UCONN - Georgetown Post-game thread

[meyers7]

But what is the answer for all the dumb turnovers?

Fudd. When she plays our TOs numbers go down pretty significantly.

 

[BRS24]

Fitness & Fatigue thoughts - In the past, UConn always seemed to be one of the fittest teams. Announcers would comment on them "not ever getting tired", etc. But now? There aren't enough healthy players to have full practices like in prior years. Practices are shorter, and yes, the staff trusts the players to do what they need to do. The challenge of this is that the starters are playing an insane number of minutes for long stretches this season, which impacts recovery time, realistic practice time. This is a classic software infinite loop, with no end. Add on the home-away-home-away-etc-etc schedule, along with expectations of coursework, and it's all a big mess.

Some criticism of players is not unrealistic, however as none of us know what's going on behind the scenes, I know that I'm waaaay less critical of the team now, vs a few weeks ago. Nika's black ankle braces? I noticed them on her very early in the season. Lou was dinged up early on with a foot issue, now has kinesiology tape on her knee (guessing tendinitis due to lots of running and pounding), AE looks like she's on E, AE and Dora not as active on rebounding, but hey, that's tough to do when you've got tired legs. Geno mentioned that they are monitoring the players' exertion and will stop if too much, which goes back to my F&F thought above.

With Amari, Ayanna, and Ines? There is a huge amount of pressure on them now, more than ever before. The starters are tired, and when AAI are subbed in? Betting that they feel the weight of trying to do more than normally expected. And when it doesn't go the way they want to, then they're feeling it even more. I'm not making excuses for them, however when you put a player in a situation that is unexpected, unrehearsed, etc, the outcome is unknown.

And the whole "dumb" pass/turnover/shot/mistake stuff? I'm betting the players know that some of this stuff was ill-advised, however, when you are mentally fatigued, it might look like a good idea in a millisecond, but then it's not. They know this, and it probably crushes them that they are not making the plays that both they and we are all used to seeing.

IMHO, if and when CD and Fudd come back, there's going to be a long road to anything that looks normal per prior seasons. They aren't saviors and we should not expect them to fill that role. Whatever we get from them will help, however I'm not expecting miracles. They've been injured and a lot goes into the mental and physical rehab when coming back from injuries.

I somewhat understand folks frustration with the team, however they are college kids, not pro athletes. This is not their job. What they've experienced over the last few years is insane. It's unfair to compare this team to any other UConn team. The expectations alone of playing at UConn would be daunting for most college athletes.

For me, I'm going to celebrate all the little successes and take the rest of the season game by game, and not get all crazed about any streaks or records or anything. Who's with me?

 

[TheGOAT23]

How do they get so many more shots than we do? I know they won on turnovers, but we won by more on rebounds. I assume a lot our turnovers are also their steals, so you don't add them together. If we win rebounds by 25 and they win TO's by 10 we should have more shots. I know some of our shots were replaced by free throws we got to take, but it still does not seem to add up.

It appears that a bunch over UCONN’s turnovers happened in the backcourt, which led to easy steals and layups for the Hoyas. Turnovers could be classified as “deadball” such as travels, fouls, theee second violations, etc., which gives your team an opportunity to get back on defense. UCONN had three more steals than the Hoyas, but I don’t remember them leading to easy transition points. As Geno said, the team had to work for their points. UCONN rebounded better by 20+, 43-23, however, they only edged the Hoyas by 4 offensive rebounds, 15-11. How many of those second chance opportunities led to points vs Georgetown’s? I don’t know, but this is key to determining the answer to your question(s). The game stats do not give you a clear picture of how they had more shot opportunities. One will need to see the game. Georgetown may have created more shot opportunities after turnovers and offensive rebounds than UCONN.

