UConn - SC post game

[cferraro04]

C'mon folks...we were playing a true road game against a team that is undefeated and happens to be the number one team in the country. We are number 11 for a reason. South Carolina has earned its number one ranking just as we have earned our number 11 (probably move down in the rankings maybe 14 or 15).

We are playing with a depleted line-up Caroline, Azzi, Griffin and El-Alfy probably would have been able to have an impact on this game...not to mention we could have had some quality reserves available to give our starters some much-needed rest.

I think people can stop with the "Bueckers isn't that good", "she isn't as good as she was pre-injury", and "Other players are better than she is". Paige is an elite player, she always gets the other team's best defender, and even with that she is doubled and triple-teamed. Paige plays out of position as a swing-forward. She is posting up, playing in the post, and blocking and rebounding as a 6'0" guard for UConn to make up for the loss of our bigs. Our reserves are not ready for the big games yet. Q and Ice are okay for routine Big East conference games but against top ten teams...they need more time. Ines and Amari are not being counted on to provide any help off the bench. So, Paige is charged with being the top scorer, making everyone look and play better, playing the post, and swinging out to the guard position to make three-pointers. Despite it all this kid is averaging 20 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.2 steals, 1.1 blocks, and 2.0 three-pointers per game. Paige is shooting .537 from the field, .442 from three-point, and .838 from the foul line. I simply don't want to hear any more negativity aimed in Paige's direction it is simply not true and completely unwarranted.

Our freshmen have been asked to take on responsibility that is completely different than what the expectations were at the beginning of the season. They have done extremely well. It is fair to say at this stage of the season that Ashlynn Shade is farther along in her ability to grasp the game at this level. KK is doing well in many categories (9.1 points, 2.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 2.2 steals) ...she is inconsistent with scoring but we all knew that when KK came here. She was a slasher and scored most of her points driving to the basket. I think South Carolina's size and athleticism caught KK off guard. I going to guess that KK will learn from this game and be better for it. Remember we have two freshmen in our starting line-up and our most productive player off the bench is also a freshman. Sure there are some super freshmen out there but they are on teams that go deep into the bench, and are surrounded by a lot of very senior, experienced players.

Edwards is an undersized post player who plays with a big heart. She is playing outstanding basketball.

The bottom line we just don't have enough horses and it isn't feasible to expect UConn to be able to run with the top 10 teams with only 5 quality starters and two freshmen reserves.

I wanted UConn to win this game as much as anyone...I knew what it would have meant to the program if we had won that game...however, while my heart was calling for a close win by UConn I knew in my head that I was hoping that UConn would keep it close and lose by no more than 10 points... The 18-point loss was disappointing but we were playing a deep team at home in a very hostile environment.

If you take away the horrible first half we played and consider the second half (post-adjustments)...UConn did not do so badly. We cannot afford to hang our heads...we have a Big East Conference to win, A Big East Tournament and we need to prepare for the NCAA Tournament. Talk of next year doesn't help...we know it is going to be different next year...but this is now! Let's enjoy these players, some of whom will not be here next season. Let's realize how blessed we are to be able to see Aaliyah Edwards having the best season of her life. Let's enjoy our seniors because we may not have them with us next season. GO HUSKIES!!!!

 

[uconnfan68]

Your reading comprehension must be a little off because I was talking about dunking, or did you miss the bit about hanging on the rim. The women's game is still different from the men's, where most of the rebounds, blocks, tips are still BELOW the rim. The only area I see that is a lot like the men's is the officials let it get too physical sometimes. Mr. Naismith would not recognize much of the game today, it was at one time a non-contact sport.

That’s why I said it’s not just dunks. The 1990s aren’t coming back. We have enough short slow players.

 

[Drfla]

We lost to the #1 team by only 18 points and some of you are acting like the sky is falling. Our shots weren't falling and they couldn't miss. I'm not all down and boo-hooing about this game, I think we will learn a lot from it.
On to Xavier...GO HUSKIES!

We did learn a lot from the game. Injuries have decimated this team and because of that they are not in the upper tier of teams that can make the Final Four. There is no team in the country that could withstand the injuries this team has had and still be a Final Four contender.

We have 5 talented players and unfortunately that is it. Q has promise for the future but is not ready this year and it seems, despite the preseason hype, Ice is in the same category, promise for the future but not ready this year.

I agree that we should appreciate the effort and talents of the team. They are trying their best. Unfortunately, though in the end we lost by only 18 points, as you say, the reality is that the game was not that close. our shots weren’t falling because SC plays good defense and they couldn’t miss because they are very good offensively. There was no good or bad luck involved.

