Loyola Postgame Thread | Page 2 | The Boneyard
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Loyola Postgame Thread

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!
 
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!
 
Vowelguy said:
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.
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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.
 
Puppy Love said:
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.
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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.
 
Boreifs said:
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.
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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.
 
Bigboote said:
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.
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I was impressed with the Rambler team... Poised, and they hit their open
three pointers and they were 8 for 8 from the charity stripe... Credit the players,
the team, and, of course, Sister Jean!!!
 
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Here's one advanced stat and some history for anyone interested. Points per 100 possessions is a pace neutral measure of team offense.

- In this one game, UConn scored at the rate of 119.7.

- In the prior two games combined, it was 114.8.

- Last season, UConn led the nation at 118.1.

- The 2014-15 UConn team led the nation at 126.4. (That could be the highest for any team ever, but I don't have easy access to stats prior to 2009-10.)
 
huskeynut said:
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.
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Just what do you think Blanca needs to learn based on her play tonight? She looked good to me, and she was playing her first game compared to her teammates playing their third. She seemed to fit right in.
 
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Surly1 said:
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.
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Did Blanca even play tonight? Unless I missed something, I didn't even see her on the court.

I see she played 14 minutes, but I kept flipping channels because of the blowout. It must have been the 14 that I missed.
 
Surprising comments about how KK and Kayleigh are defensive terrors. What about Ash? She had 4 steals, 3 rebounds, 3 assists. If there are defensive terrors in this backcourt, Ash is definitely one of them. There's 3 terrors, maybe 4, since Azzi deserves some credit too.
 
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Gael said:
UConn hit 25 of 40 layup attempts.
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Centerstream said:
I'm curious, do you consider this a good stat?
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I was just reporting the stat, which I assumed many posters did not know, not offering an opinion on it.

Since you asked, however: No, I don't consider that a good layup percentage.

It could be okay if shooting fouls were drawn on the misses, but they weren't. UConn drew only 4 FTAs for the entire game. My recollection is the guards blew some drive and fast break layups, and the four bigs (JEA, Serah Williams, BQ and even SS) all managed to blow layups and putbacks in traffic without drawing ANY fouls.
 
Great to see Allie growing in confidence and being more assertive. We will see if it carries over against better teams, but overcoming the mental hurdles was a big first step. An she certainly has Geno's confidence.

Also nice to see Blanca. It will be interesting to see how long it takes her to become more consistent at putting all that incredible talent into productive minutes.
 
donalddoowop said:
Just what do you think Blanca needs to learn based on her play tonight. She looked good to me, and she was playing her first game compared to her teammates playing their third. She seemed to fit right in.
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First glimpse of Q tonight, and I said “wow!”, and I don’t usually say that. She’s a little too quick in some phases, but once she gets in sync with the others it will be brutal for whoever we’re playing. She has a bit of Paige in her… court vision, quick passes.
 
I agree with many of the points made in this thread. Lots of positives, mainly on defense.
Another thing to keep in mind. The rotation will shorten starting with the next game with fewer combo's so I expect more of the problems to be corrected with starters and top subs getting most of the minutes. It's games like this that will hurt Sarah and Azzi's stats and might have an impact on post-season honors.

A few issues on the offensive end:

Too many missed bunnies, especially from the post position. Against better competition that will hurt.
Ash 3pt shooting. What has happened? To balance that problem, she looks really good from inside the arc.
Turnovers. Too many careless passes
 
uconnfan68 said:
First glimpse of Q tonight, and I said “wow!”, and I don’t usually say that. She’s a little too quick in some phases, but once she gets in sync with the others it will be brutal for whoever we’re playing. She has a bit of Paige in her… court vision, quick passes.
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I see a bit of Svetlana in how she covers ground quick but doesnt look like she is ever running hard.
 
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I was at the game, which was announced as a sellout although there were some no shows, actually mostly in the lower bowl, too bad that some of those brand new widened seats went empty. Student section was full.

UConn’s defense is ahead of the offense. The third quarter was particularly impressive, Loyola hit an early three and that was it. Other impressions:

KK is playing under control while also showing her amazing burst off the dribble. She looks better physically and is playing at a higher level. K9 is a whirlwind and is a great addition but needs to keep the collisions to a minimum or she won’t make it to February.

Blanca is long, quick, athletic, and her game is a little more raw than I was expecting.

Shade is her usual hustle self and her midrange looks good but her threes are missing by a mile. Probably mental at this point. She needs a breakout game.

Azzi was just off tonight, weird passes, it happens. She was “Hazy Azzi” tonight.

Love seeing Caroline out there giving solid minutes.

Allie knows what she is doing out there. always seems to be in position and adds to the flow of the offense. Handles the ball well and makes good decisions.
 
hoopsdiva said:
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?
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While the Huskies returned freshmen Gandy Malou-Mamel and Quiñonez from injury, they were without redshirt junior Ice Brady on Wednesday. Auriemma told media after the game that Brady has been dealing with knee inflammation, and while her injury is "nothing serious," she remains day-to-day.
 
Huskee11 said:
I was at the game, which was announced as a sellout although there were some no shows, actually mostly in the lower bowl, too bad that some of those brand new widened seats went empty. Student section was full.
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In past years, we’ve bought lower bowl tickets on Seat Geek for mostly reasonable prices. I’ve looked a couple of times this year, but they have been $200 to $500 a ticket for lower bowl seats. It just isn’t worth it.
 
Watching Sarah play basketball, we have almost become conditioned to some of the amazing things she does on the court. During the 2nd qtr Sarah made a quick move to attack the basket. As she shot by her defender, the Loyola player gave her a hard hip check, impeding her progress and knocking her off balance. No foul was called. 🤯

Most normal people would have sprawled onto the floor and lost the ball. As she was stumbling, Sarah had the presence of mind to scoop the basketball up off the backboard in what turned out to be an amazing and awkward layup. That play was my “shot of the game.”
 
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Huskee11 said:
I was at the game, which was announced as a sellout although there were some no shows, actually mostly in the lower bowl, too bad that some of those brand new widened seats went empty. Student section was full.
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The Suits (corporations) buy seasons tickets and use them as giveaways to clients and rewards to employees. If no one wants the tickets, the seats go unused. The Boneyard has been saying for decades they should donate them to foster kids, military families, etc but for some reason they don’t bother.

I believe anyone who isn’t able to use their tickets can let UConn know and the tickets will be given to a military family. That’s how it used to be, I’m not sure if they’re still doing that
 
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