LSU Game Thread

[hoophuskee]

Rebounding continues to be an issue. LSU is small and came in #152 in rebound margin yet UConn only was 6% better in total rebounding percentage. Butler struggled mightily which is a problem with such a short bench. She got passed on several 1-on-1 drives by the player she was guarding and was also out-rebounded by much smaller players.

On the plus side, Dangerfield's skill remains evident and Nurse looked more like her old self; in fact she was about the only player who made shots in the lane. Road games in particular are likely to be a roller coaster much of the year.

I believe part of the rebounding issue is when we play athletic guards. Once they beat our guards or wings off the dribble, we are susceptible either with the missed shot because Gabby/Napheesa are forced to help or the dump off pass. Even if they miss they have the size to get the rebound. I think rebounding will be an issue all year which si why we probably will lose a few games because of it.

We're still a tough to beat. Our guard play and wings can flat out shoot the basketball. All four players (KLS, Nurse, CD and Chong) can be more than just shooters. They can be impact scorers.

I'm now interested on the offensive side of two things:

1-- KLS is now averaging over 19 a game. What is the defense going to do about it? When they do something about it, I'm most interested in, will it open up the game more for Gabby and Napheesa (and even the others)? The beauty of KLS is that unless your in her grill she can shoot over any "normal-sized" wing. She is a mismatch that shoots like KML but has size where normal wings can't affect her shot. What's going to be done to slow her down, which in turn it will be fun to see if something is done drastic how will UCONN make them pay?

2-- Napheesa Collier has only taken two shots from 3. But last year I thought though she missed, she looked fluid. Vs LSU when that shot went up from 3, I immediately felt it was going to go in. It looked soft too. What if she starts nailing 3's? Can she? I'm not saying take 5 3's a game. But can she shoot the 3 better than Morgan Tuck?

 

[Sluconn Husky]

We're still a tough to beat. Our guard play and wings can flat out shoot the basketball. All four players (KLS, Nurse, CD and Chong) can be more than just shooters. They can be impact scorers.

Oh sure. And the great news is they can play much, much better than they did against LSU. My guess is most of those better performances will take place at home where confidence is always higher for less established players.

My concern about the offense is the team bogging down against zones or packed in defenses. Some of the recent great teams even had this problem but usually figured it out quickly. And it helps to have terrific passing big players (Stewart, Tuck, Dolson). As much as I like Collier she can be harassed into issues in tight spaces. Gabby too. When those two have space they are virtually unstoppable unless facing tremendous height.

 

[UcMiami]

Rebounding continues to be an issue. LSU is small and came in #152 in rebound margin yet UConn only was 6% better in total rebounding percentage. Butler struggled mightily which is a problem with such a short bench. She got passed on several 1-on-1 drives by the player she was guarding and was also out-rebounded by much smaller players.

On the plus side, Dangerfield's skill remains evident and Nurse looked more like her old self; in fact she was about the only player who made shots in the lane. Road games in particular are likely to be a roller coaster much of the year.

Um ... Nurse made one shot in the lane - her other three were 3 pointers. She as well as Gabby, Napheesa, and Lou all tried to make shots in the lane but were whacked and scored from the charity strip instead. While Uconn made more three pointers than two pointers a lot of the reason for that was because whenever they shot in the lane they mostly got whacked - hence 21 free throws.

Butler is likely to struggle against smaller teams all year.

Uconn got 62% of their defensive rebounds, and LSU only got 56% of theirs - both teams were playing a lot of zone defense and rebounding out of a zone is often an issue, but Uconn did OK.

The team was lose with the ball, but the freshman all played significant minutes and accounted for half of the turnovers. Gabby alone account for almost half of the remaining half and yeah, offensive fouls are turnovers. Dangerfield shot the ball well again and looked confident, but she was careless with the ball in this game - not surprising because this is all new to her.

