Marquette BET Postgame Thread

[ballerfan]

I was finally able to watch the game thanks MJL243.

I was surprised that Azzi was just 1 for 9 and 0 for 5 from the 3. I’m not in her head, and I’m not a psychologist, but she sometimes seems to lose confidence when things start going wrong. On one shot she missed the rim by a foot. But as Steph Curry said, Azzi is one of the best shooters in the history of the game, and it’s much easier to fix a confidence problem than a shooting one. I think she’ll be one of the greatest UConn players ever. Along with Paige.

Paige was 1 for 4 with 2 assists, 2 rebounds, and 3 turnovers, but watching her on the court, I didn't think she was terrible. What’s important now is not her stats. She just needs time on the court. If she can get to 75% of her old self by the Sweet Sixteen, UConn is going to be a lot nastier against a tough opponent.

According to Geno, Nika doesn’t care if she shoots, but recently she is showing she can be an important offense threat. Very happy for Nika.

Evina, wow. Welcome back to greatness. CW, too. And Dorka 3 for 4 from the 3.

It’s been a season of upsets, but I feel optimistic now.

(A while ago, out of frustration, I said I would not post anymore. But I need to have a thicker skin. I love the BY.)

 

[jchusky]

My thoughts:

What have we had, two weeks of practice with the team at full strength? There is no way this team can look totally fluid and unstoppable against good teams, which Marquette is. My initial reaction was to be disappointed(with the offense, not the defense) in the game after it was 33-6, but as I think about it more and more, the lineup tinkering that was done the rest of the game, frankly has to be done. While this team is playing for a BE championship this weekend, the goal is to win 6 once the NCAAT starts. With such little practice time, that means tinkering, if you will, has to be done during games.

I'm thinking that the long break between the BET and the first round of the NCAAT will be very valuable practice time.

Marquette is not a "good" team, they're not even in the 68 team field.

 

[freshler40]

Agreed re Marquette and flopping... as to who might have taught them, they probably have been watching Indiana. The Hoosiers should be embarrassed by the number of times they hit the deck without even getting touched, including during today's Big Ten final vs. Iowa.

Sorry to see so much flopping on both sides. Not good for the game IMO. The answer seems to be to call the foul on the flopper. Seems like Duke has led this development in recent years. There is a fine line between charging and flopping. Love to see some consistency in this call but ref angles can often be obstructed.

 

[freshler40]

I haven't read all 6 pages of this conversation, so this may have already been said, but to me, the team looked tired in the second half. A lot of shots were short and they seemed to be a half-step behind on some plays.

As long as the defense keeps playing well, the team will go a long way, but as South Carolina showed, you have to continue to score.

Our first half was high energy motion offensive with Edwards clearing out for our guards to drive to the hoop. We played to a 10-15 second clock. For much of the second half we went to a four corner offense, pulled up our fast break and ran the clock with many more turnovers, usually from a moving pick or traffic infraction. The Huskies seemed to look for a perfect shot too much, we didn't play within the flow of the game. Hope this changes but when nursing a 10 point led late in a game you do need to have this style available. I don't think we were tired, just playing a different type of offense looking for more three pointers.

 

[BRS24]

Re Paige:
With the (XXX) injury, my doc said it could take up to 2 yrs post op for everything to work together, and thus why he was dismissive of athletes coming back in less than 10-12 months. Syncing up the mental and physical takes a while. Been there, done that, and all of a sudden you move instinctively and afterwards laugh and say, where did that come from and where has it been?

She's not played two days in a row in a year, and even with only 20 mins, game time is different than practice time, as it's not predictable movement. The coaches/team also have to navigate easing her back in and working through combinations of players.

(partly kidding) Her vest with velcro strap that probably holds the health monitor that all the players are wearing (even the football team!) was loose, and that would drive me nuts having something flopping around under my jersey.

Frankly, I feel lucky that she's back playing and will take whatever she gives on the court.

