ND Postgame Thread

[hookshot]

Ice has improve a lot. I almost eat my former words. However, in Big games, she reverts. Jana, needs more PT time. Teach in practice, learn in games.
Ashlynn is a very good scorer. Azzi, has a great game then 4 nearly nothing---I like Fudd, when she's hitting these is no stopping her. Ashlynn, is an all around scorer and player. She too scores in streaks and her body takes the punishment and keeps on--going on. A player on the floor is worth 50 on the bench.
I LOVE IT--MUFFET HAS GENO'S NUMBER, were the headlines--then the NC came and UConn beat them by 18--the exact total of all the losses that year to ND.
ND played a great game, has greater talent (I choked on that), in situations better coached. Yet Geno wins more FF' s and NC's. I think I stay with Geno.

Ice actually had a pretty decent game. Ash is currently more the mystery in big games but will get there eventually (maybe not this year). Jana has a lot of work to do yet but hopefully will get there. Her playing time will have to be earned, particularly when Aubry returns.

 

[yhun89]

Just as I thought, without Azzi, ND could collapse their defense on whoever they wanted. Without a proper floor spacer, we had no other weapon against them.

We'll learn from this, we'll get Azzi and Aubrey back. We'll be prepared for March. We lost a lot of ranked games last season, yet still made it to a FF.

 

[HopJim]

Not too concerned. If you gave me a bet on UConn missing this many 3's, I could make alot of money. I would probably do some side bets on Shade, Strong, and Fudd all personally making more 3's than the entire team did last night.

 

[hookshot]

Not only Fudd, but Ash barely played at all. We could have used both players offense. I think a lineup of Paige, Azzi, Ash, Ice, and Sarah, could’ve been much tougher for ND to defend. All the madcap willy-nilly dribbling in the 2nd half I saw by UConn without actually looking to score, might’ve been one reason I saw us going to the charity stripe only once. The refs didn’t help us either, when Paige was hacked a few times.

Ash barely played for obvious reasons, clearly not her night, but lets not write her off yet, Diana had a couple of stinkers also

 

[WiseWillie]

Seems like a combination of playing Paige as a forward, guard pressure to get the ball into Paige's hands and poorly set picks and use of picks with pick and roll possibilities only being run once.

So reading through most of the post-game contributions ,were we completely outplayed? (yes, definitely it seems right from the tipoff) - and out coached (?). Let's see: ND coaching strategy Get one of the UConn star players in foul trouble early to neutralize her scoring and rebounding capabilities. Mission accomplished in 1st half. Next, face guard and completely harass the next star player by doing whatever it takes - holding, pushing, anything - to keep her from getting the ball and when she's able to free herself disrupting her shots. Mission accomplished. Set strong picks side hip thrushes and legs opened well beyond shoulder length (Look again at the foul called in last year's FF) for your star guard to run around and be open to take a 3 or pass off to the open player on the wing. Mission accomplished.

Mid-game adjustments by UConn to counter? Bring in some untested bench players. Other?

OK, it's early but #12 ain't gonna to be a slam dunk as projected on this forum as there are several major weaknesses against top 5-10 teams that will need to be addressed and corrected before Feb/Mar. Good luck, Huskies. We're all in your corner.

 

[hjoerring]

I would like to see in big game match-ups, Paige in the role she played in the NC St overtime classic. Put the ball in your best player's hands, and let her do her magic. It worked for Iowa & CC. It seems to be working for ND & HH, and USC intends to live or die with JuJu.

I'm not a fan of this. Also, this has never been Uconn style of play--thankfully. Indeed, the general lesson here is that we need for than Paige's one-on-one. And it is also not true for the ND's guards. Both teams play a passing game. They are just more active and relentless than us. Also, Citron has been one of my favorite players both in offense and defense.

 

[VaConnFan11]

1. This UConn team is slow
2. Perimeter Defense is not good (see #1)
3. No lockdown defender (see #1)
4. Fast break points are almost non-existent (see #1 , #2 & #3)

Perception is a funny thing. I see posters referencing the large number of missed 3's last night. When in reality they only missed 13. In 6 of the previous 8 games, UConn missed 13 or more 3's. In 2 of those games, they missed over 20.

