Some game thoughts - UCONN vs. Houston

[EricLA]

A 20 point win over a now 6-8 Houston team - Some folks thought UCONN would come out with a "purpose" (or pick any other word) after the Baylor loss. I say no, they did not. Solid game, but aside from the 2nd quarter, Houston basically played UCONN even. I would expect that against a team like Louisville, but not against a team like Houston.

Passing and decision making was just off - 18 turnovers, and probably close to half were unforced. So many bad passes and unforced turnovers, especially by Collier, Walker and Dangerfield. Just bad decisions. It was just an ugly game, particularly shocking coming off the Baylor loss. Geno said a few great things...

One regarding the Baylor loss - something like "you can't really expect us to win every single regular season game for 10 years". He also said that usually his teams are focused on April, but with this team, he knows they are not as good as teams in the past, and he said that he basically "wants them to enjoy every moment of the season". I thought that was some great stuff and an indication his expectations are lower for this team and he needs to coax them along gently instead of other kinds of motivation.

Lou and Pheesa are just tremendous. I thought aside from some really bad passes, Walker played very quietly, but was solid. Williams seems to have hit the freshman wall and aside from a scoring outburst in the 4th quarter, was largely invisible. Danger had some great flashes and it's hard for a great player to play great for 35+ minutes. She did not play great, but was very good for the most part. ONO showed a few good things, and that's all I will say about the bench because there is nothing else good to say about them. Yes I know people are tired of the much maligned bench hence no comment.

Overall, a win. No one got injured. Not a statement game, not a recovery game, not really anything overly positive. I think Geno will be happy because he realizes expectations for this team need to be lower, and we are now getting the closer games fans craved in the past.

 

[Topsail]

Agree 100% with above stated but I did not want to write that for fear and of being labeled too negative. ....

 

[mbr33ct]

A 20 point win over a now 6-8 Houston team - Some folks thought UCONN would come out with a "purpose" (or pick any other word) after the Baylor loss. I say no, they did not. Solid game, but aside from the 2nd quarter, Houston basically played UCONN even. I would expect that against a team like Louisville, but not against a team like Houston.

Passing and decision making was just off - 18 turnovers, and probably close to half were unforced. So many bad passes and unforced turnovers, especially by Collier, Walker and Dangerfield. Just bad decisions. It was just an ugly game, particularly shocking coming off the Baylor loss. Geno said a few great things...

One regarding the Baylor loss - something like "you can't really expect us to win every single regular season game for 10 years". He also said that usually his teams are focused on April, but with this team, he knows they are not as good as teams in the past, and he said that he basically "wants them to enjoy every moment of the season". I thought that was some great stuff and an indication his expectations are lower for this team and he needs to coax them along gently instead of other kinds of motivation.

Lou and Pheesa are just tremendous. I thought aside from some really bad passes, Walker played very quietly, but was solid. Williams seems to have hit the freshman wall and aside from a scoring outburst in the 4th quarter, was largely invisible. Danger had some great flashes and it's hard for a great player to play great for 35+ minutes. She did not play great, but was very good for the most part. ONO showed a few good things, and that's all I will say about the bench because there is nothing else good to say about them. Yes I know people are tired of the much maligned bench hence no comment.

Overall, a win. No one got injured. Not a statement game, not a recovery game, not really anything overly positive. I think Geno will be happy because he realizes expectations for this team need to be lower, and we are now getting the closer games fans craved in the past.

Should be the only analysis of the game...but I doubt it

 

[EricLA]

Agree 100% with above stated but I did not want to write that for fear and of being labeled too negative. ....

LOL. I tried to say some good things as there were some good things to come out of the game, but in the discussion by fans and even reporters leading up to the game (how would UCONN respond after the loss to Baylor), I would say it was largely a disappointing effort. And I'm one of the more positive "yay rah rah" posters on the board...

 

[MD#12Fan]

Good stuff! Talk basketball, not fluff! Should not have to preface every comment with something about not meaning to be negative...
I want to see them extend the defense. They could pick up at the 3 point line at least, pressure the ball, and then get in the passing lanes. I feel like the D is too passive. I’d even enjoy seeing them pickup at half court. IMO that’s how you counteract size. If the posts have to move further out to get he ball, you’ve essentially negated their size advantage. It also ups the tempo and gets UConn the ball in the open court which means easy hoops. And mix in some zone and half court zone traps.

