UConn-Xavier postgame thread

[browns]

Uconn has upped it's 3 pt. % to 38 % and almost 10 made 3's a game..not bad whoever your playing

 

[Bone Dog]

Allie has made a giant step forward from last year. She was and still is a great shooter from distance and now her ball handling has improved to the point she is now a viable option to be first in off the bench. That said, she still lacks the foot speed and athleticism necessary for PG, especially in transition and on defense.

You’re probably right about this. My point was only that she could cover the spot in a pinch. I was thinking of when Nika went down against Princeton a few years ago and we were nearly upset as a result. Inès had to cover the PG, and though she had very good quickness she was in a little over her head against an aggressive press. I suspect Allie could have managed that game a little better. I’m also reminded of how Madison Booker filled in as PG for Texas as a freshman when Harmon was injured. I’m not trying to say Allie is a match for Booker. But that season, Madison was not particularly quick or athletic. But she was very skilled and managed the position successfully for most of that season. Since then, she’s lost weight and improved her athleticism and quickness, and entered the POY conversation. Is that also in store for Allie? Who knows? All I see is someone who might cover the PG position in a pinch. Let's hope no pinches come upon this team.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

Some thoughts….

Why was Azzi guarding their best offensive player…even after 2 quick early fouls? History between these two?

I have a tendency to watch players in the game…vs the game itself…until later. I mean they’re going to win most of these games anyway. Blanca (so is Jana) is still adjusting to the less forgiving officiating. She’s gradually picking up on the offensive flow (much better). She’s on scouting reports for sure because they are just waiting for her in the paint to take a charge. She’ll get it.

Serah is skilled, but you can tell she doesn’t have the offensive flow down 100%. She’s new…give her a minute. I wish she didn’t bounce the ball after the catch in the post, BUT that’s part of her offensive rhythm. In her defense…some of the post passes to her lead her too close to the baseline or almost under the basket. Puts her in a bad spot.

 

[Centerstream]

Wouldn't mind seeing Ziebell in the starting lineup replacing Shade.

I don't think that Allie brings the same tenacity on defense and trying to get rebounds as Ashlynn does.
But on the other hand, bringing Ashlynn off the bench, ala last season, can be beneficial too.
As I stated in another post, maybe Geno prefers his upperclassmen as starters in cases like this.

 

[freshler40]

I hate to pour cold water on you, but I didn't think the team looked very good on either side of the ball. Yes, they can turn over weak guards, and the wide open threes looked pretty but they were wide open shots against a very weak defense. They're going to feast on poor competition. But, the things I'm looking to see, helpside defense in the paint, post play that's on the same page as the rest of the offense. Williams plays under the basket but they don't have a system to get her the ball where and when she can score. Jana came in and spent some time above the free-throw line, also out of sync, but at least it's some of the offense we loved in the tournament last year. I guess that's not William's game. I do agree that some of the individual play was good. However, Blanca has not found a role. Strong and Fudd weren't needed, but we didn't see the whole process move forward. The top teams have great players, a lot of size, and experience. This still doesn't look like a Geno team. There is time, but I wouldn't celebrate a game like this.

Some thoughts….

Why was Azzi guarding their best offensive player…even after 2 quick early fouls? History between these two?

I have a tendency to watch players in the game…vs the game itself…until later. I mean they’re going to win most of these games anyway. Blanca (so is Jana) is still adjusting to the less forgiving officiating. She’s gradually picking up on the offensive flow (much better). She’s on scouting reports for sure because they are just waiting for her in the paint to take a charge. She’ll get it.

Serah is skilled, but you can tell she doesn’t have the offensive flow down 100%. She’s new…give her a minute. I wish she didn’t bounce the ball after the catch in the post, BUT that’s part of her offensive rhythm. In her defense…some of the post passes to her lead her too close to the baseline or almost under the basket. Puts her in a bad spot.

I agree about Serah's need to dribble first, putting the ball in danger of being stripped and adding time to a potential shot. If our bigs coaches can address this issue and develop her into a bigger target with secure hands, she will be a major addition to our offence.