 

[BobbyJ]

Re Paige:
With the (XXX) injury, my doc said it could take up to 2 yrs post op for everything to work together, and thus why he was dismissive of athletes coming back in less than 10-12 months. Syncing up the mental and physical takes a while. Been there, done that, and all of a sudden you move instinctively and afterwards laugh and say, where did that come from and where has it been?

She's not played two days in a row in a year, and even with only 20 mins, game time is different than practice time, as it's not predictable movement. The coaches/team also have to navigate easing her back in and working through combinations of players.

(partly kidding) Her vest with velcro strap that probably holds the health monitor that all the players are wearing (even the football team!) was loose, and that would drive me nuts having something flopping around under my jersey.

Frankly, I feel lucky that she's back playing and will take whatever she gives on the court.

What is an XXX injury? The time frame you're describing here is that of an ACL recovery and rehab. If that's what you're talking about, that's not what Bueckers' injury was.

 

[HopJim]

This game would have been over earlier, like the first half, if the refs had called the game the same both ways. It seemed that if UConn touched a player a foul was called while Marquette got away with pushing and shoving players and no call. They had twice as many moving screens then UConn and only had one of them called. The Big East needs to start punishing the bad refs by limiting their games.

When you watched the game a second time, the off-ball hacking, holding, and hitting by Marquette stood out. Since all their players were doing it, had to be a coaching decision. As pointed out, if the refs let one team get away with it, the hacking will continue.

 

[HopJim]

Totally agree, with the nine player rotation Geno has going for him now, there seems to be an added bonus, could all nine players not have a good shooting day/night?

Player lineups had little to do with the misses. UConn's best shooters were open all afternoon. Fudd's normal alignment is like a machine, but her misses were far off. While some may disagree, I believe her current slump is a byproduct of her past foot injury. I did like that after several misses, she started driving to basket. Williams has built her end of year game around drives to the basket with great success.

 

[oldude]

When you watched the game a second time, the off-ball hacking, holding, and hitting by Marquette stood out. Since all their players were doing it, had to be a coaching decision. As pointed out, if the refs let one team get away with it, the hacking will continue.

Marquette is the most physical team in the BE, similar to UCF in the AAC, they employ the “Hack a Husky” defense.

 

[Barkin Out]

Had the pleasure of attending yesterday’s games. 1st time back post covid for me and my daughters 1st game. Great experience. Hope more of the BYrs can get to tonight’s final.

Regarding Paige, I won’t comment on how she moved on the court- as that was broadcast. During the 1st half of the Nova game Paige and many of her teammates enjoyed some dinner while enjoying the action. Lots of icing joints. At half time, they got up and walked down the stairs to exit the tunnel. And while I’ve never met @oldude, Paiges descent reminded me of an old dude. (Wish I knew how to insert an emoji here). She was clearly stiff- which I took as a reminder of how gutsy it is for her to play as much as she does while getting back into UConn shape.

We will benefit greatly from the upcoming break. Go Huskies!

 

[BRS24]

What is an XXX injury? The time frame you're describing here is that of an ACL recovery and rehab. If that's what you're talking about, that's not what Bueckers' injury was.

Bad mojo to type those letters here, and yes, I know what PB's was, however, regardless of the injury, it takes a while for everything to sync. My point is that she may be "off" as she hasn't got everything in sync yet.

 

[Bama fan]

I have a different perspective on Aaliyah. She still makes a lot of mental mistakes out there and I worry about the big games ahead against the best bigs. One time she was so far out of position the bottom of the backboard blocked her shot. She has to work on her tensile strength also. She is not a natural basketball player yet, more like an exceptional athlete playing basketball. She is still learning the game. She is however improving dramatically now with each game and while I think any exuberance should be tempered the ceiling is ridiculously high.

I agree that AE is continuing to get better. She is strong and fast, but does make mistakes as you say. But can you explain how she needs to improve her tensile strength? Is someone planning to stretch her somehow? Maybe I read it wrong, @BBallF. But I am confused by that statement.
.

