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Ole Miss Postgame thread (merged)

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Few Thoughts:
in the decisive minutes during the 4th quarter, Geno went with Paige, Azzi, Sarah, Jana and KC. It seems to me that those 5 are the ones he trusts the most.
It was interesting for me that when the teams warmed-up before the game Ole Miss spent the first few minutes on defensive drills...i don't think i saw something like this before.
First half was a s good as we could expect with Paige and Sarah controlling the offence, the team playing great defense and Ole Miss missing everything.
The third quarter was scary as Ole Miss started hitting all kinds of shots while UConn seemed in a disarray. But here comes Azzi to save the day.
The 4th quarter was more like it with good defense and offense by UConn.
Paige: had way too many turnovers but what a player. Can do everything on the basketball court. Clearly the best player in this tournament and fully justified MVP.
Azzi: it was good to be reminded how great of a player is Azzi. No trace of limitations of movement. Crafty, strong, great handles, great defense and those moves around the basket. wow.
Sarah: missing a lot of 3's but you want her to continue shooting them as sooner or later they will fall. Great first half, not so great second half but the fouls called on her did seem to impact her.
Jana: loved the way she played. Strong, physical, going for the boards on both offense and defense, making her lay ups. Need to improve her free throws but this kind of performance against a veteran physical team of athletes, bodes real well for the future.
Ice: struggled some against the physicality of Ole Miss. and i really don't like her shooting 3's but what do i know.
Chen: was basically in control and didn't take any bad shots.
KK: good on defense but what will be with those forays to the basket which she very rarely finishes with a basket?
Ash: Somewhat of a disappointing game. Works hard but seems confused at times.
All in all, a good win against a quality opponent. I saw the game where Ole Miss played against BC and they absolutely destroyed them.
Hopefully Geno starts Paige, Azzi, Sarah, Jana and Chen the next game.
I agree with you on the starting lineup and I hope it's only a matter of time before Geno decides on that as well. However, I think it's far more likely he puts in Azzi over Ash than he does Jana over Ice. Jana was terrific today, but IMHO, Ice has been more consistent on both sides of the ball this year (including some nice assists). I think Jana's upside is higher, but if Geno makes THAT switch, I'm guessing it won't be till later in the year.

Sooner rather than later, Kaitlyn, Azzi, Paige, Sarah, and Ice. Maybe it stays that way for the rest of the year, and then again maybe he swaps Ice for Jana.
 
You know two days ago in a different thread, “what three things do you want to see”, my thoughts were, 1) quality play on a team wide basis for a full 40-minutes. 2) Jana to be Double-Double with 2 fouls max, and 2 turnovers max. 3) Azzi to go off, scoring 15 points by hitting 50% from the arc.

In typing them out, I honestly thought that they were very lofty goals! Well Azzi went off! Not from the arc, but she was a real difference maker. And Jana, although not getting the Double-Double, went 8 & 9 and kept the fouls and TOs in check!

Could not be more pleased with two of my three “I want” desires!
 
Easy to be super critical of this game. I don't want to ever contribute to hyperbole so I'll just say, this was the worst win in the entire history of the program. What happened to tough players with killer instinct. We haven't seen anyone like that since Stewwie left. Is it Geno's coaching style in his older years? Has he grown soft so the team has become soft? No reason at all that this wasnt a 35 plus point win.

Sarah is now 8 for 32 from 3. How many games until you are what your shooting percentage says you are? Just maybe being the second leading scorer and assister while leading the team in steals, blocks and rebounds is good enough?
I think that’s a bit (a lot) harsh! I’m not sure what you’re talking about wth the “killer instinct” snark. I saw a team, a very young team, get smacked in the mouth in the third, cough (hack) up a huge lead, fall completely apart, and then find the backbone that was needed to win a game that could easily have been lost! I saw our “Great Pyramid” actually contribute under duress, I saw our long awaited, potential second superstar step up and help save this game, and I saw our star, after coughing up more bad turnovers in one quarter than she had given up the whole season, right herself and make repeated critical shots to reestablish our control of a game that could easily have slipped away!

Yes, Ash, KK, Kaitlyn, and Sarah, didn’t have their best offensive games but all played pretty solid defense (except for our continued weak three point defense). I think KK, Ash & Kaitlyn are still adjusting to their new roles. They will figure it out soon, I believe, and as for Sarah, I have very few complaints! She did take (for the first time I can remember) some very bad attempts from three tonight! One in particular, I believe her first one, she was basically facing the sideline and seemed to be completely anomalous. I’m reasonably sure Geno and CD will show her this in the film oom and we will see better shot selection next game. I (and I’m convinced Geno) am willing to live with some poor three point shooting on her part (for now) because It is clear that she has good form when she takes good shots, and those shots will start falling if she keeps shooting! She merely needs an adjustment, not any kind of shot limit Imo.

