UConn vs St John’s postgame | Page 3 | The Boneyard

UConn vs St John’s postgame

I am happy that this team got to play at MSG and it was an honor for them to participate in the first “standalone” women’s game there. That will be a lasting memory for them.

The game played out about as expected. Kudos to the “complementary” players, especially New Yorkers Serah and K9 who really showed up. That is the Serah we want to see from here on out.

Didn’t feel like a 57% shooting night, maybe because Azzi was cold from three early, but the numbers don’t lie. Boosted by 27 for 40 inside the three point line. Outshot Saint John’s 63-48 and eight players each had 5 shots or more.

Serah, KK, K9, Jana and Allie were a combined 18-23, wow. Shade cooled off but was a big factor early.

Nice bounce back game for Serah, KK and Allie while K9 continued her fine play and good shooting, 11 for 14 over the last three games.
 
Most of all I'm really happy with Serah's performance. UConn will need games like that from her in the Dance. Also glad she and Kayleigh shone bright at MSG. It hadn't occurred to me until the announcers mentioned it that this is Serah's first opportunity to play meaningful postseason games. So however disappointed the fans are in her performance during the regular season, the time coming up may be the primary reason she's at UConn.

This is the second game in a row in which Shade shot a lot, and poorly, in the fourth quarter. I'm wondering if she has instructions that maybe she's not entirely comfortable with. She shot plenty and well in the first.

The first four off the bench look ready for the postseason. I'm glad Caroline scored a basket.
 
It seems that the subs continue to contribute a lot of scoring due to them being less fatigued, and that could also include Serah who often plays very limited minutes.
This year's additional burden on defense may also make it more desirable for Geno to employ more subs during the NCAAT than in the past.
Our fresher legs and bench depth seems to help stimulate our offense against the opponents that become more tired.
Both teams can lose their edge when subbing is limited.
Perhaps this year is the year that Geno will keep his bench expanded in March rather to limit it as much as he's done in the past.
The bench may not play as much but I suspect that they'll still get some PT in the big games. Maybe it will depend on how productive the starters are and whether the offense begins to slack off against the higher scoring opponents.
Our bench seems to be so much more competent than in recent years that there's not a great need for all of our starters to keep playing while they grow more & more fatigued.
In the end, the circunstances of each game may dictate & influence the sub patterns.
 
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RockyMTblue2 said:
The last game of the regular season. I hope she just looks on the bright side of that.
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If you recall, just a year ago we all had our doubts about Jana, which persisted into the conference tournament as well as the Big Dance. Then came the national semifinal game against Lauren Betts and UCLA when Jana finally got to match up
with someone her own size. Her ability to make Betts work for everything she got, particularly in the 1st half, was critical to UConn’s beat down of UCLA.

I have the same feeling about Sera as well as Jana this year. UConn will almost assuredly run into either TX, UCLA or SC and their BIGS. Having a couple BIGS of our own gives Geno the option of matching up or going small.
 
Gusaford said:
Congrats to UConn for an undefeated regular season. As others have noted, a very nice game by Serah, Kaleigh and Allie, among others.

One observation about St. John's. They lost by 30+ and at times got rattled by UConn's defense. But they played tough. They schemed to get three point shooters open on numerous occasions and, frequently, when they broke the press, they had a numerical advantage on the other end. They didn't always convert, but you could see the makings of an improving team.
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St. Johns used a basic "break the press" strategy that I have been surprised more teams don't use. I.e. keep the ball as much as possible in the middle of the court so sidelines don't act as another defender. Overall, St. John's was one of the best this year but unfortunately its guards, while quick, were not great ball handlers.
 
sun said:
Perhaps this year is the year that Geno will keep his bench expanded in March rather to limit it as much as he's done in the past.
The bench may not play as much but I suspect that they'll still get some PT in the big games. Maybe it will depend on how productive the starters are and whether the offense begins to slack off against the higher scoring opponents.
Our bench seems to be so much more competent than in recent years that there's not a great need for all of our starters to keep playing while they grow more & more fatigued.
In the end, the circunstances of each game may dictate & influence the sub patterns.
Expand ...

oldude said:
If you recall, just a year ago we all had our doubts about Jana, which persisted into the conference tournament as well as the Big Dance. Then came the national semifinal game against Lauren Betts and UCLA when Jana finally got to match up
with someone her own size. Her ability to make Betts work for everything she got, particularly in the 1st half, was critical to UConn’s beat down of UCLA.

I have the same feeling about Sera as well as Jana this year. UConn will almost assuredly run into either TX, UCLA or SC and their BIGS. Having a couple BIGS of our own gives Geno the option of matching up or going small.
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I think the rotation will continue to be nine players. Blanca, Kayleigh, and Allie are givens, and as has been pointed out, Serah tends to play only around 20 minutes, so Jana ought to be getting ten or more, especially against the bigger teams. Strong can't put the necessary energy into keeping bigs off the block and have legs left to be effective on the offensive end. Jana may not play much against some smaller, quicker teams, but Geno might put her in those games to keep her sharp for the bigger games.
 
