The deciding difference in ND game

[TheObvious]

I thought we played well, but could not overcome a 21-point handicap: that's the difference in 3s, 10 to 3.
It's near impossible to make up 21 pts to a top-10 opponent.

Let's face it, they shot the eyes out from the 3-pt line. They won't do that in the majority of games.
We were unlucky to face them on a hot night, and without Fudd. We could have survived Hidalgo's 29 just like
they handled Paige's 25, but Hidalgo's supporting cast also hit 3s.
That to me was the deciding factor in the outcome of the game.

 

[WiseWillie]

I thought we played well, but could not overcome a 21-point handicap: that's the difference in 3s, 10 to 3.
It's near impossible to make up 21 pts to a top-10 opponent.

Let's face it, they shot the eyes out from the 3-pt line. They won't do that in the majority of games.
We were unlucky to face them on a hot night, and without Fudd. We could have survived Hidalgo's 29 just like
they handled Paige's 25, but Hidalgo's supporting cast also hit 3s.
That to me was the deciding factor in the outcome of the game.

Agree. It was our defensive inability to stop ND and mostly Hidalgo from creating opportunities for wide open 3's for herself or her teammates. There were little if any mid-game adjustments made to counter this.

 

[OldSchooler]

I thought we played well, but could not overcome a 21-point handicap: that's the difference in 3s, 10 to 3.
It's near impossible to make up 21 pts to a top-10 opponent.

Let's face it, they shot the eyes out from the 3-pt line. They won't do that in the majority of games.
We were unlucky to face them on a hot night, and without Fudd. We could have survived Hidalgo's 29 just like
they handled Paige's 25, but Hidalgo's supporting cast also hit 3s.
That to me was the deciding factor in the outcome of the game.

Seemed like most of ND's 3s were wide-open shots, thanks to great screening and passing. Paige could rarely shake free of the double- or triple-team for an open look. Our supporting staff got a number of open looks, but couldn't hit. Bottom line: they made their open shots from 3; we didn't.

 

[Rowdy831]

They shot great from 3 point range, but UConn was equally as poor defending those shots. Ash really struggles on defense especially closing when she is helping near the lane. Chen was good on offense but she gets lost on defense a lot too and she is so small her close out isn't that effective.

I would like to see UConn get away from the the three guard line up and start playing bigger. They have bigs who can play a variety of positions and that would create the same mismatches we saw last night on the ND side. You won't beat great teams if you don't figure out how to exploit their weaknesses.

 

[Rixxx]

What I remember about the past is the incoming passes to Napheesa that seemingly were headed out of bounds. She was able to corral those passes with one hand and usually spin around and get a fade away for two points. I believe she is 6'1" and probably did this many times against lesser competition .

Jana should be able to do this with her height. Receive the pass where nobody can reach it and go up for two points with no dribble. She should be able to beat double team most of the time. Efficient paint play is missing. Maybe it is a sign of the times and I don't recognize those changes. ND has two scoring guards with definite inside game. Citron's game adjusts as needed. KIng killed it.

 

[Nev]

Agree with you th

They shot great from 3 point range, but UConn was equally as poor defending those shots. Ash really struggles on defense especially closing when she is helping near the lane. Chen was good on offense but she gets lost on defense a lot too and she is so small her close out isn't that effective.

I would like to see UConn get away from the the three guard line up and start playing bigger. They have bigs who can play a variety of positions and that would create the same mismatches we saw last night on the ND side. You won't beat great teams if you don't figure out how to exploit their weaknesses.

Agree with you that UCONN defense on 3s was terrible last night. But it's been bad all season except they are not playing weak shooting teams. UCONN is hurting inside cause only has 6-5 Jana but she's very inexperienced. The rest are way shorter. I know Sara Strong is a great freshman player but she's only 6-2. Ice is only 6-3. Compare their size with the top 5 teams in the country. Don't understand why UCONN can't recruit excellent top inside players who are 6-5 or taller. Women basketball players have grown but we haven't signed any excellent ones. That's one of the main reasons why UCONN has sadly not won another women's basketball championship lately.

