Creighton Postgame Thread

[BobbyJ]

Functionally, that is not a real distinction. She is (for practical purposes, such as getting minutes) in the doghouse precisely because she doesn't know or remember the offensive and defensive systems adequately. She might have fit in well with the Walker class of a few years ago, not with her teammates in this freshman class.

Not surprised at all with her struggles. Months ago while watching some of her HS game videos I noticed that she had very little defensive and offensive fundamental coaching. She’s still playing on just raw athleticism. Plus a lot of the opposition now is over 5-10.

 

[wbball novice]

Nice to see some improvement in key players. First half was a little like watching an SEC game when Westbrook was at Tenn. Haven't been watching the SEC channel recently, but in those days: tenacious defense, anemic offense.

ONO. Great to see her making FTs since I imagine she's going to get fouled a lot. In her previous games she was 50% at best. She can score away from the basket, if, to paraphrase Geno, she can get to her calm place. Might be more difficult with taller, more aggressive players defending, so not sure it's a shot she can rely on. Had a really good night close to the basket.

CW also greatly improved on FTs, again significant since she attacks the basket a lot & she hasn't always been succeeding as often with her amazing finishes as last year, & its an opportunity to salvage some scoring. I think she has improved incrementally in each of her 3 games. Defense has improved I'd say.

EW is another player improving in every game. Nice to see her scoring some. With Anna, EW, Beuckers, UConn passing game is impressive. From what I remember when EW was at Tenn, she scored a lot because no one else on Warlock's team could find the basket; with other UConn members having better offensive skills, she doesn't need to score as much & maybe she won't. Keeping my fingers crossed she doesn't get injured again.

Aubrey Griffin was a better sub than previously. Just so nice to have a deeper bench, especially with Nika injured.

Beuckers & Edwards not as good as in the 1st 2 games. Not sure why Edwards should be a lock for starter at this point. Still great to have her off the bench. Beuckers touch on floaters was off, & she missed her only FT. For both freshman, hopefully offense will in the long run be more consistent than turnovers & penalties. Paige's penalties probably due to playing more defense than she's used to, but traditionally Huskies took pride in keeping the penalties low. For both Edwards & Beuckers, still pretty good even if Creighton was an off game in comparison to earlier opponents.

The 3 pt efficiency isn't what it was; hard to match the KLS/Dangerfield production. If Anna can get in rhythm & PB has it in her...

 

[Monte]

We have seen a lot of good things in the 3 games so far. The big test is when we see how they fare against BAYLOR on January 7th.

 

[Carnac]

So who is going to hate on Liv tonight? I thought she was great.

When some posters comment on Liv’s play, they see what she’s doing, and what she’s not doing. They know her potential and stats she should be posting. It’s not hating on Liv, more like frustration. She only played 22 minutes tonight. She didn’t press, force anything or rush anything.

She played under control all night. No one expects her to score 24 every night, but as I suggested, 18 is not unreasonable. Meghan Culmo mentioned several times tonight that ONO could have a “field day” tonight. She did.

Would it be hating on ONO to say that many of us would like to see her play this way again Saturday? Or maybe say we expect her to play this way Saturday against 3-1 Xavier? No point expectations, just good solid smart play. Limit the fouls and no turnovers.

 

[Carnac]

Evina - Slowly starting to see her get more comfortable on offense, still like her defensive energy.

Olivia - Played like an All American. PERIOD. (Also I feel a little vindicated seeing her face up and pass from the high post after my post game assessment of her from last game)

Christyn - Definitely getting more and more assertive and her defensive focus is obvious she’s turning into a really good two way player IMO. Her shot already looks better than last year.

Anna - Anna never really jumps out at me unless she’s hitting tons of threes but another decent game for her. Knocked down a few nice shots and had a couple nice assists per usual.

Aubrey - Glad to see Aubrey the sixth woman once again, and exciting that Geno has given her a green light to start hitting some jumpers, she’ll need that going forward.

Paige - First game that Paige really showed she’s a freshman, not worried I’m sure Geno will sort things out, he’s very keen on coaching her.

Aaliyah - I’m sure the coaching staff are focusing on how not to foul going forward but she still brings something no one else can, didn’t have a crazy game but it’s only her third game. Still very excited to see her going forward this season.

Nika - Sorry to hear about the injury just hope she pushes through recovery and stays engaged.

Mir - Interesting to see her come off the bench with only a couple minutes left in the second half and then both possessions she was involved in she did not flatter herself. Maybe not showing up in practice and Genos sending a message?

Piath - Her box out looked better.

