Creighton Postgame Thread

[oldude]

Some thoughts on the Creighton game:

• After 2 dominant home court wins, UConn fans were anxious to see if the Huskies could take their show on the road against a good Creighton team. Outside of Sarah, the Huskies came out ice cold against an aggressive Creigton defense.
• On defense the Huskies started the game by switching on ball screens, which limited Creighton’s ability to step into shots off screens, as the Bluejays also struggled to shoot the ball.
• The back-to-back pick sixes by Kaitlyn & Sarah created some space for the Huskies, but the 1st half was anything but pretty, as the Huskies shot 36% to Creighton’s 31%. The biggest factor in UConn’s 14-pt halftime lead was 12 Creighton turnovers vs 2 by the Huskies.
• For the record, Geno used only 8 players in the 1st half with KK, Ash & Morgan joining the 5 UConn starters on the court. In the 2nd half, Ice had some key PT.
• Paige got it going in the 2nd half, Ice provided some solid minutes off the bench, KK was her usual pain in the ass on defense and Sarah did a little bit of everything as she put up a double-double with 26 points and 12 rebounds, along with 3 assists, 5 steals and 4 blocks.
• Credit to the Bluejays. Their experienced roster includes 5 grad students and 2 seniors who execute their game plan extremely well, they are well-coached, and they didn't go away when UConn made their runs tonight.
• While Paige & Sarah continue to carry this team, with some help today from KK & Ice, UConn will need to see a lot more from several other players to make an impact in March.

 

[jcoton56]

They are a tough out. Gritty game on both sides

 

[hoopsfan22]

(Unofficial) Player of the Game: Sarah Strong!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[victor64]

Even though they shot 40%, the shot selection and ball movement was good. With only 6 TOs, nothing seemed forced.

As usual, UConn took away the opponent’s top scorers.

This is a much different team defensively than earlier in the season.

Creighton came in averaging 74 points a game. Husky perimeter ball pressure is just ridiculous.

It is a given probably that Sarah is national freshman of the year, but after today how is she not an All-American?

I think we got a peek on the rotation Geno wants to use in big games.

The play of the game for me was KK’s steal and break away layup. What effort.

Even on the road, against the co-first place team, the game was never in doubt because of the defense.

 

[HuskyNan]

First half stats

 

[HuskyNan]

 

[Topsail]

Some thoughts on the Creighton game:

• After 2 dominant home court wins, UConn fans were anxious to see if the Huskies could take their show on the road against a good Creighton team. Outside of Sarah, the Huskies came out ice cold against an aggressive Creigton defense.
• On defense the Huskies started the game by switching on ball screens, which limited Creighton’s ability to step into shots off screens, as the Bluejays also struggled to shoot the ball.
• The back-to-back pick sixes by Kaitlyn & Sarah created some space for the Huskies, but the 1st half was anything but pretty, as the Huskies shot 36% to Creighton’s 31%. The biggest factor in UConn’s 14-pt halftime lead was 12 Creighton turnovers vs 2 by the Huskies.
• For the record, Geno used only 8 players in the 1st half with KK, Ash & Morgan joining the 5 UConn starters on the court. In the 2nd half, Ice had some key PT.
• Paige got it going in the 2nd half, Ice provided some solid minutes off the bench, KK was here usual pain in the ass on defense and Sarah did a little bit of everything as she put up a double-double with 26 points and 12 rebounds, along with 3 assists, 5 steals and 4 blocks.
• Credit to the Bluejays. Their experienced roster includes 5 grad students and 2 seniors who execute their game plan extremely well, they are well-coached, and they didn't go away when UConn made their runs tonight.
• While Paige & Sarah continue to carry this team, with some help today from KK & Ice, UConn will need to see a lot more from several other players to make an impact in March.

Agree with old Dude analysis but we need AZzi to get it going every game on offense

 

[maple]

Creighton was looking for a statement win and certainly came to play.

I thought generally we played well on both sides of the ball. Some good lock down defense and we were getting plenty of open looks for shooting. Looked like there was a lid on the basket at times, especially in Q1.

Sarah was outstanding. She should win FOY.

 

[Stagnant]

Creighton is pretty good. We did what I thought we could do defensively. Keyed in on Maly and Jensen and really limited them.

I wasn’t thrilled by Chen passing up shots though. That worries me long term.

 

[pghhuskydoc]

We’ve been looking for a challenge in the Big East, we got one.
Creighton is a tough team, play great defense and are a very good shooters. They’re also very experienced.
Great win on the road against a well-coached team.

 

[HuskyNan]

Creighton stats

 

[GoUconn7961]

If all the BE competition were like Creighton then the league would be better for it. Not a blow out, but a gutsy win. Games like this are good for them.

 

[Bone Dog]

Awesome game!

Paige 22 pts, Sarah 26 pts, Chen 9 pts, KK 6 pts.

Forced 18 TOs and only gave up 6. That's saying something against a team like Creighton.

It was also clear in this game who the "close game" rotation is: Paige Sarah Azzi Kaitlyn KK Shade. Paige played 38 mins, Sarah played 36, Azzi and Kaitlyn played 24 each and KK played 22. No one else had more than 9 mins. This was a forecast of the tournament team. Jana and Ice will still get minutes against bigger teams, but the core of the team is now clear.

