DePaul Postgame Thread

[Bone Dog]

Please dont overinterpret tonight's 3pt shooting as typical.

Oh, I’m over interpreting it!

 

[AzzisBraids]

Azzi was a playmaker and shottaker today. Her defense is really really underrated and her overall floor game is just so solid. Whenever she enters the draft she is going to make a WNBA GM very happy.

Kaitlyn Chen is playing like I knew she could, this is not a hot shooting night, she can do this whenever she wants. Azzi kept feeding her and Chen delivered. Creighton guarded everyone but her and Geno told her to be more aggressive and like I've been saying all year, she's as potent an offensive weapon as UConn has.

Sarah Strong is your BE player of the year, Shade had some solid efforts and though not a thumping, UConn found a way to win without a strong showing from Bueckers.

 

[victor64]

I am surprised by some of the negative posts in this thread.

UConn put up an easy 84 with their top two scorers having 19 while getting rest with 50 minutes between them.

They got 17 minutes from Aubrey. She isn't close to where she needs to be yet but the rust is coming off.

Chen probably had her best game as a Husky.

They had 21 assists and just 10 turnovers. They were 12-14 from the line.

The awkward moments from Ice and Jana around the basket are decreasing. Jana is becoming a very good screener.

I haven't heard Geno's postgame comments but I would think he and his staff are not unhappy overall with tonights performance.

 

[freshler40]

Much of this game showed intense defense by both teams. Credit to DePaul for a strong effort and their/our 10,000 fans. This was a good experience for us as others than the two top scores for us carried the team. Paige did have some great passes for assists. Sarah is our most productive rebounder and hangs well with her missed shots. Hoping she can slow down a bit while shooting bunnies. Griffin is looking better on the boards. Five rebounds and hands on several more. She and Sarah have similar rebounding intensity.

Chen, Azzie, KK and perhaps Shade are interchangeable for our third scoring option in tough games. That is depth that most teams don't have and can be pivotal down the road. These four (4) must keep looking for their shot as it frees up our main shooters. Geno knows this as reflected in his body language when these four pass up shots. SNY did a nice job scanning Bruno and Geno with announcers commenting well on missed opportunities by our players. Geno was very engaged in coaching this game. I loved it. DePaul played a full court.

We got to the foul line more while playing to a quicker tempo. That suits this team well. With our low turnover rate (10) against solid man to man defense this game played more like early NCAA's. Our turnovers are more limited to offensive opportunities rather than careless ball handling.

 

[Dogdude]

I'm loving the defensive intensity of this team, and the individual offensive play of a number of players, but I'm missing the beauty of those long up court passes of Nika that kept the opponent's defenses off balance. They were never quite sure who to cover when racing to get back in time. We have the depth to run teams into submission. I've never heard of a team winning by slow walking a team into submission.

 

[HuskyNan]

It is hard to follow some of the games after we get far ahead....Geno starts pulling players and does a mix and match line up to see what works. Other than watching Chen and Fudd do their thing, it was a bit depressing seeing Paige and Sarah playing poorly, for them. Hoping to see our starters light things up against Tenn. and SC.

AFAIAC, Sarah gets a pass. She’s a freshman and if scoring 11 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, and 2 steals with no fouls or turnovers is playing poorly, I’ll just say Sarah’s freshman wall is as excellent as the rest of her game. She’s carried the team for stretches this season and gets a pass for being an incredible player instead of an otherworldly one.

Paige was in her own head last night. Meg Culmo mentioned Paige’s obvious frustration and I think Geno gave her some time to settle down but it didn’t work. Hopefully Paige takes her frustration out on Tennessee next week.

 

[ucbart]

I hope all the minutes being spread out is a good thing come tournament time, when we won't be as tired for games in March. The only problem with this is, sometimes I feel like our best lineups don't play together enough and it'll be a detriment come tourney time because they haven't had enough "run" together.

 

[HuskyNan]

I posted this in another thread but it’s buried on page 5.

Last night was the team’s third game in a week and the second consecutive on the road. The team does fly back to Connecticut between games too. Freshmen are not used to the grind yet.

 

[Vancat]

I'm still waiting for Paige & Azzi to both be killers on the same night.

 

[Husky fanatic]

Besides being lost on defense in the prevgame, Morgan’s refusal to shoot when open will reduce her minutes even more in our next game. Had high hopes

 

[HuskyNan]

I'm still waiting for Paige & Azzi to both be killers on the same night.

 

[HopJim]

While the assessments of the game captured the key's to this game, a few additions:

-While Strong may have played an average game for her, she was still a key to UConn's win. In the first half when the game was close, Sarah got critical rebounds, blocked shots, and shut down bigger players on defense. Her stats were only from 20 minutes on the floor.
-Geno made some curious, almost random substitutions. Best example-putting Griffin with 20 seconds left in the quarter when UConn had ball in what was then a relatively close game. Suspect this was just to give her more court time since normally Geno would sub in an offensive player.
-Loved watching Allen on DePaul. Few college players have her strength and overall court sense. UConn did well to contain her.
-Not sure why both Paige and Azzi have reduced the number of times they drive and pull up for mid-range shot. The past few games when they do this move, they often appear anxious and don't set their feet before shooting or just pass off. Could put Cheli in this observation as well. Almost an unstoppable play based on their skills.

