St John’s post game thread (merged thread)

[Rb335]

I understand the disappointment of some that we didn't put this game away earlier, but I am trying to keep in mind that we are playing without our entire starting backcourt. And arguably our two best offensive options to start the season.

Imagine what SC would look like without Henderson/Cooke, Stanford without Jones/Hull, or Louisville without Smith/Van Lith.

It's pretty great that we are continuing to win the games we are supposed to, while putting forth our best effort against top competition. The expectations of this program are so high, but it's important to look at the full picture right now.

Today, it was great to see CD hit a timely three when SJU was making a run. And that our 10-0 run to break the game featured CD and Dorka. That's two players stepping up, who were role players to start the season. That's a great thing to take from this game.

 

[TeamFirst!]

A lot of close games today. Colorado / Arizona. Tennessee / Georgia. LSU / Florida. Someone probably gets upset.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Exactly- lazy cross court passes and the casual one handed “push” passes are gonna KILL us at SC.

Nah, rebounding will kill them long before bad passes will.

 

[TeamFirst!]

I said last game that maybe Caroline's biggest strength is finishing at the rim. I take that back. She works harder than anyone I've see since Havlichek.

 

[Heytherego]

 

[LoboDays]

This “45 points on the bench” argument is misleading. There are only so many attempted shots in a game. If you are going to add imaginary points from the bench, you need to subtracts actual points made from the players who made them.

LIV was one assist short of a pretty rare double double. Major plus in a BE game but more points are needed from her in games against good teams.

CD never stops moving. Fun to follow her move around the court. She has become the second best player on the team behind Paige.

AE ….I just don’t understand. We saw what she can do in the paint last year, we know she has the ability. This has got to be mental. Hope she overcomes whatever it is. She will be needed in the Tourney.

LIv and CD will get the plaudits today but Nika deserves a mention. Played well and was even more aggressive than usual. An important part of any success we have during this injury riddled phase.

I hope that Geno’s refusal to give serious minutes to AD and PG doesn’t come back to haunt him. Doesn’t matter in the BE but if a couple of our bigs get into foul trouble in the Tourney, we will need a decent contribution from them. Won’t get much if they don’t get floor time now.

 

[TCC Kid]

Some thoughts on the St Johns game:

• This was a little bit of a “trap game” for a shorthanded UConn team in Queens against a balanced St Johns team with some legitimate scoring options.
• Caroline scored from everywhere today. She was also much more poised and under control, while playing solid defense. She continues to develop into a complete basketball player.
• Liv played Point Center for much of the game as UConn ran a lot of their offense through the high post. Only 3 points for Liv. But her double-double with 18 rebounds and 10 assists was huge (The OC shorted Liv 1 assist to Caroline at the end of the game}.
• Solid efforts from Dorka, Nika & Evina, particularly on defense
• The Huskies were dominant on the boards again today with a 45-22 advantage, and they shot better from the arc, but a little loose with their passes
• While hope springs eternal, I’m not particularly concerned whether a shorthanded UConn team beats their two remaining OOC foes. Certainly, there’s a better chance of beating the LV’s than the Gamecocks. But the Huskies main focus right now should be: 1) Get healthy 2) Win the BE Tourney 3) Shock everyone in the Big Dance, regardless of UConn’s seeding.
• On getting healthy, Christyn was on the court today during warmups, so that bodes well for upcoming games. Also, very good to see Aubrey on the court walking around in sweats with her cane.

I'd hate to think where we'd be without her (Caroline), said Geno. I thought the same thing.
It is apparent some thought this St Johns was going to be a gift, it has never been a gimme..They have a team of scorers and nearly every player (except 2 or 3 bencher''s) can shoot. St. Johns was the team that was number 1 and SJ not ranked, beat Uconn. Since then I worry a bit about SJ.
Dorka, I owe her an apology. She is as she was reported to be. She can Rebound, she can shoot and accurate 3, she good on defense and offense. I think I'll tell Geno to keep her!! (Facetious).
I won't say: If Uconn plays this way, they will defeat SC. But I do believe it will be a respectable end score, without Fudd or Paige, or the two Bench posts. If Uconn can remove Boston and Cooke some way I believe they can win. And if a cow could fly, she'd make moon milk.

