Baylor Postgame Thread | Page 3 | The Boneyard

Baylor Postgame Thread

Monster game by Aubrey; remlnded me of Gabby Williams tonight. A dozen boards, equally split between O and D. Dorka a really steady game at both ends. Nika 10 dimes. Loved Lou's wraparound assist to Aaliyah. A good lesson for Aaliyah tonight on how she has to control her PFs. CD was right there when we needed her tonight. Azzi's % could have been better, but she's rounding into shape. Everytime she misses, I say "Keep shooting, Azzi." And she is a high-volume shooter, scoring 22 on 22 shots (both numbers higher than anybody else in the game). She was only in the low 30s on her 22 FGAs, but the more she can shoot -- and she does get open -- the more she is going to score. And pretty soon, those shots will start dropping more consistently. I thought the foul-shooting could have been a little better, but in the first half I think they were a little distracted by the Baylor cheerleaders, who were waving their pom-poms under UConn's basket whenever we went to the line. I thought that was extremely rude. You don't go into someone else's house and do something like that. (NB: The UConn cheerleaders, at the other end of the court, did NOT try to distract Baylor free-throwers.)

Geno said this would be an exciting tournament, and so far he has been spot on. Two ones and a three will not make it to the SS. Opponents' 3-point shooting has hurt us this year, but I don't think tOSU will present as great an outside threat as Baylor did.

Thanks, team. Your fans go to bed happy tonight.
 
Gutsy win. UConn is the most battle tested team in the country. Period. Lou playing on one good leg. Caroline can barely move side to side. Aubrey playing with a numb back. Azzi probably at 70% physically and mentally. Yet, the girls refuse to quit!

UConn did not play their best game. A good, athletic Baylor team with quality wins played very well. Yet, we win by 19.

This, never die mindset will carry UConn to another Final Four. Let's go!
 
Shooters need to keep shooting. Shooters can be streaky. It is what it is. For those that follow the men, Jordan Hawkins was cold in the first half of their game vs St Mary's, but exploded in the 2nd half. Much like Azzi tonight. Uncanny really. Both are really great shooters who need to keep shooting. They are essential for the teams to pull away.
 
This was the only NCAA tourney game today that sold out. Most games today averaged less than 5000 fans.
Indiana did have 14,000 in a 17,000 seat arena, so kudos to them.
But Duke had less than 2,000 spectators tonight in a prime time game at their home arena.
While I realize that some games were during the day, UCONN would have sold out regardless of gametime. Husky fans are definitely their sixth man (woman)!
 
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Dawson said:
Having Azzi back has obviously been a huge difference, but I honestly feel like having Caroline is almost as big. The team plays better with her out there and she is constantly making cuts or deflecting passes.

I feel pretty good about our chances with her out there.
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Excellent point, Dawson. Caroline is 8 of 10 from the floor for the last two games, had six rebounds three assists tonight in just 19 minutes.

I loved Azzi's hot streak there in the third period, and she combined with Aubrey to break it open. Still, Azzi is clearly the team's volume shooter, and has yet to show she's got her stroke back from three (3 of 12 tonight, 9 of 38 since her return). Honestly, with Caroline and Lou combining for just 10 shots while Azzi had 22, I'd rather the offense be more balanced until Azzi's production warrants all those shots. How quickly we forget what Lou has done for the team this year and what Caroline can do if given more opportunities.

I know this won't be a popular post tonight, but 9 of 38?
 
Both SC and UConn’s brackets had no upsets, which makes the Sweet 16 matchups challenging. If both of them make it to the Final Four, the road to the Final will be much easier. Incredible tournament so far, with huge crowds.
 
and one said:
A very nice win against a pretty good team. The first quarter featured UConn turnovers and 6 Baylor 3s, ending in UConn down 6. After that UConn took charge - up 5 at half, up 12 at the end of the 3rd Q and winning by 19.

Azzi shot a lot and scored 22 points. We've been waiting for an Azzi game like this for a good while. She only made 3 of 12 three pointers but was 9 of 11 inside the arc. When she starts making 3s at the clip we know she can that kid is capable of really big scoring nights.

Aubrey was just so good. Here game was exactly as it should be with the current team. She shot 2 for 5, which is about right. She knows as well as we do that there are better scorers around her so she has no need to be jacking up a lot of shots. She had 6 offensive and 6 defensive rebounds and the intensity she showed in rebounding was scary. The third quarter was all Azzi scoring and all Aubrey doing everything but scoring.

It seemed like a more quiet game for AE what with sitting out with foul trouble for awhile. She only went 9 for 11 and 4 boards. AE has had a good string of games where she has been dominant and is peaking at a good time.

CD had another sneaky good game. Some scoring - 4 of 6 with 2 threes and 6 boards and tough defense.

Nike adding to her assist collection and heaving in that long 3 as the half ended.

