UCONN-Texas post game thread

[EricLA]

Reports of UCONN's demise have been greatly exaggerated.

Game was about what I expected. I predicted approx. a 14 point win. Incredibly physical game, and tight first quarter/half. UCONN opened it up a bit in Q3 and held on for a nice win on national TV against what the pollsters say is/was the #3 team in the nation.

And all this with very little production from Ayanna or Caroline. It is only up from here for them. On to the game...

Azzi - wowza. IMHO she just vaulted her name into the short list of NPOY candidates. Her TO's not great - but 6 in the first half way cleaned up in the 2nd half. What can't she do? Big shot after big shot. 3-ball finally started falling.

Aaliyah and Dorka BATTLED. Physical game. Loved the aggressiveness of both of them. 17 points, 17 boards, 3 steals between the 2 of them. Excellent night for the starting front court.

Lou was tremendous in the first half but sort of petered out a bit in the 2nd half. But man - so glad we have her.

Nika - 6 points, 3 steals, 9 assists. And a total pest on defense.

And... WELCOME BACK AUBREY!!! If this is the kind of play this season that we can get from a kid who had back surgery among other things, look out.

BTW Morris was sensational for Texas. People can be like "but they were without Harmon". Yeah, and we were basically without Ducharme.

Bottom line, great effort against a Texas team who was much better than I expected/thought. Geno said the other day that the team was not tested yet. They were tonight. Congrats to them and the fans - great atmosphere on national TV. Gave up way too much at the end but... Way to go!!!

 

[oldude]

Some thoughts on the Texas game:

• Now that’s what I’m talking about! A BIG win on national TV against the #3 team in the nation.
• This game started out like an old-fashioned sloberknocker. The Longhorns are aggressive, and they foul a lot. UConn got caught up in trading fouls with TX. Both teams had 20 fouls each.
• Clearly the Huskies wanted to push the ball up the court on offense to attack the Longhorns on defense. That resulted in several layups and some good looks from the perimeter. Against a tough Texas defense the Huskies shot 55% from the floor.
• I thought the Longhorns were a little more physical than the Huskies to start the game…..until Aubrey and Ayanna entered the game for UConn. Aubrey in particular was incredibly active at both ends of the court.
• UConn could have made life a little easier by hitting their foul shots. (9-18)
• With Paige out this year, UConn fans were wondering who would step up in crunch time. No need to wonder any longer. The answer to that question is: AZZI!!!!!
• This was a tough, competitive game between two really good teams. It wasn’t always pretty, but the outcome was a beautiful thing.

 

[jcoton56]

Just wow! Great job

 

[Carnac]

Now we know for sure what kind of team we have. Everyone showed up to play!! Nobody disappeared. Azzi stepping up to lead her team with a new career high of 32 points. No doubt who the BADDASS was tonight. I wonder if the Texas players still think this was "just another game?" A sellout game tonight per Bob Joyce.

 

[CocoHusky]

Game Summary: Azzi Fudd POY candidate.

 

[jdote33]

I'll remember this clip for a long time. "where she going??!"

 

[Kaizen]

Azzi for NPOY ....

With such heavy Texas defense Azzi can get 32 pts , not easy.

Also very impressed by Aubrey's quick points and Nika's good control of the balls and 9 asts.

 

[southofnorth]

Azzi was the focus of their defense and STILL managed to have a career high 32 points!! Also Nika with 9 assists?!?! Lou had it going early and, can I just say, thank the powers that be for Aubrey Griffin!! Tremendous game from her and UConn as a whole!

 

[huskyd]

Remember Azzi when you sit down to celebrate this Thanksgiving.

 

[my2cents]

Fudd showing that she could be the best player in the country.
On;y 6 players played in the 2nd half, Geno really wanted this W.

 

[Sargassoc]

These past three games (I'm including Kutztown) have also showed that, unlike the last two years, there's no let-up after the half. That's great to see.

 

[pghhuskydoc]

Azzi was the star of this game, no doubt, but everyone contributed.
Nika was tenacious on D.
AE bounced back beautifully from a rough start and was a force in the post
Dorka was solid.
And Aubrey has been phenomenal.

 

[HuskyNan]

Everyone that got on the court played well. Geno just stuck with the lineup that was having the most success. Some nights it will be a different combination of players. What a luxury.

Lou was hampered by fouls. Both teams were fouling on most possessions; I just wish the zebras were more consistent in how they called the game but they didn’t affect the outcome

 

[uconnever]

Great team effort, Lou needs to get better defensively. Slow feet.

 

[maple]

Thought everyone did a great job, but Azzi especially was lights out. NPOY contender for sure. UConn is gonna be tough for anyone to beat if they play like this for the rest of the season.

 

[REB1094]

Nika is my new favorite player and Azzi just started her campaign for POY.

Everybody gave 110%. It was obvious from the first quarter that we couldn’t compete with their physicality, but we gave 110% to overcome that. Amazing win!

 

[oldude]

Azzi has IT! When she starts knocking down shots, you can just feel the game shift towards UConn.

 

[SARG 2011]

Great game, loved the toughness and Nika was especially pesky. Azzi was magnificent after the 1st half, hunting shots and playing great defense. I can't wait to see them in person on Sunday.

 

[EdSaid]

This is now Azzi Fudd's team.

Aubrey Griffin is still my favorite player. When she comes off the bench you know something good is going to happen, you just don't know what it is going to be.

Nika can be my point guard anytime. Good bye to the naysayers.

Dorka and Aaliyah were tough and dependable when they needed to be.

 

[pghhuskydoc]

That was a team effort to make Swin Cash proud!!

 

[pvdoggy]

Texas is going to be tough later in the year. They have some really talented freshmen.

 

[victor64]

Great win against a deep and talented Texas team. They have two freshmen that can play.

*never thought I would say this but Muhl is indispensable. Her hard work really paid off.
*never thought I would see Aubrey hunting her shot. Surprised though that she was on the floor at the end instead of Lou.
*I am sure Dorka will be happy not to see Jones for a while. Dorka held her own but Jones played her tough.
*UConn needs to be better killing tine at the end. They seemed to stand around and let Azzi do her thing.
*Edwards really struggled early. Did better later but still makes me nervous especially at the end of the close games.
*Ayanna is not ready for a game like that YET. She has to calm down.
*Love the basket by CD at the end of the half.
*The Morris-Fudd battle was worth the price of admission by its self.
*Foul shooting needs to get better in close games.
*I am sure Geno loves matching wits with Shaefer. I am sure Geno was glad he didn't have to see Harmon.
*The UConn break is wonderful to watch. Always has been.
*Love that Geno plays a schedule like this.

 

[Ozimoto]

This was a really good test. The front court defense in the first quarter was not what I had hoped for, but they got it together for the rest of the game and held their own against some pretty good interior players from Texas. Lots of film to look at after this one, but they hung in there and made the plays they needed to play. There is room for improvement going forward, but for the third game (second one that counts) they looked pretty darn good against some good competition. Glad this was a home game.

 

[sno-cat]

I really liked the 8 player rotation. It gives us so many more options.