Holy Cross Postgame Thread

[HuskyNan]

Even excellent teams like South Carolina and UCLA can let up for a quarter. In the So Carolina vs Iowa State game, the Gamecocks beat a ranked team by 40 while playing a so-so Q3. The #1 ranked UCLA team actually lost Q2 to Hawaii in their last game. Do you think less of the Gamecocks and Bruins for that or is UConn the only one that earns your scorn?

 

[rt bb fan]

-Holy Cross was bound and determined like many opponents so far, the away the transition game by sending no one to the offensive boards.

-I didn’t think they were bad shots in the first half, they were just weren’t going in.

-Geno should patent that half time speech. The increased ball pressure intensity broke the game open.

-Paige was being close guarded meaning her defender was not playing any help d. Even as good as she is, it is tough getting shots.

-teams are getting away with letting KK shoot from outside. It is the only advantage Chen has over her. Chen is a better outside shooter.

-speaking of KK, 3 TOs in 7 games. Yikes.

A fabulous second half on both ends.

But Chen has not really scored a lot of points with her outside shooting. I am not sure i like how the offemse is running with her as point guard.

 

[rt bb fan]

What a luxury for Geno to be able to “bench” some players for lack of (whatever he was looking for—in the first quarter, I suspect defense). I enjoyed watching everyone get some minutes.

The game was played quickly. Holy Cross played with a good pace and didn’t allow UConn to get set up in their half court plays. Good for them. Also another reason I’m happy we have a bench this year. It allowed everyone to get breaks. I’m also sure the first half will provide some good film to watch.

Kaitlyn started the game with two ill advised drives to the basket—a tendency many of us have noticed. I thought, Oh NO!, not a good start. But she improved over the course of the game. It seems some Boneyarders are frustrated with her as point guard. Best to remember that she is taking on the hardest role in Geno’s system and she is a first-year player in that sense. Each game she is improving in decision making. She’s likely never going to look like a “UConn point guard” that has 4 years in the system. She brings her own strengths though, and Geno clearly trusts her over KK.

Speaking of KK (who also sometimes fall back on ill-advised drives), I thought she was very smart in her drives in the second half.

Shade (my favorite player at the moment) seemed to struggle coming off the bench for the first time in a long time. It’s a different role for her, and it will take a few games to learn how to quickly get up to speed in the middle of a quarter. She’ll figure it out.

Shade looks like she has lost confidence in her shooting!

 

[rt bb fan]

But Chen has not really scored a lot of points with her outside shooting. I am not sure i like how the offemse is running with her as point guard.

JUst checked box scoe and Chen had a decent game.

 

[hoophuskee]

I think it fair to say the UConn played "Overwhelming" at points throughout the game. It is also fair to say that we were also very "Underwhelming" at points throughout the game!

The first item I have been listing in the "List 3 things you want to see in the upcoming game" thread that goes around: A total team wide, 40-min effort, no let downs or slip ups. Continuous solid defense every trip down the court, and efficient offense. Well, we are 7 & 0, but thus far, this UConn team has not been close to achieving this '40-minute' effort.

Here is what Auriemma had to say about that point after the game:
"So yeah, an effort like this, against those teams ('really, really good teams' - four of the next six games on the schedule), and we won't be in the Top 25," he continued. "Holy Cross played in the first half like they were No. 5 in the country, and we played like we were unranked, which may be the case come December 21."

Geno is also the coach. His job is to find fault and demand perfection. As a fan, that's not mine. I don't have to pretend to be him to enjoy the game. I don't know why I'd watch if I mostly felt miserable.

And in his postgame he also spoke highly of Sarah, Chen, KK and Morgan. And is he really worrying about Paige and Azzi?

And he said his team is immature. We know that. Therefore there should be expectation this team will be. He doesn't have to accept it but we can acknowledge that we know it is.

