DePaul Postgame Thread (merged)

[RockyMTblue2]

The tape job on KK’s hand looks exactly like the tape job you get when you jam or hyperextend your thumb.

The tape job has ballooned as the week wore on. It does seem to be serving her well, but our point guard needs 2 hands come tourney time.

 

[PacoSwede]

Azzi had a very nice all-around game. Rumors of her shooting slump have been greatly exaggerated.

Kayleigh Heckel is such a gamer. So lucky we have her as a second point guard.

I don't like the size of the wrap on KK's finger, but she shot well in the fourth quarter other than the two missed FTs.

Agree with Oldude on all points, but especially about the ill-advised feeding of the post. Oh my!

she had a slump in fact -- why be blind to it? just be thankful she has whipped it for now and hope she'll beat it in the future. ... BTW, sometimes all players experience slumps. even D, stewie, and paige; maya? maybe not.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

We win the actual game in the first quarter. Then it becomes a practice. Let's practice throwing the ball into the post. Let's try new combinations. Really not very exciting to watch. The real goal being not to embarrass the other team.

My first reaction had to do with the game not looking like our Huskies. The score says relax, but it just didn't look like the Huskies. The fact that I tweaked my back on Tuesday might have something to do with it too.

 

[Ozimoto]

I think part of what happened last night is that this was the second time the team played DePaul. Other teams have good coaches too and it looked to me like the Blue Demons learned from the first game and did a good job against the back court trapping. They also moved the ball well in the half court. Still wasn't enough to challenge the Huskies for four quarters, though.

 

[uconnfan68]

Across the years, I always thought Geno had the starting point guard lead the team out of the tunnel. Not sure this answers yr question . . .

They have always lined up by height, according to CD's eyes. It's a nod to Delta State's championship teams.

 

[GetReal2day]

I think she set some effective screens and an assist from the high post early.
The leg with the knee band is giving her problems still. She worked it around some during lulls in play, i.e. during fouls shots.
Going up for rebounds with one hand or tapping them got her pulled the first time and a little coaching from CD.
Defensive footwork near the middle of the lane got her pulled again IIRC.
it is quite the adjustment no matter UConn or if it was LSU...

I am really disappointed with Serah, 2 points no reb and all those lob passes are not working. Jana almost 1/2 the PT and more point more rebounds. I know we all thought Serah was going to be a big portal pickup, but this is not working. The offense does not flow with her at the high post like it does with Jana. I know it is too late now, but I think we would have been further ahead with Jana starting all season and building confidence. Our only savings is getting Blanca back so Gino can go small ball. A few folks keep saying we need Jana for the tournament, but Gino is not playing her enough even in these blowouts.

 

[oldude]

I am really disappointed with Serah, 2 points no reb and all those lob passes are not working. Jana almost 1/2 the PT and more point more rebounds. I know we all thought Serah was going to be a big portal pickup, but this is not working. The offense does not flow with her at the high post like it does with Jana. I know it is too late now, but I think we would have been further ahead with Jana starting all season and building confidence. Our only savings is getting Blanca back so Gino can go small ball. A few folks keep saying we need Jana for the tournament, but Gino is not playing her enough even in these blowouts.

24-0 and some doom & gloom? Serah is doing just fine. She’s coming off her best game against a talented TN frontline and the bad lob passes yesterday had nothing to do with Serah. As for Jana, she’s working back to form while getting used to coming off the bench. She is a critical rotation player for the matchups that UConn may see once they get to the FF.

 

[GetReal2day]

24-0 and some doom & gloom? Serah is doing just fine. She’s coming off her best game against a talented TN frontline and the bad lob passes yesterday had nothing to do with Serah. As for Jana, she’s working back to form while getting used to coming off the bench. She is a critical rotation player for the matchups that UConn may see once they get to the FF.

I disagree about the lob passes. Serah does not hold off the opponents and then go get the ball like Sarah does on the lob passes. Also, that seemed the only thing she could get herself in position for. Serah should have dominated that small Depaul team that she was at least 2 inches bigger and she is supposedly a quality big. I don’t see it. No rebounds in 18 minutes and Jana gets 4 in 10 minutes.

