ND Postgame Thread

[MSSportsGuy]

The difference was the 3 point shooting. Hidalgo and Miles were stellar.

UConn will learn from this game. ND may not shoot like that again. The Huskies have room to grow. Hoping both teams are fully healthy if there is a rematch down the road.

 

[maple]

Notre Dame is #8 for a reason. They are a very very good team. We lost to a team at THEIR place while it was rockin'. They were hitting their 3's and not just Hidalgo.
We have a bunch of new girls and its gonna take time to really get it all together. We've done pretty good so far and now we know what we need to work on.
All the fair weather fans yelling about Geno not knowing what hes doing or losing it ....welcome back from last year when we went to the final four with 3 seniors and 4 freshmen.

But do you not think this was a winnable game for UConn?

And I don’t appreciate the fair weather fan comment. I’ve never given up on the team. I’m just frustrated how we made some of the exact same mistakes as last year when we lost to ND.

 

[hart2hart]

UConn tried face guarding Hidalgo last year and she went for 30+ and fouled out the BE DPOY in only 19 minutes. I'm not sure what game you were watching, but throughout the 2nd half, UConn was running Paige through a low screen in the blocks, followed by a high screen oand handoff to get her the ball. You really don't have an idea what in the H you're talking about.

Oldude, I don’t live in the past. Present only. Geno, who is the No 1 coach….just had an off-night. My thoughts and my thoughts only. I respect your thoughts, please respect mine. Thank you.

 

[Bald Husky]

I'm not reading all the comments, but one thing that really killed us. What the hell happened to Shade? We needed her to shoot like last game, but she made nothing. Truely disappointed in her this game, we need her to step up.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

Hidalgo was great, so was her on court demeanor. Clearly the best player on the court, and the POY so fat IMO.

,

I mentioned an exact moment. I don't care how good you are...that does not justify poor sportsmanship for ANY player. I'm 100% fine with her celebrations, even the stare downs, but, never disrespect your competition in that way. AND...that's just the minimum standard.

 

[JBK]

They have more heart than us. They seemed to have wanted it more and the refs made some bad calls

Agree. That’s seems to be the missing link since our last championship.
Grit - toughness and quickness
Which leads to lack of rebounding and loose balls - hence SC runs.

 

[JBK]

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.

This was a big opportunity for ash and all her family and friends were attending. Feel bad that she could not deliver. No Azzi - No Ash -
No 3 point shooters. Wish we gave the freshman a few minutes Aly ? I hear she can shoot

 

[freshler40]

Interesting take. Someone needs to ask the coach why that isn't being done with our star player.

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.

 

[TCC Kid]

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.

This goes back a few years to Arizona beating Paige and Uconn. Smart coaches, with decent players, face guard her tight and all over the floor.
ND, for 40 years has been a great Free throw and 3 ball shooting team---with different coaches--yet Geno has trouble with Free Throws and consistent 3 ball shooters. Was the difference --and Geno prides himself of it --DEFENSE?
As much as Geno wants her to be unstoppable, she isn't. Paige, if she repeats this performance will drop drastically in the Draft.
Geno has untested yet very good shooters and decent players sitting on his bench. Azzi among them. Caroline needs to fill it up or get off the pot. A terrific game here or there maybe the medicine she requires.
When we fans walk around Storrs we'll see some long faces.

Three or 20 cheers for Sarah Strong.

 

[TCC Kid]

This was a big opportunity for ash and all her family and friends were attending. Feel bad that she could not deliver. No Azzi - No Ash -
No 3 point shooters. Wish we gave the freshman a few minutes Aly ? I hear she can shoot

Going back to the DT days--she missed 15 3's in the final game--Geno then, and should today, know that Shooters miss, then they score --keep shooting. Ash thinks more than she should. Just keep throwing it up--shooter eventually start hitting.

 

[TCC Kid]

ND has UConn’s number, 3 wins in a row.

They made 10 3 pointers to our 3, and played that hectic aggressive defense that really forces us into some tough shots. The fact that Hildago out rebounded Ice and Jana combined is frustrating. They just do not offer any type of presence in the paint on the defensive end right now against a top team like ND. We’re going to need them To really improve along the way.

A poster, forget their name, said in another thread that we didn’t lose much offensively with Shade starting in place of Azzi. Might be one of the worse takes of 2024. I love everything about Shade but she’s just does not bring what Azzi does to this team on the offensive end and not scoring a single point didn’t help the outcome of the game.

The good thing is we have lots of room to improve. Paige, Sarah and Azzi will be as strong as any other 3 players out there. I also really liked what I saw from Chen. If she can become that 4th consistent scorer that is going to be a huge boost.

KK stepped up and is doing better finishing when she goes to the basket. She still doesn’t have much of a jump shot to speak of, but if she can get and finish at he rim that can help.

I really think our two biggest issues are the play of Ice/Jana on the defensive end and Shade being very inconsistent right now scoring. I think that will all improve over the year but right now I think that hurt in a game against a quality opponent like ND.

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.

 

[SLY63]

Geno's main comment at the presser was similar to mine, "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." He said, we just needed more scorers.

 

[Lynx23]

As Chuck Daly said regarding Dennis Rodman - You don't put a saddle on a mustang.

Kudos to Hannah Hidalgo for a clutch performance. She is definitely a candidate for NPOY.
But I wonder how many coaches would tolerate her showboating & taunting gestures,especially early in the game. Would Geno accept that behavior?
Niele Ivey is a great coach who motivates her players. But I am surprised she doesn't rein in Hannah a bit.

