Oregon Post Game Thread

[noirwestern]

Just when we thought Dorka had emerged as a major help while waiting out the injury situation, she disappears again.

Hard to score when people aren't throwing the ball your way. Rewatch the last few games, she fights for position, gets it, and then watches someone bomb away from wherever.

 

[Longtime fan]

Some thoughts on the Oregon game:

• Not quite sure how to evaluate this game. Without Paige, Christyn, Azzi and Aubrey, this UConn team was incredibly shorthanded.
• Great 10-0 start to the game by the Huskies, but unfortunately it couldn't last as UConn missed 11 of their last 12 shots in the first qtr, struggling to score for much of the rest of the game.
• Liv absolutely played her heart out today. She filled up the stat sheet once more and worked to exhaustion getting position in the low blocks over and over again, frequently without receiving an entry pass.
• With Oregon packing it in on D and UConn struggling to feed the post, the Huskies really needed someone to step up today and make outside shots. 3 for 17 from the arc was just not going to get it done.
• Like many UConn WBB fans, I’ve had to alter my goals for this season. Now, most of all, I want to see everyone back and healthy. I want to win the BE tournament. Then I want to shock some folks during the Big Dance.
• On MLK Day, perhaps one of his quotes has some relevance for UConn WBB. “We must accept finite disappointment. But we must never lose infinite hope.”

I guess coach wanted the six players to know how it feels to lose, in front of a hostile crowd. And for each player to acknowledge their role in that loss. And to be on the court against a quality team for forty minutes, rather than Xavier or Butler. He has the rings, so I won't question his motivation.

Here is what I saw;

1. Olivia is battling and working 100%. But that hot shooting we saw from 12-14 feet against Xavier went away. So Oregon could ignore her outside the paint.
2. Dorka is not at Olivia's level. She can be fine against Butler, but she has bad hands and her shot is not dependable.
3. Edwards is a more limited player than any of us imagined. She has no shot. Her contribution is hustle and defense. A decent substitute for limited periods of time. She has few qualities of a true BIG, and fewer still as a wing.
4. Westbrook. I keep thinking " she has lost her passion for the game." Sloppy, slow and not taking charge at all. At her " homecoming."
5. Muhl. She was over-used in this game. Physically not ready to go 100% that long. Not for lack of trying. Hopefully, she'll get her shooting touch back. Because Oregon knew they almost didn't have to guard anyone against a three.
6. Caroline had her worst day on offense. And she wasn't that great with the ball in her hands either. Couldn't buy a shot. But she did not give up and still made plays. A good sign ( if we needed one ). And I know someone is going to tell me she scored 20 or so. Doesn't matter. She was throwing up bricks all day.
7. Coach. I wanted to see Gabriel and DeBerry again, in meaningful minutes. My view was; why not? Maybe their size and fight could shake Oregon up a bit. And it would be good for them to compete against a real team for once. So, I was disappointed. Again, I defer to Geno. His reasons are better than mine.

I can't imagine playing South Carolina in a week of so.

 

[Huskie02]

Well, yes, but the team couldn’t stop shooting itself in the foot. The early season turnovers reappeared and the shots on offense were rushed and mostly off balance or fade away. Yes, Oregon gets some credit but opponents have been playing a zone defense all season. You’d think the Huskies would have figured it out by now.

Nika, E, and Aaliyah won’t shoot and teammates inexplicably won’t pass the ball to Dorka. Liv was a soldier and Caroline is the only one that can create so Oregon only had to guard the two of them. UConn just made it too easy for Oregon

On edit - do they practice rebounding? I was yelling at the TV for UConn to go to the offensive glass. What’s up with that?

Stop making excuses all of our loses have come after one bad quarter whether its the second or the the 4th. This team just doesn’t have it. Muhl can’t hit a cow in the behind at point blank range. Whenever she’s in the game its 4 against 5. Ervina isn’t the same as last year. Edwards has regressed. CW is up and down. Liv has improved of late. Let’s hope she keeps it up. CD has been great but can’t do it all by herself. We are just not a good team. Can’t wait for our seniors to graduate and start over.

 

[Longtime fan]

Horrible game! Can anyone on this time shoot whose name isn’t Ducharme. Where was CW tonight, injured or sick ? With Muhl starting it’s like playing 5 on 4, just no offense. I feel sorry for her but she is simply not an offensive threat. Good game from liv but that’s about it.
this team is by no means ready for prime time.