 

[hookshot]

Fitness & Fatigue thoughts - In the past, UConn always seemed to be one of the fittest teams. Announcers would comment on them "not ever getting tired", etc. But now? There aren't enough healthy players to have full practices like in prior years. Practices are shorter, and yes, the staff trusts the players to do what they need to do. The challenge of this is that the starters are playing an insane number of minutes for long stretches this season, which impacts recovery time, realistic practice time. This is a classic software infinite loop, with no end. Add on the home-away-home-away-etc-etc schedule, along with expectations of coursework, and it's all a big mess.

Some criticism of players is not unrealistic, however as none of us know what's going on behind the scenes, I know that I'm waaaay less critical of the team now, vs a few weeks ago. Nika's black ankle braces? I noticed them on her very early in the season. Lou was dinged up early on with a foot issue, now has kinesiology tape on her knee (guessing tendinitis due to lots of running and pounding), AE looks like she's on E, AE and Dora not as active on rebounding, but hey, that's tough to do when you've got tired legs. Geno mentioned that they are monitoring the players' exertion and will stop if too much, which goes back to my F&F thought above.

With Amari, Ayanna, and Ines? There is a huge amount of pressure on them now, more than ever before. The starters are tired, and when AAI are subbed in? Betting that they feel the weight of trying to do more than normally expected. And when it doesn't go the way they want to, then they're feeling it even more. I'm not making excuses for them, however when you put a player in a situation that is unexpected, unrehearsed, etc, the outcome is unknown.

And the whole "dumb" pass/turnover/shot/mistake stuff? I'm betting the players know that some of this stuff was ill-advised, however, when you are mentally fatigued, it might look like a good idea in a millisecond, but then it's not. They know this, and it probably crushes them that they are not making the plays that both they and we are all used to seeing.

IMHO, if and when CD and Fudd come back, there's going to be a long road to anything that looks normal per prior seasons. They aren't saviors and we should not expect them to fill that role. Whatever we get from them will help, however I'm not expecting miracles. They've been injured and a lot goes into the mental and physical rehab when coming back from injuries.

I somewhat understand folks frustration with the team, however they are college kids, not pro athletes. This is not their job. What they've experienced over the last few years is insane. It's unfair to compare this team to any other UConn team. The expectations alone of playing at UConn would be daunting for most college athletes.

For me, I'm going to celebrate all the little successes and take the rest of the season game by game, and not get all crazed about any streaks or records or anything. Who's with me?

This is your John Belushi moment - I'm with you

 

[HuskyNan]

 

[HopJim]

Real three point shooters know where the three point line is. Dorka and Aubrey need to learn this skill.

My take is to just say, "Thank you," for the critical outside shots they made.

 

[The deacon]

I agree, Browns, we don't know if Caroline or Azzi will be back this season.

However, Caroline was much more productive when she played than you give her credit. She averaged 14 points and 7 rebounds over her last five games before being hurt, including 19 points in her final game vs. Marquette on Dec. 31, and was 8 of 16 from three for her last three games.

 

[HuskyNan]

It appears that a bunch over UCONN’s turnovers happened in the backcourt, which led to easy steals and layups for the Hoyas.

Regarding turnovers, 15 of the 23 were from the frontcourt, 8 from Aaliyah alone.

UCONN rebounded better by 20+, 43-23, however, they only edged the Hoyas by 4 offensive rebounds, 15-11. How many of those second chance opportunities led to points vs Georgetown’s? I don’t know, but this is key to determining the answer to your question(s). The game stats do not give you a clear picture of how they had more shot opportunities. One will need to see the game. Georgetown may have created more shot opportunities after turnovers and offensive rebounds than UCONN.

Georgetown took 62 shots and missed 39 of them; UConn had 28 defensive rebounds. The Hoyas got 12 points off the 11 offensive rebounds.

The Huskies took 50 shots and missed 38 of them; then grabbed 15 offensive rebounds. They scored 16 points off them.

Rebounding wasn’t the problem.

