Iowa Postgame Thread

[Geew1992]

Overall, we beat a top team by almost 30 and one could argue that we had a off shooting night in the first.

One thing that scares me about Azzi is that she can miss a lot of shots before she starts hitting again. The good thing is that she then hits a lot of shots. I think she made 4 of her last 5 three pointers which is insane.

Azzi of the past would have stopped shooting if she was missing a ton of shots. See the 2025 USC game. This Azzi that keeps shooting… that’s what we want

 

[BRS24]

I am surprised Geno played the starters so much in the 4th quarter. Maybe he was thinking about the Michigan game? I do think he should have stuck with Heckel to start the 4th quarter. The decision to bring back KK meant she was only in the game for like 2 minutes; she gets some really short spurts sometimes.

IMO, Geno will not call off the dogs until the opposing coach does. If you are down by 20+ points in the 4th Q and there's really no way to score and stop the winning team, I've always thought it was the losing team that usually does it first. Then again, if UConn is up by a healthy 30+, I'm betting Geno does sub out.

 

[HuskyNan]

God forbid, but what if injuries pop up to some of the starters? Give your 4 or 5 top reserves MORE playing time. Let them be ready so there will be no pause in the forward movement of this team.

 

[FanSince17]

Couple X's and O's questions:
Why do you think UConn did not trap much yesterday? Most of the pressure was just on-ball.
Why does it seem that UConn does not try to front the post on the block. We seem ok with playing behind the post. Remember against UCLA in the Final Four Jana was super successful fronting Betts.

 

[Jim]

Too talented? Yes! Too deep? No! Geno has 6 players he trusts in Top 25 games. All the other players get ten or less minutes of garbage time.

To refute your point, go back and take a look at the Michigan game replay. When Michigan got to two points with 26 seconds remaining, Geno subbed in Allie for Serah Williams expecting Michigan to foul, which they did. Unfortunately for the Wolverines, Sarah got the ball into Azzi, who is probably one of the best free throw shooters in the nation. Allie wasn't the recipient of the inbounds pass, but Geno trusts that she is a better free throw shooter than Serah. But the point remains, you don't sub in someone you don't trust when the game is on the line (unless fouls or injuries dictate otherwise.) Depending upon the situation and match-ups, Geno does trust Blanca, Allie, and Kayleigh to deliver.

 

[oldude]

Couple X's and O's questions:
Why do you think UConn did not trap much yesterday? Most of the pressure was just on-ball.
Why does it seem that UConn does not try to front the post on the block. We seem ok with playing behind the post. Remember against UCLA in the Final Four Jana was super successful fronting Betts.

Traps happen when the team you’re guarding gets stuck in the corner or picks up their dribble without a plan to pass or shoot the ball. Iowa is a well coached team that works hard on not getting themselves into those situations. With that said, UConn did trap yesterday, whenever those opportunities arose, forcing several turnovers.

Fronting the post is a highly risky defense. In fact, many posts try to get defenders on their back, facing the basket (fronting the post) resulting in an easy entry pass and layup. That happened several times yesterday with Iowa post players. One of the very best at it is Sarah, who will get a player on her back, lock her there, turn to the basket and receive an entry pass for an easy layup.

There are only a handful of defenders I have ever seen who are consistently effective when attempting to front a post. The best was Gabby Williams. While she is only 5’11”, Gabby’s incredible athleticism and jumping ability allowed her to front a much bigger post and still get her hands on most entry passes.

You mention the game against UCLA last year. UConn did not play Betts the same way all game. I wouldn’t call what Jana was doing “ fronting.” She was overplaying to one side, with her arm extended to try to get a hand on entry passes. UConn also doubled and tripled Betts whenever she put the ball on the floor. In the first half, UConn was very effective against Betts as the Huskies built a big lead. In the 2nd half, not so much, as Betts ended the game with 26 pts.

 

[HuskyNan]

 

[HuskyNan]

 

[FanSince17]

Traps happen when the team you’re guarding gets stuck in the corner or picks up their dribble without a plan to pass or shoot the ball. Iowa is a well coached team that works hard on not getting themselves into those situations. With that said, UConn did trap yesterday, whenever those opportunities arose, forcing several turnovers.

Fronting the post is a highly risky defense. In fact, many posts try to get defenders on their back, facing the basket (fronting the post) resulting in an easy entry pass and layup. That happened several times yesterday with Iowa post players. One of the very best at it is Sarah, who will get a player on her back, lock her there, turn to the basket and receive an entry pass for an easy layup.

