UCONN-Creighton post game | The Boneyard

UCONN-Creighton post game

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EricSD

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First, hopes and prayers for Aubrey - but it did not look good. Even Meg and Alan were like "ugh. We've seen this way to often with UCONN". Had to be helped off the floor. Really cast a pall over the rest of the game. Post game you could tell Geno was really down about it.

It would be easy to look at the first half offensive explosion of 53 points and say "wow the team played great", and to a degree they did. I thought Paige especially, and KK/Aaliyah all played tremendously well. 6-8 from 3, 66% overall shooting, holding Creighton to 32 points and 3-13 from 3. I thought the defense was particularly active and they tried really hard to close out and defend the 3 as well as they could. But Geno did mention Paige being too unselfish - and several times she passed up shots only to let someone else try, and miss, wasting the offensive possession. And Nika reverted back to making bad passes and poor decisions with the ball.

You always get the feeling Creighton could make a run, and boy do they jack up the 3's. But again, loved getting them into foul trouble. 3 of their starters with 2 fouls each in the first half. I think a lot of problems Creighton had came from UCONN making them play even faster than they wanted. The defense really was swarming, helping, and for the most part really good. 3rd quarter was meh. A bit of sloppy play and miscues. Great end to the quarter tho with a pressure turnover, nice save by Ice, and basket by Ash. And I'm just gonna say it (even if i get fined... LOL). The refs sucked. Paige and especially Liya were absolutely mugged in the post, but Nika breathes on a player and she's called for a foul? 14 total fouls called in the 3rd quarter alone.
  • Paige - ridiculous stats - 24 points, 7 assists, 5 boards, 4 steals, 0 blocks (slacker!!). All this and I bet Geno still thinks she is too unselfish.
  • I swear Liya had more boards than she was credited for. It seemed like she was snatching them down on almost every play. Great all around game from her. Double double yet again.
  • Ash did what Ash does - a do everything player who plays 100% every second she's on the floor. Not only a stat stuffer, but a strong guard and terrific rebounder. She and KK were terrific.
  • KK would be higher up due to her great play in the first half, but really - too many fouls. Good to see Geno talk to her after #4, and her to sit with an unhappy face on the bench. Something to learn from. And I'm guessing she did - came back in the 4th and really contributed. So impressed with her composure and maturity especially as a freshman.
  • Ice looked much better, and even tho she was not great or even very good, her play so far this year has been disappointing enough that signs of life recently has been impressive, and will be much needed if what we fear is the worst news for Aubrey. She was solid, made good plays and choices, and hopefully is on the way up. She just looked more comfortable out there.
  • Q - for all Geno's talk about her upside being so high, did not see that as much as hoped today. She will be sorely needed going forward. Nice seeing her drain a few shots late. She just needs to put it all together - the potential is there!
  • Nika - 7 assists, 5 boards, and some great decisions separated by seriously bone headed turnovers. Still, mega congrats on her 500th assist. She is such a hard worker and bleeds blue forever.
  • Nice seeing Ines and Amari get in - you'd expect that with a 40 point lead. But... and this sort of epitomizes their play. Amari was posting up. Ines threw a pass that was a tad too high for her. TO Ines. But instead of moving forward and leaping for the pass, Amari pulled hands back as if to say "i don't want it to go out of bounds off me". The problem was the pass came from Ines so it was already off a UCONN player. I doubt she could have caught the pass, but not to try - sort of sums up a lot of her game.
Came out strong in the 4th quarter. Actually, the team played really well after Aubrey's injury. Held Creighton to under 17% from 3 for the game. That's incredible. And we shot 47% from 3 and almost 81% from the FT line. Cannot complain at all about the MOV or how they defended Creighton. Much of the game was incredibly well played, especially for long stretches in the first half, and the 4th quarter. And they made a concerted effort to really get out and harass Creighton from beyond the arc. Overall a really solid game marred by potentially another devastating injury.
 
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—it looked like Aubrey planted hard with her left leg when changing direction. The slo mo did not look good. I hope I am wrong. It ruined a fabulous night otherwise
—Aaliiyah like so many other UCONN greats keeps expanding her game. Watching her guard the perimeter and disrupt passing lanes increases an already high valued prospect at the next level.
-Geno has had years where he had to “hide” certain players on defense. They just could not defend the dribble. Not this team. All 8 are terrific on the ball.
-Ice continues to show brief glimpses of her skills. I hope Geno continues to give Edwards needed rest and let Ice continue to develop.
-They will still struggle with big teams but the guards are all committed to boxing out at the very least.
-Shade got her chance because of injuries and has not looked back. Still forces things on occasion but contributes in so many ways.
-Part of the joy tonight was the pick and roll action with Paige and Aaiyah
—Hoping for the best Aubrey
 
