Takeaways from tonight's game

[Tonyc]

Hey Uconn had a poor shooting night and won by 19. They had 5 double ddigits scorers and against a very good defensive team. Im happy we had aa good test before saturday. They will be focused Saturday.

 

[earl the pearl]

Something very strange bout tonight's game. It made very clear that neither of the Huskies post options have any offense in the high post, and yet, I don't recall a single half-court set where the post [player went to the low blocks first or most. Every single set was run with the posts standnig uselessly out on the perimeter. Clearly, the offense wouldn't be set up like that if it wasn't exactly what Geno wanted, but why he should want that, I have no idea.

Totally agree!

 

[Ozzie Nelson]

Something very strange bout tonight's game. It made very clear that neither of the Huskies post options have any offense in the high post, and yet, I don't recall a single half-court set where the post [player went to the low blocks first or most. Every single set was run with the posts standnig uselessly out on the perimeter. Clearly, the offense wouldn't be set up like that if it wasn't exactly what Geno wanted, but why he should want that, I have no idea.

Exactly...he was a few feet away, whispering distance, as Stef and Kiah set up, where they were obviously told to set up. Why, well that is easy. Back door was the plan, from the get go. Simple as that.

It worked.

 

[Timeout]

Hey Uconn had a poor shooting night and won by 19. They had 5 double ddigits scorers and against a very good defensive team. Im happy we had aa good test before saturday. They will be focused Saturday.

Agree, good teams always find a way to win. In my mind this was the perfect opponent for UConn before facing ND.

 

[alexrgct]

Think there are a few ways of looking at last night's game, as this thread clearly indicates.

Overall, I'd say it was a disappointing result insomuch as I was hoping to see the team firing on most if not all cylinders heading into a big game against ND. In the predictions thread, pretty much everyone expected a larger margin of victory. So the key questions are why was the output not what we expected, and to what extent are those reasons a cause for concern.

Why was the output not as expected? Some possibilities:

• West Virginia, in my eyes, did play pretty well tonight. Their record has some bad losses on it, but I haven't watched any of their games until now. Maybe they're starting to get it together. Maybe they played above their usual level, and they'll not be able to sustain it ging forward. But certainly, last night, they looked like a pretty good team to me. They've got a weak conference schedule coming up plus a game with Marshall, so they have a chance to build some momentum into February.
• UConn had an uncharacteristically poor shooting night from both the three-point line and the FT line. A few more FTs and a couple more treys, and the margin of victory ends up being right around the 27 I thought it'd be.
• There are the obvious possible psychological factors: not being in rhythm in terms of lifestyle/regular games, looking ahead to Saturday, etc.
• You know, as much as Geno preaches playing to a standard rather than to the score or to the opponent, sometimes it just doesn't happen. It happens more with UConn than with most teams, but still.

Is this a cause for concern? Maybe. Will Bria be as consistent as she's been recently? That will be key. Can KML deliver a lights out shooting performance? Will we see the Stef of the BET or the Stef of last night? You can bank on getting nothing but max effort and energy from Tiff and Kelly, but will we get good offensive performances from them? Chances are Muffet will concede certain shots to them. Will Heather be able to build on the peformance she gave the first half of the Baylor game? I assume the girls will be locked in and ready to play. I also assume ND will be. I think ND wins a squeaker, UConn wins the next time and in the BET if they face off again, and hopefully there isn't a fourth time.

 

[tomcat]

Exactly...he was a few feet away, whispering distance, as Stef and Kiah set up, where they were obviously told to set up. Why, well that is easy. Back door was the plan, from the get go. Simple as that.

It worked.

I just really wonder about the strategy, and am really puzzled about how it was thought through. Obviously, WV has a couple of good frontline players. Bussie, as someone else said, may be the best defensive center UConn will see this year after Griner. So are we to assume that Geno decided that Stef and Kiah could not work their offensive will on WV's players and thus had to settle for something else?

