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Providence Postgame Thread

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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.
 
Before the season started Geno said Jana was going to surprise people and Ice was a Five star coming out of high school. Between the two of them they got two points today against the team Providence, we’re not one player would make the UConn roster. they use the full court press today. I guarantee you they will not use that against South Carolina. If UConn is going to win this year, it’s on the shoulders of Paige Azzi and Sarah. besides those three someone’s going to have to step up.Shade hasn’t performed well in big games against Notre Dame zero points and didn’t do much in the USC game. The team will probably be a two seed in the tournament. Unfortunately Geno is a victim of his own success. The bar is so high it’s championship or bust. well, that’s why they play the games. Maybe there will be a Cinderella ending.
 
UConnCat said:
Here's what I think. This team lives and dies by the perimeter jump shot. The guards are just not great at taking defenders off the dribble. Strong can do it but she tends to shoot more perimeter shots. What's worse, if the perimeter shots don't go in, there is zero chance of an offensive rebound. That's a lot of pressure to put on jump shooters. Ratchet up the pressure (defensively and mentally) in March, that's a tough way to win against good teams. Also worth pointing out that this team doesn't shoot many free throws and doesn't shoot those it does take very well.

There are 3 ways to score: jump shots, at the rim or free throws. Right now this team seems to score one way, That's a problem now and will be a bigger problem in March.

Nothing I've said in this thread hasn't been said by Geno over the years or during this season.
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And nothing that I said shows that Geno is swaying from not taking more perimeter shots and trying to win on the perimeter. Why do you think that is?

Sometimes you just have to put your strength against another’s and let the chips fall as they may. I see some posters on here are former coaches and speak of they had always needed inside play. Sure, but how many of these same coaches had the supposed excellence that UCONN might have? All three of Azzi/Paige/Sarah were projected to be generational in some manner or at least elite. You force the other team to stop this once you get on a roll.

For example, Azzi is being projected at a top 8 WNBA pick for a player that has played very few basketball games relatively speaking over the last 7 years. Is she really so one-dimensional that she will be incapable of making a move on her own vs other college players being the 3rd option with little chance to get better?

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.
 
I'd love nothing more than to see the Azzi we saw against Ole Miss. The threat of her taking her defender off the dribble will open up space for her perimeter shot. We didn't see that Azzi today but hopefully we will once she regains her confidence. She says she feels 100% so it should be only good things going forward.
 
RockyMTblue2 said:
If Kaitlyn keeps this up, KK is starting point guard whether she finds her shot or not.
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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.
 
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hoophuskee said:
Don't agree. She is being left beyond being wide open.
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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.
 
There are 10 BE games/39 days between now and the Tennessee matchup. IMHO I consider the team to be young, both in age and experience. As of now, there are quite a few levels of experience, and that's what the team has to meld together. For instance, I see them as follows:
  1. Most game experience, or plays like they have it - Paige, Kaitlyn, Sarah
  2. A lot of game experience last year, but still young and learning - Ash & KK
  3. Potential affected by injuries - Azzi (and I bet she'll be on continued min restriction, increasing over next few weeks)
  4. More reps will help with processing what needs to be done, ie, less thinking, more innately doing - Ice & Q
  5. Freshmen learning what D1 hoops is about - Jana, Morgan, Allie
  6. Potential contributions TBD - Aubrey, Caroline
  7. Out for season - Ayanna
As I posted in my a look back at lineups thread and referenced @Puppy Love"s post about continuity/senior leadership (or lack thereof), my brain hadn't coalesced around a specific theory on why things seem to be so uneven this season to date, however, maybe this is why the team has had ups and downs within a quarter, game, or season to date. Soooo many moving parts to figure out where folks belong, how they will contribute, and how they work together, and not even including matchups of opponents. Today's struggles is tomorrow's film session and practice agenda - who produced, who performed to the game plan, where are the gaps, etc, etc.

The players are just back on campus after the holiday break, post USC game. Even Geno said they were tired, and that was fine by him, as they should have time spent with family and friends, especially before the real grind begins.

This is why I am showing grace to the team, mostly with the wish that they win the game, but lesser so in regards to the MOV, or any individual stats.
 
RockyMTblue2 said:
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.
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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.
 
RockyMTblue2 said:
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.
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Well, you’re doomed to disappointment because 5-8 PG Kelis Fisher is coming next year
 
hoophuskee said:
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.
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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.
 
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ERWUC65 said:
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.
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I wouldn’t mind seeing Paige get some run at the 1 every now and then.
 
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pvdoggy said:
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.
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Be careful otherwise you turn in to Anna Maqurat.
 
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.
 
UConn vs Providence.jpg
 
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hoophuskee said:
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.
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Good points @hoophuskee
 
HuskyNan said:
Well, you’re doomed to disappointment because 5-8 PG Kelis Fisher is coming next year
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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!
 
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
 
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.
 
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.
 
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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.
 
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.
 
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Bigboote said:
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.
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Loved seeing Morgan go after rebounds as well.
 
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?
 
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.
 
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