Looking over the analytics of the game (Bart Torvick), the defense was the issue.

 

[WiseWillie]

OK, here goes. I know I will get a lot of dislikes for this post, but after the debacle last night something has to change. I am a huge fan of Geno, but at this point I believe he is mismanaging this team. First, Paige has to resume her spot as the point guard. She has to be the one to bring the ball up the court. Paige is a great passer, and her ability to scan the floor for opportunities for her teammates is second to none. This also will give her the opportunity to create her own shot as we know she can do very well. Second, Geno has said many times in the past how exceptional Jana is. Well, she has made a few good plays, but she has no impact because she hardly plays. We will need her in March, but if she doesn't get more playing time than she will be worthless for us at that time. Third, we need Azzi back. Every fall we talk about all the great shooters we have, but every year we stink at 3 point shooting. We have nobody, and I mean nobody that can consistently knock down 3's, even Paige. I thought that since nothing was falling that he would put in Allie, after all, she may be our best 3 point shooter. Fourth, defense. I am so sick of watching the other team consistently throw down 3 point shots, uncontested ones at that.
Fifth, consistentcy. Ash, OMG, how can she go from one game to another and have a complete change in her game. I love this girl, but I am highly disappointed in her performance of late, except for Louisville.
Bottom line, Paige cannot do it alone, and if Geno has to put Paige back as the floor general, then that's what he should do.
Before I end this, I have a question about something that I can't figure out, and this drives me crazy. In the flow of the half court offence, players are getting the ball at the 3 point line, but they all dribble towards the paint and kick it out. Thats fine, but that player, as well every player forward does the same thing. What is supposed to happen here, why doesn't somebody take the shot instead of dribbling to the middle where quite often they turn the ball over. I'm sorry, but even though this was a tough opponent, I was very upset about how the offence was running. Also, because the supporting cast did not do well, social media is blaming this on Paige. I just hope Geno and the staff can get it together and change something, as our offence is the same as it was 15 years ago. Going to stop now as I'm giving myself a headache, and have to chill somewhere right now.

There will be disagreements on this forum (that's what we do) but I have to agree with every one of your comments especially the driving into the paint, inability to finish and kicking it back out to an unprepared player who has to hoist up a quick, unbalanced 3 (that clanks). Very frustrating. Mid-game adjustments? None that were recognizable or successful.

 

[cancontent]

Please forgive me but I forgot the following in a previous post.
I'm very old fashioned and not a fan of the modern celebrate ME/look at me of the present generation!
I don't like the present NFL and NBA because of this!
Many players in all sports have the attitude to celebrate EVERY play no matter how trivial! Just do your job and move on!
After thinking it over I would like to see the ball, late in close games, in Paige's hands so she can dictate the pace and style of the game can go to! NOT the whole game but when necessary!
HH had the ball in her hands 90% of the time, so does JuJu and other great players!
Let Paige create for herself or teammates!

You see it as that where others see it they're having fun and expressing themselves. It's perception and you're entitled to your viewpoint. However if you listen to these athletes talk a lot of them talk about it's about having fun and celebrating their team mates.

 

[VAUConnFan]

Seems to me UCONN fans tolerated similar behavior from Diana. Let's not be hypocritical. Want to do something about it, then find a way to defend her.

Exactly.
I need to find a similar quote from Shannon Sharpe.

 

[Rb335]

Something interesting is that Paige scored 25, Hidalgo 29. Not much difference there. But Paige’s 25 after Q1 felt like this steady stream of 2 point shots. None really came in bunches and none from 3. Hidalgos came on many 3s and I think two times had back to back 3s. Her scoring was spaced out, more in spurts, but her shots came every time Uconn was making a run. It’s interesting how both players scored a similar amount, but hidalgos points felt bigger impact.

I get people want more from Paige, but she scored 25. If she has this mystical gear she’s not tapping into, are we expecting her to score 35 ever game?

 

[Just.A.Fan]

I'll stick to my guns on this, UConn still doesn't have a killer on the team. Someone who wants to punch and keep on punching. Someone who wants the other team to cry (metaphorically, of course). The only one I've seen like that since Stewie was Gabby and she didn't have the surrounding cast for it. All these kids are way too nice.

