Oregon Postgame Thread

[CTBballfan243]

UConn fans are agitated enough without bringing that stuff to the Boneyard.

It’s all in good fun. It’s only a basketball game, it’s not life or death. UConn has won so much over the years. Just our turn to take a good beating. I sure we can handle it.

 

[uconnfan68]

I thought they started running shot clock WAY too soon, the majority of the 4th quarter. Predictably led to many empty possessions. UConn didn't make much hay with it though.

The multiple open shots being passed on only to have a shot clock violation was the last straw. Just a bad game by overmatched kids. Need much more poise to go anywhere. It’s also possible we’ve been scouted pretty well. We don’t seem to have any easy baskets anymore.

 

[hoopsfan22]

Any post game comments from Geno yet?

Check the Geno post-game press conference thread. 22 minutes of Geno's post-game comments.

 

[Jingo]

Megan and Williams didn't show up for Baylor, Tennessee and now Oregon!

Yes .. the Big Three is now officially the Big Two - Crystal and Ania, eh?

 

[Jingo]

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 ?

Bcuz when Griff goes in, Liv goes out .. isn't that the way it works?

 

[Ozimoto]

I ha e accepted this team for what I see. A young, undersized team that is not ready for prime time and is overwhelmed against big and experienced teams. I think elite eight is the ceiling this year and if they draw a bad matchup they could go out in the sweet sixteen. Hopefully, this year will be the forge to toughen them up and hit the floor running next year. It might take until the ‘21-‘22 season to get back to the top.

 

[Jingo]

I commented last week that ALL of the starting 5 needed to "show up and show out" if UConn was to win tonight. I got the follow response from a poster:

"I don't think it's relevant - in fact, it IS counter-productive - to talk about our "five starters" since two of our non-starters have spearheaded recent victories. Basketball is a team game and "All five must show up, and show out for 40 minutes" is no longer applicable for this team, eh? Match-ups, when and where, will determine who gets the most "starter" minutes, eh?"

While I was watching the game tonight, I kept thinking about his comments. I think the results of the game tonight proved my point. All 5 didn't show up. UConn suffered their worst defeat in Gampel ever. Oregon is a much better team than UConn is right now. I knew that going in. That's why I made that observation.

Three of 'em showed up - Liv, Crystal and Ania - MW & CW didn't show ... eh? .. and no, your point was not proved ...

 

[Dokey]

Yes .. the Big Three is now officially the Big Two - Crystal and Ania, eh?

Yeah, let’s remember one game does not cancel out earlier contributions. CW was ill, Meg was up against a couple of real studs. Crystal and Anna scored 57% of our points. I’d rather that were 57% of 80.

 

[Woof 101]

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.

No attack Wbbfan1 .... But UConn is about the team effort. Not sure an individual making All American is the point of interest at this time. Post season maybe, but not UConn style to be worried about individual season accolades at this time.

 

[hoophuskee]

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.

IMO you are making this up because you are frustrated. Sure we all are. I just think you're lashing out due to disappointment. And I think with some of you, Geno can never win.

1--- For example, what does the bold mean? You mean our offense was fine when she was in? SO she holds no blame for our team scoring just 13 pts in qtr 1? And our 3pt defense in qtr 1, how much of an impact was she? Who is she going to defend on the perimeter? And if she ever got matched up against Sabally she shut her down? Because I heard Lobo say every time Liv as guarding Sabally - Sabally took it to her. We were down by 10 in 1st qtr and down by 13 at the end of the 1st half. How is it that she wasn't a problem?

2-- In regards to the itallics-- in your opinion - what is the magical number of minutes that"helps" a player. SO if 24 minutes doesn't help her--what is that magical number? She's only get better if she plays 36 minutes a game? 31?

