LSU Game Thread

[Sluconn Husky]

A few key people can be brutal. Most of us realize this was a nice road win by a very young team working hard to get used to each other.

Pointing out facts has nothing to do with brutality. Many Husky fans pointed out several times last year that other teams' extraordinary 3-point shooting kept games closer than they would have otherwise been. Well, they outscored LSU 42-0 on threes today.

 

[JoePgh]

Interesting the team has been calling Azura Stewie light! And Geno went on to say Stevens will be the #1 draft pick in 2019.

Actually, what Geno was quoted as saying is that she will be the #1 pick in 2019 IF she completes her eligibility by playing in Storrs in 2018-19.

Which means that even Geno is acknowledging that her playing in a Husky uniform for two years is less than a certainty. Not really big news, but it is the first time in my recollection that he has alluded to the possibility that she might go pro after only one year.

 

[Blueballer]

Pointing out facts has nothing to do with brutality. Many Husky fans pointed out several times last year that other teams' extraordinary 3-point shooting kept games closer than they would have otherwise been. Well, they outscored LSU 42-0 on threes today.

LOL. Other teams would love to struggle like we do. Ask KY, AZ St. Tenn, Stanford, and Duke who have all lost to teams they should have beaten. Now those are performances worth critisizing.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

LOL. Other teams would love to struggle like we do. Ask KY, AZ St. Tenn, Stanford, and Duke who have all lost to teams they should have beaten. Now those are teams worth critisizing.

What do other teams' performances have to do with UConn's? It's just a non-sequitur. Yes, UConn has the highest standard. Yes, they are in a rebuilding year. Yes, by their standards they played extremely poorly today. All three are accurate.

 

[HopJim]

Well, it's a comfortable win. Don't think it's the kind of win that Geno will jump for joy over, though. Teachable moments, eh?

Likely a game deep down Geno likes. 20+ point win with numerous mistakes he can coach.

 

[HopJim]

Butler took a step back. Just not looking for a shot. CD- learned that assists are not automatic. Saniya reverted to previous form.

Still glaring hole underneath. Gabby and Napheesa's being forced to foul in order to keep LSU out of the paint is something that's becoming chronic. Nice that KLS began shooting 3's. But 3's will not be enough when it gets to Maryland and Notre Dame and the others.

As Coach Geno put it, this entire season is going to be a struggle.

At times, looks like her thumb still bothering her.

 

[HuskyNan]

What do other teams' performances have to do with UConn's? It's just a non-sequitur. Yes, UConn has the highest standard. Yes, they are in a rebuilding year. Yes, by their standards they played extremely poorly today. All three are accurate.

I think the issue is that, yes, it was a bad game if you use the standard set by a Moriah-Morgan-Stewie led team. But my expectations are different, that the team will have uneven performances from game to game or even from quarter to quarter, as we saw today. The young players will struggle to adjust to the speed and physicality of the game, the travel schedule, and new teammates. I actually thought it would be worse than the FSU and LSU games and that there would be at least one loss by now. Considering my expectations, I've been pleasantly surprised and so I just don't see the "worst game" thing you see.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

I think the issue is that, yes, it was a bad game if you use the standard set by a Moriah-Morgan-Stewie led team. But my expectations are different, that the team will have uneven performances from game to game or even from quarter to quarter, as we saw today. The young players will struggle to adjust to the speed and physicality of the game, the travel schedule, and new teammates. I actually thought it would be worse that the FSU and LSU games and that there would be at least one loss by now. Considering my expectations, I've been pleasantly surprised and so I just don't see the "worst game" thing you see.

Except Gabby had a bad game and Chong and Butler were complete non-factors.

 

[HuskyNan]

Except Gabby had a bad game and Chong and Butler were complete non-factors.

They aren't used to being key players and are struggling, too. These are human beings, not robots. They're going through a huge adjustment period and having a hard time of it. Napheesa seems to be dealing with it better than the others but that's apparently just her nature. You can't force someone to feel confidence so it's just a matter of waiting for them to come around and I'm sure they will - on their own timetable, not ours. Some of us will be patient and others, well, won't.

 

[Teacherdeb]

You know that Geno played primarily freshmen and sophomores, right?

Boy, this after the third game of the season, a 23 point win on the road with a new team led by a bunch of young players. The crowd here can be brutal.

Indeed, Nan. We all need to keep in mind there are no style points in the game- a W is a W, ugly or pretty. At the end of the season, that is what is looked at... our standards are impossibly high. This was another experience for an evolving group of hard working kids- if you don't like it, why watch?

 

[Blueballer]

Some people just LOVE to complain let's face it. If they can't whine about the entire team's performace they'll pick out individuals and complain about them. Some people are just naturally negative. Nothing new really. We all know who they are by now.