And I'm not talking poor sportsmanship. There's a difference between that and being a killer on the court.

I think you are grossly and unfairly overlooking Paige in this regard. When it's necessary (and it definitely was last night) she fights 'til the bitter end to bring home a victory. She is as much a "killer" as UConn has ever had.

 

[Rowdy831]

The better coached team won tonight. ND found what was working and they kept running it and UConn had no answer. You can't have your help get so deep in the lane that they can't get back to defend their player and that happened quite a bit last night. HH is good, but really her and Miles could score at will last night and that was more on the defensive plan.

UConn has success every time they drove the middle of the lane but refused to to it until ND made adjustments. I also think UConn is NOT a good three point shooting team yet they continue to hoist them up whether they are falling or not. In my opinion the defense played too soft and UConn needed to go big and shut down the lane on one end and score from it on the other.

This game isn't the end of the road for UConn for sure. It is a very difficult match up for a team that has bigger but slower guard play and until they feel comfortable playing a big line up it will be tough. Good news is they match up better with some other teams ranked near the top and the next time they play ND they will have Azzi.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

There will be disagreements on this forum (that's what we do) but I have to agree with every one of your comments especially the driving into the paint, inability to finish and kicking it back out to an unprepared player who has to hoist up a quick, unbalanced 3 (that clanks). Very frustrating. Mid-game adjustments? None that were recognizable or successful.

We must have missed ten layups or drives to the basket that turned into nothing.

 

[AnonChoice]

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.

To #6, yes. This was an 11-pt difference in the end? A normal percentage of our threes falling and it's a different game. A normal percentage of ND's threes falling (i.e., not 67%) and it's a different game.

 

[Henry]

The poor rebounding was a killer. How many times did ND get 1, 2, or 3 offensive rebounds and then score, usually a 3. You can't give a good team that many chances to score.

 

[Just.A.Fan]

Cheli passes up open shots every game.

It's tough being a freshman and coming off the bench. If she has the "green light" to take her open shots and passes them up, that's one thing. But we, as fans, have no idea what, if anything, she has been told by the coaches. My best guess is that she has not been given the green light, but is expected to "play basketball" to the best of her abilities. So non-starting freshmen, who also are not considered the sixth man, are a bit too careful (especially in a big game like this one against ND) not to make a dumba** mistake. If she throws up an air-ball that leads to ND points, it will result in less minutes in the future. So you run the plays and don't look for the glory. It will come for Morgan, she is going to be a star for us. Hopefully it will come later this season, but if not then the next.

 

[BigKahuna]

Having posted a 15 point Notre Dame victory on the prognostications thread I wanted to seek opinions on the following:
Has anyone else noticed how average to good opponents constantly get open looks for their shots while UConn rarely does in our sad half court offense?
Was anyone else frustrated by the way we played in the fourth quarter as if we were ahead by 10 instead of behind?
Is there any concern about how UConn plays not to lose rather than playing aggressively against top tier opponents?
Did anyone question why we didn’t play up tempo and force pace against an undermanned team who had 5 maybe 6 players in their rotation.
Is anyone concerned that players like Morgan Chelli and Allie Zeibel will get frustrated and consider leaving getting no opportunities or potential recruits will not want to be part ot that UConn coaching philosophy.

Suggestion - take a look at Tennessee the next time they are on national TV. I predict within two years maximum they will return to being a top 5/10 perennial powerhouse under new coach Kim Caldwell. She is the future of the game playing her entire roster and pushing pace end to end for 40 minutes. The kind of style modern high school players will want to be part of and the style that UConn should have used last night against Notre Dame which would have gotten the entire roster involved and produced a double digit win.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

The poor rebounding was a killer. How many times did ND get 1, 2, or 3 offensive rebounds and then score, usually a 3. You can't give a good team that many chances to score.

Not making excuses but playing and winning in South Bend is hard, maybe the hardest in all of women’s college basketball. I mean how many of Geno’s National Championship teams lost in South
Bend the year they won it all?

