Marquette BET Postgame Thread | Page 3 | The Boneyard

Marquette BET Postgame Thread

A win, a good win, but not a completely satisfying win.
Geno is still evaluating rotations, is nowhere near having the -9-
deliver a comple game.

He has 3, perhaps 4 more games to get this team close to its potential
before the top teams come rolling in.

Say tuned, the voyage continues.
 
.-.
If the selection committee had foresight & still refuses to have UCONN in Bridgeport, they would place UCONN as the #2 seed in Wichita. There would be a rematch vs. Iowa & Caitlin Clark. Plus, there could also be a rivalry game vs. #1seed Louisville or Baylor.
 
JordyG said:
Take a look at some of her games from last year and look at today's game, then tell me the same. Not only her close outs, but cutting in coverage. Her off ball pace in transition was not so good as well.
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Did you expect her to be in the same shape and timing after being out for what? 19 games? and unable to practice? Just now able to play and practice?
 
BlueSkyGLW said:
Did you expect her to be in the same shape and timing after being out for what? 19 games? and unable to practice? Just now able to play and practice?
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I never mentioned conditioning or timing. You did. I'm talking strictly about movement, particularly her cutting, stopping and starting, and straight ahead speed.
 
I liked the way that they mixed it up on offense. More drives to the basket, scrapping for rebounds, drawing fouls. Getting good 2 point shots, less dependence on 3s. Some very nice passes. Good all-around.
 
oldude said:
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 Championrship final and hopefully a return engagement with Villanova.
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A fine assessment. But it was hard to swallow that, today, Marquette had about 5 kids who were fare more reliable shooting the three than AZZI FUDD. There will come a time ( soon ) when she has to be the player we thought she was. I do agree she is a fine basketball player and an excellent defender. But draining open looks is a key element of what makes her above and beyond " special."

Paige struggled today and it is obvious ( to me ) that she is doing far more already than her healing processes is ready for. She is contributing, but I am not sure how far we should expect her to progress. And most of us, I think, are wishing that she will get "all the back" as the days progress. Personally, I don't think there are enough days between now and the finals of the NCAA for that to happen.

The team has show that it can do a lot on their own. But unless AZZI (and Caroline) play "lights out" it isn't going to be enough. And they aren't showing it yet.

The fact that UCONN's defense is so good...and so relentless....gives them a shot. Being able to start 5 and bring on 4...all supremely talented.... is more than most opponents can handle. And if we can hit threes on top of that defense, we can beat anyone. Kentucky beat SC today because they hit threes. But we aren't going to beat SC ( or a lot of teams ) if Muhl and Dorka are our best long range shooters.
 
.-.
Longtime fan said:
A fine assessment. But it was hard to swallow that, today, Marquette had about 5 kids who were fare more reliable shooting the three than AZZI FUDD. There will come a time ( soon ) when she has to be the player we thought she was. I do agree she is a fine basketball player and an excellent defender. But draining open looks is a key element of what makes her above and beyond " special."

Paige struggled today and it is obvious ( to me ) that she is doing far more already than her healing processes is ready for. She is contributing, but I am not sure how far we should expect her to progress. And most of us, I think, are wishing that she will get "all the back" as the days progress. Personally, I don't think there are enough days between now and the finals of the NCAA for that to happen.

The team has show that it can do a lot on their own. But unless AZZI (and Caroline) play "lights out" it isn't going to be enough. And they aren't showing it yet.

The fact that UCONN's defense is so good...and so relentless....gives them a shot. Being able to start 5 and bring on 4...all supremely talented.... is more than most opponents can handle. And if we can hit threes on top of that defense, we can beat anyone. Kentucky beat SC today because they hit threes. But we aren't going to beat SC ( or a lot of teams ) if Muhl and Dorka are our best long range shooters.
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One thing to keep in mind is that there is a 10 day break between tomorrow’s game and the start of the Big Dance. No one uses that 10 day period better than Geno and his staff when it comes to preparing their team.
 
games like this today show when ppl say "we have Fudd and Bueckers" shooting, 1-9 Fudd. That won't get it done against an elite team, that's why you can never just assume in the tournament players are going to hit their shots.
 
JordyG said:
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.
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I don't believe she's hurting. I think her problem is that she's not mentally ready to go 100% and take on contact yet. It takes a little longer for finesse players, I hope the light goes on before the real tournament.
 
oldude said:
One thing to keep in mind is that there is a 10 day break between tomorrow’s game and the start of the Big Dance. No one uses that 10 day period better than Geno and his staff when it comes to preparing their team.
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When are the seeding selections made?
 
