UConn-FSU post game | Page 2 | The Boneyard

UConn-FSU post game

Well played game. Excellent defense pressure forcing FSU into a lot of turnovers.

The starting rotation is good and will get better. Sub patterns are coming into shape.

Notables: Serah Williams looked much better. K9 is the real deal. She and KK are going to be a deadly guard combo. Allie is looking very good. Jana looks ready to take her game to the next level.

Still a lot to work on but that's to be expected.
 
Loved the minutes that Caroline got and the fact that she looked...well... darn good.
Loved what Serah did early in the 3rd quarter...especially her steal and breakaway
layup...a glimpse of what we'll see more and more of....all the way to April.
Whether Jana will ever be an AA on the court she is an AA on the bench...her cheering
and enthusiasm are SO entertaining...and I bet her teammates appreciate her....plus her play today was good...seems more
relaxed and composed.
Fun to see so many from the bench on the court.

Host Ohio State next weekend....a good test.
 
Glad to see Megan as part of the broadcast crew although she had a few verbal stumbles. Please with Jana and Allie’s performance. Defense was really great for 3 qtrs. Seems the 4 qtr blues continue although this time not starters. I found Florida State’s big was better than I expected. For 12 players,minutes distribution was on point. Should see the same in next game.
 
Azzi Fudd showed off all the facets of her talents, the passing, the mid-range game, the 3's, the defense and the steals. They got her touches in all the areas she needed them today.

Sarah Strong looks like she can score whenever she wants to in whatever ways she wants to. Her passing is top tier and the ball running through her is perfect because she's unselfish but also knows when to get her points.

KK had strong defense, Heckel too, I like Heckel's game and as she gets more comfortable. UConn will bode better. Serah Williams is waking up and was a terror on defense in the lane for FSU. Ziebell was nice off the bench. Shade is regressing and Ducharme looks like she's priming to be in the starting line-up. Her rebounding and vocal leadership are great and a line up of KK/Heckel, Azzi, Caroline, Sarah and Serah would be a nightmare for teams.
 
At times it is like watching an old movie that has 6 or 7 "A" list actors and you don't know who to watch...UConn has so much talent it is amazing. I'm really liking K9 and her quick fit into the offense when she is on the floor. Fudd and Strong are a wonderful force, we are so lucky to have both of them this year.
 
Really good game and for the first time in many seasons, every player that came into the game in the third and fourth quarter all contributed by running the offense and kept scoring at a nice pace. The same players played good defense and no one seemed lost.

I loved how Caroline was all net on her 2 3s, but losing one due to a TO.
 
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victor64 said:
-Geno’s goal of getting more kids time was met. I liked how he had KK and K9 run the show in the fourth to keep things fairly smooth.

-The second quarter was a textbook example of what offense should look like. What a treat watching Azzi and Jokic Jr do their thing.

-Jana just looks more comfortable than last year. She is making good choices with the ball on the high post. Her foul shot looks tons better.

-It was great seeing Serah having a strong third quarter after another awkward first half offensively. With Fudd and Strong playing like they are, the staff can be patient with Williams.

-K9, on the other hand, is a little out of control at times but her comfort and confidence is growing by the quarter. Her and KK are going to wreck havoc pressuring other teams’ guards.

-Shade has to find her way offensively. She is still helping in other ways but if Allie keeps playing well and making shots, it may dig into Ash’s minutes. It will be even more interesting when Blanca returns.

-Ducharme looked as comfortable as I have seen her in a long time. Happy for her.

-FSU is going to win a lot of games this year. Unfortunately, their style of play is not going work out well against UConn.

-If they can maintain this level of play for the entire season, who can beat them?
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I appreciate the write up but I think it is very shortsighted on Kayleigh. 12 points on 50% shooting, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, and 6 steals. 6. That means she was responsible for 18 points and 8 changes of possession. Subtract the 2 turnovers and you still have a net 6 possessions. Only Sarah had more with 7. Focusing on one or two mistakes in the flow misses the point about her. She had an excellent game. She is rapidly becoming the third player on the team who can create her own shot. Her defense is very anticipatory and opportunistic. We are very lucky to have her.
 
victor64 said:
-Geno’s goal of getting more kids time was met. I liked how he had KK and K9 run the show in the fourth to keep things fairly smooth.

