The deciding difference in ND game

[ERWUC65]

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

Aubrey, when back to full speed, is as you say great on defense, rebounding and energy, but not a shooter/scorer. She is perfect to use in critical spots and can be a momentum changer. But like Azzi, she probably will not be there until March. Our immediate problem is the Azzi/somebody position, where we need the best we have to help out until Azzi is deemed 100%. The expectation was that it would be Ash but she seems to disappear in big games and it appears Geno has lost confidence in her. We can't run KK and Kaitlyn out there at the same time, they are to similar in ability and are better bringing the ball up than shooting/scoring. Ayanna and Caroline are out for the season and that leaves Geno with a long look at Morgan, Allie and Q, which I prefer in that exact order.

 

[can4]

They were athletic and quick as well as experienced. We, alas, were not. It showed. Athleticism matters. It was lacking. This is where Aubrey, perhaps before her surgery or someone like Swin Cash in the post would have been really helpful. Strong is a freshman, a very talented freshman. Paige could only do so much and only so much was a hell of a lot. When it comes to role players, and I apologize for calling it as I see it but I am, you cannot reasonably expect someone like Shade or Chen to take Hidalgo or or Miles on defensively. It is just not going to happen. That backcourt was too much speed wise and athletically for our team.

Meanwhile, I am not really going to unpack the issues in the post. Let us just look pack on the days of Tamika, Asha (sp?) and Swinn.

But for those who wonder why Paige could not hit more threes, all if have to say is LMAO.

 

[can4]

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.

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.

She was being guarded but by people who she eclipsed athletically and smoked over and over and over again.

 

[Huskyfan63]

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.

Not exactly the same dominance. Hidalgo had only 3 three pointers on 5 attempts last year. I recall repeated drives to the basket, often unopposed after blowing past her primary defender. Interestingly, in ND's two losses this year, they shot 33% and 35% from the 3 point arc. The other night against UConn, they shot 55%. Including the UConn game, they have averaged 39.8% from behind the arc for the season so far. So they did enjoy a "hot night" the other night, and chances are they don't shoot 55% every game for the rest of the year. I don't think UConn needs to get into a 3 point contest with ND, I think they need to cover with better diligence out at the arc.

 

[jerseyguy68]

I may not have 1200 plus wins but I did stay in a Holiday Inn the other night. I realize we don’t have our full roster to draw from and that certainly handicaps the coaching staff when it comes to game strategy and in game adjustments. If a player is having repeated success, such as shooting 3’s, you have to force them to do something else, like overplay the 3 point line and entice them to drive to the basket. If done correctly, there’s the potential to draw some charges. At the very least make them give the ball up and force someone else to beat you. That’s basketball 101 stuff, it’s not rocket science as the saying goes. Oh, and UConn has to hit their 3’s much better, or you can kiss number 12 goodbye. Of course having Fudd back instantly helps that, but others have to step up too.

 

[Kat]

The many second shots after misses took away the transition buckets that the Huskies usually get. I recently heard Geno say, after praising the development and play of several team members, that this team was not one of the top 5 athletic teams in UConn history. That puzzled me at the time but in that ND game, the Irish did look more athletic.

 

[JoePgh]

I may not have 1200 plus wins but I did stay in a Holiday Inn the other night. I realize we don’t have our full roster to draw from and that certainly handicaps the coaching staff when it comes to game strategy and in game adjustments. If a player is having repeated success, such as shooting 3’s, you have to force them to do something else, like overplay the 3 point line and entice them to drive to the basket. If done correctly, there’s the potential to draw some charges. At the very least make them give the ball up and force someone else to beat you. That’s basketball 101 stuff, it’s not rocket science as the saying goes. Oh, and UConn has to hit their 3’s much better, or you can kiss number 12 goodbye. Of course having Fudd back instantly helps that, but others have to step up too.

That (the bolded sentence above) is exactly what the UConn defense did last year, and Hidalgo scored more points than she did on Thursday night. I think that UConn's defense in the recent game was based on stopping her from doing what she was doing with impunity last January at Gampel -- UConn was willing to give her 3's to stop her driving, particularly to her right. And, in fact, they did largely stop her drives -- she was only 2-for-6 for 4 points on her 2-point attempts. But when she hits her 3's and gets to the free throw line (where she was 7-for-7), stopping her drives proved not to be sufficient. She just had a great offensive game.