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.

 

[Cheddie]

Ice just isn’t cutting it and Jana needs more time. Too laid back with our front court recruiting

Jana's strength is underneath the basket. When she first came into the game, she had the ND defender pinned underneath the basket and the team didn't even look to get her the ball.

 

[Just.A.Fan]

This was a good loss for the Huskies. Citron stuck to Paige like white on rice. Paige had her moments but we never saw the NC State takeover Bueckers emerge. Strong had some freshman moments, was in foul trouble and that limited her aggressiveness. Chen did the best she could. No one else really emerged and without Azzi, the perimeter shooting was never there.

For everyone rallying for El Alfy to have Ice’s minute, she did and you saw what that did with them. UConn’s lack of a rim protector was evident and no guard Geno put in could handle ND’s pressure. KK, Shade, Cheli, Samuels. Losses like this are good, Notre Dame seems better after back-to-back losses and I think UConn, like them, will learn from this.

I haven't read all the posts in this thread, but this one clearly hits the nail on the head. We needed someone out there who could hit 3s. Our post play was basically none existent. If it weren't for Paige never giving up and fighting for every difficult point she could muster we would have been blown out. Hannah Hildago is a cocky little beast with more offensive talent and skills than one person deserves. However, Sonia Citron deserves much of the credit for this ND victory. The defense she put on Paige was stifling ... best I've ever seen against her. But every ND player (King, Miles, Koval, and Karlen) came to play this game to the very best of their abilities and it paid off.

 

[GoUconn7961]

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.

 

[ucbart]

One good thing:

We probably don't have to listen to Holly Rowe on the sidelines until the SC game. She is totally insufferable, not good at her job at all, and everything is so dramatic and emotional. She irritates the living daylights out of me.

 

[Surly1]

Even with Paige scoring 25 points, mostly on off-balance, short jumpers, Citron did herself proud not spending most of the evening on her backside.

A lesser athlete would have collided with screening Huskies at every turn. Paige might have slightly won the battle with Sonia, but it surely was fun watching the two of them running laps through the other eight players throughout the game.

Over the last 3 games, epitaphs have been written online about Paige. In the ND/USC game, Sonia played stellar defense on JuJu, frustrating her into taking 25 shots with 8 turnovers. Most of her points game after the contest was decided.

In last night's game, Citron again made life difficult for Paige. She scored 25 on 55% shooting, but Sonia made her earn every basket. While Hidalgo, Miles & King get plaudits, Citron wins the award for best supporting actor. Any obituary about Paige is premature and patently false.

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.

Up to this season, that game might have been the best game Azzi & Paige played together. Too bad Azzi wasn't available last night.

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

I've read above that DT was vocal and demonstrative but that was occasionally not EVERY play as HH did last night!
Even Paige "goes off" every once in a while but not repeatedly!
I was always taught "act like you've been there before", I just don't like the theatrics! My ELHS Wrestling team would never try to show up our opponents!
We were down one, if UConn came back and won the game IMHO HH would have looked awful silly!

 

[cancontent]

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.

Like Rebecca Lobo said yesterday, she's playing with joy. It's something we don't see as much as before. What she's doing is nothing like the showboating of other players I've seen, like Day-Wilson when she was at Duke and blew kisses at the crowd after a made 3. She plays hard at both ends too, which is becoming rare.

UConn did their best and kept it close until the fourth. The team came back from being down double digits to a 1-2 point deficit to start the fourth quarter. That's a good sign and something the team will learn from. It's better it happens now than later in the season during a one-and-done game in the tournament.

 

[cancontent]

I've read above that DT was vocal and demonstrative but that was occasionally not EVERY play as HH did last night!
Even Paige "goes off" every once in a while but not repeatedly!
I was always taught "act like you've been there before", I just don't like the theatrics! My ELHS Wrestling team would never try to show up our opponents!
We were down one, if UConn came back and won the game IMHO HH would have looked awful silly!

Disagree. She's been like this consistently in all of NDs games win or lose. It's who she is. Fans who appreciate what she does won't see it as being embarassing. No different than seeing QBs like Mahomes, Allen, Jackson, etc., enjoying themselves during games win or lose. It's how they express their passion and love of the game.

 

[Bald Husky]

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.

 

[Jaydumo20]

Nah she can go on all she likes. She was easily the best player in the gym tonight. We ain't beating that team 'til she's gone.

Untrue. We beat this team on a neutral court. Sarah Strong and Piage will both have better careers than her. Paige is 10xs the player she is.

 

[cancontent]

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.

Take what's being said on social media with several grains of salt. Most are casual fans or trolls who just want to stir up trouble for the sake of it. It's an echo chamber of frustration if you don't look at it without a level of skepticism.

 

[hoopsfan22]

Untrue. We beat this team on a neutral court. Sarah Strong and Piage will both have better careers than her. Paige is 10xs the player she is.

We lost by 11 last night. A neutral court isn't going to make up 11 points. ND is just the superior team. Tip your hat to them. We should be used to losing by now given our 3-8 record against ND and South Carolina over the past five seasons. They've beaten three top five teams in their first ten games of the season. The game really didn't feel all that close after the first quarter TBH. Once ND got up 9-10 points before the intermission, it felt like the game was over because even with the UConn runs, all they were doing was closing the gap until ND went on their next run. This game felt like so many of these over the last near decade since the Big Three left town.