-The second quarter was a textbook example of what offense should look like. What a treat watching Azzi and Jokic Jr do their thing.

-Jana just looks more comfortable than last year. She is making good choices with the ball on the high post. Her foul shot looks tons better.

-It was great seeing Serah having a strong third quarter after another awkward first half offensively. With Fudd and Strong playing like they are, the staff can be patient with Williams.

-K9, on the other hand, is a little out of control at times but her comfort and confidence is growing by the quarter. Her and KK are going to wreck havoc pressuring other teams’ guards.

-Shade has to find her way offensively. She is still helping in other ways but if Allie keeps playing well and making shots, it may dig into Ash’s minutes. It will be even more interesting when Blanca returns.

-Ducharme looked as comfortable as I have seen her in a long time. Happy for her.

-FSU is going to win a lot of games this year. Unfortunately, their style of play is not going work out well against UConn.

-If they can maintain this level of play for the entire season, who can beat them?
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UConn rarely gets beaten.........when they lose, it's because they beat themselves with subpar play.......I could see them having some difficulty with Michigan, Tennessee, USC or Notre Dame although if they play well, none of those teams will beat them.....
 
There are going to be a lot more blowouts because this year's schedule lacks a lot of top-notch opponents.
It would be great if every game we didnt have to hear that this team is better than the 1927 Yankees.
 
maple said:
Only 99 points? Why not 100??? 😋

There's things that need to be fixed but I'll leave that to the coaches and the more knowledgeable Boneyarders.

Go Huskies!! This season is going to be fun!! 😁
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Things will be fixed. There hasn't been a team in any sport, future champs included, that are in top form in game #2.
 
The team is getting better with each game. I was also excited to see individual players stepping up, both in their individual efforts and as part of a team.
1. Serah regained her groove in the 3rd quarter. She needs to continue to blend into a playing style that is different from what she was used to.
2. Allie had a great outing and and is starting to gain the trust of the coach.
3. K9 is becoming a strong contributor on defense and offense.
4. Caroline had one of her best games in recent memory.
5. Ice had a solid outing. She has to continue to build on her offense.
6. Jana had a few good minutes. She has to continue assert herself defensively and offensively.

Lots to look forward to for all 15 players!
 
The new Big Three scored 53 points. The Little Three for this game (KK Kayleigh and Allie) scored 26 points. I expect something like this to continue, though who the Little Three is may change from game to game.

I have a feeling this may be a turning point game for Allie. There will be ups and downs to be sure. But her intensity level is a few notches higher than last season. She played good defense, chased down rebounds, dove for loose balls. When a big kid hits the floor to get a win, that’s awesome. I noticed she was out of position on defense once and was lucky not to get burned. Other than that, her defense was sharp. And the numbers tell the story: 3-4 and 1-2 from 3, 4 rebounds and 2 steals in 21 minutes.
 
maple said:
Only 99 points? Why not 100??? 😋

There's things that need to be fixed but I'll leave that to the coaches and the more knowledgeable Boneyarders.

Go Huskies!! This season is going to be fun!! 😁
Expand ...
Well, the fourth quarter was really rough. If Strong and Fudd keep this up, the remainder of the players can be role players.
 
EricLA said:
Well... that was pretty darn enjoyable. Moreso because...

Happy Birthday Caroline! It was like you never missed any time!

Some thoughts:
  • Sarah and Azzi - my ONLY complaint is that they didn't get enough minutes. Hear me out - in a season where they are legit contenders for NPOY and AA, I'd love to have seen Strong with a double double and both score closer to 30
  • KK - I just really like where she is right now. She knows her role and is very good at it.
  • Kayleigh - another really solid game. And she does a lot more than just score
  • Serah - her play in the first half had me saying OMG - possibly 2 games in a row of UGH? But her play in the 2nd half had me saying "Yay - happy for her and the team"
  • Jana - I thought she gave some REALLY good minutes
  • Allie - 2 games in and I'm thinking... is she a legit starter in place of Ash? I think Allie has looked that good.
  • Ash - ugh. forgettable start to the season. What's going on with her?
LOVED seeing extended minutes for Kelis, Ice, Ayanna, and Caroline. I'll admit I was wrong - seeing them work thru some issues in Q4 to each have nice moments out there was a treat to see. For long stretches the defense was really locked in. LOVED the pressure and full court pressing. 23 FSU TO's. NICE!!!

