Marquette Postgame Thread

[ccwarrior]

Calm down everyone. Last season UConn had back to back mediocre offensive games at Georgetown & St Johns scoring 73 & 71 points respectively. Somehow, the Huskies managed to right the ship.

Also, how about giving some credit to a well coached Marquette team that played their hearts out. The sky is not falling if the Huskies don’t win by 50……

I am not sure that is the point some are making. We play like this against a top team and we will not win - that is the point.

 

[Woof]

35 point favorites. We underperformed by 20!!! That is what happens when you get practically nothing from Allie, Kayleigh, Jana, Ashlyn and Serah. Sarah was clearly off too but at least she eventually contributed. Was everyone sick?

 

[Stagnant]

I have to call out the commentators. They claimed Sarah Strong scored 17 points in a row. And they claimed it twice because they mentioned it to Azzi too. But it’s not true. She scored 15 in a row and then Azzi scored to the bucket to end the third quarter.

Facts matter. 🤷‍♂️

 

[oldude]

I am not sure that is the point some are making. We play like this against a top team and we will not win - that is the point.

No, that’s exactly my point. UConn can play a less than perfect game in the BE in February and then blow out most of the top teams in March. They have repeatedly done so through the years. They will do so again this year.

 

[ec33]

Allie played 25 minutes and was 0 for 2 shooting. She needs to be taking (and making) more shots if she's coming off the bench to provide a spark and help the offense, the way she has played before today.

I swear she is getting faster though. She is looking rather Azzi-ish with her speed these days.

I am going to have to go into the "Allie's defense" thread and adjust my remarks.

 

[ec33]

I have to call out the commentators. They claimed Sarah Strong scored 17 points in a row. And they claimed it twice because they mentioned it to Azzi too. But it’s not true. She scored 15 in a row and then Azzi scored to the bucket to end the third quarter.

Facts matter. 🤷‍♂️

How does this updated fact matter? (Although they were awful. Too buys yapping to discuss the game action two minutes in.)

 

[freshler40]

Team pulled off a gritty win on the road and the trio of Azzi, Sarah, and Kk delivered. Rest of the team contributed on defense which allowed us to keep Marquette to 56 points.

Relative to my three asks for the game:
1. Scoring and rebounding from our three bigs fell short. We were out-rebounded 42 to 29!
2. Turnovers were ok at 10. Assists were below our norm and that could be related to our lower than average shooting percentage. We took 64 shots.
3. I wanted the bench to keep up the pace of scoring. This did not happen. Only 6 points were scored by the bench in 64 minutes of playing time. 32% of the minutes for less than 10% of the points.

I anticipate there will be lots of film review and discussion within the team to improve on what happened today.

Well, I thought the emphasis was on better rebounding. When their guards out rebounded our Bigs something is not quite right. Our Bigs need to play bigger and command the paint. We are giving up too many offensive rebounds in many games. Thus, we can't fast break if we don't have clean rebounding and quick passes down court. Help!
Our most consistent offensive moves are when KK feeds Sarah. She has great hands and quick moves to the hoop. When Blanca returns that should provide a third scoring option. That will keep defenses honest and provide rebounding help.

 

[CONNCAN]

No, that’s exactly my point. UConn can play a less than perfect game in the BE in February and then blow out most of the top teams in March. They have repeatedly done so through the years. They will do so again this year.

olddude - 100% agree AND it will all come together when Blanca returns & the coaching staff switches up the 5 spot and starts Jana El Alfy and has Serah Williams coming off the bench

 

[Stagnant]

How does this updated fact matter? (Although they were awful. Too buys yapping to discuss the game action two minutes in.)

I see people on twitter regurgitating it too. They make a claim that is easily disproven and it becomes a real stat to a lot of people.

I just don’t like that. Media trust is low and they can’t even bother being factual when it comes to sports? A producer should have notified them and they should have made an on-air correction.

 

[Vowelguy]

Lowest point total of year and only 2nd game below 79 pts

 

[huskeynut]

We won. That's the bottom line.

A lot ot stuff to unwrap so here goes -

No the sky is not falling. The world will not end. We came out flat and Marquette came out aggressive and ready for bear. And Marquette battled the entire game. Good for them.

The team worked thru the sluggish start and prevailed.

Was Sarah sick? Who knows. Bad first half and dominant 3rd quarter. End of story.

Blanca was not available and I don't expect to she her until the BE tournament. Whatever the problem is, it's not minor.

Next up is Nova. The team will be ready.

 

[uconnfan68]

She seems to having lower leg issues too, based on the tape from her ankles up toward her calves. Hope it’s not serious. She struggled like I haven’t seen before in the first half.

 

[Vowelguy]

I said this in another thread. I actually think we are pretty unproven on the road. Fortunately, the tournament takes place at neutral sites.

Fort Worth won’t be neutral if against TCU Baylor Tex

 

[oldude]

Fort Worth won’t be neutral if against TCU Baylor Tex

If it comes to that, there will be as many UConn fans there as any school from TX. Plus, let’s be honest, neither TCU or Baylor can match up with UConn, regardless of where the game is played.

 

[Longtime fan]

-Another game that demonstrates the cornerstone of this team is their defense. They seemingly never take plays off. Forced 22 TOs today.

—The first half stats showed UConn’s struggles offensively. Outrebounded 22-17 (42-29 for the game), Sarah Strong 1/9 from the field. Allie no shots attempted in 12 minutes.

