Caroline

[HuskyNan]

Love this shot in Caroline’s arsenal.

 

[ABCDFE]

Caroline (and also Liv) has done much better than I expected after the first few games. If there's any positives to take away from all the injuries and pandemic related issues is that we found ourselves one helluva player. In a year where in my opinion I had only confidence that Azzi would be a huge contributor from the freshman class, we may end up with possibly TWO big time freshman players helping this team when Paige is back in the lineup. Caroline's length on defense and ability to score will be HUGE in the tournament. With Paige and Azzi back I still believe Caroline can score in double digits per game and be another option should CW, EW have down games. Having two consistent double digit scorers with CW playing less of hero ball will open things up for everyone and allow them to focus on defense and contributing in other ways. Liv and her energy and aggression (without fouling) is boding well for us as well in the paint. Lets get to March and see. I am OPTIMISTIC.

 

[dtbtbtb]

it was clear to me that Oregon made an adjustment in half time and was guarding CD much tighter in he second half but she still was able to score (she shot less from 3 and tried to attack the basket more in the second half). How many Freshmen at UConn, were put in a position that they have to score 20 points a game just to give the team a chance to win? The kid does everything that is asked from her and we should appreciate it.

 

[Centerstream]

Love this shot in Caroline’s arsenal.

View attachment 72501

Thanks

 

[JellyBean]

I think that is the main reason why I stopped doing the Live Chat. No. I take that back. I think the main reason why I stopped doing the Live Chat was because I was in there one day.... by myself! Only for one quarter though.

Kidding aside. I am not shocked that folks were being negative about Caroline's shooting. I am just sad that people do that stuff. These are college students. Caroline is a freshmen. Bad enough that the coaching staff, at the start of the year, was probably messing up her confidence with playing time and pulling her after 2-5 minutes out on the floor. But then, we as fans, throw more dirt on a player. Shaking their confidence. We gotta do better, people.

Me? I had no problem with Caroline shooting. What is the objective of the game of basketball? Make sure the basketball goes through the basketball rim. Caroline is one of our better shooters out there, so naturally you want your best shooter taking shots. Shots didn't go in but she was fearless enough to keep going. Plus it wasn't like she was just jacking up shots to jack up shots. They were quality shots that did not go in. I ain't upset with Caroline or any other player that takes quality shots.

We gotta do better folks. Caroline? If you read The Boneyard and you got the Green Light from coach. Do not worry about what some of us goofy fans say. You got the Green Light, so let those shots fly!!

You rock, Caroline!! You Fearless rascal!! She is going to be scary next season. Holy smokes!!

 

[Papa33]

I can’t believe people are throwing shade at Caroline for her shooting against Oregon. Yes, she was 1-8 from three but she was 9-13 from two with slashes to the basket, fast break points, jumpers, and that underhand flip shot that I haven’t seen a Husky make consistently since Maya graduated. Caroline can create her own shot, something that Paige can do, maybe Azzi, but no one else.

The kid is a freshman who just played her 12th college game. She is also, suddenly, a focus of the opponent’s defense, like Liv. While Caroline’s scoring hasn’t suffered due to the double teams and added attention, her shooting percentage has. That’s youth. In a year or two, she’ll learn how to use the defender’s aggressiveness to draw some fouls and get to the line - where she’s 85% from the FT line.

One more thing about the missed threes. She HAS to shoot those or else there will be 4 defenders on Liv in the paint. Opposing coaches know she’s a threat from the perimeter and has to be guarded. That adds real value to the team. Keep shooting, Caroline!

10 Yes-es!!!!!!!!!

 

[JRRRJ]

10 for 21 is 48% shooting even with all the defensive attention. Hate to think where we'd be without the Charmer

I wouldn't let her take even one shot a game! She couldn't even make an open layup. She is clearly the worst shooter routinely on the floor for UCONN. As Geno said "I can't wait for Paige to get back!"

