ND Postgame Thread | Page 2 | The Boneyard

ND Postgame Thread

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BfromCT said:
Well, the results were not what I wanted, but they were what I feared and half expected. UConn has no answer for Hannah Hidalgo and she is my odds on choice for POY. The stat that tells it all is the three-point shooting: Notre Dame 10-18 and UConn just 3-16. Second, free throws: Notre Dame 7-8 before the end of game fouling and UConn 2-3 before the final minute. Finally, the Huskies coughed the ball up too many times, particularly early in the fourth quarter. Azzi Fudd might have made a difference, but as of now, Notre Dame is clearly the better team.
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I don't buy that. They shot better tonight. Just tonight. I've seen them look pretty terrible too this season.
 
BfromCT said:
Well, the results were not what I wanted, but they were what I feared and half expected. UConn has no answer for Hannah Hidalgo and she is my odds on choice for POY. The stat that tells it all is the three-point shooting: Notre Dame 10-18 and UConn just 3-16. Second, free throws: Notre Dame 7-8 before the end of game fouling and UConn 2-3 before the final minute. Finally, the Huskies coughed the ball up too many times, particularly early in the fourth quarter. Azzi Fudd might have made a difference, but as of now, Notre Dame is clearly the better team.
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Never going to beat a really good team with this stat. 21 point differential on 3's.
 
UConn played like they were panicking the entire first half. Drive into the lane, stop with no pass in mind, throw out to the wing. Repeat. No offensive flow.

I suspect it is a lack of athleticism compared to ND. Just too slow -- repeat of last year.
 
I see potential with Jana but it isn’t realized enough yet. Too many open shots for ND, UConn couldn’t defend the high screen except by doubling up on penetrating guard. But, that seemed to always leave someone open, and ND made UConn pay. so, they have to create better defense for that play. UConn only had two offensive threats tonight in Strong and Paige. Wish we saw more of Q, Allie, or Morgan. Didn’t get enough from the bigs tonight either.
 
Some observations:

-As I noted and really everyone knows: Higaldo is a most unusual player with a most unusual motor…Nothing she does should be unexpected

-Notre Dame really beat us up on the boards, especially in the first quarter and especially on the O board…unexpected, at least on this site

-When Sarah picked up her third foul and left in the 2nd quarter, the team was severely lacking in scoring and D…with only Paige left as a reliable scorer.

-There were these moments when the team either lost composure or completely failed to execute…after the first 5 minutes and crucially at the beginning of the 4th quarter.

-It took Paige a bit of time to realize that this game was like a knife fight and she would have to try to win it by herself (almost). She can be a touch passive and we didn’t have the time for her to realize it.

-Notre Dame’s secondary players had a much, much better game than ours…Our theoretical advantage in the post was a myth.

-The advantage in coaching also didn’t materialize…ND had a good idea how to win the game... their players executed, and they seemed (at least today) the more competent team
 
In the end, it was just too much Hidalgo. You can’t play off her because she’ll kill you from the arc. But if you play her tight, she’ll blow by you and either score or kick the ball out to open teammates. WBB will have its hands full trying to figure out how to defend her for the next 3 seasons.
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This! Plus, we have no low post presence at all.
 
Some thoughts

  1. We played against the most dangerous team in the country IMO on their home floor where they were pumped. I can't say I am a fan but Hidalgo played great.
  2. I am continually disappointed by our inability to keep teams off the O glass.
  3. Way too many open 3's for ND. Most because they beat us off the dribble and we had to collapse of their shooters
  4. I am amazed at how smart Sarah plays. She showed great smarts playing with 3 fouls.
  5. We need another shooter on the floor when teams focus on Paige. Shade not scoring really hurt.
  6. The way the game unfolded, the loss of Azzi or someone else showing up to hit 3's was the difference. Against a team with the weapons ND has you need a 3rd option for scoring.
 
bballnut90 said:
Question: why doesn’t Geno utilize more of a 2 man game approach with Strong and Bueckers? They have the perfect skill set to execute it, and if defense collapses both are strong passers to find the open player. I feel like everything should be running through those 2 offensively rather than Chen/Arnold dribbling so much.
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I don't know, but I'm accustomed to a bit more cutters of the base offense. I don't see it.
 
