DePaul Post-game Thread

[jaydee602]

Bruno had that lost, no answers look!

Yeah, it looked like Bruno wanted to blame the refs, but he realized that his players were the culprits.

 

[Centerstream]

You should have watched the game!

I did watch a great game by the Huskies, live. But if you are one of the many fans that can watch this game and still come up with more than one thing that you disliked, then I can understand your reply to my reply on your post.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Or Germany or elsewhere

Right now, Lithuania is the place to be. Juste Jocyte.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Geno said in the presser that Dorka has been dinged on and off since September and rarely practices with the team. Get that woman healthy and give her some reps!

 

[Charliebball]

Geno did a tremendous amount of substituting at exactly the right time and and made the perfect sub to keep the game under control. Than is why Geno is the Master.

good call there........far more substitutions than average which means Geno knew the bigs were tired......all except CW who seems to play almost every minute of every game and played all 40 last night......

 

[RedStickHusky]

Pretty impressive what a couple days of practice with a known lineup can do. That and Dorka getting her foot right. They just had that look from the start that if we do the things we're supposed to do, we'll be okay. Loved the commitment to 'no fouls' defense and the give Morrow hers and deny everybody else -- Held had a rough night. I don't know if Geno and Chris figured they'd play us as jump shooters but the high post passing (and cutting) was on point. Nika mostly played under control, but she did get bailed out by teammates on a couple of passes to nowhere. Once by Evina and once by Aliyah. Remember when we were counting assists blown for Paige? I'm looking at turnover saves for Nika. No complaints last night though, she had a solid game. People tend to think Geno just recruits who he wants and rolls the ball out, but they looked 'coached up' to me last night.

 

[#12in21]

Perfect picture of how the players and boneyard felt after this one!

 

[JellyBean]

Never would have thought that they would win by such a huge margin, considering we escaped with a 2 point win the first meeting and we had Liv and Caroline. But hats off to these young ladies. Aalliyah played a monster game. Dorka played her most efficient game yet and showed what could be on the horizon with her game. Nika played a pretty solid game. That "No-Look" pass still has me hyped! That was sweet! C-Dub, played well. Same with Evina. Great game by all. Plus it was great to see Piath and Amari getting some minutes out there.

Great win. Love that when faced with a challenge, the team stepped up. Go, UConn!!

 

[Littlemin]

Pretty impressive what a couple days of practice with a known lineup can do. That and Dorka getting her foot right. They just had that look from the start that if we do the things we're supposed to do, we'll be okay. Loved the commitment to 'no fouls' defense and the give Morrow hers and deny everybody else -- Held had a rough night. I don't know if Geno and Chris figured they'd play us as jump shooters but the high post passing (and cutting) was on point. Nika mostly played under control, but she did get bailed out by teammates on a couple of passes to nowhere. Once by Evina and once by Aliyah. Remember when we were counting assists blown for Paige? I'm looking at turnover saves for Nika. No complaints last night though, she had a solid game. People tend to think Geno just recruits who he wants and rolls the ball out, but they looked 'coached up' to me last night.

N/M

 

[HuskyNan]

Perfect picture of how the players and boneyard felt after this one!

This too

 

[Bama fan]

No one has mentioned Geno's brilliant move to throw DePaul off kilter with his clock manipulations. How many coaches would ever dare to stop the game four times before it got started? Bruno was flabbergasted, and never recovered. This has to be near the top of Geno's legendary exploits. And the efforts of UConn drama profs to teach the guys at the table to feign surprise. A true total school effort. Even the officials were disconcerted! Just true brilliance.

 

[browns]

Pretty impressive what a couple days of practice with a known lineup can do. That and Dorka getting her foot right. They just had that look from the start that if we do the things we're supposed to do, we'll be okay. Loved the commitment to 'no fouls' defense and the give Morrow hers and deny everybody else -- Held had a rough night. I don't know if Geno and Chris figured they'd play us as jump shooters but the high post passing (and cutting) was on point. Nika mostly played under control, but she did get bailed out by teammates on a couple of passes to nowhere. Once by Evina and once by Aliyah. Remember when we were counting assists blown for Paige? I'm looking at turnover saves for Nika. No complaints last night though, she had a solid game. People tend to think Geno just recruits who he wants and rolls the ball out, but they looked 'coached up' to me last night.

