Mercer Postgame Thread

[ThisJustIn]

Megan Cuomo would have picked up on that.

Bob and Debbie did....

 

[tchalla1]

"Caroline - same for her. 2-6 from 3 - just stop with the shooting. "

I agree with most of your comments but there's possibly going to come an important moment in one of these games when Ducharme will be called upon to make a three-point shot.........the only way she's getting her confidence back on that shot is to just keep on shooting......

Oh, my bad--I didn't wrote my thought clearly--I meant that Caroline was open several times but CW and also one time Live missed giving her the ball. when she was open--I agree Caroline to get shots, especially given her limited playing time of late....

 

[ME Husky Fan]

this.
pretty ridiculous to come here after the expected blowout, and read too many posts filled with paranoia aboot nonexistent problems. it's tiring, boring, insane, and umm, ridiculous.
more butt whuppings coming. deal with it, or not.
most of us will simply enjoy this journey. most of us.

So, Geno can comment that the first half stunk up the joint but the BYers can’t? Doesn’t add up.

 

[ThisJustIn]

Not sure if this was posted. Really appreciate the Mercer coach.

 

[jaydee602]

LOL... An LSU player was called for a foul after cleanly blocking a 3 point attempt. She got in the ref's face screaming & then urged the crowd to keep booing. Of course, Kim Mulkey was on the court loudly protesting, but no technical was called. I'm guessing the ref knew she blew the call, but that behavior is unacceptable. Kim is a great coach, but this is par for the course.

 

[tchalla1]

Looking ahead....
IMO UConn needs Nika in the starting lineup. She sets the tone defensively. Right out of the gates the opponent runs into a wall. I know, who sits. Could you go small, with one post? With big time pressure full-court, in the passing lanes, and close outs, couldn't a small group with one post rebound? Set the tone, then sub in bigs as needed. Just a thought. BTW IMO all the bigs are playing good.
Hey, Geno has to get Azzi more shots. She's got to get 15 shots. That's a sure 20. This offense isn't getting her enough looks.
More dribble drive pitch with Azzi finding the open spot. Boom

You make some good points--I thought the offense was smoother when Nika was at the point. I was thinking that maybe it was just rust for Paige but the defense was much better as well.

 

[MD#12Fan]

Regarding Caroline's 3-point shot, I like it better off the pass than off the dribble. I also think I like it from the corner more than elsewhere.

My major complaint about today's game was that we gave the ball to some of our poorer shooters to take too many shots. When Azzi and Paige are on the floor, they should be the primary options unless it's a layup.

Agree. Especially re: Azzi. PB can do more playmaking.
I've been thinking that it is this incredibly complicated formula or algorithm: when to pass, when to shoot, benefits of getting everyone involved vs. having your best shooters shoot, when to shoot to keep the defense honest, etc. What does a perfect game offensively look like? 3-point attempts vs. 2-point attempts. What are the implications of this stuff moving forward? How much does one game affect another game? We saw what happened at GA Tech after PB went down. Nobody knew what to do. When does Liv think it's in UConn's best interest to shoot a J from just inside the 3-point line? If Azzi can hit 7 out of 10 from 3 and Dorka can hit 4 out of 10 from 3, why isn't Azzi shooting more?
A lot of variables! Maybe one reason it's so fun to watch. Does Geno have a formula in his head?

 

[tchalla1]

Dorka, I believe has been out performing Liv for the better part of the last month or so. She goes after rebounds, and hits the floor on loose balls, I don't like her on the bench for a long time.

I completely agree,--Dorka needs more minutes. Although Liv has made contribution, she doesn't provide the overall contribution as Dorka. I'm thinking Geno although it is a difficult decision, will adjust the playing time to reflect those are making the greatest contribution and right now that is Dorka.

 

[SVCBeercats]

They won. That’s all I want. Free throws, percentages, turnovers, I don’t care - just win the damn game.

Geno's exact thoughts!

 

[tchalla1]

Regarding Caroline's 3-point shot, I like it better off the pass than off the dribble. I also think I like it from the corner more than elsewhere.

