Marquette Postgame Thread

[oldude]

I thought Marquette was doing some damage running the ball but they couldn't sustain that pace. A good running team playing UConn should give it a go. Did I hear the halftime commentator say NC St. can run?

That was a double edged sword for Marquette. They came out pushing the tempo, and fell behind by 11 pts in qtr 1. Subsequently, they slowed down the game and played UConn relatively even for the next 3 qtrs. Geno noted the change in Marquette’s strategy and how it made it tougher for UConn to get easy baskets.

 

[Bama fan]

I know that you can speak of "Intangibles" and what each person brings to the floor. BUT, statistics don't lie and the impact that players have in certain games, tells a great story. Here is the line on 3 Players from last night's game:

In comparison, in "Per Minute Played" it breaks down as follows:

Aubrey Griffin:

Total Minutes Played = 9 Minutes
Points Per Minute Played = 0.44 Points
Rebounds Per Minute Played = 0.44 Boards
Assists Per Minute Played = 0.00 Assists

Nika Muhl:

Total Minutes Played = 26 Minutes
Points Per Minute Played = 0.08 Points
Rebounds Per Minute Played = 0.19 Boards
Assists Per Minute Played - 0.08 Assists

Evina Westbrook:

Total Minutes Played = 33 Minutes
Points Per Minute Played = 0.09 Points
Rebounds Per Minute Played = 0.15 Boards
Assists Per Minute Played = 0.09 Assists

So, for last night's game, who deserved more time on the court and who deserved less time on the court? You decide?

Actually , Geno decides and he does so based on what he sees and what the situation , constantly in flux, demands. We know you like Aubrey, and we like her too. You have beaten this poor horse beyond death!

 

[Dillon77]

Nice analysis. So here’s a loaded question for you. Niele Ivey or Megan Duffy?

Oh, you're a sly one.

As many on this board know, I'm a big Megan Duffy fan and was hoping Jack Swarbrick, ND's Athletic Director, would interview the ND alum trio of Niele, Megan and Beth Morgan Cunningham. when MM decided she was going to move on.

He chose not to go this way, in part because he was utterly convinced Niele was right (and MM was probably reminding him of that). However, I wouldn't of minded him seeing that process through. Besides her developmental skills and the fact that she was, in fact, a head coach, Duffy communicates well both in sports and social areas. At the end of the day, Jack could put a piece of paper in his wallet just in case things change. That said, Megan had/has an ND-Marquette connection (Warrior AD Bill Scholl worked at ND for nearly a quarter century), so, I'm sure that line is two-way and open.

Besides the whole first year at the top thing, Niele has had some challenges, from everyone's individual COVID situation to some ND-specific ones. I think she's getting her approach down, which has been helped by the early arrival of her designated point guard, Olivia Miles, to go along with Maddy Westbeld, one of the two ACC Rookies of the Year, as just announced. Stay tuned.

 

[phil sampieri]

The guards looked like they were rushing their shots, that is something U CONN typically does to other teams.

The reason the post players and forward were able to score as they did, is because Marquette pressured the guards up high limiting their open 3 point shots but llimited down low help against our bigs.

 

[GRIFFBIFF20]

Actually , Geno decides and he does so based on what he sees and what the situation , constantly in flux, demands. We know you like Aubrey, and we like her too. You have beaten this poor horse beyond death!

 

[drweo]

Uconn looked tired. Third game in 5 days, 2 on the road, they'll be better Saturday.

I agree they are tired, but they will have to play three days in a row in the BE tournament, wont thay? And the third day it'll likely be Marquette. But also likely that Marquette will be tired as well...

 

[jaundicedeye]

and the shots they made were easy ones (quite a few) caused by defensive breakdown. Don't let it happening in front of your eyes cloud your opinion.

Gotta give credit for the hustle that Marquette displayed, They were constantly moving and cutting and looking for those cutters. They are well-coached and are not push-overs. Holding a team that had previously exercised their strength inside to only 53 pts is a win.
If you are looking for shutouts it's not going to happen in this sport.

 

[GRIFFBIFF20]

I would agree with you, if her per minute average statistics were horrible, but they show that they are not. Plus AG has proven in the games that she started, that she can produce effectively, with the time given. (I agree that AE's minutes are totally warranted and WELL DERSERVED, as per Average Statistics Per Minute prove it out). Just My

 

[oldude]

I don’t think that’s completely fair to Aubrey. Yes, Aubrey is not a very good shooter, but she doesn’t stand around. She is constantly cutting, setting picks and crashing the boards. On occasion, she’ll put the ball on the floor and attack the basket.

A respectable jump shot would certainly elevate Aubrey’s game to a new level. Let’s hope she can still get there.

 

[donalddoowop]

Defense wasn’t good tonight. It’s been a strong point up until today. Lots and lots of easy baskets for MU.

like everyone is saying, tired I guess.

The most points UConn allowed in a quarter was 17. Two quarters they allowed only 11 and the other quarter they allowed 14. If that is not good defense then you expect too much. Again they held a good team to less than 60 points.