 

[calpedaler]

Agree 100% with above stated but I did not want to write that for fear and of being labeled too negative. ....

 

[Cornell Lt]

It is what it is. UConn is a very good WCBB team and they will be just fine. They are not, however, an elite team at this time. I am hopeful that they get better from this point out, though going through the AAC will not be the stiffest of competition - so who knows. You could see the the concern/unhappiness on Geno's face throughout the game. The ladies have top 5 talent (starters) but no bench and that will not bring success in the NCAA's.

I still very much like to watch them play as they still embody what is good about collegiate athletics and they do it the right way.

 

[Chong-Master]

Again, this team can't afford to have players such as KLS, Collier, and Dangerfield logging in the amount of minutes they are playing, if they want to go far in this year's NCAA'S, but I guess this team has no choice. Geno has very little confidence in the bench. He is trying to get ONO minutes, but she appears to lost out there. Camara appears to be out if position under the boards, thus, committing silly fouls. Coombs looks like a dear in the headlights out there. Geno should try to get Kyla more minutes, as I would trust her more out there right now, than Camara. And poor Molly is just not capable of playing meaningful minutes at this level.

 

[lsj001]

Just left game, shooting was off, still not crisp after long layoff. Ono played great for a freshman, very physical. Lots of poor passing in transition. Danger was off, Williams tentative, Walker very physical. Napheesa steady as always. Coombs got significant minutes.

 

[lsj001]

Btw, great crowd for game

 

[DefenseBB]

LOL. I tried to say some good things as there were some good things to come out of the game, but in the discussion by fans and even reporters leading up to the game (how would UCONN respond after the loss to Baylor), I would say it was largely a disappointing effort. And I'm one of the more positive "yay rah rah" posters on the board...

Umm, all due respect, the analysis was ok, at best. The team is on the road again for 6 of the last 7 games, playing against a pretty gritty team in Houston who according to Massey have the 63rd best SOS, ahead of Maryland, Kentucky, Florida State and Utah so their 6-7 record is a bit misleading.
The 4th Quarter with our bench was, once again, a struggle. That’s where the lead completely dissipated. That said, the bench needs time and Batouly needs the reps as does Mikayla Coombs. To call this a disappointing effort is not “positive” by any stretch of someone’s imagination.
You are an avid fan but not one of the rah-rah fans by any stretch. That’s ok at times but you let the unbelievable seasons of the Stewie/Mo/Tuck years cloud your view of what is a very, very good team. Enjoy the ride more is my advice. There have been UConn teams who have had 1 and 4 losses respectively that won titles so the world is not on their verge of the apocalypse.

 

[snlMINAJ]

no way napheesa had 6 turnovers.
one box score had her with 12 rebounds and another one had her with 9 rebounds... weird.

 

[trisailin]

....... And I'm one of the more positive "yay rah rah" posters on the board...

Ummmm@EricLA - you're not even in the same hemisphere to TonyC. I'm might give you a single rah though

FWIW - I agree with your post. A quite sloppy game. Not particularly focused or inspiring.

 

[lsj001]

They need games and practice, this is a road trip. They still won by 20 and were a little less rusty than Baylor. Still missing wide open looks from 10 to 12 feet. Rotation included Coombs which is a good sign.

 

[lsj001]

Napheesa had 6 TOs, three were in transition.

 

[oldude]

Here are some random thoughts:

Listen to what Geno is trying to tell all of us. This is not as good a team as in past years. We UConn fans need to get used to that, or find another team to root for. That doesn't mean they can't win it all. It just means it's going to be really hard.

Geno gave the bench, particularly Liv & Mikayla some extended minutes with the starters, as many have been asking for, and unfortunately the execution left much to be desired. There will be other opportunities for the bench, I'm certain, but unless the bench starts to develop soon, we're looking basically at 5 players in big games.

Outside shooting was off once again. To some degree, I suspect this may have to do with no morning shootaround due to the 11:00 AM CST start. All these ladies can shoot the ball. UConn needs to work hard on shooting drills when they get back to Storrs in order to develop confidence and consistency.

Turnovers are up and assists and steals are down. Kia and Gabby are missed. Gabby in particular was the key player that UConn ran their offense through last season. When she caught the ball around the foul line, good things generally happened. UConn's post entry passing has been really bad. The player who does it best has been Lou, but that turns your best offensive player into a point forward, rather than someone who you want to set up for shot after shot.