 

[CTrefugee]

If I tuned into the game and there was no scoreboard or sound, I would have guessed we were down at least 20 at the half.
We played well, but were just a bit "off."

 

[Artifact]

I thought we played well, but could not overcome a 21-point handicap: that's the difference in 3s, 10 to 3.
It's near impossible to make up 21 pts to a top-10 opponent.

Let's face it, they shot the eyes out from the 3-pt line. They won't do that in the majority of games.
We were unlucky to face them on a hot night, and without Fudd. We could have survived Hidalgo's 29 just like
they handled Paige's 25, but Hidalgo's supporting cast also hit 3s.
That to me was the deciding factor in the outcome of the game.

It was very frustrating for me, seeing as to how many of the three pt. shots, came from the corners , un-apposed !

 

[CONN78SEJ]

I thought we played well, but could not overcome a 21-point handicap: that's the difference in 3s, 10 to 3.
It's near impossible to make up 21 pts to a top-10 opponent.

Let's face it, they shot the eyes out from the 3-pt line. They won't do that in the majority of games.
We were unlucky to face them on a hot night, and without Fudd. We could have survived Hidalgo's 29 just like
they handled Paige's 25, but Hidalgo's supporting cast also hit 3s.
That to me was the deciding factor in the outcome of the game.

Note Dame’s ok, that being said they’ll lay another egg in March. For all their talent and hype they lost twice last year to Syracuse, go figure.

 

[Urshurak]

Geno doesn't guard the 3 line. They haven't for a few years now. He just doesn't teach them that. He plays the odds. Typically he's right. ND made them pay though.....most of their 3's were WIDE open. Not a UConn jersey in sight.

 

[Willowglen]

This is an odd reaction but I don’t think any team beats UConn if Bueckers is truly selfish and just controls the ball virtually all of the time to score. She is that good, even with Citron guarding her and another player sealing her entry along the baseline.

Sound crazy? This is what Iowa did in many games last year.

Having said this, I don’t think this would be a wise thing to do for a competitive away game in December. UConn has way too much talent to think it is a wise thing. But the possibility remains.

I think of how Wooden let Walton dominate to an absurd degree when playing a really talented team in Memphis State decades ago. But that was a NCAA final and there was no downside to pulling out all stops. And although in different positions Bueckers being compared to Walton is sensical in that both could just dominate. She is the best mid range offensive player I have seen in the women’s game - and of course she can shoot the three. And a superb teammate - after Fudd twisted her knee she tried to draw a foul for the sole purpose of getting her teammate medical assistance, and called a timeout at the first instance. I was more impressed at this gesture than anything I have seen in years. Think the other women on the team have any doubt she cares for them?

I have seen JuJu Watkins push to single handedly get her team back in contention. But as good as she is she is not Paige Bueckers. She doesn’t have the body and game control of Bueckers.

Need to get Fudd back. The best observation point is the look in Bueckers eyes when Fudd is on the court and in shape. Her eyes simply light up knowing it is easy with Fudd on the court to draw three people to Bueckers and have Fudd close one way or another. And Fudd is good on defense.

 

[Longtime fan]

I thought we played well, but could not overcome a 21-point handicap: that's the difference in 3s, 10 to 3.
It's near impossible to make up 21 pts to a top-10 opponent.

Let's face it, they shot the eyes out from the 3-pt line. They won't do that in the majority of games.
We were unlucky to face them on a hot night, and without Fudd. We could have survived Hidalgo's 29 just like
they handled Paige's 25, but Hidalgo's supporting cast also hit 3s.
That to me was the deciding factor in the outcome of the game.

You wish ( it was a hot night for ND that won't last ). Hidalgo shot the eyes out against us last year as well. Exact same dominance. They are far superior in shooting threes than any combination of UCONN can be. Geno said it best; "our issue is that we are putting too much on Paige's shoulders. We need double digit points from everyone. We need a team game. " We need them to cover all five of us. Not just Paige and Sarah.

 

[UConn990411]

Agree. It was our defensive inability to stop ND and mostly Hidalgo from creating opportunities for wide open 3's for herself or her teammates. There were little if any mid-game adjustments made to counter this.

