Well Moving Forward

[Tonyc]

Well after watching Caroline putting on a show in the 4th qtr against ND, I thought we were where gonna be where I thought we would be and I was dreaming of Azzi coming back and how explosive we would be. Now we are a different team. We gonna need other players to step up. The team is really gonna need our senior leaders to step it up with our key injuries. Every game is gonna be a challenge until we get everybody healthy. Its may not be pretty but we will have to continue to grind it out.

Caroline showed us what she can do and we will need more of it especially now. Some questions. When will Griff and Azzi be back and when will they are cleared to play how long will it take for them to dust off the rust. We were told they would look at Azzi in 2 weeks and know better when she could return. I would hope we would hear something by the end of this week. We have a few more games then time off for exams so we have some time. Griff what thought to be ready a few days ago and then we heard she hurt her back. I would think shes only days away before she can come back. Paige we still dont know anything about.

We saw some improvement and some good thing happen in the ND game from our players. We need now to improve on that. My thought is we will need a minimum of 3 players scoring in double figures and Im hoping for 4 players in double figures. We need to stay out of foul trouble especially early in the game. Our bench just got shorter. If Paige cant play, the team will take on a new identity and learn to play without her. Hey guys it may not be pretty for a while as we will need to adjust and learn to play without her. One thing you cant bet on. Geno will not bring anybody back before they are ready. This team is all about NC's and he will not risk a players health on a game. When we get healthy we are gonna be tuff to beat.

Watching Caroline against ND was just an unbelievable performance. Im thinking when Griff Azzi and Paige are healthy...well Im thinkin WOW we are gonna be really really tuff to beat.

Right now Im thinking dont expect the unexpected and accept what happens and hope we learn and grow from it. It will only make us better because of it.

GO Huskies

 

[Rixxx]

Good points Tonyc. Many teams in WCBB are having the same issues. TN has moved way up in the rankings without #1 senior Rae Burell. They are 8-0. Other players have picked up the slack, including freshman Sara Puckett.

 

[Surly1]

Well after watching Caroline putting on a show in the 4th qtr against ND, I thought we were where gonna be where I thought we would be and I was dreaming of Azzi coming back and how explosive we would be. Now we are a different team. We gonna need other players to step up. The team is really gonna need our senior leaders to step it up with our key injuries. Every game is gonna be a challenge until we get everybody healthy. Its may not be pretty but we will have to continue to grind it out.

Caroline showed us what she can do and we will need more of it especially now. Some questions. When will Griff and Azzi be back and when will they are cleared to play how long will it take for them to dust off the rust. We were told they would look at Azzi in 2 weeks and know better when she could return. I would hope we would hear something by the end of this week. We have a few more games then time off for exams so we have some time. Griff what thought to be ready a few days ago and then we heard she hurt her back. I would think shes only days away before she can come back. Paige we still dont know anything about.

We saw some improvement and some good thing happen in the ND game from our players. We need now to improve on that. My thought is we will need a minimum of 3 players scoring in double figures and Im hoping for 4 players in double figures. We need to stay out of foul trouble especially early in the game. Our bench just got shorter. If Paige cant play, the team will take on a new identity and learn to play without her. Hey guys it may not be pretty for a while as we will need to adjust and learn to play without her. One thing you cant bet on. Geno will not bring anybody back before they are ready. This team is all about NC's and he will not risk a players health on a game. When we get healthy we are gonna be tuff to beat.

Watching Caroline against ND was just an unbelievable performance. Im thinking when Griff Azzi and Paige are healthy...well Im thinkin WOW we are gonna be really really tuff to beat.

Right now Im thinking dont expect the unexpected and accept what happens and hope we learn and grow from it. It will only make us better because of it.

GO Huskies

It was gratifying to finally see Ducharme shine. However, I hope we temper expectations for her going forward in Paige’s absence. With Paige sharing the court with her, Caroline wasn’t the defense’s focal point and she had more freedom to operate. Without Paige, teams know that she is UConn’s outside threat, especially with Azzi unable to play. It will be baptism by fire.