 

[CL82]

Dread Thursday - can't see us competitive vs S. Carolina.

 

[TCC Kid]

This game should have been a blowout. Instead, it was a grind from start to finish. UCONN turnovers let to a lot of SJU points. The 2 games leading up to Oregon had many feeling "good", and even tho we prettied up the corpse at the end, it really was a blowout. We followed up the Seton Hall blowout (a team who just beat this SJU team) with a lackluster struggle. Geno keeps talking about his struggles in getting the team to listen to him - even at halftime - he said "these kids don't believe me. I tell them they need to go out at the 3 point shooters with their arm(s) up, and they don't".

This team just doesn't have it for whatever reason. One could argue that the revolving door of injuries, covid issues, etc., causes consistency problems, but it feels like the issues are deeper. When Geno is quoted as saying that 2 kids on the team simply do not give "UCONN hard" effort, and that the players do not listen to him, again it speaks to a deeper problem. At halftime he said the team played pretty well, but the missed layups were specifically mentioned. Sure a double digit win on the road, but it just didn't feel like a great win.

Geno had to call a TO early in Q4 after SJU went on a 7-0 run to start the quarter. That's baffling against an overmatched team who is 1-5 in the BE. They were shooting over 43% late into the game. Instead of doing a player by player synopsis, 4 players stood out...

Caroline, Nika, ONO, and Dorka.

• Caroline continues to be our best offensive option. Her 3 point shooting is way off, but she finds so many other ways to score, and she works hard on defense. She's a gamer and will be really good for her career.
• Nika - 3 point shooting is not a strength - 4-12 in the last 2 games, but she's really no worse than anyone else on the team who plays right now. But her energy and defense is really nice to see.
• Dorka - really solid game from start to finish. Sure she made some mistakes, but she battles, gets open, makes a decent amount of layups (unlike the bricks some other have been shooting), and is really all around solid.
• Olivia for getting almost 20 rebounds. 18 boards and 10 assists. WOW. What an effort!!

Evina had nice numbers, but her mental lapses and leadership was a bit lacking today. Edwards - meh. Gotta make layups.

This game was close enough that we went no deeper into the bench. The game vs. SC, even with Christyn back, could be very ugly for UCONN. BUT this team is so inconsistent that maybe we will be surprised in a good way!

I must confess when I played basketball, I did make ONE mistake. Nika, Dorka, Evina, Edwards, Caroline all made mistakes--the Pope makes mistakes--the Ayatola makes mistakes. The real issue is when they keep repeating them. Nika if I were Geno a few times I would have pulled her she threw a pass at least 3 times that any telegraph operator would have picked off. Unforced turnovers are better but still a problem for Uconn.
Oh, what was my mistake? Actually the coach made the mistake, he gave me a uniform and let me put it on!!

 

[CTBballfan243]

Just too many inconsistencies and stretches that will get them waaaaaaay behind against SC (and TN for that matter.). Hopefully CW coming back will give them a spark.

The only games that matter right now are conference games. I would not play CW or AZZi against SC regardless if they are ready or not. The first game they play should be against a big East team. You want them to come away from their first game back feeling positive about themselves.

 

[Centerstream]

We could have won by 50 and the same comments would be made about our chances against other teams. Or what Liv did wrong. Or how Caroline needs to shoot 3s better. Or Geno doesn't know what he is doing or talking about. Or...

Love the post game threads to see how everyone else saw the game.

As far as today's game goes...was Saint John's missing any of their impact players? Did they reach 60 points or their season average? Did they lose?

