NC St Postgame Thread | Page 5 | The Boneyard

NC St Postgame Thread

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geno is great. i think he calls the role for practice, sees who is there and moving around at better than a hobble, then sez, 'u. u are some kind of guard or whatever, for this game, stand near the rim and do stuff. today, u are a center. u, ur some kind of wing thing. forget that, today, go stand around in the backcourt, and just pass it when it's in ur hands. u, ur some kind of all purpose superstar, sit next to me. those people out there are gonna need a rest or 2.'
yep, geno is great.

' ayanna, go out there, just grab the ball anytime u see. do that.'
ayanna gets out there, grabs like 50 boards in 8 seconds, runs over a few people accidentally in the process. coach b like 'good job!'
 
I have read all these comments and I agree with most of them, but I don't think there has been enough praise for Aaliyah Edwards's performance against NC State. With Dorka out and no other experienced players in the front court, Aaliyah had to play big, and she absolutely did. Her 12 rebounds (4 of which were offensive) was more than any single NCST player, and they have several big ones. The best rebounding effort by the Wolfpack was 9 (just 2 offensive) by River Baldwin in 21 minutes.

In addition, Aaliyah had 20 points and 4 assists. I was watching her foul totals. She had absolutely ZERO in the first 34 minutes, and then picked up 3 in the final 6 minutes -- possibly fatigue and possibly just deciding to be aggressive since she wasn't in foul trouble. But during the portion of the game where she couldn't be on the bench because of fouls, she wasn't. If only she could inject that skill into Ayanna Patterson.

As I've said elsewhere, Ayanna is good enough to play big minutes if she could just stay out of foul trouble. That was the case again today. She picked up 3 fouls in 11 minutes -- an unsustainable rate. But during those 11 minutes, she got 5 rebounds (2 offensive) plus an assist, a block, and a steal.

The eye test tells me that she is a really STRONG rebounder, stronger than anyone who has played at UConn since Morgan Tuck, maybe even Tina Charles. I would say her game looks like that of Asjha Jones. If that's true, it's quite a ceiling.

@CocoHusky: Do you still think that Aaliyah will never be as productive as Morgan Tuck was in her senior year? So far this year, she's looking a lot like Morgan to me.
 
TeamFirst! said:
We have at least 2 great catch and shoot players. Thats 7-8 assists a game right there. We have a great shooting team so we are going to get a lot is assists. Loved Nika’s passing to the posts tonight which helped her get some more assists. No doubt it was a solid performance by all.

Players of the game were:
1) Azzi
2) AE
3) Aubrey
4) Lou/Nika

It’s about making plays and being efficient, both offensively and defensively.
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You continue to downgrade the play of Nika! Do you ever listen to, or care about , what the best coach in Women's basketball has to say about her? Just listen to his presser today! Shame on you for your pettiness !
 
Huskee11 said:
I could see something going on after the National Anthem on the court but it wasn`t clear what it was until it became clear. It was very scary. The players ran off the court and most of them were crying. It crossed my mind that they might call the game. There was a ten minute delay so the players came out and got more shots up. But everything felt uneasy given our worries about Chris Dailey.

Driving home I listened to Bob Joyce interviewing Morgan Valley (he usually interviews Chris Dailey) and Morgan was very reassuring about the health of Chris. Thank God.

With Dorka out and all that going on, it would have been understandable for UConn to come out flat. But Aubrey was in the starting lineup for the first time in forever and she was not about to let that happen as she led the charge to a 9-0 opening lead. It is great to see her out there playing at such a high level. It was NC State that looked flat.

This was a TEAM effort. Everyone did what they do best.

Lou had a crazy game. She looked like she didn`t belong to be out there in the first half, and then she goes off for 20 in the second. She just keeps playing. I was happy to see her continue to let it fly.

A few words about my fav, Nika. First, in recent years I have observed UConn guards having struggles getting the ball into the post. Tonight, Nika made a number of perfect interior passes into the post with Aaliyah - great angles and placement. Aaliyah did her part as well, solid post ups. But where Nika really shines is in the open court. I try to watch closely and try to see what she is seeing, and she is always looking, while moving forward left or right, setting things up so that when she finally delivers the pass the player will be open. Very intuitive, great feel. Her pass at the end of the first half to Edwards is not one that very many players could make, and it got us up 7.

She had 15 assists but there were also occasions where she got the ball to teammates in perfect position and they were fouled while shooting. So that 15 could have easily been 17 or 18.