At a later date when we play SoCal, it is possible Kiki will outplay Sarah. We can accept that but Geno won’t. As he said at halftime there are many things she can do better. He can pick her apart while at the same time he praised her play and what she does especially for a freshman. I'm not a coach, I don't feel as a fan I need to demand perfection or near it the same way he does. Thus, I take some of his comments in the manner that I want to see and enjoy watching as a fan.

 

[Performance]

Only UConn fans can be this sour after a 36 point beatdown

The drumbeat of criticism for Ice and Kaitlyn is astounding. Kaitlyn had 7 assists and was leading scorer at one point in the first half when the rest of the team couldn’t throw the ball into the ocean from a boat. And Ice - I thought she had a great game especially in the second half. I thought her confidence grew noticeably last night

I know people have their favorites but there’s no need to tear down one player to make another look better

It's the start of the season with a very young team, they are going to be fine once they get used to playing with each other and start to gel. No need to bash players at all. I for one really like this group and will continue to enjoy watching them even if there are some bumps in the road along the way. Please people calm down and enjoy!!!

 

[Bone Dog]

The "B" team experiment

UConn led 55-37 with 2 minutes left in the 3rd quarter, and Geno sat the Big 4 -- Paige Azzi Sarah and Ice. The "B" team floundered a little and Paige re-entered in the 4th and you could see the difference she made, not primarily by scoring, but mainly by settling them down on O & D. This is one of the reasons Paige's +/- is always so high. Sarah re-entered a couple minutes later, didn't score at all, but the others seemed to hustle a bit more than the already were. Ice replaced Jana 2 minutes later and scored 6 quick points and energized the rebounding. Allie came in and Paige and Sarah sat down at the 5 minute mark and didn't re-enter. Q came in at the 3 minute mark and Jana and Ice played a two-big set for the rest of the way.

In this 12 minute stretch Morgan and Ash were on the floor the most and both played really well. This is what this installment of the "B" team experiment showed. At least one or another of the "Big 4" has to be out there with the youngsters. But Morgan Ash KK can play well together. They outscored HC 33-15 in this stretch and built the lead to 36 by the end. I hope to see more experiments like this.

 

[cgshuskie]

I was very happy with Morgan. I think that she will be a solid part of the rotation. Also, count on Jana to improve, improve and improve more. Her desire to be great is palpable. Go Huskies

 

[Zonepress]

It's the start of the season with a very young team, they are going to be fine once they get used to playing with each other and start to gel. No need to bash players at all. I for one really like this group and will continue to enjoy watching them even if there are some bumps in the road along the way. Please people calm down and enjoy!!!

I don’t know how you can say. This is a very young team.
I have 2 fifth year players starting
Fourth-year player in azzi
Ice was a six man last year and started a number of games and played very well in the final four game
Do you have two players in Ashland and KK who are starters last year coming off the bench
And a freshman starter who seems completely unaffected by the rivers of college basketball
This is a very experienced team

 

[Zonepress]

It's the start of the season with a very young team, they are going to be fine once they get used to playing with each other and start to gel. No need to bash players at all. I for one really like this group and will continue to enjoy watching them even if there are some bumps in the road along the way. Please people calm down and enjoy!!!

I don’t know how you can say. This is a very young team.
I have 2 fifth year players starting
Fourth-year player in azzi
Ice was a six man last year and started a number of games and played very well in the final four game
Do you have two players in Ashland and KK who are starters last year coming off the bench
And a freshman starter who seems completely unaffected by the rivers of college basketball
This is a very experienced team

 

[PacoSwede]

well, what is it? what's your theory and how is it fixed?

 

[TRest]

well, what is it? what's your theory and how is it fixed?

Failing to recruit the best big in each class since then is the likely cause. That hopefully has been rectified.

 

[Patty Bailey]

Sarah was great....

What stood out to me was a lack of offensive rebounding. Too many one and dones. Sure, one can have a night when the shots aren't falling so it's important to get second chances.

Oh, I don't know....I remember one sequence where Sarah got about 3 rebounds right in a row within about 3 seconds.

