The Difference is Defense

[BBallF]

When you look at our season team stats, one thing jumps out at you- the glaring differential in field goal percentage of our opponents in our wins as compared to our losses. In our wins, our opponents shot 33.7% from the field while in our losses, they shot 48%, a very significant difference with NC State topping out with a gaudy 52.5%. Our overall defensive average, which includes both of the above statistics, is 38.5%. Since our own FG percentage is overall 48%, you can see the stark contrast in games we won just by using our overall average. Our actual FG % in the games we won is 49.5%. In the games we lost it was 46%.

So, is it that the 3 teams we lost to in the Top 5 are just better shooters or players, or was it our defense or both? I think it was more about our defense, especially from the freshmen. There were so many open shots and open 3s and missed assignments in the beginning of both the UCLA and Texas game that we dug ourselves a hole that we could not climb out of. Both Ash and KK are good defenders now, although they still lose their man at times and I think it is clear that KK rather than Nika should be guarding, at least for a large portion of the game, the quicker of the two guards.

The tale of the tape for me therefore is that the defense, with all other things being equal, will determine exactly how far we go this year. We don't have the firepower as in past teams to simply outscore the other team. We need stops, rebounds, transition baskets, deflections and turnovers- all of those non-glamorous fundamentals that make or break a basketball team. As for our turnovers they were not, on paper alone, a substantial factor, except arguably against Texas where we had 21. We had 12 against NC State and 9 against UCLA in losses, while we had 17 against both Ball State and UNC in victories.

To adjust and compensate for our injuries this year, the defense is the key. The good news is that with 4 freshmen, they will only get better, more experienced and more comfortable out there. We do have an extraordinary All- American leading the way so I refuse to accept the prognostications of those who have written off this team. You are going to be very surprised by what a difference defense can make. If you have been watching closely and know what you are looking at, it already has.

 

[jabstep]

If you looked at the 3 points stats of Osborne and Rice historically including last year a good defensive strategy would be to let them bomb away and double down on Betts. Osborne didnt enter the WNBA because she needed to improve her 3 point production. The problem was that those two had a good shooting game against us. Oh well if they can continue to shoot well they will be tough to handle. Iowa beat SC with the same strategy last year. Dawn has now some shooters making it difficult to only focus on Cardosa.

Against NCST, if you were to study Rivers outside shooting stats you would obviously try and stay in front of her because she get her points on fast breaks and drives to the hoop. In the off season she also worked extremely hard on her 3 point and mid range shooting and surprised us with her new found skills.

Against Texas, if you looked at Harmon's stats before the game a good strategy would also let her shoot from the outside. She also had a terrible foul shooting PCT previously. She changed that perception at least against us. She also drove at will for short pump up jumpers in the lane against Nika. She would have a trouble shooting against Aubrey I think but we needed Aubrey for rebounding which is our most glaring deficiency.

I think our defense is good and will get better as the coaches will have a better understanding of players current strengths and weaknesses as the season goes on.

 

[Zarathustra]

If you looked at the 3 points stats of Osborne and Rice historically including last year a good defensive strategy would be to let them bomb away and double down on Betts. Osborne didnt enter the WNBA because she needed to improve her 3 point production. The problem was that those two had a good shooting game against us. Oh well if they can continue to shoot well they will be tough to handle. Iowa beat SC with the same strategy last year. Dawn has now some shooters making it difficult to only focus on Cardosa.

Against NCST, if you were to study Rivers outside shooting stats you would obviously try and stay in front of her because she get her points on fast breaks and drives to the hoop. In the off season she also worked extremely hard on her 3 point and mid range shooting and surprised us with her new found skills.

Against Texas, if you looked at Harmon's stats before the game a good strategy would also let her shoot from the outside. She also had a terrible foul shooting PCT previously. She changed that perception at least against us. She also drove at will for short pump up jumpers in the lane against Nika. She would have a trouble shooting against Aubrey I think but we needed Aubrey for rebounding which is our most glaring deficiency.

I think our defense is good and will get better as the coaches will have a better understanding of players current strengths and weaknesses as the season goes on.

