Duke Postgame Thread

[Zarathustra]

Really looking forward to Sunday.!! Geno rested all his starters
( except Aubrey ) for , about, the last 5 minutes. It was
nice to see Amari, Ines, Aubrey, Caroline, and Yanna
in there together. Go Huskies , beat OSU / or Iowa!

 

[Penn]

A
Another great team win. UCONN exorcised the Duke blue devils to remain undefeated. CD is back and coaching alongside Geno.
Seven players scored/ate at this post Thanksgiving feast. Lou had a terrific game leading all scorers with 23 pts. Aaliyah had another double double (17 pts, 11 reb) while Nika continues to be an assist machine with 10.

 

[Happydad745]

I'm so impressed with this team, everybody goes up and down the court with great intensity, it is really impressive...Nika is really a great field general, kind of makes you wonder how Paige will fit in (nicely of course). You have to love Lou's play tonight.

 

[Centerstream]

I had the feeling that these refs were making up fouls against us, as Nan sort of alluded to. It seems to me that as soon as Ayanna gets on the floor, the refs have a bet between them on who will be the first to call a foul on her.
And something else got me wondering about...how long has it been since the powers that be outlawed hand checks? Were the current players ever allowed to to this? If not, where are they picking it up from? (just a sudden pet peeve.)

To the game, a good win against a pesky team. I was kinda disappointed in the final minutes. Nobody seemed like they wanted to take charge and try to score and poor Amari was 0 for 2 on the foul line, 2 PFs and 2 TOs. She needs to take advantage of her time on the floor.

Good to see Caroline on the floor.

I am happy and looking forward to @MJL243 posting the replay on his channel so that I can enjoy the game tomorrow.

 

[Bone Dog]

They doubled Azzi a lot, but also they have some quick guards, especially Taylor, and Azzi was a bit more cautious today.

I also thought there was a lot unwhistled fouling under the glass in the first half. That changed in the second half and Aaliyah really took it to Kennedy Brown, who is definitely not prepared to defend her when she's rumbling to the basket with full determination. And the steals!

And Lou is the price teams will pay for doubling Azzi -- I suspect this news will spread across D1 pretty quickly. And when Caroline finds her game legs, it will only get worse.

 

[browns]

Very good defense..Nika 10 asssists and could have had about 5 more if her teammates finished a layup..Lou was hot and we see now why Amari doesn't play..Dorka is missed..especially with AE getting early fouls..they keep playing defense like this and they can play with anybody

 

[pvdoggy]

I can't believe that Amari was at one point the #1 ranked player in her high school recruiting class if I remember correctly.

 

[CTBballfan243]

There are NO out of shape UCONN players. But Caroline appears to be out of basketball shape, especially the UCONN fast paced style of basketball. Geno gave her extra minutes tonight & she will steadily find her game.

Caroline is out of shape. She didn’t play basketball all summer, and she is just starting to practice on a consistent basis.

 

[Next 12]

What about Nika? 10 more assists. The team has 77 assists and Nika has 41 of them. Total domination! Any more questions about should she start or with the way we are scoring, do we need her to score? Of course more scoring would be helpful, but not really that important. Assists lead to scores, so she is doing fine. GO NIKA! GO HUSKIES!!!

 

[HopJim]

Looooooooou, the absolute steal from the portal!

Wonder with Dorka and Lou whether Geno will be looking more at the portal in the future. I would!

 

[eebmg]

Wonder with Dorka and Lou whether Geno will be looking more at the portal in the future. I would!

We know his philosophy. Only under very careful conditions.

 

[jabstep]

1. Azzi and Lou have proven they can score on any team so far. Aaliyah and Aubrey have been consistent scorers as well.
2. Nika has shown me she can get to the hoop like she did in the first half. Her court vision on the break has improved so much from her freshmen year.
3. We played small then even smaller. Geno was trying out different player combinations. Using Caroline as a 4 and 5 along with Aubrey. Against a lot of teams we can do this but not SC and Stanford.
4. Aaliyah is going to be an AA.
5. Aubrey is continuing to shoot 3's which is good. If she hits them her slash game will shine.