Many posters have blamed ND's offensive success on the fact that UConn allowed too many offensive rebounds. That's an inaccurate diagnosis: ND led only 14-11 in offensive rebounds, and only 15-11 in second chance points. It may be a total surprise to most Boneyarders, but UConn actually took more field goal attempts than the Irish (64 vs. 60), shot a higher percentage overall (48.4% vs. 48.3%), and outscored ND on 2-point field goals by 56-to-38 on 58% shooting from 2-point range (28-for-48). If failing to control the defensive boards were the root problem, that would not happen -- ND would have had many more shot attempts than UConn in that case.

In my opinion, the two root causes of the loss were UConn's bad 3-point percentage (3 for 16 or 19%), and the breakdown of its team offense, reflected by the fact that UConn had only 10 assists on 31 made field goals vs. Notre Dame having 17 assists on 29 made field goals. Give Notre Dame and Niele Ivey credit for knowing UConn's offense and being reasonably successful in stopping it (but not that successful -- allowing 48% shooting on more shot attempts that her own team is not a great defensive showing). However, if UConn had hit a reasonable percentage of its 3-point attempts, ND's defense would have had to spread out, and that would have opened up more opportunities for assists on back-door and similar plays.

 

[hart2hart]

For me it was the defense. That being said, would love to see a rematch when we have Azzi, Aubrey etc. on the court. Tough loss, wonder if tomorrow will be a blow out?

 

[mainerhuski]

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.

I’m agree, there is no call for hand-wringing after this game. It was an excellent learning experience. As I posted elsewhere, the team faced a hostile arena, no Azzi, no Aubrey & at least 1-2 of those 3 early fouls called on Sarah were . Despite all of those factors, the team cut the lead to one on the fourth quarter!

 

[JellyBean]

The difference in the game was ND made shots, and we didn't. We know we have some talented players out who can shoot. In that ND game, they just could not make a basket. It happens. They will bounce back.

 

[JoePgh]

The difference in the game was ND made shots, and we didn't. We know we have some talented players out who can shoot. In that ND game, they just could not make a basket. It happens. They will bounce back.

Not true! Check the box score. UConn made 31 field goals on 48.4% shooting, while ND made 29 field goals on 48.3% shooting.

If you are talking specifically about 3-point shooting, then you are correct, but that isn't what you said.

 

[DallasDomer]

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.

What does two losses last year have to do with this year? ND has several diffetent personnel this year either new or uninijured like Miles, Karlen, Koval, Prosper.
It's like saying Uconn will lose in the second round again because they can't beat Ohio State.

 

[PJCLaw]

Agree with you th

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.

I disagree. Aside from South Carolina, no other National Champion since Uconn last won it had multiple or any 6'5" player of significance.. ND (none), Baylor ( none), Stanford (one), and LSU (none),. So, that is simply not a necessity to get a Natty. Heck, UCONN got to the Championship game in Paige's Sophomore year with only Olivia playing a significant role.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

What does two losses last year have to do with this year? ND has several diffetent personnel this year either new or uninijured like Miles, Karlen, Koval, Prosper.
It's like saying Uconn will lose in the second round again because they can't beat Ohio State.

They lost on their home floor, arguably the toughest place to play in women’s college basketball with Westbeld (who’s been out recently), Hidalgo, Citon, and DeWolf. Even without Miles that’s a tough lineup. They then lost again at Syracuse.

Actually it’s like UConn losing a home & home last year to Villanova without Fudd, Ducharme, Nika Muhl, Jana, and Aubrey Griffin.

Notre Dame is not the same team when outside the warm confines of the Joyce Center. They proved that when losing to OSU last March which UConn beat by 20 a couple weeks ago.

 

[oldude]

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.

A couple points. Pheesa was a 1st team AA, an Olympian and a top 3 MVP candidate in the W. Jana is still learning how to play in the paint. Also worth noting that ND’s Big, Kate Koval scored exactly 4 points on 2/7 shooting while missing several bunnies and fumbling the ball away repeatedly in the paint.

There are only a handful of Bigs in all of WBB capable of catching a pass in the low blocks and then making a quick and effective scoring move before being eaten up by swarming defenders. UConn has been blessed to have several such players: Charles, Stewie, Tuck & Pheesa to name a few, all of whom were 1st team AA’s.

