Marquette Postgame Thread | Page 7 | The Boneyard

Marquette Postgame Thread

My 2 cents overall and on the Guards:

Good defense. Switching is good. NM and AE bring an old school intensity to the floor. The other team knows it is going to be an all-day dog fight when those two are in. Then throw AG at them, just for some giggles….. We have the horses to wear down teams and pull out close games in the 4th. But and this is a big ‘But’, they need to do it game in and game out AND against top level teams.

Complete BS call on the foul on AE. What they heck is the ref looking at? Is this a reputation foul already?? Same ref calls a BS call for NM kicking? Say what???

NM – Very good game. Not perfect but you can’t ask anymore from her. She is an excellent passer of the BB. I feel bad for her sometimes. Not just this game, but several others: she gets called for fouls that are marginal and then she gets bumped going to the basket and they don’t give her the foul.

Meghan asks why didn’t NM shoot the 3 on the low pass from PB: because the pass was low…hard for players to gather and shoot on a low pass. Nice steal and better dish to CW who had a great finish. Working hard to get through screens. Nice finish on the feed from Liv, but I’m not sure if that would be successful against top level teams. I think NM might have become adequate at making layups now…maybe she has been practicing! 😊 Then she misses one…ughhhhhh!!!

GA taking all PG responsibilities away from PB in lieu of NM. PB at the shooting guard is scary good! I don’t mean to cause any controversy here, but NM makes PB even better! PB doesn’t have to work so hard with NM finding her time and time again with pinpoint perfect passes so PB can stay in rhythm for the 3. Maybe we rotate CW at guard and with EW as well to get NM more playing time? CW has good hops for the boards, but I don’t think she can check the better wings. Interesting to see how GA plays it against top teams and when AG gets back.

Very active/aware of things going on around her on defense -gets 3-4 steals as a result. Pushes the ball up the court as fast as anybody and this really stresses the defense.

My best compliment for her today – she has been a complete pain in the A** nuisance.

CW – Early charge could go either way. Nice take though. She must get called for a walk 2 times a game. I completely disagree with the one Meg said she had in the 1st Qtr though at 2:12.

She is very explosive! Every game now, she gets the feeling NOBODY can keep her from the rim. Has nice size and strength so she can finish. She is the one player we have who will finish through contact! If she could hit her 3s at 40%, she could be unstoppable. But that is a BIG ‘if’.

Weird how she struggles to shoot the 3. Has a sweet stroke but they just don’t fall. I am not being funny here, but I wonder sometimes if she should get her eyes checked.

PB – This may sound weird, but I think she has really big hands. This helps her a lot in dribbling and finishing, etc. GA playing her exclusively at 2G even when NM is not in the game – only a couple minutes. He wants her shooting the ball from 3 and first around screens.

Great arc and rotation on her shot. She is in the PB Zone! She busted the 2-3 zone in the 3rd with back to back threes and then one by NM. Duffy had enough of that and flashed up the ‘5’ to switch to man to man. That is what good outside shooting does for you.

It is also a lot more tiring to play man to man all day than it is to play some zone which hopefully means we have an offensive advantage in the 4th Qtr. Also, imagine how tiring it is for the opponents best defensive player to be chasing PB around and fighting through screens all day.
 
My 2 cents on the bigs:

Liv – making some nice passes on cutters as GA has her out on the perimeter and not posting up. Liv has looked good the last two games with her passing…but again this is against shorter and less athletic players. I’d like to see her do this against SC.

Poor defense to let a smaller player school her in the paint. She really closes out well when her man is picking a guard and then rushes back to get her man rolling. It will be interesting to see if she can be so aggressive against top teams with a skilled big rolling to the basket.

Pretty pick and dish from EW to Liv. I thought she had a really good 2nd Qtr rebounding the ball and boxing out smaller players which is not easy to do for a taller, thinner player with minimal base.

Sometimes I have to scratch my head with her. When she is in the paint and has one player on her and that player happens to be 3 inches shorter, that is an easy basket for anybody! So instead, she passes the ball out….. She is a ‘pre-programmed’ player most of the time. Not really instinctual at this stage. When the unexpected happens, such as no weakside help (in this game), or she gets the ball on the left side of the basket, she gets befuddled.

Again, she can’t finish in the lane against a much smaller player. It is what it is with Liv. She has a very small comfort zone. I have seen glimpses of her expanding her game and she is still putting it together. It’s is not natural for her….She needs a lot of reps to get things down. She still has value as a rim protector, rebounder, recipient on the pick and roll, a move or two a game maybe, and much more if is she can hit the 12-15 footer! That is a big ‘IF’ though.

I still like her for 12 and 10 at SC though! But I will have my fingers crossed as well.