 

[oldude]

Had the pleasure of attending yesterday’s games. 1st time back post covid for me and my daughters 1st game. Great experience. Hope more of the BYrs can get to tonight’s final.

Regarding Paige, I won’t comment on how she moved on the court- as that was broadcast. During the 1st half of the Nova game Paige and many of her teammates enjoyed some dinner while enjoying the action. Lots of icing joints. At half time, they got up and walked down the stairs to exit the tunnel. And while I’ve never met @oldude, Paiges descent reminded me of an old dude. (Wish I knew how to insert an emoji here). She was clearly stiff- which I took as a reminder of how gutsy it is for her to play as much as she does while getting back into UConn shape.

We will benefit greatly from the upcoming break. Go Huskies!

I can’t imagine a scenario where Paige remotely reminds anyone of me hobbling down stairs. Compared to me, I suspect Paige looks like a mountain goat bounding down the side of a hill…

 

[ME Husky Fan]

No attack @oldude I liked your post but even Geno stated post game it tapers off. Must sustain the entire game to get the ring. Need the machine for four quarters. Having said that I do realize it is not a reasonable expectation.

Yes she was with the team on FS1 today and had a decent game, you must not get that channel?

@MD#12Fan No attack but you seem to be confused. You think the offensive tempo is too fast yet like lots of cutting and good penetration and drives to the hoop and dishes. Do you realize today's type of execution cannot result in a positive out come at a walk through pace? The defensive pressure has to be eluded.
Again no personal attack just a difference of opinion. The game both men and women is played at a exponentially more rapid pace. The days of offensive meat grinders are gone with the Dean Smith four corners offense and the implantation of the shot clock.
In today's game he who hesitates is lost. That or double and possibly triple teamed.

*Loved seeing Christyn showing her toughness and going to the hoop two games in row.
*Same for Nika's confidence in her game all around.
*Evina comes of the bench like she has already played 10 minutes.
*Aaliyah getting back to her former self.
*Olivia, takes a licking and keeps on ticking with out loosing her cool.
*Azzi had a bad shooting night but her feet and defense are amazing for a freshman at this level.
*Paige still getting acclimated to new lineup configurations and coming of the bench just fine. Had a mid-range jumper that had to have a mid air fade to avoid defender and nothing but net.
*Caroline did not have her best game but with only 15 minutes of PT she had the play of the game. Her run down to save a court length break away pass, stay in bounds and flip a no look to Dorka who trailed the play with perfect hustle for the layup was a beauty. It was ESPN next day top 10 material.
*Juhasz another good game. My only thoughts on her are one more year, one more year, one more year.

Liv? Perhaps in body and yes I saw the game but maybe without my glasses I didn’t see the miss tip off to a smaller person, half of the rebounds she was credited with came to her, she didn’t go to the boards and still setting illegal screens as a 4 year player. Going to optometrist later today.

 

[HuskyNan]

If you want to talk about minutes played in today's game against Marquette UConn's minutes was as follows:

Starters: Aaliyah 30 min, Azzi 28 min, Christyn 27 min, Liv and Nika both 22 min.
Bench: Dorka and Evina 19 min, Paige 18 min, and Caroline 15 min

Villanova's minutes played in today's game against Seton Hall were as follows:

Starters: Siegrest 39 min, Garzen and Herlihy 38 min, Olsen 35 min, and Mullin 30 min
Bench: Runyan 12 min and Orihel 8 min

When you add the minutes that Villanova played against St. John's the day before all of the starters had between 60 to 74 minutes played over the past two days, while the two main off the bench players had between 22 and 39 minutes. UConn starters had between 42 and 56 min and the bench between 35 and 40 minutes.

When it's all said and done I don't think it's going to be UConn that gets the tired legs in tomorrow's championship game.

Evina and Dorka talked about the fatigue factor in the post-game presser. They said that they can feel the other team getting tired, then Geno subs in fresh players (Paige, Dorka, Caroline, Evina off the bench!). The team is loving the expanded roster, they can play full out knowing that there’s someone that can come in for them if they’re tired.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

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.