The truth is, we weren’t supposed to get that big lead so easily! This was a very tough, well coached team that despite the early collapse of their defense, is playing with a lot of confidence after a dominant start to their season, including almost beating the third best team in the country! This game, far from being the “worst win in the entire history of the program” was exactly what this team needed! They were a physical, tough team that did not roll over and show their belly when we got a big lead! That was a much needed lesson as we prepare to run a gauntlet of tough teams in the coming weeks! We overcame a complete collapse in the third, righted the ship, and won fairly handily. Our stud big played well and more importantly, played well in a meaningful way! Azzi looks like she could be everything many of us were hoping for, Ice continues to be solid, and our superstar demonstrated once again her ability to step up under pressure! I’m ecstatic!
 
Any one know why she was back in a shoulder sling again tonight?
Geno addressed that postgame. She had a setback in Tuesday’s practice. She is totally frustrated.
 
Yall musta forgot -Azzi Fudd. Look folks, she didn't forget how to shoot. She's relearning to trust her body.

Strong is shooting 53% from the field. She's a FRESHMAN. GIRL, shoot that thang! For a general reference...bigger names like Pao Pao, Hidalgo, Iriafen and Juju shoot a lower percentage.

Lastly - getting ready for March is not blowing away every team by 30. It includes, and should include, facing adversity.
 
The Bulldogs collected nearly 50% of their misses. That is terrible rebounding by UConn.
Your math is seriously deficient.

Mississippi shot 22-for-68, so they missed 46 shots. They got 16 offensive rebounds. The ratio 16/46 equates to about 35%, which is a far cry from "nearly 50%".

UConn, on the other hand, shot 31-for-53, so they missed 22 shots, and got 7 offensive rebounds. That is a ratio of about 32%, not significantly below what Ole Miss managed.
 
.-.
Ash and Chen each 1-2, KK 1-3, Ice 1-4. We need more from them. If you don't put up shots you stop being guarded tightly and when that happens you really need to sit.
I see that several posters made essentially this point, and I think you are all missing a big factor in evaluating this.

If you watched any of the video snippets of UConn practice in the late summer and fall, you heard Geno telling the team to "know who you are on the court with", and get the ball to the players with the most offensive talent if they are open. I can guess that he was referring to Paige and Sarah on the current team, and now I'm sure that Azzi has been added to this list.

So Ash, Kaitlyn, and KK are under orders from Geno that (in effect) if they are open and Paige, Azzi, or Sarah is also open or can get open with a pass or a screen, they should get the ball to Paige/Sarah/Azzi rather than shooting it themselves. Ash / Kaitlyn / KK should shoot only if the defense has the more talented scorers thoroughly covered. Therefore, the low shooting volume by these players is exactly in line with Geno's offensive plan.

You can read these statistics as a proof that UConn's offense is working, and Ole Miss's defense was unable to keep all of the UConn threats under control. I haven't been able to watch the game yet, but I've read that Ole Miss concentrated their defense on Paige from the tipoff, so if she was still able to score 29 points, that is a credit both to her skill and to Geno's offense.
 
The Bulldogs collected nearly 50% of their misses. That is terrible rebounding by UConn.
16 offensive rebounds for Ole Miss to 30 defensive for Connecticut is a little too high for comfort, but nowhere near 50%.
 
Mighty small sample size, to say the least. Steph Curry had several streaks last year where he shot worse than 8–32 over a series of games. Would you have ordered him to stop shooting threes? If Strong is still hitting 25% in January, then it might be time to make a judgment. But certainly not now.

Before anyone distorts what I’m saying, I’m not suggesting that Sarah Strong is the second coming of Steph Curry when it comes to shooting from behind the arc.
Some of the posters have forgotten she missed her first 10 in a row before hitting four in a row.
 
Main thing I learned is that us and Q3 are not friends.

Azzi will be deadly and useful come ND. With her, SS, and PB on the floor, they better pick their poison.
 
Fast athletic guards, and big strong posts have been UConn kryptonite in recent years.

Ole Miss gave us the chance to deal with the guards. Great prep for ND and the new Tenn.

Azzi and Jana got rolling. Jana, 8 pts 9 rebounds for the fake double double and 100% fg vs a power 4 tourney team. Azzi 18 clutch points.

Sarah will keep her green light from 3. She pulls defenders out from under the basket.

Chen, KK and Ash were simply swallowed up by the Miss guards. They need more experience with that type of athlete. This is where Azzi's experience and talent is so important.
Azzi talent is correct, but Ash actually has more game experience on the college level.
 
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