Louisville Postgame Thread

[Happydad745]

I thought UConn played very well considering all the new talent being injected into the lineup. 3 pointers were not good, but many hit close enough to only need a small adjustment. Sarah Strong is a big wow! I did not care for the 16 fouls we had, and was a little concerned when the lead dwindled to 10.

 

[WiseWillie]

Fun game to watch early on. The guards will be exciting led by KK and Azzi. Three point shooting will get better as they had some great looks.

I expect Williams to improve and to mesh well with Sarah. One of my favorite plays was the great pass from Sarah to Serah for a layup in first half.

I think the "a" and "e" are reversed. It was a pass from Serah to Sarah that Rebecca made an effort to mention in a replay that showed the ball going spot on into Sarah's shooting hand so that all she needed to do was put the ball up. You are right about Serah. She looked a little tentative and unsure whether to shoot or pass several times when she had the ball but she has experience and will settle in as she gets more comfortable with the UConn offensive sets. Right now besides knocking the first game jitters off I would like to see her become a tenacious force on defense and command the paint.

 

[DemonDeac22]

Nice first game without all-world Paige and with 2 newcomers learning how to play UConn basketball in their first game of the season against a strong top-ranked opponent. This team will jell once they get more real game experience playing with each other. Loved KK’s offensive aggressiveness and Heckel was a very pleasant surprise.

Does anyone know what injury held Blanca out tonight?

 

[1974yankees]

Heckel looks way better than I expected.

This was only the first game and we all know that they will get much better as the season rolls along.

I was hoping to see Blanca but I guess she is hurt? I actually had to go to the roster listing on the Uconn site to see what number she wears. I forgot.

 

[HCCForever]

I think the "a" and "e" are reversed. It was a pass from Serah to Sarah that Rebecca made an effort to mention in a replay that showed the ball going spot on into Sarah's shooting hand so that all she needed to do was put the ball up. You are right about Serah. She looked a little tentative and unsure whether to shoot or pass several times when she had the ball but she has experience and will settle in as she gets more comfortable with the UConn offensive sets. Right now besides knocking the first game jitters off I would like to see her become a tenacious force on defense and command the paint.

You are correct. It was at the 8:43 mark of 3rd quarter.

 

[ConnMotors]

Seriously; the starters were still playing with five minutes left in the game. As someone said earlier Sarah and Azzi played 38 minutes. So much for a deep bench. I know that it was bus lag. They have another talented team coming up against Florida State. This is as close that we will ever get to playing in the ACC.

 

[BRS24]

This won't be a popular opinion, but you're not wrong.

Sera Williams was a first team Big Ten double double machine? You'd never know it from this performance. That was dreadful. At least guard your opposite big and not let them put up a 20/20 game against you with half a dozen open three point shots.

KK great game and hopefully she keeps hitting the open shots. Heckel great game, she's going to be a headache to guard because she's going to have wide open spaces to cut and drive.

Sarah and Azzi will be fine. Ash will be fine. But considering all of that sudden depth at the center position, at least one of them has to at least rebound, box out, play defense and protect the rim. One game isn't a season, but this was alot closer than it should have been.

Dreadful? That's a strong word for Serah Williams' first real game at UConn, against quality competition. She has said that "everything" was more intense than at WI. It was reported that she was still learning the offensive sets and her teammates' tendencies, so I will give her grace and space to grow.

 

[Stagnant]

I was a little disappointed in how the bench was used/not used. 1st game and it was never never in doubt. Sarah is so damn special in every aspect of the game.

I just think you saw the rotation. There was no “garbage time” today. Louisville didn’t allow us to land the kill shot and they cut the game to 10 late.

Caroline, Fisher, and Ayanna will probably play against Loyola.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

This was a real mixed bag - some good things for sure, and some not so good things.

Was really impressed with:

• Sarah - she really can do it all and I love that the announcers are already talking her up as a NPOY candidate
• Azzi - her shot really was off 9-20, but she's special
• KK - more offense and almost 3 point shooting than we saw from most of last season
• Kayleigh - really worked hard and showed an all court game
• The defense especially in the first half was energetic
• Lots of open looks

The team got a lot of good looks, but the shooting was not good. 4-26 from 3. L'ville made a nice run and really showed some good stuff. Geno was pretty happy after the game ("we shot 4-1000 for the game from 3" LOL.

