Butler Postgame Thread [merged thread] | The Boneyard

Butler Postgame Thread [merged thread]

oldude

oldude

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Some thoughts on the Butler game:

*. I know Butler isn’t particularly good, and the Bulldogs were further hindered by their own struggles with Covid, but it sure was nice to watch a UConn blowout for a change
*. I had a feeling Geno would give Nika the start at pg. She brings great energy to the team and I think it lets Evina relax and play her game without the pressure of starting at the point.
*. I can not wait for the day Caroline Ducharme is on the same court together with a healthy Paige Bueckers and a healthy Azzi Fudd. I don’t know if there are 3 more versatile scorers on any team in the country.
*. It’s worth noting that in each of the last 2 games, Liv has looked much more comfortable shooting from 15-20’, even knocking down a 3 today. Add Liv’s outside shooting to Dorka’s and it is potentially a huge development, forcing other teams to defend both UConn Bigs away from the basket, while opening up the lane for UConn’s guards to attack the basket.
*. I know it was against Butler but this was a good game for all 3 senior captains, and hopefully a confidence booster for the big games to come.
*. Nice to see extended minutes for Amari & Piath. Hoping they both eventually become contributors for the Huskies.
*. I love historic Hinkle Fieldhouse. I don’t know if there’s a better on campus facility in America.
 
So Nika got the start over Evina. LOVE IT! Mix things up. She makes things happen.

First half was probably the first game this season where UCONN fans could just sit back and enjoy watching basketball instead of stressing out over getting a lead, seeing it shrink, and wondering why we aren't playing better. Then I worried maybe we'd let up in Q3, but no such problem.

I was worried about the trajectory of Butler's scoring by quarter - 9, 10, 12, thought maybe they'd go on a tear in Q4, especially given their 7-0 run. LOL. Q4 was ragged (outscored 16-15), but overall, a real treat to watch.

Aside from Caroline, not a great day at the FT line. But 18 steals led by 6 for CW? That's nice to see.

Olivia - my friend @MilfordHusky called her "Olivia Mosqueda Ododa". 19 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 1 block, 1-2 from 3. Yeah Butler sucks but it was nice seeing her with that stat line. She was the star post player today. Yeah I know - Butler was out-manned and out-gunned, but she's put up average stats against over-matched teams before. Glad to see her take advantage. She is my player of the game. It took her only 10 shots to get those points (8-10) while it took Williams 18 shots to get the same exact offensive output.

Caroline - continues to impress. The kid is just a baller. We all know from Geno that "she listens to him" (Per Geno, apparently she's the only one LOL). Not a lot of assists or rebounds, but she just makes good decisions and seems to be playing beyond her years (ie. better than a "freshman"). Also nicie seeing a player who actually hits her FT's. She's the only one who didn't miss one.

Dorka - another good game from her. Not great but good. She sort of disappeared in the 2nd half for the 2nd game in a row. Needs to be consistent for an entire game IMHO.

Nika - just makes things happen. I love her motor, intensity and passion. Not a scoring threat - would like to see her take a few more shots to show she can make them and make other teams respect her from deep, BUT she's a true PG.

Evina - seems like she played better off the bench. Of course there are other games where she played great while starting, but not so much as the starting PG in Paige's absence. She took 2 shots I think against Creighton. Just not acceptable. Today, 5-9 with 13 points, 4 assists, 2 boards and 1 steal.

Christyn - seemed like she did everything well except shooting the 3. STOP TAKING 3'S!!! Good grief. She missed 5 in a row en route to 1-7 for the 1st half. I don't care if she's wide open. There's a reason other teams don't guard her from 3. Because she's a lousy 3-point shooter. I really wish Geno would bench her for doing that, but maybe he's ok with it. Maybe I'm the only one who yells lat my TV - STOP SHOOTING THOSE!!! LOL. She ended up an ok 3-10, but the rest of her stats were eye-popping. 19 points, 7 steals, 4 assists, 7 rebounds and only 1 TO.

Aaliyah - Again a quote from my friend @MilfordHusky "in the first half, Thor lost her hammer". I was really hoping to see her build on her solid game vs. Creighton. Better in half 2 - 12 points, but also 7 boards, 2 steals, and 1 assist. Need more from her especially against a weak team.

