Duke Postgame Thread

[Zinethar]

I'm glad we get to see UConn get to defeat play Iowa tomorrow as it gives them a chance to throw the third team this year out of the top 10. After watching Iowa play yesterday I was convinced UConn is a much better team. Sure Clark is a good scorer and as such should be the SG not the PG. She is a 2 not a 1. I would love to see Aubrey on her because she has the height, athleticism, speed, and defense to give Clark nightmares. Our bigs should be able to neutralize theirs and the rest of our team should flourish. I really like this match up for the Huskies.

 

[Carnac]

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

If she can do that on a REGULAR basis, she can stay on the floor giving Geno more options. If he doesn't have to sub for her, her can use his resources more discretely and keep a semblance of continuity on the floor. We are never more potent than when Nika's on the floor at the controls.

felt the same way when Crystal Dangerfield was here. She could thread a fast break needle like nobody's business. Nothing kills a team's momentum faster than having to take your quarterback out of the game because of foul trouble. I really like what I'm seeing from Nika these first 4 games. I love her grit and sense of urgency. Ask no quarter, give none.

 

[Carnac]

Didn't read any of this thread. Just wanted to comment that I saw my first UCONN WBB game live and came away very impressed. My daughter came away a HUGE Nika Muhl fan. Then we watched a Point-guard less team in Oregon State and the difference between having a real floor general, and a leaderless team became very evident. What is amazing about Nika is her voice is loud. We could hear everything she was barking out. Impressive team.

Watching them LIVE in person, you see so much more than watching them through a camera lens. They are impressive. Now perhaps you can see why boneyarders are so passionate about their team. We love our Huskies.....................oh, and we like Geno & CD too.

 

[Boreifs]

Really happy and thankful to see CD back on the sidelines. My thoughts on the game

• Lou has been a revelation to me. I didn't think she would be as prolific as a scorer, but she is fitting in seamlessly. It is not an easy thing to do ever to be in a UCONN system and play as mature and confident as she has in just her first few games as a husky. Kudos to her basketball IQ and her belief in herself. To me, she has now become indispensable given how teams are focusing on Azzi and with Caroline still not at 100%
• AEdwards has really elevated her game and confidence. She still has a couple of plays a game where she holds on to the ball pivoting to nowhere but her energy and jumper has been great. She's also running the floor exceptionally well, which means she's in great shape early in the season
• Nika is playing lights out. Her Assist to Turnover ratio is off the charts and her +/- has been at the top or near the top in every game. To add more praise for Nika she seems to be in impeccable shape even with all the responsibility on defense and pushing the ball on offense. She's added some timely drives and taking the occasional shots to keep her defenders honest. I can't believe how much she's grown since freshman year in all facets. I'm so happy that she's starting to get the recognition from media that she deserves.
• I thought Aubrey had an ok game. She reverted back to her old self with holding the ball too long without any idea what to do, but I'm hoping that she will trust her ability to take her man one on one or find a better spot of the floor to create.
• Patterson is a beast. She reminds me of Dennis Rodman and his ability to just be so active on the boards. She needs refinement on her post moves, but she has so much upside.
• Azzi was the focal point of the defense and could tell she didn't want to force things. She still scored 14 points, but with Lou playing so well this is a game she didn't have to take over. There are some open shots still that she needs to take.
• Caroline playing more minutes brought a smile to my face. She's not there yet in terms of game shape or comfort level on the court, but you see little things that's encouraging.
• Amari unfortunately has not developed at all since last year. I'm hopeful that she will continue to get better

Glad to be playing Iowa. Need to contain 2 players and we get the W and add another highly ranked opponent on our resume. Go huskies, love this team!

Careful about what you ask for. Iowa has the same starting five that they had two seasons ago; Texas, NC State and Duke were all trying to adapt to a huge number of transfers.

 

[Rayvin56]

Man o Manescheweiz, I haven't heard that in years! Thanks for the memories.

Reminds me of an old joke. What do you get when you mix Manischewitz and Christian Brothers wines?
ManiShiksa, of course.

 

[cabbie191]

It is possible that De Berry just isn't very good. Hate to think this, but she does little ( good ) to impress.

