Providence Postgame Thread

[cgshuskie]

Uconn showed very mentally fatigued tonight. They played like they knew they had Providence and just showed to get the win. Dorka played great as expected. Nika also. Aubrey brought a semblance of her game to this one. AE seemed to be out of it. Teams have figured out how to limit the efficiency of AE. They've simply watched the film on her moves all season. Especially on her driving and spinning. The answer is to drop a player (or send a player) to a position under the basket whenever the ball is passed into her. Then there is someone there to double team her, capture a charge or force her to pass out. She must adjust her moves to regain her scoring. Lou needs a break. Weak legs will affect a shooters efficiency. Mostly defenders are not going under screens for her and teams are putting a player who is fast on Lou to not let her beat them to the inevitable screen. She needs another to pull some of the pressure off of her attempts to get open.
The bench needs more and more time. Also, they should be encouraged in practice to do more than defense. If we expect them to score than they must do so in practice. Learning defense and nothing else as a freshman is simply old school and will not work with today's players. Freshman must learn offense as well as defense. Both warrant practice. Uconn will play better against SC because SC's guard play is weaker this year than last. The struggle will be on the boards and in the paint. Can Dorka, with help, restrain Boston. How will we react when Boston and Cardoso is on the floor? Who will cover Amihere when she comes in? That is the struggle. Will Lou cover Beal? Matchup nightmare!

 

[ME Husky Fan]

Speaking of ugly, I'm wondering what has happened to Ayanna's low-post game. I saw her in HS, and her overall skill set seems to have regressed since coming to UConn: She has no shooter's touch, no appreciable footwork, and her court movement is stagnant. Wow. BY-ers were speculating preseason if she would get a dunk--I really hope so, because that appears to be the only shot she is capable of making.. She needs some serious focus and improvement before she can make any kind of appreciable contribution to thisteam...

Sort of reminds me of the kind who transferred to ASU a few years back. (sorry, her name escapes me) Didn’t matter what she did in HS and what she showed in practice but it seemed as if every time Geno put her, she seemed out of place.

 

[darrell]

Some optimism regarding Azzi. I guess no news isn’t terrible news.

 

[Centerstream]

Sort of reminds me of the kind who transferred to ASU a few years back. (sorry, her name escapes me) Didn’t matter what she did in HS and what she showed in practice but it seemed as if every time Geno put her, she seemed out of place.

Courtney Ekmark?

 

[Mdoggie]

Watch the Providence player after Lou’s layup

Nothing to see. Move along.

 

[hoopsnloops32]

Some optimism regarding Azzi. I guess no news isn’t terrible news.

This is good. I like there not being a date, hopefully takes some pressure off of her.

 

[Urshurak]

Did she say the “the the” part?

 

[uconnfan68]

Why do so many call CAROLINE Carol? It's not her name, nor her nickname.

I heard CD call her that. Good enough for me.

 

[HuskyNan]

363 days ago, there was this.

 

[donalddoowop]

Lots of people here want Geno to play the bench more... well, this is what you get.... the bench was "ineffective" to put it kindly... at least they ate some minutes...

The bench plays a limited number of minutes. So, you expect them to come out and be stars? They did not hurt the team and gave some starters some rest. Some starters are struggling right now. Did the bench players play any worse than some of the starters? If all they did was give the starters some rest, it helped the team.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

Take any top 10 team. Remove their best 3 players. Take the next 5 and play them 30+ minutes all year. Who would still be a top 5 team...or even top 25 in some cases? Who would be in the hunt for a 1 seed?

 

[bbfanLA]

With her 9 assists tonight, Nika moved into the top ten for most assists for a UConn player at number 8. And she’s now in second place for assists in a season for a UConn junior.

 

[eggfit]

GENO’s Angels at the Dailey Planet:

SuperMühl
Count Dorkula
Captain Aaliy-ica
Loubo Cop
Flash Griffin
Azzi the Vampire Slayer
Duch Vader
The Inêsible Hulk
PattMan
Captain Amarvel
Hannibal Bueckers

… and beware, the Iceman cometh!!!