There are only a handful of defenders I have ever seen who are consistently effective when attempting to front a post. The best was Gabby Williams. While she is only 5’11”, Gabby’s incredible athleticism and jumping ability allowed her to front a much bigger post and still get her hands on most entry passes.

You mention the game against UCLA last year. UConn did not play Betts the same way all game. I wouldn’t call what Jana was doing “ fronting.” She was overplaying to one side, with her arm extended to try to get a hand on entry passes. UConn also doubled and tripled Betts whenever she put the ball on the floor. In the first half, UConn was very effective against Betts as the Huskies built a big lead. In the 2nd half, not so much, as Betts ended the game with 26 pts.

I appreciate your terrific response. I always look for your posts and I value them greatly.
As with most tactics and strategies, there are pros and cons and/or two sides of the coin. I loved the game and I'm not quibbling about any of Geno's decisions. I am just opening up the possibility that we had some advantages that we could have exploited more.
In my "career" I was taught how to front a post. You are certainly right that it opens up a high pass overtop. A lot can go wrong when the offense lobs a pass. UConn is fantastic at sliding over weakside, so that would be done. Our posts, especially Sarah, Serah, and Blanca are incredibly agile and they are going to intercept or disrupt those passes. Basically, I'm just talking about overplay, which UConn is doing 94 feet better than anyone else in the country. Overplay the posts. That's all.
I'll be honest, it bugs me when a post can catch the ball on the block and just turn and score.
I have posted and you have liked my analysis of UConn post defense against Betts. It was masterful. The guards came down beautifully and doubled. And yes, Jana took away numerous post passes, including 2 or 3 steals. You don't have to call me on that. Fronting the post is a legitimate strategy and IMO the tactic would be effective for UConn. You're the best!

 

[JellyBean]

Can we talk about KK!?

32 minutes. 6 assists and ZERO turnovers.

And don't forget, 7 points on 50% shooting and 2/2 from deep. KK's game is so well balanced. I just love how she (and Ashlynn) just goes about her business and gives 100% out there on the floor.

 

[uconnfan68]

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The Allen Iverson effect.

 

[JellyBean]

Hats off to Iowa. Living in Big Ten country (Minnesota), Iowa has always had a pretty competitive program. I have not seen Iowa have many lean seasons. They are always well coached, and their skill development is always pretty impressive, considering how they don't land 5-Star talent. The coaching staff just develops the talent they get. Coach Jensen is going to continue that successful trend.

 

[FanSince17]

Hats off to Iowa. Living in Big Ten country (Minnesota), Iowa has always had a pretty competitive program. I have not seen Iowa have many lean seasons. They are always well coached, and their skill development is always pretty impressive, considering how they don't land 5-Star talent. The coaching staff just develops the talent they get. Coach Jensen is going to continue that successful trend.

I’m a Marylander living in Maine. Do people realize that women’s basketball has a rich and long tradition in Iowa. The longest and richest anywhere. I’m talking 75-80 years. They played a game of 3 on 3 that used the entire court. 3 defenders on one end and 3 offensive players on the other with a funky transition pass in between.
There’s a full length film called Providence that revolved around the time when the game became extinct. The main character was a reporter relegated to doing a story on it and obviously he was surprised and impressed by it. Mothers and daughters playing basketball. If you believe in the effect of tradition. I do.

 

[cancontent]

The Allen Iverson effect.

One of the most misunderstood quote soundbites in sports. It gave people the wrong impression of him because they didn't realize his response was a combination of frustration and grief after losing a close friend.

 

[hoophuskee]

To refute your point, go back and take a look at the Michigan game replay. When Michigan got to two points with 26 seconds remaining, Geno subbed in Allie for Serah Williams expecting Michigan to foul, which they did. Unfortunately for the Wolverines, Sarah got the ball into Azzi, who is probably one of the best free throw shooters in the nation. Allie wasn't the recipient of the inbounds pass, but Geno trusts that she is a better free throw shooter than Serah. But the point remains, you don't sub in someone you don't trust when the game is on the line (unless fouls or injuries dictate otherwise.) Depending upon the situation and match-ups, Geno does trust Blanca, Allie, and Kayleigh to deliver.

Yes --we're a deep team.

