Edwards vs Morrow

[BRS24]

DePaul has as many injuries as UConn. As previously mentioned, Doug Bruno subbed Morrow out and put in a freshman to guard Aaliyah, the only forward he had available. The kid promptly picked up 3 fouls.

When you are one of the "star" players and your supporting cast is decimated, it's mentally hard, as you feel you have to do everything. Although not the same, Geno had a chat with Diana her senior year ( I think) about the pressure.

 

[HuskyNan]

Yes I did see that. I never said Aaliyah wasn't physical. Aaliyah doesn't run up the court and purposely bang into an opponent with her shoulder for no apparent reason than to try to intimate. That's unnecessary and hence dirty play.

Why do you always seem to defend opponents?

I’m not defending what you call dirty play. It’s not, by the way. It’s physical play and, yes, Aaliyah most certainly does bang into other players. Watch the game replay - there were slow motion shots of Aaliyah doing just that.

 

[Inthepaint]

This was a huge test for Aaliyah. I am sure she was eyeing this matchup for a while. Aaliyah is having a fantastic season and facing a solid player like Aneesah is going to boost her confidence even more. Plus, I loved that Aaliyah did not shy away from the physical play of Morrow. The replays showing Morrow throwing a shoulder or running into Aaliyah while running down the court, was a game within a game. The mental & physical side of the game and Aaliyah held her own out there in that physical & mental battle.

Yeah, some of the play in the lane was pretty brutal. Literally twisting arms.
Aayleah’s physical presence down low in recent games has been stunning.
She could have a second career on Friday night Smackdown.
“The Masked Husky”?
Some of the wrestling moves she’s been forced to use to gain some respect under the basket would make The Fabulous Moolah proud.

 

[EricLA]

I do not know about the rest of you guys but on the Fox/SNY replays during the game, there were quite a few moments caught on tape of unsportsman like play by Morrow deliberately bumping into UConn players. In one play after she pushed Edwards, she elbowed Aubrey in the stomach causing poor Aubrey to bend over from the punch. The announcers spoke of having the refs begin to take over the game which I believe that they tried to do by calling more fouls.

In any event, fair play is greatly appreciated during a game.

I taped the game and have not finished watching it so I can't comment on the unsportsmanlike conduct, but IF she did that AFTER a dead ball, or away from the "prying eyes", then shame on her.

More than that, though, the acting and begging for foul calls was silly. Especially in Q1, she was flailing and flopping hoping to get a foul called on UCONN by the refs. Thankfully they did not bite. Clearly a talented player, but I did not like how she "comported" herself. And BTW, I'm SO glad "enforcer" Aaliyah gave as good as she got.

 

[uconnfan68]

No she just happened to lift her leg up underneath her in order to knock her over

Not so according to multiple reviews by tv.

 

[Carnac]

This was a huge test for Aaliyah. I am sure she was eyeing this matchup for a while. Aaliyah is having a fantastic season and facing a solid player like Aneesah is going to boost her confidence even more. Plus, I loved that Aaliyah did not shy away from the physical play of Morrow. The replays showing Morrow throwing a shoulder or running into Aaliyah while running down the court, was a game within a game. The mental & physical side of the game and Aaliyah held her own out there in that physical & mental battle.

Uhhh...........Mr. Bean...lest we forget that Aaliyah has played on the Canadian National team for several years now. She has played with grown adult women (some who either had played or were playing professionally) many many times. Morrow brought nothing to the table Aaliyah has not already seen or experienced.

 

[Wonder 12]

Not so according to multiple reviews by tv.

Multiple reviews? I guess Lou just imagined it then as she landed in a heap at the bottom of the basket from a player who plays dirty

 

[MSGRET]

Multiple reviews? I guess Lou just imagined it then as she landed in a heap at the bottom of the basket from a player who plays dirty

Go back and watch the multiple replays that they showed on SNY from different angles and shows that Morrow didn't foul her.

