Tennessee Postgame Thread

[Centerstream]

Jana will miss 2-3 layups in a row, get angry with herself, and go into funks where she’s ineffective on the court. When the Huskies are struggling to find points it would be helpful to get some easy buckets in the post but Jana is, well, pouting. This includes games against Big East teams with players no bigger than 6-1. Why would Geno leave her on the court if she’s not going to play?

Gotta agree with you about how Geno uses Jana. Last night during the first half I was wondering why Geno left Ashlynn and Morgan in the game after missing bunnies. I'm guessing it's because they didn't pout, they just played harder. And even though Ashlynn didn't play at the level that she expects to play at, and we also seem to expect, she never let up. This is something that I love about the UConn WBB players, they play hard and don't give up, at least in my biased opinion.

 

[huskeynut]

Not going to name players, however, Geno needs to decide what is going on with this team and fast.

The team has no fire. Way too laid back. How many games has the team come out slow and sometime lethargic. Who is the real starting 5? If it's the small lineup as Geno has mentioned, then play that lineup!! Can't even win the opening tip.

The offense is a 3 player rotation, 2 guards and a small forward. Relying on just those 3 will not get it done. Only two have been consistant. A fourth scorer has not been developed nor has a post presence been developed. You are not going to develop your big post when you start her and pull her out after 5 minutes in the 1st quarter. Posts will not grow without playing time and working through their "mistakes." That's on Geno.

Geno has spent the season playing just about everybody in every game. I get the need to find out what the young ones can do.There is practice. I beleive he has done this at the expense of the 8 or 9 that should have the significant minutes every game. I don't buy the argument that you have to rest your best players during the season or they'll be tired by tournament time. That's pure BS. These are highly skilled and conditioned athletes. Last year proved my point.

There was a small period of time last night when the offense and defense was clicking. But it didn't last long enough. And a couple of the starters were on the bench.

For the great coaching job that Geno did last season with a depleated squad, not seeing that this season.

 

[VaConnFan11]

To me it's simple. The overall makeup of teams is changing. Geno recruits very good to great high school (and foreign) players and teaches them the "system". Other coaches have started recruiting good to very good ATHLETIC players and teaches them how to play.

Just imagine if you had 7 Aubrey Griffins with just a little better basketball skills. You would be very hard to beat. That is what other coaches are going for now. Times are changing.

I agree with other posters saying that the team has no "fire". That is a reflection of Geno. Today, he approaches coaching in a very businesslike manner. He has changed. He's gotten older.

My wife, who doesn't watch a lot of women's basketball, commented to me last night that the team didn't look like they were playing, but looked like they were just going through the motions.

 

[BobbyJ]

I really like Auriemma's comments on the importance of game stats.

 

[martyn]

Not going to name players, however, Geno needs to decide what is going on with this team and fast.

The team has no fire. Way too laid back. How many games has the team come out slow and sometime lethargic. Who is the real starting 5? If it's the small lineup as Geno has mentioned, then play that lineup!! Can't even win the opening tip.

Fudd personified the "no fire" last night, but it was a strange game all around.

 

[Vancat]

Reading between the lines, it seems like Geno is super frustrated with our 'superstar'... more than usual. hope she can wake up, or they can see eye to eye, whatever.... soon.

 

[snowkot]

The good thing about sports, is that when one team loses to another with inarguably lesser player talent, there are documentable reasons on offer. Flat, tactical analysis, separated from the emotional.

The box score and game film. Review of previous losses, for patterns. Lessons learned, and move on.

Here, the box score (apologies for the source lol, but it's the only one I could find with +/-, which is critical) is informative. As is rewatching with pause and slow motion on the DVR.

Hard to discuss frankly owing to the sensitive nature of the topic, so perhaps, better to leave this with, for me, coach's rotations this season have been sub-optimal. Not a problem so far in the Big East, where the talent gap has been absolutely massive. But against better opponents, where the gap is far less but still present, coach's over-reliance on certain players (not including Strong in this, of course), over others has impacted results.