 

[ThisJustIn]

Congrats to UConn for a completely dominating victory. We absolutely will pay money to avoid UConn in the pairings to attempt to get to the Final Four. Review of the box score was surprising: felt like the Huskies shot about 60% from 3 but alas, it was only 13-29 for 45%.

26 turnovers by us was disappointing; I expected 20 at least, but not the type that UConn forced. So many of them were just "poke aways"; Iowa needs to be much stronger with the ball. The other thing that was really embarrassing was our offensive flow; non-existent would be kind. UConn's could be described as: "pass and cut"; Iowa's: "dribble and watch". Huskies play great D; quite a bit easier when your opponent doesn't even move on offense.

This loss will be beneficial to Iowa's growth. Good luck to you the rest of the way.

Really appreciated the thoughtfulness of your coach and the quality of your team's play. You've got a good'un.

 

[Bone Dog]

Hats off to Iowa. Living in Big Ten country (Minnesota), Iowa has always had a pretty competitive program. I have not seen Iowa have many lean seasons. They are always well coached, and their skill development is always pretty impressive, considering how they don't land 5-Star talent. The coaching staff just develops the talent they get. Coach Jensen is going to continue that successful trend.

I totally second this appraisal. Hats off to Jan Jensen for maintaining the standard of excellence she inherited from her mentor, Lisa Bluder. Iowa is a well-coached team and it really shows. And hats off to the Iowa AD for choosing to continue the tradition of excellence by promoting from within rather than bringing in an outsider.

One thing you expect from an Iowa team, rather like what you see from Jim Flanery’s Creighton teams, is a commitment to a ball-hawking team culture. You could call it the Midwest style of basketball, but it’s really just what good coaching looks like. That sort of culture requires a lot of buy-in from the players and is a sign of a good coaching staff.

And one other reflection: Jan said she recruited Allie hard, and obviously Geno did too. I think it’s easy to see why both coaches wanted her. The interesting thing to consider is why Allie chose UConn over Iowa. That decision is starting to pay off for her this season. But I can easily see it having been a difficult choice. There are attractive aspects of each program from a player’s perspective.

 

[#1Genofan]

When K9 came in during first half, I agree that she wasn't effective, and if I'm remembering correctly, KK came back in. When K9 subbed for KK with 2-3 mins left to go in 3rd Q, I ifigure Geno was just trying to steal some rest minutes for KK, as he used to do for Paige last year. K9 did well in those 2 mins to end the quarter.

I think Heckel's minutes were also a product of ChitChat Wright, and how Geno seemed to feel KK (and maybe KK alone) could guard her.

 

[Centerstream]

I haven't looked yet but I hope that the Michigan vs Iowa game(s) are nationally televised (Fox, B1G Network, etc.). That should be a pretty good matchup. Unfortunately one team will lose but I hope they are nail biters.
The same when these two teams play UCLA and USC during their conference schedule.

 

[cancontent]

I haven't looked yet but I hope that the Michigan vs Iowa game(s) are nationally televised (Fox, B1G Network, etc.). That should be a pretty good matchup. Unfortunately one team will lose but I hope they are nail biters.
The same when these two teams play UCLA and USC during their conference schedule.

Believe it is. Michigan has majority of the nationally televised games during conference play this season.

 

[Zonepress]

I agree with the comparison of Maya

Overall, we beat a top team by almost 30 and one could argue that we had a off shooting night in the first.

One thing that scares me about Azzi is that she can miss a lot of shots before she starts hitting again. The good thing is that she then hits a lot of shots. I think she made 4 of her last 5 three pointers which is insane.

KK is the consummate floor general. I have been very impressed with her decision making. Not just by the passes she makes, but also by the passes she doesn't make. You can count on her making the right decision most every time, which is a big relief for a coach. If she could hit a couple more shots, she could be all american. I'd like to know what the Assist TO ratio for our guards is to the opponents. Its nice to know in every game we have better guards that the opposition.

Bianca is just scratching the surface. She is rough around the edges but still good enough to make a huge impact when she enters the game.

Two players I'm still trying to figure out: Jana and Allie. I am beginning to think that Janna is not going to evolve into a scorer but instead a good rebounder and a couple put backs a game.