With that said, there is still lots of time for UConn to get better, and I personally believe they will.

 

[HuskyNan]

The Huskies were up by 29 with about 4 minutes left in the game

Women's Basketball vs Houston on 1/6/2019 - Box Score - University of Connecticut Athletics

Agree there were too many turnovers- I’m on record with my dislike of the AAU-like baseball throw up the court - and I thought the transition defense looked slow early on. Three point shooting was also off.

But on the plus side of the ledger, the energy and aggressiveness was much improved and all five starters were in double figure scoring. After shooting 50% in the first quarter, the FG% for the second and third quarters were 75% and 89%, respectively. That’s an improvement over previous games and improvement is the goal of the regular season.

 

[PAHuskeyFan]

Here are some random thoughts:

Listen to what Geno is trying to tell all of us. This is not as good a team as in past years. We UConn fans need to get used to that, or find another team to root for. That doesn't mean they can't win it all. It just means it's going to be really hard.

Geno gave the bench, particularly Liv & Mikayla some extended minutes with the starters, as many have been asking for, and unfortunately the execution left much to be desired. There will be other opportunities for the bench, I'm certain, but unless the bench starts to develop soon, we're looking basically at 5 players in big games.

Outside shooting was off once again. To some degree, I suspect this may have to do with no morning shootaround due to the 11:00 AM CST start. All these ladies can shoot the ball. UConn needs to work hard on shooting drills when they get back to Storrs in order to develop confidence and consistency.

Turnovers are up and assists and steals are down. Kia and Gabby are missed. Gabby in particular was the key player that UConn ran their offense through last season. When she caught the ball around the foul line, good things generally happened. UConn's post entry passing has been really bad. The player who does it best has been Lou, but that turns your best offensive player into a point forward, rather than someone who you want to set up for shot after shot.

With that said, there is still lots of time for UConn to get better, and I personally believe they will.

Right On @oldude... accurate assessment of the team and what Geno has told us all year. This team will be a work in progress most of the season... the good news is they just have to play great ball for their last 6 games. and as HuskeyNan posted, the FG% increased in the 2nd and 3rd quarters.

Go Huskies!!!

 

[Longtime fan]

Again, this team can't afford to have players such as KLS, Collier, and Dangerfield logging in the amount of minutes they are playing, if they want to go far in this year's NCAA'S, but I guess this team has no choice. Geno has very little confidence in the bench. He is trying to get ONO minutes, but she appears to lost out there. Camara appears to be out if position under the boards, thus, committing silly fouls. Coombs looks like a dear in the headlights out there. Geno should try to get Kyla more minutes, as I would trust her more out there right now, than Camara. And poor Molly is just not capable of playing meaningful minutes at this level.

During the AAC conference games, I think Geno will give the starters a lot of rest. He had Coombs in the game for 1.5 quarters, as an example ( no points; no shots ). ODO got decent minutes. And in the last 5 minutes went all bench ( except for Williams).
The issue is more; can anyone on the bench contribute? If not now, later? I think ONO maybe added 4 points and Batouly 2. Nice assist from Kyla. But I think we are picking up on Geno"s comment; He wants these kids to enjoy every minute of every game. So should we.

 

[Centerstream]

A 20 point win over a now 6-8 Houston team - Some folks thought UCONN would come out with a "purpose" (or pick any other word) after the Baylor loss. I say no, they did not. Solid game, but aside from the 2nd quarter, Houston basically played UCONN even. I would expect that against a team like Louisville, but not against a team like Houston.

Gotta love cell phones.
I use the GOOGLE browser on my Android phone to access the BY. I always sign out when I leave the BY.
On my Home page, I have a News feed along with links to my favorite sites (The BY is my most accessed site).
Just now after leaving the BY but not closing the browser, the above post appeared in my News feed and upon selecting it, the thread was available, along with access to the BY site. However, I was not signed in.
I have not seen this before and it just seems odd to me.

 

[EricLA]

Umm, all due respect, the analysis was ok, at best. You are an avid fan but not one of the rah-rah fans by any stretch. That’s ok at times but you let the unbelievable seasons of the Stewie/Mo/Tuck years cloud your view of what is a very, very good team. Enjoy the ride more is my advice. There have been UConn teams who have had 1 and 4 losses respectively that won titles so the world is not on their verge of the apocalypse.