I agree that she hasn't looked polished so far this season. But let's have a bit of faith. At this time last year, we were bemoaning that Edwards seemed to have really regressed from her freshman year - now she's becoming an even better beast than two years ago. Maybe the same thing will happen to DeBerry down the road.

And for all we know, she might be dealing with some health issues that we aren't privy to.

 

[bkart1978]

I was happy to see Caroline’s post-up and score - a huge part of her game last season. That wasn’t a great pass, either, but she has spectacular hands and corralled the ball before putting it in. You can see things starting to come back for her, slowly but surely. I hope the injury doesn’t force her in and out all season and stall any momentum a la the second half of last season after the hit to her head.

 

[UcMiami]

Sometimes player and coach and system just aren't a good fit - was worried Aubrey was headed in that direction but she gets it now. Amari looks like she is lost in a mind fog, frozen because she doesn't know what she is supposed to do.

On Nika ... I thought the team was playing its best ball last year just before Paige came back and during the time she was coming off the bench. I think people 'forgot' how well Nika was doing leading that team. So I am not surprised at how well she is doing this year. The decrease in frequency of fouls is a nice adjustment.

We really miss Dorka and Edwards need to stay out of foul trouble because we become a seriously short team when she doesn't.

 

[JordyG]

1) It looks like Caroline is being impacted some by losing her 3 spot to Lou. In addition to not being in game shape or game speed yet. We all know she has what it takes so I'm glad she got some PT today to expedite her readyness. I don't think Lou is going to be moved off that 3 slot though so Caroline is in for a transition and it may be a transition she's not cut out for. Her game is movement. If you stick her in a corner and leave her there it is not ideal at least for her.

2) As some of us predicted last year ( and were dumped on for it ) the strength of this team is 3 point shooting. Lou had 3 years in a row of 40% shooting from 3. Lou is no surprise. Adding that 2nd star 3 point shooter really helps and that probably continues. It may well be that Caroline and Aubrey can help more in that regard before the year is out.

3) Geno is not going to even try Azzi at the PG slot so that discussion is apparently over barring an injury. We just are not deep enough for it anyway at this point and no doubt Nika is doing a solid job overall. She's hitting her free throws this year ( compared to last ), she's fouling less and getting more assists. Cutting her turnovers. Defense is even improved IMO. I'm still not seeing the pull up or the penetration. I don't see how it is ideal for the team for her to be hanging around the basket so much as the smallest player on our team. Wouldn't the normal slot for a point guard be to guard against the break? Others are covering well for her so that hasn't been a problem but some team is going to exploit it. The bottom line is we do not have the depth anyway so Nika gets to play virtually all game at the point and she gets to freelance. Great situation for Nika and her fandom should continue to increase. She's doing a solid job overall in maximizing her strengths and minimizing her weaknesses, and reaping the rewards she has worked so hard for.

4) AE has had a great year so far also and a lot of that is increased opportunity as well. She hit some shots from the key area today, and that's great, but against a top team we will get no rebounds if she misses those. With a small team, I'm not a fan of that play. We still haven't faced a team yet with outstanding size in the paint. South Carolina and Stanford, for example. We are going to need Dorka or it's going to get ugly. Ayanna can't catch a break on the fouls. Other teams are faking fouls clearly, and getting away with it. Look at Anessa Morrow play. Give us that kind of refereeing and Ayanna will be a major contributor. I hope Geno continues to give her PT as we are going to definitely need her.

5) We may not end up the top scoring team in the country but we may end up the best scoring team in the country considering the competition. We are going to continue to need it.

1) I would say that Caroline has been far more impacted by her inability to play over the summer and her limited practices to this point. I would also say that Caroline has been far more impacted by her stiff neck which to some extent has limited her upper body ROM, and it shows in her shot, her running the floor, her rebounding, and her ability absorb contact.

2) I would say that UConn's strength is not their 3 pt shooting but their mental and physical toughness, each players ability to contribute no matter what combination of players are on the floor, and the teams ability to execute no matter the situation, and no matter the obstacle. I would say in every observable way this team has taken on Nika's personality, and that this is Nika's team.

