Nika +13

[npignatjr]

Nika is one of our core players, but she has had these sloppy foul issues all year. Suggest that for big games in the remaining schedule, Geno plan for them to continue and manage substitute patterns accordingly. With so few solid subs, there are matchups that Nika is ideal for - Huskies will continue to find it difficult to change on the fly when surprises occur.

Including last night for the year averaging 2 fouls a game.

 

[Redux]

the cup is still
half full. Ok, maybe 1/4 filled!

I keep looking for this imaginary glass everyone speaks of, but I don't see it. Now I'm supposed to find this cup! I have the faint hope I might see a few drops in this mythical container if I could just find it!

UConn will never win a game again in this century unless they pick up a player from Antarctica and schedule a senior homecoming game at the South Pole with some aging scientists.

 

[darkstar1]

+/- stats are not always very meaningful, but this time it is glaring...

During the 19 min with Nika on the floor, UConn outscored Notre Dame by 13.
During the 21 min with Nika on the bench, Notre Dame outscored UConn by 28.

Read the two lines above. And then read them again. And one more time

Even with Paige banged up, Ash going 0-6 on threes, etc., we would have still won if Nika wouldn't have been pulled out of the second quarter with foul trouble and not playing but the first minute of the fourth after fouling out.

With Nika on the floor, the offense flows and the defense is in synch (btw, Hidalgo was exceptional but she scored 24 of her points when Nika was out...). With Nika on the bench, the offense stagnates and the defense is out of sorts. Geno said it point blank in the post-game presser. She largely got the foul trouble under control the past year and a half. She won't fall into it again this season.

I am not worried. The sky is not falling.

I absolutely agree. I did not a +/- stat but it sure seemed while watching the game that with Nika in, UConn just played with more focus and intensity. Without her, ND scored at will. Glad to see my eyes did not deceive me.

 

[JoePgh]

I think it was more about fatigue than Nika being on the floor. ND played very good defense and make UConn work for every look and UConn didn't sub at all. UConn had the same issue late last season when they played too many minutes. On defense Nika struggled to play Hidalgo one on one but more importantly once she got past the first line no one helped at the basket.

Your first claim (about excessive minutes by UConn starters causing fatigue relative to Notre Dame starters) is factually unsupported. For UConn, Aaliyah and Ashlynn played 40 minutes, while KK played 39 and Paige had 37. But for ND, Hidalgo, Westbeld, and Citron all played 40 minutes -- not significantly less than UConn's starters. If Nika had not been limited to 19 minutes by foul trouble, the other starters could have played fewer minutes. Both teams played only 7 players, i.e., ND did not use a bigger bench rotation.

Regarding Nika defending Hidalgo, Geno commented in the postgame presser that the team defense on Hidalgo was much better when Nika was in the game, because the freshmen made errors in team defense that an experienced player would not make.

So I think that most of the defensive problems were rooted in Nika's limited availability. A UConn win would have been possible if she had been able to stay in the game. Although she didn't score, she had 3 assists, 3 steals, and 4 rebounds in her 19 minutes, and the majority of Hidalgo's scoring occurred while Nika was on the bench.

 

[Geesworld]

Two Biggest question

1. How come we get the worse end of foul calls, even at home? To often Aaliyah has to get Mugged and taken to the ground just to get a call? Seriously not liking how we get officiated the last couple of years.

2. Why was Nika still in the game to get her third foul in the second quarter?

Nika has Two Big East defender of the year and second team awards. Yet she gets treated like she is a second rate defender by these refs. She picked up some questionable calls early and wasn't protected by Coach. Think it's pretty harsh to say she wasn't smart or question her IQ.

 

[Conndog]

Well, barring the unlikely scenario where Ines plays more and contributes significantly, Nika is the best point guard that is on the team now. There is a drop-off when someone subs for her because the bench is so limited, both offensively and also knowing defensive assignments. Nika averages about 7 points per game. In the future, there probably will be a point guard with more offensive skills, possibly a great deal more offense. But until then, Nika is the point guard.

 

[Blond D.]

Two Biggest question

1. How come we get the worse end of foul calls, even at home? To often Aaliyah has to get Mugged and taken to the ground just to get a call? Seriously not liking how we get officiated the last couple of years.

