SC Postgame Thread

[salvagedsam]

We got slaughtered on the boards and Paige needs help scoring. Maybe Azzi will provide it later in the year.

SC is much better than they used to be. Seems like they’ve always been big and tough, but now they can shoot, too.

 

[Bald Husky]

I have had a feeling for a few games, which may be entirely wrong, but I'll throw it out there. I am beginning to wonder if Aaliyah's summer with the Canadian national team didn't hurt her development coming into this season. She basically had to cut short her summer practice and conditioning program at UConn to join the national team, and then got precious little PT leading up to and during the Olympics. Aaliyah needs to play "catchup" now.

I was thinking the exact same thing. Seems like she regressed over the summer, and yes, not really playing with the National team did her no favors. Also Dorka, it doesn't say much about the league if she was all Big 10 two years in a row. Seems to be out of it a lot of the time. Lost would probably a better word for it. On the up side, Liv played great!!!

 

[Centerstream]

That is one of the best front court combos I've seen in WCBB. Awesome! But Edwards is/was tremendous last season. She's disappeered. And Dorka was All-Big 10. These are three big talented people. But for ONO to score just six points and pull down just five rebounds while fouling four times. That just is not a good performance. She is dishing out assists. But is that what a 6'5" center is supposed to be doing? The opposing team pulled down 19 offensive rebounds over us. ONO and UConn were out rebounded by seventeen. This is the #2 team in the country. The front court was supposed to put up a fight.

Boston had 3 fouls and 1 block, Amihere had 3 fouls and 0 blocks. But hey, keep bashing Liv, I need the laughs after this game.

 

[Longtime fan]

I'll agree with this. Go down the roster and only one of the rotation players from last year has improved and that's Bueckers, mainly from strength training. Ball skills across the board are no better, some have actually regressed. Edwards still has no understanding of fundamental post defense, standing still with arms extended up and watching bigs step around you doesn't cut it. And allowing 2 and 3 year players to throw casual passes against pressure defense like they're running a walk through is on the coaching staff. And other than ONO's passing, her continued lack of post moves and shot repertoire after 3 years is another responsibility of the staff.

I have to agree with this observation. Few, if any, players are improving. No one worked " free" for a clean shot...ever. Does that mean the offense is not well designed? We scored ( early ) on some fast breaks. Other than that, only Paige's basketball brilliance created some shots. But by the fourth quarter....with her energy drained.... they didn't go in the basket. Why so terrible keeping SC from offensive rebounds? I mean, it seemed we weren't even on the court. And Edwards can only score on an open lay-up and the same for Olivia. It was awful to see Olivia pass up all those open shots from 12-14 feet. Only to pass it to Williams who was trapped in the corner. And Dorka was supposed to be a shooter. she hasn't come close to converting an outside shot. That is not a person who can shoot. We have miles to go..... and the Big East competition will only make us believe we are getting better. This was a true undressing. And unless Fudd and Descharmes emerge as good as Paige ( or nearly so )......we shall not be lifting any banner other than the Big east banana.

 

[Zonepress]

Last year we had Nike starting and doing a good job (great on defense), edwards great off the bench and Griffin as a difference maker/disrupter off the bench. We know Griffin’s hurt. But what’s up with Nika. At this stage we’re not as good a team as we ended last year with… even though we’ve added Dorka and Azzi. But I’m sure we’ll get there by mid season.

 

[Longtime fan]

I believe that Nika is still hampered by her ankle surgery and will be much better later in the season, hopefully prior to the rematch. Paige is really good, but I think that she is better when it's Nika at the point and Paige at the SG position.

I thought her ankle injury was last year. Are you saying she is still hampered?

 

[Skins87]

UConn has some work to do, but I'm glad they had a game like this against SC this early in the season. They're still a top 5 team and should be #2 in the polls tomorrow (but I think some voters may look at the score and give Maryland a vote or two). Defense overall was better than I expected, but the offense really met its match with SC's strong defense and some mental mistakes.

Rebounding and TOs were a big issue today, especially some carelessness with the ball at points that cost them last year as well. I never expected them to outrebound SC, but the difference on the offensive glass was the key difference today.