 

[oldude]

I disagree about the lob passes. Serah does not hold off the opponents and then go get the ball like Sarah does on the lob passes. Also, that seemed the only thing she could get herself in position for. Serah should have dominated that small Depaul team that she was at least 2 inches bigger and she is supposedly a quality big. I don’t see it. No rebounds in 18 minutes and Jana gets 4 in 10 minutes.

And what criticism do you have about Serah for the game she played against TN?

 

[NycUcWbbFan]

A few comments to add to the many well deserved Huskie kudos:
-File this under "positive problems" but I worry a (little) bit that we are peaking too soon. The Tenn loss last year seemed to be jet fuel that carried throughout the playoffs. While I expect Azzi and Sarah to continue their high performance, UConn bench has been outstanding. May be tough to continue this level of excitement playing in league teams the rest of the way.

The UConn depth is real and provides constant ball pressure and improving offense from the second unit. Our backup 4-5 players are a winning match against most of the other Big East teams. They get the major benefit of practicing against the best and solid court time in most games. Geno is playing 9 players for 10+ minutes in most games at this late point in the season. This is money in the bank in future games.

The bench is indeed playing much better. Actually everyone is, some more noticeably metamorphising than others (Allie, Ash, Kayleigh, Ayanna).

• See Rotation Stint Index (Per 40 Plus/ Minus for the most recent set of games containing 3 Quad 1, 3 Quad 2 and 4 Quad 3/4 games).
• To date, UConn outscores its opponents by 39.6 points. Only Jana’s Rotation Stint Index (25.5) (of the Top 9) is significantly below that, but then she has been out the past few games.
• For those overly poo-pooing Serah, Serah’s Rotation Stint Index is 35.5.

Blanca being out a few games may paradoxically be beneficial in negating any “freshman wall”.

As to peaking too soon, my feeling is that each player is not even playing at her best yet.

This portion of the schedule has its other advantages:

• it allows Geno and CD to better spread farm development minutes for a deep quality roster;
• unlike stronger conferences where games broadcast the best schemes of the best teams deployed against each other (while beating each other up), much of the “metamorphosis” of this team is in stealth mode.

 

[GetReal2day]

And what criticism do you have about Serah for the game she played against TN?

She was mostly invisible and overwhelming in the first half and her best so far in the 2nd half against Tenn. I am just saying I am NOT impressed and I believe Jana would have been a better option right now if she had started from the get go. Now I am sure there are some “Geno” reasons for Jana not getting time. Everyone is saying we will need her and yet she is getting very limited action.

 

[my2cents]

We are not getting any real challenges until the Final 4, IMO. We will most likely be playing the likes of Texas and UCLA. If that's the case, I see Jana being more effective against Oldacre and Betts, rather than Serah, because Jana brings more bulk to the party.

 

[ucmiami2]

I was curious about the offensive rebounding so decided to check DePaul's stats for the year - they are actually an outstanding offensive rebounding team and truly commit to it sending three or four players, while surprisingly not being too bad on transition defense.
Year to date for a 5-20 (2-12) bad team, they lead their opponents in very few categories in box score: TO - they have commit 407 while forcing 449 basically 1 fewer per game; Steals - they have 235 and have given up 212 again close to a margin of 1 per game; and Offensive Rebounds - 342 vs 264 a margin of over 3 per game.

DePaul for the year gets 33% of the rebounds when they take a shot - impressive for a shorter team with a .200 winning percentage - they get out-rebounded on the year by 4+ per game, and defense rebounds by 7+. And with Uconn playing a trapping defense, when they did not get a TO or Steal, the defense was then scrambling to cover wide open shooters, leading to bad positioning for rebounds - how often did you see a Uconn interior defender running out to contest an open three, leaving the lane open for a DePaul rebounder to cut in. Jana (and others) swatting at rebounds was largely because a DePaul player was in better rebounding position and she was trying not to get called for another over-the-back foul.

A trapping defense is a lot of fun to watch when it results in steals and TOs, it is frustrating when a team escapes the trap and attacks, and really frustrating when they make their open shots, and/or rebound their misses. The trap worked to perfection in Q1, and didn't when DePaul settled down and greatly reduced both TO and Steal numbers.