EW beaten a couple times. Movement on defense is not looking as good lately. It is a bit of a hit and miss with her. Crafty finish on the feed from Liv. Seems to have lapses in judgement 2-3 times a game. Had a sound overall game however.

I’ve mentioned this before, she has some nasty in her. I think she enjoys it when she has a chance to embarrass another player. I’ve seen this a few times this year.

AE – nice play in the open court. Bigs are not usually comfortable in these situations but she seems to be a natural at it. Has some serious movement skills for a big. Did she mean to bank in the short baby hook or was she trying to break backboards again? I think the banker in these situations is by far the higher percentage shot, but most players don’t use it.

Creates so many more opportunities for herself in the paint than Liv because she is simply a bigger, wider and stronger player. She just naturally creates space that Liv can’t create which is why Liv can’t ‘make a living’ solely in the paint. Liv needs to hit that 12-15 footer with consistency and then her game takes off.

When AE is good, she is big time good! PLAY OF THE GAME: The block and full court lay in was special. You don’t see that very often and she made it look easy. Does anybody know if she had this huge growth spurt at some point because bigs just don’t move like she does! Her lung capacity must be 50% larger than the average human because she is just full on, all out, all the time! She is just scratching the surface. She has had her breakout games and now needs consistency AND do it against top level teams.

Excellent movement to get the charge where she lost her teeth. How many bigs can move like that???? She is a 'dancing bear'. Back to back games with no ‘bull in a china shop’ moments. She also helps Liv play to her strengths which is a HUGE plus!
 
Marquette is so well-coached they remind me of UConn.

Megan Duffy was 44-20 in two years at Miami of Ohio and is now 36-11 at Marquette, 12-3 this season and in second place in the Big East, and 24-8 last year, her first year at Marquette, before that season got tossed down the pandemic wormhole.

She also has the coolest face mask/face shield I've seen.

Marquette plays at an upbeat pace, they play physical, man-to-man defense, they rebound relentlessly, and they move the ball around when they have it. Almost no dribbling. They also hit the heck out of mid-range jumpers.

And yet ... they lost. By a hefty margin. At home.

That's how good this UConn team is getting to be.
 
Are these the faces of 2 cold blooded assassins?

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FanHam said:
Marquette is so well-coached they remind me of UConn.

Megan Duffy was 44-20 in two years at Miami of Ohio and is now 36-11 at Marquette, 12-3 this season and in second place in the Big East, and 24-8 last year, her first year at Marquette, before that season got tossed down the pandemic wormhole.

She also has the coolest face mask/face shield I've seen.

Marquette plays at an upbeat pace, they play physical, man-to-man defense, they rebound relentlessly, and they move the ball around when they have it. Almost no dribbling. They also hit the heck out of mid-range jumpers.

And yet ... they lost. By a hefty margin. At home.

That's how good this UConn team is getting to be.
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I was certainly impressed with them. Their biggest problem is overall talent: they cant shoot from 3 and turn the ball over too much. But they play hard and are well coached.
 
Someone mentioned that Paige only had 2 assists. We are in uncharted territory now folks, because how many teams have two great passing guards on the floor at the same time. Nika is more than making up for Paiges low assist number, because she is benefiting in receiving some of those Nika assists. Nika isn't scoring alot now, but she also is not taking alot of shots. We only need her to get the others the ball in open situations. Her defense is stellar, we only have to get her a pair of knee pads since she reminds me of super Jen.
 
jazz said:
I was certainly impressed with them. Their biggest problem is overall talent: they cant shoot from 3 and turn the ball over too much. But they play hard and are well coached.
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The Muffet tree
 
oldhuskie said:
At 6-2 and with apparently a quick release, she doesn't need much room to get it off.
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Nice one oldhuskie. I forget to mention this in my post. She looks like she needs about a millisecond time and a millimetre of room to get her shot off.

She caught the ball and didn't need to go into a long motion to shoot. It was like a quick lever-like motion. That is great because I'm not sure if she is much of a creator with her feet. We have plenty those anyway and great passers with PB, NM and AM to get her the ball.
 
rollskies said:
Honestly I thought Marquette was a good opponent. They played well tonight, obviously UConn got the better of them, but i’ve enjoyed being in the big east so far. Hoping the league continues to improve
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Agree, the overall quality of the Big East is just better. The teams have more talent, they're better coached, and it's obvious that each school cares more about women's hoops than most AAC schools. I do miss playing USF though.
 
oldude said:
UConn has at times struggled against zone defenses. When Marquette went to a zone in the 2nd half tonight, Paige single-handedly took them out of it by burying three straight 3's.
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Agreed! I think the problems we had against zones were due to several factors. First we are not a great shooting team from the perimeter. We only have two three point shooters that defenses need to game-plan for, Paige and Anna. Christyn and Evina are decent but if the opposition leaves them open it would not be considered a big mistake, but with Paige or Anna it would be.