Paige can't do it all, but she sure tried in the later half of the 4Q. And as strong as the seniors were at times early in the game today, in the 4Q, they disappeared and as much as I wanted that narrative to change around this senior class, I just don't know if that will. ONO had some great defense, but didn't really do much offensively and only had 5 rebounds (same as Paige), and the team really needed that from her and the other bigs today.

Aaliyah had some great moments in the 4Q and just needs to continue that play into the coming games and break out of her early season funk. Dorka had a couple good moments, but she didn't take care of the ball at times, which is what Geno expects of his Bigs. I think she'll settle into that role on this team over the next month.

Fudd didnt get a lot of time today and should be a weapon by the time January roles around. Aubrey was missed today and I would love to see more of Mir in the coming weeks.

Overall, the outcome is not unexpected, but I hoped the scoreline would be closer coming into the game and when the 4Q started, but things got a bit out of hand. It feels like UConn has the pieces and talent, but its the mental aspect that's missing. Certainly not writing the team off, but I think we need the seniors to step up on offense, cause Paige can't win it all alone when a team is as talented as SC.

Maryland deserves to be #2 for right now in my opinion

 

[MSGRET]

I thought her ankle injury was last year. Are you saying she is still hampered?

She had ankle surgery during the off season and was in a boot during part of the Summer practice. She hasn't been the same since she came back and I believe that she hasn't fully recovered from the surgery.

 

[huskeynut]

First - Olivia played well in her role.

Second - the not so good:
Offense cannot continue to rely on three guards for the bulk of the scoring. There needs to be 5 valid scorers on the floor at all times.
Rebounding must improve.

Edwards has been AWOL. What is going on? She looks like a shell of her freshman year. Without her, it's not going to work. Maybe she needs to be out back in her 6th man role. Azzi has had one decent game. Maybe too much hype. Dorka has been a disappointment. I don't see any offense or rebounding or defense. Caroline - not yet. Nika - something is up with her. Not a lot of minutes. Team needs her energy and grit.

Very seldom to I question the coaching. But I am wondering what Geno is trying to do. He returns 5 starters but is only using 4 of them. Early substitution patterns that we have seen in the first two games are unusual for him. I know they have only played 3 games but something is not right. Something is missing.

 

[HuskyNan]

I just hope that UConn remembers the taunting and the gestures and jams it down their throats come Jan 27th with a beat down of SC in Columbia.

Yeah, you’d never see a UConn player do something like that.

 

[SCGamecock]

Well anyone can see that SC was throwing out quite a bit of NBA-like taunting gestures near the end. Zia and Destani both did the "shush the crowd gestures" and cupped their ears several times... But to the victor, the spoils...

I guess you didn't like Diana Taurasi then. Or is this only applicable to non-UConn players?

Paige isn't exactly a lamb on the court either. She is very well known for her "swagger"... all of the great players have that swagger on the court. Calling it out only against your opposition looks disingenuous.

 

[MD#12Fan]

I'll agree with this. Go down the roster and only one of the rotation players from last year has improved and that's Bueckers, mainly from strength training. Ball skills across the board are no better, some have actually regressed. Edwards still has no understanding of fundamental post defense, standing still with arms extended up and watching bigs step around you doesn't cut it. And allowing 2 and 3 year players to throw casual passes against pressure defense like they're running a walk through is on the coaching staff. And other than ONO's passing, her continued lack of post moves and shot repertoire after 3 years is another responsibility of the staff.

Good stuff!
Re: Liv. I think all of us here can think of 20 championship teams in history that had a big-man with limitations. It's almost in the definition of what is a big-man. We have arguably the best guards. (please Coach- figure out how to use Azzi- an absolute crime that she did not impact this game! ) Luc Longley, Steve Patterson, Kendrick Perkins, ...........

 

[HuskyNan]

I guess you didn't like Diana Taurasi then. Or is this only applicable to non-UConn players?

Paige isn't exactly a lamb on the court either. She is very well known for her "swagger"... all of the great players have that swagger on the court. Calling it out only against your opposition looks disingenuous.

