UCONN - NC State post mortem thread

[Zinethar]

I usually try to rewatch the game before posting. Hasn't worked the last games as thread was locked before I could post. While i agree with some posts I think some things were missed,

I see comments about where were 2nd half adjustments. They were there but had to be cancelled by 5 fouls in first 2 minutes of the half, Totally changed the game. Defense hard to do when in foul trouble.

Why doesn't Geno play Edwards and Ice together. There are currently 2 bigs able to play. Who provides rest or covers for foul issues then? Hopefully Ayanna gets back soon and/or Amari gets ready to contribute. Then that can be tried.

There was a point early in the 2nd half that Paige got mad at a questionable call for her 3rd. That changed her back into beast mode. She forgot she was tired and had been out for what seemed forever. She was back. It showed.

We always say it doesn't matter who starts. It matters who is on the floor in crunch time. Q was there then. She earned it.

The team was out played today. The important thing is will they lick their wounds, learn from mistakes, and fix their issues. That is what early season is for. I have hopes.

A lot of wailing about losing to an unranked team. Really? After one game where half of team won or lost you think anyone knows who should be ranked and where yet? Come on...

 

[The deacon]

Too much doomsaying in this thread. The team came out flat. Geno seems to have suspected this would happen, if not today then soon. He’ll use it to motivate them going forward. But the following structural ‘analyses’ seem mistaken.

1) we are not slow as a team. Aubrey Azzi Paige Nika Qadence Aaliyah Ashlynn and KK are plenty quick.
2) our front court is thin, not small. We got beat by NC St’s guards not their posts. But we can’t afford foul trouble, and Aaliyah seemed to play too cautiously in quarters 2 & 3 because of this. Not having Ayanna hurt us.
3) as things stand, we will be thin on the front line again next season. We’ll get Jana back but likely lose Aaliyah. Even if Geno gets Sarah Strong, this won’t solve the problem at center for us. Fortunately, we can compensate for this the way smaller teams always have, by turning the game into a track meet.
4) Geno didn’t play the freshmen much, except for Qadence. This meant the pressing game we’d seen signs of was not available today. In effect we only played 7 (Ice and KK only got brief minutes) and after Aubrey went down mid 3rd quarter it was 6 for the rest of the way. What did he see that made him forego an obvious strength for a half court game that hadn’t gelled yet this season? I suspect he figured the freshmen might be overwhelmed in that arena.

The problems we saw today are all addressable, not permanent flaws in the structure of the team. I think we are likely to struggle against SC in February and maybe again in March. But I still think Geno can get this team firing on all cylinders in the next few weeks. They will be formidable and capable of beating any opponent — Paige and Aaliyah won’t have it any other way.

Excellent post, Bone Dog, although I'd argue that Nika and Azzi should not be listed among the 'plenty quick.' In spite of her back-to-back Big East defensive honors, I've watched many an opposing guard race by Nika for several years, and today it took on epic proportions.

 

[BobbyJ]

Too much doomsaying in this thread. The team came out flat. Geno seems to have suspected this would happen, if not today then soon. He’ll use it to motivate them going forward. But the following structural ‘analyses’ seem mistaken.

1) we are not slow as a team. Aubrey Azzi Paige Nika Qadence Aaliyah Ashlynn and KK are plenty quick.
2) our front court is thin, not small. We got beat by NC St’s guards not their posts. But we can’t afford foul trouble, and Aaliyah seemed to play too cautiously in quarters 2 & 3 because of this. Not having Ayanna hurt us.
3) as things stand, we will be thin on the front line again next season. We’ll get Jana back but likely lose Aaliyah. Even if Geno gets Sarah Strong, this won’t solve the problem at center for us. Fortunately, we can compensate for this the way smaller teams always have, by turning the game into a track meet.
4) Geno didn’t play the freshmen much, except for Qadence. This meant the pressing game we’d seen signs of was not available today. In effect we only played 7 (Ice and KK only got brief minutes) and after Aubrey went down mid 3rd quarter it was 6 for the rest of the way. What did he see that made him forego an obvious strength for a half court game that hadn’t gelled yet this season? I suspect he figured the freshmen might be overwhelmed in that arena.

The problems we saw today are all addressable, not permanent flaws in the structure of the team. I think we are likely to struggle against SC in February and maybe again in March. But I still think Geno can get this team firing on all cylinders in the next few weeks. They will be formidable and capable of beating any opponent — Paige and Aaliyah won’t have it any other way.

1) They are slow reacting and don't understand how to rotate and fight through screens without fouling.
3) UConn can't control their defensive backboard. They only run on turnovers which they don't generate many of against good teams.
4) No matter what GA tells the media about loving to have and play depth, he has never trusted beyond a 7-8 player rotation in any games he thinks he has a chance to lose.

