Creighton highlights, Geno liking his players, Dorka fun to be back

[SVCBeercats]

 

[SVCBeercats]

 

[SVCBeercats]

 

[SVCBeercats]

Watch the game highlights from Creighton's perspective. Gee, who really won the game?

 

[MilfordHusky]

Watch the game highlights from Creighton's perspective. Gee, who really won the game?

As Geno said, they are hard to guard. Without those strong cuts to the hoop and resulting layups, Creighton would have shot about 15%.

 

[Longtime fan]

This game surprised in several ways.

1. I wager Creighton has never had such a poor shooting night since they authorized the sport.
2. Edwards and Dorka just dominated. It was as if no one was guarding them.
3. I don't like the coaching staffs reaction to UCONN injuries. When Nika whacked her head ( and she is recently out of concussion protocol) Geno and his staff just said "play on." They should have taken her to the sideline immediately. It is not as though the game was on the line. And Ines can survive for several minutes without disaster. Again, when Dorka had a 250 pounder fall on the small of her back, the coaches ignored it. She was grimacing, holding her back, and in obvious pain. Still, no problem for the coaches. And we were ahead by 30 points.
4. Caroline is playing like a bench player who got in the game only because there is no one else. We all know she is an immense talent. So something is way wrong with her health. She can't make a shot and is involved in far too many turnovers. I don't have a clue what to do here. But she is barely useful at the moment. And against a quality team, that will show up.
5. Patterson seems to be regressing. She moves, and plays, like a stone statue. Has she been instructed " never to shoot?" When she is on the court, she gives the impression that she has never played or dominated in the sport. She puts the ball on the floor when she shouldn't and immediately loses control of it. The opponent can abandon her completely on defense, and never worry that she might score a basket. Under the hoop, she throws the ball up as though she is under water and can't see. Whoever on the coaching staff is in charge of her development needs to take a serious look at what is gong on here. It isn't working. Sure, a ball may bounce her way off the rim once in a while, but Nika gets more rebounds than she does. This is frustrating. Amari was supposed to be a true talent and she is showing nothing. Now the same is happening to Patterson. Who is doing the damn coaching here?
6. What has happened to Creighton? They were simply putrid.

 

[HuskyNan]

“Yeah, we ballin’!”
@Carnac

 

[HuskyNan]

 

[jcoton56]

Having watched the replay, I noticed one dramatic (to my eye) improvement. The ability to finish through contact seemed vastly better than I have seen in a few years now. These were seasoned players we wet up against and we went buzzer to buzzer rebounding in traffic and finishing shots in the lane with lots of contact.

 

[OldSchooler]

This game surprised in several ways.

1. I wager Creighton has never had such a poor shooting night since they authorized the sport.
2. Edwards and Dorka just dominated. It was as if no one was guarding them.
3. I don't like the coaching staffs reaction to UCONN injuries. When Nika whacked her head ( and she is recently out of concussion protocol) Geno and his staff just said "play on." They should have taken her to the sideline immediately. It is not as though the game was on the line. And Ines can survive for several minutes without disaster. Again, when Dorka had a 250 pounder fall on the small of her back, the coaches ignored it. She was grimacing, holding her back, and in obvious pain. Still, no problem for the coaches. And we were ahead by 30 points.
4. Caroline is playing like a bench player who got in the game only because there is no one else. We all know she is an immense talent. So something is way wrong with her health. She can't make a shot and is involved in far too many turnovers. I don't have a clue what to do here. But she is barely useful at the moment. And against a quality team, that will show up.
5. Patterson seems to be regressing. She moves, and plays, like a stone statue. Has she been instructed " never to shoot?" When she is on the court, she gives the impression that she has never played or dominated in the sport. She puts the ball on the floor when she shouldn't and immediately loses control of it. The opponent can abandon her completely on defense, and never worry that she might score a basket. Under the hoop, she throws the ball up as though she is under water and can't see. Whoever on the coaching staff is in charge of her development needs to take a serious look at what is gong on here. It isn't working. Sure, a ball may bounce her way off the rim once in a while, but Nika gets more rebounds than she does. This is frustrating. Amari was supposed to be a true talent and she is showing nothing. Now the same is happening to Patterson. Who is doing the damn coaching here?
6. What has happened to Creighton? They were simply putrid.