Speaking of HUSKY defense, I noticed that ASH make very few fouls and also very few turnovers. I like
to see her successful three pointers and Ash's "fist pumps", but there is more to this lady than her quality
shooting.... She deserves any starts that Geno gives her.

 

[BBallF]

Speaking of HUSKY defense, I noticed that ASH make very few fouls and also very few turnovers. I like
to see her successful three pointers and Ash's "fist pumps", but there is more to this lady than her quality
shooting.... She deserves any starts that Geno gives her.

I think she is the missing third scorer to go along with Paige and Aaliyah. It is going to take time though. Next year she will return as a starter, be stronger, and be a bourgeoning star. She was very well taught the fundamentals of the game when she was younger.

 

[Bone Dog]

Speaking of HUSKY defense, I noticed that ASH make very few fouls and also very few turnovers. I like
to see her successful three pointers and Ash's "fist pumps", but there is more to this lady than her quality
shooting.... She deserves any starts that Geno gives her.

I totally agree about Ashlynn. She should be on the court a lot. The two mental lapses against UNC (when passes from Nika sailed past her) show that she can still get confused on offense. Those moments are a sign that she can get even better as she acclimates herself to the system. I think this is what is meant by the game beginning to slow down for her. I haven’t seen glaring lapses on defense.

 

[cohenzone]

Historically the key to UConn success has always been defense, but the ease with which they typically scored masked that a bit. This team is really a jumble of imbalance due to injuries and youth with a very front-loaded difficult schedule. And women’s hoops has become a lot deeper in very competitive teams. It might take more time than we’d like for the defense to catch up.

 

[oldude]

Geno appears to be committed to the 4 guard lineup with Aubrey first off the bench. That’s a lot of “in your face” defensive pressure which theoretically should result in more turnovers and a lower shooting percentage for UConn opponents. The challenge for the Huskies is to hold their own on the boards against bigger teams, while limiting their own turnovers.

UConn will face another test on Sunday at the XL Center against a Louisville team with a lot of size.

 

[my2cents]

Blaming the freshman for our defensive lapses is misguided. We were down 28-12 in the first qtr. to UCLA before they even got in.
The top teams we play have quick guards who seem to get by everyone.

 

[oldude]

Blaming the freshman for our defensive lapses is misguided. We were down 28-12 in the first qtr. to UCLA before they even got in.
The top teams we play have quick guards who seem to get by everyone.

UConn has moved past the UCLA game. As far as the freshmen are concerned, I really like the defensive effort of KK and Ashlynn, and in the few minutes that Q played against UNC, her defensive stance and court awareness has clearly improved.

The one key to pull it all together is Ice. She had several defensive breakdowns against UNC, which is why she was pulled. UConn really needs Ice to provide 10-15 mpg of quality PT, most importantly defense and rebounding to pull together what will hopefully be a solid 8-player rotation.

 

[Zarathustra]

UConn has moved past the UCLA game. As far as the freshmen are concerned, I really like the defensive effort of KK and Ashlynn, and in the few minutes that Q played against UNC, her defensive stance and court awareness has clearly improved.

The one key to pull it all together is Ice. She had several defensive breakdowns against UNC, which is why she was pulled. UConn really needs Ice to provide 10-15 mpg of quality PT, most importantly defense and rebounding to pull together what will hopefully be a solid 8-player rotation.

Looking for continued progress for our girl "ICE" ... I would love to have her fully ready for N.D. We need you, ICE!!

 

[PacoSwede]

Blaming the freshman for our defensive lapses is misguided. ...
The top teams we play have quick guards who seem to get by everyone.

quick guards 'who seem to get by everyone' are indeed a problem -- for everyone. you gotta deal with it.

and that requires TEAM defense. help defense. there are a lot more players these days who are quick and swifty than there are defenders -- like mojeff -- who are capable of slowing them down all by their lonely.

don't count on defenders who get don't get beat by to the 'quick guards' to save the day. there aren't enough of them. the answer is team tactics ... and those don't necessarily succeed either. there are just some players who can't be stopped.