 

[HopJim]

Just fine with the win. Could have been better but more interested in the results versus how close St. Johns got during parts of the game. Caroline will just get better - many of her 3-point misses were when she got the ball with seconds left on the shot clock and had to heave it.

More concerned with the passing of our guards, Nika and Evina. Both tend to be very mechanical in their passes, giving the other teams the ability to anticipate and cut off lanes. Neither drive to the basket and pick up their dribble prior to passing, often not allowing them to get the ball to the cutters. Too many turnovers when guards are just standing still.

 

[TCC Kid]

This just in………Caroline Ducharme has arrived! She is now an official “stud” on the team. I can’t see as well as I use to, but I don’t see her losing her starting role when our wounded warriors return to action.

I like your thinking. Caroline is a Freshman and Atypically they are up and down and the last game Seaton Hall, Caroline was down. Carolines value is: She moves and moves, and plays very very good defense and rebounds pretty good. As a tribute to Caroline the Coach for SJ gave her her own guard just in the event Caroline fell down. Nice tribute for a Freshman.
Geno, after the game, said: "I hate to think where we'd be without Caroline". No truer words were ever spoken. Caroline is the kid you go to if you need points. A job she wouldn't have had Paige not been injured.

 

[jdote33]

quick initial thoughts:

CD: back to regularly scheduled effusive praise for CD. I mean don't tell me we have another mid-range sniper. And she seems to be the most efficient player at post-ups on the team. The only thing with her is I can't really tell if she is shooting a good shot or bad shot. But I'll take her aggressiveness and believe more often than not she's going to have a positive impact on the game.

ONO: Just a big time game. I've been kinda on a "this Liv has been very good for awhile, miss me with the "she's finally turned it around narrative" tip for the past couple weeks. Nevertheless, I think 18 rebounds and 10 assist are close to career highs. We are a very good defensive team, and I believe it's because we have one of the best defensive bigs in the country. She can switch, block shots, and rebound super effectively.

Nika: the other main reason we become a great defensive team is because of Nika. Her energy and spirit is amazing. She did her best trying to defend Correa today (Correa is also an absolute bucket), and held her own. I also like that she's taking shots. She even had a nice little mid range jump shot that looked great. When people talk about this teams chances this year against a team like SC- I think Nika's defense is going to be extremely important against those guards. Cooke killed us earlier this year.

EW: I just liked that she took a variety of shoots. She hit some big threes to kind of extend the lead early. She tried getting to the basket, and was aggressive, though she missed many from close range. I'm not too concerned about the percentages, it's really about her being a threat and taking some of the offensive burden off of the underclassmen. Lastly, I know she had some bad turnovers, which is a bad trend recently, but I think she'll turn it around soon. She's kind of been in and out of different lineups, assuming different responsibilities. Not worried at all.

Dorka is probably one of my favorite players on the team, though she's had her ups and downs. She played a really solid game. She got off to a really good start in the first quarter, and also found ways to score in the second half as well. She rebounded the ball well throughout the game. She did miss some bunnies. Also I know people keep pointing out that guards keep missing her on post ups. She has to do a better job in maintaining her position and also when she gets the post up she has to finish. I'm not sure if she can work on her balance and strength or if that's going to be an off-season thing.

AE- I thought she had a solid game. I know she was called for a couple travels, and missed some easy one's but 4-7 is not a bad line.

Overall, I thought it was a good win. I'm disappointed to hear CW most likely won't be back for the SC game. Nevertheless it will be a great learning experience regardless for the team.

 

[hoophuskee]

YIKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[funkraider]

Who knew CD was the player we needed. The thought of having a pass first superstar point guard in Paige and a unconscious scorer in CD, this could eventually be an all time tandem!!! Also, why do opposing point guards test Nika? She picks a pocket clean at least one time a game.

 

[eebmg]

Post game show, They seemed to say CW will play. Maybe some strategic disinformation.