The injury devastation has left us a level or two below the best teams, just like for so many years there were very few teams with a realistic chance to beat us, realistically there are teams we don’t have a chance to beat this year. Got to be realistic.

Still love the team and their effort. GO HUSKIES! Still #1 in our hearts.

 

[uconnfan68]

I’ve gotta say, I was pretty disappointed with Geno’s postgame comments. I thought he was way too dismissive of SC. The fact is, they are just better than us and imo he should have acknowledged that. Instead he made it out as though we didn’t win because we didn’t play well. That is true of course, but much of our poor play was caused by SC! They were simply better in every possible way and given our roster limitations, the only way we have any chance against them is for all of our team to play exceptionally well and for them to play poorly! We are not in their class at all and won’t be until we get our roster healthy. The truth is, we would not likely have beaten them even if we had played well!

I also thought his comments vis a vis our players either too harsh or downright delusional. I could not believe it when he said that SC had nothing to do with Nika’s poor performance today! I felt like they had everything to do with it! I’ve always admired his honesty when we were beaten badly but today, it just wasn’t there. I felt he was too harsh with Ice and way too lenient with Nika.

For the first time I find myself wondering if Geno still has it in him to get this team back on par with the elites. My heart says, wait til he has a healthy roster but some of the things he’s saying are, in my mind, pretty questionable. I mean, how does Ines feel after listening to that? Or Amari, for that matter, though to be fair she has made her own bed. Also, he made out like Paige is playing 37-39 minutes a game when in fact she has been playing far less until today! I don’t know, but you can color me concerned!

I think I saw what Geno saw. Nika made more than a few unforced errors, and couldn’t pull the trigger a few times in the 2nd half, but I blame Geno for that. He told them to work it around more. KK had some poor decisions to go with poor shooting. Ashlynn just couldn’t get a rhythm going from deep. Paige, uncharacteristically, missed some bunnies, and Edwards could only manage a dozen rebounds, when we needed 2 dozen from her.

I think there was a lot of blame to go around, but I don’t think an A+ game would have beaten a much better team.

 

[Huskygamble19]

I would like to point out to Dave O'Brien that Cardoso being out is a loss for south Carolina to be sure, but he kept harping about it the whole game and South carolina still has a lot of depth to choose from when we have 5 players done for the year. We have no depth!!!

 

[RadfordRam]

Here's what I see:

1. Not enough good midrange/outside shooters. Only Shade and Paige are.
2. Not enough rebounding - given the lack of size, Edwards needs to be pulling in about 20 per game to make UConn competitive.
3. Too many weak links defensively. Edwards is repeatedly taken advantage of, both in man situations and switches. Otherwise, most players can be shot over due to lack of size. Quick guards are kryptonite.
4. Not enough athleticism.
5. Paige has never been 100% recovered this season and now she's getting ground down.

It's just not an elite team.

Edwards was better defensively than Paige was against Carolina. Also, they should have played thru her the entire game yesterday.

 

[RadfordRam]

We lost to the #1 team by only 18 points and some of you are acting like the sky is falling. Our shots weren't falling and they couldn't miss. I'm not all down and boo-hooing about this game, I think we will learn a lot from it.
On to Xavier...GO HUSKIES!

Carolina had several players that played bad, Bree Hall, Fulwiley, Feagin, were all off today. I agree the sky isn't falling for UConn but this wasn't an A game for Carolina in my opinion.

 

[sun]

I been waiting to compare SCar's margins of victory against both UConn & LSU as a measure of each team's relative strength.
SCar was only able to beat LSU by 6 but now they beat UConn by 18 without Cardoso.
UConn simply didn't have enough offensive strength to make it a close game.
PaoPao was something else.

 

[HuskyNan]

We have 5 talented players and unfortunately that is it. Q has promise for the future but is not ready this year and it seems, despite the preseason hype, Ice is in the same category, promise for the future but not ready this year.

There was no hype about Q. She was ranked #41 by HoopGurlz and is what is to be expected - a player that improved greatly last summer and who is continuing to improve but is behind KK and Ash on the learning curve

 

[freshler40]

Understood. I think what happens in these games against athletic defenses, is that your your looks are very brief (Paige passed up a couple of those ) but if you don't take them it may not get any better. For example Nika has become a very reliable shooter, "only" when she has a wide open look. So you end up taking your opportunities that suit you, and you can arguably credit Shade for that, but the looks may have been a little too quick for her. Similarly, Its hard to be critical when KK took several to the rim because the path was there and open. But you want to get foul shots, if not a basket, or a dish for a basket, in those situations and KK doesn't yet have the experience or skill to create that outcome. In HS, when she went to the rim, it always ended up a basket

KK needs to develop a pull up jumper, use the rim for protection, keep her head up and swing her body into the defender to get a foul along with a finish! She will develop much more and be a star.

