St John's Postgame Thread

[JellyBean]

Overall, I thought that this was a well-balanced game. Coach G did a decent job of managing the Big 3 (Sarah/Azzi/Paige). We got a great lead so that the main starters could rest and we got to see more of the role players, who I believe are going to play a huge part in the NCAA tournament. Jana and Ice were posting up well. They got hacked a lot and they got some calls and some no calls but I like how they were posting up.

KK/Ash/Paige/Azzi/Chen- That is one heck of a guard connection! I love how they move with and without the ball and when they are looking for their shots. That is going to be huge as the season progresses.

Morgan/Allie/Q: Morgan continues to show a lot of toughness out there. Allie and Q are going to be special and continue to play a huge part in the success of this team.

 

[Tonyc]

Everybody needs playtime. We have so many top players and they didnt come here to sit. They need to be developed and thats why our cohesiveness and chemistry arent always there. We have a young team that needs to be developed and that takes time. We were up 30 at one point. Yeah the 2nd qtr with 11 pts wasnt great. The inexperience showed its head. We will come around and it it taking time because we have so many highly recruited players. In big games our Big 3 will take most of the shots. Right now we have to live with this team developing and when they do we will be great again.

 

[topogigio]

A grind it out easy road win, against an 0-4 Big East team. A lot of playing time for all, with the exception of Q (somethin' ain't right there). Geno is working on stuff, and the players are working out the kinks. Azzi is looking like her best version. Tennessee and South Carolina will be the true litmus test.

 

[packwrap]

It might be the same or almost same starting five but then from there it becomes a game of flip flop with subs coming in and out. Cohesiveness? In tonights game the in and out of players shows itself with the pitiful low scoring 2nd quarter. What is that supposed to teach a team? That playing around with the lineup can cause disruption and lack of cohesion? Its the middle of January. It might be time to settle and stay with it unless there's a good reason not to, not just to continue experimenting.

There is a method to the madness. In a perfect world for Geno, all the players know all the roles and positions, so he can throw any combination of players on the floor together.

In the recent injury plaqued years, we didn't see this much, but on last years team Nika and (coach)Paige at some point played 1-5. Aubrey has done it too.

With the 3 freshman, he has the best group of hi basketball iq, positionless players since KLS, Kia, Phees and Gabs!

He's making an investment in letting the kids play in different spots. For surè will pay off next year, if we are lucky already this year in March.

How we line up and play v TN and SC will definitely be interesting.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

With a weapon like Sarah Strong, it would be nice if UConn would, you know, get her involved.

 

[HuskieDawg]

Some thoughts on the St John’s game:

• Very nice start tonight by the Huskies. 7/8 Huskies who saw PT in the 1st qtr scored as UConn shot a sizzling 71%, while forcing the Red Storm into 7 turnovers. The 2nd qtr got a little ugly as UConn’s multiple player rotations seemed a bit out of sync
• Azzi is known as a great offensive player and shooter, which she demonstrated again tonight. But Azzi is also one of the best on-ball and off-ball defenders on this team. Her defensive footwork is flawless, and she gets her hands on the ball a lot.
• Jana continues to progress slowly but surely in both big and small ways. She's moving better to the ball on rebounds, defending the paint, setting screens, posting up stronger and closing out on shooters all the way to the arc.
• Great to see Paige back on the court. She did look a little rusty in the 1st half. But she got in going in the 2nd half from midrange, where she is absolutely deadly. I guess we will all have to wait for the next game to watch Paige hit 2,000 points...,
• Jana, Sarah, Paige, Azzi & KK, the lineup UConn used for a very brief time in the 3rd qtr is the BIG GAME lineup for the Huskies, imo.
• Morgan has really solidified herself as a regular rotation player. She does everything well.
• Seton Hall is up next on Sunday. Could we see Aubrey on the court?

I said the same thing to my wife about those 5. Then you have some combo of Shade, Chen, Ice and Chelli coming in off the bench. Aubrey when ready. You can see the rotations and spots for players taking shape.

