TN Postgame Thread [merged] | Page 10 | The Boneyard

TN Postgame Thread [merged]

My 2 cents on the overall game and guard play

Not the best game we ever played. Just hung around for the most part. But this was our first test and on the road. TN is a big team and we may struggle against bigger teams at least until AE is ready for big minutes.

I’m happy that despite the fact we just can’t shoot the ball well, we still find a way to win. We can’t make FTs either. If we just hit our normal %, which I think is 70%, we win my double digits on the road.

Missed three early jumpers where we were wide open. I don’t mind AG or Liv shooting them, just not so early in the shot clock. Gave up a lot of boards in the 1st Qtr and then I think we won the battle of the boards thereafter.

Playing more zone and looked pretty good though. 3pt defense needs to improve but we still played very well on defense considering the home team only scored 61 points and shot roughly 37%. But to be fair, that number is skewed by Horston and Walker who shot a combined 2 for 20. The rest of the team shot roughly 50% - not so good! But TN has good players too.

PB – ok she didn’t shoot well but I’m happy she isn’t scared to shoot and try to take over. It is obvious now that the team is looking for her to lead and take big shots. Loved the double clutch bank shot – most players never develop this and she already has it. Barely missed on several shots. I really think she got gassed which caused her to miss. TN played her tough the entire game and made her play defense as well. She really showed up on defense where she was very disruptive with her length. Will not get the credit for it, but caused 3 turnovers by my recollection (not counting the steals was credited with). Nothing easy for the opposing team. Gutty performance and obviously the big shot at the end to ice the game. We will remember that for years to come!

CW – Terrific game on the offensive end but she gives up so much defensively. She is really good when she is good and then she throws up bricks. Anyway, we have to live with that trade-off.

EW – Played more guard in the game and damn does she look good! Wow. Gets in the lane at will and hits the short pull up. Drains the three. Too bad she couldn’t do that in the late 4th – maybe she got gassed too. Before this she had a terrific stretch where she scored, rebounded and hit a shot. Played good defense in not allowing penetration but a bit late in covering the 3pt shooter.

She is starting to become a force and it could not have been easy to perform well in this game with all the emotions going through her. This tells me she has some ice in her veins. Great all around game.

Think we need a guard (either NM or Saylor) to give us some minutes because to me, PB and EW looked gassed at some points in the game.

Would PB have made that 3 pointer if she didn’t have the rest she had to take for the ankle injury??
 
My 2 cents on the post play:

Liv – well not the best game. Gave us little presence on offense in the post but GA used her mostly outside. Came up big at times on defense with key blocks and also was good on the boards. Too bad she missed all her jumpers and half her FTs…ughhhh.

AE – gave some good minutes. Will not be out-physicalled (my new word). Can be a bull in a china shop though and pick up unnecessary fouls. Hit a lucky bank shot…almost broke the backboard on another layup attempt.

She is like K. Malone going down the lane. Nobody wants to get in front of her because they know they will get trucked and may be missing some teeth. Very explosive athlete. I’m happy with what she did in this game and something to build on. We really need her big time down the road. I’m thinking she is a real key to our success against teams with skilled bigs.

AG – I like what I saw. Active but didn’t make as much of an impact as I hopped but still was impactful – still filled up the stat sheet. Showed off her open court dribbling skills (yes, she has a good handle) on one play with the cross over and lay in, and then on another where she had a nice dish to AE. Hit another jumper – 3 pointer this time. That makes 3 games in a row she has hit a jumper. Missed more than she made from outside as most did in this game. Needs to be smarter with perimeter defense vs smaller guards who can get by her if she overplays. Missed some assignments on defense.

Some may say she slowed down the offense but I don’t agree. If we hit a few more of our open shots and our FTs, we easily hit 80 and nobody mentions this. Scoring 80 on the road in our first test wouldn’t have been bad. We just can’t shoot the ball thus far this year.

AM – first game I can remember where she made little impact. She does draw out the defense but other than that, not much. One shot in the last 2 games...teams playing her closely on the 3 pt line.

MM – interesting that GA went with her for 5 minutes in the first half. Got confused in the half court against the zone. Decent minutes though.
 
