UConn Assist Record - Nika | Page 4 | The Boneyard

UConn Assist Record - Nika

hoopsdiva said:
ESPN stats show Nika with 210 assists in 2022-23 (I'm 95% sure that includes her 8 assists today against Villanova). So that puts her in 4th place, ahead of DT, and 21 behind the single season record. I'm sure her teammates will do everything they can to help her out by making those bunnies. I know I'm rooting for her.
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The UConn site shows 218. She needs 14 to pass Sue's single-season record.

Caitlin Clark now has 224, including today's game. She leads the nation.
 
DefenseBB said:
This thread has me intrigued. I looked up the single season NCAA record which is held by Courtney Vandersloot, Gonzaga with 367 in 36 games. #10 on the list is Neacole Hall from Alabama St with 318. Nika has a chance to get into the top 10 this year, which is pretty impressive.

For all those drooling of assists to come in 2024 need a dose of reality that when Paige is back, Nika will not be the primary ball handler the way she is this year, while Geno may lessen Paige's alpha ball handler role to shoot more, Paige is an even better creator of shots so she will absolutely be handling the ball, diminishing Nika's opportunities and thus making the team even better. That's not to say what Nika and this year's team is doing isn't truly remarkable, it is. Add in a healthy Azzi and Caroline at some point, there will always be great shooters and finishers on the floor for Nika to distribute to. I am so looking forward to the rest of this season....
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Uh oh!
 
Aluminny69 said:
Nika Mühl is on track to far surpass Sue Bird’s UConn WBB record of 231 assists in a single season before the NCAA tournament even begins.

Sue Bird in 2001-02 recorded 231 assists and 93 turnovers for 2.48 assist/TO ratio.
Nika this season has 154 assists 58 turnovers for 2.66 assist/turnover ratio.
I’m not saying Nika is better or worse. Just showing that for the amount of assists that Nika dishes out, her assist/turnover ratio is also pretty darn good. Not sure how many minutes Sue played vs. Nika.

Nika has 154 Assists with 13 games left in the regular season (if she can keep up her average of (currently 9.3)) will come out to 274 (totally obliterating Sue Bird's (Ironically #10) 231.

Disclaimer: This information was found on Facebook, it is NOT original.
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I question the number of turnovers Nika has this season. I request a recount.
 
UcMiami said:
It is an interesting season this year as Uconn typically does not have a single player averaging more than about 5 assists per game while also usually being at the top of the assist tables as a team. Not sure exactly why Nika is dominating the team in assists as the other players are also passing well and it doesn't feel like the offense is significantly different from previous years.

Uconn has had a lot of really good point guards, but they have never led the nation individually in assists and their career assist numbers are outside the top 25 probably outside the top 50 and maybe not even in the top 100.
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For one thing, most of those pgs spent much more of their attention on scoring. Couple Nika’s love of passing with a certain disinclination to shoot (which to be fair, has gotten markedly better) and the fact that we have (especially when healthy) a team of good scorers and it’s no mystery why she is leading the nation in assists. She is an enthusiastic passer who is delivering the ball to a whole plethora of capable scorers. I like to imagine what her numbers would be if Paige, Azzi, and Caroline had been able to play the whole year! We might be discussing her shattering the NCAA record.
 
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MSGRET said:
Nika would have at least another 20 more assists if the team could only make their bunnies.
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And yet, MSGRET, what point guard or passer doesn't face that over the course of a season? I'd suggest Nika has a better set of pass recipients than just about any other point guard in WCBB.
 
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3 more assists leaves her 11 short of the record, which would mean more than one game at her current season average.
 
As much as I think it’s great that Nika will likely set the all time UConn assist record, it also highlights a problem that this UConn team is not a great overall passing team, particularly without Paige & Azzi on the court. At the current pace, only Nika will top 100 assists this season.

UConn has had some great passing teams through the years. IMO, the greatest was the 36-1 team in 2016-17. The 2016-17 team set the all time single season NCAA assist record with 863 assists (23.3 apg) breaking the record of the 40-0 UConn team from 2014-15. Gabby lead that team with 190 assists. But there were 4 other Huskies with over 100 assists each (Lou, Kia, Saniya, Crystal) and Pheesa was close with 83.

Everyone on that team, with the exception of Gabby could knock down 3’s. Their movement on offense was beautiful and they were devastating in transition, frequently blowing teams out before the first TV timeout.

Nika certainly deserves credit for her remarkable season at pg, while demonstrating incredible leadership. But this year we’ve all gotten used to low scoring, grind it out games that are far too close for comfort.
 
oldhuskie said:
That is the combination I would like to see. It would appear that Nika's assists per minute would increase with those two to pass to. On the other hand with more dominant wins, I expect Nika's minutes to decrease somewhat, and she may share some of the ballhandling responsibilities with Paige.