 

[freshler40]

Losing Dorka and Lou was bigger then Uconn was prepared for. Both of them played through injuries to keep the team going.
Uconn never really replaced them.

Dorka provided a great balance to Edwards and kept the defense honest. She was a steady 15 points with serious rebounding. We never replaced her, or her replacement got injured. This was a big loss as the previous game against SC was close. She has been an outstanding pro which proves the above comments. She played with heart of a lion as did Lou. Both played many games injured.

 

[freshler40]

C'mon folks...we were playing a true road game against a team that is undefeated and happens to be the number one team in the country. We are number 11 for a reason. South Carolina has earned its number one ranking just as we have earned our number 11 (probably move down in the rankings maybe 14 or 15).

We are playing with a depleted line-up Caroline, Azzi, Griffin and El-Alfy probably would have been able to have an impact on this game...not to mention we could have had some quality reserves available to give our starters some much-needed rest.

I think people can stop with the "Bueckers isn't that good", "she isn't as good as she was pre-injury", and "Other players are better than she is". Paige is an elite player, she always gets the other team's best defender, and even with that she is doubled and triple-teamed. Paige plays out of position as a swing-forward. She is posting up, playing in the post, and blocking and rebounding as a 6'0" guard for UConn to make up for the loss of our bigs. Our reserves are not ready for the big games yet. Q and Ice are okay for routine Big East conference games but against top ten teams...they need more time. Ines and Amari are not being counted on to provide any help off the bench. So, Paige is charged with being the top scorer, making everyone look and play better, playing the post, and swinging out to the guard position to make three-pointers. Despite it all this kid is averaging 20 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.2 steals, 1.1 blocks, and 2.0 three-pointers per game. Paige is shooting .537 from the field, .442 from three-point, and .838 from the foul line. I simply don't want to hear any more negativity aimed in Paige's direction it is simply not true and completely unwarranted.

Our freshmen have been asked to take on responsibility that is completely different than what the expectations were at the beginning of the season. They have done extremely well. It is fair to say at this stage of the season that Ashlynn Shade is farther along in her ability to grasp the game at this level. KK is doing well in many categories (9.1 points, 2.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 2.2 steals) ...she is inconsistent with scoring but we all knew that when KK came here. She was a slasher and scored most of her points driving to the basket. I think South Carolina's size and athleticism caught KK off guard. I going to guess that KK will learn from this game and be better for it. Remember we have two freshmen in our starting line-up and our most productive player off the bench is also a freshman. Sure there are some super freshmen out there but they are on teams that go deep into the bench, and are surrounded by a lot of very senior, experienced players.

Edwards is an undersized post player who plays with a big heart. She is playing outstanding basketball.

The bottom line we just don't have enough horses and it isn't feasible to expect UConn to be able to run with the top 10 teams with only 5 quality starters and two freshmen reserves.

I wanted UConn to win this game as much as anyone...I knew what it would have meant to the program if we had won that game...however, while my heart was calling for a close win by UConn I knew in my head that I was hoping that UConn would keep it close and lose by no more than 10 points... The 18-point loss was disappointing but we were playing a deep team at home in a very hostile environment.

If you take away the horrible first half we played and consider the second half (post-adjustments)...UConn did not do so badly. We cannot afford to hang our heads...we have a Big East Conference to win, A Big East Tournament and we need to prepare for the NCAA Tournament. Talk of next year doesn't help...we know it is going to be different next year...but this is now! Let's enjoy these players, some of whom will not be here next season. Let's realize how blessed we are to be able to see Aaliyah Edwards having the best season of her life. Let's enjoy our seniors because we may not have them with us next season. GO HUSKIES!!!!

Great post! Thanks.

 

[Blakeon18]

Geno's comments about UConn going ahead with 7 players was clearly a message to Amari and Ines.
I do hope they get some PT during Big East games that we control....if only to try and keep the starters
fresh...are the practices what Geno is alluding to regarding Amari and Ines?

Add in the very limited time that Q and Ice are still struggling at this level...flashes of
effectiveness evident once in a while. Ice was #5 in her class...the injury last season clearly set her back but
I am surprised she hasn't been more effective....especially on offense.

 

[Cheddie]

Losing Dorka and Lou was bigger then Uconn was prepared for. Both of them played through injuries to keep the team going.
Uconn never really replaced them.

Uconn never really replaced them. They did - for a short while. I understand Jana was among the best players in the overseas tournament last summer until she was hurt. She was to be our "Dorka." And Azzi/a healthy Caroline would have provided the offense that Lou did. Four of UConn's players had surgery that keeps everyone off the court. With the risk of CTE, I commend UConn for focusing on Caroline's long-term health.

