UCONN - Seton Hall post-game thread | Page 3 | The Boneyard

UCONN - Seton Hall post-game thread

I might be mistaken but didn't Inês & Ayanna actually get in the game when it mattered. Getting to experience the game with the primary players and having the pressure of being a contributor before the game has been decided?

Well, maybe the writing was on the wall. . . But still.

I personally have wanted the players who aren't quite ready yet to get in the game with 3-4 of the best players just a few minutes at a time, so they actually get to experience the reality,so they understand why they have to work harder and smarter.

Perhaps, that was why Ayanna seemed to struggle today. Just letting my thoughts appear on the page.
 
Two things I picked up on replays that I liked a lot. During a stoppage in play with about 7:30 left in the 4th QTR, there was a 20-30 second shot of the bench and what impressed me was that a very young girl with braces seemed to fit in perfectly with two of the team stars, including one who is a Grad student. I think it shows just how accepting all of the players are in this program and why it is so successful.

The second item was a short team team huddle with the team leader, Nika, on the bench. Who took over that leadership role? Caroline, or as Chris D. calls her, Carol. Good to see that her struggles on the court this year (which based on her performance against SH might be a thing of the past) have not affected her ability to lead, even as a Soph. Good job out there today, Caroline or maybe I should say both CD's !
 
Nolefan said:
To play devils advocate most teams that lead in assist will also tend to lead in the turnover category just the way it is imo look at Golden State tremendous assist team year after year and they tend to turnover the ball in boat loads also at times ..
Expand ...
that's true, but uconn has had far too many travels, illegal screens, even 3-second calls -- failures that are mostly inexcusable.

also, they don't seem as sure-handed as in the past: dropping good passes and fumbling the ball general. that kind of thing is inevitable occasionally, it seems to be happening
 
HopJim said:
A few nits to add:
-This was the best I have seen Dorka rebound this year. Normally she boxes out but has a limited jump-today she was more physical going after the ball.
-Speaking of Dorka, what's up with her shoulder cupping? I get that treatment when there is a sore or pulled muscle or ligament. Curious what the issue is.
-Whenever Bettencourt came into the game, Edwards typically brought the ball up. Worked fine today but not a strategy I would recommend against top teams. Also, hope Geno/CD are encouraging her to put a little more power in her passes. Many of those soft passes end up in turnovers.
-Not sure what direction Patterson is trending. Wonder if she is really closer to 6' or 6'1" based on the number of layups she is getting blocked. She may be outplaying DeBerry in practice but DeBerry is starting to show more upside in the games.
Expand ...

AP has been consistently listed as 6'2", but I agree she doesnt look/play that tall. She reminds me a lot of Gabby Williams in terms of athleticism. She needs to develop her offensive game a lot more if she expects to get major minutes with this stacked lineup. Some kind of post-move or at least a mid-range jumpshot. As the #4 overall recruit & Geno's praises this summer, she definitely has the potential.
 
  1. CD's best game this year. She looked more fluid with her shot and just overall movements.
  2. Lou continues to amaze with her productivity - shooting at a 50+% clip from the perimeter over major minutes is impressive.
  3. AE definitely should get All-American consideration at this point. Actually has similar/slightly better per-game numbers than Boston, and she is doing it with major minutes and double/triple coverage sometimes.
 
Kat said:
This team moves the ball faster than just about anybody. That, and the fact that different players are running in and out makes for some mistakes. I think the concern about turnovers is a bit overblown.
Expand ...
They'll get away with 20+ turnovers against the Big East teams but not against the top 10 teams n the country.
 
.-.
Given Nika's 16-point, 11-assist day, shooting 5-for-8 overall and 4-for-5 on threes, I wonder if we witnessed in today's Seton Hall game the first appearance this season of (wait for it ...)

Azzi Muhl !!
 
One of the notes about Aubrey also is that when she gets a rebound within 6-8 feet she turns away from the basket to pass it out. All she needs is one dribble right or left and a jump shot or no dribble at all.

