USC Post Game

[victor64]

Love the Kobe’s the players wore!

-you have to look hard to find anything to even nit pic with this defensive performance. They just never allow an easy look.

-Advantage Azzi in the head to head matchup against Jazzy.

-Ash kept her streak alive of getting at least one offensive rebound in every game. She probably had her best game of the year.

-It is a stat that not even DavidInNaples would have but I wonder how many times Ash has ended a quarter or half with a basket in her career. I bet a half dozen at least.

-Blanca continues to demonstrate that she is a difficult guard for any defender off the dribble. Especially when the defender is a big.

-K9 seemed to press in her return to Los Angeles but redeemed herself with a spectacular up and under at the end.

-With each passing game, Serah provides clues as to why she was the BIG 10 defensive player of the year.

-Maybe it is non conference and still early but nobody seems to follow Michigan’s lead and play zone.

-It seemed USC was getting some home court advantage with calls. It didn’t affect the outcome but all the Trojans had to do was fall and they got a call.

-It is weird to say, but by her standards, Sarah had an off day.


A little ragged in the second half but overall, this team seems to get better and better. Especially on defense.

 

[EricLA]

Even tho the score said blowout, it sort of didn't feel like that for much of the 2nd half. Credit to USC. We got the lead up to 39 and then the wheels fell off for a while. But the first half was elite.

On the good side:

• The defense was mostly incredible
  • Allowing 9 points in Q1 and 8 in Q2 was incredible
• Azzi, Ash, and Blanca all had nice games.
  • Azzi's defense on Jazzy was elite.
  • I thought Blanca showed why she is one of the top 5 freshmen in the country
• The ball movement was often really good. Lots of assists.
• Serah continues to improve
• KK is just so good. She could score 0 and still be a huge asset on the floor.
• I thought Jana had some nice moments

On the not so good side:

• We only got about 70% of Sarah Strong
• Not a good game for Kayleigh or Allie
• Poor Caroline. LOVE her, but so far this season, she's been overmatched in almost every situation on the floor.
• I never complain about the refs. They were awful.

I was surprised at the amount of 1 on 1 play from USC. London Jones has never seen defense like this before. I thought the decision from them to full court press almost to the end against all our subs was an unfortunate decision by their coach. Kennedy Smith is good, Jazzy is going to be good as well.

 

[msf22b]

They have too many weapons

 

[maple]

That was an absolute defensive clinic.

 

[jcoton56]

Business like. Lots to like.

 

[Bone Dog]

11 fouls on USC 18 on UConn.

There was more to the game than this, but it was hard to ignore.

Of course, the Huskies were overpowering on both ends, at least until garbage time. Azzi and Sarah were their usual awesome. But the thing everyone should face without flinching is the return of Ash: 15 pts on 6-11 and 3-6 with 4 rebounds 4 assists and 2 steals. Will even this quiet the doubters?

And what can you say about the stretch in which Blanca got 3 steals in a row (I think she only got credit for two of them) which were quickly converted to 6 points. It’s hard to overstate the impact of sequences like that on the opposing team’s morale.

 

[Kaizen]

Honestly, I didn't expect We are so good ~~~ 😄

 

[BBallF]

There has been debate on this site as to who the best defensive PG is in the country but there shouldn't be a debate about the best defensive 2 guard. That was a masterpiece of defense by Azzi on the best frosh in the country.

 

[Stagnant]

This game in some ways was an unfortunate big tv game. Juju Watkins was meant to play in this game; and obviously that didn’t happen because of her injury.

Blanca was probably the player of the game in the first half. I think USC actually did an outstanding job on Strong. And they lost Fudd a couple of times; but did well on her too. I think Jazzy and Kennedy Smith as defenders on the wing… I think they will bother a lot of people.

Shade and KK quietly had very solid games.

I do want to talk about depth. Our depth does seem to be less than I expected. Geno is really only using 7 in that first half. I would be a bit disappointed if I were Allie Ziebell.

 

[uconnfan68]

Finally saw Sarah’s C game.

 

[pghhuskydoc]

Team defense continues to be outstanding. UConn put on a clinic.
Also, Serah Williams really played some solid minutes today. Blocks, rebounds, and confident moves in the paint.

 

[huskyd]

Love the Kobe’s the players wore!

-you have to look hard to find anything to even nit pic with this defensive performance. They just never allow an easy look.

-Advantage Azzi in the head to head matchup against Jazzy.

-Ash kept her streak alive of getting at least one offensive rebound in every game. She probably had her best game of the year.

-It is a stat that not even DavidInNaples would have but I wonder how many times Ash has ended a quarter or half with a basket in her career. I bet a half dozen at least.

-Blanca continues to demonstrate that she is a difficult guard for any defender off the dribble. Especially when the defender is a big.

-K9 seemed to press in her return to Los Angeles but redeemed herself with a spectacular up and under at the end.

-With each passing game, Serah provides clues as to why she was the BIG 10 defensive player of the year.

-Maybe it is non conference and still early but nobody seems to follow Michigan’s lead and play zone.

-It seemed USC was getting some home court advantage with calls. It didn’t affect the outcome but all the Trojans had to do was fall and they got a call.

-It is weird to say, but by her standards, Sarah had an off day.


A little ragged in the second half but overall, this team seems to get better and better. Especially on defense.

This is an excellent summary of the game, Victor.
I just want to add that it's past due time to credit Geno with another masterful coaching stint. He has fine players, but he knows how to use them in a way that a conductor knows how to conjure his orchestra. Coach is the best thing in wcbb.

