Geno and Paige presser (NC State)

[Soxx]

 

[Bald Husky]

The slowness of our guards was so evident. They couldn't get in front of anybody, so somehow, he may have to change the line-up to get us some speed. What I was most disappointed at was the lack of the press which I thought would be a thing for us this year. He didn't use the freshmen to do this, and while their guards were fast, pressing at the beginning of the third quarter would have possibly given us life and the time to increase our lead, instead the same old offence was being used and that's when they took advantage of their speed, and once they got going, we were doomed. Shade, KK, Nika on the press should have been utilized, and it really was a mystery to me why it wasn't.

 

[snlMINAJ]

it also seemed confusing to me that azzi was repeatedly on rivers. maybe it was a 'lesson' geno wanted azzi to go through, because it would have been easier to put griffin or muhl on rivers.

 

[Bone Dog]

Their guards weren’t ‘faster’ than ours. They executed their game plan better than we executed our defensive schemes. This left our guards out of position too often and made them appear a step slow. It also didn’t hurt that they hit their perimeter shots and we didn’t. We had as many open looks as they did.

This is what Geno and Paige both said. We are not a ‘slow’ team in any physical sense. What we are is team that has yet to execute its schemes crisply. Until they get this under control, they will continue to look ‘slow.’

I’m reminded of the Gabby-Phee-Lou teams, which many of us think of as especially quick. They played so crisply that they forced lots of turnovers and the ball moved like lightning on offense. But they were not physically faster than the current roster. Gabby and Kia had very quick feet, and could get up and down the floor with alacrity, like Aubrey or Azzi or Paige, or KK for that matter. But Lou and Phee were not physically speedy. They just knew where to be at any moment and this let them move decisively.

As an example, I noticed two moments when the one of our guards could have forced a turnover at the top of the arc. It may have been Paige and Nika. A long pass and they each had a shot at stepping out to snag it, but hesitated. Why? I think because they were worried about getting out of position. I think that means they knew that the team wouldn’t be able to compensate if they didn’t get the steal. When the team plays crisp defense, players can take little chances and get in passing lanes. If the team isn’t, then they lack the confidence to take chances.

 

[topogigio]

Geno's comment "we got our asses beat" is all there is to say. That was an embarrassing loss, period!

 

[Centerstream]

As I posted elsewhere, I think getting called for 5 fouls within 2 minutes of the start of the 3rd quarter was devastating to us. I am not saying that they were bad calls (even though I believe any game where Dee Kantner is on the floor is a strike against us) but just that they were in the minds of our players and led to hesitations and less aggressive play and the loss of any momentum we may have had. We had the lead at the half but were unable to maintain it. I guess I need to find the 3rd quarter stats to see how many FTs State made in the 3rd vs ours, but then again I am basing my comment on what I observed watching the game live.

 

[pvdoggy]

This is just what the college sports landscape is like now. There are a lot of very good teams that can beat anybody on any given day. Just look at college football, Alabama has been like Uconn in football for a long time, but now anytime they play a very good football team, the chance they will lose is pretty much 50-50.

 

[Rowdy831]

The slowness of our guards was so evident. They couldn't get in front of anybody, so somehow, he may have to change the line-up to get us some speed. What I was most disappointed at was the lack of the press which I thought would be a thing for us this year. He didn't use the freshmen to do this, and while their guards were fast, pressing at the beginning of the third quarter would have possibly given us life and the time to increase our lead, instead the same old offence was being used and that's when they took advantage of their speed, and once they got going, we were doomed. Shade, KK, Nika on the press should have been utilized, and it really was a mystery to me why it wasn't.

I didn't see a whole lot of coaching strategy yesterday. Geno might have to bite the bullet and do something he absolutely hates to do and that is give Amari a role on this team. CD played her when Geno was out last year and she did pretty good in some cases and real good in others. She needs love and encouragement but I think UConn needs to have at least one big body out there.

 

[FanInNC]

This reply is probably better suited on the locked postgame thread, however this seemed like the most reasonable place to post with the other being locked.

I am a season ticket holder at NCSU and was at the game yesterday and just wanted to chime in after reading through all the posts here about the game.

