The Boneyard forum went full throttle with comments and analysis of the game against UMass/Lowell and my feeling is that one needs more games to get some sort of perspective, particularly since the first opponent came from a low level Division 1 team. Indeed, none of the early opponents of the Huskies were top drawer. Villanova had by far the best record. By just following the results from each game, it is clear that the team is getting better every time it hits the floor. The format for below is a brief summary of what I saw for each game and concluding with some overall thoughts on the early part of the season.
In the UMass/Lowell (0-1), as numerous have noted, Paige Bueckers was easily to best player on the court. She should have had a double-double but several players failed to convert on her passes. I was impressed by the play of both Edwards and Mir McLean. It was nice to see Evina Westbrook on the floor and she had a pretty good game, as did Aubrey Griffin in the few minutes she played. Nothing to write home about by any of the others, although Makurat was steady.
As for the second game against Seton Hall (2-1), it was much more competitive, yet the Hall had no height and the team was short-handed. It showed that UConn could face difficulty against teams with quick guards. Once again Paige was the best player on the court (what a third quarter she had!), Aailayh Edwards was the second best, and both ONO and Christyn Williams had better games. With Edwards, the team has a banger inside that it has not really had since Stephanie Dolson and she scored 17 points in 18 minutes. Mir appeared to do well in the few minutes she played but she was not on the court during the second half, due reports say that she got into Geno’s doghouse. No one else raised an eyebrow with their play. The box score shows that Bueckers had five assists, but I noted at least seven occasions in which the recipient of her pass either failed to receive it or muffed the shot. Makurat and Williams each had seven assists.
Game 3 against Creighton (2-3) on December 17 saw the Huskies emerge victorious 80-47. Bueckers was not the best player on the court. The other four starters were equal to or better than the point guard, although she did not have a bad game. Kudos go to ONO and Williams. Evina Westbrook had her best game as a Husky thus far and Makurat her best game of the season with 12 points. Mir McLean only got into the game with less than three minutes to play. Aubrey Griffin played well. Too bad about the Muhl injury and her being sidelined until after Christmas. Perhaps this shows why in her first two games she did not play as well as anticipated. She was the first player off the bench against UMass/Lowell.
Game 4 against Xavier (3-1) was by far the best all around performance for the team thus far with 6 players in double figures. Best player on the court was Christyn Williams and she led the team with 24 points. At least until we see Nika Muhl recovered from her foot injury, the rotation is seven. Mir McLean, the 8th to play, did not enter the game until about 7:40 left in the fourth quarter. It was nice to see Evina Westbrook show what a good player she is with 15 points and 3-5 from 3-point range. Bueckers led the team with 13 shots from the floor and 19 points.
Villanova (7-0) completed the pre-Christmas schedule and it proved to be another solid victory against the best team played thus far. Bueckers, Williams, Westbrook, and ONO all played well, but ONO’s foul trouble hints of the possibility of future perils if Edwards is injured. Fortunately, it didn’t matter last night. Westbrook scored 17 and played for 37 minutes. An excellent performance. With two players injured, the 6 player rotation is thin. Players 6-9 were in the game for a total of 27 minutes, 17 of them by Griffin.
What can one conclude on the basis of the pre-Christmas games? First of all, the rotation consists of 7 players. Whether or not it will become 8 depends on Nika Muhl’s recovery from her injury and her getting over what appeared to be jitters, although it is certainly possible that her on court difficulties have been caused in part by the differences between European and American college style of play. Second, all of the four returnees are playing better than they did for the first five games this year. How well they might perform against high quality teams, however, is unknown. Once we see the results of the Baylor game, then we will have much better idea on the team’s ceiling. Third, Paige Bueckers is as good as advertised, if we can forget the turnovers, and Aaliyah Edwards has exceeded expectations. We knew that she was going to be good, but her impact thus far is greater than this fan anticipated. Fourth, the team will have a real bench this season and for the first time in several years. Fifth, Evina Williams has played well, nothing spectacular, but she provides a level of maturity that the Huskies need. Her play in games 4 and 5 has been impressive Sixth, Anna does the little things that are important, although she does not shoot enough and often passes up shots. She is not a flashy player, but I am certain the Geno is mostly happy with her game thus far. Seventh, the other players are still unknown quantities. Anything UConn gets out of them will be a bonus.