There's no crime in pointing out that Paige is moving gingerly. It's why Coach Geno has limited her minutes, and made clear that she's not 100%. No shame in a kid who suffered a major knee injury just three months ago will need time to return to National POY form.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

Megan Duffy is a class act. Marquette is in good hands for years to come. She kept the team motivated for 4 quarters despite being outscored by more than 20 points.

She coaches like she played when she was point guard for Notre Dame: tough, hard-nosed defense, and a never-give-up mentality.

 

[DefenseBB]

Considering that Liv was being mugged most of the game by the Marquette players I think she did pretty good. I hope she is able to get her body iced up some after the game.

I would say Liv “gave as much as she got” from
a physical perspective. This UConn team can be as physical as almost any other team out there if that calls for it. I am not saying Liv or UConn initiate it but they don’t back down from it either.

The fandom of all teams seem to think the refs have it out for “their” team on the various whistles called, while I tend to think most times the official is simply calling what they see. Olivia did fight back against Myles during that kerfuffle and did call her a few non-repeatable names. But I don’t buy that Liv was mugged and it wasn’t called, it was. She also had 3 correct fouls called on her as well and she got away with some that weren’t.

 

[MSGRET]

I would say Liv “gave as much as she got” from
a physical perspective. This UConn team can be as physical as almost any other team out there if that calls for it. I am not saying Liv or UConn initiate it but they don’t back down from it either.

The fandom of all teams seem to think the refs have it out for “their” team on the various whistles called, while I tend to think most times the official is simply calling what they see. Olivia did fight back against Myles during that kerfuffle and did call her a few non-repeatable names. But I don’t buy that Liv was mugged and it wasn’t called, it was. She also had 3 correct fouls called on her as well and she got away with some that weren’t.

Like they didn't see the player that pushed AE a foot trying to get around her, but almost every fan in the place reacted to it. Like they didn't see Myles during her whole 6 minutes of play mugging Liv, got called on two fouls and was removed by Duffy because the young lady had a temper issue.

Yesterday was a one sided affair when it came physical play, yes UConn got called on fouls, but none of them where as physical as almost every forward on Marquette had on the floor when playing against UConn's bigs. I guess many of the posters on this thread saw a completely different game then you did.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

Liv? Perhaps in body and yes I saw the game but maybe without my glasses I didn’t see the miss tip off to a smaller person, half of the rebounds she was credited with came to her, she didn’t go to the boards and still setting illegal screens as a 4 year player. Going to optometrist later today.

Still not a commanding post player. A play that has typified ONO's play all along was near the end of one quarter when, with the clock ticking down, she got the ball, dribbled into the lane just four feet from the basket, and then- no, she didn't just lunge for the basket and put up a layup as one would expect a 6'5" post player to do- she passed outside to the perimeter as time expired. ONO most of the time seems positively frightened by the prospect of playing anywhere near the rim.

Yes, she got seven rebounds in 25 minutes, but only one offensive rebound, committed three turnovers (including the one mentioned above), and three personal fouls. Does not intimidate.

 

[Zarathustra]

Points and rebounds perhaps???

Check it out. I think one "stats" page had 29 and 22 as
minutes of playing time.

 

[OldSchooler]

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.

Throw in CD, for a total of 8 on 3-16. What's it going to look like when 2 of the 3 are hitting on all cylinders?

 

[Willy Gee]

I made a bet with a guy who graduated from Marquette. I took UConn but gave 20 points. Westbrook was the MVP as far as I am concerned. Her 3 at the end saved my behind.

 

[OldSchooler]

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.

Paige crouched by the scorer's table for several minutes toward the end of Q2, but never got in because there were no whistles. Then when the second half began, she was not in the lineup.

 

[OldSchooler]

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.

Paige has been making some bullet passes that the receivers haven't been able to convert, either because they weren't ready to catch it, or they didn't get to the proper spot on the cut. IMO, that's because they haven't been practicing enough together. That will improve in the off time before the big dance.