Tennessee Postgame thread

[RedStickHusky]

Sorry, all due respect, you still don’t understand the value and importance of Nika. A basketball TEAM is about chemistry and cohesiveness. She could be the glue.
She may be even more valuable when everybody comes back. Scoring is a part of the game. She checks the intangible boxes.
Tangible boxes too. Rebounding. Out of this world. She doesn’t outlet pass, she takes it up the court and facilitates. She’s a stone wall out there. IMO she manhandled Tennessee’s point. She needs to be on the court. They’ll have 3 players that can score 20 any given night- Azzi Fudd, CW, and CD and E.
On really good teams, the best 5 on the floor is never the 5 best scorers. Like a really good stew, takes different ingredients to attain perfection.

On the other hand, and with all due respect, your opinion of what I may or may not understand doesn't really alter my opinion. With six backcourt players available for unrestricted minutes and the other five being Paige, Christyn, Caroline, Evina and Azzi, Nika's minutes are likely going to get squeezed significantly. She'll probably get 15-20 and they will probably be impactful. Not slamming anybody, it's just a crowded backcourt (if we get to that point).

 

[Gus Mahler]

I am not shocked UConn won but I will say I didn't expect a beat down without Ducharme. But Azzi? Wow, what a game. She got all those shots in the flow of the offense.

This game really did look like some of the old battles between the two. UT has a very good roster that got a lot of their wins off defense, rebounding, and out muscling the competition, while UConn always seemed to have a flow to their game that was difficult to defend.

No this year hasn't been the dream season UConn fans and others anticipated but this team looked pretty darned good yesterday even without PB and CD. Get those two back and the Huskies will be tough in March.

Right now UT is struggling and looking a little Warlick esque. I like Harper and believe she has done a good job to stop the bleeding the past few years and get things moving in a better direction but I get the feeling something is going on with them right now. If it stops they can still be a factor in the tournament but right now they look like a 2nd round team at best.

Enjoyed your post. I can't help wondering if Burrell's return has disrupted the chemistry. And losing their heart and soul player (Green) is no small thing.

 

[psconn]

Since what seems like forever UConn has a GOOD DAY.

What a joy. The best part was seeing Azzi smile so much! And Evina. And the bench.

Seven of nine was nice to look at and so was Azzi's three-point shooting (ka-boom kooshhh). But what I really liked about Azzi was early in the game when she dribbled past the right elbow, put on a quick juke move and then floated to the right for a nine-footer (which missed, but still). Then, toward the end of the third, from the left wing she faked a pass and with two hard dribbles she was in the lane and splashed a 13-footer. The mid-range! So fine from inside the line.

Did someone say Seven of Nine?

 

[Gus Mahler]

Did someone say Seven of Nine?

Yes! I started to capitalize "Nine" but didn't want to make it too obvious.

 

[Bayareahusky]

Horston was not the player she is this year

Horston better this year.... but still cannot hold onto the basketball 26 pts yeaterday..... but with 7 turnovers

 

[CL82]

Seven of nine was nice to look at

Lol, I see what you did there.

 

[Charliebball]

I'm quite the charismatic librarian, tyvm.

Shhhhhhhhh....!!!!!.......

 

[Charliebball]

I’m a librarian, I think I’m insulted!

sorry..............perhaps I'll change it to a funeral director..........was going to say accountant but I bet we've got many of those out there!!

 

[psconn]

Just watched the game again. Our team needs find a way to bring that passion and energy every time out no matter who we're playing. I be a total believer in our post-season chances if we can roll through the remainder of the schedule playing like this. I never want to see 1st quarter Creighton again.

 

[MSGRET]

Regarding "no concussion for Caroline," I don't trust that. A kid who got hit in the head and wasn't feeling well sounds like a kid with a concussion. I hope they do more for her than just a sidelines test. She should go to a neurologist for a full work-up. She looked bad in the previous game when she came out. If it's not a concussion, then medical staff should find out what it is.

Too many times in sports concussions go ignored or not properly assessed. As a dad first, I would want my daughter thoroughly checked by a specialist before concluding she was OK, and sent back onto the court.

Safety first.