3-- In regards to the underlined-- how often do we hear Geno pulls his players too early after they make a mistake thus he hurts their confidence? So by the UCONN team struggling on offense and the opposing team drilling 3's-- how is that Liv's confidence would be soaring by keeping her in? Geno can't win. Her confidence isn't going to get better if her team isn't scoring and the opposing team is drilling shots while she is in, while a savvy Sabally takes advantage of her every time she can. When UCONN was great it didn't matter if the opposing teams starters played more minutes than them. SO now it matters when the shoe is on the other foot in that Liv can only improve if she plays "30 minutes" in the Oregon game vs 24?

4-- If the offense is struggling, it is so hard to keep both Liv and Griffin in. You saw today Aubrey - having a wide open 6-footer and she shot an airball. That other defender is helping out vs someone else. And Aubrey needs minutes too, right? So she takes quite a few from Liv. Aubrey needs minutes too.

Though maybe it is time Geno shook up the lineup by having CWill come off the bench and stop starting Irwin. -- I don't know.

 

[nwhoopfan]

The multiple open shots being passed on only to have a shot clock violation was the last straw. Just a bad game by overmatched kids. Need much more poise to go anywhere. It’s also possible we’ve been scouted pretty well. We don’t seem to have any easy baskets anymore.

I meant Oregon. They got fairly passive on offense for a long stretch, definitely started well before the 5 minute mark of the game. Probably both teams were fatigued down the stretch as well. Some missed FTs, some missed close range shots.

 

[hart2hart]

I was taught the game by my Pops who played at ND. Passed away last year at age 92. He basically taught me play Team Ball and when your not making shots you can help the team in other ways.....so tonight what I saw were two starters not making shots They needed to get the ball to other players who might have given us a chance to win the game. They weren’t playing Team Ball. That said let’s get ready for the next game and get the passion back!
The gals played with such passion in the USA game...,..please get that passion back!

 

[enigmatic]

Despite the loss and whatever the outcome may be in Columbia next Monday, I'm not going to resign myself to the notion that this team cant win a national championship this season. I remain buoyant that the shots will start to fall, MW and CW will be more assertive, AG will get a little more mature on the offensive end, and ONO will continue to fight in the post even if things aren't going her way. The season is not over folks. Yes at best of right now, I see ourselves as a 2 seed and getting sent to Portland (if that's the case but I'm vouching for Fort Wayne) but I still find credence that it can all come together at tournament time. My belief that we still can do it doesnt flail. If we can win a title when there were better teams than us during the season (12-13) then why not think we can do it again even if the initial argument can be made that the personnel they had isn't similar in comparison to now.

 

[MSGRET]

Sabrina was one rebound, one assist away from a triple double.

At least UConn did something right. They kept their record of not allowing an opposing player of having a Triple Double.

 

[Mulder]

What is unclassy about their tweet? They’re excited they won. Good for them.

. . . To the victor go the spoils.

 

[domerduck]

What is unclassy about their tweet? They’re excited they won. Good for them.

When you guys come to Eugene in a few years and beat us, you can do the same thing.

 

[hoophuskee]

One of these nights, Makurat starts, maybe Griffin. Aubrey and Ono have to come to the gym and get fed balls for reliable fifteen footers. Ono has improved as has Anna and Griffin can be a force. Let those five or six play together in practice and improve their chemistry, then it all doesn't fall on three veteran players to carry the load. It's possible Geno is saving his best athletes for a surprise on an unwary late season opponent.

No way this year. IMO your belief that this year Liv and Aubrey could become reliable 15 foot shooters is an impossibility. It doesn't mean they can't hit 1 or 2. But no way no how imo what you're thinking. It takes a summer - and in many cases more than 1. There is "Game pressure" too to hit those shots in which those 2 were never much of a shooter even in high school. IMO the better option is keep working MW, CW and AM. They have serious offensive skills.

 

[oldude]

It was!! If you choose not to admit it it, that's your choice. I'm more than satisfied that it was!! The final score proved it!! Liv did not play well. She was benched to begin the second half, and was totally dominated by Hebert. Only Crystal and Anna showed up. As I said....ALL 5 starters had to show up for UConn to have a chance to win this game. Only 1 showed up (and 1 reserve), and they were blown out. End of story!!