 

[bballnut90]

Morrow is a talented player but doesn't belong on any All American lists this year. DePaul isn't a tournament caliber team and while she has big numbers, she's been largely inefficient and hasn't shown she's among the best players in the country this season. Edwards on the other hand is probably on the cusp of being a 1st teamer this year.

 

[uconnfan68]

Multiple reviews? I guess Lou just imagined it then as she landed in a heap at the bottom of the basket from a player who plays dirty

Watch them yourself.

 

[Skeets]

Going back to the first DePaul game last year Caroline got her first hard hit on her head courtesy of a Morrow elbow. Didn't look innocent then rewatching still doesn't.

Back in the old days Geno would have subbed Bam-Bam in to help Morrow see the light.

 

[HuskyNan]

Megan Cuomo is the worst suck-up.

Never heard of her

 

[vtcwbuff]

No she just happened to lift her leg up underneath her in order to knock her over

Obviously you didn't watch the multiple replays.

 

[Littlemin]

Yes, Morrow was chucking up the long balls with no pretense of form or range. Oh well I'll just give this a toss. At some point she'd stop I thought, but no. While I'm picking on her, she got away with several swinging stiff arms and generally carried herself like she was immune to a whistle and for unfathomable reasons she was right.

Morrow has already doubled the amount of 3’s she took last year. She has taken 121 3’s in 21 games while shooting them at 21.5%. Not remotely impressed with anything she did in the Uconn game.

 

[oldude]

As far as the physical play by Morrow, Aaliyah and others during the game, It’s worth noting that Geno was very complementary of the referees in his postgame presser, noting that the game was called like a “men’s basketball game” and not like a “women’s basketball game.”

The point he was making is that the refs let the teams play, allowing a lot of incidental contact that might otherwise be called fouls in a ticky-tack game when the refs blow their whistles non-stop. There was one sequence in particular that I loved, after Aaliyah scored, when she & Morrow ran back down the court, side by side, trading shoulders and elbows.

I do think Morrow was frustrated, primarily because she has not had to face someone like Aaliyah all season. Aaliyah gave as good as she got from Morrow, and certainly played a much better overall game.

 

[HopJim]

While I agree on Morrow's talent, I also believe Doug Bruno has some major issues to resolve. In rewatching the game, I noticed:

-While a great rebounder and inside player, Morrow chucked up 3's throughout the game even after Bruno yelling at her several times. In the second half, much of the DePaul team stood around, apparently knowing that after Morrow touched the ball, no one else would.
-The first time Bruno yelled at her, Morrow ignored him and ran down the court. While Bruno took her out of the game, she kept taking wild 3's and didn't seem to want to get in position underneath the basket for shots or rebounds.
-On DePaul turnovers, Morrow rarely chased down the UConn player. The most obvious example was when Edwards picked off her dribble, Morrow did not move/never got past halfcourt, leaving Edwards to dribble down most of the court for an uncontested layup.
-On defense, Morrow frequently went for the steals, usually leaving Dorka or Edwards for easy layups. Appeared she did not want to do the hard, physical work of defending a bigger player.

I agree with Nan's comments that Morrow is only a Soph and still is learning but this does not absolve her from having to hustle, listen to her coach, or do the dirty work under the basket. At times, she seemed intimidated by the equally physical UConn players. Doug Bruno has a lot of challenges if he intends to continue to build around her. Rarely does a team with a 25 point a game scorer lose this many games but after watching the recent DePaul game, I understand why this is happening.

 

[LuvBball]

You want Morrow...who is returning from injury...to bang in the paint during the second half of a 40 point blowout?? For what!?! In fact, why was she even out there. Considering how important she is to the team, I'd of rested her and let the freshmen get some reps.

She's a 6'1 sophomore who went against a 6'3 junior, 6'5 graduate senior, and 6'5 sophomore FOR 38 MINUTES. She more than held her own.

The fact there's a whole post dedicated to the fact that she ONLY had a 20 pt double double and scored 40% of her team's points would tend to suggest that she's a very good basketball player and deserves respect.