From an outsiders POV I think there is some overreaction by some - UConn will be fine and in my opinion will be right there with USC, Iowa, LSU and the likes as legit contenders for a national championship. It’s one game early in the season on the road in a tough environment. The take away I had for concern would just be interior play. I fully expected Edwards to have a massive game against our bigs. I realize she finished with 21 but I believe she was 3-11 going into the 4th? She scored several in the final minutes when it was a double digit deficit and I think State was more concerned with not giving up 3s.

During States 3peat run as ACC champs they were built from the inside out offensively. Last year and this year it’s the opposite. I think it took Wes a year of uneven results to realize he needed to cater the offense to a guard/wing friendly one and to stop trying to force feed the post and work from the inside out. Baldwin is a big body but she poses no threat offensively, similarly Collins has decent size but is better as a spot up shooter than as a post scorer. Neither is an elite rebounder either although Baldwin positions herself well and is adept at drawing charges and Collins can be someone who bothers shot attempts. But I fully expected to get eaten up down low on both ends.

The strength of States team are the wings and guards with Rivers and James specifically. Brooks is a highly rated freshman but I didn’t think she would be ready to play meaningful minutes and be a net positive against a team of UConns caliber. I thought early on UConns pressure defense hurt State. Rivers is a fine ball handler but in my mind she isn’t exactly a true PG and neither is James. The only true PG is Brooks and she’s a freshman with 1 game under her belt.

The very first possession State had a shot clock violation! I thought that may be a theme throughout the game with less than perfect PG play going against a veteran, intense pressure D. I was surprised State was able to penetrate so easily for much of the game honestly. Brooks was thrust into more minutes than I’m sure they wanted to play her with James picking up early fouls and she proved to be a pleasant surprise in that the moment wasn’t too big for her. It gave State a quick ball handler who could break the defense down and create.

That was Rivers most complete game of her career. As a fan, I hope it’s a glimpse of what’s to come! Last year she would wow on defense and in the open court and straight line drives to the basket. She isn’t super shifty but has great length and finishing abilities but what really made it for her yesterday was the mid range jumper. Last year she had a flat shot more often than not but if she’s a legit shooter like yesterday then she’s a complete star.

I’m surprised UConn didn’t have more of a 2 man game using Paige and Edwards with a pick and roll offense. In the tournament you guys ate us with her getting ball screens and us unable to adequately defend it.

You guys have a knowledgeable fan base and more or less seem pretty level headed - that’s not always the case on message boards! As a fan it’s nice to see you guys giving props more or less to State. I will quibble just a tad on officiating. I thought in the 1st quarter UConn was the beneficiary of the whistle and it hurt State with James getting 2 quick ones and she was limited to just 21 total minutes when she’s maybe the best scorer on the team! She picked up a 3rd in the 2nd quarter as well. I will say I thought the Pack benefited more so down the stretch from the whistle. There was a charge on Paige I wasn’t so sure about that comes immediately to mind. However I’ve seen a few people highlight the overall foul numbers and free throw attempts - you need to also take into account UConn fouled on purpose for the final 90 seconds or more. 12 of States FT attempts came during that stretch so the discrepancy was not as awful as the box score indicates.

The only other caping up I’ll do on behalf of State would be about the fans. I saw one poster say State fans were obnoxious and they’d never attend another game in Raleigh and that people cheered injured players. I don’t know what was said by any individual around that particular poster, but I can say I didn’t notice any cheering for injuries as a collective at all. The 2 injuries happened as positive plays for State - one being a turnover on a fast break when a UConn player spun into a double team and traveled and then fell down. The other was a sloppy situation after a State turnover followed by and immediate UConn turnover that led to a State lay up. So fans cheered the results of those plays - a turnover and a made basket. I heard no one cheering injuries, they did cheer when those players eventually stood up and walked off the court.

As someone who had attended many NCSU sporting events I have witnessed things I wasn’t proud of in the stands as I’m sure is the case with all fanbases. These things usually happen when we play UNC - and typically at a football game or men’s basketball game. But I didn’t notice anything like that yesterday. So anyhow that’s my little defense of the fan base - I hope the poster was just a little emotional after losing and will give a game in Raleigh a chance again. I think they have built a good game day atmosphere and there are good games to be seen there against quality teams.

