UCONN - UNC Post game thread

[HuskyNan]

I disagree. Literally half the team is comprised of freshmen, talented ones that have contributed but made some mistakes. I expect those to diminish as the season progresses. For example, KK’s TOs will decline once she becomes more familiar with new teammates.

UNC was not a good matchup for Q and Ice but they, too, will be stronger contributors by the time the post-season rolls around. I think the speed of the game was wrong for them, something that’s not unusual for freshmen. As they get more experienced, and confident, the game will slow down for them.

The seniors looked better yesterday, and that’s a big plus. But they, too, need to adapt to new teammates and their styles of play. The chemistry is building but it’s not there yet. Only time can fix that problem.

I see a huge potential for growth in this team and big upside on this excellent freshman class. I don’t understand those of you that have effectively written off the team

 

[BBallF]

The Defense will only be "so good" this year. They are too small and too inexperienced for the most part while Amari as an exception is not strong enough for another part. Win or lose the quality of their games will be determined by a combniation of extreme Defensive effort along with how efficient they are offensively . If they are efficient offensively then less chance to get the ball run down their throat.

Consider a 2-2-1 Press not to push pace and force turnovers but try to slow the opposing team down from taking the balll up the floor in order to take more time off the shot clock. Just a nutty fun suggestion in which I can say easliy sitting on my couch with zero accountability if it fails.

Loved that UCONN had 3 scorers tonight.
Love how KK and Shade seem to balance each other. And both sem to have a cool swagger.

2-2-1 worked for Wooden's UCLA teams like a charm. Of course having Gail Goodrich and Walt Hazard at the top of the press didn't hurt. I actually like the idea of KK and Aubrey there against the right teams.

 

[Bald Husky]

Paige- Vintage, smooth as silk, can score at will if she wanted to.
Aaliyah- Very good game, needs help on the block.
KK- Has the same problem that MJ had her freshman year: Going 100 MPH and stopping in the paint when she has nowhere to go. Just has to slow down and has to get her outside shot going. If she can't find it, her drives will not be effective once the opposition realizes that.
Ashlynn- She will be our best option for 3 pointers after Paige. Good catch and shoot player and can score off the dribble. She will be extremely valuable going forward.
Aubrey- As Geno has said, hot or cold. Missing too many layups, but her defense and rebounding is sorely needed.
Ice- Still waiting. She still seems stiff out there, eerily reminded me of Amari with her positioning and lack of movement. We need her to break out for us to move ahead.
Q- She will be fine, just has to get experience and more work with the starters.

 

[Skeets]

It seemed to me that this game, against a big, well-coached team, provided an idea of what it will take for this UConn team to win against the good ones (SC excluded, because I believe they are pretty much in their own league this year).
-- Paige playing like the Paige of old.
-- The other players not standing around and watching the above. It is, however, ok if the opponents do.
-- Nika playing better. I know folks here -- me included -- love what she has given the team in her time here, but let's face it. She has been off defensively this year. She still made some goofy plays today, but the three pointers made up for it.
--KK giving all her energy and Ashlynn hitting at least 2-3 threes
-- Aaliyah minimizing errors and continuing to fearlessly go to the hoop.


--

Lets just say SC is very good. The Utes (can't help but think of "My Cousin Vinny" every time I hear that) gave them a real good game yesterday.

Seemed like every time UNC got the ball in the paint UConn double teamed them. Help defense is primarily how Paige got her blocks. There's a price to be paid for that though. UConn was burned a few times (including Paige) when the help defense left players open. Taken in total, I think the help defense was a net positive in this game. In future games if it becomes a net negative, UConn can't keep doing it.

 

[Latecomer]

When you only go 6 deep...

Lets just say SC is very good. The Utes (can't help but think of "My Cousin Vinny" every time I hear that) gave them a real good game yesterday.

Seemed like every time UNC got the ball in the paint UConn double teamed them. Help defense is primarily how Paige got her blocks. There's a price to be paid for that though. UConn was burned a few times (including Paige) when the help defense left players open. Taken in total, I think the help defense was a net positive in this game. In future games if it becomes a net negative, UConn can't keep doing it.

It's all about making the right trade-offs for any given game. It can be done, but sometimes the odds are not good anyway. And there is no guaranteed win. This is not what UConn fans are used to, but that's the way it is now.

