Creighton Postgame thread [Merged]

[msf22b]

Some thoughts...

Not a classic, but a satisfying win nevertheless.

Geno had a winning game plan which was well-communicated and well executed...
Get the ball inside and let the posts outmuscle the smaller Creighton, then smother them on D

It was of no consequence that both Caroline and Lou had off nights shooting ...They contributed in other areas

Interesting point Geno made on the half-time interview that UConn's defensive pressure tired out his team so that on offense, they had less energy.

I also wasn't crazy to see Caroline with an Icepack and Nika
hitting her head...These kids have to stay away from head injuries if at all possible.

 

[vtcwbuff]

Not the game that I expected. I thought that Juhasz and Edwards would dominate in the paint but I expected Creighton to get theirs from outside. I don't know how much was UConn's defense or Creighton's poor shooting but it doesn't matter.

 

[Tonyc]

A couple of good things. TO's down. Caroline looked really good on D and cutting and trying to get open. She's on her way back. Edwards and Dorka have arrived. They did what they were suppose to do. I can only imagine how good UConn will be when Azzi gets back and we get everybody healthy and up to speed. Hey Geno wont rush getting Azzi back until she feels shes ready. When Azzi gets back OMG how good we're gonna be. Azzi back will take alot of pressure off Lou

 

[wingsfan055]

AE continues to dominate on both ends. Definitely should be considered for AA or even Player of the Year awards. Geno's game plan was clear & simple - UConn dominated the middle. I think we caught a break by playing Creighton right after the Break. Creighton shot significantly poorer than average - even with a good UConn perimeter defense. As a result, no contest from the beginning. Would like to see AP develop more, but that's the only "negative" I have. Very happy & surprised by the ease of the win with a very short bench.

 

[Bone Dog]

Meg Culmo observed that the game got a bit "chippy" in the second half. I'd say it got a bit slappy, with a number of Huskies getting hit in the face and head. Same thing in last year's game, iirc. It seems to be a feature of Creighton's style of play.

 

[dtbtbtb]

The good:
*team defense was fantastic
*AE played like an AA...Creighton just could not stop her under the basket...way too strong and skilled for them.
*Dorka was amazing as well...18 rebounds..wow...i wish she would shoot less from distance and get under the basket as whenever she got the ball around the basket, she was able to get the ball on the rim, score and/or get fouled.
*Geno was back
*The rebounding was amazing. UConn was the much bigger team and rebounded the heck out of the ball.
The ok:
*Nika was running the show well and controlled the tempo f the game aside then few mystifying turnovers.
*CD was rebounding well but clearly, she is not back all the way as she was missing a lot of layups which she would make in her sleep. Another concern is that she seemed wobbly in the end of the game.
*Lou had an ok game but not one of her best. Missing some shots, she was making in other games.
The Bad:
*Paterson inability to hit layups is a concern. She plays hard so hopefully she'll start hitting those shots.
*Some real head scratching turnovers. in a game where the other team didn't press UConn. There should have been another turnover that was called in the beginning of the second half where Mule got the ball in the front court, when over the line and came back.
Inconclusive:
*Ines played too little.

All in all a real nice win against a top 25 team on their home court!

 

[Carnac]

I was very pleased with the gutsy performance. AE and DJ were MONSTERS!

Still a few more turnovers than I would like, but was good until 4th quarter.

We actually guarded the 3 line a bit. Creighton was horrible tonight.

Got banged up a bit. Ice packs on heads, Nika bouncing her head off floor, etc.

Patterson. Oh man, poor kid. Just can’t buy a bucket.

On to Marquette!

Those shots will fall next year!!! I must admit I was very concerned going to Omaha (on the road) so close to coming back from the break. 21st ranked Creighton is not a scrub team. Taking the floor with only 7 players is always a concern. Especially when those two reserves are freshmen. The cream rose to the top tonight. Anytime you hold a ranked team to 16 points in the firt half, you're doing something right. Our two BIGS lead and carried the team tonight. A tip o' the turban to Geno, his staff and the team. Job well done.

