UConn - SJU post game

[RoadMaster]

Swipe..

 

[ABCDFE]

Weird game. Thought we were going to blow them out and then they hung around due to our lapses in defense and turnovers. This offense is just not the same if Shade is not aggressive. Not sure if she's over thinking it but I don't see that aggressiveness from her as often and it makes their offense much more predictable and easier to defend.

Nika was ok today. Hoping to see more consistency from her on a game in game out basis.

KK is active, but would really like her to be more aggressive on the offensive end.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

I wasn't attacking her at all, simply pointing out that it happened this game. I did make mention of her otherwise great performance.

EDIT: I just realized I wrote "her biggest 'flaw' this season" in my original post. It was meant to say "this game". That's my error.

I didn’t think you were trying to attack her at all, I was just trying to remind people she’s been through a lot, and has made an amazing comeback.

 

[my2cents]

Paige’s biggest “flaw” was having a terrible knee injury in 2021, early in her sophomore year, and then tearing her ACL in the same knee not long after that. It was something beyond her control. She probably will never entirely recover 100%. She still is a great player and has made an amazing comeback but she is not the girl who won NPOY as a freshman and was hands down the best player in the country that year.

You have to be kidding?

 

[CONN78SEJ]

Weird game. Thought we were going to blow them out and then they hung around due to our lapses in defense and turnovers. This offense is just not the same if Shade is not aggressive. Not sure if she's over thinking it but I don't see that aggressiveness from her as often and it makes their offense much more predictable and easier to defend.

Nika was ok today. Hoping to see more consistency from her on a game in game out basis.

KK is active, but would really like her to be more aggressive on the offensive end.

Shade hasn’t played well last two games. Hope it’s not the “freshman wall”.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

You have to be kidding?

Kidding? Um…no, mean’t every word. Maybe you have a terrible memory? Paige was all everything her freshman year.

 

[omshanti]

A win is a win. They passed the test and won. Paige and Edwards can carry the team. Two dominant performers can beat a team that only has one, or none. defense is suspect still So that appears to be the biggest concern.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

 

[RockyMTblue2]

 

[Ct Dog]

It is not a winning formula for UConn for Paige and Edwards to do most of the scoring.

You’re exactly right, that formula works great in the big east but OOC it’s not good at all as we’ve witnessed.I guess it all depends what your end game is If it’s to win a Natty forget about it.

 

[hoopsnloops32]

You’re exactly right, that formula works great in the big east but OOC it’s not good at all as we’ve witnessed.I guess it all depends what your end game is If it’s to win a Natty forget about it.

No one’s goal this year is to win a natty

 

[Ct Dog]

No one’s goal this year is to win a natty

Yea right lol

 

[hoopsnloops32]

Yea right lol

Geno said it himself in the St Johns pregame. Too many players out.

 

[topogigio]

I'll give St. John's credit for playing tough, never giving up, and running some good offense. Huskies still need to tighten up communication on D, stop taking themselves out of a play by overreaching, and have everyone touch the ball on half court offense, and hit the cutters who are wide open, and don't get a look! What happened to the "backdoors"?

 

[Ct Dog]

Geno said it himself in the St Johns pregame. Too many players out.

So that means no one?? If you don’t understand you never will. Agree to disagree

 

[Jumper33]

The freshmen do seem to be hitting the “freshman wall” a bit. (Well, Q maybe hit it a while ago) I really hope Ashlynn and KK can break out of it because unfortunately with all the injuries we’re gonna need them to be on their A game when the tournament comes.

Not trying to criticize them by the way, I acknowledge that the freshman wall is a real thing. Hope they can keep their confidence up.

 

[HuskyNan]

To the poster that’s posted the same sentence three times, just stop

 

[my2cents]

Kidding? Um…no, mean’t every word. Maybe you have a terrible memory? Paige was all everything her freshman year.

Compare her performance that year to this one:
Freshman: FG% 52%, 3PT% 46.4%, FT% 87%, 4.9 Rebounds, 20.0 Pts per game avg
This year: FG% 55%, 3PT% 47%, FT% 84%, 4.5 Rebounds, 20.3 Pts per game avg.
There is absolutely no drop off due to lingering injuries, you are just wrong.

 

[Cornell Lt]

No one’s goal this year is to win a natty

Of course the goal is to win a natty. It's every teams goal. However over the course of the season it becomes less likely for some teams and more realistic for others. I'd put UConn in the less likely category at this point, but it's still the goal.