Maybe Geno let Janelle have a talk with the team what it means to be intense and give 100% effort
One thing that hasn't been brought up is how about when there was a 50/50 ball and both CW and Morrow had it and Christyn tore it away from Morrow

 

[RedStickHusky]

No one has mentioned Geno's brilliant move to throw DePaul off kilter with his clock manipulations. How many coaches would ever dare to stop the game four times before it got started? Bruno was flabbergasted, and never recovered. This has to be near the top of Geno's legendary exploits. And the efforts of UConn drama profs to teach the guys at the table to feign surprise. A true total school effort. Even the officials were disconcerted! Just true brilliance.

I was so sure that first whistle five seconds in was a foul on Aliyah. My "here we go again" moment.

 

[boontonbomber]

good call there........far more substitutions than average which means Geno knew the bigs were tired......all except CW who seems to play almost every minute of every game and played all 40 last night......

Yes, Christyn, perhaps the most under-appreciated player at UConn in the 25+ years that I've followed them. In her career has averaged 34+ minutes, and always plays hard. Out of 116 games, she has played 111, and against the best teams, often has played 40 minutes. Perhaps the one who has valued her contributions most, at both ends of the court , since she arrived at Storrs, doesn't post here- Geno.

 

[Bama fan]

Right now, Lithuania is the place to be. Juste Jocyte.

Too close to Ukraine for comfort just now!

 

[freshler40]

In her few possessions in this game, Piath looked confident. Get her 10 minutes and let the other ladies recover in some of these upcoming games. Let her get a FEEL for an actual game. A minute aint gonna do much. She has come a long way. Good for her.

Piath has a quick efficient gate about her, strong effort and determination. The few minutes she might get in late game help but really won't get her into a flow. Hopping she and Amari work out well, a true double threat.

 

[jaydee602]

Geno said in the presser that Dorka has been dinged on and off since September and rarely practices with the team. Get that woman healthy and give her some reps!

Yeah, in her postgame interview, Dorka admitted that she is battling "several injuries" & she decided to fight through them after her subpar showing vs. Villanova. You have to admire her heart.

 

[CocoHusky]

Up to now I’ve resisted the notion that her time with Canada’s national team didn’t hurt or her maturation over the summer as others here have suggested. It took longer than it should have, but I’ve finally seen the light.

I am now convinced that had she stayed at UConn over the summer and worked with the team, she would have been playing like this beginning with the Arkansas game. IMO, this is the first game that she looked like herself from last year. It was a wonderful thing to behold. We all know the talent and desire is there, it was just having a hard time manifesting itself.

It was fun to see her and Dorka make plays from tip to buzzer when the team really needed them to. She made her bunnies and her free throws, and they limited Morrow to a certain extent holding her to 20 points.

It doesn’t get any easier with our next opponent, Marquette. Since ONO and Ducharme are day to day, we won’t know who is going to be available until the tip. It would be nice to know that we could depend on Christyn, Aaliyah, Dorka and Evina to play for 40 minutes like they did today.

I'm not convinced that Aaliyah struggles have anything to do with her time at the Canadian national team. Two main reasons. 1) She had a full preseason. ( Late August- Mid November= 2.5 full months with the UCONN team and emerged from that preseason a stater in what was a very tough position battle against Dorka. 2) Her struggles did not begin in the first game of the season as is widely alleged. She actually played well in the first 2 games against Arkansas and Minnesota shooting 8 of 11.
Aaliyah struggles began in earnest in the USF game were she went scoreless and from that point up until the ND game she was mostly up but also with some notable downs. For example, in the ND game she scored 10 points but failed to grab a rebound in 24 minutes of play. It was after the ND game that things really began to spiral downwards for Aliyah: scoreless against GT, 1 of 6 against UCLA -where she finally lost her starting spot to Dorka. As an alternative to theory to the Canadian Olympic team being to blame, I'd offer that Aliyah was the UCONN player most impacted by the loss of Paige and she is just now figure things out. The Olympics were 6 months ago and it is also noteworthy that Nika (who stayed at UCONN) also began the season struggling but has also turned things around recently.

 

[sun]

Dorka's hands were really strong this game, and she showed good footwork too.
She has great chemistry with the team, especially with AE.
Even though DePaul's offense was suffering, they actually tried to play some defense which provided good practice for UConn's inside game, and they ended up putting on a clinic.
I hope that Liv's groin injury isn't too serious.

Bruno was right when he said after the 1st half that DePaul, "needed to stop playing like they were in a gym class."
Maybe the network is focusing on him so much because he's a finalist for the WBBHOF.
I hope that he gets voted in.

