Arkansas Postgame Thread

[Jmsdawg]

Some thoughts on the Arkansas game:

• UConn shoots 59% in the first half and heads to the locker room with a 2-pt lead. At that point I knew UConn was in trouble. Arkansas is one tough team to play against, and Dungee belongs in the pros, although I’m not crazy about that flying chicken-wing of hers.
• Every time UConn threw the ball into the post, Arkansas swarmed all over it, generally neutralizing UConn’s size advantage.
• Pleased with Nika’s minutes off the bench. She didn’t try to do too much or play too fast, and she knocked down several key shots.
• I guess we’re back to playing with another 5’11” center?
• Paige and Evina both came up big tonight, but it wasn't enough
• I know there will be criticism about players, coaching strategy, etc., but the simple truth is that Arkansas was a better team than UConn tonight. They shot it well, took better care of the ball, played tough team defense, boxed out and hit the boards. They earned the W.

Arkansas lives and dies by the 3s. Tonight they were on and it would have been difficult for any team to beat them. Dungee is in shape this year and IMHO would be my number one pick if I were a WNBA GM. UConn is a very good team and is a FF pick for me.

 

[Glenn]

Poor defensive results by our guards. Gave up 90 points. that was our problem, no Cw's shooting or lack of Anna, or free throws, It wasn't our offense, we gave up 90 points

 

[SCGamecock]

Arkansas had UConn right where they wanted them the entire game. The match was definitely played at their pace which is HUGE mistake against a team like Arkansas that can match any team in the country point for point. To beat Arkansas you need transition and a dominating post game. You have to demoralize and frustrate them. Make them play defense and those shots get harder to make. Going shot for shot is literally the worst thing you can do, and that's what UConn was doing. I thought UConn's freshman post player had the right mindset, just needed more from a few other players.

Arkansas is never a game I look forward to.

 

[Pie43]

I feel your pain UConn fans!

No pain it was a great game, lot of good things

 

[Pie43]

I thought the freshmen were great. I don’t know that we could have expected more from them.

Was a great game

 

[Blueballer]

Hard to believe, but UConn actually outshot them, 55% to 51%.

We score very well. It was a great effort. The real surprise was how well THEY shot. They hit one more three than us and they won by three. I wish we had drained our FT's. As great as ARK played we could have still won.

 

[npignatjr]

I hear you.. I don't see her being injury-free helping her guard any of those Arkansas guards. Anna struggles guarding quick players, don't think that would have changed or helped.

She normally plays the 4.

 

[Dokey]

I disagree Bart sorry . The gal can play and will make a roster most likely 1st rounder with all respect

Yup, hell of a player, the kind UConn can’t defend against.

 

[HuskyNan]

Folks are comparing this game to the St John's game
Bad comparison.

Arkansas may be unranked because they've played a ridiculous
schedule and lost to some pretty good teams they might have beaten.

St John's was no where close to their class. That was just a terrible loss.
In this case, Arkansas, a darned good team, showed up.

Arkansas is ranked

 

[Pie43]

Played soft, especially on defense. Arkansas played lights out and barely won. If Paige starts out playing like she did in the second half, we win. I hope we see them in March.

Great game

 

[BBallF]

That was not a shot clock violation. Sorry. CW pulled the bonehead play by dribbling and not calling a TO. That play was all on CW.

Sorry but I disagree. The replay showed the ball was still on Ramirez' fingers when the shot clock expired. Also, if you watch it carefully, CW stops dribbling after timeout was called and the clock keeps on going. I am not saying that costs us the game but I thought it was emblematic of a very poorly officiated game.

 

[CTBballfan243]

Overall I thought UConn played well. They put up 87 points. We just ran into a hot shooting team. I thought Nika Muhl played surprisingly well. She didn’t play scared. I thought overall the freshmen did a really good job. We had 3 freshmen on the floor at one time. This game will go along way in this teams development. More than any Big East game UConn will play.

 

[MSGRET]

Arkansas is a weird team. They lose to mediocre teams, as they are 2-5 in SEC play but finds a way to beat UCONN and Baylor lol

I guess this recaps this years season.

