Creighton Postgame Thread

[FanHam]

It was a lot of blah on the offensive end, apart from Olivia.

Anna warmed up her shooting eye with the exception of an alarming airball and a few clanks. When her shot is going in, she looks like she could do it all day.

Paige least productive scoring game thus far gives me a flashback to the line "the only person who could keep Michael Jordan under twenty points a game was Dean Smith." I know Geno is only trying to get her to shoot more, but does she need coaching? Supposedly Geno gives his star(s) pretty much a free rein, and I know he's only pleading with her to shoot more, but some sort of "out of sync" thing seemed to be going on in her head on the offensive end.

Creighton looked like a pretty good team to me. They were fundamentally sound and could shoot. They played hard. We smoked 'em.

 

[jazz]

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.

I hope you are right and I hope Liv has a big day which will show that she can take it to players with size and a bit of athleticism too. Egbo and Gusters have some talent so it will be good to see if Liv can put up a good stat line against them (12 and 10 will be just fine).

Then there is tournament time with Stanford with Belibi and Prechtel, SC with Boston and Amihere, and Louisville with Cochrane and Dixon. Between now and then, hopefully Liv can show that she can be consistent with 12 and 10 or so a night against good competition and I think we will be fine. I think she may have a chance to be even better than 12 points but I think that is all we need against these teams to win. She also needs to defend well without getting into foul trouble.

 

[jaundicedeye]

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, I think posters with comments as thought-out and calmly worded as yours are not being counted as haters by DEpup. There were a good number of others that were harsh with some even calling for her displacement in the lineup by Aliyah. They were overly emotional and premature, at best.
I believe that Ono's performance last night starts an upward trajectory and a stellar junior year.

 

[eebmg]

Geno Postgame Presser

One of the more entertaining pressers.
All over Paige as a pass first and make everyone feel happy

Why can't she get her 20pts first and then get everyone else happy???

Oh and he was pissed when she turned down the last shot at the half

 

[eebmg]

Liv Presser

 

[eebmg]

Evina Presser

Why does coach want you on the floor so many minutes. Defense. at UConn, it is always defense.

 

[eebmg]

Anna Presser

 

[chrissaran]

Happy to see Anna smile after back-to-back 3s in the 4th.

 

[chrissaran]

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.

Baylor will be a tough game. They still have talented players. Don't underestimate them.

 

[HopJim]

Baylor will be a tough game. They still have talented players. Don't underestimate them.

Ditto. Creighton game one of the worst 3 point shooting games I have seen UConn play. Suspect the Baylor team looking at UConn and saying, "this year's UConn team can't shoot the 3!" Always great to see the many Top 10 teams Geno schedules and how both teams play under pressure.

 

[eebmg]

In his presser, he said teams now daring us to shoot from the 3 but he thinks the 3pt shooting will get better and they must continue to shoot them to be effective. Jokingly he said maybe his saying " You can play well without shooting well" is being taken too seriously by the team.

He was on Anna about how she only seems to make 3's after the game has been decided but Anna felt her shooting woes in the first half were connected to her defensive miscues

 

[DEpup]

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.

I actually like Anna moving into a more point forward position. I think developing those front court skills with her body will do her well as a professional. I think she is still figuring out this role but she is smart and she'll get it together. It's only game 3. I was glad she got a few 2s close in which really gets the defense thinking.

 

[DEpup]

Carnac, I think posters with comments as thought-out and calmly worded as yours are not being counted as haters by DEpup. There were a good number of others that were harsh with some even calling for her displacement in the lineup by Aliyah. They were overly emotional and premature, at best.
I believe that Ono's performance last night starts an upward trajectory and a stellar junior year.

Thank you. I believe this board has a lot of Liv haters and that she will never be able make them happy. Its sad. Yes she needs to work on consistency and those are valuable comments but also balance that with credit when it's due and not make it sort of a backhanded compliment.

I agree with Geno. She is never going to be a Liz Cambage type of center. She doesn't have that body and never will. She has to do it differently as he says and I'd love her to move in a more Dowanna Bonner direction to set her up for the future and I think that's why I was happy with the type of game she had last night.

However, folks on this board are still complaining that they didn't see a Liz Cambage type game. Get over it. It isn't going to happen. I believe Geno when he says she has to do it differently. She did it differently last night and succeeded. In my opinion.

 

[DefenseBB]

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.

I agree with most of what you said but that last sentence is not quite in line with my thinking. The game is still at Baylor sans fans, which will help but Baylor is still a solid top 5-10 team so yes, this will be a game, a game UConn can win, easily? um, not so much. I certainly hope I am wrong and you are right though!

Also, I am hoping the Big East releases it's January schedule shortly so we know how many games we will have before Baylor. I doubt they will NOT have any games after 12/22 until 1/7....especially with so many schools wanting to stay quarantined from allowing students home and then back...

 

[CL82]

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.

We have decent perimeter shooters. Ball movement makes those shoots easier. As I've said, we have a lot of weapons. Teams will have to pick their poison.

 

[Golden Husky]

Geno Postgame Presser

One of the more entertaining pressers.
All over Paige as a pass first and make everyone feel happy

Why can't she get her 20pts first and then get everyone else happy???

Oh and he was pissed when she turned down the last shot at the half

Thank you very much for posting this.

 

[Golden Husky]

Geno Postgame Presser

One of the more entertaining pressers.
All over Paige as a pass first and make everyone feel happy

Why can't she get her 20pts first and then get everyone else happy???

Oh and he was pissed when she turned down the last shot at the half

"Maybe we started the game too early." A sardonic Geno on Paige practicing after the game. Priceless.

 

[Golden Husky]

Liv Presser

Thank you again.