I thought Aaliyah played incredibly well. She outplayed the bigs on NC State by a wide margin. And they are big. River Baldwin is massive. Aaliyah still commits some bad fouls and with Dorka out for a while, we need her to stop doing that so she can stay on the floor. We need her more than ever.

NC State has a lot of talent but we were playing much harder. They didn`t seem to push the ball on offense and on the defensive end, there was virtually no pressure on the ball. We seemed to get where we wanted to get and had plenty of open shots, both inside and outside. We had 13 steals to 3 for them and they only had 9 assists to our 22. Both testament to how we were far more active.

I also thought we finished around the rim better than we had in our previous two games.

Prayers up for Chris, and onto Oregon.
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What game did you watch, AE didn't commit her first foul until well into the second half. She knew she was needed to be on the floor the whole game and she stepped up and didn't start committing fouls until the game was out of hand.
 
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hoopsfan22 said:
Isn't the rule that you have 5 years to play 4 seasons? Next year would be her 5th year. My understanding is Covid didn't add any more time in which you could complete your eligibility, just that the 2020-21 season doesn't count against it, so you could play 5 seasons in 5 years if you wanted.
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But you get an extra year if you redshirted. It's happening all over the NCAA in all sports
 
Tonyc said:
IMO Stanford lacks a point guard and players who can create their own shot. Only Jones and Brink seem to be able to create their own shot
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South Carolina does that to teams. They did it to us in the final game last year. They used Henderson on Paige last year copying the little quick guard to chase her around screens like McDonald did the year before. Paige dominated Beal the first Paige played SC and we won. Dawn Staley is a very good coach. I imagine they we either use Cook or possible Amihere on Azzi. She has so much length. She could give Azzi trouble.
 
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Tonyc said:
IMO Stanford lacks a point guard and players who can create their own shot. Only Jones and Brink seem to be able to create their own shot
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I think Lepolo is decent, especially for a Freshman. She penetrates well and doesn't turn it over much. Shooting 57%. No team looks like it can create their own shot against SC. Stanford has a ton of depth and probably continues to improve. South Carolina really struggled when Boston got into foul trouble but they have a ton of weapons also and just play crushing defense. Stanford out rebounded SC today by 6 rebounds. Stanford blew that game. 22 turnovers compared to SC's 11. They play everyone (11 players today ) and that might have been what cost them today's game. I don't get playing Prechtel 33 minutes and Betts 4 minutes today.
 
After watching today's game, I believe that UConn may have more problems with some of the Big East teams than they did today against NC State. Currently there are 3 other teams in the Big East that are undefeated and they are Creighton, Villanova, and Marquette.
 
To beat SC and /or Stanford you need to out-possess them. All things being equal, UConn is the better shooting team. The great equalizer for SC (like today vs. Stanford, 73 vs 66, for example) is the extra possessions they get. Extra possessions are due to out-rebounding and/or turning over your opponent (i.e. great DEFENSE). This is why, players like Dorka, even Amari, may be essential to UConn's needs against SC and Stanford. Taking care of the ball is also paramount. Not worried about our shooting. Even out the possessions and UConn has a very good chance to beat SC or Stanford. All IMHO.
 
HuskyNan said:
Lou - she came to UConn from Fairfield and isn’t used to playing Top 10 teams regularly. She needed a half to adjust to the speed and physicality. She’ll continue learning on her road to becoming a viable pro

Caroline - appeared to me to be moving gingerly as though she’s sore or afraid of getting hit. More practices should help

Amari and Ines - simply aren’t ready to have expectations against a team the caliber of NC State put upon them yet.
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I rewatched the second half. Lou was moving a lot more on both offense and defense than she did either in the first half or in limited minutes against Texas. Once she made the 3 where she was fouled she didn't stop. She hit 2 open 3s, had that great 3 point play on the fast break dish from Nika, and hit some sweet pull up jumpers. Whatever the reason(s), that kind of scoring creates a tremendous burden on an opposing defense who has to always concentrate on Azzi.
 
