Tennessee Post Game Thread (merged) | Page 3 | The Boneyard

Tennessee Post Game Thread (merged)

I posted DEFENSE was the key to win this game and 24 points in the second alf for Tennessee was it. 96 points was the norm in scoring for Uconn. Uconn is 23-0. Uconn is on a 38 game win streak and 10 more to the BE title and 48 game streak. Then 6 more game win streak and NCAA title NO13 and a 54 game win streak. It is so nice to see every thing back to normal with Uconn, GO HUSKIES!!!!!!!!!
 
Azzi was on from the very start. Big game and Azzi had a big game. Ziebel showed me how fundamentally sound she is. Allie may be slow, but she is very smooth and a very smart player. She did so many good things. Kayleigh took a leadership role. She did shine. Serah playing against all those physical bigs held her own and had double figures. Ash played great all-round ball. Sarah is just so solid.

The difference between the 1st and 2nd half was TOs. We were up double digits to start the game, made a bunch of unforced mistakes and Tenn was wide open to many times and scored. In the second half we didnt TO and we won by 30 against a pretty good team. We will learn from this game, and we did this without Blanca. It looks like we grew up. We were tested blowing that big lead and bounced back really hard. This is one great team.

This game showed me alot.
 
I have said that this UConn teams knows how to win, with or without all their players. They proved that today.

The first half was a dog fight and it came out even. Had me worried. Tennessee's frantic pace threw UConn off balance. Also you have wonder what constitutes a foul after watching this game.

The second half was amazing. UConn came out and threw the knockout punch. It was scary when Tennessee went to the full press trying to trap our ball handlers. And it backfired. UConn broke it wide open. The game was over by the end of the 3rd.

Azzi had a tremendous all around game. Worthy of AA status. Sarah was Sarah. Serah Williams has her best game as a Husky. She is a force in the lane.

Kayleigh and Ash were key in breaking things open in the 3rd.

Great game.
 

Tonyc said:
Azzi was on from the very start. Big game and Azzi had a big game. Ziebel showed me how fundamentally sound she is. Allie may be slow, but she is very smooth and a very smart player. She did so many good things. Kayleigh took a leadership role. She did shine. Serah playing against all those physical bigs held her own and had double figures. Ash played great all-round ball. Sarah is just so solid.

The difference between the 1st and 2nd half was TOs. We were up double digits to start the game, made a bunch of unforced mistakes and Tenn was wide open to many times and scored. In the second half we didnt TO and we won by 30 against a pretty good team. We will learn from this game, and we did this without Blanca. It looks like we grew up. We were tested blowing that big lead and bounced back really hard. This is one great team.

This game showed me alot.
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Not sure Allie is Slow because she does blow by defenders often for layups .. against a very fast athletic team she did just fine today ..
 
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WiseWillie said:
What? TN didn't show up? They tied it in 1st half. Everyone even a losing coach is entitled to their own opinion but to not give the #1 and only undefeated team 100% credit for completely dominating the 2nd half offensively and defensively seems more than a little dishonest.
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Kim has to be careful. This is the 2nd game in a row that she has alluded to some type of motivational issue with her team. At some point that becomes a reflection on the Head Coach. The barbarians are already at the gates clamoring for Kim’s head on a platter. She doesn’t want to hand them the guillotine to do the job.
 
I have watched most of Kim Caldwell press conferences. After every loss it’s they took plays off, didn’t show up etc etc. She never takes ownership to a loss. I don’t think this team plays well together probably due to them “winning the portal” every year. They have 2 players who have played for 3 teams in 4 years. That should be a red flag. Can you imagine Geno saying his team take plays off?? They would be riding the bench.
 
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oldude said:
Kim has to be careful. This is the 2nd game in a row that she has alluded to some type of motivational issue with her team. At some point that becomes a reflection on the Head Coach. The barbarians are already at the gates clamoring for Kim’s head on a platter. She doesn’t want to hand them the guillotine to do the job.
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Not sure throwing players under the bus is a good method to keep them around .. she shouldered zero blame and gave UConn very little credit other than We made mistakes they capitalized..
 
The defense was shaky, which is odd. The offense did well and especially given that TN was allowed to be excessively physical and chippy.
 
You know. I focus a lot on what Allie isn’t. She is not quick and she is not athletic. But she really has everything skill wise. Excellent at making cuts. Can finish with both her right and her left. Solid handle. The shooting is obvious.

Tennessee is the type of opponent you would think she would struggle against. But Geno really trusted her in the second half. And she had a lot to do with helping put the game away.
 
What I posted in the Game analysis thread was pretty accurate re: shooting percentages.

