Minnesota Postgame Thread

[TeamFirst!]

This team does look like it can score but we are going to need it against teams like South Carolina. Can we score against top competition is another matter.

 

[HopJim]

Rewatched game and a few added thoughts:
-Dorka's right thumb is heavily taped. For anyone with a broken or sprained thumb, its tough to catch and shoot. Could this be a part of her issues?
-Nikka appears a step slow. I had heard she had some foot or ankle issues several weeks ago. Similar to Dorka, is there a lingering issue?
-Williams appears to be in great shape - quick, fast, and strong. No accident she had so many back door cuts for open layups.

 

[TeamFirst!]

If you see close up pictures of CW, she is a bull. That girl definitely lifts weights and she obviously has a great engine.

 

[LarryLegend]

5th ranked or 50th, that was HS and means nothing now. This is college.

gee no kidding

 

[MilfordHusky]

Some video for people who may not have seen the game. Some interesting slow motion sequences showing clear travel calls and some defensive errors.

Azzi Fudd from the elbow! That's what I'm talking about!

 

[DefenseBB]

A Goombay Smash is a lovely Bahamanian concoction that is made with Apricot Liqueur, Dark Rum, Coconut Rum & Pineapple juice.

So, next time I meet @MilfordHusky for a drink in Hartford, with they know how to make this thing? You’ve got me salivating…

 

[Carnac]

I suspect you are correct for most of them, however I think Azzi is about to have a breakout game. I know her % wasn’t great today but her shot looked a lot more natural and relaxed. With the other perimeter players playing well she definitely won’t get a top defender either. From the looks of her stroke once she breaks the ice a lot of good things could happen in a hurry.

Don’t forget that Crystal Dangerfield and Christyn both had their breakout games very early in their freshman year. I expect the same for Azzi.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Don’t forget that Crystal Dangerfield and Christyn both had their breakout games very early in their freshman year. I expect the same for Azzi.

Crystal did it against Baylor; Christyn did it against Notre Dame. I think maybe Azzi will do it against South Carolina.

 

[Childhood]

No matter what intensity she brings, she needs to be an offensive threat. That one 3pt she took missed by 5 feet. Azzi will be a significant piece soon and Caroline will grow into the steady lineup.

Nika is losing her playing munutes while Azzi & Caroline are increasing their minutes.

 

[MilfordHusky]

After watching the replay, some additional thoughts:

The replay starts 1-2 minutes into the game. The missing plays: 3 for Paige, 3 for Evina, 2 FTs for Christyn, layup for Christyn. It was a blazing start.

Two deficiencies from the Arkansas game were addressed. We gave up very few offensive rebounds (5) to Minnesota. We also committed fewer fouls. In fact, Minnesota shot 0 FTs in the first half and 8 for the game.

In Q4, Liya caused 2 steals in 3 possessions. Geno gave her a nice pat when she came out.

Nika lost track of the shot clock in Q4, which irked Geno. But she atoned for it by getting a steal and layup immediately thereafter.

Dorka had the ball stripped from her twice. She needs to improve ball security.

The 3-pointers given up fell into a few categories: 1 or 2 were wide open, because the defense was trapping and Minnesota broke the trap; a couple were well guarded, but still went in; Scalia made a few from 3-6' beyond the arc, including one that got the "Paige bounce." I have a feeling that Scalia will have a good season. HG ranked her #56, and she made All-Big 10 Honorable Mention 2x. She's a 90% FT shooter, both last season and this one.

Sissoko (French player with the mask) looked pretty good and made some nice buckets. She was one of the dozen or so transfers who left Syracuse.

 

[meyers7]

After 2 games Paige's Assist to TO ratio is INFINITY!!!

Actually Bueckers A/TO ratio 12/0 is "undefined".

 

[Boreifs]

can anyone shed any light on what’s going on with Deberry?

Geno can. No one else.

 

[Boreifs]

seems a little curious that the 5th ranked recruit hasn’t gotten in a game yet, is all

Depends which service. On Hoopgurlz, Caroline was the fifth-ranked recruit and Amari was around 20th.

 

[jchusky]

Don't know if it belongs in this thread, but South Carolina is only up by 12 on Buffalo (45-33) at halftime. I didn't watch the whole half, but the Gamecocks don't look like a juggernaut to me. I was surprised how much Buffalo could score against them.

They won by 28 maybe wait after game is over to hit the panic button?

 

[Ex Nutmegger]

Actually Bueckers A/TO ratio 12/0 is "undefined".