Amari - tossed up a brick early when she got in and people might remember that, but as a post player with 5 assists to go along with 2 steals, 1 rebound and 1 block - not bad at all for a kid finding her sea legs, or so I thought. Then she goes on a tear, at least shooting and goes 0-6. UGH.

Piath - what a welcome sight to see her. She gets in and BAM! Scores a basket. Atta-girl!!!!!
 
Cannot complain anymore, 5 players have double ..
Screenshot (19).png
 
Careful, don’t point out that Butler won the 4th, people in chat got all kinds of bent out of shape by making that observation.

Glad to see UConn have a comfortable win. Lots of players got in to contribute.
 
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I think that the early fouls called on Caroline messed with her head and shot making. She still played very well and I am glad that the seniors had good games to pick her up. :) Oops, I just saw the box score and Caroline had a very quiet 18 points. :eek:
Another game that I am looking forward to watching on MJL243's YouTube channel tomorrow.
And I hope that people don't start posting about our lack of scoring in the last 4 minutes because we played a pretty damn good game and that takes precedent. IMO.
 
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Hit some three's and feeding the post wow who was I watching. We got steals and even fast breaks. Let's hope it continues against better teams. We have Oregon next week they will be tough. Dorka looked great grabbing the ball and taking off on a break and making a great feed to Caroline Ducharme boom she hits the three. Looked nice and expanded roles tonight for players. Who would have thought Geno took Dorka out of the portal to be leading the break.
 
I thought we played well. Butler missed the last 4 games and just came out of Covid protocol. Plus, they average 21 TOs per game. So they were vulnerable, and we attacked them on defense, which worked well.

The half-court offense was better. I liked Evina doing less ball-handling and more shooting. I watched Liv in warmups against Louisville, and she was really good. I was happy to see her jumper working for her tonight. Christyn impacted the game in several ways. I'd like to see Nika take a few shots, but I love her intensity and energy.

The last half of 4th quarter was pretty ugly, with Liya, Amari, and Piath in the front court. Amari shot several bricks--questioned by Geno at first, then encouraged by him--and Piath shot a couple. I totally discount those minutes, but it did make me question how ready Amari is. We were lax and gave up a 7-0 run and 9-0 run (Butler's previous run was a single basket). We played to the score when we were up by 50. Oh well! It was nice to see us up by 50--or even 30. It was deja vu!
 
This is my first post. I really was looking forward to seeing Saylor Poffenbarger (?) play. With all the injuries to key players, she could have gotten meaningful playing time like Caroline Ducharme has and show what she can do. I will look at her at her new school.
 
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olddude and EricLA summed it up pretty well. You would expect any good team to rip Butler and UConn did. Had we only won by 20 their stock would have gone down, so it's good they met expectations and won big.

General observations:

CD is the best basketball player on the UConn team not named Paige. She is a natural baller. Smooth, quick enough, athletic, can shoot and drive - she just glides through a game.

I like it when Nika is on the court. We all love that running around to make stuff happen that is Nika. Then that lack of scoring thing comes to mind. She isn't a natural shooter/scorer; she can do more than she has. So come on Nika, put some shots up!

ONO was great today and Evina and CW also has good games. Good for them.

I like Dorka more and more. She can score, moves really well, plays a smart game.

It would have been nice if Gabriel and DeBerry had scored. Not that they didn't try.

Onward, onward.
 
I've suggested starting Nika even if she doesn't play a majority of the game, and I thought it worked today. Geno still started Caroline Doty when she couldn't play for very long, just to set a tone for the game.

The game was really entertaining. I would have liked a few more of those UConn plays that just take your breath away. There were certainly some.

I think UConn needed a game like this, something to give some confidence to the players who've been struggling lately.
 
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AmeriConn said:
Sorry, I can’t get excited about playing a team that is 1-11. What can this team do with teams that are in the top 25?
Expand ...
How would this team do against top 25 teams? They'd win most and lose some. Assuming "this team" is the one on the floor tonight. This team is a placeholder team and not long for this world. When Azzi returns, things change, particularly if she can score as advertised. Adding a high percentage 3 pt shooter will give the team a whole new look. Then Paige returns and another new and better team is born. I like my chances with that team against anyone. Anyone.