Anyhow, thanks for allowing me to post here and I’ll be rooting for you guys going forward. I like UConns style of play and enjoy watching the product they put on the court. Hopefully we can meet again in the tournament - ideally deep into the thing! I’m not sure what to make of State yet, last year they had great wins over ND and Louisville and at Iowa yet dropped some headscratchers in the conference. I’m hoping this team is hungry and playing with a chip on the shoulder as being overlooked compared to last year. It’s hard to keep a program on that top level, State was rolling for 3 straight years and the wheels started to come off last year some and they had a lot of girls transfer out without reeling in much in the portal. But the freshman class is rated highly and they seem to have a top 10ish class coming the following year as well so maybe they are on the right track. I think they are definitely fighting for respect as a program and it’s a crowded ACC landscape with ND, Louisville and now UNC, VT and Duke coming online.

 

[sun]

Only one profanity uttered by Geno.

 

[topogigio]

This reply is probably better suited on the locked postgame thread, however this seemed like the most reasonable place to post with the other being locked.

I am a season ticket holder at NCSU and was at the game yesterday and just wanted to chime in after reading through all the posts here about the game.

From an outsiders POV I think there is some overreaction by some - UConn will be fine and in my opinion will be right there with USC, Iowa, LSU and the likes as legit contenders for a national championship. It’s one game early in the season on the road in a tough environment. The take away I had for concern would just be interior play. I fully expected Edwards to have a massive game against our bigs. I realize she finished with 21 but I believe she was 3-11 going into the 4th? She scored several in the final minutes when it was a double digit deficit and I think State was more concerned with not giving up 3s.

During States 3peat run as ACC champs they were built from the inside out offensively. Last year and this year it’s the opposite. I think it took Wes a year of uneven results to realize he needed to cater the offense to a guard/wing friendly one and to stop trying to force feed the post and work from the inside out. Baldwin is a big body but she poses no threat offensively, similarly Collins has decent size but is better as a spot up shooter than as a post scorer. Neither is an elite rebounder either although Baldwin positions herself well and is adept at drawing charges and Collins can be someone who bothers shot attempts. But I fully expected to get eaten up down low on both ends.

The strength of States team are the wings and guards with Rivers and James specifically. Brooks is a highly rated freshman but I didn’t think she would be ready to play meaningful minutes and be a net positive against a team of UConns caliber. I thought early on UConns pressure defense hurt State. Rivers is a fine ball handler but in my mind she isn’t exactly a true PG and neither is James. The only true PG is Brooks and she’s a freshman with 1 game under her belt.

The very first possession State had a shot clock violation! I thought that may be a theme throughout the game with less than perfect PG play going against a veteran, intense pressure D. I was surprised State was able to penetrate so easily for much of the game honestly. Brooks was thrust into more minutes than I’m sure they wanted to play her with James picking up early fouls and she proved to be a pleasant surprise in that the moment wasn’t too big for her. It gave State a quick ball handler who could break the defense down and create.

That was Rivers most complete game of her career. As a fan, I hope it’s a glimpse of what’s to come! Last year she would wow on defense and in the open court and straight line drives to the basket. She isn’t super shifty but has great length and finishing abilities but what really made it for her yesterday was the mid range jumper. Last year she had a flat shot more often than not but if she’s a legit shooter like yesterday then she’s a complete star.

I’m surprised UConn didn’t have more of a 2 man game using Paige and Edwards with a pick and roll offense. In the tournament you guys ate us with her getting ball screens and us unable to adequately defend it.

You guys have a knowledgeable fan base and more or less seem pretty level headed - that’s not always the case on message boards! As a fan it’s nice to see you guys giving props more or less to State. I will quibble just a tad on officiating. I thought in the 1st quarter UConn was the beneficiary of the whistle and it hurt State with James getting 2 quick ones and she was limited to just 21 total minutes when she’s maybe the best scorer on the team! She picked up a 3rd in the 2nd quarter as well. I will say I thought the Pack benefited more so down the stretch from the whistle. There was a charge on Paige I wasn’t so sure about that comes immediately to mind. However I’ve seen a few people highlight the overall foul numbers and free throw attempts - you need to also take into account UConn fouled on purpose for the final 90 seconds or more. 12 of States FT attempts came during that stretch so the discrepancy was not as awful as the box score indicates.

The only other caping up I’ll do on behalf of State would be about the fans. I saw one poster say State fans were obnoxious and they’d never attend another game in Raleigh and that people cheered injured players. I don’t know what was said by any individual around that particular poster, but I can say I didn’t notice any cheering for injuries as a collective at all. The 2 injuries happened as positive plays for State - one being a turnover on a fast break when a UConn player spun into a double team and traveled and then fell down. The other was a sloppy situation after a State turnover followed by and immediate UConn turnover that led to a State lay up. So fans cheered the results of those plays - a turnover and a made basket. I heard no one cheering injuries, they did cheer when those players eventually stood up and walked off the court.