I think “infinity” and “undefined are nice and proper math terms to describe Paige’s A/TO ratio; however I would prefer the more prosaic “utterly, unbelievably fantastic!”, especially considering she is throwing no-look passes at her teammates at somewhere near the speed of sound! I think last years players are now tuned in to Paige’s tempo. I think Azzi and Caroline are much better than average Freshman pass receivers, and Dorka will get better as her fingers heal. Just one more area of improvement in the UConn machine this year.

 

[Zinethar]

In math 12/0 is undefined because most people (and especially electronic ones ) can't grasp something that is both infinitely large and infinitely small at the same time .

 

[oldude]

Actually Bueckers A/TO ratio 12/0 is "undefined".

While I realize you can’t divide by 0, “INFINITY” sounds better than “UNDEFINED.”

 

[oldude]

So, next time I meet @MilfordHusky for a drink in Hartford, with they know how to make this thing? You’ve got me salivating…

Any good bartender should have a little mixology book behind the bar for just such occasions.

 

[Amashutcha]

I rewatched the game for the nth time and I think I saw a move from Paige I didn't see last year (at least as I recall it). She gathered for a step-back three before she passed to Dorka. Do you think she practiced her step-back three in the offseason and will she actually pull it out in a game? It looked smooth and on-balance I think she can actually hit it. I also hope Dorka hits that layup next time.
Clip

 

[jazz]

Great game for CW. I'm not talking about the easy layups she got out of the backdoor. Ridiculously bad defense by MN. But she did hit the layups, had some strong takes and finishes and.....hit the three and her FTs with regularity. No glaring lapses on defense either and had a nice couple of passes. This was one of her best, if not her best game of her career. She just needs to stay consistent. Somebody on here, don't remember who, doesn't like the 'C' word, but GA says the same. She doesn't necessarily need to hit every shot, but day in and day out, make her share of threes, and the rest opens up so easily. No bricks or airballs! Plus she has EW, PB and NM to pass her the ball when she can spot up and hit the three. Just catch and shoot and today she made them.

EW had a very good game. She still makes me shake my head 2 times a game with some of her decisions but she is a consistently good player. She will struggle against quickness however on the defensive end.

Pretty good game out of ONO. I'd like her to score more, but I'll take the rebounds, defense and passing.

Dorka looks good to me sometimes and bad sometimes. Needs to protect the ball. Good player who is going to get a lot better in our system as the season progresses. You can tell that she kinda gets how to play BB.

Azzi is missing more than she has since she was probably 6 years old...but it will come and when it does, she is going to explode. Like CW, she has so many great passers to get her the ball. Just catch and shoot. I see a game where she hits 6-7 threes on the same amount of attempts. Can't keep a great shooter like her down for long. At the moment, I don't really like any more of her game. Hopefully, the D and recognition on offense improves. She is probably a bit hesitant now which is understandable. But if she doesn't improve as much as hoped, she will still stroke the 3 with great regularity and she will do it soon.

CD will take some time. She is really slow on defense. Great shooting form though, and with her height and length and some more experience, I hope she can be at least average on defense.

 

[ballerfan]

I think these are the most important quotes from Geno.

“I’m glad there wasn’t a stand around and watch Page play. You know, sometimes people think that, you know, that that’s what we are. And don’t get me wrong. It’s fun watching her play like in the third quarter, but we have to have a team where we can go in a lot of different directions to try to get our points in.”

“E’s had two great games, you know, we’ve only played two, and she’s played great in both of them. And for me that’s what you want for your upperclassmen to do, you know, to be able to set an example and know that, umm, that there isn’t anything that happens in a game that they can’t handle.”

“We probably don’t run enough plays for Paige because it would be too easy for us to just, you know, let’s run a play for Paige, let’s run a play for Paige, let’s run a play for Paige. I think everyone else would get a little bit like, why? There’s more to basketball than that, right?”

Because I’m a recent poster to the BY, I probably shouldn’t pontificate on things, and some people are going to disagree. But I’m just going to state briefly what, in my opinion, is one of the most difficult challenges for UConn. From the moment Paige arrived in the program, she has been a destabilizing presence for the upperclassmen, especially CW, but also for Geno, who has dealt with other talented, hyped freshmen but never anything like the media and social media juggernaut of Paige Bueckers. And, as Geno said, she was better than advertised.

Paige didn’t score much yesterday. They didn’t run plays for her. They didn’t pass her the ball. And it didn’t matter yesterday because CW, one of my favorite players in recent times, had a great game against a weak opponent.