3) And yet when Nika does sit and Azzi is on the floor The Queen of Braids has been the PG. In those instances she brings the ball up (which she frequently does even if Nika is on the floor), positions the players, and distributes the ball. What games are you watching? Nika gets to "freelance"? Nika is "doing a solid job"? Nika isn't penetrating? Again, what games are you watching? Nika plays well within UConn's offensive scheme or she wouldn't be on the floor. Whether you noticed or not, yesterday UConn was able to run every one of its offensive schemes, and each of them (the 45, the wave etc) were executed, some very well executed. Despite the fact that Duke face guarded Azzi, and double or triple teamed her inside. UConn was also effective in primary and secondary transition. When Nika rebounds or is near the rebounder she can effectively throw that long pass over the top, which is UConn's best weapon in transition. It also enables her to push the tempo which is UConn's second best weapon in transition.

4) The beauty of a big hitting outside shots is it forces the competition to extend their defense. It forces her mark from under the basket, leaving other players to grab the rebound. It forces her mark to play on the perimeter where most bigs are notoriously poor defenders. In some cases it forces the other defenders out of their comfort zones. It also opens up the driving and passing lanes for her and the rest of the team. Have you ever studied any BB in this regard? Ayanna can't catch a break on the fouls? That's because she commits a heck of a lot of them, and right in front of the ref. In fact, she's making many of the same mistakes that AE made the last two years. Ayanna will learn to keep her arms straight up to defend inside while using her body and feet to get herself in better position. Nevertheless I see your referee complaining is in late season form. Yesterday UConn was called for a whopping 11 PF, 7 of which were called on AE and Ayanna. Duke was called for 18. In the two previous games the fouls called were virtually equal. So much for the other team flopping and getting the calls.

5) I really don't know what that means other than an attempt to be pithy or clever.

 

[FormerCTrez]

View attachment 81112

Is it safe in here?

Hi @triaddukefan, sorry about the Thanksgiving gift from Uconn, even though it’s probably painful to accept now. Anyway, your team will eventually do well because of the talent on the roster. Best wishes for the rest of the season.

PS: How many athletes are on the roster? I counted 17.

 

[FormerCTrez]

Some nice quotes in

UConn women's basketball team defeats Duke in first round of Phil Knight Legacy Tournament

UConn women's basketball defeated Duke to open the Phil Knight Legacy Tournament thanks to a second-straight 20-point game from Lou Lopez Senechal.

www.ctinsider.com

"She just gets the ball and knows what she wants to do. There's no hesitation and she's a terrific, terrific shooter and her mid-range game is really really good and she has a mature game."

A quote equally applied to Azzi and Lou


and this is funny

Everybody's bought in for what they have to do to make our defense better. And, you know, I just appeal to them too I say, 'Look, in a normal world at UConn if you don't feel like guarding anybody, I just bench you and I don't have the opportunity to do that. So I'm stuck with you guys. So you're gonna have to do it because it's the right thing to do and if you want to really win.' And they've bought into everything."



On the other side

"I'm disappointed in our effort today," said Duke coach Kara Lawson. "I think this is the first game I've been disappointed in my team overall. I just didn't think we played with the same competitiveness as our opponent did."

I can understand Kara Lawson’s disappointment in her team’s performance, as she probably thought that they would’ve won the game. But as the season progresses, she’ll remember he opponent’s name. (And I’m not nitpicking here)

 

[UcMiami]

I was very disappointed in Kara's continuing the Duke "tradition" of throwing the team under the bus after a tough loss...I thought in the first quarter, her team played a very competitive game, got their three-point shooters open...which their scorers then hit...ran some great stuff.
(which she obviously taught them).

But they were worn down by stronger, more talented athletes playing within a more coherent system...OK, you lost...be gracious; take some responsibility...I don't remember her calling time-outs when Uconn pushed ahead...neither team did...they just let the kids work it out in situ....

Perhaps she hasn't assimilated the curriculum in the post-game coaching behavior 101 class that she skipped...
Disappointing nevertheless...I thought she was too bright and sensitive to behave like that.
Did she really expect to prevail, yesterday afternoon?

And where did that bogus Southern accent come from?
I sure don't remember that from her on air performances...
Perhaps its there from her UTenn period and she just turns it on and off...
Sure seemed fake to me.

Should watch her postgame interview posted here under the thread:

Duke viewpoint: loss to No. 3 UConn demonstrates that superstar players are not everything​

I think she clarifies her comment better in her full statement, ... she felt they paid too much attention to the deficit instead of continuing to compete.

