MD Postgame Thread

[CL82]

If you believe what you just posted, then you should be marveling at Ines' calm, positive demeanor on the court.

She’s a baby, who looked overwhelmed against Princeton. I was very impressed by her demeanor and game play in the Maryland game. Prior to coming to Connecticut the largest attendance she has ever had at a game was for the FIBA nationals and that was only 200 to 300 people. It’s a brave new world for her and she’s doing remarkably well all things considered.

 

[Papa33]

Yes UConn had too many turnovers. Expected to have more than usual with player combinations that are new to them. To me that was not a help but they would have likely won fairly easily if Maryland was not on fire from the 3 point line. Every time UConn get it down to about even Maryland would hit 2 more es. I agree that was called by problematic 3 point defense but tough D is difficult when there is mostly no bench. Players could not afford to foul and it hurt an incredible performance by this great team. I was super proud of all of them!

For all the explanations for our loss vs. Maryland, Zinethar's observation make the most sense to me. Yes, several of our "starters" were MIA's because of injuries, but that meant that players who remained were not veterans and were relatively new to each other. And that meant playing with teammates with differing habits and tendencies. Timing of cuts, screens, etc were different. Doesn't take much to get our offense (and perhaps to a lesser extent, out defense) out of wack.

 

[HuskyNan]

All 7 kids played their hearts out. Went to war for UCONN and battled for 40mins and came back from 11 down to almost pull it out. I think Amari could have been very impactful in the first half. If this was the team for the rest of the year I would watch every game.

Amari is nursing a sore calf. She was noticeably limping when Geno pulled her out for good

 

[Bills Fan]

Playing on international teams doesn't mean that a player has had extensive experience playing in game environment last yesterday's. FIBA competitions in Europe are different than what we expect coming from North America.

Bettencourt's FIBA history is one tournament of competition at the "B" level, which means their team isn't of the level that could compete at the FIBA world championships based on what I understand. Contrast her experience with Muhl, who has been playing on national teams since 2015, I'm not sure how Bettencourt can be criticized about experience.

And where would she have experience playing against players like Miller, Sellers and Meyers overseas? It's not going to be at the B level of European FIBA tournaments.

Ines Bettencourt (Portugal) - Basketball Stats, Height, Age | FIBA Basketball

Explore the career and performances of Ines Bettencourt. Access all stats, latest news, photos, videos and achievements.

www.fiba.basketball

Nika Muhl (Croatia) - Basketball Stats, Height, Age | FIBA Basketball

Explore the career and performances of Nika Muhl. Access all stats, latest news, photos, videos and achievements.

www.fiba.basketball

Cancontent, great points to go along with Nan's, 'she's only 17 point' and then add all of that to the fact that she arrived at Storrs just as school was starting, (first time in the USA) and therefore missed all the summer workouts. The kid has an abundance of guts .
Edit: she is now 18.

 

[SARG 2011]

Great photos

 

[SARG 2011]

Love the Caroline hair pic and Ines looking locked in

 

[cancontent]

Cancontent, great points to go along with Nan's, 'she's only 17 point' and then add all of that to the fact that she arrived at Storrs just as school was starting, (first time in the USA) and therefore missed all the summer workouts. The kid has an abundance of guts .
Edit: she is now 18.

Thank you. Some things need to be taken into perspective and the FIBA competition component is one of them. FIBA participation provides some benefit but it all depends on when and where they played.

Obviously UCONN staff saw something in Bettencourt which is why she's with the program. Imagine where she'll be after her experience this season.

 

[The deacon]

Love the Caroline hair pic and Ines looking locked in

Me, too, Sarge, and maybe for me the best is the early-season sophomore Caroline already taking on a leadership role advising Ines.

One point: Caroline's shooting has been inconsistent as a Husky player, as good a scorer as she's sometimes been. If you see the photo of her jumpshot, you'll note the flying elbow. Tuck that baby in and she'll be better... anyone else's thoughts?

By the way, for those concerned about a perceived inability for the post-surgery Caroline to elevate, she's got pretty good liftoff in that photo. At 6'2", she's not gonna have too many players challenging her shots.

 

[wingsfan055]

The danger w/Dorka coming back too early is its very easy to re-injure the thumb if its not mostly healed - especially playing in the trenches. I'm sure she'll wear a flexible, soft cast on it when she gets back, but all it takes is a serious slap from a player, bad ball bounce on her thumb, etc and she's gone for another few months...

