Oregon Postgame Thread | Page 2 | The Boneyard

Oregon Postgame Thread

Megan will have to have a good game against So Carolina if she wants to make All American this year. Another sub par game on National TV tonight didn't help her cause. She's playing hard and doing the other things Geno wants, she just didn't hit Wide Open Shots.
 
eebmg said:
This is what happens when 2 of your top 3 players have poor games. Maybe the flu was a real issue with CW but not sure what happened with Meg. And having Kyla start is just not reasonable anymore.
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Agreed completely.
5 for 25 from meg and CW ( hard to play with the flu ) will not end in a good result with the best team in the country. Anna needs to start and try to avoid these slow starts.
UCONN staters play at their pinnacle, they are capable of shocking this team in March
 
BostonBay said:
Both a combined 5 for 25 tonight. C'mon - our best players have to do better than that. They are the top recruits in the country and just not showing up when it counts.
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Didn't I just say that! Have another drink!
 
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HopJim said:
-Anna wide open numerous times and not getting ball. What's up?
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Anna was not where she was supposed to be on those offensive sets. Everyone on the bench including Geno was motionning for her to get out of there. Left baseline corner is where she was supposed to be not at the top of the key.
 
bantamlaker said:
Liv was not in foul trouble this game and seemed to me to be competing hard. Would someone please explain why she was on the bench so much when Oregon was scoring inside so easily ?
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I'm not sure sitting her on the bench helps her for the future. To your point she wasn't the problem when we were behind.
 
Prior to the game, my thought was that UConn needed more than the 60ish points it was getting against top opponents - 75 at minimum. That Oregon was able to score at that level was no surprise, after all.

All in all, it's a bummer like any loss, but it was in line with expectations given Oregon's and UConn's performances this season up to this point. UConn will need to figure out how to get their offense to run more smoothly against athletic and tall defenders. If they can figure that out, a FF run is still in play.

Props to CD and Makurat...and I think also ONO. ONO's performance wasn't perfect by any stretch and won't get the headlines, but she acquitted herself better here than against some other top opponents this year...and I think that deserves credit.
 
The team has little to zero inside presence - on both ends. Our offense is literally pass the ball around the perimeter, wait for an open shot, and hope the 3 or long 2 goes in. We dont have enough post players, physical players to do anything more. On defense, Oregon could drive and do anything they wanted inside.

Basically, the team, as constructed, cant compete against the good teams - who do have size & physical presence. At one point, we were shooting 50% from 3 & still getting blown out! Blame recruiting, blame bad luck with injuries, but thats the bottom line.
 
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nwhoopfan said:
I can understand..."but if only UConn made more shots" kind of statements, but Oregon honestly could've played better. Missed quite a few bunnies, only 6-20 behind the arc, Ionescu was only 4-12 from the floor, no bench points.
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Sabrina was one rebound, one assist away from a triple double.
 
My courtside comments were deleted and I understand that I started to become a little "game threadish"... sorry.
Observations from 4 rows up, center court:
a. UCONN played hard once they got over initial shock,
b. A lot of very questionable calls and no calls
- Ionescu is a quality player, but her use of her left arm when driving or dribbling around offensive end would make some NFL and NCAA running backs proud. Never called.
C. UCONN had many shots half way down and come out...uncanny
d. ONO battled under the basket all night. She was beaten constantly...rarely called
e. If UCONN could make the chippy shots, a whole different game.
F. Danger continues to be a team leader. She face guarded Ionescu in early part of game and really frustrated her... 6 pts at half.
 
Bright spots:

ONO- 8pts, 6reb, 6ast on 4/5 shooting. By no means a perfect game but made an impact for the first time in a bigger game.

Makurat- you could tell she wanted to take more shots but the ball doesn’t seem to find her. It would be interesting to see what it would look like if they ran plays for her because she is very capable of hitting shots.

Dangerfield- like the first half against Tennessee, she carried the team for stretches. You could tell she was gassed by her FT shooting in the second half.
 