 

[BobbyJ]

1) I would say that Caroline has been far more impacted by her inability to play over the summer and her limited practices to this point. I would also say that Caroline has been far more impacted by her stiff neck which to some extent has limited her upper body ROM, and it shows in her shot, her running the floor, her rebounding, and her ability absorb contact.

2) I would say that UConn's strength is not their 3 pt shooting but their mental and physical toughness, each players ability to contribute no matter what combination of players are on the floor, and the teams ability to execute no matter the situation, and no matter the obstacle. I would say in every observable way this team has taken on Nika's personality, and that this is Nika's team.

3) And yet when Nika does sit and Azzi is on the floor The Queen of Braids has been the PG. In those instances she brings the ball up (which she frequently does even if Nika is on the floor), positions the players, and distributes the ball. What games are you watching? Nika gets to "freelance"? Nika is "doing a solid job"? Nika isn't penetrating? Again, what games are you watching? Nika plays well within UConn's offensive scheme or she wouldn't be on the floor. Whether you noticed or not, yesterday UConn was able to run every one of its offensive schemes, and each of them (the 45, the wave etc) were executed, some very well executed. Despite the fact that Duke face guarded Azzi, and double or triple teamed her inside. UConn was also effective in primary and secondary transition. When Nika rebounds or is near the rebounder she can effectively throw that long pass over the top, which is UConn's best weapon in transition. It also enables her to push the tempo which is UConn's second best weapon in transition.

4) The beauty of a big hitting outside shots is it forces the competition to extend their defense. It forces her mark from under the basket, leaving other players to grab the rebound. It forces her mark to play on the perimeter where most bigs are notoriously poor defenders. In some cases it forces the other defenders out of their comfort zones. It also opens up the driving and passing lanes for her and the rest of the team. Have you ever studied any BB in this regard? Ayanna can't catch a break on the fouls? That's because she commits a heck of a lot of them, and right in front of the ref. In fact, she's making many of the same mistakes that AE made the last two years. Ayanna will learn to keep her arms straight up to defend inside while using her body and feet to get herself in better position. Nevertheless I see your referee complaining is in late season form. Yesterday UConn was called for a whopping 11 PF, 7 of which were called on AE and Ayanna. Duke was called for 18. In the two previous games the fouls called were virtually equal. So much for the other team flopping and getting the calls.

5) I really don't know what that means other than an attempt to be pithy or clever.

An excellent synopsis but it won’t have any impact.

 

[FormerCTrez]

I was very disappointed in Kara's continuing the Duke "tradition" of throwing the team under the bus after a tough loss...I thought in the first quarter, her team played a very competitive game, got their three-point shooters open...which their scorers then hit...ran some great stuff.
(which she obviously taught them).

But they were worn down by stronger, more talented athletes playing within a more coherent system...OK, you lost...be gracious; take some responsibility...I don't remember her calling time-outs when Uconn pushed ahead...neither team did...they just let the kids work it out in situ....

Perhaps she hasn't assimilated the curriculum in the post-game coaching behavior 101 class that she skipped...
Disappointing nevertheless...I thought she was too bright and sensitive to behave like that.
Did she really expect to prevail, yesterday afternoon?

And where did that bogus Southern accent come from?
I sure don't remember that from her on air performances...
Perhaps its there from her UTenn period and she just turns it on and off...
Sure seemed fake to me.

@msf22b, I was thinking the same thing about her accent, as I’d never heard her speak like that before.

 

[hoophuskee]

-I'm sure Geno has given Aaliyah the green light to take those 15-footers (probably encouraging her)...Its always advantageous for a forward to draw the other team's big(s) away from the hoop. She seems much more comfy and consistent at the foul line, taking those shots is just an extension of that.

So yes, there may be a small downside to Alliyah's new shot, Nika's positioning, Caroline's spot on the floor but your concerns may be slightly overblown or even a direct contradiction to coach's instructions.

There is not near a downside to Edwards taking outside shots. This is exactly what UCONN loves her to do as she becomes more comfortable/effiicient/effective. Basketball is not a mud-wrestling contest where every single post player must be stuck only to play inside a ring. Edwards is only 6'2. Not every game vs every team will she able to score inside effectively but more importantly as she gets more comfortable hitting outside shots she becomes much more difficult to guard.