 

[hoophuskee]

If they are good enough for UConn they should be ready to help the team. A little time would be better to prepare them than no time. It must be tough to have the team win by 40 and not see any court time. Our scholarship players are better than most team's

If they win by 40, the bench gets minutes.

 

[Bills Fan]

Thank you. Some things need to be taken into perspective and the FIBA competition component is one of them. FIBA participation provides some benefit but it all depends on when and where they played.

Obviously UCONN staff saw something in Bettencourt which is why she's with the program. Imagine where she'll be after her experience this season.

I love the kid and from Geno's comments it seems like the rest of the team does also. Her problem next year will be getting minutes with (HOPEFULLY) Paige, Azzi, Nika, KK and Ash all getting time at the #1 and #2 guard spots. (I said hopefully because the first 3 named will all be coming back from serious injuries-Nika because of the danger of recurring concussions) That's a lot of guard depth in a program that was down to one guard against MD.

 

[BlueSkyGLW]

This was posted earlier in the thread but bears repeating. Players were put into unfamiliar roles, with a short turnaround from Princeton, on the road against a ranked team. three (Lou, Amari, Caroline) had some kind of physical issue (foot, calf, neck, respectively). Of course they wore down.

Context is always helpful for understanding the dynamics of events. The performance of the 7 must be viewed relative to the circumstances and the mental preparedness they are in. As such, I have expressed much admiration for how they played in a last-line-of-defense situation for the team....in shuffled positions, new roles save a few, floor leadership roles in place of those disabled, etc.....and I posted elsewhere how, in statistical measures, they were able to function with recognizable symmetry to similar effectiveness prior the injuries hit, if short on overall efficiency.......except for a few crucial measures. They only had two intervening days to practice in these reconfigured roles.

To do this away against the team that had earlier defeated Notre Dame spoke volumes of what they are as UConn WBB players.

The chatter sometimes grates because people tend to measure performance relative to well-oiled UConn WBB teams while forgetting context. Among many things, the team tried to make it easier for Ines and things went fairly well when they moved into positions for her to deliver the ball but a lot of times, they remained stagnant, leaving Ines in "what-to-do" moments leading to a breakdown of flow, a mistake or a TO - a product of only 2 days practice working together. That things didn't breakdown more is a credit to all of them. The same thing can be said on the other side of the ball.....switching defense needs familiarity to function well in concatenato. The mental side of players in different and more important roles than previously can undermine performance.....hiccups here and there aside, these girls performed well beyond my expectations. So, shame on me for underestimating them.

Mental burdens? Aubrey becoming a needed go-to scorer alongside Lou, with the Coach's challenge thrown in. Lou and Caroline to carry the scoring burden more; Aaliyah everything she can do, she must; Ines the PG.....Ayanna and Amari, more of themselves.....all these in limited practice time playing UConn way, probably with instructions to just play and not think too much - tall order. And yet, they managed most of the time.

And so I raise eyebrows at even mildly critical comments which ignores context but I usually stay quiet. Since I have just been told that this is the BY - Anything Goes? (Cue Ella) So, I have chimed in above and one more below:

"Ines small compared to MD guards, looked like a high school girl" Aside from the fact that she just left the Azores and has just turned 18 after getting to UConn at the last possible minute, the comment's emphasis on size made me wonder: Ines is 5'9".....Nika is just an inch taller but what should one say about Crystal, Moriah, Renee, Rita, Jennifer......

Best to stop.....

But, I understand that they all want UConn to win ALL the time.....with the best of UConn way, perfectly.

 

[donalddoowop]

Great photos

Three of the best guards in the country sitting down on the job.

 

[HopJim]

Thank you. Some things need to be taken into perspective and the FIBA competition component is one of them. FIBA participation provides some benefit but it all depends on when and where they played.

Obviously UCONN staff saw something in Bettencourt which is why she's with the program. Imagine where she'll be after her experience this season.

I'm sure that no matter what her age and experience, Ines is receiving the same feedback regarding her performance as high school All Americans. Geno does not mark on a curve.

 

[Bald Husky]

Although I was a little upset when we lost, no way was I mad. I'm probably upset because they did something I didn't think was going to happen, and that was having a chance to pull it out. I think the experience gained by Ayanna and Ines is invaluable, as they have proved that they may be counted on later in the season to help out of some tough spots. As far as Ines, I was happy with her play and poise. She showed me a lot today, and only one negative thing stood out to me. She did not shoot, although she has shown that she can hit the outside shot and can go to the hoop. She had multiple open shots but refused to take them, so that has to be corrected. It's possible she is getting mentored too much by the wrong guard, Nika instead of Paige. LOL. Love them all.

