UCONN-Creighton Post game thread

[TCC Kid]

WIf I told you UCONN was only going to commit 7 turnovers vs. Creighton, you'd probably think we'd win handily. Not so much. Creighton was on fire from 3. Welcome back Carol! Ice water in her veins. Happy to escape with a win.

Crazy comeback. Gutsy performance. But I think we can expect more of this the rest of the season. Even with Carol back, we saw no one else off the bench. Lou was the MVP of the game, but Carol is my bad-ass of the game!!

I feel sorry for any of the older fans with heart conditions. This team is causing many pulses to race and hearts to practically stop LOL.

Without Fudd the format, for the opposition was set by, Staley. Pack the lane, double team Edwards and Dorka, paw/handle/pull Lou (get into her head), dare Aubry and Muhl to shoot and make enough 3's to win. It is a winning format or at least close to winning.
Caroline was the "when the Chips are down" Caroline I expect. Pressure is her time to shine. I know this isn't everyones OPINION, it is mine. You don't have to agree--isn't America great?
Geno, bless him, rested his kids by rotating players. The opposing coach tried rotating players and movement lots of movement, to wear down the 6 still standing Huskies, it almost worked.

 

[Ozimoto]

Nika may have only had two assists, but she got the ball to the right people on several more occasions. They just didn't finish. And only one turnover.

 

[TCC Kid]

Yet another gutsy, gutsy win. Lou was clutch, and Caroline played SO smartly down the stretch.

Caroline is a "Clutch " player, She's the friend you want when you are in need. Indeed!

 

[Carnac]

I saw Jana’s reaction during the game. She won’t play a minute this season, but she already bleeds Husky blue!!!

When you associate, you assimilate. She's been with the team long enough now, and hanging/interacting with Paige and Amari to the point she has caught "the vapors." (Biz Markie)

 

[Boreifs]

Jana makes ten. Not available for games, but she can practice.

Right. So sorry.

 

[Bigboote]

OK, boys and girls, by a show of hands, how many honestly believed, when we were down by 11 and on the ropes early in Q4, that we would pull this one out?

Hand up!

I loved the game. What doesn’t kill the huskies makes them stronger.

Ducharme — what can I say? I just don’t have the words. It’s great to have her back, and UConn doesn’t win without her.

 

[hoy-ah!]

Interesting game plan by Creighton. Pack the inside on UConn's bigs, double- triple-teamed? Aaliyah and Dorka still tried to to put up a shot. The box score shows they didn't fare well, and most of all, Creighton had three players right there for the defensive board. I don't know if they practice kicking out to the outside shooters, as this will open up the inside, once you start consistently making threes. Which leads to the aspect of Creighton also daring Nika, Aubrey, Dorka to shoot 3s.

Another thought is that Lou and Caroline seemed to be the only ones to go to the soft space between the inside and the 3 pt line for a short jumper. Drive to this area and stop/shoot. If the inside is packed, and they're contesting the outside shot, drive and short jumper. Paige and Azzi do this consistently. They probe the softness in the defense. Aubrey could do this great, except for the form of her shot. It doesn't look amenable to a jump shot.

Poor shooting night...thought it would go OT. Hats off to Creighton. I'll take the W

 

[socal613ws]

I just don't understand how 0 minutes were played by Patterson and Deberry when the team clearly needs some fresh bodies.

 

[cferraro04]

Not too many comments about the team being "tired" tonight!

True...while for the most part, the comments weren't there...it doesn't mean that they are still showing signs of being mentally and physically worn-out. I say signs because finishing the game with only 7 turnovers while forcing 15 gives one pause if you are trying to make the mentally fatigued argument. However, it is obvious that Aaliyah is still in a funk. The players are still banged up as you can see that they are more fragile with the contact. There isn't a game that goes by lately where we fans aren't wincing when Muhl or Lopez-Senechal go down. Tonight when the announcer started talking about Dorka's wrist when she fell...I immediately thought oh no!

Then there is the stress and mental energy that goes into playing every game knowing that you can't foul...if you foul out you could be the reason why the team loses. Tonight you saw the benefit of having just one elite player coming off the bench...Ducharme played 21 crucial minutes giving our players some time to rest. If and when we get Azzi back...while her offense will help...the big benefit will be our players won't be as tired and will get away with playing less minutes. As a result the margin of error will get greater and every play will not need to be such a grind. Teams will not be able to pack the middle and they will have to get out and run with UConn which will play right into UConn's strengths. We will have more consistent and frequent three point shooting which will open the lanes up for our bigs.

 

[Cornell Lt]

I've never seen CD so visibly upset as she pointed her finger at the Creighton fan a couple of times after the handshake line ended. Whatever was said must have been pretty nasty/vulgar.

 

[hoopsfan22]

I just don't understand how 0 minutes were played by Patterson and Deberry when the team clearly needs some fresh bodies.

Geno answered that question in the press conference. He said putting them in the game against a team of 5 guards would be tough.

 

[Boreifs]

The other players are cheerleaders until the Xavier game. Azzi is still desperately needed, if only to give Nika some bench time. If she can only play 10 minutes at first, it should be at the point.

 

[jfan]

UCONN won again at the end but how much is Geno sacrificing by only playing 6 in the game. Look at the minutes played. I just don't see how UCONN can win at Villanova let alone the conference tournament or advance in the NCAA tournament. It's sad how this turned out with all these injuries this season. Running on fumes now. No way any gas will be left in the tank.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I just don't understand how 0 minutes were played by Patterson and Deberry when the team clearly needs some fresh bodies.

Geno said that Creighton plays basically 5 guards, so Ayanna and Amari would not have been the right subs.

