UCLA postgame

[jaydee602]

Geno Auriemma alluded to this postgame (radio):
"You can't beat a really good team with one player. It was disappointing that we didn't get more contributions from more people. Our combinations are all screwed up right now, so that's gotta get sorted out."

 

[Bone Dog]

Some of the commentary on Twitter suggested Paige was getting mugged on drives. Did anyone see this?

Also, I dread watching the replay, but it doesn't surprise me that Aaliyah struggled when I see how poorly the perimeter shooters other than Paige did. If we don't have a perimeter threat, then Aaliyah is bound to get crushed in the low post. For UCLA it's the opposite -- we need to hit 3s to open the post, they need to attract double teams in the paint to open up the perimeter. Who exactly are our outside threats now that Azzi and Caroline are out?

 

[dtbtbtb]

Few Thoughts:
*a depressing game for this UConn fan.
*UCLA got all that is needed fora championship run (size, outside shooting, great guards, ability to score from multiple players and areas of the floor)
*The first quarter was probably the worst defense I've seen from a UConn team. UCLA got every shot they wanted.
*The third quarter was one of the worst offensive quarters from a UConn team.
*This team is limited on offense unless AE finds her junior season form. Paige can't do it alone.
*If I'm Geno, I invest the playing time in Amari. Yes, she is limited but she is the only size on this UConn team. AE or Ice couldn't deal with Betts.
*Yes, Paige was forcing some shots but she always reminds you how amazing she is. As long as we have Paige, we have a chance.
*I don't understand why Aubrey a senior with amazing athletic abilities is so hesitant on offense. When she just plays, UConn looks so much better.
*KK is a player. Hopefully those kinds of experiences help her grow (quickly)
*Shade is so fundamentally sound that you can always play her and she'll contribute but she is not a big time scorer.
*The starting line-up should be AE, Ice, Aubrey, KK and Paige with Nika fist of the bench for a change of pace and Amari coming in for either of the bigs.

 

[bantamlaker]

I know I'll get a lot of down arrows but I didn't think Paige played all that well. 9 - 23 from the field and only 3 assists. She took some poor shots that really killed the momentum and forced shots looking for fouls. Additionally Kiki Rice had a much better all around game similar to Saniya Rivers a couple weeks ago. I don't think anyone played that well for UConn unfortunately. But they fought. Paige fought. Just wasn't enough.

It's tough to see all these first. UCLA and Cori Close beating Uconn for the first time. Last seasons sweet 16 loss, big east losses, losing in national championship game.

In the chat weren’t you the one who said it’s all on Paige including the loss in the sweet 16 when she was out the entire season. I guess that makes sense. It’s her fault she got injured so blame everything that went wrong on her. Next you’ll blame her for Azzi’s injury this season.
I’m guessing most of us on the BY are really thankful that we have Paige and are hoping she will stay healthy which will always give this team a fighting chance.

 

[real141]

NGL, I was anticipating a tough game, but a lot of what happened seemed very un-UConn like. UCLA going 71% for 3 pt in the first half was unreal. I'm not totally surprised of the result though. Loved Amari battling in the post on defense, however she reminds me of me, with some indecision on offense read/react, a paralysis by analysis. The bigger picture was going up against the #2 team in the nation after finding out a key starter and scorer is out for the year. Definitely not ideal. Coaches had to piece the team together both mentally, and tactically in a short time period.

That being said, I'm glad we had this game now in November. There is so much time left to rethink the starters, the sub pattern, who needs to do what, how we counter another team with size. If we were in March, there would not be much, if any time to recover and reconstruct the team, Shea's injury in the 1st round of the tourney in 1997 completely turned everything upside down, and the team never really recovered. Per Geno postgame, "Our combinations are all screwed up right now, so that's gotta get sorted out."

Geno has said that he intentionally plans the "murderer's row" schedule early, as he wants to play a competitive schedule so there aren't any surprises in March. A 3-2 record today is not going to doom us. Let's see what happens and look for both individual and collective growth within the team.

Amari has to get consistent playing time to help her confidence and get use to a rhythm. Coming in after never playing. Also we dont know if the coach advised her not to feel free to shoot or play her game.

 

[Audi1954]

Ok!

That was not great, but I only want to say one thing. Paige not looking for her shot immediately has been the only detriment to her game since she got here, IMO. She has got to shoot the ball every time she touches it(if a shot is there). She passes the ball way too much to open games. If her teammates see her shots going in, it gives them confidence. Unfortunately, she waits far too long to call her own offense.

I agree. Paige needs to start the game shooting right away. We can’t spot teams 19 points.

 

[TCC Kid]

As bad as we shot outside of Paige, if UCLA shoots threes like they did against Princeton (2-9 from three) we could have possibly won this game. It's all part of the growth process. Unfortunately our upperclasssmen are having a rough time.

In evert game there are 2 teams. Unfortunately tonight one scored better and defended better than Uconn. 2 Freshmen passed the test. Edwards isn't 6-5 inches. Paige is a super star. Ashlyn and KK proved they belong. Others need more work. Griffin is all I thought her to be--a PRO. Scouting does amazing things when combined with a great game plan. I'll cry in my beer later.

 

[SARG 2011]

A few weeks ago Geno made a comment about playing Aaliyah and Ice together in order to look like a real college team. In years past starting Aubrey and Aaliyah would do but not against elite teams. Not going suggest I know better than Geno but I agree that trying to get Amari more involved may help with some of the size that's coming their way. TX game is right around the corner.

 

[Zonepress]

This program has won so much and there was a time when a win was all but guaranteed. Those days are over, too much talent spread out. Throw in major injuries and new pieces and that's what we see trying to figure things out in real time. Next game is tomorrow, they get another chance to grow as a team. I plan to enjoy....win or lose. Hoping for the 2nd and 4th quarter team though

A voice of reason !!

