We're not in Kansas anymore Post Game Thread

[HuskyNan]

 

[rubymae4]

I think AE is struggling because she is not a 5, and without shooters, opponents are packing it in on her.

This is also my observation. Last year, her and Dorka were able to rotate in and out of the paint. This year, she is attracting 2-3 defenders when she gets the ball under the basket. I can’t count the number of times she has turned and run right into defensive presence.

AE has big goals for herself, so I’m sure she is frustrated. I have confidence she and the coaches will figure it out.

 

[David54]

Audio only

UConn Women beats Kansas in the Caymans 71-63 behind Bueckers & Griffin | FOX SPORTS 97-9 | Husky HQ

(Photo: Ian Bethune) Paige Bueckers and Aubrey Griffin combine for 42 points as the Huskies hold off the Jayhawks in the Caymans Saturday Night

979espn.iheart.com

Thanks

 

[The deacon]

KK brings a lot of energy and quickness on D, and some day I expect her to be a great one-on-one defender. But right now she exhibits the same problem Nika had as a freshman. She fouls a lot.

Perception and reality often are very different, especially on this board with those who love Nika for all they perceive she does that they perceive other Huskies can't.

In these cases, and I know stats don't mean everything, and it's only six games, but with the seasoned veteran Nika having played 186 minutes and still wet-behind-the-ears KK playing 140 minutes, Nika has outrebounded KK, 26-14, and has 28 assists to 17 from KK. However, KK has committed just 7 TOs to 8 for Nika, so turnovers are not an issue for the freshman, and she's committed just 13 fouls, to 16 for Nika, pretty much the same rate per minute of PT, so her propensity to foul is not a problem either.

Oh, two more things: 1) Browns, are you judging KK doesn't have the heart Nika does? If so, I might differ there. We'd better hope she does 'cause she's likely the point for UConn for years to come; 2) KK has 12 steals in her 140 minutes, Nika has all of 4 in her 186 minutes, well behind Paige, Aaliyah, Aubrey and KK (and only one more than Caroline, who's sadly spent most of the season so far on the bench.

Nika is a valuable player, and she played a solid game vs. Kansas. However, KK is the more talented, quicker point guard, and the more PT time she gets, the better the Huskies will be. Nika playing 37 minutes just won't help UConn become the best it can be.

 

[HuskyNan]

Perception and reality often are very different, especially on this board with those who love Nika for all they perceive she does that they perceive other Huskies can't.

In these cases, and I know stats don't mean everything, and it's only six games, but with the seasoned veteran Nika having played 186 minutes and still wet-behind-the-ears KK playing 140 minutes, Nika has outrebounded KK, 26-14, and has 28 assists to 17 from KK. However, KK has committed just 7 TOs to 8 for Nika, so turnovers are not an issue for the freshman, and she's committed just 13 fouls, to 16 for Nika, pretty much the same rate per minute of PT, so her propensity to foul is not a problem either.

Oh, two more things: 1) Browns, are you judging KK doesn't have the heart Nika does? If so, I might differ there. We'd better hope she does 'cause she's likely the point for UConn for years to come; 2) KK has 12 steals in her 140 minutes, Nika has all of 4 in her 186 minutes, well behind Paige, Aaliyah, Aubrey and KK (and only one more than Caroline, who's sadly spent most of the season so far on the bench.

Nika is a valuable player, and she played a solid game vs. Kansas. However, KK is the more talented, quicker point guard, and the more PT time she gets, the better the Huskies will be. Nika playing 37 minutes just won't help UConn become the best it can be.

