USC Postgame Thread

[The deacon]

I swear, I thought the officials were trying to limit the flopping of players out there. That illegal screen call on Paige was iffy in the 4th quarter. Sure, Paige extended her arm a little but compared to other players (both teams) and their screening habits, Paige's screen was mild and if you ain't calling moving screens on those other players, keep swallowing the whistle on that Paige screen.

Overall, this was an exciting game in the end. Like I said in a previous comment, we started off rough. That 1st half missing that energy. That intensity. We have to come out every game in attack mode, especially when we are facing the so-called "Elite" programs out there. Set the tone.

Sarah and her free throw attempts at the end. Huge moment for her. I love her poise and confidence during that moment. She is going to be special! We got some really amazing players. Tough competitors. I love this team and looking forward to the rest of the season. They are only going to get better and hungrier. We are going to be dangerous as the season clips along.

Shades of that infamous Aaliyah foul vs. Iowa, JellyBean, right? The counterpoint: both were fouls.

 

[hoophuskee]

Now you will know another of my takes. Chen makes a lot of strange plays for a senior who went to Princeton, and that decision for a 1-on-3 pullup jumper in transition late with Shade wide open on the outside was another.

No it wasn't. She was inside the foul line.

 

[Bigboote]

I know I'm late to the show, but a few remarks:

Shade hit three quick jumpers in the second. I really felt like that stanched the bleeding and kept the game from getting totally out of hand. I thought she played really well, her defense was disruptive and she kept a few rebounds alive. I'm amazed that she was only credited with two boards.

For a team that's sometimes talked of as "defense optional", USC's defense early in the game was really impressive. They made UConn really uncomfortable with the way they extended the man defense well out beyond the three-point line. They took away angles for both penetration and passes into the post. For all her perceived limitations, Gottlieb really had her kids prepared for this one.

I think Morgan Cheli played her way into a bigger role going forward. I've though she's a bit of a Swiss Army Knife, and she's showing that they can go moderately small with her handling a forward position.

The combination of Chen and Arnold can work well for a few minutes at a time.

 

[ERWUC65]

You are correct and that’s because the coach decided she wasn’t a point guard anymore
I took the ball out of her hands

Conversely, USC’s coach runs isolations for juju Watkins, probably 60% to 70% of the time and she either shoots or passes
Completely dominates the game similar to what page does it does a freshman

I know it’s heresy to criticize Coach GA but imho
His offensive concepts and how he uses Paige
Put a ceiling on how good the team can be

Coach is developing a team, not an WNBA prospect, you will see the difference at the end of the year

 

[TAK]

UConn played gritty in the second half and got results. I liked it.
The announcers were terrible!! Provided zero information. The mute button came in handy.
Yes I want Azzi to be healthy and ready, but I am more eager for Aubrey’s return. She is the missing piece. Aubrey and KK off the bench…sparks of defensive energy!

 

[hoophuskee]

Geno called her and JEA out in the post-game saying 2 pts. combined isn't gonna cut it. They need someone other than SS to score inside to open up opportunities for the guards. Honest and true comments. They need to step up. Not sure if it's a lack of confidence or what, but they need to get going.

Geno sometimes makes some pretty bizarre comments- and I usually stick up for him big time outside of strange comments. And I stick up for him not starting JEA. But his comment about needing more scoring from JEA is bizarre. She played 6 minutes and scored 2 points.

They need to hit their 3's. Then that opens up the inside. If Azzi were healthy then they are potentially prolific. But alas she isn't.

 

[ERWUC65]

I understand that. But I stand by my statement.

While her latest injury was minor, it was major in her head. She came back after a year off and had gained some confidence in her first few games, finally playing like her old self, then got hurt, now thinking I can't play all out and it showed. Given enough playing time in the next few BE games she will be back, we just have to be patient and hope.

 

[ERWUC65]

The lack of any semblance of a post presence puts pressure on the team to make perimeter shots. It's one thing to have to do that against the likes of Iowa State or Louisville, but quite another against teams with quick (ND) or long and athletic (USC) perimeter defenders. Shade and Chen and even Paige struggle against long and quick defenders who don't have to worry about helping on a post player. Azzi showed the ability to get by her defender and to the rim against Mississippi, but who knows if Azzi will be healthy again. Geno said last night that the team needs to make more threes to win games like last night's. He's right but it's hard to imagine that happening against long and athletic teams. A healthy Azzi should help but who knows if we'll see that.