 

[Valleyfan]

Agree with the general consensus, this undermanned UCONN team fought hard and gave Maryland a game. As some have stated, my guess is that they knew they’d have to play a perfect game to win, but they have a championship mindset thanks to their coach.

Some as also been made about the turnovers, especially by AG and CD. I agree and would love to see them handle the ball better. I somewhat disagree about them playing out of position. They should know multiple positions. CD is described as a tall guard as much as she is described as a small forward. For us now, AG is playing 4 more than she plays 3. In any event, both need to get more comfortable handling the rock. Both would aspire to get to the next level, where they will be asked to dribble. I won’t even get into how the 7 footers on the men’s side are skilled dribblers, but even our alumni playing in WNBA now (Breanna, Gabby) played 5 for us and dribble a lot, as does Katie Lou and Phesa.

 

[Zarathustra]

If you believe what you just posted, then you should be marveling at Ines' calm, positive demeanor on the court.

In one FIBA "B" championship game, against North Macedonia i believe, Ines coach took her out
because she was destroying the opposition, offensively and defensively. She was too quick,
to determined, just too much. He took her out about halfway through the FIRST QUARTER.
She did go back in, but in a supporting role. You can recognize her; she is the one with
the pink shoes!!, More good things to come especially with UCONN tutoring from NIKA, Paige,
and Azzi. I'm looking froward to her getting that needed experience in many Big East games.
Go Ines!

 

[donalddoowop]

In one FIBA "B" championship game, against North Macedonia i believe, Ines coach took her out
because she was destroying the opposition, offensively and defensively. She was too quick,
to determined, just too much. He took her out about halfway through the FIRST QUARTER.
She did go back in, but in a supporting role. You can recognize her; she is the one with
the pink shoes!!, More good things to come especially with UCONN tutoring from NIKA, Paige,
and Azzi. I'm looking froward to her getting that needed experience in many Big East games.
Go Ines!

I always erase any basketball game UConn loses. Not this one, only because I wanted to watch Ines and Amari play a lot. I enjoy watching them both but especially Ines. I like the way she handles herself. If given the chance, I believe she will develop into a really good point guard.

 

[Khal Drogo]

I get a kick out of the two posters who disliked me saying if I were a Uconn player I would be disappointed and feel like I gave a winnable game slip away. That is not in any way meant as a knock on the players effort, in fact, I said in the post the team played very hard. But the players who played proved they were competitors by how hard they played and how else should a competitor feel?

People hit the dislike much more here than on the men’s. I’d rather see some dialogue. Papa33 should change his name to dislikemike

 

[Bone Dog]

People hit the dislike much more here than on the men’s. I’d rather see some dialogue. Papa33 should change his name to dislikemike

The dreaded Red Thumb Brigade -- it gets a bit tedious. Yes, thumbs down the posts where folks trash players. But not the ones where they analyze the games. No one's a bigger cheerleader than me, but I also like to tell the truth where I can.

And it's always open season on coaches, right?

 

[Khal Drogo]

Papa33?

 

[Striper69]

The game will just make them stronger in the long run.

Go Huskies!!!

 

[enigmatic]

Not upset about the loss at all considering the roster circumstances. Incredibly proud that we still were able to put out a great fight all the way until the end. One thing for sure is that our unfortunate injury debacle needs to cease itself. I beg to our UCONN basketball gods that we will be healthy enough when March comes around.

 

[mhshuskies]

I guess in Brenda's mind those 4 are pretty equal to Nika, Dorka, Azzi and a National player of the year, named Paige. She can talk about having 4 players would couldn't play-that's fine, BUT don't even come close, Brenda, comparing your 4 to the UCONN 4. I find her comments on this issue, on National TV , to be a disgrace to her and her program.

There is the old saying about play with what you got, but Brenda is delusional. Even if she had her 4 players available, if we had one of three that are expected to return this season, we win, with two it’s a 10+ victory, with all three it’s 20+. Let these posers (md, nd) enjoy this, but they will regret meeting us at tourney time with a healthier squared.

 

[HuskyNan]

Some as also been made about the turnovers, especially by AG and CD. I agree and would love to see them handle the ball better. I somewhat disagree about them playing out of position. They should know multiple positions. CD is described as a tall guard as much as she is described as a small forward.