 

[jeff30189]

In a world where you never know what might happen from day to day, its refreshing to come here and see absolutely nothing has changed.

Undefeated, won 20+ games in a row by a margin of at least 25 points, and its the same old moaning, criticizing and finger pointing. Can't you allow yourselves to be happy once in a while?

• Serah is having the same adjustment issues that Dorka had, only Dorka had a second year to show how they paid off. As long as she is a post presence, deters drives to the basket, grabs some rebounds, blocks a few shots and can reliably guard a talented big (aka Betts) then she's serving her purpose.
• Jana hasn't progressed sadly - same problems with holding onto the ball, same challenges with put backs and bunnies - but she's got 2 more years here so cross your fingers. She and Vukosa will be a handful next year even if they only average a double-double between them.
• The bench is as good or better than any other bench in D1 and it allows that suffocating 40 minute full court press that will wear down even the best opponents in the tournament. Allie, Heckel and Blanca could start for almost anyone, oh and by the say they're sophmores.

 

[HuskyNan]

• Serah is having the same adjustment issues that Dorka had, only Dorka had a second year to show how they paid off. As long as she is a post presence, deters drives to the basket, grabs some rebounds, blocks a few shots and can reliably guard a talented big (aka Betts) then she's serving her purpose.

DePaul was 6-14 on layups last night

 

[ucmiami2]

We are not getting any real challenges until the Final 4, IMO. We will most likely be playing the likes of Texas and UCLA. If that's the case, I see Jana being more effective against Oldacre and Betts, rather than Serah, because Jana brings more bulk to the party.

Don't sleep on the E8 game - Geno has called it the hardest game to win in the NCAAs, though of course he is 16-0* since 2008 so maybe he is blowing smoke! 😎

* The 2023 NCAA loss was at the S16 and not the E8

 

[NycUcWbbFan]

She was mostly invisible and overwhelming in the first half and her best so far in the 2nd half against Tenn. I am just saying I am NOT impressed and I believe Jana would have been a better option right now if she had started from the get go. Now I am sure there are some “Geno” reasons for Jana not getting time. Everyone is saying we will need her and yet she is getting very limited action.

Ability to beat opponents (Serah (35.5) vs Jana (25.5)) as discerned by the best WCBB coaching staff ever, in practices and games, not good enough for you?

• Everyone can argue a hypothetical (what if Jana started), but should we trust you over Geno and CD and company?

 

[Blond D.]

It amazes me how a team can score 31 points in the 1st quarter and struggle to score 13 in the second.

Does anyone know why the team has started "tapping" rebounds instead of grabbing rebounds. I feel like it is a "coached" thing because quite a few players have started doing it. The team lost a couple last night because of it.

Only 10 turnovers is good. They probably would have have 0, if they didn't try making the impossible pass every time or forcing a pass to a post that is being well defended.

I was wondering about those "tap outs" myself. I'm constantly yelling at the TV "GRAB the D**N ball"

 

[Basingstoke]

Allie, Heckel and Blanca could start for almost anyone, oh and by the say they're sophmores.

Blanca's a freshman...

 

[vtcwbuff]

Sort of a meh game. The crowd had no energy and the big Q1 lead lulled the Huskies to sleep.

I have said all year that this is a 3 quarter team. Sometimes they start off cold but most games it is the 2nd or 3rd quarter where they slack off.

 

[vtcwbuff]

My biggest surprise of the game was Candace Parker’s positive reviews especially after her partner pointed out the victory over the LadyVols was the largest margin in the series history.

I wasn't surprised at all. Most players move on beyond college rivalries, even though most fans do not.

 

[freshler40]

I was curious about the offensive rebounding so decided to check DePaul's stats for the year - they are actually an outstanding offensive rebounding team and truly commit to it sending three or four players, while surprisingly not being too bad on transition defense.
Year to date for a 5-20 (2-12) bad team, they lead their opponents in very few categories in box score: TO - they have commit 407 while forcing 449 basically 1 fewer per game; Steals - they have 235 and have given up 212 again close to a margin of 1 per game; and Offensive Rebounds - 342 vs 264 a margin of over 3 per game.

