweet!!
Mir’s gotta sub in. Can Evina, CW or PB take that top spot. PB’s strength is anticipation. I say E on top.

 

[hoophuskee]

Disagreement is what makes it fun. There’s more than one way to skin a cat.
I think you turned around the boxing analogy on me. Last year we basically played a half court game with Baylor and they were bigger and stronger than we were. Everybody said we just missed makeable shots. I just thought that the shots were challenged by bigger people and that threw us off. (Tenn the other night?)
We let the blonde power forward (sorry old age) look like a superstar. IMO we decided to go toe to toe with them in the “middle of the ring” and they scored about an 8th round KO.
Remember, up tempo tires out the team getting pressed too. Remember- Loyola Marymount with Westhead watched the opponent grabbing their shorts as a sign that they had them where they wanted them.
What top 10 team in WCBB has a bench as good as ours. Now, if Nika is out there for 3 minutes to give PB a break, I would argue that is advantage UConn. She’s gunna make a mistake or 2 but she’s also gunna get in the opponent’s grill and at least maintain the tempo. On a good day, she’ll even give the group a jolt.
Til next time.......

We beat Tennessee. That's my point. We don't need it.

And when you press like Georgetown did to Villanova, it didn't tire Nova out. Because they were able to control the tempo. And if the opposing team can control tempo- those 18-21 year olds that are controlling the tempo won't tire out. So what good is the deep bench in this circumstance? It can keep your best players off the floor. That's not good. imo

And I don't understand your Nika point. You mention "3 minutes." So you are okay with Paige playing 37 minutes? In case you want less from her, I'll just also counter though - that it is easier for the offensive player that is now being guarded by Nika on defense to not exert as much energy guarding Nika vs Paige. Matter of fact, with Paige in the game the defense has to scramble to find her because she is such a threat. With Nika in the game and others that aren't so hot shooters then for example, they can sit in a zone and not expend near as much energy defending Nika and UCONN overall.

I understand that "on a good day Nika can give the team a jolt." But on "any day Paige can give the team a jolt." We saw recently even when hurt the superstar, Paige, made the winning play. To further that, we heard Rebecca praise Rae for her defense on Paige in the 1st half but in the 2nd half how many points did Rae score? Very, very few. Maybe she was getting worn down because she had to defend Paige. If Paige only plays 30 minutes instead of 37 - Rae (and the Tenn team) would have had some sort of rest on defense.

 

[Jingo]

Sweet!!
Mir’s gotta sub in. Can Evina, CW or PB take that top spot. PB’s strength is anticipation. I say E on top.

"E on top" that works for me, as long as her knee holds up, eh?

 

[Sluconn Husky]

One thing that should be very clear by now, and even clearer after the Georgetown game, is that reports of UConn's great depth have been greatly exaggerated. This is a 6-player team at most against quality competition.

 

[Jingo]

One thing that should be very clear by now, and even clearer after the Georgetown game, is that reports of UConn's great depth have been greatly exaggerated. This is a 6-player team at most against quality competition.

The Georgetown game didn't 'show' anything .. why? because we were only up 39-11 at halftime? this game didn't predict anything, eh?