The loss is disappointing and Notre dame definitely has bragging rights now.

I didn’t think UConn was going undefeated this year. I never thought that. Azzi out and Karlen in from the jump. I did not think that was a good omen.

I will be fine. I haven’t been running my mouth about UConn winning this game or about Paige being the player of the year. The people that have may be in for a rough time on twitter or wherever they are guilty of that behavior.

I see the positives. This was a road game. Our first game of the season. It was a 4 point game going into the fourth quarter. We can add Azzi and Aubrey and our freshmen and sophomores can get better. UConn can get better in time for march.
 
bballnut90 said:
Question: why doesn’t Geno utilize more of a 2 man game approach with Strong and Bueckers? They have the perfect skill set to execute it, and if defense collapses both are strong passers to find the open player. I feel like everything should be running through those 2 offensively rather than Chen/Arnold dribbling so much.
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Kinda agree but did see a stretch in the 4th where this was basically every play. It worked relatively well too. I thought Chen and KK actually played well. Olivia Miles and Hidalgo ar 2 of the best guards in the nation. The three turnovers in a row and the slow start from Paige was tough to overcome. Plus defensively they just were bad on the details.
 
LwrcasefaN said:
I don't know, but I'm accustomed to a bit more cutters of the base offense. I don't see it.
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They were trying to run that more as the game went on but ND anticipated it quite well.
 
Can't help but notice a bunch of folks that have been infrequent or nonexistent posters here on the UConn WBB forum that were evidently compelled to crawl out of the woodwork tonight in order to trash Geno, the players and the team.

Nice to hear from you.....:rolleyes:
 
scotty0330 said:
You’re delusional or you didn’t see same game we all did
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I watched the game, Notre Dame played extremely well.

This is simple mathematics: Think of the player as a key variable in the team's performance. The player’s presence or absence influences the outcome in different ways, like a variable influences the result of an equation. Saying UConn would have lost with Azzi is a variable error. I respect your opinion but disagree and would appreciate if we stayed away from calling each other delusional especially when you created the fictional narrative to begin with.
 
oldude said:
Can't help but notice a bunch of folks that have been infrequent or nonexistent posters here on the UConn WBB forum that were evidently compelled to crawl out of the woodwork tonight in order to trash Geno, the players and the team.

Nice to hear from you.....:rolleyes:
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I have my criticisms of Geno but aren’t we allowed to criticize? Isn’t that the whole point of the board? I think the key is keeping criticism from becoming overly personal
 
Of course, I'm disappointed that UConn lost, but the better team won tonight. ND was more aggressive, they played tight D, owned the boards, and executed a better game plan. It's easy to complain after a loss, and look for people to blame. HH and King hurt UConn repeatedly, and on the offensive end, UConn lacked cohesion.

I will say that I am disappointed in how Geno coached tonight. He knew coming into the game, ND was going to do everything to disrupt Paige from getting in a flow. Why doesn't he make it easier for her to get the ball where she's in position to be able to execute. Most of her points were a result of her driving to the basket, trying to create her shot. She had few clear looks.

For a top 5 player, Paige certainly gets little love from the refs. On at least 3-4 occasions when attacking the basket, there was much more than incidental contact.

Fortunately, this loss comes early and there's a chance for redemption with USC.
 
bballnut90 said:
Question: why doesn’t Geno utilize more of a 2 man game approach with Strong and Bueckers? They have the perfect skill set to execute it, and if defense collapses both are strong passers to find the open player. I feel like everything should be running through those 2 offensively rather than Chen/Arnold dribbling so much.
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To answer you’re question re the 2 man game
Imho he stubbornly sticks with a motion offense
That is equal opportunity
I suspect most coaches would have the ball in Paige’s hands to start every possession
I think it’s fair to say that page was a more dominant player as a freshman when she had the ball in her hands all the time
Somehow making paige a forward when she is a
Natural point guard is very odd
And yes, I would put Paige and Sarah, and the two men game on every position
 
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