Absolutely great sign she was knocking down those shots. Let's hope she can continue this throughout the year and as a result in tight games maintain her confidence of hitting shots not just from 3 feet from the basket.

 

[JordyG]

An excellent synopsis but it won’t have any impact.

Ain't that the truth.

 

[triaddukefan]

Hi @triaddukefan, sorry about the Thanksgiving gift from Uconn, even though it’s probably painful to accept now. Anyway, your team will eventually do well because of the talent on the roster. Best wishes for the rest of the season.

PS: How many athletes are on the roster? I counted 17.

Well at the same time as the game... in within a five minute span..... #1 ranked UNC basketball lost to Iowa State, and the top 20 ranked UNC football team, BOTH went down to defeat. That definitely took the sting off of the loss. All in all, yesterday was a good day.

I actually didn't watch the second half live, got busy watching college football.... just finished watching the second half. We didn't play too too bad, but its tough when 2 of your 3 best scoring options have awful days (Richardson and Taylor). It will be interesting to see how we bounce back tomorrow vs Oregon State. I still think we can be pretty good this season, I haven't lost hope yet.

Yes.. 17 players on the roster. 14 scholarship players, and 3 walk-on Grad Students.

 

[jazz]

nika was awesome once again!!

she penetrated the lane roughly half a dozen times with a quick player on her. scored three times and got a sweet dish on another. hmmm...now she is penetrating, scoring and dishing in the lane.....didnt somebody say she couldnt do this. also hit her FTs. she only hit 2 out of 9 last year, but something like 75% her freshman year, so i expect a bit closer to the 75% than what she did last year.

yes, i know.....she missed her two threes and no midrange game. but.....we are now saying she is doing stuff that hasnt been done at uconn in 25 years....that means not many players can do what she does.

10:1 a:to ratio...my goodness that is amazing. throw in 6 rebounds and 2 steals and had the best +/- on the team...kid is flat out ballin!

CD got more PT, but NOT at the expense of taking NM out. GA knows we need NM in the game - she didnt even come out until the last 4 mintues.

AE another double double. showed a sweet stroke from midrange as well - that will make her tough to defend - bigs will have trouble with her at that range. still she gets caught inbetween shooting and passing sometimes. AG is her normal self - hustle, make plays on defense, rebound.

Lou is hitting the shots that CW missed last year. she can also get to the cup at times as well.

 

[JordyG]

Well at the same time as the game... in within a five minute span..... #1 ranked UNC basketball lost to Iowa State, and the top 20 ranked UNC football team, BOTH went down to defeat. That definitely took the sting off of the loss. All in all, yesterday was a good day.

I actually didn't watch the second half live, got busy watching college football.... just finished watching the second half. We didn't play too too bad, but its tough when 2 of your 3 best scoring options have awful days (Richardson and Taylor). It will be interesting to see how we bounce back tomorrow vs Oregon State. I still think we can be pretty good this season, I haven't lost hope yet.

Yes.. 17 players on the roster. 14 scholarship players, and 3 walk-on Grad Students.

Go Dukies. Didn't another Duke team once lose to UConn by 30 yet made the E8?

 

[triaddukefan]

Go Dukies. Didn't another Duke team once lose to UConn by 30 yet made the E8?

Actually all the way to the national title game, only to lose to a Purdue squad coached by Carolyn Peck

 

[Carnac]

Agreed. Inês was brought in for depth insurance. I could be wrong, but I really don’t think she was added late to the roster with intentions of her being anything other than a back up player.

Geno has his point guard of the future coming in next year (KK Arnold). She will be Paige’s heir apparent when Paige leaves. That’s the way I read the tea leaves as they lay.

 

[JordyG]

Lou is hitting the shots that CW missed last year. she can also get to the cup at times as well

Slow your roll pal. This forums biggest complaint about CW was she was silent against the better teams at crucial moments. CW also had the other teams toughest guard every night. Let's just see how all this plays out.

 

[Alydar]

In addition, big girls right out of high school are used to being the tallest player on the court. In high school they could just reach out and block shots or grab rebounds. In college, they need to learn about defensive positioning, boxing out, and moving their feet instead of reaching.

Aaliyah and Liv were similar foul machines very early in their careers

And Dolson and Charles.