Christyn Williams absolutely has to come to the fore. She’s capable but she’s never had to be the “man” at UConn. This is also an opportunity for Edwards to expand her role offensively, which I fully expect her to. Lastly, I look for Dorka to become more involved offensively.

There are some difficult games on the horizon and as you state, it may not look pretty, but in the interim, UConn might play more of a grind it out style until the firepower arrives. A similar style to the way the Patriots are now showing.

 

[hoopsfan22]

We should temper expectations in general. There are going to be some losses; some of them may be ugly. This is a top 20/sweet sixteen kind of team without Paige.

 

[schmendrick]

I'm thinking this is Christyn's time. From what I've seen, she thrives in the spotlight, and withers in the shadows. Who knows? Maybe this very unfortunate turn is the very spark that she needs to strut her stuff.

 

[Conndog]

Really going to miss Paige's ability to generate a shot when needed. She is able to dribble inside or around a defender with her quick first step and then get off a good jump shot or runner. I don't know if Caroline or Christyn has that same ability, probably not as there is only one Paige, but hopefully they will get at least part-way there.

 

[Heytherego]

At the bare minimum this is going to be an excellent period of development for some who wouldn’t normally see minutes. This could really help those players going forward and especially the underclass men for next year. I think we’ll be okay, some wins may not be pretty but that’s alright.

This could also really help us if Paige does return and we make a run in the tournament, gives the other girls more confidence. Staying positive over here, no reason to be otherwise; injuries suck but are apart of the game, gotta adapt.

 

[Performance]

Now is the time for the rest of the team to show what they are made of(I believe they will)

 

[sun]

The starters need to stay out of foul trouble, and the bench is now thinner than ever.
It's always going to be one thing or another, whether it's covid, injuries, transfers yada yada....
At least no one has been disciplined or arrested yet................anti-jinx!

 

[hoopsfan22]

At the bare minimum this is going to be an excellent period of development for some who wouldn’t normally see minutes. This could really help those players going forward and especially the underclass men for next year. I think we’ll be okay, some wins may not be pretty but that’s alright.

This could also really help us if Paige does return and we make a run in the tournament, gives the other girls more confidence. Staying positive over here, no reason to be otherwise; injuries suck but are apart of the game, gotta adapt.

Really wish Azzi were available. This would be a good opportunity for her to step into Paige's spot and get all the minutes she wants like the opportunity Paige got last year which worked out pretty well.

 

[cookie447]

Why no mention of Nika?! She, too, will be an important factor in the team’s success

 

[Conndog]

Maybe UConn can concentrate on defense more too. Paige is an excellent defender with her quickness, but it is on offense that not having her will really hurt. Who else is going to create their own shot when the shot clock gets low? It was great seeing UConn play excellent team defense against Notre Dame; if an opponent got by her defender, some one else from UConn was immediately there to defend. Keep going with this, also be more careful with ball and stop the careless turnovers, and that can help when scoring fewer points.

 

[PvP]

Why no mention of Nika?! She, too, will be an important factor in the team’s success

There are a number of reasons that we aren't looking for Nika to step up. She has lots of energy to be sure, but the opposition understands that she is not an offensive threat and will therefore be able to put added pressure on our genuine scoring threats. We also know that she is in foul trouble the moment she enters the court which we simply don't need. Then there are the turnovers. Need I go on?

 

[Ozimoto]

Let's see... They have played four games so far. Yes, they aren't where we would like them to be but I'm not ready to through any of them out with the bath water just yet.

Moving forward, it's time for the seniors to shine. As for the youngsters, I suspect they will improve simply because they will have to play. That takes off some of the "pressure to impress" and could lead to more consistent, under control play on the court.

 

[donalddoowop]

There are a number of reasons that we aren't looking for Nika to step up. She has lots of energy to be sure, but the opposition understands that she is not an offensive threat and will therefore be able to put added pressure on our genuine scoring threats. We also know that she is in foul trouble the moment she enters the court which we simply don't need. Then there are the turnovers. Need I go on?