WONDERFUL (AND SOMEWHAT SURPRISING) WIN - Great rebounding, monster games by Dorka and AE, another assist-rich game by Nika, and what has to have been a terribly disappointing shooting game by Creighton. And -- yippee -- our TOs were 2.5 under our average. Creighton's coach was convinced that a good showing (in a losing effort) vs Stanford would be a springboard against a tired and depleted UConn squad before a sellout holiday-season crowd, but UConn wanted it more.

AYANNA - a big disappointment so far. She doesn't elevate for put-backs like a player her size should be able to do; gets shots blocked underneath; weak hands in maintaining control; and generally has not impressed in the low post. She doesn't seem to move well without the ball. On at least one occasion, Nika, leading a fast break, passed up an opportunity to dish it to her in the lane, in favor of another teammate farther from the bucket. IMO, the team's injuries, making it necessary for her to see more PT that she looks ready for, have impacted her more than anyone on the roster.

CAROLINE - everybody loves her (as I do), but her consistency is lacking. She did show flashes, and I'm confident her outside shot will return, but if she makes more of the chippy layups she's been missing, she'd be dominating the box score. Is there a problem here?

IN-GAME INJURIES - Every time Nika or Caroline goes down and hits her head, we all have our hearts in our mouths. And Dorka took some hard spills, too, once having one of Creighton's bigs roll over her prone body. Has anybody ever considered the possibility of protective gear for women BB players? Football seems to be laser-focused on improving protection against head injury. As women's basketball speeds up and gets more physical, maybe some innovations should be considered, such as a leather-covered padded headband. I'd love to see some conference try that for their in-conference games. There should be more discussion about protection from head injury. Once upon a time, helmets and even masks for goalies in hockey were considered wimpish.

 

[Cuango]

This game surprised in several ways.

1. I wager Creighton has never had such a poor shooting night since they authorized the sport.
2. Edwards and Dorka just dominated. It was as if no one was guarding them.
3. I don't like the coaching staffs reaction to UCONN injuries. When Nika whacked her head ( and she is recently out of concussion protocol) Geno and his staff just said "play on." They should have taken her to the sideline immediately. It is not as though the game was on the line. And Ines can survive for several minutes without disaster. Again, when Dorka had a 250 pounder fall on the small of her back, the coaches ignored it. She was grimacing, holding her back, and in obvious pain. Still, no problem for the coaches. And we were ahead by 30 points.
4. Caroline is playing like a bench player who got in the game only because there is no one else. We all know she is an immense talent. So something is way wrong with her health. She can't make a shot and is involved in far too many turnovers. I don't have a clue what to do here. But she is barely useful at the moment. And against a quality team, that will show up.
5. Patterson seems to be regressing. She moves, and plays, like a stone statue. Has she been instructed " never to shoot?" When she is on the court, she gives the impression that she has never played or dominated in the sport. She puts the ball on the floor when she shouldn't and immediately loses control of it. The opponent can abandon her completely on defense, and never worry that she might score a basket. Under the hoop, she throws the ball up as though she is under water and can't see. Whoever on the coaching staff is in charge of her development needs to take a serious look at what is gong on here. It isn't working. Sure, a ball may bounce her way off the rim once in a while, but Nika gets more rebounds than she does. This is frustrating. Amari was supposed to be a true talent and she is showing nothing. Now the same is happening to Patterson. Who is doing the damn coaching here?
6. What has happened to Creighton? They were simply putrid.

Yeah, but how do you really feel?

 

[HuskyNan]

Yeah, but how do you really feel?

So much for Christmas cheer, huh?

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Creighton?? Lost by 13 to Stanford before Christmas. So they can play or Stanford took the night off. Maybe the early blitz just took the starch out of them.

 

[Geew1992]

This game surprised in several ways.

1. I wager Creighton has never had such a poor shooting night since they authorized the sport.
2. Edwards and Dorka just dominated. It was as if no one was guarding them.
3. I don't like the coaching staffs reaction to UCONN injuries. When Nika whacked her head ( and she is recently out of concussion protocol) Geno and his staff just said "play on." They should have taken her to the sideline immediately. It is not as though the game was on the line. And Ines can survive for several minutes without disaster. Again, when Dorka had a 250 pounder fall on the small of her back, the coaches ignored it. She was grimacing, holding her back, and in obvious pain. Still, no problem for the coaches. And we were ahead by 30 points.
4. Caroline is playing like a bench player who got in the game only because there is no one else. We all know she is an immense talent. So something is way wrong with her health. She can't make a shot and is involved in far too many turnovers. I don't have a clue what to do here. But she is barely useful at the moment. And against a quality team, that will show up.
5. Patterson seems to be regressing. She moves, and plays, like a stone statue. Has she been instructed " never to shoot?" When she is on the court, she gives the impression that she has never played or dominated in the sport. She puts the ball on the floor when she shouldn't and immediately loses control of it. The opponent can abandon her completely on defense, and never worry that she might score a basket. Under the hoop, she throws the ball up as though she is under water and can't see. Whoever on the coaching staff is in charge of her development needs to take a serious look at what is gong on here. It isn't working. Sure, a ball may bounce her way off the rim once in a while, but Nika gets more rebounds than she does. This is frustrating. Amari was supposed to be a true talent and she is showing nothing. Now the same is happening to Patterson. Who is doing the damn coaching here?
6. What has happened to Creighton? They were simply putrid.

