DePaul Postgame Thread

[Cornell Lt]

23 steals in a game is an obscene number for a Division 1 basketball game

 

[hookshot]

Some postgame thoughts on the DePaul game.

• Congratulations to Sue, who’s #10 jersey was retired today by UConn. Check out Wikipedia which chronicles Sue’s incredible achievements from her days at Christ the King, UConn, Seattle, Europe and USA Basketball. She will undoubtedly go down as one of the very best pg’s in the history of WBB.
• The Huskies storm out of the gate in most games. Today against an overmatched DePaul team was no different. But in building a 28-9 1st qtr lead, UConn actually forced more turnovers (10) then shots allowed (9). 😮
• When Azzi’s “in the zone” her 3-pt shot is both inevitable and a thing of beauty!
• Ash is UConn’s Energizer Bunny. She hustles all over the court on defense and moves constantly without the ball on offense. But my favorite Ash thing is when she flies in from nowhere to snag a rebound among the trees, often on the offensive end, thereby extending a UConn possession.
• KK is among the nation’s leaders in A/TO ration. Today she had 7 assists and 0 turnovers. 🤩
• Kayleigh really appears to be settling into her role at UConn. She is yet another relentless Husky defender and her ability to run the offense whenever she subs in for KK is exceptional.
• Sarah continues to play her brilliantly complete brand of basketball. Today she had 20 pts on 7/9 shooting, along with 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 5 steals. Her no look pass from underneath the basket to Ash in the corner for a 3 was ridiculous!!!
• While UConn’s rotation looks to be solidifying, imo, the one spot that remains a question is center. Serah hasn’t taken ownership of it yet. Jana is solid and more physical. Blanca would be an undersized option, but she continues to impress. Time will tell.
• As a team the Huskies shot better from the arc than they shot overall, 67% to 63%, and they shot even worse from the FT line, 61%??? Go figure.
• I’ll be out of pocket next Saturday, so thanks again in advance to one of my fellow BY’ers for starting the USC postgame thread.

Serah ownes it for the foreseeable and is looking somewhat better each game, although not quite as good or aggressive as perhaps we thought we'd be getting based on her press clippings. Jana is showing some improvement also and is more aggressive than Serah, at least when playing against smaller bigs. If she keeps up the aggression she may achieve a spot on the March 9 person rotation equal to Serah, for banging with big centers / forwards versus, Texas, South Carolina. UCLA, Okla, etc. Can't trust in a close game with her foul shots however, would have to work on that more

 

[hookshot]

Only negative I have is 10 missed FT’s. Yikes! Bet somewhere down the line those 10 points would come in handy….

Best overall game performance to date, hard to find fault except for a half dozen missed bunnies owned primarily between Q and Sara but that and foul shooting will only get better. Also continued great substitution pattern management by Geno, Those that get shorted a bit are the backbone known quantities like Sarah, Azzi, KK, while minutes going to those that still have more to prove - result is that we are seeing stars born (e.g. Kellis) in the back end of the extended rotation,

 

[hookshot]

Although complementary, I think Kayleigh deserves more credit than “Serling into her role”. To me, she combines the best things I like about KK and Ash’s game. There is certainly no drop off when she comes in. IMO, the team is better when she is in. She hasn’t needed to score, but today she showed she can.

KK is playing at a high and dependable level and taking what the defense gives her but Kayleigh sets a faster pace when she comes in because of quick release passes to every open spot on the court followed by waterbug type cuts herself to every open spot on the court. On defense, KK stops people with her tight contact and fast feet, but and Kayleigh has pretty fast feet as well and adds the element of keeping her hands in constant upper body contact resulting in more ball snatch turn overs. KK is more physically sturdy and powerful, Kayleigh is more slippery and versatile in playing the full court space

 

[Kat]

"...hard to find fault except for..."

That is some classic BY, there.

 

[Dogdude]

I'm wondering if this level of quality we're facing now actually tells us anything new. I know we have the best player in the country, and maybe even the second best. I also know we have the best starting 5, and a deep bench. But we kinda knew that already. I'm hoping the competition steps up a bit so we really do see what some of the subs can do under pressure.

 

[CL82]

Congrats to Sue. Great career. The best PG ever.