 

[SEbluebood]

I agree that UConn’s defense has improved ( it really couldn’t go in any other direction), but IMO it is not and will not be a difference making defense that can be counted on against elite teams (especially tall and athletic ones). We don’t have a rim protector or great rebounders or good quickness for that matter. Without those, it’s hard to have an outstanding “difference maker” defense. I do believe it’s adequate enough to keep us in most games, but no elite opponent is going to fear our defense.

 

[BBallF]

UConn has moved past the UCLA game. As far as the freshmen are concerned, I really like the defensive effort of KK and Ashlynn, and in the few minutes that Q played against UNC, her defensive stance and court awareness has clearly improved.

The one key to pull it all together is Ice. She had several defensive breakdowns against UNC, which is why she was pulled. UConn really needs Ice to provide 10-15 mpg of quality PT, most importantly defense and rebounding to pull together what will hopefully be a solid 8-player rotation.

I completely agree about Ice. That its the only potential path to a deep run in March. The irony is that she has a very good outside shot but we don't need that nearly as much as we need a very good floor game.

I think we will get the points we need from our two mainstays with Ash becoming a regular third contributor. With KK at the point predominantly, that means Nika will have more 3 point shots. With Aubrey off the bench, her defensive skills and floor game are even more valuable. That leaves Q for whom I think it is matter of time and training on defense and a matter of getting herself set on her 3s and mid range jumper and her continuing to move well without the ball.

I just think that this team, undersized as they are, is a lot of fun to watch and is going to silence a lot of the doom and gloomers. Geno also does his February Metamorphosis every year and I think it will be concentrated on defense and we will emerge as a very dangerous team.

 

[hoophuskee]

I believe the Defense has more to do with the opponent. UCONN is too young to consistently hold top tier oopponents down. A game here or there - sure they can. But overall - especialy ealry in which the team had to be "restructered on the fly," the oppoenents are just too good.

 

[Bone Dog]

That leaves Q for whom I think it is matter of time and training on defense and a matter of getting herself set on her 3s and mid range jumper and her continuing to move well without the ball.

I agree. This is key for us. A long, quick-footed defender who is unafraid to shoot and can drive the lane would be such a huge addition for us. Qadence has already show glimpses of the offensive side of this equation. Now she needs to show she can play serious defense. She reminds me a little of Nyamer Diew, who has a similar build, though she is not quite as talented as Qadence on offense, but can play defense. I suspect Qadence has a lot more potential than Diew did when she started out at Butler.

I remember the summer interviews, when Qadence identified herself as a shooting guard. This seemed a little odd to me at the time, given her HS career. But in hindsight, I imagine Geno must have told her to focus on that since he already saw she was going to need a little more time to develop her defensive side.

 

[DataNerd]

When you look at our season team stats, one thing jumps out at you- the glaring differential in field goal percentage of our opponents in our wins as compared to our losses. In our wins, our opponents shot 33.7% from the field while in our losses, they shot 48%, a very significant difference with NC State topping out with a gaudy 52.5%. Our overall defensive average, which includes both of the above statistics, is 38.5%. Since our own FG percentage is overall 48%, you can see the stark contrast in games we won just by using our overall average. Our actual FG % in the games we won is 49.5%. In the games we lost it was 46%.

So, is it that the 3 teams we lost to in the Top 5 are just better shooters or players, or was it our defense or both? I think it was more about our defense, especially from the freshmen. There were so many open shots and open 3s and missed assignments in the beginning of both the UCLA and Texas game that we dug ourselves a hole that we could not climb out of. Both Ash and KK are good defenders now, although they still lose their man at times and I think it is clear that KK rather than Nika should be guarding, at least for a large portion of the game, the quicker of the two guards.

The tale of the tape for me therefore is that the defense, with all other things being equal, will determine exactly how far we go this year. We don't have the firepower as in past teams to simply outscore the other team. We need stops, rebounds, transition baskets, deflections and turnovers- all of those non-glamorous fundamentals that make or break a basketball team. As for our turnovers they were not, on paper alone, a substantial factor, except arguably against Texas where we had 21. We had 12 against NC State and 9 against UCLA in losses, while we had 17 against both Ball State and UNC in victories.