Nika is a better defender at this point and there have been times KK looks very much the freshman. I don’t expect that to last but for now, platooning KK and Nika gives KK time to develop at her own pace, without pressure. KK also brings that shot of energy as the first player off the bench

 

[hoophuskee]

Another poster stated that UConn lost the UCLA game because of shooting. I watched both games again and shooting is the most significant factor of the 2 losses. Obviously there are a few other elements that need fixing, but shooting is easily the most important issue. Facts, in both losses the winning team shot the lights out and UConn shot very poorly. Geno said many times that Q is a great shooter, Ice is an outstanding shooter, Nika is an improved shooter and KK & Shade can shoot. The ability is there. The shots will start to fall. IMHO the defense is coming along and can be sufficient to get to the sweet sixteen. I believe all phases are good enough for that. Winning at the sweet sixteen level (and beyond) will depend on shooting. Edwards shot 2 for 12 and Ice was 0 for 6 in that one loss.

It seems that Geno has accepted the injuries and is now focused on the improvement necessary for a March run. Losses now are lessons. The freshmen are a major part of the team's destiny.

WBB now has 12 to 16 very good teams. Making the sweet sixteen is an accomplishment. Getting past that is a big ask this year. I am enjoying the journey. It is a new era in WBB and every game is a fight. That's why you need 10 players to get through the gauntlet. Geno knows.

One final thought. Like many posters, Amari has always been a mystery to me. I think that Geno knows he has to get something from Amari just to survive. Let's see how her minutes grow this season.

Interesting. Why do you say the bold in re to Amari - when you also say it's been shooting that is the main problem? UCONN has to win the Big East. Probably going to be a dogfight/grind I suspect. How important is Amari if the team has no other injuries and Patterson comes back? OFC if she improves a lot -- but vs teams like Nova and Creighton- what impact is she?

You're speakign of "survival" yet Creighton got to E8 two years ago, and Nova got to S16 two straight years. So you don't need to be "big." So, why do you say "survival," assuming Patterson comes back soon?

 

[hoophuskee]

Perception and reality often are very different, especially on this board with those who love Nika for all they perceive she does that they perceive other Huskies can't.

In these cases, and I know stats don't mean everything, and it's only six games, but with the seasoned veteran Nika having played 186 minutes and still wet-behind-the-ears KK playing 140 minutes, Nika has outrebounded KK, 26-14, and has 28 assists to 17 from KK. However, KK has committed just 7 TOs to 8 for Nika, so turnovers are not an issue for the freshman, and she's committed just 13 fouls, to 16 for Nika, pretty much the same rate per minute of PT, so her propensity to foul is not a problem either.

Nika is a valuable player, and she played a solid game vs. Kansas. However, KK is the more talented, quicker point guard, and the more PT time she gets, the better the Huskies will be. Nika playing 37 minutes just won't help UConn become the best it can be.

1--- Why do you think it relevant that KK has less tunovers than Nika when she has played 46 less minutes than her?

 

[Hist-teacher]

Paige is only averaging 28 min/game, not a lot. If anything she may like to play more.

It's not a point as to whether or not she wants to play more it's the like scenario that she be logging 30-35 per game in the upcoming weeks. Since Azzi went out she's been playing 30 minutes per game. Just expressing my concern that she's may not be physically up to the task. Especially with the tendinitis issue in her knee.

 

[The deacon]

1--- Why do you think it relevant that KK has less tunovers than Nika when she has played 46 less minutes than her?

It's relevant in that KK doesn't have many more TOs than Nika in response to Browns' comment: "KK will take over next year as she learns to cut down on her turnovers."

So far this season, KK is averaging a TO every 20 minutes of PT, compared to Nika's one every 23 minutes. Both are excellent stats, at least to me.

 

[hoophuskee]

It's relevant in that KK doesn't have many more TOs than Nika in response to Browns' comment: "KK will take over next year as she learns to cut down on her turnovers."

So far this season, KK is averaging a TO every 20 minutes of PT, compared to Nika's one every 23 minutes. Both are excellent stats, at least to me.

okay.

It's why I asked.
Thanks.

 

[MSGRET]

Hub and I were discussing similar thoughts re the freshmen. Perhaps it's a combo of seeing a lot of "real" play in Europe, or maybe after last season, Geno realized that he should play the youngins more at the beginning of the season, result be dammed, so that if there are challenges due to injuries, etc, they will have game experience under their belts. Last year, in the 8-9th game, Inès was put into a significant role vs Princeton and the starting lineup vs MD, as there weren't any guards left due to injury.

