NC St Postgame Thread

[The deacon]

Still cannot believe we beat a #10 team by 22 pts with only 5 players ..

Perhaps not as much as they will contribute later on, but Caroline and Ayanna were valuable during their respective 11-minute stints. I'd call it seven players.

 

[Charliebball]

Just watched the finish. 2 unbelievable brain farts by Stanford with seconds left. A five second call and calling a timeout when there weren’t any left. Stanford should definitely drop.

and here I thought Stanford only has the brightest players/coaches.............

 

[Charliebball]

Oh, I know. I've been hoping and hoping ,also, that she just gets some minutes. There aren't many 6'5"s around.

the subs certainly could have been brought in with three or four minutes to go up twenty three

 

[jabstep]

IMO Stanford lacks a point guard and players who can create their own shot. Only Jones and Brink seem to be able to create their own shot

South Carolina does that to teams. They did it to us in the final game last year. They used Henderson on Paige last year copying the little quick guard to chase her around screens like McDonald did the year before. Paige dominated Beal the first Paige played SC and we won. Dawn Staley is a very good coach. I imagine they we either use Cook or possible Amihere on Azzi. She has so much length. She could give Azzi trouble.

 

[Charliebball]

those weren't really "misses"..........we pretty much knew those two were going to be "system" players..........

 

[TeamFirst!]

IMO Stanford lacks a point guard and players who can create their own shot. Only Jones and Brink seem to be able to create their own shot

I think Lepolo is decent, especially for a Freshman. She penetrates well and doesn't turn it over much. Shooting 57%. No team looks like it can create their own shot against SC. Stanford has a ton of depth and probably continues to improve. South Carolina really struggled when Boston got into foul trouble but they have a ton of weapons also and just play crushing defense. Stanford out rebounded SC today by 6 rebounds. Stanford blew that game. 22 turnovers compared to SC's 11. They play everyone (11 players today ) and that might have been what cost them today's game. I don't get playing Prechtel 33 minutes and Betts 4 minutes today.

 

[MSGRET]

After watching today's game, I believe that UConn may have more problems with some of the Big East teams than they did today against NC State. Currently there are 3 other teams in the Big East that are undefeated and they are Creighton, Villanova, and Marquette.

 

[housekeys]

To beat SC and /or Stanford you need to out-possess them. All things being equal, UConn is the better shooting team. The great equalizer for SC (like today vs. Stanford, 73 vs 66, for example) is the extra possessions they get. Extra possessions are due to out-rebounding and/or turning over your opponent (i.e. great DEFENSE). This is why, players like Dorka, even Amari, may be essential to UConn's needs against SC and Stanford. Taking care of the ball is also paramount. Not worried about our shooting. Even out the possessions and UConn has a very good chance to beat SC or Stanford. All IMHO.

 

[BBallF]

Lou - she came to UConn from Fairfield and isn’t used to playing Top 10 teams regularly. She needed a half to adjust to the speed and physicality. She’ll continue learning on her road to becoming a viable pro

Caroline - appeared to me to be moving gingerly as though she’s sore or afraid of getting hit. More practices should help

Amari and Ines - simply aren’t ready to have expectations against a team the caliber of NC State put upon them yet.

I rewatched the second half. Lou was moving a lot more on both offense and defense than she did either in the first half or in limited minutes against Texas. Once she made the 3 where she was fouled she didn't stop. She hit 2 open 3s, had that great 3 point play on the fast break dish from Nika, and hit some sweet pull up jumpers. Whatever the reason(s), that kind of scoring creates a tremendous burden on an opposing defense who has to always concentrate on Azzi.

 

[Carnac]

It won’t be that way often. Enjoy the win. Bench points and production will take care of itself. There’s nothing we can do about it. That’s Geno’s job. He will handle it.

 

[Husky fanatic]

This team is starting to remind me of Lou and Pheesa’s sophomore year.