 

[hoopsfan22]

Post game show, They seemed to say CW will play. Maybe some strategic disinformation.

That's likely from Geno's post game press conference.

 

[topogigio]

I miss the announcers talking about the ball movement, crisp passing, backdoor cuts. and ball not hitting the floor on offense. These were always a given - where have they gone?

 

[uconnfan68]

These lazy cross-court passes...leading to intercepts and break-away buckets? I think we had 4 of them today.
Against St. John...annoying. Against a good team...an annoying loss.

CD is a pleasure to watch. Makes lay-ups! What a concept? Get her trey shot going is the next step.

^^^ this, lazy passes.

I think they forget everyone watches them. Have to be much more careful running that offense.

And it wouldn’t hurt some of the bigs to jump while shooting from 2’. Not in high school anymore.

 

[LarryLegend]

dont understand how people can complain about the play. They are winning the games they should win. They aren’t going to beat any of the really good teams with who is available. For GD sakes he played 6 players. And could he ever call a time out to give his players a breather? Wasnt Nika supposed to be time-managed?

 

[Carnac]

These lazy cross-court passes...leading to intercepts and break-away buckets? I think we had 4 of them today.
Against St. John...annoying. Against a good team...an annoying loss.

CD is a pleasure to watch. Makes lay-ups! What a concept? Get her trey shot going is the next step.

She’s a freshman. She’s going to improve as time goes on.

It's scary to think about how good Ducharme will be when she finds her stroke from the outside. She scores in so many ways, as a product of her continuous movement on the offensive side. I remember a lot of great uconn teams had constant motion, which yields great success. It's been missing the past few years, and is a welcome addition to this team. I'm looking forward to seeing how she competes against South Carolina. She has been trending in the right direction for quite some time now.

Also Olivia with the 18 rebounds and 10 assists was great.

The rest of the team was solid, nothing spectacular. I think a weakness is that we have really only one great passer on the floor, and she is our center. It just seems like a lot of times the passes are forced or the timing is off. Olivia only getting 4 shots could be a product of the subpar passers around her...she can't pass to herself! But each game the chemistry continues to build and it does look like they are all trying to learn from their mistakes.

Our next game is going to be really tough, but thankfully CW will be back in the lineup. I am hopeful that we are able to compete. I won't be at all disappointed with a competitive loss.

Liv's performance today was an example of something Geno said recently. He said "everybody come read to play and bring something."
Liv was only able to contribute 3 points in 32 minutes of play, but she brought something else. 18 rebounds and 10 assists. Something no one else brought. Geno had enough players that brought points. He needed rebounds, assists and a defensive presence in the paint. Liv provided them.

 

[Oracle9]

LOVE Nika.

She is playing with the tenacity which was so fun last year.

There are better players, I wish she'd score more, but watching her ferocity is just a joy - wish it was contagious.

Dread Thursday - can't see us competitive vs S. Carolina.

I agree scoring would be icing. Her intangibles though I think are more valuable than scoring so it balances out in a way.

 

[Stymie]

quick initial thoughts:

CD: back to regularly scheduled effusive praise for CD. I mean don't tell me we have another mid-range sniper. And she seems to be the most efficient player at post-ups on the team. The only thing with her is I can't really tell if she is shooting a good shot or bad shot. But I'll take her aggressiveness and believe more often than not she's going to have a positive impact on the game.

ONO: Just a big time game. I've been kinda on a "this Liv has been very good for awhile, miss me with the "she's finally turned it around narrative" tip for the past couple weeks. Nevertheless, I think 18 rebounds and 10 assist are close to career highs. We are a very good defensive team, and I believe it's because we have one of the best defensive bigs in the country. She can switch, block shots, and rebound super effectively.

Nika: the other main reason we become a great defensive team is because of Nika. Her energy and spirit is amazing. She did her best trying to defend Correa today (Correa is also an absolute bucket), and held her own. I also like that she's taking shots. She even had a nice little mid range jump shot that looked great. When people talk about this teams chances this year against a team like SC- I think Nika's defense is going to be extremely important against those guards. Cooke killed us earlier this year.