My major complaint about today's game was that we gave the ball to some of our poorer shooters to take too many shots. When Azzi and Paige are on the floor, they should be the primary options unless it's a layup.

Amen.

 

[Centerstream]

I like it when the final score is symmetrical (not sure this is even the correct word): 83 38.

 

[Zanzman]

So, Geno can comment that the first half stunk up the joint but the BYers can’t? Doesn’t add up.

When you become the highest paid state employee comment away

 

[Bigboote]

OK, now we’ve got UCF, what do we do with them?

Show up with the football pads on.

 

[hoophuskee]

Personally, I am well aware of this fact: no team is perfect - not even the pros, especially a team that is just getting whole again with limited time to play together. Unlike the implication of your statement, these bunch of college kids aspire for perfection instead of settle, even if they are aware it may not be achievable. After all, the only amateur team that comes to mind who played perfectly to their capabilities in facing a heavily favored opponent was Team USA in Lake Placid against the Soviets.

But this particular team of amateurs do not let that obstacle to perfection discourage or stop them. They strive to do it everyday even when they often fail, hence the unmatched record of Six Perfect seasons.

The question to you is: when they fall short of their goals in any game, do we say "that's fine, you won, never mind the rest" or do we think along with them in voicing their mantra in this program: "we strive to play perfectly" and articulate what they themselves are thinking post-game: the things they could improve upon.

I say that if there is a Force that connects us with them, we should reinforce their wishes and in articulating what might be done to inch towards perfection, help strengthen their resolve instead of happily settling for less.

Mind you, I personally wouldn't be taking this viewpoint IF this team does not have this mantra: the desire to be perfect without being burdened by little failures along the way.

I’ll always disagree with you if you take this POV.

Point 1—We are not UCONN players or coaches. We are fans. That’s it. SO what their individual college goals are, why should a fan care much vs watching the team win? If the team was losing all the time but some individuals achieved some individual goals, would you care? Fans want to see their team win. Some would maybe you and some others but it’s a reason why UCONN would not get sellouts and be on Nat TV etc. Bottomline is that we are not UCONN coaches.

Point 2- To answer your question about “their goals” I separate them from me being a coach vs me being a fan. You aren’t a coach so why are you concerned about individual goals not being achieved? You mean for every sport you follow, you became a fan of individual goals, and not watching your team win? So if they win a title, they still had individual goals in the game, so they win it all, I should be critiquing how much better each player that was subpar to their goals should have played?

Point 3- There is no force. You are justifying it in some manner so you can be more critical. When UCONN wins by 45 points, and I don’t hear an 11 time Nat’l Championship Coach be critical ((If he did- in all seriousness I didn't listen to his postgame of which he probably also mentioned a lot of good). IF he did, I would take a step back.)) , and from what I see as well, I find it hard to be critical; then it’s nothing more than nit-picking an expectation from non-pro players that can’t be achieved.

Never mind think that “I’m connected” in some manner.

Bottomilne is – if your kid is valedictorian, but yet they “only” got 98% correct, are you going to say “Great Job” even though they didn’t achieve their goal of 100, or are you going to nit-pick them of that other 2%?

When the team doesn’t play well, they will open up about that, right? I could listen to that and form an additional opinion. So same with the valedictorian, if they aren’t opening up to the 2% misses, you still going to nit-pick them?

 

[BlueSkyGLW]

I’ll always disagree with you if you take this POV.

Point 1—We are not UCONN players or coaches. We are fans. That’s it. SO what their individual college goals are, why should a fan care much vs watching the team win? If the team was losing all the time but some individuals achieved some individual goals, would you care? Fans want to see their team win. Some would maybe you and some others but it’s a reason why UCONN would not get sellouts and be on Nat TV etc. Bottomline is that we are not UCONN coaches.

Point 2- To answer your question about “their goals” I separate them from me being a coach vs me being a fan. You aren’t a coach so why are you concerned about individual goals not being achieved? You mean for every sport you follow, you became a fan of individual goals, and not watching your team win? So if they win a title, they still had individual goals in the game, so they win it all, I should be critiquing how much better each player that was subpar to their goals should have played?

