Loyola Postgame Thread

[oldude]

Some thoughts on the Loyola game:

• Loyola is the only non-P4 opponent on UConn’s OOC schedule this season. The Ramblers were a game, but obviously overmatched opponent against the #1 team in the nation.
• Great to see Blanca on the court tonight. For those who keep track, she was the 1st player off the bench for the Huskies, and she is scarry athletic. 😎
• This year the Huskies pressure opponents all game, from soft pressure on opposing guards bringing the ball up, to aggressive full court presses and halfcourt traps, there’s nowhere to hide on the court, and god help you if you pick up your dribble against UConn without a plan to get rid of the ball immediately.
• Yes, the offense is a little disjointed right now as Geno runs out a dizzying number of different lineups. But it’s hard to find fault with the defense that forced 36 turnovers while holding Loyola to only 31 pts.
• Of all the many lineups that Geno rolls out on the court, I really like it when KK & Kayleigh are out front together pressuring the ball. It’s like 2 pick pockets, one distracting the victim while the other steals their wallet, or in this case the basketball.
• Is it me or does Allie look about 2 gears faster this season? 🤩
• We had a lot of discussion about Ash on the BY over the last few days. Tonight she was all over the court making plays. She missed her 3 x 3pt shots. Geno can certainly live with that.
• Legendary coach John Wooden said, “Play fast. But don’t hurry.” UConn is definitely playing as fast as I have ever seen them play. But they are also hurrying at times, particularly on offense. I am absolutely confident that by the end of the season the game will slow down for the Huskies, and when that happens, LOOK OUT!!!

 

[maple]

At the end of the game the announcers said the Huskies had 45 points off of turnovers!! Now that is a stat that I love to hear.

The defense was absolutely stifling all game. Balanced scoring all around. Everyone looked like they were having fun and playing tough. Just a classic UConn performance.

On to tOSU!

 

[Stagnant]

I think it is hard to take much away from this game. Geno was really experimenting with the lineup. I thought we had a turnover problem in the first quarter, but we reeled that in.

It is hard to draw conclusions based off this game. But I do think Allie ziebell looks improved this season. Let’s see how she looks against Ohio state and Michigan.

 

[HuskyNan]

 

[HuskyNan]

 

[Vowelguy]

First 5 mins were rough — something like 6 TOs, including several boneheaded passes by Azzi. But then things settled down.

Nice to see a bunch of different players. Good performances from AZ Jana Shade Heckel.

Uconn flirted with some pressing; I’d be curious to see a more vigorous and consistent press for a stretch.

 

[Urshurak]

Odd game. UConn won by a lot, as expected. Offense a little disjointed but I think Geno is trying a lot of different things right now. Turnovers in first quarter were like, yikes. Some were really head scratching.

Allie looked great! Great seeing BQ out there.

Hard to take much away from this one. Just kind of strange.

I expect them to tighten it up against OSU.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

It's better than playing yourself and we are getting lots of bench players involved. I'm glad we are moving on. We still have work to do.

 

[Surly1]

Nice win tonite.

Blanca physically looks like she is ready to play in the WNBA - she's like a coiled spring, ready to explode.

You can tell Allie is getting more comfortable on the court. Already, she's driven to the basket using her left hand. She's a scorer who can shoot.

In time, Kelis Fisher is going to be a good one. I like her composure.

Looking forward to the OSU game.

 

[pghhuskydoc]

Gotta love the depth this year. Thought it was very interesting to see the different combos of players and Geno testing things out.
Everyone off the bench responded very well when they got the opportunity

 

[Huskie837]

BQ is going to be scary good. Have been looking forward to seeing her.

 

[Puppy Love]

In normal years, after the game I look to see how many players were in double figures for points, then shooting percentages. I’m going to have to chuck that out the window for now. With so many players getting minutes , I think you just have to see how the team looks overall. I thought the defense was great. The offense is a work in progress.

 

[DEpup]

My favorite part of this game was at the half watching Candice Parker almost kill herself rather than be positive about UConn while my girl Renee was gushing.

As far as the game, I thought Blanca came back much more in control than the pre-season. Heckel and Allie did well and loved the 9 rebounds in under 15 minutes by Jana and 7 were offensive.

I love how Caroline is such a stabilizing force.

Finally, the defense was stifling and a beauty to watch.

 

[RoadMaster]

Swipe..

 

[RoadMaster]

Swipe..

 

[TRest]

Anyone have any insight on why Loyola? I understand we have to have a few schedule fillers but there are a number of more competitive NE programs that would love the opportunity and that might offer something in exchange for scheduling other sports.

 

[Suebird10fan]

Wonder when the last time is we had 12 players score

 

[MilfordHusky]

We had 36 more shots than Loyola did. 45 points off 36 TOs. Our shooting was mediocre, considering their TOs. We didn't take or make a lot of treys or FTs.

Our defense was pretty good. The scoring was surprisingly balanced. Allie does look improved this year. I agree that Blanca is scary athletic and is built for the W. I was happy to see her. Our stars had low outputs tonight. Oh well! Ten players played double-digit minutes.

