A Mere Abberation My Friends

[Sonny44]

No reason to fear folks; keep the faith. The ship will be righted.

 

[Topdawg]

I agree. Even the best teams will have bad days and the team fought hard enough to walk away with a win. If I recollect correctly, they had the lead throughout the game even though at times it came down to a difference of two points.

 

[oldude]

Hope your right. I am concerned that Tulane may have established a blueprint to play the Huskies. Put a quick guard on Lou to speed her up. Let Gabby have all the jump shots she wants from 15 ft. Bang & double Pheesa all night to get her into foul trouble and make UConn's guards beat you (Crystal & Saniya were a combined 3-15, with only 3 assists & 4 TO's)

Not having Kia made a big difference. I suspect that the Huskies are in for more of the same Wednesday vs Temple. We'll see how they respond.

 

[ctfjr]

I think it shows just how vulnerable our depth is. Kia is a major chess piece in our game. That, plus the foul trouble Pheesa had (again) and all we need is a bad shooting night from Lou and it will be a short March season.
Butler demonstrated again that she is inconsistent. I wish she could handle the ball better and somehow forget to bring the ball down at all when she is near the basket.
On the bright side solid contributions from Gabby again. She is a super nova on our team and Pheesa continues to come up big time.
Let me not forget Tulane's effort. They played inspired, kudos to them.
Now I can reduce my blood pressure meds.

 

[UC10NN]

I think it shows just how vulnerable our depth is. Kia is a major chess piece in our game. That, plus the foul trouble Pheesa had (again) and all we need is a bad shooting night from Lou and it will be a short March season.
Butler demonstrated again that she is inconsistent. I wish she could handle the ball better and somehow forget to bring the ball down at all when she is near the basket.
On the bright side solid contributions from Gabby again. She is a super nova on our team.
Let me not forget Tulane's effort. They played inspired, kudos to them.
Now I can reduce my blood pressure meds.

I would wait until Kia returns to reduce your meds

 

[cohenzone]

Defense wins our games, offense decides by how much. What Tulane did was match our defense and intensity. Well coached and one player who had one of those nights when she could have shot with her knee and the ball was going in. And she was clearly having fun. Loved it.

 

[HuskyNan]

Any team that is LIKELY to lose by a large margin, So - play a new defense. Get in front of big scorers and SEEK to draw a charge by exaggerating all contact. If get "Best players" in foul trouble will disrupt teams chemistry and get Weaker bench players in. Also play VERY PHYSICAL, push, bump, grab, slap, stay close to top UCONN players double-triple team big scorers. Shoot a lot of threes. Watch this Tulane video !!! Tulane lost 100 to 56 on 1-22-2017, this game Tulane lost 63-60, 41 points better by Tulane

Any reason why you posted this four times?

 

[UConnNick]

Hope your right. I am concerned that Tulane may have established a blueprint to play the Huskies. Put a quick guard on Lou to speed her up. Let Gabby have all the jump shots she wants from 15 ft. Bang & double Pheesa all night to get her into foul trouble and make UConn's guards beat you (Crystal & Saniya were a combined 3-15, with only 3 assists & 4 TO's)

Not having Kia made a big difference. I suspect that the Huskies are in for more of the same Wednesday vs Temple. We'll see how they respond.

Right now, every team in the country that still has UConn on its schedule, and those teams that expect to play us at some point in the NCAAs, have obtained video of the Tulane game and will be studying it. Still, that's an awfully long list of things you have to execute consistently and effectively for 40 minutes to have a chance to beat UCONN.

 

[huskeynut]

Cause for concern right now is that Kia is out for 2 weeks. That is no small problem.

Saniya and Crystal Dangerfield as a duo were not effective last night. Though Crystal Dangerfield can pass her defense and scoring is not up to Kia's standard. That's reality. This is a major problem right now.

Other causes for concern - Lou's shooting slump. Don't know if its fatigue or rushing shots or self-imposed pressure. But going from averaging 21 points per game to around 15 in the last 2 or 3 doesn't help. Also, the team chemistry is off because of Kia's absence and a new rotation for subs.

Last night could be nothing more than a let down from the SC game.

The Temple game will tell a lot.

 

[Frenchy]

Lets get a collectively grip. It has been 842 days since the Uconn WBB team drop the ball. Tulane was just a misstep. What kind of success have you and I have done the past 842 Days?

 

[warbler1055]

Not an abberation at all. There are good points being made here, the team is emotionally drained from the hype and tough SC game, physically tired, exhausted from pressure of being at their best at all time. Truth is nothing is as big as replacing Kia with Danger. Kia is going to be out at least 2 weeks, so Danger is the repacement. Danger is a freshman and despite her obvious talent, she shot 1-7 FG, 2-6 FT last night in addition to bad passes to Collier. If she can only make those FTs and a couple of FGs the team would be vastly improved. Sure she did do some fantastic things like getting a steal with 5 sec left and won the game for us. Hopefully Kia will get healthy and Danger will improve for the tournament. And then UConn will be a much better team.

