UConn - Notre Dame post game

[reelfan]

UCONN men putting on a clinic today. Amazing what a difference a big strong Center has on a game.

 

[FridaFriend]

Perhaps we can resemble the 1996-97 Tennessee team that lost 10 games and was seeded 3rd in the NCAA tournament; they beat Old Dominion and Ticha Penicheiro in the championship game. Paige will have to channel Chamique Holdsclaw and Nika will need to do the same with Kellie Jolly. That Tennessee team did defeat an undefeated UCONN team in the final four and Kellie Jolly set an assist record in the championship game.

 

[Beemer]

It's amazing to me, that as a senior, she still makes that many mental errors. That was the worst game she's ever played.

As much as I love Nika you are spot on here. She looked like freshman Nika out there.

Nika simply cannot play like that anymore, the team needs her too much. She let them down.

 

[Monte]

Maybe UCONN needs MORE coaches!

 

[LwrcasefaN]

I love Taurasi, but interviewing her during the game was a swing and a miss. Not her fault.

 

[tower1]

Tip your hat to ND. They were well prepared and played great.

Citron caused Paige to have one of her worst shooting nights probably ever.

First time I have felt the team really missed Aubrey.

I wish Geno would use those Big East scrimmages to let Q and Ines to log some serious minutes. The team was gassed in the fourth quarter.

Q is not ready to play in these situations !!

 

[hoopsnloops32]

Barring a miracle in Columbia, we are looking at a 3 or 4 seed (hopefully not a 4), and an uphill battle in the sweet 16. If we get a 4 seed, and face a 1 seed, I can't see getting out of the sweet 16.

Two 1 seeds didn’t make it out of the second round last season. Could end up facing an 8 or 9 seed if we make it to the sweet sixteen.

 

[AmeriConn]

I thought Paige should have taken control at tip off.

 

[snowkot]

Hidalgo was going to go right no matter what and we still couldn`t stop her.

THIS.

Shocking bit of coaching malpractice, either in pregame scouting, or lack of in-game adjustments. Regardless of defender's physical attributes, failure to overplay her right, force her back left, anticipate the drive spot in the lane to get there first, draw the offensive foul. Time and again, with the ball between the circles, angle or not Hidalgo forecast the exact same move. And most every time there was no overplay or weak-side rotation to cover. Frustrating. Think that was where the loss of Aubrey Griffin was most impactful, as she's terrific at anticipating ball movement as a weak-side rotator.

Thought another key moment, right before half, was the refs missed call, as Edwards was basically shoved out of bounds chasing a loose ball, without reaction from the coach to the referees. Lost chance not only to work the refs, jazz the crowd, but to protect his player. Disappointing.

 

[HuskyNan]

“When Nika wasn't in the game, it hurt us on both ends,” Auriemma said. “… On the defensive end, the communication breakdowns, they happen mostly when you're younger. The game is moving real fast, and things are happening real quick. … How do you learn? How do you become an experienced player? You just have to play more games.”

Why UConn women's basketball loss could be learning opportunity

The UConn women's basketball team came up short in its latest test, but the Huskies have time to learn from the loss to Notre Dame.

www.ctinsider.com

 

[ccwarrior]

Other teams often have a player go off on us, why doesn’t our best player (almost never) take over when it is needed? Generational talents can do that - no?

 

[Monte]

Q is not ready to play in these situations !!

That is why victor64 said to let get into more games wen they have a big lead to learn!

 

[LwrcasefaN]

I thought this would be a dogfight not a blowout by either team. It was for 3 quarters. On any given night, there isn't a lot of difference from 2-20 in my mind. And even SC, were it not for depth wouldn't have the separation that they do. The margin for error on any given night is slim. On the other hand, on any given night they can beat anyone. I hear angst about Q and defense, when in reality they all miss assignments every now and again. But I would play her more in an up-tempo game and Ice when the pace requires a slower offense. And with this team...playing up-tempo is better in my opinion. It didn't bother me that they lost, but that they were so out of sync with one another.

 

[cabbie191]

Agreed with everything, but especially RE: the Hidalgo pick and roll. It was amazing to me that they could not stop her at all. Got the ball into the paint again and again, sometimes completely untouched. Did we watch any tape and game plan at all for this?

Brady is showing real improvement the last few games. Another step in her development would be the ability to quickly close in front of a charging guard like Hidalgo and take a charge or two.

