Butler Postgame Thread | Page 7 | The Boneyard

Butler Postgame Thread

npignatjr

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This was a very good win against a hot shooting team. These things are going to happen. Early on Butler surprised UConn with how deft they were from the arc. From the 2nd period on UConn played much tougher on the perimeter. UConn looked their best when they picked up the pace at the end of the 3rd period. Here they looked like a championship team. They played tough defense on the perimeter, switched like demons and denied anything off the dribble. Once they got the ball they pushed to the rim and ran the lane like hellions.

Yes AE played a treat and was a beast inside all night. Yes Evina finally hit some shots, and I hope this gets her going offensively. I was so happy for her. Yes Nika hit some three's and made some great passes. Yes, CW played well on both ends. This was one of her best defensive games. And Paige had eyes in back of her head on some of those assists.

But.

But oh my did Nika play matador defense all night, and off the ball she had issues in and around screens. For the second straight game Paige's on ball defense was poor, and she was consistently schooled off the dribble. Again. And 95% of Paige's missed shots over the last 3 games have been short. That to me screams tired legs. Freshmen have more than just a new school, a new system and new teammates to figure out. The fact is most freshmen have poor sleeping habits, poor dietary habits and poor practice habits. Now I don't think Paige has poor practice habits at all, but I think she still has much to learn about how to care for her body, and to me, it's starting to show. That for me is very much a part of the freshmen wall.

But.

Again, a good win against the type of team that had nothing to lose and was hot from the arc. As someone mentioned in the game thread, this is the type of thing that happens time and again in the NCAA's. Teams need to see this type of stuff and figure it out in order to win a championship.
Funny the coach doesn't complain about Nika's defense explains that she is over playing and always looking to tip the dribble, expects the rotation to pick up.
Paige is like Larry Bird plays defense by cutting off passes.
 
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Funny the coach doesn't complain about Nika's defense explains that she is over playing and always looking to tip the dribble, expects the rotation to pick up.
Paige is like Larry Bird plays defense by cutting off passes.
Coach benches Nika from time to time, in part from her turnovers and often after defensive issues. Not a particularly good one on one defender, particularly against quick guards, Nika plays good team defense, often getting steals as UConn rotates after double teams. UConn's current defense, which often starts with ONO or Edwards doubling at the top of the key, is well suited for Nika's energy and constant movement.
 

oldude

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She's already better than Tuck.
As a freshman, maybe. Tuck was pretty good as a freshman herself. But Tuck was a 1st team AA as a senior, who could knock down 3’s, and was the 3rd pick in the W behind her two teammates. So Aaliyah still has a little way to go to reach that level, which I absolutely believe is doable.
 

CocoHusky

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Coach benches Nika from time to time, in part from her turnovers and often after defensive issues. Not a particularly good one on one defender, particularly against quick guards, Nika plays good team defense, often getting steals as UConn rotates after double teams. UConn's current defense, which often starts with ONO or Edwards doubling at the top of the key, is well suited for Nika's energy and constant movement.
Nika's defensive struggle is a fundamental one as she is far two easy to get by with average speed and the ball handler doesn't even have to do a crossover to get by her. BTW all the UCONN guards could do a better job of this. Once the ball handler gets by that first line the UCONN defense is now compromised and that sets up good things for the offense. Yesterday Butler got on a hot shooting streak from deep because once they got by the first UCONN defender, then the rest of the defense had to collapse and Butler was kicking to wide open shooters. Geno spoke about this in the interview at halftime. The BE is not exactly full of elite guards and this is something UCONN must get better at to make a deep tournament run and once again this is not just a Nika thing.
 

Waquoit

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Let's not get crazy. I'll agree she is better than freshman Tuck but she is not better than senior Tuck.
Is Tuck running the floor for a lay-up like Edwards did after that strip?

And just for the sake of accuracy, Tuck was drafted 4th.
 

Waquoit

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Yes.
For the same of accuracy? No. Tuck Was drafted 3rd!
I didn't go look it up but I thought Banham was picked before Tuck.

My bad. But I still say if Edwards was in the WNBA this summer she would get more PT than Tuck did.
 

Waquoit

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Ok be real cautious here because someone might ask to pull your UCONN fan card. How can you possibly not remember that UCONN went 1,2,3 In that draft?
I mistook it for the time when UConn went 1,2,4 instead of 1,2,3 because of PHS' input. I realize now that was much, much earlier but all of these drafts are merging together in my mind.
 

CocoHusky

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I didn't go look it up but I thought Banham was picked before Tuck.
My bad. But I still say if Edwards was in the WNBA this summer she would get more PT than Tuck did.
Ok be real cautious here because someone might ask to pull your UCONN fan card. How can you possibly not remember that UCONN went 1,2,3 In that draft?
BTW I happen to agree with you. Freshman Tuck better than Freshman AE. Put Freshman Tuck on this current UCONN team and she would average 40 Minutes per game.
 

oldude

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Is Tuck running the floor for a lay-up like Edwards did after that strip?