I mean, she's Stef Dolson most of the time, but when UConn runs up against tough centers, she turns into Kaili McLaren? Backdoor plays are wonderful, but you can only get so many before a really good defensive team (and IMHO WV is a really good defensive team) will figure out a way to take them away. Now when they made those adjustments, they should have given UConn something else inside, but I don't remember any point in the game when UConn's inside game changed dramatically. In fact, I have a hard time remembering UConn's inside game at all.

I'm not saying that all this is a tragedy or anything. UConn won handily, even if it was an ugly game. It's just that if Stef really is the #2 center in the country -- or even if she has the potential to be the #2 center in the country (which seems to me to be more like it), shouldn't she be able to control at least a little of the action by working her will against the opponent? And if the answer to that question is yes, you have to ask whether the team has an obligation to get the ball to her more often than it did last night.

 

[grizz36]

My guess is that with WVa playing such aggressive man defense, putting the post at the top of the key would open up the lane for back-cuts. The problem was that the WVa post defender was staying in the lane rather than coming up to guard Stef (or Kiah) at the top of the post. That left Stef (or Kiah) wide open but clogged up the lane to make back-cuts difficult. Neither Stef or Kiah took or made the open jumper to force the post defender to guard them which all but eliminated the back-cuts and made running offense more difficult.

Still, the team managed to put up 79 points and won by 19. It was one of those grind-it-out games that resembled games against WVa in previous years.

Plus WVa's aggressive defense included jostling Kelly and KML, UCONN's 2 main back-cutters, out of their timing for the cuts. Still can't figure why Stef didn't attempt more open jumpers. My only guess is that she saw nothing but dark uniforms in the paint for rebounds. UCONN can only expect more of the same defensively against Notre Dame.

 

[Icebear]

I was wondering the same thing.

Then I settled on hoping that Heather is just being saved for the ND game.

Lets hope that I am right.

Peace,

John Fryer

Don't think we have to wonder Geno said as much.

 

[UConnCat]

UConn has played some ugly games against WVa and last night's game fit that pattern. The score of last year's game in Morgantown was 57-51. In the BET game in 2010, the score was 60-32. WVa makes it difficult to run offense because of how physically it plays. Still, the team put up 79 points despite missing open shots in the 1st half and won by 19 points. If you're looking for style points, re-watch the Fairfield game over and over again because there aren't going to be many games with easy cuts and nice rhythms going forward.

 

[msf22b]

Has it been noted that "Ya-Ya" Dunning, the star of Wv's their last game with 20 points, 15 rebounds was "held" to zero points on love for 3 with 7 rebounds.
With all our bellyaching about Stef, I wonder what they're thinking.

 

[doggydaddy]

I just really wonder about the strategy, and am really puzzled about how it was thought through. Obviously, WV has a couple of good frontline players. Bussie, as someone else said, may be the best defensive center UConn will see this year after Griner. So are we to assume that Geno decided that Stef and Kiah could not work their offensive will on WV's players and thus had to settle for something else?

I mean, she's Stef Dolson most of the time, but when UConn runs up against tough centers, she turns into Kaili McLaren? Backdoor plays are wonderful, but you can only get so many before a really good defensive team (and IMHO WV is a really good defensive team) will figure out a way to take them away. Now when they made those adjustments, they should have given UConn something else inside, but I don't remember any point in the game when UConn's inside game changed dramatically. In fact, I have a hard time remembering UConn's inside game at all.

I'm not saying that all this is a tragedy or anything. UConn won handily, even if it was an ugly game. It's just that if Stef really is the #2 center in the country -- or even if she has the potential to be the #2 center in the country (which seems to me to be more like it), shouldn't she be able to control at least a little of the action by working her will against the opponent? And if the answer to that question is yes, you have to ask whether the team has an obligation to get the ball to her more often than it did last night.

Thanks again to Mike B for a chance to watch the game up close, I can tell you that I saw Dolson battle for position down low many times. It appeared to me that the guards struggled with the entry pass.

