TN Postgame Thread [merged]

[JoePgh]

Geno made a very relevant comment about the Aubrey/Liv shooting in the first quarter which no one seems to have picked up on. He said that he did tell them before the game that he wanted them to take midrange jump shots if they were open. But during the game, it was apparent that they took that as, "Forget about doing anything else -- cutting, screening, moving. Coach told me to take these shots if I was open, and I'm open, so here goes."

So he had to clarify his instructions, which he apparently did around the beginning of the second quarter. He said that the shots were good (i.e., wide open) in the first three quarters, but the offense wasn't good.

I think that explains what Coco painstakingly documented about the shooting propensity in the first quarter early in the shot clock.

 

[Cuango]

P

Seeing the clip of Paige's three again, I like h..g.ow Makarat went to the basket in case there was a rebound. I don't know if any other UConn players went to the basket, but Anna did- showed basketball smarts there.

She has a high basketball IQ and will do good things for TGIF

I don't want to rain on your parade but....and you are right Tennessee can hold their head up high they played the number 3 team well. I might be inclined to agree with you that maybe Tennessee should be ranked a little higher...and they will probably be rewarded for their play in this game in the next rankings.

I knew going in that 6'5", 6'2", 6'2", 6"2", 6'1" was going to be tough. UConn hasn't experienced that kind of length so far this year. UConn has missed too many games and hasn't really gotten into a rhythm yet. They were lucky to a certain extent...with ONO, Christyn and Aubrey on the bench with an already shortened bench...that they got out of there with a win.

The stat of the game was UConn was 10 for 21 from the line...they make 6 of those which would only be 76 percent from the line and UConn wins by 12 on the road. So far for the season they are shooting .689 from the line. Tonight they were only 25 for 61 from the floor...you have to credit TN's defense for that but, 41 percent from the floor is below their season's average of 53.1 percent. I think UConn was bothered by Tennessee's length. If this UConn team gets to see Tennessee again this season...I don't see them playing this poorly a second time around.

I think what may have gotten lost in all of this...is that our Freshman Paige Bueckers may have had an off shooting night but she was working on a triple double. 8 Rebounds, 7 assists and 9 points. If you throw in 3 steals and the dagger three pointer with 25 seconds to go in the game...and, what you have is a pretty solid all around game...that just about any player on the planet would be happy with.

In closing, Burrell was lights out...she did a great job. Rennia Davis had an off night. Christyn Williams played like an All Star and lived up to her high school number one ranking, Aubrey is the energizer bunny and having her on the floor is a blessing. Evina had an excellent game 15 points (two big back to back threes), 2 steals, 4 assists, 5 rebounds...she had to be an emotional wreck going into her old teams home gym.

If Saylor can acclimate and show Geno something before the NCAA tournament, she may be able to help against the Lady Vols if we have to play them again.

Not again...or "still" with Anna not getting passes? Is this going to be her legacy? Conspiracy theories all over again.

Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean no one is out to get you! I saw the same thing as Jayfromfla. Anna was open, really open, once frantically waving for the ball, but never even sniffed a chance. I’m not saying they are freezing her out, just that she is often open but does not get the ball. Perhaps she herself is partially responsible for this as she has shown a repeated reluctance to shoot the ball when she does get it. Anyway, I am worried about one of my favorite players on this team. I hope she can find her lost confidence and get back to where she was the second half of last season.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Hello folks. I would like to comment on the game but find the game so hard to get my mind around I am going to spare you of my thoughts. I need to see it again, but even then I suspect I'll have nothing to contribute. Lots of good comments from the rest of you though.

 

[CocoHusky]

Hello folks. I would like to comment on the game but find the game so hard to get my mind around I am going to spare you of my thoughts. I need to see it again, but even then I suspect I'll have nothing to contribute. Lots of good comments from the rest of you though.

Recommend you FF to 4th quarter.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Recommend you FF to 4th quarter.

I've got it. We've got Evina and you don't!

 

[HuskylnSC]

Agree that ONO needs to be able to take outside shots but not Griffin. With both ONO and Griffin outside, it clogged the court for everyone elsen and lessens the ability for offensive rebounds. If you were the opposition coach, would you give Griffin every 3 pointer she wanted if it prevented ONO from shooting layups and getting your bigs in foul trouble? No accident that UConn went on its comeback when Griffin went to the bench. Not a shot at Griffin, but the game plan of having both outside was not working.