9-20 is pretty good for a perimeter player overall

 

[Gael]

For me, this was a mixed drink, cognitive dissonance, and a bundle of surprises.

First, I never thought UConn would so dominate the first 10 minutes of the season—as if all rust had been sandblasted away in preseason practice—only to corrode over, and lose, the next 30 minutes. A lot of that was all the missed arc shots (4-26), which probably was mostly a statistical aberration. The wrong tail of the bell curve wagging . . . at probably the right and only time.

Second, I never would have predicted the scoring margin. No, not THAT scoring margin! The margin between the points scored by the two alternating point guards, KK and K9 (27), and the points scored by the two alternating centers, Williams and JEA (6). Give long-stemmed roses to the PGs; Popeye's spinach to the Cs.

One of those centers started on last season's NC team, and other, who took that starting position away, has been predicted to be a top 10 draft pick. There needs to be improvement in getting the paint ball into Serah and Jana when they are in their preferred positions to score. Whatever those positions are. Same with Ice. This is both a teamwork issue and an individualistic post positioning and post move issue. Time and learning will resolve these issues.

There's no such problem with Sarah Strong. Throw the ball anywhere near her zip code when she's in the paint, and she'll catch and deliver the mail. "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays [that] courier from the swift completion of [her] appointed rounds."

Third, I was surprised at the substitution and play patterns, given the two preseason games. Almost no pressing. Little transition game. No Blanca at all, and no explanations given (that I heard) about her availability. Only six minutes for Ziebell. No minutes for Fisher, Ducharme, Patterson or Malou-Mamel. And for all the height on the team, there was for a while a four guard lineup on the floor with Serah (not Sarah).

The drink could have been better, but it was tasty. And mostly made my mouth water for the much stronger stuff I know will be served in future games.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I enjoyed the game and hanging out with RoadWarrior. It was a pro-UConn crowd.

The first quarter was solid. The fourth quarter was weak. How good is Louisville? I can't say.

Sarah does more on the court than anyone in the nation.

Azzi showed a lot of movement and a substantial repertoire. She'll shoot better.

KK made a bunch of shots, but apparently several with her foot on the line. She was a terror on defense.

K9 looked really good, especially for a sophomore at a new school. She made several great cuts.

Serah did not have a good game. She'll get better.

Ash shot poorly before halftime, as she tends to do sometimes.

I was disappointed that Blanca and Gandy were not in uniform--and that Morgan wasn't there at all.

On the way out, I thought I was at a Beatles concert. There were a couple dozen teenage girls screaming in the hallway. I paused for a moment to see what was going on. They were screaming P-A-I-G-E!

 

[Linart]

Did anyone else notice that when the Louisville players were introduced, they seemed subdued, almost apprehensive. When our players were introduced, they bounded out laughing and smiling. That carried over to the entire first quarter.

 

[Linart]

Slightly OT, but Quadence Samuels started for victorious NC State today and played 30 minutes.

 

[ec33]

For me, this was a mixed drink, cognitive dissonance, and a bundle of surprises.

First, I never thought UConn would so dominate the first 10 minutes of the season—as if all rust had been sandblasted away in preseason practice—only to corrode over, and lose, the next 30 minutes. A lot of that was all the missed arc shots (4-26), which probably was mostly a statistical aberration. The wrong tail of the bell curve wagging . . . at probably the right and only time.

Second, I never would have predicted the scoring margin. No, not THAT scoring margin! The margin between the points scored by the two alternating point guards, KK and K9 (27), and the points scored by the two alternating centers, Williams and JEA (6). Give long-stemmed roses to the PGs; Popeye's spinach to the Cs.


Third, I was surprised at the substitution and play patterns, given the two preseason games. Almost no pressing. Little transition game. No Blanca at all, and no explanations given (that I heard) about her availability.

 

[Gael]

Thanks. I don't do any social media unless someone or a search engine puts something in front of me.

 

[donalddoowop]

Louisville won the last 3 quarters by 3 points. If teams shut down KK early on,UConn could be in trouble.

