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USC Post Game

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DefenseBB said:
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.
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Without making any comparisons between Phee and Blanca, Phee played her entire freshman season with a torn labrum.
 
DefenseBB said:
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.
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I can't even imagine Blanca with "phenomenal improvement".
 
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David54 said:
Azzi, maybe her most complete game as a husky. A dominating defensive performance and even with the questionable whistles only 1 pf.
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With Sarah having a less than “Sarah like” game for whatever reason: illness, new shoes, whatever….Azzi may have just reinserted herself into the NPOY discussion?
 
iri10 said:
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.
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They both have great length and tremendous timing on defense. They each have the quickness of a guard at 6'2" and intuitive basketball sense which is so natural to them that they probably don't even realize they have it. It is just a pleasure to watch.
 
Bone Dog said:
I’ve now watched the game twice — Hulu let’s me record it — and I think this is one of those teams that could be compared to any of the great husky teams of yore. I’m not saying it’s better or worse than any particular team. But they should definitely be in the conversation. It’s a lot of things that make me say this, not least of which is that the scoring comes from everywhere. It’s not just Azzi and Sarah, great as they are. And the intensity of the defensive effort is really eye opening.
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I am slowly but surely leaning into the idea that this team may be the best defensive team that UConn has ever put on the court. The Huskies depth, connectedness, relentless effort, size and quickness make them an absolute nightmare for everyone they face. What other team in WBB could hold a talented USC team to just 17 points in the 1st half?
 
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Given the spectrum of comments on the game I think nothing else needs added.. The one thing that strikes me was Geno’s comments about practice and the level of intensity and how the highest level of intensity in practice translates into a higher level of play during the game.. Watching that game and the UConn defense makes we wonder what practice must be like.. 👍
 
oldude said:
I am slowly but surely leaning into the idea that this team may be the best defensive team that UConn has ever put on the court. The Huskies depth, connectedness, relentless effort, size and quickness make them an absolute nightmare for everyone they face. What other team in WBB could hold a talented USC team to just 17 points in the 1st half?
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I'm already there about the best defensive team. This is the best defensive backcourt we have ever had and the best in the country. I don't think Jazzy had a single basket off of Azzi while she was defending her. For our first backcourt sub we also have Kayleigh who is a strong defender which is a great asset. We have never had a player like Blanca coming off the bench to change a game by her defense and floor game. She came in with Kayleigh with 3 minutes to go in the first quarter and we went on an 11-0 run and she had several of those baskets off of her defense. Plus we have Sarah as a rebounder and shot blocker and the former Big 10 defender of the year under the basket in Serah which basically goes unnoticed. And this is only mid December. This isn't supposed to happen until March!
 
oldude said:
With Sarah having a less than “Sarah like” game for whatever reason: illness, new shoes, whatever….Azzi may have just reinserted herself into the NPOY discussion?
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Not even a question for me. She should definitely be there. That was an epic defensive performance on a national stage combined with next level scoring ability. It takes an awful lot out of you when you have to defend the other team's best player in and of itself. When that player happens to have been the #1 recruit averaging 16 points a game it is even more taxing. Azzi still led the team in scoring and was "only" 6-11 from the field.
 
oldude said:
I am slowly but surely leaning into the idea that this team may be the best defensive team that UConn has ever put on the court. The Huskies depth, connectedness, relentless effort, size and quickness make them an absolute nightmare for everyone they face. What other team in WBB could hold a talented USC team to just 17 points in the 1st half?
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I agree with this possibility. The only thing I don't agree with is USC. They aren't really talented. They have two serious players, Smith and Davidson.
 
oldude said:
With Sarah having a less than “Sarah like” game for whatever reason: illness, new shoes, whatever….Azzi may have just reinserted herself into the NPOY discussion?
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No..great game by Azzi..but Sarah leads the team in assists,rebounds,steals,and blocks and is 2nd in ppg..NPOY and it's not even close..she can also defend 1-5
 
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It was hard to watch this years version of USC. There is not much top end talent on that roster except for Jazzy. It's going to be a very long season for the Trojans. Anyone who knows anything about basketball can not in good conscience consider USC the 16th best team in the country.
 