In the games that she started last year, Nika was 43% overall, 38.5% (2nd on the team) from 3. Since she's only played159 minutes this year (64 of them since returning from weeks of not playing), I'd cut her some slack to get her groove back.

 

[BobbyJ]

Thanks for posting this thread @HuskyNan . After going through the post game thread, and the offshoot after the pg thread was locked, it was refreshing to see a positive thread about Caroline and the impact she had against the Ducks and every opponent when she was in the starting lineup. Of course there will be posts pointing out her "failures" but that is normal for the BY.
I am now waiting for an iconic still shot of Caroline that I can consider to replace my current "iconic" avatar.
Again, thank you.

Contact TeamFirst. He's probably got at least a dozen of them.

 

[uconnever]

Caroline will be an all American but she does rush more than she has to at times and she is in such a hurry that she misses an open player. She does need to be aggressive because we would be embarrassed without her. She’s a freshman and I like that she thinks she can do it all by herself because when everyone is back, we will be that much better as a team.

 

[HuskyNan]

In the games that she started last year, Nika was 43% overall, 38.5% (2nd on the team) from 3. Since she's only played159 minutes this year (64 of them since returning from weeks of not playing), I'd cut her some slack to get her groove back.

Official stats say 34.3% on threes?

Nika Mühl - Women's Basketball - University of Connecticut Athletics

Nika Mühl (10) Guard - CAREER STATS CAREER HONORS 2024 AP All-America Honorable Mention 2024 BIG EAST All-Tournament Team 2024 All-BIG EAST Second

uconnhuskies.com

 

[fan4eva]

you can throw shade at all you want but If any one matched her output then we would had a better chance of winning.We relied on freshmen to win last year and how did that work out. If we're relying on freshmen again then we'll have the same results. This loss is on the EV and JD a senior and junior who only showed up to the game but not ready to play and produce. and to a lesser degree NM and AE sophomores who have take a step backwards and aren"t consistent yet but a junior and a senior have no excuses.

 

[TeamFirst!]

Before the Oregon game, CD shot .347 from 3, on 17-49 shooting. That's exactly .020 points higher than Christyn, who has shot 17-52, for .327.

Yet, some fans seem to think CD, now at .316, is a better/much better long-range shooter.

The difference being that Caroline has won several 3 point competitions and we have 4 years of data indicating that Chrystin will never be a great 3 point shooter. The free throw shooting is also an indicator. We have a very small sample size with Caroline but indications are she can shoot.

 

[TeamFirst!]

I think Nika can shoot 3's but she needs to get a groove and she's not got it yet. I'm not a big supporter but she does have every opportunity to work on her game and become a lights out 3 point shooter and get more PT.

 

[BostonBay]

I think Nika can shoot 3's but she needs to get a groove and she's not got it yet. I'm not a big supporter but she does have every opportunity to work on her game and become a lights out 3 point shooter and get more PT.

She needs to desperately add some offensive threat to her game if she wants to be a successful PG. Right now, teams are just laying off her and double-teaming the post or the perimeter. They're letting her shoot the 3. It doesnt have to be the 3. She could learn how to drive and a knock down a short jumper, for example. She just needs to keep the defense honest & be able to kickout to an open CD or Paige .

 

[Geew1992]

What happens if CD’s star continues to brighten and she becomes a true star? And Azzi turns out to be as great as we hope she is? Then when Paige returns, do we have CW and EW riding the pines? One can only wonder.

No

 

[NU2BY]

I'm with Caroline every step of the way. There are big things (and plenty of 3s) in her future. I'll be very surprised if her name isn't up on the wall when her career here is said and done.

 

[Centerstream]

Contact TeamFirst. He's probably got at least a dozen of them.

Thanks but HuskyNan provided one that I have already downloaded.

 

[Centerstream]

you can throw shade at all you want but If any one matched her output then we would had a better chance of winning.We relied on freshmen to win last year and how did that work out. If we're relying on freshmen again then we'll have the same results. This loss is on the EV and JD a senior and junior who only showed up to the game but not ready to play and produce. and to a lesser degree NM and AE sophomores who have take a step backwards and aren"t consistent yet but a junior and a senior have no excuses.