Last year Uconn beat up on a 'walking wounded' LSU - they were pulling players off the street to play because of injuries - by 46 points at the XL - this years edition of LSU is a much better team, and we won by 23 at their house, while the coaches experimented with the roster - Lawlor Pulido and Ekmark played 19 minutes last year, this year Irwin, Bent, and Lawlor played 34 - last year the game was played after finals on Dec 21, this year it was the third game in the first week. It wasn't a pretty game - it was a classic SEC slugfest with 38 fouls called and 38 foul shots - that kind of game is never going to 'flow'. But it was a comfortable win this early in the season with a lot of good minutes for the bench.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

While Uconn made more three pointers than two pointers a lot of the reason for that was because whenever they shot in the lane they mostly got whacked - hence 21 free throws.

Butler is likely to struggle against smaller teams all year.

Uconn got 62% of their defensive rebounds, and LSU only got 56% of theirs - both teams were playing a lot of zone defense and rebounding out of a zone is often an issue, but Uconn did OK.

The team was lose with the ball, but the freshman all played significant minutes and accounted for half of the turnovers. Gabby alone account for almost half of the remaining half and yeah, offensive fouls are turnovers. Dangerfield shot the ball well again and looked confident, but she was careless with the ball in this game - not surprising because this is all new to her.

Last year Uconn beat up on a 'walking wounded' LSU - they were pulling players off the street to play because of injuries - by 46 points at the XL - this years edition of LSU is a much better team, and we won by 23 at their house, while the coaches experimented with the roster - Lawlor Pulido and Ekmark played 19 minutes last year, this year Irwin, Bent, and Lawlor played 34 - last year the game was played after finals on Dec 21, this year it was the third game in the first week. It wasn't a pretty game - it was a classic SEC slugfest with 38 fouls called and 38 foul shots - that kind of game is never going to 'flow'. But it was a comfortable win this early in the season with a lot of good minutes for the bench.

So we've decided Butler can't play against smaller teams? That covers an awful lot of competition. Shouldn't she have a distinct advantage against smaller teams? Shouldn't she not get out-maneuvered for rebounds after free throws by players 10 inches shorter?

21 free throws doesn't prove it was a slugfest or that UConn was getting hammered. A much less talented LSU team had 17 free throws.

I'm not sure why you are comparing last year's game with this one. Nobody is saying this team is at the level of the 15-16 team. And for the record, Stewart did not play in the game last year. The final margin could've been 80 had UConn been interested.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

So we've decided Butler can't play against smaller teams? That covers an awful lot of competition. Shouldn't she have a distinct advantage against smaller teams? Shouldn't she not get out-maneuvered for rebounds after free throws by players 10 inches shorter?

21 free throws doesn't prove it was a slugfest or that UConn was getting hammered. A much less talented LSU team had 17 free throws.

I'm not sure why you are comparing last year's game with this one. Nobody is saying this team is at the level of the 15-16 team. And for the record, Stewart did not play in the game last year. The final margin could've been 80 had UConn been interested.

I want to add to this after watching the game again.

Three of the fouls called on Collier were bogus. She actually committed two fouls, not five.

Of UConn's 21 free throws, 3 came on KLS jumpers, and 2 off a Nurse 1-on-1 fastbreak.

LSU's forward Heider might be related to the refs, not sure. She was the recipient of a slew of calls or non-calls, two of which cost Dangerfield turnovers.

 

[phil sampieri]

Running anything even resembling an offense is a real struggle right now.

As Geno said in post game. the way they play is pick your poison. Pack it down low give you all the 3's you want so Lou says thank you.They played us
that way not to lose by 40 .

 

[phil sampieri]

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.

The defense they played made it impossible many times to cut in the lane.They packed it in all game, bumped any would be cutters off their route and gave us 3's
sometimes you have to give the other team some credit and realize we finally adjusted. Also, Geno had many combinations in to experiment so cut him some slack .

 

[phil sampieri]

OK - lots of moaning and groaning. My take - 21 free throws - with one being Lou's four point play - that means there were about 8 two point shots, mostly runners or lay-ups where the the uconn player was clobbered and could not make the basket (there were a couple of bonus fouls on the floor to account for the other 4 free throws.) LSU did not have the talent to play Uconn straight up so they played a very physical, SEC kind of style - every cutter was pinball through the lane, there was a lot of clutching and bumping outside as well, and only some of those 'fouls' were called.