The turnovers are baffling at times. Just please make the safe pass, go through, get a good shot each possession and don't worry about anything else. At our team shooting percentage, if we have 10 less turnovers a game, which is realistic (it would have been a total of 12 today) and assuming we get a shot on 8 of those possessions we get a minimum of 8 x .527 or 4 baskets or at least 8.25 points more per game. Since we average about 84 points now that increases our points by approximately 10%, highly significant as we get into March. Listen, we can score and with Azzi coming back you have 3 bona fide killers from the arc, including CD( yes, she is ) and Lou. To me, that is key right now, no more sloppiness with the ball.

Caroline had her best game this year but she is not all the way back. When she is, you will see a machine out there. She has not been successful with her pull up much this year. That will come last but makes her a very tough out.

I see Nika as one of the. best PGs in the country right now and improving every game. Today was just great for her and she looked like an AA out there. Her assist numbers are gaudy. How great to be a big with the ball in her hands on the break? Just run, she will find you.

Who worked with Aaliyah over the summer? Whoever it was, what an incredible job not to mention Leah's dedication. Just a different player. That drive to the left and finish with the left hand was spectacular.

I know many of us love Ines but she is only a freshman and has to get rid of certain habits. First you don't pick up your dribble without knowing where you are passing it. Secondly, less dribbling is better and she will develop more speed with the ball on the front of the break as she gets stronger.

I think in general we just need tightening. Now we know the current team and rotation. If we stay healthy we get better exponentially. We played really well today except for some periods of "unfocus" and we get to heal more with the week off before the January onslaught. Like I said in a prior post, we are coming together. We have a lot of talent and some real surprises this year in Lou, Aaliyah and Nika. Feeling very sanguine about our chances this year despite everything.
 
Kat said:
This team moves the ball faster than just about anybody. That, and the fact that different players are running in and out makes for some mistakes. I think the concern about turnovers is a bit overblown.
Expand ...
Not so. The last two games the opponent has scored 18 points off turnovers. A turnover is a lost possession, a lost opportunity to score and an opportunity for the opponent to score.

Most of the turnovers result from really awful passes. Some of them coming from Muhl. I have never seen such a poor passing UConn team as this one.
 
.-.
I suggested "baby steps" forward for Caroline would be sufficient
Those were awfully big baby steps.

A rejuvenated Caroline makes the team that much harder to play.
Good win...will be a good feeling coming back from the holidays
 
mbr33ct said:
I've read somewhere Lou gets the benefit of having Azzi on the floor...did Nika and Caroline get the benefit of having Lou on the floor today? :rolleyes:
Expand ...
100%. The defensive strategy for Seton Hall was to deny, take her out of the game and let every other guard beat them. They swarmed her everytime she touched the ball and decided to leave Nika open until Nika she made them play, which opened up the floor.

Nika's play was huge and shows just how diverse she can be. Her shot looked great but more importantly, she knew she needed to take them, if left open. CD prepped this team accordingly.
 
DefenseBB said:
Hey KID, get off my lawn! Sorry Monte as I said, I was at the game and I honestly don’t recall any excessive flopping to cause you such consternation. I recall a couple but not so egregious to get even slightly annoyed. Cheer up, it’s Christmas!:D
Expand ...
No, I don't necessarily mean FLOPPING....just falling down, or bumped down.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DD2
Happydad745 said:
Nika continues to impress me...As a former martial arts instructor I can honestly say she would have been really good(Karate): Quick, strong and relentless.
Good to see lots of players get their minutes.
Lou: Hard to believe she was (Division 2?) before playing for us...love watching her play
AE really is showing her stuff, and yes, I believe she could be AA.
Dorka showed us why we miss her.
Expand ...
Absolutely love what Lou brings to this team. I only wish she had another year.
 