2. Why was Nika still in the game to get her third foul in the second quarter?

Nika has Two Big East defender of the year and second team awards. Yet she gets treated like she is a second rate defender by these refs. She picked up some questionable calls early and wasn't protected by Coach. Think it's pretty harsh to say she wasn't smart or question her IQ.

#2...Because Nika has played almost an entire game with 2 fouls many nights. Nika isnt a fouling machine like she has been in the past. Shes done a really great job this year of playing super tight defense without fouling. The ND game was just a bad day at the office.

 

[Zanzman]

Think its pretty weak to blame the refs

 

[Geesworld]

#2...Because Nika has played almost an entire game with 2 fouls many nights. Nika isnt a fouling machine like she has been in the past. Shes done a really great job this year of playing super tight defense without fouling. The ND game was just a bad day at the office.

I agree with that.

 

[JoePgh]

Well, barring the unlikely scenario where Ines plays more and contributes significantly, Nika is the best point guard that is on the team now. There is a drop-off when someone subs for her because the bench is so limited, both offensively and also knowing defensive assignments. Nika averages about 7 points per game. In the future, there probably will be a point guard with more offensive skills, possibly a great deal more offense. But until then, Nika is the point guard.

So you equate "offensive skills" solely with scoring? Assists don't count? Really? What about offensive rebounds?

Nika contributes more to UConn's offense than you give her credit for, and Geno and her teammates know this.

Nonetheless, I agree that it would be desirable (and in my opinion feasible) for Ines to play more as a backup to Nika and KK. However, I don't think that Geno agrees with us about that.

 

[uconnfan68]

Think its pretty weak to blame the refs

Every terrible call was against us.

 

[Skeets]

She scored 0 points so she couldn't have added much to the + number, and her silly fouls per you, contributed to her not being on the floor for the minus number.
She did not have a good game.

She did not have a good game, but you are incorrect that she didn't add much to the +/- number. Hildalgo scored 1 bucket on Nika and a couple more when Nika got switch off and the switch was slow. That added to Nika's + number. When Nika wasn't on the floor, or the primary guard was not Nika, Hidalgo went nuts. That added to everyone's - number. Not being on the floor is on Nika. Not being able to control Hidalgo is on everyone else, including Geno.

 

[oldhusky]

She scored 0 points so she couldn't have added much to the + number, and her silly fouls per you, contributed to her not being on the floor for the minus number.
She did not have a good game.

She probably didn't have a good game, but implying she can't have had much to do with the plus number because she didn't score, and that she avoided the minus score by fouling out, as if her being there would have made no difference during the negative minutes, is an interpretation that I find totally lacking in logic. That is my 2 cents on the subject.

In fact the ability to positively affect the outcome of a game without scoring is a characteristic that Nika could be a poster child for. As the "Queen of the little things" as one opposing coach called her, she has demonstrated that. Would she be a much better player if she was a better scorer? Sure, but you can be a good player on a very good team without being an above average scorer.

She didn't handle the foul situation well and the last one was just stupid. She hurt the team by missing so many minutes and causing the other starters to be overworked. Having said that, the fact that her plus minus stats were by a big margin the only positive ones on the team says a lot about her impact on the team on both sides of the floor, and without scoring a single point.

 

[HuskyNan]

She scored 0 points so she couldn't have added much to the + number, and her silly fouls per you, contributed to her not being on the floor for the minus number.
She did not have a good game.

You would be incorrect

 

[TCC Kid]

Having Nika on the floor is vital, I think that’s obvious.

Which is why she absolutely cannot foul out, especially with an entire quarter left to play. That’s the bigger issue.

Fouling out is a 3 prog effect: The player, How the game is called, the "traps for fouls set up by the opposition: . I.e. They know you turn right when you have the ball--a set up is awaiting your turn. Nika is aggressive at times overly so--opponents whisper in the ear of the Refs--watch for this--and some do.
Some things the players can control, there is much more they can't.

 

[Boreifs]

Every terrible call was against us.

I have never seen the officials booed as they walked off the court at halftime. The last three minutes of the second quarter was the worst officiating I have ever seen live; the whole crew was embarrassing.