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Bills Fan said:
Look at the Megan Walker class as an example of recruiting misses.
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For sure. He’s been missing on bigs for a while now. Maybe he got a little complacent, thinking the game was moving away from post play and more to guard and small forward play. Plus he struck gold with Wolters and Dolson for example. Like Belichick and running backs, maybe Geno thought he could put anybody out there at post. Then the pendulum swung back to bigs in WCBB.
We‘re gunna out score and outwork ‘‘em this year
 
UConn is down 4 stars and they have a balanced attack on both sides of the ball. 4 ball handlers that can create their own shot and make them. Dorks and Caroline get healthy and it’s lights out. Azzi is better then advertised. I was told by a very good source she’s the next Maya Moore and she’s looking like it.
 
Just read the comments. Azzi might be the best player in the country right now, and I was also impressed by the screens that set up some of her shots.

But who was the most valuable player today? Probably Azzi, but imagine the game without Nika and her 15 assists. Or Lou with 20 in the second half, mimicking Azzi’s 22 in the first. Or Aubrey, who scored 16 and stole the ball repeatedly and generally created chaos for NCS, demoralizing them. AE was so dominant and a completely different player compared with last year.

I’m partial to Lou because I’m in France, but I truly think she can put up as many points as Azzi. She got 20 in 29 minutes, Azzi 32 in 40.

Most impressive is the team chemistry and their agressive play. They’re scary. I look forward to the South Carolina game.

It’s the middle of the night here. Bonne nuit.
 
MD#12Fan said:
For sure. He’s been missing on bigs for a while now. Maybe he got a little complacent, thinking the game was moving away from post play and more to guard and small forward play. Plus he struck gold with Wolters and Dolson for example. Like Belichick and running backs, maybe Geno thought he could put anybody out there at post. Then the pendulum swung back to bigs in WCBB.
We‘re gunna out score and outwork ‘‘em this year
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They really developed Wolters and Dolson. Amari probably was more talented coming out of high school than either of them.
 
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A great team win but they are going to need Dorka and Caroline..I just wonder what is wrong with Caroline..Geno says a stiff neck and may have it all year..that doesnt sound too good..she looks real slow and tentative..posters have said she just has to get in shape but I think it's more than that..I hope I'm wrong
 
browns said:
A great team win but they are going to need Dorka and Caroline..I just wonder what is wrong with Caroline..Geno says a stiff neck and may have it all year..that doesnt sound too good..she looks real slow and tentative..posters have said she just has to get in shape but I think it's more than that..I hope I'm wrong
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She had the kinesiology tape on her neck today so it’s probably muscular. I’ve had recurring muscle spasms in my shoulder/neck and it can be painful.
 
We definitely missed Aubrey last year. Her activity level is a spark on both ends of the floor. Glad that she is able to play and give the team that extra intensity. Her ability to read the floor. Huge. That kick up to Lou for the 3 ball. Sweet!!

Nika. Nika. Nika! It is joy to see her make so much progress each game & each season. Nika just plays her game. She does not try to do anything that isn't within her skill set. That is why she is such a joy to watch. I remember folks were saying how she needed to shoot more. She got multiple shooters out there and she is finding them. Low post, on the wing, or in transition, she is finding them. That No-Look to Lou for And-1.....EPIC!! Well done, Nika. Keep shining, young lady.

Aaliyah- OMG! I am loving this new level Aaliyah. She is coming out of her shell and playing at a nice level. She is active on the glass. 12 rebounds!? The improved free throw shooting!? Her intensity out there on both ends of the floor. I am loving this! So glad to see Aaliyah playing like this. We all knew that she could. She just needed that extra confidence. Jerry West and probably every other athlete has said this, but I heard Jerry say it "Confidence is a lot of this game and any game really. If you don't think you can, you won't" Glad that Aaliyah seems to be playing with a lot of confidence out there.

Azzi- What a marvelous performance. Back-to-Back 32-point games. She is another player that is a joy to watch. Not just because of the shooting. She is fun to watch because she runs to her spots, cuts, boxes out, and just plays within the flow of the game. She doesn't force shots even though Coach wants her to shoot, she knows where and when to strike, like a cobra.

Lou- OMG! What a positive addition to the team. A sniper. She reads the floor well. That drive and high off the glass layup, a thing of beauty. She is active on the defensive end. It is a huge plus having her out there. She gives the program another offensive weapon. So glad that we have her on the squad.

Caroline- Glad to see her out on the floor and her minutes are increasing. Once she gets back into the rhythm of things, I hope that Coach don't forget about her and she gets lost on the bench. She is going to be another offensive weapon. We got the Splash Sisters; CD, Azzi, and Lou!

Amari and Ines-Keep the confidence ladies. Your time will come. Hang in there & stay positive.
 
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