Anyone could win it all, almost anyone in the top 25! I’m not even kidding

All of their losses are to ranked teams.

 

[cferraro04]

Well, I couldn't have been more wrong about Dungee...she proved she is a first team All American tonight. She was the closest thing to unstoppable that I have seen all season. 37 points...13 for 21 from the floor and 4 for 5 from three...along with 7 for 10 from the line. While I was disappointed in some individuals play...as a team...I thought UConn played really well...they played a good game...they shot 55 percent from the floor and 52 percent from three...that is usually enough to win most games...tonight Arkansas was unconscious...they probably played the best game they are ever going to play...13 threes...they shot 51.6 percent from the floor and 56.5 from three...that is lights out play...kudos to them...they needed a game like that to beat UConn and they did it.

Here are the positives I take from the game:

1. Bueckers proved she can play well in the big games...27 points on 10 for 15 from the floor; 33 from three and 4 for 4 from the line. I would like to see her getting her team mates more involved...as I think she is capable of getting 5-6 assists per game.

2. McLean was impressive...she is rough around the edges but the talent and ability is there. She played well tonight.

3. Muhl has apparently left her freshman jitters behind and had a pretty good game... 8 points; 2 assists and 3 rebounds...decent outing for her against a rated team.

4. UConn has played fairly well on the road...this was a solid road performance that unfortunately came up short.

5. Westbrook continues to impress...19 points, 7 assists, 5-7 from three, 6 rebounds...and a whole lot of leadership out there tonight.

Areas of Concern:

1. Olivia seems to be regressing...she all but disappeared tonight...she was needed, she had a skill set and natural height advantage that should have translated into an unstoppable force underneath the basket...the fact that it didn't happen...leaves me fairly concerned.

2. I really thought Aubrey was turning the corner and would be able to be a defensive stopper on Dungee...boy was I wrong...6 rebounds for an undersized forward..not bad...but, offensively and defensively she is still not there yet.

3. Williams went cold in the second half...she couldn't throw the ball into the ocean...she needs to be consistent for 40 minutes...if we are going to win a championship this year. Paige can't do it herself. Westbrook, Bueckers and Williams...have to all be on for UConn to go all the way this year. Throwing a 0fer from three will cause the defense to sag off of her and take away her ability to drive the basket...she needs to knock down some threes.

4. Fouls...fouls hurt us tonight 23 fouls to their 13. While they shot only 11 for 20 from the line and UConn shot 9 for 14 from the line...it could be argued that since the differential was only 2 points and they won by 3 that the foul shooting was inconsequential....but, that is only part of the story. We had Edwards foul out, McLean had four and we had three players with 3 fouls... It resulted in Aubrey, Odo getting bench time and made some of our players a little tentative on defense.

5. Another stat that jumps out is we had 15 turnovers to their 9. They took care of the basketball better than we did. Arkansas had 18 points off turnovers to UConn's 14.

6. Arkansas lost the rebounding category but tied in offensive rebounds with 8 and was able to capitalize at a better rate than UConn... Arkansas had 10 second chance points to UConn's six.

Final thoughts:

All in all it was a good road game for UConn...they played well. I don't think if we play Arkansas again that we will lose. I don't see Dungee scoring 37 in a second outing...Geno won't let that happen. I don't see them shooting lights out they way they did in this game. I think Olivia, Christyn and Aubrey play much better next time around.I like our chances in a rematch.

 

[phil sampieri]

There is no point to replay if you are going to ignore that.

But the defense was horrific and free throws once again a problem

Go ahead and kill me but Geno Was out coached. Arkansas had their center out by the 3 point line and our center went out to guard her which left the drive to the basket without a shot blocker. Should have gone zone which would leave our big girl down low no matter what, I think Paige finally got the message she almost did take over this game and will do so from now on when needed. Gritty non win though

 

[npignatjr]

Let's get serious here. I'm a husky fan I'm not anti-Anna. She has been getting pulled off the court by Geno all season prior to her injury. You wanna bet on Anna's defense so be it.. It definitely doesn't win us this game tonight or against any other solid team. Anna is known for her size, her shooting and her passing. Only two of those things have been useful this season and it hasn't been the scoring option. Notice I mentioned nothing of her defense, when has literally anyone raved about Anna's defense except tonight when she wasn't playing?!