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veryolddog said:
I saw what I saw. Oregon plays like UConn use to play. Great team! UConn needs to really learn from this loss, but it may be too late in the season. AAC is not going to challenge this team but it may provide an area where they can really practice. Who the hell knows at this point.
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Pretty good observation. Very pass heavy offense and a lot of movement offensively. Oregon just looked solidly better in all areas. They're so much more experienced and have WNBA caliber players in the backcourt, on the wing and in the post, not to mention a slew of dead eye shooters and another strong guard. There's a reason why they were everyone's #1 team coming into the season.

I know Williams was sick, but UCONN just isn't going to compete with the best of the best with Williams/Walker shooting 5-25. If the hit more shots, maybe it's competitive but honestly I just don't think it's UCONN's year. They lost 2 of the best scorers in program history and have very young and inexperienced players taking on roles they aren't ready for. Usually UCONN just reloads but the lack of experience combined with lack of depth is proving to be a lot to overcome. Never say never, but aside from 2004 and 2013, UCONN has won their other 9 titles when they're the commanding #1 team in the country for the majority of the season.

ONO had a good game but has struggled against bigger defenders and isn't a polished product offensively. Williams has all of the tools but doesn't appear to have the "I need to take over" instinct yet. I know she was sick, but in other games too. She'll quietly put up 15-20 most nights but you barely notice it. Might be another year before she realizes how good she can be and unleashes. Griffin is the perfect spark plug player off the bench right now but doesn't have the savvy to play starters minutes without a lot of young mistakes. Plus another freshman in Makurat (who was excellent tonight) and that's 4 of your top 6 players. Future is bright but it's tough right now. I think UCONN has a great opportunity next week playing South Carolina, who also is young and has never done well against the Huskies. Still a lot of season left to go, but next week is going to be important.
 
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Anyone else feel like Geno did a "pysch" (is the spelling correct?) by clearing the bench, "making" Kelly do the same, before Sabrina got a triple-double?
Yeah, me neither.
 
Figurehead said:
Sabrina was one rebound, one assist away from a triple double.
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That would have been her 24th which carries great smbolism.
nwhoopfan said:
She really controlled the game, especially in the first half. But we've all seen games when she can't miss, especially from deep, and this was not one of those games.
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Maybe to amped to get the 24th triple double? Not the best of Sabrina which is scary.
 
My thoughts:
  • Oregon ran their offense well and hit their shots. We had no answer for hebard and sabally. Moore played good defense for the ducks. We were outplayed tonight and you have to give credit to the better team.
  • Crystal was the only one that had an intensity and confidence to play like we could win this game. Anna was most of the time but she’s still young. I’m disappointed in Williams. She’s just not turning into that dog that we need in a fight, perhaps she was sick, but she runs around sometimes like she’s on eggshells instead of showing an aggressiveness. I hope she’ll turn it around but I don’t see her ever being more than a good player right now for us.
  • I thought meg tried hard but the shot was not falling and she couldn’t get past the more athletic sabally.
  • Liv was decent amd fought and at least didn’t lay an egg. Aubrey played hard but just exposes the ball too much and doesn’t have that savvy around the rim yet. Needs to work on shot and free throws.
  • Anna played well. I’m most impressed with her development. Scores rebounds and handles the ball for us. Thank god for her.
  • I think we are a very good team, but it’s probably going to take a perfect storm for us to get to the final four or win a championship. We just aren’t as talented as Baylor, Oregon and probably South Carolina
  • Now that we’re playing these top teams and seeing how we stack up I’m ok with it and have come to peace with our team. Let’s enjoy the team for who they are and have the right expectations going forward. Perhaps we will be pleasantly surprised, but most likely we are an elite eight team and maybe a final four team.

 
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nwhoopfan said:
I can understand..."but if only UConn made more shots" kind of statements, but Oregon honestly could've played better. Missed quite a few bunnies, only 6-20 behind the arc, Ionescu was only 4-12 from the floor, no bench points.
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Besides the fact that it's the height of tautology to say we would've won if we'd scored more points.
 
