Thoughts on Paige in the BET & the line-up come NCAA tourney time

[BlueSkyGLW]

Good points, but disagree about Azzi: she is one of the best defenders UConn has--she was everywhere against Villanova and played great overall team defense and iso defense as well!

While that is almost true (not quite as good positionally compared to on ball), don't you think Azzi needed as much time to regain her shooting rhythm after a miserable one the game before, in order to be prepared for the Big Dance with confidence? If you were the coach and you know what she is capable of, don't you want to give her the chance to regain her footing? I think the coach is ahead of you there, don't you think?

As for defense, Evina is just as good and of course, so is Nika. But neither had offensive issues to work through ahead of the NCAAs...or he could have given the extra minutes to Christyn who definitely is the better defender.

It's OK to disagree and rest your case on her defensive capabilities.....but I rest my case on the coach wanting to sharpen one of his most reliable, long range weapons without suffering much on defense.

 

[Redux]

Azzi is drawing out the defense

That's a big deal even when she's not having a great shooting game. But so far the team really hasn't been taking as much advantage as they should of what is opening up. The failure feeds upon itself: players cutting into the middle aren't being passed to consistently enough so there's not as much motivation to cut as there should be.

But the potential for improvement right now is really exciting. There are two weeks of practice with a full squad to work on these capabilities. Plus neither Azzi nor Paige have been creating mid/long-range shots to their ability, and this can only improve.

With already one of the nation's premier defenses and now the opportunity to practice with a full squad on offense, I'm looking forward to seeing something pretty special.

 

[Boreifs]

When Paige is 100% and I assume that will be at least by the Sweet 16 round she will start in place of Nika. The best lineup will be Paige, Azzi, CW, Edwards, and Ono with Westbrok and Dorka coming off the bench. Nika will be in the rotation as well but to spell a wing/point guard. Nika has improved offensively this year but they still leave her open and against the top teams in the Tournament we will need to have offense at every position. I also think Dorka will be key in games against quality bigs where ONO has yet to prove herself.

No Caroline?! Sorry, bad idea. She was our leading scorer when Zouave and Azzi were out.

 

[Littlemin]

It is funny to me, the importance people put on who starts, who is being used where, etc., etc. Uconn is seriously clicking right now, has basically run out to significant leads by the end of the 1st quarter for a couple of weeks but the starting lineup needs to be changed? Why, exactly?
Fudd needs more shots, why exactly? Frankly, after reading about her shooting prowess for what seems like years on the board, I think she is a much better basketball player than she is a shooter and she is a very, very good but streaky shooter. And I think the minutes she is getting are well deserved and testament to that. She took 5 shots last night, had no ”Wow” stats at all but played 36 minutes,…….enough said!
It is a team game and Auriemma recognizes the importance Muhl brings at the start of games, setting the Uconn tone with her intensity. She and Edwards absolutely put their stamp on the game defensively right from the start last night and Uconn never looked back. Despite very ragged offense, they still got out to a 9-0 lead, holding Nova scoreless for the first 4 minutes. Offense comes and goes, defense never rests and that is the end you win championships on.
Muhl got 19 minutes last night, about 8 of them to start the game, and IMO, that is just about right. Anyway, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it is a rule of thumb that very much applies here IMO.

 

[BBallF]

So here’s the thing. Some people on here have pointed out that Paige hasn’t quite looked 100% in these BET games. I’d somewhat agree but I think it mostly has to do with conditioning and comfortability. What was most noticeable in the Marquette game to me was that she seemed to be half a step behind on defense (close-outs particularly) which probably looks alarming considering she was 1-2 steps ahead on defense to start the season. I think coming back from a knee injury, defense is likely gonna be the last thing to come around. It requires so much lateral movement and acceleration off of the knees so it’s gonna take some more time. But with Paige what you see in these games is how she’s slowly but surely adding back parts of her complete game. Passing against Providence, shooting against Georgetown. So I’m not worried as long as she continues to add back and refine the parts of her game that make her NPOY Paige.