BBallF said:
Not even a question for me. She should definitely be there. That was an epic defensive performance on a national stage combined with next level scoring ability. It takes an awful lot out of you when you have to defend the other team's best player in and of itself. When that player happens to have been the #1 recruit averaging 16 points a game it is even more taxing. Azzi still led the team in scoring and was "only" 6-11 from the field.
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Some wonky dude on the Big East podcast had her at #39. Brilliant stuff. How many years did it take before Steph Curry was in MVP conversations. I guess enough people were “struck” by one of his barrages.
All due respect, do we really need to talk about player-of-the year right now? Serious pondering: did Geno leave Sarah in a bit longer so she could get some #’s, which she did- she hit a 3 and a layup + 1. She only had 8 points at that point. Player of the year will take care of itself. Who really cares anyway.
 
Cornell Lt said:
It was hard to watch this years version of USC. There is not much top end talent on that roster except for Jazzy. It's going to be a very long season for the Trojans. Anyone who knows anything about basketball can not in good conscience consider USC the 16th best team in the country.
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There is a clear stratification in WBB. At the top there is UConn, TX, SC, UCLA & maybe LSU. After that there’s a handful of good teams: MI, OK & ?. Then there’s a bunch of teams that are ranked in the top 25, like USC, but seem deficient in one way or the other. Then there’s a vast amount of cupcakes that give up 100 pts to the BIG girl teams.
 
Simply a fantastic play on the defensive end..amazing..special kudos to Azzi for her effort against Davidson
Serah upped her game with the 9 boards in only 21 mins
Heckel seemed out of sorts but that was probably nerves
Very good all around game from Ashley ..if she could only be consistent with her shooting..she has the worse shooting % on the team except for Caroline but she does an awfull lot of things well
 
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Surly1 said:
...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.
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Off the bench defensive impact? Ashley Battle leaps to mind along with (in her pre-injury prime) Aubrey Griffin. Both players were major disrupters and game impacters in their day.

That said, Blanca will likely end up better than both and it will be my great pleasure to watch as Geno and crew continue to help her refine her game... no ceiling in sight.

I know this comparision might rub some folks the wrong way, but the first time I saw Blanca grab a rebound and power up the floor to the rim I thought "...that looked just like AT!" She even finished one of those with Alyssa's "spin cycle" move. For those put off by the comparison to a MD Turtle, Maya had that power-push in her game also.

Will Blanca rise to the lofty levels of those two Hall of Famers? No one can say at this point, but you do see flashes of brilliance now and then that are hard to ignore.
 
mordecai said:
Given the spectrum of comments on the game I think nothing else needs added.. The one thing that strikes me was Geno’s comments about practice and the level of intensity and how the highest level of intensity in practice translates into a higher level of play during the game.. Watching that game and the UConn defense makes we wonder what practice must be like.. 👍
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Yep. Imagine what practices are like now, with 13 players and practice players available. Then compare it to a few years back where the coaches just couldn't do much of quantity, which affected the quality of practice.
 
What’s the saying? This is the worse she will ever play. Blanca has a wonderful place to grow her game.

Only once last night I saw her build up speed going to the basket and miss the shot with only one defender. Yep, just a little out of control.

Once she learns to slow just enough to still be in control of her body. . .
😎 👍
 
FanSince17 said:
Some wonky dude on the Big East podcast had her at #39. Brilliant stuff. How many years did it take before Steph Curry was in MVP conversations. I guess enough people were “struck” by one of his barrages.
All due respect, do we really need to talk about player-of-the year right now? Serious pondering: did Geno leave Sarah in a bit longer so she could get some #’s, which she did- she hit a 3 and a layup + 1. She only had 8 points at that point. Player of the year will take care of itself. Who really cares anyway
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I only care if the NPOY is not either Sarah or Azzi.😁
 
BBallF said:
I only care if the NPOY is not either Sarah or Azzi.😁
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Were you ok with JuJu getting it last year?
UConn was dominant from February on. Should Paige have won it, with a few votes for Sarah?
 
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