 

[oldude]

Aubrey, when back to full speed, is as you say great on defense, rebounding and energy, but not a shooter/scorer. She is perfect to use in critical spots and can be a momentum changer. But like Azzi, she probably will not be there until March. Our immediate problem is the Azzi/somebody position, where we need the best we have to help out until Azzi is deemed 100%. The expectation was that it would be Ash but she seems to disappear in big games and it appears Geno has lost confidence in her. We can't run KK and Kaitlyn out there at the same time, they are to similar in ability and are better bringing the ball up than shooting/scoring. Ayanna and Caroline are out for the season and that leaves Geno with a long look at Morgan, Allie and Q, which I prefer in that exact order.

All indications are that Aubrey will be back on the court in the next few weeks.

 

[Jumper33]

They lost on their home floor, arguably the toughest place to play in women’s college basketball with Westbeld (who’s been out recently), Hidalgo, Citon, and DeWolf. Even without Miles that’s a tough lineup. They then lost again at Syracuse.

Actually it’s like UConn losing a home & home last year to Villanova without Fudd, Ducharme, Nika Muhl, Jana, and Aubrey Griffin.

Notre Dame is not the same team when outside the warm confines of the Joyce Center. They proved that when losing to OSU last March which UConn beat by 20 a couple weeks ago.

Sorry but I don’t think these Notre Dame losses you mentioned have any significance in relation to this current season. It’s a different team this year. They beat Syracuse by 30 a week ago. It would make more sense to say they will lose in March because they lost to Utah this season.

The Oregon State team UConn beat this season has a vastly different roster than last year’s team that beat Notre Dame. Many transfers out.

Notre Dame already has a very high quality road win this season at USC. They also had a high quality road win last season that we all remember…

I feel like I’m always playing “devils advocate” but I watch Notre Dame games regularly and try to look at them objectively. The fact is they are an excellent team right now with a higher ceiling than last year if everyone stays healthy. They have three top 5 wins, all by double digits, and no other team has more than one. I don’t think many teams even have three ranked wins.

UConn losing to them at their place doesn’t really make UConn look too bad at all. The worst thing about the loss is that it stings from an emotional standpoint. I think a lot can be learned from the game.

 

[AmeriConn]

With Azzi and Aubrey in the lineup we beat them. Give credit though, they are a very very good team with 3 great guards.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

Sorry but I don’t think these Notre Dame losses you mentioned have any significance in relation to this current season. It’s a different team this year. They beat Syracuse by 30 a week ago. It would make more sense to say they will lose in March because they lost to Utah this season.

The Oregon State team UConn beat this season has a vastly different roster than last year’s team that beat Notre Dame. Many transfers out.

Notre Dame already has a very high quality road win this season at USC. They also had a high quality road win last season that we all remember…

I feel like I’m always playing “devils advocate” but I watch Notre Dame games regularly and try to look at them objectively. The fact is they are an excellent team right now with a higher ceiling than last year if everyone stays healthy. They have three top 5 wins, all by double digits, and no other team has more than one. I don’t think many teams even have three ranked wins.

UConn losing to them at their place doesn’t really make UConn look too bad at all. The worst thing about the loss is that it stings from an emotional standpoint. I think a lot can be learned from the game.

You want to discuss a team staying healthy???? All you need to do is look at UConn. Ducharme, Fudd, Jana, Aubrey Griffin, Paige earlier in her career….geez. I’ll say it right now, if Fudd had been 100% for ND, the outcome would’ve been very different.

 

[Frankus]

I disagree. Aside from South Carolina, no other National Champion since Uconn last won it had multiple or any 6'5" player of significance.. ND (none), Baylor ( none), Stanford (one), and LSU (none),. So, that is simply not a necessity to get a Natty. Heck, UCONN got to the Championship game in Paige's Sophomore year with only Olivia playing a significant role.

Baylor's 2019 NC team had 6'7 Kalani Brown. She had 20 points and 13 rebounds in the NC game.

 

[PJCLaw]

Baylor's 2019 NC team had 6'7 Kalani Brown. She had 20 points and 13 rebounds in the NC game.

That's still only one player 6'5" or taller who was a significant player.

 

[Jumper33]

You want to discuss a team staying healthy???? All you need to do is look at UConn. Ducharme, Fudd, Jana, Aubrey Griffin, Paige earlier in her career….geez. I’ll say it right now, if Fudd had been 100% for ND, the outcome would’ve been very different.

I wasn’t talking about them in comparison to UConn, I was talking about them in comparison to last year’s ND team. Yes both teams have unfortunately had significant injury struggles the last few seasons.