Just a side note; That great start by UCONN was largely due to Oregon missing every shot they took. Then, they outscored us 39-14 the rest of the first half.

 

[AmeriConn]

I didn’t watch the game. How did we outscore them in the 4th qtr. Did the coach empty the bench half way through?

 

[Centerstream]

Will Christyn have to be out on Friday too?

 

[DrummerDee]

Well, Muhl is no scoring threat, so theyll just leave her open all day and double up on those that are...like Ducharme. They did a good job defending her because they didnt have to worry about Muhl..or Westbrook. Oregon definitely played much better than their percieved ranking, and we played well below ours. We all know that Oregon, at full strength, is a very strong team.
We didnt fade away in the 4th, which has been our achilies heel, and closed a 20+ point lead, but playing 6 (or 2/3) against this Oregon team was hardly enough.

 

[jonson]

Here’s the thing. Paige makes everyone better. The threat of Paige attacking the basket gives Caroline a little more time to set herself and knock down some of the 3’s she missed tonight. Rather than working her ass off to get position in the low post without getting the ball or getting a bad entry pass late, Liv gets the ball on time and in the right spot every time from Paige. Evina’s game is day and night playing with and without Paige. You just can’t make up for the loss of your NPOY, let along Christyn, Azzi & Aubrey.

First, I'm an Oregon fan first, and UCONN second (grew up in
CT before moving to Eugene some 35 years ago). I was at the game and it's good (after Saturday) to watch two coaches who actually like one another. And, on the UCONN side of things, I thought that Liv and Caroline played really well; the latter will be a star sooner rather than later and maybe even as good a sidekick as Paige could want.

At present, UCONN is unfortunately in the position that Oregon occupied for all of fall 2021, when they were down at least two starters and usually three: no go to scorer, no real leadership on the court, etc. So players who usually look good, or fairly good, simply have a difficult time being successful given the added responsibilities/attention they carry/get. Liv handled that really well today, but Westbrook (the obvious choice to lead) didn't, as was also the case (imo) during her time at Tennessee. She's very good, but can't carry a team in crunch time. And it's too much to ask of a freshman not named Paige.

On the Oregon side of things, I actually don't think the team played all that well. Rogers is a much better guard than she showed, Paopao is still getting back her rhythm (I think this in only her 4th counting game this season) and, for the team overall, it's really November in January given the injuries throughout 2021 and Covid cancellations (3 home games to start 2022 due to problems in other programs). They are also very young--basically sophomore led, since Prince and Sabally, despite being listed as redshirt juniors, are playing only their second season of competitive college ball and Nyara really can't practice much given her knee issues. Oregon does, however, play good defense by Oregon standards and have a lot of (potential) weapons. (In my view, Paopao, if she remains healthy, will be one of the best 2-3 guards nationally--other than Paige, anyway.)

To be clear, I'm not saying that Oregon would beat UCONN in, say, March, when both teams should look much different, but it would be a good game. But, for now, I'll take two in a row after being blown out the two (three? four?) times the teams met previously.

 

[HuskyNan]

Dorka did not exactly disappear she was open several times and did not get the ball. She became discouraged and then ragged.

That is a puzzling trend I’ve noticed

 

[Longtime fan]

I didn’t watch the game. How did we outscore them in the 4th qtr. Did the coach empty the bench half way through?

Only six played. No sign of DeBerry or Gabriel. I don't think we outscored Them ever. Where did you hear that?

 

[Majic Hands]

Perhaps. Perhaps, Coach can now get through to Nika that constantly knocking down shots is not an option. It's a necessary requirement.

Her delusions of not need to because the team has great shooters could now be clearly demonstrated for her.

 

[Ozimoto]

You aren't going to beat top teams scoring under 60 points. Until some perimeter shooting shows up (hopefully from Paige and Azzi) this is a very ordinary team.

 

[Rb335]

Muhl -160 minutes, 4.75 points per 40 minutes.
Williams- 431 minutes, 16.24 points per 40 minutes.
Westbrook - 415 minutes, 11.47 points per 40 minutes.

It's unfortunate that Williams wasn't available today. Any way you look at it, we had far less offense on the floor at all times. Muhl was exposed big time offensively today, which is something that will limit her effectiveness unless she improves. Trading 40 minutes of Williams for 40 minutes of Muhl is not a winning recipe.

We lost big time, on the road, in a tough environment, against a hot team, without our top 2 scorers. Looking at this loss for clues to predict the season's outcome is just silly. It's pretty irrelevant with respect to that.