Nika was an enigma to us until last night, when we were talking about starting lineups and who meshed well with whom. Starting Ashynn and bringing KK of the bench looked more balanced. The one pairing that I'm not sold on is Nika & Paige, who didn't play together in any games until this season, as Paige didn't get any time in the EU. I'm wondering if Nika has to "relearn" how to play with Paige again. This is in no way me pushing Nika to a non-starter role, just an observation. In 2021-22, Nika started after Paige's injury vs ND. She then came off the bench in Paige's 1st game back as a starter vs Providence. Then, in the BE tourney, Nika started but Paige didn't. Lastly, in the NCAA tourney, it was back to Paige starting and Nika off the bench. IMHO there's a difference in the way that Paige and Nika run the offense. Paige can run it and also improvise, where perhaps Nika is more textbook. Just some random thoughts.

Nika and Paige played together in their Freshman season, by the end of the season they were both starters.

 

[RoadMaster]

 

[ctkaiser]

What do the stars mean in the box score?

To me it means Brady has to have more than one reb in 17 min but I'd have more of a clue if I saw the game.

 

[HopJim]

Watched game for first time and had a few added comments:
-Edwards, while not perfect, carried UCon the first half until hit with a straightarm in the face.
-Refs followed a different set of rules than I was taught. The typical foul called against UConn was when Kansas drove, hit the UCOnn defender in their face with the arm, and fell down. Most on UConn got a bloody nose during this game.
-In the first half, Nika showed what was possible on offense, driving for layups and pulling up for a nice 10 foot jump shot. In the second half, she had many of the same shots but deferred to others. Wish she had kept up her first half aggressiveness on offense.
-If Griffin had an open jump shot, she would certainly be a top 10 draft choice. Great game but you wonder if as 6'1" whether she can repeat this athletic performance in the pros. I would pay to watch her. Classic great game against Kansas.
-Until the 4th Q, Kansas's 6'6" center seemed to find Ice's physical play and DeBerry's height to be annoying. Ice seemed to tire out the end and DeBerry, as many Huskies, was recovering on the bench from being hit in the head.
-While I dont know who she would replace, we have to give KK maximum minutes. Always makes a number of key layups on fast drives, and shuts down the quick guards. A shame whe wasn't on team earlier since there were several NCAA games the past 2+ years where UConn got burned by fast, quick guards KK would have likely eaten up.
-Not sure I remember another game where Geno had 2 frosh in at the same time for much of the game. Speaks well of future.

 

[Bigboote]

Just finishing up watching both games. They've shown bits of really good execution, bits that leave me scratching my head.

OTOH, I loved having the steel-drum player. I had a crappy one of those when I was a kid and it was loads of fun. I just looked for a good one as a new hobby for my not-too-far-in-the-future retirement. Good ones cost a lot more than a cheap one from a yard sale.

 

[#12in21]

Perception and reality often are very different, especially on this board with those who love Nika for all they perceive she does that they perceive other Huskies can't.

In these cases, and I know stats don't mean everything, and it's only six games, but with the seasoned veteran Nika having played 186 minutes and still wet-behind-the-ears KK playing 140 minutes, Nika has outrebounded KK, 26-14, and has 28 assists to 17 from KK. However, KK has committed just 7 TOs to 8 for Nika, so turnovers are not an issue for the freshman, and she's committed just 13 fouls, to 16 for Nika, pretty much the same rate per minute of PT, so her propensity to foul is not a problem either.

Oh, two more things: 1) Browns, are you judging KK doesn't have the heart Nika does? If so, I might differ there. We'd better hope she does 'cause she's likely the point for UConn for years to come; 2) KK has 12 steals in her 140 minutes, Nika has all of 4 in her 186 minutes, well behind Paige, Aaliyah, Aubrey and KK (and only one more than Caroline, who's sadly spent most of the season so far on the bench.

