Starting point guard

[Huskiefan23]

What list is this?

I think this is the pg chart. Not the starters.

 

[wingsfan055]

Well, in the Nika era UConn is 1 for 2 in FF games. And the one they lost Nika was out with an injury.

And last year's Sweet 16 debacle?

Nika needs to:
1). Develop a perimeter or at least a mid-range shot. I'm not saying she needs to put up 15-20ppg, but she needs to at least pose a threat or else the defense will just sag off which hurts the entire offense.
2). She needs to be able to penetrate the defense much more consistently. She just doesnt seem fast/quick enough to beat her opposing defender. Or if she does force it, the turnovers happen.

 

[Huskiefan23]

Also let’s not forget there was a time where Paige, Nika and Christyn all started. Nika was still very effective her freshman year and was the backup pg.

 

[hoophuskee]

I think it’s a certainty that Geno will experiment with different lineup combinations during the season, and Nika and Paige will each get chances to be the starting point guard.

I believe that Geno will have Paige as his starting point guard during the NCAA tournament next spring. Paige has demonstrated that she is much better in high-pressure playoff games than Nika is. For example, in the 2022 playoffs, Paige had a heroic performance, scoring a team-leading 27 points against NC State, and she was also UConn’s leading scorer against Stanford and South Carolina, scoring 14 points in both the semifinal and national championship games. Nika, in contrast, scored just 3 points and she turned the ball over 7 times against Ohio State, and UConn was bounced out of the Sweet 16.

Paige is the best player on UConn’s WBB team, and she is a much better scorer than Nika is: Paige averaged 18 points during her first two seasons, 2.5 times Nika’s average of 7.1 points last season. Paige is also arguably a better passer (note Azzi’s recent comments to the media about how good Paige’s passes are), she has a higher basketball IQ than Nika has, and she averages fewer turnovers than Nika does (2.2 TO/game vs. 3.5 TO/game).

Teams have to respect Paige’s scoring prowess; she stretches their defenses out to the perimeter, thereby giving more room for UConn’s post players to operate. In contrast, Nika’s scoring is relatively anemic, which means that teams often sag off of her and pack the paint or double-team other players, making it harder for UConn’s post players to score.

Again, I think that Geno will experiment with different point guards and lineup combinations during the season, but when the NCAA tournament arrives, barring injuries, he’ll have Paige as his starting point guard in his quest for a twelfth national championship.

Are you saying that Paige can't score as teh sg and only the pg? Becuase we know that isn't true. We saw Paige near snigle-handedly beat SC as a freshman. And the pg wass Nika. With everything you said above why can't the same thing be said of Paige as a sg? SHe played a lot of SG as a frosh in which she was NPOY. So what is your point if we knoe she was super as a SG too and we know she can get a lot of shots as a sg and win a ton too?

 

[hoophuskee]

Nika is a very good 6th or 7th player, but she doesnt have the skill set required of a PG on a starting Title team. Paige should play "point" - similar to Caitlin Clark - and if KK is as good as advertised, she'll get meaningful minutes at the point as well. Title teams have to be able to score in multiple ways or else a good defensive team will lock down on our weaknesses. This has been UConn's achilles heel for most of the past 10 years in FF games.

Wow! There is nothing I agree with this post. Nothing.

First off Nika if she were starting and bringing up the ball, she'll have a 75% chance of passing the ball to a College All-American. And 50% of the time it's chance to pass to arguably one of the top 3 college players in America. There is no way she can't do that and be successful.

To further than, after she brings up the ball, UCONN runs a motion offense. Therefore, it's all about movement from all players. Not just the pg. Third, when the offense breaks down in last 10 seconds and UCONN needs a reset, its extremely doubtful that Nika would be considered the #1 pg in this scenario which she was stuck with a lot last year. In this case, the ball would go to the other pg, that other kid, named Paige.

Secondly, UCONN owns Iowa. There is no way no way they should even think one iota of a second to play "Iowa basketball/Caitlyn Clark basketball." Paige does not need to be "Caitlyn Clark when she has 2 other al-American caliber players on her team in which one is probably top 5 super as well. That's why UCONN beats Iowa. That's why UCONN will never want to emulate Iowa only unless shot clock winds down or desperation arises. Bottomline is UCON isn't going to build their offense around one player when in their history of hoop with all the titles and final fours and continued great recruiting they are going to want to emulate "Iowa."