I predicted that the game would be close one. My only surprise were the missed free-throws. I was glad to see that Aubrey had the 'green light' to shoot threes-- she is a key factor in this team advancement, as she can play with anyone. If defenders are forced to defend her away from under the basket, it will open up the game.
I'm surprise that so many are going by ranking to evaluate teams- this year. I have no idea what it means that Uconn is ranked 3/4 or what that # is today. This is a team with very few games, majority freshmen and a lot of inaction. Had Tenn beaten us, would they have been a top 5/10 team? What about us moving down to their spot. Tenn is one of those big teams that is capable of being a match up nightmare for many teams- including a Uconn. They are not yet a So Car because they are missing something. I could not put my finger on it. Horston was recruited (at the last minute) my Uconn and she was very impressive in the U-18 games where she had some impressive teammates. I had expected more a la Boston and the others at Stanford. Very surprise she is playing point guard and not forward.
As for Uconn, I was very impressed with this game and win. Yes, the missed a lot of free-throws and their shootings were not good. But they stepped up and made the shots they needed to make to win the game. Also, I don't seriously that their defense could be better. I will give a shout-out to Edwards because she came in and held her own. We have some talented and well disciplined freshmen who are already critical. The team needs Aubrey to start and develop a more broader game. They need Edwards to come off the bench because of the options she makes available.
So, all those who are longing for the 'beautiful' games should (re)visit Uconn Husky Games Replay. Or, please tell me which current team you are watching that is holding forth. I saw here at the BY that Stanford lost yet again- 2 games in a row. And I believe I may have read in the NYT that Stanford was a team that found the right solution-- isolate yourself in a hotel far from home and just play. Maybe they are now thinking of returning back to Calif. This virus eats at us directly and indirectly. But, they are those here who will remind me that UCLA was the higher ranked team!!!
 
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jazz said:
My 2 cents on the post play:

Liv – well not the best game. Gave us little presence on offense in the post but GA used her mostly outside. Came up big at times on defense with key blocks and also was good on the boards. Too bad she missed all her jumpers and half her FTs…ughhhh.

AE – gave some good minutes. Will not be out-physicalled (my new word). Can be a bull in a china shop though and pick up unnecessary fouls. Hit a lucky bank shot…almost broke the backboard on another layup attempt.

She is like K. Malone going down the lane. Nobody wants to get in front of her because they know they will get trucked and may be missing some teeth. Very explosive athlete. I’m happy with what she did in this game and something to build on. We really need her big time down the road. I’m thinking she is a real key to our success against teams with skilled bigs.

AG – I like what I saw. Active but didn’t make as much of an impact as I hopped but still was impactful – still filled up the stat sheet. Showed off her open court dribbling skills (yes, she has a good handle) on one play with the cross over and lay in, and then on another where she had a nice dish to AE. Hit another jumper – 3 pointer this time. That makes 3 games in a row she has hit a jumper. Missed more than she made from outside as most did in this game. Needs to be smarter with perimeter defense vs smaller guards who can get by her if she overplays. Missed some assignments on defense.

Some may say she slowed down the offense but I don’t agree. If we hit a few more of our open shots and our FTs, we easily hit 80 and nobody mentions this. Scoring 80 on the road in our first test wouldn’t have been bad. We just can’t shoot the ball thus far this year.

AM – first game I can remember where she made little impact. She does draw out the defense but other than that, not much. One shot in the last 2 games...teams playing her closely on the 3 pt line.

MM – interesting that GA went with her for 5 minutes in the first half. Got confused in the half court against the zone. Decent minutes though.
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In the moments in the 2nd and 4th quarters where the offense looked ok who was on the court?
 
Geesworld said:
I totally get your assessment of clogging the lane. Just so that I'm clear. Which comeback are you talking about? There was several comeback's in this back and forth game which had multiple rotations.
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UConn went on a comeback in first half after they took Aubrey out, going up by their biggest first quarter lead of 5. In the second half, their largest lead of 9 came after they took her out. Not a shot at Aubrey as much an illustration that there are match ups she excels at (i.e. last year's TN game) and others where she is not getting steals, giving up offensive rebounds, and slowing offensive movement (this year's game). She should still start but see her minutes influenced by how the game evolves. This year and next, we have the subs to make changes as needed.
 
JoePgh said:
I think that Jordan Horston must have known at some level that she and Geno would never have a productive relationship, so she wisely avoided coming to Storrs. If she had come, it would have been stormy and would not have lasted. Best that the whole thing was avoided.
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you could very well be right..............it's just a shame to see such a talented player not reach her full potential.........
 
Nick Pignatello said:
In the moments in the 2nd and 4th quarters where the offense looked ok who was on the court?
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I took another look at the 2nd Qtr to see if you have a point there: No you don’t.

AG left the game at 6:43 down by 1. She is back in at about 2:05 and the score is tied. AE blows a layup – is that AG’s fault and then TEN gets a three off the break with EW late on defense= 5 pt swing and nothing to do with AG.

Then AG gives a nice pass to AE and she again misses the layup AND both FTs. Is that AG’s fault? That is 7 points we lost in the score column and nothing to do with AG. In fact, AG gave a sweet pass to AE on the break and we got nothing out of it. Down at HT by 1. Same as it was throughout the 2nd.

Now in the 3rd: AG gets her 4th foul and we are still down by 1 and at the end of the 3rd without AG on the floor, we are down by 4. No AG and we are down a further 3 points.

