Evina mentioned that as well about Nika and her being vocal out there and people listening to her. Evina also added that all of the players listen to each other, which is a huge plus. Nika does play hard out there, and I applaud her for that. Her energy & intensity is much needed.
No anger. Just think some of what you are saying in the context of this year is not quite taking every thing into account and gives too little credit to the growing parity at the upper end of the game. . We slaughtered a .500 team yesterday with nowhere near the roster we expected. If you look at our losses, the only one that had us at relatively full strength was South Carolina. If you are focusing on EW and CW, they are really different cases. I’m guessing Westbrook is asking a lot of her legs to begin with and then got thrust into point guard role. Williams might be more of the case, but I think she isn’t exactly a dud and the reality is that her strong points make her more of a complementary player.
Agreed, Donald, on all counts. The return of Paige to her top form and Azzi's expected rapid development are both open to conjecture, but I believe this edition of Olivia and the good version of Dorka could make the difference for this Huskies team... lots of ifs, for sure.
I believe the same thing. Caroline, and everyone else, needs to get the ball everywhere when they have a mismatch.
well, that's my point........there's the Big East where parity comes in the form of mediocrity other than UConn and Depaul and then there's upper echelon parity where there are 25 teams that can beat the number one team on any given day.........when UConn plays well against a Big East team that's great but it's not a true test of where the team is at but how they play against a good team is more of a reality check......so while I take the results of every game into account, I'm far more interested in how the team performs against South Carolina than I am against Seton Hall...........at this point in the season, I'll take a six point loss to SC if UConn plays well over a 30 point win over Seton Hall any day......
I think Edwards deserves a shout out. She played very well. I can't get out of my head that Geno ( in an interview ) remarked how Caroline, by far, is the one making all her shots in practice. And yet....in recent games...she can't buy a three. I agree it was great to see Piath and DeBerry. with some quality minutes. It does appear that the hard work put in by Piath is paying off. She seems ahead of DeBerry and really moves well up and down the court. Both seem somewhat unsure what to do on defense.Some thoughts on the Seton Hall game:
- Another game, another short bench for the Huskies. It was really, really nice to see all 6 prime time UConn players involved and contributing tonight. Also nice to see Piath & Amari get some run tonight and do some nice things on the court.
- This was a terrific game for Nika. She harassed SH’s Park-Lane relentlessly. After putting up 30 in two straight games, Nika dogged Park-Lane all night long, holding her without a FG in the 1st half. Nika’s 3 x 3’s were a really nice and somewhat unexpected bonus.
- It was clear from the start of the game that SH planned to play Liv physically in the paint on D. That was just fine, particularly when Liv put Cooks on the bench in foul trouble.
- Once again UConn didn’t shoot it well from the arc, particularly in the 1st half with Caroline sitting in foul trouble, but the Huskies made up for that with a great job crashing the boards for second chance points. UConn had 17 offensive rebounds in tonight's game.
- This was not a mismatch of a game for Liv vs 6’4” Sidney Cooks, a former McD AA. She was fabulous tonight: 17 pts, 13 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks. I am not quite sure just how much better Liv can play, but I’m perfectly willing to find out.
- The formula right now for UConn, at least in the BE: tough defense + rebounding + grind it out offense = wins.
In the post game presser, Geno said Piath’s defense is ahead of her offense but if she gets the ball in the paint, she can get it up on the rim. He’s very pleased with how she’s progressing and, especially, her new work ethic
Good point. It’s not unusual for freshmen to hit a wall in January. The dorms are still closed and the team is either on the road or in a hotel. It wears on young players
Is there a link to Geno's SH post-game comments ? I have been looking but can't find a link.
Geno wants the post players to take threes. Listen to the postgame press conference, link below
Just go on youtube.
Thanks so much. I'm not sure why I missed it!