Moving on to the line-up, I’m thinking that this starting lineup of Azzi, Nika, Christyn, Aaliyah & Olivia might just stay throughout at least the first few rounds of the tournament. I honestly have a hard time seeing Paige take anyone’s spot in that starting line-up unless she is able to get back to last season’s/early this season’s Paige. Even then, who does she replace? Probably Azzi or Nika. I don’t see Christyn or Olivia not starting because they’re senior leaders and consistent presences. Aaliyah has been in a solid groove lately and provides a much needed physical & rebounding presence. Thus, starting Paige would mean benching either Azzi or Nika. With Azzi not shooting well as of late, I could see it but she still provides a lot defensively and all-around. Plus, she seems to do better when she gets more time to settle into the game and then is primed for big 4th quarters. You could start the Paige-Azzi duo by having Nika come off the bench but she just sets the tone defensively so it’s hard to see that happening too.

Thoughts???

If it ain't broke don't fix it. I will say this though. I think the starting 5 gets going slowly in the half court offense and that caused turnovers for them against Nova. I don't see Geno shaking anything up however with what it took to get here.

 

[jdote33]

I agree with posts like the one above. It looks like the team is playing well, starting with their defense. Paige is all world of course but she's coming back from a pretty serious injury. I think this is a unique challenge for her, and she can thrive in the bench-role for this particular team. I will say, hopefully she can play a bit longer (22-28 minutes), and I wouldn't mind her subbing in faster should there be a slow start (I actually feel the same about CD). But I'm just really concerned with her having the responsibility of playing a lot of minutes especially at the point being the primary ball-handler. The TO AE had trying to get her the ball off an inbound brought back flashbacks/nightmares of the SC game when Dorka and her had a couple of those turnovers in a row. If your the point guard and you're having a hard time getting to the ball, it's problematic. And in the tournament against the best teams, they will be physical with her.
I liked some of Geno's comments in the postgame yesterday regarding where she's at. She's going to have to mentally find a way to persevere through whatever doubts she has physically. The greats do that, and I'm sure she will as well. I mean her one basket last game, a step back from 15, was a pro-move, really only a couple ppl on the team can make. Even the stretch where she got fouled like 3 straight times then she hit CD for the three in the corner, was classic PB. She just has to eliminate the poor judgement plays, which is a fair ask. Like, I hope I don't jinx it, but CD didn't really turn the ball over all that much in the BE tournament after really struggling with that the last couple weeks of the season. That's the type of thing I'd like to see from PB. Limited turnovers and better decision making\less home run plays.

 

[Childhood]

It is funny to me, the importance people put on who starts, who is being used where, etc., etc. Uconn is seriously clicking right now, has basically run out to significant leads by the end of the 1st quarter for a couple of weeks but the starting lineup needs to be changed? Why, exactly?
Fudd needs more shots, why exactly? Frankly, after reading about her shooting prowess for what seems like years on the board, I think she is a much better basketball player than she is a shooter and she is a very, very good but streaky shooter. And I think the minutes she is getting are well deserved and testament to that. She took 5 shots last night, had no ”Wow” stats at all but played 36 minutes,…….enough said!
It is a team game and Auriemma recognizes the importance Muhl brings at the start of games, setting the Uconn tone with her intensity. She and Edwards absolutely put their stamp on the game defensively right from the start last night and Uconn never looked back. Despite very ragged offense, they still got out to a 9-0 lead, holding Nova scoreless for the first 4 minutes. Offense comes and goes, defense never rests and that is the end you win championships on.
Muhl got 19 minutes last night, about 8 of them to start the game, and IMO, that is just about right. Anyway, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it is a rule of thumb that very much applies here IMO.

Nah, I just don't like your tone towards Azzi. You can find a better way to praise Nika.

 

[Conndog]

I'm gonna throw some love out there for Caroline, who is finding an identity roaming inside near the basket, darting in and out, but when she gets the ball near the hoop, she's like a shark smelling blood and knows how to score and get her shot off. I'm very impressed with her finding a new way of scoring & not just lurking outside at the 3 point line. And Evina, wow, she is looking like she really wants this championship. UConn's first few minutes may seem ragged, and you want to scream with the turnovers like the Villanova game's beginning, but once they are able to get up to speed, they just pull away. What defense they are playing, everyone seems to know what to do and how to help. Just beautiful!

 

[Littlemin]

Nah, I just don't like your tone towards Azzi. You can find a better way to praise Nika.

You obviously don’t recognize praise when you read it. Fortunately, I couldn’t care less about what you like or what you think I could do better.