Dorka played a good solid game at both ends of the floor. Nothing spectacular but very solid.

It took until somewhere in the 3Q before i stopped worrying that we might lose. In the end an easy win. Nice. Sweet 16 here we come!
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Do you post assuming no one has watched the game, or are you trying to fill in the details for the few who haven’t?
 
Tonyc said:
When we had all those players on the bench we learned how to play without them. Tonite with Edwards on the bench and Nika in foul trouble that learning experience paid off. Everybody stepped up. Griff was a game changer and it was Azzi Time when Edwards was out. Both stepped up and everybody else stepped up big time. Dorka is so steady. Caroline and Azzi back and we are a different team. Next Ohio St. Dorkas old team. Hey how much has Dorka improved since coming to UCOnn
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I don't know how much she's improved, Tony, but she was 1st team all-Big Ten twice for the Buckeyes, so Geno knew he was getting a topnotch player.
 
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toadfoot said:
Lots of people stepped up but I got to give an atta girl to Caroline for her play. First game 4-4 from the field and 2-2 from 3. Tonight 4-6 from the field and 2-4 from 3.
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She had a good offensive game but she has to do MUCH better on guarding the three point shot. She looked like she was just waiving at her marks, staying far enough away that she wasn't a factor .
 
I was at the game and it was a wonderful way to cap off the Gampel season. Everyone contributed big time!

It was definitely nerve racking early on when Baylor was draining those uncontested threes but we tightened up the defense after that. In the interview after the game, Chris Dailey (listende to her interviewed by Bob Joyce on the ride home) said Baylor was getting wherever they wanted early but after that we were able to clean up the switches and keep them on one side of the court to limit their options.

I thought our guards did a decent job of keeping Baylor`s quick guards in front of them and the help defense was very good when one of them got by.

Andrews only had five points on 2 of 13 shooting, that was primarily Nika although Aubrey had her at times as well. Bickle only had three points and was a total non-factor.

I simply cannot get enough of Nika Muhl. She plays with such passion, with such emotion and that buzzer beater in front of the student section was electric! Geno gave her a huge hug when she came out of the game at the end. Well deserved. I think this team has a special place in Geno`s heart.

The students were amazing and Geno went over after the game and applauded them. Classy move by a classy guy.

I was watching Aubrey in warmups and she looked much more fluid than she did on Saturday, when she looked rather stiff before the game. She was an absolute beast out there. You could tell that Aubrey tweaked her back on an awkward play under our hoop but I was overjoyed to see her return to the bench and ecstatic that she came back into the game. Nice that both Lou and Aubrey were around at the end and what a moment when Lou hit the final three, the last points to be scored on that court. That will be a trivia question in a few years. I`m thinking we will be healthy going into next weekend.

I think that Azzi has now shot herself out of the slump. Man, was she amazing in that third quarter, 16 points! If Aaliyah had to go to the bench with four fouls in the third quarter a month ago, Azzi would not have been available to take over and we may very well have ended up in a nail biter.

One thing I did not understand is why did the basket count on the play where Lou was whacked in the head, intentional foul. Did they explain that on television? it seemed to me that the foul clearly happened before the shot was taken.

And how on earth did Dorka get that shot to go in???:D

The Baylor coach, Collen, is demonstrative to the point of being apoplectic. I don`t know if that was captured on television or not. The referees showed some restraint in not teeing her up, I thought.

It was nice to see a lot of the men`s players there, and I think Danny Hurley was there as well. And Maya Moore, the legend. I was in Section 211 and the UConn players were in 112. Also in the lower section below me with fabulous seats were two nuns who were taking selfies before the game. I had a Catholic school education so I am well aware of the fact that they were violating numerous rules, vows, etc., etc. but they were cheering for UConn so all is forgiven!

Not to get ahead of ourselves, but does anyone else think we have another date with Tennessee next Monday?
 
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Bills Fan said:
She had a good offensive game but she has to do MUCH better on guarding the three point shot. She looked like she was just waiving at her marks, staying far enough away that she wasn't a factor .
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At least her waves were more of a distraction than the 3-point D of our DPOY's.
 
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Fudd was 6 for 10 on 2’s not 9 of 11. Had a volume shot scoring game but her 3rd qtr certainly gave Uconn some sorely needed breathing room. Her shot selection is off the charts good. So impressive that she takes every good shot she gets and never takes a bad one. Extremely intelligent player, whoever taught her the game did a fantastic job.
 
