Notre Dame Postgame Thread

[HopJim]

For the Huskies to claim the next 2 games Azzi needs to step it up. Today she played flat footed and very tentative. The girl can throw a switch and have a monster game next time up. I pray she does.

Would agree this was not Azzi's best game but would also submit that in some ways she outplayed Hidalgo. Azzi was always in control, particularly in the 2nd half where she frequently had to handle the ball. Was doubled most of the time when on offense and had to run through some horrid picks while on defense but she was always in position. She made sure the ball stayed in motion, did well when she attacked the basket one on one, and played great defense the entire game. Hidalgo is special due to her energy and constant movement but often tried to get a foul by driving and throwing herself a the defender. Some times it went in but in this game she was often out of control. On defense, perhaps due to her small size, she gets away with alot of hacking. UConn consistently increased their lead throughout the game while ND went up and down often due to Hidalgo trying to do too much.

 

[HopJim]

KK I understand because she has always been able to drive, but only started shooting longer balls this year. But Shade has surprised me. She’s capable of hitting all the shots she’s taken in the past few games, and her shot just looks off.

Alot of shots from all the games and from both sides looked off.

 

[HopJim]

In the last 3 games Ashlynn is averaging 25 minutes per game but is only averaging 3.3 pts on 17% (4 for 23) shooting including 0% (0 for 11) on 3-pointers. How can she turn this around? We can’t have more of the same if we want to get no. 13.

👎

 

[HopJim]

She made the wisest decision of her young life last April. I love her grit and her flash. May the confetti rain down on her and her teammates.

While Blanca has made great improvement in every aspect of her performance, I am even more impressed by K9's growth this year. In the beginning of the season, at times I wondered why Geno signed her. Appeared a step slow on defense with inconsistent offensive skills. Today, most use words like "tenatious" and "whirling dervich," to discribe her. Geno trusts her which is a big badge of honor for a UConn player.

 

[DaddyChoc]

Like others have said UConn needs KK and Ash to contribute on scoring. But I’m glad that they are still doing other things to help.

Atleast Shade shoots the ball

 

[HopJim]

Great defense on HH. She shot maybe 38% for the game. Ash on her early and KK later. They both did their job. I would guess it is harder to score when you trying to lock down the best PG in the country. Both did well in other facets of the game: rebounds from Ash, I think 1 TO between them and some steals and assists.

Now they do need to score a bit more. They been in this funk for a while now, so I expect them to come out of it soon. Hopefully, teams look at the tape, lag off of Ash and KK and both make them pay with big threes.

Genius move by GA to move HH out of the middle of the court when on defense by sending the player she is guarding to the corner and then letting SS bring the ball up. HH is so dangerous on defense getting steals, especially as the game gets into the 3rd and 4th.

I wonder sometimes if there is anything about this game of BB that GA does not think of and prepare for. It may sound like a little thing, but sometimes little things win games and that is what your coach is for. I know everybody is aware, but when I see GA do things like this, it reminds me what an incredible coach he is and how lucky we are go have him.

While I have often felt that UConn would benefit from 1-2 younger asst. coaches, my guess is that these nuggets of gold come from Geno AND his staff. Alot of experience on that bench.

 

[DaddyChoc]

I did not like this game. I did like the outcome. For two games now, they won. But to me they did not look like the UConn team of this season. Yes, their opponents come out with intensity especially during the tournament. In the last two games something for me has been missing which has made these games scary. Very nice to see people who come off of the bench that make such a big impact on offense as well as defense. I am lucky. I get to see the team play in another final four and perhaps for another championship.

They aren’t playing cupcakes right now so a 15-20pt win is what we must settle for.

 

[boontonbomber]

Would agree this was not Azzi's best game but would also submit that in some ways she outplayed Hidalgo. Azzi was always in control, particularly in the 2nd half where she frequently had to handle the ball. Was doubled most of the time when on offense and had to run through some horrid picks while on defense but she was always in position. She made sure the ball stayed in motion, did well when she attacked the basket one on one, and played great defense the entire game. Hidalgo is special due to her energy and constant movement but often tried to get a foul by driving and throwing herself a the defender. Some times it went in but in this game she was often out of control. On defense, perhaps due to her small size, she gets away with alot of hacking. UConn consistently increased their lead throughout the game while ND went up and down often due to Hidalgo trying to do too much.

Not sure what game you were watching.

 

[HuskyNan]

They aren’t playing cupcakes right now so a 15-20pt win is what we must settle for.

Amazing to me some people don’t see that.