-Geno expressed concern about the lack of rebounding from others besides Sarah. It sure seemed like a lot of one and done offensively.

-Sarah Strong’s shots all seem to be short. Could she have some leg issue that prevents her from getting the push she needs? It is weird seeing her miss shots that she normally makes. Of course, she was brilliant in the second half but I still don’t think she is 100%

-When Jana gets her head up and finds the basket after receiving an entry, her results are a lot more positive. Numerous times I have noticed her head is down resulting in a miss.

-I don’t think it often but Sklar Forbes would fit in at UConn. Nice player at both ends.

-The team has some things to deal with (injuries, rebounding). Energy, effort and motivation though are not problems. This team always plays hard.

-Hopefully we see Blanca Wednesday at Villanova.

It was Azzi in the first half and Sarah in the second. Ash is a relentless tiger on the floor. And her shot is usually pretty lethal. Less so today. KK showed her mettle ...ball handling, passing and driving to the hoop. Allie got to take one shot and missed from three. Sarah is by far the best post player we have. Neither Williams nor Jana are playing better than " filler average." They both can fill the post position for a while, with some effect. But nothing to worry about if I am the other team. I was glad to see K-9 back in the game at the end. The tv did not replay her collision that showed her slow to get up ( the one under the basket ). And she limped about for a bit. I. feared a non contact injury. And Kaleigh has proven a fantastic acquisition. I also think it is possible that Geno will see growing value in Patterson, although there isn't too much time left to do so. She is athletic, appears healthy, jumps really well and is ox strong. She was a super HS player beset with injuries at UCONN. Maybe she will emerge a bit more. I find it worrisome that the doctors and trainers did not clear Blanca to play today. Geno had told us " this shoulder injury is far less severe than the earlier one." Although the reality is, she has missed more time, and many more games, trying to recover from this " less serious" injury. We all know that our eyes tell the story. She is not playing still. I'm surely influenced by what Patterson experienced with a shoulder. Please let me be 100% wrong here. Blanca adds so much to what this team is.

 

[fomalhaut]

I thought Azzi Fudd might make a run at the team 3-point record after having 5 at halftime in a close game. I don't know if she even attempted one in the second half.

 

[Zarathustra]

I know that they won. I know that I Azzi and Sarah S carried the team. But, they seem to play with a lot of difficulty and seemed to labor at making a basket. At the end, I think that they just plain tired out Marquette which as a team played their darndest to stay with UConn.

The Golden Eagles had a 6th player on the court..... a slippery floor! OUCH!

 

[HopJim]

Hey, I just want to say I agree with this. It does sort of defeat the purpose to have her out there if she isn’t a weapon on offense.

If you saw the game, Allie was tightly guarded and rarely got the ball in a position to shoot. That being said, she did lool a little tentative.

 

[Cornell Lt]

I missed the second half because when a 5 year old says it's time to go sledding, it's time to go sledding. I'm glad I did because the 1st half was about as poorly played as any game I've seen this year. Thank heavens that Sarah came around and Azzi made some 3's in the 2nd quarter.

 

[Husky fanatic]

Did you see that? Did you see that? Jana made a left hand layup! Whoo who!

 

[Centerstream]

Even with SS going off in the 3rd Qtr, we only won the 2nd half by 3 points. A game to forget . Not only awful on Off but just as bad on Def. We need OV this year because we are not getting anything from the post; one handed swats at rebounds, shots blocked by much shorter players; missed bunnies, balls knocked out of their hands.

This is helpful but I have no idea what it means. Remember, when Jana committed to UConn, she was going to be THAT post player too. As the ol saying goes...how you play in HS (or overseas) doesn't always translate on how you are going to play against D-1 college players.

 

[Jim]

When Sarah missed two bunnies early I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of BoneYarders cried out in terror…

Sarah’s game was off today, and Marquette learned a bit on how to handle the UConn press from the beat down in Storrs. If teams around the country need two of our top three scorers to be less than 100% and they need to have played us once before to learn, I like our chances in March.

 

[HopJim]

Sarah sure looks like still suffering effects of illness that made her puke in last game. She had a great flurry but I think she spent her last bit of energy there. Sarah will be fine once she is recovered from this illness.hopefully Sarah is fully recovered for Villanova or could be a repeat of this game..rebounding again is a concern with today’s effort.

Rare that one person gets a bug and it doesn't spread. Here's hoping Geno has a big bottle of disinfectant for the hand shake line.

 

[Centerstream]

If you saw the game, Allie was tightly guarded and rarely got the ball in a position to shoot. That being said, she did lool a little tentative.

As was Azzi and Sarah. And you work the offense to get her the ball, just like it's worked for Azzi and Sarah.

 

[Dogstar]

Well, I thought the emphasis was on better rebounding. When their guards out rebounded our Bigs something is not quite right. Our Bigs need to play bigger and command the paint. We are giving up too many offensive rebounds in many games. Thus, we can't fast break if we don't have clean rebounding and quick passes down court. Help!
Our most consistent offensive moves are when KK feeds Sarah. She has great hands and quick moves to the hoop. When Blanca returns that should provide a third scoring option. That will keep defenses honest and provide rebounding help.

Our most consistent offensive moves are when KK feeds Sarah.

True...I've noticed this last year and this year, KK seems to throw tht perfect pass to Sarah whn she's posting up down low or whn they're on a break. Almost automatic.