 

[JellyBean]

For Paige, she is coming off a knee injury and not having played since that Norte Dame game. It is going to take a moment for her to regain her game form. I am glad that Coach G, Paige, and the trainers (thank goodness for the trainers & doctors), are bringing Paige along slowly and limiting her minutes. As well as checking with Paige during games and after games to see how she feels. Like Coach G has said, this isn't just a physical injury, this is a mental injury as well. So naturally Paige is going to look a step slower out there. She is going through a lot out there and hopefully this break before the Dance starts, gives Paige a few more days to get her a little better mentally and physically.

As for the line up. Like the late great Red Auerbach once said, “some people believe you win with the five best players, but I found out that you win with the five who fit together best.” Coach G and his coaching staff knows who fit together the best out there.

 

[jabstep]

I agree with posts like the one above. It looks like the team is playing well, starting with their defense. Paige is all world of course but she's coming back from a pretty serious injury. I think this is a unique challenge for her, and she can thrive in the bench-role for this particular team. I will say, hopefully she can play a bit longer (22-28 minutes), and I wouldn't mind her subbing in faster should there be a slow start (I actually feel the same about CD). But I'm just really concerned with her having the responsibility of playing a lot of minutes especially at the point being the primary ball-handler. The TO AE had trying to get her the ball off an inbound brought back flashbacks/nightmares of the SC game when Dorka and her had a couple of those turnovers in a row. If your the point guard and you're having a hard time getting to the ball, it's problematic. And in the tournament against the best teams, they will be physical with her.
I liked some of Geno's comments in the postgame yesterday regarding where she's at. She's going to have to mentally find a way to persevere through whatever doubts she has physically. The greats do that, and I'm sure she will as well. I mean her one basket last game, a step back from 15, was a pro-move, really only a couple ppl on the team can make. Even the stretch where she got fouled like 3 straight times then she hit CD for the three in the corner, was classic PB. She just has to eliminate the poor judgement plays, which is a fair ask. Like, I hope I don't jinx it, but CD didn't really turn the ball over all that much in the BE tournament after really struggling with that the last couple weeks of the season. That's the type of thing I'd like to see from PB. Limited turnovers and better decision making\less home run plays.

You mentioned two plays that I was going to mention. We all watched video's of Paige working out in the summer and what I had noticed was she was working on the step back to help get separation from really good on ball defenders. She hadn't used it in the first couple of games but when I saw it in the championship game. I said to myself oops there it is. This is an elite move and guards like Zia Cooke use it for separation on their shot. It is a great trick in her book.
The out of bounds pass was so successful because she passed the ball perfectly to where CD would want it for her setup for a quick release. I watched on the replay two times. It was a perfect pass.
The next three weeks I hope will help Paige get a little quicker and her cuts better and her anticipation and lateral movements on defense. If she gets there we are going to become
very very Nasty!!!!!!

 

[Zarathustra]

Something about the "hockey line shift" options appeals to me.
Of course we will need the best offensive team on the floor if
the situation arises (ditto, for best defensive team), but I enjoyed
thinking how the Villanova players felt when the UCONN " bench"
arrived on the floor: DORKA, Moma "E", Paige, and Caroline =
Ouch! no possibility of making up some points against that group!
So, roll the dice.... hold on to your seats..... this is going to
be interesting. P.S. I hope Caroline gets back to 100 % , IMO she
will be a momentum changer more than once in these last 6
games... and I mean SIX games! Go Huskies.!!!

 

[Linart]

. Remember, Geno has often said that the most important game in the tournament is the regional final.

Yes, he always said the toughest game is the regional finals. But since we've nailed it 13 years in a row, that in and of itself shouldn't be the issue. It's the semifinals where we kinda suck.

 

[mhshuskies]

Who would your closing 5 be then? I’d go with Paige, Azzi, Caroline, Christyn, Liv

Piath, Amari and any other three!

 

[BlueSkyGLW]

Yes, he always said the toughest game is the regional finals. But since we've nailed it 13 years in a row, that in and of itself shouldn't be the issue. It's the semifinals where we kinda suck.

Those were very short rotation teams, not much of a bench....not always in full health because of extended minutes throughout the season. This includes last year when Nika got injured at the start of the tournament. That won't be a problem this year, so no excuses going into FF.

Given that, regional final is more important in order to get there.