 

[Bone Dog]

I’m unconcerned about our offense. It may have been a little off, but SJU is a tough defensive team, with quick feet and quick hands. And Paige was a bit rusty. It also looked like Geno may have told Sarah to hang back a little to see what the others would do. Plus it’s clear that Geno wants to get more time in the half court offense and this was a good game for it.

One huge bright spot was Jana, who had 8 pts on 4-5 shooting and 6 rebounds in 17 minutes. This is exactly what we want to see from her. Yes, the bigs on SJU were smaller, but Gedeon is a tough customer and got away with a lot of holds against Jana, and it didn’t even slow her down.

Another bright spot is that all the various lineups played good D. The O was variable but the D was steady and solid. If you look at the score by quarters, SJU scored 10-11-10-14. At any point, if Geno had turned Paige Azzi and Sarah loose we could have had >90pts. But what would have been the point?

We will get to the final four on the strength of our defense, just like last year. It looks like the defense is coming along nicely.

 

[ThisJustIn]

With a weapon like Sarah Strong, it would be nice if UConn would, you know, get her involved.

In 24 minutes she took 5 shots, dished 5 assists, snagged 5 rebounds, and got a steal.

She was, you know, involved.

 

[ERWUC65]

I'm sure glad there are more games before TN & SC. Maybe too long on the road, but this was not a good effort. Collectively, everyone needs to put this one behind them. Individually, for the big 3 (31 points ?), Paige can be excused from a week off, Azzi is still not 100% back and Sarah was unusually passive. In the PG position, Kaitlyn was OK, but KK was surprisingly undisciplined. The bigs, Jana and Ice continued with their unremarkable games, leaving Ash and Morgan as the players of the match. Is there such a thing as a January slump?

 

[my2cents]

With two minutes left in the game, Bestwick asked Culmo what she liked about the game. Her answer, "Nothing" "The effort wasn't there". We were up by 26 points. Such is the quality of the teams were are playing that non 50 point wins are a disappointment.
Our three elite players just played a little more than half the game and some bemoan the low scoring.
By years end I predict, KK will be starting and our three off the bench will be Shade, Celli and Chen.

 

[Zonepress]

I’m unconcerned about our offense. It may have been a little off, but SJU is a tough defensive team, with quick feet and quick hands. And Paige was a bit rusty. It also looked like Geno may have told Sarah to hang back a little to see what the others would do. Plus it’s clear that Geno wants to get more time in the half court offense and this was a good game for it.

One huge bright spot was Jana, who had 8 pts on 4-5 shooting and 6 rebounds in 17 minutes. This is exactly what we want to see from her. Yes, the bigs on SJU were smaller, but Gedeon is a tough customer and got away with a lot of holds against Jana, and it didn’t even slow her down.

Another bright spot is that all the various lineups played good D. The O was variable but the D was steady and solid. If you look at the score by quarters, SJU scored 10-11-10-14. At any point, if Geno had turned Paige Azzi and Sarah loose we could have had >90pts. But what would have been the point?

We will get to the final four on the strength of our defense, just like last year. It looks like the defense is coming along nicely.

Diagree with your last comments
To get to a final four / championship
It will be with better offense
The two loses. Imho we’re caused by lack of offense -/30 first Half points
in both games the defense in both games was reasonably good.
Good defense will not limit the top teams
You need to score 75-80 to win

 

[UConn990411]

Progress isn’t linear, but this team is clearly getting better.

At the same time, it’s baffling that they haven’t moved KK into the starting lineup already. Her speed provides such a spark defensively, and she’s one of the only ones on the team who consistently pushes the pace, which helps them get into their offense quicker. And between Azzi, Paige, and Sarah as starters and Shade off the bench, it won’t be hard to surround her with shooters at all times.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

In 24 minutes she took 5 shots, dished 5 assists, snagged 5 rebounds, and got a steal.