 

[Huskiefan23]

I can't believe that Amari was at one point the #1 ranked player in her high school recruiting class if I remember correctly.

No, she got as high as 2 behind Azzi. Fell to 15 by her senior year.

 

[HuskyNan]

It’s a small sample size but I thought Ines played well in her limited minutes. I really want her to do well so she can let Nika get some rest. I hope Ines is a quick learner

 

[itsasport]

And Azzi still had 14 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists

Yah, A "lousy" game for Azzi is 14 points, 3 assists and 2 rebounds.
What was Geno thinking when he recruited her?

A lot of really good posts- inspired by a really good UConn performance.

 

[BB Dawg]

Damn shame Geno only has this Lou kid for a paltry year. Damn shame.

Yes, but he will have Paige back in her place.

 

[Amashutcha]

I really would like to see a Nika-Paige-Lou lineup. One can only dream.

 

[Centerstream]

It’s a small sample size but I thought Ines played well in her limited minutes. I really want her to do well so she can let Nika get some rest. I hope Ines is a quick learner

I agree but I was hoping that she would put up a shot or two. It seemed like we didn't score a field goal for the last half of the 4th quarter, so it was a great opportunity to show all her abilities on offense.
And did she get called for an offensive foul near half court when the Duke player jumped backwards??? It really looked odd to me.

 

[HuskyNan]

 

[Bone Dog]

The previous play, the foul went against Day-Wilson who was getting bit grabby, but Inês had pushed off a little. The next time down, Inês pushed off a bit more visibly and the whistle went the other way. I expect Day-Wilson knew she wouldn't get whistled for the same foul two times in a row.

 

[BB Dawg]

It’s a small sample size but I thought Ines played well in her limited minutes. I really want her to do well so she can let Nika get some rest. I hope Ines is a quick learner

Ines is smooth & skilled. I also hope she gets playing time. Btw, she is big news in the Azores, Portugal playing at Uconn.

 

[HuskyNan]

Swin at the game

 

[#12in21]

How about Nika's game today. Drove to the basket and scored or was fouled. went 4 for 4 from the line. 10 assists with 1 turnover. No fouls. Led team in minutes and +/-, tied for steals and tied for second most rebounds. Her sideline out of bounds steal was badass and she played the whole game with both intensity and control! BTW her season a/to is now 4.55

 

[eebmg]

I had the feeling that these refs were making up fouls against us, as Nan sort of alluded to. It seems to me that as soon as Ayanna gets on the floor, the refs have a bet between them on who will be the first to call a foul on her.
And something else got me wondering about...how long has it been since the powers that be outlawed hand checks? Were the current players ever allowed to to this? If not, where are they picking it up from? (just a sudden pet peeve.)

To the game, a good win against a pesky team. I was kinda disappointed in the final minutes. Nobody seemed like they wanted to take charge and try to score and poor Amari was 0 for 2 on the foul line, 2 PFs and 2 TOs. She needs to take advantage of her time on the floor.

Good to see Caroline on the floor.

I am happy and looking forward to @MJL243 posting the replay on his channel so that I can enjoy the game tomorrow.

Amari. Stat Stuffer.

 

[SVCBeercats]

Some thoughts on the Duke game:

I would love to see the UCONN post players learn to use fakes to avoid getting blocked so much.

 

[Boreifs]

I liked the small lineup he used twice to keep Edwards from getting into foul trouble. When Caroline is at full strength, that will be an offensive machine with all five players able to run and hit the three.

 

[Longtime fan]

Duke proved Geno right yet again. The Blue Devils are loaded with transfer talent that have not had a chance to play together.

Duke was so afraid of the UCONN break that rarely crashed for offensive rebounds.

Ayanna Patterson has to be frustrated with the fouls called against her. Some she deserves. Most are tick-tack.

A huge bonus for Azzi to have an “off” shooting night (for Azzi) and still win comfortably.