 

[CTBballfan243]

But Coach has RAVED about Amari multiple times.
I haven’t seen her play enough to form an opinion.
So why the misrepresentation by Geno??
If what you say is true?

Actually, Geno raved about her athleticism. He never said she knew how to play basketball. Those are two entirely different things.

 

[HuskyNan]

I didn’t watch the game. How did we outscore them in the 4th qtr. Did the coach empty the bench half way through?

There was no bench but Amari and Piath. Only 6 played

 

[HuskyNan]

Only six played. No sign of DeBerry or Gabriel. I don't think we outscored Them ever. Where did you hear that?

UConn won Q4 18-10

 

[Fairfield Fan]

We can only assess the players who played the game. A terrible display of UCONN basketball.

CW wouldn’t have been the difference in this one

Nika we love her you but they are not even bothering to guard her close because just don’t shoot.

Dorka needs to show us why Geno thought she was good

Evina has just disappeared.

CD must have been told to shoot it early and often. No problem with that based on the 3 mentioned above.

AE .??????? Had the highest of hopes. She’s gone backwards.

ONO…IF she continues to play like this, she will be rewarded with with a pretty high draft pick

We missed Makurat. And where, o where, has Edwards gone? The most shocking second year collapse I've ever seen. Can you believe a UConn player, and Canadian national team member, would take extra steps on a snowbird layup? How does that happen?

Oregon is an excellent team with all its component parts together again. Connecticut is simply not competitive without Paige. Without Paige, this is arguably not a Top 25 team.

 

[Longtime fan]

You aren't going to beat top teams scoring under 60 points. Until some perimeter shooting shows up (hopefully from Paige and Azzi) this is a very ordinary team.

You are correct. We really have one top level BIG player, and that is Olivia. Dorka is barley a good substitute to give Olivia a breather. Edwards is not a skilled BIG and is a less skilled Wing. She seems a decent short-term replacement for defensive instensity. But she has no shot, is not good with the ball, and mostly makes lay-ups ( if she doesn't travel ). She may not have a next level of play. It surely isn't showing.

So we have to win with four guards and a BIG . That can happen with everyone healthy and active. ( Paige, Azzi, Caroline and CW ). But I don't see it this year.

The elephant in the room is we need effective people in the paint. When Olivia is gone, it has to be Deberry and Gabriel. We can only hope they begin to force their way into the line-up this year. Otherwise, they won't be effective.

I wish they had been given meaningful time against Oregon.

But we aren't beating any quality teams with Olivia, Dorka and Edwards playing as a threesome.

 

[BBallF]

It's all been said. I think we took two steps back after two steps forward with two impressive Big East wins. We only had one outside shooter out there against the zone and she was off from the arc.

I just don't understand Evina. I mean, read the room. You are not coming out of the game if you miss shots. Hoist them and don't stop. You have to know if you don't get 15-20 tonight the team can't win. Plus you are a senior at home.

AE has a real problem handling the ball and making decisions. Her defense was questionable tonight also. Definitely a regression from last year. Also, her outside shot is defective mechanically. She can never be consistent with that form. A true jump shot would help a lot.

We are reeling right now and there are no easy answers. We are just not a good team as constituted. The weaknesses were very apparent tonight. Nika has no offense, Dorka needs tensile strength, CD is continuing to play hard and score but needs to be better set before she shoots the 3 and needs to make better judgements on drives and not force. Liv keeps on playing strong which was heartening. Despite all of this, they will be a different team come March. I just really feel for all of them right now.

 

[Tufkas]

The team traveled over 2800+ miles by charter to play a basketball game, after which they'll immediately travel another 2800+ miles to return home. They only have 8 players available, yet coach plays only 6, leaving 2 on the bench.

This after losing the best player in the country, as she was still on the court with 30 seconds remaining in a blowout loss. After which a respected sports science MD offered fatigued hamstrings may have played a significant role.

The team is basically getting its doors blown off for the entire game, while the one sub logs 24 minutes, with no real impact, including a stunning travel on a wide open layup.

I'm confused. If not this game, when?!? Coaching malpractice for me.

PS With Ms. Ralph having moved on, who's coaching the guards?

 

[The deacon]

Have always loved EW but her game has just disintegrated. She looks like she is playing hurt. The real inexplicable one is Aliyah Edwards. She appears to have forgotten how to play.
Nelson Ododa was great. Ducharme looked like she did in the first few games.
At this point what is to be gained by rushing Bueckers back, realistically how far is this group going to go.

