Top 3 Things You Want To See Wednesday Night At Xavier

[BBallF]

After South Carolina, there are many evident improvements that can be made but whether they will have any substantive effect on the season is another issue. However, there is still a season, a BE tourney and an NCAA tourney ahead so the loss has to be forgotten, like a missed putt or shanked iron, and we must carry on. To that end, here are my top 3 things:

1) Let's go into Liyah more and more underneath but she has to selectively determine whether a drive or a kick back out for a 3 or to get it back inside ala Kevin McHale is the way to go.

2) KK to not force the drives. Her speed is non-pareil but it doesn't work alone at this level, there has to be a pull up or more discretion against the bigger, better teams.

3) Nika and Paige to reassert themselves on both ends of the court.

Xavier is 1-20 so a win is not in doubt but we have to run the table now until the Big Dance and we can do it.

 

[Longtime fan]

We need people like ICE to actually score a point or two.
We need KK to do the same, even though her defense has been excellent.
Shade cannot shoot at a 6/19 clip.

 

[boscolino]

A good 3pointers percentage
Bench showing some confidence
No injuries

 

[Ozimoto]

Composure
Discipline
focus

 

[Rowdy831]

1. Put the 4 guard offense on the shelf for the rest of the regular season and start preparing for the better teams you will be seeing in the NCAA Tournament. It is hurting the perimeter defense and is way to easy to exploit driving to the basket. They MUST have two players with size (Amari or Ice) on the court at all times.

2. Protect Paige on the defensive end of the floor. They are asking her to play a taller more physical player and want her to score 25 per game. It is evident she is getting worn down and they MUST protect her and AE to have any chance of winning deep in the tournament. Playing two tall players at all times does both.

3. Rely less on 3 point shots. They have one player who has consistently made them and she doesn't like to shoot. Shade in not a 3pt shooter and when she tries to be she misses too many shots. Let he drive and pull up from 15-18 feet where she is money.

This team could still win deep in the tournament but they have shown the current line up is not the answer. To keep pushing them out there against good teams is insanity and the coaches like the players need to be fluid and make changes when things aren't working.

 

[JellyBean]

1). Ice asserting herself and whatever minutes she gets on the floor, she gets that many rebounds.
2). The starters, if Paige is going to go "Caitlin Clark" out there, the other four players have to be ready to catch and shoot and try not to get lost in the sauce just watching.
3). No injuries.

Bonus: No starters playing more than 30 minutes. Unless we are lost in the sauce and playing down to our competition's level and struggling out there to where the starters have to play over 30 minutes.

 

[Inthepaint]

1) Geno find a way to translate what’s in his head to the players on the court
2) PLEASE, PLEASE… make those bunnies
3) UCONN used to pass up a good shot for a better one. Let’s try that

 

[Husky fanatic]

1. Shade a minimum of 40% on 3’s
2. Nika remembers how to shoot
3. Aggressive defense

 

[Huskie837]

Ice and Q Di do well
KK with double digit points
Shade +50% on 3s

 

[EricLA]

Xavier is dreadful. I expect it to be a cakewalk and will be disappointed if we don't win each quarter by at least 10. I don't want any of this "letdown" crap, or lack of focus. I get we start 2 freshmen, and our bench is sub-par against experienced competition, but we also start 2 seniors and 1 RS junior.

• ALL the freshmen to get out of their funks/freshman wall
• Win by 40+ going away
• Intensity for the full 40 minutes

As Geno said, the team is not going to get appreciably better. They aren't going to magically get bigger, faster, etc. What they can do is push thru the freshmen walls, see where they have failed when on the floor against good competition, and keep working to improve.

 

[BBallF]

Xavier is dreadful. I expect it to be a cakewalk and will be disappointed if we don't win each quarter by at least 10. I don't want any of this "letdown" crap, or lack of focus. I get we start 2 freshmen, and our bench is sub-par against experienced competition, but we also start 2 seniors and 1 RS junior.