As someone who had attended many NCSU sporting events I have witnessed things I wasn’t proud of in the stands as I’m sure is the case with all fanbases. These things usually happen when we play UNC - and typically at a football game or men’s basketball game. But I didn’t notice anything like that yesterday. So anyhow that’s my little defense of the fan base - I hope the poster was just a little emotional after losing and will give a game in Raleigh a chance again. I think they have built a good game day atmosphere and there are good games to be seen there against quality teams.

Anyhow, thanks for allowing me to post here and I’ll be rooting for you guys going forward. I like UConns style of play and enjoy watching the product they put on the court. Hopefully we can meet again in the tournament - ideally deep into the thing! I’m not sure what to make of State yet, last year they had great wins over ND and Louisville and at Iowa yet dropped some headscratchers in the conference. I’m hoping this team is hungry and playing with a chip on the shoulder as being overlooked compared to last year. It’s hard to keep a program on that top level, State was rolling for 3 straight years and the wheels started to come off last year some and they had a lot of girls transfer out without reeling in much in the portal. But the freshman class is rated highly and they seem to have a top 10ish class coming the following year as well so maybe they are on the right track. I think they are definitely fighting for respect as a program and it’s a crowded ACC landscape with ND, Louisville and now UNC, VT and Duke coming online.

Great post, thanks for thoughtful and insightful comments! Many times us UConn fans can’t see the forest from the trees. NCSU played terrific and coach had a great game strategy. The fans were what fans are supposed to be “fanatics” and support their team.

 

[Grayjay]

This reply is probably better suited on the locked postgame thread, however this seemed like the most reasonable place to post with the other being locked.

I am a season ticket holder at NCSU and was at the game yesterday and just wanted to chime in after reading through all the posts here about the game.

From an outsiders POV I think there is some overreaction by some - UConn will be fine and in my opinion will be right there with USC, Iowa, LSU and the likes as legit contenders for a national championship. It’s one game early in the season on the road in a tough environment. The take away I had for concern would just be interior play. I fully expected Edwards to have a massive game against our bigs. I realize she finished with 21 but I believe she was 3-11 going into the 4th? She scored several in the final minutes when it was a double digit deficit and I think State was more concerned with not giving up 3s.

During States 3peat run as ACC champs they were built from the inside out offensively. Last year and this year it’s the opposite. I think it took Wes a year of uneven results to realize he needed to cater the offense to a guard/wing friendly one and to stop trying to force feed the post and work from the inside out. Baldwin is a big body but she poses no threat offensively, similarly Collins has decent size but is better as a spot up shooter than as a post scorer. Neither is an elite rebounder either although Baldwin positions herself well and is adept at drawing charges and Collins can be someone who bothers shot attempts. But I fully expected to get eaten up down low on both ends.

The strength of States team are the wings and guards with Rivers and James specifically. Brooks is a highly rated freshman but I didn’t think she would be ready to play meaningful minutes and be a net positive against a team of UConns caliber. I thought early on UConns pressure defense hurt State. Rivers is a fine ball handler but in my mind she isn’t exactly a true PG and neither is James. The only true PG is Brooks and she’s a freshman with 1 game under her belt.

The very first possession State had a shot clock violation! I thought that may be a theme throughout the game with less than perfect PG play going against a veteran, intense pressure D. I was surprised State was able to penetrate so easily for much of the game honestly. Brooks was thrust into more minutes than I’m sure they wanted to play her with James picking up early fouls and she proved to be a pleasant surprise in that the moment wasn’t too big for her. It gave State a quick ball handler who could break the defense down and create.

That was Rivers most complete game of her career. As a fan, I hope it’s a glimpse of what’s to come! Last year she would wow on defense and in the open court and straight line drives to the basket. She isn’t super shifty but has great length and finishing abilities but what really made it for her yesterday was the mid range jumper. Last year she had a flat shot more often than not but if she’s a legit shooter like yesterday then she’s a complete star.

I’m surprised UConn didn’t have more of a 2 man game using Paige and Edwards with a pick and roll offense. In the tournament you guys ate us with her getting ball screens and us unable to adequately defend it.