Overall, solid win. If we were perfect today, would be difficult to sustain throughout the year. UConn needs to peak for the playoffs, not for the Jan/Feb midseason schedule.

 

[Hist-teacher]

I thought it was pretty underwhelming. Azzi, Chen, Shade, Ice, and even Q can take a bow. Everyone else struggled imo. Something seems off with Paige, but I felt this way about her last year at this time. And she kicked it up a notch. Boy, I hope she can do it again.

I agree. There seemed to be very little rhythm to our play. Just not in sync. Being over midway through the season and with the upcoming challenges (Tenn and SC) we don't seem ready and on the same page. I'm very concerned...

 

[Cornell Lt]

I am surprised by some of the negative posts in this thread.

UConn put up an easy 84 with their top two scorers having 19 while getting rest with 50 minutes between them.

They got 17 minutes from Aubrey. She isn't close to where she needs to be yet but the rust is coming off.

Chen probably had her best game as a Husky.

They had 21 assists and just 10 turnovers. They were 12-14 from the line.

The awkward moments from Ice and Jana around the basket are decreasing. Jana is becoming a very good screener.

I haven't heard Geno's postgame comments but I would think he and his staff are not unhappy overall with tonights performance.

And the big girl (Jana) flushed a 3 pointer, and looked good doing it !!!!!!

 

[Vancat]

Paige was in her own head last night. Meg Culmo mentioned Paige’s obvious frustration and I think Geno gave her some time to settle down but it didn’t work. Hopefully Paige takes her frustration out on Tennessee next week.

Meghan also made a good point, perhaps Paige is hitting a fatigue wall

 

[oldude]

Meghan also made a good point, perhaps Paige is hitting a fatigue wall

Paige is young and in phenomenal physical condition. So I doubt that she is suffering from any physical fatigue. On the other hand, she has a lot on her plate to deal with, both on and off the court. I suspect she feels an enormous amount of pressure to lead this team to a championship. I am reminded of the pressure that DT felt during her jr year, after 4 seniors from the national championship team the previous season had gone on to the pros.

I am hoping to see Paige play with the same freedom and joy that we all observed during her freshman season at UConn. Basketball should be fun. I’m hoping that Geno and her teammates can help Paige get back to that mindset.

 

[GoUconn7961]

Maybe I watched a different game. I thought it was a good game. Paige had an off night. Geno gave Aubrey minutes. They won. The end.

 

[BBallF]

honestly I’d rather Azzi gradually get back to her rhythm than for Paige to dominate. We need the Triple Threat in full power by March.

We also need a 4th threat and that may be KC based upon last night.

 

[BBallF]

Paige is young and in phenomenal physical condition. So I doubt that she is suffering from any physical fatigue. On the other hand, she has a lot on her plate to deal with, both on and off the court. I suspect she feels an enormous amount of pressure to lead this team to a championship. I am reminded of the pressure that DT felt during her jr year, after 4 seniors from the national championship team the previous season had gone on to the pros.

I am hoping to see Paige play with the same freedom and joy that we all observed during her freshman season at UConn. Basketball should be fun. I’m hoping that Geno and her teammates can help Paige get back to that mindset.

I think the comparison to DT is exactly right. It was years later that we found out that she was often alone in the locker room after practice, sobbing, the pressure being so great, and knowing what was expected of her. DT didn't have an Azzi or Sarah her junior year but she had great will and always led. I think we will see a different and looser Paige very soon, probably against Tennessee and maybe even Wednesday night. Great athletes have an economy of energy and I remember very vividly the Paige against NC State in the Elite Eight. I think we are going to see an even better and stronger version of that player come very soon.

 

[Zarathustra]

I missed the first 3 minutes so I don't now if it was mentioned but Did Sarah have a wrap on her right wrist?

More on her thumb. I was wondering how this small fact may have
been influencing many other aspects of her game and her "Chemistry".
I thought that there were at least one or two "disconnects" between
Paige and Sarah... did anyone else factor in the thumb wrap and the
missed "connections"??? into their overall impressions of the game??

 

[Geew1992]

It is hard to follow some of the games after we get far ahead....Geno starts pulling players and does a mix and match line up to see what works. Other than watching Chen and Fudd do their thing, it was a bit depressing seeing Paige and Sarah playing poorly, for them. Hoping to see our starters light things up against Tenn. and SC.

Are you considering Sarah playing poorly because she "only" scored 11/12 points?. She had an off shooting night which the wrap on her thumb/wrist may have effected. But.... her defense came to play!

 

[Skeets]

We also need a 4th threat and that may be KC based upon last night.

True, but there's nothing wrong with having 5 threats out on the court.

 

[Charliebball]

I agree. There seemed to be very little rhythm to our play. Just not in sync. Being over midway through the season and with the upcoming challenges (Tenn and SC) we don't seem ready and on the same page. I'm very concerned...

I hate to be a downer but if UConn continues to play at this same level against Tennessee and South Carolina it's not going to be pretty...........my hope is that the team will play up to its competition against those two teams.......

 

[oldhusky]

View attachment 106639

The Seton Hall game was perhaps our best game of the season, with not just Paige and Azzi clicking at the same time, but Sarah as well. So maybe that game could be indicative of how good we could be when all of the expected big three are on their game at the same time.