UCONN-Creighton Post game thread | Page 4 | The Boneyard

UCONN-Creighton Post game thread

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Hats off to Creighton after suffering a 25 point loss in their gym earlier this year...they came into Storrs (not an easy place to come and win) and they gave UConn all they could handle...in fact, I would go as far as to say that they had this game won.

If it wasn't for Caroline's unbelievable 4th quarter UConn doesn't win this game. Her timely return...her will to win, that smile on her face when she sunk that first free throw with only 4 seconds left on the clock to give UConn the lead made me believe that she knew she had just earned her way into Husky history. Her play in the fourth quarter was inspirational especially after missing 12 games. You couldn't have scripted it any better. UConn was lucky to dodge this bullet and while it was a team effort they got to give Caroline the kudos on this one.

4th quarter

8:06 - Creighton up by 8...Caroline Ducharme hits her first basket a 3 pointer...cuts the lead to 5.
7:49 - Morgan Maly hits two free throws...Creighton by 7
7:27 - Caroline Ducharme makes a driving step through scoop lay-up...Creighton up 5
6:15 - Lauren Jensen hits a three....Creighton by 8
5:53 - ika Muhl drives in for a lay-up....Creighton by 6
5:23 - Aaliyah Edwards makes two free throws....Creighton by 4
4:26 - Carly Bachelor lay-up....Creighton by 6
2:57 - Caroline Ducharme with another step through lay-up....Creighton by 4
2:57 - Caroline Ducharme makes a free-throw....Creighton by 3
2:21 - Aaliyah Edwards makes a lay-up....Creighton by 1
1:43 - Lou Lopez-Senechal makes a lay-up...UConn by 1
1:18 - Morgan Maly makes a three pointer....Creighton up by 2
0:47 - Lou Lopez-Senechal makes a two point jumper....Tie ball game.
0:04 - Caroline Ducharme steps to the foul line and cold as ice" sinks two free throws....UConn wins by 2
 
oldude said:
Some thoughts on the Creighton game:
  • UNBELIEVABLY GUTSY WIN!!! :cool:
  • Unlike the last game in Omaha, Creighton came to play tonight, and the Bluejays gave the Huskies all they wanted. Creighton shot it much better from the arc, swarmed UConn’s Bigs in the paint and battled UConn on the boards.
  • Unless and until UConn can field a team with better shooting, enabling the Huskies to spread the floor on offense, this is exactly how every other opponent will play UConn for the rest of the season.
  • Getting Caroline back feels as if it should be a really BIG deal for the Huskies. She was somewhat rusty, to be sure, but she finished strong and will get better each and every game she plays.
  • Lou looked much sharper tonight then she has in prior games. But like many of her teammates, she’s banged up and hanging in there the best she can with few options available to give her a break.
  • Stat of the game: UConn was +32 rebounding the first time these teams met. Tonight UConn was -8.........:(
  • Geno's postgame characterization of Caroline: "She's one tough mother!" :)
  • It's been many years since UConn was not favored in a conference matchup. The Huskies could be an underdog Saturday at Villanova. Time for an upset! ;)
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The 40 rebound reversal is very hard to comprehend along with the inability to finish inside vs. dominating inside the last game.. I have to think fatigue is a major factor here. I know Creighton doesn't play traditional low post bigs, but with Caroline back, Geno stuck with a 6 player rotation keeping Ayanna on the bench.

That doesn't help much regarding fatigue. Caroline might play more minutes than Ayanna would, particularly in the upcoming games, but with a 6 player rotation your team will be tired period. Considering the benefit that just two or three minutes each half by Ayanna could provide, getting starters minutes maybe just down to the lower 30's, could make them more effective, even if Ayanna's personal production is just mediocre.

Geno must think that Ayanna is unplayable, basically joining Amari and Ines as players who are only included in his gameplan when he has absolutely no choice, or the game has been decided. I pretty much expected that to be the role for Ines, and was not terribly surprised that Amari has not yet earned his trust yet, but with Ayanna it really surprises me.

I can't see what practices are like, but I haven't heard negatives about her approach or effort, and even though she is raw as could be, and makes a ton of mistakes, you can also see potential there. Maybe she would be terrible if he played her more, I don't know. But I think most of us can see with our own eyes that these girls are gassed and running on fumes. It is not the Nika, Lou, Aubrey, Aaliyah and Dorka that we know, instead they are all significantly worse players due to fatigue.

Now with Caroline back for maybe 20-25 minutes a game or so, with another 5-10 from Ayanna you could get the starters to 34-35 minutes a game, and increase the effectiveness of all the starters. It could be Amari instead of Ayanna if Geno thought that would be better option, but at least for minimal minutes, we need a 7th player in the rotation that is a big.

Think about it, a 40 rebound turnaround from plus 32 to minus 8, and our two bigs completely dominated Creighton inside last time, but this game had trouble finishing at the rim. Also remember that bigs don't usually play as many minutes anyway. There are plenty of star bigs that don't even play 30 minutes a game, much less near 40.

The conditioning of our players is remarkable and a testament to them, but there is a limit to everything. I'm not buying the he has no choice argument. There are two big candidates on the bench that may be pretty big disappointments at this stage, at least by Uconn standards, but despite their mistakes I believe they would be starters on most of the division 1 programs. To me that is good enough for one of them to get 5-10 minutes spelling players that have shown over quite a few games, that they are nowhere near their normal production playing the extremely heavy minutes Geno saddles them with.

At least try it, and if that totally fails ok go back to his 6 man rotation, but the 6 player rotation is not working, and hasn't been for some time. You know what they say about trying the same thing over and over and somehow expecting different results. OK I have vented enough for now!
 
EricLA said:
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.
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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.
 
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oldude said:
I saw Jana’s reaction during the game. She won’t play a minute this season, but she already bleeds Husky blue!!!
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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) :D
 
OldSchooler said:
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?
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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.
 
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
 
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Monte said:
Not too many comments about the team being "tired" tonight!
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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.
 
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.
 
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hoopsfan22 said:
Geno answered that question in the press conference. He said putting them in the game against a team of 5 guards would be tough.
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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.
 
Valleyfan said:
Totally agree, seems like since SC she’s been a bit off. It’s crowded where she likes to operate, but she’s not recognizing the triple teams quick enough. But even her normally good hands have been failing her. Maybe it’s time to remove the mask.
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She was off the 2 games before SC too
 
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.
 
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 said:
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.
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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.
 
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