I did enjoy watching the game by the way. Winning big, even against over matched teams, has its charms. I'm kind of used to it; of the gazillion wins UConn has, an awful lot were blowouts. Enjoyed them all
 
Initial thoughts:

Very good game from pretty much the whole team. I feel like no one played great besides ONO but everyone played well and this is sort of the baseline/what we expect from each player

NIka: I know ppl debate about her value to the team and how much minutes she should really play, but everytime I watch she just seems like she's making a positive contribution. She makes everyone around her better, and then her energy and defense is a difference maker. I know she's not 6'0 but there are a lot of wings who are limited shooting the ball, but play great defense and play big minutes. I think the fact that Nika runs the team and gets people in spots, while playing great defense makes her valuable. There's just a different feel/flow to the game when she's out there. I like her starting, but I think whenever she gets in she will be effective. She just needs to know her role. Earlier this season, it was like she was bench fodder, hoping to earn minutes after starting half of last year. Now because of injuries, atleast she knows she's counted on to be a contributor.

EW- A much needed double figure scoring game from EW. Truthfully it was only 3 games in a row where she failed to do so but it felt like longer. She didn't hesitate on her open threes but what I really liked was the drive to the rim (although she appeared hurt after the play). Making the 3 ball of course is going to help her, but finding other ways to score and get to the line will be important as the season moves on. She did such a great job of that the second half of last year, I hope she gets back to that.

CW- I thought she sort of had a tough first half. I mentioned that in the game chat, but others quickly pointed out how much she was doing in other areas. Then to see that she had 7 steals this game, I got to tip the old cap. She didn't shoot the ball particularly well but it felt like a CW type of game. I like that she took 18 shots, although she missed a couple layups and probably took a bit too many threes. When Paige went down, I really thought she would be the primary scorer but it hasn't been the case thus far. Hopefully this game is a reminder to her how she can be aggressive.

Dorka- Geno said after the Louisville loss that sometimes Dorka looks like the best player on the floor and then other times she just "goes somewhere." In this game on two different occasions she lead the break perfectly. She's 6'5!!!!!! She also came out and made her first three shots and was a big part of UConn's strong start. On the other hand, as others have mentioned, she was a bit quiet in the second half (in fairness others had it going, and she didn't play a whole bunch). I think she can be a bit more aggressive, when she catches the ball on the wing or facing up. I think thats the next area of her game she needs to unlock. Also, she had a couple post ups where I kind of feel like she was bailed out by the refs, but I don't want to be a hater. Overall solid performance.

CD- Not much I can say that hasn't already been said over the past month. Although, I'm going to just say something a little wild anyways. Her quick release reminds me of Klay Thompson. I'm not saying she's as good of a shooter/player anything like that. It's just sometimes I'm not sure if she's even 100 percent set but she's still able to shoot on target. She always plays both ends like Klay, and is completely unphased like Klay. Considering like injury concerns with Azzi and Paige, CD is probably the Husky I'm least worried about the rest of the season. I just feel like she's always going to be aggressive whether she gets 35 minutes or 15 minutes. She's going to play defense, and she's going to find a way to contribute. She's just a stud. Its going to be interesting\amazing to see how her game grows over her UConn career.

ONO- Loved everything about her game today. I know it looks good when it goes in, but I really do think its just important to be a threat and take the open shot when you have the opportunity. Without doing any research I'd bet Aaliyah Boston and Liv shoot comparable percentages from outside of 10 ft, but I think of Boston as someone who can hit from the outside because she's ready to shoot. This year, ONO has been ready to shoot and I think it's cool that it's paid off.

AE- I also think similar to CW and EW this was a really solid game from her, and just about what I expect from her. The numbers really look comparable to last year. Also, she seems good for a steal and a score in every game. She's a really solid player. Maybe she won't make the jump many people expected, but it's clear she can still be super solid for this team.

Piath- Glad to see she's healthy and got an opportunity to score some points.

Deberry- She shot one off the side of the backboard which wasn't pretty, but other than that I thought she looked good. I actually feel like she's ready for minutes now, but we just have good depth on our frontline.

Lastly, I know many had mentioned it when the team went through it's early season struggles, but it's probably good that the team is getting some games this week to gain confidence and be dominant.
 
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