 

[freshler40]

OK, here goes. I know I will get a lot of dislikes for this post, but after the debacle last night something has to change. I am a huge fan of Geno, but at this point I believe he is mismanaging this team. First, Paige has to resume her spot as the point guard. She has to be the one to bring the ball up the court. Paige is a great passer, and her ability to scan the floor for opportunities for her teammates is second to none. This also will give her the opportunity to create her own shot as we know she can do very well. Second, Geno has said many times in the past how exceptional Jana is. Well, she has made a few good plays, but she has no impact because she hardly plays. We will need her in March, but if she doesn't get more playing time than she will be worthless for us at that time. Third, we need Azzi back. Every fall we talk about all the great shooters we have, but every year we stink at 3 point shooting. We have nobody, and I mean nobody that can consistently knock down 3's, even Paige. I thought that since nothing was falling that he would put in Allie, after all, she may be our best 3 point shooter. Fourth, defense. I am so sick of watching the other team consistently throw down 3 point shots, uncontested ones at that.
Fifth, consistentcy. Ash, OMG, how can she go from one game to another and have a complete change in her game. I love this girl, but I am highly disappointed in her performance of late, except for Louisville.
Bottom line, Paige cannot do it alone, and if Geno has to put Paige back as the floor general, then that's what he should do.
Before I end this, I have a question about something that I can't figure out, and this drives me crazy. In the flow of the half court offence, players are getting the ball at the 3 point line, but they all dribble towards the paint and kick it out. Thats fine, but that player, as well every player forward does the same thing. What is supposed to happen here, why doesn't somebody take the shot instead of dribbling to the middle where quite often they turn the ball over. I'm sorry, but even though this was a tough opponent, I was very upset about how the offence was running. Also, because the supporting cast did not do well, social media is blaming this on Paige. I just hope Geno and the staff can get it together and change something, as our offence is the same as it was 15 years ago. Going to stop now as I'm giving myself a headache, and have to chill somewhere right now.

Well put, we are an easy defensive read, need to be more creative on the floor and less looking at the coaches for direction as to what to do next.

 

[freshler40]

Not too concerned. If you gave me a bet on UConn missing this many 3's, I could make alot of money. I would probably do some side bets on Shade, Strong, and Fudd all personally making more 3's than the entire team did last night.

We seem to play tight in big games and very scripted in our offense. Is this the problem? Basketball used to be more creative. Our guards often look to the bench for direction, so the defense also knows were running a long clock and predetermined play. Our best games, IMO, were more free-lance but also had much better rebounding than we currently have. How many fast breaks did we have last evening? The Huskies had a hard time clearing rebounds and often bobbled the ball. Our interior defense did not switch well to the right dribble penetration of one ND guard who is well known for that type of drive. Perhaps our game plan planning needs a serious look!

 

[VAUConnFan]

Not making excuses but playing and winning in South Bend is hard, maybe the hardest in all of women’s college basketball. I mean how many of Geno’s National Championship teams lost in South
Bend the year they won it all?

Going out on a long limb, just one.
(Now for some research)

Upon further review, the correct answer is two - 2004 and 2013. Does anyone remember the game in 2004? UConn must have played poorly because I do not remember Notre Dame being very good or having very good ball players.

The Notre Dame resurgence transpired with the hiring of Niele Ivey as an assistant in 2007. Coach Ivey has been a part of all nine Notre Dame Final four appearances(I had no idea there were that many). Coach Ivey's coaching legacy is firmly cemented in the recruitment and development of backcourt players.

 

[boontonbomber]

It’s one thing if it’s Paige, but Sarah is a freshman. As good as she is, I can’t fathom leaving a freshman in her 10th college game in with two fouls halfway through the second quarter.

Far from the first time the coaches have left players in with 2 fouls , and it often seems to bite you-know-who in the butt. Happened twice to Aaliyah last year. It's just not on the radar of the UConn bench, for some reason. Every time it happens I mention it, and always,somehow, people here brush it off and defend the coaches. I think Sarah played a bit tentatively in the 2nd half.