 

[npignatjr]

While I agree on Morrow's talent, I also believe Doug Bruno has some major issues to resolve. In rewatching the game, I noticed:

-While a great rebounder and inside player, Morrow chucked up 3's throughout the game even after Bruno yelling at her several times. In the second half, much of the DePaul team stood around, apparently knowing that after Morrow touched the ball, no one else would.
-The first time Bruno yelled at her, Morrow ignored him and ran down the court. While Bruno took her out of the game, she kept taking wild 3's and didn't seem to want to get in position underneath the basket for shots or rebounds.
-On DePaul turnovers, Morrow rarely chased down the UConn player. The most obvious example was when Edwards picked off her dribble, Morrow did not move/never got past halfcourt, leaving Edwards to dribble down most of the court for an uncontested layup.
-On defense, Morrow frequently went for the steals, usually leaving Dorka or Edwards for easy layups. Appeared she did not want to do the hard, physical work of defending a bigger player.

I agree with Nan's comments that Morrow is only a Soph and still is learning but this does not absolve her from having to hustle, listen to her coach, or do the dirty work under the basket. At times, she seemed intimidated by the equally physical UConn players. Doug Bruno has a lot of challenges if he intends to continue to build around her. Rarely does a team with a 25 point a game scorer lose this many games but after watching the recent DePaul game, I understand why this is happening.

Sitting across from the DePaul bench she ignored him all game. She needs some more bench time, he should those who care. By the way their other "leader" not much different.

 

[npignatjr]

Whatever. I guess your point is that DePaul plays rough yet it was 2 DePaul players that limped around after a tussle with the Huskies. The Huskies gave as good as they got.

Man, I love this team. They’re a buncha badasses, every one of them. I even saw the sweetest kid on the team, Amari, throwing elbows after a rebound. Awesome sauce

Unnecessarily throwing high elbows and getting tangled up and twisting an ankle are different.
The UConn team is tough mentally and physically, they have to be.

 

[Huskiefan23]

All I know if that if it's not this year, the bepoy will come from Uconn next year. Whether it's Paige, Azzi, or Aaliyah.

 

[vtcwbuff]

Yes I did see that. I never said Aaliyah wasn't physical. Aaliyah doesn't run up the court and purposely bang into an opponent with her shoulder for no apparent reason than to try to intimate. That's unnecessary and hence dirty play.

Why do you always seem to defend opponents?

Maybe she can see without the NFB blinders.

 

[Boreifs]

Yes, Edwards is far better than Morrow. So was every UConn starter compared to their counterpart on the other team. That pretty much is the way it goes against every team in the Big East.

One could say that about any conference.

 

[oldude]

A couple comments about the Aaliyah-Morrow matchup:

• Once Morrow hit her first 3 of the game, that was a problem for DePaul. She’s taken over 100 3-pt shots this season, making only 22%. After making the first she missed her next 7, frequently rushed 3’s, going 1/8 for the game.
• Aaliyah did something I have never really seen from a Big. She face guarded Morrow all over the court, Shadowing her at the arc and fronting her in the post in a physical battle reminiscent of Russell & Wilt.
• Whenever DePaul did manage to get the ball down low to Morrow, Dorka or another Husky immediately doubled her, forcing a bad shot or a kick out pass.

Morrow is one of the nation’s leading scorers, taking over 1/3 of all DePaul fg attempts.. But 8/26 from the floor isn’t going to cut it against UConn. Credit to the Coaches for developing the defensive game plan, the entire team for executing it and, most assuredly, to Aaliyah whose defensive effort on Morrow was simply outstanding

 

[darrell]

All I know if that if it's not this year, the bepoy will come from Uconn next year. Whether it's Paige, Azzi, or Aaliyah.

If Aaliyah can replicate the same efficiency against Siegrist and Villanova, that she did against DePaul, I think the BE PoY should be hers without a doubt.

 

[Geew1992]

Unnecessarily throwing high elbows and getting tangled up and twisting an ankle are different.
The UConn team is tough mentally and physically, they have to be.

Who did this? In what game? Who's ankle was twisted?