The tournament is about winning 6 games and they certainly have the quality of players to do that. The three top recruits need to play like the best players in their class though.
Tennessee Postgame Thread
- Thread starter oldude
- Start date
Nor should he
Add Azzi and Ash (arguably the best shooters) and it is clear why UConn did not get the W. To me the shooting will be there or it won't but they absolutely must have Jana on the floor to at least make the other team shoot over someone when they beat the guard off the dribble.
- Joined
- Mar 6, 2017
- Messages
- 8,914
- Reaction Score
- 35,561
Exactly, as long as Geno is coaching, which I hope is for many years to come.
You can tell by the way our opponents celebrate if and when they get a victory. Last night the players celebrated their win like they won the NC!!!! Probably in their minds they did...
I agree with this. They really were right there and it wasn't like several players didn't make plays in the 4th. Paige hit a pretty clutch 3, Sarah made some baskets, Azzi made a nice drive, KC made two big time free throws. They just didn't get the stop they needed. Not to be that guy but I think Ice would've helped on those final possessions in terms of rebounding and size. I always say this but Im somewhat surprised how key a healthy Caroline Ducharme would help this team as well.
That break that Paige had where she missed the 10 footer for the lead was huge. Those are the baskets you MUST make and if that goes in all the pressure is on the home team. Opportunities missed.
Game conditioning is a real factor. The quality of the league only matters when it effects your conditioning and when your key players play 21 minutes a night they will be wore out in a tough game where they must play 38 minutes to win.
donalddoowop
Who put the Bop in the Bop Shoo Bop?
- Joined
- Oct 5, 2015
- Messages
- 5,575
- Reaction Score
- 20,530
I read an article last night that stated some UConn fans are disappointed with Geno's decision making this season. They are questioning his substitution pattern. I wonder what good it does to start Jana and play her for five minutes and then take her out no matter what she does? Sometimes she does not come back in until the second half. I have mentioned this before that if Koval the ND post player had come to UConn she would not be playing as much as she is at ND. Coach Ivey plays Koval and lets her play through her mistakes. She is no better than Jana, imo. In BE games I believe Jana should play more if UConn wants to get solid in the post. Just saying.
They also made some very difficult shots down the stretch to maintain their lead. I thought overall the defense for UConn was pretty good and the offense was less than they should accept or expect.
Geno has never really been a coach of bigs. If you think about the post players or bigs they have had they have always been able to shoot and dribble. The development in the post is not great at UConn and quite frankly I don't think it is that important to Geno because his offense is not an offense designed to be run with a post.
The truth is if they shot even close to normal they win the game. The sky is falling today but don't surprised if this team rises and makes another deep run in the tournment.
oldude
bamboo lover
- Joined
- Nov 15, 2016
- Messages
- 17,681
- Reaction Score
- 160,332
What I was trying to point out to my boneyard brethren is simply that great players have off nights. Paige and JuJu are both AA’s and likely #1 draft choices. They will both have great careers. They will both have off nights shooting the basketball as Paige did last night and as JuJu has in each of her last 3 games.
I can go all the way back to DT’s 1st national semifinal game, as a freshman, when she had an abysmal shooting night in UConn’s loss. CC had some awful shooting nights during her run to the all time scoring record. These players are not robots, and we should not expect them to be. Their performance is subject to any number of variables. I’m sure that even Hannah Hidalgo has had an off-shooting night or 2.
That was my point.
- Joined
- Feb 12, 2021
- Messages
- 110
- Reaction Score
- 976
I understand the calls to have Jana play more minutes, but to me she did seem to struggle with the pace somewhat last night. I also don’t think she was any more effective defensively than smaller players, and I remain perplexed by her rebounding. If she boxed out, wouldn’t she be so much more effective?
I wondered why Morgan didn’t get back in. After a couple of so-so games, she played well in her limited minutes, and she even took some shots! She’s obviously not as athletic as Aubrey, but she brings that tall, long-limbed, fearless presence on defense.
Echoing the shout-outs for KK. As I said to my husband last night: no other UConn player rises to the occasion under the brightest lights more than KK Arnold.