I’m going to respectfully disagree on Liv. Heberd did much of her damage with Liv on the bench. Liv played only 23 minutes. She shot 4/5, pulled down 6 boards, blocked 2 shots and she lead the Huskies with 6 assists.

What’s more, a lot of Heberd’s baskets were on the pick and roll where Liv switched off to guard the ball, as she should, and Ionescu or someone else dumped the ball off to Heberd for an easy basket.

 

[RogueDave]

Great game to watch Oregon they played UCONN basketball to the hilt. Very very impressive.

I hope the Gampel fans gave them a standing ovation.

Team needs to get tougher, value the basketball more and significantly improve basketball IQ.

Simple as that!

Crystal and the Freshman played their hearts out.

 

[Watchdog]

Fair weather fans really make me sick. We seem to have acquired a large number of them over the years. The chat room is pathetic.

Geno was critical (politely) of effort and execution when asked about the team's performance tonight, so why is it problematic if the fans point out aspects of a pretty lackluster performance?

Experience, especially playing together with mostly new people in major roles, and lack of quality depth are the major issues, along with lack of size inside and he knows it and was honest about it.

Crystal and Anna were bright spots tonight but you need more from players like MW, CW and LNO.
And I'll repeat what another poster said above. It's odd how often Anna is open but doesn't get the ball. I wish one of the reporters would ask about that.

 

[oldude]

She was outplayed by Hebard overall. Did you take note of the Paint points Oregon had in the first half? That is were Liv was ineffective, and why I believe she was benched to begin the 2nd half. She was not in foul trouble. OD, if you're playing well, you don't get benched!

I have a much different take. UConn was down double digits at the half. Holly Rowe reported that Geno planned to trap Ionescu in an effort to force turnovers and transition baskets in the 2nd half. In order to trap Ionescu, he needed Aubrey on the court.

It’s the same strategy that worked vs TN, but against an experienced Oregon team it didn’t work. Even when Aubrey forced a couple turnovers, she couldn’t finish at the basket. Geno was simply trying something else. It was not a reflection on Liv’s play IMO.

 

[Blue Huskie]

Geno was critical (politely) of effort and execution when asked about the team's performance tonight, so why is it problematic if the fans point out aspects of a pretty lackluster performance?

Experience, especially playing together with mostly new people in major roles, and lack of quality depth are the major issues, along with lack of size inside and he knows it and was honest about it.

Crystal and Anna were bright spots tonight but you need more from players like MW, CW and LNO.
And I'll repeat what another poster said above. It's odd how often Anna is open but doesn't get the ball. I wish one of the reporters would ask about that.

Sure he was. And he also gave a hell of a lot more credit to Oregon than many of our so called fans are willing to do. On the surface there is no problem "if the fans point out aspects of a pretty lackluster performance". The problem is certain fans do nothing but that. And when we play well you barely ever hear from those same "fans".

 

[hoophuskee]

I’m going to respectfully disagree on Liv. Heberd did much of her damage with Liv on the bench. Liv played only 23 minutes. She shot 4/5, pulled down 6 boards, blocked 2 shots and she lead the Huskies with 6 assists.

What’s more, a lot of Heberd’s baskets were on the pick and roll where Liv switched off to guard the ball, as she should, and Ionescu or someone else dumped the ball off to Heberd for an easy basket.

I respectfully disagree. While she was in the game in the 1st qtr Oregon got 23 points and UCONN only got 13. She had little-to-no impact in the game. Because she wasn't worse than others doesn't mean she was "okay." We can't get out on their shooters when she is in. Even if you switch enough - inevitably Liv (or other matchups - not just Liv) would be forced to guard a quick player who can handle the ball. She needs help. As Lobo said-- Sabally would take advantage of her. Sure Sabally also took advantage of others but it doesn't mean Liv was okay because the others couldn't handle her either. There is a reason Geno is saying his team had no answers for their bigs. Liv is young and sure she fought. But that's not enough. UCONN's goal is to win. We're not an AAC team who is okay with just keeping the score close. Liv was both taken advantage of and not much of an offensive player to worry about.

