Creighton Postgame Thread | Page 2 | The Boneyard

Creighton Postgame Thread

I also was impressed about Jana coming out of the paint to guard and make the shooters sometimes have to shoot over Jana. I actually said to myself after watching the last couple of games how other teams are playing 5 out and having an open person to relieve the stifling double teams and ball pressure defense that we play. I felt is was keeping Jana off the court but Geno shows again why he is a great coach because he had Serah, Sarah and Jana all coming out on the 5 to stop open 3 balls and have an open player to pass too. It was very effective.
 
ucmiami2 said:
The radio announcers said she puked into a trash can in the first quarter when she was taken out, but came back to the bench and played in Q2 and Q3. So, something other than the tightness that caused her to sit out a game.
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she also said that postgame too. that she came out and puked then went back to bench
 
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It's pretty much all been covered above but I think the key takeaway is that we are not there yet. As pointed out above, that is probably a good thing. The really important piece of the puzzle though is the emergence of the bench. The play of Allie, Kayleigh and even to a lesser but not less important extent Jana and the anxiously awaited return of Blanca..

Look at tonight's game. Kayleigh Khaos was a terror. I wonder if there is a stat somewhere for most consecutive games with at least one dive on the floor. She probably would have it and she has two more years to extend it. Very happy to see her shooting the 3 and the pull up. It is a very valuable asset when you get 13 points, 4 assists and 4 steals off the bench.

Allie has emerged as a knock down dangerous and confident shooter and scorer. 20 points off the bench is gigantic. She works so well with Kayleigh in getting to her spot and being set up.

Jana continues to improve although she can still frustrate the heck out of you with her hands. She missed that bunny because of her body control. It was going one way and the shot was going another and she doesn't have that auto correct yet that Sarah has naturally. Still, defense and rebounding is all we really need from her but I still feel that there is a solid offensive post player in there somewhere waiting to break out.

Then there is Blanca. Most teams would be thrilled to just have Blanca as their entire bench. Let's not expect too much of her on Saturday. But of course we will. This is as good a bench as I can remember here. Perhaps there were better ones but this one just seems to be improving and therefore reinventing itself every darn game.
 
my2cents said:
K9 is way more aggressive. She reminds me a lot of Nika Muhl.
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I see it as Kayleigh is (fittingly) the dog version of Nika (the cat). Where Nika seemed to revel is butting heads with and defying Geno, I think K9 seems willing to have Geno mold her into the player he wants her to be (when her boundless energy doesn't get in the way).
 
MilfordHusky said:
she mentioned her Achilles, which has me concerned. Best wishes!!
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I have to admit, when it had previously been mentioned that Sarah's tightness problem was in her calf, I (because of Kevin Durant and others) made the leap to hoping that it was not involving her Achilles. I hope that they are very careful in not allowing the problem to progress any further (but, anectodally, am heartened by my own experience in successfully treating a fraying Achilles with PRP and physical therapy).
Reflecting on the game:
I loved Serah’s jump shots in the lane.
Jana owes Kelis an assist after blowing the bunny after a really good pass.
Azzi was really good tonight, but I am always amazed when she blows layups.
As has been mentioned, I loved Serah and Jana closing out on outside shooters.
It always strange when the team's ball and player movement on offense appears static for a time (eg tonight's first period), but in those times, thank goodness for Sarah - it's like she said "don't fret, I've got this" and then faded to the background (relatively speaking) when her teammates got their collective act together.
A great second half tonight, and I can't wait for our next game!
 
It would ordinarily be concerning that a team whose tallest player with significant minutes is 6-1 outdid UConn 11-3 on offensive boards, but it helps that Creighton had exactly ZERO second chance points from those offensive rebounds.

And here is another telling set of stats: Creighton made 10 3-point shots and 6 free throws, accounting for 36 of their 44 points. Which means that they made only FOUR 2-point field goals in the entire game! And they got outscored in the paint by 36-6. That is where their size deficit really showed.

Creighton is a well coached and relatively skilled team that managed to clear its defensive boards very successfully against a bigger and supposedly more skilled UConn front court. But they had no ability to get inside on offense, and that made them totally dependent on the 3-ball for offense.

However, UConn definitely needs to figure out how and why it gave up 11 offensive rebounds to that team.
 
In the postgame presser, listening to Ash a thought occurred to me. The other day I posted about how Kayleigh must be very happy to find herself in Storrs. It occurred to me that Ash has been similarly happy for two and a half years to find herself in Storrs. The way she speaks is a tip off, but also the way she glows during and after games. She is a mature young woman who is right where she needs to be to express and expand the full range of her talents, and she knows it.