EW: I just liked that she took a variety of shoots. She hit some big threes to kind of extend the lead early. She tried getting to the basket, and was aggressive, though she missed many from close range. I'm not too concerned about the percentages, it's really about her being a threat and taking some of the offensive burden off of the underclassmen. Lastly, I know she had some bad turnovers, which is a bad trend recently, but I think she'll turn it around soon. She's kind of been in and out of different lineups, assuming different responsibilities. Not worried at all.

Dorka is probably one of my favorite players on the team, though she's had her ups and downs. She played a really solid game. She got off to a really good start in the first quarter, and also found ways to score in the second half as well. She rebounded the ball well throughout the game. She did miss some bunnies. Also I know people keep pointing out that guards keep missing her on post ups. She has to do a better job in maintaining her position and also when she gets the post up she has to finish. I'm not sure if she can work on her balance and strength or if that's going to be an off-season thing.

AE- I thought she had a solid game. I know she was called for a couple travels, and missed some easy one's but 4-7 is not a bad line.

Overall, I thought it was a good win. I'm disappointed to hear CW most likely won't be back for the SC game. Nevertheless it will be a great learning experience regardless for the team.

Easy to look like a good defensive team against the likes of St John’s, et al.
Not so easy against Oregon.
We’ll test your theory against SC.

 

[Carnac]

That's likely from Geno's post game press conference.

In the SNY post game show they said that Christyn may not play in the SC game. It's NOT a given. There may be some lingering complications preventing her from taking the floor Thursday.

I must be transparent here. I expect some pushback for what I'm about to say......which is fine. There is no way in he** UConn is going to Columbia South Carolina in front of a sold out (18,000 seats) Colonial Life Arena, and beat the number 1 team in the country on their floor with 6 players.

The Gamecocks are number one, and they 're playing like it. My hope hope is to get that game behind us without anyone getting injured. I don't care about the loss. It became blatantly obvious earlier this year that this IS NOT our year. Core players being injured, player defections, COVID infections hitting our team. Do the best you can. Play hard and smart and see where you finish at the end of the year. UConn will not win the NC this year (playing the way they played today), but let's see how close they can come.

 

[Surly1]

Some thoughts on the St Johns game:

• This was a little bit of a “trap game” for a shorthanded UConn team in Queens against a balanced St Johns team with some legitimate scoring options.
• Caroline scored from everywhere today. She was also much more poised and under control, while playing solid defense. She continues to develop into a complete basketball player.
• Liv played Point Center for much of the game as UConn ran a lot of their offense through the high post. Only 3 points for Liv. But her double-double with 18 rebounds and 10 assists was huge (The OC shorted Liv 1 assist to Caroline at the end of the game}.
• Solid efforts from Dorka, Nika & Evina, particularly on defense
• The Huskies were dominant on the boards again today with a 45-22 advantage, and they shot better from the arc, but a little loose with their passes
• While hope springs eternal, I’m not particularly concerned whether a shorthanded UConn team beats their two remaining OOC foes. Certainly, there’s a better chance of beating the LV’s than the Gamecocks. But the Huskies main focus right now should be: 1) Get healthy 2) Win the BE Tourney 3) Shock everyone in the Big Dance, regardless of UConn’s seeding.
• On getting healthy, Christyn was on the court today during warmups, so that bodes well for upcoming games. Also, very good to see Aubrey on the court walking around in sweats with her cane.

Agreed, expectations of beating a stocked, healthy SC team, playing at home, with at most a 7-man rotation is almost nil. That is OK. While everyone would be ecstatic with a win, I am looking for UConn to have a “circle the wagons” approach to the game. Play hard, intelligently, composed and give their best effort. If they do this, I‘m satisfied, regardless of outcome.