 

[Golden Husky]

Evina Presser

Why does coach want you on the floor so many minutes. Defense. at UConn, it is always defense.

And again

 

[HuskylnSC]

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

I confess I have been pretty hard on Liv. Tonight for about 10 minutes she was dominant. She did get knocked off her shot twice when she should have made the basket and had to settle for two free throws. But they were still a positive possession. She has been terrific running the floor catching and finishing on the break and I am stunned she is making shots in the 15-20 range. I am concerned that it may not last because of her funky catapult style and that she isn't consistent from the stripe. But she was aggressive and looking for her shot. Only 2 offensive rebounds and no defensive rebounds concerns me. happy for the improvement but still expecting more. I'm concerned about when she will face a dominant post. Will she be a tiger or a kitten then?

 

[Longtime fan]

Some thoughts on the Creighton game:

• A little different test for the Huskies tonight against a team that moves the ball and shoots a bunch of 3’s (almost 30 per game). The Huskies did a good job defending the arc in the 1st half (0-11), and less so in the 2nd half.
• Geno tightened his 1st half rotation down to 7 players from 9 the preceding 2 games, although Nika being out is part of that.
• Liv was in the zone tonight. She could not miss, hitting layups with both hands, her fall away jumper and even stepped out to the arc.
• Anna is one of those players who needs to keep shooting until they start falling.
• I hold my breath whenever Evina dives on the court or gets her legs caught up under her. She’s the glue on this team.
• I love the way our Bigs run the court.

A lot of good work, also, from Aubrey. And she even tried a couple of outside shots. I really want her to make one, and gain some confidence in that aspect of her game. Evina worries me, as well....particularly when she went down with a leg issue ( must have been a cramp). All those surgeries are an endless concern. Also, I don't think she was ever out of the game until the last two minutes. But she is beginning to remember how she plays the game. And if she cranks it up, and stays healthy, she will be crucial to the team, and great fun to watch. I'm pleased that he put McClain in the game for a few minutes. She needs to " slow down" and find her rhythm. When she does, she'll be an asset. Now I understand why Muhl wasn't getting as much done as I expected from her ( injury to foot ). Olivia was an all star tonight. And Edwards runs, and plays defense , as if she were a top guard. Amazing. When her full game comes together, UCONN will have another star. Paige was a bit less sensational tonight, but still sensational. I gather that what Geno sees in Paith ( is that correct?) is her size and athleticism. She put up a really lame shot near the basket that made me wonder if this was her first game ever.

 

[JordyG]

I confess I have been pretty hard on Liv. Tonight for about 10 minutes she was dominant. She did get knocked off her shot twice when she should have made the basket and had to settle for two free throws. But they were still a positive possession. She has been terrific running the floor catching and finishing on the break and I am stunned she is making shots in the 15-20 range. I am concerned that it may not last because of her funky catapult style and that she isn't consistent from the stripe. But she was aggressive and looking for her shot. Only 2 offensive rebounds and no defensive rebounds concerns me. happy for the improvement but still expecting more. I'm concerned about when she will face a dominant post. Will she be a tiger or a kitten then?

There were a bunch of things Liv did yesterday that will be effective against any opponent. First and most importantly, was her variety of shots. She went over her left shoulder three times. Once with and up and under, another time with a little mini hook. I'd never seen that mini hook before. It was glorious. I kept asking during the chat who was this imposter at the 5 I was seeing. Second was her outside shooting. I said in the chat that her shot has change since the first two games. Liv has altered her release point making it higher, and that's on both her outside shot and her FT's. If, and I say if, this is not an anomaly, Liv is going to be difficult to guard. Because, third, she runs the floor as well or better than any 5 in WCBB. Her hands are soft and her body control is really phenomenal. Her passing is stellar. These are all effective foils against all of the better 5's in WCBB. For me it was her best offensive game in her WCBB career.

As an aside I was enthused by the fact that on a night where Paige, CW and Evina didn't score much the team still scored 80 points. Ultimately the time will come when all of these guys are clicking at once, but this would never have happened early in the season, say, against Louisville. But by the time they play Baylor this could be a very dangerous team.

 

[cohenzone]

Mir McClean is not in the dog house. She just doesn’t know where to be on offense and defense yet. She’s has raw athleticism and not so much basketball IQ. She needs to learn in practice. She will get it eventually.

Yup. She’s a freshman 3 games in after a screwed up preseason. It’s way too soon to draw conclusions. She clearly could eat up hs competition with her athleticism. I’d be surprised if she doesn’t become a good contributor. This is a pretty crowded team so I’d guess the younger players especially are anxious to do too much in the minutes they get. I don’t know that she’s in the doghouse. She just might need teaching time. We shall see.

 

[UcMiami]

One issue I have noticed in the first three games in terms of outside shooting is that the passing to those shooters is not yet perfect. The passes are off just a little so the shooter is not quite able to simply rise and fire. It disrupts the shooting flow. Hopefully this is one of those things that will get better with more game action.

On edit:
One other observation - Edwards looks to me like a player who has been playing with the women professionals on a national team with international rules/refs instead of the wimpy USA college girls. Seems to me I remember Nurse having the same problems in transition into Uconn WBB.

 

[jabstep]

Aubrey needs more minutes. She is a defensive stopper & great rebounder on both ends. That alone is valuable enough to earn her serious minutes. Anything on the offensive end is gravy. She had her best game of the season tonight.

The three things I have seen Aubrey be comfortable with are fastbreak points by running the court. Dribble drive from the foul line. The pick and roll she scores on. the roll. I would like to see her low screen with someone else and roll in the box and have Liv deliver the pass from the post. The offense needs to be expanded for forwards like Aaliyah, Aubrey and Anna. Paige could score off that as well.