St John’s post game thread (merged thread)

[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.

 

[TeamFirst!]

I wouldn't be surprised if both Azzi and Chrystyn play. It's certainly possible.

 

[TeamFirst!]

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.

A lot can happen in a week. We will see who shows up for SC.

 

[cohenzone]

Caroline was the one who took advantage of the back door. St John‘s was way overplaying the passing lanes, leading to several telegraphed passes and also leaving the back door wide open. Shea Ralph was great at understanding that and Caroline showed the same smarts today.

I hope we can give SC a game, but I’m not putting too much concern in the result.

 

[genzhusk]

If you think that then you don't know SC. SC plays man to man 99.5 percent of the time. We are not going to let you shoot 3 pointers.

“packing it in” does not mean NOT playing man. it means sagging off the opposite side to help in the lane. that’s pretty standard of any good man-to-man defense. i’d be surprised in SC is face guarding all 5 players the whole game, there really wouldn’t be a need to.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Postgame Geno said the injuries had one good effect : "We knew she was good, but we found out she [Caroline] is very, very good." It's nice that Geno has come out with that.

 

[donalddoowop]

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 problemteam we all long to see.. 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...

Why should it have been a blowout? St. John's has good players and one of the best in the BE. UConn's offense has been struggling and will continue to struggle. You probably need to lower your expectations until everyone gets back and even then, temper them. UConn's offense and turnovers will continue to hinder them from being the team we love to see.

 

[HuskyNan]

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?

Caroline did the backdoor cut about 5 times today. Her motion on offense is far advanced for a freshman

 

[donalddoowop]

If you think that then you don't know SC. SC plays man to man 99.5 percent of the time. We are not going to let you shoot 3 pointers.

Anyone who has watched SC play more than once should know that they play man to man defense.

 

[eebmg]

Postgame Geno said the injuries had one good effect : "We knew she was good, but we found out she [Caroline] is very, very good." It's nice that Geno has come out with that.

Don't think the Winston Churchill thing went over so well.

 

[BBallF]

I have been off the AE train for most of this year. I just can't understand how she has gone backwards in her development. She is worrisome everytime she has the ball on offense, holds it too long, can't get her feet where they should be, and seems out of sync with the offense.

I thought Evina could have done so much more. She is just not aggressive, like CD for example, in wanting the ball and wanting to score. She has the talent and skill but has to move a lot more and keep on shooting and above all else, drive and either finish or pull up.

Liv today was just another iteration of the new and dominant Liv and POY in the Big East. A double double for a post player without points is one infrequent achievement and very special.

Nika started out great and made a pull up I have never seen before. Good floor game as usual.

CD is just getting going for us. A big bounce back game for her. Her conditioning is remarkable. She never stops moving, always looking for a path to the hoop or a shot. Very cunning offensive player. Let's see her against SC. You never know.

I thought Dorka was solid. 16 and 9 is always welcome and she hit some big shots.

The team defense was not what it was against Seton Hall. On offense, the turnovers are just too much and several of them were the result of lazy passes and travels, all preventable. The team has to be much tighter on offense and everyone has to take the scoring responsibility on with certain exceptions- the main one being good shots only. Hey, we can't even rest our guards, so some sloppiness is going to happen and when you are tired your offensive production usually drops off. Thank goodness for Caroline's scoring. It's been a really tough year with no real solutions in sight but there is hope for the eventual return of our players and the only option right now is to move forward courageously.

 

[eebmg]

Dorka and Caroline presser

 

[hoopsfan22]

Full Geno post-game press conference:

 

[Carnac]

Geno in presser this past week: we will not play Nika the whole game, that's just not plausible. Today: plays Nika 40 minutes. Lol!

Geno had "good intentions", but was forced to go with the flow as the game progressed. It's not like he had a lot of options. especially with ONO picking up her 3rd foul early in the 3rd quarter.

 

[BostonBay]

At this point, it doesnt matter if UConn loses both the SC and UT games, which they probably will with this lineup. Assuming they still win all their BE games, they'll still be a 3 a 4-seed in the CT region. All that matters is if Paige, Azzi, & CW come back near 100% in March, and then they'll have a puncher's chance to win a Title. No use rushing them back.

As for this game, CD's basketball IQ is off the charts for a freshman. As Geno said, this team would be terrible without her, and would probably be losing BE games.

 

[hoophuskee]

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.

Add in a great shooter like Azzi, sure is on paper a lot to look forward too.