Summer - Still love how she carries herself!

I’m sure we’ll like what we see after about 10 games. Everyone will have settled in and settled down by then.

 

[MD#12Fan]

I felt like Paige had too much going on between the ears tonight. It happens. And her freshman honeymoon is over. She put up some good scoring in the first two games so now she will be the focus of the defense.

Not what I saw. She got enough opportunities to score 25 like she did the other night. She missed some shots she should make ( like Geno would say about a player as good as her), she turned it over, and we didn’t get the transition hoops that we got Tuesday. She’s got the to score on anybody. Creighton’s got nothing for Paige.

 

[MSGRET]

I felt like Paige had too much going on between the ears tonight. It happens. And her freshman honeymoon is over. She put up some good scoring in the first two games so now she will be the focus of the defense.

She went 4 for 10 and had 3 of those that she missed pop out, that would have been 7 for 10. Those two back to back traveling calls was because it looked like she was going to shoot then decided to dribble, a Freshman mistake.

 

[and one]

By this point in the thread most everything as been well covered so I'll be brief and just mention what stood out to me.

First and foremost UConn played and won handily. Yeah!

ONO did her job and then some. She isn't a bruiser and didn't have to deal with any good bigs, but she exploited the situation as well as could be done.

Paige didn't do much really well or really badly. If this is a bad Paige game I can live with it. She has 5 if the team's 17 assists and 5 if the team's turnovers.

Anna and Evina had similar solid efforts. Anna 5 for 9 FG, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and no turnovers. Westbrook was 3 for 4 FG, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 turnovers and 2 steals.

Williams stayed active and isn't afraid to shoot or drive as she was last year. She just looks like she knows where she fits into this team and offense.

Edwards can't be accused of not giving it her all. There is just no doubt she will be the dominating big body we have lacked for awhile.

Griffin isn't where we hoped she would be and it isn't clear to me who between her and Mir will be the first to develop into a consistent starter quality player. Both are young and have high upsides once they figure things out.

17 assists in 30 FG can be improved on.

12 point and 16 point quarters (2nd and 4th respectively) will not do it against the top 5 type teams.

Nor will the lack of 3 point shooting. We take too few 3 pt shots, and make too few of those we take. No one has a catch and shoot 3 point shot and pass up the shot unless they are almost unguarded. Too often I'm thinking "shoot it" but the player hesitates and then it is too late.

 

[Crossover]

Functionally, that is not a real distinction. She is (for practical purposes, such as getting minutes) in the doghouse precisely because she doesn't know or remember the offensive and defensive systems adequately. She might have fit in well with the Walker class of a few years ago, not with her teammates in this freshman class.

Functionally not a real distinction. Psychologically a huge distinction. You realize, don't you, that these players are actual human beings, not automatons?

 

[uconnfan68]

To add to that comment, who was the poster who complained about Olivia's jump shooting form, and claimed that her makes in previous games were flukes? She took three or four jump shots tonight and made them all, with the same shooting form.

I was disappointed that we never saw Liv and Aaliyah in the game at the same time. I think that is the lineup of the near future. Maybe Geno hasn't fully worked up the offense to take advantage of that configuration.

I am concerned about the propensity of Paige, Olivia, and Aaliyah to commit stupid fouls. They all need to be available for 40 minutes. If any of them are on the bench because of foul trouble in a competitive game, UConn's ability to win the game will be significantly impaired.

Christyn's effort on the boards was commendable and much needed, but her shooting percentage (and offensive efficiency generally) is still not where it needs to be for the minutes that she plays.

Geno can’t play 2 posts against smaller teams that like to shoot 3s. Until tonight he had a lot of guards. Losing Muhl was a small blip, but it gave Evina a lot more minutes, and it helped her.

 

[eebmg]

Something must be wrong with me. Geno says this is the best game and I will grant the defense was the best of the season but overall, the game does not feel as if it was the best of the season.

I guess I have been ruined by Paige's performances. When she has a human game, it just does not feel right.

Also, I am worried about Liv's sudden outburst. I am not sure what to make of her jump shot prowess. Not sure it is sustainable or she starts to hang our there more than the post. And her rebounding numbers ??

CW looked aggressive but most of her scoring are on power drives and not sure that will be there against elite defenses.

Anna is streaky but I admit good things happen when she has the ball in her hands on the fast break

Aubrey is up and down and Aaliyah is tough on the blocks but is far from a polished post threat.

and Evina looks like she is not 100%

I don't know.