(Well, perhaps not a guard as quick at Hidalgo but your average guard perhaps.)

 

[willie99]

Nika “took the game off”? A step too far with those words.

19 minutes

Please

I loved her play when she's on the court. If you think we can win with her on the bench, so be it. We're just going to have to agree to disagree

 

[LwrcasefaN]

Brady is showing real improvement the last few games. Another step in her development would be the ability to quickly close in front of a charging guard like Hidalgo and take a charge or two.

(Well, perhaps not a guard as quick at Hidalgo but your average guard perhaps.)

She's not quick enough for that. But, I was wondering why she was behind the screener versus on the side and hedge. ND intentionally used who Ice was guarding as the screener because eventually that forced her to take Hidalgo. That was smart offensive planning. To be clear...I'm not blaming Ice.

 

[victor64]

Q is not ready to play in these situations !!

Agree. Get her 30 minutes against Butler. Won’t happen but one can dream.

 

[AnonChoice]

I love Taurasi, but interviewing her during the game was a swing and a miss. Not her fault.

I agree on this. Nobody's a bigger DT fan than me, but please -- announcers, call the game in front of you.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

We're missing five of our first seven players. Jafy would have started, as would Azzi. Aubrey was always first off the bench. Caroline had been starting. Shade and Arnold are doing yeoman's work. But they would have been subbing in for others, had the injuries not occurred. Coach Geno is doing some of the absolute finest coaching of his entire career. But even he can't cover up all of the holes in the roster.

 

[Javafan]

The ND game was way above the level of play that Ines is capable of. She just isn’t that level of player.

NO, NO, NO. Let's NOT fall into the PRECONCEIVE understanding or, should I say, the CULTURE of Geno's practice-time philosophy/STRICT RULE or DECIPLINE in deciding the game-time PT ! ! We may get the impression of Ines was not CAPABLE of handling an assignment of guarding a player such as Hidalgo, but , WHO knows? Its a matter of MATCHUP . Hidalgo is 5"6, Nika is 5"11, Ines is 5"9. My point is: Smaller guy Ines maybe Matchup better than bigger Nika against much smaller Hidaldo? If you don't try, how would you know? You recruited Ines from faraway Portugal, you must have seen some useful quality in her for the good of the team. She is a sophomore, and she performed some decent games last season, why not insert some ENERGY of her into our depleted and exhausted player pool ?

The key word here is : just TRY ! . Don't be too stubborn and insistent ? ! ? !

 

[Sluconn Husky]

If there was a 7-game series in college basketball, we would win in 6.

Really? UConn was outscored by 27 points over the last 25 minutes of that game....at home. Their lack of quickness on both ends and lack of size were very noticeable.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

We may get the impression of Ines was not CAPABLE of handling an assignment of guarding a player such as Hidalgo, but , WHO knows? Its a matter of MATCHUP . Hidalgo is 5"6, Nika is 5"11, Ines is 5"9. My point is: Smaller guy Ines maybe Matchup better than bigger Nika against much smaller Hidaldo? If you don't try, how would you know?

Ines with Hidalgo in her shorts would've resulted in a turnover probably every possession.

 

[uconnfan68]

Ines with Hidalgo in her shorts would've resulted in a turnover probably every possession.

Why would Ines be the primary ballhandler with Paige and JK?

 

[NYCHUSKIES]

I'm guessing you meant Westbeld, not Watson.

You've made some good points, but I'm not moved by the injury situation since Notre Dame was also missing an injured all American and they also played with only 7 players, 3 of whom played all 40 minutes. Yet they didn't have anyone foul out, and they didn't have their best player play one of the worst games of her career.

It's fine.. as a freshman, you feel less fear and pressure than when you're expected to be the great. Notre Dame has absolutely no expectation from the Hidalgo girl. At not for this year... Hidalgo is the entire offense and next year her average will drop significantly because she is not in a Clark type of situation.

I believe Geno and his staff has to seriously start considering looking outside the top 25 for forwards and centers. I absolutely love aalyah, but it gets me mad that she can take over any game she wants, and yet she just doesn't seem to. Aalyah should be averaging 15 free throws per game but that hunger hasn't come out yet. Like I said, minus Aubrey Griffith, we needed to guard everyone else except for Hidalgo and make the freshman win the game.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Why would Ines be the primary ballhandler with Paige and JK?

So what's she going to do out there if not handle the ball?