Providence Postgame Thread

[HuskyNan]

Not sure what you mean, but I just look at the two and if neither can score I'm taking the one who won't throw the ball away. I was surprised at KK's recruitment and pretty shocked at Geno's "point guard of the future" statement last year. Recruiting and maybe the portal can get us a 6' point guard, but this program should not find itself where it is.

Well, you’re doomed to disappointment because 5-8 PG Kelis Fisher is coming next year

 

[UConnCat]

Last week I posted several times of Geno’s bizzarro-world comment of not getting enough inside scoring calling out Jana while only playing 6 minutes. One shouldn’t listen to what he says but instead watch what he does.

LOL. Sorry. You should pay attention to what he says and what he does. The two are related; there's often a cause and effect. The post game is terrible so he plays a smaller, perimeter-oriented lineup. He'd rather put a team out there that gives him solid, if unspectacular, post play than a team with all perimeter players.

The team faces two real tests before the NCAA tournament: Tennessee and South Carolina. Both teams are demons on the offensive boards. UConn has more than a month to develop some semblance of a post game or both games could be quite ugly.

One final point and then I'm calling it a night, or week as my schedule doesn't allow me to post much on weekdays. Three generational/elite players and their teammates managed 39 points over 3 quarters against Providence. Again, this team does not look right. I feel like they need a signature win during the regular season and it's tough to see that happening.

 

[hoophuskee]

It’s a forum for comments and opinions

Absolutley. It's why I used the word "sometimes."

 

[HuskieDawg]

Admittedly Chen has been a disappointment, but KK at PG is a nono. She has her role - as a defensive disruptor - but not what we need to start and direct the team. Outside of Paige and Azzi who we want at the 2 and 3, I don't see an answer there unless possibly Morgan later on - she has the basketball IQ, is a good ball handler, and most definitely has the mojo.

I wouldn’t mind seeing Paige get some run at the 1 every now and then.

 

[Martin84]

Unless you are supremely confident (like Strong), Uconn players have been drilled in their heads to make the extra pass to get a better shot for the team, so with better shooters on the floor that's what they do even if they seem wide open.

Be careful otherwise you turn in to Anna Maqurat.

 

[maple]

I have praised Chen in the past, but in this game in particular I found her performance to be very lackluster. At only point in the 3rd quarter, of UConn's 8 TOs, Chen had 4 of them. I don't think it is a skill issue, I think she is rushing/forcing too much.

I don't really like seeing excuses for the poor performance today.

 

[Conndog]

View attachment 105812

Going by the +/-, you would think Q must have had a bad game, but she played quite well. Points and lots of rebounds in a short amount of time.

 

[sno-cat]

 

[RockyMTblue2]

KK has only hit one 3 all season. Right now I like Chen's ability to score more. But okay - KK's passing is better (and better defensively). The thing is though Chen was not a natural pg but game-in and game-out she works toward being one.

It seems for the time being KK has given up shooting th basketball other than lauyps. If she gives up shooting like she has what is her ceiling? I prefer the player that keeps working on all.

Good points @hoophuskee

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Well, you’re doomed to disappointment because 5-8 PG Kelis Fisher is coming next year

Maybe she'll convert me, but I like point guards who can see and pass over a defender. Something like that girl, what's her name now ... oh, Paigey!

 

[dtbtbtb]

Few Thoughts:
After an amazing first quarter, a very disappointing game.
Same issues that hurt UConn this season were present in this game:
lack of inside scoring by the centers. While I'm happy Geno started Jana, he didn't give her sufficient time. The only thing Ice does better than Jana is passing and Jana's upside is so much higher. Let her play Geno.
KK in ability or unwillingness to shoot from 3, is basically what stops her from being a top PG. She is amazing on defense.
Basically, it looks like UConn is a team full of role players and only 3 potential stars (Paige, Sarah and Azzi). While Shade got some potential, she doesn't deliver enough with scoring consistency.
On to Marquette

 

[maple]

View attachment 105823

Good enough to win the BE? Yes.

Good enough to reach and/or win a FF? No. Not unless we're blowing out another team by 50 points by halftime.

 

[and one]

No matter how you cut the cake, having 2 consecutive 11 point quarters against a middling BE team is cause for major concern. A team with the talent to be a serious NC contender would be expected to generate points via layups, backdoors, putbacks and the like even when the outside shooting is cold. Right now I see a team with some really good players but no team identity. Or effective inside game. Or being a consistent 3 point threat. Presumably they'll improve as a team as the season goes on. As will the other teams we'll face. The next month will tell us a lot.