 

[SLY63]

The team is playing hard and making the best of what they have, but we have to face the facts. Against 5 teams likely to be the top 16 seeds, we are 0-5 and lost by a combined 68 points. Without significant improvement or a great draw, we probably should be happy making the sweet 16.

 

[Darwin]

I would like to point out to Dave O'Brien that Cardoso being out is a loss for south Carolina to be sure, but he kept harping about it the whole game and South carolina still has a lot of depth to choose from when we have 5 players done for the year. We have no depth!!!

I keep seeing this posted by people. Again, both teams suited up 9 players for the game. All 9 players on each squad were recruited and have been trained by their respective coaching staffs.

 

[jumpstart]

I been waiting to compare SCar's margins of victory against both UConn & LSU as a measure of each team's relative strength.
SCar was only able to beat LSU by 6 but now they beat UConn by 18 without Cardoso.
UConn simply didn't have enough offensive strength to make it a close game.
PaoPao was something else.

Those are irrelevant facts. The LSU game was played on LSU's home court while the UCONN game was played on South Carolina's home court. Big difference. The Cardoso factor is impossible to gauge. I don't see how you can make any comparison based on what happened in either of those games.

 

[visitingcock]

I been waiting to compare SCar's margins of victory against both UConn & LSU as a measure of each team's relative strength.
SCar was only able to beat LSU by 6 but now they beat UConn by 18 without Cardoso.
UConn simply didn't have enough offensive strength to make it a close game.
PaoPao was something else.

I don’t think it’s valid to compare scores. SCar played LSU in front of a rabid, LSU sellout home crowd. SCar played UConn in front of a rabid SCar home crowd.it makes a difference - especially to freshmen like Kk, Ashlynn and Q who haven’t experienced such crowd pressure. Now, they have!

 

[Conndog]

UConn has 5 starters, Ice and Q make 7 players that actually play, that use 99% of playing time. Paige and Aaliyah are the only ones from whom reliable scoring will occur. If Ash had a better shooting night, then that would have helped, but she can have an off night as she did against SC. KK doesn’t have a good enough shot, Nika doesn’t shoot unless undefended, so who else is going to score against a quicker, bigger team like SC? That was one of the problems for UConn- not enough scoring. And not enough bigs- impossible to expect Aaliyah to get all the rebounds. Yes, injuries certainly hampered who UConn had available, but team’s losses this year shouldn’t be a surprise.

 

[Zonepress]

Great post! Thanks.

A voice of reason!!

 

[Zonepress]

Carolina had several players that played bad, Bree Hall, Fulwiley, Feagin, were all off today. I agree the sky isn't falling for UConn but this wasn't an A game for Carolina in my opinion.

First half was pretty close to the a game

 

[Zonepress]

Azzi, Caroline, Ayanna, and El Alfy all missing from this game. But can I add that the biggest presence missing was Aubrey? She would have gave Watkins and Kitts fits in the lane. Her speed would have produced quick buckets and her offensive and defensive rebounding was needed.

There's alot of stars missing but Griffin in this match-up is the biggest hole missing.

Completely agree re Aubrey
Team was playing at a high level
In easy wins over Louisville and no Carolina
Impossible to overcome her injury

 

[maple]

I’ve gotta say, I was pretty disappointed with Geno’s postgame comments. I thought he was way too dismissive of SC. The fact is, they are just better than us and imo he should have acknowledged that. Instead he made it out as though we didn’t win because we didn’t play well. That is true of course, but much of our poor play was caused by SC! They were simply better in every possible way and given our roster limitations [...]

For the first time I find myself wondering if Geno still has it in him to get this team back on par with the elites. My heart says, wait til he has a healthy roster but some of the things he’s saying are, in my mind, pretty questionable.

Yeah, I have to agree.

I'm not going to say Geno is washed or anything ridiculous like that. And obviously he's not responsible for the injuries. But over the last few years I've seen other teams play like how UConn used to play, while we're just ... not. I'm not talking about talent (though that's a part of it), or height, just missing that killer instinct to get to every loose ball, battle for every rebound, etc. We lack attitude. I've definitely seen flashes of it at times, but it's not consistent (except for maybe AE this year). Is it a coaching thing? I don't know.

 

[Dognusty]

It's been a known fact for months. Everyone knows those players are not coming back. Cardoso being gone is fresh and she is expected to come back. What do you want the world to do keep talking about players that are going to have no outcome on this season at all? It sucks that they are not playing but that is what it is. Accept they are not playing and move on.