Bruno at the Precipice of Rarefied Air

Iconic coach Doug Bruno is among 12 finalists for induction into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame.

www.bigeast.com

 

[jaydee602]

No one has mentioned Geno's brilliant move to throw DePaul off kilter with his clock manipulations. How many coaches would ever dare to stop the game four times before it got started? Bruno was flabbergasted, and never recovered. This has to be near the top of Geno's legendary exploits. And the efforts of UConn drama profs to teach the guys at the table to feign surprise. A true total school effort. Even the officials were disconcerted! Just true brilliance.

LOL....the person most affected was Doug Bruno. He was so upset about the delay that he almost got a T for yelling at the ref. Maj Forsberg glared back at Bruno with a look that said, "Don't blame me! I didn't break the damn clock!!" Funny stuff!

 

[Bills Fan]

GREAT game! Now, if we could only make layups, we would have won by 40+

I have watched two men's teams practice and they both have a drill where players are shooting lay ups or shots from w/in a foot of the basket while an Asst is pounding them with what looks like a baseball chest protector. I wonder if that same drill is done at WCBB practices?

 

[BRS24]

I went back and looked at the espn gamecast and it was interesting that we held DePaul scoreless for about 2:25 at end of 1st (14-14 to 25-16) and then again in 2nd for 4:30 ish (32-26 to 42-26) which was a huge momentum swing for us.

 

[Longtime fan]

U-Came, U-Saw, U-CONNquered...

How worried were UCONN fans for this game? I would say that most were. No Caroline, no Olivia... Paige still out, Aubrey done for the season... overall I would say this is one of our best games in a long time. Not because we blew anyone out, but DePaul is a really good team. We had a few more days of practice without Liv and Caroline. Maybe that made a world of difference, even tho I'm still mystified why the effort, hustle, and energy vs. Villanova seemed so off compared to this game.

But my point about this being one of our best games in a long while - it was just so nice to see everyone playing well. Off shooting night for Azzi, but our post players DOMINATED. And only 4 TO's thru 3 quarters - that was one of the biggest stats of the night.

• We know DePaul is really good. They gave us all we could handle last game and then some. We've had numerous games this season where we came out slow, got behind, and either had to mount a comeback, or found the deficit way too much. This game was different and the tone was set early on.
• I loved that our post players were 7-8 from the FT line. Did NOT love that our guards were 1-3.
• Our post players came to play!! How awesome was it seeing Dorka and Aaliyah absolutely light up the scoring sheet? Both worked incredibly hard establishing position.
  • Liya 19 hard earned points in the post
  • Dorka 22 points and 2-3 from deep. 8 boards and 4 assists. She's my POG.
• How did Nika (2) and Christyn (1) and Azzi (1) have more blocks than our post players (2 combined)???!!
• 20 assists compared to 10 for DePaul. But Dorka and Liya with 7 between that. Really nice job setting teammates up across the board.
• Best drive AND steal of the game occurred within 3 seconds of each other. Christyn's drive with the shot clock winding down midway thru Q4 - shake and bake, great drive and layup with her off hand, then Evina stealing the inbound pass and scoring - that was a great moment.
• Great seeing Amari and Piath get into the game. Wished Piath hit one of those point blank layups tho.

Bottom line, this was a tremendous win IMHO. The defense was really really good. So proud of the hustle and grit of the team.

Before I read anything, I must say a few things. 1. I must concede to not knowing anything about this team or its capabilities, on any given night. The quality of their play, absent DuCharme and Olivia ( again ) was shockingly excellent. 2. I heard several folks saying that this " was really a good lesson for AZZI," because she learned that the team does not have to rely upon her offense to win big games. She can just play solid basketball ( defense, rebounding, bringing the ball up court, assists, etc ) and the team can win. 3. I was surprised, however, to see her so inept on shots when she was open. This is the person who drained 25 straight threes in practice after being injured and idle for two months? Her shot looked as lost as DeBerry's wayward bomb with 29 seconds remaining. 4. I understand why DeBerry and Piath never see the court. In about 1 minute and 14 seconds, Piath had missed two layups, losing possession in the process, and created a foul no where near the ball. And then there was DeBerry's shot from the top of the key...... which somehow managed to make contact with the backboard, but otherwise, was on its was to New Jersey. A very satisfying victory. And now, on to Marquette where anything can happen.

 

[Rb335]

The great thing is that we’ve seen Ducharme, Edwards, Dorka, Fudd, Evina, Bueckers, Williams, and ONO all step up to be the go to player in a game this season. We do have the depth we hoped for to start the season. Now it’s about getting all that depth healthy for a tournament push. And Nika is playing better too, didn’t want to discredit her steady contributions.