 

[TCC Kid]

I'm sorry but I disagree.
First, Nika brings energy to the team and her presence helps keep the team fired up and helps them against a team that was playing physical tough defense.
Second, by the time of her 5th foul, it was clear that when Ice came in, the defense did not have enough footspeed to have any chance of keeping Hidalgo in front of them and/or out of the paint.

Nika's a senior and she should be smarter than she was last night. Once she was out, it became a layup drill for Hidalgo.

I agree with 2/3-s of what you write here. Fouling out is NOT always up to the player, see above. What is the one factor that sets Nika from every other husky? What one factor got her PT as a freshman/soph? --Actually--what 2 factors makes 99 percent of all Uconn WCBB fans love Nika? She is what she is--I like what she is.
Nkia didn't lose this game. Citron and The glowing yelllow head --and a coaching game plan and way off game Ashlynn and Paige. We could say defense by ND took them out--that happens, but My gut says : The last game of Paige had more than a little effect on her mind and body. As the lead dog goes --so go the pups.

 

[blkkirk]

Let's be realistic. In my mind we have three starters on the bench with injury. Two others who would be seeing playing time. Now Nika fouls out. It was obvious that this was more than the team could overcome both offensively and defensively. Personally I feel like we would have fared better with Bettencourt (sp) coming off the bench. However, the reality is if you take 5 significant players off any team It creates an almost impossible challenge. No room for error. It is a hard pill to swallow. If we only had Aubrey we win the game by 15. Makes it very hard to watch.

 

[HopJim]

While I am fully in the camp of "Nika is one of the best defensive guards in the country," I wanted to add another perspective. While a great defender against most guards, Nika has never excelled against quick guards (few do). She often gets called for fouls when she tries to steal the ball and gets to the play a half step slower than her opponent. Geno constantly yells about her tendency to hand check and slap at the ball as the opponent dribbles by. These have been issues all 4 years. We need Nika since we are very thin with subs, but she is not a silver bullet against teams like ND. To me this is a coaching issue where Geno needs to put a game plan based on match ups.

 

[Conndog]

So you equate "offensive skills" solely with scoring? Assists don't count? Really? What about offensive rebounds?

Nika contributes more to UConn's offense than you give her credit for, and Geno and her teammates know this.

Nonetheless, I agree that it would be desirable (and in my opinion feasible) for Ines to play more as a backup to Nika and KK. However, I don't think that Geno agrees with us about that.

Assists do count. But someone else is doing the cutting to get open, or running around a screen, or setting the screen so someone is open to get a pass. Nika is good at making those passes, and she is indeed a good rebounder. UConn has a lot of scoring options (Paige, Aaliyah, Ashlynn and KK), and yes getting the ball to them so they can score is important. But on nights when defense or fouls or bad shooting nights limits the scoring they do, that is when being able to score yourself is important too.

 

[sun]

Including the ND game, UConn averages 83.5 PPG while ND averages 83.3 PPG.
The final score of 82 - 67 shows which team scored closer to its average.

Paige could have played better but she was only 3 points below her scoring average of 20 PPG, & she ended up needing to play more minutes.
Some of UConn's shots were close but just wouldn't fall.
Perhaps ND's defense was tougher than expected.
I noticed that ND was able to rip some rebounds right out of UConn's hands.
The ND players were just a little bit tougher & a little bit more productive than UConn this time around.

 

[Wilderness]

I'd like to see Geno try Ines as first up sub for 1-3. She's done some good things in her limited playing time.

 

[Spaceman213J]

I agree with 2/3-s of what you write here. Fouling out is NOT always up to the player, see above. What is the one factor that sets Nika from every other husky? What one factor got her PT as a freshman/soph? --Actually--what 2 factors makes 99 percent of all Uconn WCBB fans love Nika? She is what she is--I like what she is.
Nkia didn't lose this game. Citron and The glowing yelllow head --and a coaching game plan and way off game Ashlynn and Paige. We could say defense by ND took them out--that happens, but My gut says : The last game of Paige had more than a little effect on her mind and body. As the lead dog goes --so go the pups.

I agree about the fouls, but that's part of my point. In a game where the rotation is set at 7 ahead by your coach, you have to figure a way to stay out of the floor. She's smart enough to do that.
She is loved for her toughness and tenacity. There is nothing wrong playing full throttle, but you also need to know when to back off a little and not let the refs even have the ability to take you out of the game.
Nika didn't lose the game, but I would like to have seen what would have happened if she had been on the floor 10 more minutes.

