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St Johns Postgame Thread

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Enjoyable game.

Azzi was on fire. Paige had a good game. Jana showing improvement. Aubrey looking more like her old self.

Now, will we see this Azzi again? She has not been consistent this season. She is a major key to post season success.

Time will tell.
 
Chet71 said:
Anyone concerned about Sarah’s performance tonight please relax. I can guarantee she is not going to go 1-4 for against SC.
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Part of this is just a limited number of shots. Plan for this game seemed to be to feed Azzi. Azzi, Paige, and even resurgent Aubrey all eat into shots available for Sarah.

Sarah is still there, and will have to play her usual bigger role vs SC. Due injury the roster curtailed, but Paige, Azzi, Kaitlyn, Sarah, Jana with support from KK, Ash, &Aubrey should actually be 'just right' for SC.
All have motivation to play their best vs a top 5 team, and trying to stop the SC home winning streak is also a nice goal.
 
oldude said:
Some thoughts on the St Johns game:
  • It's good to see UConn come out with a lot of energy, as they did tonight, pressuring the ball all over the court and attacking the basket on offense.
  • There are clearly times when UConn’s best offense is to just have Azzi spot up anywhere beyond the arc and get her the damned ball. :cool:
  • This past week Geno mentioned that UConn needs to get tougher, and then Nika shows up at the game tonight. Coincidence? I think not!!!
  • I loved Ash’s spin-cycle move in the 2nd qtr. I don’t recall seeing that particular move from Ash before, but it sure was a thing of beauty.
  • While Paige had 5 blocks tonight, I was a little disappointed that we didn’t see a single double-bicep flex in celebration….:(
  • Jana keeps improving…and she plays with an ATTITUDE. I like that she is starting to track down rebounds rather than hoping the ball bounces her way. She’s not there yet. But it’s coming.
  • I really liked Aubrey’s minutes tonight. She had 10 pts, attacked the basket, and was incredibly active with 9 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 steals and played great defense.
  • BIG GAME coming up on Sunday in Columbia, SC. Can UConn hang with SC’s talent and depth? We shall see……
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The main reason for giving Azzi 22 of their total 54 shots is to remind all opponents henceforth the kind of weapon she is. Right? Right!!! He doesn't want a repeat of what happened against Tenn.

I don't know what the physical status of Morgan and Ice were before the game but the apparent emphasis of the rotation he played was speed on both sides of the ball and 3pt shooting. With Aubrey getting more minutes, she was a rebounding demon. It probably was a rehearsal for SCar. I think Coach GA continues to make progress with knowing his team - as expected - and is now becoming more confident in who to deploy when as circumstances dictate. He has committed to growing Jana more, as one would have expected. There is a growing comfort among the guards who cover 3 positions (1, 2, 3) in their interchangeability (almost). These are all good signs for getting the team prepared as the tournaments get closer, regardless of the outcome against SoCar (as I mentioned before in another thread). Now they have to continue putting in minutes for these combinations to reduce disconnects (turnovers).

From this level of comfort among them, I expect greater progress in read and react action on both sides of the ball and that can only be a good thing. It looks like this team has the necessary balance to go get #12.....can they grow the "attitude" fast enough to get there? (Nice to see Nika as a live reminder of what they are missing, hence to strive for)

Overall, reminds me of Stewie's freshman year - some common things in the team's development. The hope for it to end the same way? grows!
 
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"2nd game in a row Sarah wasn't productive - averaging 5 PPG in her last 2 games. Freshman wall?"