The coach had said they have been treating her injury all season and limiting minutes.

 

[Hayven]

This loss is on ONO. Point, blank, period. Prople are going to say this on Geno and staff. But, Geno has been recently mentioning some of the players are still making the same mistakes, they were, as freshmen. ONO had a distinct height advantage and not having any impact on the game, as a junior, is just inexcusable. Geno should bench her the next game, seems like she’s not responding to anything else. SC will force ONO to the bench, where she seems to be in the big games.

C, inconsistent once again...taking 17 shots just to get 16 points is awful.

E and Paige proved why they should always be the first options on offense. E seems to be returning back to her good days, I hope she keeps it up.

Aaliyah is a freshman. So, she’s in just one mode at all times, and that’s to be aggressive. She’ll overcome this with more playing time. heck I’d even think she should start the next game.

but I’m most impressed with Nika and Mir. Nika had a nice take to the basket. She seems to be getting more comfortable as she plays more. She even played some decent defense on Dungee, when just a few games ago, Geno gave her an earful about her poor defense.

I’m expecting a loss to SC. So, making another final four, is dependent on a great matchup with another team.

 

[Pie43]

Christyn also needs to mature. No way you get that rebound with 2.3 seconds and you dribble the ball. That's a Time-out. Where was her head at?? And please keep the "these are college kids" comments.. we all wanted this W

This is all we are going to get out of Christyn and ONO, question who will get there minutes?????

It's tough to play Aaliyah when you only get 15 minutes from her before she fouls out of the game.

She will learn,,,time needed

 

[CocoHusky]

Staiti sat on the bench most of the game. The coach did not play her much even in the second half.

That is not correct the box score shows she played 31 Minutes.

Georgia 75-73 Arkansas (Jan 25, 2021) Box Score - ESPN

Box score for the Georgia Lady Bulldogs vs. Arkansas Razorbacks NCAAW game from January 25, 2021 on ESPN. Includes all points, rebounds and steals stats.

www.espn.com

 

[HuskyNan]

Sorry but I disagree. The replay showed the ball was still on Ramirez' fingers when the shot clock expired. Also, if you watch it carefully, CW stops dribbling after timeout was called and the clock keeps on going. I am not saying that costs us the game but I thought it was emblematic of a very poorly officiated game.

Please don’t blame the refs. They had nothing to do with the loss

 

[jaydee602]

While Dungee was the MVP, Arkansas doesn't win without the clutch shooting of Ramirez. Everyone expects Dungee to score at will, but Ramirez has been inconsistent all season. Tonight, she was lights out. Some of her 3's were highly contested too.

 

[msf22b]

Arkansas is ranked

Thank you...

 

[Fore!]

Watch the game. If the freshmen got more minutes we might have won. I thought I missed Anna. I really miss Anna

 

[Dokey]

Let's get serious here. I'm a husky fan I'm not anti-Anna. She has been getting pulled off the court by Geno all season prior to her injury. You wanna bet on Anna's defense so be it.. It definitely doesn't win us this game tonight or against any other solid team. Anna is known for her size, her shooting and her passing. Only two of those things have been useful this season and it hasn't been the scoring option. Notice I mentioned nothing of her defense, when has literally anyone raved about Anna's defense except tonight when she wasn't playing?!

The question is how long has injury been affecting her. The first game she didn’t start, she ended up playing most minutes. CW has her problems but Anna frequently made her better. AG plays like a wild colt and that’s great but she is often out of position. Ono is simply over rated. Evina and Paige are great. Nika will get there. Edwards fouls too much. Mir is in development. But all of them play better when Anna is on the floor and Geno knows it.

 

[Centerstream]

When was UCONN NOT in the top ten ranking?

Google it. That's what I did when it was asked last week. Plus there's a thread on the topic:
How Many Weeks Has UConn Been Ranked in the Top 10?