DePaul for the year gets 33% of the rebounds when they take a shot - impressive for a shorter team with a .200 winning percentage - they get out-rebounded on the year by 4+ per game, and defense rebounds by 7+. And with Uconn playing a trapping defense, when they did not get a TO or Steal, the defense was then scrambling to cover wide open shooters, leading to bad positioning for rebounds - how often did you see a Uconn interior defender running out to contest an open three, leaving the lane open for a DePaul rebounder to cut in. Jana (and others) swatting at rebounds was largely because a DePaul player was in better rebounding position and she was trying not to get called for another over-the-back foul.

A trapping defense is a lot of fun to watch when it results in steals and TOs, it is frustrating when a team escapes the trap and attacks, and really frustrating when they make their open shots, and/or rebound their misses. The trap worked to perfection in Q1, and didn't when DePaul settled down and greatly reduced both TO and Steal numbers.

Excellent analysis and points to strength of some teams. This is especially true for DePaul but a weakness of a full court pressing team like TN getting beat in that second half of the recent game. It's really a case of what works most of the time.
Geno is a master of creating an edge that works against teams. Our press is nasty against a team with a weak backcourt which gives up the ball early for easy UConn layups. This didn't work against DePaul so well. This game was a great teaching moment in how to break a well-designed press. The injuries to several of our guards may also have resulted in a less tight press than usual. The demoralizing aspect of opponents losing the ball early is worth a lot for the Huskies. This also doesn't measure the much shorter clock available to teams being pressed. I would love to see a stat that shows the number of times a Huskie opponent ran out the clock due to this impact. Is that stat included in turnovers?

 

[ucmiami2]

Folks - Jana's minutes have been reduced by a third with Serah's arival. Her shooting percentage is higher (59% vs 52%), and her scoring is up per minute played. And she is getting most of her minutes playing with the bench, which however we like to tout their skills is not as well oiled an operation as the starters. I like what she brings to this team - she is a traditional post as is Serah and the value both bring will be most telling when we face other traditional post players, not when playing the DePauls of the world who run out forwards and guards and play mostly 4 and 5 out offenses. I still have fond memories of Morgan Tuck and Stewie (and Gabby) making mincemeat of very good traditional post players.

We have the best of both worlds with Sarah, Serah, and Jana - we can bang down low, and then completely change the dynamic with Sarah and the small line-up. That is why getting Blanca back is so important to the team - she adds length and Gabby like athleticism to that small line-up. If Ayanna can continue improving with her minutes, I would like to see her get some run with that small line-up with Sarah on the floor - right now she mostly replaces Sarah in the 4th Q.

NB - We have gotten 11 ppg at 58+% and 7.3 rebounds (3.5 OR) in 653 minutes or 27 minutes per game from our traditional posts. In the same time on court Sarah average 8 rebounds but only 32 offensive boards - Serah in her 19 minutes per game has 46 O boards to lead the team, Jana has 37 in her 10.8 minutes to place 2nd, and Ash has 34 in her 26 minutes a game. This is a team riding their two stars Sarah and Azzi offensively, and their pressure defense and the two headed post presence accounts for 41 blocks in the same number of minutes that Sarah gets 37.

 

[hoophuskee]

It amazes me how a team can score 31 points in the 1st quarter and struggle to score 13 in the second.

They score so much from the perimeter. So if they aren't getting steals for layups, if they get hot early, there is a high chance they will regress to the mean. As a result a terrfic 3pt shooter shoots less than 50%. That means more shots in terms of % are going to eventually miss.

 

[ucmiami2]

Ability to beat opponents (Serah (35.5) vs Jana (25.5)) as discerned by the best WCBB coaching staff ever, in practices and games, not good enough for you?

• Everyone can argue a hypothetical (what if Jana started), but should we trust you over Geno and CD and company?

View attachment 116801

Wow - interesting stats, who did you steal this from! 😎
Do you know how the various rotations are defined? My guess is something like:
A = primary rotation whether the starters or the small line-up with Sarah as the 'post'.
B = rotation of post/power forward - Jana replacing Serah?
C = rotation of 2 or 3 starters with 2 or 3 bench
D = end of game rotation with 4 or 5 starters sitting. (Interesting to see that Sarah is in big negative numbers in C and D!)