Seton Hall let Nika, Caroline and Aubrey shoot and tried to cut off Lou and they got burned. I thought this was maybe the best game I've seen Nika play overall. Some turnovers but creative passing, more penetration into the lane and solid shooting, not to mention shutdown defense man to man against Park Lane. It's a great matchup for her.

AE is just crushing it every game. Continuing to improve and she is both working hard and executing very well. Don't look now but she's also 2nd on the team in assists.

I thought CD's player rotation was solid. She kept everyone fresh and contributing.

I personally thought Ayanna was going to be a big part of the rotation this year and put up 7-8 rebounds a game. Her defense is not bad but she's having problems playing the post position in college. I'm not sure how it's going to work out for her but she's clearly trying hard and over time should improve.

Lou is like a Swiss watch out there. She puts up good numbers every game. She must be opening up some WNBA eyes at this point with her overall great shooting. She looks well on her way to shooting well over 40% from 3 for her college career and she's finishing with her best year ever.

It was great to see Caroline have a good game. She even seemed to be getting up and down the court quicker. Getting her up to speed is so important for this team as opponents are going to continue to force her, Aubrey and Nika to shoot. Even one of them knocking down consistent 3's would be huge for this team, this year.
 
HuskerDo said:
Observations:

1. Those live ball turnovers, especially the forced passes into covered post players, are going to be flying back in the other direction against top teams.

2. Aubrey walked three or four uncalled times before her first dribble.

3. The team is much better with Dorka back. But she seems to juggle rebounds or fumble passes of any difficulty quite often. It's the thumb, I'm sure,and maybe it will get better.
Expand ...
Eh i seem to remember a number of folks referring to her as butter fingers last year to. ))
 
.-.
Completely forgot about the game and did not DVR the game. Where can I watch a replay?
 
3 TAKEAWAYS FROM CD'S POST-GAME PRESSER:

1. She acknowledged that going with just 6 players for all but 2 minutes of the FSU game (yeah, I know, some of the benchwarmers were dinged up) left her players tired in the second half and ragged in the 4th qtr. That was remedied with a more even rotation today.

2. Increased TOs is often a by-product of a game plan that heavily emphasizes transition. That will improve with practice.

3, There is definitely a firewall between coaching staff and medical staff on this team. She has no idea when Azzi will be back, and doesn't ask. ("Not my pay grade.")

AND ONE OBSERVATION THAT WAS TOUCHED ON BY A PREVIOUS POSTER IN THIS STRING:

For a player of her size (and I'm talking bulk, not just height), why is Ayanna getting so many inside shots and put-backs blocked? It's like she has weights on her ankles.
 
vtcwbuff said:
Not so. The last two games the opponent has scored 18 points off turnovers. A turnover is a lost possession, a lost opportunity to score and an opportunity for the opponent to score.

Most of the turnovers result from really awful passes. Some of them coming from Muhl. I have never seen such a poor passing UConn team as this one.
Expand ...
Yup. Good categorizing of TOs. That's why they pay Geno and coaches to analyze the game film. I would love to see a breakdown like this.

The worse TOs, imo, come in the half court game when the offense gets stuck because of high perimeter defense, which results in forced passing and a TO, and this leads to 2 on the other end. We had a lot of those in our 2 losses. These are much harder to fix than lazy passing.
 
OldSchooler said:
3 TAKEAWAYS FROM CD'S POST-GAME PRESSER:

1. She acknowledged that going with just 6 players for all but 2 minutes of the FSU game (yeah, I know, some of the benchwarmers were dinged up) left her players tired in the second half and ragged in the 4th qtr. That was remedied with a more even rotation today.

2. Increased TOs is often a by-product of a game plan that heavily emphasizes transition. That will improve with practice.

3, There is definitely a firewall between coaching staff and medical staff on this team. She has no idea when Azzi will be back, and doesn't ask. ("Not my pay grade.")

