Tennessee Postgame Thread

[mainerhuski]

Some thoughts on the Tennessee game:

• Gone are the days when both UConn & TN were competing for a national championship almost every season. But there is still a lot of magic left in this rivalry, particularly before a big crowd at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville.
• Congratulations to the Lady Vols for getting a true “Statement Win” today over the Huskies. As for UConn, hopefully the team and coaches learned a few things as they have to get better heading into the Big Dance.
• With the news that Ice was out tonight Aubrey had to step up and she did, contributing her best PT of the season so far. In games against really athletic teams, it just feels better to have Aubrey at the 5 over Jana or Ice.
• I felt the keys for UConn tonight would be
  • 1) take care of the ball
  • 2) stay close on the boards
  • 3) make open shots
• UConn won the TO battle 12 to 19, lost the rebound battle badly 33 to 45 and missed a bunch of open shots as well as layups, resulting in a hard fought 80-76 loss
• In games played at the speed of tonight’s game, I just think KK has to be on the court at all times.
• It’s back to the BE for matchups against Providence & St Johns, followed by another big test on the road in Columbia, SC. LET’S

Some thoughts on the Tennessee game:

• Gone are the days when both UConn & TN were competing for a national championship almost every season. But there is still a lot of magic left in this rivalry, particularly before a big crowd at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville.
• Congratulations to the Lady Vols for getting a true “Statement Win” today over the Huskies. As for UConn, hopefully the team and coaches learned a few things as they have to get better heading into the Big Dance.
• With the news that Ice was out tonight Aubrey had to step up and she did, contributing her best PT of the season so far. In games against really athletic teams, it just feels better to have Aubrey at the 5 over Jana or Ice.
• I felt the keys for UConn tonight would be
  • 1) take care of the ball
  • 2) stay close on the boards
  • 3) make open shots
• UConn won the TO battle 12 to 19, lost the rebound battle badly 34 to 46 and missed a bunch of open shots as well as layups, leading to a hard fought 80-76 loss
• In games played at the speed of tonight’s game, I just think KK has to be on the court at all times.
• It’s back to the BE for matchups against Providence & St Johns, followed by another big test on the road in Columbia, SC. LET’S GO HUSKIES!!!

KK & Aubrey played well. I’d love to see Aubrey start, not KK, though, because she is playing so excellently in the #6 role.
Missed layups & weak outside shooting… ya gotta score! Paige not playing like a top draft pick & Azzi looking like a deer in the headlights for looong stretches.
I still have faith that Geno, Chris, et al. are playing the long game & prepping for the tournament! ❤️

 

[tchalla1]

Some thoughts on the Tennessee game:

• Gone are the days when both UConn & TN were competing for a national championship almost every season. But there is still a lot of magic left in this rivalry, particularly before a big crowd at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville.
• Congratulations to the Lady Vols for getting a true “Statement Win” today over the Huskies. As for UConn, hopefully the team and coaches learned a few things as they have to get better heading into the Big Dance.
• With the news that Ice was out tonight Aubrey had to step up and she did, contributing her best PT of the season so far. In games against really athletic teams, it just feels better to have Aubrey at the 5 over Jana or Ice.
• I felt the keys for UConn tonight would be
  • 1) take care of the ball
  • 2) stay close on the boards
  • 3) make open shots
• UConn won the TO battle 12 to 19, lost the rebound battle badly 34 to 46 and missed a bunch of open shots as well as layups, leading to a hard fought 80-76 loss
• In games played at the speed of tonight’s game, I just think KK has to be on the court at all times.
• It’s back to the BE for matchups against Providence & St Johns, followed by another big test on the road in Columbia, SC. LET’S GO HUSKIES!!!

Your bullet point on making open shots is so compelling: I count 12 uncontested bunnies/point blank layups that UCONN missed. I watch a lot of WCBB and there are a lot of missed bunnies but it parallels the teams respective lack of shooting from midrange and 3-point.