UConn’s defenses have been more vulnerable the past few years than I can ever remember.

I really think it comes down to recruiting and roster construction. Geno has been leaning way too much into these guard-heavy, 3-point shooting lineups, but it’s come at the expense of speed, athleticism, and size.

They have so few wing defenders to throw at other teams, and their development of post players has fallen off a cliff. Every time they go up against quick, athletic teams, they just can’t keep up and their rotations get picked apart with ease.

 

[DeepThreat]

They shot great from 3 point range, but UConn was equally as poor defending those shots. Ash really struggles on defense especially closing when she is helping near the lane. Chen was good on offense but she gets lost on defense a lot too and she is so small her close out isn't that effective.

I would like to see UConn get away from the the three guard line up and start playing bigger. They have bigs who can play a variety of positions and that would create the same mismatches we saw last night on the ND side. You won't beat great teams if you don't figure out how to exploit their weaknesses.

I like this thought of a bigger line up, but don't see it happening until Aubrey returns and is fully up to speed. Having Aubrey would allow Sarah to move to the 3 spot. No one else on the team has Aubrey's skill set especially her rebounding abilities.

 

[huskyd]

I thought we played well, but could not overcome a 21-point handicap: that's the difference in 3s, 10 to 3.
It's near impossible to make up 21 pts to a top-10 opponent.

Let's face it, they shot the eyes out from the 3-pt line. They won't do that in the majority of games.
We were unlucky to face them on a hot night, and without Fudd. We could have survived Hidalgo's 29 just like
they handled Paige's 25, but Hidalgo's supporting cast also hit 3s.
That to me was the deciding factor in the outcome of the game.

The differences were several, but the job Sonia Citron did on Paige was pretty impressive. At one time I thought they were joined at the hip. A frustrated Buckets also frustrated her teammates and made it seem impossible to get anything going. We missed a Husky who recognized the need to step up.
Also, the game was really 3 v 1: Hidalgo (who is amazing; God, I hate her), Miles, Citron v. Lonely Paige.

 

[Pharos]

I'm wondering something about basketball strategy. Late in the game, Brady was covering Hidalgo at the 3-point line. She's way taller, but she seemed to give up her advantage by playing off a little bit. If she'd gotten in Hidalgo's face, H would have gone right by her. And why isn't that the better choice?
Playing off, Hidalgo shoots a 3 that has a good chance of going in. Playing (or at least moving toward) H more tightly, H goes by Brady, and lots of different scenarios unfold:
H goes to the rim and scores (only 2 points)... and gets fouled (maybe 3 points). Or
H drives toward the rim, changes directions a few times, runs into other UConn defenders, passes, and now someone else has the initiative, who might not score. Or....

 

[HopJim]

Overreaction Friday. If Shade had made her normal # of shots, the game would have been much closer and then, who knows. Same with Strong. Without her initial fouls, would play have been different? UConn played vanilla defense-1-2 tweaks may have helped. In my mind we played about as poorly as possible with much of the upcoming year to have this young team come together. Not a welcome loss but not high on my list of things to worry about.

 

[Monte]

In many posts on this topic, there were a lot of IFS...... I think the bottom line is: UCONN got beat by a better team.

 

[sun]

What impressed me about ND was the fact that Miles stayed in the game even though she got hurt. That exemplifies ND's determination when playing UConn to win at all costs.
Hidalgo also endured many bumps & bruses as she went flying and crashing into the hardwood time after time. The determination & sacrifice of the bodies of those 2 ND stars is highly admirable.
Their will to win seemed to propel them to victory.

 

[tomcat]

This game certainly can tell everyone, including the team and coach, a number of areas that need work. That will be important because now everyone has seen how to beat UConn, and there are a number of other teams with the personnel to do it.

As many have said, ND stuck to Paige like glue, and UConn did not have the extra horses to make them pay. She is the leader of the team, but if she is going to put the team on her back, they have to be able to get her free enough so she can go off for 30+ points. And in this game, I'm not sure 30+ points would have done it against ND. It's like they say in business school: You have to put people in a position to be successful. Geno nand her teammates could not do that.