I'm responding to this and similar comments above in this thread. I find these comments exasperating.
  1. Although Sarah had only 2 points in her 22 minutes, she had 7 rebounds (2 offensive), 2 assists, 1 block, and 3 steals. She was hardly a spectator in the game.
  2. Watching the game live, I'm not sure whether it was St. John's defense or a deliberate offensive plan by Geno, but it seemed clear that UConn was emphasizing its perimeter offense tonight, including driving to the rim from the perimeter. When Jana was in the game (mostly not at the same time as Sarah), they did try to feed her on offense, but otherwise feeding the post was not a UConn priority. UConn scored only 28 points in the paint (not much when they scored 78 overall), and most of that appeared to be on drives by guards, or by fast breaks.
  3. The game stats don't show defensive statistics other than blocks and steals, but I can tell you that Sarah was very active on defense whenever she was in the game. The three steals and 7 defensive rebounds are indicative of that.
I'm fairly sure that on Sunday, South Carolina will have taken note of Azzi's hot shooting, and will emphasize perimeter defense. That will give Sarah (and maybe Jana) opportunities for inside scoring, and I predict that Sarah, at least, will take advantage of them.
 
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EricLA said:
But when exactly will we see this? Haven't this season.
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You are correct. I think Paige has proven over her career that she can do it. She hasn’t necessarily this year but she did post big offensive numbers against ND. She’s lost some type of killer instinct this year, but I have faith.

Azzi is more of an enigma in big games. I think the biggest thing is how can we generate open looks for her in rhythm. When she gets them she is pretty accurate. But when we don’t get her open, she fades. If we get her even 6 good perimeter looks against South Carolina we’ll be a different team.

I have no qualms about Sarah. She’s risen to the occasion every time this year. I expect a big performance this weekend.

Also shoutout to Paige tonight for stuffing every statistical category. And Aubrey for continued growth.
 
Paige very close to pulling off the rare 5x5 with 16/6/4/4/5. I think only Stewart has ever accomplished that feat at UCONN. In the pros I believe it's only been done by Stewart and Parker.
 
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Vowelguy said:
By this logic she shouldn’t have played at all, since we didn’t need her to win.

You can’t live in fear. If she’s healthy enough to play, she’s healthy enough to play.
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No, no, no. With UConn's history of injuries, it makes no sense to play one of your stars in a meaningless fourth quarter. Geno caught flack when he had Paige still in a game where the outcome was decided, and she got hurt. The start of her many UConn injuries. I am surprised you think that way.
 
No one on the team is probably playing for individual achievements. I have found myself thinking though that this game hurt Sarah in both the big east player of the year race and the national freshman of the year race though. Probably some other awards she is contending for too. Needs a good showing against South Carolina.
 
Rb335 said:
You are correct. I think Paige has proven over her career that she can do it. She hasn’t necessarily this year but she did post big offensive numbers against ND. She’s lost some type of killer instinct this year, but I have faith.

Azzi is more of an enigma in big games. I think the biggest thing is how can we generate open looks for her in rhythm. When she gets them she is pretty accurate. But when we don’t get her open, she fades. If we get her even 6 good perimeter looks against South Carolina we’ll be a different team.

I have no qualms about Sarah. She’s risen to the occasion every time this year. I expect a big performance this weekend.

Also shoutout to Paige tonight for stuffing every statistical category. And Aubrey for continued growth.
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Ditto everything you said. Re Azzi, although she is is quite adept at pulling up from midrange, this year she has shied away from creating her own shot unless she is taking it to the rim. As for 3 pointers, she is deadly on catch and shoots (where she can rely on her perfect and perfectly repeatable mechanics), but I can't remember the last time she shot a 3 off the dribble. That is why she needs teammates to "get her open". Despite all the push to get Paige to be more "selfish" on offense, it is important that she also focus on feeding Azzi. The team is clearly better when both of them are lighting it up.
 
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The numbers don’t add up. UConn got 54 shot attempts for the game. Don’t think anyone objects to Azzi taking 22. Many want Paige to take 20 to 25 per game and want Sarah to take 15 to 20 per game. They could almost do that if no one else on the team took a shot.
 