Do you really think that the rest of the UConn team is going to play the way they played tonight? Don't expect KK to score like she did tonight in every game. KK could go scoreless and UConn can win by double digits. She does other things well. UConn's guard position is in good hands for the next few seasons.

 

[donalddoowop]

For me, this was a mixed drink, cognitive dissonance, and a bundle of surprises.

First, I never thought UConn would so dominate the first 10 minutes of the season—as if all rust had been sandblasted away in preseason practice—only to corrode over, and lose, the next 30 minutes. A lot of that was all the missed arc shots (4-26), which probably was mostly a statistical aberration. The wrong tail of the bell curve wagging . . . at probably the right and only time.

Second, I never would have predicted the scoring margin. No, not THAT scoring margin! The margin between the points scored by the two alternating point guards, KK and K9 (27), and the points scored by the two alternating centers, Williams and JEA (6). Give long-stemmed roses to the PGs; Popeye's spinach to the Cs.

One of those centers started on last season's NC team, and other, who took that starting position away, has been predicted to be a top 10 draft pick. There needs to be improvement in getting the paint ball into Serah and Jana when they are in their preferred positions to score. Whatever those positions are. Same with Ice. This is both a teamwork issue and an individualistic post positioning and post move issue. Time and learning will resolve these issues.

There's no such problem with Sarah Strong. Throw the ball anywhere near her zip code when she's in the paint, and she'll catch and deliver the mail. "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays [that] courier from the swift completion of [her] appointed rounds."

Third, I was surprised at the substitution and play patterns, given the two preseason games. Almost no pressing. Little transition game. No Blanca at all, and no explanations given (that I heard) about her availability. Only six minutes for Ziebell. No minutes for Fisher, Ducharme, Patterson or Malou-Mamel. And for all the height on the team, there was for a while a four guard lineup on the floor with Serah (not Sarah).

The drink could have been better, but it was tasty. And mostly made my mouth water for the much stronger stuff I know will be served in future games.

If the team had been hitting more threes like it is capable, the bench would have gottrn more playing time. Blame the starters, not Geno.

 

[CL82]

That's against the Geneva Convention.

Who are the Genovans to tell us what to do?

 

[ccwarrior]

Dreadful? That's a strong word for Serah Williams' first real game at UConn, against quality competition. She has said that "everything" was more intense than at WI. It was reported that she was still learning the offensive sets and her teammates' tendencies, so I will give her grace and space to grow.

But, her hustle wasn’t there at times and she had much worse hands than I thought given what has been said about her.

 

[Orc]

I think the wing spot is Uconn’s biggest weakness this year. Nothing against Ashlyn but she’s streaky and not someone that can consistently hit wide open shots

 

[Basingstoke]

I thought that there were a lot of structural positives tonight and a bunch of anomalies which will not be the norm (in addition to a bunch of things which will get better in time, such as the effectiveness of the press).
I was very pleased that our 3-headed center(s) got 16 rebounds (unfortunately, at least for tonight, Serah took some of the ugliest shots i can remember), and that Serah seems to be a very willing and good passer.
I think we're in very good shape with our point guards (& will be even deeper in time as Kelis acclimates), though I wish that KK had continued her 1st quarter offensive aggression throughout the rest of the game.
I expect that we'll continue to tighten our defense and that 15% from the 3 point line will soon go the way of the dodo...
Really good first game, in all.

 

[hookshot]

Heckel looks way better than I expected.

This was only the first game and we all know that they will get much better as the season rolls along.

I was hoping to see Blanca but I guess she is hurt? I actually had to go to the roster listing on the Uconn site to see what number she wears. I forgot.

I'm surprised at how many people seemed surprised by Heckel's performance, she was a huge pick-up that has previously shown her potential. I think KK was the bigger surprise; if she can sustain that level of play, the 3 deep PG position is all set. I also think Williams will settle in and better demonstrate the potential she has previously shown. Jana will continue to show some improvement and Brady's reliable floor game looks improved, even if her shooting confidence remains to improve - so I think the Post depth looks promising as well. We know it is Azzi / Sarah's team. But, the final piece of the puzzle is getting offensive consistency from the WG depth, i.e. Ash / Blanca / Alli/ CD. While individual performances may vary somewhat from game to game, team performance will only get better with the depth that is available

 

[AzzisBraids]

I disagree big time to your comments that "Azzi's shot was off" "Azzi needs way more touches"...Azzi was 9 for 20, so she shot almost 50%. How many more touches do you think she needs? There were few games last season where anyone, PB included, had 20 shots, so, again, how many more touches do you think Azzi needs?