South Carolina and Tennessee will likely be very ugly.

Tennessee has LSU, Texas and SC in Jan before UConn, If they even come close in any of those I'll be surprised.

 

[rubymae4]

The announcers … at a critical juncture in the first half the guy asked the woman what was the most exciting game she’d ever played in … nobody cares! Talk about the damn game we’re watching!

Obviously I’m biased, but I couldn’t handle the over the top exclamations about USC and Juju (who were clearly outplaying us in the first half). Maybe it got better in the second half, but I’d muted by then.

Announcing has turned into a conversation between two people that is semi-basketball related instead of actually calling the game.

 

[HuskyNan]

Shade hit three quick jumpers in the second. I really felt like that stanched the bleeding and kept the game from getting totally out of hand. I thought she played really well, her defense was disruptive and she kept a few rebounds alive. I'm amazed that she was only credited with two boards.

I thought the defensive pressure on Paige was lessened after those shots because USC’s scout should have seen that Ashlynn can and will shoot if left open

 

[rubymae4]

While her latest injury was minor, it was major in her head. She came back after a year off and had gained some confidence in her first few games, finally playing like her old self, then got hurt, now thinking I can't play all out and it showed. Given enough playing time in the next few BE games she will be back, we just have to be patient and hope.

Exactly. She was playing very confidently and moving very well until the minor sprain. Having been in her place (multiple sports surgeries), it’s those small issues that can break the confidence in your joint. It wasn’t a great game for Azzi to come back to—very fast paced, lots of cutting. She clearly didn’t have full trust in her knee, and Geno was wise to keep her out.

 

[hoophuskee]

Shades of that infamous Aaliyah foul vs. Iowa, JellyBean, right? The counterpoint: both were fouls.

Both should not have been called.

 

[UCONNRPh]

"Prime" time, you might say.

When she is healthy, she is PRIME !!

 

[rt bb fan]

Just opinion but I think she was better offensively as a frosh. More creative. More dynamic. Could impact the game in a lot of ways and had answers to your answers. She would routinely have games where she approached double figures in assists (she did it a couple times but would have 7-9 a lot too). Her best game this year was 7 against BU on opening day.

She’s mostly just a mid range jump shooter now against good teams, and she doesn’t affect games much with her passing. I felt she was an extraordinary talent as a freshman and she’s become a lot more ordinary. The 15-18 foot jumpers have their place, but it feels like that’s her whole bag.

So what happened for Paige to regress in her game?

 

[BRS24]

I stepped back after reading this thread and the How important is +/- thread, and although I would have liked Ice and Jana to have contributed more in last night's game, here are some thoughts. They are still fundamentally, a sophomore and a freshman. Ice averaged 17.5 minutes per game last year, and Jana is getting her first experience as a college player. When injured, a player can watch all the practices, the games, listen to in game adjustments, however until they get constant experience, the game slows for them, and they can execute the plays without thinking, it will be a little rocky. Geno and staff expect the team to perform a certain way, run their plays, and until they have the trust in a player, it will be difficult to get extended minutes.

I am not making any excuses for either of them, however neither have a significant amount of experience to draw upon. Ice seems to be hesitant, and Jana wants to make up for 1.5 years of not playing. I'd like to see Ice get the mindset of when she had to fill in for Aaliyah in the BE tourney last season, where she wasn't looking over her shoulder (IMHO). From a minutes/points/rebounds perspective, she had 22/8/3, 40/10/5, and 40/13/8. Jana just needs to slow down a bit, and focus on the little things, as it doesn't seem that the role she's playing now is the same when she played for Egypt.

 

[RoadMaster]

Swipe..

 

[Surly1]

Well said, BobbyJ, but last night, playing against each other, Paige was 9 of 22 with two assists, while JuJu was 9 of 16 with five assists... small sample, yes, but is there a better sample than playing in the same game?

Paige is a great shooter, likely better than JuJu, but my concern about her is that she seems stuck between the player she was and the player Geno has urged her to become. She just doesn't to get her teammates in the mix as often as she used to.

As one poster sorta said much earlier on this thread, I believe Paige has got so much churning around in that brilliant, young mind of hers, it isn't allowing her very best player to emerge.