 

[FridaFriend]

My impression of Evina is that she has been holding back, maybe because of her knee. But late in the game tonight she kicked it up a gear to score a couple of baskets. When she pushed even more, she twisted her good knee or leg and was limping. I wonder whether she will back off a bit for awhile.

I also saw Anna get really angry with Geno and throw something. I was surprised when he put her back in a short time later. She did play better after that.

I liked the way Christyn played tonight, with more energy, fire, and enthusiasm.

I think Mir will be fine. I like to watch her play, even when she crashes and burns.

 

[Boreifs]

My impression of Evina is that she has been holding back, maybe because of her knee. But late in the game tonight she kicked it up a gear to score a couple of baskets. When she pushed even more, she twisted her good knee or leg and was limping. I wonder whether she will back off a bit for awhile.

I also saw Anna get really angry with Geno and throw something. I was surprised when he put her back in a short time later. She did play better after that.

I liked the way Christyn played tonight, with more energy, fire, and enthusiasm.

I think Mir will be fine. I like to watch her play, even when she crashes and burns.

She was angry with herself, not Geno.

 

[MD#12Fan]

Something must be wrong with me. Geno says this is the best game and I will grant the defense was the best of the season but overall, the game does not feel as if it was the best of the season.

I guess I have been ruined by Paige's performances. When she has a human game, it just does not feel right.

Also, I am worried about Liv's sudden outburst. I am not sure what to make of her jump shot prowess. Not sure it is sustainable or she starts to hang our there more than the post. And her rebounding numbers ??

CW looked aggressive but most of her scoring are on power drives and not sure that will be there against elite defenses.

Anna is streaky but I admit good things happen when she has the ball in her hands on the fast break

Aubrey is up and down and Aaliyah is tough on the blocks but is far from a polished post threat.

and Evina looks like she is not 100%

I don't know.

I agree with a lot of your points, especially about it just not feeling quite right.
I think Geno has to help Aubrey. She can’t excel in a motion offense. She’s getting the ball so often in places where she can do no damage. All these handoffs and screens 25 feet from the goal. She needs to catch the ball, see the defense, one or two dribbles tops and attack the rim. Everybody that’s ever played organized hoops has played an offense with a double low post. The posts work together to get open. One post can flash high, create the hi-lo action, etc. I’m sorry, no disrespect to Coach. He’s got a thoroughbred and he’s holding back the reins.

 

[eebmg]

I agree with a lot of your points, especially about it just not feeling quite right.
I think Geno has to help Aubrey. She can’t excel in a motion offense. She’s getting the ball so often in places where she can do no damage. All these handoffs and screens 25 feet from the goal. She needs to catch the ball, see the defense, one or two dribbles tops and attack the rim. Everybody that’s ever played organized hoops has played an offense with a double low post. The posts work together to get open. One post can flash high, create the hi-lo action, etc. I’m sorry, no disrespect to Coach. He’s got a thoroughbred and he’s holding back the reins.

I am not an expert in basketball tactics but in the Post game on court Q&A, Geno was asked about Aubrey and Geno said he is simplifying where to put Aubrey in the offense. The fact she had so many minutes indicates to me he has decided to go full in with her and will try to figure out ways to get as much offense from her as possible.

 

[jazz]

Just finished watching the replay.

PB didn't have her best game but she still was good for a freshie in her third game. Missed a couple shots that she will not miss in future. Love that she comes off the pick for that foul line jumper. She missed both times but if she made them, we are looking at 15 pts and probably not saying much negative about her offensive production. Called for I think 3 travels. The last one didn't look like it to me.

Liv was great...showed 4 low post moves...1. her patent fake to her left and go over her right shoulder for the step back..I love that move. 2. Drop step left which she did twice. That is a great move and she did it perfectly! 3. Blow by on her right shoulder - she did that twice. 4. Nice up and under move.

She also hit her FT and jumpers. All of this against a freshie who couldn't play defense but hey, Liv still got it done and this builds confidence for the future (Baylor)!

AM - in a 3 minute time span, she had a reb, 3/4 link pass for an easy two, nice pass on the pick and roll and hit 2 threes. Directly responsible for potential 10 points. She is getting her rhythm at times. Has a really hard time matching up against guards defensively- cant consistently get down in her stance. Doesn't have the lateral quickness.

EW - saw some more offense out of her with a blow by and a three. She is still hesitant but making progress. Looks a bit stiff to me, especially in the upper body. What a luxury to have her playing the 3!

This is a great passing team. Head always up on the break. This leads to 10+ easy points a game thus far.

