ND Postgame Thread

[Kaizen]

At Providence game Aubrey has 18 pts, 10 rebs and 2 stls.

 

[jdote33]

For anybody( maybe just me) who has been wondering where the Maddy Westbeld ,who was all ACC as a frosh, has been, she certainly showed up today. Been averaging 7pts,6 boards 2 assists, today had 17 ,9, and 4, and blocked 3 shots. Had a modest year last year; wonder if she was hurt. Back to her frosh year, she would make them very tough.

I think she's really talented. It's almost like they have a logjam in their front line and she has been negatively impacted (kinda like AE last year). Watson being in foul trouble probably lead to her playing more minutes today.

 

[Valleyfan]

agree with most of the comments here. On a separate topic, wanted to see what the BY thinks of Rebecca Lobo calling the games. Sometimes it seems to me that since the nation knows her as a Husky, she goes out of her way to praise (and over praise) the other team, especially our heated rivals. I know she has to be impartial, but sometimes it feels like too much. I really like watching Husky games with other announcers.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

The rebounding difference was in defensive rebounds and that was because Notre Dame didn't miss many shots and UConn did. The offensive board numbers were about even.

The Irish got 32% of their missed shots, UConn got 19% of their missed shots. The Huskies were dominated on the boards.

 

[EasyEd]

1. I didn't think we would have everyone be so off shooting at the same time. And as Geno said we will go as far as our bigs take us. They are the ones that have to pick up for poor outside shooting. If they don't you end up stuck with the live and die by the jump shot adage.
2. Our defense took a step backward. Even though ND shot close to 60% they still only scored 74 points. so it wasn't a big step backward. If we shot 60% we would have been in the 90s or more.
3.Rebounding, offensive and defensive, was an issue. With the number of misses we had, our offensive rebounds should have been a lot more. This might be the key issue as it seemed to define our loss to SC last year.
4. Azzi's injury highlights how thin we are. We are all hoping for just a minor injury.
5. We seem to be reliant on Aubrey to get us off to a good start. We need everyone to be aggressive from the get-go.
6. The third quarter shows they still have some fight and it's not the end of the world, but now the coaches have some good material to get them focused for the future.

 

[UConnCat]

The Irish got 32% of their missed shots, UConn got 19% of their missed shots. The Huskies were dominated on the boards.

ND grabbed 8 offensive boards and UConn grabbed 7 offensive boards. Not one ND player grabbed more than 1 offensive rebound. Actually, 4 ND players are given credit for 1 offensive rebound.

The difference on the defensive boards was 31-19.

Overall, the difference was 39-26.

Rebounding was not the reason this game was lost. It was shot-making.

 

[HuskylnSC]

Anybody check the calendar?

I want to run through a couple of choruses of a great Eddie Cantor song;
"If you knew Geno, like I knew Geno.
Oh, Oh, Oh what a coach"

This game is going to pay dividends for the next two years.
It is burned into the athletic soul of each and every player.
And Geno will play it for all its worth.

Nobody likes a loss, but no one makes profit from a loss like Geno.

Somebody said they feel sorry for Princeton. Yup and quite a few other teams too.

BTW, I loved Amari's threes (I'm a big fan), but I want to see some fire in her eyes.
If I were an alchemist and could merge Amari's skill with Aaliyah's attitude, I would present you with an All-American.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

ND grabbed 8 offensive boards and UConn grabbed 7 offensive boards. Not one ND player grabbed more than 1 offensive rebound. Actually, 4 ND players are given credit for 1 offensive rebound.

The difference on the defensive boards was 31-19.

Overall, the difference was 39-26.

Rebounding was not the reason this game was lost. It was shot-making.

Why are you comparing total offensive rebounds when one team had far more opportunities at them than the other?

Again, 32% to 19%.

I never said UConn lost only due to rebounding, but it was an issue along with both offense and defense.

 

[Conndog]

Big questions from today:

How is Azzi?
What was wrong with out 6’2 guard/forward?
Point guard turnovers
Losing defensive assignments time after time
When will Dorka return to playing?

 

[UConnCat]

Why are you comparing total offensive rebounds when one team had far more opportunities at them than the other?

Again, 32% to 19%.

I never said UConn lost only due to rebounding, but it was an issue along with both offense and defense.

Because I know what it looks like when UConn is dominated on the boards and this was not one of those games. Who cares about %s when the numbers are low. Four offensive boards were team rebounds where the ball was probably a 50-50 ball that was last touched by a UConn player. The other 4 were credited to 4 ND players.

UConn is not a good offensive rebounding team and I cannot remember the last time they were. This game was not lost because of ND on the offensive boards. Maybe UConn could have kept it closer on the offensive glass but that's not what this team does very well.

 

[TeamFirst!]