I wondered why Morgan didn’t get back in. After a couple of so-so games, she played well in her limited minutes, and she even took some shots! She’s obviously not as athletic as Aubrey, but she brings that tall, long-limbed, fearless presence on defense.
Echoing the shout-outs for KK. As I said to my husband last night: no other UConn player rises to the occasion under the brightest lights more than KK Arnold.
- Joined
- Feb 22, 2012
- Messages
- 2,653
- Reaction Score
- 14,468
So true!
- Joined
- Apr 6, 2022
- Messages
- 41
- Reaction Score
- 143
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.
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.
Bald Husky
four score
- Joined
- Jan 17, 2021
- Messages
- 2,464
- Reaction Score
- 14,426
Ok, here we go. Geno says Paige wants to have the ball in her hands all the time. Well, isn't that what we all want. Right now, Paige is getting too much noise about her game, from social media, fans, outsiders, and Geno. Must Geno remind Paige all the time about not winning a NC? I think Paige has to return to the PG position. She will set up Azzi, Sarah, and anyone else, and she will have the ball in her hands all the time which is not a bad thing since she is great about creating her own shot. Starting with the next game, Paige has a decision to make. Is she the player she knows she is, and if she is, how about going out and showing everyone. Its obvious that we cannot beat the really good teams. They have impact players that are aggressive and do not turn to anyone else on a regular basis. Apparently, Paige is not that player any more, or at least she hasn't shown it lately. Did everyone notice that she either has a great first half, or a great second half, but not both in the same game? She can't stay aggressive the entire game, and that is hurting us. This may be stupid, but I think the team, no coaches, should have an intervention with Paige, letting her know that they want her to play to win like there was no tomorrow. They must feel the pressure when Paige isn't scoring, so the entire mind set for Paige has to change. She has to block out everybody else, including Geno when he starts to get on her. She only has a few good games left to the season and it is up to her how she wants to end her career.
- Joined
- Feb 9, 2017
- Messages
- 100
- Reaction Score
- 1,643
I understand the point you re making, but we can arbitrarily pick any player to fit any example.
HH from ND is shooting over 55% in her last 3 games, scoring 30, 34 and 24 points.
Flau’jae Johnson is shooting over 50% in her last 3 games and I think close to 50% on 3 pointers, scoring 25, 20 and 19.
Every Player at every level has off games. Part of sports. I think what we all want is for Paige to be our alpha, to carry to put us on her shoulder and drive home to victory. I think that’s what we are waiting for.
oldude
bamboo lover
- Joined
- Nov 15, 2016
- Messages
- 17,681
- Reaction Score
- 160,332
Jana is a wonderfully skilled basketball player. But the game is clearly moving too fast for her right now. That’s not unusual for a Big learning how to play D1 basketball. I am reminded that during her 1st season at Stanford I thought Lauren Betts was an overrated bust. Two years later, she’s on track to be the NPOY.
As for Morgan getting only 6 minutes, she was OK in her 6 minutes of play. But Aubrey was a difference maker who needs to get 25+ mpg either as the starter or the 1st forward off the bench.
- Joined
- Feb 9, 2017
- Messages
- 100
- Reaction Score
- 1,643
He has had Sarah Strong take the opening tip the last two games.
The Kk thing is perplexing. She was a starter on a final four run. She performs above expectations in big games, and is only a sophomore. Has athleticism we need, fire we need, and defense we need. It’s so clear to me that she needs to be playing 30+ in these games. But she sits in favor of Chen. I would’ve liked to have seen Chen be the backup this year. Not just because I think KK performs better and has a higher ceiling, but because she’s a major key piece of the future of this team.
We’ll all debate lineups until the very last game of the season. I just hope that Geno finds the right combination at the right time and it works out.
“ to win in this environment you have to have tough mature players”
“ the bottom line is we have some players on our team that are supposed to be our best players, and they have to play better”
Interesting post game comments from the coach
“ the bottom line is we have some players on our team that are supposed to be our best players, and they have to play better”
Interesting post game comments from the coach