To adjust and compensate for our injuries this year, the defense is the key. The good news is that with 4 freshmen, they will only get better, more experienced and more comfortable out there. We do have an extraordinary All- American leading the way so I refuse to accept the prognostications of those who have written off this team. You are going to be very surprised by what a difference defense can make. If you have been watching closely and know what you are looking at, it already has.

Good points all. Defensive skills take among the most time and effort to master, especially for first year players acclimating to the collegiate game with our strength of schedule. It takes time and lots of in-game reps to master.

Higher opposition FG percentages don't necessarily equate to poor defense. Sometimes the other team is hot or hotter than us; distribution of individual scoring often reflects this. Tiffany Hayes used to take affront when she was left open so teams could double-up on Maya, and she'd usually rain 3s to express this.

Contrasting defensive RBs signals how aggressively we're attacking the boards and boxing out, especially against taller teams. That's pure desire. Ditto for assists/FGs made: if their ratio is high, then we're not obstructing the passing lanes, communicating defensive shifts and such.

Were we as conditioned, attentive, aggressive, and dedicated during our first college semesters?

 

[TCC Kid]

When you look at our season team stats, one thing jumps out at you- the glaring differential in field goal percentage of our opponents in our wins as compared to our losses. In our wins, our opponents shot 33.7% from the field while in our losses, they shot 48%, a very significant difference with NC State topping out with a gaudy 52.5%. Our overall defensive average, which includes both of the above statistics, is 38.5%. Since our own FG percentage is overall 48%, you can see the stark contrast in games we won just by using our overall average. Our actual FG % in the games we won is 49.5%. In the games we lost it was 46%.

So, is it that the 3 teams we lost to in the Top 5 are just better shooters or players, or was it our defense or both? I think it was more about our defense, especially from the freshmen. There were so many open shots and open 3s and missed assignments in the beginning of both the UCLA and Texas game that we dug ourselves a hole that we could not climb out of. Both Ash and KK are good defenders now, although they still lose their man at times and I think it is clear that KK rather than Nika should be guarding, at least for a large portion of the game, the quicker of the two guards.

The tale of the tape for me therefore is that the defense, with all other things being equal, will determine exactly how far we go this year. We don't have the firepower as in past teams to simply outscore the other team. We need stops, rebounds, transition baskets, deflections and turnovers- all of those non-glamorous fundamentals that make or break a basketball team. As for our turnovers they were not, on paper alone, a substantial factor, except arguably against Texas where we had 21. We had 12 against NC State and 9 against UCLA in losses, while we had 17 against both Ball State and UNC in victories.

To adjust and compensate for our injuries this year, the defense is the key. The good news is that with 4 freshmen, they will only get better, more experienced and more comfortable out there. We do have an extraordinary All- American leading the way so I refuse to accept the prognostications of those who have written off this team. You are going to be very surprised by what a difference defense can make. If you have been watching closely and know what you are looking at, it already has.

Could it be Uconn beats poor shooting teams? Or that team didn't have a post that could take out Griffin and Edwards? Stat's don't tell the WHOLE story.

 

[BBallF]

No, they don't tell the whole story but they are often a good guide. By the eye test, I thought the first quarter defense against UCLA was very poor and the statistics support that. They shot 60% from the field and we were in a 16 point deficit which effectively was the game. Texas shot 19 times against us in the first quarter at a clip of 52.6 %, also a poor defensive start by us by the eye test, and we were down 8. Both teams shot above their season average that quarter with the Bruins being 8% higher and Texas being 7% higher.

It may be that the differential is not just our defense but their talent as well which is probably accurate but poor defense to start a game against a Top 5 team is a recipe for disaster. My hopeful take is this- we have such a large upside on defense because of our freshmen learning, improving and experiencing, larger I think than these other teams that play upperclassmen or graduate players, that our development in that aspect of the game will be significant.

Finally, I will say something which may not be well received, Geno has become an even better defensive coach than offensive coach out of necessity these last injury laden years and every February the team becomes transformed at least through the BE tourney and its the defense that does it.