I was worried through the first 25 minutes of the game, but I sure enjoyed the last 15 minutes! It was incredible (in a bad way) to see Baylor hit all of those threes, but we did a good job inside the arc and were able to turn up the defensive pressure as the game went on. It felt like Baylor got a bit tired at the same time as Aubrey sparked an energy rally for UCONN. Aaliyah going out with foul trouble could have been a turning point for Baylor, but it wound up being a turning point for UCONN. Unlike in the regular season, we had a starter as a substitute. And that starter changed the game with her rebounding and with helping us get out in transition. The other big change in the second half was Azzi finding the bottom of the net. Seeing Azzi look like Azzi was wonderful and very comforting as we move on to Seattle. Also, a big shout out to Caroline for her effort on both ends of the court. She helped settle things down with her defense and hit some big shots. She’s an impressive 8-10 from the floor in the tournament. It’s great to see her looking more like herself on the court, and I hope it means that she’s also feeling more like herself off the court. I also have to mention the important contributions from Aaliyah (now 47 points on 22-26 fg through two games), Nika with double digit assists in both games, and Dorka with solid play on both ends. I would love to see Dorka have a monster double double versus her old team on Saturday. Lou seems to be hurting, but she is a gamer and she always seems to hit a shot when we most need it. Hopefully a few days rest will help her and Aubrey. For now, I’m going to celebrate a 29 year sweet sixteen streak. On to the elite eight streak! Then…
 
Boreifs said:
Both SC and UConn’s brackets had no upsets, which makes the Sweet 16 matchups challenging. If both of them make it to the Final Four, the road to the Final will be much easier. Incredible tournament so far, with huge crowds.
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You don't call Toledo's win an upset? TN should write them a thank you note. What a gift for the Lady vols.
 
The deacon said:
Excellent point, Dawson. Caroline is 8 of 10 from the floor for the last two games, had six rebounds three assists tonight in just 19 minutes.

I loved Azzi's hot streak there in the third period, and she combined with Aubrey to break it open. Still, Azzi is clearly the team's volume shooter, and has yet to show she's got her stroke back from three (3 of 12 tonight, 9 of 38 since her return). Honestly, with Caroline and Lou combining for just 10 shots while Azzi had 22, I'd rather the offense be more balanced until Azzi's production warrants all those shots. How quickly we forget what Lou has done for the team this year and what Caroline can do if given more opportunities.

I know this won't be a popular post tonight, but 9 of 38?
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Paige struggl;d a bit when she came back last year. Azzi has to keep shooting. I don;t care about shot distribution. Paige wasn't dong a lot before NC State last year as well upon her return. The more Azzi shoots the better.

As far as Lou, she isn't healthy. - yet . . .

Excited to see Caroline hitting big time.
 
Someone suggested a few days ago that Azzi take some midrange shots to get her rhythm back, then step back and hits some threes. She did that in the third quarter.

I was pleased to see that Nika didn't get pulled after her third foul. She played the rest of the game without getting a fourth.

Obviously the surges fouled by Griffin and later Fudd were the major factor in the outcome, but everyone played well. Edwards had another very efficient shooting game despite sitting for a while with foul trouble. Dorka was Dorka again, and Ducharme and Lopez-Senechal were solid.
 
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DrummerDee said:
You don't call Toledo's win an upset? TN should write them a thank you note. What a gift for the Lady vols.
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I meant who made it to the sweet 16. In both brackets, 1-4 moved on. The other two were absolutely crazy.
 
fomalhaut said:
Someone suggested a few days ago that Azzi take some midrange shots to get her rhythm back, then step back and hits some threes. She did that in the third quarter.

I was pleased to see that Nika didn't get pulled after her third foul. She played the rest of the game without getting a fourth.

Obviously the surges fouled by Griffin and later Fudd were the major factor in the outcome, but everyone played well. Edwards had another very efficient shooting game despite sitting for a while with foul trouble. Dorka was Dorka again, and Ducharme and Lopez-Senechal were solid.
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Don’t underestimate how important Carol’s rebounding was while Aalijah was on the bench. The Baylor coach acknowledged that the lineup of Azzi, Carol, Lou and Aubrey was the difference maker. They couldn’t match up against a lineup with so many shooters.
 
Blond D. said:
At the end of the first half with seconds to play Ball States freshman Hana Muhl threw up a shot just past half court and made it. Same with her big sis, Nika. She too made a 3 pointer from just past half court to end the half. Gotta love those Muhl girls.
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They could do a commercial for “2 Muhl Team Borax”
 
Ok let me start with, terrible 4th foul call on Aliyah.
Then let me add that Geno, has done a tremendous job on coaching a complete team this year. Not sure if the injuries are what created the use of post players this season but whatever it is it's a much welcomed site. As a fan it's a refresher to see how the moving parts work together and that it's not always about the leading point getter getting all the shine.

Dorka and Aubrey are the glue stick to this team. They do things that isn't always highlighted in the box scores but are very important to the win. I truly believe not having Aubrey and Dorka in our final four run last year was the difference. Aubrey gets the Valor award for toughness.

Last note. Nika is one tough minded athlete that never cheats a possession on both ends of the court. She never gets subbed out, unless she's in deep foul trouble or at the end of ball games. Her leadership has been exactly what this team needed.

GO UCONN!
 
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