 

[Longtime fan]

My guess is that the team was cold and off their game last year, at the same time ( just returned from Bahama tournament, Thanksgiving, etc ). The first half was kind of embarassing and chaotic, except for Sarah. P.S. I hope everyone ( team and coaches ) loves her and that she loves them. Because she is the UCONN " force" this season. And it would be sad to see any jealousies emerge. Against the Cross, she was simply the best Uconn player on the court.

Paige had a scramble day for her. Shot was off and she was harassed closely. The folks to whom she dished off were also having trouble finding the hoop ( except for you know who ), so the usual assists didn't materialize. UCONN gave up a few too many open threes in the first half, and HC did a pretty good job converting them. Our defense seemed discombobulated in first two periods. Some of that was due to massive substituting ( with I loved, by the way ).

I agree with Geno the that KK and Morgan were the two most impactful players off the bench yesterday. I sometimes noted Jana in the game without even realizing she had come in. She was fine ( ish ), but not as evident as she was against Mississippi. Quietly, ICE Brady was pretty good...offense and rebounding. Not sure how to rate her on defense and passing for assists. She plays, sometimes, as if she is afraid to take over the game, but feels like she could. But she doesn't ( she kind of did last year in the Big East tournament ). At least not yet. But this confidence is good.

ASH is having a tough time adjusting to new role ( off the bench ). Like everyone else, her shot was slow to get on target, but eventually she looked smoother. I think it is clear that UCONN is best with Paige and AZZI on the floor at the same time, and Sarah must always be there. Also, either ICE or Jana has to be there. So the " swing " spot is really the Chen, ASH, KK, and Maybe even Morgan spot.

I think Q and Allie are going to be the deeper bench, unless there is a breakout for one or both practice ( getting late for that ).

Match-ups will likely make the line-up choice easier on any given day. Although coach does like to have a starting five for the first and third quarters.

We'll see who emerges as the competition ramps up. This should be a demanding week of practice

 

[ERWUC65]

How about we start with Covid, add in players with injuries coming from high school, transfer, NIL, and conference realignment. Consider also that Geno, unlike many of his peers, prefers to recruit (especially from overseas) and develop in system rather than build thru the portal. Let's look at the last several years, has there been any other school to repeat at NCAA champion? Which school has more fans and created more game attendance over this time period? It is, has been, and always will be the UConn way. Be patient...

 

[EricLA]

FWIW, I've never been a fan of the "yay rah rah" mentality that some insist on, nor am I a fan of the doom and gloom Debbie downers.

I think at times I've been fairly critical of the team (fair IMHO), but also calling out great play by players.

I thought the first half stunk. BUT... the half court offense was actually pretty good. If you look at all the shots we took in Q1, literally all (or almost all) were wide open. So we ran our offense well, we just couldn't put the ball in the basket at all. We got the lead to 10 or 11 in the 2nd quarter and ended up giving some of that back going into halftime up only 6.

And I do think HC played stout defense but all it did was force the extra pass from UCONN, which was nice to see, even if almost none of the shots were falling.

Geno nailed it - sarcasm - "we are playing the #5 team in the country and we don't look like a top 25 team". Bingo. It was just a bad half. I'm so glad he was yanking players and giving kids like Cheli a chance to shine. I'd have to go back and rewatch the half to see if his criticism of Paige was spot on, but she only took 9 shots the entire game so it's not like he lit a fire under her.

Paige was underwhelming. Sure she had rebounds and assists, but 11 points on 9 shots? Not her best game for sure.

Sarah - continues to be the big surprise for me this season. I knew she'd be good, I had no idea she'd be this good, this fast.

Kaitlyn - Bravo. Nice game from her. Especially in the first half when no one was scoring. I like how she drives to the basket from the side tiptoeing along the baseline to then zip a pass out and continue the good ball movement.

Ice - She'll never be 6'5"+, but she's been very solid all season, and this game was no exception. And a bunch of assists from her this game.

Azzi - apparently a game time decision to play. Flu bug and vomiting before the game? If 7 points in 18 minutes 1-3 from deep is a "sick as a dog" Azzi, can't wait to see her 100% healthy.