Rebounding was clearly a factor. That's 13 more possesions and if you convert half of them it's over 10 points on the scoreboard. Plus their rebounding our misses drove their fast break conversions. Rebounding difference was one of the top reasons for the loss. And we should have expected it going in. They have a lot of bigs and we do not currently.

We got out coached today to a degree also. Notre Dame's game plan was textbook in how to beat this years team. Leave Aubrey and Nika open for jump shots and double others. Deny Azzi and Lou. Box out and dominate the paint. We were playing this game but the outcome was all dependent upon our weaknesses perfoming at least average. Nika did her part today at least some. Aubrey had a bad day.

This doesn't knock us out of the top 10 or even the top 5. I can't believe some of the things I read sometimes. We've beat 3 top 10 teams and lost to one. It's not the end of the world.

I think we are going to keep seeing this sort of deny defense though. One way to help fight it is to give the ball to Azzi earlier, as in putting her in Olivia Miles mode as a quasi PG. Let Azzi beat them off the dribble some, or at least penetrate. Set high screens for her. If she didn't get hurt I'm sure Geno would have adjusted in some way.

A normal Caroline could have helped win this game. We need her back to game form asap. Dorka as well, obviously.

 

[UConnCat]

Rebounding was clearly a factor. That's 13 more possesions and if you convert half of them it's over 10 points on the scoreboard. Plus their rebounding our misses drove their fast break conversions. Rebounding difference was one of the top reasons for the loss. And we should have expected it going in. They have a lot of bigs and we do not currently.

We got out coached today to a degree also. Notre Dame's game plan was textbook in how to beat this years team. Leave Aubrey and Nika open for jump shots and double others. Deny Azzi and Lou. Box out and dominate the paint. We were playing this game but the outcome was all dependent upon our weaknesses perfoming at least average. Nika did her part today at least some. Aubrey had a bad day.

This doesn't knock us out of the top 10 or even the top 5. I can't believe some of the things I read sometimes. We've beat 3 top 10 teams and lost to one. It's not the end of the world.

I think we are going to keep seeing this sort of deny defense though. One way to help fight it is to give the ball to Azzi earlier, as in putting her in Olivia Miles mode as a quasi PG. Let Azzi beat them off the dribble some, or at least penetrate. Set high screens for her. If she didn't get hurt I'm sure Geno would have adjusted in some way.

A normal Caroline could have helped win this game. We need her back to game form asap. Dorka as well, obviously.

Not sure where you're getting the 13 more possessions. ND and UConn took the same number of shots -- 57. ND made 32 FGs and UConn made 21 FGs. UConn made 2 more 3FGs than ND. UConn took 6 more FTs (13-7) and ND turned the ball over 3 more times (18-15). Second chance points were the same at 10 points. This was not like South Carolina putting up 15 more FGAs off of offensive rebounds.

This was a game that was played at ND's preferred pace (which allowed Ebo to play more minutes), shot-making (32 FGs vs 21 FGs) and less than stellar defense by UConn.

 

[Hayven]

I don’t have much nice things to say about ND so rather than lay it all out and derail this topic, all I say is more than likely these two teams will be in the same regional in March. The committee loves that, so that’s when it will all count. Hopefully UConn is healthy by then

 

[maple]

agree with most of the comments here. On a separate topic, wanted to see what the BY thinks of Rebecca Lobo calling the games. Sometimes it seems to me that since the nation knows her as a Husky, she goes out of her way to praise (and over praise) the other team, especially our heated rivals. I know she has to be impartial, but sometimes it feels like too much. I really like watching Husky games with other announcers.

I love Rebecca (saw her in the '95 parade as a little kid and loved her ever since, especially she ended up settling down near where I grew up). She is a fantastic advocate for UConn wbb and I admire her accomplishments. That being said, yeah, I have felt for some time now that she goes out of her way to seem impartial - beyond what seems necessary.

Though I have seen other teams' fans complaining that she is too pro-UConn when she does games, so your mileage may vary I guess.

 

[Viet Vet]

Poor shooting is acceptable, poor defense and rebounding is not.

 

[tchalla1]

In the course of a season, this counts only as a loss. Of course, there is distaste because it was ND. In the bigger picture, there are a few concerns. Let's hope Aziz is OK - held out as a precaution. Without her in the lineup, Conn's offense struggled in the half court. ND killed UConn on the glass, essentially shutting down the transition game.

Dora was missed in this game - Aubrey is pushed around by bigger players underneath. She had a rough game offensively and Caroline seemed completely out of sorts today.

I hate to give ND credit, but Coach Ivey had a solid gameplay for UConn. After losing to MD last week, it was obvious they were prepared and ready to atone for that loss.

UConn has already had its share of injuries and looking at the UConn bench in the second half, there was too much talent sitting there.

Maybe the bright spot is Amari gave Geno something to think about going forward. She has looked more engaged her last two games and she has a nice stroke and is obviously confident taking the shot.

