Tulane Postgame Thread

[oldude]

Some thoughts on the Tulane game:

• Stifling defensive effort by UConn all night long.
• The Huskies started a little slow, but they picked up the pace in the second quarter with one of those runs that we haven’t seen very much of this year, which pretty much ends all suspense concerning the outcome of the game.
• UConn is just a different team when Anna is knocking down shots. She still makes some head scratching decisions, like trying to inbound the ball with one foot on the baseline, but on balance she played well tonight.
• UConn is also a much better team when they work to get Liv touches in their half-court offense. When Liv is scoring in the paint, it opens the floor for everybody else.
• I know Christyn continues to struggle some on offense, but man is she playing hard on the defensive side of the ball. In the first half, her defense had a lot to do with UConn’s 2nd qtr run.
• Tulane is not SC, or even USF for that matter, but I was really looking for solid contributions from all the Huskies tonight, and everyone pretty much delivered.

 

[and one]

Some thoughts on the Tulane game:

• Stifling defensive effort by UConn all night long.
• The Huskies started a little slow, but they picked up the pace in the second quarter with one of those runs that we haven’t seen very much of this year, which pretty much ends all suspense concerning the outcome of the game.
• UConn is just a different team when Anna is knocking down shots. She still makes some head scratching decisions, like trying to inbound the ball with one foot on the baseline, but on balance she played well tonight.
• UConn is also a much better team when they work to get Liv touches in their half-court offense. When Liv is scoring in the paint, it opens the floor for everybody else.
• I know Christyn continues to struggle some on offense, but man is she playing hard on the defensive side of the ball. In the first half, her defense had a lot to do with UConn’s 2nd qtr run.
• Tulane is not SC, or even USF for that matter, but I was really looking for solid contributions from all the Huskies tonight, and everyone pretty much delivered.

That was quick!

 

[EricLA]

Liked OD's review as always. The only 3 negatives for me - Crystal's shooting, Anna's turnovers, Aubrey's FT shooting.

LOVED seeing Touly score. Same for Kyla. In a smackdown like this, I would have liked to have seen even more scoring - 30 points for the 2nd half is not great, but at this point, I'll take it!!

Anna was my POG in spite of her turnovers: 18 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 6 steals, 2 blocks, 0 fouls, but those 5 TO's... Anna had more blocks than Olivia!!

 

[Urshurak]

Great summary. UConn’s offense still needs a lot of work. Missed FT’s like tonight will drop the guillotine in the dance. I am really hoping one of these games soon they all shoot well.

 

[FanHam]

Could not agree more. Laissez les bons temps rouler!

 

[msf22b]

I am really hoping one of these games soon they all shoot well.

Essential for advancement to anywhere near New Orleans.

 

[eebmg]

At least, there was consistent attempt at player movement all game

 

[oldude]

Liked OD's review as always. The only 3 negatives for me - Crystal's shooting, Anna's turnovers, Aubrey's FT shooting.

LOVED seeing Touly score. Same for Kyla. In a smackdown like this, I would have liked to have seen even more scoring - 30 points for the 2nd half is not great, but at this point, I'll take it!!

Anna was my POG in spite of her turnovers: 18 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 6 steals, 2 blocks, 0 fouls, but those 5 TO's... Anna had more blocks than Olivia!!

I'm not particularly worried about Crystal's shooting. As for Anna's turnovers and Aubrey's FT's.....

 

[GRIFFBIFF20]

Another very good aggressive game by Aubrey Griffin, but she HAS to knock down a higher percentage of FT's. 7 points and 7 rebounds and 0 TO's, but missed a ton of FT's. She will mean that much more to this team if her aggressive play turns into points from the FT line

 

[Husky fanatic]

I was pleased to see Anna scoring well tonight although she passed up a layup to kick it out to CW for a 3 point shot. Go figure!! Also agree that some of her turnovers makes you wonder where her head is sometimes. Aubrey a force on defense again but don't send her to the free throw line. Megan was steady Eddy. CW worked hard but shooting percentage is still not there. Defense was spot on tonight. Enjoy the ride for as long as it last.

 

[HopJim]

A few misc thoughts re: tonight's game:
-When Anna goes out of the game, UConn's offense slows down. One of the few great cutters on this year's team. Incents everyone else to move without the ball.
-While Anna does make careless passes, most of her TOers come when she is moving and the rest of the UConn offense stands around.
-For those that seem convinced Anna cannot play defense, I do not remember any of the guards she was responsible for getting around her or scoring. Good footwork and tough to dribble by her solid body.
-Audrey again fun to watch rebound but still not displaying any other offense. Must be hard for Geno to know when to put her in.
-ONO again playing under control and taking great shots. Expect her to excel the next time we meet one of the "Big 3" in the Final 4.