KK - simply should never shoot a 3. Period. She's left wide open for a reason. But her ball handling and drives to the basket in H2 were very nice to see.

Jana - not her best game and there's a reason she only played 13 minutes.

Morgan - very well done. good to see her getting open and contributing.

Ash - sub par game from her. She was know in HS for her pull up jumper - where is that this season? If she can't score, she should be behind KK and Azzi on the depth chart because toughness alone isn't enough to be ahead of those other 2.

Allie - hopefully she gets it soon, but slow foot speed, barely average defense, and average ball handling will get you 0 playing time. She was known as a 3 point sniper in high school, and if she can't do that in college, she will find herself at the very end of the bench.

Q - great energy and athleticism and her drive to the basket was a highlight. But her understanding of where to be on offense and defense is still a glaring weakness for her.

Overall a very inconsistent game. I don't expect 4 complete quarters this early in the season. Heck, even our best teams rarely had a 40 minute complete game. But the stretches of uninspired, sloppy, missing shots play is far too many minutes in a 40 minute game. I get that they were coming back from a lovely time at the beaches, so Morgan V. nailed it. Doesn't mean Geno should be happy about it, and I'm super glad he as critical of the team and unhappy.

 

[JoePgh]

I attended and then re-watched the game, but I haven't watched Geno's or the players' post game interviews yet.

However, I think many posters in this thread are making the classic mistake of confusing "shooting well" with "playing well". I think that if 50%, rather than 27%, of those shots in the first quarter had fallen (and most of them were good, wide-open shots), UConn would have had a 10-point lead at the end of the first quarter and most of the complainers in this thread would have had nothing to grouch about.

But I see that Geno also said that the first-half play was substandard. He doesn't usually confuse playing well with shooting well, or shooting poorly with playing poorly -- so I have to take his comment seriously. I guess he felt that the first-half defense wasn't disruptive enough, and perhaps he was right -- early in the third quarter, UConn got several steals that led to fast-break points, which never happened in the first half. Holy Cross was obviously trying to slow the pace of the game by using most of the shot clock before they took a shot, and UConn did not create enough pressure on the ball in the first half to prevent them from doing that. In the third quarter, that clearly changed, and perhaps Holy Cross got a bit fatigued.

By the way, can someone tell me (and the rest of the folks here) exactly what defensive mistake Ashlynn made in her first 10 seconds on the court that got her pulled immediately after she entered the game? I rewatched that play, and she did not appear to me to be out of position. She did get caught in a screen, which allowed her opponent to get open for a score, but the usual expectation is that a screen like that will cause a switch, so it would be someone else's responsibility to oppose the shot after Ashlynn was screened. Did Geno think that she should have gone under the screen rather than attempting to get over it? Or was there a communication issue? The play did occur right in front of the UConn bench, so maybe Geno didn't hear Ashlynn make a call that he expected her to make?

 

[ctchamps]

I am adequately whelmed. Not overwhelmed, to be certain, but definitely whelmed.

What's the over under you will be whelmed next game?

 

[DEpup]

What a luxury for Geno to be able to “bench” some players for lack of (whatever he was looking for—in the first quarter, I suspect defense). I enjoyed watching everyone get some minutes.

The game was played quickly. Holy Cross played with a good pace and didn’t allow UConn to get set up in their half court plays. Good for them. Also another reason I’m happy we have a bench this year. It allowed everyone to get breaks. I’m also sure the first half will provide some good film to watch.

Kaitlyn started the game with two ill advised drives to the basket—a tendency many of us have noticed. I thought, Oh NO!, not a good start. But she improved over the course of the game. It seems some Boneyarders are frustrated with her as point guard. Best to remember that she is taking on the hardest role in Geno’s system and she is a first-year player in that sense. Each game she is improving in decision making. She’s likely never going to look like a “UConn point guard” that has 4 years in the system. She brings her own strengths though, and Geno clearly trusts her over KK.