Larry, I don't recall Caroline scoring 22 points in any of her first few games. Can you straighten me out on that one, please.

 

[Nicvan07]

The team traveled over 2800+ miles by charter to play a basketball game, after which they'll immediately travel another 2800+ miles to return home. They only have 8 players available, yet coach plays only 6, leaving 2 on the bench.

This after losing the best player in the country, as she was still on the court with 30 seconds remaining in a blowout loss. After which a respected sports science MD offered fatigued hamstrings may have played a significant role.

The team is basically getting its doors blown off for the entire game, while the one sub logs 24 minutes, with no real impact, including a stunning travel on a wide open layup.

I'm confused. If not this game, when?!? Coaching malpractice for me.

PS With Ms. Ralph having moved on, who's coaching the guards?

Doesn’t Morgan coach them now?

 

[BobbyJ]

Exactly. Against any kind of defensive pressure they have no ball handlers or passers. Deer in the headlights.

 

[HuskyNan]

Larry, I don't recall Caroline scoring 22 points in any of her first few games. Can you straighten me out on that one, please.

She had 24 points against Louisville

33 Ducharme, Caroline

Position:GHeight:6-2Bio:Full BioClass:FreshmanHometown:Milton, Mass.High School:Noble & Greenough School
Ducharme, Caroline - Game Statistics

Date	Opponent	PTS	MIN	FGM-FGA	3PM-3PA	FTM-FTA	REB	AST	BLK	STL	TO	PF
11/14/21	Arkansas	0	4	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	1	1
11/20/21	Minnesota	4	12	1-2	0-1	2-2	2	0	1	1	0	2
11/21/21	South Fla.	0	3	0-0	0-0	0-0	1	0	0	1	0	1
12/03/21	Seton Hall	0	6	0-1	0-1	0-0	0	0	0	0	1	2
12/05/21	Notre Dame	14	14	5-9	3-5	1-2	3	0	1	0	2	0
12/09/21	Georgia Tech	2	29	1-5	0-3	0-0	5	0	0	0	3	3
12/11/21	UCLA	14	32	4-13	2-6	4-4	2	2	2	1	1	3
12/19/21	Louisville	24	40	10-20	3-9	1-2	8	2	1	0	3	3
01/09/22	Creighton	17	38	7-13	2-6	1-2	5	2	3	2	2	3
01/12/22	Butler	18	28	6-13	3-8	3-3	2	0	2	0	2	3
01/15/22	Xavier	20	32	6-17	4-10	4-4	7	5	0	4	3	3
01/17/22	Oregon	22	40	10-21	1-8	1-1	3	2	0	0	5	1

 

[Cuango]

CW being out pretty much eliminated our chances of winning, but I think this was a good day anyway. I think Liv probably gave the most effort and pushed herself harder than she ever has before. She actually played with an edge I’ve never seen before! Caroline played hard the entire 40 minutes and, despite her shot being off, managed to produce 22 points.

Perhaps now the numerous posters who’ve been touting Nika will now understand that it takes more than attitude, grit, determination and toughness to be a really good player! Yes, she has all of that but unfortunately, there is a giant, car sized hole in her game that essentially keeps her from ever being anything more than a spark plug and a place holder. She can really be good at that, though. She cannot score! Oregon simply ignored her and didn’t care if she shot the ball because they knew only two things would happen. Either she wouldn’t shoot at all or she would shoot and miss.

As for Evina, I can only assume something is wrong. I’m unsure whether it’s physical or otherwise but clearly, she’s not the E we’ve seen n the past. Edwards is another puzzler. She does not seem to be hampered physically and yet is a mere shadow of the dynamic, enthusiastic freshman we all saw last season. Dorka, I think, was simply overwhelmed by the game today. I don’t think I saw her once in this game where she looked like she was in control and knew what to do.

Still, I do think some good things will come out of this game. I am extremely hopeful that Liv is in the process of shedding her mediocre persona and stepping up in class to at least good and possibly better than good. Clearly, Geno has found a special player to complement Paige. Surprisingly it’s not (yet) Azzi but rather, Caroline that has arrived first. Christyn seems to be stepping up (until today, no fault of her own) as well and is clearly buying into what Coach is laying down.

I expect Geno will now turn his attention more fully on AE and Dorka. If he can work some magic and get at least one (hopefully both) of them playing at a high level by the time Paige and Azzi gets back, I think we will once again be a team no one wants in their bracket in March! Remember, we have to look at the long term. These games up until we are completely healthy are pretty meaningless except as a honing stone to sharpen our edge for March.

