Northeastern Postgame Thread

[Zinethar]

1,060 straight games without back-to-back losses.

I forget that every year you don't win the NC you have to win the opener the next year to avoid that

 

[Boreifs]

Double doubles from both post players. If that becomes normal output, this team will be unbeatable.

 

[Next 12]

Nika had her chance-no rebounds.
Time to sit her down….

FUNNY!!

 

[Boreifs]

--NE did not take their beating timidly. They were aggressive. Maybe too aggessive at times.
--There were few games last year where there as many deflections and blocks as tonight. Geno's point of emphasis with defense is paying off.
--Amari has to find another spot on offense. She forces too many passes from the high post. Love her playing time though.
--Look for Edwards to have a big game Monday night. She is playing with confidence and is not afraid of the big moments.
--I am not worried in the slightest about the 3 point %. Few of the shots were forced. They just didn't fall.
--Geno obviously enjoying this team is weird to watch.
--I guess I have to accept the fact that the days of quality officiating are over.

When were the days of quality officiating?

 

[TCC Kid]

Really impressed with Lou. You never know what to expect with players that transfer in, but she plays like she's been here for years. Maybe it's because she's 24.

I've said this often over the years and Carnac said it recently---Players want to play---Good players can play well at nearly all levels. Pick up games have taught us and these ladies that you can play against younger, older, high school, Div2 or div 1---Basketball (up to a point) is just Basketball, fundamentals don't change, if you learned them well---you are a player. Lou, obviously, is a player. I'm expecting that from IneS (emphasis on the S)
Hopefully, Ayanna and Ameri (soon) are players.

 

[Bigboote]

The stat of the game for me: ONE rebound for the guards. That's not necessarily a bad thing -- UConn won the boards 46-30. It indicates just how much Aaliyah, Dorka, Ayanna, and Aubrey vacuumed up the misses.

I love the energy this team plays with.

This is the Azzi we've all been waiting to see.

Lou is a much better all-round player than I'd expected. She has great footwork on defense, loved her taking charges.

I really really hope Caroline is able to play against Texas. I'm worried about Nika and Ayanna fouling. OTOH, I trust that the fear of the wrath of CD will at least keep Nika in check.

 

[cohenzone]

Ayanna is a triple A all by herself, and Amari is a double A

Sounds like an Eveready commercial.

 

[Next 12]

Two questions I have. At half-time, when Geno walked off the floor he walked like he was hurting or had some pain. Is he all right? And caroline sitting on the bench did not seem to have any difficulty turning her head. Will she be available for Texas? Anyone know?

 

[Tonyc]

A great team effort. 5 players in double figures. Nika got everybody involved and our defense was really good. We heard we had a good shooting team and they are. We did this without Caroline in the lineup. I hope shes better for Texas. Dorka and Edwards with double doubles. Good rebounding. Alot of players had really good games. Azzi is a different player. It just seemed like everybody was all over the place. We are a really good team.

 

[HuskyNan]

I haven’t seen a UConn team approach the game with a “this is OUR court” attitude since the days of Maya/Tina. The aggressiveness, the confidence, the swagger was across the board. Yes, yes, it was Northeastern but I’m not talking about the score, I’m talking about the team’s approach to the game.

Me likey

 

[Bigboote]

Two questions I have. At half-time, when Geno walked off the floor he walked like he was hurting or had some pain. Is he all right? . . .

I'm a little younger than Geno and various joints sometimes get crunchy. I wouldn't read too much into his gingerly movements.

 

[HuskyNan]

A shout out to Amari. MUCH better tonight, and I was glad to see it.

 

[ochoopsfan]

I made my game prediction thinking UConn was playing Northwestern, not Northeastern. Can I get a Do Over?

 

[Charliebball]

A shout out to Amari. MUCH better tonight, and I was glad to see it.

Glad to see that Geno played Deberry far earlier in the game tonight and even with mixed results, I think it will do wonders for her confidence.............she certainly didn't hurt the team when she was on the court......

