Holy Cross Postgame Thread

[ERWUC65]

I find the use of the word "scorn" to be unfair and incorrect. I would replace that negative characterization with "analysis." I love UConn women's basketball. That does not mean, however, that I don't think there hasn't been some fundamental changes in approach since the 2015-2016 season. It is easy to just chalk it all up to unlucky injuries and mischance. But maybe there has been a funadmental change from the last championship to now. Isn't it slightly possible that there could be factors that are in the coaches and players control to improve or make better to enhance the chances to win championship number 12? It's not scorn. It's a rational, objective look to see if a different approach might produce a more desired outcome. I will also admit, that there is a possibility that maybe nothing is wrong and my theory could be off base. A dialougue is certainly worth having.

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...

 

[EricSD]

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.

 

[The deacon]

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...

Your point is spot on, but the answer actually would be Iowa for the last several seasons.

Over a greater period, unquestionably it would be UConn.

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

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?

JoePgh- - -Ashlynn got pulled for a silly foul she made right after she came in!
Geno blew up and pulled her, but after CD talked to her he put her back in!

 

[Skeets]

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.

Well, I'm a little annoyed with Geno's immature team comment. The reasons?

You hit on it with the "B" team experiment. Geno's putting (almost) random kids on the court and then wonders why they don't execute like a well-oiled machine. You might say they need to be ready to go into the game. Yeah but 1 or 2 at a time not in bunches. That doesn't help team cohesion.

Paige was face-guarded the whole game and had trouble getting free. The 4 other kids on the court were not very effective in helping her get open. Could the random line ups have something to do with this?

In 1Q I don't recall seeing a single switch on defense. UConn always switches. Were they trying something new? They began switching in 2Q.

Late in the game UConn switched to a zone defense. Why, who knows? UConn almost never plays zone. They didn't stay in the zone for long. they switched back to man-to-man.

Bottom line is Geno treated this game as a lab experiment trying different things with different people on the court. Then he calls them immature when the result is less than perfect. Geno, don't blame the kids for 100% of this.

 

[Skeets]

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?

Thanks for the analysis on Ashlynn. I was going to hunt for a replay to see if perhaps Ash was distracted by receiving instructions from a coach or another player. In real time it looked like she was completely unready for the inbound play. We've seen this before. A player receiving instructions while the rest of the team plays 4 on 5. I didn't realize it was bad pick defense.

An alternate, less likely, theory. Maybe Ash entered the game by mistake and Geno really intended for another player to be in the game. (I've seen the men play 6 on 5 for a few seconds before the 6th guy scooted off the court before a technical could be called. So crazy things do happen.)

 

[Dugway]

Thanks for the analysis on Ashlynn. I was going to hunt for a replay to see if perhaps Ash was distracted by receiving instructions from a coach or another player. In real time it looked like she was completely unready for the inbound play. We've seen this before. A player receiving instructions while the rest of the team plays 4 on 5. I didn't realize it was bad pick defense.

An alternate, less likely, theory. Maybe Ash entered the game by mistake and Geno really intended for another player to be in the game. (I've seen the men play 6 on 5 for a few seconds before the 6th guy scooted off the court before a technical could be called. So crazy things do happen.)

I don't know why Ash was removed, but it did occur immediately after she was called for a personal foul.

 

[Zarathustra]

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

I did not think that it looked "flat"... I saw a "ROUND" ball go
into a "ROUND" Hoop! "Nothing but net"... always looks good!

 

[ConnManFan]

I did not think that it looked "flat"... I saw a "ROUND" ball go
into a "ROUND" Hoop! "Nothing but net"... always looks good!

The Mathematical Advantage of Having a Higher Shooting Arc​

A higher shooting arc creates a larger target area for the ball to enter through, increasing the probability of making a shot.

• Larger Target Area: High-arcing shots have a better chance of entering the hoop due to their larger target area.
• Better Bounce: High-arcing shots have softer bounces, increasing their likelihood of falling into baskets after contact with rims or backboards.

 

[Bigboote]

The Mathematical Advantage of Having a Higher Shooting Arc​

A higher shooting arc creates a larger target area for the ball to enter through, increasing the probability of making a shot.

• Larger Target Area: High-arcing shots have a better chance of entering the hoop due to their larger target area.
• Better Bounce: High-arcing shots have softer bounces, increasing their likelihood of falling into baskets after contact with rims or backboards.

I saw a paper in, I think, Nature, around 15-20 years ago, that analyzed the results of thousands of shots in NCAA and NBA games. It found that the optimum shooting percentage arises from a much flatter shot than one would expect. I don’t remember what the number was, but a really high arc was definitely not good.

 

[Skeets]

I saw a paper in, I think, Nature, around 15-20 years ago, that analyzed the results of thousands of shots in NCAA and NBA games. It found that the optimum shooting percentage arises from a much flatter shot than one would expect. I don’t remember what the number was, but a really high arc was definitely not good.

There's an optimum arc for sure, but the higher the arc the more margin of error you are introducing in the trajectory of the ball. I was always amazed at Charde Houston's foul shots. So flat that they didn't look like they would make it over the rim, and she was a very good foul shooter.

 

[Zarathustra]

I did not think that it looked "flat"... I saw a "ROUND" ball go
into a "ROUND" Hoop! "Nothing but net"... always looks good!

I found that my "flat " vs "round" led to some
unexpected thread follow-ups. My post was just one of my "play on words " thoughts.
But, I found the more researched comments that
followed on the thread rather interesting. Nice to belong to a
BONEYARD!
GO HUSKIES, "FLY" above the "Cardinals", and
then "make stew" out of the IRISH! I know... I made
a "hash" of it... again!