So Dr. Fairfield Fan, do you know that they didn't have her looked at after the game, or just think that. I believe the reason she did not play was because the medical staff thought it was best for her to rest, not Geno. I've had concussion's with one of them that was so bad that I had a week's stay at Landstuhl Army Hospital, others were a couple of aspirins and some rest. So unless you are privey to what happened and what was diagnosed then leave it to the people that do.

 

[Littlemin]

Since what seems like forever UConn has a GOOD DAY.

What a joy. The best part was seeing Azzi smile so much! And Evina. And the bench.

Seven of nine was nice to look at and so was Azzi's three-point shooting (ka-boom kooshhh). But what I really liked about Azzi was early in the game when she dribbled past the right elbow, put on a quick juke move and then floated to the right for a nine-footer (which missed, but still). Then, toward the end of the third, from the left wing she faked a pass and with two hard dribbles she was in the lane and splashed a 13-footer. The mid-range! So fine from inside the line.

I am going to go one step further. IMO, Fudd had a terrific game, not because of the 7-9 3 point shooting or the 25 points. Not to belittle either but three of the 3’s and 11 of the points came in garbage time from the 4 minute mark up 14 to the end of the game. So yes, she scored and shot very well but……..…to me, much more impressive than the shooting was her defense, her moving the ball and herself on offense, her hunting shot opportunities when they were there in the flow of the game, her assists. Shooting comes and goes for even the best but good all around team ball on both ends of the court is a constant.

 

[dtbtbtb]

a day later but few thoughts on the game:
*This game (after the first quarter) felt like UConn of old kind of game (maybe it was the uniforms) with energy, hustle, smart plays, defense, actually running plays and making shots.
*What an amazing difference for how the game looks when you have a kid like Azzi who shoots so well.
*Azzi's fundamentals and basketball iq are off the chart.
*Now we can really dream of what (next season) a backcourt of Paige, Azzi and CD with Nika off the bench, can look like. Can you say the best backcourt in the country (by far)
*We saw the AE of last season in this game. This is the kid that thought got a good chance to be an AA one day. Hopefully this version stays for the rest of the season!
*Feel bad for CD for not playing in this game but her interactions on the bench and the whole bench responsiveness for what was going on the court was fantastic! Oh..and Paige is having way too much fun
*Geno couched a real good game. All his substitutions were on point. his Time Outs timely and the game planned worked real well. Clearly his half court adjustments worked as well with UConn starting the 3rd quarter so well.
The players:
*Azzi; wow wow wow
*AE: her best game of the season (by far). And that 3 was smooth (didn't touch rim).
*E: it was real good to see the emotions of E in this game. While not shooting well, she contributed a lot to this win.
*Nika: her energy is something else... hear Nika roar...
*ONO: fantastic on defense but still no offense against similar size players.
*DJ: contributed but hopefully will play better next game. There was one sequence where she had the ball behind the 3 point line, looked to the right, saw Azzi free and decided to shoot the 3 (and missed). Note for all UConn players: if you have an open shot for 3 and Azzi got an open shot for 3, please pass Azzi the ball.
*CW: this is a game she'd like to forget (aside then the win). On offense she was absolutely terrible (aside than that beautiful pass to Nike for a 3.

Next 3 games are against the best 3 (out of 4) teams in the conference so good tests for the team to see if the progress is real.

 

[Dove]

I loled last night when I heard a sound bite from Geno.

Something like...

"Christyn did not have a good game. Not at all. And Dorka...ehhh."

That "ehhh" was some funny stuff.

 

[Charliebball]

Good job,
I have met Coach K. I worked his camp back in '83, his early days at Duke. He also recruited a kid from a Northern Virginia private school, where I was an assistant, so I met him then too.
He wows you with his attention to detail, obvious superior competence, and this granite hard integrity. I bet Tara is similar.
Maybe, Wooden-like.

I hear you but would you call that charisma? Geno has charisma, Dawn Staley has charisma......love her or hate her Kim Mulkey has charisma..........Tara Vanderveer..........great coach..........no charisma........

 

[Rixxx]

I am an old Bob Cousey fan who loves the great pass. Azzi had a nice give and go to ONO. TN had a nice tic tac toe play late in the 4Q. Where was that earlier? I saw a clip of Sonia Citron from ND who had a behind the back assist on a fast break last week. Reminded me of Anna. I'm sorry, I just love the great pass, perhaps over the great shot.