But I think if Geno can’t figure out how to balance Paige’s central role on the team with the needs of the other players, if he doesn’t let Paige lead the team with her basketball IQ, UConn might not have the ability to win a NC.

 

[oldude]

Great game for CW. I'm not talking about the easy layups she got out of the backdoor. Ridiculously bad defense by MN. But she did hit the layups, had some strong takes and finishes and.....hit the three and her FTs with regularity. No glaring lapses on defense either and had a nice couple of passes. This was one of her best, if not her best game of her career. She just needs to stay consistent. Somebody on here, don't remember who, doesn't like the 'C' word, but GA says the same. She doesn't necessarily need to hit every shot, but day in and day out, make her share of threes, and the rest opens up so easily. No bricks or airballs! Plus she has EW, PB and NM to pass her the ball when she can spot up and hit the three. Just catch and shoot and today she made them.

EW had a very good game. She still makes me shake my head 2 times a game with some of her decisions but she is a consistently good player. She will struggle against quickness however on the defensive end.

Pretty good game out of ONO. I'd like her to score more, but I'll take the rebounds, defense and passing.

Dorka looks good to me sometimes and bad sometimes. Needs to protect the ball. Good player who is going to get a lot better in our system as the season progresses. You can tell that she kinda gets how to play BB.

Azzi is missing more than she has since she was probably 6 years old...but it will come and when it does, she is going to explode. Like CW, she has so many great passers to get her the ball. Just catch and shoot. I see a game where she hits 6-7 threes on the same amount of attempts. Can't keep a great shooter like her down for long. At the moment, I don't really like any more of her game. Hopefully, the D and recognition on offense improves. She is probably a bit hesitant now which is understandable. But if she doesn't improve as much as hoped, she will still stroke the 3 with great regularity and she will do it soon.

CD will take some time. She is really slow on defense. Great shooting form though, and with her height and length and some more experience, I hope she can be at least average on defense.

Christyn played as complete an all around game as I’ve seen in a long time. In addition to her 31 pts, scoring from everywhere with incredible efficiency, she pulled down 4 rbs, dished out 3 assists against only 1 turnover.

In addition, Christyn absolutely locked down Scalia, holding her to only 2 pts in the 2nd half. After Scalia had torched UConn in the 1st half going 5/7 from the arch, Geno switched Christyn onto her and that was the end of that.

 

[cometjo]

I think these are the most important quotes from Geno.

“I’m glad there wasn’t a stand around and watch Page play. You know, sometimes people think that, you know, that that’s what we are. And don’t get me wrong. It’s fun watching her play like in the third quarter, but we have to have a team where we can go in a lot of different directions to try to get our points in.”

“E’s had two great games, you know, we’ve only played two, and she’s played great in both of them. And for me that’s what you want for your upperclassmen to do, you know, to be able to set an example and know that, umm, that there isn’t anything that happens in a game that they can’t handle.”

“We probably don’t run enough plays for Paige because it would be too easy for us to just, you know, let’s run a play for Paige, let’s run a play for Paige, let’s run a play for Paige. I think everyone else would get a little bit like, why? There’s more to basketball than that, right?”

Because I’m a recent poster to the BY, I probably shouldn’t pontificate on things, and some people are going to disagree. But I’m just going to state briefly what, in my opinion, is one of the most difficult challenges for UConn. From the moment Paige arrived in the program, she has been a destabilizing presence for the upperclassmen, especially CW, but also for Geno, who has dealt with other talented, hyped freshmen but never anything like the media and social media juggernaut of Paige Bueckers. And, as Geno said, she was better than advertised.

Paige didn’t score much yesterday. They didn’t run plays for her. They didn’t pass her the ball. And it didn’t matter yesterday because CW, one of my favorite players in recent times, had a great game against a weak opponent.

But I think if Geno can’t figure out how to balance Paige’s central role on the team with the needs of the other players, if he doesn’t let Paige lead the team with her basketball IQ, UConn might not have the ability to win a NC.

What you are quoting there is Geno doing just what you say he has to do.

 

[cometjo]

Azimuth shot 1 of 5 from 3—20%. If just ONE more of those goes in she shoots a pretty good 40%. So maybe there’s nothing wrong with her game that a larger sample size won’t cure.

 

[ballerfan]

What you are quoting there is Geno doing just what you say he has to do.

Geno is smarter than I am, and I'm sure he understands the challenge of trying to manage competing concerns on a team. But this problem is not easy to solve. I wish him the best.

Thanks for reading the post.