That would be an interesting thread, name the best Connecticut player at every position.

I'll save it for the off-season

 

[Charliebball]

I'm wondering if this level of quality we're facing now actually tells us anything new. I know we have the best player in the country, and maybe even the second best. I also know we have the best starting 5, and a deep bench. But we kinda knew that already. I'm hoping the competition steps up a bit so we really do see what some of the subs can do under pressure.

It tells us that UConn can beat the living daylights out of a truly lousy Big East team.........hardly a revelation but what's their alternative? Let's see what happens when they play USC, Tennessee, Iowa and Notre Dame......I don't think they will be beating any of those teams by 60 plus points......I'd gladly settle for 15 plus points in those games and that will tell us a lot....

 

[RedStickHusky]

Seen a replay. Q's just chuck it up and hope was on full display today but apparently Geno is willing to ride it out. Hope she does outgrow it because its full on ridiculous.

That one wide sweeping baseline take from the left side that ended up with about a six foot layup was otherworldly though

 

[RedStickHusky]

Serah ownes it for the foreseeable and is looking somewhat better each game, although not quite as good or aggressive as perhaps we thought we'd be getting based on her press clippings. Jana is showing some improvement also and is more aggressive than Serah, at least when playing against smaller bigs. If she keeps up the aggression she may achieve a spot on the March 9 person rotation equal to Serah, for banging with big centers / forwards versus, Texas, South Carolina. UCLA, Okla, etc. Can't trust in a close game with her foul shots however, would have to work on that more

After being an early critic, I'm lately sold on Serah. Mostly for her defense; at least 4 plays today where DePaul got in the lane and then got redirected by Serah. She's not missing bunnies at her earlier rate either. If she's scoring 8-12 pts, we're fine. I do like the improvement in Jana's game but I think she's going to have a harder time staying on the court against teams that match our size.

 

[uconnever]

Another blowout, but I think Geno now has his top rotations figured out. I believe eventually Blanca will replace Aslynn in the starting lineup.

Congrats to Sue. Well deserved. I would have asked her when she was being interviewed in the 2nd qtr who does she think is the best shooter in the history of UCONN. We have had Kaleena Mosqueda, Katie Lou, Paige and Azzi. I think Azzi would take the title.

I would have really liked to have seen Gandy get put in. I mean if you play Ayanna you can put in Gandy. She plays just as hard and offers more rebounding and rim protection than Ayanna. We won by almost 70 so when will she get in when we are up by 80? Against Texas big, UCLA and SC we might need her to spell Jana since Serah wont be able to guard them.

Serah still doesn’t look like the person we saw in the videos of her at Wisconsin. I hope she gets comfortable soon.

Kellis needs to slow down and stop trying to score so much. If you run the offense correctly, scoring will come. She forces shots a lot.

While I know the bench needs PT the offense bogs down a lot. I would like players like Ayanna, Caroline and Jana get some PT with the first string a lot more.

To me I did see this Serah at Wisconsin, when I watched her highlights, but I just trusted everyone else because I never actually watched her play a full game. And her numbers and accolades were so good. But I did notice from her highlights and that she’s off balance a lot. Her play here reminds of a highly touted freshman who needs time to adjust. We just don’t have as much time as she may need. I think she got so much done because she has a nose for the ball and she is just long athletic and energetic. Geno could do wonders for her if he had her the whole time. Her play reminds me of the early Tina Charles. She played better today, but still needs to slow and down make a pass out of the double teams instead of trying to do too much. Slowing down will help her collect herself and her balance for a better shot. I’m just going to be honest, I can see all the other pieces falling into place, but I don’t think we will get much more than we are from her. She will have I believe some games where she looks good but not enough to say she is one of our big three. It will be Blanca. But Serah’s contribution will be there and needed.

 

[BBallF]

Great game all around albeit against a clearly overmatched and weak opponent. Sarah and Azzi could’ve scored 35 points each easily if they played 30 minutes and I am becoming concerned that they won’t each be first team All Americans as they deserve for both their offense and all around impressive games because they don’t get to pile up the stats like other star players on other teams.