The announcers said Creighton hasn’t been shooting well so no, this isn’t the worst. I’m gonna leave the rest alone because you obviously only want to see the negative

 

[trisailin]

This game surprised in several ways.

........... This is frustrating. Amari was supposed to be a true talent and she is showing nothing. Now the same is happening to Patterson. Who is doing the damn coaching here?

Thankfully NOT YOU!!

 

[Next 12]

This game surprised in several ways.

1. I wager Creighton has never had such a poor shooting night since they authorized the sport.
2. Edwards and Dorka just dominated. It was as if no one was guarding them.
3. I don't like the coaching staffs reaction to UCONN injuries. When Nika whacked her head ( and she is recently out of concussion protocol) Geno and his staff just said "play on." They should have taken her to the sideline immediately. It is not as though the game was on the line. And Ines can survive for several minutes without disaster. Again, when Dorka had a 250 pounder fall on the small of her back, the coaches ignored it. She was grimacing, holding her back, and in obvious pain. Still, no problem for the coaches. And we were ahead by 30 points.
4. Caroline is playing like a bench player who got in the game only because there is no one else. We all know she is an immense talent. So something is way wrong with her health. She can't make a shot and is involved in far too many turnovers. I don't have a clue what to do here. But she is barely useful at the moment. And against a quality team, that will show up.
5. Patterson seems to be regressing. She moves, and plays, like a stone statue. Has she been instructed " never to shoot?" When she is on the court, she gives the impression that she has never played or dominated in the sport. She puts the ball on the floor when she shouldn't and immediately loses control of it. The opponent can abandon her completely on defense, and never worry that she might score a basket. Under the hoop, she throws the ball up as though she is under water and can't see. Whoever on the coaching staff is in charge of her development needs to take a serious look at what is gong on here. It isn't working. Sure, a ball may bounce her way off the rim once in a while, but Nika gets more rebounds than she does. This is frustrating. Amari was supposed to be a true talent and she is showing nothing. Now the same is happening to Patterson. Who is doing the damn coaching here?
6. What has happened to Creighton? They were simply putrid.

A longtime fan of who?? Certainly not Uconn. I'm the poster that always says "think positively" and never undercut your team. A fan is a fan at all times, even when a player might not be living up to expectations, find any positive in that player. They are young and unsure at times. Aaliyah is a prime example, Awkward as a freshman, timid as a sophomore and a beast as a junior and probably a monster as a senior. Caroline has been through a lot and her grit is what I admire the most.She showed what she could do as a freshman playing with a bad hip and carrying the team. A hip operation is a major operation requiring time and her concussion at the same time didn't help at all.Caroline is going to be a big star for Uconn when she is healthy. I could go on but you get the point. GO HUSKIES!!!

 

[Alydar]

5. Patterson seems to be regressing. She moves, and plays, like a stone statue. Has she been instructed " never to shoot?" When she is on the court, she gives the impression that she has never played or dominated in the sport. She puts the ball on the floor when she shouldn't and immediately loses control of it. The opponent can abandon her completely on defense, and never worry that she might score a basket. Under the hoop, she throws the ball up as though she is under water and can't see. Whoever on the coaching staff is in charge of her development needs to take a serious look at what is gong on here. It isn't working. Sure, a ball may bounce her way off the rim once in a while, but Nika gets more rebounds than she does. This is frustrating. Amari was supposed to be a true talent and she is showing nothing. Now the same is happening to Patterson. Who is doing the damn coaching here?