 

[ABCDFE]

The thing that catches my eye about Allie -- I mean apart from the shooting and her improved defense -- is that she is a sure-handed dribbler. It's not what you expect from someone her size, but she seems to know when to pull the string and pivot away from pressure or a blindside defender. I have a feeling this instinct comes from being the go-to player on her high school teams for a few years. Ash has this, too, though she is not a good enough passer to be a PG. When it comes to Allie, I suspect she could handle the PG spot if needed. We've already seen her used as a press-breaker, and she knows how to get to the rim

Exudes confidence this year. Starting to really gain the trust of coach and most importantly us fans 😁. I think outside of the Big 2, she's the most improved from last year and might be by end of year.

 

[ABCDFE]

I am a real fan of Kayleigh's game. She has had a few shakey moments here and there but for the most part plays a solid, hard-nosed game. She doesn't lack confidence and the day will come when she takes and makes important shots. Kelis looked good yesterday but her time is next year.

Her rebounding doesn't get enough credit. Good on defense and maximizes her jump timing for rebounds

 

[Basingstoke]

Did anyone else notice the very intentional hip check by #15 on Xavier (I believe on Sarah)? It was called a foul, but it also appeared to me to be an attempt to injure (I might be overly protective in light of UCONN'S injury woes over the Bueckers years).

 

[cabbie191]

Did anyone else notice the very intentional hip check by #15 on Xavier (I believe on Sarah)? It was called a foul, but it also appeared to me to be an attempt to injure (I might be overly protective in light of UCONN'S injury woes over the Bueckers years).

Hard not to notice! That was one of the most blatant fouls not occurring at the end of the game when a team strategically needs to get the opponent to the foul line I've ever seen.

But I don't believe there was an intent to cause injury.

 

[CL82]

She'll now be known forever as the Xavier killer.

That could be abbreviated as "AZXK" but it looks like a printer malfunction.

 

[Rudy1927]

Nothing against Fisher like her game. But at whose expense do you give her more minutes? To me that’s the problem as a freshman. Unless you are that much better Geno plays the players with experience. You dominate or wait your turn. UConn really doesn’t allow for a learning curve on the job.

 

[DEpup]

Did anyone else notice the very intentional hip check by #15 on Xavier (I believe on Sarah)? It was called a foul, but it also appeared to me to be an attempt to injure (I might be overly protective in light of UCONN'S injury woes over the Bueckers years).

I thought that was on Blanca not Sarah. I wondered whether it could have gotten upgraded since there was no play by the X player on the ball at all.

 

[JoePgh]

Did anyone else notice the very intentional hip check by #15 on Xavier (I believe on Sarah)? It was called a foul, but it also appeared to me to be an attempt to injure (I might be overly protective in light of UCONN'S injury woes over the Bueckers years).

As I recall, it occurred right after Blanca had beaten her to the basket. Xavier was down by a ton of points then, and she may have felt humiliated. She was going to get a blocking foul anyway, so I thought her instinctive reaction was along the lines of "I'm going to get a foul, so I might as well get my money's worth!"

I don't think there was an intent to injure, but there may well have been an intent to retaliate for the licking that her team was taking.

 

[DemonDeac22]

I had some of the same feelings, but less emphatically.
Xavier had much too many offensive rebounds for my taste...
And they’re not as bad a team as they looked or that the score indicates.

Where I take issue is the threat of the “top teams."
I’m not sure what teams Bedford is speaking of but I haven’t seen anyone that can
seriously challenge us...

Geno’s job….not so easy this season, is to find a role for the multitude of players and meld them into the UConn “way."
Not so easy, eh? and quite different from what he’s been dealing with the last decade. He’s re-developing dormant chops.

Most of the posters have forgotten the good minutes of Kayleigh…She had a couple of games in which she seemed “lost.” Not last night.
And Ayanna was fierce in her few minutes…and I haven’t given up on Caroline

Lots and lots and lots of exceptional ballers…I have hopes that Geno can meld them all…or most... into a singular powerhouse.

Recall last year that Aubrey not getting substantial minutes unless it was mop up time yet who played a key role at the start of a tight Elite Eight matchup with USC? We will need everyone to keep improving as the season moves forward.

 

[DemonDeac22]

Nothing against Fisher like her game. But at whose expense do you give her more minutes? To me that’s the problem as a freshman. Unless you are that much better Geno plays the players with experience. You dominate or wait your turn. UConn really doesn’t allow for a learning curve on the job.