 

[chrissaran]

Too much sloppy play. Twenty turnovers. It needs to be cleaned up before DePaul and especially Notre Dame.

 

[rt bb fan]

Butler took a step back. Just not looking for a shot. CD- learned that assists are not automatic. Saniya reverted to previous form.

Still glaring hole underneath. Gabby and Napheesa's being forced to foul in order to keep LSU out of the paint is something that's becoming chronic. Nice that KLS began shooting 3's. But 3's will not be enough when it gets to Maryland and Notre Dame and the others.

As Coach Geno put it, this entire season is going to be a struggle.

They need to learn how to box out.

 

[chrissaran]

What's the point of having a forum if everybody's going to say everything is right. That's no forum. People are stating their opinions, which I respect more than people who look at life through rose-colored glasses. Geno is certainly going to find fault with the game. He did when he commented about the offense they ran in the first quarter. The fun is in the discussion. There's no discussion if there's only one side.

 

[Kaizen]

No one is perfect.
As some people said we may lose 2-3 in the first 5 games.
I am really happy we have stars in every game and ...winning

 

[Blueballer]

What's the point of having a forum if everybody's going to say everything is right. That's no forum. People are stating their opinions, which I respect more than people who look at life through rose-colored glasses. Geno is certainly going to find fault with the game. He did when he commented about the offense they ran in the first quarter. The fun is in the discussion. There's no discussion if there's only one side.

But there's really is no discussion. Some people are just NEVER happy. There's plenty of room for improvement with the team of course but as usual some folks go over the top with it. And the same people do it over and over. It gets old after a while.

 

[HuskyNan]

What's the point of having a forum if everybody's going to say everything is right. That's no forum. People are stating their opinions, which I respect more than people who look at life through rose-colored glasses. Geno is certainly going to find fault with the game. He did when he commented about the offense they ran in the first quarter. The fun is in the discussion. There's no discussion if there's only one side.

SLU presented his opinion and I presented mine. That's a discussion, no?

 

[msf22b]

You know that Geno played primarily freshmen and sophomores, right?

Boy, this after the third game of the season, a 23 point win on the road with a new team led by a bunch of young players. The crowd here can be brutal.

We're spoiled

 

[ochoopsfan]

Only 5 lay ups of the 8 made 2 pointers.
Need more cutters and passes into the paint.
Happy for Lou's 8 rebounds more than her 7 three pointers.

 

[msf22b]

There were plenty of ugly games during the last 4 years.
We just remember the non-ugly ones

 

[OldAlum]

LSU seemed to have quicker hands than Baylor. I thought UConn had some trouble adjusting to that combined with the physical play. I think they will be working more on playing against a zone. Don't want to rely on 3's too much!

 

[CTBballfan243]

A win is a win, but I would grade the overall performance of this game a C+. I thought Collier, Williams and Butler were non-factors today. KLS shot the ball well from the 3 but overall the team struggled offensively. No flow to the 1/2 court offense. I'm sure they will continue to work on their offense at practice. The team always works hard on the defensive side of the ball and does the best they can for a vertically challenged team. We will struggle against teams with quick guards because KLS, Kia, and Chong aren't overly quick. I think UConn will need to rely on zone defense a lot this season due to the lack of quickness. The freshman getting playing time was a plus because they will be needed a lot later in the season. You can see they get confused a lot and aren't sure where to be, and what to do, on offense and on defense. Dangerfield can score, now she needs to work on playing strong defense and running the offense. Her development will be key for later in the year. The other two freshmen are coming along, which is good to see because they also will be needed to spell the starters and play some minutes this season. I guess Geno is correct in saying that every game this season will be a struggle. However, I will say this, the games are certainly a lot more entertaining from a competition stand point this season. It should be fun to watch.

 

[iri10]

To be fair, you can say that Kia Nurse was quietly good this game. After a poor shooting and slightly sloppy start, she finished with 15 pts (4-8, 3-7, 4-4), 8 assists / 2 t.o. She was the only good passer, using the assists metric.

She's still one of the top minutes players on the team for a reason. Despite the slump at shooting this season, generally she's been good in enough other areas to make up for it.

 

[Teacherdeb]

There were plenty of ugly games during the last 4 years.
We just remember the non-ugly ones

Exactly! Selective memory.

 

[JavaMan]

...Need more cutters and passes into the paint...

We made need more cutting into the paint, but we've had a fair bit already. What we haven't had is the pinpoint leading bullet passes into those cutters, either because we aren't seeing them or we're not confident in our ability to complete the pinpoint leading bullet pass underneath in the second or two when the cutter is leading their defender and is open. Boy do I miss that. But I'm hopeful and confident that it will materialize prior to March.