 

[MD#12Fan]

For sure. He’s been missing on bigs for a while now. Maybe he got a little complacent, thinking the game was moving away from post play and more to guard and small forward play. Plus he struck gold with Wolters and Dolson for example. Like Belichick and running backs, maybe Geno thought he could put anybody out there at post. Then the pendulum swung back to bigs in WCBB.
We‘re gunna out score and outwork ‘‘em this year

 

[Tonyc]

UConn is down 4 stars and they have a balanced attack on both sides of the ball. 4 ball handlers that can create their own shot and make them. Dorks and Caroline get healthy and it’s lights out. Azzi is better then advertised. I was told by a very good source she’s the next Maya Moore and she’s looking like it.

 

[ballerfan]

Just read the comments. Azzi might be the best player in the country right now, and I was also impressed by the screens that set up some of her shots.

But who was the most valuable player today? Probably Azzi, but imagine the game without Nika and her 15 assists. Or Lou with 20 in the second half, mimicking Azzi’s 22 in the first. Or Aubrey, who scored 16 and stole the ball repeatedly and generally created chaos for NCS, demoralizing them. AE was so dominant and a completely different player compared with last year.

I’m partial to Lou because I’m in France, but I truly think she can put up as many points as Azzi. She got 20 in 29 minutes, Azzi 32 in 40.

Most impressive is the team chemistry and their agressive play. They’re scary. I look forward to the South Carolina game.

It’s the middle of the night here. Bonne nuit.

 

[boontonbomber]

the subs certainly could have been brought in with three or four minutes to go up twenty three

Yes. Especially Amari.

 

[boontonbomber]

For sure. He’s been missing on bigs for a while now. Maybe he got a little complacent, thinking the game was moving away from post play and more to guard and small forward play. Plus he struck gold with Wolters and Dolson for example. Like Belichick and running backs, maybe Geno thought he could put anybody out there at post. Then the pendulum swung back to bigs in WCBB.
We‘re gunna out score and outwork ‘‘em this year

They really developed Wolters and Dolson. Amari probably was more talented coming out of high school than either of them.

 

[HuskyNan]

She had the kinesiology tape on her neck today so it’s probably muscular. I’ve had recurring muscle spasms in my shoulder/neck and it can be painful.

 

[JellyBean]

We definitely missed Aubrey last year. Her activity level is a spark on both ends of the floor. Glad that she is able to play and give the team that extra intensity. Her ability to read the floor. Huge. That kick up to Lou for the 3 ball. Sweet!!

Nika. Nika. Nika! It is joy to see her make so much progress each game & each season. Nika just plays her game. She does not try to do anything that isn't within her skill set. That is why she is such a joy to watch. I remember folks were saying how she needed to shoot more. She got multiple shooters out there and she is finding them. Low post, on the wing, or in transition, she is finding them. That No-Look to Lou for And-1.....EPIC!! Well done, Nika. Keep shining, young lady.

Aaliyah- OMG! I am loving this new level Aaliyah. She is coming out of her shell and playing at a nice level. She is active on the glass. 12 rebounds!? The improved free throw shooting!? Her intensity out there on both ends of the floor. I am loving this! So glad to see Aaliyah playing like this. We all knew that she could. She just needed that extra confidence. Jerry West and probably every other athlete has said this, but I heard Jerry say it "Confidence is a lot of this game and any game really. If you don't think you can, you won't" Glad that Aaliyah seems to be playing with a lot of confidence out there.

Azzi- What a marvelous performance. Back-to-Back 32-point games. She is another player that is a joy to watch. Not just because of the shooting. She is fun to watch because she runs to her spots, cuts, boxes out, and just plays within the flow of the game. She doesn't force shots even though Coach wants her to shoot, she knows where and when to strike, like a cobra.

Lou- OMG! What a positive addition to the team. A sniper. She reads the floor well. That drive and high off the glass layup, a thing of beauty. She is active on the defensive end. It is a huge plus having her out there. She gives the program another offensive weapon. So glad that we have her on the squad.

Caroline- Glad to see her out on the floor and her minutes are increasing. Once she gets back into the rhythm of things, I hope that Coach don't forget about her and she gets lost on the bench. She is going to be another offensive weapon. We got the Splash Sisters; CD, Azzi, and Lou!

Amari and Ines-Keep the confidence ladies. Your time will come. Hang in there & stay positive.

 

[eebmg]

Student Presser



Aubrey, Aaliyah and Nika

Nika took control of the presser the way she took control of the team.

 

[eebmg]

Wes Moore

 

[eebmg]

Geno