You guys have a knowledgeable fan base and more or less seem pretty level headed - that’s not always the case on message boards! As a fan it’s nice to see you guys giving props more or less to State. I will quibble just a tad on officiating. I thought in the 1st quarter UConn was the beneficiary of the whistle and it hurt State with James getting 2 quick ones and she was limited to just 21 total minutes when she’s maybe the best scorer on the team! She picked up a 3rd in the 2nd quarter as well. I will say I thought the Pack benefited more so down the stretch from the whistle. There was a charge on Paige I wasn’t so sure about that comes immediately to mind. However I’ve seen a few people highlight the overall foul numbers and free throw attempts - you need to also take into account UConn fouled on purpose for the final 90 seconds or more. 12 of States FT attempts came during that stretch so the discrepancy was not as awful as the box score indicates.

The only other caping up I’ll do on behalf of State would be about the fans. I saw one poster say State fans were obnoxious and they’d never attend another game in Raleigh and that people cheered injured players. I don’t know what was said by any individual around that particular poster, but I can say I didn’t notice any cheering for injuries as a collective at all. The 2 injuries happened as positive plays for State - one being a turnover on a fast break when a UConn player spun into a double team and traveled and then fell down. The other was a sloppy situation after a State turnover followed by and immediate UConn turnover that led to a State lay up. So fans cheered the results of those plays - a turnover and a made basket. I heard no one cheering injuries, they did cheer when those players eventually stood up and walked off the court.

As someone who had attended many NCSU sporting events I have witnessed things I wasn’t proud of in the stands as I’m sure is the case with all fanbases. These things usually happen when we play UNC - and typically at a football game or men’s basketball game. But I didn’t notice anything like that yesterday. So anyhow that’s my little defense of the fan base - I hope the poster was just a little emotional after losing and will give a game in Raleigh a chance again. I think they have built a good game day atmosphere and there are good games to be seen there against quality teams.

Anyhow, thanks for allowing me to post here and I’ll be rooting for you guys going forward. I like UConns style of play and enjoy watching the product they put on the court. Hopefully we can meet again in the tournament - ideally deep into the thing! I’m not sure what to make of State yet, last year they had great wins over ND and Louisville and at Iowa yet dropped some headscratchers in the conference. I’m hoping this team is hungry and playing with a chip on the shoulder as being overlooked compared to last year. It’s hard to keep a program on that top level, State was rolling for 3 straight years and the wheels started to come off last year some and they had a lot of girls transfer out without reeling in much in the portal. But the freshman class is rated highly and they seem to have a top 10ish class coming the following year as well so maybe they are on the right track. I think they are definitely fighting for respect as a program and it’s a crowded ACC landscape with ND, Louisville and now UNC, VT and Duke coming online.

Thanks for your thoughtful post. State played a great game and I saw nothing to dislike from the players or fans. I'm a fan now unless we play again. Over here, maybe it's hard to handle the disappointment after two years of injuries.

 

[Huskie02]

I didn't see a whole lot of coaching strategy yesterday. Geno might have to bite the bullet and do something he absolutely hates to do and that is give Amari a role on this team. CD played her when Geno was out last year and she did pretty good in some cases and real good in others. She needs love and encouragement but I think UConn needs to have at least one big body out there.

Agree about that he big body part, but she hasn’t gained Geno’s trust. Remember what he said about playing time. You earn it by how you practice. Evidently she has not done enough in practice to earn more minutes.

 

[Kat]

I like what he said about rebounding. It's more about attitude and commitment than anything. The rebounds fuel the transition game, and when we don't do it, we look slow. One thing I'd like to see is for shooters to go to the basket after they shoot rather than stand there and watch it. Also, I think that everyone assumes Azzi's shot is always going in, so they watch it instead of following the shot. It's the little things that need attention, not some overhaul.

 

[FanInNC]

Thanks for your thoughtful post. State played a great game and I saw nothing to dislike from the players or fans. I'm a fan now unless we play again. Over here, maybe it's hard to handle the disappointment after two years of injuries.

Well in Raleigh we are well adept at handling disappointment! Other than the women’s team winning 3 straight conference championships here recently we haven’t had a single banner to raise in football, men’s basketball or baseball. We are very much used to being mediocre at everything.