 

[hoophuskee]

I have a much different take. UConn was down double digits at the half. Holly Rowe reported that Geno planned to trap Ionescu in an effort to force turnovers and transition baskets in the 2nd half. In order to trap Ionescu, he needed Aubrey on the court.

That was at the end of the 3rd qtr Holly reported that.

 

[Longtime fan]

Some thoughts on the Oregon game:

• I’ll start with the good. Crystal continues to play brilliantly. She is no Sabrina Ionescu, but she’s probably the next best thing. Liv showed some toughness against her PanAm game teammate and Anna continues to demonstrate poise under pressure.
• I know a lot of folks like to talk about Oregon’s outstanding offense, but the Duck’s team defense has improved dramatically. Moore in particular is a tremendous defender. UConn really struggled to get open looks against the Ducks.
• As for the Duck’s offense, they share the ball, kill you with the pick & roll, crash the boards and they can all shoot it. Not quite sure how they lost two games this year.
• In his pregame comments Geno talked about the blowout win vs Oregon in the Elite 8 three years ago when he said UConn’s experience was just too much for Oregon. He then suggested that perhaps the roles were reversed this year. Geno got that one right. Oregon has 20 years of college experience in the starting lineup and their execution is beautiful, not unlike that UConn team that beat Oregon by 38 three years ago.
• UConn lost to a much better team tonight. I know there will be a tendency by some to cast blame. I urge BY’ers to resist that urge and understand that this UConn team has a much tougher road to travel than any UConn team we’ve seen in the last 12 years or so.

I am writing this, old dude, without reading your assessment. I want to see how close we are in our reactions to this game. Then, I will read yours.

1. We have two "money" players. Those are players who can consistently be depended upon to give the team a boost when it is critical to do so. Usually, that means " make a big shot at a big moment." Dangerfield, of course, is the best we have. Makurat is the second best. And that is surprising, given her freshman status.

2. I thought Olivia played decently today. She battled, made a great pass for an assist, scored a few points, rebounded as best she could and blocked a shot or two. I don't think Geno necessarily agreed with me, as she spent a lot of time on the bench not in foul trouble. But I do not delude myself, she looks far away from what we need in the post. Probably a year away, despite the improvement we see from game to game.

3. Walker was simply not in the game today. Or anywhere close to being on her game. And that is so disappointing We had been trusting her as " money." But she showed she is not. Still a fine player, of course, and we should grant her an off day. But in the biggest contest of the year, at home? Trying too hard, perhaps, to show that she was on a level with another high school player of the year, Ionescu. She isn't, but no one is close.

4. Williams played as though she had been knocked out by the flu. Game and courageous. But not she may as well not have suited up.

5. Let me talk about Griffin. Here is what she is right now;

A. A player who can disrupt the other team and create turnovers.

B. An elite jumper and decent rebounder.

Here is what she is not right now:

A. A shooter. She avoids shooting because ( I fear ) she knows she shouldn't. She was 1-4 from the free throw line, and the one shot she attempted from the floor( 8-10 feet out ), didn't hit anything until it landed out of bounds. She shows absolutely no inclination to have any desire to shoot.

B. A finisher. I imagine that in High School she made endless lay-ups, largely unchallenged, due to her speed, height, and jumping ability. In the last several games, she has failed to finish on nearly every opportunity around the hoop. Whether it was a drive to the basket, a court length run with defenders trailing her, or a put-back after a rebound. If UCONN can use a "designated defender" then she has a role. But her inability to finish negates her prowess as a defender and creator of turnovers. Unless she finishes such plays ( or her teammates do ), all her good work accomplishes is to shorten the game ( she defends, steals a ball, drives to the hoop, loses the ball, new play starts ).