 

[The deacon]

Geno answered that question in the press conference. He said putting them in the game against a team of 5 guards would be tough.

Lots of really good analysis here by many of you, so I'll be brief:

Creighton is a very good team, as noted here an Elite Eight team a year ago, and I'd bet the Bue Jays must be feeling they really let it get away tonight.

Some BYers have said the Blue Jays shot lights out, yet three of Creighton's key players, Jensen, Ronsiek and Maly, shot a horrible 9 of 36 from the floor.

The Huskies were clutch and fortunate, and I'm smiling now because of what Caroline Ducharme proved once again: on a crazily talented roster, she brings something to the offense that no one else (except Paige) can bring.

I'd like to add what very few of you have noted: while Dorka missed a bunch of shots around or near the hoop, she otherwise played well. In a 62-60 game, to have 10 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, a block and a clutch steal counted for a lot.

Regarding Villanova on Saturday, a number of you have opined the Wildcats might be favored... however, the Huskies are right now 9 1/2-point favorites. Sounds a bit strong for me, but UConn still has everyone's respect.

 

[jdote33]

Really happy about the win. Ecstatic Caroline Ducharme is back. I thought she moved as well as she had all year. Defensively she got matched up with Jensen quite a bit and was able to move her feet. Offensively she was able to move around a bit and change ends quickly. I'm very encouraged.
Dorka and AE were a bit off. Nika had some rough fouls. But all three had some key moments in the 4th that helped the team win.
Lou was very good tonight. Happy to see her bounce back.
Aubrey has some plays each game that have u in awe. She blocked/demolished a 3 point shot at the end of the shot clock. I thought it was impressive.
Overall I think it's kind of the law of averages. Creighton is a good team. It was almost too easy at their place. So I wasn't that surprised the game was close.

 

[meyers7]

• Geno's postgame characterization of Caroline: "She's one tough mother!"

They don't call her CFD for nothing.

 

[CTinLA]

The Huskies escaped. It was a heck of an effort on a night that the team’s shooting wasn’t up to the usual standards. Scoring a total of 20 points in the second and third quarter combined will usually be a recipe for disaster. Tonight the “starting six” found a way to pull it out. It was good to see Lou’s shot falling after a few off games, and she hit a couple at critical moments. Dorka didn’t shoot well (3-11) and Aaliyah continues to be a bit off, but they are both doing a lot of little things that don’t show up in the box score. And then there’s Caroline. A month on the bench with a serious injury and she is the reason we win. Her fourth quarter was sensational. I want to know if that last play was called for her or if she just had the guts to take it herself. Either way, it was a great reminder of how valuable she is to the team. She was the only player off the bench today, but her 10 points are more points than we’ve had off the bench in quite a while.

Creighton played a very good game, and going into the fourth quarter I thought they were going to win. I’m really glad I was wrong! Great effort!

 

[The deacon]

Lots of really good analysis here by many of you, so I'll be brief:

Creighton is a very good team, as noted here an Elite Eight team a year ago, and I'd bet the Bue Jays must be feeling they really let it get away tonight.

Some BYers have said the Blue Jays shot lights out, yet three of Creighton's key players, Jensen, Ronsiek and Maly, shot a horrible 9 of 36 from the floor.

The Huskies were clutch and fortunate, and I'm smiling now because of what Caroline Ducharme proved once again: on a crazily talented roster, she brings something to the offense that no one else (except Paige) can bring.

I'd like to add what very few of you have noted: while Dorka missed a bunch of shots around or near the hoop, she otherwise played well. In a 62-60 game, to have 10 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, a block and a clutch steal counted for a lot.

Regarding Villanova on Saturday, a number of you have opined the Wildcats might be favored... however, the Huskies are right now 9 1/2-point favorites. Sounds a bit strong for me, but UConn still has everyone's respect.

Congrats, too, to Dorka for that 4.0! It was great yet not surprising to hear she and so many teammates are excelling in the classroom.

 

[oldhusky]

Geno answered that question in the press conference. He said putting them in the game against a team of 5 guards would be tough.

A size mismatch can work both ways. We were not able to make them pay for going small. We couldn't finish inside when we did get the ball to our bigs, and we were outrebounded by 8 after outrebounding them by 32 in the first game. Same teams and players, so it appears our bigs were gassed, operating at way less than their normal production, but Geno was still unwilling to consider using a fresh big off the bench.

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

I'm very proud of the team for a tough, complete game win!
There were many times a normal team would have folded, but that's what makes UCONN, UCONN!

 

[boontonbomber]

I know you mean well but Geno is talking about Caroline as an athlete not a girl basketball player. Altering his descriptions to talk about the players in a more genteel way would be paternalistic of him

You misunderstand; I was not reacting because of her gender.

 

[Urshurak]

I was on a plane, so haven’t watched it yet. Looking through the stats it seems Creighton shot absolutely lights out. 19-0 run or something? Has Uconn ever had that kind of run against them?

Anyway, doesn’t matter. This team dig deep and won.

Villanova awaits.

 

[NEforceUConn]

Really happy about the win. Ecstatic Caroline Ducharme is back. I thought she moved as well as she had all year. Defensively she got matched up with Jensen quite a bit and was able to move her feet. Offensively she was able to move around a bit and change ends quickly. I'm very encouraged.
Dorka and AE were a bit off. Nika had some rough fouls. But all three had some key moments in the 4th that helped the team win.
Lou was very good tonight. Happy to see her bounce back.
Aubrey has some plays each game that have u in awe. She blocked/demolished a 3 point shot at the end of the shot clock. I thought it was impressive.
Overall I think it's kind of the law of averages. Creighton is a good team. It was almost too easy at their place. So I wasn't that surprised the game was close.

Great post, insightful. Yah!!!