 

[BobbyJ]

Excellent post, Bone Dog, although I'd argue that Nika and Azzi should not be listed among the 'plenty quick.' In spite of her back-to-back Big East defensive honors, I've watched many an opposing guard race by Nika for several years, and today it took on epic proportions.

You're not supposed to mention that.

 

[jaydee602]

They’ll poof after a win

They’ll poof after a win

LOL.... Or they will complain that UCONN should have won by more points and Geno should retire!!

 

[mhshuskies]

Rebounding, rebounding and uh rebounding!

 

[Cornell Lt]

Something was "off" today, didn't look like normal UConn basketball. I'll just chalk it up to first game jitters and hope for improvement for game against Maryland

 

[oldhusky]

I think he has to start Aubrey. Caroline's defense is a lot weaker than I remember. You may also want to put in Caroline quickly for Nika also to get more shooting and give Paige the ball. Caroline is a lot more comfortable at the 3 than the 4.

If Ice can't start then I think Aubrey should. My preference heading into the season was Ice starting at the 5, Aaliyah playing all the time at her natural 4, Aubrey being a star 3/4 substitute, and Caroline getting most of her minutes at the 3.

Even if Ice starts with Aaliyah it is more like starting two 4's than a 5 and a 4. When Aaliyah has to play the 5 she is not at her best position and Caroline at the 4 is out of position too. There is no reason to expect that lineup to be very good defensively in the post or rebounding.
To help the rebounding you have to either play another big in Ice (albeit more of a 4) or a player who at least rebounds and blocks shots like a big (Aubrey).

It seems to me if Ice isn't doing enough Geno has to use Aubrey at the 4 and Aaliyah at the 5 even though both will be undersized on occasion. He still might have to go small-ball whenever Aaliyah or Aubrey sits, at least until Ayanna could contribute. Either Ice can contribute or she can't, we won't be big even if she can, but at least we should be pretty good or the boards.

If she isn't more of a factor the bigs are a real problem. Even though most don't expect her to be great from the get go, the need for her to make a significant contribution real soon is probably as important to potential team success as anybody. Going into the season we needed one of the freshmen bigs to probably start, and the other to be at least part of the rotation. With Jana out it is all on Ice. You don't want to push a player past their natural learning curve, but it is what it is.

The team's ceiling is much lower is she can't be a major part of the team this year IMO. Fingers crossed she will be.

 

[Rich]

I think there's a whole lot of magical thinking and wishcasting about what UCONN's WCBB team is now and will be in the future.

For one, talent is much more widely dispersed across the country as opposed to when the program was in its ascendancy. That's an indisputable fact and one that even GA would concede. He no longer has the hammerlock on elite recruits (and transfers) that he has had in previous years and this is going to affect game outcomes, play styles and championship odds.

For two, he has had a real recruiting blind spot the past say 5-6 seasons bringing in bigs, specifically athletically gifted bigs. These players are at a premium and so competition for their services is gonna be intense; therefore if you don't have enough NIL juice and don't play in a high enough profile conference you're not gonna get those kids......and Geno has manifestly failed this test. I for one do not think he's capable of adjusting at this point for reasons both within (stubborness and RINGZ) and outside (NIL, conference) his control.

For three-the team is not 'slow' in the athletic sense. The players are fine. Lacking size, but otherwise no reason they can't run with any other team in the country. Where they ARE slow is play pace-they were basically screaming lack of experience and chemistry today and got their asses collectively handed tot hem by a 'veteran' squad. I expect this will happen quite a few times before we hit the conference part of the schedule.

Can they improve? Who knows. We hope so. But it's clear to me that GA has a MASSIVE coaching job ahead of him, especially if he's committed to expanding his rotation which I absolutely believe he should in spite of his worst impulses to the contrary. You can't expect to keep bringing in elite recruits and expect them to sit on their hands for one or two years because you're afraid they'll screw up. Auriemma is in absolutely no danger of losing his job, basically has zero pressure on him and so should just lighten the hell up and let these kids play. If he has a double digit losing regular season well what can you do. It's part of the process.

 

[CTBballfan243]

This?
Dribble ball up the right side of the court.
Low post.
High post.
3 guards/wings outside the arc.
Picks set by high post.
Backdoor cuts.

Geno’s offense is very good when executed Properly. The team just needs to keep working on it in practice. They might not have good enough players or talent to win it all but they will be fun to watch and will win more games than they lose. All things said, I can’t complain.

 

[Bone Dog]

I've watched many an opposing guard race by Nika for several years, and today it took on epic proportions.

