UConn - Minnesota post game thread

[RoadMaster]

Some highlights..Swipe Left

 

[LarryLegend]

Did anyone notice after KK hit that end of quarter running 3 pointer, that everyone on UConn bench jumped up quickly except Azzi? Look at the slow motion repeat to really notice this- what I saw I didn't like. Hoping she is just being extra cautious but her movement looked very restricted.

see what you mean.

 

[Husky fanatic]

Caroline a bit better but needs to finish. Freshmen did a good job creating a spark. Amari and Ines in the game with less than a twe point lead. Is Geno nuts?

 

[huskyblooz]

Were they Big10 refs? They let it get physical. Every cut, Every post up. Every screen, was met with contact and they let it go. Refs let them play. We have always been a finesse team. I dont know.
It was ugly from the beginning. Almost unwatchable.

 

[topogigio]

Very ugly win, but a W nonetheless. The offense still looked stagnant for the most part, and there was not much ball movement against the zone - which was a hallmark of the Huskies. Outside shooting was abysmal. Defense was very good from mid 2nd period on. I don't get it, on paper this team is much better. Unfortunately, they play on hardwood and not on paper. I do like the youngsters, however!

 

[HopJim]

I don’t agree about Minnesota’s defense. UConn was sloppy and missed a bunch of layups - I think they were trying to put on a show for Paige’s homecoming. Still, the game isn’t without merit; they need to learn how to win when the shots don’t fall.

Not the prettiest game I’ve ever seen

Agree. One of Paige's worst shooting games. If she made 33% of her open 3's, UConn put this game away much earlier. No one else way making 3's so maybe I am not giving Minn. enought credit on defense.

 

[The deacon]

Not every game will be a thing of beauty or a blow out.

This was a grind it out game. Not pretty and ugly at times. The third quarter was the difference.

Kudos again to the freshmen. They are not afraid of the spotlight. A solid 19 points from the bench.

Durcharme seems to be lost. Not sure we Azzi for a while.

What did Caroline do today to give you the impression she was lost? She played just 13 minutes, played solid D, had three rebounds, two steals, an assist, made one of her two shots and generally moved well. She also cut numerous times through the lane and teammates didn't pass it to her.

Those who were pointing to the sluggish nature of the offense should note Nika was at the helm for 37 of the 40 minutes. She did drive to the hoop several times and scored 11 points, but otherwise did little to inspire the offense.

 

[MSGRET]

People are screaming that the sky is falling and UConn is going to lose to UCLA if they don't do so and so. Guess what UCLA almost lost to Princeton, Maryland just barely beat Syracuse, NC State had a single digit win against Rhode Island and all of those games were on the road for the losers. This was a typical Big 10 physical game that the refs called and in the long run it's a learning experience for the whole team. I don't see UConn losing to UCLA after seeing that UCLA didn't win that game, but Princeton lost a game they should of won. Just wonder when the Nika haters will try and say it was all her fault.

 

[oldude]

People are screaming that the sky is falling and UConn is going to lose to UCLA if they don't do so and so. Guess what UCLA almost lost to Princeton, Maryland just barely beat Syracuse, NC State had a single digit win against Rhode Island and all of those games were on the road for the losers. This was a typical Big 10 physical game that the refs called and in the long run it's a learning experience for the whole team. I don't see UConn losing to UCLA after seeing that UCLA didn't win that game, but Princeton lost a game they should have won. Just wonder when the Nika haters will try and say it was all her fault.

Don’t forget that an unranked Duke team took Stanford to OT in Palo Alto, after the Blue Devils barely survived their matchup with Columbia out of the Ivy League.

Looks kind of like parity in WBB….everywhere but Columbia, SC…..

 

[Rdkid]

Geno has said in at least one press conference that he and his staff review video of the bench after every game, looking for bad body language.

The Hall of Fame coach can do whatever he wants. I’m talking about any of us trying to read some kid’s mind by how they appear in a 3 second TV blip.

