UCONN-Maryland post game thread

[kidfrom360]

Considering the injuries she’s dealt with and how severe it could have been, very much so.

That’s fair. It’s the non contact that worries me though.

 

[Orc]

I don't like seeing Griffin, Muhl and Ducharme in the starting lineup . They are offensively challenged and puts so much pressure on paige and edwards to score.

 

[JBK]

You feel so bad for Caroline. I know how important basketball is to these great athletes - but you have to wonder with head ailments lasting over a year, is it really worth it.

 

[cohenzone]

I hope the UConn football team was there. A real lesson in tackling and hitting hard

Seriously, the hallmark of Geno teams always was win with defense and the offense determines by how much. That was the most aggressive team D I’ve seen from UConn in a while.

Paige is so good even playing one legged and blind in one eye. Aaliyah left several impressions on the hardwood. She has to be sore all over. The freshmen just are not intimidated. Tough early schedule will hopefully reap rewards.

 

[uconnfan68]

I guess we can come in off the ledge.

I was out there as soon as Paige went down from the jab to the eye. I’m just relieved. Good win, and good games by most. Still have some work to do.

 

[kidfrom360]

I don't like seeing Griffin, Muhl and Ducharme in the starting lineup . They are offensively challenged and puts so much pressure on paige and edwards to score.

Ducharme is an offense threat, she just needs to start producing

 

[Ron and Vida]

UCONN's freshman will have games where they struggle, but they will not be intimidated. Their confidence is very impressive!

Their fearlessness is just what the Dr ordered
Also there are three of them so if Q had a cold night you have two others to deal with

 

[Ron and Vida]

This also feels like the first recruiting class since Nika, Paige and Aaliyah where we have multiple freshman who are confident and can make plays. The good news for us is that we just need one or two of them to step up on any given night

 

[Bigboote]

I thought that Paige yanked the ball and the kid went with it. Meanwhile, Paige took 2 shots to the face on that play.

I was fine with the intentional on Paige (she got her money's worth), but was beside myself that Sellers didn't get a personal foul. Evidently they missed the forearm to the jaw.

I was also taken aback that they didn't look to see about an intentional on the thumb to the eye that Paige got. It was contact above the shoulder when the ball was below her waist. No way that's a play for the ball.

 

[Cornell Lt]

Too small, too slow, can’t play defense, a coach way past his prime and maybe was over-rated to start with.

Or maybe not.

Well to be fair, Maryland really laid an egg in this game. Basically came down to UConn had Paige and Maryland did not.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

Well to be fair, Maryland really laid an egg in this game. Basically came down to UConn had Paige and Maryland did not.

That was some stout UCONN defense. And that's with a lot of different lineups.

 

[heavyhusky]

Aubrey deserves a lot of love. She and Paige were the best players out there tonight.

 

[oldude]

Just got back from the game. While I’ve watched a lot of UConn WBB games in a lot of places through the years, strangely enough, this is the first game I’ve ever watched at the Basketball Capital of the World. Mrs. oldude & I were sitting up in the Bob Uecker seats. I love the energy of the student body. Great atmosphere.

A couple thoughts about the game:

• I am sorry to report that during timeouts Azzi was moving very slowly around the player huddles. Just hoping for the best.
• While UConn’s offense was sloppy at times, UConn’s defense was ferocious. Paige, Nika, Aubrey & KK, in particular, we’re relentless. The Huskies forced 27 Turnovers by the Lady Turtles. Cheyenne Sellers, MD’s best player, had a miserable night, 4/13, 8 turnovers and 4 fouls.
• Love the youngsters. With Azzi out, KK & Ashlyn both came up BIG!
• Paige is real close to being Paige.

 

[Bigboote]

I love the rotation of Bueckers, Muhl, and Arnold. Three very good players who all bring different things to the table.

I'm concerned about Ducharme, but not worried. I think it will all come together for her. If Aubrey is limited to 3-5 minutes at a time, I'd favor Aubrey starting and Carol coming off the bench at 3-5 minutes. Start with a bang, bring the shooter in.

I said after the exhibition that I love Shade, and nothing has changed that. Loving all four of the freshmen. Personally, I think whenever a game gets as out-of-hand physically as this one, Geno should put Ice in. She has some imposing presence. Heck, they really won't get much of a jab or hook on KK with her movement.

I think the team found themselves this evening. They won't play like this every game, but they know they've got it in 'em, and they know what it takes and what it feels like.

Let's keep our fingers crossed for Azzi.

 

[BrysonDeMan]

Paige took a forearm to the jaw and then was not about to lose the tug of war for the ball, thus the takedown

ehhh ..... more like Paige got pissed and pulled the girl down
it happens

 

[NEforceUConn]

I guess we can come in off the ledge.

Maybe post of the year so far!

 

[and one]

Ditto to all the previous comments on how the team and individual players did. Some negatives but mostly good stuff.

A couple of things stood out to me:

I loved how hard everyone worked on defense. Quick hands and feet, aggressive closeouts, taking very few possessions off. If they can make that kind of effort game after game, winning games will be a lot easier.