LSU also played a sagging defense which clogged up any attempts to get passes inside, and led to a lot of wide open threes - 14 of which Uconn nailed at a 53% clip. With the threes (42 pts.) and the free throws accounting for 60 points out of the 76 total scored - 79%. You don't see that very often!

The freshman played 53 minutes in this game (yes, Dangerfield is a freshman) and accounted for 50% of the turnovers - 10. You play freshman, they are going to make mistakes, and they did. It was a good run for them, and they didn't look lost out there, and they had some nice plays. But they also made lots of mistakes.

Butler didn't have a great game, but this is the type of team she is going to struggle with - short, quackish, and pesky. She did really well against the trees of Baylor and the larger FSU, but LSU just isn't the type of team she is going to find easy. One of the reasons we saw as much as we did of Irwin in that while she would be lost against Baylor, LSU is an easier match-up.

Good things - Kia had a great game - don't see many comments about that. 4-8 shooting, 8 assists and a 4.0 A/TO. Hope she has turned the corner and can relax into her game from here on out.

Lou was on fire - new career high and she is now at .522 on her threes. She also led the team in rebounds mirroring Colliers first game.

Bad things - Gabby with four and Napheesa with 5 fouls - if they don't get this cleaned up, it may bite us down the line. Gabby particularly is committing an average of about two STUPID fouls each game, usually charges, but with a hopeless 'over the back' rebounding foul thrown in occasionally. The two of them committed 53% of the fouls - the rest were evenly spread across all the rest of the team with Natalie the only one with more than 1 (she had 2.)

On Edit - credit to LSU for muddying up the passing lanes and having quick hands - they got there hands on a lot of balls. Not all the turnovers were bad passes, some of then were really good defensive plays.

 

[phil sampieri]

OK - lots of moaning and groaning. My take - 21 free throws - with one being Lou's four point play - that means there were about 8 two point shots, mostly runners or lay-ups where the the uconn player was clobbered and could not make the basket (there were a couple of bonus fouls on the floor to account for the other 4 free throws.) LSU did not have the talent to play Uconn straight up so they played a very physical, SEC kind of style - every cutter was pinball through the lane, there was a lot of clutching and bumping outside as well, and only some of those 'fouls' were called.

LSU also played a sagging defense which clogged up any attempts to get passes inside, and led to a lot of wide open threes - 14 of which Uconn nailed at a 53% clip. With the threes (42 pts.) and the free throws accounting for 60 points out of the 76 total scored - 79%. You don't see that very often!

The freshman played 53 minutes in this game (yes, Dangerfield is a freshman) and accounted for 50% of the turnovers - 10. You play freshman, they are going to make mistakes, and they did. It was a good run for them, and they didn't look lost out there, and they had some nice plays. But they also made lots of mistakes.

Butler didn't have a great game, but this is the type of team she is going to struggle with - short, quackish, and pesky. She did really well against the trees of Baylor and the larger FSU, but LSU just isn't the type of team she is going to find easy. One of the reasons we saw as much as we did of Irwin in that while she would be lost against Baylor, LSU is an easier match-up.

Good things - Kia had a great game - don't see many comments about that. 4-8 shooting, 8 assists and a 4.0 A/TO. Hope she has turned the corner and can relax into her game from here on out.

Lou was on fire - new career high and she is now at .522 on her threes. She also led the team in rebounds mirroring Colliers first game.

Bad things - Gabby with four and Napheesa with 5 fouls - if they don't get this cleaned up, it may bite us down the line. Gabby particularly is committing an average of about two STUPID fouls each game, usually charges, but with a hopeless 'over the back' rebounding foul thrown in occasionally. The two of them committed 53% of the fouls - the rest were evenly spread across all the rest of the team with Natalie the only one with more than 1 (she had 2.)