It was obvious that the team was feeding Azzi to get her more looks so to get her rhythm back. To me it looked like the old Azzi, and hopefully she can follow that up with the same against SC. Some have said "don't worry about Sarah". Well, until she can put up scoring numbers like her average I will worry. We need her scoring production against SC, and although she is still doing other things, our lack of 3 point shooting in the big games means the scoring of the post players will be critical. Against this team we need contributions from all players, and if we get that we may have a chance of winning. Go posts, go guards, go UConn. In another comment, I was surprised that Allie didn't get more PT since we will not have Ice, and possibly Morgan. When the 3 point shooting is off, I would think that Allie would be put in as a last ditch effort, but I also thought she would have been put in the Tennessee game, didn't happen, so even though I think Allie is a viable option, apparently Geno does not. We will see.
 
Blond D. said:
If Jana would quit bringing the ball down and keep it up high after a rebound, she wouldn't have as many turnovers.
just sayin'
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Agree, but perhaps that is why Geno said recently that she is stubborn. Her handle is actually pretty good and showed in her foreign competition, but her read and react decisions on when she can put it on the floor, where a double is coming from, and quick decisions to kick it out to a shooter, are all very much a work in progress in the early stages.

Part of that is because being a traditional low post C is relatively new to her. I think there has been progress on reducing silly fouls, and some (not a lot) on passing out of the post, but the decision making when she does try to score and missed bunnies remains the biggest issue.

Having said that, the rebounding, and ability to score inside, even if inconsistently, is so needed on this team, that I think she needs significant minutes, despite being mistake prone, and going thru a difficult learning curve. Ideally Jana would have had a year or two to develop under a top flight C and get better in practice before being handed a major role, but this year we have no choice.

I think having Gandy on the team next year, will be good for her and Jana to go head to head against each other, speeding up the progress of two relatively raw bigs.
 
Wow. Look at Paige’s offensive efficiency in the chart posted by Nan. You would think Azzi with her 34 points would have been the team leader. Nope it was Paige and it wasn’t even close. Maybe all the analysts are wrong and Paige knows exactly what she’s doing.
 
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Good game.
Jana should try to stop putting the ball on the floor before she goes up to shoot. That’s where all her turnovers originate.
Let’s hope the shooting carries over to Sunday.
 
Kaizen said:
Geno should let Fudd to play the full 4Q ....
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Paige got hurt right before she was due to be subbed out. It may have happened to Azzi too. And years ago, Geno left a player in and she got hurt, maybe vs Syracuse - guard, cannot remember name, wasn't Czel or Farris, but I can see her in my head and she might have written a book. I'm betting that Geno is not ever going to take that chance again.
 
I watched Jana play in quite a few FIBA games for her national team, including one she injured her achilles (a non contact freak injury). She was clearly the best player on the team. She was mostly a high post player who would bring the ball up court frequently and shoot from 3 pt. land. Her free throw shooting was in the 90% range and a very good rebounder. Rarely was she coached to play the low post. So, in other words, she’s a freshman learning a new position. For all the Jana nay sayers, be patient. She is progressing every game and will be a pleasant surprise in years to come. Oh, and I forgot to mention, she always played with that fiery intensity in her eyes.
 
donalddoowop said:
No, no, no. With UConn's history of injuries, it makes no sense to play one of your stars in a meaningless fourth quarter. Geno caught flack when he had Paige still in a game where the outcome was decided, and she got hurt. The start of her many UConn injuries. I am surprised you think that way.
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You don't sit a player because they might get injured. Right now UConn needs to get in game shape to play better teams. Playing 20-24 minutes in a game simply won't do that and you saw last night what happens when they rely on the bench for scoring.
 
Chet71 said:
Anyone concerned about Sarah’s performance tonight please relax. I can guarantee she is not going to go 1-4 for against SC.
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Not at all. Her stat line for half a game was really solid and she only shot 4 times. Not going to score 20 on 4 shots. When she is needed she will step up. She is one of the few that has another gear when needed on this team, at least so far in the season.
 
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