Point 3- There is no force. You are justifying it in some manner so you can be more critical. When UCONN wins by 45 points, and I don’t hear an 11 time Nat’l Championship Coach be critical (If he did- in all seriousness I didn't listen ot his postage. IF he did, I would take a step back.) , and from what I see as well, I find it hard to be critical; then it’s nothing more than nit-picking an expectation from non-pro players that can’t be achieved.

Never mind think that “I’m connected” in some manner.

Bottomilne is – if your kid is valedictorian, but yet they “only” got 98% correct, are you going to say “Great Job” even though they didn’t achieve their goal of 100, or are you going to nit-pick them of that other 2%?

When the team doesn’t play well, they will open up about that, right? I could listen to that and form an additional opinion. So same with the valedictorian, if they aren’t opening up to the 2% misses, you still going to nit-pick them?

About your kid.....if your kid wants to be perfect next time, you help him/her to achieve that goal. You don't nitpick.....you help.

What's wrong with a fan thinking along with these players and coaches on what they need to do next time? If you do, you understand the subtleties of the game better. A fan cheers wildly during the game regardless of the score or performance but on review, but that fan should be able think along with them on what they need to do as the games get harder.....it has nothing to do with being a coach.....it is enjoying the game at a different level.

The enjoyment of the game becomes way better than: they won, I am happy!

 

[TeamFirst!]

I didn't understand Caroline's PT situation in the 1st half but if you think about it, she is potentially a "closer" now. A player who can score in the 4th quarter who is fresh and optimized. I'm fine with that. We are now a team which wears down the other team with our depth. Ergo the 20-0 run in the 3rd quarter. Caroline moves a lot. Having her run the other team to death in the 4th quarter is fine with me. Maybe in a closer game she gets a little more PT, or if others are struggling but I'm fine with her being saved some for the 4th.

It really was a no brainer for Paige to start. We need to boost her confidence, get her more PT, and let her feel out the game. She looked good out there and I think she can turn on the switch when we need her. She's not 100% yet but she may be holding back some on purpose. Especially defensively. I think she's already one of our best players again.

Mercer did appear to be trying to shut down Azzi and Paige and who wouldn't? They let CW, CD, Nika, Evina shoot outside as compared to letting Azzi and Paige shoot. Good decision. They also packed the inside game quite a bit. Overall it was a good game plan for them.

Mercer has some talent. Quite a few decent jump shooters who can get a shot off in traffic and they picked and screened well for each other. It's hard to score on Uconn. They were basically Creighton with a little more athleticism.

Good opening win. No one is perfect.

 

[The deacon]

You make some good points--I thought the offense was smoother when Nika was at the point. I was thinking that maybe it was just rust for Paige but the defense was much better as well.

I've read for so long about how the team's offense and defense is so much better with Nika on the court... why then, virtually every Huskies game, is Nika's +/- the lowest or nearly the lowest on the team?

I know some will say those numbers don't mean anything. Hmmm, today's +/- had Paige at +41 for nearly 25 minutes and Nika at +15 for nearly 21 minutes.

The next lowest were +18 for both Dorka and Caroline, who each played about 17 minutes. Everyone else except Piath and Amari were +24 or more.

I know this won't sit well with many here because Nika is beloved, but the numbers don't lie. The team just plays better, or at least mysteriously gets better results, when Nika is not on the court. I can't explain that either, because she does bring fire and brimstone to her efforts.

For those who might call today's numbers a fluke, check back to pretty much every game for the past month. I've been checking the +/- on the team website's stats PDF after each game and it regularly speaks to the point I'm making. For most games, it makes a jarringly stark case for why Nika should be the ninth player in the rotation, an inspirational teammate and valued backup to Paige, Evina or Azzi, et al. Nika's value is in firing up her teammates, yet that apparently is more so the case when she's cheering from the sideline.

Yes, I know what Geno says.

Shoot me down if you must, but please do so by making a logical case why those +/- numbers are so consistently off base. I expect a plethora of 'dislikes,' but I'd find it more instructive for those of you who disagree to explain the numbers. Thanks for listening.