HopJim said:
St. Johns used a basic "break the press" strategy that I have been surprised more teams don't use. I.e. keep the ball as much as possible in the middle of the court so sidelines don't act as another defender. Overall, St. John's was one of the best this year but unfortunately its guards, while quick, were not great ball handlers.
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One thing UConn did in the first half is cover all the guards and wings on the press, while leaving St Johns center uncovered by dropping either Sera or Jana all the way back on defense. St Johns took the bait a couple times by making the inbound pass to their wide open center, who started dribbling up the court.

At that point UConn’s quicker defenders descended on her like “piranhas on a roast” stealing the ball 2 or 3 times. St Johns eventually responded by taking their center out of the press break and just had her run down court with Sera or Jana.
 
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Bigboote said:
I think the rotation will continue to be nine players. Blanca, Kayleigh, and Allie are givens, and as has been pointed out, Serah tends to play only around 20 minutes, so Jana ought to be getting ten or more, especially against the bigger teams. Strong can't put the necessary energy into keeping bigs off the block and have legs left to be effective on the offensive end. Jana may not play much against some smaller, quicker teams, but Geno might put her in those games to keep her sharp for the bigger games.
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Maybe. Sarah & Azzi will play big minutes during the tournament. After that, I think each game will dictate just how much Geno uses the other 7. Sera, Jana & Blanca will largely divide up 40 minutes of PT based on the best matchups for UConn in the post. The same is true for the 80 minutes available at the 2 guard spots between KK, Ash, Kayleigh & Allie, although I think that KK & Ash have a clear edge based on experience.
 
oldude said:
If you recall, just a year ago we all had our doubts about Jana, which persisted into the conference tournament as well as the Big Dance. Then came the national semifinal game against Lauren Betts and UCLA when Jana finally got to match up
with someone her own size. Her ability to make Betts work for everything she got, particularly in the 1st half, was critical to UConn’s beat down of UCLA.

I have the same feeling about Sera as well as Jana this year. UConn will almost assuredly run into either TX, UCLA or SC and their BIGS. Having a couple BIGS of our own gives Geno the option of matching up or going small.
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And the year before that, the much-maligned Ice Brady stepped in for an injured Aaliyah Edwards and played so well she ended up on the All-Tournament team
 
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MilfordHusky said:
It was fun to watch the Huskies at MSG on a Sunday night. Very special.

I thought we weren't quite crisp, but SJU came in at 21-9, so they are a decent squad. Serah had a strong game, as did Allie. I hope Blanca's injury was not serious.

A couple of highlights: I met OldDude and his wife for dinner before the game. Very nice people. I met Azzi's grandfather in the men's room before the game. Tom was very pleasant. Thanks for becoming Connecticut residents for 5 years! I've loved Azzi for over 8 years.


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I met OldDude and his wife for dinner before the game.

Wow, a couple of first ballot Boneyard Hall of Famers...and @MilfordHusky, too!
 
MilfordHusky said:
It was fun to watch the Huskies at MSG on a Sunday night. Very special.

I thought we weren't quite crisp, but SJU came in at 21-9, so they are a decent squad. Serah had a strong game, as did Allie. I hope Blanca's injury was not serious.

A couple of highlights: I met OldDude and his wife for dinner before the game. Very nice people. I met Azzi's grandfather in the men's room before the game. Tom was very pleasant. Thanks for becoming Connecticut residents for 5 years! I've loved Azzi for over 8 years.


View attachment 117683
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Her face was also on the front of the Garden on 8th Avenue. When was the last time you saw a women's college basketball player's face there. Answer- Never.
 
oldude said:
If you recall, just a year ago we all had our doubts about Jana, which persisted into the conference tournament as well as the Big Dance. Then came the national semifinal game against Lauren Betts and UCLA when Jana finally got to match up
with someone her own size. Her ability to make Betts work for everything she got, particularly in the 1st half, was critical to UConn’s beat down of UCLA.

I have the same feeling about Sera as well as Jana this year. UConn will almost assuredly run into either TX, UCLA or SC and their BIGS. Having a couple BIGS of our own gives Geno the option of matching up or going small.
Expand ...
Jana's step up in the Tourney was impressive and she has grown off of that. Serah puzzles me. I hope she builds off yesterday's St. Johns performance. It matters a lot to her future.
 
So I too was at last night's game and was fortunate enough to score court side seats. Even though I am a season ticket holder for the past 6 years, seeing them THAT close is truly mind boggling how fast they go. Further away you don't sense it but man up close...truly dizzying.

The other thing I noticed was one player actually does sweat-Ash. I did not see any perspiration on any other player. I got to hear them talk on defense which was AWESOME. This team is truly one connected unit.

As the media attention linked on this thread showed. UConn did MSG proud. while the ESPN box score said 10,244, the SJU stats listed 9,612, which for a school that did average just 717 home fans per game, truly shows how big the circus legions are.

From a "we are spoiled" perspective, SJU's total home season attendance is now 19,650 which means their previous 14 games only garnered 9,612 fans. Every Gampel game averages over 10,000

You could tell the team was psyched to play and the whole crowd was into it. I had been at the two UBS Arena games when SJU tried that but last night was another level. I hope they do it again. Seeing that 80 foot two sided electronic ad with Azzi was truly awe-inspiring.