 

[TCC Kid]

Amari has to get consistent playing time to help her confidence and get use to a rhythm. Coming in after never playing. Also we dont know if the coach advised her not to feel free to shoot or play her game.

I agree and disagree. If a good player gets more PT they become better. When a not so great player gets more PT they tend to lose games. Which is Amerri? We still don't know.

 

[scotty0330]

Faint praise is a start

Kind of like praising the waiter at end of meal for not dropping dinner all over the floor. Yes it’s a start but she is on full scholarship

 

[my2cents]

Taking my position back on the ledge.

 

[AgStatesman]

"It was beauty that killed the beast." Our beauty is frailty. AE is not a 5 in anyone's book, but she has to play it for Uconn. Nika's role needs to be diminished, but Azzi and Caroline being out keep her on the court. It's obvious that Paige longs to play in a system where she is but a cog. Maybe a big cog, but she loves the team game and being forced to play the savior role, while she excels at it, is not what drives her. This program has fallen hard. It's not about parity, it's about UConn not being able to be UConn.

 

[RadfordRam]

Edwards(Senior All American) 2-12 5 boards 5 points Nuff Said!

This game was not all on Edwards.

 

[Baylorfan]

So sorry for the injuries that continue to plague the team. I am a Baylor fan, but wbb needs UConn to be setting the pace. SC seems to be the only invincible team this year. But the season has just begun, and all that matters is where a team is in March. Good luck!

 

[browns]

Love Nika but her lack of shooting is a problem. Add to that the fact the KK has more offensive skills and I can’t help but wonder if a change is needed. We definitely are lacking in the height department. Wonder if the result of this game would be different if Paige and KK started the game a little more aggressive. It is difficult to play catch-up.

The first quarter Uconn had 5 rebounds,all by Nika!

 

[LwrcasefaN]

Didn't see the game just the play by play. Not surprised at this point. My two cents is that the offense needs to be simplified based on the existing talent, height challenges and the youth of the team. Shooting percentages are below average to average even though I expect improvement. Push the pace and get up more shots, preferably more twos than threes. In a month, the half-court offense will improve.

 

[hookshot]

Kind of like praising the waiter at end of meal for not dropping dinner all over the floor. Yes it’s a start but she is on full scholarship

Not exactly, he praised her for twice pushing her player out (which resulted in two TO walking calls and two possessions sorely needed by Uconn in making their run). Unquestionably she has many other self-imposed short-comings to be overcome, where you may not be willing to trust the time in a closer game. But, drastic times call for drastic experiments

 

[Blond D.]

our biggest problems were they couldnt miss and we couldnt buy a bucket in the 1st and 3rd quarters. We only lost by 11 points so we did have some positive plays.

 

[Notyetready]

A lot of people diss Amari solely on the box score, solely on her statistics. I did not see the game, as was the case with most people posting today; however, the radio announcer said she played well guarding Betts and should get more minutes and her coach said she gave him good minutes. To me, that sounds like a departure from the past. I look forward to seeing her play earlier in games against some of the bigs UConn plays.

 

[SJF]

Geno’s loyalty to Nika is a huge problem. Every freshman on the team can help this team more.

 

[jdote33]

In the chat weren’t you the one who said it’s all on Paige including the loss in the sweet 16 when she was out the entire season. I guess that makes sense. It’s her fault she got injured so blame everything that went wrong on her. Next you’ll blame her for Azzi’s injury this season.
I’m guessing most of us on the BY are really thankful that we have Paige and are hoping she will stay healthy which will always give this team a fighting chance.

Yup in the game chat, I said Paige got to own it. Similar to the adage that anything going wrong is the point guards fault, I think a double digit loss, second one in 5 games is unchartered territory for Uconn. And usually it is on your best player and leader to right the ship. But to your point it's not her "fault". Injuries are not her fault. They suck and are unfortunate. I was wrong for insinuating that and hate when ppl criticize ppl for injuries.
Uconnwbb talks about "The Standard." Liv and CW fairly or unfairly got scrutinized heavily for not living up to a certain standard. The 20' class has been a part of some of the toughest losses in program history.

 

[todbo]

Lack of size certainly did us some damage, but Rice and Osborne (uncovered again and again) shot the lights out from 3. Amari, when she was in, was a major annoyance to Betts, who had a decent game nonetheless. Nika only shoots under duress, so our opponents can go 5-on-4 when we're on offense. Lots to improve, nothing that we can't overcome in our next encounter with the Bruins.

 

[Plebe]

This went the way it had to go. With their front court coming in at 6'7" and 6'4", and ours at 6'3" and 6'3", what did we expect? Outrebounded by 13.

Not sure which stats you're looking at, but the box score shows UCLA at +8 (44 to 36) for rebounds. However, UConn actually had more offensive boards (15 to 12).

UCLA's overall rebounding edge was entirely from the defensive glass, which in turn was because we missed WAY more shots than they did (12 more missed FGs and 3 more missed FTs).

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

I’m in the Nika should not start camp and she is limited in her abilities. But at least she fights and is tough. This team is not tough with a few exceptions. Paige can’t do everything and Geno has to recruit some talented size because he hasn’t gotten it done lately and needs to be held accountable. I love him as our coach and he can’t force players to come here but I’m starting to think that this is the beginning of the end.

uconnever- - Geno recruited 6'5" Jana El Alfy, 6'2" Caroline Ducharme, and 6'3" Ayanna Patterson that are NOW sitting on the bench, injured and unable to play!
It's NOT Geno's recruiting, it's these da-n injuries that robs UCONN's ability to put a game plan together!