AND ONE OBSERVATION THAT WAS TOUCHED ON BY A PREVIOUS POSTER IN THIS STRING:

For a player of her size (and I'm talking bulk, not just height), why is Ayanna getting so many inside shots and put-backs blocked? It's like she has weights on her ankles.
Expand ...
Ayanna has the same issue Ono had she holds the ball down too low and gets stripped easily .. hopefully she can fix that and that’s something Ono didn’t improve much on in her time at UConn ..
 
.-.
Not worried about turnovers at this stage.....they are simply eager to share the ball as they move around. As time and play go on, they will learn when not to be too adventurous with the pass, how to tidy up their walks, and how to make sure the opponents can't take the ball away from them so easily. The spirit of player movement and sharing the ball has taken root quickly and the level of assisted baskets is rather incredible as this game attests. They will learn that a few less assists will keep the opponents from scoring off their mistakes....but current their attitude and goal are really, really sensational.

As trends are showing, will we:

1) Say, Aliyah who? about Boston....and joyfully declare, Aaliyah Edwards, take a bow!!!!

2) See Nika set a record for assists? If this trend continues, definitely a new record is coming at UConn where a parade of excellent point guards have tread....it's a very long line and some HOFers among them.

3) See Nika keep that 3pt shooting up? Imagine: adding her to Azzi, Lou, Caroline with a sprinkling of Aubrey and Dorka dropping 3s?

4) Continue to see the coaches immerse Ines in the thick of the game more in Big East games? 4 assists in 11 (?) minutes is doing wonders for her confidence.

5) Continue to see Caroline becoming more herself as the games go on? Choose your poison time is coming and the scariest time this year still to come when Azzi returns. Imagine how it will be next year?
 
Last edited:
Bone Dog said:
Here's the tale of the tape:

View attachment 82206
Expand ...
Amazing game by NM. Taking the good with they bad, NM is 5 for 10 from 3 pt range which is outstanding shooting. Also hitting her FTs to get closer to 70%. Double double by NM which again is outstanding. The untold story is how well she rebounds, routinely getting roughly 5 RBs per game - again outstanding. Of course, most know that her passing skills are unique and special and no, not everybody could do this on this team. Put NM on the worse team in the country and she still gets the assists. She often passes people open. She fills up the stat sheet every game. Terrific player. Need a bit more consistency in her shooting but I'm not complaining too much on that end when you consider the assists, rebounds, the hair on fire defense she plays, and leading the team in what she does and what she says. Her value is obvious.

Dorka with a double double and you have to say that her these two games have been really good. Good to see CD doing some more positives for us - I still think she may struggle against quicker teams but this was a good step in the right direction.

AE is AA and has played that way all year, except for ND when I thought she might step up and have a better game.

AG - solid. Nor sure what is going on with Yanna. Maybe she is in the doghouse??? last two games, only 13 minutes PT is way different than I would have guessed for her at this time of year. More time this game, but she didn't get as much done as expected.

I think Lou is on an AA pace. Could be honourable mention AA.
 
Apparently I was not alone missing the "live" game, I mean who starts a game at 12 noon on a week day? Realized something was afoot when I happened to come on the Boneyard just after the game ended and see this thread...was I surprised :confused: :(. I have to say, there is an advantage of seeing a replay, fast forward commercials and half time altogether. :rolleyes:
 
mbr33ct said:
Apparently I was not alone missing the "live" game, I mean who starts a game at 12 noon on a week day? Realized something was afoot when I happened to come on the Boneyard just after the game ended and see this thread...was I surprised :confused: :(. I have to say, there is an advantage of seeing a replay, fast forward commercials and half time altogether. :rolleyes:
Expand ...
Up until the last minute, ESPN still had the starting time listed as 7 pm.
 
Scored 98 points, shot 60%/52%/92% with Bueckers and Fudd sitting on the sideline.

1671715227594.jpeg
 
.-.
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
168,285
Messages
4,561,399
Members
10,455
Latest member
UConnGabby


Top Bottom