Great game, great atmosphere, great result and an unbelievable experience. I even enjoyed sitting next to Candace Parker, something I thought I would NEVER say....
 
oldude said:
Maybe. Sarah & Azzi will play big minutes during the tournament. After that, I think each game will dictate just how much Geno uses the other 7. Sera, Jana & Blanca will largely divide up 40 minutes of PT based on the best matchups for UConn in the post. The same is true for the 80 minutes available at the 2 guard spots between KK, Ash, Kayleigh & Allie, although I think that KK & Ash have a clear edge based on experience.
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You maybe right about KK and Ash having the experience edge, but I see and even time split between the 3, with Allie getting time as circumstances dictate.
 
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IIRC Allie only got her pocket picked once which didn't result in a SJ's basket.
I like the amount of extra spacing that Allie gives the opposing ball handler.
That often helps to prevent her fouling when the opponent tries to blow by & turn the corner on her to score.
I noticed how another UConn player (Ash I think but KK & K9 as well)) plays much tighter defense, but ended up committing a foul when the opponent tries to turn the corner on her.
Allie's extra spacing usually gives her enough extra reaction time to not need to bump or grab & foul the opponent.
 
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All props to Geno, CD and all the coaching staff for an outstanding season. They’ve built a team that from starter to last off the bench play together, execute and play with intensity from tip off to the final whistle.
We wondered how they would do to blend a full roster to talent. 31-0 is the answer.
More to come, but they are well set up.
Congratulations all. Very well done.
 
Skeets said:
Rocky, I'm going to assume that this was sarcasm, which generally doesn't play well here on the BY. If this was a serious post, please explain.
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Nah, just stupidity. I started an allegy med that really grogged me really good. I meant to say that I thought we played too fast in the first quarter,making uncharacteristic errors, then we got back to the usual pillaging of the enemy. Think I'm going to have to switch to Claritin and hope. I won't waste these things though; save um for when I wanna party.
 
RockyMTblue2 said:
Jana's step up in the Tourney was impressive and she has grown off of that. Serah puzzles me. I hope she builds off yesterday's St. Johns performance. It matters a lot to her future.
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Honestly, I think Serah was waiting for this time of year. Azzi and Sarah are All Americans and she realized she wasn't in Wisconsin anymore. I think it is a matter of desire but the offense is not exactly a pound it inside game. She is not a natural at all on the high post although she does have a decent shot from there. She also can pass and defend. I will take last night's game for the next 9 and so will a lot of W teams. Let's see over the weekend.
 
sun said:
IIRC Allie only got her pocket picked once which didn't result in a SJ's basket.
I like the amount of extra spacing that Allie gives the opposing ball handler.
That often helps to prevent her fouling when the opponent tries to blow by & turn the corner on her to score.
I noticed how another UConn player (Ash I think but KK & K9 as well)) plays much tighter defense, but ended up committing a foul when the opponent tries to turn the corner on her.
Allie's extra spacing usually gives her enough extra reaction time to not need to bump or grab & foul the opponent.
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First; I admit that I'm not qualified to judge anyone's basketball skills.

Having got that out of the way, it seems to me as if Allie always plays in control, she doesn't seem to get frantic and do 'stuff'.
When she drives to the basket it seems as if she chooses a path that doesn't require her to bulldoze her way there.
She seems to pick her moment so that she can get where she needs and has time to prepare if it might involve some contact during the drive. It doesn't look to me like she gets shoved off course much and can usually get the ball in the basket.

Call it 'deliberate' or 'slow' but when she decides to go, she looks pretty smooth and she usually gets there.
I think she has that deception thing working for her where she does things that aren't expected from her.

The other thing I've noticed in a couple games, at least a couple times is she'll make a pass from the top of the key and then appear to casually 'stroll' forward before accelerating towards the basket and she normally gets pretty good position....sometimes she gets the pass, sometimes not, but to me it looks like she has that move pretty well down.


At the beginning of the season I was looking forward to watching Allie and Kayleigh find their groove and contribute to the team's success. I haven't been disappointed thus far.

I'm sure that there are any number of experts here to swoop in and point out the bad stuff I'm missing, but I'm enjoying watching the progress of Allie and Kayleigh....enjoying it quite a lot, actually.
 
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BBallF said:
Honestly, I think Serah was waiting for this time of year. Azzi and Sarah are All Americans and she realized she wasn't in Wisconsin anymore. I think it is a matter of desire but the offense is not exactly a pound it inside game. She is not a natural at all on the high post although she does have a decent shot from there. She also can pass and defend. I will take last night's game for the next 9 and so will a lot of W teams. Let's see over the weekend.
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Interesting theory, but it strongly suggests she willfully threw away opportunities to grow her game. I hope she tears it up for the next 9.
 
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RockyMTblue2 said:
Interesting theory, but it strongly suggests she willfully threw away opportunities to grow her game. I hope she tears it up for the next 9.
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I don't think you have to conclude that she did anything like that. I think she was just not as motivated, engaged, or intense previously. She is playing for the W now. Let's see if I am accurate in my analysis.
 
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