Maybe not the best time for you to be chastising UConn fans.

 

[Zinethar]

More likely is that she still doesn't fully " get" the UCONN offense. And, she is a freshman. Descharmes ( whom everyone haas raved about) didn't even get to take off her warm up jacket. Time for the usual BS; "this was a learning experience" for UCONN. The problem is, we have 1000 games against the Big east. And no one gets better doing that. They just " think" they do.

Which is exactly why Geno schedules as he does. Great early games to see what is needed. League games to implement the fixes. Hard OOC games late to assess.

 

[tower1]

Not sure how one concludes that ONO was "great." ONO is the starting center on the team that was out rebounded 42 to 25. She pulled down just five rebounds total, while fouling four times in 34 minutes. The opposing team pulled down nearly as many offensive boards as UConn had total rebounds- 19 to 25. And ONO was the leader of the front court, which together scored just14 points. That's not "great." That's getting killed inside. Enough with the rose-colored glasses. I doubt ONO will even get selected in the WNBA draft, let alone make it onto a WNBA team.

Very good post, your right !

 

[oldude]

zero offensive boards for our starting big playing 33 minutes begs to differ.

The anti-Liv crowd is amazing. Let’s cherry-pick a statistic why don’t we? You might also point out that Liv didn’t hit a single 3-pt shot today.

My post talks exclusively about Liv’s defense which was exceptional today. So let’s look at defensive stats: 5 rebounds, 5 blocks, 2 steals. She was also 3/4 with 4 assists.

 

[VA Huskie]

ONO was excellent defensively.

She's just never gotten the offense going.

Bueckers was awesome in the first half. She's really so good. Not sure what changed in second half other than SCar getting back on defense. I think Cardoso altered 2-3 of her shots.

Congrats to you guys. Can’t wait for the rematch…

 

[Surly1]

And Paige looked tired at the start of 2nd half, and by Q4 looked thoroughly exhausted. Only 3 points in Q4? More scoring mandatory from others including Azzi and Caroline, and if that means taking a chance UConn might lose when they are in, for my money so be it. If they are truly as good as advertised - and I believe they are - play them, and by March UConn will achieve it's punch on offense.

The posts about Ducharme are off the mark. If she was ready for big-time competition, she would be playing. People forget that she did not play against a lot of top-flight competition in high school. Azzi has and she looks tentative at the onset of her collegiate career. It is unrealistic to expect “much” from Ducharme this season. I realize a lot of the experts have her pegged as a game changer, but clearly Geno feels otherwise. What we have today is what UConn is going to ride for this season. The keys are to get Edwards going and have Dorka and Azzi get settled in their roles off the bench, which is a transition for both.

 

[jdote33]

I guess on the more optimistic side is that Geno seems like he has no idea what his rotations are going to be. Azzi has been coming in mid way through the first, in today's game she subbed in briefly at the end of the first quarter. Then Dorka and AE were playing musical chairs, and then Mir came in randomly. I don't think he knows the best combinations to play. That should become clearer as the season progresses.

 

[Ardenque]

We are simply not as good as SC! The most alarming thing for me, is our softness on defense and our lack of heart! This team used to have players who simply refused to fall apart even under the most intense pressure. Those days seem to have vanished in the haze. We’re just SOFT! Sad to see but it’s the truth.

Sadly I have had that same feeling for the last few years.
There seems to just one player now who has that combination of toughness and talent that makes her special.
The last one before that was Crystal Dangerfield.

 

[HuskyNan]

That is one of the best front court combos I've seen in WCBB. Awesome! But Edwards is/was tremendous last season. She's disappeered. And Dorka was All-Big 10. These are three big talented people. But for ONO to score just six points and pull down just five rebounds while fouling four times. That just is not a good performance. She is dishing out assists. But is that what a 6'5" center is supposed to be doing? The opposing team pulled down 19 offensive rebounds over us. ONO and UConn were out rebounded by seventeen. This is the #2 team in the country. The front court was supposed to put up a fight.