Geno is doing a great job gradually increasing Caroline’s minutes. She is still rusty though.

Ines plays with confidence. Is it silly to think she eventually will get an increase in minutes?

I have not seen a hint of selfish play in three games. No wonder Geno loves this team.

I think Ines is a long ways away from confidently leading this team at the point. She seems to have one move; go really fast and then pull up and see what's what. But I don't see her ( yet ) as a confident dribbler with both hands and behind the back. Nor have w witnessed any slick passing skills. Aubrey was in a bit of a reluctant funk again today. She keeps telling herself that shooting ( other than lay-ins) is not an option. Her indecisiveness causes turnovers. She also blew about 4 lay-ups today. Not her best showing. Ayanna looks good on foul shots. Would love to see her break free for a 12-14 footer ( or a three for the matter ). It is possible that De Berry just isn't very good. Hate to think this, but she does little ( good ) to impress. Lou was sizzling today. And everyone else did their jobs well.

 

[Bone Dog]

I can't help wondering what on earth is going on at Ore St. I mean, between Texas and Duke we faced almost 13' of post player in Taylor Jones and Kennedy Brown who transferred out of Ore St. But the very next season Scott Pruitt has an answer and the recruiting there doesn't miss a beat, and this year they have Jelena Mitrovich and Reagan Beers, who probably total 13'4".

 

[Bills Fan]

It’s a small sample size but I thought Ines played well in her limited minutes. I really want her to do well so she can let Nika get some rest. I hope Ines is a quick learner

I think Ines is what you asked for. She seems very confident in her ability to play the point. We no longer have to quibble about who should be getting the PG start and minutes, which allows Azzi to concentrate on her best talent-putting the ball in the hoop. I hope Ines starts to get some pre-4th Qtr minutes, giving Nika some rest. If not before then against some of the Beast teams.

 

[Carnac]

Some thoughts on the Duke game:

• Happy Thanksgiving fellow Boneyarders! A shorthanded Husky team faced their 3rd straight test against a very good P5 program, that is once again loaded with transfers. Duke has no less than 11 transfers on their roster, to go along with 6 players recruited out of HS.
• Just like Vic Schaefer & Wes Moore, Kara Lawson is trying to get a bunch of talented individuals to play together as a team. It’s a difficult task, particularly early in the season, against a team like UConn that requires opponents to be at their very best in order to compete against the Huskies.
• UConn is clearly committed to pushing the ball up the court on offense this season. The Huskies are running off turnovers, missed shots and even made shots. All this running is being orchestrated by Nika, the nation’s leader in assists, who dropped another 10 dimes tonight.
• The more I watch Lou play, the more impressed I am with her. She has a way of finding space at the arc, getting to the midrange or taking it to the basket and knocking down BIG SHOT after BIG SHOT. With all the attention that opposing teams will direct towards Azzi, Lou is primed to have a really, really big year for the Huskies.
• If Aaliyah can consistently knock down the face up jumper, like she did tonight, UConn is a much more difficult team to defend.
• Looking forward to UConn vs Iowa Sunday, assuming the Hawkeyes get by the Beavers.

Nika is really making it look easy.
This summer we were wondering if Lou could raise her game to play at this "elite" level. I think that as been answered and can be put to bed forever. Lou can play at this level. Lou will be the ""quiet" assassin for us this year. Teams will be focused on stopping Azzi, and rightly so. While their attention is drawn to Azzi, Lou will be draining 3's left, right and center. Heh heh heh.
I really liked what I was seeing from Aaliyah tonight. She's going to get THAT shot all season long, whenever she wants it.
We missed a lot of bunnies in the 1st quarter. No fouls called. This was the game I expected from Duke. I wasn't impressed with their 5-0 record coming in after looking at who they played. UConn was their first real test. Now they know what they have to work on, and how far they have to rise the level of their play to really compete with top 10 programs. IMO they're still 2 years away from being a legit contender. I feel that Kara will get them there. Players like her and want to play for her. Lots of things to like about Duke University.