She was, you know, involved.

Appreciate the sarcasm, but she wasn't involved. 5 shots is not involved. Rebounds have nothing to do with offensive involvement either.

 

[maple]

With two minutes left in the game, Bestwick asked Culmo what she liked about the game. Her answer, "Nothing" "The effort wasn't there". We were up by 26 points. Such is the quality of the teams were are playing that non 50 point wins are a disappointment.
Our three elite players just played a little more than half the game and some bemoan the low scoring.
By years end I predict, KK will be starting and our three off the bench will be Shade, Celli and Chen.

I don’t always agree with Meg’s commentary but IMO she was spot on with a lot of things tonight.

 

[ERWUC65]

Progress isn’t linear, but this team is clearly getting better.

At the same time, it’s baffling that they haven’t moved KK into the starting lineup already. Her speed provides such a spark defensively, and she’s one of the only ones on the team who consistently pushes the pace, which helps them get into their offense quicker. And between Azzi, Paige, and Sarah as starters and Shade off the bench, it won’t be hard to surround her with shooters at all times.

I am absolutely baffled from some of the comments in this thread. It seems we all were not watching the same game.

 

[packwrap]

Appreciate the sarcasm, but she wasn't involved. 5 shots is not involved. Rebounds have nothing to do with offensive involvement either.

Well she could have taken 12 shots, but she passed instead 7 times yielding 5 assists.

These Big East games are just not going to be pretty with stars playing only 20-25 min, and on bench in Q4.

You have to almost look at individual posessions to find positives.

KK becoming a star right before our eyes. So much more maturity on defense and as a point guard. Her drives to the basket all now result in something positive!

KK is earning that lead role, but Chen will still play, a lot. She looks more decisive and comfortable too.

Morgan in giant shadow of Sarah, but she is also special. True point guard handle, with fundamentals, height and strength to be competent at 4 and 5.

Jana might get me slowly to risk reviving the 'great pyramid' moniker. Yes, it's Big East, but she improves every game. Coach's daughter, hard worker, great teammate. There is real joy in watching her come along. To help in March, she only needs to be a competent NCAA post, not a star.
Counterpoint: I did get a chuckle out of the Bigs discussion where it was pointed out that "in Egypt they teach you how to miss layups with both hands".

On to Seton Hall.

 

[sun]

I'm glad that the superstars aren't getting run into the ground and that the rest of the team is learning how to score & contribute.
That's the only way that the team is going to succeed in the long run.
Is "everyone eats" just a slogan to chuckle about?
"Shut up & just win!" by 26 points due to an entire team effort should be good enough for now.

 

[From France]

It is nice everyone played.
I was hoping Geno will let Paige to play the 4th Q and to reach her 2,000 pts.

Please tell me the stats, for me she's just at 1904 (581 + 248 + 764 + 311)

 

[gold2323]

Good game but need to be better
Does anyone here think that this would be best line up
Paige….pg……Azzi…..Shade….Strong and Jana????

 

[From France]

Good game but need to be better
Does anyone here think that this would be best line up
Paige….pg……Azzi…..Shade….Strong and Jana????

I would like this, Morgan & KK coming of the bench

 

[From France]

4/14 on 3 pointers is a disappointment

 

[freshler40]

Geno and the announcers said SJU is a good defensive team. Shooting 57% against them is pretty good. As Geno noted, the half court offense could be better. Sarah had a quiet night, and neither Paige nor Azzi got enough shots. Not bad for a road win in which we just covered the point spread.

The pull-up jumpers by Ash, Azzi and Paige along with clean rebounds by Jan will take this team a long way. We did handle passes more cleanly in this game but still need to get and keep our turnovers under eight (8) a game. We had 13. We continue to force passes into heavy traffic or passes to no one in particular. Our deep bench, while still confusing at times, will keep our starters fresh and can now hold or increase leads.