 

[vtcwbuff]

Auriemma has been saying it all season long and he said it again last night - "this team is not as good as everyone thinks it is." Last night they played a team that exposed their weaknesses and other teams will attempt to exploit that. We'll see what happens with Temple and USF.

Chong and Dangerfield provided no offense with only 3 assists (and 4 turnovers) between them. much of Colliers foul troubles rests on their shoulders. No bench is a serious problem. Last night Butler was awful and Irwin brought nothing.

 

[Bliss]

We were due for a down game because, after all, the girls are tired at this point in the season and the bench is short. Gabby didn't have her usual big game, Danger can't hit foul shots and is a freshman, Natalie should be playing softball, Kyla is tough but needs more playing time to be effective (I'd insert her rather than Natalie), Pheese and Lou played okay but not up to their standards. And, of course, we needed Kia to control the offense.

What the hey.........it will get better and I'm not concerned. I actually enjoyed the game.

 

[LouS]

There is not question that the team has vulnerabilities plus everyone has a bad night. Be patient and let Geno take care of business...

 

[tomcat]

Hope your right. I am concerned that Tulane may have established a blueprint to play the Huskies. Put a quick guard on Lou to speed her up. Let Gabby have all the jump shots she wants from 15 ft. Bang & double Pheesa all night to get her into foul trouble and make UConn's guards beat you (Crystal & Saniya were a combined 3-15, with only 3 assists & 4 TO's)

Not having Kia made a big difference. I suspect that the Huskies are in for more of the same Wednesday vs Temple. We'll see how they respond.

I share your fear. Think about it: The guard who covered Katie Lou was 5'8, and blocked one or maybe two of her shots.
The issue is that UConn really is a team of parts, and each part is important to the whole -- probably more so than many other of the good teams in WCBB today. Take one of those parts away, like Kia, and maybe you get by. Take two or three away, like Katie Lou's three-point shooting and Napheesa because of fouls, and the game changes.

I would also argue that this game demonstrates that with Kia out, UConn not only needs KLS to get points, but to make threes. If she cannot make threes, opponents know that Saniya and Crystal can make those shots, but not with the frequency of KLS. No KLS threes means the other team can defend UConn much more effectively. So yes, it's great that Katie Lou finds other ways to contribute and to score, but her threes re a rally important part of the equation.

 

[oldude]

I share your fear. Think about it: The guard who covered Katie Lou was 5'8, and blocked one or maybe two of her shots.
The issue is that UConn really is a team of parts, and each part is important to the whole -- probably more so than many other of the good teams in WCBB today. Take one of those parts away, like Kia, and maybe you get by. Take two or three away, like Katie Lou's three-point shooting and Napheesa because of fouls, and the game changes.

I would also argue that this game demonstrates that with Kia out, UConn not only needs KLS to get points, but to make threes. If she cannot make threes, opponents know that Saniya and Crystal can make those shots, but not with the frequency of KLS. No KLS threes means the other team can defend UConn much more effectively. So yes, it's great that Katie Lou finds other ways to contribute and to score, but her threes re a rally important part of the equation.

Well stated. I have some thoughts milling around in my head about Lou's role. Hope to pull them together with a thread/post by tomorrow.

 

[iri10]

It's just a flesh wound!

Get well soon, Kia.

 

[NEforceUConn]

Tomcat, oldude , huskynut, and others - Thanks for your thoughts. I haven't offered Monday morning quarterback player feedback on this board before and I hope I'm not breaking any BY protocol by commenting on players.

Yesterday was an off day for the team, understandable given the post SC 100 game accomplishment and Kia being out. The only questionable item, as others have pointed out is that Lou seems to be at less than 100%. It may be the mental strain or something physical, but I think this will pass come March. Concerning Tulane (where if we made foul shots to limit Tulane's conviction) I believe we would have won by 15.

That said here is why I am not that concerned:

Natalie had an off game, if she had played the way she has been for the past 5 games the game is not close. Geno actually played Kyla instead of Natalie.
Crystal had an off game. She was pedestrian with suspect D and missed foul shots. If she played the way we have seen her play the game is not close.
Soniya played OK, I thought at some point she would have helped to ice the game by driving to the hoop (as she has shown glimpses of this year). If she had the game is not close.

Coach will solve Gabby's position when she is in the high post (perhaps concerning catching the ball closer to the foul line) , and if the D plays off her she should hit that shot.

For selfish reasons I wish Geno game Molly some burn yesterday, based on my observations on Crystal's play. But Geno knows his stuff and in practice Crystal must grade out much higher in D and in shot making than Molly.