On Edit - credit to LSU for muddying up the passing lanes and having quick hands - they got there hands on a lot of balls. Not all the turnovers were bad passes, some of then were really good defensive plays.

I wish I would have said that. Great job.

 

[hoophuskee]

Oh sure. And the great news is they can play much, much better than they did against LSU. My guess is most of those better performances will take place at home where confidence is always higher for less established players.

My concern about the offense is the team bogging down against zones or packed in defenses. Some of the recent great teams even had this problem but usually figured it out quickly. And it helps to have terrific passing big players (Stewart, Tuck, Dolson). As much as I like Collier she can be harassed into issues in tight spaces. Gabby too. When those two have space they are virtually unstoppable unless facing tremendous height.

I don't believe that should be a concern because you're going to give players like KLS open 3's. IN KLS's last 26 games she is 32-67 from 3. Anyone that plays a zone cannot guarantee that there will be size to defend KLS on the perimeter. This is what makes KLS the number 1 recruit. I seriously doubt / would be very surprised if many of the top teams which aren't zone teams are going to be scared of UCONN's so much that they are going to play zone and let a super supreme shooter open from 3.

If your defensive strategy is to give KLS open 3's -- good luck with that. You can't help but give KLS open 3's if you are also saying you're going to pack in your zone. And there are more than likely 1 or 2 or maybe 3 players on the floor that are 6 foot shorter - and if they run out to her she won't even notice them most of the time because they are "packed in." Even if you are taller and you are "packing it in" - 6'1 and above - if the ball moves - you can't get out on her to affect her shot- these kids aren't "LeBron James."

I would find it odd for a team with title aspirations to have a defensive strategy of letting KLS open for 3's. And for the less talented teams - the more chance we will win at other positions. Anyhow KLS will destroy that strategy of packed in zones. And I wouldn't count on continued non-forced sloppy play. Too much talent. Sure you can have one bad game here or there. Good luck if that is your strategy-- "hope UCONN plays bad."

 

[magic]

It's not Geno's fault.

So, you don't advocate taking a player out with three fouls at that point of game , especially with a big lead ?

 

[Sluconn Husky]

I would find it odd for a team with title aspirations to have a defensive strategy of letting KLS open for 3's. And for the less talented teams - the more chance we will win at other positions. Anyhow KLS will destroy that strategy of packed in zones. And I wouldn't count on continued non-forced sloppy play. Too much talent. Sure you can have one bad game here or there. Good luck if that is your strategy-- "hope UCONN plays bad."

I don't think that was the strategy, just that they lost track of her a few times. A couple of her other makes were from five feet behind the line with her defender sagging off not expecting the shot.

The Huskies are capable of moving the ball quick enough to get shooters open, at least against most teams. That said, I do think sagging in and swarming players who get the ball from the elbow in is a solid strategy against UConn. I will say this about LSU: they swarmed well at times and made ball movement inside the arc tough. UConn rarely went to the high post to pass over the zone as Goestenkors mentioned. That's where having those tall, quality passers come in handy.

 

[UcMiami]

So, you don't advocate taking a player out with three fouls at that point of game , especially with a big lead ?

Not if you are trying to teach them. KLS was in that situation half way through the third quarter of a game and went over to her coach expecting to sub for her - his response, 4 fouls isn't my fault! KLS played about 13 minutes and didn't pick up her 5th - she figured it out. So Collier needs a little more work playing with 3/4 fouls and not committing more, because there are going to be games where sh needs to play and not foul out. Might as well practice in a game well in hand.

 

[wallman]

Not sure about some of the whining, but you have just effectively shown that you can play against 3 different opponents who offered up 3 different scenarios to try stop you, most teams are lucky if they can do 2 of those. LSU was very physical and your players stepped up big time. Of course the passing isn't at the level of last years team, duh. You have 2 players who seem to see the offense, obviously KLS did it last year and reads the game extremely well but this year she has to also be more of a scorer especially when the clock is ticking, Williams is the other who seems to read the defense quicker, I will add that Nurse is starting to swing the ball very well also. The biggest problem is reading the cutter, so the other players will probably be a work in progress as they have usually been the recipient of those passers and your freshman has to learn that the dribble is not always the best option as you take a defender with you and allow other defenders to react especially when your small. But again you have only played 3 games and are 3 and 0. Whats not to like at this point.