They are slow reacting and don't understand how to rotate and fight through screens without fouling.

Nika is plenty quick when the defensive rotation is functioning correctly. As @BobbyJ notes, the rotation was not functioning well today. Of course, Nika, and the others too, would look slow in such a situation. But once Geno has perfected their defensive teamwork, no one will say our guards are slow.

The only non-post player who is genuinely slow of foot is Caroline, but she makes up for this (when the defensive rotation doesn't collapse) by her canny positional play. When she's in mid-season form, she knows where to be and doesn't get out of position.

 

[ctkaiser]

Based on what I saw today, SC or Iowa will be the new #1. We could be ranked lower than LSU and ND. I hope we stay in the Top 10, but...
I could be wrong but I think getting called for 5 fouls in the first 2 minutes of the second half really shifted the momentum of the game and we didn't recover.

The least of our concerns should be about being ranked anywhere but totally agree on the 5 quick fouls to start the 2nd half. I don't know that I've ever seen that from a UConn team. Started to feel like last year's Ohio St game with Aaliyah fouling and getting tentative. I thought overall settled for too many 3s but that is the modern game. Losing Aubrey was huge.

 

[BBallF]

Nika couldn't handle Rivers, and Aubrey was hurting.

Not by themselves. I agree. They needed a Box and 1.

 

[Slovak blue]

I predict "the UConn Effect" will strike NC State. That's when an underdog beats UConn and they lose their very next game. Has happened time and time again. We'll see if I'm right.

I was thinking the exact thing, a hangover!!

 

[JBK]

This could easily have been a 15 point game. There was no comeback but at least they didn't fall apart at the end.

Before we fall to pieces. Multiple choice question: would you rather have your worst one of the year early, on the road out of conference, or in March. Or in a tournament game.

LOTS of talent on this team. It didn't (and won't) go away.

We have to get that toughness that the top teams have. We are way too soft !!!

 

[Happydad745]

Disagree. Qadence was poised and totally unafraid of the moment. She was a bright spot today

I missed that one, probably just too bummed out to pay attention.

 

[freshler40]

she was dominated most of game. They owned the glass and blocked AE 3 times I believe

Edwards needs to focus on scoring and rebounding rather than hooking the opposing player. She needs to body up, not drag down allowing another opponent to grab the rebound. She did play much better after the game got out of hand.
Our poor inside play during the first half kept the game close. Our team had a number of turnovers on what could have been called fake fouls but weren't called. We also charged into players for turnovers. Why? We seemed to lack awareness and didn't play up! We look to just a couple of players like Beckers to bring us back. Something seems off with this team. We need to play with gusto!

 

[Soxx]

Is the worst game an automatic loss? If so then November, obviously. But the really great teams can have their worst game of the season and still win. We used to be that team.

Parity. This is a very different time from the “used to” period in UCONN women’s basketball. It’s amazing to see the skill set of so many first year players.

 

[NEforceUConn]

Just back in Greensboro from the game. Talk about a sea of red and a very loud arena. Congrats to NCS those fans experienced a memory. NCS fans were very pleasant.

On to the game:

Rivers was by far best player on court
Paige scored 27, but she can/will play better.
No clue why Geno only went with AE and Ice together for just a minute (I believe).
Azzi, cough cough, run it off.
CD was hitting almost every shot in warmups, but played only 14 minutes? I know she missed one defensive assignment, but yipes we needed her dagger 3s.
Both Nika and Azzi surprisingly experienced bad NCS blow byes by their guards.
Geno best change his halftime talks.

I did say to the NCS season ticket holder sitting next to me that at least I might be able to say in April that I was there for Husky’s only L. He agreed.
DT was at the game.

Ps I drive a Camry and must say those SUV headlights on the highway really suck.

 

[Big Daddy]

UConn were recruiting bigs. They just couldn’t get any to commit. I think the power conferences pay the players better.

Disappointing but perhaps some sheer size on bigs that are slightly lower ranked would be useful down the bench.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

The Huskies weren’t moving their feet on defense, reaching in instead. They seemed really out of it mentally today

Well if they’re going to have a loss on the road, before Thanksgiving is a good time to have one. Caroline was only in for 15 min, no rebounds, 2 points, very unlike her. That being said, and not second guessing Geno, but I would’ve yanked Nika, and told Ducharme to go hit some threes. Edwards seemed out of it too. If it hadn’t been for Q’s 14 points, this could’ve been a blowout.

 

[Soxx]

Major flaws with this team. No excuses to lose to an unranked team. It wasnt even that close for much of the 2nd half.

