Creighton Postgame Thread | Page 3 | The Boneyard

Creighton Postgame Thread

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.
 
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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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.
 
huskyd said:
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.
Expand ...
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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I and thousands of other basketball fans enjoy watching UConn games because no other team in WBB executes at both ends of the court with the beauty and precision of UConn. Through the years I and others have described Geno’s offense as a beautiful symphony of movement and scoring.

It’s not Geno’s job to make all his opponents competitive. If you find these games “unenjoyable” and “hard to watch,” I have a suggestion for you.

Don’t watch.
 
The beautiful offense we all love is rounding into form. Yes, there are still a few instances of sluggishness and head shaking moments, but when it's going well, the team is an offensive juggernaut.

Having said all that, the defense is what will bring home the national championship if they are to get one this year.
 
.-.
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 took the same journey. Absolute fan. Hustle, smarts, shots that are falling more and more. I get a kick out of her demeanor. Miss Matter Of Fact.
 
Next 12 said:
Again, this was a TEAM win. 5 players in double figures and the bench with 39 points and the starters with 55. The BIG thing, Uconn won EVERY statistical category. Again, I say Uconn is in March Madness readiness. The emerging players to be counted on during the Tournament are emerging. Allie, Ashlynn, Kayleigh and Ayannah. I am counting on Blanca being healthy and playing also. GO!!!!!GO!!!!! HUSKIES!!!!!
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(small quibble thing. But good to see Ashlynn with her full 2 syllable name)
 
huskyd said:
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.
Expand ...
You and others that think these games are hard to watch and many that like these games are "Jason Strat fans" are off base. For me I don't like his movies, I know it’s not what you meant but games that are close but both teams playing a mud-wrestling match where the score is close but teams don't score much is usually unwatchable for me.

You might be watching among the greatest teams of all time. Even if not that, you might be watching the greatest top 4 caliber shooting/scoring team in the history of the sport. Both men and women. Last night the efficiency they were shooting 3's was spectacular. How could you not love what they showed last night as far as shooting?

The TS% from UCONN's outside shooters last night, so it wasn't just layups, was Fudd 71.1%, Sarah 73.4%. And Shade with an Amazing 83.1%. Ohh by the way, the leading scorer last night, Allie, had a TS% of 95.5%.

Their 3pt shooting this year in relation to the number of shots they take from 3 and the number of players that can shoot it, is off-the-charts. So yeah, some of us that aren't even Jason Strat fans can still love to enjoy this. Maybe some of us are pure basketbal fans and not just fans of close games. Overall I'm lucky to watch how Aureima has ben able to get his teams to pllay regardless of the opposition. Last night was yet another example of why I'm such a huge fan of the style they play. And stomp on any team that tries to get into their way. Maybe some of us are fans of Apocalypse Now instead.

Anyhow last night was a fun game. Plus I loved seing Serah take the jumpers instead of trying to be mostly a power player.
 
A quick shout out to K9, who impresses us more and more each game with her speed and uncanny ability to drive to the hoop. Every time she's dribbling down the court, you have to wonder what's going to happen next

I hope she is embracing and enjoying this experience. The amazing thing is that I wouldn't even know who she was if she didn't leave USC and join UConn. Incredibly thankful that she did.
 
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BobbyJ said:
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.
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Blanca was injured playing against a really good team........UConn......... ☺️
 
BRS24 said:
A quick shout out to K9, who impresses us more and more each game with her speed and uncanny ability to drive to the hoop. Every time she's dribbling down the court, you have to wonder what's going to happen next

I hope she is embracing and enjoying this experience. The amazing thing is that I wouldn't even know who she was if she didn't leave USC and join UConn. Incredibly thankful that she did.
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Heckel played that way in high school which is why I was disappointed when UConn didn't go after her hard back then......she's turned into an important part of the team at both ends of the floor and is getting more playing time as a reward.......watching her and KK playing defense together is great fun although not so great for the players they are hounding....
 
Another sub par first quarter..if they didn't have a 5 pt spurt at the end of the quarter it would have been a tie game
Nice to see k9 get more minutes which she deserves
Tightness in Sara's calves is concerning..thinking of Durant n Tatum..don't know how you treat that except to rest..I'm sure the medical staff knows what their doing though
 
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It hasn't been said yet, but I think it is a positive development that both KK and K9 looked for their own offense a bit more -- especially in a low-stakes game in which the opponent was giving them both a lot of space. As with Nika, UConn is going to need opponents to respect them as some kind of threat. Plus when Geno is playing them together it is hard for the team to function in the halfcourt offense with them both being limited to drive-and-dish-type players
 
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