 

[Cuango]

I cannot believe how many bunnies we’re missing! Aaliyah has traveled an/or been tied up or fumbled the ball over the last three games more than I can remember in a very long time. I think she’s not quite settled in yet! She just seems a bit distracted and unsure of herself. Hopefully she’s working her way back though as she seemed better in the second half. Paige too looked off today, not that that would be a surprise. She still found ways to assert herself however.
I thought Minnesota looked pretty tough and well prepared and simply wore down as the game went on. They’re going to win a lot of games I think. They’re tough and well-coached! Our rebounding continues to be a concern. I hope Yanna can help out with that.
Finally, I’m wondering why Aubrey is absolutely refusing to shoot the open three? I‘ve watched her pass repeatedly when there was no player within 10 feet of her. So happy they were able to continue the tough defense from the last game! We will need it against our next two opponents for sure.

 

[FridaFriend]

Does Q remind anyone else of a young Swin Cash? Very long, aggressive, beautiful shot, no fear.

Swin was also very thin, but aggressive like Q

 

[dtbtbtb]

Few Thoughts:
*Great: the defense. Clearly Min. is not a great offensive team but the defense of UConn was suffocating.
*Real good: the Freshmen are playing and contributing. Love the confidence they all play with.
Not good: rebounding. Must get better in rebounding and it's not clear how as both WE and Ice are not leapers.
*Bad: the offense. Totally disjointed. No flow...
*Ugly: missing way too many layups.
We clearly need another reliable 3 point shooter.

 

[SEbluebood]

Wow, didn't see that coming...see what? I didn't expect Minnesota's defense to be that good...it wasn't a produce turnovers good kind of defense (only 13 turnovers). I would instead characterize it as more of a selfish, stingy kind of defense...the kind of defense that only allows their opponent to get 9 offensive boards most of them in late in the 3rd quarter and the 4th quarter. It was the kind of defense that limits their opponent in the first half to 25 shots while taking 38 shots themselves. It was the kind of defense that didn't allow their opponent to make a 3-pointer until the second half and held them to only 3-15 from three while they themselves took 34 threes and made 6 of them.

For UConn at the end of the day...offense = coyote ugly; defense = a thing of beauty. The defense won this game...UConn has a problem figuring out how to make up for Azzi Fudd's missing offense...however, 19 points came off the bench today...not bad but we are going to need closer to 30 points from the bench to be able to replace the loss of Azzi.

Well, a win is a win...until we get our rhythm and we get hopefully Azzi and Patterson back...we need to keep the "Ws" coming.

What did Caroline do today to give you the impression she was lost? She played just 13 minutes, played solid D, had three rebounds, two steals, an assist, made one of her two shots and generally moved well. She also cut numerous times through the lane and teammates didn't pass it to her.

Those who were pointing to the sluggish nature of the offense should note Nika was at the helm for 37 of the 40 minutes. She did drive to the hoop several times and scored 11 points, but otherwise did little to inspire the offense.

Also missed a free throw and had two fouls including another offensive foul, and a turnover. Not sure if it was a step forward, but we can hope.

 

[Bone Dog]

Three years ago, our typical pattern was to go into halftime with a double digit lead. In many cases especially in February and March the game was practically settled by the end of the first quarter. This season it looks more and more like the third quarter is the one in which we blow the game open. I wonder why the change. Is it a conditioning thing? Given D1 parity do we have to run opponents ragged before putting the game out of reach?

 

[FridaFriend]

Few Thoughts:
*Great: the defense. Clearly Min. is not a great offensive team but the defense of UConn was suffocating.
*Real good: the Freshmen are playing and contributing. Love the confidence they all play with.
Not good: rebounding. Must get better in rebounding and it's not clear how as both WE and Ice are not leapers.
*Bad: the offense. Totally disjointed. No flow...
*Ugly: missing way too many layups.
We clearly need another reliable 3 point shooter.

What do you mean "another reliable 3 point shooter"? 3-15 today

 

[SEbluebood]

Were they Big10 refs? They let it get physical. Every cut, Every post up. Every screen, was met with contact and they let it go. Refs let them play. We have always been a finesse team. I dont know.
It was ugly from the beginning. Almost unwatchable.

Letting teams be physical can be said for just about every WCBB game these days! UConn may prefer finesse ,but has a long history of very physical players that have been mentioned on the BY numerous times. UConn games are no different than any other games these days whether it be physical play or officiating. I am not sure why some fans continue to insist otherwise.

