Huskies vs. USF Game Thread

[hoophuskee]

You could just see the frustration in Geno's face over his lack of a bench.

I think it was just as much as awful fouls being called. Ref s trying to balance the game out rather than call the game fairly.

 

[donalddoowop]

Could be, with the quick turnaround also.

My hope and expectation is that the time off between the AACT and NCAAT will help.

Between now and the AACT is only the customary time off between weekday and weekend games.

If Gabby or Napheesa shot as often as KLS, they would both be averaging over 20 points. Uconn is going to need KLS to be more accurate from the three during this post season, especially if she is going to continue to shoot so many times, just as she did in the game against Memphis. When she is on, the games usually are not close. She scored in double figures again but, it took a lot of shots to do so. The better teams may not allow her to get a lot of shots attempts.

 

[HuskyNan]

Are you serious? You're actually scared UCONN is going to lose vs these teams AT HOME (barring further injuries?)?

You know Kia is probably going to play, right? And you're scared?

There are no style points in the post season. Teams only need to be one point better than the other guys. Sometimes UConn fans forget that, since most of us have absorbed Genos obsession with the elusive perfect game.

 

[nyfanofwbb]

Yup, and there was a "great pass!" from Flores for a layup that didn't go in, but it was not a great pass, it was a travel.

I saw that and thought the same thing..

 

[hoophuskee]

I didn't see a replay or close-up, but to me it looked like a pretty blatant elbow from Kyla

I thought it was an incidental bump. Though I'm not certain. I can't remember totally. But when they were going for the ball- I though tit was two players trying to get at it, and I thought she flopped.

 

[JordyG]

Observations from the Oregon State guy. First time seeing UCONN (and without Kia Nurse):

1. UCONN has to be guarded at the NBA 3-point line (just incredible shooters). You must also fight through screens & don't switch as Gabby & Napheesa will just dump it to the other player
2. UCONN players don't hold the ball, that ball is constantly on the move (very impressive)
3. Without tall UCONN players, rebounding was pretty darn good (great boxing out, and, very quick jumpers)
4. Napheesa? is crazy good. Have to have tall & quick defensive player/players to slow her down to have any chance against UCONN
5. UCONN is just relentless, no give up in any player

Now the observed "potential" chinks in the armor that is UCONN

1. USF was able to penetrate on UCONN multiple times. A tall, solid rebounding team could get 2nd shots (assuming the penetrating player got a shot off). I imagine that would not have happened had Kia Nurse been in the rotation
2. I saw many instances where USF beat UCONN down the court after a rebound/turnover
3. Said by many of you on a different thread, that foul trouble could be problematic

Having said all of that, I don't see any team beating UCONN

As for those faults you saw,

1) UConn's short(er) bench really hurts them. Kia, a junior, is their best M2M defender, an excellent 3pt shooter, and the second fastest on the team. They really missed her leak outs on offense for fast breaks and the defensive switches were really hurt by her absence. If you noted the game thread most of us were surprised and disappointed in our M2M defense tonight.

2) See #1. It's not common for UConn to get beat down court for any reason at any time. It doesn't happen often. You don't have such good defensive numbers by getting out hustled on defense. All of these "potentials" are rectifiable come time for the Dallas Dance.

3) We know about foul trouble. It was far worse at the beginning of the season. These players have learned and still are learning how to play larger or quicker opponents without fouling.

I warned you that Pheesa is athletic, balletic, and proficient in the paint and on the block. It looks like she has every shot available in the basketball repertoire. Everything she does is extremely graceful She knows her spots on the floor and the most efficient way to get there. She reads the ball off the rim better than anyone on the team. Her offensive rim awareness is the best on the team. When she hits that outside shot there's no real offensive solution for her. Lou had a bad shooting game and a poor defensive game and she had a problem keeping her opponent in front of her. Again, they're only sophomores, and Crystal, the freshman, is just starting to really run the offense.