 

[BobbyJ]

During the February 5th game at Marquette, Geno commented in his post-game comments that he thought the Huskie's execution was perhaps as good as he had seen up to that point in the season. The damage in that 87-58 win was done primarily by the guards: Paige B. had 30 and Christyn Williams scored 18. Aaliyah Edwards had 11.
The Huskies shut down Warrior leading scorer, Selena Lott, holding her to 6 points and only allowing her 7 FG attempts. Both teams had 32 rebounds. Grad student forward Lauren Van Kleunen had 18 points and soph. center Camryn Taylor had 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Fast forward to this game. Marquette had a busy stretch, playing three games in six days, winning home games against Villanova and Creighton and then going to Chicago to nip DePaul. Big wins. Since then, they've been able to rest and bit and get ready for improving against UConn.

As many noted, they played hard. I'll take it a step further: they played hard with purpose. Geno recognized that the Warriors extended their perimeter defense and put pressure on the guards. Hard, unrelenting pressure. Paige scored double figures but shot 6-17and had 4 turnovers. But Geno lamented that no one else (guards) seem willing to shoot.

However, the offense adoitly found the inside options and they delivered: Olivia Nelson-Ododa had 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Ms. Edwards had 16 points and 8 rebounds. And Geno showed that this plan extended to taking ove the paint, having a vast rebounding edge and also protecting the paint. ON-O had 6 blocks! And Edwards finds space, either with cuts or following up on second shots. Bravo.

Overall, UConn held Marquette to 53 points and once again hounded Lott into a subpar night. No Lott, no chance for a Warrior win. Taylor, who is developing into a solid paint player, had 19 points and 6 rebounds. Jordan King, who I swear looks related to Paige, had a better game with 11 points. Taylor and King are only sophs and will get better.

Why? Because Coach Megan Duffy develops players. None of those players are top-rated but they improve technically and play hard. And learn from their mistakes. Duffy noted in pre-game interviews she didn't want them playing on the heels and I think they moved to the middle of their feet.

So, one of those "good reminder" games for the Huskies. Things to pay attention to and work on.
And good news for the Warrior's faithful. Smart, competitive coach who instills confidence and fight into her charges (reminds this Domer fan of another coach).

Excellent job by a fine young coach. If Marquette is smart they'll lock her up long term before a top 10 program comes knocking. If she's able to bring in elite talent someplace, look out. She and Kellie Harper have really impressed me.

 

[HuskyNan]

I know that you can speak of "Intangibles" and what each person brings to the floor. BUT, statistics don't lie and the impact that players have in certain games, tells a great story. Here is the line on 3 Players from last night's game:

In comparison, in "Per Minute Played" it breaks down as follows:

Aubrey Griffin:

Total Minutes Played = 9 Minutes
Points Per Minute Played = 0.44 Points
Rebounds Per Minute Played = 0.44 Boards
Assists Per Minute Played = 0.00 Assists

Nika Muhl:

Total Minutes Played = 26 Minutes
Points Per Minute Played = 0.08 Points
Rebounds Per Minute Played = 0.19 Boards
Assists Per Minute Played - 0.08 Assists

Evina Westbrook:

Total Minutes Played = 33 Minutes
Points Per Minute Played = 0.09 Points
Rebounds Per Minute Played = 0.15 Boards
Assists Per Minute Played = 0.09 Assists

So, for last night's game, who deserved more time on the court and who deserved less time on the court? You decide?

Geno has always said not everyone plays well every game and that he’d like 3-4 players to present themselves as ready to win the game. He also said he didn’t care who it was. So, if Nika is having an outstanding night, he’ll keep her on the court. It Evina is dominating, she’ll play more minutes, and so on. Sometimes Geno just waits to see who’s “on” and gives those players the most minutes in the game.

It’s not a bad thing, having 6-7 players capable of taking over a game on any given night rather than needing the same people to be great night after night.

 

[GRIFFBIFF20]

Geno has always said not everyone plays well every game and that he’d like 3-4 players to present themselves as ready to win the game. He also said he didn’t care who it was. So, if Nika is having an outstanding night, he’ll keep her on the court. It Evina is dominating, she’ll play more minutes, and so on. Sometimes Geno just waits to see who’s “on” and gives those players the most minutes in the game.

It’s not a bad thing, having 6-7 players capable of taking over a game on any given night rather than needing the same people to be great night after night.

Could not have said it any better NAN !!

 

[Charliebball]

I agree they are tired, but they will have to play three days in a row in the BE tournament, wont thay? And the third day it'll likely be Marquette. But also likely that Marquette will be tired as well...

I think when an if UConn plays Marquette a third time we will see a very motivated UConn team.............I expect a much better effort......

 

[oldude]

Generally, she passes the ball and cuts hard to the basket.

 

[jazz]

My 2 cents:

As with everybody here, I am in agreement that this was not a well-played game. In saying that, there were 2-3 possessions in each half that nullified points for us and directly led to points for Marquette. Missed shots, offensive fouls, bad or unlucky bounce, even a bad call or two. Otherwise we win by 20.

It is hard to run a motion offense when one of the defenders will not play the high post and were are running a high post motion offense. To her credit, Liv took and made a fair share of those shots but there were plenty of times she did not make the shot or tried in vain to find somebody open for the pass, refusing to even look at the basket.