 

[scotty0330]

Really hard to draw too many conclusions from a games against such an overmatched opponent. Paige did Paige things, post still not providing much of anything, Fudd still working her way back and Strong is Ms. consistent for a frosh. Still think there is something there from Cheli and thing she can and will provide us more as we make our way though conference games.

 

[Bone Dog]

Now that I've had a chance to process what I saw, I noticed a few things.

• The team is capable of running a high energy, pressing defense, and could have run it all game if Geno had let them.
• As in previous games, Geno seemed to want to run half court sets. This is perfectly reasonable, since not every team they meet in the tournament will fold in the face of a press. This is where the trouble began.
• In the set offense, especially in the second half, they ran a sort of weave in which KK or Paige or Kaitlyn or Morgan or Azzi would drive in from the elbow and then kick the ball out to the opposite elbow or corner. The player who received the pass would look to shoot, pass or drive again. This play did not get any shooters open -- at least not open enough that they wanted to shoot.
• Whenever this offense broke down, they scrambled for the ball and often got easy scores. KK was especially good at this. Some of their best offense in the second half came from broken plays.

Now if this was a serious game plan, then I'd expect Geno to be worried. The passing game was nowhere near quick enough to produce the open looks UConn is famous for. If is the operative word here. I half-wonder if the point of the second half was to create the conditions of a practice session in a live game. The outcome was never in doubt, and it looked occasionally like a pre-game shoot-around, only this time the instructions might have been 'don't take any shots that aren't perfectly open.'

Notice I said "half-wonder." I don't really believe this is what Geno told them to do. But it almost resembled a practice at times. This game was a head-scratcher for me. There's really no reason for Providence to have outscored us in any quarter. Geno has said that OOC losses are useful because they make the team more coachable. Perhaps we just saw the beginning of this today.

 

[cohenzone]

Was there. Shout out to PC and their coach. They could have folded after the 1st quarter. They adjusted to our better quickness and played good D. They made it hard for us, but don’t have the weapons to deal with our D quickness.

 

[freshler40]

This one really baffled me. I'd understand coming out a bit sluggish after the layoff and all, but they looked like they were firing on all cylinders in the first quarter and eased up a bit with shuffling the lineup in the second. Then, BAM!, even with the starters in, the wheels just came off in the third. I'm not sure I've seen a team playing so well just completely collapse like that.

Kudos to PC for making it a game in the second half. I'm sure they upped the energy level, but that even second half is mostly on UConn.

I knew Strong was, well, strong, but that and-one in the second quarter was impressive. The opposing player had her almost wrapped up. Also, Morgan showed some strength not too long after on that three that Paige sank. Morgan screened off TWO players, one tracking Paige full-bore. I was really impressed with the strength both showed on those plays.

Loved seeing Morgan go after rebounds as well.

 

[Dugway]

We do not have a very balanced offense, at least not right now. At this point in the season, I would have hoped that we would be better balanced.

We seem to get complacent and just pass the ball around the outside, run out the shot clock, shoot a jump shot from deep and then go play defense. Ok, when we are making the jump shot, okay. When we are not? Do we not have anything else?

 

[Centerstream]

Be careful otherwise you turn in to Anna Maqurat.

What does this mean?

 

[boontonbomber]

After the 1st half the players were bored,the coaches were bored, and the fans were bored. I wasn't, I didn't watch the 2nd half. I figure to do that often during Big East play. Ongoing, it will be difficult for UConn teams to really get better, because of lack of competition much of the season. Thankfully, there is OOC competition, but a lot of it has happened already. The rest of regular season: Tennessee and South Carolina.

 

[hoophuskee]

I guess it depends on what you think the team is going to need to beat the NDs and better teams of the world. If you feel that a post player isn’t important then you have a short leash with them. If you feel you are going to need at least one of them then you have to give them some rope. My personal opinion would be we’ll have more of a need for Jana or Ice than Q or Allie.

You hear coaches all the time across a variety of sports talk about how sometimes you just have to let a player figure it out on their own in the game. In these games against inferior big east teams that may be the time to do it.

I can just about promise you both Ice and Jana are playing tight right now knowing if they make a mistake they could be pulled and that is a tough way to play when you are trying to get better, still a young player, and most likely may be struggling with some confidence.

JMO.

In games like this you can't totally exclude Allie and Q, can you? They played less minutes than Ice and Jana. Granted just 1 less than Jana. Anyhow, why do you think Sarah Strong wouldn't be enough with minimal Ice or Jana? Or how about Aubrey with Sarah adding some inside baskets?