Women’s basketball is certainly changing, way more schools are competitive at the top than there used to be. Perhaps the days of UConn reeling off championship after championship are over with the new landscape, but they are without a doubt THE program everyone else aspires to be. There aren’t many teams that can legitimately say they will be a national contender every single year - and you guys are definitely one of the few. Don’t take that for granted! Winning is not easy and consistently winning is even more difficult. Lots of programs rise up for 2 or 3 seasons and then tumble back to the depths of obscurity. Y’all should count yourselves lucky to have the program you have!

 

[Urshurak]

Thanks for your thoughtful post. State played a great game and I saw nothing to dislike from the players or fans. I'm a fan now unless we play again. Over here, maybe it's hard to handle the disappointment after two years of injuries.

I did. There were NC State fans, not students, but older adults, celebrating when AG got hurt. It was disgusting and happened right in front of a fellow boneyarder. He called them out on it and told them they should be ashamed of themselves. Trash.

 

[wbbhoops278]

I did. There were NC State fans, not students, but older adults, celebrating when AG got hurt. It was disgusting and happened right in front of a fellow boneyarder. He called them out on it and told them they should be ashamed of themselves. Trash.

Hmmm...if those few people mean their entire fan base is trash....then that must include their fans on this board that are nothing but respectful. They must be putting on quite a ruse.

So, if that logic holds true then I guess I can assume since you went to Texas A&M that you must be trash because the few people I've met from there are just that. Also they are the worst drivers.

See how that logic works?

 

[cohenzone]

Agree about that he big body part, but she hasn’t gained Geno’s trust. Remember what he said about playing time. You earn it by how you practice. Evidently she has not done enough in practice to earn more minutes.

When she got in vs Dayton she looked lost. She’s a junior. I agree getting useful minutes against a good team with some height would be nice

 

[LarryLegend]

When she got in vs Dayton she looked lost. She’s a junior. I agree getting useful minutes against a good team with some height would be nice

At this point all that should be expected are mop-up minutes in blowouts.

 

[JellyBean]

This reply is probably better suited on the locked postgame thread, however this seemed like the most reasonable place to post with the other being locked.

I am a season ticket holder at NCSU and was at the game yesterday and just wanted to chime in after reading through all the posts here about the game.

From an outsiders POV I think there is some overreaction by some - UConn will be fine and in my opinion will be right there with USC, Iowa, LSU and the likes as legit contenders for a national championship. It’s one game early in the season on the road in a tough environment. The take away I had for concern would just be interior play. I fully expected Edwards to have a massive game against our bigs. I realize she finished with 21 but I believe she was 3-11 going into the 4th? She scored several in the final minutes when it was a double digit deficit and I think State was more concerned with not giving up 3s.

During States 3peat run as ACC champs they were built from the inside out offensively. Last year and this year it’s the opposite. I think it took Wes a year of uneven results to realize he needed to cater the offense to a guard/wing friendly one and to stop trying to force feed the post and work from the inside out. Baldwin is a big body but she poses no threat offensively, similarly Collins has decent size but is better as a spot up shooter than as a post scorer. Neither is an elite rebounder either although Baldwin positions herself well and is adept at drawing charges and Collins can be someone who bothers shot attempts. But I fully expected to get eaten up down low on both ends.

The strength of States team are the wings and guards with Rivers and James specifically. Brooks is a highly rated freshman but I didn’t think she would be ready to play meaningful minutes and be a net positive against a team of UConns caliber. I thought early on UConns pressure defense hurt State. Rivers is a fine ball handler but in my mind she isn’t exactly a true PG and neither is James. The only true PG is Brooks and she’s a freshman with 1 game under her belt.

The very first possession State had a shot clock violation! I thought that may be a theme throughout the game with less than perfect PG play going against a veteran, intense pressure D. I was surprised State was able to penetrate so easily for much of the game honestly. Brooks was thrust into more minutes than I’m sure they wanted to play her with James picking up early fouls and she proved to be a pleasant surprise in that the moment wasn’t too big for her. It gave State a quick ball handler who could break the defense down and create.

That was Rivers most complete game of her career. As a fan, I hope it’s a glimpse of what’s to come! Last year she would wow on defense and in the open court and straight line drives to the basket. She isn’t super shifty but has great length and finishing abilities but what really made it for her yesterday was the mid range jumper. Last year she had a flat shot more often than not but if she’s a legit shooter like yesterday then she’s a complete star.