Nika is a valuable player, and she played a solid game vs. Kansas. However, KK is the more talented, quicker point guard, and the more PT time she gets, the better the Huskies will be. Nika playing 37 minutes just won't help UConn become the best it can be.

We have disagreed many times in the past as to Nika's value to the team and most likely will do so in the future. I would, speaking for myself, take exception to your characterization of posters more positive takes on Nika's contributions,"especially on this board with those who love Nika for all they perceive she does that they perceive other Huskies can't" (quote from your post). In my case, and I believe it may also be true for many others, it's not about saying others can't do individually the things that Nika can, its about acknowledging the real value in what Nika collectively does do!

Given Geno's choice to have played Nika more minutes than anyone else on the team, which includes the two other point guards, leads one to think that he believes she brings somethings others either can't or aren't (this might be rather than any one specific skillset the collective contributions that she makes) . There is no other conclusion that can be drawn, since unlike last year, we have a bench and more significantly we have two other quite skilled point guards. And yet it would seem he still believes that 'we need Nika on the floor'. Couple that with the fact that she has started in more games than anyone on the roster, it's hard to believe that he hasn't/doesn't see things in Nika's contributions than seemingly you do.

I have mentioned before that I don't view Nika through rose colored glasses, I am aware of areas where she can improve her game (and have acknowledged them on here), but at the same time I do see and have seen from when she first showed up at Uconn that she is a tremendous teammate and valuable asset to our team's success. I unapologetically agree with Geno's assessment that she is unique and as he has said he's only had a few players like her in his career coaching.

This season's injuries/issues have allowed none of our returning players to play their best games. They have not allowed us to play the type of offense or defense that our coaches and the team prepared for. The team thus hasn't been able to find its identity and mesh in any consistent rhythm or flow. This has caused struggles for all of our key returning players (Paige, Nika, Aaliyah, Aubrey, Caroline), but on the flip side has allowed a lot of minutes for our talented new guys.

Our team has two major obstacles to somehow address, 1) get a second effective big on the floor with Aaliyah (which will allow her to reclaim her game of last season), and 2) get a second shooter on the floor to compliment Paige (which I truly believe will allow her to excel). If/when we solve those two issues, coupled with the upsides of a resurgent Aubrey (and hopefully a rebounded Caroline) and our solid bench we should be able re-embrace our original goals for the season of running a fast paced motion offense and oppressive defense. No-one will be better fitted to run the point than Nika. It was a thing of beauty the early part of last season and God willing can still be reclaimed this year.

 

[cferraro04]

What do the stars mean in the box score?

​

Normally, the stars indicate who started...as seen below those were the starters in the Kansas game...the box above must be from another game probably UCLA where KK got the start.

​

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UCONN 71​

UConn 71

##	Player	GS	MIN	FG	3PT	FT	ORB-DRB	REB	PF	A	TO	BLK	STL	PTS
05	Bueckers, Paige	*	25	8-15	2-2	4-5	0-4	4	3	1	1	0	2	22
44	Griffin, Aubrey	*	37	6-11	0-1	8-8	4-4	8	2	1	2	0	1	20
03	Edwards, Aaliyah	*	18	4-7	0-0	1-2	2-5	7	2	2	3	0	1	9
10	Mühl, Nika	*	37	2-3	0-1	2-3	3-4	7	3	6	3	0	0	6
12	Shade, Ashlynn	*	21	2-7	0-4	0-0	0-4	4	0	1	3	0	0	4
02	Arnold, KK		32	2-5	0-0	0-1	1-3	4	3	2	3	0	2	4
25	Brady, Ice		17	1-6	0-1	1-2	0-1	1	3	1	0	0	0	3
04	Samuels, Qadence		8	1-3	1-2	0-0	1-0	1	3	0	1	0	0	3
42	DeBerry, Amari		5	0-0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	2	0	0	1	0	0
TM	TEAM		0	0-0	0-0	0-0	2-2	4	0	0	1	0	0	0
	Totals	-	200	26-57	3-11	16-21	13-27	40	21	14	17	1	6	71