 

[Jim]

I think the issue with Ice and the freshmen is that until they started and got lots more minutes there just wasn’t that much game film for the opponents to study. Now that they have been playing more, the opposition is factoring their preferences/tendencies into the scouting report. Call it a freshman wall, but they can no longer only depend upon what they used to do. They need to develop something new to keep the other team from honing in on a small number of things. For example, earlier today I saw a St. John’s defender face guarding Ash (much like Nika was doing to Drake.) A few weeks ago, defenders were not doing that and Ash was putting up big numbers. Now Ash and KK need to develop something new to help the team on the offensive end (all while staying in the flow)

 

[dtbtbtb]

Few Thoughts:
*not a pleasing game to watch but a win, so we'll take it.
*AE: was great. Unstoppable when she gets the ball around the basket. While i understand why it is important for her to shoot from the mid-range, her effectiveness is not the same as when she is around the basket. She improved nicely from year to year and is an AA.
*Paige: had too many turnovers but was really good, especially when UConn needed a boost in the 4th quarter, she took over and the game was over.
*Nika: UConn clearly needs her in the game and her fouls while the opponent player shoots, were not smart. Didn't look to shoot much and needs to as a senior.
*Shade: UConn needs her as the third UConn scorer and that went away the last few games. For UConn to be really good, Shade needs to be scoring about 13-17 points (with AE and Paige getting their 20+ points or so each).
*KK: Just an ok game...not aggressive enough on offense.
*Ice: disappointing game. weak hands and needs to stop shooting jump shots from distance.
*Q: seems like she lost her confidence and now she is just jacking shoots.
*Especially in the second half, UConn had some issues stopping the dribble drive of the St. Johns guards. That does not bode well for the SC game.
*A win is a win! on to the Seton Hall game.

 

[freshler40]

Weird game. Thought we were going to blow them out and then they hung around due to our lapses in defense and turnovers. This offense is just not the same if Shade is not aggressive. Not sure if she's over thinking it but I don't see that aggressiveness from her as often and it makes their offense much more predictable and easier to defend.

Nika was ok today. Hoping to see more consistency from her on a game in game out basis.

KK is active, but would really like her to be more aggressive on the offensive end.

Agree with your comments and would add that the penetration and speed of SJ guards again has given us trouble. Seemed like most of their offense was looking for layups and making sure they made their layup even when hit. Shades of the ND game with repeated deep moves by SJ and resulting layups.
We don't do that well, often give up on finishing a shot or turn away from a fast break opportunity to allow SJ to set their defense. Why? KK and Arnold need to continue to get up 8-10 shots a game. Only once did I see a trap.

Perhaps the trust is not with the bench. Early fouls have forced us to play conservative BB. Ice looked better in her minutes but needs to not use her hands so much and deploy more body bumps. Several recent games have seen throw-downs or something like that to opponents.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

Compare her performance that year to this one:
Freshman: FG% 52%, 3PT% 46.4%, FT% 87%, 4.9 Rebounds, 20.0 Pts per game avg
This year: FG% 55%, 3PT% 47%, FT% 84%, 4.5 Rebounds, 20.3 Pts per game avg.
There is absolutely no drop off due to lingering injuries, you are just wrong.

Oh yeah, what she did in her freshman year is the stuff of legend. When’s the last time Paige or any other UConn freshman scored 30 or more points, THREE GAMES IN A ROW? Or hit the winning shot in OT against #1 ranked South Caroina? Or had 14 assists in one game? I could go on with more of her freshman exploits……

For extra credit, only one other UConn freshman scored 30pts in a row in three consecutive games. Who was it?

 

[Huskee11]

I was at the game today. Close to a full house but the crowd was more polite than rowdy, with many of them including me nodding off to sleep during Saint John`s offensive sets. When we were awake we were somewhat uncomfortable, it was that kind of game.

Nika did a decent job on Drake, in part aided by how Saint John`s plays and how it uses her.

Drake usually plays off the ball in the right corner to start and their point guard fiddles and diddles (as Johny Most would say) for a while before things get going and Nika did a good job of denying her the ball. So on many offensive sets Drake didn`t touch the ball or if she did the clock was a factor. I don`t think she had a field goal in the first half. When she did get it, she looked quick and has a decent handle but I don`t recall her breaking defenders down off the dribble much. Mayo was pretty good in that department though.

The refereeing was mediocre. It drives me crazy when an outside official calls a foul under the basket while the official standing under the basket, right next to the play, correctly sees no foul. That happened to UConn two or three times.

Aaliyah was obviously the player of the game but it was Paige that put the team on her back with seven straight points including two offensive rebounds in that crucial early fourth quarter stretch, pushing the lead from seven to fourteen.

A key part at the end of the first half was the somewhat surprising substitution of Nika (with two fouls) for Paige with about two minutes left after Paige had turned it over twice. I`m guessing Geno figured Paige was gassed at that point. Uconn was up nine but Nika got a rebound and fast break assist to Aaliyah, and a steal and fastbreak assist to Ice, and we were up thirteen at the break.

There can be a lot of upsets, weird scores, and B minus performances by teams at all levels this time of year. Win and move on.

 

[Mediocrites]

Paige’s biggest “flaw” was having a terrible knee injury in 2021, early in her sophomore year, and then tearing her ACL in the same knee not long after that. It was something beyond her control. She probably will never entirely recover 100%. She still is a great player and has made an amazing comeback but she is not the girl who won NPOY as a freshman and was hands down the best player in the country that year.

Your post resonated with me. I’ve followed Paige’s career since she was a sophomore at Hopkins HS. If she can withstand the rigors of a full season of WBB, not suffer a serious injury, and play at a level close to that of her freshman year, she will have accomplished something remarkable. What else can you expect of her?