 

[Rb335]

Seems like the style of play this year is going to be pressure defense and run the ball. I hope those pushing the ball make wise decisions, that will be a big key to successfully implementing that.

Team looks better than I expected. I do believe the addition of Caroline will put us back in the conversation. Exciting night, fun to be back.

 

[Argonaut]

Two questions I have. At half-time, when Geno walked off the floor he walked like he was hurting or had some pain. Is he all right?

And, more importantly, is it further proof that the S&C staff is slipping and should obviously all be fired.

NO OTHER TEAMS HAVE WOBBLY COACHES.

 

[eebmg]

Glad to see that Geno played Deberry far earlier in the game tonight and even with mixed results, I think it will do wonders for her confidence.............she certainly didn't hurt the team when she was on the court......

Yes, her energy and willingness to mix it up was a lot better but those TO's (4 in a quarter) are glaring and the intentional foul was brutal.

It is quite interesting to see and compare the controlled aggression and mastery of Aaliyah and Dorka in comparison to the raw intensity of Ayanna and Amari

I do have a feeling Aubrey has turned the corner. I think she will have a massive game against TX on par with her demolition of TN her freshman year

 

[pk1234]

Azzi: Looks like a superstar, a Top 5 player in the country. She's not going to have many 1-for-8 games from 3. Looks so much better defensively than last year and of course an offensive juggernaut (not just from 3).
Aaliyah: 1st half of this game Aaliyah is so good and fun to watch. Just so, so active. Need that consistently.
Dorka: Looks like a whole different player, not even really physically but mentally. Playing with leadership and an obvious chip on her shoulder. Huge year ahead.
Nika: Nothing really new here, a game changer on both sides of the ball. Only got credit for 6 steals but think she was a part of close to 10. Just needs to stay out of foul trouble.
Lou: Great scorer, need to see how she plays both offensively and defensively against a stronger opponent on Monday.
Aubrey: Looks fantastic, healthy, and has improved shooting and ball-handling without giving up much athletically post-surgery. Impact player off the bench.
Ayanna: Flashes of way more than what her role will be this year, but for this year if everyone stays healthy she's the perfect player to come in for pure energy for 10-15 minutes a game, grab rebounds, make other teams work, use up fouls if needed. Perfect player in that role
Ines: Would've liked to see more of her today against a weak team. Definitely looks like there's something there, but doesn't appear to have Geno's confidence yet.
Amari: A couple of decent plays after first checking in but then in crashed and burned from there IMO. Just looks like a deer in the headlights. I'm not sure she ever plays serious minutes here. It just doesn't seem to be working. Tools seem to be there, has to be mainly mental.

All in all, a weak opponent but this team feels like it has a synergy that the teams in the past few years didn't have. These kids seem like they are having a lot more fun and playing with a lot more confidence, and Nika, Dorka and Azzi, all in very different ways, have taken clear leadership roles.

 

[Ozimoto]

Nice to see the free throw percentage in the 80's and the overall shooting over 50%. The defense looked really good tonight. Offensively there were some points where it got a little ragged, with the timing on some entry passes just a little off., but it didn't get out of hand. The Texas game is going to be a good one.

Let's give Amari a few more games before we consign her to the ash bin. I saw improvement. Needs to realize the bounce pass doesn't work every time. You have to mix it up a bit.

 

[Charliebball]

Yes, her energy and willingness to mix it up was a lot better but those TO's (4 in a quarter) are glaring and the intentional foul was brutal.

It is quite interesting to see and compare the controlled aggression and mastery of Aaliyah and Dorka in comparison to the raw intensity of Ayanna and Amari

I do have a feeling Aubrey has turned the corner. I think she will have a massive game against TX on par with her demolition of TN her freshman year

Deberry has some advanced offensive skills but she forced those passes from the key, something that ONO learned to master over her four years at UConn...........still I think she will be needed out of necessity at times this season so the more court time she sees the better.......

 

[TeamFirst!]