 

[pvdoggy]

Speaking of ugly, I'm wondering what has happened to Ayanna's low-post game. I saw her in HS, and her overall skill set seems to have regressed since coming to UConn: She has no shooter's touch, no appreciable footwork, and her court movement is stagnant. Wow. BY-ers were speculating preseason if she would get a dunk--I really hope so, because that appears to be the only shot she is capable of making.. She needs some serious focus and improvement before she can make any kind of appreciable contribution to thisteam...

I have to agree, she has no sense of the basket. In HS, she probably played against much shorter and much less athletic than college players. That's why I am usually not wowed by highlights of post-players in high school.

 

[my2cents]

21-2,with all the injuries is pretty impressive to me. NUFF SAID

 

[dtbtbtb]

Few Thoughts:
*Can the game for Sunday get cancelled
*This was a Very difficult game to watch.
*can't even start imagining how hard it is on the magical 5 to continue and grind, game after game.
*Kudos to Providence for playing very well on defense and following the scout on AE and Lou.
*AE: probably her worst game of the season. seemed totally off. I'm sure that getting the 2 offensive fouls in the first half took a lof of her aggressiveness out and then she got a third offensive foul...
*Lou: are the refs instructed to ignore her? she is being roughed up every game with very little response from the refs. Even when she gets a call, it seems like a late whistle...
*Dorka: saved UConn in this game. Seemed to own every rebound. Just wish she had stronger hands....
*Nika: played very well in the first half...not so good in the second...and some of those turnovers.....argh...
*Aubrey: was pretty good. Had issues with stopping Crooms...
*Amari: so slow of defense. Can't switch on pick and rolls on defense. Didn't look to shoot at all...
*AP: not a good game. You just can't miss a layup where you are totally by yourself under the basket...
*Ines: didn't seem to hurt the team in the minutes she played but the team is not looking for her on offense, so she didn't contribute much either. I actually liked the shot she took, even that she missed. it was the right shot.
*i hope they all get a day off tomorrow and Friday to rest and get their bodies and minds back to form as Sunday could be very bad if this team that played today shows up. SC has not been great most of the season but without a doubt they are the number 1 team in the country with endless supply of HS AA and I'm sure Boston will be motivated to make a point playing against AE on national TV.
Oh yes and can the game for Sunday get cancelled

 

[Lynx23]

I just hope UConn can keep it respectable and nobody gets hurt. This is one game I will be glad to have behind us. I'm hoping fans will temper their expectations for this game, and keep in mind the size and strength of #1 South Carolina versus the health and fatigue challenges we are currently experiencing.

I don't care about losing this game or not. I'm NOT throwing in the towel mind you, but I'm more concerned about the health and well being of our players than the outcome of this game. UConn will have 7 games left in the regular season after Sunday. They're sputtering and leaking oil as they approach the the finish line in 3 weeks in a Monday night match up with Xavier on Feb 27. As others have suggested, they're not in a good place right now. The Big East WBB Tournament begins on Friday March 3rd at the Mohegan Sun Arena.

I agree about Sunday. I know the game is going to be hyped to the extreme, but I look at it this way. What are the chances of beating South Carolina twice in the same season, assuming both teams make the Finals or Semi-Finals if it turns out that way? Not very realistic, right? I'd rather take a loss on Sunday with a short-handed team, and a victory in the tournament, of course with Caroline and Azzi back. No matter the outcome on Sunday, I won't be disappointed. I know the team will give it their all under very challenging circumstances. One more thing, aside from the Tennessee game, Geno seems to be tired and unusually passive. I think the past two games have reflected the coach's affect, as everyone seems physically and mentally drained at this point in the season. In any event, the fully story is yet to be written. If they pull this season out with a championship, someone should write a book.