 

[hoopsfan22]

Player of the Game: Anna Makurat!!!!!!!!!

 

[Zorro]

How was Aubrey's FT shooting in HS? Anyone know?

 

[Centerstream]

How was Aubrey's FT shooting in HS? Anyone know?

Aubrey Griffin's High School Basketball Stats

Check out Aubrey Griffin's high school sports stats, including updates while playing basketball at Ossining High School (NY).

www.maxpreps.com

I think her FT per game stat is wrong...

 

[oldude]

How was Aubrey's FT shooting in HS? Anyone know?

In the 4 games I watched Aubrey play she was easily a 70%+ FT shooter.

 

[HuskyNan]

Well, where is everyone?

 

[Kaizen]

In the 4 games I watched Aubrey play she was easily a 70%+ FT shooter.

In 12-05-2019 with Seton Hall, Aubrey was 10-12 FT, 83.3%. But this is her season high.

Aubrey Griffin - Women's Basketball - University of Connecticut Athletics

Aubrey Griffin (44) Guard/Forward - CAREER HONORS 2023 All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention 2020 American Athletic Conference All-Tournament Team IN THE

uconnhuskies.com

 

[wbball novice]

Another a slow start. Tied to CD's slump at the beginning of games? I think of her as the ignition for the team's offense. She seemed to recede into the background in this game. Her practice of doing stretching during the game makes me wonder if she's having some physical issues. Or maybe it's upcoming senior day? Speaking of physical issues, there was a thread speculating on Kyla's absence from the last couple of games; apparently she had a foot problem. She substituted effectively, for the most part, this evening.

Megan did some excellent finishes in this game. Granted, Tulane is not top tier, but anything that gets her in rhythm where she has had difficulties must be a good thing. Nice to see Anna Mak getting out of her shooting slump; she made up for CD's lack of scoring in the game big time. The two of them were top scorers with 18 each. Team as a whole had 14 steals to Tulane's 7 & AM had almost half of them. One of the team's better defensive efforts. Used to be a steal was automatic transition points, but finishes have sometimes been inconsistent this season. In half court offense, problems holding on to the ball was noteworthy.

Christyn hopefully is slowly clawing her way out of her shooting slump while still continuing to play improved defense, and tonight twice as many assists as CD (6 to 2; TOs 2-1), one more than AM with fewer TOs (6-5, TOs 2-5). CW improved in efficiency but I don't think she scored much more than her previous game, which I recall as being inefficient. Liv again showing she can stay out of foul trouble; really improved shooting for the last couple games; team high 11 rebs. Aubrey seems to be playing more minutes & was involved in significant transition play, but her finishing has been inconsistent; and her FT shooting has been consistently poor. Both ONO & AG are going to get fouled a lot, and I'm sure rival teams' scouts are catching on that their FT percentage is not good. Still nice to have 2 tall players in the lineup at the same time.

Game got out of hand fairly early & allowed the starters to get more rest and avoid more wear and tear. Interesting that CW & AK are left in to keep the bench steady. Kyla seems to have worked through her injury & Evelyn got some more minutes. Nice to see Molly actually attempting a shot, though unsuccessful, and Kyla Irwin got a 3.

One amusing comment during the game, can't remember who said it. Thought Tulane was intimidated by the size of the crowd -- though the venue looked half empty to me.

 

[Centerstream]

I am here, just to say glad that Liv got another double double

 

[ABCDFE]

My thoughts:

• We’ve seen this story before as the team overall played well against an AAC team. I do want to say that Anna seemed to have a different attitude on the court tnite as she was aggressive and trying to make plays. Needs to be a little more secure with the ball but liked her mindset tonight. She has a great all around game and really hope she works on her body and game this offseason because she can be so good for us next year. This year let’s just hope she keeps her aggression and confidence against the top teams as we will need another double digit scorer in March.
• Meg was smooth and as usual played with confidence and in control. Just need to see her not force it when playing top teams And let the game come to her with movement and easier shots
• Crystal is playing really aggressive on defense and I love it. Her shot was a little off tnite but I think she’ll be fine going forward because she’s a good shooter
• LIV is playing with a different attitude. She’s not hesitant as much and when she gets the ball she already knows what she wants to do. Her mindset now is to play and not think as much but to trust the work she has put in with CD and now Jamelle. Love where she is right now. Just need to work on those free throws!!
• CW is still struggling shooting, but if she continues to play defense and rebound and drive the ball it puts enough pressure on the defense. I really hope she can work on her shot a bit these last few weeks because we will need her to knock down open shots which she has struggled to do throughout the season.
• Aubrey is playing more aggressive and you can see she knows what she needs to do in the game. Get rebounds, defend, drive, and offensive rebound. If she can improve her free throws she can easily give us 6-10 points against the top teams. Her athleticism is elite and her defense is very good right now ( cannot imagine how good her defense and offense will be senior year; maybe scary good.)
• Overall Tulane was overmatched even though they’ve been one of the better aac teams. I thought UConn’s starting five and Aubrey played well and the only thing to harp on is turnovers, CW hitting more shots and free throw shooting. I’m hopeful the team can improve more but we don’t have any games that will truly test us until March madness so what you wanna see is a build up of confidence in everyone to a level where they feel they can beat anyone and play aggressive without hesitation, even to the teams they lost to already. Defensively they have been very good and probably better than any of us would’ve thought, so if we can marginally improve our offense it means we are getting closer to the top 3 teams in Oregon, Baylor and SC.
  
  
  
  

 

[BBallF]

Aubrey Griffin's High School Basketball Stats

Check out Aubrey Griffin's high school sports stats, including updates while playing basketball at Ossining High School (NY).

www.maxpreps.com

I think her FT per game stat is wrong...

Yes it is. I think it was supposed to be either 6.7 per game or her FT % but the actual percentage was about 65%. She has no loft on her shot so she rarely gets a favorable bounce and drop on the rim. As we discussed earlier, summer project for her. She needs to fake on the put backs too among other things.

 

[Yorkeez4]

Many of Anna’s TO’s are because she anticipates her teammates are going to move to an open space that is available and they don’t move. Quite often I ask myself why a player didn’t move to the spot Anna threw the ball. I wonder if Geno views those TO’s the same way.

 

[JoePgh]

I have these observations in addition to those which have already been made:

• Christyn is "earning her keep" (i.e., her place in the starting lineup) with her rebounding, her hustle, and her aggressive defense. Even if her shooting remains below expectations for the rest of the season, she will (and should) start and play 25-30 minutes per game. She is clearly giving 110% effort (like everyone else on the team), and she is being effective in dimensions other than shooting.
• Anna was exceptionally effective on defense against Tulane, after being defensively deficient against USF. It's true that Tulane's guards didn't appear to be as quick or as skilled as USF's, but it's also true that Anna was playing a "3" role against Tulane instead of the "1" or "2" role that she tried against USF. As of now, she is clearly earning her starting position, even though her contribution is not consistent from game to game.
• Aubrey, on the other hand, is quite consistent from game to game: consistently great on playing disrupting defense and getting contested rebounds, and consistently poor at participating in a structured half-court offense and in making free throws. This probably limits her to about 10-15 minutes per game against good competition or in close games, unless (as against Tennessee) she really changes the balance of the game.

 

[MilfordHusky]

In the 4 games I watched Aubrey play she was easily a 70%+ FT shooter.

She may have shot more poorly early in her career. If these numbers are right, shooting 436 for 661 is almost exactly 66%. She may well have shot 70-72% as a senior. Note that 661 FTAs in 75 games is 8.8 FTAs per game. She really knows how to get to the line.

Including tonight, Aubrey has 64 FTAs in 394 minutes, so she is shooting a FT on average every 6 minutes. Comparable numbers, roughly, are 11 minutes for Meg, 18 minutes for Crystal, 13 for Christyn, 11 minutes for Liv, and 81 minutes for Anna.

I noticed tonight that almost all of Aubrey's misses were off the back rim. That reminded me very much of Gabby in her freshman year. How did the Gabulous One do as a frosh? 42-91 for 46%. She shot a FT about every 6.5 minutes, much like Aubrey. How much did Gabby improve? 75% as a sophomore, 72% as a junior, and 73% as a senior.

 

[oldude]

She may have shot more poorly early in her career. If these numbers are right, shooting 436 for 661 is almost exactly 66%. She may well have shot 70-72% as a senior. Note that 661 FTAs in 75 games is 8.8 FTAs per game. She really knows how to get to the line.

I watched Aubrey’s last 4 HS games in the NY FF and the Federation Cup. She put up 30+ in all four games, and much like tonight, she spent a lot of time on the foul line.