I think it's time to stop using a Geno statement against Stef. She has never said she was the 2nd best center in the country and at the time Geno said it (the ONE time he said it) it was just Geno pontificating.

I know that Kelly doesn't like using the stat sheet, but Dolson did have a career high (and team high) 6 assists.

My only beef was that she lacked the confidence to take the 17 footer more often.

 

[Icebear]

Thanks again to Mike B for a chance to watch the game up close, I can tell you that I saw Dolson battle for position down low many times. It appeared to me that the guards struggled with the entry pass.
Bingo, many times when Stef was ready the pass was not forthcoming in time and rhythm.

I think it's time to stop using a Geno statement against Stef. She has never said she was the 2nd best center in the country and at the time Geno said it (the ONE time he said it) it was just Geno pontificating.
Bingo.

I know that Kelly doesn't like using the stat sheet, but Dolson did have a career high (and team high) 6 assists.
Indeed.

My only beef was that she lacked the confidence to take the 17 footer more often.
Plus when she does others need to be ready to charge the boards.

 

[JS]

Still can't figure why Stef didn't attempt more open jumpers.

A key question IMO. Kia didn't either.

You ain't gonna get backdoors with Bussie hanging around under the basket. And she ain't comin' out of there until the post, who's being given 10 feet or so, either shoots or at least shows a consistent inclination to shoot from the top of the key (or after one big step to the foul line).

And with that big step you're on the way to the boards, so why not?

 

[UConnCat]

Here's what Geno said last night about Dolson:

“The last two or three days in practice she was great,’’ Auriemma said. “So I don’t know what it is, other than people trying to be really physical with her, which I think affects her a little bit.

"And we miss her sometimes [with passes] when she’s in the lane when we should give it to her. Plus, they’re [opponents] able to double her, which is why some of our guys get wide open shots.

"But we’ve just got to do a better job I think of getting her involved. The kids she was playing against [vs. West Viginia] were big and strong and were running at her. But she could have had as many 15-foot jump shots as she wanted. She’s got to make some.’’

 

[ThisJustIn]

Let's just cut to the chase... WE'RE DOOOOOOOOOMED!

 

[HuskyNan]

Has it been noted that "Ya-Ya" Dunning, the star of Wv's their last game with 20 points, 15 rebounds was "held" to zero points on love for 3 with 7 rebounds.
With all our bellyaching about Stef, I wonder what they're thinking.

Kelly was on Dunning, I believe.

 

[Icebear]

Here's what Geno said last night about Dolson:

“The last two or three days in practice she was great,’’ Auriemma said. “So I don’t know what it is, other than people trying to be really physical with her, which I think affects her a little bit.

"And we miss her sometimes [with passes] when she’s in the lane when we should give it to her. Plus, they’re [opponents] able to double her, which is why some of our guys get wide open shots.

"But we’ve just got to do a better job I think of getting her involved. The kids she was playing against [vs. West Viginia] were big and strong and were running at her. But she could have had as many 15-foot jump shots as she wanted. She’s got to make some.’’

Pretty much what I saw and thought during the game.

 

[pinotbear]

Let's just cut to the chase... WE'RE DOOOOOOOOOMED!

true...so true..

 

[UConnCat]

Let's just cut to the chase... WE'RE DOOOOOOOOOMED!

It was at the tip of my fingertips. You beat me to it. Yes we are.

 

[cferraro04]

I guess I saw a different game than many here watched. I am not so fatalistic in my feelings about UConn's play last night. I think there is work to do, I think Geno and his staff have plenty of game footage to make their points. The perimeter players played well. KML had an off shooting night, Geno will use Stephanies and Kiah's lack of recognition that Carey's strategy of sagging off the high post to jam the middle and their decision to not either take or make the foul line jumper as a teachable situation. What's seem to be lost here is that UConn basically shut down Dunning and Love...I'll bet Carey isn't that happy a camper this morning. I believe Kiah made some progress yesterday...she has more work to do no doubt... I think Stephanie mindset is quite in combat mode yet...she needed a jolt last year before she got it going and I think this game may be the one to get her going this year. She is a prideful, conscientious kid and I think we just need a little more patience. She knows that her fouling out of the ND game was huge in the final four last year...I would look to Stephanie to have statement game on Saturday. The rest of the team will be up for this game as well....