I had a similar feeling about Allie after hearing her speak in the pregame presser yesterday. And when Geno said after the game that Ash Kayleigh Allie and Jana are doing exactly what they need to be doing for the team, I can’t help thinking that the team is at a very good place on the development curve for this season. If KK’s finger can recover in time, and Blanca can get back up to speed over the next 5+3 games, then there’s a very good chance the entire 9 player rotation will be peaking at just the right time.
 
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oldude said:
Some thoughts on the Creighton game:
  • Nice to have the best player in WBB back in the lineup tonight. Sarah had 12 of UConn’s first 14 points in under 8 minutes of play in the 1st qtr.
  • After starting 8-12, the Bluejays were on a 4-game winning streak coming into tonight’s game. It made me wonder how many streaks, short or long, has UConn put an end to over the years? 🧐
  • I love it when UConn’s BIGS make defensive stops out on the floor! Serah forced a 10-second call in the backcourt as well as a 30-second call blocking a shot at the arc. Jana forced a 30-second call by also blocking a shot at the arc as well as a turnover near halfcourt on the back end of the press.
  • I can’t say enough about UConn’s bench. While other teams sub in players and hope for positive contributions, UConn subs in Blanca (when healthy), Kayleigh, Allie & Jana, and it’s a given that they will make plays and keep the Huskies rolling.
  • Having a high scoring guard who can defend opposing F/W’s is a luxury. Paige was that player at UConn. Now it’s Azzi. With her strength, defensive ability and high basketball IQ Azzi can defend bigger players on D, while creating a matchup nightmare on offense.
  • UConn doesn’t give teams very many good looks at the basket, particularly inside the arc. Creighton took 38 x 3pt shots and only 24 shots inside the arc. 😮
  • The Huskies were a little sloppy at times on offense. But once again the defense was relentless, forcing 22 turnovers while holding the Bluejays to 23% shooting.
  • Kelis has much to learn. But she may have the quickest first step of anyone on the team.
  • UConn takes and makes a lot of 3-pt shots. Tonight the Huskies shot a sizzling 14/26 from the arc! Sarah, Ash, Azzi and Allie all lit it up from 3-pt territory tonight.
  • Next up is a trip to Milwaukee. KK will have her own cheering section at the game and hopefully Blanca, AKA the X-factor, will be back on the court. GO HUSKIES!!!
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When Abraham took Issac up to Mt. Moriah, he was planning to sacrifice his son at God's commandment. It's not clear whether or not Issac went along with this, but he was a good boy and compliant.
We don't know if these hapless Big Least teams have agreed to be sacrificed to fill-out a b'ball schedule. But sacrificed they are. They are compliant but not good.
Abraham passed a test of loyalty. That's the most that can be said.
 
donalddoowop said:
Yes but, how many times was she fed the ball tonight where she was in a position to score? Her shooting percentage is higher with UConn than it was with Wisconsin. She will get better I believe. She will have to if she wants to keep playing as much as she has.
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Serah did something last night I have rarely seen this year. Several times, she got the ball down low, looked at her defender, seemed to understand she had an advantage, then using some physical moves, pushed her way in for a short shot. Yes, she rarely does this but at least we saw it happen 2-3x last night. Baby steps.
 
huskyd said:
When Abraham took Issac up to Mt. Moriah, he was planning to sacrifice his son at God's commandment. It's not clear whether or not Issac went along with this, but he was a good boy and compliant.
We don't know if these hapless Big Least teams have agreed to be sacrificed to fill-out a b'ball schedule. But sacrificed they are. They are compliant but not good.
Abraham passed a test of loyalty. That's the most that can be said.
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The Big East may not be good. But what about all those P4 teams that UConn beat by double digits, most of whom will make it to the Big Dance? Only MI managed to keep the score within single digits and even they were down to the Huskies 20+ in the 2nd half before UConn went ice cold and Swords had the game of her life.

The truth is that if UConn were in a P4 conference, most of the games would end up as beat downs, just like in the BE, maybe not by 50 pts, but beat downs nonetheless. There are only a handful of teams in the country that could possibly give this UConn team a battle, and as last years NCAA Tournament proved, even the top teams in the nation are no match for UConn when the Huskies are firing on all cylinders.

The fact is that UConn is at another level from every other team in the nation. The BE suffers as a conference in comparison to UConn. The case could be made that the BE is the 5th best conference in the nation behind only the P4 conferences. Take any other conference: MEAC, AAC, Mid-American, etc. The BE is as good or better.
 
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victor64 said:
Sarah got 19 minutes and played well of course. Still, judging by her body language she seems less than 100%. I hope I am wrong.