Now in the 4th: we go on a run where CW and EW hit 3 threes, AE hits a lucky bank shot and Liv gets a block leading to the break for 2 more. Are you saying none of that would happen if AG was in the game? AG and AE essentially play the same position in a similar way although AG stretches the defense a bit more. Maybe AG doesn’t make the lucky bank shot from the foul line.....

AG in the game at 8 pt lead with 3:12 to go. CW travels – is that on AG? AM in the game also. During this time AG got an offensive rebound and helped tip the ball out for another offensive possession. She goes out at and we are up 4. PB back in.

Back in at +5 and we win by 6.

You are certainly have no point with regard to the 2nd qtr and I’d argue the 4th had nothing to do with AG being out. We just finally hit some threes, Liv finally made a couple plays and AE hit a lucky bank shot. No cause and effect there with regard to AG's presence on the court.
 
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Charliebball said:
don't forget there were a lot of disappointed folks here (including me) when she chose Tenn over UConn............as many commented at the time...........she certainly would benefit from a Geno education.......
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Quite honestly she could have just stayed home (literally) and attend tOSU and would have been much better off.
 
Personally, I thought Tennessee played about as good a game as I have ever seen them muster in the past few years. Defense was exceptional, passing was very good for their standards against a top team, rebounding was outstanding and they did get open looks and passed well under the basket.

The main concern is while this was a great effort by TN, none of the players who are key to them were recruited by Kelly. I thought Suarez was meh, and the guard Salary has a lot growth to occur. Burrell, Davis (even though her scoring was putrid, she did have 9 rebounds), Horston, Key and even KK are all Holly recruits who are playing as a team under Kelli. If they play like that against the rest of the SEC, they could be the second best team. But alas....
 
jazz said:
I took another look at the 2nd Qtr to see if you have a point there: No you don’t.

AG left the game at 6:43 down by 1. She is back in at about 2:05 and the score is tied. AE blows a layup – is that AG’s fault and then TEN gets a three off the break with EW late on defense= 5 pt swing and nothing to do with AG.

Then AG gives a nice pass to AE and she again misses the layup AND both FTs. Is that AG’s fault? That is 7 points we lost in the score column and nothing to do with AG. In fact, AG gave a sweet pass to AE on the break and we got nothing out of it. Down at HT by 1. Same as it was throughout the 2nd.

Now in the 3rd: AG gets her 4th foul and we are still down by 1 and at the end of the 3rd without AG on the floor, we are down by 4. No AG and we are down a further 3 points.

Now in the 4th: we go on a run where CW and EW hit 3 threes, AE hits a lucky bank shot and Liv gets a block leading to the break for 2 more. Are you saying none of that would happen if AG was in the game? AG and AE essentially play the same position in a similar way although AG stretches the defense a bit more. Maybe AG doesn’t make the lucky bank shot from the foul line.....

AG in the game at 8 pt lead with 3:12 to go. CW travels – is that on AG? AM in the game also. During this time AG got an offensive rebound and helped tip the ball out for another offensive possession. She goes out at and we are up 4. PB back in.

Back in at +5 and we win by 6.

You are certainly have no point with regard to the 2nd qtr and I’d argue the 4th had nothing to do with AG being out. We just finally hit some threes, Liv finally made a couple plays and AE hit a lucky bank shot. No cause and effect there with regard to AG's presence on the court.
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Geno made mention about who was on the court when things looked a little better. In fact he brought up the same point about lack of movement because of post players not moving again today.
 
Nick Pignatello said:
Geno made mention about who was on the court when things looked a little better. In fact he brought up the same point about lack of movement because of post players not moving again today.
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I haven't heard what Geno said but the fact is that the offense did not generate less points when AG was in the game. I did hear that he mentioned that in the early going the bigs were not moving well and instead shooting 3s which he said would be there for them. But that would be the first quarter.

I've watched most of the game twice now and don't see AG being the reason for any slow down in the offense and the statistics and scoring prove that. AG was in motion and doing what she needed to do.

Geno mostly speaks with hyperbole and always has.
 
jazz said:
I haven't heard what Geno said but the fact is that the offense did not generate less points when AG was in the game. I did hear that he mentioned that in the early going the bigs were not moving well and instead shooting 3s which he said would be there for them. But that would be the first quarter.

I've watched most of the game twice now and don't see AG being the reason for any slow down in the offense and the statistics and scoring prove that. AG was in motion and doing what she needed to do.

Geno mostly speaks with hyperbole and always has.
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He actually mentioned by name who was on the bench when the team looked better in the 2nd quarter. Who was on the court at the end of the game?
 
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Nick Pignatello said:
He actually mentioned by name who was on the bench when the team looked better in the 2nd quarter. Who was on the court at the end of the game?
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Did Geno mention AG by name?