 

[AmeriConn]

There was no bench but Amari and Piath. Only 6 played

I meant the Oregon bench. We out scored them 18-10.

 

[Zarathustra]

The Huskies need to continue to develope their
chemisty with the "Ws" and build their strength and
resilence with the future "Ls". This was not going
to be a win without CW , so I look to the ongoing
development of the team. It's like Spring Training
Camp all over again: Build on what you have. Keep you
heads up. Support the team, Believe!

 

[and one]

Near the end of the 3rd Q I considered bailing on the game. I didn't as it would have broken a string of never not watching the full game.

UConn was clearly outmatched. ONO stepped up. CD gave it her best shot but not from 3 land. The rest did not distinguish themselves. Nika can't shoot. EW neither. Nor AE. Dorka wasn't given the ball when she was open so she couldn't score either. When Paige and Azzi are back some players used to healthy minutes should see their minutes go way down. AE and EW come to mind. AE in particular.

As much as I hated seeing UConn getting outplayed big time, the thing that I was most annoyed by was the gym floor. Floor art is getting more common and the Duck's floor takes the cake. At times it was hard to see the ball. I've never heard players complain about cluttered floor art but it must make seeing the lines on the floor difficult.

 

[The deacon]

I guess coach wanted the six players to know how it feels to lose, in front of a hostile crowd. And for each player to acknowledge their role in that loss. And to be on the court against a quality team for forty minutes, rather than Xavier or Butler. He has the rings, so I won't question his motivation.

Here is what I saw;

1. Olivia is battling and working 100%. But that hot shooting we saw from 12-14 feet against Xavier went away. So Oregon could ignore her outside the paint.
2. Dorka is not at Olivia's level. She can be fine against Butler, but she has bad hands and her shot is not dependable.
3. Edwards is a more limited player than any of us imagined. She has no shot. Her contribution is hustle and defense. A decent substitute for limited periods of time. She has few qualities of a true BIG, and fewer still as a wing.
4. Westbrook. I keep thinking " she has lost her passion for the game." Sloppy, slow and not taking charge at all. At her " homecoming."
5. Muhl. She was over-used in this game. Physically not ready to go 100% that long. Not for lack of trying. Hopefully, she'll get her shooting touch back. Because Oregon knew they almost didn't have to guard anyone against a three.
6. Caroline had her worst day on offense. And she wasn't that great with the ball in her hands either. Couldn't buy a shot. But she did not give up and still made plays. A good sign ( if we needed one ). And I know someone is going to tell me she scored 20 or so. Doesn't matter. She was throwing up bricks all day.
7. Coach. I wanted to see Gabriel and DeBerry again, in meaningful minutes. My view was; why not? Maybe their size and fight could shake Oregon up a bit. And it would be good for them to compete against a real team for once. So, I was disappointed. Again, I defer to Geno. His reasons are better than mine.

I can't imagine playing South Carolina in a week of so.

2. As has been noted by several others, Dorka has in recent games seemed to fade away as the games progress. I agree with those who note that she probably gets frustrated because she just isn't given the ball when she's open early in possessions, usually with Nika, Evina or Christyn being the ones not to see her, or, if they do see her, don't pass it to her. Agreed her hands aren't great, but attempt to give her the ball down low and she'll show more of that 15 or 16-point talent.
5. Other than a couple of games last season, Nika has not demonstrated what I'd call shooting touch in her two years here. I will be pleasantly surprised if she happens to turn it on from here on in...
6. Agreed Caroline was far from flawless but she did shoot 9 for 13 from inside the three line, often with defenders draped all around her. Please point out the available player whom you'd rather have go for the basket. If her teammates would set a screen or two for her, she probably woudn't need to force the issue as much. As for all those 'bricks,' if you analyze her seven long-range misses, I believe five of them were on line and hit back iron. As I've been instructed by a couple of ex-players who were excellent shooters, those misses were products either of too much adrenaline or releasing the ball as she was going up rather than at her highest point, clearly as the result of hurrying. She'lll be better from three. Either way, at 10 for 21 and with 22 points, I believe Caroline doesn't deserve either a 'couldn't buy a shot' or 'throwing up bricks al day.'

 

[BobbyJ]

He’s gone from them being a savvy veteran who does everything for us and a supreme spark plug who makes us a different team to not really good. It took him awhile but he’s coming around.