And just for the sake of accuracy, Tuck was drafted 4th.
Tuck was drafted 3rd overall by the CT Sun in the 2016 draft, right after Stewie at #1 and Mo at #2.
 

Bama fan

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Is Tuck running the floor for a lay-up like Edwards did after that strip?

And just for the sake of accuracy, Tuck was drafted 4th.
The late ,great William Safire wrote a column concerning people who were "hypercorrectors". And when such a person corrects something that is already correct, he created a neologism calling it an "incorrection". Brilliant and annoying, he was funny as heck! You can pick up your card at the door when you leave!
 

Carnac

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The minutes are getting there. Liv still has value. She almost had a double-double herself and I think she might have played less than AE did. Liv is a good passer from the high post as well. I think they will play more and more together with Liv feeding AE the ball from the high post and then when teams sag, Liv can hit the 12 footer. Hopefully she will not fad on the shot and hit it for a high percentage. Liv will bring the other team's high post out, leaving AE to take on the other team's PF...which is a great matchup for us. Not many teams have a second big that can handle AE consistently.
This team is not going anywhere without Liv!!! They ARE NOT the same team when she's on the bench. They cannot afford for her to be on the bench for long periods of time. Aaliyah and Aubrey can fill in for her for brief periods, but at their height, they can't do the things she can.

That's why it is imperative that Liv stay out of foul trouble and on the floor, especially against teams with 6'5"+ post players. Liv has played much better since the loss, and I expect it to continue.
 
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Don't fool yourself. This team is not going anywhere without Liv!!! They ARE NOT the same team when she's on the bench. They cannot afford for her to be on the bench for long periods of time. Aaliyah and Aubrey can fill in for her, but at their height, they can't do the things she can. That's why it is imperative that Liv stay out of foul trouble and on the floor, especially against teams with 6'5"+ post players.
I don't understand you telling me 'not to fool myself'. I have been consistent all year with my statements on Liv and our need for her to play well in big games...12 and 10....

I'm not fooling myself or anybody with my comments....
 

Waquoit

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How did my mea culpa end up before the post I was replying to? See #161, 162.
 

Carnac

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I don't understand you telling me 'not to fool myself'. I have been consistent all year with my statements on Liv and our need for her to play well in big games...12 and 10....

I'm not fooling myself or anybody with my comments....
After reading it again, I can see the ambiguity of that sentence. I was not referring to YOU. I was referring to anyone that thought Liv did not have value. I was agreeing with your comment 100%. I worded it incorrectly. My apologies. I'll try and do better next time. Sometimes our expressions of ideas and thought are not clearly transferred onto paper if we are not careful. I have since corrected that comment. :)
 
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I can see that I did not make my self clear. I was not referring to you. I was referring to anyone that thought Liv did not have value. I was agreeing with your comment 100%. I worded it incorrectly. My apologies. I'll try and do better next time. I have since corrected that comment. :)
no worries Carnac. we are good mate! :)
 

npignatjr

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Coach benches Nika from time to time, in part from her turnovers and often after defensive issues. Not a particularly good one on one defender, particularly against quick guards, Nika plays good team defense, often getting steals as UConn rotates after double teams. UConn's current defense, which often starts with ONO or Edwards doubling at the top of the key, is well suited for Nika's energy and constant movement.
Have you ever heard him say that, I used his direct comments, not assuming what he did or why he did it.
 
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I agree with both of you.
  • For the future Aaliyah needs to develop her short to mid-range jumper into consistent buckets. She needs more inside moves for tall agile shot blockers. Her screens are good but as she gains more muscle perhaps emulating the "Dolson screen" would be really good. Puts a bit fear into the defending guards.
  • For this season she needs to do just what Geno cites. Low post is her strength and Liv's strength is the high post for the jumper and where there generally is more room for her really good passing game. Why more room? Because down low lurks the "Pedator," a player that ruthlessly exploits other post players.
If she gains any more muscle she'll look the the Incredible Hulk. She is just about the perfect specimen as is, got to stay flexible to do what she does.
 
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Is Tuck running the floor for a lay-up like Edwards did after that strip?

And just for the sake of accuracy, Tuck was drafted 4th.
Yes she did and she also managed to handle the opposing bigs.
 

MSGRET

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Edwards is a throwback power forward. She is a female version of Karl Malone. Fortunately, she will always have a teammate who can pass to her!
Does that make Paige the female version of John Stockton? Just asking for a friend.:rolleyes:
 
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Nika's defensive struggle is a fundamental one as she is far two easy to get by with average speed and the ball handler doesn't even have to do a crossover to get by her. BTW all the UCONN guards could do a better job of this. Once the ball handler gets by that first line the UCONN defense is now compromised and that sets up good things for the offense. Yesterday Butler got on a hot shooting streak from deep because once they got by the first UCONN defender, then the rest of the defense had to collapse and Butler was kicking to wide open shooters. Geno spoke about this in the interview at halftime. The BE is not exactly full of elite guards and this is something UCONN must get better at to make a deep tournament run and once again this is not just a Nika thing.
Hey, Paige has same defensive weakness as Nika in allowing players to get by her. It frequently showed up in high school play.
 

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