For my way of thinking a long shot for a post is 17 feet. 2 feet behind the free throw line. Hit that shot and your opposing post has to come to 14-15 feet away from the hoop. This does two things 1) opens up the potential high-low game because the you can make a pass from 17 feet that you can't make from 22. 2) brings a rebounder away to open up the opportunity for offensive boards.

Liv and Aubrey were both outside their range. Also of the 3 posts the one who seems to have the best shot from 15-17 is Aaliyah. I would love to see her more on the high post and able to dish to Liv.

 

[npignatjr]

EXACTLY!!!!!! Why in the world doesn't Coach Geno take her out of the game whenever she attempts one of her terrible outside shots? She should be made to run laps- or steps- or something. Absolutely hurts the team when she does that.

Watch the coach's post game press conference.

 

[Wilderness]

Yeah, a few weeks ago, Paige (or any other Uconn players) would have passed that ball to Anna for a more wide-open shot.

Shot clock

 

[Gabbyfan]

The double technical last night ....what was that all about? Obviously Uconn got the better end of it with possession after the foul shots.

 

[Fore!]

I dont understand why everyone doesnt get this. They were being left wide open. Key was staying 10 feet away. I AM SURE that Geno told them to shoot it if that was happening.

Maybe it wasnt the right game plan, but I doubt they decided on their own "I'm going to do my Steph Curry impression tonight."

There is a reason why they were being left wide open; just because a player is left wide open doesn't mean it is a good shot for them to take.

 

[OneTrickPony]

Some thoughts on the TN game:

• UConn finally played a game that generated some genuine anxiety relative to the outcome. TN’s length and athleticism provided a challenge that UConn hasn’t faced this season.
• While TN was a better defensive team then UConn has played this year, UConn missed open shots both outside and inside the arc, as well as a bunch of FT’s, appearing tentative until money time at the end of the game.
• This is a game where players need to make plays. Christyn made a bunch of plays for UConn. She wasn’t getting a whole lot of help early, particularly after Aubrey picked up her 4th foul.
• Evina stuck a dagger in LV fans hearts tonight. I’m sure she feels a great sense of redemption.
• Paige’s game tonight reminded me a little of DT’s game her freshmen year in the national semifinal. Geno knew enough to keep Paige in the game until she finally started making plays down the stretch, Ultimately Paige hit one of those legendary shots that we'll all be talking about for years to come, on a bad ankle.
• UConn really needs to play and learn from games like this if they are to have a chance to advance deep into the Big Dance. Let’s hope they learned a lot tonight.

I was thinking of Diana's game in the national semifinal, too. No quit in Paige, though, and that limping dagger at the end was sweetness itself. Very happy for Christyn and especially Evina!

Tough room to play ... welcome to the big leagues.

 

[Biff]

The double technical last night ....what was that all about? Obviously Uconn got the better end of it with possession after the foul shots.

It wasn't a double technical. Edwards got called for a foul. The Tenn player then mouthed off to Edwards and the ref called her for taunting( Technical). So Tenn shot the edwards fouls then UConn shot the technical and then got the ball after the technical shots.

 

[npignatjr]

Funny one of the UConn Tennessee games ESPN played yesterday was the 2004 game. Until the very end UCONN was terrible shooting free throws.

 

[Vowelguy]

There is a reason why they were being left wide open; just because a player is left wide open doesn't mean it is a good shot for them to take.

There was a green light from Geno to shoot.

Geno's complaint was that the shots were not coming from the flow of an offense. They were too quickly being settled for. He did not say they had no business taking those shots, which he has said about other players.

 

[CocoHusky]

Watch the coach's post game press conference.

There was a green light from Geno to shoot.

Geno's complaint was that the shots were not coming from the flow of an offense. They were too quickly being settled for. He did not say they had no business taking those shots, which he has said about other players.

Yea Geno covers this pretty well. Paraphrased: Yes the team was told before the game that the way TN was guarding they were likely to get a lot of open jump shots and they should take those shots. He also told them to do the other things move the ball, set good screens cut really hard and it seems like they "forgot about the other things" besides shooting open jump shots.

 

[oldude]

The double technical last night ....what was that all about? Obviously Uconn got the better end of it with possession after the foul shots.

It was not a double T. Aaliyah fouled the TN player as a shooting foul. The TN player then taunted Aaliyah and was T’d up. The TN player shot 2 FT’s. Then Christyn shot 2 technical foul shots with UConn getting the ball at half court.