With Anna out and Paige playing PG, she doesn't have a great 3pt option to pass to. When Nika assumes the point guard role she has a great option to pass to in Paige. In reverse roles that is not so true. Paige at the point will still be very effective with another great shooter or shooters on the floor. Anna's return helps that, maybe Saylor by year end, and of course Azzi and Carolyn next year.

But when Nika and Paige are both in the game, Nika should assume the point guard role most of the time. Paige could be an All American at either role, Nika is a great passing point guard that is far less effective off the ball.
 
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A nod to the teams having to travel and experience the worst of winter along with the major health concerns. Hats off to all of them! The Huskies have been a world of entertainment with rapid growth in just a few games played.

Geno is settling in on his starters and the starts have been better. Liv is passing much better, 5 assists might be a record for her, some were nifty. She is a threat in a number of ways and doesn't need to put up a lot of shots as she proved in this game and many more minutes than she usually plays. It would be good to establish some blocked shots early in each of these games to get in the heads of the opponents. The steals and rugged point play by Nika also are very disruptive. We had many break-a-ways, a real downer for any team playing us. Our shooter are amazing! A get well quick for our two injured Huskies. It was nice to see they are still very much engaged in this team.

We are rounding into form ahead of schedule and eagerly await new gyms and teams a second time through the schedule. Most of our remaining games will be on the road but the Big East tourney in CT is a plus along with a more liberal fan count possible at the Monhegan Sun.
 
Just looked at the stats: NM has 8 pts., 9 assist, 7 rebounds and 5 steals.

She got fouled on a drive which means 2 additional FTs if they called it. IIRC, it was AE who missed on 2 assists by NM. So she could have had a double double easily. She actually was pretty darn close to a triple double. Funny to say when she didn't even have a double at all. She also is tough, dives at lose balls, is a complete nuisance to the other team. Only 2 TO and 2 Fouls.

By they way, she is in her 11th game or so.....

Kid has game....an ALL AROUND GAME.

Now if she can only make a layup.... :):):)
 
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Jordy said:
When Alijah is on the court with her, Liv is so much more effective because she doesn’t have to be that down low bruiser.
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Long term I think Aaliyah is the starting PF because of more upside and a contrasting style that compliments Liv better. Aubrey is a great option, and amazingly Mir can handle the rebounding/blocked shots part of the PF role as well.

But Aaliyah is the only one (unless Piath develops) that can bang with big bodies down low. Amari seems to be like Liv, so even after Liv graduates the argument for Aaliyah's contrasting style will probably apply. Brady will bring a potential banger but probably more from the PF position like Aaliyah.

For certain matchups (players like Boston) it may even make sense to switch defensive roles with Aaliyah taking on the big bodies down low..
 
Carnac said:
We don’t have to concer ourselves with Nika anymore. She had to adjust to living in a new country, playing with new teammates in a new and more challenging system, and playing by different rules.

She’s made all of those adjustments. The more she plays, the faster her confidence will grow. She now knows without a doubt that she can play at this “elite” level, and prosper.
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True, but you forgot to mention just how much she's had to put up with Geno's 'stubborness'!
i will fight the bold type GIF by Stan.
 
HuskyNan said:
I really like Nika as the point guard and Paige at shooting guard. With Evina also able to handle the pg duties, Paige can roam around until she decides where she wants to make her next shot from. I was thinking it would take a year for the freshmen to settle in but, wow, this team could be scary good by tournament time this year.
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It is just as I thought ... OK! hoped.
"Nika Muhl, with Bueckers they will be the second coming of Sue and "D" but it will be Nika and "P" (maybe "B")! She, who most initially viewed as an afterthought because of Paige's noteriety and Croatian source, will be a most pleasant success."
www.the-boneyard.com

What player(s) are you most looking forward to seeing on the court this season?

Evina I don't mean "who will be the best", but rather "who do you want to watch most to see how much they have improved or what they can do"? Paige is probably one of the most anticipated freshmen ever to suit up, and some of us probably have a good idea what to expect out of her, but are...
www.the-boneyard.com www.the-boneyard.com
 
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RedStickHusky said:
And a benefit of, like, seeing her in practice every day. The whole team was hyping her in preseason. We're starting to see why. That stat line is nearing triple-double territory
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The first few minutes of his presser were fascinating because Geno gave us the big picture on Nika. A killer 3 shooter was what we saw from September on, every day in practice. She'd miss one and we'd yell at her. That's why it was crazy to see her pass all those shots up earlier this season. Then she gave us I'm not use to getting 3 opportunities from others,but having the ball.... fascinating.
 