They scored their average, held the opponent less than their average, won by 50 yet had periods of sluggish play. Talk about unreal expectations.
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About 2 weeks ago, Sarah was one of the post game interviews and spent the session coughing. Last night, after playing about 5 minutes, she seemed to have issues catching her breath. Good news is whatever is bothering her has enough time to clear up prior to the playoffs.
 
HopJim said:
Serah did something last night I have rarely seen this year. Several times, she got the ball down low, looked at her defender, seemed to understand she had an advantage, then using some physical moves, pushed her way in for a short shot. Yes, she rarely does this but at least we saw it happen 2-3x last night. Baby steps.
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Yes. This. Baby steps indeed.

Folks always say it takes longer for freshman bigs to acclimate to D1 ball. Serah may not be a freshman, but in relation to the complex demands of UConn basketball she is practically a newborn. She’s had three years of honing basic skills against maturer players, but the system at Wisconsin was nowhere near as demanding on a big as what she’s seeing now. Just one little thing: defending at the perimeter. Bigs have always been expected to do this here, but at very few other schools, and certainly not at Wisconsin. She did it really well yesterday, even forced a ten second call at midcourt. Wow!

She just looks more confident with a broader range of demands and a quicker pace of play than she’s ever been exposed to before. It’s been a steep learning curve and she may not peak before the NC game, but she’s pretty far along the curve now. She’ll need all of this for W, and I expect that’s what Marissa told her when she chose UConn. As Geno said after the game, too many folks assess kids merely on scoring stats and this misses the big picture. He was talking about Ash Kayleigh and Allie. But it also applies to Serah. She impacts games now.

One final thing: last year we saw how unprepared superstar bigs were to do what Serah’s been doing: defend at the perimeter. Betts, Beers especially were not able to do it and it forced their teams into bad choices on defense. UConn’s motion offense required UCLA either to switch 1-5 or get pic-n-rolled to death. But once Betts found herself guarding Sarah or even worse Paige at the perimeter, their defense was toast. Oklahoma made the opposite choice and tried to protect Beers with drop coverage and Paige torched them scoring 40 on simple screens.
 
A few nits following a well played game.
-For the first time in awhile I enjoyed the announcers. Was it Meghan McKeown doing the color commentary? Was well prepared -told some good Geno/Phila basketball stories and knew the player trends, particularly how UConn players had been performing the past 3-4 games. Didn't over talk.
-Refs were consistent, let the players play, and made very few poor calls. You almost didn't know they were there, something very rare in women's college basketball.
-Flannery's Creighton recruiting strategy seems to be more focused on high school recruiting than most current coaches. He got a couple of strong frosh guards this year. The real question may be if he can keep them on the team or if one of the bigger basketball schools will steal them away.
 
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oldude said:
The case could be made that the BE is the 5th best conference in the nation behind only the P4 conferences.
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Big east 5th.jpg

It's an easy case to make, check out the Massey ranking of conferences
 
JoePgh said:
It would ordinarily be concerning that a team whose tallest player with significant minutes is 6-1 outdid UConn 11-3 on offensive boards, but it helps that Creighton had exactly ZERO second chance points from those offensive rebounds.

And here is another telling set of stats: Creighton made 10 3-point shots and 6 free throws, accounting for 36 of their 44 points. Which means that they made only FOUR 2-point field goals in the entire game! And they got outscored in the paint by 36-6. That is where their size deficit really showed.

Creighton is a well coached and relatively skilled team that managed to clear its defensive boards very successfully against a bigger and supposedly more skilled UConn front court. But they had no ability to get inside on offense, and that made them totally dependent on the 3-ball for offense.

However, UConn definitely needs to figure out how and why it gave up 11 offensive rebounds to that team.
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As you mentioned, Creighton shot a lot from beyond the arc. Missed 3pt shots tend to bounce further from the hoop, often over the taller players nearer to the hoop. And those offensive boards don't lend themselves to put back layups, so not many second chance points (unless the long rebound leads to another 3pt shot which then goes in.)
 
oldude said:
The Big East may not be good. But what about all those P4 teams that UConn beat by double digits, most of whom will make it to the Big Dance? Only MI managed to keep the score within single digits and even they were down to the Huskies 20+ in the 2nd half before UConn went ice cold and Swords had the game of her life.

The truth is that if UConn were in a P4 conference, most of the games would end up as beat downs, just like in the BE, maybe not by 50 pts, but beat downs nonetheless. There are only a handful of teams in the country that could possibly give this UConn team a battle, and as last years NCAA Tournament proved, even the top teams in the nation are no match for UConn when the Huskies are firing on all cylinders.