Looking ahead to the game, I want to see Liv accept the challenge of playing the most likely POY (I say this now while Ayoka Lee is dropping 61 pts against OK) and playing her best game of the year. In today’s game, Caroline showed her development by demonstrating her “short“ game and utilizing her size to her advantage down low. She runs the court almost as well as Christyn Williams, and her continuous movement on the offensive end puts her in positions to receive the ball and shoot.

As for 3-pt shooting, I feel her issue is rushing her shots, which is obvious in her release. In the Seton Hall game, the one three she made, she shot fluidly. She did the same today. When her shots are off or rushed, it feels like she is shooting in a 3-pt contest. This aside, her rapid development this season has to be one highlights. As she gains more game experience, I expect her 3-pt % to improve due to technique and shot selection.

This is the team we have and possibly the remainder of the season. It will be great if Azzi & Paige return, but it will take time for them to get up to speed and approach the level of play they are capable of. It can happen, but I am taking a measured approach.

Let’s get ready to put a scare into the Gamecocks.

 

[Stymie]

dont understand how people can complain about the play. They are winning the games they should win. They aren’t going to beat any of the really good teams with who is available. For GD sakes he played 6 players. And could he ever call a time out to give his players a breather? Wasnt Nika supposed to be time-managed?

What I saw was that UCONN had the chance to put St John’s away several times with a stop, bucket, stop, bucket but the couldn’t pull it off.
They’d get a stop , turnover the other way, bucket St John’s, turnover, bucket the other way St John’s.
Could never put them away, so Geno could pull Nika with confidence.
Couldn’t take/make the kill shot.
At least my observation.

 

[LarryLegend]

In the SNY post game show they said that Christyn may not play in the SC game. It's NOT a given. There may be some lingering complications preventing her from taking the floor Thursday.

I must be transparent here. I expect some pushback for what I'm about to say......which is fine. There is no way in he** UConn is going to Columbia South Carolina in front of a sold out (18,000 seats) Colonial Life Arena, and beat the number 1 team in the country on their floor with 6 players.

The Gamecocks are number one, and they 're playing like it. My hope hope is to get that game behind us without anyone getting injured. I don't care about the loss. It became blatantly obvious earlier this year that this IS NOT our year. Do the best you can. Play hard and smart and see where you finish at the end of the year. UConn will not win the NC this year (playing the way they played today), but let's see how close they can come.

not saying you are wrong, but then you could legitimately ask if Bueckers should come back at all this year. Why take a chance

 

[FridaFriend]

Caught my breath when Nika twisted an ankle, but she just looked angry not hurt.

Caught my breath again when Evina slammed into a spectator's knee or a chair. She looked shaken.

Edwards stumbles and misses easy shots, but tries really hard. I'm glad Geno is leaving her in. Just when I think she is a hopeless mess, she does something really good.

Thought Dorka had a really good game.

I liked the reaction of the team after the 7 point St. John run and after the timeout, they listened to Geno and went on a nice run of their own.

ONO is great at directing traffic.

 

[shiverz45]

In the SNY post game show they said that Christyn may not play in the SC game. It's NOT a given. There may be some lingering complications preventing her from taking the floor Thursday.

I must be transparent here. I expect some pushback for what I'm about to say......which is fine. There is no way in he** UConn is going to Columbia South Carolina in front of a sold out (18,000 seats) Colonial Life Arena, and beat the number 1 team in the country on their floor with 6 players.

The Gamecocks are number one, and they 're playing like it. My hope hope is to get that game behind us without anyone getting injured. I don't care about the loss. It became blatantly obvious earlier this year that this IS NOT our year. Core players being injured, player defections, COVID infections hitting our team. Do the best you can. Play hard and smart and see where you finish at the end of the year. UConn will not win the NC this year (playing the way they played today), but let's see how close they can come.

I disagree with you. We are winning games but haven't been playing like the #1 team in a country. Hopefully with a week off we will start.