Go back and watch videos of Gabby Williams' FRESHMAN season. At the end of it she was quoted as saying she "wished she had given the coaches more reason to play her. Most games she was out of position often, and her teammates had to grab her and push her into position. She made AA despite that initial season. And she wasn't the only one like that. Patterson is entering the "freshman wall" part of the season and will likely continue to flounder but she is smart, super athletic and is a very hard worker and she may be a much better player late in the season.

There were a lot of pre-season posters upset that Muhl was going to be the starting pg.

 

[HuskylnSC]

Evidently the brilliance of freshman Paige has spoiled some of us. Patterson's primary problem is freshmanitis. That is defined as fear of doing something wrong resulting in a terminal case of thinking too much. There is a treatment that is 90% successful called junior year.

 

[OldSchooler]

Go back and watch videos of Gabby Williams' FRESHMAN season. At the end of it she was quoted as saying she "wished she had given the coaches more reason to play her. Most games she was out of position often, and her teammates had to grab her and push her into position. She made AA despite that initial season. And she wasn't the only one like that. Patterson is entering the "freshman wall" part of the season and will likely continue to flounder but she is smart, super athletic and is a very hard worker and she may be a much better player late in the season.

There were a lot of pre-season posters upset that Muhl was going to be the starting pg.

I hope you're right about Ayanna, but I don't think you can compare her with Gabby, who is one of the greatest athletes I've ever seen. She would have been a great high-jumper or hurdler. Pre-season, there was a lot of talk about Ayanna and Ice. I'm guessing Ice will eclipse her classmate next year.

 

[HopJim]

This game surprised in several ways.

1. I wager Creighton has never had such a poor shooting night since they authorized the sport.
2. Edwards and Dorka just dominated. It was as if no one was guarding them.
3. I don't like the coaching staffs reaction to UCONN injuries. When Nika whacked her head ( and she is recently out of concussion protocol) Geno and his staff just said "play on." They should have taken her to the sideline immediately. It is not as though the game was on the line. And Ines can survive for several minutes without disaster. Again, when Dorka had a 250 pounder fall on the small of her back, the coaches ignored it. She was grimacing, holding her back, and in obvious pain. Still, no problem for the coaches. And we were ahead by 30 points.
4. Caroline is playing like a bench player who got in the game only because there is no one else. We all know she is an immense talent. So something is way wrong with her health. She can't make a shot and is involved in far too many turnovers. I don't have a clue what to do here. But she is barely useful at the moment. And against a quality team, that will show up.
5. Patterson seems to be regressing. She moves, and plays, like a stone statue. Has she been instructed " never to shoot?" When she is on the court, she gives the impression that she has never played or dominated in the sport. She puts the ball on the floor when she shouldn't and immediately loses control of it. The opponent can abandon her completely on defense, and never worry that she might score a basket. Under the hoop, she throws the ball up as though she is under water and can't see. Whoever on the coaching staff is in charge of her development needs to take a serious look at what is gong on here. It isn't working. Sure, a ball may bounce her way off the rim once in a while, but Nika gets more rebounds than she does. This is frustrating. Amari was supposed to be a true talent and she is showing nothing. Now the same is happening to Patterson. Who is doing the damn coaching here?
6. What has happened to Creighton? They were simply putrid.

I sometimes wonder if I am watching the same game as some. Replayed the Creighton game. Caroline played a solid basketball for nearly 3 quarters, constant motion, strong rebounding, great defense, and complimentary scoring. While she appearing gassed in the 4th Q when she missed several layups, not unusual for someone coming back from hip surgery playing most of the game.

 

[Surly1]

This game surprised in several ways.

1. I wager Creighton has never had such a poor shooting night since they authorized the sport.
2. Edwards and Dorka just dominated. It was as if no one was guarding them.
3. I don't like the coaching staffs reaction to UCONN injuries. When Nika whacked her head ( and she is recently out of concussion protocol) Geno and his staff just said "play on." They should have taken her to the sideline immediately. It is not as though the game was on the line. And Ines can survive for several minutes without disaster. Again, when Dorka had a 250 pounder fall on the small of her back, the coaches ignored it. She was grimacing, holding her back, and in obvious pain. Still, no problem for the coaches. And we were ahead by 30 points.
4. Caroline is playing like a bench player who got in the game only because there is no one else. We all know she is an immense talent. So something is way wrong with her health. She can't make a shot and is involved in far too many turnovers. I don't have a clue what to do here. But she is barely useful at the moment. And against a quality team, that will show up.
5. Patterson seems to be regressing. She moves, and plays, like a stone statue. Has she been instructed " never to shoot?" When she is on the court, she gives the impression that she has never played or dominated in the sport. She puts the ball on the floor when she shouldn't and immediately loses control of it. The opponent can abandon her completely on defense, and never worry that she might score a basket. Under the hoop, she throws the ball up as though she is under water and can't see. Whoever on the coaching staff is in charge of her development needs to take a serious look at what is gong on here. It isn't working. Sure, a ball may bounce her way off the rim once in a while, but Nika gets more rebounds than she does. This is frustrating. Amari was supposed to be a true talent and she is showing nothing. Now the same is happening to Patterson. Who is doing the damn coaching here?
6. What has happened to Creighton? They were simply putrid.