 

[donalddoowop]

Wow, After watching for just the first Qtr I knew this was going to be a tough game for us to win. What we have learned this season is athleticism will kill us: Notre Dame, USC, and now Tennessee and Possibly South Carolina. It wasn't necessarily the pace (hence the turnover ratio) but that will take away some of what we want to do. IE.. jump shooting. Running up and down the court at such a pace will take away your legs and our jump shooting from Azzi, Paige, Shade, Morgan and Chen was non-existent.
Our most athletic players thrived. Sarah, Audrey and KK because they don't rely on jump shooting to score.
Geno should have subbed Kaitlyn sooner or started KK. Kaitlyn isn't consistent enough, is still hesitant to shoot, and still defers.
The rebounding difference gives the team additional possessions and we missed Ice at least for portions of the game. El Afy is still raw and a work in progress this year. simple layups are a challenge for her and she is falling away to the right missing it and is often out of position for rebounding. I am interested to see Gandy Lou-Mamel next year. She is athletic, runs the floor extremely well, rebounds and is quick on her feet.
It didn't look like there were any screens set for Paige or Azzi to get going from deep. I saw double screens and triple set for Caitlyn Clark at times.
You can only teach defensive principles like stance, position, moving feet, and boxing out but if you don't have the athleticism, the heart to get better, the will to dominate your opponent you are going to be stuck with this matadore defense.

No way Vanderbilt, or Oklahoma is more athletic than UConn, but they beat Tennessee this season. The athleticism thing is just an excuse. It seems that Geno needs to start looking at the kind of players he recruits or looking in the mirror at why some of his better players struggle against the better teams. However, I believe UConn will at least make it to the Elite Eight this season. I also think the game against SC will not be close with UConn on the losing end. Athleticism, combined with better talent will prevail in that game.

 

[donalddoowop]

Jana will miss 2-3 layups in a row, get angry with herself, and go into funks where she’s ineffective on the court. When the Huskies are struggling to find points it would be helpful to get some easy buckets in the post but Jana is, well, pouting. This includes games against Big East teams with players no bigger than 6-1. Why would Geno leave her on the court if she’s not going to play?

I have not seen her pout. Maybe I should look closer.

 

[ABCDFE]

In our 3 losses, Shade is 6-22 from the floor and 1-9 from 3. She has got to figure this out. And her misses are absolute bricks.

This is exactly the point by many. Its one thing to do it against BE and lower ranked teams, but against the top teams or athletic teams, we need to have players that rise to the occasion. Right now do we trust any player to do that for us. It used to be Paige for me, but I'm wavering on her. I don't know whats going on whether it be physical or mental, but she's gotta control the game. Sarah looks to be fine and is a freshman so that leaves Azzi, Shade, KK, Chen, Aubrey as our true contributors. Out of that group, who has consistently risen to up to the challenge of our rivals? In the NCAA tournament, it comes down to individual play makers. If we don't even have one we can count on, how are we supposed to go toe to toe with SC, UCLA, ND, USC, LSU?

 

[donalddoowop]

To me it's simple. The overall makeup of teams is changing. Geno recruits very good to great high school (and foreign) players and teaches them the "system". Other coaches have started recruiting good to very good ATHLETIC players and teaches them how to play.

Just imagine if you had 7 Aubrey Griffins with just a little better basketball skills. You would be very hard to beat. That is what other coaches are going for now. Times are changing.

I agree with other posters saying that the team has no "fire". That is a reflection of Geno. Today, he approaches coaching in a very businesslike manner. He has changed. He's gotten older.

My wife, who doesn't watch a lot of women's basketball, commented to me last night that the team didn't look like they were playing, but looked like they were just going through the motions.

No. That strategy killed Georgetown in their heyday when they were the talk of men's basketball. Coach Thompson stopped recruiting guards and starting athletes with plans to make them guards. They never learned to shoot accurately and that killed the program. The last truly great guard he got was Iverson.

 

[HuskieDawg]

No way Vanderbilt, or Oklahoma is more athletic than UConn, but they beat Tennessee this season. The athleticism thing is just an excuse. It seems that Geno needs to start looking at the kind of players he recruits or looking in the mirror at why some of his better players struggle against the better teams. However, I believe UConn will at least make it to the Elite Eight this season. I also think the game against SC will not be close with UConn on the losing end. Athleticism, combined with better talent will prevail in that game.