 

[hoophuskee]

Also let’s not forget there was a time where Paige, Nika and Christyn all started. Nika was still very effective her freshman year and was the backup pg.

Adn let's not forget Nika Muhl started many games her frosh year in which for example in 1 game she was the starting pg vs South Carolina which UCONN won. Therew were many games she was not the backup as a frosh. In fact the 2nd half of the year she was awarded the starting job. Not relagated to backup.

And if she did so well vs Iowa this past year, and with better talent around her for this year if healthy, why can't we assume she'd be better?

 

[Bone Dog]

And last year's Sweet 16 debacle?

See post #56 above. Nika didn’t lose that game, the team did.

I was critical of Nika’s offense in her first two seasons. It was weak. But last season was different. She averaged 7 pts 8 assists 4 rebounds. Those are respectable stats for a championship point guard. She addressed the flaw in her game. I agree that she still needs to add a midrange jump shot. That’s the only thing her arsenal lacks. But the offensive liability you and others remember about her hasn’t been true since 2021-22.

Here’s another way to put it. After we lost Paige and Ice and Azzi and Caroline for parts or all of last season, we still kept winning. Who was the one player we couldn’t win without? Watch the MD game for your answer. Opposing coaches all knew she was the indispensable player and directed their efforts to getting her to foul out. But Nika — the hothead who could hardly keep from fouling in her first two season — kept it all under control. I think everyone on this board needs to reconsider those old criticisms of Nika and see her for who she’s become.

If we finally win the NC this year, Paige Azzi Aaliyah Caroline are likely to have great seasons. But I bet every one of them will give the credit to Nika, just like Paige credited their success in her freshman year to Evina, who she insisted was the team MVP.

 

[BobbyJ]

Well, in the Nika era UConn is 1 for 2 in FF games. And the one they lost Nika was out with an injury.

Where do you get this stuff? In the 2020-21 FF game against Arizona, Muhl played 21 nondescript minutes with 2 pts, 1 TO and 3 fouls.

 

[Bone Dog]

Where do you get this stuff? In the 2020-21 FF game against Arizona, Muhl played 21 nondescript minutes with 2 pts, 1 TO and 3 fouls.

You’re right. I misremembered because of the ankle injury she suffered against High Point in the first round. She managed to return for the FF game in a brace and played well enough initially and less well as the game wore on. So my point is not as interesting as I thought. But I’m still willing to cut her some slack for that game. She’s not the reason we lost that one.

 

[Gus Mahler]

I simply cannot fathom Nika not starting at the point this year. There's only one starting position in question, the "four."

I expect Aubrey to start there. While it's true that she would make a good sixth-player, Geno has always said he likes to have a first reserve that can change the tenor of the game on offense. Instant impact. Caroline is ideal for this role. Someone above mentioned the possibility of Nika improving. Maybe Aubrey can get a little better on offense. She could get a 10-12 footer any time she wants.

Besides those two, wouldn't it be great if Ice could start and be monstrous on offense and on the boards to complement Aaliyah?

 

[hoopsnloops32]

Nika will start alongside Paige and they’ll share PG duties. Why is this even a discussion?

 

[hoy-ah!]

Nika will start at PG at the beginning of the year, and Paige will have her minutes monitored until she (and Ice) get acclimated. By late season, Paige will start alongside Azzi, because they know each other's thoughts/inclinations on the floor, as well as their teammates. Having two All-American caliber guards on the floor is tough to beat. Nika spelling either at any time for major minutes is a luxury, especially if foul trouble kicks in. Nika will do whatever it takes for the team to win. All of them are about TEAM.

Now, if Nika develops a consistent outside shot/game, looks for her offense...

 

[hoophuskee]

Nika will start at PG at the beginning of the year, and Paige will have her minutes monitored until she (and Ice) get acclimated. By late season, Paige will start alongside Azzi, because they know each other's thoughts/inclinations on the floor, as well as their teammates. Having two All-American caliber guards on the floor is tough to beat. Nika spelling either at any time for major minutes is a luxury, especially if foul trouble kicks in. Nika will do whatever it takes for the team to win. All of them are about TEAM.

Now, if Nika develops a consistent outside shot/game, looks for her offense...

Just curious. Why do you think they aren't playing alongside each other if they are sg and sf in a motion offense?

 

[Centerstream]

Sarcasm?

I certainly hope so...