While the defense was consistent, holding MD to 11, 16, 9 and 12 points per quarter, the offense ebbed and flowed, scoring 14, 28, 15 and 23 by quarter.

KK - yes, everyone has good things to say about her. I'd like to up the ante and declare her a soon to be star. She looks as comfortable on the floor as any of the upperclassmen and if she had to get 30 minutes a game I have no doubt she'd do very well. That won't happen this year (barring injuries - get well Azzi!) but next year and the rest of her college career she will and that is going to be fun to watch. One simple play showed me a lot. KK had the ball in a two person break with Paige. There was room for KK to put her head down and drive all the way to the basket, which any eager freshman would do. Instead she made the right play with a pretty little bounce pass to Paige who laid it in. Nice.

MD lost to SC 114 to 76, MOV 38. They lost to us 80 to 48, MOV 32. The MOVs are similar but the scoring couldn't be more different. In evaluating how we stack up to SC I have no idea what this means unless it is the obvious - SC has the better offense and we have the better defense.

 

[Forego]

I thought that Paige yanked the ball and the kid went with it. Meanwhile, Paige took 2 shots to the face on that play.

Don’t forget the over the back no-call that started the play.

 

[JoePgh]

We need to honestly evaluate the opposition to judge how much was demonstrated by this win. I think that by the end of the season, NC State will have several wins against Top 20 teams not named UConn, but I wonder if Maryland will have any wins against ranked teams.

Sellers is talented, but she and several other Terrapin players seem to be carrying extra weight, and I think their fitness is open to question. I see that they played South Carolina even for most of the first half in Sunday's game, and then came apart in the second half. In tonight's game against UConn, they were competitive for about the first 15 minutes of the game, and after that, UConn's lead got steadily bigger.

I hope this game convinces all Boneyarders that Geno is not averse to playing freshmen, or to playing a 9 or 10 player rotation, if everyone is playing at a competitive level. If someone had to be injured, it's good that the injury is in the backcourt. UConn has a lot of depth there, and while no one can shoot like Azzi, there is enough talent and hustle among the remaining guards so that her temporary absence can be endured without too much disruption.

Another note about the game which I consider important: everyone here seems to say that Qadence had an "off game". I disagree -- she shot the ball poorly, but she played well in all other aspects of the game. I remember noticing that within two or three minutes of her entering the game, she had a block, a great lob pass to Aaliyah for a score at the end of the shot clock, and she had a hand in a steal. Geno always distinguishes between shooting well and playing well (which implies a parallel distinction between shooting poorly and playing poorly). Boneyarders should heed that distinction.

 

[todbo]

When Maryland went up on us, I was concerned that we'd panic and repeat our freeze in the NC State game. Sweet to see us grind the Terps down with defense and spread the scoring around.

 

[jaydee602]

Iowa lost to Kansas State!!
Caitlin Clark missed 23 shots including 14 from 3 point range.

 

[RoadMaster]

Sellers was trying to shoot and Paige fouled her.

Looks to have added some Brazilian Jiu-jitsu to her arsenal..

 

[Kevin G]

Was so happy to see UCONN play amazing defense which (as always) leads to our offense clicking.

Paige….WOW!! So glad she’s back.
Our freshmen played so well. I hope this is their “ah ha” moment. But they are freshmen and it’s early. I won’t hold my breath

 

[Huskee11]

I was at the game, great atmosphere, a few empty seats but announced as a sellout, the student section was filled and jumping.

What I admired most about tonight was how maniacally hard they played defense on every possession. Fun to watch. Fighting hard through picks, staying in front of the opponent, not giving one inch. Nika`s personality and will times five. And the stats show it, 16 steals, 9 blocks, forced 27 turnovers. The game was sloppy and lacked flow, but nice that we can win a game like that against a ranked opponent by 32.

That we were only up 14-11 after the first quarter seemed weird in that we were outplaying them by more than that. Felt like we should have scored at least 20. Caroline had some great opportunities that she didn`t cash in on. It seemed like the baskets Maryland was getting were largely the result of broken plays, tipped balls that ended up with Maryland, etc.

Paige reminded us tonight who she is. Just an amazing talent. Passed up a shot or two and Geno let her know about it. Otherwise at another level, and she was especially gritty on defense with six steals and two blocks.

Gotta love the freshman, all three plus Brady play hard and with toughness. KK plays like a veteran college player and Shade is super engaged and intense. Not a great game for Q but she played hard and without fear as well. The three Brady hit late in the game was not important to the outcome but I think it was big for her confidence.

I also liked the lineup with essentially three point guards in the game at once, Paige, KK and Nika.

Bottom line, this game was a defensive statement. If you want to score against us, you will have to earn it. UConn has depth and the bench players are willing to grind it out defensively. Everything you try to do will be challenged. I think that this is going to be the defining personality of the team at least for now. Hoping that Ayanna can contribute to that defensive effort soon and that Azzi is not out long. For what it is worth, she seemed to be walking fine, without a limp or anything.