At the moment, she is a great athlete but a highly limited basketball player. The concern I have is that she really doesn't give off any signs ( at least not yet ) of becoming one. By contrast, for example, Olivia ( I know, she is a sophomore ) has recently shown the guts to start taking some shots, and has converted a few. One gets the sense that the ability is there, and that confidence in her shot will come. Griffin, on the other hand, avoids such moments like a plague and, when forced to shoot, doesn't look like she has ever done it before. Enough time has passed that the " she's only a freshman" excuse is beginning to wear a bit thin. There are plenty of freshmen around the country who are opening people's eyes with their play, and contributing significantly to their teams.

I thought she would show much more, by now.

 

[Longtime fan]

What struck me, and something I didn't really grasp until the 2 teams met head to head, is that the Oregon starters (and probably the bench as well) is, with the exception of Moore, bigger than UConn's starters -- with the exception of ONO. And the Oregon starters have long arms as well & they used them to disrupt UConn passes The other interesting thing is that, unlike Tenn's bigs, Oregon's bigger players are fast and relentless. Sabrina is pretty much a known quantity, & she wasn't having -- and didn't need -- one of her spectacular games.

Crystal played full on until Q4, when she ran out of gas; even missed free throws. She's a treasure & can't be appreciated enough. But Oregon's Moore played outstanding point; better than her usual if the ESPN commentators were correct. Oregon used its assets and their good training & experience to play excellent defense, but Crystal's efficiency indicated that Megan and Christyn are still in an offensive slump not due entirely to the Ducks' defense. CW was handicapped by illness & that the size & quickness of Oregon players frustrated her usually strong offensive contribution, layups -- this happened with Crystal as well. But I didn't see anything notably "cringeworthy" in her passes, despite the fast pace. This also had an impact on Griffin as well -- she was able to disrupt Oregon offense but couldn't finish -- the Duck players were as fast as she was, and they could foul or block her at will since she has had a poor FT percentage so far. Not sure if the coaches knew how best to use ONO; looked like they were trying different substitutions to see if anything worked. Anna managed to make some helpful 3s, a lot better offensive performance than her previous outing. It could be she could have scored more 3s if she had been the target of more passes (she was pretty close to Crystal in efficiency) but she had the tendency to stand around waiting for a pass rather than moving more, I thought. Maybe this had something to do with it.

Good news is that Ionescu, Hebard (one of my favorite Oregon players), and Moore won't be around next year. They probably felt the same way about Katie Lou and Napheesa. I don't know if Foley is graduating, but she chose a fine time to get her 3 pt shooting zeroed in this evening. In other games I've seen she rode the bench quite a bit because of her erratic shooting. Will they be as good with just Sabaly, who, admittedly, is very very good.

I know too little about the game to have any suggestions for improving player performance.

But the bad news is that Oregon has next seasons' number one recruiting class.

 

[oldude]

I respectfully disagree. While she was in the game in the 1st qtr Oregon got 23 points and UCONN only got 13. She had little-to-no impact in the game. Because she wasn't worse than others doesn't mean she was "okay." We can't get out on their shooters when she is in. Even if you switch enough - inevitably Liv (or other matchups - not just Liv) would be forced to guard a quick player who can handle the ball. She needs help. As Lobo said-- Sabally would take advantage of her. Sure Sabally also took advantage of others but it doesn't mean Liv was okay because the others couldn't handle her either. There is a reason Geno is saying his team had no answers for their bigs. Liv is young and sure she fought. But that's not enough. UCONN's goal is to win. We're not an AAC team who is okay with just keeping the score close. Liv was both taken advantage of and not much of an offensive player to worry about.