AG - showed how super-human she is..quick, jumps out the gym and fast! She is a movement player. As long as she can move, she gets things done. Ask her to take a jumper where she is not moving, that is a problem for her. Her form didn't look good on the missed jumper to me - she studied it, didn't seem to really want to take it and then finally measured it and finally let it go. She just needs to catch and shoot.

TO were well down and if you take PB 5 TOs out of it, they really didn't have many at all...Big time improvement over the first two games but this Creighton team lacked any athleticism or speed. But the silly things weren't there for the most part.

CW missed some shots that hit every part of the rim. She seems to miss everyway possible. But she has a beautiful stroke...they will fall with consistency soon enough. Love how she can break down a defense taking the ball to the rim. There are many times, I'd like to see her take 2-3 dribbles and then pull up instead of going all the way to the rim. Her first step is so explosive that I think she can get this almost anytime she wants it. She did this once and looked great at it! Terrific player who is still trying to figure out how to put it all together.

 

[RedStickHusky]

Evina coming back in after she tweaked what I guess was a hammy was a good sign, that was scary for a couple of minutes. Towards the end of the game she looked like it started coming back to her; it's been two years. CW looked determined to get to the rim or get fouled and got herself hammered for it a couple of times but that is her game. As for MM, what's not to get? I've heard it said a thousand times that at UConn you have to earn your minutes, Geno said after Seton Hall that she had some things to figure out in practice, I guess she didn't get it done.

 

[Jingo]

Creighton's shooting was atrocious and Liv got ZERO defensive rebounds!!

Right .. Liv [and Aaliyah] were on the perimeter, away from the basket, most of the night against Creighton, a team that moves the ball and shoots a bunch of 3’s (almost 30 per game). Liv and Aaliyahah 'scared' Creighton's 3-point shooters into only 12 points in the first half. In this brilliant defensive scheme, our off-guards become "designated rebounders", eh?
And it worked! Liv and Aaliyah had only 2 rebounds each but our off-guards - Chrystyn, Paige, Anna and Evina - snagged 25 rebounds, more than the entire Creighton team.
Yes Liv and Aaliyah "forced" Creighton into atrocious perimeter shooting while, at the other end, Liv was "perfect", 9-for9 from the field on her way to a game high 24 points. Liv scored brilliantly with a variety of low post moves, a few jumpers, even a trey, and over 80% from the free-throw line. She was amazing!

 

[donalddoowop]

We have seen a lot of good things in the 3 games so far. The big test is when we see how they fare against BAYLOR on January 7th.

They will have played five games by then if none get cancelled. By then they should be better prepared to play Baylor.

 

[Zinethar]

This was the first game I thought Evina looked lose. She had a stride and a bit of speed. Maybe beginning to trust the knee.

Paige was a bit off tonight. Something seemed odd. fell twice in what seemed to be over her own feet. Missed shots she almost never misses. I think her traveling calls are correct and are caused by not enough experience yet with the others on the floor. She begins a move and quickly changes as something she didn't expect happened. Geno was upset with her because she is trying to get the others involved too much. She needs to flow and take her shot when it is there which it quite often is. He was really upset when at the buzzer she worked open then passed to CW who missed the jumper. That was her play. I think she was concerned with the world paying too much attention to her and not her friends and teammates.

Liv was the best I've seen of her tonight. Hope that Liv keeps showing up.

Some people on this board just don't seem to understand Anna. She is 6'2" and a bigger body player that is well suited for the 4. She will never have the quickness to defend small quick guards. She can pass extremely well and shoot the lights out when in rhythm.

CW is quickly earning her leadership. Plays hard defense that I don't remember seeing last year. A good slasher who has cut down the missed bunnies. Hits her foul shots. I do wish her 3pt shot was more consistent. Feed her when she is on.

The team they played tonight was much tougher and faster than the others. Good shooters that UConn controlled for a half.

 

[Jingo]

Just finished watching the replay.

PB didn't have her best game but she still was good for a freshie in her third game. Missed a couple shots that she will not miss in future. Love that she comes of the pick for that foul line jumper. She missed both times but if she made them, we are looking at 15 pts and probably not saying much negative about her offensive production. Called for I think 3 travels. The last one didn't look like it to me.

Liv was great...showed 4 low post moves...1. her patent fake to her left and go over her right shoulder for the step back..I love that move. 2. Drop step left which she did twice. That is a great move and she did it perfectly! 3. Blow by on her right shoulder - she did that twice. 4. Nice up and under move.

She also hit her FT and jumpers. All of this against a freshie who couldn't play defense but hey, Liv still got it done and this builds confidence for the future (Baylor)!