Speaking of this issue, the same applies to KK,what she did in just 15 minutes ( 7 points 7 assists 3 rebounds, multiple steals and forced turnovers) while handling the ball perfectly without any turnovers and playing unparalleled defense is truly phenomenal. She could have scored and assisted at will if left in there for another 10 minutes yet now all that will be known is that she only got 7 points. Even on this forum people are giving kudos to Kayleigh because she put up 16 points etc. when KK and SS and Azzi effectively won the game in the first 15 minutes.

I am not criticizing Kayleigh Heckel or any of the other non starters but the simple fact is that they are essentially playing in garbage time when they’re up by 40 or 50 points without any pressure or concerns and not having to worry about defense and can concentrate on padding their stats and just running offense. KK is one of the very best all around point guards in the country and the pulse of our team yet gets literally no credit, even on this forum. Kayleigh Heckel is a welcome addition to the Huskies and has great potential but any suggestion that she’s a better player or PG or should be starting over KK is ridiculous as is trying to compare the 4th quarter clean up crews stats and contributions to any of the starters or BQ since they all play when the game actually matters against the other teams starters.

Beg to differ about KK as to lack of recognition here. I called her the best defensive point guard in the country on this site just yesterday and this morning but I have repeatedly also said that Kayleigh is the better offensive player which she is. I don't think that distinction is important to either one of them and the fact that the opposing PG has to cover two different kinds of players in succession is of great advantage to us. They are both all about team first. There aren't too many other teams in the country that Kayleigh would not be starting on right now so I don't think that great potential is the right way to characterize her as a player. In fact, I personally don't think she gets enough credit here. Perhaps this afternoon's game will open a lot of eyes.

 

[Doctor G]

Bob/Debbie CD post game:

KK's great game.

CD: She was terrific right from the start. Only played 15. Set the tone.

Defense:

CD:Trying to get better every day. Get smarter. Yes, there is physical improvement you can make, and we're doing that. But becoming a smarter team, seeing angles. And that's not being determined by opponents. Yes, Depaul was outmatched. But we approached both halves really well.

Goal to attack rim, get to FT?

CD: No. We've been focusing on it... at bottom of NCAA for number of FT attempts per game. We've been talking about it. Don't know if opp was there - but we need to make them. We're a better FT shooting team than that. In practice, players shoot 10 or need to make 90% or run. We went from 92% last practice and this game we were 50-something. I may need to check the accuracy. grin We need to focus on that, creates issues for other team.

Offense - looked like they ran through a variety of options successfully.

CD: Great balance with what shots we took. Found Azzi - off of 2 or 3 passes. Did real good job of making good decisions. TOs can make ugly basketball. We were knocking shots in.

Good bench production. Healthy!

CD: Helps. When we go to bench, kids should change game/impact on game in positive way. Not always scoring. Could be defense, energy. Having that puts pressure on other tream. Makes starters confident and feel better about taking a break.

Thank you for sharing this. CD is a terrific and always insightful interview. Wish I could tune-in her and Bob after every game.

 

[broooce]

If Fudd and Strong don't make All-American first team something is wrong. Fun game to watch until the clean-up crew comes in, then it is give and take. Kellis Fisher, sometimes, reminds me of Renee Montgomery. Starting to worry about Caroline's shooting. It is still very early in the season, so no big issues, but, I was hoping for a more dynamic player than Serah Williams has shown so far.

I'm a huge Caroline fan - wonderful to see her get minutes today. As for shooting, like Azzi, shooters need to keep putting up shots to get out of their funk. She still clearly defers to her teammates and looking for a great assist than scoring herself. In addition, in thinking of all her games this season she's really not driving to the basket like she used to do. That versatility was a key part of her game but I think in the back of her mind that driving to the basket may lead to unintended contact with her head. I hope she continues to get minutes and rebuilds her confidence in her game!

 

[MSGRET]

The way that USC is playing against Washington, I believe that DePaul might just be a harder out than the Trojans. It's currently 18-18 USC with a little more than 2 minutes left in the 2nd quarter.

 

[HuskyNan]

"...hard to find fault except for..."

That is some classic BY, there.

Wish I could Like this twice

 

[1974yankees]

Geno is going to have a quarterback (I mean point guard) problem/controversy (sarcasm) next year with 3 very capable point guards....