So athleticism is an excuse but because SC has more athleticism (and) talent they will win.

 

[uconnfan68]

I have not seen her pout. Maybe I should look closer.

She was trying to ref some of the earlier games. They talked her out of that. She got that from Paige, who it seems they spoke with too.
In general, in a game playing at that pace, we wither. Not saying we can’t sustain the pace, but we speed ourselves up to the point where we make mistakes that usually aren’t seen in our league play. It seems to be affecting all of them too.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

I wish I had something to say, but I didn't because I don't. I'm flumoxed.

 

[Zonepress]

Azzi and Ashlynn play to their potential, even without the height, we can beat anyone. Paige needs to be more aggressive but she’s always good at least. Sarah always shows up. I think the key will be Ashlynn because I think Azzi will show up. Jana plays hard but she is who she is at this point. I’ve noticed in the big games, Ashlynn misses all of her shots and if that changes, we will be hard to beat. But Geno is right, overall, the best players on our team should be the best players on the floor. I could be wrong about this but I was thinking. Is there a lack of leadership? I think they don’t hold each other as accountable as prior teams because no one wants to be the bad guy. Just feels that way. This may be exactly what we needed. I hate to say this, but if Paige isn’t the best player on the floor against South Carolina, in a win, then we know it’s not in her. I’m not giving them an excuse but Paige and these players haven’t had the chance to grow together like teams in the past because of injuries and covid. I think things would be different if it was a normal career for

No way Vanderbilt, or Oklahoma is more athletic than UConn, but they beat Tennessee this season. The athleticism thing is just an excuse. It seems that Geno needs to start looking at the kind of players he recruits or looking in the mirror at why some of his better players struggle against the better teams. However, I believe UConn will at least make it to the Elite Eight this season. I also think the game against SC will not be close with UConn on the losing end. Athleticism, combined with better talent will prevail in that regard and

I'm not sure what else he could say. After watching the game he is spot on. He can teach basketball, but not toughness, confidence or attitude... things UConn players used to have, perhaps not so much now.

I was just surprised at how honest and frank he wa

 

[CL82]

I really like Auriemma's comments on the importance of game stats.

What did you learn about your team?

(It's) Hard (to win) if you don't get contributions from you players. Kk, Aubrey, Sarah played well. But some players on out team that are supposed to be our best players need to play better in big games. We didn't make big plays at crucial points in the game and that's what is the difference when two good teams play each other.

 

[Zonepress]

I am frustrated by Paige as well. It bothers me to state this as she is my favorite player, surpassing Sue Bird. Lest we forget, she had a tremendous march in the BE tourney and NCAA up until the Iowa game. Last year, she was a given for a post-up basket or two. She drove to the basket more, and initiated contact on occasions. So, I don't think we have to go back to her freshman season to see what is missing this year.

Like many others, I was expecting her to ratchet her game to another level this year. I was excited with her preseason proclamation of being more assertive offensively, looking for her shot. Instead, the last 4 games, she has shot 23-60 from the floor, and was barely a factor in the first half of each game. To her credit, she picked it up in the 2nd half of the Creighton game.

I do believe issues with Paige are more mental than physical. She stubbornly wants to do things her way, yet it's costing the team. She plays the way she wants things to be rather than the way they are. This team needs someone to take over when games get tight or players act tentatively. As a fifth-year player, with a stated purpose of winning a NC, what is she waiting for?

Mentally, she was checked out of the DePaul game. I chalked it up to another mundane Big East game. I expected her to come out last night firing on all cylinders, especially after a couple of subpar outings.

Am I and others being unrealistic? Do we expect too much from her? Despite our criticisms, she's still shooting over 50% from the field, over 40% from 3-pt, and has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3 to 1.

Maybe there's too much pressure on her, or maybe she's placing/carrying too much pressure on her shoulders. I enjoy watching her play, even more so when she is playing with joy. Unfortunately, I'm not seeing that lately. As her college career is quickly winding down, I hope she lets the noise, pressure and other distractions go and simply go out and play ball.