It is also hard to play well when you actually do shoot, you miss most of the time as we did: PB, CW, NM and EW combined for 10 for 37 and 3-15 from 3. That is some really bad shooting all around. We only shot 5 FTs also. Fortunately Liv, AE and even AG had really good games. Liv missed a few she should have hit and it seems sometimes she is being told to not shoot from the FT elbow and wait to get the ball to PB.

Chalk it up to a bad day at the office.

AG – I thought she was terrific in her spot duty in the first half (6ish minutes I believe) and then got hardly anything in the second half. Not sure why you would take her out on defense when the opposition has the ball with one shot left in the quarter. Also, I can’t see why she doesn’t get more playing time. She got less than 10 minutes while CW, EW and PB play big minutes. You can get all of them some more rest by rotating AG in the game for different players but yet still play her at the 4 or 3 even. I’d like to see Liv with AE and AG on the court together.

AG comes in the first half and immediately makes an impact multiple times and then sits most of the second half. I think GA needs to get her in the game more which would give other players a breather and make them better as well. Even if she isn’t as good in the half court as GA wants, she does so many other things to make up for that and then goes out and proves it game in and game out.

 

[LCConnFan]

My 2 cents:

As with everybody here, I am in agreement that this was not a well-played game. In saying that, there were 2-3 possessions in each half that nullified points for us and directly led to points for Marquette. Missed shots, offensive fouls, bad or unlucky bounce, even a bad call or two. Otherwise we win by 20.

It is hard to run a motion offense when one of the defenders will not play the high post and were are running a high post motion offense. To her credit, Liv took and made a fair share of those shots but there were plenty of times she did not make the shot or tried in vain to find somebody open for the pass, refusing to even look at the basket.

It is also hard to play well when you actually do shoot, you miss most of the time as we did: PB, CW, NM and EW combined for 10 for 37 and 3-15 from 3. That is some really bad shooting all around. We only shot 5 FTs also. Fortunately Liv, AE and even AG had really good games. Liv missed a few she should have hit and it seems sometimes she is being told to not shoot from the FT elbow and wait to get the ball to PB.

Chalk it up to a bad day at the office.

AG – I thought she was terrific in her spot duty in the first half (6ish minutes I believe) and then got hardly anything in the second half. Not sure why you would take her out on defense when the opposition has the ball with one shot left in the quarter. Also, I can’t see why she doesn’t get more playing time. She got less than 10 minutes while CW, EW and PB play big minutes. You can get all of them some more rest by rotating AG in the game for different players but yet still play her at the 4 or 3 even. I’d like to see Liv with AE and AG on the court together.

AG comes in the first half and immediately makes an impact multiple times and then sits most of the second half. I think GA needs to get her in the game more which would give other players a breather and make them better as well. Even if she isn’t as good in the half court as GA wants, she does so many other things to make up for that and then goes out and proves it game in and game out.

All good points Jazz, but, IMO.............Geno wants to keep it pretty much the same going into the tourney, if for nothing else but for the players knowing just what they can count on from each other for the majority of the game.

 

[jazz]

I know that you can speak of "Intangibles" and what each person brings to the floor. BUT, statistics don't lie and the impact that players have in certain games, tells a great story. Here is the line on 3 Players from last night's game:

In comparison, in "Per Minute Played" it breaks down as follows:

Aubrey Griffin:

Total Minutes Played = 9 Minutes
Points Per Minute Played = 0.44 Points
Rebounds Per Minute Played = 0.44 Boards
Assists Per Minute Played = 0.00 Assists

Nika Muhl:

Total Minutes Played = 26 Minutes
Points Per Minute Played = 0.08 Points
Rebounds Per Minute Played = 0.19 Boards
Assists Per Minute Played - 0.08 Assists

Evina Westbrook:

Total Minutes Played = 33 Minutes
Points Per Minute Played = 0.09 Points
Rebounds Per Minute Played = 0.15 Boards
Assists Per Minute Played = 0.09 Assists

So, for last night's game, who deserved more time on the court and who deserved less time on the court? You decide?

I agree with you Griff but I'm not sure many else would. Even without the empirical evidence you gave, it is more than abundantly obvious to me that AG makes an impact every single time she is on the floor. It may not be 'text book beautiful poetry in motion offense' with AG but it is not like the offense comes to a halt when she is in. Most of the time it isn't exactly great when she is on the bench either.

But apparently GA insists on playing EW, CW and even PB for extended minutes and giving scraps to AG. Give AG 20 minutes and rotate the above three, mostly EW and CW out a bit more and I think we have better results. I also think the bit of rest would help them as well. I'd even take NM's minutes down to 18-20 as well to get her on the floor more.

 

[jazz]

View attachment 65156

I hear ya and I agree 10000%

 

[Centerstream]

And Aubrey should never take another 3 point shot. I am guessing that is what Geno would like her to stop doing because if she is behind the arc with the ball, she is probably out of position. She needs to be closer to the hoop to get offensive rebounds and put backs.
I am basing this on Geno's body language when she shoots a 3.

 

[jazz]

not true...you are exaggerating.