The learning curve is happening behind the scenes at very intense practices. It seems that those who getting closest to meeting Geno’s expectations in those practices are coming first off the bench in Q1, Q2 and Q3.

 

[Bone Dog]

Did anyone else notice the very intentional hip check by #15 on Xavier (I believe on Sarah)? It was called a foul, but it also appeared to me to be an attempt to injure (I might be overly protective in light of UCONN'S injury woes over the Bueckers years).

I yelled at the TV that it should have been reviewed. Not a basketball play, more a hockey play.

 

[EricSD]

My $.02 FWIW

This was a great game to watch. I thought Xavier played some good defense at times, and ran some good offense at times. Obviously overmatched, but it seems their relatively new HC is trying to move them into the right direction.

That kid Noel has game, but my most hated defensive play is the "rush over, pretend you are actually set when you aren't, and try to draw a foul". One charge called on UConn had the Xavier player actually in the restricted zone (too close to the basket) and that's not supposed to be a foul. On the flip side, it was great to see our 3 point shooting on point. Not only did we make 50% of our 3's, but 3 point shots accounted for 50% of our total shots.

• It was awesome seeing Allie catch fire towards the end of Q3. I said in the BA thread that while I thought Sarah was the BA for her unconscious stats in only 24 minutes of play, you couldn't go wrong with Allie, and I love seeing her not only be productive, but LOOK like she belongs out there. She knows where to be on offense and defense, her lateral foot quickness is solid enough to keep her in front of offensive players, and she's far and away the most improved from last season.
• Sarah - my only concern in games like this is her points production. She's being hyped by a lot of people as NPOY, but if she continues to score 14-16 points on a consistent basis, I'm not sure folks won't glom on to the next shiny thing. Anyone who WATCHES her can see she's the overall best player in WCBB, but the PPG stats will need to support that.
• Azzi played great but again, she needs to take more shots. 8 is not enough. She took the same # of shots as Heckel and Ziebell, and less than Ash.
• Speaking of Ash - she does so many good things you don't see in the box score, but was glad to see her shot falling today. 4-11 is not great, but her 3 point shot was on point today.
• KK is just impressive. She impacts the game without ever scoring, and today she was more aggressive taking shots which was nice to see. I can't wait for the day when people actually realize she's a decent 3 point shooter and stop with the critical comments there.
• Kayleigh also found her shot, but a bit like KK, even without scoring, impacts the game in a lot of ways.
• Not a good game for Blanca - those 3 quick fouls messed her up, but... freshman. I expect up and down games from her. Just keep in grinding, girl!!
• Kelis continues to impress. I'm not sure who you take minutes from to get her more time, but she's going to be a very good player.

The rest of the bench was solid. A 20-3 Q4 with most of our subs in the whole time was impressive. I have to comment about Williams. Overall her play has been disappointing. I get that she is trying to get acclimated with her new teammates and new offense/defense (her defense, BTW, is quite good), but there are too many plays where she puts herself in poor position, gets the ball, mystifyingly puts it on the floor, and finds herself directly under the basket. This is post play 101, something a senior should be better at, and has zero to do with being on a new team. I have seen progress, but her offense is off, and I'm not sure why.

Sure Xavier was overmatched. But we did a lot of things well, and I think the confidence several of the up and coming players are getting will play big dividends come March/April.

 

[iri10]

That kid Noel has game, but my most hated defensive play is the "rush over, pretend you are actually set when you aren't, and try to draw a foul". One charge called on UConn had the Xavier player actually in the restricted zone (too close to the basket) and that's not supposed to be a foul.

I was recently educated on this as well: the restricted zone rule was phased out of the women's college basketball rules. It no longer exists for them. Not to say that I agreed with every charge/block call (including possibly one that could have gone against us).

 

[BullDawg]

I was recently educated on this as well: the restricted zone rule was phased out of the women's college basketball rules. It no longer exists for them. Not to say that I agreed with every charge/block call (including possibly one that could have gone against us).

I thought this was true for the men’s game, but not the women’s?

 

[iri10]

I thought this was true for the men’s game, but not the women’s?