 

[donalddoowop]

While I agree about the “carping”, your contention that we have just “played the two toughest opponents we will face in this tournament” is simply astounding! Texas, UCLA, and/or South Carolina would all likely beat those two teams by double digits and Michigan probably would as well! (They beat them by 39 earlier this season) I realize ND has gotten better but I’m not sure they are 39 points better!

No, both these games were tough (for various reasons) and Hannah was truly scary but it is a virtual certainty that we are going to have to beat two of UCLA, South Carolina, Texas (Michigan does have a puncher’s chance) in order to win #13! Regardless of which two it is though,
there is zero doubt that both those games will involve “tougher” opponents than the two we just played in Fort Worth!

As for your contention that “We have too much talent for most… (all?) teams.” even it that were true (debatable) there are numerous examples of less “talented” teams beating teams with vastly superior talent. Villanova/Georgetown, Iowa/South Carolina, Harvard/Stanford etc….! Make no mistake, we will need to play at the highest level next weekend if we are to win #13! Sure, we can do it, but it’s certainly not a lock!

IMO, this is an outstanding post and very true. How could anyone with basketball knowledge think that the last two teams UConn beat are better than the teams UConn still has to face. I have doubts about UConn winning it all because of what you stated, they have to play at their highest level and unless three or four players play like they did during the regular season, they won't play at their highest level. Of the four number one seeds I think SC and Texas are playing to their potential. One other thing, as far as the rims are concerned, they did not seem to bother Blanca, Strong, or HH.

 

[Phil]

They aren’t playing cupcakes right now so a 15-20pt win is what we must settle for.

I'm still astonished that the ESPN line was something like 29 points. Massey had UConn by 14.5 and ended up being 18 so I'd say Massey had the better model. I am not unaware that UConn beat Notre Dame by a lot earlier in the year but it also watch them play and there is no question they are a much better team than the team we beat so badly earlier in the year. Part of that is the return of KK Bransford but they also seem to have their act together. Our 18 point win was a major win not a shortcoming

 

[ERWUC65]

Wow thank you so much for this. I'm a big Ashlynn fan, to me she is almost the (healthy) reincarnation of Shea in her toughness and loyalty and all-around bad-ass vibe. I'm seeing so much negativity toward her (with some absolutely hateful posts) and it's really frustrating. As a coach myself, I would kill to have players with her attitude and tenacity playing for me.

No excuse for the hateful posts, but a lot of comments about Ash's recent performances come from those (including me) who thought she was a good player, great on defense, spotty on offense, but not an AA candidate. Maybe a better word would be streaky and as such she is capable for one of those great shooting games in the next two because we desperately need another shooter.

 

[Zarathustra]

But, but, but…they didn’t score! Geno should replace them immediately!

REGARDING KK and Ash's "low" scoring .... I just added another
"W" to the season's win total...... 38-0... IMHO That's makes
this UCONN Team "PERFECT"... Well done KK and Ash!

 

[Zarathustra]

They aren’t playing cupcakes right now so a 15-20pt win is what we must settle for.

Yes, but I will be SO happy with even a one- point win... How about two
of them next weekend!

 

[uconnfan68]

Yes, but I will be SO happy with even a one- point win... How about two
of them next weekend!

Save the 1 point victories for the guys. I want 40.

 

[Zarathustra]

Save the 1 point victories for the guys. I want 40.

May you get your wish!

 

[Bigboote]

They aren’t playing cupcakes right now so a 15-20pt win is what we must settle for.

I suspect some people might see a "6" by Notre Dame and forget that had just defeated the 2 and 3 seeds. They were playing way better than a typical 6 seed.

 

[Zarathustra]

While Blanca has made great improvement in every aspect of her performance, I am even more impressed by K9's growth this year. In the beginning of the season, at times I wondered why Geno signed her. Appeared a step slow on defense with inconsistent offensive skills. Today, most use words like "tenatious" and "whirling dervich," to discribe her. Geno trusts her which is a big badge of honor for a UConn player.

If you thought that K9 appeared "slow" at the beginning of this season
then check out the "slow"? Jovana Popovic highlight videos on Jovana's
"recruiting" thread (at the top of the BONEYARD home page). Jovana,
IMHO, is not only "fast", but she is also "quick" ("fast-twitch" muscle fibers).
I have Jovana's highlights on my "favorites" menu... watch her weave
through those Spanish "Bigs"!!! We will both have to find new
adjectives to describe the combined UCONN guard play next season!
Jovana is so "cool" she puts the "POP" in Popsicle! (well, I tried!)