But never have I seen a team such as UCONN who are great shooters but miss so many chippies!!!!--I have no explanation for this, perhaps it's nerves, I don't know. But if we make just 50 percent of the bunnies, we have 12 additional points and we win comfortably.

Azzi once again looked lost out there for a good part of the game, but then regained it....
And that foul by Sarah giving TN an extra 11 seconds, along with Geno's ill-advised timeout when Paige is seemingly headed for a layup... wow we just had too many miscues tonight....

 

[Surly1]

This team is allergic to making wide open shots in big games. Because we are a jump shooting team with limited athleticism that can't rebound, we lose. Plain and simple.

I hate to say this, but Paige, and her unwillingness to be an aggressive scorer in the first half of games, is also the reason for this. We were up 39-32 with the ball and threw it away. Geno had some head scratching lineups in there at the end of the half.

It's beginning to sound like a broken record, but Paige thinking she can turn it on and off isn't working. When will it sink in? She is supposed to be the leader, the one everyone follows. However, in UConn's 3 losses, she has shot 25-58 and only 4-18 from 3-pt. People may disagree with me, but if she approached every game from the outset establishing herself as the go-to player we assume her to be, it would be easier for her to assert herself when needed.

I hope this game is a wakeup call.

 

[enigmatic]

It was a loss and a undesirable one but I'm just happy the season isn't over yet. Same goes if we lose to South Carolina.

 

[Aluminny69]

What’s your solution? I’m tired of the complaining when there’s absolutely nothing that can be done about it

I see that comment as more for the UConn fans/posters than the players. Posters tend to overrate the team based on how they play against Big East teams. OTOH, Stewie won four NCs playing in the AAC and Big East.

 

[Blueballer]

Lobo was right when observed about the threes. Just like the Notre Dame loss, when we play better teams we have to do better than 5-20 from 3. And given the makeup of our team we should be able to. It's not happening in the bigger games.

 

[mmeade258]

My fellow boneyarders I am here to report hell didn’t freeze over.. and the sky did not fall.

Let’s look at the positives.

Aubrey & KK had amazing games.
If we made more 3’s or even layups this game would’ve been a blowout.

We will be fine by March. Sarah will learn from that foul.. and let’s hope Geno learns from that timeout with Paige on a break.

We will be fine when it matters most. Bookmark this.

See you all in Tampa
#GOHUSKIES

 

[jaydee602]

No rim protector for UConn

Was Ice Brady's absence a big factor in protecting the rim. Or is it just a shortcoming for this year's squad?

 

[Geesworld]

It's beginning to sound like a broken record, but Paige thinking she can turn it on and off isn't working. When will it sink in? She is supposed to be the leader, the one everyone follows. However, in UConn's 3 losses, she has shot 25-58 and only 4-18 from 3-pt. People may disagree with me, but if she approached every game from the outset establishing herself as the go-to player we assume her to be, it would be easier for her to assert herself when needed.

I hope this game is a wakeup call.

First team All American is slipping away.

 

[mainerhuski]

Positives: KK and Aubrey. Negatives: Everyone else. Sarah: she was okay.

I think we should have run away with the game in the first half.

It seemed that everyone was playing as if if they broke TN’s press & played good D that “someone” would score & they’d win. Unfortunately, no one stepped up to be that offensive “someone,” KK was the closest.

 

[Stagnant]

In the last two years, almost every time UConn loses... Paige has a bad scoring game. Inefficient, shoots the ball poorly, has less than 20 points. That is a pattern. The Iowa game is the only game that I think is different.

Anyways, this is a bad loss. We had to have this game. It is bad for our psyche, it is bad for our tournament resume, and it is just a bad loss for anyone trying to predict our future. I think we look like a 3 seed now. And I think we will need a favorable draw to get past the sweet 16.

 

[Inthepaint]

Missed layups
Make 1/2 of them and we win

 

[Stagnant]

First team All American is slipping away.

i wouldn't vote her for first team. i already thought she was projected mostly due to her reputation.