 

[BlueSkyGLW]

To those who insist defense wins championships, here's Geno telling you balance is essential: you have to score in order to win, the more you score the more pressure you put on the opponent to score against your defense. The snowball effect, I guess.

 

[Cuango]

I think that we will see more of AZZI and Caroline as the tournament moves on.
No need for gaudy number in this game. AMARI, make those put backs!

Amari is going to be a very good player for us. Her passing is already pretty impressive.

 

[TeamFirst!]

Just about everyone is making good decisions. Paige and Azzi were very efficient as was Evina. OMG. Belmont just beat Oregon!

 

[TeamFirst!]

Geno is in "praise everyone mode". A player can score 3 points and she's a difference maker. He's doing a great job in getting every player on that team involved and optimized.

 

[BlueSkyGLW]

Not sure if this was posted. Really appreciate the Mercer coach.

Appreciated her in a podcast before the games began. She said that she had great players, that the difference was, they are smaller. They sure showed it in the first half in the way they played - outhustling UConn in many occasions.

 

[tchalla1]

I've read for so long about how the team's offense and defense is so much better with Nika on the court... why then, virtually every Huskies game, is Nika's +/- the lowest or nearly the lowest on the team?

I know some will say those numbers don't mean anything. Hmmm, today's +/- had Paige at +41 for nearly 25 minutes and Nika at +15 for nearly 21 minutes.

The next lowest were +18 for both Dorka and Caroline, who each played about 17 minutes. Everyone else except Piath and Amari were +24 or more.

I know this won't sit well with many here because Nika is beloved, but the numbers don't lie. The team just plays better, or at least mysteriously gets better results, when Nika is not on the court. I can't explain that either, because she does bring fire and brimstone to her efforts.

For those who might call today's numbers a fluke, check back to pretty much every game for the past month. I've been checking the +/- on the team website's stats PDF after each game and it regularly speaks to the point I'm making. For most games, it makes a jarringly stark case for why Nika should be the ninth player in the rotation, an inspirational teammate and valued backup to Paige, Evina or Azzi, et al. Nika's value is in firing up her teammates, yet that apparently is more so the case when she's cheering from the sideline.

Yes, I know what Geno says.

Shoot me down if you must, but please do so by making a logical case why those +/- numbers are so consistently off base. I expect a plethora of 'dislikes,' but I'd find it more instructive for those of you who disagree to explain the numbers. Thanks for listening.

Very impressive stats for sure--but when my eye test aligns with what Geno is saying, well that's pretty compelling data for me...

 

[TeamFirst!]

I've read for so long about how the team's offense and defense is so much better with Nika on the court... why then, virtually every Huskies game, is Nika's +/- the lowest or nearly the lowest on the team?

I know some will say those numbers don't mean anything. Hmmm, today's +/- had Paige at +41 for nearly 25 minutes and Nika at +15 for nearly 21 minutes.

The next lowest were +18 for both Dorka and Caroline, who each played about 17 minutes. Everyone else except Piath and Amari were +24 or more.

I know this won't sit well with many here because Nika is beloved, but the numbers don't lie. The team just plays better, or at least mysteriously gets better results, when Nika is not on the court. I can't explain that either, because she does bring fire and brimstone to her efforts.

For those who might call today's numbers a fluke, check back to pretty much every game for the past month. I've been checking the +/- on the team website's stats PDF after each game and it regularly speaks to the point I'm making. For most games, it makes a jarringly stark case for why Nika should be the ninth player in the rotation, an inspirational teammate and valued backup to Paige, Evina or Azzi, et al. Nika's value is in firing up her teammates, yet that apparently is more so the case when she's cheering from the sideline.

Yes, I know what Geno says.

Shoot me down if you must, but please do so by making a logical case why those +/- numbers are so consistently off base. I expect a plethora of 'dislikes,' but I'd find it more instructive for those of you who disagree to explain the numbers. Thanks for listening.

Nika's a great player but NWIH she should put Paige on the bench for more than 10 minutes in any game in question.