If UConn had made even half the bunnies in Q1 that they missed in some sort of sloppy play, this could have been a much bigger MOV. As it was, everyone played, everyone ate, and a really nice game to see. I guess Gandy REALLY is not ready for Div 1 basketball...
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I'm going to go one step further about Ash/Allie/ Caroline. I have always thought that Ash is a much greater weapon off the bench like last year and that is the best role for her for this team. Microwave offense when she is on, sneaky offensive rebounding, and solid hustle and D. Honestly, Allie played really well today but Caroline looked really good too. She had 5 points and should have had 8 but a 3 was taken away, 6 boards and two assists in 10 minutes. She is also a much better rebounder at 6' 2+"than either one. I think she should be part of the regular rotation. She is a strong and serious senior leader and sets up a play really well. I would like to see her play 20 minutes in a game just to find out. It may be coming.
 
I was a the game and it was a full house, raucous crowd, lots of fun. The banner raising was joyous - the banner is way over at the end of the rafters across from the UConn bench. Figuring out where the 2026 banner will go is a nice problem to have!

All the current players who were on the 2025 team were introduced, and Aubrey was also in attendance and was introduced. Kaitlyn Chen and Paige made some nice remarks on video on the scoreboards.

Morgan Cheli was in a boot. Both Gandy and Blanca participated in pregame warmups.

We had fourteen players warming up and they had nine. For those of us who have been seeing the exact opposite for many years, it was a welcome sight.

I am pretty sure that Olivia Vukosa was at the game, behind the UConn bench.

What more can you say about Sarah and Azzi. Both clearly playing at a first team AA level.

The one other who who stood out in person to me is Heckel. She is something. Quick, fearless, aggressive, and is very good at creating her own midrange shot like someone else we know who now plays for a team in Dallas. She has definitely thus far exceeded my expectations for her.

Serah is not going up strong inside as much as I would hope. I don't understand kicking it out when you are two feet from the basket. She did that a couple of times. She missed a few bunnies. The UConn weight room will pay dividends for her.

Aside for a tentative start to the game and a horrendous start to the fourth quarter, it was a very impressive performance. Geno handled the subbing very well. With two or three more coming on board, it won't get any easier for him. But way better than a couple of years ago when he could barely field a team.

Similar to the National championship game, the pedal to the metal occurred when Geno went to the "small" lineup in the second quarter. Davis, the big center for Florida State, could not come close to containing Sarah. If Sarah is not the player of the year, then I will be very surprised.
 
Last edited:
victor64 said:
-Geno’s goal of getting more kids time was met. I liked how he had KK and K9 run the show in the fourth to keep things fairly smooth.

-The second quarter was a textbook example of what offense should look like. What a treat watching Azzi and Jokic Jr do their thing.

-Jana just looks more comfortable than last year. She is making good choices with the ball on the high post. Her foul shot looks tons better.

-It was great seeing Serah having a strong third quarter after another awkward first half offensively. With Fudd and Strong playing like they are, the staff can be patient with Williams.

-K9, on the other hand, is a little out of control at times but her comfort and confidence is growing by the quarter. Her and KK are going to wreck havoc pressuring other teams’ guards.
Allie
-Shade has to find her way offensively. She is still helping in other ways but if Allie keeps playing well and making shots, it may dig into Ash’s minutes. It will be even more interesting when Blanca returns.

-Ducharme looked as comfortable as I have seen her in a long time. Happy for her.

-FSU is going to win a lot of games this year. Unfortunately, their style of play is not going work out well against UConn.

-If they can maintain this level of play for the entire season, who can beat them?
Expand ...
Agree with you on most what you said. Agree, Shade better start shooting better or Allie will be starting. Only disagree on one thing. FSU will not win many games.
 
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