 

[BBallF]

There have been several times where a forced slowdown is counterproductive and leads to disaster. This was not one of them because we had a 16 point lead going into the fourth quarter and won by 12. It did affect our shooting percentage though dropping it to 28% due to holding the ball for most if not all of the shot clock and then taking a difficult shot. Our defense stayed constant though and UNC shot the same in the fourth quarter as in the first. I think Geno sensed we were a tired team also, so the slowdown was necessary from his perspective. It was also good for the two freshmen out there since it will be used throughout the rest of the year when needed. Finally, UNC did not foul in the last minute which would likely have pushed the score to the same differential as when we started the last quarter. It was a calculated but not substantial risk and it worked.

 

[LarryLegend]

what year was it that Taurasi basically carried the team on her back for the entire season

 

[freshler40]

This wasn't a pretty game, but this was a victory against a good physical team.

I was looking forward to Aubrey vs. Ustby, but also enjoyed Paige vs. Donarski. Both really good two-way players. Gakdeng is a really good player, and she kind of got the better of Edwards in the first half, but Aaliyah came alive in the second. Deja Kelley started off hot, but UConn largely neutralized her in the final three quarters. I was pretty pleased with UConn's defense.

A lot of the wacky passes weren't due solely to the passer, but to the passer and recipient not being on the same page. That's likely due to the frequent changes in lineups and can be fixed with practice.

Coaches need to emphasis to always expect the unexpected. All players should have one eye on where the ball is. They often turn their backs to the ball handler to our regret. Nika sometimes passes in panic. Her three-point shot, given time, is very good. Perhaps she should handle the ball less and look to be our 3 pt shooting guard.

It might also help the team if Paige and KK handled breaking the press and setting the tone for offense. Player huddles should be led by Paige as she would set the on court play.
It was amazing to see the four clean blocks by Paige, Wow, even the refs couldn't call a foul. She is a Star Wars Force for sure!

 

[Skeets]

Pronouns are key. The white boot person was "she". I am pretty sure that "Jenna" is a Connecticut Sun employee, since she performs the same crowd-pumping role at every Sun home game (sans white boots as I recall).


I was in the crowd, and both of the passes to Ashlynn were made when Ash was paying no attention to the play behind her, and did not anticipate the pass. Ash was doing the right thing (running the wing on the break), but the only reason you do that is to potentially receive a pass from the point guard who is trying to get the ball up the court quickly. If you, the wing, aren't paying attention, you aren't doing your job.

There were two nearly identical plays like that in close succession. Ash will learn her job on the fast break, and those mistakes won't happen again.

One more point re turnovers: Many of you have complained about UConn's 17 turnovers, and the fact that many of them were sloppy. Nobody has mentioned that UNC had 19 turnovers, most of which (in my observation at the game) were NOT sloppy -- they were forced by UConn's defense. Deja Kelly personally had 6 turnovers, just like Nika. UConn had more steals by a margin of 10-8. Most significantly, UConn led 21-13 in points off turnovers.

And one further point about rebounding: It should be noted that despite UConn's substantial rebounding deficit, UNC only led in second-chance points by 16-11, so all their rebounding was worth a net of only 5 points to them. And, if it's any comfort, UNC played South Carolina at the end of November and lost to them by only 8 points (65-58), less than the margin in today's game. Surprisingly, UNC outrebounded even South Carolina by 45-39, and led in offensive rebounds by 15-6 (compared to 19-11 in today's game). So based on the results of today's game, UConn should be competitive against South Carolina.

Joe, I agree completely. The 2 Nika to Shade passes were turnovers attributed to Nika, and rightly so. But to be on offense and not know where the ball is and where it's going is inexcusable, especially on a fast break. I think Shade will take a lot of heat for that in the film session. Nika not so much. Going forward I bet Shade will always know what the ball is doing. She's too good to not to know.

 

[oldhusky]

I think the immediate reality is against top competition Geno may go with only 6. Is that a very significant disadvantage? Yes, but we will have some kind of disadvantage no matter what we do, probably be undersized, maybe outrebounded, having to rely on inexperienced players in crucial moments etc.