Other way around, I think. Normally it's hard to tell because men and women share the same courts. But if you watch last year's women's Final Four games, etc., you'll see that those dedicated courts conspicuously lack charge circles.

 

[Nicvan07]

Has anyone the seen post-game press conference? Usually I find it on YouTube but no luck today 🤷🏼‍♀️

 

[BullDawg]

Other way around, I think. Normally it's hard to tell because men and women share the same courts. But if you watch last year's women's Final Four games, etc., you'll see that those dedicated courts conspicuously lack charge circles.

Thank you. It was explained to me backwards by a retired official who sits next to me. Not all that surprising when I think about it.

 

[Geew1992]

Recall last year that Aubrey not getting substantial minutes unless it was mop up time yet who played a key role at the start of a tight Elite Eight matchup with USC? We will need everyone to keep improving as the season moves forward.

Aubrey wasn't 100% healthy, which is why she missed the BE tournament.

 

[Geew1992]

Other way around, I think. Normally it's hard to tell because men and women share the same courts. But if you watch last year's women's Final Four games, etc., you'll see that those dedicated courts conspicuously lack charge circles.

This is correct

 

[fomalhaut]

Did anyone else notice the very intentional hip check by #15 on Xavier (I believe on Sarah)? It was called a foul, but it also appeared to me to be an attempt to injure (I might be overly protective in light of UCONN'S injury woes over the Bueckers years).

Not just hip, but shoulder too. I can't see why that wasn't a flagrant 1.

 

[JellyBean]

What isn't there to like about this win yesterday! 35/72 (49%) shooting from the field. 18/38 (50%) from 3-point land. 16/22 (72%) free throw shooting. +15 rebounding advantage. We had a 13:5 assist/turnover ratio. We got 20 steals. What impressed me even more. None of the starters played more than 25 minutes and the bench kept up the intensity on offense and defense. Four quarters of elite basketball. Dominate and Destroy. Well done, UConn!!

 

[JRRRJ]

I don't think that Allie brings the same tenacity on defense and trying to get rebounds as Ashlynn does.
But on the other hand, bringing Ashlynn off the bench, ala last season, can be beneficial too.
As I stated in another post, maybe Geno prefers his upperclassmen as starters in cases like this.

Allie's rebound rate is a bit higher than Ash's: 5.71 vs 5.48 with more O-boards. Her A/TO is better: 2.00 vs 1.42. Offense so far this year is better. It's early and Ash is so far the better defender, but if what you need is a point guard, Allie's not chopped liver at all.

 

[WiseWillie]

OK, I'll start.

Does the substitution pattern definitely indicate that Jana is no longer in the regular rotation? She did not appear on the floor until midway through the third quarter. After Serah got two fouls in the first half, I expected to see her, but she was glued to the bench.

Is she officially in Chateau Bowwow with Geno? Has she practiced poorly? Did she have a minor injury? This inquiring mind wants to know. I would think that her performance in last year's NCAA tournament would have earned her a little more patience from Geno than she received in this game.

I will acknowledge that her performance once she got in the game was nothing to send a telegram to Egypt about. But, as with Ashlynn, Allie, and K9, she needs minutes and in-game reps to get back her last-season mojo.

On the positive side, I wonder if those were concerned with whether Allie and Ashlynn had lost their 3-point shot are quieted by this game. What remains to be demonstrated is whether they can shoot at this level against top competition when the game is on the line. They will soon have an opportunity to demonstrate that (or not).

I thought Blanca had a reasonably good game, and I was glad to see the big minutes that she got. She obviously isn't used to US-style charge-block calls and the absence of a restricted area near the basket. Fouls are what will limit her, if anything does, and I have to believe that she will acclimate to this side of the pond in a few more games.

Agree with your comments re: Allie, Ashlyn and Blanca and wonder the same about Jana. Why hasn't she gotten more playing time? When you reflect back on the NCAA tournament what has happened to relegate her to near garbage minutes or after the game is solidly put away? Trying to give more starting time to Serah to get her acclimated understandable but not utilizing Jana in the 1st or 2nd Q's when we saw what she was capable of doing against some of the best bigs in the nation makes me wonder if something else has happened.