TN shoots 41.2/30.0/65.9 for the year
Today TN was at 38.1/32.3/66.7
Basically their average for the year. The 3 pointers - they went 2-5 in the last 3 minutes to raise their % above their yearly average.

Uconn shoots 52.7/39.3/75.7 for the year
Today Uconn was 58.5/50.0/81.8
A significant improvement on their yearly average.

TN for the year average 42.1 rebounds per game with a 3.3 MOR (margin of rebounds.)
Today they had 30 and an MOR of -9. This was supposed to be an advantage for them. Uconn averaged an MOR of 6.6 so they did better than their yearly rate with the +9 TN did get 11 O boards, but that represented 27% of the opportunities after they missed a shot, while Uconn was rebounding 32% of their missed shots.

The only stat that improved for TN was their assists - yearly 14.1, today 16. Turnovers up, blocks, steals and turnovers forced all down. And of course scoring down and MOV way down! 😎

That second half was a thing of beauty. Suprised TN kept the press on through the game, meant Geno kept the starters in for the whole game.

Agree with post above that TN vs Uconn is still a 'thing' - people have long memories and there is still an edge to the game. SC, ND are also solid rivalries and have had more meaning in the last 15 years, but there is something about that color of orange!
 
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This game really should not have been this close in the first half. Tennessee was playing bully ball at times and it seemed like our feet couldn’t move because they were just driving to the basket at will, blowing by us. I am not surprised that there were not more 3-second calls called on Tennessee the way they were trying to back us down and post up in the paint. Tennessee exposed our defense. We had late rotations. We never kept our dribble which caused us to turn the ball over. I was also concerned without Blanca being available, and in the 1st half it showed.

That’s why Geno took Allie out of the game in the first half. Her defense was terrible in the first half. Allie is a second half player and shooter. She isn’t one who comes into the game and will immediately hit 3’s, she is a rhythm shooter who has to go up and down the court a few times and get in the groove.

Kaleigh didn’t play terribly, but she was indecisive when she got in the paint with the ball and had crucial turnovers in the first half but came to life in the 3rd qtr.

Serah Williams, I thought when she came over would put us over the top, but her play is all over the map. Her rebounding has been atrocious. Maybe there is time for her to be the player we all thought she could be.

Jana unfortunately will always be a backup it seams and will be used situationally against other 6’5” or taller players or to spell Serah for a few minutes.

Azzi is a Tennessee killer. Her 3’s were crucial. 7 rebounds, 7 assist which might be a career high or close to it along with 4 steals. Her defense is certainly underrated and she needs more recognition.

50/50/80 were some good stats for the Huskies versus an athletic Tennessee squad.
 
Full house in Hartford and lots of energy for the biggest remaining game of the regular season.

Tennessee is a very long and athletic team, you could see that right away in warmups, it jumps out at you. There were many times in the game where they had a height advantage at every position. Yet oddly enough, they had zero blocked shots and UConn outrebounded them by nine.

In an game where many UConn players were terrific, AZZI was the star of the show today for many reasons. Her offense early, shaking off her recent shooting woes, and her defense was outstanding as well. But most importantly, she provided terrific ball handling and passing - that was the most pressure UConn has faced this season and Azzi was very instrumental in breaking it.

This game should also provide a great jolt of additional confidence for K9, Shade, Allie and Serah, all of whom played very well in what is likely the last real test for UConn before the NCAA Tournament. UConn will have a long stretch now to get healthy and get ready for March and April.

Scoring 96 against that pressure defense was pretty impressive. 58% shooting and here is a stat for you - every UConn player shot at least 50% from the field and at least 40% from three. I also like that Azzi (17) and Sarah (18) took a total of 35 shots.
 
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As much as it's nerve wracking for fans -- I had switch off the game for a bit 😀 -- it's good for the team to face adversity. You need to have confidence that if things aren't going your way that you can come back. I think several of the UConn teams that did not reach the mountaintop have not had that belief.

That said, the ~15 min stretch where Tenn was on a 37-17 run was not fun, and will likely dominate several upcoming film sessions.
 
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I will say there were significantly less LV fans in Hartford this year (or at least a lot less wearing the “gaudy Orange”). Talaysia Cooper was touted on the Naismith Defensive Player of the year list and Azzi wasn’t add in @cferraro04 pre game analysis giving Copper the edge over Azzi and you can see our Ms. Fudd was highly motivated. 4 steals to zero, 1 block to zero, 7 defensive rebounds to 2 and add in 7 assists and THIS IS A STATEMENT game as Exhibit A for her All-American credentials.

I had agita in the first half in the arena but obviously much more satisfied in the second half. Honestly, the officiating was terrible but we persevered.
 
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