Allie, she can shoot no doubt, but I think she is a real liability against quicker players, making her a tricky substitution for Geno. Not so much this game, but in others and in the future.

don’t agree at all that “allie is a liability against quicker players” that may have been true last year
she did not get beat off the dribble at all yesterday
and her defense was sound . that she’s more than a shooter and routinely when she gets a chance, puts the ball in the floor and gets to the basket. The idea that she simply a shooter can’t defend is way off base.
imho the players ahead of her are simply better players
what she has done is shown that she can compete at the biggest level of wbb and get minutes in competitive games

 

[LwrcasefaN]

At the end of the third with about 50 seconds left Blanca had a steal. I have never seen a player reach AROUND and get BOTH hands on a clean pick. I had to play it over again before I trusted my eyes. She’s like a human Gumby. 🤣

 

[Boreifs]

View attachment 114869

Of course pianists schedule concerts to improve, as does every serious musician. Playing before an audience is the last and most important step, one that causes anxiety and failure in many.

 

[Boreifs]

I’m a Marylander living in Maine. Do people realize that women’s basketball has a rich and long tradition in Iowa. The longest and richest anywhere. I’m talking 75-80 years. They played a game of 3 on 3 that used the entire court. 3 defenders on one end and 3 offensive players on the other with a funky transition pass in between.
There’s a full length film called Providence that revolved around the time when the game became extinct. The main character was a reporter relegated to doing a story on it and obviously he was surprised and impressed by it. Mothers and daughters playing basketball. If you believe in the effect of tradition. I do.

It was also the last state to abandon the antiquated women’s game where there were offensive and defensive sides of the court. I wouldn’t label that a rich tradition.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

Couple X's and O's questions:
Why do you think UConn did not trap much yesterday? Most of the pressure was just on-ball.
Why does it seem that UConn does not try to front the post on the block. We seem ok with playing behind the post. Remember against UCLA in the Final Four Jana was super successful fronting Betts.

Think it’s a match up decision considering mobility, height and even girth comparisons. Generally when we double the post guards are digging at the ball from the front or assisting help side from the baseline or the middle of the lane.

 

[Zonepress]

Think it’s a match up decision considering mobility, height and even girth comparisons. Generally when we double the post guards are digging at the ball from the front or assisting help side from the baseline or the middle of the lane.

i suspect the coaches made a decision not to have the guards
double to guard against the 3
as it was iowa made 5 3’s in the first half which kept them in
the game

 

[FanSince17]

It was also the last state to abandon the antiquated women’s game where there were offensive and defensive sides of the court. I wouldn’t label that a rich tradition.

Why not? Watch the movie. It was important to a lot of people for a long time. Come on man!

 

[Bone Dog]

don’t agree at all that “allie is a liability against quicker players” that may have been true last year
she did not get beat off the dribble at all yesterday
and her defense was sound . that she’s more than a shooter and routinely when she gets a chance, puts the ball in the floor and gets to the basket. The idea that she simply a shooter can’t defend is way off base.
imho the players ahead of her are simply better players
what she has done is shown that she can compete at the biggest level of wbb and get minutes in competitive games

I'm with you on this. Allie is not a defensive liability anymore -- not because she's become super quick or athletic. It's because she has learned how to play within the system. This is the same trajectory KML followed, since she was also not super quick but was not a defensive liability because she knew where she was supposed to be on defense at all times.

Allie did in fact find herself guarding Chit Chat a couple of times yesterday and did not let the side down.

 

[Bigboote]

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I once read an article on Hilary Hahn in which she said (this is from memory) that she'd played Bach every day since she was four or five, no matter how tired or sick she was. (This was after she'd had her first child, but before her recent injury.) That's love and dedication. I wish I had that kind of dedication to the craft.

 

[Huskee11]

I realize that UConn shot over fifty percent from the floor, but it didn’t feel that way. I think the reason is that virtually all of the shots they are getting are open shots from the outside or layups in close, some contested. This bodes well, the offense is working well to create good looks. It is a surprise when they don’t go in. When they were up 11-3, it felt like it should have been 20-3.

Along the same vein, the team shot 45% from three despite Azzi and Sarah combining to miss 14 threes, all 14 of which were good, makeable shots.

Other encouraging items:

KK 2 for 2 from three, both taken without hesitation; team other than Sarah and Azzi was 5 for 7 from three.

Leading scorer Heiden had two first half points.

17 UConn steals, 26 Iowa turnovers.

69 field goal attempts versus 51 for Iowa.

Blanca showed once again she is ready to excel against top competition.

Allie looked very comfortable out there on offense and appeared to me to be playing with increased energy defensively.