 

[TitleTown]

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.

And some people just LOVE to boast let's face it. So what makes your opinion any better? I would rather see honest posts and analysis than read the rah rah posts of a bunch of cheerleaders.

 

[UcMiami]

So we've decided Butler can't play against smaller teams? That covers an awful lot of competition. Shouldn't she have a distinct advantage against smaller teams? Shouldn't she not get out-maneuvered for rebounds after free throws by players 10 inches shorter?

21 free throws doesn't prove it was a slugfest or that UConn was getting hammered. A much less talented LSU team had 17 free throws.

I'm not sure why you are comparing last year's game with this one. Nobody is saying this team is at the level of the 15-16 team. And for the record, Stewart did not play in the game last year. The final margin could've been 80 had UConn been interested.

Just like there were certain teams that Dolson and Stokes really struggled against - you have very few big players who have size, speed, and quickness - when you find one it is usually a Tina Charles type of star - the rest ... they want another big to bang against - surround them with smaller faster players and they struggle - see Baylor's Brown and Montpremier as exhibit A.

I call it a slugfest and elsewhere I have used the modification 'a typical SEC slugfest' because there were 38 fouls called in the game and 38 foul shots taken - the average last year in a Uconn game was 26 fouls, 22 foul shots. The amount of bumping and clutching of cutters through the game was excessive, another trait of the SEC style of basketball - they could have called another ten or more fouls but they got short of breath and their arms were getting tired.

[As a comparison to typical SEC teams: TN games last year averaged 35 fouls and 33 foul shots, Miss State - 42 fouls and 38 foul shots, KY - 37 fouls, 34 FTs, A&M - 36 fouls, 35 FTs. That kind of game is always going to be UGLY - that works out to a foul every minute of the game and a trip to the free throw line every two minutes - hard for a game to flow in those circumstances!]

 

[hoophuskee]

I don't think that was the strategy, just that they lost track of her a few times. A couple of her other makes were from five feet behind the line with her defender sagging off not expecting the shot.

The Huskies are capable of moving the ball quick enough to get shooters open, at least against most teams. That said, I do think sagging in and swarming players who get the ball from the elbow in is a solid strategy against UConn. I will say this about LSU: they swarmed well at times and made ball movement inside the arc tough. UConn rarely went to the high post to pass over the zone as Goestenkors mentioned. That's where having those tall, quality passers come in handy.

I don't agree. I think that was exactly the strategy. We heard from Gail G to start the game = at the 7:20 mark she says " With a matchup zone, those 3pt shots are going to be available."

And in the 3rd qtr 6:54 mark she says "The skip pass has always been open against the zone."

That was the intent of the zone. To allow the 3.

-------
When you pack in the paint, the intent of the zone is to allow players to shoot the ball from the outside. And as you had previously mentioned with your strategy you want to pack the paint, yet imo it's a pipedream for you to expect you can get a defensive player outside consistently enough to defend a 6'3 shooter/scorer with the intent to affect / bother her from taking a fluid 3, unless you have LeBron James men's players.

You can't pack the paint while equally defending the 3 when there is a player that is 6'3 and shoots the ball above her shoulder unless your defense is a box-and-one in which someone is always guarding her. You can't have it both ways. In addition, this isn't like men's basketball where the centers can't pass. There are for the most part at least four other decent to very good passers on this team. They WILL find KLS in a packed in zone. And KLS IS regarded as just as good of a shooter as KML only that KLS is taller thus she can get off more shots. More "unaffected" shots. How that can be considered an overall good defensive strategy to me is way way wrong. LSU is forced into it though.

As I said - she can have a bad game-- 19 - 20 yo kids are human - but you're playing with fire allowing it to happen. You're trying to win a game based on hope. Top teams won't try to do that is my guess.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

I don't agree. I think that was exactly the strategy. We heard from Gail G to start the game = at the 7:20 mark she says " With a matchup zone, those 3pt shots are going to be available."