 

[Pharos]

We're starting the call that "The Kayleigh Shot" and we expect at least one per game. Lotta fun.

 

[Pharos]

I think (for once) that the various carping (above) is
overdone...

Tough opponent
Tough Pressure
A competitive game

The various opposing coaches have put in great plans
to attempt to disrupt our offense. and have each succeeded to some extent

I believe that we’ve played the 2 toughest opponents that we will meet in the tournament.

I’m very pleased with this win

As I’ve noted in posts throughout the season
We have just too much talent for most…(all?) teams

While Blanca has made great improvement in every aspect of her performance, I am even more impressed by K9's growth this year. In the beginning of the season, at times I wondered why Geno signed her. Appeared a step slow on defense with inconsistent offensive skills. Today, most use words like "tenatious" and "whirling dervich," to discribe her. Geno trusts her which is a big badge of honor for a UConn player.

Watch The Kayleigh Shot again and watch how fast she got up to get into defensive position. Impressive.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

Since last year I have asked myself repeatedly why players don’t box out Hidalgo after she shoots…or even when she doesn’t. My conclusion is that it’s just not instinctive to have to do so on a player that’s so short. She doesn’t define herself by her height…and others should think that way too. The refs weren’t buying her flops yesterday because they have adjusted.

 

[ucmiami2]

This complaining is crazy! For whatever reason, crazy practice and pre-game schedules, tight rims, new bouncy balls, bad sight lines, or just a crap multi-purpose arena that is not a home court for any college or pro basketball team - none of the teams looked particularly comfortable in Ft Worth. Next weekend there will be 4 teams not eight, they will arrive earlier, have better practice schedules surrounded by more hoopla, and will be playing in a basketball arena home to both an NBA and a WNBA team.

Last year Azzi Fudd had a total of 18 points in the regional S16/E8 games shooting a combined 7-27, and 3-11 from 3. She then went off for 43 points the following weekend against possibly the same opponents we might face, hitting 20-35, and 4-11 from 3. Oh, yeah, the combined winning margin in the regionals - 37 points with the second game being against a team missing its star player!

This year she has scored 23 points, and shot 9-24, 2-4 from 3 in the regional S16/E8 games. Winning margin against two fully healthy teams - 39 points.

Super Regionals are not regular season games, routines are all screwed up, and arena/cities tend to be completely new to the players, and the teams are a lot better and more focused and come with one day of rest/prep between them. They are hard to win and teams at this point don't roll over, they are prepared to fight. Take the wins, get some rest, and then prepare for the FF madness.

I agree Ash is in a shooting slump and so is KK, and Allie is showing that 10 three pointers was an aberration in a meaningless reg season game against an over-matched team. The first two have had shooting slumps at various times during this season and Uconn has continued to win because of everything else they bring to the court, starting with assists, steals, and lock down defense.

And just an aside, K9 gets glowing praise for her performance in scoring 8 points vs KK's 5 points in the two games, while assist are 3-6, TO 4-2, steals 1-5, and rebounds are 3-4. Love K9, she is playing great, she is a better scorer than KK, but she is not as dangerous a defender.

 

[HuskyNan]

So glad I found this

 

[ucmiami2]

Since last year I have asked myself repeatedly why players don’t box out Hidalgo after she shoots…or even when she doesn’t. My conclusion is that it’s just not instinctive to have to do so on a player that’s so short. She doesn’t define herself by her height…and others should think that way too. The refs weren’t buying her flops yesterday because they have adjusted.

I think it's also that she has tied one or more defenders into knots before the shot so they are off balance and out of position, and when she lands, she is faster to recover.

One of the knocks against Brittany Griner in college was she wasn't a good rebounder, but most of that was because she was trying to block every shot taken within 15 feet of the basket and the act of trying to block a shot takes you out of position to rebound. - Sort of what happens with defenders on Hidalgo.

 

[sno-cat]

In a way. The baskets were brand new with brand new rims and. brand new overinflated balls according to Geno.

So I guess they changed balls and baskets and rims every time UConn got the ball. That is so unfair!

 

[Gus Mahler]

Regarding UConn's performance in the regional:

I hearken back to the legendary (in my mind, at least) 2014 UConn team. That team was the overall number one seed, but because of geographical rules was sent to the regional in Lincoln, NE. Their opponents were BYU and Texas A&M. They won each game fairly handily, but had to grind out the victories. If memory serves, and it increasingly doesn't, UConn trailed BYU briefly early in the second half. That might have been the only time all season UConn trailed in the second half. Not sure. Things went better in the FF.