Uconn Seton Hall postgame interviews
Olivia Nelson-Ododa and Nika Mühl: UConn Women's Basketball Postgame (Seton Hall) - 1/21/22 Evina Westbrook: UConn Women's Basketball Postgame (Seton Hall) - 1/21/22
Apparently, posters are either in two camps: overly optimistic or can’t see the forest through the trees. Yes, it was positive the team played hard and played excellent defense last night. Should we expect any less? After all, it is the Big East and there is a huge disparity in the talent level between UConn and the rest of the league. After 11 national championships, dominating conference play is the norm. While last night was a step in a positive direction, the true measure of UConn is based on how they match up against the other national heavyweights.So you think it’s better to criticize players for lackluster performances against really good teams as well as undermining them for great games against weak teams?
UConn needs more fans like U……
Interesting comment, as I thought players coming into college had more of a challenge with defense.
I think some on the BY are not so disappointed that UConn has been losing seeing the circumstances, the disappointment is in the way UConn has looked in losing. One of the reasons UConn won over so many people was the efficient, smooth way they ran their offense. It was a thing of beauty, even in the half court. Now, it struggles in the half court and UConn looks like any other team now. When Geno gets all the players he wants, we may see that again.
I generally agree with your assessment of this season. But I’m not sure I agree with the assessment that posters are either overly optimistic or can’t see the forest for the trees. I consider myself a reasonably knowledgeable basketball fan who can accurately assess the performance of the players.
She’s a sophomore so she’s had time to learn
I watch Piath closely when she enters. She is a secret candidate of mine to emerge as a star one day. So I am surprised to hear Geno say " her defense is ahead of her offense." Pleased but surprised. When I watched her against the Pirates she looked " lost " on defense I mean, she was in the right spot and had her arms up. But she defended little. Players drove by her easily on the baseline for lay-ups (often missed, but not due to her defense ). Anyway, I defer to coach. It is great to hear that she is working hard and that the effort is earning her court time. Have you heard him remark on DeBerry at all?
Respectfully, I disagree.
She is playing well. I do recall when she hit several outside shots in a row ( Xavier? Butler?). And, to be a truly dangerous player, she needs to drain them. The sad ( frustrating ) thing is; since that one day, her shot from distance has been way off. Be prepared for the South Carolina game to be far more one-sided than the Oregon game. At least we'll have Williams back. But she won't have played in three weeks. Maybe CD will be more relaxed. I mean, the team is improving in fits and spurts, but we are ( without Paige and Azzi ) not at SC's level, by any means.
I will point out, however, that among BIGs....Piath is one of the fastest I have ever seen getting up and down the court. So, by contrast, Amari ( even Liv) will look slow. The lingering question I have is " what is the back story on Amari at UCONN? " Early in the season, coach mentioned that she was "having trouble adjusting"...or words to that effect. So she got off to an exceptionally slow start. What was going on? No one has said a word ( and probably appropriately ). But Amari seems happy now. She smiles; she has energy on the bench; and she seems to appreciate her minutes, when they come. She does not show it like Nika Mühl shows it, but who does? I do concur, that a top ten recruit ( she was that high?) should show more. But maybe that ' slow start' has had an impact she still is working to overcome. Clearly, she is not playing with confidence. She has not yet showed any aspect of " I belong here and I can play here!"
By not saying anything about Amari, he spoke volumes
Such a different game today than in my era. I’d rather see her more proficient with the mid range jumper, opening up more up fakes and drives. JMO
I don't see it as an either or. I think few expect our team with what is missing to win against SC. Would we be ecstatic if they do, of course? Will we belittle their efforts if they compete to the level they are able, I certainly hope not? At the beginning of the season, with all players available, the talk was that we were in the conversation to win the NC, along with SC and a couple others. To many of us we saw our chances as as good or somewhat better than the other contenders.
Have you considered the possibility that she may have long Covid and is not completely recovered? I would hesitate to criticize, given what has just taken place. Was she doing what you say she is doing before Xmas break?