 

[topogigio]

I have a lot of frustrations But I'm using my 24-hour rule and I'm keeping my opinions to myself. Go UCONN!

I just wrote a comment, but before I posted it, I went back to check some posts and I noted yours. I deleted my post.

 

[mainerhuski]

My fellow boneyarders I am here to report hell didn’t freeze over.. and the sky did not fall.

Let’s look at the positives.

Aubrey & KK had amazing games.
If we made more 3’s or even layups this game would’ve been a blowout.

We will be fine by March. Sarah will learn from that foul.. and let’s hope Geno learns from that timeout with Paige on a break.

We will be fine when it matters most. Bookmark this.

See you all in Tampa
#GOHUSKIES

From your keyboard to Geno & Paige’s ears!

 

[maple]

Isn't this normal after a UConn loss? Seems like it to me.

Yes. That’s what I mean.

 

[Aluminny69]

If we made more 3’s or even layups this game would’ve been a blowout.

The Tenn press contributed to those misses. They may have broken the press, but the energy expended sped them up, and affected their shooting. Just my opinion.

 

[Stagnant]

It seemed that everyone was playing as if if they broke TN’s press & played good D that “someone” would score & they’d win. Unfortunately, no one stepped up to be that offensive “someone,” KK was the closest.

KK has been great. She has really stepped up. Geno brought in Chen to start and moved KK to the bench. And KK responded well to that instead of pouting or shutting down. Other than Sarah, she would be my player of the year for the huskies this season.

 

[yhun89]

What’s your solution? I’m tired of the complaining when there’s absolutely nothing that can be done about it

Haven’t 2 major conferences (B12 and ACC) rejected us or something like that?

 

[Zonepress]

Imho Tennessee was clearly the better team, and the Huskies were fortunate to be close at the end

Without great games by KK Arnold and Aubrey Griffin this would’ve been a double digit loss

From afar, the chemistry seems to be lacking on this team

That being said it’s very difficult to beat a top 15 team on the road when you’re all american
Does not dominate the game

Tennessee is a much better team than the one I saw in a close game in Brooklyn against Iowa
And uconn seems to have regressed

 

[JBK]

We need a post player - I know we are not at practice but Ice did not play ???
We cannot go far in the tourney with no post players - we can still win the big east. I would bet on ICE vs Jana this year

 

[hoopsdiva]

First team All American is slipping away.

And possibly 1st pick in WNBA draft also (which frankly wouldn't be such a bad thing.)

 

[Bigboote]

I don’t think I’ve ever criticized Geno on the BY before, but I took issue with a few moves this evening. One was leaving Azzi in to get her third foul in the first half. Then leaving her in when she was repeatedly attacked and beaten early in the second half. KK was so effective in the first, I thought he could’ve brought her in earlier in the second.

But in the end, Tennessee won fair and square. Kudos to Kim Caldwell and the team, they got the job done.

 

[Zonepress]

In Daniel Connelly’s last podcast he said that there’s something missing with this team. Missing are layups,3’s, and some intangible that makes us ineffective in bigs games. No. 12 may be on the horizon or right around the corner but not in sight today

Did he elaborate on what he thinks is missing?

 

[ABCDFE]

Listen it’s not the end of the world and it’s not the tournament. But as I said the optimism with posters about how we should beat Tennessee by double digits only shows a myopic view of this team. We don’t have enough dawgs and we consistently don’t shoot well. And as I said when you don’t have a post game and we have an off shooting night this can happen. The problem is we used to play great UCoNn defense. Now it’s a thing of the past.

I dont expect us to get past the elite eight. Next year will be even worse. Disappointed in what Azzi and Paige is bringing to these big games. We just don’t have that killer mentality we’ve seen with past great teams where if we are up by 8 it becomes double digits and we stay there.

Sad to see the state this program has become in terms of the types of winning big games. I hope we strike lighting in a bottle because I’ve lost all confidence in this team.