 

[VAUConnFan]

We seem to play tight in big games and very scripted in our offense. Is this the problem? Basketball used to be more creative. Our guards often look to the bench for direction, so the defense also knows were running a long clock and predetermined play. Our best games, IMO, were more free-lance but also had much better rebounding than we currently have. How many fast breaks did we have last evening? The Huskies had a hard time clearing rebounds and often bobbled the ball. Our interior defense did not switch well to the right dribble penetration of one ND guard who is well known for that type of drive. Perhaps our game plan planning needs a serious look!

Playing better competition; better teams; better individual players; teams with ballplayers of comparable ability.

 

[Lynx23]

I'll stick to my guns on this, UConn still doesn't have a killer on the team. Someone who wants to punch and keep on punching. Someone who wants the other team to cry (metaphorically, of course). The only one I've seen like that since Stewie was Gabby and she didn't have the surrounding cast for it. All these kids are way too nice.

And I'm not talking poor sportsmanship. There's a difference between that and being a killer on the court.

Gabby had Kia Nurse who was arguably the toughest player on the team given her hockey pedigree.

 

[Majorthreat]

Some thoughts on the Notre Dame game;

• Two teams dealing with injuries to key players, but one of the biggest games of the regular season nonetheless.
• Both teams came out a little tight. Shots weren’t falling and turnovers were mounting. But then the Irish drained 3 straight shots from the arc to take a 6-pt lead at the end of the 1st qtr. From that point on, UConn was playing from behind and struggling to find their rhythm.
• The Huskies fought their way back into the game in the 3rd qtr, throwing the Irish off balance by playing zone defense and hitting their shots on offense. But ND took control again in the 4th qtr, as the Irish clearly outplayed the Huskies tonight.
• Teams are doing everything they can to stop Paige from taking over games including face guarding her with their best defender, doubling her to get the ball out of her hands and getting physical with her anytime she attempts to make a cut. So far it’s been working pretty well. Many of the shots Paige hit tonight had a really high degree of difficulty. She ended up with 25 points on 11/20 shooting, none of which was particularly easy.
• 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.
• Well, Geno and his coaches have a bunch of things to work on.
• Next up is Georgetown at XL and then two more ranked teams, Iowa St and USC. This will be a critical 3-game stretch for the Huskies.
• Keep your chins up. Azzi and Aubrey will get healthy and better days are ahead.

I agree with everything you said. I think the game plan should have been to deny Hidalgo the ball instead of forcing her to go right. Even when she went left she still scored because there was no hedge there to stop her.
Geno needs to get playmakers and athletic players instead of just shooters or basketball players. We only had Paige, Sarah and at times Caitlyn. They played stifling defense while we played that matador defense. Too many times we went to help and we left that person open for at least 4-5 open 3's
Ice and Jana were outplayed by the rookie. Ice or Jana don't play defense and cant hit free throws which limits their ability to play down the stretch. Even rebounding is a chore at times. Without these two we have no size other than Sarah.
The 4th Qtr was our downfall. Too many turnovers at critical moments and no stops after the turnovers.

 

[Majorthreat]

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.

KK does dribble a lot and doesn't seem to get the offense in its sets to score. She also needs to develop an outside shot. I don't know what her 3-point shooting is this year, but it is probably in the 20% range. Develop a floater as well when you get into the lane.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

I don’t think that we are shorter than most teams. We are just not a fast team and we don’t have any junk yard dawgs. You need positioning to rebound and in order to do that you need to move your feet and body, quickly.

Hidalgo had 10 rbs? It definitely doesn't start with height.

 

[Mandoo]

I know we lost, but ND aint shooting 55% from 3 again this year. KK and Chen were solid.

Never realized Paige was such a lousy shooter from 3.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

Going out on a long limb, just one.
(Now for some research)

Upon further review, the correct answer is two - 2004 and 2013. Does anyone remember the game in 2004? UConn must have played poorly because I do not remember Notre Dame being very good or having very good ball players.

The Notre Dame resurgence transpired with the hiring of Niele Ivey as an assistant in 2007. Coach Ivey has been a part of all nine Notre Dame Final four appearances(I had no idea there were that many). Coach Ivey's coaching legacy is firmly cemented in the recruitment and development of backcourt players.

Good bit of research, I knew it was 2 or 3. It just is a hard place to play and win. Now watch Notre Dame go on the road against Kennesaw Mountain Community College and lose by 10.