I’m surprised UConn didn’t have more of a 2 man game using Paige and Edwards with a pick and roll offense. In the tournament you guys ate us with her getting ball screens and us unable to adequately defend it.

You guys have a knowledgeable fan base and more or less seem pretty level headed - that’s not always the case on message boards! As a fan it’s nice to see you guys giving props more or less to State. I will quibble just a tad on officiating. I thought in the 1st quarter UConn was the beneficiary of the whistle and it hurt State with James getting 2 quick ones and she was limited to just 21 total minutes when she’s maybe the best scorer on the team! She picked up a 3rd in the 2nd quarter as well. I will say I thought the Pack benefited more so down the stretch from the whistle. There was a charge on Paige I wasn’t so sure about that comes immediately to mind. However I’ve seen a few people highlight the overall foul numbers and free throw attempts - you need to also take into account UConn fouled on purpose for the final 90 seconds or more. 12 of States FT attempts came during that stretch so the discrepancy was not as awful as the box score indicates.

The only other caping up I’ll do on behalf of State would be about the fans. I saw one poster say State fans were obnoxious and they’d never attend another game in Raleigh and that people cheered injured players. I don’t know what was said by any individual around that particular poster, but I can say I didn’t notice any cheering for injuries as a collective at all. The 2 injuries happened as positive plays for State - one being a turnover on a fast break when a UConn player spun into a double team and traveled and then fell down. The other was a sloppy situation after a State turnover followed by and immediate UConn turnover that led to a State lay up. So fans cheered the results of those plays - a turnover and a made basket. I heard no one cheering injuries, they did cheer when those players eventually stood up and walked off the court.

As someone who had attended many NCSU sporting events I have witnessed things I wasn’t proud of in the stands as I’m sure is the case with all fanbases. These things usually happen when we play UNC - and typically at a football game or men’s basketball game. But I didn’t notice anything like that yesterday. So anyhow that’s my little defense of the fan base - I hope the poster was just a little emotional after losing and will give a game in Raleigh a chance again. I think they have built a good game day atmosphere and there are good games to be seen there against quality teams.

Anyhow, thanks for allowing me to post here and I’ll be rooting for you guys going forward. I like UConns style of play and enjoy watching the product they put on the court. Hopefully we can meet again in the tournament - ideally deep into the thing! I’m not sure what to make of State yet, last year they had great wins over ND and Louisville and at Iowa yet dropped some headscratchers in the conference. I’m hoping this team is hungry and playing with a chip on the shoulder as being overlooked compared to last year. It’s hard to keep a program on that top level, State was rolling for 3 straight years and the wheels started to come off last year some and they had a lot of girls transfer out without reeling in much in the portal. But the freshman class is rated highly and they seem to have a top 10ish class coming the following year as well so maybe they are on the right track. I think they are definitely fighting for respect as a program and it’s a crowded ACC landscape with ND, Louisville and now UNC, VT and Duke coming online.

Thanks for posting and sharing your awesome points on the game with us, especially clearing up any misunderstanding about fan behavior at the game. NC State looked and played very well. You guys have a great program with some wonderfully talented players & coach. Best wishes on the rest of the season.

 

[JellyBean]

That presser was tough to watch but I watched. Coach G dropped some nuggets and the Paige, wise beyond her years, dropped some gems as well. The team will respond. It is always tough after a loss, but you just have to find the positives and go from there.

 

[NEforceUConn]

I did. There were NC State fans, not students, but older adults, celebrating when AG got hurt. It was disgusting and happened right in front of a fellow boneyarder. He called them out on it and told them they should be ashamed of themselves. Trash.

I was there and I did not have that experience. The NCS fans were cheering the action as AG went down. At the time it was a very close game with an energetic crowd. Once all realized AG was hurt the arena went quiet, and clapped when AG got up.

Yes there was maybe 2 or 3 seconds with AG down and fans cheering. But it wasn’t bad sportsmanship by NCS.

 

[Urshurak]

Hmmm...if those few people mean their entire fan base is trash....then that must include their fans on this board that are nothing but respectful. They must be putting on quite a ruse.

So, if that logic holds true then I guess I can assume since you went to Texas A&M that you must be trash because the few people I've met from there are just that. Also they are the worst drivers.

See how that logic works?

I meant those people were trash, not necessarily the entire fan base.