 

[VA Huskie]

Too tired to celebrate

 

[VA Huskie]

And let us not forget that our record in those 5 games in 12 days was 5-0. And two of the 5 games were against prettiest good teams (Tennessee and Villanova). Can’t get any better than 5-0!

 

[Boreifs]

UConn played their C game, Providence played, I guess for them, their A game. Trap game, too

I think there were 3 bench points, btw

On edit: Ayanna had one point, 1 turnover, 1 foul
Ines was 0-1 and 1 steal
Amari, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover, 3 fouls

No rebounds from the two big girls

I fail to see how any of those three subs could possibly help the team in March. If Carol and Azzi can’t play, that’s all she wrote.

 

[Woof 101]

Speaking of ugly, I'm wondering what has happened to Ayanna's low-post game. I saw her in HS, and her overall skill set seems to have regressed since coming to UConn: She has no shooter's touch, no appreciable footwork, and her court movement

Obviously she made a bad choice and is under a coaching staff with no clue on how to develop players.

So now we play South Carolina with a pretty depleted and dispirited group.

Depleted I will give you but dispirited I have to beg to differ. This team has never shown to be dispirited. They support each other all game every game.

 

[Urshurak]

Obviously she made a bad choice and is under a coaching staff with no clue on how to develop players.

Depleted I will give you but dispirited I have to beg to differ. This team has never shown to be dispirited. They support each other all game every game.

They do support each other. But now, they’re too tired to hold themselves up, let alone each other.

 

[hoy-ah!]

Very disturbing trend from Aaliya and Lou. Two subpar games in a row. I‘m hoping they perform better on Sunday.

They're getting bodied more. Last 3 games have been physical. Opponent's defense is staying close to their man and playing as aggressive as refs allow, which they've done. You throw off UConn's moving offense, and it's out of kilter, disjointed. Add in mental mistakes, hesitant decisions, and you have tonight's game. A good strategy on the other team. Play physical, get UConn to use up the clock running around, aggressively defend Aaliyah and Lou, and see if the other starters can score.

With the above said, it was really good to see Nika and Aubrey confident in taking shots. They both let it loose at the right times. No hesitation. On the subs, it seems as if they are in practice mode. Making the passes, running the offense, but not doing mindful of the other team. They're not RELAXED.

 

[MD#12Fan]

Couple of points
1. A basketball season is not 35-40 games continuously. Coaches break a season down into smaller segments.
BYers are used to 39-0 seasons with Stevie or DT or Maya flying into action like super-heroes. This team is not that. Put things in perspective. Appreciate more what’s actually going on. With AE and Lou playing gassed, look at the lineup that’s leading this charge. I’m hearing crickets from the anti-Nika camp or AG for that matter. They’re warriors!
2. The game of the season was Sunday versus Villanova. A top-25 team vying for the BE lead. Geno and UConn value a conference championship huge, as they should. They pulled that out and promptly had to bus to Providence. Wonder how fun that was, with the exception of playing the game. (which-newsflash- the players love to do)
3. I’ll argue with anybody- Sunday’s game with SC means NOTHING. UConn has seriously nothing to lose. It will be a blast for UConn. Playing #1 at home with a couple days rest. Full house. National TV. By the time this season is over, all these squads will get a couple of more losses, except maybe Stanford and SC. If a #1 seed is everybody’s be all, UConn should still be in position for it. Hopefully undefeated in the BE (yes, that’s the prize to focus on). IMO a #2 seed is not a big deal. OK, you may have to play 2 # 1 seeds. Are we scared of LSU or Indiana?
Normal schedule going forward. 2 games a week.
4. AE. This is the showcase to display AA cred. Get your rest. These are the games you live for!

 

[Forego]

Very surprised and elated to see Dorka had an excellent game. Watching her at the Villanova post game presser her eyelids appeared to get very heavy and at one point I thought she almost fell asleep.