Right now KK and Heckel would start on every team in America. I am pleasantly surprised at how good Heckel really is. She does everything right. Her defense, shooting, passing and hustling are excellent. She is really picking up the Uconn "system" fast.

Sure we are playing subpar teams at best but I am really looking at the movement of the players when I watch these games. Heckel has it. So does KK.

But Fisher may end up being better when all is said and done. All you have to do is watch her for 5 minutes to see she is gonna be special.

All 3 are coming back and they are all gonna want serious playing time. Who wouldn't?

I have the feeling we are watching the beginning of another Uconn dynasty for real.

This team reminds me of the old days when we intimidated teams because of the name on our jerseys..

And I don't think I am getting carried away. I like what I see.

Btw,

I have always believed that Geno/Uconn really is a "system"

Tom Landry used to use that term to describe his Dallas Cowboys. It wasn't Roger Staubach is was the Landry "system"....

Yeah I just watched a documentary about Roger and Landry.

 

[EasyEd]

After watching this game, I realized what a great coach Bruno was. I feel sorry for Depaul. But maybe, it was mostly UConn that made them look that bad.

 

[DEpup]

After watching this game, I realized what a great coach Bruno was. I feel sorry for Depaul. But maybe, it was mostly UConn that made them look that bad.

And just think, DePaul is still in the top 200 for Massey rankings. That's about 100 places higher than most LSU opppnents.....

 

[ThisJustIn]

Thank you for sharing this. CD is a terrific and always insightful interview. Wish I could tune-in her and Bob after every game.

FYI, CD usually comes on after a player interview and game recap. When I've been at games, I've been able to catch her on my way home.

 

[hookshot]

I'm a huge Caroline fan - wonderful to see her get minutes today. As for shooting, like Azzi, shooters need to keep putting up shots to get out of their funk. She still clearly defers to her teammates and looking for a great assist than scoring herself. In addition, in thinking of all her games this season she's really not driving to the basket like she used to do. That versatility was a key part of her game but I think in the back of her mind that driving to the basket may lead to unintended contact with her head. I hope she continues to get minutes and rebuilds her confidence in her game!

It's not just deferring, she doesn't have her shot back yet, isn't coming off her hand right, Does everything else smart and well, but nor sure if / when the shot coms back, I'd have her in the last minute of a national Championship game with a 4 point lead just for her smarts and reliability but if I'm 4 down, I need 5 people who can score out there and right now, she doesn't check that box. Is it just a lag in comfort level yet or is she still compromised by health issus.

 

[bkart1978]

She’s not likely to make a difference or play in meaningful games this year, but I love to see Ayanna looking a little better every time out.

 

[hussybulldog]

It was such a unfair game! It’s like full grown women playing against elementary school kids.

 

[uconnfan68]

To me I did see this Serah at Wisconsin, when I watched her highlights, but I just trusted everyone else because I never actually watched her play a full game. And her numbers and accolades were so good. But I did notice from her highlights and that she’s off balance a lot. Her play here reminds of a highly touted freshman who needs time to adjust. We just don’t have as much time as she may need. I think she got so much done because she has a nose for the ball and she is just long athletic and energetic. Geno could do wonders for her if he had her the whole time. Her play reminds me of the early Tina Charles. She played better today, but still needs to slow and down make a pass out of the double teams instead of trying to do too much. Slowing down will help her collect herself and her balance for a better shot. I’m just going to be honest, I can see all the other pieces falling into place, but I don’t think we will get much more than we are from her. She will have I believe some games where she looks good but not enough to say she is one of our big three. It will be Blanca. But Serah’s contribution will be there and needed.

I think Serah needs to just go up strong instead of trying to finesse anyone.

 

[msf22b]

Several takeaways from today. …1). We are in great shape with our guard play for the foreseeable future . 2) Blanca has absurd athleticism for a frosh. As she matures, not sure she will be guardable. 3) can’t remember the last time a full bench lineup didn’t have a helter skelter feel to it. The second team is becoming a really good one.

There are frequent comments of Blanca doing great especially since she is a freshman (which is technically true since this is her first year in college).

But she is also a 5 or 6 year veteran of the Italian pro league and should be understood to be in a category (if indeed that is required) of her own making;
whatever that is...

She is most certainly not your average HS graduate with AAU, even USA experience.