And in the 3rd qtr 6:54 mark she says "The skip pass has always been open against the zone."

That was the intent of the zone. To allow the 3.

Think the result of a zone is that threes are taken, but I don't believe there was strategy to let Samuelson shoot uncontested ones. Goestenkors also said something to the effect that someone needs to guard her. She is, by far, UConn's deadliest outside shooter.

 

[Gus Mahler]

Think the result of a zone is that threes are taken, but I don't believe there was strategy to let Samuelson shoot uncontested ones. Goestenkors also said something to the effect that someone needs to guard her. She is, by far, UConn's deadliest outside shooter.

Brings to mind Kaleena's glorious return from injury against Duke her junior year. Dave O'Brien: "You might want to think about guarding her." Or some such.

 

[hoophuskee]

Think the result of a zone is that threes are taken, but I don't believe there was strategy to let Samuelson shoot uncontested ones. Goestenkors also said something to the effect that someone needs to guard her. She is, by far, UConn's deadliest outside shooter.

It comes down to what you believe. GG also said at 3:48 1st qtr she complained as KLS took a 3- she was saying UCONN needs more penetration and that one pass wasn't enough to shoot. -- Ummmm- The ball went in while she was talking. When they went to the replay later-- GG sort of did an about-face and said Geno has given KLS has "the green light" to shoot. IMO what you'll find is many of the retired former post players will take the GG attitude as well. I'll bet you Sue Bird wouldn't. IMO if Kara and Sue or Rebeca and Sue were doing a game over time the different view of the game would come out.

So either GG thinks Geno is wrong for allowing KLS to continue to go bombs away with just one pass to shoot 3's or her 1st comment was off-the-cuff which most announcers do -- talk without much thought. It can't be anything in between otherwise what does then "green light" mean? If they were bad shots - then why is Geno allowing it so early in a game? He has let KLS take 9 or 11 3's a game in 2 of the last 3. Why? It's because "green light" means exactly what it is supposed to mean; if KLS feels she is open whether it is one pass or 5 - she has the "green light" to shoot. He trusts her. So now we've both questioned some of what GG has said - it comes down to our belief in how the game is being played and how it should be played. You and have always differed on both of these things.

I just believe it doesn't make sense to say "a zone can be packed in then expect that you can defend KLS." She's 6'3. She can shoot over near anything on the perimeter. Anyone that runs out at her- if they aren't very close to her - imo she barely notices them. She has shown even when players are close to her, she can hit 3pt shots.

Just like when GG spoke of the "green light." Her initial comment didn't make sense. Her belief that the other team can get out and defend when they are in fact packing in a zone is a myth too. But imo her initial comment when she was prepared was correct in that it correlates to everything I've experienced - all the time I've played and/or grown up watching the game, a packed in zone unless filled with super elite athletes MUST end up giving away outside shots. IMO that is a truism that can't be argued. When I played I could guard quick guards. But at some point any forwards with size or bigger taking a shot; I had no affect on them. None. KLS has the height of a post player who can easily shoot over wings and smaller, and with just a little space can shoot over bigger players too. To open up the door for her by packing in a zone in which she has been compared to one of the greatest freak shooters around-- KML - I just don't agree with that pack-it-in-and-hope-she-misses strategy unless you really feel you don't have much of a chance to win anyways. You're not going to stop her from getting looks. Her teammates that surround her are too good to allow a packed in in zone to have that affect. You can only hope she misses.