There was a play at the end, I believe the second quarter think 11 seconds left
And KK got the ball went the length of court and took a very difficult shot with about five seconds to go and missed
It’s Really hard to understand why PB one of the best one on one players in Wbb
did not have the ball in that situation to either shoot
Or create a good opportunity for another player
I’m sure the couch wanted her to have the ball

Imho that one play speaks volumes about the struggles this team has had in big games

 

[GoUconn7961]

perhaps paige would benefit from the stewie/tuck treatment i.e. bench her for a whole game. maybe geno's preaching finally would get through. paige talks a good game, but apparently she can't like lick her stubborn streak. she has been advised over and over by coaches since high school to be more assertive.

she can be who she is, but i think it's far past time to take that advice to heart or discover the reason she is unable to be an alpha). when she was NPOY she didn't need to have that leadership -- she had others with seniority who provided it. she is a fabulous basketball player, not so much a leader on the basketball court. sue bird learned to lead early with the help of geno's tough love. maybe it should be employed again. it sure would be difficult to bench the best player, but that's what stewie was.

Agree 100% with this take. We've got some easy BE games left to be able to do that.

 

[PacoSwede]

I was just surprised at how honest and frank he wa

if only those players would meditate on what geno said and do something about it. introspection is needed; it's on them.

 

[UCTitleTown]

My main takeaway is there are some players that aren't contributing much and definitely underachieving vs what was expected when they committed. I think playing time needs to be commensurate with game contributions.

 

[freshler40]

As frustrating as it is to watch so many layups and put-backs missed, many times the UConn player after shooting just watches and, I guess, hopes it goes in. They need to stay there and anticipate a miss and grab the rebound instead of being passive observers. Sarah is the only one who follows the shot/ this should be emphasized in practice when they do set after set of layups (hopefully)

Good point, too many just hang back and watch their missed magic. Surely a different type of player than 20 years ago.
I'd like to hear, from the Boneyard, what the current thinking is about how to cure the missed layups. As in foul shooting drills, do you just repeat the moving layups over and over until it ingrained? I also notice that many shoot the layups with a closed hand facing the basket rather than a softer underhand. Seems like many layups are wildly missed, some don't even hit the rim. Some players like Paige show down a bit while approaching the hoop while others like KK are full tilt. What is current best practice based upon metrics or winning coaches? Is missing contagious like a virus?

 

[WiseWillie]

He has had Sarah Strong take the opening tip the last two games.

Jumping requires a strong achilles for the foot and leg involved to push off and that may be a factor in Jana not wanting to re-tear her achilles. It's natural for a young athlete after their first major injury (and the achilles tear I believe is Jana's first major injury/surgery) may be very cautious afterwards. Everyone heals differently and while Jana appears to run well something like that could make her reluctant to push it by stretching her achilles too strenuously and tearing it again just to win the opening tip.

 

[HuskieDawg]

Jumping requires a strong achilles for the foot and leg involved to push off and that may be a factor in Jana not wanting to re-tear her achilles. It's natural for a young athlete after their first major injury (and the achilles tear I believe is Jana's first major injury/surgery) may be very cautious afterwards. Everyone heals differently and while Jana appears to run well something like that could make her reluctant to push it by stretching her achilles too strenuously and tearing it again just to win the opening tip.

I really don’t care much who wins the opening tip, I was just answering a question someone had asked.

 

[WiseWillie]

Good point, too many just hang back and watch their missed magic. Surely a different type of player than 20 years ago.
I'd like to hear, from the Boneyard, what the current thinking is about how to cure the missed layups. As in foul shooting drills, do you just repeat the moving layups over and over until it ingrained? I also notice that many shoot the layups with a closed hand facing the basket rather than a softer underhand. Seems like many layups are wildly missed, some don't even hit the rim. Some players like Paige show down a bit while approaching the hoop while others like KK are full tilt. What is current best practice based upon metrics or winning coaches? Is missing contagious like a virus?

The three fundamentals focused on with young players starting very early in layup drills are footwork, hand skills and body control, approaching the basket at different speeds and angles with obstacles or challenging players in the lane and at the basket and then the three r's - repeat, repeat, repeat. Hard to believe that at this level of Div I basketball the skills required to make a lay-up in all types of game scenarios are not a given. Doubtful many Div I coaches think they need to spend much time on lay-up drills.