 

[Bills Fan]

This is the first I'm hearing about this. That doesn't mean much, as I am not well tuned in.

Bottom line for Bruno is that he has been a strong positive for women's college basketball and he will be hard to replace both on the court and off.

I liked at the end of Bruno's presser that he thanked all the reporters for covering WCBB.

 

[Longtime fan]

I think my unbiased review got lost in the ether. 1. I learned that I know nothing about this team. They played better than I ever imagined without Paige, Caroline and Olivia ( not to mention Aubrey ). 2. Many said how " this was a great learning experience for Fudd" because the team won a big game and didn't need to rely on her scoring a lot of points.."It is true. That happened. And Azzi just played good basketball ( defense, assists, ball handling, rebounding, etc ). But I was shocked how "off" her open shots were. I never imagined that could happen to the player who " drained 25 straight threes on her first day back to practice, after being idle for two months." Did that ever happen to her in high school? 3. I now know why Piath and DeBerry never play. In about 1 minute and 14 seconds, Piath had missed two lay-ups, losing possession in the process, and committed a foul about forty feet away from the ball. And then there was the shot DeBerry took with 29 seconds remaining, which came closer to hitting New Jersey than the basket. On to Marquette...where anything can happen.

 

[npignatjr]

Doug Bruno said afterwards that the defense was focused on limiting Azzi, but the price they paid was not being able to double on Edwards or Juhasz. Azzi's mere presence changes the defense and gives other teammates opportunities to score.

Wasn't very good then regarding defense on Azzi, most of her misses she was wide open. An aberration more than likely.

 

[Bills Fan]

Azzi scores 4 points, 0 for 7 from 3, and we win. Yeah right, no way that happens. Dorka and Edwards combine for over 40 and 14 rebounds. What are you smoking. What a pleasant surprise.

Random thoughts:

Dorka's hurt foot healed overnight. She was just what we needed. Wow. She looked like all Big Ten first team.
Edwards saw the world's best therapist and he hypnotized her and told her she was a freshman again. She believed him.
Liv being out could have a silver lining, like the other injuries. It lets some other people play and they can learn to believe in what they can do.
If all healthy I think we are a power. Liv, Paige, Williams and Bueckers with Dorka as a likely 5th starter. Muhl to relieve at PG, Westbrook to give 10 minutes rest to Williams, and Ducharme. Edwards gives 10 plus minutes rest to Liv and Dorka. That is a strong 8 person rotation. But as this last point started out, "If all healthy..."

In your last paragraph, you seem to have forgotten a new Guard with the initials, ! I hear she is pretty good and might become part of the rotation, just a rumor.

 

[npignatjr]

I'm not convinced that Aaliyah struggles have anything to do with her time at the Canadian national team. Two main reasons. 1) She had a full preseason. ( Late August- Mid November= 2.5 full months with the UCONN team and emerged from that preseason a stater in what was a very tough position battle against Dorka. 2) Her struggles did not begin in the first game of the season as is widely alleged. She actually played well in the first 2 games against Arkansas and Minnesota shooting 8 of 11.
Aaliyah struggles began in earnest in the USF game were she went scoreless and from that point up until the ND game she was mostly up but also with some notable downs. For example, in the ND game she scored 10 points but failed to grab a rebound in 24 minutes of play. It was after the ND game that things really began to spiral downwards for Aliyah: scoreless against GT, 1 of 6 against UCLA -where she finally lost her starting spot to Dorka. As an alternative to theory to the Canadian Olympic team being to blame, I'd offer that Aliyah was the UCONN player most impacted by the loss of Paige and she is just now figure things out. The Olympics were 6 months ago and it is also noteworthy that Nika (who stayed at UCONN) also began the season struggling but has also turned things around recently.

Mostly agree. But Nika, Azzi and Dorka were hurt to start (and before) the season.

 

[HopJim]

Villanova is a much better team right now than they were earlier in the season. They should ranked in the low teens IMHO. They had injuries earlier in the season.

Just rewatched the DePaul game. While I agree that Villanova is a better team than most give credit for, they shot lights out. Unlikely to be repeatable. UConn's guards, mainly Nika and at times, Fudd, kept trying to double down low and gave up open jumpers, which Villanova nailed. Was the same reason the previous two games were close. DePaul was almost as open from the outside, just missed the shots. Two points - few teams will shoot as well as Villanova did this one game; in the same sense, would be good for Huskie guards to stop leaving other team's best shooters open to this extreme.