We’re going to have to disagree. But I need to point out relative to your last point that Liv was responsible for 20+ points for UConn, scoring 8 on only 5 shots, and assisting on 6 baskets. She was in fact UConn’s most efficient offensive player.

 

[pvdoggy]

4. Williams played as though she had been knocked out by the flu. Game and courageous. But not she may as well not have suited up.

5. Let me talk about Griffin. Here is what she is right now;

A. A player who can disrupt the other team and create turnovers.

B. An elite jumper and decent rebounder.

Here is what she is not right now:

A. A shooter. She avoids shooting because ( I fear ) she knows she shouldn't. She was 1-4 from the free throw line, and the one shot she attempted from the floor( 8-10 feet out ), didn't hit anything until it landed out of bounds. She shows absolutely no inclination to have any desire to shoot.

B. A finisher. I imagine that in High School she made endless lay-ups, largely unchallenged, due to her speed, height, and jumping ability. In the last several games, she has failed to finish on nearly every opportunity around the hoop. Whether it was a drive to the basket, a court length run with defenders trailing her, or a put-back after a rebound. If UCONN can use a "designated defender" then she has a role. But her inability to finish negates her prowess as a defender and creator of turnovers. Unless she finishes such plays ( or her teammates do ), all her good work accomplishes is to shorten the game ( she defends, steals a ball, drives to the hoop, loses the ball, new play starts ).

At the moment, she is a great athlete but a highly limited basketball player. The concern I have is that she really doesn't give off any signs ( at least not yet ) of becoming one. By contrast, for example, Olivia ( I know, she is a sophomore ) has recently shown the guts to start taking some shots, and has converted a few. One gets the sense that the ability is there, and that confidence in her shot will come. Griffin, on the other hand, avoids such moments like a plague and, when forced to shoot, doesn't look like she has ever done it before. Enough time has passed that the " she's only a freshman" excuse is beginning to wear a bit thin. There are plenty of freshmen around the country who are opening people's eyes with their play, and contributing significantly to their teams.

I thought she would show much more, by now.

Aubrey has even worse mechanics in her shot than CW. They both have the ball too much in the palm of their hand and do not use their wrists as much as a good shooter like Lou for example, even in her foul shot. Not a surprise that she is a little shy putting up jump shot, even from short to mid-range. Given what happened with Pheesa who has her shooting motion fixed by the Lynx when she got to the WNBA, I am guessing that Uconn coaches do not try to fix the players shooting mechanics while they are at Uconn which is a bit surprising.

 

[BostonBay]

I agree with you 100%. No shame in losing to teams that a better than you. And in fairness, UConn might be ranked a little higher than warranted. Probably belong more in the 7-8 slot.

I posted a question before the season if UConn was a Top 10 team and was basically laughed at by the regulars on this board. If UConn gets blown out by SC like they did tonight, I definitely see them as a 3-seed. Its clear to everyone now that this team just does not have the physical size and depth to compete with the top teams. Not a knock on ONO. But, you dont lose 2 of the best players in America (who also provided their physical toughness & scoring) & expect things to be the same. MW, CW & CD had shown flashes but never the consistency to carry a team.

 

[hoophuskee]

We’re going to have to disagree. But I need to point out relative to your last point that Liv was responsible for 20+ points for UConn, scoring 8 on only 5 shots, and assisting on 6 baskets. She was in fact UConn’s most efficient offensive player.

You are right we have to disagree. Shes efficient only because the defense isn't keyed on her. She's about the 4th option on the team for a reason. Her passing skills are weak. Her shooting isn't much. Teams with size will allow her to try to beat them. Liv can't influence an offense. She can make an occasional play but not an impact. That's what we saw here. If she had the impact then she'd be double-teamed. If she does get doubled they think it's because they can steal the ball from her or steal her pass.

On defense-- as stated - 1st qtr they put up 23. She couldn't affect the game. Not her fault she is young. But as Geno said -- they can't stop Oregon's bigs. Liv is/was a part of that. She'll get better. Too young right now.