I haven't heard what he said, but it wouldn't change my mind anyway, This is my opinion and it is back by the stats and facts of the productivity within the game. They were not appreciable better in scoring output until the short spurt in the 4th. None of that had anything to do with AG being on or off the floor. Maybe they flowed better but it didn't result in more points until the spurt. I would defend it against anybody who disagrees.

ok..
I listened to the 22-minute version of GA’s post game. I don’t know what you are hearing. GA said that AG made some plays to help win. Mentioned her again on scoring on the break. Why did you not mention this?

He did mention that in the 4th quarter, we got into a flow and more people touched the ball. AG wasn’t in the game then, but there is nothing GA said which alludes to the run being because AG was on the bench. I will say again that we went on the run because:
  • CW and EW finally hit 3 open threes in the span of 3-4 minutes. We made right at half our 3 pointers in a 3 minutes stretch – only made 7 the entire game and the shots were there -we just missed 18 out of 21 during the rest of the game before this. That kind of shooting will bog down an offense!
  • AE hits a lucky bank shot and
  • Liv gets a block leading to the break for 2 more.
GA never said anything about the 2nd Qtr. Stats never tell the whole story but in only 23 minutes, AG put up good numbers: 10 pts, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks and a steal. She did have 4 fouls.
 
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My feelings haven’t changed since the beginning of the season.

If UConn wants to win a championship this season, Edwards needs to be our best post player during the tournament.
 
Interesting comment from Harper post game :
“We knew that Geno was someone who would adjust/change his defense thru the game.”

Huh? Do other coaches not make adjustments???

see the 8:30 mark here
 
jazz said:
Did Geno mention AG by name?

I haven't heard what he said, but it wouldn't change my mind anyway, This is my opinion and it is back by the stats and facts of the productivity within the game. They were not appreciable better in scoring output until the short spurt in the 4th. None of that had anything to do with AG being on or off the floor. Maybe they flowed better but it didn't result in more points until the spurt. I would defend it against anybody who disagrees.

ok..
I listened to the 22-minute version of GA’s post game. I don’t know what you are hearing. GA said that AG made some plays to help win. Mentioned her again on scoring on the break. Why did you not mention this?

He did mention that in the 4th quarter, we got into a flow and more people touched the ball. AG wasn’t in the game then, but there is nothing GA said which alludes to the run being because AG was on the bench. I will say again that we went on the run because:
  • CW and EW finally hit 3 open threes in the span of 3-4 minutes. We made right at half our 3 pointers in a 3 minutes stretch – only made 7 the entire game and the shots were there -we just missed 18 out of 21 during the rest of the game before this. That kind of shooting will bog down an offense!
  • AE hits a lucky bank shot and
  • Liv gets a block leading to the break for 2 more.
GA never said anything about the 2nd Qtr. Stats never tell the whole story but in only 23 minutes, AG put up good numbers: 10 pts, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks and a steal. She did have 4 fouls.
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15 minutes in he mentioned the stretch in the 2nd quarter. From 6:30 to half CW, ONO and AG on the bench.. Last 7:30 of game when they played the best moved the best who was in?
 
Nick Pignatello said:
15 minutes in he mentioned the stretch in the 2nd quarter. From 6:30 to half CW, ONO and AG on the bench.. Last 7:30 of game when they played the best moved the best who was in?
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I stand corrected that GA did mentioned the second group in the stretch in the 2nd Qtr but there were others out of the game not named AG and how about the group TENN had in the game. You are over-simplifying what GA is saying by saying that somehow the offense was better when she wasn' t in.

Ok, I don't agree that just because somebody is in or out, that this is the sole reason for the offense to be better. I don't think GA was trying to say this. He is being complementary to the second group who did hold the fort while others were out - which as you mentioned included CW and ONO as well.

I already addressed the stretch in the 2nd Qtr and nothing changes these facts because they ARE facts:

AG left the game at 6:43 down by 1. She is back in at about 2:05 and the score is tied. AE blows a layup – is that AG’s fault and then TEN gets a three off the break with EW late on defense= 5 pt swing and nothing to do with AG. Then AG gives a nice pass to AE and she again misses the layup AND both FTs. Is that AG’s fault? That is 7 points we lost in the score column and nothing to do with AG. In fact, AG gave a sweet pass to AE on the break and we got nothing out of it. Down at HT by 1. Same as it was throughout the 2nd with or without AG

As it is, without or without AG, we are still 1 behind! But, if other players make the play and/or hit their FTs, we actually score better when AG is in the game - 7 points better!

AG was actually in the game for 3 of the last 7 minutes and I already addressed my thoughts on this. If we indeed moved the ball better, is it not solely because AG is on the bench! That is an over-simplification of things. We finally hit a few open 3s, got a lucky bank shot from AE and got a nice block from Liv to get an easy two. None of this has anything to do with AG's presence or absence from the floor. Everything looks better when you finally hit a few shots which have been there the entire game.
 
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