It was refreshing to get the quick start and play a full game at a better pace. That suits our talent. Would like to see KK begin moving downcourt after Jana or others clear defensive rebounds. She waits too deep in the backcourt slowing down our offensive sets or penetration by guards. This allows the defense to set up. Our double high post is now set up more quickly and can be very effective with our bigs on the floor. This offensive set resulted in many pull up jumpers by the above trio.

Credit to St Johns, they played a full 40 minutes with gusto and helped our team grow.

 

[yhun89]

Morgan looks truly impressive out there. A big guard who knows how to box out and rebound.

Negatives: Sarah's double digit points every game streak comes to an end. But hey, she did have 5 REB and 5 AST.

 

[GoUconn7961]

Still not a 4 quart effort. A scoring drought like that would be a death knell w/SC or TN or in the tournament.
Yes, I know there's young players and Geno tinkers w/the lineup, but that excuse isn't holding up anymore.

 

[HuskyNan]

All I want is a 4 quarter effort w/o that scoring drought and they still haven't been able to do it.
I turned the game off before the 3rd quarter was finished.

So sorry they’re not living up to your expectations

 

[meyers7]

I haven’t watched the game. But 71 points against St John’s is worrisome. I know Geno is letting the bench play more but again this competition we have to be better offensively, no?

WE need to shoot the 3 better. Also St John's took forever on the offensive end. Quite a few Shot Clock violations. Hence we only got 51 shots. We've been averaging around 62. And we only shot 29% from the 3 pt land. 3 more made 3's and we're at 80.

 

[oldude]

WE need to shoot the 3 better. Also St John's took forever on the offensive end. Quite a few Shot Clock violations. Hence we only got 51 shots. We've been averaging around 62. And we only shot 29% from the 3 pt land. 3 more made 3's and we're at 80.

St John’s does a really good job of both switching and fighting over screens to defend the 3, which they did last night for the most part. UConn neutralized that by running several curls off screens that resulted in midrange shots or drives to the basket for Paige, Azzi, Ash and others.

Yes, UConn shot only 29% from the arc. But they shot 57% from inside the arc.

 

[oldude]

So sorry they’re not living up to your expectations

One thing I can never get over about the BY is that UConn can go on the road, against a tough defensive team, win by 26 points, in a game that was never in doubt, and still have fans complain.

Last night UCLA, the #1 team in the nation, beat a mediocre PSU team at home by only 16 pts. I’m sure that Bruin fans must be calling for Cori Close to be tarred and feathered.

Even Megan Culmo was grousing after the game about UConn’s performance. God knows what it will be like if and when Geno hangs up his coaching whistle.

 

[Rowdy831]

UConn is fortunate in that they don't need to overwork their star players while playing their league schedule. In the back of my mind I wonder how playing 25 minutes a game will affect their conditioning and will that be an issue when they have to play close to a full game?
In the coming weeks I will be looking at players like Ice that aren't really giving big contributions nightly but will need to show up big in the tournament for UConn to make it's annual deep run. I expect the roster that is playing now to be the roster that finishes the season and even if they get a player back who is injured I don't expect them to do too much.

Lastly I expect you will see a lot of Morgan when they play the likes of USC, UCLA and South Carolina. She has some length and really plays sound basketball on both ends of the court. With that said she needs to find a way to contribute 6-10 points nightly on the offense if she becomes that big lineup option.

 

[BobbyJ]

One thing I can never get over about the BY is that UConn can go on the road, against a tough defensive team, win by 26 points, in a game that was never in doubt, and still have fans complain.

Last night UCLA, the #1 team in the nation, beat a mediocre PSU team at home by only 16 pts. I’m sure that Bruin fans must be calling for Cori Close to be tarred and feathered.

Even Megan Culmo was grousing after the game about UConn’s performance. God knows what it will be like if and when Geno hangs up his coaching whistle.

It might be because they actually believe that the only way UConn can lose a game is because of the officials or injuries. I mean, they always have the greatest roster right? So they gotta blame somebody.