SVCBeercats said:
It is just as I thought ... OK! hoped.
"Nika Muhl, with Bueckers they will be the second coming of Sue and "D" but it will be Nika and "P" (maybe "B")! She, who most initially viewed as an afterthought because of Paige's noteriety and Croatian source, will be a most pleasant success."
www.the-boneyard.com

What player(s) are you most looking forward to seeing on the court this season?

Evina I don't mean "who will be the best", but rather "who do you want to watch most to see how much they have improved or what they can do"? Paige is probably one of the most anticipated freshmen ever to suit up, and some of us probably have a good idea what to expect out of her, but are...
www.the-boneyard.com www.the-boneyard.com
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I had no doubt. Only question was when. Shame on you @SVCBeercats !
 
oldhuskie said:
Long term I think Aaliyah is the starting PF because of more upside and a contrasting style that compliments Liv better. Aubrey is a great option, and amazingly Mir can handle the rebounding/blocked shots part of the PF role as well.

But Aaliyah is the only one (unless Piath develops) that can bang with big bodies down low. Amari seems to be like Liv, so even after Liv graduates the argument for Aaliyah's contrasting style will probably apply. Brady will bring a potential banger but probably more from the PF position like Aaliyah.

For certain matchups (players like Boston) it may even make sense to switch defensive roles with Aaliyah taking on the big bodies down low..
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Against the Top 3-5 teams, we will need Aaliyah in there. Against most other mid and low tier competitors, the current 4 guard line up is doing well. The real issue is who sits? Its been years since we had this deep a team and it will get deeper next year. Nice problem to have!
 
Very nice game from just about everybody. I hope Aubrey's dnp was just precautionary to get her a little more rest for Monday. I really like seeing ONO and AE on the court together. It lets Liv play to her strengths and relieves her of some of the banger duties. She was hedging off screens like Isiah Whaley, no? And AE with a couple full court break outs? Crazy. Seems the key to playing extended minutes with both bigs is confidence that they won't eat silly fouls. That's been better for two games but we'll see what happens when they get challenged. Some of you Liv bashers just need to accept that she's never going to carry this team but she has a lot to contribute and some nights are going to be better than others.
As far as Nika getting the bulk of pg minutes, the benefits seem pretty obvious but the rotation does get crowded. Ew may get some time at the 1 and cw will give some minutes to aubrey. Main thing though, is that instead of Geno's historical practice of rolling with his five or six best, he has some real big/small and off/def buttons to push with this team. And with the flexibility of Aubrey, Anna, and Mir we shouldn't really have to worry about foul trouble.
 
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In the post game presser, when asked why Nika and Paige are playing so well together, Nika hugs Paige and says ita easy, " She is my slime, My twin".

Geno also sees this and confirmed they play alot on their own on 1-1
 
oldhuskie said:
Agreed! I think the problems we had against zones were due to several factors. First we are not a great shooting team from the perimeter. We only have two three point shooters that defenses need to game-plan for, Paige and Anna. Christyn and Evina are decent but if the opposition leaves them open it would not be considered a big mistake, but with Paige or Anna it would be.

With Anna out and Paige playing PG, she doesn't have a great 3pt option to pass to. When Nika assumes the point guard role she has a great option to pass to in Paige. In reverse roles that is not so true. Paige at the point will still be very effective with another great shooter or shooters on the floor. Anna's return helps that, maybe Saylor by year end, and of course Azzi and Carolyn next year.

But when Nika and Paige are both in the game, Nika should assume the point guard role most of the time. Paige could be an All American at either role, Nika is a great passing point guard that is far less effective off the ball.
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On Nika Geno says you are wrong. Listen to the presser.
 
HopJim said:
Nika's development has allowed UConn to go to a 4 guard lineup. Picked up Anna's but also Aubrey's minutes. Future match ups will likely influence court time once we get everyone back.
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What we need is a difference maker coming off the bench, and Anna could be that player if she can get that shot going. Also Saylor once she gets with the program
 
Golden Husky said:
Ah, the benefits of a Columbia education. And that's why you're the leader of our Morningside Heights pride.
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I knew it was a result of an elite education. Or maybe a calculator. An elite one of course!
pvdoggy said:
It's a good thing Geno did not listen to those people who thought she too slow and could not play any defense.
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think Geno might have watched her practice and interact with the team before deciding? He has an unfair advantage over the BY coaching staff.
 
Edwards is light years ahead of ONO. She scored 11 points in 16 minutes, compared with the 8 points in 35 minutes for ONO. And while ONO tries to shoot largely from outside, Edwards goes right into the fray under the bucket. ONO's assists are not actually positives, but in fact belie the fact that she won't play underneath, and just stands at the free throw line and dishes off. Coach Geno made clear that Muhl and Edwards are tough and aggressive, and "play UConn basketball." Time to start Edwards.
 
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