Speaking of KK (who also sometimes fall back on ill-advised drives), I thought she was very smart in her drives in the second half.

Shade (my favorite player at the moment) seemed to struggle coming off the bench for the first time in a long time. It’s a different role for her, and it will take a few games to learn how to quickly get up to speed in the middle of a quarter. She’ll figure it out.

I too loved the benching. It reminded me of I think a Tulane game in the Stewie, Tuck, and MoJeff era where he benched all 5 starters for like the first quarter or maybe half because he didn't like their effort.

 

[RedStickHusky]

What's the over under you will be whelmed next game?

What do you get crossing an elephant with a rhino?

 

[hoophuskee]

I attended and then re-watched the game, but I haven't watched Geno's or the players' post game interviews yet.

However, I think many posters in this thread are making the classic mistake of confusing "shooting well" with "playing well". I think that if 50%, rather than 27%, of those shots in the first quarter had fallen (and most of them were good, wide-open shots), UConn would have had a 10-point lead at the end of the first quarter and most of the complainers in this thread would have had nothing to grouch about.

But I see that Geno also said that the first-half play was substandard. He doesn't usually confuse playing well with shooting well, or shooting poorly with playing poorly -- so I have to take his comment seriously. I guess he felt that the first-half defense wasn't disruptive enough, and perhaps he was right -- early in the third quarter, UConn got several steals that led to fast-break points, which never happened in the first half. Holy Cross was obviously trying to slow the pace of the game by using most of the shot clock before they took a shot, and UConn did not create enough pressure on the ball in the first half to prevent them from doing that. In the third quarter, that clearly changed, and perhaps Holy Cross got a bit fatigued.

By the way, can someone tell me (and the rest of the folks here) exactly what defensive mistake Ashlynn made in her first 10 seconds on the court that got her pulled immediately after she entered the game? I rewatched that play, and she did not appear to me to be out of position. She did get caught in a screen, which allowed her opponent to get open for a score, but the usual expectation is that a screen like that will cause a switch, so it would be someone else's responsibility to oppose the shot after Ashlynn was screened. Did Geno think that she should have gone under the screen rather than attempting to get over it? Or was there a communication issue? The play did occur right in front of the UConn bench, so maybe Geno didn't hear Ashlynn make a call that he expected her to make?

I'd have to re-watch again later but I believe Ashlynn didn't "jump to the ball" (A phrase my coach would say meaning postiioning yourself more toward the middle of the floor where you can also be available for help defense etc. Doesn't mean physically "jump." more like move quicking in the middle toward the ball.) while the ball was on the other side, so when the pass/passes swung from one side closer to her side she may have been caught trailing the offensive player from behind instead of being more toward the middle in a better position to deny the eventual pass (or just be in beter overall position) that got to the offensive player. As a result the moment the offensive player caught the pass, Ash was "a trailer." I could be wrong.

I like to rewatch the games for fun - I'll look again in regard to Paige and overall the Offense. I think you might be spot on about the Defense. whichmaybe infuenced Geno's comments about the offense. And if Paige isn't playing prolific and the team was not in real danger of losing, he maybe got playful with his sarcasm about her the way he usually does with his experienced superstars.

 

[MilfordHusky]

In another thread someone observed that the trajectory of Sarah’s perimeter shot looked pretty flat and wondered if this had something to do with her low percentage in previous games. Tonight it looked to me like she was shooting a higher arc. Did anyone else notice this?

I think Sarah’s shot is a little flat, but it works for her.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I too loved the benching. It reminded me of I think a Tulane game in the Stewie, Tuck, and MoJeff era where he benched all 5 starters for like the first quarter or maybe half because he didn't like their effort.

I think Stewie and Tuck got benched for about 34 minutes.

 

[Stagnant]

Weird lineup. Surprisingly effective in the 4th quarter.

Chen
Shade
Ziebell
Cheli
Brady

Scoring 4-5 possessions in a row. Forcing turnovers on defense.