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ND Postgame Thread

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aceboon said:
Paige/Sarah 1-4 pick and roll would have had both eating all game long and opened things up for others but as we know Geno would rather have Paige off ball and making the game more complicated than it needs to be.
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Agree
 
Glenn said:
Their guards outplayed our guards
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Our center/forward X Strong only gathered 5 rebounds and posted 8 points? ND commanded the boards especially in the first half. We were slow to the ball and didn't play with much fire it seemed.

We did make a couple of good runs with drives to the hoop. Our 3 pt shooting continues to be a problem. It's often rushed as our high picks are too soft and not close enough to be effective. ND used there picks and reverse picks much more effectively throughout this contest. Seems like our offense is too centered on Paige which take us too long to get into our offense. Just look at the low number of assists in this game by the Huskies.
 
oldude said:
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.
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They need Azzi to free up Paige, so she doesn't get worn out.
 
AzzisBraids said:
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.
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The difference between that NC St game and tonight was she didn't have the ball in her hands at the top of the key. In 4th quarters, I'd rather she have the ball and create, either for shot or a pick and roll with Sarah.
 
Wasn't the best game, but I still believe #12 is coming. When Strong picked up 3...changed the offense, especially with Shade having an off night. Fudd and Aubrey hurry up and get back!
 
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No excuses, the better team won tonight. But I wish this game was later in the season. UCONN is still trying to find the right combinations with their deep roster & Aubrey could have also contributed inside.
Notre Dame is a very strong team & they are already set with their lineup.
 
Chen and KK played well. Sarah played well and Paige played well considering she was being beat up and had to do a lot all night. Jana I think will be an asset as well, she just needs time.
 
Happydad745 said:
Hitting a few more 3s would have helped.....Paige really didn't show up until the 2nd half. Tough game against a really good team, without Hildago they are barely top 10. Hopefully Strong learn from this, and Jana who at times looked good. I don't understand why Geno pulled Shade, she is a much better shooter than KK...and that mess at the end of the 1st half with Chelli or Ziebel and Samuels was questionable. Hardly any assists.
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Shade 0-5 Still not ready for prime time
 
We just need to be more aggressive as a whole, we never force them to guard hard and maybe get them into foul trouble, it’s always the other way around and it has a lot to do with a players personality, our players are always less aggressive.
 
uconnever said:
We need to focus on Hidalgo next time we play them. Stop her and we win. Easier said than done but someone on our team needs to take these things personal. We seem to be recruiting a different type of player these days and we need to not just focus on play but we need some players with attitude. Like a Swin, Asia or Shea. I can name a lot more. They were great players but they were not gonna take any crap. We have very few of those players on our team. Too nice. This is why our Kryptonite will be Notre Dame and South Carolina, not only are they good players but they are tough as a team. Geno needs to look at these things more, our girls while I love all of them, they are too nice. Ice I’m finding out will not be what I expected for this reason only. She has all the talent in the world but you can’t teach heart and toughness. I know it’s one game but we will need a little luck to win the title, mainly avoid these physical teams. We are mostly finess.
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Miles & Citron can make you pay if you focus too much on Hidalgo.
 
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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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Why did our coaches have the team run down the clock in much of the 4th qtr. We seemed to lack the passion to score, just dribble.
 
Blueballer said:
Read my lips "Losing an away game to ND in December means NOTHING in the big picture". Except of course NOBODY here wants to ever lost to ND. I get it. But they shot 55% from 3 and we shot 20%. When we play them again thias year (?) that could be completely the opposite. And to the chicken littles in the chat room of course it demonstrates hardening of the arteries for the UCONN program. Well what else is new? Chat room coaches are a dime a dozen. Time to review my ignore list.
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Blueballer said:
Read my lips "Losing an away game to ND in December means NOTHING in the big picture". Except of course NOBODY here wants to ever lost to ND. I get it. But they shot 55% from 3 and we shot 20%. When we play them again thias year (?) that could be completely the opposite. And to the chicken littles in the chat room of course it demonstrates hardening of the arteries for the UCONN program. Well what else is new? Chat room coaches are a dime a dozen. Time to review my ignore list.
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If memory serves….when Stewart was a freshman the Huskies lost 3 games against ND in a season that ended with an ncaa title. Apples to oranges comparison I suppose but still …..
 
Surly1 said:
The difference between that NC St game and tonight was she didn't have the ball in her hands at the top of the key. In 4th quarters, I'd rather she have the ball and create, either for shot or a pick and roll with Sarah.
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I agree with you friend and am hoping she runs the point more. She attracts so much attention that you'd rather it be in the backcourt
 
I was not expecting this outcome. It is a tough loss. But the good part, we got plenty of games left in the season to figure things out and get better. Keep your heads up, UConn. We are good. Learn from this game and keep getting better.
 
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freshler40 said:
Our center/forward X Strong only gathered 5 rebounds and posted 8 points? ND commanded the boards especially in the first half. We were slow to the ball and didn't play with much fire it seemed.

We did make a couple of good runs with drives to the hoop. Our 3 pt shooting continues to be a problem. It's often rushed as our high picks are too soft and not close enough to be effective. ND used there picks and reverse picks much more effectively throughout this contest. Seems like our offense is too centered on Paige which take us too long to get into our offense. Just look at the low number of assists in this game by the Huskies.
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agree that the picks are kind of pro forma & not as sharp as what we’ve seen by some other highly ranked teams this year.
 
Next game please let the post touch the ball in the post more not just at the foul line. They don't have to shoot it, but let them touch it.
 
oldude said:
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 and handoff to get her the ball. You really don't have an idea what in the H you're talking about.
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I do, sorry you feel that way. No double screens period. I’m talking this year. I don’t live in the past.
 
Surly1 said:
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.
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I despise the phrase “incidental contact” in the game of basketball. It’s overrated. :rolleyes: The refs or whomever need to get rid it because No One intends to foul most of the time. So why call fouls unless they are intentional? A foul is a foul. Just keep it simple refs. :D
 
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Chet71 said:
If memory serves….when Stewart was a freshman the Huskies lost 3 games against ND in a season that ended with an ncaa title. Apples to oranges comparison I suppose but still …..
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Glass half full… very hostile environment, no Azzi, no Aubrey. Put this team at a neutral site with either of those two and I think it’s a W. for March!
 
Chet71 said:
If memory serves….when Stewart was a freshman the Huskies lost 3 games against ND in a season that ended with an ncaa title. Apples to oranges comparison I suppose but still …..
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I was thinking the same thing...suffered through that season...but at the end...(smile emoji)
 
ND was home and simply shot better. The first true road game for a few rotation players, including Chen

They played better, we'll grow. That's why you play these games

On to ISU
 
freshler40 said:
Why did our coaches have the team run down the clock in much of the 4th qtr. We seemed to lack the passion to score, just dribble.
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Absolutely didn't understand that
 
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