She was 2 for 8 from 3 and is typically a 40+% shooter. She'd tell you her shot was off, that isn't a hot take.

A touch is anytime a player gets possession of the ball, even briefly. A shot is when you attempt to score. You kind of merged those two terms together but I used the word touches intentionally. My OP is merely that were opportunities where an Azzi touch would have benefitted the offense because Louisville wanted the ball far and away from her.

 

[Scrutineer]

This won't be a popular opinion, but you're not wrong.

Sera Williams was a first team Big Ten double double machine? You'd never know it from this performance. That was dreadful. At least guard your opposite big and not let them put up a 20/20 game against you with half a dozen open three point shots.

KK great game and hopefully she keeps hitting the open shots. Heckel great game, she's going to be a headache to guard because she's going to have wide open spaces to cut and drive.

Sarah and Azzi will be fine. Ash will be fine. But considering all of that sudden depth at the center position, at least one of them has to at least rebound, box out, play defense and protect the rim. One game isn't a season, but this was alot closer than it should have been.

The B1G has one NC in the last 30 so maybe it's easier to get double doubles in that league OR,

Maybe she's still getting comfortable with a new team and new style of play OR,

Maybe it was just first game jitters.

Let's give her a few games to settle in....

 

[Forego]

Four for thirty from behind the arc? It must have been that Spaulding basketball. We use a Nike. 😃 (with apologies to Dawn)

 

[sun]

There may have been 2 All American candidates playing in this game but I doubt that I saw any NPOY candidates based on this outing anyway.
Some of our players shot like they had tired arms.
There was some good, bad & ugly shooting.
UConn won with their athleticism.
The offense needs to become more efficient.

 

[KCD]

Azzi, Ash, Sarah, and Kayleigh went 3 for 22 from 3 pt land in the game. Azzi and Ash were both 40+% and Sarah and Kayleigh were both upper 30s % from 3 last season. The probability that these four are all cold from three on the same night again is statistically very, very low. The fact that they won by 13 points shooting 26 - 3 pointers at 13.6% bodes very well going forward.

 

[fomalhaut]

The probability that these four are all cold from three on the same night again is statistically very, very low.

It's really not. It happened at least three times last year, and that was with Paige. Teams tend to run hot and cold together; they're not independent events. The best anyone on the team shot in the three losses was 2-4 for Azzi Fudd against Tennessee.

The fact that they won by 13 points shooting 26 - 3 pointers at 13.6% bodes very well going forward.

Yes! All three losses last year were in games where the whole team shot poorly. Nice to see that they did enough good things tonight to win.

 

[Bigpetunia]

As with others, my biggest surprise, and a pleasant one, lay in the nature of Kayleigh's contribution. Her quickness, her aggressiveness, and her ball-handling all exceeded my expectations. the PG position on this team is quite secure.
Nothing that I saw on the floor derails Sarah Strong's inevitable pathway to National Player of the Year!
Perimeter shooting was fairly awful, but I don't worry about where that's headed...that's a boat that will upright itself. On the positive side, Ash, who couldn't buy a bucket for most of the game, has emerged as a far more complete contributor in other ways...some beautiful assists and even rebounding.
My biggest disappointment was with team defense, especially in the second half. For a team that gave up only 54 points per game on average in last season's tournament, while playing three #1 seeds, giving up 66 to a team like L'ville was something of a letdown. The good news is that of all team characteristics, that is the one Geno can, as he always has, do the most with. Given the newfound luxury of the kind of team depth that he currently enjoys, and the ability to put fresh legs on the floor almost at will, I was especially surprised that he never utilized the full-court-press against a young L'ville team.
Overall, a mixed bag, as others have noted, but mostly very positive!

 

[gold2323]

Good first game ….wanted to see Blanca in the mix…the threes was difference for no blowout…it was an anomaly , they will flow in future games…long way to March …this team come crunch time will be as expected …A Force….