 

[hoophuskee]

There are no style points in the post season. Teams only need to be one point better than the other guys. Sometimes UConn fans forget that, since most of us have absorbed Genos obsession with the elusive perfect game.

Sure. But UCONN isn't losing to these teams unless there are further injuries. I thought the poster was getting way too scared.

 

[HuskyNan]

Sure. But UCONN isn't losing to these teams unless there are further injuries. I thought the poster was getting way too scared.

I think the poster wants UConn to play a perfect UConn game in addition to winning.

 

[donalddoowop]

I also get the feeling that Lou has not been 100%. There may be some niggling injuries she's been silent about.

I keep saying it every game. What's wrong with her? For a consensus AA with skills around the basket that are both balletic and unguardable to score only 39 points?

What the heck is a niggling injury? Does not sound good.

 

[Bretski]

I warned you that Pheesa is athletic, balletic, and proficient in the paint and on the block. It looks like she has every shot available in the basketball repertoire. Everything she does is extremely graceful She knows her spots on the floor and the most efficient way to get there. She reads the ball off the rim better than anyone on the team. Her offensive rim awareness is the best on the team. When she hits that outside shot there's no real offensive solution for her.

exactly. watching her the last few games you can sense it....when she can hit the 3 consistently, what the hell do you do against her? everyone talking about watch out for azura next year...watch out for pheesa too

 

[hoophuskee]

I think the poster wants UConn to play a perfect UConn game in addition to winning.

Well from his below comments - it sounds like he is scared imo. His last sentence "calling out" the two teams again. In other words -- "so what we can face these two teams again? They aren't going to beat us anyways. So why focus on those two teams (calling them out as if they are teams we should focus on - and not mentioning Temple?) that aren't going to beat us?"

We're going to win this game, but we've given USF an enormous amount of confidence.

Just like Tulane, in going from the first game to the second, they will have shaved about 40 points off of the margin.

We could face both of those teams in the AACT.

 

[JordyG]

exactly. watching her the last few games you can sense it....when she can hit the 3 consistently, what the hell do you do against her? everyone talking about watch out for azura next year...watch out for pheesa too

Yeah. It's a shame she's a junior.

Wait. She's only a sophomore? This is ridiculous.

 

[JordyG]

What the heck is a niggling injury? Does not sound good.

Doesn't sound good like most rap to you and I.

Nah,

nig·gle
ˈniɡəl/
verb
gerund or present participle: niggling
cause slight but persistent annoyance, discomfort, or anxiety.
"a suspicion niggled at the back of her mind"
synonyms: irritate, annoy, bother, provoke, exasperate, upset, gall, irk, rankle with; More
informalrile, get to, bug
"his behavior does niggle me"
find fault with (someone) in a petty way.
"colleagues say he loved to niggle and criticize people"
synonyms: complain, quibble, nitpick, fuss, carp, cavil, grumble, gripe, grouse, moan
"he niggles about the prices"

 

[LO TRADER]

As for those faults you saw,

1) UConn's short(er) bench really hurts them. Kia, a junior, is their best M2M defender, an excellent 3pt shooter, and the second fastest on the team. They really missed her leak outs on offense for fast breaks and the defensive switches were really hurt by her absence. If you noted the game thread most of us were surprised and disappointed in our M2M defense tonight.

2) See #1. It's not common for UConn to get beat down court for any reason at any time. It doesn't happen often. You don't have such good defensive numbers by getting out hustled on defense. All of these "potentials" are rectifiable come time for the Dallas Dance.

3) We know about foul trouble. It was far worse at the beginning of the season. These players have learned and still are learning how to play larger or quicker opponents without fouling.

I warned you that Pheesa is athletic, balletic, and proficient in the paint and on the block. It looks like she has every shot available in the basketball repertoire. Everything she does is extremely graceful She knows her spots on the floor and the most efficient way to get there. She reads the ball off the rim better than anyone on the team. Her offensive rim awareness is the best on the team. When she hits that outside shot there's no real offensive solution for her. Lou had a bad shooting game and a poor defensive game and she had a problem keeping her opponent in front of her. Again, they're only sophomores, and Crystal, the freshman, is just starting to really run the offense.