1). This team is undersized and has very little physical presence and athleticism. NC State could do whatever it wanted in the post. Meanwhile, we do everything on the perimeter, and if the shot doesn't drop, it's often one-and-done. The only reliable offense is when AE uses her body and skill inside. Paige also started to get her shot back throughout the game. But, that's it! We continue to be a finesse, perimeter team and that recipe often wont work against good teams, as we've seen seen the last few years.

2). Not only are we are undersized, but we are slow, slow, slow. So, we can't run fast-break on offense. And, we cant cover on defense. NC State had wide-open 3's all game, because our guards can't recover and move quickly. I'm sorry, but Fudd is becoming more and more of a liability. If her shots aren't dropping (they weren't today), and she is a bad defender, then how is she contributing? Time after time, she let her player beat her 1-on-1. It wasnt just her. C'mon Geno - send a message. Team defense is all about effort and intensity and it has been lacking of late.

3). This team needs to be more vocal and show more energy. They are too "nice". Again, I go back to a lack of physical presence.

4). I dont see any short-term fixes. It looks like it will be a slow ramp for Brady, which is disappointing. Losing Jana was crippling as she had physical size and presence and was very active in her games before her injury. Recruits for next year again seem to be more undersized guards and wings.

“Unranked” but clearly should have been ranked. I don’t agree that the entire team is “slow.” They defiitely had a very off game.

 

[HuskyNan]

 

[Cuango]

I think there's a whole lot of magical thinking and wishcasting about what UCONN's WCBB team is now and will be in the future.

For one, talent is much more widely dispersed across the country as opposed to when the program was in its ascendancy. That's an indisputable fact and one that even GA would concede. He no longer has the hammerlock on elite recruits (and transfers) that he has had in previous years and this is going to affect game outcomes, play styles and championship odds.

For two, he has had a real recruiting blind spot the past say 5-6 seasons bringing in bigs, specifically athletically gifted bigs. These players are at a premium and so competition for their services is gonna be intense; therefore if you don't have enough NIL juice and don't play in a high enough profile conference you're not gonna get those kids......and Geno has manifestly failed this test. I for one do not think he's capable of adjusting at this point for reasons both within (stubborness and RINGZ) and outside (NIL, conference) his control.

For three-the team is not 'slow' in the athletic sense. The players are fine. Lacking size, but otherwise no reason they can't run with any other team in the country. Where they ARE slow is play pace-they were basically screaming lack of experience and chemistry today and got their asses collectively handed tot hem by a 'veteran' squad. I expect this will happen quite a few times before we hit the conference part of the schedule.

Can they improve? Who knows. We hope so. But it's clear to me that GA has a MASSIVE coaching job ahead of him, especially if he's committed to expanding his rotation which I absolutely believe he should in spite of his worst impulses to the contrary. You can't expect to keep bringing in elite recruits and expect them to sit on their hands for one or two years because you're afraid they'll screw up. Auriemma is in absolutely no danger of losing his job, basically has zero pressure on him and so should just lighten the hell up and let these kids play. If he has a double digit losing regular season well what can you do. It's part of the process.

Not sure how the NIL thing is Geno’s fault! Some schools just have more money connections!

 

[HopJim]

If Ice can't start then I think Aubrey should. My preference heading into the season was Ice starting at the 5, Aaliyah playing all the time at her natural 4, Aubrey being a star 3/4 substitute, and Caroline getting most of her minutes at the 3.

Even if Ice starts with Aaliyah it is more like starting two 4's than a 5 and a 4. When Aaliyah has to play the 5 she is not at her best position and Caroline at the 4 is out of position too. There is no reason to expect that lineup to be very good defensively in the post or rebounding.
To help the rebounding you have to either play another big in Ice (albeit more of a 4) or a player who at least rebounds and blocks shots like a big (Aubrey).

It seems to me if Ice isn't doing enough Geno has to use Aubrey at the 4 and Aaliyah at the 5 even though both will be undersized on occasion. He still might have to go small-ball whenever Aaliyah or Aubrey sits, at least until Ayanna could contribute. Either Ice can contribute or she can't, we won't be big even if she can, but at least we should be pretty good or the boards.

If she isn't more of a factor the bigs are a real problem. Even though most don't expect her to be great from the get go, the need for her to make a significant contribution real soon is probably as important to potential team success as anybody. Going into the season we needed one of the freshmen bigs to probably start, and the other to be at least part of the rotation. With Jana out it is all on Ice. You don't want to push a player past their natural learning curve, but it is what it is.

The team's ceiling is much lower is she can't be a major part of the team this year IMO. Fingers crossed she will be.

Not sure I agree with Geno's decision to bench Ice after just a few minutes of admittingly poor playing time. Everyone else but Paige, Q, and Edwards were not at their best.