 

[magic]

I am still not a proponent of the 4guard lineup. I do not recall one team in my 46 years of watching basketball winning a championship this way. It puts great pressure on your one big to do too many things. When Kiah was alongside Steph, I thought the play was better, and WV had to play straight up. I want to see Kiah get a chance to play a few games along side Steph. Huskies will be a far better team come march. I love CD, but let's face it, she is playing on one leg. I want to see four games with starting lineup -Bria, Tiff, Kelly, Kiah and Steph. Yes there will be growing pains, but March is when the games really matter!

 

[Icebear]

I am still not a proponent of the 4guard lineup. I do not recall one team in my 46 years of watching basketball winning a championship this way. It puts great pressure on your one big to do too many things. When Kiah was alongside Steph, I thought the play was better, and WV had to play straight up. I want to see Kiah get a chance to play a few games along side Steph. Huskies will be a far better team come march. I love CD, but let's face it, she is playing on one leg. I want to see four games with starting lineup -Bria, Tiff, Kelly, Kiah and Steph. Yes there will be growing pains, but March is when the games really matter!

What do you mean 4 guards, last night we upped the ante to five guards for awhile.

 

[UConnCat]

I am still not a proponent of the 4guard lineup. I do not recall one team in my 46 years of watching basketball winning a championship this way. It puts great pressure on your one big to do too many things. When Kiah was alongside Steph, I thought the play was better, and WV had to play straight up. I want to see Kiah get a chance to play a few games along side Steph. Huskies will be a far better team come march. I love CD, but let's face it, she is playing on one leg. I want to see four games with starting lineup -Bria, Tiff, Kelly, Kiah and Steph. Yes there will be growing pains, but March is when the games really matter!

Well then, memo to UConn and Notre Dame: You may currently be #2 and #3 in the country, but you have no chance of winning the national championship this year unless you abandon your 4-guard lineup. It doesn't matter if this lineup puts your 5 best players on the floor, creates mis-matches for opponents, or has resulted in only 1 loss so far on the road to the #1 team in the country who has a 6'8" phenom.

In all seriousness, if you listen to Geno's press conference last night -- something I recommend if posters are interested in hearing his thoughts and learning something -- you'll hear him say that the team needs to be able to mix things up and play with two post players. He knows it and I'm sure Muffett knows it as well. But both teams started off the season wanting to put their 5 best players on the court. It hasn't worked out too badly so far. Because Achonwa is currently better than Stokes or Buck, ND is currently ahead of Uconn is being able to go with 2 post players. We'll see how Buck and Stokes develop, but they aren't there yet. Heck, the coaches are working on getting Dolson to play up to her capabilities.

 

[msf22b]

Ya Ya is 6-3 and Kelly stopped her cold (source: Nan). I'm sure Geno is thinking that she do the same with Achonwa (similar size and ability) or at least he hopes so.That begs the question of the 4-guard situ though.

 

[UConnCat]

Ya Ya is 6-3 and Kelly stopped her cold (source: Nan). I'm sure Geno is thinking that she do the same with Achonwa (similar size and ability) or at least he hopes so.That begs the question of the 4-guard situ though.

Notre Dame plays a 4-guard lineup. Achonwa comes off the bench. What I don't know (can't remember) is how much (if at all) ND has played both Peters and Achonwa. Maybe an ND fan can answer that question for us.

In the past, Kelly has guarded Diggins. Will that be the case on Sat or will Geno put Kelly on Novosel? I expect ND will put Mallory on KML which will be a tough match-up. Lots of interesting match-ups in this game.