Between Nika and Paige we will have two great passers on the floor most of the time, and Nika should benefit more offensively as well, with more open 3pt looks with the attention Paige and Azzi will draw, and of course being on the receiving end of some great passes from Paige. Nika may not scare any opponents with her overall scoring, but her shooting of open 3's has been pretty decent.
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We definitely need to have the ball in Paige’s hands as well. We will need to be a dominate offensive team from all positions to win it all.
 
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oldude said:
As much as I think it’s great that Nika will likely set the all time UConn assist record, it also highlights a problem that this UConn team is not a great overall passing team, particularly without Paige & Azzi on the court. At the current pace, only Nika will top 100 assists this season.

UConn has had some great passing teams through the years. IMO, the greatest was the 36-1 team in 2016-17. The 2016-17 team set the all time single season NCAA assist record with 863 assists (23.3 apg) breaking the record of the 40-0 UConn team from 2014-15. Gabby lead that team with 190 assists. But there were 4 other Huskies with over 100 assists each (Lou, Kia, Saniya, Crystal) and Pheesa was close with 83.

Everyone on that team, with the exception of Gabby could knock down 3’s. Their movement on offense was beautiful and they were devastating in transition, frequently blowing teams out before the first TV timeout.

Nika certainly deserves credit for her remarkable season at pg, while demonstrating incredible leadership. But this year we’ve all gotten used to low scoring, grind it out games that are far too close for comfort.
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Could it be "low scoring, grind it out games" because they have been basically playing 5 players between 35 and 40 minutes a game for the last month and that they are all mentally and physically drained?
 
MSGRET said:
Could it be "low scoring, grind it out games" because they have been basically playing 5 players between 35 and 40 minutes a game for the last month and that they are all mentally and physically drained?
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No doubt that’s a key part of it. UConn is not pressing on defense, forcing turnovers and pushing for transition offense, all of which result in easier baskets, more scoring and more assists. In addition, the inability to spread the floor in the half court offense with multiple shooters severely limits the offense for open threes and backdoor cuts. There are few easier assists then finding an open 3-pt shooter at the arc.

The other problem is that UConn just doesn’t have enough quality passing out of their starters. Dorka is decent for a BIG Lou is fine and Nika is outstanding. But Aaliyah & Aubrey struggle to deliver accurate and timely passes on offense and it doesn’t get a lot better when Caroline or anyone else off the bench is in the game.

Compare that to last year’s team with Paige, Azzi, Nika & Evina who were all outstanding passers, along with Liv who was an outstanding passer as a BIG. So it is a combination of things to be sure. But just as you want a team to be balanced from a scoring perspective, it’s not the best thing to have one player dominate the assist category.
 
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MilfordHusky said:
The UConn site shows 218. She needs 14 to pass Sue's single-season record.

Caitlin Clark now has 224, including today's game. She leads the nation.
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And Regan Schenck NAU point guard is tied for third place with 201.
 
Love to see Nika have big assist numbers these next two games. As she has often said its more a team award, to her, rather than just an individual award. To get an assist somebody has to score, which has been a much scarcer commodity these last few games than much of the season. As I have mentioned before, Nika getting double digit assists is indicative of us playing a much more fluid offense, which is our strength. Lot's of assists by Nika (and the team as a whole) as we finish off the regular season will be a harbinger of good things to follow in the post season!
 
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oldude said:
No doubt that’s a key part of it. UConn is not pressing on defense, forcing turnovers and pushing for transition offense, all of which result in easier baskets, more scoring and more assists. In addition, the inability to spread the floor in the half court offense with multiple shooters severely limits the offense for open threes and backdoor cuts. There are few easier assists then finding an open 3-pt shooter at the arc.

The other problem is that UConn just doesn’t have enough quality passing out of their starters. Dorka is decent for a BIG Lou is fine and Nika is outstanding. But Aaliyah & Aubrey struggle to deliver accurate and timely passes on offense and it doesn’t get a lot better when Caroline or anyone else off the bench is in the game.

Compare that to last year’s team with Paige, Azzi, Nika & Evina who were all outstanding passers, along with Liv who was an outstanding passer as a BIG. So it is a combination of things to be sure. But just as you want a team to be balanced from a scoring perspective, it’s not the best thing to have one player dominate the assist category.
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The team shooting percentage has also nose dived, while fast breaks and running are less frequent. Hard to get assists when shots are not falling.
 
MSGRET said:
Could it be "low scoring, grind it out games" because they have been basically playing 5 players between 35 and 40 minutes a game for the last month and that they are all mentally and physically drained?
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I dont think they are mentally and physically tired anymore. That was when they had 5 games in 12 days plus travel. Nika said they need to get back to the harder practices and practice the UCONN way instead of having "easy" practices.
 
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