AM - in a 3 minute time span, she had a reb, 3/4 link pass for an easy two, nice pass on the pick and roll and hit 2 threes. Directly responsible for potential 10 points. She is getting her rhythm at times. Has a really hard time matching up against guards defensively- cant consistently get down in her stance. Doesn't have the lateral quickness.

EW - saw some more offense out of her with a blow by and a three. She is still hesitant but making progress. Looks a bit stiff to me, especially in the upper body. What a luxury to have her playing the 3!

This is a great passing team. Head always up on the break. This leads to 10+ easy points a game thus far.

AG - showed how super-human she is..quick, jumps out the gym and fast! She is a movement player. As long as she can move, she gets things done, Ask her to take a jumper where she is not moving, that is a problem for her. Her form didn't look good on the missed jumper to me - she studied it, didn't seem to really want to take it and then finally measured it and finally let it go. She just needs to catch and shoot.

TO were well down and if you take PB 5 TOs out of it, they really didn't have many at all...Big time improvement over the first two games but this Creighton team lacked any athleticism or speed. But the silly things weren't there for the most part.

CW missed some shots that hit every part of the rim. She seems to miss everyway possible. But she has a beautiful stroke...they will fall with consistency soon enough. Love how she can break down a defense taking the ball to the rim. There are many times, I'd like to see her take 2-3 dribbles and then pull up instead of going all the way to the rim. Her first step is so explosive that I think she can get this almost anytime she wants it. She did this once and looked great at it! Terrific player who is still trying to figure out how to put it all together.

Good analysis .. esp detailing Liz' versatility .. but you failed to mention that 'step-thru' and baby right hook shot that she got fouled on; and most notably, the several jumpers she hit from 'distance', one of then a trey.
Anyway, thanks for the insights!

 

[jazz]

Good analysis .. esp detailing Liz' versatility .. but you failed to mention that 'step-thru' and baby right hook shot that she got fouled on; and most notably, the several jumpers she hit from 'distance', one of then a trey.
Anyway, thanks for the insights!

Thanks for your reply Jingo! I think the step thru is what I called the up and under. I don't remember a baby right hook. Do you remember at what approx time she did this? That would be amazing if Liv has this in her arsenal! I did mention she hit her jumpers.

Liv was 'kid dy-no-mite' as JJ used to say on 'Good Times'!!

 

[Dokey]

With all respect, not sure what games you are watching but Makurat is playing terrific defense; she is far from a weak link.

Agreed, she is an excellent defensive player. She makes up for being a little slower because she knows where to be and gets there. A lot of faster players don’t anticipate where to go. She had a couple of slip ups and lost it on sideline. She went back in because getting upset when you only screw up a couple of times is the player Geno likes. And I loved Nika calming her down. As for her offense, I wish Geno would tell her if you don’t take at least ten shots (well, maybe 8) in first half, you don’t play second half. I don’t want her to be an Arike but a few more tries wouldn’t hurt.

By the way, I watched the Euro game between Avenida with KLS and Tiffany take on a Turkish team with Arike. It was close up to half time and then Avenida blew them out of the gym to remain undefeated.

 

[hoophuskee]

Liv-- .

Something must be wrong with me. Geno says this is the best game and I will grant the defense was the best of the season but overall, the game does not feel as if it was the best of the season.

I guess I have been ruined by Paige's performances. When she has a human game, it just does not feel right.

Also, I am worried about Liv's sudden outburst. I am not sure what to make of her jump shot prowess. Not sure it is sustainable or she starts to hang our there more than the post. And her rebounding numbers ??

CW looked aggressive but most of her scoring are on power drives and not sure that will be there against elite defenses.

Anna is streaky but I admit good things happen when she has the ball in her hands on the fast break

Aubrey is up and down and Aaliyah is tough on the blocks but is far from a polished post threat.

and Evina looks like she is not 100%

I don't know.

In part I assume he is also talking about the defense. Let's face it-- Seton Hall "forced UCONN" to go zone. "Seton HALL" his team struggled to stop a player who wasn't even projected to be all-league . There used to be a time when UCONN always took away a top scorer but here even in 2nd half mediocre Seton Hall forced Geno to do something he didn't want to do. Defensive scoring: 65 points for Seton Hall vs 47 points vs Creighton.

The 1st game wasn't very good. That was a completely over-matched opponent.

 

[willtalk]

We have seen a lot of good things in the 3 games so far. The big test is when we see how they fare against BAYLOR on January 7th.

Baylor is not the level of team they have been. Their defense is not that good and they appear to have no outside scoring. Barring unforseen circumstances, UConn should have no trouble beating them this year.