In the spirit of the holidays, I'll counter this bag of coal with a more uplifting and positive spin. I watched the Duke/NC St game last night and Duke surprisingly played a controlled and hard fought game to a win. Later on FSU upended North Carolina on its home court. Three of these teams have lost to UConn. Rather than gripe about what isn't working, consider how well UConn is playing against the top tier teams despite never fielding a full, healthy squad all season.

I can recall some posters complaining about Aaliyah early on in her freshman season and questioning her play last year. Now, in her third, she has truly blossomed. People have questioned forever about Nika starting over other presumably more deserving players, and the last I looked, she leads the nation in assists.

To the naked eye, Caroline is still hampered by physical issues - if you compare her mobility to last season. It's easy to criticize her play, but I'd rather commend her for answering the bell and trying to play through. Yes, there are flaws, but she also brings a lot of intangibles.

Ayanna is going through a rough stretch, but she is a freshman. Upon has been ridiculously spoiled by the incredible talents of Paige and Aziz as freshman. They are both one-of-a-kind type of players. Thankfully, UConn has "senior" caliber players they rely on for results. Anything the underclassmen and bench players bring is gravy.

Even without Paige and Ice for the remainder of the season, I truly believe UConn is among the top three teams in the country. Just as long as they can remain healthy.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

In fairness to unfair critics our girl Ayanna Patterson can stand at the head of the key and jitter foot to foot with her head on a swivel. It's the rare freshman who fits right in to perhaps the most complex offense and defense in the sport. Perspective, critics need to find some.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

I sometimes wonder if I am watching the same game as some. Replayed the Creighton game. Caroline played a solid basketball for nearly 3 quarters, constant motion, strong rebounding, great defense, and complimentary scoring. While she appearing gassed in the 4th Q when she missed several layups, not unusual for someone coming back from hip surgery playing most of the game.

Getting that elbow on the side of the head scared me to no end. I hope she’s ok.

 

[Longtime fan]

I hope you're right about Ayanna, but I don't think you can compare her with Gabby, who is one of the greatest athletes I've ever seen. She would have been a great high-jumper or hurdler. Pre-season, there was a lot of talk about Ayanna and Ice. I'm guessing Ice will eclipse her classmate next year.

I think ICE was always viewed as the real " force" in that draft class. So, naturally, she is out for the season.

 

[Longtime fan]

In the spirit of the holidays, I'll counter this bag of coal with a more uplifting and positive spin. I watched the Duke/NC St game last night and Duke surprisingly played a controlled and hard fought game to a win. Later on FSU upended North Carolina on its home court. Three of these teams have lost to UConn. Rather than gripe about what isn't working, consider how well UConn is playing against the top tier teams despite never fielding a full, healthy squad all season.

I can recall some posters complaining about Aaliyah early on in her freshman season and questioning her play last year. Now, in her third, she has truly blossomed. People have questioned forever about Nika starting over other presumably more deserving players, and the last I looked, she leads the nation in assists.

To the naked eye, Caroline is still hampered by physical issues - if you compare her mobility to last season. It's easy to criticize her play, but I'd rather commend her for answering the bell and trying to play through. Yes, there are flaws, but she also brings a lot of intangibles.

Ayanna is going through a rough stretch, but she is a freshman. Upon has been ridiculously spoiled by the incredible talents of Paige and Aziz as freshman. They are both one-of-a-kind type of players. Thankfully, UConn has "senior" caliber players they rely on for results. Anything the underclassmen and bench players bring is gravy.

Even without Paige and Ice for the remainder of the season, I truly believe UConn is among the top three teams in the country. Just as long as they can remain healthy.

The only way they are in the top three is if they have games where Aubrey goes 11-11 from the floor and Caroline is our leading three point shooter. It can happen, but is unlikely.