In Geno’s offense, yes, a post player frequently goes to the high post where she can see over other players, make the pass, then flash inside to get it back, if possible. Didn’t you ever see Stef Dolson play? It was the team’s bread and butter for years.

As for UConn being ranked #2, you know South Carolina is #1, right?

 

[BostonBay]

As I've said before, Boston is a generational player. She always played with energy, and now she's finally being used correctly by Staley - on the blocks - versus trying to draw out centers. It was embarrassing to see our Bigs' defense against her today - literally standing still with hands up and not moving their feet. You have at least 15 fouls - make her earn it at the line and show some fight.

 

[Dokey]

ONO was the best player not named Paige today. I'm not understanding criticism against her game today outside of a knee jerk "Must blame ONO for everything" reaction.

If any bigs should be catching flack today, it's Dorka and AE.

ONO had some good moments to be sure and it isn’t her fault that she lacks the muscle to take on a Boston or a Caruso but she needs to make up for those deficiencies by learning to consistently shoot those 12-15 jumpers, especially from the top of the key. She was open over and over for that shot but SC had scouted her and knew they need not guard her. Without it, the WNBA won’t have a place for her. Still, she’s done the best she could and is a great teammate. Dorka also had her moments but lost focus and Boston basically just toyed with her. Did AE play? Just joshing. Paige was fine until it got desperate and then she showed her youth. That will change. I know Azzi’s defense stinks but we really needed deep threes that didn’t bounce into SC hands. Still, I believe there is time to fix the problems with younger players and still challenge for NC. But in recent years the bigs as in BIGS are dominating more and more. Some look for Aubrey. So do I but for different reasons. Her sole purpose would be get Boston and Cardoso to foul her.

 

[SCGamecock]

Why were we so terrible ( due to it "is early in the season" ) and they were not"?

We played okay, but neither side played as good as they're going to play later in the season. It is early.. the more figured out team to this point one today, but I'm still not going to say that SC is leaps and bounds better than CT. The teams are close.

 

[oldude]

I guess on the more optimistic side is that Geno seems like he has no idea what his rotations are going to be. Azzi has been coming in mid way through the first, in today's game she subbed in briefly at the end of the first quarter. Then Dorka and AE were playing musical chairs, and then Mir came in randomly. I don't think he knows the best combinations to play. That should become clearer as the season progresses.

I can’t believe that UConn desperately needs a healthy Aubrey to stabilize what we thought was a deep bench.

 

[tchalla1]

I guess you didn't like Diana Taurasi then. Or is this only applicable to non-UConn players?

Paige isn't exactly a lamb on the court either. She is very well known for her "swagger"... all of the great players have that swagger on the court. Calling it out only against your opposition looks disingenuous.

I don't think you saw the earlier post when the By-er was asking what SC had done, and so I explained what I saw and what he was referencing Had no problem with it as my final line indicates.

 

[Dokey]

In Spain and had dinner with Lou, Karlie, Bonnie and Mum, so I didn't see game. Will watch tomorrow before commenting. Buenos Notches

Is Lou okay? She wasn’t in lineup last game.

 

[BobbyJ]

I believe that Nika is still hampered by her ankle surgery and will be much better later in the season, hopefully prior to the rematch. Paige is really good, but I think that she is better when it's Nika at the point and Paige at the SG position.

Muhl didn't have any ankle surgery, Bueckers did.

 

[cbraarj]

UConn gave up 14 off rebounds to SF yesterday to a smaller team. So what did everyone expect today? Them to do better against a taller and more physical team! Dorka was first team All Big Ten just shows how weak the Conference is.

 

[BostonBay]

No I watched the game - not the box score. I watched Liv doing EXACTLY what Geno has been asking her to do. This is her skill set. She is not Boston. She is a receiver, Boston a fullback. The problem is the rest of team not boxing out. Paige gets way too many rebounds because she does box out. UConn should send 1 quickly back for quick outlets. The rest need to work in case the shot misses. All 5 often never even see the outcome of a shot.

Correct. I would say CW & EW are sub-par defenders. They're usually slow to react and never crash the boards. If CW & EW doesnt score points, they are basically a liability out there, especially against good guard play.