 

[The deacon]

Me too, but remember.....Geno said he's NEVER had a team that had to go through what THIS team is experiencing. The rash of injuries that have hit this team is very unusual. This team is doing what I can remember (since I've been following UConn WBB -2008) only 1 other team coming close to.

That was the 2010-2011 team. Due to injuries, they were down to 8 players. Freshmen Lauren Engeln, Michala Johnson and senior Lorin Dixon were the reserves. Dixon was the only reserve that Geno used once he was down to 8 players except in garbage time. UConn lost to Notre Dame in the semi championship game. ND lost to Texas A&M in the championship game. Engeln and Johnson both transferred after the following season. I thought Geno should have been voted the coach of the year for the way he coached and managed those 8 players, and for how far they went in the tournament. UConn was fine after the following season because the BIG three came in....Tuck, Jefferson and Stewart.

An interesting note about UConn's lost to ND - Maya Moore attempted 30 field goals in the semifinal against Notre Dame, the most ever attempted in a Final Four game.

...and scored 36 of the Huskies' 63 points.

 

[CTrefugee]

I think a special shout-out for Ayanna is warranted for her play in the first half. The box score indicates that she had 5 rebounds (2 offensive), 1 assist, and 1 block for the game as a whole, and most of that was in the first half. She took one shot, which was a good shot that she missed. This was all done in 12 minutes that she played in the game.

I completely fail to understand the poster who said that she looked "lost".

This is the first game where it seems clear that she is making real progress in contributing to the team's success.

She will be a factor going forward. She will get more time against "big" teams. Amari has peaked.

 

[HopJim]

Apparently there isn’t one. We do it every game. 23 today.

While I understand that the how to eliminate turnovers question does not have one answer, much of UConn's issue today is the outside player with the ball standing in place and staring at the cutter or big under the basket. Just like a QB getting intercepted if he gives the defensive back a clear indication of where he is going to throw the ball, many of these turnovers are straightforward. When Edwards and Dorka are doubled, we need other options.
Once we get our outside shooting back, the other team's ability to pack the inside will go away as will some of our turnovers.

 

[Lynx23]

unrealistic to expect that this team can go far in the tournament and may have trouble in the BE tournament. IMO the best thing you can take out of this season is the privilege of watching this incredibly gutty group perform under impossible circumstances. Dorka and Lou should be excellent pros.

I think the reality is that the Big East is a very physical conference with some really good and sometimes exceptional players that do not play for UCONN. Siegrist is a good example. Even the weaker teams have been very competitive as the season has progressed. This isn't the American Conference, in which the season was a cakewalk perhaps with the exception of USF. So, losing two in a row especially when the first loss is against the #1 team in the nation, is a disappointment but shouldn't be a complete surprise, especially with a depleted squad. Strong competition would generally bode well for the postseason if everyone were healthy. My expectations are realistic now, so I'm just enjoying the ride and seeing where it takes us. However, if Caroline and Azzi do return, I think we have a decent chance to win it all. What a remarkable story that would be!

 

[CONN78SEJ]

this game shows even if we get Azzi or Caroline back we could easily lose another starter. They are all very banged up.

I was heartened to see Nika hitting some of her 3 pt shots. As a football great used to say, “Practice, Practice, Practice”.

 

[ME Husky Fan]

We need to watch the passing lanes. The receiver of the pass needs to be mindful of a defender lurking in the passing zone as much as the player passing the ball. The passes need to be crisp.
You can't drive under the basket if theres too many players there and just throw up a prayer hoping to get fouled.
The bigs need to hang onto the ball, hold it up and either shoot it or clear it.
A lot of our passes inside are being made into a crowd. We never used to do that.

A gritty win if there ever was one. Agree on the assessment. You want the ball when it's passed to you, come and get it, don't lay back but if you do use your butt to fend off the defender. These kids are dead tired and it shows. Each realizes how short-staffed we are, and each seems to want to do it themselves, driving into traffic when that wasn't the MO early on, understandably. I can't even imagine what the walking wounded feel like, sitting on the bench, unable to help the cause, or could they?