 

[hoophuskee]

NMy hopeful take is this- we have such a large upside on defense because of our freshmen learning, improving and experiencing, larger I think than these other teams that play upperclassmen or graduate players, that our development in that aspect of the game will be significant.

I am hopeful too in terms of a wish. I'm not optimistic but definitely can hope.

I'm just going to enjoy what they do without the expectation. I even believe they are going to have big trouble in the Big East. IMO step 1 is Paige has to be great on both ends. Step 2 is Aaliyah has to be great on both ends. So I agree Defense is a big key (as is Offense) as you point out, They just can't be great at one end. I fear though some fans (not you - you are an excellent poster. I love reading your posts.) are going to believe that if Geno plays them quite a bit then their trajectory will be an automatic improvement by season's end. That's not how it works. I'm hopeful as well that fans won't look to crush the freshmen unnecessarily. Even Nika and Aubrey. -- They were supposed to have scoring - not have to be relied upon to be a top scorer in-the-game-in-the-moment when scoring is needed.

 

[SEbluebood]

No, they don't tell the whole story but they are often a good guide. By the eye test, I thought the first quarter defense against UCLA was very poor and the statistics support that. They shot 60% from the field and we were in a 16 point deficit which effectively was the game. Texas shot 19 times against us in the first quarter at a clip of 52.6 %, also a poor defensive start by us by the eye test, and we were down 8. Both teams shot above their season average that quarter with the Bruins being 8% higher and Texas being 7% higher.

It may be that the differential is not just our defense but their talent as well which is probably accurate but poor defense to start a game against a Top 5 team is a recipe for disaster. My hopeful take is this- we have such a large upside on defense because of our freshmen learning, improving and experiencing, larger I think than these other teams that play upperclassmen or graduate players, that our development in that aspect of the game will be significant.

Finally, I will say something which may not be well received, Geno has become an even better defensive coach than offensive coach out of necessity these last injury laden years and every February the team becomes transformed at least through the BE tourney and its the defense that does it.

Just curious if there is a statistical basis for the claim of transformed defense every February, and if there is can it attributed to more games against weaker BE opponents?

 

[BBallF]

Just curious if there is a statistical basis for the claim of transformed defense every February, and if there is can it attributed to more games against weaker BE opponents?

Examining the statistics in depth will take a good amount of research which I am happy to do when I have some time, perhaps in the next day or two. Trying to confirm the eye test is always worthwhile.

 

[RedStickHusky]

If teams are going to shoot with us % wise, it becomes a contest of generating possessions; you have to win on turnovers and rebounds and we're having issues with both.

 

[Boreifs]

Geno appears to be committed to the 4 guard lineup with Aubrey first off the bench. That’s a lot of “in your face” defensive pressure which theoretically should result in more turnovers and a lower shooting percentage for UConn opponents. The challenge for the Huskies is to hold their own on the boards against bigger teams, while limiting their own turnovers.

UConn will face another test on Sunday at the XL Center against a Louisville team with a lot of size.

Saturday

 

[Bone Dog]

If teams are going to shoot with us % wise, it becomes a contest of generating possessions; you have to win on turnovers and rebounds and we're having issues with both.

A small lineup has to win the majority of the 50-50 balls, since they probably won't win the rebounding battle in the paint. The girls haven't quite gotten their mojo on for chasing down every loose ball yet, but I suspect Ashlynn and KK will figure this out soon enough. I remember those great Creighton teams of the past few years who never had any true bigs. They were pure hustle and seemed to win every 50-50 ball. Let's be pure hustle.

 

[Notyetready]

A small lineup has to win the majority of the 50-50 balls, since they probably won't win the rebounding battle in the paint. The girls haven't quite gotten their mojo on for chasing down every loose ball yet, but I suspect Ashlynn and KK will figure this out soon enough. I remember those great Creighton teams of the past few years who never had any true bigs. They were pure hustle and seemed to win every 50-50 ball. Let's be pure hustle.

Creighton still has those players and they are doing well this year. They will be a tough matchup for our small ball team.