In the UMass/Lowell (0-1), as numerous have noted, Paige Bueckers was easily to best player on the court. She should have had a double-double but several players failed to convert on her passes. I was impressed by the play of both Edwards and Mir McLean. It was nice to see Evina Westbrook on the floor and she had a pretty good game, as did Aubrey Griffin in the few minutes she played. Nothing to write home about by any of the others, although Makurat was steady.
As for the second game against Seton Hall (2-1), it was much more competitive, yet the Hall had no height and the team was short-handed. It showed that UConn could face difficulty against teams with quick guards. Once again Paige was the best player on the court (what a third quarter she had!), Aailayh Edwards was the second best, and both ONO and Christyn Williams had better games. With Edwards, the team has a banger inside that it has not really had since Stephanie Dolson and she scored 17 points in 18 minutes. Mir appeared to do well in the few minutes she played but she was not on the court during the second half, due reports say that she got into Geno’s doghouse. No one else raised an eyebrow with their play. The box score shows that Bueckers had five assists, but I noted at least seven occasions in which the recipient of her pass either failed to receive it or muffed the shot. Makurat and Williams each had seven assists.
Game 3 against Creighton (2-3) on December 17 saw the Huskies emerge victorious 80-47. Bueckers was not the best player on the court. The other four starters were equal to or better than the point guard, although she did not have a bad game. Kudos go to ONO and Williams. Evina Westbrook had her best game as a Husky thus far and Makurat her best game of the season with 12 points. Mir McLean only got into the game with less than three minutes to play. Aubrey Griffin played well. Too bad about the Muhl injury and her being sidelined until after Christmas. Perhaps this shows why in her first two games she did not play as well as anticipated. She was the first player off the bench against UMass/Lowell.
Game 4 against Xavier (3-1) was by far the best all around performance for the team thus far with 6 players in double figures. Best player on the court was Christyn Williams and she led the team with 24 points. At least until we see Nika Muhl recovered from her foot injury, the rotation is seven. Mir McLean, the 8th to play, did not enter the game until about 7:40 left in the fourth quarter. It was nice to see Evina Westbrook show what a good player she is with 15 points and 3-5 from 3-point range. Bueckers led the team with 13 shots from the floor and 19 points.
Villanova (7-0) completed the pre-Christmas schedule and it proved to be another solid victory against the best team played thus far. Bueckers, Williams, Westbrook, and ONO all played well, but ONO’s foul trouble hints of the possibility of future perils if Edwards is injured. Fortunately, it didn’t matter last night. Westbrook scored 17 and played for 37 minutes. An excellent performance. With two players injured, the 6 player rotation is thin. Players 6-9 were in the game for a total of 27 minutes, 17 of them by Griffin.
What can one conclude on the basis of the pre-Christmas games? First of all, the rotation consists of 7 players. Whether or not it will become 8 depends on Nika Muhl’s recovery from her injury and her getting over what appeared to be jitters, although it is certainly possible that her on court difficulties have been caused in part by the differences between European and American college style of play. Second, all of the four returnees are playing better than they did for the first five games this year. How well they might perform against high quality teams, however, is unknown. Once we see the results of the Baylor game, then we will have much better idea on the team’s ceiling. Third, Paige Bueckers is as good as advertised, if we can forget the turnovers, and Aaliyah Edwards has exceeded expectations. We knew that she was going to be good, but her impact thus far is greater than this fan anticipated. Fourth, the team will have a real bench this season and for the first time in several years. Fifth, Evina Williams has played well, nothing spectacular, but she provides a level of maturity that the Huskies need. Her play in games 4 and 5 has been impressive Sixth, Anna does the little things that are important, although she does not shoot enough and often passes up shots. She is not a flashy player, but I am certain the Geno is mostly happy with her game thus far. Seventh, the other players are still unknown quantities. Anything UConn gets out of them will be a bonus.