Um, all due respect, not even close. My view is not clouded in the least. Just realistic. I pointed out the positives and negatives of the game from my perspective. You are free to disagree, but to conclude that I'm somehow "clouded" in my view of the team is just silly. By the way, the announcers also said several times this team is not as good as teams of the past, and Geno's comments seem to concur with that. To make it sound like I'm some sort of out-lier is just lazy, or not paying attention.

I have never said this is NOT a very good team. They are. Seeing as you made reference to my being an avid fan, but not a rah rah one (as a generalization apparently), you should then notice in another post I talked about the parity and how all the top teams have weaknesses. We are probably a final 4 team, but the reality is it's not as good as past teams, less deep, and more flawed (missing obvious key parts).

Having said all that, I'm enjoying the ride and love this team just as much as any team from the past. GO UCONN!!

 

[HuskyNan]

During the AAC conference games, I think Geno will give the starters a lot of rest. He had Coombs in the game for 1.5 quarters, as an example ( no points; no shots ). ODO got decent minutes. And in the last 5 minutes went all bench ( except for Williams).
The issue is more; can anyone on the bench contribute? If not now, later? I think ONO maybe added 4 points and Batouly 2. Nice assist from Kyla. But I think we are picking up on Geno"s comment; He wants these kids to enjoy every minute of every game. So should we.

Mikayla - 0 points (0-2), 4 reb, 0 assists, 1 foul in 14 minutes. I still like her game, though.She just needs to find the right speed to play at
Olivia - 3 points (1-2), 3 reb, 1 assist, 1 TO, 2 fouls in 9 minutes. She’s a promising talent with upside
Kyla - 0 points (0-1),0 reb, 1 assist, 1 foul in 6 minutes. She’ll get a lot of minutes in the AAC season. She could probably start for some of the AAC teams and do well
Batouly - 2 points (1-2), 0 reb, 1 steal, 1 TO, 1 foul in 5 minutes. I like her game and her energy too. She seems like she has upside but those darn injuries...
Molly - 0 points, 2 reb, 1 foul in 4 minutes. Great energy and attitude but unfortunately can’t seem to carve out a valuable role player role like Maria

 

[ABCDFE]

This could’ve been a 30 - 40 point win if Geno doesn’t sub. But previous UConn teams probably would’ve won by 50 or so. This year our team needs to work so hard on defense and rebounding to compete. I’m just looking for our defense to improve incrementally and hope for Coombs and Ono to gain confidence playing AAC teams and get insttide for March. I think once our starters gel more playing tgr and Williams becomes more aggressive then our starters will be very good. CD also needs to play better, too much dribbling and long range threes. Lastly the bench just needs to build experience playing with the starters and know their roles. Coombs need me to focus on defense, rebounding and working in her drives and mid range. Ono on her defense, post play. I think if we can have these developments we can be win it all. But margin for error is much smaller. We May see tight games from sweet sixteen onward.

 

[boontonbomber]

Offensively, this team looks like it wants to live or die with the 3 pointer. They just don't seem to be working very hard to get inside the perimeter defense. where is the weave up-top, the hard cuts off screens, penetration and pull-up jumpers, penetration and kick-outs, or penetration to the basket? basically non-existent. today, when they did penetrate, good things happened. Dangerfield a pull-up jumper, Walker to the hoop, Williams to the hoop. But they were rare instances. I think they are lazy on offense, all of them. And I think the coaches are letting them be lazy. For sure, they were not lazy against ND, and that worked out quite well.

 

[HuskyNan]

Offensively, this team looks like it wants to live or die with the 3 pointer. They just don't seem to be working very hard to get inside the perimeter defense. where is the weave up-top, the hard cuts off screens, penetration and pull-up jumpers, penetration and kick-outs, or penetration to the basket? basically non-existent. today, when they did penetrate, good things happened. Dangerfield a pull-up jumper, Walker to the hoop, Williams to the hoop. But they were rare instances. I think they are lazy on offense, all of them. And I think the coaches are letting them be lazy. For sure, they were not lazy against ND, and that worked out quite well.

Geno has said he wants his team to take 20 three point shots a game - they took 19 shots today. Crystal did make a nice pull up late in the game and I agree I’d like to see more of that. It seemed to me the team needed 1.5 quarters to get into sync offensively. Thats anissue thatneeds to be solved before the postseason