If you meant DJ (Dorka Juhasz), she is a Grad Student. I am guessing that you meant Evina Westbrook with your EV reference.
I don't agree with your point that Dorka was not ready to play, this was just another game where we were unable to get her the ball when she was open, either when inside or away from the basket. Seems to be a constant problem but the Duck's zone defense didn't help.

 

[jazz]

CD has done a hell of good job thus far since PB went out.

She is scoring and now is counted on to score. She is looking to score and as a result, has taken some bad shots, etc as you would expect out of any player. But the team needs her to score and that is a lot different than taking a back seat and sitting at the three point line, receiving a pass after somebody else broke down the defense and then having a wide open 3. She is not getting that at all. Teams are also focusing on her. She has to look for and get her shot off a lot more quickly and under duress and hence she has missed more.

But she has some serious confidence and after a few games as a freshman is averaging 17-18 points since PB went down. Shooting it at about 40-45% overall, I would guess. I'll take that.

She will get better and her 3 point shooting will get a lot better when our better players get back and she can settle in as a third option. Her shooting is of no concern to me. I worry a bit about her quickness on defense but not her shooting...that will come around...no doubt in my mind.

 

[JRRRJ]

Official stats say 34.3% on threes?

Nika Mühl - Women's Basketball - University of Connecticut Athletics

Nika Mühl (10) Guard - CAREER STATS CAREER HONORS 2024 AP All-America Honorable Mention 2024 BIG EAST All-Tournament Team 2024 All-BIG EAST Second

uconnhuskies.com

Those figures I gave only include the games she started, at the end of the year.

 

[eebmg]

Here are the OR highlights for Caroline and Liv. Caroline has some really elegant moves.

 

[fan4eva]

If you meant DJ (Dorka Juhasz), she is a Grad Student. I am guessing that you meant Evina Westbrook with your EV reference.
I don't agree with your point that Dorka was not ready to play, this was just another game where we were unable to get her the ball when she was open, either when inside or away from the basket. Seems to be a constant problem but the Duck's zone defense didn't help.

wasn't the report on Dorka that she's a threat from the post and perimeter who can stretch the floor who's good rebounder and passer ..in 25 min she was 5 points on 2 for 6 shooting, 0 assist and 4 rebounds..and to your point she's a grad student?

 

[Cuango]

Before the Oregon game, CD shot .347 from 3, on 17-49 shooting. That's exactly .020 points higher than Christyn, who has shot 17-52, for .327.

Yet, some fans seem to think CD, now at .316, is a better/much better long-range shooter.

Would you bet on those percentages not getting farther apart by Mach? (In Caroline’s favor)

 

[TeamFirst!]

What people are missing ( I think ) is that Oregon packed the middle since we couldn't buy a jump shot. We have to shoot better to open up the inside game. It's a testament to Liv that she did as well as she did. It was mainly taking the ball to the basket on the dribble though right? It was tough to get the ball to them for post moves.

 

[Bald Husky]

Lets not ruin CD. What I mean is, right now she is our best outside option to score. I applaud her for being aggressive and trying to lead us to victory. Unfortunately, she is taking many ill-advised shots, something she will have to change when Paige comes back. The problem is that nobody else seems to want to step up, so CD is taking the mantel and putting up shots to try to will this team to victory. This may never change, so the other guards, Nika, Christyn, and especially Evena have to get their head out of their a-s and start producing. CD can be a great scorer for us, but she has to be disciplined to shoot when she is open and not force shots just to get them up. She is a freshman, so we don't want her to pick up bad habits just because the other guards are too passive to help her out. We are lucky to have her, so when Paige comes back, we should be in great shape, but in the meantime the others have to show up and contribute to take some of the pressure off. We will never succeed until this happens.