Geno's limited playing of Amari continues to baffle me. I mean could she have shot, rebounded, and been outhustled, and been frazzled any worse than Aubrey? I could see if we had a full squad, but with all the injuries? What a wasted resource....

 

[tchalla1]

Caroline is still way out of shape. You can really see her struggling to get back on defense. Not being able to work out and practice in the off season has really hurt her development. She has a lot of work to do in practice before she can be expected to contribute any meaning full minutes.

So, was the Iowa game an aberration? Yeesh, you wonder whether this team will ever be at full strength....

 

[TeamFirst!]

If you get 13 more rebounds than the other team that’s 13 more possesions. One team gets the ball and the other doesn’t.

 

[tchalla1]

Azzi is not aggressive enough, It just doesn’t seam to be her nature. The ND guard wanted to crush UConn’s will, and she pretty much did. Azzi needs to get a killer instinct.

This is a very unfair critique of Azzi--ND focused their defense entirely on Azzi, sometimes with three people face-guarding her! What did you expect her to do? No, it was up to others to make the wide-open shots that the defense was giving them, because of the attention given to Azzi., to rebound and play defense. IMO, only Lou stepped up, the others had horrifically sub-par games.... Killer instinct? What a misguided observation...

 

[wingsfan055]

There is a saying in football. Teams with great defenses "travel well". Well, UConn's finesse, perimeter game is the opposite - it doesnt travel well. Without any post play, UConn has to be near-perfect with its passing, picks & of course shooting to score consistently against physical, big teams. It's not that hard to defend UConn if you have the size & physical players. Just clog the middle to prevent any cutting, and play tight perimeter defense against our "scorers". Azzi & Lou would need to play "hero ball" to give us a shot - very hard to do. We've seen this year after year in our losses. You need to have a post game to get easy points, put pressure on the other team, & create space for our shooters. Maybe a healthy Dorka/AE combo can get us there, but I doubt it this year against the physical Top 10 teams.

 

[tchalla1]

Griffen "took those shots" because she was open and other players were not, and she's been practicing those shots (but not under duress). She needs more practice shots to get confidence in them, so that she can feast on the opportunities defenses provide and become an All American.

After watching Griffin for three years now, it is clearly evident that she is not a good shooter, she continues to be awkward at times on offense. She is a slasher with a great motor but not a solid shooter, and her body of work will never garner her an All-American selection...

 

[AzzisBraids]

This was a tough one, but a loss in South Bend to an inspired Notre Dame team in December is way better than in March. This team had a rude awakening and without Fudd's late game heroics, this game was a runaway. Geno prepared this team the best he could but I don't think he could simulate how attached the defenders were to Lou and Azzi. Citron was so close she could name each ingredient Fudd had in her pre-game Chipotle bowl.

I can deal with a loss, injuries are heartbreakers, wishing for a speedy for Azzi. The ladies will rest, regroup and recover. There were sections in the game in which I felt I was watching football.

 

[nastynatty]

easy to see some weaknesses with this team. It's just that no one wanted to see them. We struggled to score against a top defense, especially with Azzi out.

If you look back to the Texas game, the issues that hurt UConn today against ND were there too. Our interior defense was lacking (even with Dorka-albeit she did play that game with a broken thumb). When we really needed a bucket against Texas, Azzi was really the only one who could provide it (scoring 17 of 20 4thQ pts that game). With a similar issue regarding dealing with size inside plus not having Azzi available, ND took advantage of those weaknesses.

I do think it was 100% the right decision to not put Azzi back out there. Even when she came back in during the 2Q, she was still clearly hobbling a bit. Her health comes first. And with the physicality of the game and the way she has to run off screens in order to get open, it was better to be safe than sorry by sitting her out in the second half. Learned that the hard way with Paige in the last ND game. I was glad to see the coaching staff take that precaution when I’m sure Azzi was wanting to get out there and help in such a big game.

 

[nastynatty]

Lou is a gamer bucket getter. Do yall think she can make and play in the W???

Yes and whoever ends up with her will have quite the steal.

 

[Bone Dog]

Weaknesses, sure. Every team has weaknesses. ND has weaknesses too, — they’re slow in the frontcourt and tire easily if you make them run, and we could have used that to force all sorts of problems on them. Ordinarily we’d have used these weaknesses to engineer a win in the second half. That’s our strength. Without Azzi and only one perimeter scorer, we were no longer able to take advantage of them.

Diagnosing our weaknesses in an exceptional circumstance is not wrong. But it doesn’t tell us as much as we may think. When we’re back to full strength, we’ll torch teams like ND. The difference is ND is at full strength now. They have no upside other than getting more playing time to perfect their system, such as it is.

And don’t worry guys — I won’t red thumb you for speaking loosely about our weaknesses. I realize you all mean well. I’ll leave that to the red thumb brigade who respond to adversity by savaging the rest of us.