 

[Basingstoke]

I got Michigan flashbacks during the 3rd and fourth quarters because of, what seemed like, innumerable bunnies missed - on the other hand, USC had no one going super nova on us...

 

[RockyMTblue2]

It was choppy at times. I think the home team got a few calls they shouldn't have. Their length gave us some problems and they did a good job of staying in Sarah's pocket. I like their freshman string bean. There was the suggestion that Kayleigh was trying to poach her in a live feed, which was a little light amusement. It was a knock down game start to finish and I am sure Geno liked that.

 

[my2cents]

It looked to me that the refs stopped calling fouls on USC for most of the second half. Jana got hog tied, no call. Lucky no one got hurt.

 

[victor64]

This is an excellent summary of the game, Victor.
I just want to add that it's past due time to credit Geno with another masterful coaching stint. He has fine players, but he knows how to use them in a way that a conductor knows how to conjure his orchestra. Coach is the best thing in wcbb.

Thanks. One thing that is a staple of his game planning is that they always take away the opponents best offensive threat. Today, Jazzy felt Fudd's presence and struggled.

 

[Surly1]

UConn has had some great defensive teams in the past, but I doubt there has been a player like Blanca that Geno could bring off the bench with her athletic skills and immediately impact the game. She will be an absolute terror on both ends of the court come tourney time.

Most times when Azzi is mentioned after a game, it usually has to do with her impeccable shooting. However, her defensive job on Jazzy Davidson was splendid. Azzi was so close to Jazzy, she heard her thoughts.

At this stage, UConn's team defense is ahead of its offense. Let that sink in. When the offense catches up, UConn will be a team with few weaknesses.

 

[Huskie837]

Solid victory on a ranked opponents home court. Can nitpick it some but yeah Go Huskies! PS: BQ is going to be special!

 

[CTBballfan243]

This game in some ways was an unfortunate big tv game. Juju Watkins was meant to play in this game; and obviously that didn’t happen because of her injury.

Blanca was probably the player of the game in the first half. I think USC actually did an outstanding job on Strong. And they lost Fudd a couple of times; but did well on her too. I think Jazzy and Kennedy Smith as defenders on the wing… I think they will bother a lot of people.

Shade and KK quietly had very solid games.

I do want to talk about depth. Our depth does seem to be less than I expected. Geno is really only using 7 in that first half. I would be a bit disappointed if I were Allie Ziebell.

In the big games you want your best players on the court. If things are going really well in the big games playing 7 or 8 players is optimal. If you are playing more than that then the game isn’t going well and you’re probably in foul trouble.

 

[BBallF]

Let's face it, Sarah had an off night and seemed out of sorts in the first half and K9 appeared to be off her game also likely due to the pressure of returning back. Plus we traveled 3000 miles for this game. despite this we were up by 40 or close to it at one point. This is one of our best defensive teams ever. Thing of beauty.

 

[iri10]

UConn has had some great defensive teams in the past, but I doubt there has been a player like Blanca that Geno could bring off the bench with her athletic skills and immediately impact the game. She will be an absolute terror on both ends of the court come tourney time.

Most times when Azzi is mentioned after a game, it usually has to do with her impeccable shooting. However, her defensive job on Jazzy Davidson was splendid. Azzi was so close to Jazzy, she heard her thoughts.

At this stage, UConn's team defense is ahead of its offense. Let that sink in. When the offense catches up, UConn will be a team with few weaknesses.

In general, compared to the other great defensive UConn teams, this one seems to rely more on "gambling" than most of them. We've got multiple highly skilled pickpockets - I can't recall many other UConn teams stripping as many balls away from the opponent. Sarah and Blanca are especially adept.

 

[Stagnant]

Finally saw Sarah’s C game.

Yeah; by her standards. She was really off today. She lost her balance a few times. She didn’t catch the ball clean a few times. Very unusual.

 

[BBallF]

Finally saw Sarah’s C game.

Good enough to be All Conference almost everywhere.

 

[BBallF]

UConn has had some great defensive teams in the past, but I doubt there has been a player like Blanca that Geno could bring off the bench with her athletic skills and immediately impact the game. She will be an absolute terror on both ends of the court come tourney time.

Most times when Azzi is mentioned after a game, it usually has to do with her impeccable shooting. However, her defensive job on Jazzy Davidson was splendid. Azzi was so close to Jazzy, she heard her thoughts.

At this stage, UConn's team defense is ahead of its offense. Let that sink in. When the offense catches up, UConn will be a team with few weaknesses.

The thing about Blanca that is of great advantage to her and seems to always surprise the dribbler is her length. She gets her hands in places where she causes touches on regular basis. She also finishes like a runaway freight train.

 

[DefenseBB]

UConn has had some great defensive teams in the past, but I doubt there has been a player like Blanca that Geno could bring off the bench with her athletic skills and immediately impact the game. She will be an absolute terror on both ends of the court come tourney time.

Most times when Azzi is mentioned after a game, it usually has to do with her impeccable shooting. However, her defensive job on Jazzy Davidson was splendid. Azzi was so close to Jazzy, she heard her thoughts.

At this stage, UConn's team defense is ahead of its offense. Let that sink in. When the offense catches up, UConn will be a team with few weaknesses.

I hear what you’re saying as I thought today Blanca “announced her presence” to the national collective but you seem to forget about the 2015-16 season when a lithe freshman named Napheesa Collier was off the bench on THAT LOADED TEAM. I actually think freshman Blanca is much better than freshman Phee. Phee had a phenomenal improvement her sophomore year.