I expect the team will return to "normal" versus Temple. However if a 5'8'' guard can block a Lou three pointer than Lou needs some vitamin C.

 

[NewCorn]

We were due for a down game because, after all, the girls are tired at this point in the season and the bench is short. Gabby didn't have her usual big game, Danger can't hit foul shots and is a freshman, Natalie should be playing softball, Kyla is tough but needs more playing time to be effective (I'd insert her rather than Natalie), Pheese and Lou played okay but not up to their standards. And, of course, we needed Kia to control the offense.

What the hey....it will get better and I'm not concerned. I actually enjoyed the game.

I agree will most of your post, but I'm not sure why you say Pheesa didn't play up to her standards, unless you are referring to the four fouls. One was caused by a bad pass from the guard, another was an awful call by the ref. The ref fell for a well executed flop. These things happen, but I don't think they add up to not playing up to her standard.

 

[RogueDave]

Auriemma has been saying it all season long and he said it again last night - "this team is not as good as everyone thinks it is." Last night they played a team that exposed their weaknesses and other teams will attempt to exploit that. We'll see what happens with Temple and USF.

Chong and Dangerfield provided no offense with only 3 assists (and 4 turnovers) between them. much of Colliers foul troubles rests on their shoulders. No bench is a serious problem. Last night Butler was awful and Irwin brought nothing.

Whoa Kyla Irwin played well...I rewatched the game she did everything she is being taught in practice, good defensive position, boxing out rebounding, moving without the ball, posting, cutting, setting screens, going out to get the ball relieve pressure on ball handlers...I concede she hasnt quite been able to finish around the basket on offense...but her fundamental style of play is really coming on, that is why he played her...the only reason she came out is because coach wanted more offense out of that position on the floor at that point in the game...Her hard work in practice is really starting too show...

 

[Bigpetunia]

I tend to agree with the OP. We should take it easy. I think that we fans too often look at individual game performances as some kind of zero-sum entities that necessarily portend gloom (or elation) insofar as future game outcomes are concerned. I suspect that the upcoming game vs Temple will make everyone feel much better, even absent Kia's steadying presence. Unfortunately, the inverse reality is also true: Off-night performances by some of our traditionally toughest opponents like ND, Baylor and MD during the course of the season should offer us no particular comfort come tourney time. If someone is going to rise to defeat our favorite team, though, they'd better damn well do it this year. Next year? 'Tain't happenin'

 

[hoophuskee]

I think a lot of it comes down to Nurse.

We have said for the longest time the sum of the parts are greater than the individual pieces.

I think without Nurse it is very "evident."

Take away The Core 4 for an entire game- we can suffer.

Nurse can play the physical guards much better than Saniya and obviously Danger. I thoguth Danger did nothing he whole game and she is not an asset on defense. When you take out Collier - and Nat isn't palyign well- we only have three good players on the floor in which Lou isn't shoting well and Gabby now can be doubled on the inside. Danger's shooting is suspect and Nat isn't going to spread the floor. Thereofre Gabby can be better neutralized.

Just compare the season of Nurse vs what Danger gave us last night. Not to mention -- but I will the experience and the defense. Danger played 33 minutes was 1-7 from the floor and had just 1 assist. And Nurse is an over 80% ft shooter.

Nurse balances our floor. You can have Nurse play sf. I think Tulane played small. SO you could have Lou play pf if Nat/Kyla are ineffective. Nurse is a battler. Nurse is 2nd on the team in assists and has a 2.5 assist to turnover ratio. I'm pretty sure in the ND game UCONN used Lou at the high post. Because of our limited gaurds maybe we can't efficiently move her around more.

The big takeaway imo comes down to Nurse.

Long term it looks like our outside shooting is a shell of what it used ot be. But for it to be running 100% efficiency we need Nurse. She was a starter for arguably the greatest wcbb team ever for a reason. And it is more than just individual stats.

 

[hoophuskee]

Whoa Kyla Irwin played well...I rewatched the game she did everything she is being taught in practice, good defensive position, boxing out rebounding, moving without the ball, posting, cutting, setting screens, going out to get the ball relieve pressure on ball handlers...I concede she hasnt quite been able to finish around the basket on offense...but her fundamental style of play is really coming on, that is why he played her...the only reason she came out is because coach wanted more offense out of that position on the floor at that point in the game...Her hard work in practice is really starting too show...

Played well?????????

Played well for "kyla."

Playing well for a national championship is a different story. You have to be able to score to win. You have to be able to get offensive rebounds sometimes and convert or have assists. Because she wasn't awful doesn't mean "she played well." She can't impact a game. Give her kudos for competing and vs her prior standards yeah you can say she played well for Kyla and got 3 boards. But not 'well" for the team. W are a superior team. The other teams are keying on the stars, correct? SO if she can't score and doesn't impact the game defensively how can you say "she played well" for a team far superior than Tulane with National Title aspirations?