And to be honest, I didn't see much leading from Paige in this game. I saw mostly frustration. Her 25 points may have been the quietest that I've seen in a long time. Unlike in many past games, a big bucket from Buckets did not cause any long-term rally or change in team attitude.

Then compare their bigs to our bigs. Their center (forget her name, but, as was stressed a billion times, she's a freshman) was good enough to make a difference. I did not think either of our bigs did that over the long haul. I thought Citron would be the killer in this game (she sure was on defense) but no, it was King. Sixteen points, and UConn had no luck stopping her.

Hidalgo is damn near amazing, but as several others have said, many players will look amazing if their 3s are not being guarded.

So thinkj about this: They did not stop Hidalgo. We do not know if they could have stopped Hidalgo, because for much of the game, it did not seem like they were trying. King got 16 points, so they didn't stop her, either. If staying within 11 of them is playing well, then UConn played well.

On the plus side, Strong looks very good and will continue to improve. Other UConn players had their moments, but ND just looked quicker (especially on defense) and better prepared to play this particular game.

 

[WiseWillie]

I'm wondering something about basketball strategy. Late in the game, Brady was covering Hidalgo at the 3-point line. She's way taller, but she seemed to give up her advantage by playing off a little bit. If she'd gotten in Hidalgo's face, H would have gone right by her. And why isn't that the better choice?
Playing off, Hidalgo shoots a 3 that has a good chance of going in. Playing (or at least moving toward) H more tightly, H goes by Brady, and lots of different scenarios unfold:
H goes to the rim and scores (only 2 points)... and gets fouled (maybe 3 points). Or
H drives toward the rim, changes directions a few times, runs into other UConn defenders, passes, and now someone else has the initiative, who might not score. Or....

So Hidalgo a 5'6" speedy guard beats us now whether on our court or ND's court. Unreal that we don't have a solution after studying all the film. Boy, hope we don't meet them in March because unless defensive assignments and strategy change not sure the results will be different.

How about someone on the coaching staff studies and learns how TCU and Utah just a few games ago contained Hidalgo, Myers and Citron and incorporate it into our X's and O's. Or maybe they won't waste their time thinking there is little likelihood we'll meet up with them again. And now let the naysayers reply with if we would be so lucky we'll have Azzi and Aubrey. Good . Can't wait to have them back and fully up to speed but looking at the way this game was just played with our star player not getting enough touches, picks/screens and the inadequate defensive strategy not sure if that will be enough.

 

[WiseWillie]

Geno doesn't guard the 3 line. They haven't for a few years now. He just doesn't teach them that. He plays the odds. Typically he's right. ND made them pay though.....most of their 3's were WIDE open. Not a UConn jersey in sight.

Not guard the 3 pt against a top 5-10 team doesn't sound like a key strategy for success. Guess playing the law of averages has worked so why change. Maybe also lacking dominant post players requires sagging off to guard the rim and paint. But there needs to be better recognition of the enormous improvement in women's basketball over at least the last five years (Hmm, how long has it been since the last NC?) and perhaps rethink that strategy. Maybe getting superior post players would help.

 

[Happydad745]

The perspective of this game that seems to be overlooked is that UConn is one of only a few teams that schedule games against the best teams available....being pushed to the limit really helps a team get better and make adjustments. We were pushed hard and I believe our team will be better for it.

 

[freshler40]

You wish ( it was a hot night for ND that won't last ). Hidalgo shot the eyes out against us last year as well. Exact same dominance. They are far superior in shooting threes than any combination of UCONN can be. Geno said it best; "our issue is that we are putting too much on Paige's shoulders. We need double digit points from everyone. We need a team game. " We need them to cover all five of us. Not just Paige and Sarah.

We continue to look to Paige too much and the defense knows that. Double Her and the problem is solved. Balanced scoring is the answer, pick and rolls to a great finisher in Strong. Our other guards need to take their open shots, not pass out after penetrating. Get to the foul line! KK is best at this and needs 10-14 shots a game. This will open up Paige. Our offense is an easy read for good teams.

 

[BrysonDeMan]

if only they had someone like Aubrey Griffin to help harass opposing players on defense ...