Against teams we shouldn't have much trouble beating that likely expands to a rotation of 8 adding Ice and Q, and then the third tier, Ines and Amari get a few mop up minutes to show where they are at. Once we get past the Louisville game, we will have far more games where the remaining players will get some time.

That is the opportunity for Ice and Q to elevate themselves to the big game rotation, not just the easy win rotation, and for Ines or Amari to show enough to be part of the rotation against lessor teams. Because of the shortage upfront (pun intended) Ice is the most important. We badly need her to be considered trustworthy by Geno against top teams, and Q to be able to rest the starters as needed and at least have some strategic matchup versatility, instead of just having to micromanage minutes for 6 based on just rest, and not game needs or situations.

I think Q is probably close to that status, but while Ice is more needed, she needs to string a few good games together to get there. She probably won't get much opportunity to do that against Louisville, but then will have more a chance against Big East competition. maybe by the time we get to Notre Dame and South Carolina both Ice and Q can be part of the big game rotation.

 

[BBallF]

Coaches need to emphasis to always expect the unexpected. All players should have one eye on where the ball is. They often turn their backs to the ball handler to our regret. Nika sometimes passes in panic. Her three-point shot, given time, is very good. Perhaps she should handle the ball less and look to be our 3 pt shooting guard.

It might also help the team if Paige and KK handled breaking the press and setting the tone for offense. Player huddles should be led by Paige as she would set the on court play.
It was amazing to see the four clean blocks by Paige, Wow, even the refs couldn't call a foul. She is a Star Wars Force for sure!

When Nika was the point on breaking the press she made two quick turnovers ala Ohio State. When it was switched to Paige and KK in the backcourt they broke the press perfectly. That's because Paige sees the court so well and sees it one play in advance. That steal on the left sideline was brilliant. If you watch it in slo mo, you see that she is moving into position to intercept it even before the pass is thrown. Her anticipation on defense is a thing to behold.

 

[freshler40]

Re "Too much passing. . ." I believe I'm seeing too much perimeter passing from our players as they are setting up their offense, passes that do not pose threats to defenses and/or get the ball to a Uconn player in a position to make defensive opponents move and thereby open up lanes for Uconn teammates to cut or dribble into. Doesn't seem to be as many cuts (and therefore passes) into and through the lane that our teams have feasted on in seasons past. My imagination or faulty memory?

Absolutely, lots of nothing passes. Guards need to penetrate more, shoot or pass. We run a slow clock, ok in the 4th qtr but our edge is speed. We won't have the outside shooters that our expected line-up had. We have to play to our strength. Nika might be our secret 3 point shooter if we took her off of the point responsibilities.

 

[BBallF]

Who is "she"?

The "she" being referred to is Aubrey. I think she is more comfortable coming off the bench and also more effective, especially on defense. She just thinks too much on layups at times and her outside shots. It is a lack of confidence but it is misplaced, that's the problem. She can make a 3, has a nice pull up and can turn a game around with her floor play. She uses 100% of her athleticism on defense, but not on offense. If that turns around, our team just improved a good amount.

 

[HopJim]

And the entire team needs to body up and box out much better.

There is an interesting "game" going on now that UConn essentially starts 4 guards. On offensive rebounds, the shooting team crashes the boards on the far side, while we have a 6' or shorter guard trying to box out, not a skill they have much experience in. Shade is adequate; the others still have some work to do. If you look at the stats, Edwards and Griffin do ok rebounding against their opposing players. Not so much after that.

 

[BBallF]

Response #1 : She isn't getting a lot of help from the refs. If her name was Caitlin she would have gotten a half dozen more free throws based on the contact she absorbed today.

Response #2: Unless you're SC and you have about 15 quality players most teams are going to be tired in the 4th when the game is as physical as it was today.

I agree wholeheartedly about the refs and Paige. She got hammered yesterday and held. She needs to get those calls. Reminds me of the famous line from Magic Johnson when he, Larry Bird and MJ were doing the shoot for the cover of Sports Illustrated for the Dream Team. Magic said to Larry, "Don't sit too close to Michael, they will call a foul on you". I wish they would favor her by at least enforcing the rules of the game. Didn't happen yesterday.

 

[Beemer]

Two observations:
1. Paige was great, obviously. But can she survive an entire season getting beat up the way she was this game?