 

[PacoSwede]

i give you all (well, almost all) kudos for some interesting, cogent opinions. some, i agree with wholeheartedly, some partially.

and some, i found absurd.

but regarding nika, in this thread i didn't once see any recognition of one of her obvious virtues -- she is the two-time reigning BE defensive player of the year! this is not a reason to maintain her starting position?

why does the BY discount the value of a player's contributions defensively and put such a heavy emphasis on scoring points. ya know, of course, that offense only comes about through TEAM play (as does good defense). paige definitely is an amazing offensive player, and she also has some great defensive abilities, which she could improve, as nika has improved her shooting).

nobody, i assume, claims nika can match paige's overall on-court contributions, so why do some BYers insist that nika must match up with her ... nobody does!

but nobody else is devalued because of this. if nika must meet this standard, then i can think of many players (umm, like any) who don't meet muster.

and nika and paige can play together. it's not an either/or situation.

nika , BTW, is a top-notch rebounder even when she is the shortest husky in the fray. this perhaps was brought up be a wise BYers in this thread.

she ain't no slouch offensively either, as her assists records last season attest. yet she is expendable because she's not paige? i must have missed it when somebody decided ticha penichiero didn't deserve to start ... ines can correct me on this.

BTW, nika can shoot, although furthers improvement and consistency would be nice.

remember, since she was a freshman, despite her flaws, nika has always somehow (magically?) been able to make the team play better (geno professed that, among his other nika accolades). and now she is providing great leadership.

so sorry if i've repeated others' observations.

 

[Waquoit]

Saying we can't win a NC with Nika at the point because of the OSU game is insane.

It was the Sweet 16 and they got drilled. Not the Elite 8 or the FF.

 

[Alydar]

Good points.

In one of the Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird television shows during the NCAA tournament, Diana said that she and Sue used to take turns bringing the ball up the court when they played together at UConn.

Bird, Taurasi, Bueckers, Fudd, Muhl

Of the four, who doesn't fit? (hint: it's not their defense) Any player a notch below the four will have a very successful career as a pro. Muhl's problem is that she can only play one position and isn't a big scorer while best pg who ever was is also a pg. In order for Muhl to start, either Bueckers or Fudd, along with Griffin and Edwards will have to play out of their natural and best positions.

Geno could start 3 guards and let Griffin and Edwards handle all the physical work. What I don't like about that is that 2 starters would be weak scorers.
But if Muhl came off the bench then Brady could play the post and the other four would be in their best positions.
I think Muhl will play more minutes at pg than Bueckers but with a minute left and down 5 who do you want running the offense? Or up 5 with 2 min left and facing a press who do you want bringing up the ball?

Of course the players themselves determine who the coaches decide to start but right now Fudd Bueckers Griffin and Edwards are starting and I think UConn will be better with Brady then they will with Muhl. And again this is only about starting.

Caveat: There are several players whose play from now till November could change everything I said. The well is very deep.

 

[hoopsnloops32]

Bird, Taurasi, Bueckers, Fudd, Muhl

Of the four, who doesn't fit? (hint: it's not their defense) Any player a notch below the four will have a very successful career as a pro. Muhl's problem is that she can only play one position and isn't a big scorer while best pg who ever was is also a pg. In order for Muhl to start, either Bueckers or Fudd, along with Griffin and Edwards will have to play out of their natural and best positions.

Geno could start 3 guards and let Griffin and Edwards handle all the physical work. What I don't like about that is that 2 starters would be weak scorers.
But if Muhl came off the bench then Brady could play the post and the other four would be in their best positions.
I think Muhl will play more minutes at pg than Bueckers but with a minute left and down 5 who do you want running the offense? Or up 5 with 2 min left and facing a press who do you want bringing up the ball?

Of course the players themselves determine who the coaches decide to start but right now Fudd Bueckers Griffin and Edwards are starting and I think UConn will be better with Brady then they will with Muhl. And again this is only about starting.

Caveat: There are several players whose play from now till November could change everything I said. The well is very deep.

If Muhl started, Ice could play the post and everyone else can still their “natural position”. I don’t think Aubrey is a given starter, though she’s a potential starter. This whole position thing is nonsense- Geno doesn’t recruit or play players based on position.

The real reason Nika will start alongside Paige and Azzi in the backcourt is that she’s better than Paige at pushing the pace and going from defense to offense. Paige is an excellent half court point guard but she doesn’t look to push like Nika. That along with her defense makes her as sure if a starter as Paige, Azzi and Aaliyah.