 

[Mdoggie]

View attachment 84031 View attachment 84031 smart turnovers

Those look like delicious turnovers.

 

[cferraro04]

Fudd. When she plays our TOs numbers go down pretty significantly.

True and so will Muhl's assists numbers...can you imagine how many assists Nika would have if Azzi and Caroline didn't go down. The fact that she still puts up crazy assists numbers without them is amazing by itself.

 

[Majorthreat]

How many games can UConn win turning the ball over 23 times? GT only had 14.

Because we only have one primary ball handler Nika and she really isn't a true point guard. That is why every time a team traps they are successful. I was taught in high school never to pick up your dribble unless you are passing or shooting and we will dribble into a double team or throw lazy passes across the court when there is a defender in between our players.

 

[Hist-teacher]

File this under, "I wonder why?"
-Edwards, who is consistently now having a wall of defenders stop her drives, doesn't either shoot the 7-foot jump shot or throw out to an open Husky?
-Why Patterson runs down the in the middle of the court on fast breaks and stays there? We all learned how to space on fast freaks in middle school.
-Lous is missing most of her shots. Does she have an ankle or other issue? Suspect so.
-DeBerry has skills that help in some, but not all, match ups. Geno constantly is yelling at her so not surprised that she at times is hesitant. Why not just let her get in the game and take open shots?

I don't believe he's yelling at her to not shoot. She's almost always out of position defensively and is soft when trying to rebound the basketball. It those things that infuriate him. The basic fundamentals are lacking.

 

[boontonbomber]

Got to mention that it was nice to see the attendance at almost 3600 for that game. Georgetown players said afterwards that the support was really helpful. Drawn there by UConn appearing more vulnerable, I guess. Amazing what happens to teams if there is a flicker of a chance. Probably will see more of this in Big East games if UConn doesn't get players back.

 

[Carnac]

Because we only have one primary ball handler Nika and she really isn't a true point guard. That is why every time a team traps they are successful. I was taught in high school never to pick up your dribble unless you are passing or shooting and we will dribble into a double team or throw lazy passes across the court when there is a defender in between our players.

My coaches taught us the same thing. The players on the court can see the double team coming.....they have been taught and coached on what to do when it comes, and where to go with the ball. Whenever the ball is double-teamed, one or two of your teammates is ALWAYS open, but they have to come back towards the ball to an OPEN space on the floor to give the ball handler a clear and open passing lane to beat the press. They can't just stand there and watch the guard try and break the press.

I see you're a relatively new poster with 15 posts. Welcome to the yard.

 

[HuskyNan]

Got to mention that it was nice to see the attendance at almost 3600 for that game. Georgetown players said afterwards that the support was really helpful. Drawn there by UConn appearing more vulnerable, I guess. Amazing what happens to teams if there is a flicker of a chance. Probably will see more of this in Big East games if UConn doesn't get players back.

 

[sun]

April 28, 2000
"Georgetown University Athletic Director Joseph Lang recently announced renovation plans that would transform 2,200-seat McDonough Gymnasium into a 5,500-seat arena.....the renovations to McDonough would not be made for at least five years, according to Lang.

The reason for the lengthy delay has to do with other on-campus construction projects that are more pressing...."

McDonough Gym To Be Renovated

By Stephen Owens Hoya Staff Writer Georgetown University Athletic Director Joseph Lang recently announced renovation plans that would transform 2,200-seat McDonough Gymnasium into a 5,500-seat arena. This renovation would most likely allow the men’s basketball team to play at least some of its...

thehoya.com

 

[Gordo]

But what is the answer for all the dumb turnovers?

Rest!

 

[BRS24]

I hear what you are saying however the comparison of college vs pro athletes is massive. UConn alums have commented about how different things are when all you do is practice, rehab, and play games. Lots of downtime. Student athletes practice/rehab/games/classes/homework/study hall/tutoring/etc.