Creighton Postgame Thread

[The deacon]

Azzi has already taken over a game against Tennessee,

Sadly, you need a long memory for that one, and this might be a different Azzi.

This could get me excommunicated. I'm not saying that Paige doesn't play good defense, but 2, 3, 4 times every game she gets beaten on dribble drives, messed up switches on picks, etc. Every time it happens it is surprising and glaring to me, maybe because I'm a devoted Paige watcher.

Agreed, Skeets, and Azzi, too, although her faithful followers here always praise her for her excellent D.... not so much yesterday.

 

[The deacon]

How many back door layups did the team give up? Six? Seven? They made halftime adjustments to shut them down, but the back door plays gave away far too many points in the first half and kept the game closer than it should have been.

And, as I mentioned on another thread, Azzi and Paige were among those to let opponents get free...

 

[ERWUC65]

bingo. need alphas.

Also if anyone here can discuss this with their knowledge of the game because I'm really a novice here, but would having Paige go back at point guard help the team? I feel like having the ball in Paige's hands as often as possible would only benefit the team, especially now that we have some depth that allows her to take a breather here and there

Right now we are winning games by great defense and bringing the ball up quickly, something only KK and Kaitlyn can do. If we don't score in transition then Paige can run the halfcourt as the PG. The problem is now that the real good teams will double on Paige and Sarah, not worried about scoring from KK/Kaitlyn or Azzi/Ash or Jana/Ice.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

Ugh, 'a mosquito in the summer?' Methinks Creighton deserves better.

Yea...Creighton is always a tough team. I think they will crack the top 25 soon.

 

[WiseWillie]

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

So let's keep it real. People who were predicting a 25-40 point win were swayed by the abnormal point production against Seton Hall and Villanova. It's not realistic for us to shoot 55% from 3. On the flip side, 20% is no bueno either.

Creighton is a solid team. They should be ranked. Probably a top 20ish team. Sarah and Paige were both terrific. If Sarah isn't the best player on the team, she's certainly playing the best right now. There were some solid contributions by some other players, but as a team, an 11 point win, while solid, is not awe-inspiring, and does nothing to support the "NC #12 here we come" posts that we saw after slaughtering Nova and Hall.

I thought KK played well and aside from a bagel from Kait on 3's, she was solid overall. I thought Ice was better than her minutes and stats showed, but Jana and Morgan were no-show. Azzi was solid on defense, but a no-show again on offense.

Bottom line I'd give the team a C+. Vegas said it should have been an 18 point win. We didn't cover.

Agree and looking at what will be needed against top teams besides a lot better shooting % will be experienced post play.

Our 5's (Jana and Ice) get little floor time and somewhere on this forum it was suggested that the reason is that bigs need to be rested a lot.Those comments are actually pretty ridiculous. Betts the 6'7" center on UCLA scored 33 points against Maryland and was on the floor most of the game. She was on the floor with under 4 minutes and UCLA up by 23!

Let's get real here. Jana and Ice are not getting many minutes for reasons other than giving them a rest. It's nonsense to suggest otherwise. Once playing outside the BE the lack of experience in the post will be a weak link that top teams will exploit and use to their advantage.

 

[WiseWillie]

The success of the last game put her off her game perhaps.

What?? That's a novel suggestion. Consistency anyone? There are two players that demonstrate consistency from one game to the next. No need to say who they are. The remaining players can have a good or maybe an excellent game but then in the next game almost disappear.

 

[Dogstar]

And, as I mentioned on another thread, Azzi and Paige were among those to let opponents get free...

If their offense looks familiar it's bcus they run the same offense as UConn, constant motion, a lot of cutting off screens, great passing in the interior and quick kick outs. Gotta admit I was impressed!

 

[WiseWillie]

Jensen and Maly are listed as seniors, but they are 5th year players.

The Creighton starting five have played together for almost 5 years. The same five. That is something that the way UConn is playing currently that will not happen certainly this year or probably at any time in the near term. With the exception of two key players every other position this year is a revolving one with maybe three-four minutes at a time before being subbed out.

 

[JoePgh]

UConn and Creighton are likely to play two more games this season, one on February 27 when the Bluejays come to Connecticut, and then in the finals of the Big East tournament.

I predict that both of those games will be 30-point UConn victories. That happened to Marquette after they beat UConn in Milwaukee in 2023, and about 10 years before that, it happened to St. Johns after they beat UConn at Gampel. That was the victory that got Kim Barnes-Arico her job as Michigan's head coach.

It will happen because the UConn team will be prepared and motivated, and probably at or near the peak of its ability this year.

 

[WiseWillie]

If I hadn't watched, I'd be worrying that this was a loss from the doom and gloom of these comments, e.g., "too many positive posts." To my mind, it was a hard-fought, beautiful game against a tough, seasoned team on the road, its high point being the end of the third quarter when joy radiated through the ranks.

Yes, Azzi was off--at least offensively. Kaitlyn did not have her outside shot going. Morgan missed an assignment or two. Yes, shots were clanging off the rim. So? Azzi is too good to be down much longer. She will figure it out. Kaitlyn has found her stride. Just you watch. Morgan is firmly entrenched as among the first off the bench. Who saw that coming?

In short, CHILL OUT, PEEPS.

Relax. There's no need to scold. Everyone has a right to putting meat on the bone with their own opinion and there will always be the "glass half full" and "glass half empty" on any forum. Take a peak at the UConn men's boneyard - or any other team's fan forum if you want to see some diversity of thought.

In the end we are all loyal and spirited fans that want the best for our team and we want to add our two cents even if some may think it is only worth a penny.

 

[WiseWillie]

Sometimes kids just flourish in a certain system or with a certain coach. Not all of the kids you listed were highly ranked - they worked hard to improve themselves and found a team that helped them thrive. That’s hard to predict

• Hidalgo was ranked #5 in the class of 2023 and Fuwiley was #13; KK was #6 and Ash was #15. JuJu Watkins was #1 but not all top rated kids want to go to an established program, preferring instead to blaze their own trail. Audi Crooks is a 6-2 center with a beefy build that was ranked #57 out of high school. The Boneyard would have imploded if she committed to UConn. None of the “big schools “ offered her (So Carolina, ND, LSU, Stanford, etc)
• Olivia Miles was #8 in the class of 2001; Azzi was #1 and Caroline #5.
• Geno recruited Lauren Betts but she wanted to play with her sister at UCLA

So, if the team is all that bad, why do you watch them?

Not sure anyone would agree with the comment "So, if the team is all that bad, why do you watch them" Seriously? That is a question to be asked of diehard fans who may offer a negative opinion about some aspect of a team or a game but are still fans nonetheless and need to be treated as such not put down.