 

[DavidinNaples]

Wonder when the last time is we had 12 players score

Last game, versus FSU… 12 players played and 12 players scored…

 

[HuskyNan]

Anyone have any insight on why Loyola? I understand we have to have a few schedule fillers but there are a number of more competitive NE programs that would love the opportunity and that might offer something in exchange for scheduling other sports.

The Loyola coach was was at Yale 7 years, is probably a friend of Geno’s.

 

[Suebird10fan]

Last game, versus FSU… 12 players played and 12 players scored…

Ok then! A bit surprised I didn’t notice. Glad someone else was paying attention!

 

[huskeynut]

There is a lot of talent on this team.

The defense was a nightmare for Loyola. It didn't matter what combos Geno put on the floor.

As shoud be expected, the offense is still a work in progress. This was a good team for Geno to experiment with a variety of combos. Serah Williams is improving. She is also developing a chemistry with Sarah. Allie continues to impress. Jana is showing the physical toughness needed in the post. She will be a big factor.

Blanca is an athletic talent. She has much to learn yet. Tonight was a good night for her.

KK and K9 will be the guard combo that will cause havoc all season.

Up next Ohio State. Geno will most likely not play so many. And the same against Michigan.

 

[Boreifs]

My favorite part of this game was at the half watching Candice Parker almost kill herself rather than be positive about UConn while my girl Renee was gushing.

As far as the game, I thought Blanca came back much more in control than the pre-season. Heckel and Allie did well and loved the 9 rebounds in under 15 minutes by Jana and 7 were offensive.

I love how Caroline is such a stabilizing force.

Finally, the defense was stifling and a beauty to watch.

That was not my impression at all. It sounds like someone else has the prejudice. She was a great player who had issues with Geno; so what? Get over it.

 

[HuskyNan]

Ok then! A bit surprised I didn’t notice. Glad someone else was paying attention!

 

[hoopsdiva]

During the broadcast they mentioned that Ice was not available for this game, but if they said why, I missed it. Anyone have any info?

 

[Centerstream]

One of the three things I wanted to see in the game was fewer missed bunnies. I'm still wanting it. I feel really bad for Jana, she established herself down low but just seemed to miss about 4 or 5 bunnies. I also think that Serah missed a couple very early in the game but happily, it didn’t last.
I agree with others posting here in that for the first five minutes, we looked ragged. I was kinda shaking my head. But they got it going and we played quite well, especially those points off of TOs - WOW!

 

[Basingstoke]

To me UCONN played a fairly disjointed game, playing down to the level of the competition. I'm certainly not criticizing effort, but, aside from what has been noted already about the offense needing some work (to some extent a reflection of all the different combinations Geno was throwing out there), I thought that the defensive rebounding should have been more dominant and there were times when 3 point shooters were just left alone without effective coverage or closeouts.
But...
If Ohio State looks at a video of this game and thinks they spot vulnerability in UCONN, I think they'll be in for a rather rude awakening (I hope I'm right).
A few observations:
Kayleigh took a beating tonight - I hope she's ok.
Allie looks great out there on both sides of the ball (I love her use of her left hand when attacking the basket).
I thought Ash was great tonight: flying around with aggression and purpose and unleashing more of her offensive arsenal.
Though I loved seeing so many players getting time tonight, I hope that Ice hasn't gotten lost in the shuffle. There will be games when she'll be really needed.
I can't wait to see how they handle the press on Sunday and to see UCONN REALLY unleash their own full court press!

 

[donalddoowop]

First 5 mins were rough — something like 6 TOs, including several boneheaded passes by Azzi. But then things settled down.

Nice to see a bunch of different players. Good performances from AZ Jana Shade Heckel.

Uconn flirted with some pressing; I’d be curious to see a more vigorous and consistent press for a stretch.

There were times in the game when Azzi looked as if her mind was some other place. Also, I saw something that I don't think most people saw and it was very exciting. Something is happening right in front of us and, many cannot see it because they are thinking too much about what they don't see.

 

[Bigboote]

In normal years, after the game I look to see how many players were in double figures for points, then shooting percentages. I’m going to have to chuck that out the window for now. With so many players getting minutes , I think you just have to see how the team looks overall. I thought the defense was great. The offense is a work in progress.

85 points with three players in double figures and 11 points for the high scorer. I dunno the last time that happened.

Kudos to Loyola for playing this game and not looking totally dejected. They had more turnovers than rebounds or points. Kudos to UConn’s defense for staying locked in.

I’d love to have seen Gandy for more than two minutes.

 

[Zarathustra]

That was not my impression at all. It sounds like someone else has the prejudice. She was a great player who had issues with Geno; so what? Get over it.

I agree with the Candice Parker observation in thread #13. I WAS THINKING
THE SAME THING! When you are a "semi" recruiter for Tennessee it is
hard to say Positive "stuff" about UCONN when it comes to competing for players.
To her credit, Candice was rather professional, but I am referring to her facial expression in the pregame when Renee was gushing about Geno and the UCONN tradition.