 

[Bills Fan]

Some tidbits from the box score that (at least to me) weren't evident while watching the game:

• Serah played only 9 minutes, and Jana played just 7. That means that Sarah Strong was UConn's de facto center for 23 of the 39 minutes that she played in the game. In essence, UConn's default lineup is the so-called "small" lineup with Sarah and Blanca as their two "bigs" (at least on defense). Those two are doing their jobs in that role, with 15 rebounds between them (13 of which were defensive).
• Blanca's contribution went way beyond her scoring, although that was exceptional (7-for-12 and 4-for-8 from 3). She had 8 rebounds including 2 at the offensive end, even though she was functionally a guard on offense. She also had 3 assists and 1 steal.
• UConn as a team had 8 more shot attempts than Notre Dame (54 vs. 46) and also shot a higher percentage (44% vs. 39%). That is probably because UConn had 4 more offensive rebounds than the Irish (not something I would have guessed from watching the game) and 4 fewer turnovers.
• Although KK was held scoreless on 6 shot attempts, she had 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and ZERO turnovers. Her counterpart Hidalgo had 3 assists and FIVE turnovers, although she did remarkably have 11 rebounds. But KK definitely "earned her minutes" in today's game. Geno recognized this by giving her 31 minutes of playing time.
• Ashlynn did not score in 22 minutes, but she grabbed 5 rebounds (2 offensive), some of which were in the highlight reel category. And she had 2 steals, 1 assist, and only 1 turnover.
• Surprisingly given UConn's advantage in offensive rebounds, second-chance points favored ND by 9-0. That's right, UConn did not get a single second-chance point in this game!

Let me add some comments about the Final Four. Among the remaining teams other than UConn, the only guard that I see who is really comparable in skill to Hidalgo is her former running buddy, Olivia Miles of TCU. Honestly, I don't expect that Olivia will be traveling to Phoenix. That means that UConn is not going to face another uber-talented guard in either Final Four game comparable to what they faced today.

South Carollina (UConn's probable opponent on Friday) has a talented stable of guards: Raven and Tessa Johnson plus Taniiya Latson. As a group, they are better than Notre Dame's backcourt, but none of them resemble Hidalgo. I would give UConn's backcourt of Azzi, KK, Ash, and Blanca an overall advantage in talent and organization over the Gamecocks' group. The SC frontcourt will be Joyce Edwards and Medina Okot vs. Sarah and Serah/Jana/Blanca. The UConn advantage here is not clear-cut, but I think it is real. I would expect that Serah and especially Jana can play Okot well enough to neutralize her. And I don't expect SC's team offense or defense will be at the level that Notre Dame brought in today's game.

Joe, you have Blanca as both a guard and in the next sentence as part of the frontcourt, while not mentioning K9 as part of the backcourt. I'm thinking you mistyped Blanca as a guard when you meant K9

 

[Gus Mahler]

Kim likes UConn.

 

[NycUcWbbFan]

So I guess they changed balls and baskets and rims every time UConn got the ball. That is so unfair!

What Geno and other coaches (besides Dawn) are complaining about is that the super-regional format and a myriad of related decisions (bouncy balls, new rims, etc.) is not showcasing the best of what the Top 16 teams are capable of — contrary to all those claims of growing the sport.

• Under the current system, it’s akin to taking out shooting efficiency in Dean Oliver’s Four Factors(for winning games) &1, i.e. comparable to early WNBA eras which were snoozefests.
• UConn typically has relatively bad offensive showings during this weekend; coincidence?

&1 Which is what BBallF is saying.

Attached:

• 2026 Women's NCAA Tournament Summary | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com
• 2025 Women's NCAA Tournament Summary | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com

 

[VaConnFan11]

Sometimes reading these post game threads, I feel like I watched a totally different game than some of you.

For whatever reason, the offense is not clicking at the moment. There were moments in both games where no one was moving. The ball was at the logo and everyone was just standing around. Shots were not only off, they were way off. Very unusual.

For those of you who say, "This was a very different Notre Dame team." Go back and look at the January box score and compare the two. Notre Dames's box scores are very similar. UConn's on the other hand is very different. Did Notre Dame's defense get that much better or did UConn's offense get that much worse? Maybe some of both? My eye test says the offense got worse.

Can this change for the next game or 2? ABSOLUTLY! Can 65-70 points win both games? Yes, but it will brutal on us fans.