 

[MD#12Fan]

I hear you but would you call that charisma? Geno has charisma, Dawn Staley has charisma......love her or hate her Kim Mulkey has charisma..........Tara Vanderveer..........great coach..........no charisma........

Interesting back and forth.
definition of charisma: compelling attractiveness or charm that can inspire devotion in others.
not the same thing as say, gregariousness or bravado.
was Wooden charismatic?

 

[MD#12Fan]

I am an old Bob Cousey fan who loves the great pass. Azzi had a nice give and go to ONO. TN had a nice tic tac toe play late in the 4Q. Where was that earlier? I saw a clip of Sonia Citron from ND who had a behind the back assist on a fast break last week. Reminded me of Anna. I'm sorry, I just love the great pass, perhaps over the great shot.

Nika finding Azzi on the break late in the game. She knew Azzi was there. A good passer gets it to a shooter at the right time with the ball delivered to the upper chest for a shooter. Purest shot Azzi had all day. Twine.

 

[FairView]

I’m a librarian, I think I’m insulted!

I sing the praises of librarians!

 

[freshler40]

I am going to go one step further. IMO, Fudd had a terrific game, not because of the 7-9 3 point shooting or the 25 points. Not to belittle either but three of the 3’s and 11 of the points came in garbage time from the 4 minute mark up 14 to the end of the game. So yes, she scored and shot very well but……..…to me, much more impressive than the shooting was her defense, her moving the ball and herself on offense, her hunting shot opportunities when they were there in the flow of the game, her assists. Shooting comes and goes for even the best but good all around team ball on both ends of the court is a constant.

I agree. Fudd did many things like a 4th yr player. She is very smooth, moved well without the ball like CD. She ran to her spots well, didn't fumble the ball and drove against a very good TN player for a layup. WOW. Really was Impressed with her desire to play strong defense. She might need to get a quicker first step on defense but recovered well, even after playing a lot of minutes. Azzi is a major addition to the quiver. Thanks for committing to UConn!

 

[CL82]

I don't know that she's giving them "a pass". She's correct to point out that TN's slump began after Green's injury. Sometimes the impact of a personnel loss cannot be fully measured in stats

I feel as if you’re not getting into the spirit of this thread.

 

[phil sampieri]

1. My walk of shame... As recently as a couple weeks ago, I was pretty critical of Nika's game and wishing she didn't have to play so many minutes. Since then, she's cut down on the silly circus passes and bad fouls and raised her shooting to 'good enough'. I'm happy to be proven wrong. We've been fortunate to have her get us through these rough times. She's still going to get squeezed when everyone is back, but she is a nice piece to have on the bench.
2. With Key tied to the rim, it was not a slashers game, but CW found ways to contribute and didn't shoot us out of it. Saddens me to see all these 'disappeared' comments.
3. It was cool that Nika and CW keyed that run to start the 2nd half.

 

[psconn]

And now a word from Nika.....

 

[TeamFirst!]

Horston is shooting 37% for the year, 22% from 3. She is shooting the bulk of their shots and leading the team in rebounding...etc. Green was shooting 55%. Losing green dropped the scoring efficiency of the team a lot. Green's shots are now largely Horstons shots and Horston isn't converting at the same rate. Also Key is getting fewer shots now and she is shooting at a very high percentage. Losing Green was the straw that broke the camel's back. I don't blame Horston but they need an offense, not 2 players only scoring.

 

[Jingo]

And Nika was +21, the two defensive stalwarts Led the team in that statistic.

Nika's 5 straight points in the middle of the 3rd quarter put UConn up 21 points - 46-25 - and put the game out of reach. Most of Fudd's scoring came after this point, i.e. when the game was out of reach. TN's measly 25 points were the result of Liv's patrolling the paint. These two were our players of the game, eh? Don't be fooled by "mop up" points!

 

[Charliebball]

Interesting back and forth.
definition of charisma: compelling attractiveness or charm that can inspire devotion in others.
not the same thing as say, gregariousness or bravado.
was Wooden charismatic?

hardly.........he was actually quite .........wooden..........