• ALL the freshmen to get out of their funks/freshman wall
• Win by 40+ going away
• Intensity for the full 40 minutes

As Geno said, the team is not going to get appreciably better. They aren't going to magically get bigger, faster, etc. What they can do is push thru the freshmen walls, see where they have failed when on the floor against good competition, and keep working to improve.

Be the best that you can be as the slogan goes. The problem is that we are not even nearly there yet. I don't know that we are ever going to self-actualize this year and even if we do, how far it will take us. However, that is all you can ever be. I doubt that even the best version of us, as Geno said, has a great upside and perhaps marginal improvement is the right goal. We shall see. The acorn may grow into the mighty oak tree, but alas the sunflower seed can only become a sunflower plant. Yet, there are those glimmers of greatness at times so we believe...........

 

[BRS24]

That the chat room is active and full of lively discussion between actual UConn WBB fans?

Oh, it says AT Xavier ... then I'd like more involvement offensively from everyone, fewer mental mistakes, and crisp efficient player and ball movement.

 

[Bone Dog]

1. Q
2. Q
3. Q

 

[Zarathustra]

1. A win
2. No injury
3. Regroup for the remainder of the schedule.
( in the sense of a renewed mindset )

 

[borninansonia]

They have fun

 

[Tonyc]

Poise
Confidence
Improvement

 

[Skeets]

What I want to see, or what I expect to see? I'll give you what I want to see:

1. a big win with no injuries
2. a double-double for Amari
3. a triple-double for Ines

 

[HuskieDawg]

Xavier is 1-20.

1. Put it to them from the tap the game should not be in doubt by the time Q1 ends.
2. Give Paige and AE as much rest as can be given, there will be few games left where they won't be playing major minutes, give them a break here if possible.
3. Ice and Q making positive steps in their development.

 

[Pharos]

I'll do my crazy best again... similar to before, but now with the SC experience to build on.
1. Paige shoots every 3 she gets even with a hand in her face.
2. KK with point responsibility with this caveat... with as little dribbling as possible
3. Amari fouls out. (Per prior response: if she can do that in < 2 minutes, great!) She needs some experience to learn where the boundaries are between good aggression and rule-breaking aggression. "Let 'er rip, Amari!)

 

[meyers7]

Put up at least 95 points. Give up no more then 45.

 

[Pharos]

I'll do my crazy best again... similar to before, but now with the SC experience to build on.
1. Paige shoots every 3 she gets even with a hand in her face.
2. KK with point responsibility with this caveat... with as little dribbling as possible
3. Amari fouls out. (Per prior response: if she can do that in < 2 minutes, great!) She needs some experience to learn where the boundaries are between good aggression and rule-breaking aggression. "Let 'er rip, Amari!)

Replying to my own... Apparently, on my #1, I agree with Dawn Staley. Wow.

 

[EasyEd]

1. Starters hit a high percentage of shots 55%+ for 2s, 40%+ for 3s
2. Extended minutes from bench players, especially Ice and Q.
3. Smart basketball: no forcing/telegraphing ball into the post, good communication on D, good boxing out on rebounds, etc.

 

[Longtime fan]

This has to be the worst team UCONN has ever played. No disrespect to Xavier. But coming on the heels of paying the best team we have ever played, I can't predict the outcome. But all basketball fans should be prepared to wear a decorative blindfold at times. Geno should start the bottom five players ( DeBerry, Inez, Q, Ice and ???...maybe we just play four....as in Hoosiers..... and let them go until the end. Give Paige, Edwards and Nika the day off.

 

[reelfan]

A HUGE breakout game for Brady, 15 / 12 / 5.

 

[Longtime fan]

A HUGE breakout game for Brady, 15 / 12 / 5.

I know why you are saying that. Because the numbers are there. But I am telling you; that game did not count. My. middle school team would beat that Xavier team. I will get on the train that says ICE played really well. But I won't believe her improvement is real until I see her do it for the rest of the year. Seriously, when the competition is that lame, everyone should have had a double double. The fact that several players didn't do better ( all the misses by Shade, for example) is more a concern to me.