The fact is that UConn is at another level from every other team in the nation. The BE suffers as a conference in comparison to UConn. The case could be made that the BE is the 5th best conference in the nation behind only the P4 conferences. Take any other conference: MEAC, AAC, Mid-American, etc. The BE is as good or better.
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If you can enjoy watching these games, you'll love Jason Stratham movies.
But, hey, I don't mean to be negative. I'm sitting here with the menu of games remaining and wish UConn could play someone a bit challenging.
Geno says that his profession is to provide entertainment. He's right.
PS/What Massey says doesn't change a thing; it just makes the situation sadder.
 
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Some of these games are hard to watch. Every game is a 40-50 point blowout.

I am not sure if this helps us or hurts us. This Big East Conference is really bad. I mean there are some extremely bad teams and zero competition.

Of course I want Uconn to win by 50 every night but I wouldn't mind seeing some team give us a little bit of a fight...

The other problem with playing bad teams is that we risk injuries to our players because of the sloppy play of our opponents. (Ie: Strong, Blanca already) I have seen K9 take some really cheap/hard shots too.

I miss the days when we had Notre Dame, Louisville and those excellent Rutger teams in our league.

Just a thought.
 
Some thoughts:

KK - such a warrior, offense wasn't there tonight, but she's banged up in all sorts of ways. Silver lining is K9 is really taking the backup role now and flourishing. K9 is everywhere and she's just not afraid of putting her body in harms way. Just a really great feeling to have such a competent pg coming off the bench

Shade - When Shade is hunting for her shots and doesn't hesitate, she is a bona fide scoring threat in the mid range and 3 pt line. When's she aggressive she's got all american type potential

Allie - whoa she is playing with so much confidence. Shes sneaking quick to the basket and can make those tough layups, and then she's so fluid now with her 3 pt shot. No hesitation now, in fact I see her hunting for her 3pters now. Allie becoming this 3 pt threat is going to be a major factor for us, because you're seeing Geno slowly gaining more and more trust in her and her teammates are actively looking for her (even the best shooter on the team, Azzi!). This will be a real problem with teams when they scout UCONN.

I'm dreaming of a lineup of Strong, Blanca, Shade, Azzi and Allie at some piont down the road. That's a lot of offensive firepower on the court. Can you truly double anyone? Strong will have a field day if she's isn't doubled.
 
Gus Mahler said:
I've become a Kayleigh Heckel fan. I was ambivalent when she arrived, maybe even skeptical. But now I get a kick out of watching her play. And by her senior year, she should be dynamite+.
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I'm In total agreement. She has a motor and demeanor that will drive opponents mad. Love how she drives to the hoop and finishes through serious hacking. Most players would just quit. K-9 is a perfect fit for this team. Our bench point guard, now playing 5 minutes a game will also be a fright for opponents. We are blessed!
 
1974yankees said:
Some of these games are hard to watch. Every game is a 40-50 point blowout.

I am not sure if this helps us or hurts us. This Big East Conference is really bad. I mean there are some extremely bad teams and zero competition.

Of course I want Uconn to win by 50 every night but I wouldn't mind seeing some team give us a little bit of a fight...

The other problem with playing bad teams is that we risk injuries to our players because of the sloppy play of our opponents. (Ie: Strong, Blanca already) I have seen K9 take some really cheap/hard shots too.

I miss the days when we had Notre Dame, Louisville and those excellent Rutger teams in our league.

Just a thought.
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There's no bigger risk of injury playing weak teams than there is playing good ones. Strong doesn't have an injury or else she wouldn't have played against Creighton. She has some tightness in her calves (that she's had in the past) which has nothing to do with who UConn played. And Quinonez' first shoulder injury occurred in practice before the season opener and this one is an aggravation of it. Again in practice. And of Fudd's latest two major knee injuries, one came in practice and the other was against (you guessed it) Notre Dame. So you can ditch that half baked theory.
 
Bone Dog said:
Lots of wonders in this game. Allie was awesome with her Azzi impersonation. KK's finger seems to be an issue, and Sarah only played 19. I guess she's being eased back into games.

I love when Kelis enters. Her defense is not quite ready for primetime yet, and her offensive skill set is still limited. But when she bursts from the perimeter to the rim, it is really wonderful to see. What a first step!
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Kelis is getting the defense message a bit better. She is amazingly quick and athletic. I have yet to see her make a shot other than a layup. Hope she develops ( or has ) that. KK is showing signs of a good shot ( although not yesterday). I miss watching Blanca. UCONN fans want it all.
 
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