Screenshot 2024-01-03 at 6.58.12 PM.png
 
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A couple thoughts on today’s game:
  • A really good performance by the Huskies tonight was overshadowed by what appeared to be a non-contact knee injury to Aubrey. Let’s not speculate until we know with certainty the nature of the injury.
  • Another slow start tonight? I think not! UConn’s defense was relentless from the opening tip, suffocating Creighton’s motion offense, while the Huskies offense spread the floor, moved the ball and continually attacked the basket.
  • The Huskies have just hammered the 2nd & 3rd best teams in the BE by 31 & 44 pts respectively. While I rarely disagree with Geno, I believe he’s mistaken “that no team will go undefeated in conference play this year.”
  • The Huskies also answered another important question tonight with their best road win of the season to date.
  • Paige is currently playing like she was as a freshman, only better! She is incredibly efficient, relentless on defense, always makes the right decision with the ball in her hands, has become an even stronger leader on the court, fires everyone up and put on a hell of a show for her grandparents. It is an absolute joy to watch Paige Bueckers play basketball right now!!!
  • I really liked Ice’s minutes tonight. She gave UConn solid PT off the bench in place of Aaliyah, which is exactly what UConn needs from her this season. If Aubrey is out for an extended period, Ice will become increasingly important for the Huskies.
  • As for Aaliyah, she is an absolute workhorse, chalking up one double-double after another, while playing at an AA level.
 
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Few thoughts
  • 40+ win on the road vs top 25 team !!!
  • I thought the defense was the difference tonight. Creighton was just rushed enough to shoot poorly
  • Terrible luck for Aubrey. Can't imagine she will back until at least March (best case)
  • Paige and AE are playing like AA's
  • KK and Shade are getting better every game..
  • I'll say it again, we are really going to need Ice to step up and no more than ever. Honestly, I would have expected her to be further along at this point
 
First of all, prayers to Aubrey. I hope she heals 100% and is better in the future, regardless of if she comes back or not this season.

Secondly, the Huskies just blew out a top 25 team on the road at a very difficult place to place. The complaints, if any, I have are minor. This is a very dangerous team with a scary offense and defense clicking on all cylinders.
 
Ashlynn is pretty much auto from the free throw line.

Love late when Geno pats Paige on the shoulder and then goes to next door Ashlynn and gives a pooh-
pooh wave at her. Paige got it...Ashlynn got it....go Geno....just being his very own badself.

Thoughts with Aubrey.
 
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Very good game for the good guys. Watching it live, I couldn't wait for the 3rd quarter to end because it seemed to me that neither team was in sync and I was hoping things picked back up. But the 4th quarter I wanted the Huskies to just play and get to the buzzer. I was in a haze and really lost interest.
But it was a great win.

Is it just me or does anyone else feel like Nika and KK committed some really awkward fouls tonight? Something I will pay attention to when I watch the @MJL243 replay.
 
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A couple thoughts on today’s game:
  • Paige is currently playing like she was as a freshman, only better! She is incredibly efficient, relentless on defense, always makes the right decision with the ball in her hands, has become an even stronger leader on the court, fires everyone up and put on a hell of a show for her grandparents. It is an absolute joy to watch Paige Bueckers play basketball right now!!!

I am not sure if other superstars work as hard on defense as Paige does but she is relentless on defense. I am even more impressed with her intensity on defense than her offense which is incredible.
 
Great game for UConn. They have convincingly hammered the 2 leading teams to challenge them for league dominance.

The defense has been amazing. They knock Creighton off their game. Lanes to drive were not there. Very few second chance points for Creighton. And the defensive pressure really affected Creighton's 3 point shooting. The defense is fueling the ofense.

The offense continues to grow and impress. Four starters in double figures.

I have no words for seeing Aubrey go down. I hope it is nothing serious - but.
 
O.K. So who now is our latest test after another smack down of a threat to UCONN. After this game I can safely say Uconn will be undefeated in the BE this year. I can not see any team in the Be with the fire power and defense that Uconn has , that can outplay or out defend us. The rest of the season is going to be very enjoyable and a pleasure to watch. The best part is we will get even better. Our Freshmen were colossal in every sense and a great future for them ahead. GO FRESHMEN!!!! GO HUSKIES!!!!!
 
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I expected a comfortable win, but not a beat down like this one. Aubrey's injury took the bloom off of the rose.

Q had some nice moments with some rebounds and didn't look lost playing defense. Her drive to the basket and layup was sweet. If she can develop that part of her game to go along with her outside shot she will make some big contributions going forward. She will have to as I suspect that we won't be seeing Aubrey on the court for awhile (hope I'm wrong).
 
Hoping for the best with Aubrey. The team is really coming together, the defense is aggressive, the ball movement has improved from earlier in the season, and Paige has her sea legs back. I was glad to hear Meg Culmo state that Paige could score 40 if she wanted to, a clear reference to Caitlin Clark's performance from the night before.

As oldude stated, it is an absolute pleasure to watch Paige play. After shaking off the rust of not playing for some time early in the season, her stat line is bordering on ridiculous, her timing, efficiency, court awareness, and vision are nonpareil.
 
Aubrey's knee certainly seemed to bend sideways as she was jumping. I'm hoping it was the camera angle and it's just a (mild) sprain.

Ice seems to be getting it. She suffered an awful injury last year, and after most of a year off, it does take time to get back up to speed. She seems to be fighting more under the basket and made a couple of nice hustle plays. I still have very high hopes for her. If Aubrey isn't back soon, UConn will need Ice.

Defensive communication is really good. The switching has been great the last two games against teams with good motion offenses. That's a GREAT sign.
 
Other than Aubrey's injury, the biggest news from this game is that it was a quantum leap forward in quality of play for Ice Brady. She was tougher, more poised, and less prone to butterfingers than in any previous game. She even got, and held onto, several contested rebounds.
 
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