 

[tchalla1]

IMHO Nika will be the PG, Paige will be the SG, Azzi will be the Wing, Aubrey will be the SF, and Aaliyah will be the PF!
Geno really uses no positions as every player has a share in the total offense.
I also feel Caroline as a G/W and Ice as PF/C will be the first off the bench!
Geno will be using more players in his rotation this season as his trust goes 10 or 11 deep, maybe even 12 deep!
With the athletes Geno has (if healthy) he'll run and gun and press or a more aggressive defense all game!

I like the combos being laid out, but are these too small of a lineup? I think we'd get killed on the boards...

 

[Alydar]

If Muhl started, Ice could play the post and everyone else can still their “natural position”. I don’t think Aubrey is a given starter, though she’s a potential starter. This whole position thing is nonsense- Geno doesn’t recruit or play players based on position.

The real reason Nika will start alongside Paige and Azzi in the backcourt is that she’s better than Paige at pushing the pace and going from defense to offense. Paige is an excellent half court point guard but she doesn’t look to push like Nika. That along with her defense makes her as sure if a starter as Paige, Azzi and Aaliyah.

You and I are in different universes.

 

[tchalla1]

IMO, Paige did the same thing as a freshman but she didn't get the hype about "changing the women's game" because it was expected of her. And she did not fail anyone.
So in my opinion, Caitlin is almost the equivalent of Paige. Period.

Paige had a truly exceptional season during her freshman year but it did not measure up to Clark's season--Clark was an even more dynamic scorer and she took down one of the best teams this decade in S.C. Clark got the "hype" because she was the hype... Clark is the equivalent of Paige and then some...

 

[hoopsnloops32]

Paige had a truly exceptional season during her freshman year but it did not measure up to Clark's season--Clark was an even more dynamic scorer and she took down one of the best teams this decade in S.C. Clark got the "hype" because she was the hype... Clark is the equivalent of Paige and then some...

Clark as a junior might have been better than Paige as a freshman. That’s not the flex you seem to think it is lol

 

[BobbyJ]

If Muhl started, Ice could play the post and everyone else can still their “natural position”. I don’t think Aubrey is a given starter, though she’s a potential starter. This whole position thing is nonsense- Geno doesn’t recruit or play players based on position.

The real reason Nika will start alongside Paige and Azzi in the backcourt is that she’s better than Paige at pushing the pace and going from defense to offense. Paige is an excellent half court point guard but she doesn’t look to push like Nika. That along with her defense makes her as sure if a starter as Paige, Azzi and Aaliyah.

You either have a short memory or you haven't seen Bueckers when she gets a clean outlet pass. She doesn't need to dribble half the length of the court, she sees the court in advance and beats the defense down court with her passing.

 

[diggerfoot]

Paige had a truly exceptional season during her freshman year but it did not measure up to Clark's season--Clark was an even more dynamic scorer and she took down one of the best teams this decade in S.C. Clark got the "hype" because she was the hype... Clark is the equivalent of Paige and then some...

In terms of offensive and deficiency Buecker’s freshman year surpassed Clark’s junior year. Her efficiency was the best of all players that year, including Boston, and was likely one of the best of all time. She shot at a higher percentage than the junior Clark, had a much better A/T ratio, and they were not even in the same class defensively.

 

[hoopsnloops32]

You either have a short memory or you haven't seen Bueckers when she gets a clean outlet pass. She doesn't need to dribble half the length of the court, she sees the court in advance and beats the defense down court with her passing.

I recently rewatched almost every game Paige played in at UConn, and she’s not as good as Nika is at this. Nika pushes every single time without fail, it’s automatic. Paige prefers to walk it up, she can push and when she does it can be spectacular but she’s not at Nikas level with pushing pace.

 

[#12in21]

As many have stated before, myself among them (incidentally we can include Nika in that group as well), Paige is the most gifted player on our roster and likely will make a legitimate case once again for being the best player in wcbb. She can't be pigeon holed into being classified as strictly a PG and has played both in college and high school a good deal of time alongside a PG with no drop in her effectiveness and impact. Freshman year, which is the largest sample of Paige and Nika playing together, she credited Nika with increasing her scoring opportunities both by anticipating her movement with lead passes and setting screens for her. The point is Paige loses nothing in her game by not being 'the PG' and both she and Nika, as recently as in the preseason pressers, reiterated they play very well when together on the floor. Sitting Nika would only lessen what our team can do this season, she is one of our exceptional assets. It's not about starting the five most gifted offensive players (as some seem to be using as their criteria), it's about putting the best combination of five players on the floor that can optimize the teams success. In terms of Nika and Paige, its not an either or question, they will both do more for the teams success in tandem.