No, Nika is better than you give her credit for. She is the most experienced reserve guard also. Not every team has five scorers on the floor at once.

 

[Veteran]

Things will be rough for a while. There will almost certainly be more L's in the next couple months than we would have liked. But there will also be more than enough W's to get the team into that big party come next March.

But here's the key, forget the few extra L's. Because the two most important ACL's in the State of Connecticut are healthy. This time yesterday that didn't seem so likely. And the ultimate success of this team probably depends on those two healthy ACL's. If the reports are true, what is not healthy will be fully healed with more than enough time to spare, too. Which all bodes well in the quest for #12.

In the meantime, player like Caroline Ducharme, Azzi, etc. should be way ahead of where they would have otherwise been if Paige hadn't been injured. That will be huge.

In a way, the injury will turn out to be a huge blessing if the final game is a W.

Sorry for the cliche, but life has handed UConn a basket full of lemons so far this season. I think the team will turn them into lemonade.

We're all with you, Paige.

 

[LoTrader]

Of the remaining existing UCONN starters, I expect it to be Evina Westbrook as the starter that really steps up during Paige's absence.

 

[BostonBay]

Paige's injury really hurts Title chances. We're probably a 5 or 4-seed at best which means a much more difficult path to a FF.

 

[01Neaggrad02]

If I were Williams, Westbrook, ONO, Edwards... I would be really annoyed right now with everything that is happening. Is the lost of Bueckers a huge loss, YES... but she is a player on a team Each of those players are going to step up their game.... Nika will need to go back into a starting role and she hates to lose as much as the rest and it will get her back into form. I would love to see Caroline continue to grow from this and hopefully when Azzi is able to play she will play with an urgency to show us why she is one of the best players in the country. I am shocked at how many fans are acting like this season is over and that we will be luck to be a 4-5 seed. We need to support our team in good times and bad... and give those starters some credit. I think what you are doing is just pissing them off enough to have them show you all... they are UCONN and they will not be denied.

 

[GoUconn7961]

Well one thing’s for sure.. the next game will be interesting.

 

[Skeets]

Paige's injury really hurts Title chances. We're probably a 5 or 4-seed at best which means a much more difficult path to a FF.

That remains to be seen.

 

[baggerbob]

That remains to be seen.

As last year, and every year since Stewie, Tuck, and Moriah left, it takes a team to win a championship. Paige was national player of the year, yet Stanford was the NCAA champion.

 

[eebmg]

As last year, and every year since Stewie, Tuck, and Moriah left, it takes a team to win a championship. Paige was national player of the year, yet Stanford was the NCAA champion.

Hmm, I remember we had Pulido. Maybe time for a walk-on text blast.

 

[JonathanXIV]

That remains to be seen.

A 5 seed? I think you underestimate this team.

 

[oldhusky]

We have so many unknowns now. In many ways Paige's timeline and recovery may be more certain than for Azzi or Aubrey. For those two the range of possibilities is huge. Remember neither case is understood completely, they don't know when or if they will be back. Both might be back very soon or potentially out for most if not all of the season.

With Azzi to me it sounds more like lets give her a couple of weeks off and hope that works, than in two weeks she should be recovered and ready to go. With Aubrey more of a who knows type of assessment.

If all three players are fine for the tournament, our prospects for a championship are largely unaffected, with the main disadvantage being a likely lower seeding that could be overcome if everyone is clicking. If Paige is back but Azzi and Aubrey are not, we could still contend but we would be back to a short rotation (probably 7 with Caroline) and at least a few teams (South Carolina, Stanford, NC State, Maryland etc.) would probably be better than us IMO.

By the time Paige comes back, I expect Nika will be back on track, Caroline will have proved her worth, and I hope Azzi and Aubrey are playing injury free. In the coming weeks we can hope for the best, and somewhat nervously wait to see how everything plays out.