We can score in a variety of ways and rebound, which is a great combination. If they miss the shot they still have a great chance at another. That's a huge part of basketball right there. Predicted Ayanna would have foul issues and she did. Fortunately we have some depth but she needs to work on it. Loved seeing Azzi go to the hoop as she can create her shot and I want her to create her shot. Penetration also helps everyone else. I'm so happy for Aubrey as she absolutely is going to help this year. 6-7 with 2 steals and 5 boards. Here we are scoring around 100 points two games in a row, without Caroline. Nika had a great game 2 games in a row. Great to see. 6 steals for both her and Azzi. Player of the game was AE. Great hustle and skill. 12 boards and an efficient offense.

We did have 17 turnovers but 9 of them came from the subs being in there so long for mopup. Defense better than expected. If you don't have to get much offense from Aubrey, Ayanna and Nika their defense does help. Ayanna is going to help a lot on the boards also, including the all important offensive rebounding.

 

[HuskyNan]

Yes, her energy and willingness to mix it up was a lot better but those TO's (4 in a quarter) are glaring and the intentional foul was brutal.

It is quite interesting to see and compare the controlled aggression and mastery of Aaliyah and Dorka in comparison to the raw intensity of Ayanna and Amari

I do have a feeling Aubrey has turned the corner. I think she will have a massive game against TX on par with her demolition of TN her freshman year

The intentional was a bogus call. She got nailed with the same type of play earlier and it was a common foul.

The TOs are a lack of game experience. I was glad to see the hustle and doing the little things, like tipping balls. She was moving like she had a purpose

 

[AzzisBraids]

This team is really good defensively.
Azzi did her thing but that ball needs to run through her, when she ran the point this team was different
Nika was a defensive pest and great leader, i'd like to see her make better passing decisions and foul less. They need her
Aaliyah played like you play against an unranked team, dominate them and run them out the gym
Dorka was working harder than anyone out there, just needs to mix it up in the lane more
Aubrey was so disruptive defensively and effective offensively
Lou bailed UConn when the ball stopped moving and her addition to this team is so needed

Overall this was fun: rebounding, limiting turnovers, finding Azzi Fudd when she's open, limiting fouls will be key moving forward

 

[Conndog]

Can't wait for Caroline to provide what she does so well- versatile inside/outside shooting. Her 3 point shot is going to be much more consistent because her major injury (hip) is behind her.

 

[Huskee11]

I was at the game. It was a good crowd. The lower level student section was filled as usual but the upper student section was also filled. They add a lot of energy to the place. They will be out in full force for Texas I am sure.

The defensive intensity is what stood out to me as the most positive thing, as it did oftentimes last year. They were locked in from the start and were contesting everything. It wasn`t clear to me what on earth Northeastern was trying to do on offense, poor ball movement and 8 assists for the entire game, but whatever it was UConn was not about to let them do it easily. Lots of UConn players diving on the floor, I don`t know how many times I was checking to be sure we had five players up and moving well. Nika was driving them crazy.

Azzi couldn`t hit from three but did everything else very well, including handling the ball and playing defense. She can play the point and is a good defender. With her foot problem taken care of, we are seeing a much quicker player this year.

Aubrey looked like what I remember she looked like, only better on the offensive end. A little hesitancy a couple of times, but overall very good. Moving really well.

Lou is invaluable, at least at this point. Even when Caroline returns she will be a huge contributor.

We pulled down 18 offensive rebounds but if there is one thing I would like to see, it would be finishing inside better. We did ok and drew a lot of fouls in there but would like to see stronger putbacks. Notwithstanding that, I think our big players overall played very well.

This was kind of a tough game to watch. The refs were calling a tight game and there was very little flow to the game, lots of starts and stops. 44 fouls called, 27 on Northeastern. Our outside shooting was off. I found myself often holding my breath as one UConn player after another hit the deck going after a loose ball. Actually, Northeastern probably deserved almost all of those 27 calls.

Northeastern is like a lot of teams these days that try to overcome lack of talent with physical play. We took 26 free throws, which is a lot for us I think. In any event, playing a physical team is probably a good thing with Texas coming up next.

I`m glad we got through it in one piece and let`s get ready for the Longhorns!