Thank you for your reply. I wish I could have seen them play with Kia Nurse. I guess I'll wait until the NCAA Tourney!

 

[JordyG]

Thank you for your reply. I wish I could have seen them play with Kia Nurse. I guess I'll wait until the NCAA Tourney!

You're welcome, and welcome here anytime.

I think you know the respect we here have for Scott Rueck and the program he's building in Corvallis. He's modeled his program after the best and is proud to say so. I would love to see these two teams play each other at the Dance this year.

 

[chrissaran]

USF has no confidence against us. I was at the game, and you could see them tire out and not play as hard. As for Tulane, if we play them in the tournament, we will destroy them. Don't think UConn won't be thinking about that last game. They will come out focused, and they will flatten the Green Wave. Katie Lou definitely has tired legs. Every shot hit the front of the rim except for one. She needs to rest, and before next year she needs to hit the weights even more - upper body and legs.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Napheesa said in an interview recently that she did not know how to use the backboard before she came to UConn and the assistant coaches taught her how to use the backboard as her friend and now she find it very useful.

She's being very humble but I saw her a lot in AAU and high school and she used the glass plenty.

 

[Gus Mahler]

Thank you for your reply. I wish I could have seen them play with Kia Nurse. I guess I'll wait until the NCAA Tourney!

I'd like to go slightly OT and commend Scott Reuck (sp?) and OSU for the kind of year they've had considering what they lost to graduation. Going 16-2 in the conference is more than impressive.

Kia is a delightful person and arguably the most valuable player on the UConn team, one which features 3 legitimate All-American candidates (although Lou may have shot her way out of it lately).

 

[Sluconn Husky]

BTW, UConn will face the Memphis/Tulsa winner in round one of the AAC tourney. Round 2 would be UCF/Tulane.

Tulane lost to Memphis tonight....

 

[JordyG]

Pheesa also used the glass a lot during the 2015 U19 World Championships.

 

[Gus Mahler]

What I saw tonight from Queen Napheesa was scary. She's got drives to the basket from way out on the perimeter? She's going to casually, effortlessly sink threes from wherever she happens to be? Blocking shots with two hands a la Dolson? At 6'1"?

She's an angel who can ball!!

 

[donalddoowop]

She's being very humble but I saw her a lot in AAU and high school and she used the glass plenty.

Sluconn, where did you watch her high school games? Were they local or the national games they played and have you watched any of Incarnate Word's games this season? I mentioned last season that she had the same kind of inside game Gabby has but you said she was not as effective as Gabby. I believe she has proven she has just as effective an inside game. I saw almost all of her local game and she always played inside. I think I saw her shoot from mid range less than 10 times in three years and never saw her shoot a three. She must have done it in the national and AAU games. If you saw her locally, we may have been at the same games.

 

[VAMike23]

Geno used to accuse Swin Cash of missing layups and put-backs on purpose in order to pad her rebounding stats.

I thought that was the line he used on Tina..! (Knowing Geno, it could have been both )

 

[Mdoggie]

What I saw tonight from Queen Napheesa was scary. She's got drives to the basket from way out on the perimeter? She's going to casually, effortlessly sink threes from wherever she happens to be? Blocking shots with two hands a la Dolson? At 6'1"?

She's an angel who can ball!!

Coach Brian Crichlow said...... y'all know the rest lol.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Sluconn, where did you watch her high school games? Were they local or the national games they played and have you watched any of Incarnate Word's games this season?

They were local telecasts, small public channels for games usually around Thanksgiving in Webster Groves or during the playoffs in Columbia.

And you're right that she rarely took anything outside 10 feet in high school, mostly, I think, because she didn't have to.