2. UConn as a team looked tired in the fourth quarter. Because they basically played with 6 players? How far can they get playing this way?

My answer to #1 is yes- Paige is much bigger/stronger now, all that work in the weight room is paying off.

#2- If Geno is only going with 6 players they're not going far, they'll be too tired/beat up by tournament time. The youngsters have to step up & force Geno to play them.

 

[RedStickHusky]

Can't play at any pace with just 6; yesterday though I thought we were sloppier when we got sped up, at least for three quarters. Then we found a sloppy slow gear in the fourth. Nika's a Sr point guard, she has to protect the rock.

 

[UCinsider]

Completely disagree te the referees it was called both ways
They clearly were determined to allow the physical play and both teams figure that out right away, and it was as intense and physical game as I can remember (saw the game live) yes, one of the refs missed two out of bounds calls right in front of him, but was quickly overruled by the other officials, which is the way it supposed to be
He also wasn’t looking at Paige’s feet when she was fouled on a three pointer again the other refs quickly went to the monitor
Sure they missed the Kelly forearm but in a game called this loosely a lot of fouls were “play on”
I don’t remember either coach complaining
To me this was as well officiated game as I’ve seen
Completely CONSISTENT

Worst officiated game I've seen in years. Out of bounds calls had to be corrected, fouls were called on the wrong players and had to be corrected, obvious fouls weren't called, or called the wrong way. Completely inconsistant.

 

[Urshurak]

Good game overall. The small lineup works well, but has pitfalls. Lack of rebounding (which obviously comes with the territory with this lineup) really hurt. Second chance points for UNC was crazy. Sometimes it was third chance points.

I worry about Louisville, South Carolina, etc. UConn will get torched on the boards and will cost them in the end.

Whats the fix? I don't know, but this is the dagger IMHO.

 

[RedStickHusky]

What's the fix? I don't know, but this is the dagger IMHO.

Don't miss on one end and turn them over on the other...

 

[Centerstream]

Completely disagree te the referees it was called both ways
They clearly were determined to allow the physical play and both teams figure that out right away, and it was as intense and physical game as I can remember (saw the game live) yes, one of the refs missed two out of bounds calls right in front of him, but was quickly overruled by the other officials, which is the way it supposed to be
He also wasn’t looking at Paige’s feet when she was fouled on a three pointer again the other refs quickly went to the monitor
Sure they missed the Kelly forearm but in a game called this loosely a lot of fouls were “play on”
I don’t remember either coach complaining
To me this was as well officiated game as I’ve seen
Completely CONSISTENT

You, like the male ref, must have been watching a different game. The Kelly forearm was not a "play on", they called a blocking foul on Nika.
A well officiated game does not include calls that are overruled, calling a foul on a 3 point shot a 2 point shot. If he called the foul, it is his job to check where the shooter's feet are.
But I do agree with you, they were completely CONSISTENT, consistently wrong!!!!

 

[OldSchooler]

Three disappointments.

1) Too many missed layups, especially on fast breaks. What kept us in the game is that UNC also blew a lot of bunnies (thanks in part to our tenacious defense under the basket), but not every opponent is going to miss those.

2) Inconsistent foul shooting. AE is going to get fouled a lot. She needs to improve at the line. Seemed like every time she went to the line, she missed the first but made the second. Even Paige could have been better at the line, although it's hard to demand perfection from her.

3) The half-court offense stunk. We're playing small this year, which means fewer transition opportunities. I think in the 4th quarter, except for the last minute or two, our set offense produced zero scoring. That's unacceptable. Poor passing, too much dribbling, fumbling the ball, all leaving us with a poor shot selection as the clock runs down. Half-court offense is what you work on in practice. Why should it be so bad?

 

[The deacon]

With 6 TOs (thanks mainly to Nika) I think she was a net negative for UNC.

Excellent post, Bone Dog, except your reference to Nika causing most of Deja's TOs... I found that interesting since, after a re-watch of the game, I came away thinking KK had been covering Deja most of the time, and Nika only sporadically had the assignment.

 

[The deacon]

what year was it that Taurasi basically carried the team on her back for the entire season

Good question... must've been one of her early years in Phoenix?