 

[cferraro04]

"The Fantastic Five"...What more can be said...down Azzi Fudd, Aubrey Griffin and Amari DeBerry...and with UConn down to only seven players foul trouble could have been UConn's undoing in this game...but, they limited their fouls and all the starters were able to play significant minutes which given the zero production from the bench (Bettencourt and Patterson)...it was essential for the starters to play well.

With Muhl, Dorka and Ducharme all taking lumps from the Creighton players as a UConn fan I have to admit I kept praying to the 'basketball gods" to not let another injury happen.

And, also with Creighton's usual defensive play and UConn's propensity to turn the ball over I was thinking if Creighton was able to turn us over it could be a long night but, UConn took care of the basketball...well they somewhat took care of the basketball...they only had 15 turnovers down from their average of of 19.6.

Well, UConn did what it had to do...they pounded into the middle and let Dorka and Aaliyah do their thing. Aaliyah...23 points and 21 rebounds, while Dorka had 22 points and 18 rebounds. I mean...let's be real here 55 rebounds to Creighton's 26...I believe that it was a record number of rebounds any team has had against Creighton.

It didn't help Creighton to only shoot 23.8% from the field and 10.7% from three...I mean that is some pretty dismal shooting and was the reason why Creighton with 47 points was 25 points off their average. Maybe chalk it up to Creighton's 5 day lay-off and UConn's stellar defense. Let's just say that this game was not friendly to the prognosticators...lol

A stat that when you look at it kind of strikes you as opportunity lost is the fact that Creighton got 9 steals and UConn only got one...but, Creighton was incapable of capitalizing off their steals.

With Muhl was not setting the world on fire with her three point shooting tonight as she did in the last game...but, it didn't surprise me that she impacted the game in other ways...getting 8 assists and 5 rebounds.

Areas of concern for me: I have been watching Ducharme during her recovery this year and while I am pleased to see steady improvement one area sticks out to me. In my observations of Ducharme I have noticed that she rarely leaves her feet when she shoots or drives the basketball... She stays flat-footed straight-arming shots and often leaving them short or off-line. It makes me think that there are back issues with Ducharme which would explain why she doesn't jump and stays grounded.

The other area of concern for me...was watching Muhl's head bounce off the floor only weeks after going through concussion protocols. As a martial artist we are taught that whenever you go down to tuck your chin into your chest...this would avoid a lot of those head bangs on the floor... All women players would do well to immediately think about protecting their heads as they are going down.

All in all the "Fantastic Five" got the "W". Next, onto Marquette this Saturday...Unfortunately, I still think we will be short Aubrey and Azzi but hopefully Amari will be back...we need her coming off the bench to give our bigs a rest.

 

[uconnever]

Some crazy things are starting to develop. Edwards and Fudd may both be first team all Americans at the end of the year and if everyone else plays their best game, we may actually have a real chance this year to win it all. This season may play out similar to last season.

 

[Carnac]

Dorka was really great. She played so big. Caught passes in traffic, really tried to finish through contact. She hasn't really found her touch from outside but it doesnt really matter. All American Aaliyah was great as well.
I thought Lou and Caroline got good looks but couldn't convert. But the fact that they both had double figures is a good sign imo.
This was just about as impressive as the Duke win. this was a classic UConn win. dominated a ranked team on the road with seven players, down their best (2 really). I don't think other programs do stuff like this.

UConn does not win that game without her.

 

[hoophuskee]

Terrific effort by Dorka and Aailyah. Gritty effort from the rest. You're up 30 in the 3rd Q - put Inez in and let her get some valuable minutes, especially when you only have 7 players. Then again, what the heck do I know!

The other core players need big minutes. Even at the end- Edwards made an absolutely awful pass. A big problem this year has been passing. Edwards has before this game 32 assists vs 36 turnovers. Lou only has a total of 17 assists before tonight this year.

Sitting on the bench won't help that. These are the players we know for certain will be counted on at the end.

Love the passing tonight overall. Looking forward as season continues it gets better and better as I suspect it will especially when Azzi is back.

 

[huskeynut]

UConn came out and threw the first punch. Creighton never recovered. UConn kept punching the whole game.

Aaliyah and Dorka were monsters in the paint. Both with double/ doubles. Creighton had no answers.

Excellent defense keeping Creighton just outside their comfort zone for shooting 3's. Creighton did have a very poor shooting night.