 

[hoophuskee]

I'll also add you can't be playing a packed in zone when you have one player guarding the ball 20 feet and another guarding KLS 20 feet too. That's not a packed in zone. And if KLS's defender leaves her and swarms to the ball while KLS is near the corner - physically how can the defender get back to KLS if another pass to KLS is made? There isn't enough time. So GG goes on to say "they lost her." Noooo - the defense was "swarming." When it swarms it does so with intent to stop the ball or steal it etc and is willing to live with the consequence of a 3pt shot. By swarming you double or triple team hoping for a turnover or forced shot with multiple defender s on you or hope a 3pt shooter ultimately misses. If you get beat by the pass- which is a main idea of an offense -- if they are double-teamed then ofc it can lead to wide open 3's.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Geno definitely gives KLS the green light to shoot, but he wants those shots in the flow of the offense, and I thought most of hers Sunday were. And I agree that it's not easy to defend the perimeter while playing zone, but I didn't think LSU's zone was a pack-it-in type. I thought they played relatively straight up until the ball got within, say, 17-18 feet when they'd often swarm the player with the ball. I'd have to watch a third time, but it felt like they did lose her a few times. She did take eleven threes after all. But if they were intending to leave all shooters open for the sake of the zone perhaps they felt that was the best of bad options, but I'd still make sure I had a player on KLS.

 

[Icebear]

Another comment GG made was UCONN using more screens this year. Has she ever watched UCONN play? Picks and screens have always occured constantly. 3-4 or more to a possession.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Another comment GG made was UCONN using more screens this year. Has she ever watched UCONN play? Picks and screens have always occured constantly. 3-4 or more to a possession.

If anything, seems like fewer screens to me so far. Used to be a lot in the KML/Dolson days.

 

[UcMiami]

HH - I like your comments, but I do think there are subtitles involved that you gloss over. In general, in a half court set, Geno wants his offense to make the defense work for an appreciable amount of the shot clock. He prefers they expend energy defending, and with good offensive rhythm feels that while you may get an open shot in the first five seconds, chances are you will get a better on at 15 seconds or 20 seconds, and you will have sapped a little bit of the opponents energy as well, which may slow them down on the other end. The ball moving in and out and side to side makes it harder for the defense to maintain its shape.

Another consideration on shots, is not just whether the shooter is open in one of their 'spots' but also where their four teammates are on the floor - a shot taken and missed, when no one is near the basket, is unlike to result in an offensive rebound, or one taken when everyone is near the baseline is much more likely to lead to a fast break opportunity at the other end - that as well as just the movement of the players is part of what being 'in the flow' entails. The opposite is also true - not taking a shot when you have two players with inside position to contest for a rebound can be just as bad, and is often the reason for 3 second calls.

Giving someone the 'green light' for a good coach includes trusting them to take not just every open shot they get, but to know which of those shots are the right ones to take. And the recognition that they will not be 100% correct in their assessments during a game - I thought a few of Lou's shots were not good shots, but most of them were - I suspect there were a few comments on that during the film review session - 'Lou, not the best choice there.' kind of things.

 

[phil sampieri]

I don't think that was the strategy, just that they lost track of her a few times. A couple of her other makes were from five feet behind the line with her defender sagging off not expecting the shot.

The Huskies are capable of moving the ball quick enough to get shooters open, at least against most teams. That said, I do think sagging in and swarming players who get the ball from the elbow in is a solid strategy against UConn. I will say this about LSU: they swarmed well at times and made ball movement inside the arc tough. UConn rarely went to the high post to pass over the zone as Goestenkors mentioned. That's where having those tall, quality passers come in handy.

I would suggest to the mis-informed to read all the posts by hoops huskee. His analysis of the game shows a true understanding of the game ..there are many types of zones and a packed-in zone as opposed to a match up zone does not allow the wing defender time to
Go out on the shooter. That coach picked their poison on hoping UC was off on the 3's

 

[Sonny44]

Um ... Nurse made one shot in the lane - her other three were 3 pointers. She as well as Gabby, Napheesa, and Lou all tried to make shots in the lane but were whacked and scored from the charity strip instead. While Uconn made more three pointers than two pointers a lot of the reason for that was because whenever they shot in the lane they mostly got whacked - hence 21 free throws.

Butler is likely to struggle against smaller teams all year.

Uconn got 62% of their defensive rebounds, and LSU only got 56% of theirs - both teams were playing a lot of zone defense and rebounding out of a zone is often an issue, but Uconn did OK.

