When we win by one or more points, no.
No, did you notice that even though they played this kind of game, UConn won?
Probably, but we won’t play like this on the second weekend, or probably anytime again this year!
I love your posts on this thread. Great job.
Yes
She is a shooter, that's why UConn recruited her. When she is put into the game, along with Azzi Sarah, and Ashlynn (for example), they are there to shoot and score. If they shoot and score, they aren't making an assist, but someone else probably is. Why do you think that she tries her best to get behind the arc and shoot or drive the lane.
They have another problem too. I think they need a third shooter who can take the pressure off of Azzi & Sarah, and stop defenses from doubling on them during games. It will be very important during March madness. Last year they had Paige, Sarah, and Azzi. I don't know why Ash seems to have lost her shot. She is terrific on defense but misses to many shots. Allie is not a good defender and KK is not a shooter.
The team does have a third scorer, in fact they also have a fourth. Blanca and Allie have shown the ability to score big time, so maybe we should be patient until we are completely healthy. One thing that is concerning to me is why Allie only took 2 shots in 25 minutes on the court. This game was painful to watch, but fortunately we can go through the season with stinkers because of the poor play of the BE. We may not be undefeated if we were in another conference, but I would rather play meaningful games and possibly lose once in a while then just roll through everyone we face. UConn is too good for the BE, and that is a problem that nobody in the country has to navigate in their respective conferences. From the outside, this is a weird situation. I guess it is better to win boringly instead of losing excitingly. LOL
I have another take on Allie’s game yesterday. As others have pointed out, opposing teams now have a scout on her and nobody wants to leave her open at the arc. Marquette dogged Allie all over the court. Allie missed the 2 shots she took, but she did a bunch of other things: a rebound, 3 assists, several solid screens and solid defense in her 25 minutes on the court.
They have five shooters, speaking conservatively. As @oldude points put, Allie did exactly what a scoring threat does, she kept the defense honest. Ash plays a similar role. And don’t forget Blanca. Kayleigh too. And a sign of all of this is KK’s 10 points and 9 assists. She was able to get to the rim not only because of her quick first step, but also because the other threats opened up driving lanes. UConn plays as a team, not a bunch of free agents.
I agree about Serah - while I was originally excited about getting her, she looks lost out there and Jana is so much better in the pick and role at the top of the key. More than likely Jana has been unhappy with her role this year and Geno has noticed her lack of enthusiasm, but Jana does look more aggressive, maybe someone has challenged her to "earn" more minutes. From what I have seen the last few games, Jana is a better option as we need def toughness and strong rebounding. If Jana could get a strong role to finish this season, she would be primed to shine next year.
When you look at film of Jana right before her injury, she was a beast, hitting threes, mid game strong, moved very quickly. She was exactly what we needed. Her injury caused her to bulk up a bit and she lost quickness and confidence. She looked better this game, working hard, moving out to guard on switches. That "Jana" is still there, she just needs to make a statement with her game and take the starting spot by showing in practice and the next few games that she can give us what we need to complete number 13.
I watched several UConn games from last season and found Sara's performance to be interesting. Compared to last year, which for most did not fully meet expectations, she is now slower, more deliberate, and has less jumping ability. She had realatively good hands last year, not so much this year. Don't have any facts that would help me speculate-just stating some observations.