Unless you are saying "she played well for Kyla." Which is fine. She wasn't bad. But to say "she played well" for a team whose expectations is a national title in which our stars are being covered more doggedly because they don't need to worry as much about a Kyla is a big stretch imo.

 

[hoophuskee]

Hope your right. (1) I am concerned that Tulane may have established a blueprint to play the Huskies. Put a quick guard on Lou to speed her up. (2) Let Gabby have all the jump shots she wants from 15 ft. (3) Bang & double Pheesa all night to get her into foul trouble (4) and make UConn's guards beat you (Crystal & Saniya were a combined 3-15, with only 3 assists & 4 TO's)

(5) Not having Kia made a big difference. I suspect that the Huskies are in for more of the same Wednesday vs Temple. We'll see how they respond.

1--- . Since when was the last time a team didn't put a quicker smaller player on Lou? Lou is missing her shots right now. What is being done differently now that hasn't been done since the beginning of the year? No one 6'3 or taller has guarded Lou, have they? So ofc a quicker player has guarded her all year. She is just missing now and now we don't have Nurse to help her. Nurse was 2nd on the team in assists. Losing her is a big impact.

2-- Yes. Let Gabby take 15 footers. Has there been a team all year other than maybe Fla State that hasn't let her shoot from 15 feet? Even her most dynamic games vs ND and USC she has been given the 15 foot shot.

3-- How did "banging" cause Collier to get two offensive fouls on her last night? And the 5th foul was the result of banging? That didn't look much like banging even before the foul. It was just a complete acting job of a non-banging situation imo. Or was it just complete incompetency of a ref caught in the moment of playing at Tulane? IS a top tier team going to risk have a star player bang collier and get themselves into foul trouble 1st? And then the top team is going to have to rely on winning a game in which they hope the refs will be completely incompetent and make a call on the 5th foul like they did last night?

4-- I agree at this moment. Until Danger can prove she can hit 3's. Even then absolutely live and die on defense proving Danger can shoot. Right now she can't. As for Chong -- UCONN should be comfortable her taking 3's if she is open. I realize with our shooting efcciency from the outside fading even with Nurse, playing a zone or sagging etc is no longer a bad strategy. And as of this moment with no Nurse imo it is a good one to employ.

5-- We will be playing home. I don't;' think the incompetency of the refs would be as much of a factor. But Temple does have good guard play.

 

[oldude]

1--- . Since when was the last time a team didn't put a quicker smaller player on Lou? Lou is missing her shots right now. What is being done differently now that hasn't been done since the beginning of the year? No one 6'3 or taller has guarded Lou, have they? So ofc a quicker player has guarded her all year. She is just missing now and now we don't have Nurse to help her. Nurse was 2nd on the team in assists. Losing her is a big impact.

2-- Yes. Let Gabby take 15 footers. Has there been a team all year other than maybe Fla State that hasn't let her shoot from 15 feet? Even her most dynamic games vs ND and USC she has been given the 15 foot shot.

3-- How did "banging" cause Collier to get two offensive fouls on her last night? And the 5th foul was the result of banging? That didn't look much like banging even before the foul. It was just a complete acting job of a non-banging situation imo. Or was it just complete incompetency of a ref caught in the moment of playing at Tulane? IS a top tier team going to risk have a star player bang collier and get themselves into foul trouble 1st? And then the top team is going to have to rely on winning a game in which they hope the refs will be completely incompetent and make a call on the 5th foul like they did last night?

4-- I agree at this moment. Until Danger can prove she can hit 3's. Even then absolutely live and die on defense proving Danger can shoot. Right now she can't. As for Chong -- UCONN should be comfortable her taking 3's if she is open. I realize with our shooting efcciency from the outside fading even with Nurse, playing a zone or sagging etc is no longer a bad strategy. And as of this moment with no Nurse imo it is a good one to employ.

5-- We will be playing home. I don't;' think the incompetency of the refs would be as much of a factor. But Temple does have good guard play.

Lots of questions here.

1. Most teams have been guarding Lou with a wing or forward in the 6' range. Tulane put a 5'8" guard, their quickest and most athletic player on Lou.
2. Generally agree with your point but here's the difference. Gabby has been able to entice other teams bigs to come out and guard her and then blow right by them for layups as she did vs SC. Tulane' bigs played off Gabby more than any team I've seen all year.
3. I agree there's not always a correlation, but physical games invite physical play and refs have a tendency to try to even things out. So Pheesa is getting banged around and maybe loses some composure and commits a charge, or a coach is riding the refs about all the calls going one way and the ref whistles a make-up call.
4 & 5 I absolutely agree