UConn-Duke postgame thread | Page 2 | The Boneyard

UConn-Duke postgame thread

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We had energy the first half. Ran out of gas in the second half. Tired. No bench does that to you. Give'em credit they gutted it out and found a way to win without making alot of mistakes. Duke was able to score late because we were tired and Aaliyah was in foul trouble and that relates to becoming defenseless
 
After watching the 3 previous games which were really good this game was tough to watch.Great defense by Uconn but they could have used Ash to score some,they almost gave it away after being up by 20..I know rebounding is lacking but when AE had to sit they were really in a bind
 
Tough physical battle. Paige was too tired in this game. Great Duke defense on Paige to make her really work the entire game.

Aailiyah has to stay in the game. Ice is fine for a breather but doesn’t give us enough offense if she has to be in the game a long period of time.

I thought KK played great. Wasn’t too scared of the moment.

Ash was a it tight tnite. She needs to be aggressive because Paige can’t do it all. And teams know Nika is looking to score unless wide open or shot clock is winding down.

Hoping for a better performance next game because I think we totally let the game almost slip away. Luckily Duke was sloppy.
 
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We won with 4 players on the floor at the end of the game that could barely lift their arms BUT THEY DID!!!!
So happy for the best 6 player team (regardless of why there are only 6!!!!!!!!) in the world. They never gave up and never looked like they were panicking.
I also discovered tonight that my nerves have an impact on my blood glucose levels, and not in a good way. It happened last Monday too but I missed the correlation.
 
Duke has been a team that plays way better in the second half all season long. Once Duke figures out how to play in the first half, they have the potential to be a top 10 team.

With that being said, Uconn showed again its survival ability. I hope they get a lot of rest before Monday's game against USC. Overall, it was a really good, hard fought game. Duke's only achievement was shutting out Shade, but that left KK open to do some damage. Aalyah has to play like a senior on her last NCAA tournament. I hipe she can come out lights out on Monday. Aalyah is the key to winning on Monday.
 
I also think Geno should take more timeouts in the first half since we have a limited bench and that would give the starters a breather. I understand wanting to hold your timeouts in the second half, but if you’re not subbing anyone in for the guards it’s a tough ask for this team to keep playing like this.
 
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PAHuskeyFan said:
SO... Does anyone think we won the Sarah Strong Sweepstakes with the win over Duke? Sure hope so. Another big for next year sure would be good.
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We've been on Sarahs list since the beginning. Emily Rodriquez, Lara Somfai and Sarah Strong have us on their short lists. I was told that Lara is the best of all 3 and has potential to be super. I hope we get all 3.
 
UConn gets the win and that's all that matters but goodness. There were some of the silliest fouls and turnovers on both sides that I have ever seen my life.

Edwards has to stay on the floor for UConn to have their best chance moving forward.
 
Paige - F: in the 4th qtr when the ball needed to be in her hands she kept giving it up
Aaliyah - F: Bad fouls and mental toughness
KK - F: 5-15 0-4 from 3
Ashlynn - F 0-4 from field - doesnt get any worse statistically.
Nika - F: 1-6 from field and wasnt particularly good on defense
Ice - F: Great screen setter for the other team. Why is she ever taking the ball out of bounds?

The great news is this is the first time in the history of basketball that every player on a team scores a failing grade and the team still wins. That shows a certain level of group toughness that was completely lacking individually. Souther Cal should easily be a double digit favorite Monday. It's been a good run, but based on UConn's showing against top 10 teams this year, the run is over.
 
The Duke defense is why many of us were worried about tonight, and their defense played up to form. No one had any room, very few open shots available. Fortunately, our defense was better, and we had Paige. Now it's history.
 
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I expected it to be an ugly win, and it was. It was two good defenses and one good offense, but the good offense wasn’t, even in the first half when they were fresh. I hope they show up refreshed Monday and that Ashlynn finds her shooting touch.
 
The lack of foul calls in the last 3
Minutes was bizarre
On a positive note, I thought that was the best game I ever saw nika play
Tremendous on the defensive end
And I think only turn the ball over once
Rebounding was great

Duke was the best defensive team I’ve seen
 
What will stick in my mind about this game was the sight of Aaliyah going down hard and the whole team on the floor running over to help her up. We’re very fortunate she wasn’t severely injured.
 
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I’m not worried about USC. They were sloppy against Baylor (a far more athletic and big matchup for us) and barely eeked out a win. And three of their starters are Ivy League transfers.
 
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Ugly, ugly, ugly. More than that, this is a team whose players seem to be out of gas.the best conditioning in the world foes not prepare them for playing the whole game without a break.
I have to believe the bect team will be ready to simply wear them out. Geno can do as he did in this game, keeping the starters in until they absolutely have to come out, or he can substitute more liberally, hoping to keep the legs fresh. There are risks to either. I think I would rather see the more players and less exhaustion.
 
EasyEd said:
It looked like Paige was really tired the second half. Hope she gets some good rest.
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Geno HAS to play the guys on the bench, just for a minute or 2 for the starters here and there. There were numerous boneheaded plays by some of the starters that wouldn’t look much worse from someone else.
 
I know that it's technically a foul but when Aaliyah got her 4th foul, she was on her back, the Dookie player had her foot up against Aaliyah's body, she did the natural thing and moved her arm in order to get up and the Dookie flopped backwards to pick up the foul. On replay it just looked so fake but it served it's purpose.
 
augustaTC said:
Survived is so right. Paige had (for her) an off night. Girls looked sloppy and tired and out of sync. Am so happy and proud of them for what they've accomplished this year. Will be praying for all on Monday but my expectations aren't high.
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Agree.

This isn’t going to work going forward, but really no other choices. Maybe Q could help some, but Geno doesn’t think so evidently.

IMG_4261.jpeg
 
msf22b said:
Everyone was tired, I saw a real tired shoulder droop from Nika in the 4th...

Apologies for being dismissive of the coaching...but I knew when to take Edwards out...the last 2 or 3 minutes of the 2nd quarter...even the announcers expected it.

Arnold had a fine game; made some big plays.
Ice was ok.
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KK had a 3 turnover streak going in 4th quarter. She has to figure it out.
 
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