Nika comes to the role of PG from a European perspective. As her father, Darko, pointed out in an article (cited on the Boneyard at one point) that role is much more facilitator, positioning players and communicating than scoring. So along with the adjustments Nika has had to make defensively in reducing contact she has been asked to increase her scoring threat to disallow the defense to play off her. This past season she made great strides on that front, more often driving to the basket, greatly increasing getting to the line, an occasional mid range shot thrown in, while maintaining a 34% clip from distance. I have no doubt that she is continuing to work on her offensive game this off season. I would argue that her improvement in those areas (through this season and as it continues going forward) has been to a great deal due to a change in mindset. In a presser freshman season, she was asked if her lack of scoring was a concern, her response was she didn't believe she needed to score with so many better options among her teammates. I am quite sure Geno did not agree at that time nor now and Nika has come to accept that she needs to provide enough of a scoring threat (to supplement her great ability to facilitate) as to not allow opponents to play off her. I think she has turned the corner on that and would suggest that Geno agrees.

This season at one point he said we don't need Nika to be a different player we just need her to always be Nika. If we look at Dawn's strategy for the SC game, even with Nika not being a big scoring threat herself - Dawn's stated emphasis in her game planning was to try to keep the ball out of Nika's hands because if she couldn't facilitate then our offense wouldn't be effective. To make a very long story short, we don't have to worry about opponents playing off of Nika to double team our shooters, because she will score enough when she sees an opportunity and her exceptional ability to position her teammates and find the best option make it critical for her opponents to contain her (think her Uconn record 284 assists this season).

So what I wonder when reading some of these posts which argue she will not be our starting PG, or starting at all, or (atleast one poster) which lists her as third or fourth in the PG depth chart, is are these folks talking about the same Nika Mühl I am. I'm talking about the one that is the head of the snake on our defense (two time BE DPOY), the one that played more minutes than anyone this past season while reinventing herself to eliminate fouling concerns and increase her scoring productivity, the acknowledged floor general and vocal leader of the team by both her coaches and teammates, the one that set new season, single game and # of double digit consecutive and in total, assist game records this past season, the one that energizes her teammates (again as acknowledged by both her coaches and teammates) and the one on the roster that has started the most games during her career. That's the player I'm talking about and that's the player that I see as the starting PG alongside backcourt running mate 'generational talents', Paige and Azzi. IMO, Nika Mühl will be an integral piece of a very deep, very talented roster that if healthy has an unlimited ceiling.

Nika is no question not the most gifted player on the team, but as Geno has said during her freshman season through the present she is unique and he's only had a few players like her and 'the team is better when she is on the floor'. That's where he will have her during her senior season.​

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

I like the combos being laid out, but are these too small of a lineup? I think we'd get killed on the boards...

tchalla- - - Geno has proven in the past that he can make the "small" lineup work!
He puts the players in position to succeed and if he notices it's going south in a hurry he has so much talent on the bench to switch direction in a hurry!

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

I just don't see Aburey starting, she is just too limited offensively. She, to me, is the perfect person off the bench as the 6th player. If the last starter isn't Ice or Jana, I expect Geno to go with a 4 out system and start Caroline as the defacto 4 and play a lot at the high post.

ucbart- - - After writing that I said to myself that same statement, Aubrey is a game changer and might be better coming off the bench and Caroline at 6'2" could add mopre to the offense!
But I wouldn't put it past Geno to use my 1st lineup sometimes!

 

[wingsfan055]

If Muhl started, Ice could play the post and everyone else can still their “natural position”. I don’t think Aubrey is a given starter, though she’s a potential starter. This whole position thing is nonsense- Geno doesn’t recruit or play players based on position.

The real reason Nika will start alongside Paige and Azzi in the backcourt is that she’s better than Paige at pushing the pace and going from defense to offense. Paige is an excellent half court point guard but she doesn’t look to push like Nika. That along with her defense makes her as sure if a starter as Paige, Azzi and Aaliyah.

Wow. The only thing Nika is better at than Paige in a fast break is turning the ball over.

 

[hoopsnloops32]

Wow. The only thing Nika is better at than Paige in a fast break is turning the ball over.

Well luckily when they are both starting Paige will be there to receive her passes on the fast break to cut down on turnovers.