I just have always felt there is way too much infatuation with height. Am I wrong? For example, there is an assumption that the elite teams will throw-off UCONN's perimeter. So, UCONN's strength is that they have 3 special perimeter players and quite a few others whose strength is outside too in which several others are more efficient than either. Ice and Jana are both near the bottom in efficiency. So, playing these BiG East teams, these two young players are going to jump high in efficiency, so much so, that when it comes down to NCAA Tourney, these others teams with much more inside experience are going to get "out-maneuvered" by a freshman such as Jana? There's a willingness to accept that the superior perimeter players on UCONN touted extremely high are going to get shutdown but someone like Jana as a frosh who has struggled thus far, won't? IMO this to me has no logic. If these elite teams are so awesome up front, the chance that just because UCONN gives minutes to Jana vs "G_Town" and "Providence" that she can be relied upon in pressure situations to outmaneuver inside the more elite teams with elite frontlines.

Also, do you really believe that Jana missing her two layups today was due to the primary fact that she is afraid to get pulled? How about her 35.3% Free throw shooting? She is shooting so awful from the line because she is scared to get pulled?

 

[hoophuskee]

After the 1st half the players were bored,the coaches were bored, and the fans were bored. I wasn't, I didn't watch the 2nd half. I figure to do that often during Big East play. Ongoing, it will be difficult for UConn teams to really get better, because of lack of competition much of the season.

wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[HuskyNan]

We do not have a very balanced offense, at least not right now. At this point in the season, I would have hoped that we would be better balanced.

We seem to get complacent and just pass the ball around the outside, run out the shot clock, shoot a jump shot from deep and then go play defense. Ok, when we are making the jump shot, okay. When we are not? Do we not have anything else?

In the postgame presser, Geno said that he used a lot of players in the press and that the press takes a lot of energy. He said the tired legs and energy spent on the press affected the offense

 

[HuskieDawg]

In games like this you can't totally exclude Allie and Q, can you? They played less minutes than Ice and Jana. Granted just 1 less than Jana. Anyhow, why do you think Sarah Strong wouldn't be enough with minimal Ice or Jana? Or how about Aubrey with Sarah adding some inside baskets?

I just have always felt there is way too much infatuation with height. Am I wrong? For example, there is an assumption that the elite teams will throw of UCONN's perimeter. So, UCONN's strength is that they have 3 special perimeter players and quite a few others whose strength is outside too in which several others are more efficient than either. Ice and Jana are both near the bottom in efficiency. So, playing these BiG East teams, these two young players are going to jump high in efficiency, so much so, that when it comes down to NCAA Tourney, these others teams with much more inside experience are going to get "out-maneuvered" by a freshman such as Jana? There's a willingness to accept that the superior perimeter players on UCONN touted extremely high are going to get shutdown but someone like Jana as a frosh who has struggled thus far, won't? IMO this to me has no logic. If these elite teams are so awesome up front, the chance that juts because UCONN gives minutes to Jana vs "G_Town" and "Providence" that she can be relied upon in pressure situations to outmaneuver inside the more elite teams with elite frontlines.

Also, do you really believe that Jana missing her two layups today was due to the primary fact that she is afraid to get pulled? How about her 35.3% Free throw shooting? She is shooting so awful from the line because she is scared to get pulled?

All good points, just different perspectives. I think you are looking at things quite literally and I am looking at a broader picture. Again all good and both have some substance.

I believe it was Pat Summit who said defense wins games but rebounding wins championship. In many games were we have lost we lose the rebounding battle. We were out rebounded today. In this case I do think height can help especially with the size other top teams have, but we’ll see how it all shakes out.

 

[HuskyNan]

What does this mean?

He meant Anna Makurat, the 6-2 guard whose career at UConn was considered disappointing by some.

Makurat came to Storrs as part of the Huskies’ 2020 class. She had a strong freshman season where she averaged 7.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game while shooting 41.0 percent from three.

Makurat came into her second season in better shape after working with a nutritionist in Poland over the summer but didn’t translate that into production. Despite opening the year as a starter, she struggled to score and eventually lost her spot after the sixth game of the season. Makurat then missed 12 games due to a stress fracture before returning ahead of the Big East Tournament.

UConn women’s basketball: Anna Makurat to pursue professional career in Europe

With the Huskies expected to have a loaded backcourt next season, the sophomore guard will head to the pros.

www.theuconnblog.com