Marquette BET Postgame Thread

[oldude]

Some thoughts on the Marquette game:

• When UConn came out with ¾ court pressure, racing to a 22-6 lead in the 1st qtr, I’m guessing it occurred to Marquette that they were going to have to work for everything they got today, unlike yesterday’s game.
• Of the many things Christyn does well, her ability to beat defenders off the dribble and attack the basket is the most significant aspect of her game, creating nightmares for opposing defenses.
• UConn’s defense is an absolute machine right now. With a 9-player rotation, the Huskies never let up. Every Husky is up in their opponent’s grill, switching beautifully, hedging on all ball screens, with hands and arms up harassing passing lanes, while controlling the defensive boards. If the Huskies win #12, they will ride their defense to the Championship Banner.
• Some BY’ers, including yours truly, were lamenting the fact that UConn would be a better team if Nika could provide some scoring punch to go along with her playmaking and relentless defense. Her 7 points on 3/3 shooting in the 1st half was exactly what the doctor ordered.
• Aaliyah has been in BEAST MODE for a couple weeks now. Today she was a MONSTER!!! When you contemplate some of the potential matchups in the Big Dance, having a big, strong, versatile defender and rebounder like Aaliyah changes everything.
• I really like the fact that Azzi stayed aggressive on defense, her best effort of the season imo, despite having a tough shooting game. It’s yet another sign of Azzi's growth as a college basketball player.
• While it certainly wasn't one of Paige's better games, I actually thought she was moving as well as I've seen since returning from surgery.
• On to the Big East Championship final and hopefully a return engagement with Villanova.

 

[Redux]

Like the middle film or novel in a trilogy, sometimes.

 

[HuskyNan]

Paige and Azzi combine for 6 points on 2-13 shooting and the Huskies win by 20. I’ll take it.

BTW, both contributed to the win with assists (5), rebounds (4), steals (2), and some great defense, especially from Azzi.

 

[Kaizen]

Evina 14, CW 13 and Droka 13 all played very hard even Paige and Azzi not so good today.

 

[CTGirl15]

Dorka has been one of our most consistent players. Aaliyah with a great game on both ends of the court, and Christyn and Evina provided much needed offense.

In a game when Paige and Azzi combined for 6 points on 2 of 12 shooting and no threes, I am very happy with a 20 point win.

With so many top teams getting knocked off in tournaments this weekend to unranked teams, every win from here on out is a good thing.

 

[JJTB]

Having 29 and 22 from the bigs is a nice luxury!

 

[LoboDays]

I get the feeling this team will have to play without the old Paige through the rest of this season. Hope I’m proven wrong with a blow out performance tomorrow night.

 

[UConnCat]

Azzi needs to make shots.
Marquette has mastered the art of flopping. Wonder who taught them that?
At one point in the 2nd half Marquette put a player in whose purpose was not to play basketball. Just sayin'

Intensity dropped a bit in the 2nd half but win and advance.

 

[Bigpetunia]

Way to show 'em the glue factory ain't beckoning yet, old dude!
I thought, given the absurd differential in talent on the floor, Marquette, just from a fan-of-the-game perspective, played great. They stayed with the Huskies for the entire second half and showed terrific character and resilience. Coaches like Megan, not necessarily having access to a similar level of talent, are doing a great job of remaining relevant. Kudos to her!!!

 

[Tonyc]

We have alot of clutch players. Today it showed. This team isnt there yet but theyre getting there. To win by 20 with Paige Azzi and Caroline having an off shooting day shows you how depth helps and how strong of a team we are. We may be getting a little tired coming off injuries and 2 straight games. Tomorrow we need to be 9 players fresh and ready to go. I have a feelin we are gonna put on a show tomorrow.

 

[EdSaid]

#2 of 9

 

[HuskyNan]

Having 29 and 22 from the bigs is a nice luxury!

??

 

[EdSaid]

??

I think points and rebounds from ONO, AE, and DJ

 

[JordyG]

I love the win. As Geno has said many times, facing and beating a team 3 times in one year is a tough deal. Poor shooting by your best outside shoots happens. Most teams can't overcome that kind of obstacle. My biggest concern was watching Paige struggle to cover her mark and close out on the perimeter. She looked like she was hurting. Geno wanted to give her 20 minutes today, and I don't think she had that many. I don't think she'll get 20 mins tomorrow either. Still, UConn's depth was the real winner today.

 

[Surly1]

First, props to Marquette for battling back after getting behind early. It would have been to fold, but they played hard and ran their offense much better in the second half.

Hard to be disappointed with a twenty point victory, particularly after SC getting upset today. For the second game in a row, Azzi‘s shot has been off. Combined, Azzi and Paige shot 2 for 13, 6 points between them. For most teams, a shooting night like that would be a recipe for disaster. First time I can recall that Paige looked frustrated and not mentally focused. I expect to see different versions of both players in the championship game.

Fortunately, for every player that might be a bit off, there are plenty of others to fill the void. Such is the luxury of having quality depth. Some may see the frequent subbing as disrupting the flow of the game, but each player in the 9-man rotation brings a positive. Moving forward, as the quality of the competition increases, we might see less rotation, but at who’s expense in playing time.