 

[darkstar1]

While I am fully in the camp of "Nika is one of the best defensive guards in the country," I wanted to add another perspective. While a great defender against most guards, Nika has never excelled against quick guards (few do). She often gets called for fouls when she tries to steal the ball and gets to the play a half step slower than her opponent. Geno constantly yells about her tendency to hand check and slap at the ball as the opponent dribbles by. These have been issues all 4 years. We need Nika since we are very thin with subs, but she is not a silver bullet against teams like ND. To me this is a coaching issue where Geno needs to put a game plan based on match ups.

Again, I wonder if I am watching the same game. Hidalgo went nuts EXCEPT when Nika was on her. Without Nika it was embarrassing to see how easy it was for her to drive for uncontested layups. I really believe that if Nika wasn’t in foul trouble in the second 1/4, the run that out UConn up by double digits would have continued and the game may have been a lopsided UConn win. That is how important it is that Nika not get in foul trouble.

 

[Cornell Lt]

Very surprising to see Nika have such a poor performance. She's a Senior leader but played like a star struck Freshman.

 

[Linart]

We all laugh about Nika believing she has never committed a foul but that could be her undoing. A foul is what the refs say is a foul. Period. It seems to me that after getting called for a couple of fouls, a player should be able to determine how tightly or loosely the game is being called and adjust their aggressiveness accordingly. Even if they draw an additional couple of undeserved fouls, they're still on the floor.

 

[msf22b]

Even in this thread, in the face of empirical evidence, there is still talk of Nika having a "bad" game...

It's hard to understand discussion that refuses to accept conclusive, factual evidence.

Yes Nika was absent with regard scoring...she had her hands full on the other end...That's not what lost us the game...+13 is a very big, decisive, and illuminating number.

 

[JoePgh]

Even in this thread, in the face of empirical evidence, there is still talk of Nika having a "bad" game...

It's hard to understand discussion that refuses to accept conclusive, factual evidence.

Yes Nika was absent with regard scoring...she had her hands full on the other end...That's not what lost us the game...+13 is a very big, decisive, and illuminating number.

I think the main criticism of Nika that is being made in this thread is that, as a senior, she should have exercised more judgment and restraint in playing defense so that she could stay on the floor for as long as the team needed her, which was probably 35 minutes or more. Those who criticized her offense while she was on the floor are (shall we say) badly misguided.

 

[wbbhoops278]

So, the bench played 25m total and ICE played 18 of those minutes. Given Geno subbed in ICE for a PG it's obvious that she was going to be the first one off the bench regardless. I can't help but feel like, given how weak our bench is, this same +/- would have been the case for almost any of the starters. Pull AE for 20m because of foul trouble. Pull Paige for 20m because of foul trouble. I think the +/- is far more indicative of how bad our bench is than some sort of 'savior metric' about Nika. I think that's why people are clamoring for them to get more playing time. If we legitimately want to make a post season run, it can't be the same thing as last year where the team is out of gas by the time the tourney rolls around and if games like this happen where someone gets in foul trouble (because it only takes one), the bench is maybe more reliable.

I want to be very clear - I don't think Nika lost the game for us or anything remotely close to that. Regardless though, I think the points being brought up about her performance are valid. I've seen criticism of Paige too, which is also justified and valid. I do get why people get more protective of Nika b/c some folks on here are WEIRD about how they obsess about specific players. (I won't even get into that) That said, at least come to the table with more than one cherry-picked metric to defend someone's performance when it's obvious from the game that they didn't play well.

 

[Huskygamble19]

Nika definitely should play smarter. They have a very short bench and she has to realize she can't go all out aggressive. It sucks, but that is hand they have been dealt AGAIN!! the last foul was bad and was well away from the basket and sealed the deal for her night.

I love Nika and how she plays, but under these circumstances she has to be aware of the bench problems.

Edwards was on fire and I don't understand why they were not trying to get her the ball in the last quarter, especialy with Nika out. I guess Nika being out was a big reason, but the freshman have to feed the big dog in the middle.