You could see in the 3rd quarter Creighton was frustrated and hanging their heads.

 

[Topdawg]

I’ll take a win.

Team did a good job feeding the post. Edwards and Juhasz played very well. Very strong on scoring and rebounds. Nika kept the pace up and had 8 assists. Lou and Caroline had good supporting games.

We need to continue bringing the number of turnovers down. When the missing players are back, we can attack the basket from the inside, the outside, and the mid-range. Then we should be ready to take on the best teams.

 

[Redux]

Patterson. Oh man, poor kid. Just can’t buy a bucket.

I've lost all objectivity about her as I think she's great and I may just be making excuses for her in my mind.

But I think she's just missing. Not just her shots (and some of her misses are absolutely defying the laws of gravity) but in every other aspect of her game. Beautiful passes just barely tipped, rebounds she's perfectly positioned for and tracking that get barely finger-tipped away from her, tough passes to her she just can't quite get the handle on, foul calls against her that aren't even close enough to be phantom! These close plays, over & over, would frustrate anyone and that frustration is compounding her lack of progress.

If she were just getting luck of the draw on some of these close plays I think it would have a huge impact on her confidence and overall positive attitude and I think her game would soar.

But despite all that I think she's making a decent contribution, as a Freshman and under difficult circumstances. I think her minutes are positive and we'd be hurting without them. I'm just not seeing the progress I expected: from marginally contributing to becoming a major asset.

I still think that's coming. This season.

 

[MD#12Fan]

It's been a while since I've seen an entire team of faces, including the staff, just dejected by the play of UCONN. Trust me Creighton packed this one in early.

I saw them play at Stanford. Same kind of effort. Maly is like 3-28 in those 2 games combined. Jensen only getting 10 shots a game. Players get it inside and they don’t have the game to do anything with it.
Prediction: Creighton is a major surprise in the Big East. Getting overtaken by upstart teams: St Johns, Providence? Sub 500 in the league. No bid to NCAA. I’m watching this team with my 2 eyes. It’s ugly.

 

[Boreifs]

I was at the game. I have never, ever seen a game in any level, men or women, so thoroughly dominated by two post players. One? Of course. Never two. Both were unstoppable; sorely needed when none of UConn’s perimeters players played well on offense. Defensively, the whole team was fabulous.

 

[HuskyNan]

 

[HuskyNan]

 

[HuskyNan]

 

[Bone Dog]

Perfect image for the big girl: finally feeling her power!

 

[The CDR-Ret]

Awesome! Dorka's GOAL: Win the National Championship before she leaves!

Hopefully, Azzi passes her "test" tomorrow, and can do all the "basketball things" she needs to do to enable her to rejoin the starting line-up without being injured or reinjured....

Praying that Aubrey rapidly regains her health, and is able to rejoin the team safely, and at full strength soonest!!!

Hopefully, Aubrey is available for Butler on 1/3/23, and Azzi is available by DePaul on 1/8/23.

 

[The CDR-Ret]

Individual awards are all well and good, but National Championships only go to one team, and everyone on that team are Champions!

I will believe the Huskies will be happy with the Championship at the end of the NCAA Tournament in Dallas, TX on April 2, 2023, after knocking off all of the individual award winners! After all they go through this season, NC #12 will be very sweet!

 

[PAHuskeyFan]

Is it really that simple??? Such as, get on a list last year and that blocks others from passing you the next year??? I always thought it was based on performance in the season of record...ie. performance this season is what matters for AA for 22 - 23 season. I have not looked at the stats for this season for non-UCONN players. But if they have better years, then good on them. But. I have heard some are not playing at same level as last season.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Is it really that simple??? Such as, get on a list last year and that blocks others from passing you the next year??? I always thought it was based on performance in the season of record...ie. performance this season is what matters for AA for 22 - 23 season. I have not looked at the stats for this season for non-UCONN players. But if they have better years, then good on them. But. I have heard some are not playing at same level as last season.

I agree with you. What Browns notes is that some players have prior awards and greater name recognition, which help them for current season awards, but I would hope that voters would focus on the current season only. It should be noted that neither Aaliyah Boston nor Haley Jones leads their team in scoring. Cooke and Brink do.