The team was lose with the ball, but the freshman all played significant minutes and accounted for half of the turnovers. Gabby alone account for almost half of the remaining half and yeah, offensive fouls are turnovers. Dangerfield shot the ball well again and looked confident, but she was careless with the ball in this game - not surprising because this is all new to her.

Last year Uconn beat up on a 'walking wounded' LSU - they were pulling players off the street to play because of injuries - by 46 points at the XL - this years edition of LSU is a much better team, and we won by 23 at their house, while the coaches experimented with the roster - Lawlor Pulido and Ekmark played 19 minutes last year, this year Irwin, Bent, and Lawlor played 34 - last year the game was played after finals on Dec 21, this year it was the third game in the first week. It wasn't a pretty game - it was a classic SEC slugfest with 38 fouls called and 38 foul shots - that kind of game is never going to 'flow'. But it was a comfortable win this early in the season with a lot of good minutes for the bench.

I think Butler needs more playing time. Even if she's struggling, she needs to work things out herself, learn her capabilities.

 

[JoePgh]

UConn made 14 of 26 3-point shots in this game. It would not be unusual for UConn to shoot 25 to 30% from 3-point range in a particular game -- that is low but far from unknown. If that had happened in the LSU game (i.e., if they had gone 7 for 26), UConn would have had 21 fewer points, and they only won by 23.

It's not a sound strategy against the zone (even if the zone is determined to pack the paint) to just rely on shooting threes until they cry Uncle. You have to be able to beat the zone even if you are experiencing a 25% shooting night from 3-point land. Last year's team could do that, but I'm not sure about this year's team.

 

[UcMiami]

UConn made 14 of 26 3-point shots in this game. It would not be unusual for UConn to shoot 25 to 30% from 3-point range in a particular game -- that is low but far from unknown. If that had happened in the LSU game (i.e., if they had gone 7 for 26), UConn would have had 21 fewer points, and they only won by 23.

It's not a sound strategy against the zone (even if the zone is determined to pack the paint) to just rely on shooting threes until they cry Uncle. You have to be able to beat the zone even if you are experiencing a 25% shooting night from 3-point land. Last year's team could do that, but I'm not sure about this year's team.

We can play this game but it is a game - if they were only hitting 25-30% of their threes they probably wouldn't have taken so many, but they were hitting them so they did. Also, if they missed 7 more of the threes they took, they would have had three more rebounds (they were getting 44% of the rebounds at that end of the floor, and would have scored another three or four points off those boards, plus would have run another minute off the game clock, reducing the number of shots LSU got.
NB. There is only one DT who misses her first 7 threes and decides it is a good idea to jack up seven more in a championship game! (Geno is forever thankful they broke that mold after she was 'made'. )

 

[Suebird10fan]

HH - I like your comments, but I do think there are subtitles involved that you gloss over. In general, in a half court set, Geno wants his offense to make the defense work for an appreciable amount of the shot clock. He prefers they expend energy defending, and with good offensive rhythm feels that while you may get an open shot in the first five seconds, chances are you will get a better on at 15 seconds or 20 seconds, and you will have sapped a little bit of the opponents energy as well, which may slow them down on the other end. The ball moving in and out and side to side makes it harder for the defense to maintain its shape.

Another consideration on shots, is not just whether the shooter is open in one of their 'spots' but also where their four teammates are on the floor - a shot taken and missed, when no one is near the basket, is unlike to result in an offensive rebound, or one taken when everyone is near the baseline is much more likely to lead to a fast break opportunity at the other end - that as well as just the movement of the players is part of what being 'in the flow' entails. The opposite is also true - not taking a shot when you have two players with inside position to contest for a rebound can be just as bad, and is often the reason for 3 second calls.

Giving someone the 'green light' for a good coach includes trusting them to take not just every open shot they get, but to know which of those shots are the right ones to take. And the recognition that they will not be 100% correct in their assessments during a game - I thought a few of Lou's shots were not good shots, but most of them were - I suspect there were a few comments on that during the film review session - 'Lou, not the best choice there.' kind of things.

Awesome post!