Tulsa Postgame Thread

[Crossover]

Anna enters at 5 minute point at start and half and generally after that almost never leaves court, so while she officially isn’t a starter, it’s damn close. She is very much the sixth “man” and might well win that award in AAC this year. In big games I wish Geno would start her but...
When Meg sat, Anna took over game, as if to say, “no more passing, guess I have to do it myself.” She did pass up a late trey, charged to basket, and made a great assist to Aubrey. She explained that Geno told her at this point in the game it was okay to pass now.

She was second on the team, today, in minutes played.

 

[huskeynut]

I am a big Kyla fan but if players are awarded a start because of how well they play in practice. should not they be awarded when they play well in games. Anna plays better in games than Kyla but has not won a starting spot. Well, what do I know?

And maybe, just maybe, right now Anna is one of those players who needs to watch/ observe the game before coming in. By observing she gets a feel for the flow of the game. Then when she comes in, she's mentally ready to go.

 

[Kaizen]

To back up your point, Anna played 29 minutes today vs Kyla’s 17.

Anna is in charge of the whole 4Q ...

 

[hoopsfan22]

Geno:

 

[diggerfoot]

I think that the situation with Kyla and Anna today is similar to the one that existed between Caroline Doty and Bria Hartley when Caroline was a 5th year senior and Bria was a freshman. Caroline started, stayed in for a few minutes, and then Bria came in and played most of the game. That is what happened with Kyla and Anna today. Anna's minutes (even without starting) have been significantly higher than Kyla's in each of the last two games, and I would expect that to continue.

It's also possible that Geno thinks that Kyla will be less likely to make mistakes or misread the defense than Anna, so there is a benefit in letting Kyla play long enough to see what the opponent is doing. I thought that Kyla played well today in her limited minutes.

This comes close to my view of things. I also would add, again, that Webber started over the extremely talented Sales. My preference would be for Makurat to start come tournament time, but I see three advantages to Irwin continuing to start even as her minutes dwindle:
1. While she may not be one to make things happen, she is also less likely to make mistakes, providing Auriemma a better view of what needs to be done given the opponent.
2. The still young freshmen Makurat gets a better idea of what she needs to do once she enters the game.
3. I never see a fan ever mention this, but team chemistry is important, including the chemistry of enjoying each other and having fun playing the game. If Makurat was a junior or even a sophomore this may not apply, but as a freshmen I do not think neither she nor any other player begrudges the senior Irwin, who knows what she is doing, starting the game. Instead, I suspect the entire team feels good about that, which helps their play.

By the way Joe, if Irwin starts the majority of the games, should this mean we split the pizza?

 

[Centerstream]

Very good game with nothing to really complain about...except...
I was kinda bummed that because it was such a blowout AND the need for others to be on the court, that Liv didn't get to stay in the game and work on her offense, especially working down low. Tulsa's 00 (Elliott??) had enough size to make Liv work on both ends of the court and more work could always help.

But other than that, GREAT GAME on the home court.

As I sit in my easy chair watching the game replay on uconnhushygames, I am satisfied with the effort by Liv and she deserved to get some bench time. I guess that the reason that it appeared to me that her minutes were limited was the fact that Allen and Meghan didn't really talk about her offense in the second half. But if wasn't for her missed ste back shots, she played great too.

 

[MilfordHusky]

It's a freaking chorus line!

 

[DefenseBB]

Some thoughts on the Tulsa game:

• With students back on campus for the start of classes tomorrow, it had to be a good feeling for the Huskies to be home again at Gampel.

Oh my old friend, you nailed 5 of the 6 bullet points, however the students can go back tomorrow and classes start back up on Tuesday. Tomorrow is a state holiday.
So close, yet so far...

 

[Watchdog]

Anna speaks post game about her game and how Geno slowed her down!

So solid and composed. She could be the key to the season if she maintains her work ethic on "the little things" and the confidence in her shot. She's shown all season she's a great passer and rebounder.

 

[meyers7]

I guess this is where the bench got their dance last night.

 

[Ozimoto]

Everything is better when they shoot 56% from the floor as opposed to 29%. Yes, it was Tulsa, but things certainly looked better than they did against Memphis!

 

[SCyankee]

Everything is better when they shoot 56% from the floor as opposed to 29%. Yes, it was Tulsa, but things certainly looked better than they did against Memphis!

So we played UCONN style basketball against a weak opponent. Are we really capable of a FF and NC? I think we are but we need 2 things.
First we need incremental improvement on offense every game with no regression. Second we need a break or two. Remember that we defeated Louisville to win a championship, not a Griner led Baylor. Similarly S Carolina defeated Mississippi State not UCONN in the final. In both instances the eventual champion defeated a rival they had already beaten multiple times that season. Additionally the champions both lost to the defeated semifinalist during the regular season. The championships were completely legitimate, but they did catch a critical break

 

[Longtime fan]

Some thoughts on the Tulsa game:

• With students back on campus for the start of classes tomorrow, it had to be a good feeling for the Huskies to be home again at Gampel.
• UConn’s offense is still a work in progress, but the Husky defense continues to put together some remarkable stretches. The first & second qtrs vs Tulsa were the 3rd & 4th time in 4 games when UConn held an opponent to 6 pts or less for a qtr. Liv played a great 1st qtr with 6 rbs, 2 steals and 1 block, while being an effective and intimidating presence in the paint. In the second qtr, Aubrey was everywhere. She reminds me of a giant, annoying spider. I love seeing UConn in a full court press with Aubrey at the point.
• Anna played a really good all-around game that gives me hope she’s just about where she needs to be to earn back that 5th starter spot and make a big difference for this team. In the 4th qtr, you could just tell she was feeling it, knowing that anything she put up was going in. It reminded me just a little bit of Lou, who was in attendance at the game today.
• Much better movement on offense today. There were few if any possessions in the half-court when the ball got stuck and players stood around watching.
• Crystal continues to be the rock of this team, while Megan looked like the player who dazzled us all to start the season.
• The Huskies need to carry this effort forward to the matchup with the LV’s on Thursday.

As usual, you make really good points.

- I find it hard to credit the defense quite as much as you do, only because Tulsa is pretty awful. But the numbers support your conclusion.

- Aubrey looked stronger and fitter yesterday than at any point in the season. I know that isn't possible, but it appeared so. I still believe she needs to start shooting the ball. She was a prolific scorer in HS, and didn't only make lay-ups.

- Ania showed yesterday that she is clearly ready to become the fifth starter. It is really kind and a huge complement for you to say that she "reminded you of Lou" ( who, indeed , was there ). I believe Ania ( gut feel...I never actually know anything ), if she returns next season physically transformed ( as Megan Walker did), and with a productive of-season ( UCONN must arrange all kinds of opportunities for their players to develop their games in the summer ) , she might just become a star in her own right.

- You didn't mention it, but C. Williams may have re-discovered her outside shot yesterday. And that is an immense boost for this offense.

- everything was, indeed, much better yesterday. Tennessee will be an interesting game.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Some more on the change in Anna. “I just trust the process. Just don’t overthink stuff and play the game of basketball and I think it started to work for me,” Makurat said. “I hope it’s going to get better and better so I just want to stay confident.”

UConnReport - Anna Makurat finding her comfort zone

Freshman Anna Makurat is finding that touch of the "old Anna."

connecticut.rivals.com