One downside -- Creighton might show what happens to us when we encounter teams that play tough defense (like SC to take just one example), the scoring contracts to just Paige and Sarah. The rest of the team has to do better, and Geno is sure to continue working on this over the next several weeks. We can't go into the tournament with only 2 reliable scorers.

 

[Puppy Love]

I love KK to death for her defense but the drives into the lane are killing me. It just isn’t productive.

 

[Cornell Lt]

KK was a demon on defense. Azzi was a no show. Ash was a no show. Morgan didn't see the floor in the 2nd half (I think). Paige & Sarah was the offense. Not sure why Jana was vanished to the bench. A win is a win, but gotta do better to compete with Tennessee and SC.

 

[Vowelguy]

• Sarah great. Paige finally woke up. And KK continues to play well. Just need a few more shots to drop. Some good mins from Ice.
• I said it was hard to evaluate the Villanova game bc the Cats aren’t very good. Creighton is a better team, but still not a top 15 team. This won’t cut it against SC.
• As much as I love Azzi, she has these games where she disappears. [which oddly, fans seem to forget about]

 

[Stagnant]

It wasn’t a game for Jana. I think she would have had a hard time defending Creighton. So, more of a negative than a positive on the floor imo.

 

[HuskyNan]

KK was a demon on defense. Azzi was a no show. Ash was a no show. Morgan didn't see the floor in the 2nd half (I think). Paige & Sarah was the offense. Not sure why Jana was vanished to the bench. A win is a win, but gotta do better to compete with Tennessee and SC.

Ashlynn had 6 rebounds (2nd on team), 2 steals, and 2 assists. Hardly a no show

 

[Vowelguy]

It was also clear in this game who the "close game" rotation is: Paige Sarah Azzi Kaitlyn KK Shade.

Creighton lends itself to a 5 guard lineup. I think it’ll be different against other teams

 

[Rb335]

Strong might just be our best player, don’t think anyone saw that as possible preseason given the existence of Paige.

Thought the Creighton game plan appeared to be to play off of both KK and Chen on the perimeter, and lock in on Paige/Azzi. Chen took a lot of shots on Q1, albeit all open looks, but missed most. You want players to take the open look, but sometimes there needs to be an effort to make sure the right players are taking shots. I thought this contributed to the really close Q1 score line, and will be a trend to watch for from opposing teams. She did a better job in the second of passing up the 3 in favor of driving to score/set up teammates.

Paige came to life in the 2nd half, and had a few shots rim out. She generates a lot of attempts for herself, so when she doesn’t touch the ball she isn’t going to be as big of a factor. She and Sarah make a very formidable duo, and played a lot of effective 2 woman game. We have to get Azzi engaged consistently to take that next step in turning the dynamic duo into the triple threat.

I thought Ice gave some solid minutes, I’ve noticed she helps Paige’s flow offensively. She looks for Paige and they work well on the handoff.

Shade also played good defense and was aggressive on the boards.

Good win on the road against the best the big east has to offer.

 

[Conndog]

Agree with old Dude analysis but we need AZzi to get it going every game on offense

Need more plays or picks designed to give Azzi space to shoot

 

[Happydad745]

The Bluejays are a good team, but our shooting in the first half was unrecognizable.....not too bad on turnovers, but something just did not feel right. Paige's shooting showed up and Sarah, as usual, had a very Strong game.

 

[JoePgh]

KK was a demon on defense. Azzi was a no show. Ash was a no show. Morgan didn't see the floor in the 2nd half (I think). Paige & Sarah was the offense. Not sure why Jana was vanished to the bench. A win is a win, but gotta do better to compete with Tennessee and SC.

The highlighted statements are true if and only if you confine your attention to their shooting percentage. Azzi had an excellent defensive game, including one rather spectacular overhead steal in the first half. HuskyNan has noted Ash's contributions, in addition to tough defense. Jana and Morgan were "banished" because they weren't effective in the few minutes they had, and those who came in to replace them were clearly having more of an impact.

I'm not too concerned about the poor shooting -- obviously it was a problem for Creighton also. Shooting is hot and cold, and for Azzi to be this cold is quite unusual.

But I am concerned about the rebounding. UConn should dominate the boards with the size advantage that it has over Creighton, and clearly that did not happen.

 

[The deacon]

• As much as I love Azzi, she has these games where she disappears. [which oddly, fans seem to forget about]

And they tend to come against the better teams. I believe for the moment UConn has a Big Two and can hope for more from others, including Azzi. Hard to disappear when you're on the floor for 34 minutes, but disappear she did... yes, I know she plays good D, but pretty much everyone else on the Huskies does, too.

 

[freshler40]

KK was a demon on defense. Azzi was a no show. Ash was a no show. Morgan didn't see the floor in the 2nd half (I think). Paige & Sarah was the offense. Not sure why Jana was vanished to the bench. A win is a win, but gotta do better to compete with Tennessee and SC.

Very little offensive rebounds hurt us a lot. Our defense was at clinic level in the first half.