Tennessee Postgame thread | The Boneyard

Tennessee Postgame thread

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EricLA

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Just wow. A tale of 2 halves, or several games within a game. No Caroline? No Paige? No problem! (sort of - obviously we love those guys and missed them terribly). We have some player named Fudd!!!

First half - we really should have been up more. So many missed opportunities and not taking advantage. Fudd was 3-10. How often will she miss 5 shots inside the arc in a half? CW was jacking up missed 3-pointers and had 2 fouls and 3 TO's. Once Key got into foul trouble, we tried to force it into ONO. Westbrook knew better - she let the game come to her, not forcing it. Really IMHO only Edwards and Westbrook played well on both sides of the ball in half 1.

The 2nd half started out as the Nika and Christyn show. Q3 might have been one of the most delightful quarters of basketball I've watched in a long time. As my friend @MilfordHusky said, "a cream-sickle melting under pressure". Azzi got back on track and really everyone took part in the rout in Q3. We slowed down a tad towards the end of the quarter, but the standing 8 count was delivered. At the end of the 3rd quarter, Tenneessee had 8 total field goals on 9-45 shooting. That's 20%. UCONN was at 20-45. 44%. If not for all the FT's by Tenn, it would have been even worse.

Not a good effort for senior Williams - picking up 2 more fouls in Q3. Good grief - you are a senior Christyn. Stop making unforced errors. After starting Q3 14-0, Tennessee outscored us 11-9 rest of the quarter. They were living at the FT line. 16-18 thru 3 quarters. But... was the damage already done?

I was worried how we'd come out in Q4 - had we spent all our good energy? Would we let down? Tennessee's pressure defense had already started causing us problems. And believe it or not, the fouls were fairly even - 18 for UCONN thru 3, 16 for Tennessee. The problem was we were fouling shooters. Tenn came out swarming in Q4 and we played careless. Not surprising but disappointing. Missing FT's didn't help (9-14). 10-4 out the gate in Q4 for Tennessee. They were outscoring us at the FT line 17-9. Smart TO by Geno - I was disappointed with how carelessly we were playing.

After the TO, Edwards is NOT the player I'd call on for a big 3. ROFL. When she took that i was like NOOOOOOOOO, then YESSSSSSSS LOL. Then again Williams is not the player I'd want taking any 3's either at this point. Oh well. Thank goodness for Azzi.

I LOVED so many things about this game, but the 2 things I loved most - coming out like a house in fire in Q3, and then getting "down" 10-4 in Q4, settling down, and finishing the game strong. Azzi is easily my POG. BTW I LOVED DeBerry's reaction after Fudd's last 3. Totally dialed in by a bench player (who will be great in the future) Woohoo!!

Great all around game. Azzi was a stud. Really good games from Westbrook and Edwards. Lots to love about this game.

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oldude

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Some thoughts on the TN game:
  • Whatever problems have plagued UConn this season, there is absolutely nothing that doesn’t feel a whole lot better with a HUGE win over Tennessee today!!! What a tremendous TEAM effort. UConn now has a very real opportunity to secure a 2-seed and a spot in the Bridgeport Region if they run the table in the BE.
  • The decision to start Azzi was made with the intention of providing more offensive punch in Caroline’s absence. UConn ran a lot of actions for Azzi all game long and she hit some monster shots today, looking every bit like the #1 recruit in the nation.
  • The sequence in the first half during which UConn had like 8? offensive rebounds in a row before Azzi knocked down a 3 was all about tremendous effort, hustle, and gave me the distinct feeling that UConn was not going to be denied today.
  • Welcome back Aaliyah Edwards!!!
  • Evina once again stepped up against her former team with a SOLID GAME that was yet another reminder to LV fans of how good a player they had in Knoxville.
  • I felt pretty good after the 1st half. UConn was up 7, hadn’t executed particularly well on offense, but the defense against TN was absolutely suffocating. UConn’s 23-11 edge in the 3rd quarter pretty much put the game out of reach for TN.
  • For a program that prides itself on consistency, it is difficult to comprehend that, 19 games into this season, UConn rolled out their 7th different starting lineup today. I will say once again, WHAT DOESN’T KILL YOU MAKES YOU STRONGER!
 
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No Paige, no CD, almost no CW, and limited minutes from Dorka And that equaled total domination. Never would have thunk it but I’m a very happy camper. This was a huge victory going way beyond the polls and seedings.
 
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A great game overall. Tenn looked over-matched. They did not give up. Jordan Houston is a baller. Other than her, few of their players were effective. Our defense was tight throughout the game. Looking forward to our team playing in Bridgeport as a 2 seed. Very important win. Go UCONN!
 
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A great win, with a ton of positives to take away. Azzi has found her groove, and completely changes this team. 7-9 from 3 is certainly an above average shooting game, but show's she's a huge outside threat. Also really pleased with the play of both Evina and Aaliyah, two players who have endured a hefty slump.

We have the pieces for a title run, it's going to be a matter of getting everyone healthy and playing well at the same time. The big IF is Paige, but if she comes back and is effective, I think Paige, Azzi, Caroline, Aaliyah, and Olivia will be a really great lineup.

The two players this board loves to beat up on, Muhl and Williams, were responsible for the 14-0 start to the 3Q that broke open the game. Didn't want this fact to get lost because as a whole, CW didn't have her best game. But both players contributed to this win.
 
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