It was what was expected. Oregon is just much, much better. But there were bright spots. Crystal played her heart out. Anna played a vicious faceguard defense, had four rebounds, 4 assists and 13 points. The threes were fine, the short jumper and cut even better. Pass the damn ball to her. Aubrey played great defense but her offense isn’t there yet. Girl needs to spend off season shooting free throws. Kudos to CW for showing up. I wondered if Meg could stand up to Oregon wall. While she mostly didn’t, she had at least two threes ring out. Liv had moments, just not enough, but after another year...Kyla was only a symbolic starter but Anna was Lou Gehrig, once she went in, she stayed there until last minute when Geno emptied bench. If you accept the fact that Anna is the starter in reality, all of UConn’s points save three by AG, like Oregon, were scored for starters. Goal should be to make elite eight and then hope.
 
HopJim said:
A few thoughts:
-Believe we can beat the Ducks with a different offense and at least a few players making shots.
-Anna wide open numerous times and not getting ball. What's up?
-Geno totally out coached. Don't care how many championships he has won, keeping Griffin in game when she was getting abused at both ends tough to see.
-While I remain a big Griffin fan, she was exposed tonight. Against another athletic player, she showed no offense. When she got ball, defense backed up. Tough to watch.
-Would suggest we develop a Plan B offense to use against the tough defensive teams. Counting on making 3's every game not looking like the answer against teams like Oregon.
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What offense do you think can be implemented? Almost every good team is a lot bigger than the Huskies, and ONO gives you size and good post defense but doesn't always make the team better offensively when she's out there. Makurat/Walker are significantly better taking set shots than creating off the bounce. Dangerfield is a good creator for herself but doesn't create a ton of shots for others. Williams is the most dynamic offensive threat IMO but I don't see a lot of plays being run for her. Irwin when she's out there isn't a threat, and Griffin really isn't either in a half court game but wreaks havoc defensively and attacking the glass. None of Adebayo/Camara/Bent get any playing time in games like this. There just aren't the same number of offensive options you've had in years prior and the ball movement isn't the same.
 
Oregon was the better team tonight. UConn can play better and we have the ability, if players are on, to be in the final 4.

Not meant to b a nic picking comment, but Oregon is a champ at moving screens, which the refs don't seem to call. Or is that just me thinking that?
 
CocoHusky said:
Anna was not where she was supposed to be on those offensive sets. Everyone on the bench including Geno was motionning for her to get out of there. Left baseline corner is where she was supposed to be not at the top of the key.
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What difference does it make if she was wide open? Dangerfield was dribbling into trouble and lost the ball, passing to an open teammate was the right thing to do. Sometimes a player has to go with what is instead of what should be. Also, was Liv playing so bad that she needed to sit so much? Walker needed to sit some. If anyone else was having such a bad offensive game she would have been replaced. Further, the defense was not so bad. Oregon was held well below their season average and if UConn had gotten better offensive output from some of their stars, some of the comments made here would not have been made, including mine.
 
ABCDFE said:
My thoughts:
  • Oregon ran their offense well and hit their shots. We had no answer for hebard and sabally. Moore played good defense for the ducks. We were outplayed tonight and you have to give credit to the better team.
  • Crystal was the only one that had an intensity and confidence to play like we could win this game. Anna was most of the time but she’s still young. I’m disappointed in Williams. She’s just not turning into that dog that we need in a fight, perhaps she was sick, but she runs around sometimes like she’s on eggshells instead of showing an aggressiveness. I hope she’ll turn it around but I don’t see her ever being more than a good player right now for us.
  • I thought meg tried hard but the shot was not falling and she couldn’t get past the more athletic sabally.
  • Liv was decent amd fought and at least didn’t lay an egg. Aubrey played hard but just exposes the ball too much and doesn’t have that savvy around the rim yet. Needs to work on shot and free throws.
  • Anna played well. I’m most impressed with her development. Scores rebounds and handles the ball for us. Thank god for her.
  • I think we are a very good team, but it’s probably going to take a perfect storm for us to get to the final four or win a championship. We just aren’t as talented as Baylor, Oregon and probably South Carolina
  • Now that we’re playing these top teams and seeing how we stack up I’m ok with it and have come to peace with our team. Let’s enjoy the team for who they are and have the right expectations going forward. Perhaps we will be pleasantly surprised, but most likely we are an elite eight team and maybe a final four team.
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Agree. Enjoy what we have now. Then after the last game, look to next year. Let’s make Crystal’s last year one to remember as much as possible.
 
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