UCONN had a good game today. 1st half was pretty near fantastic. Like others I'm convinced Marquette took a more physical approach in the 2nd half and that had an impact. Likewise, Geno working on different mixes of players to see how things work. Yes, shooting was off a bit...that can be fixed... the Defense was solid all day, and that's what wins games!

To Me, BOTTOM LINE: A WIN is a WIN... and we had a much better day than another highly rated team. :cool::D;);)
Win and Move On! This time of year that's the way every Team has to look at it!
 
.-.
Massey has UCONN as an 18 point favorite vs. both Villanova & Seton Hall. Not sure if this will match Vegas odds.
 
.-.
jaydee602 said:
Massey has UCONN as an 18 point favorite vs. both Villanova & Seton Hall. Not sure if this will match Vegas odds.
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It won't, but then again Massey doesn't have the house money on his points.
 
It's moved to Sunday because of the play in games this year in the Women's tournament.
 
PAHuskeyFan said:
UCONN had a good game today. 1st half was pretty near fantastic. Like others I'm convinced Marquette took a more physical approach in the 2nd half and that had an impact. Likewise, Geno working on different mixes of players to see how things work. Yes, shooting was off a bit...that can be fixed... the Defense was solid all day, and that's what wins games!

To Me, BOTTOM LINE: A WIN is a WIN... and we had a much better day than another highly rated team. :cool::D;);)
Win and Move On! This time of year that's the way every Team has to look at it!
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AND... Oh By The Way... there is a Conference Tournament Final going on out west involving another highly ranked team that was only up by 3 at the Half...and is in a fight in the third quarter.

Let's give our Huskies a break... they won and won easily.
 
Longtime fan said:
A fine assessment. But it was hard to swallow that, today, Marquette had about 5 kids who were fare more reliable shooting the three than AZZI FUDD. There will come a time ( soon ) when she has to be the player we thought she was. I do agree she is a fine basketball player and an excellent defender. But draining open looks is a key element of what makes her above and beyond " special."

Paige struggled today and it is obvious ( to me ) that she is doing far more already than her healing processes is ready for. She is contributing, but I am not sure how far we should expect her to progress. And most of us, I think, are wishing that she will get "all the back" as the days progress. Personally, I don't think there are enough days between now and the finals of the NCAA for that to happen.

The team has show that it can do a lot on their own. But unless AZZI (and Caroline) play "lights out" it isn't going to be enough. And they aren't showing it yet.

The fact that UCONN's defense is so good...and so relentless....gives them a shot. Being able to start 5 and bring on 4...all supremely talented.... is more than most opponents can handle. And if we can hit threes on top of that defense, we can beat anyone. Kentucky beat SC today because they hit threes. But we aren't going to beat SC ( or a lot of teams ) if Muhl and Dorka are our best long range shooters.
Expand ...
Since Kentucky and SC made the same amount of 3’s, K 6-14, SC 6-15 and SC made 2 more foul shots than Kentucky; I would offer Kentucky won because they made 2 more 2’s than SC on 8 less attempts, 18-43 vs. 16-51. The idea is to score more points than your opponent, how doesn’t matter.
And with all due respect, for someone who has lived the game for almost 6 decades, I always wonder how people know what is or “isn’t going to be enough“ before the games are even played.
Uconn plays great defense and has multiple offensive weapons, frankly, virtually all of them inconsistent to some degree but IMO, the whole on offense is greater than the sum of the parts.
I will also make a point about Fudd that impressed the heck out of me; when Marquette made their little run to start the 2nd half and Uconn was on its heels a bit, she hunted GOOD shots about 3 or 4 possessions in a row. She didn’t shy away because she wasn’t shooting well and didn’t gun any shot, but took it upon herself to get quality looks. I think she missed two, made one and got fouled on another but that attitude in a shooter can give a team the same intangible jump on offense Muhl gives on defense. No fear, no hesitation, within the flow, but just “give me the ball we need a good shot“ offense; you don’t want that one on one as a steady diet but there are times in a game it is irreplaceable. I thought that was one of them.
 
oldude said:
What is it with the BY? First, we have JordyG suggesting that Paige looks like she's hurting. Now Caroline is moving gingerly? They're both fine. Nothing to see here.
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I think Paige just may not be in condition yet. Now she did clearly avoid contact today. She was not willing to take it to the rack and get fouled.
 
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