 

[JoePgh]

Three years ago, our typical pattern was to go into halftime with a double digit lead. In many cases especially in February and March the game was practically settled by the end of the first quarter. This season it looks more and more like the third quarter is the one in which we blow the game open. I wonder why the change. Is it a conditioning thing? Given D1 parity do we have to run opponents ragged before putting the game out of reach?

I don't think this is a mystery at all. This year, unlike in any recent prior year, Geno is playing his bench extensively in the first half, and in most cases, other teams do not have a bench to match. So when the starters come back in the 3rd quarter, they are much more refreshed and energized than they were in past years, or than their opponents (so far) are this year. That is why the big push comes in the second half.

It also matters that Azzi and Caroline (both starters) have been under a cloud so far this year, whereas the new players have been amazingly productive.

In the Minnesota game, UConn dominated in bench points by a margin of 19-2.

 

[HuskyNan]

Don’t forget that an unranked Duke team took Stanford to OT in Palo Alto, after the Blue Devils barely survived their matchup with Columbia out of the Ivy League.

Looks kind of like parity in WBB….everywhere but Columbia, SC…..

Duke lost to Davidson in its last game.

 

[dtbtbtb]

What do you mean "another reliable 3 point shooter"? 3-15 today

Usually, Paige is a reliable 3 point shooter. Clearly not today

 

[DEpup]

Geno looks like he’s using Ice, AG, and AE to cover 2 positions. As long as he keeps them all fresh, that could work.

And eventually Patterson will join the group and then I think we'll see more Edwards and Ice together with a 4th front court player.

 

[HopJim]

The Hall of Fame coach can do whatever he wants. I’m talking about any of us trying to read some kid’s mind by how they appear in a 3 second TV blip.

Don't feel that Geno needs to do anything new, just get more comfortable with this year's team and maximize the skills they bring. This is the best midrange team we have had in years so an examples would be more sets that get them open closer to basket, versus the current motion offense that revolves around 3 point shots. Nothing new for UConn, just different emphasis.

 

[hoophuskee]

Three and 4 years ago the team was built around elite perimeter recruits. Two of the three Geno built the team around are hurt (Azzi) or ineffective (CD) for whatever reason. CD is a shell of what she was as a frosh. Bur as long as Geno keeps starting her, I’m sure he has an expectation that she will become a big time scorer that he recruited (whether that happens is a big question.).

Until Azzi and Caroline are able to be efficient as scorers ugly games like this are going to happen. Freshmen by their very nature are inconsistent. And until Geno knows he can’t rely on Azzi or CD – he is not going to change his offense much.

And we can’t just say “play faster.” Because the teams that are of enough quality to beat UCONN, they are quality teams for a reason. They just aren’t going to let UCONN run and get layups. Especially in halfcourt sets – the quality team is just going to sag and challenge UCONN other-than-Paige to hit outside shots.

Thus, the only way to counter that, is for UCONN to continue to work hard on their halfcourt offense.

Playing “faster” won’t be realistic vs quality teams unless either they want to play fast too or if UCONN is able to hit outside shots which means you can take quicker shots throughout the game. Otherwise—it takes time to work the ball inside for quality shots vs quality teams.

 

[Twolf]

Don’t forget that an unranked Duke team took Stanford to OT in Palo Alto, after the Blue Devils barely survived at Columbia.

Looks kind of like parity in WBB….everywhere but Columbia, SC…..

No doubt about parity being the key word in the early weeks of the season- there are way too many instances across the country to argue otherwise. For those who expect UConn to look like a well oiled machine, especially on offense, I feel you are going to be disappointed early in season. My opinion, which is worth exactly what it’s costing you to get it, is that it’s hard to expect that when you have most of the roster just trying to figure out what exactly their role on the team is. The rookies bring energy because all of them are desperately fighting for PT, but like most freshmen they will be up and down like the fiddlers arm until they get more comfortable. Even the experienced players will be somewhat uncomfortable because their role has changed from last year’s squad. Nika is a perfect example since she is now playing with PB, and uncertainty leads to hesitancy. It will all play out but it takes time and some experimentation by the staff for it to happen. For those who think this player or that player should be getting more PT or is being shortc hanged, the coaches watch them for hours each day in a myriad of situations and are in much better position to evaluate than any of us who just watch games. As a player, team, coach, or program you are where you are for a reason, not that it can’t change. As one of the better coaches I was around used to tell his players- if you want to play more give me a reason to do it, and put it on film every day.