 

[CocoHusky]

While some like to criticize our highly rated HS players for non-ideal performances, I'll note that TN's most prized recruit Horston was 1-11 with 2 reb 3 asst 4 TOs, 2 pts.

And this wasn't just one bad game for Horston either. She has really regressed across the board shooting 36% for the season. She appears to be playing the PG position which in the TN offense means get the ball over half court and become useless after that.

 

[oldude]

And this wasn't just one bad game for Horston either. She has really regressed across the board shooting 36% for the season. She appears to be playing the PG position which in the TN offense means get the ball over half court and become useless after that.

Something I noticed about Horston last night. She has added a lot of bulk to her frame. I assume some of that is muscle, but I have to wonder about her overall fitness level. Last year she looked to be long, lean and athletic. This year, not so much.

 

[bluedevil]

And remember Saylor is on the way...with more height and at least equal long range skills

When does she dock?

 

[MSGRET]

The double technical last night ....what was that all about? Obviously Uconn got the better end of it with possession after the foul shots.

It was not a double technical, it was a shooting foul on UConn and a technical foul on Tennessee for unsportsmanlike conduct, taunting.

 

[Vowelguy]

And remember Saylor is on the way...with more height and at least equal long range skills

Saylor and Anna are both 6'2.

 

[bluedevil]

The double technical last night ....what was that all about? Obviously Uconn got the better end of it with possession after the foul shots.

The call on Tennesse was for taunting...it was an an 1..no double technical was called.

 

[ScottCT]

I'm just happy we won. Over the past couple of years, we lost every game in close situations.

 

[BobbyJ]

And this wasn't just one bad game for Horston either. She has really regressed across the board shooting 36% for the season. She appears to be playing the PG position which in the TN offense means get the ball over half court and become useless after that.

Yeah, I've noticed that regression too. Although she was a somewhat typical Warlick recruit, short on fundamentals and long on athleticism, I'm surprised this has happened since she's been getting good coaching from Harper for a season and a half now.

 

[eebmg]

And this wasn't just one bad game for Horston either. She has really regressed across the board shooting 36% for the season. She appears to be playing the PG position which in the TN offense means get the ball over half court and become useless after that.

although She did have the sweet dish to Key on a fast break she led to cut the lead to 63-61. The talent is in there but then makes poor decisions.

 

[CocoHusky]

Yeah, I've noticed that regression too. Although she was a somewhat typical Warlick recruit, short on fundamentals and long on athleticism, I'm surprised this has happened since she's getting good coaching from Harper for a season and a half now.

Somewhere in the archives of the BY there is post from someone ( might have been me ) saying words to the effect that Jordan Horston has a set of DPOY caliber tools and unfortunately those tools will be waisted if she went to TN.

 

[Vowelguy]

Question for the TN visitors:
What is the status of the players who didn’t play?

• Green is out for the season — any sense if she’s going to come back
• is McCoy still in concussion protocol?
• is Rennie injured?
• Darby still injured?
• I assume Saunders is ok but not ready for prime time

 

[chrissaran]

Tennessee had every advantage. Playing at home, in front of the largest crowd this year for women's basketball, the size advantage, the experience advantage, the score advantage, UConn playing poorly and shooting poorly, especially Paige and Olivia, and yet the couldn't win. Their fans want a rematch. Let's go. UConn will not play that poorly again, and with Saylor Poffenbarger being added to the mix, I don't see UConn losing.

 

[VFLfan]

Question for the TN visitors:
What is the status of the players who didn’t play?

• Green is out for the season — any sense if she’s going to come back
• is McCoy still in concussion protocol?
• is Rennie injured?
• Darby still injured?
• I assume Saunders is ok but not ready for prime time

Yes Green is out for the season with an ACL tear. McCoy is still listed as “day to day” with concussion symptoms. Darby has been dealing with shin splints but has played sparingly in the blow outs. Rennie is fine to my knowledge but hasn’t really been used much since SEC play has begun. Saunders is still a work in progress. She gets minutes if Key and Kasi are in foul trouble.

 

[Charliebball]

Yeah, I've noticed that regression too. Although she was a somewhat typical Warlick recruit, short on fundamentals and long on athleticism, I'm surprised this has happened since she's been getting good coaching from Harper for a season and a half now.

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.......