You could call me a center but I ain’t gonna block any shots

Caroline’s handle has always been what I would call serviceable but she can’t handle a press. Yet. She’s still just a sophomore. Aubrey has never been asked to handle the ball that much against a good team. But Geno said it best:

Connecticut finished with 22 turnovers; Maryland had just five. That was the biggest difference — although the Terps also went 12 for 30 from behind the arc while Connecticut finished 3 for 10. Auriemma pointed to Maryland’s pressure and some of his players holding new roles that they’re not yet accustomed to.

“They’re having to be more playmakers than finishers and scorers,” he said. “It’s uncomfortable for them, and it’s hard to sustain. [Turnovers] come in bunches a lot of times, and some are self-inflicted. They’re not caused by anything other than bad decisions that we make. ... So it’s a little bit of a struggle when you’re in that situation. You can keep it together for a long time, but it’s asking a lot to keep it together for an entire 40 minutes.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/12/11/maryland-women-upset-uconn/?isMobile=1

 

[npignatjr]

Aubrey and Caroline were forced to play guard because everyone but Ines and Lou were unavailable. When Lou went out with foul trouble, a couple of forwards became guards. It wasn’t pretty.

Caroline is listed as a guard, Aubrey and her still, in her 3rd year of playing, inconsistent knowledge in both the team offense and defense is frustrating very much so to Geno as an upper classman she gets called out and sat often.

 

[npignatjr]

You could call me a center but I ain’t gonna block any shots

Caroline’s handle has always been what I would call serviceable but she can’t handle a press. Yet. She’s still just a sophomore. Aubrey has never been asked to handle the ball that much against a good team. But Geno said it best:

Connecticut finished with 22 turnovers; Maryland had just five. That was the biggest difference — although the Terps also went 12 for 30 from behind the arc while Connecticut finished 3 for 10. Auriemma pointed to Maryland’s pressure and some of his players holding new roles that they’re not yet accustomed to.

“They’re having to be more playmakers than finishers and scorers,” he said. “It’s uncomfortable for them, and it’s hard to sustain. [Turnovers] come in bunches a lot of times, and some are self-inflicted. They’re not caused by anything other than bad decisions that we make. ... So it’s a little bit of a struggle when you’re in that situation. You can keep it together for a long time, but it’s asking a lot to keep it together for an entire 40 minutes.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/12/11/maryland-women-upset-uconn/?isMobile=1

"Some are self inflicted". There are turnovers forced by the defense and then those unforced. Pay attention not what Geno says to the press but what and who he called out and sat during the game.

 

[npignatjr]

Not a good example- the Miller 3- of a defensive mistake by her, in my opinion. She was forced to choose between 2 shooters, whoever she left unguarded would have had as equally a good shot. If she had guarded Miller, then the other player would have had the shot.

Miller had the ball, she left the ball handler. That is a good example. Miller is their best player. If you force Miller into a contested shot of into giving up the ball that is good defense, leaving the primary ball handler alone is bad defense.

 

[Centerstream]

Miller had the ball, she left the ball handler. That is a good example. Miller is their best player. If you force Miller into a contested shot of into giving up the ball that is good defense, leaving the primary ball handler alone is bad defense.

Not a good example- the Miller 3- of a defensive mistake by her, in my opinion. She was forced to choose between 2 shooters, whoever she left unguarded would have had as equally a good shot. If she had guarded Miller, then the other player would have had the shot.

At the time that Miller took that 3, she was 0 for 4 from 3, and 3 for 12 from the field. At that time in the game, maybe Miller wasn't considered the priority given the circumstance that Aubrey was in and how far from the basket Miller was. I too think that is why it was not a defensive mistake, Aubrey was playing the odds.
And did Miller's 3 really make a difference in the game? MD was at the 80 point mark before she made the shot and we were at 76. Then Miller added 2 FTs to close out the MD scoring. Miller scored 5 of her 17 points in the last 45 seconds of the game.

 

[npignatjr]

At the time that Miller took that 3, she was 0 for 4 from 3, and 3 for 12 from the field. At that time in the game, maybe Miller wasn't considered the priority given the circumstance that Aubrey was in and how far from the basket Miller was. I too think that is why it was not a defensive mistake, Aubrey was playing the odds.
And did Miller's 3 really make a difference in the game? MD was at the 80 point mark before she made the shot and we were at 76. Then Miller added 2 FTs to close out the MD scoring. Miller scored 5 of her 17 points in the last 45 seconds of the game.

Find a coach that agrees the player with the ball, their go to player, is not to be guarded. Over a bench player. That 3 effectively ended any UConn chance.