Dorka, Christyn, Aaliyah, Evina, Liv and Nika played well today. Christyn has put two stellar offensive games together in a row. Ducharme seems the odd man out as she has yet to find her game/role since the rotation has swelled to 9 players. Hopefully, it will come together for her.

 

[HuskyNan]

We have alot of clutch players. Today it showed. This team isnt there yet but theyre getting there. To win by 20 with Paige Azzi and Caroline having an off shooting day shows you how depth helps and how strong of a team we are. We may be getting a little tired coming off injuries and 2 straight games. Tomorrow we need to be 9 players fresh and ready to go. I have a feelin we are gonna put on a show tomorrow.

Caroline only had 3 shot attempts today but she impacted the game regardless. Her defense is improved, especially laterally, and she made some nice plays. No turnovers!

on a side note, does it seem she was moving a little gingerly?

 

[FridaFriend]

The seniors and Dorka were great. Edwards and Olivia were strong and effective. The freshmen looked a little lost and Azzi was missing some shots by a lot. Paige seemed like she was pushing and it wasn't working. Nika was fabulous.

 

[Bama fan]

??

Points and rebounds perhaps???

 

[oldude]

I love the win. As Geno has said many times, facing and beating a team 3 times in one year is a tough deal. Poor shooting by your best outside shoots happens. Most teams can't overcome that kind of obstacle. My biggest concern was watching Paige struggle to cover her mark and close out on the perimeter. She looked like she was hurting. Geno wanted to give her 20 minutes today, and I don't think she had that many. I don't think she'll get 20 mins tomorrow either. Still, UConn's depth was the real winner today.

No, Paige was fine, and moving as well as she has since her return. I saw absolutely no indication of her hurting and I think she got right around the 15-20 mpg that she was supposed to get.

 

[darkstar1]

CW did what she does best, slash to the basket. More of that please. Despite stats, to my eyes, the Team looked most “UConn like” when the “2nd team” came in with Dorka and Paige on the floor.

 

[BlueSkyGLW]

Some thoughts on the Marquette game:

• When UConn came out with ¾ court pressure, racing to a 22-6 lead in the 1st qtr, I’m guessing it occurred to Marquette that they were going to have to work for everything they got today, unlike yesterday’s game.
• Of the many things Christyn does well, her ability to beat defenders off the dribble and attack the basket is the most significant aspect of her game, creating nightmares for opposing defenses.
• UConn’s defense is an absolute machine right now. With a 9-player rotation, the Huskies never let up. Every Husky is up in their opponent’s grill, switching beautifully, hedging on all ball screens, with hands and arms up harassing passing lanes, while controlling the defensive boards. If the Huskies win #12, they will ride their defense to the Championship Banner.
• Some BY’ers, including yours truly, were lamenting the fact that UConn would be a better team if Nika could provide some scoring punch to go along with her playmaking and relentless defense. Her 7 points on 3/3 shooting in the 1st half was exactly what the doctor ordered.
• Aaliyah has been in BEAST MODE for a couple weeks now. Today she was a MONSTER!!! When you contemplate some of the potential matchups in the Big Dance, having a big, strong, versatile defender and rebounder like Aaliyah changes everything.
• I really like the fact that Azzi stayed aggressive on defense, her best effort of the season imo, despite having a tough shooting game. It’s yet another sign of Azzi's growth as a college basketball player.
• While it certainly wasn't one of Paiges's better games, I actually thought she was moving as well as I've seen since returning from surgery.
• On to the Big East Championship final and hopefully a return engagement with Villanova.

Good points.....

The evolution of this UConn team continues......2/13 from their two best scorers and they win by 20; led by 21 in the 1st half with zero points from the two.

They are all turning into simply basketball players: if one part of their game is not working, they work hard with the other parts to continue contributing. No need to describe each one - if you didn't see the game, look at the replay.

Special mention re: Nika - whenever BYers rain heavily on her shooting, she somehow manages to remind that she is getting good at that too, but she stops when she is close to 8-10 points.

The team now wants to win every quarter. Marquette got off to a good start in the last two quarters but UConn battled back in the 3rd; they have to work on having let 4thQ get away from them.

The Coach is now persuaded that he has 9 quality players with different skill sets he can send in waves, mixing and matching according to the needs of the moment. I think this is the way it's going to be from now on until circumstances dictate otherwise as they go deep into the NCAA tournament. He will feel confident playing chess against any coach and team the rest of this year.

Is there enough time for them to evolve into the Magnificent 9?

 

[ME Husky Fan]

Anyone seen Liv?

 

[Zarathustra]

??

A. Edwards played 29 minutes; ONO played for 22 minutes
be careful of the title on the top of those charts.

 

[LarryLegend]

Caroline only had 3 shot attempts today but she impacted the game regardless. Her defense is improved, especially laterally, and she made some nice plays. No turnovers!

on a side note, does it seem she was moving a little gingerly?

CD is making up for it with her inside game. But I have been concerned for her since the head injury. Just not the same