I think you are spot on. In the big spotlight games this season (Louisville, ND, & USC), Paige hasn't appeared relaxed to me. We know Paige has a creative flair to her game, but compared to her frosh season, it has been tempered. As others referenced, in her first season, she appeared to play freely and with more joy. This year, she seems to force her game at times, inexplicably taking forced shots, passing up easier attempts, and her spontaneity on offense has been mostly AWOL.

Paige is a great shooter, but too many of her 3-pt attempts this year look forced. I can't recall another time when Paige had 2 of her shots blocked in a game. She's normally so crafty, hard to defend.

In my opinion, she's thinking more than naturally reacting. She's carrying a lot of pressure on her shoulders some self-induced. As the deacon stated, Paige appears caught in a snare of the type of player she wants to be versus the type of player Geno wants her to be.

For her sake, I hope she sorts it out.

 

[UConnCat]

From the Courant article. Geno saying what I posted earlier about the consequences of no post presence.

UConn women’s basketball team enters Big East play with big questions to answer after loss to No. 7 USC

UConn women’s basketball played like two different teams in each half of their loss to USC, and the Huskies have to decide which version they’re going to be moving forward.

www.courant.com

“I always believe in people, that they can do what we need them to do, and we’ve said that we’re going to be the team that we want to be if we’re getting contributions from those guys,” Auriemma said. “They have to be able to make a 15-footer. They have to be able to keep the ball out of the lane. If we’re playing five against four because we can’t get any offense out of them and we need offense, it’s tough to play them. I know they’re both young, but if we can find a way to get some consistency … that takes a lot of pressure off of our guards. Right now, there’s too much pressure on them, so I’ve got to figure that one out. That’s on me and the coaching staff.”

 

[hoophuskee]

From the Courant article. Geno saying what I posted earlier about the consequences of no post presence.

UConn women’s basketball team enters Big East play with big questions to answer after loss to No. 7 USC

UConn women’s basketball played like two different teams in each half of their loss to USC, and the Huskies have to decide which version they’re going to be moving forward.

www.courant.com

“I always believe in people, that they can do what we need them to do, and we’ve said that we’re going to be the team that we want to be if we’re getting contributions from those guys,” Auriemma said. “They have to be able to make a 15-footer. They have to be able to keep the ball out of the lane. If we’re playing five against four because we can’t get any offense out of them and we need offense, it’s tough to play them. I know they’re both young, but if we can find a way to get some consistency … that takes a lot of pressure off of our guards. Right now, there’s too much pressure on them, so I’ve got to figure that one out. That’s on me and the coaching staff.”

He needs Azzi if she's healthy whatever her role. He will be getting Griffin back. And in regard to JEA 6 minutes doesn't make his comment very relevant. unles this is all about her defense from yesterday.

 

[willie99]

Good game, tough game, we have the talent just need to grow a little

I believe Geno will have them ready come March. He's learning too

 

[UConn990411]

When Paige has the ball teams double her forcing the ball out of her hands whn tht happens it's up to someone else to score, whn she's off the ball they're not letting her run willy nilly around and thru the paint, they'll hold, push, and block her path, and whn a guard picks up their dribble particularly with their back to the basket or in the corners( Which drives me and apparently Geno nuts) they're left looking for a outlet which more often thn not ends in a TO. In other words they cut off the head of the snake ( Which is the same defense UConn uses) and force others to beat them. So in order to win consistently against the better teams they need at least 2 players tht can consistently play at a high level game after game, seems we have one in SILK (Sarah) who's gonna be the other remains to be seen

It’s harder to double team someone who brings the ball up the court, which Paige should do more often and put teams in pick and roll hell. And if teams try to send a double at her, then Sarah (or whoever the screener is) can slip the screen relentlessly until they’re forced to adjust.

 

[Zonepress]

Yes, anyone who thinks Bueckers is part of any of UConn's problems has no idea what they're watching

I wish Paige got as friendly a whistle & went to free throw line as often as JuJu does. JuJu is great and, like Hidalgo, is virtually unguardable- but the refs help her out a lot too.

About any college coach in the country along with any WNBA coach, GM, and scout would disagree with you because, unlike fans, they don't judge talent based on stats.

It’s harder to double team someone who brings the ball up the court, which Paige should do more often and put teams in pick and roll hell. And if teams try to send a double at her, then Sarah (or whoever the screener is) can slip the screen relentlessly until they’re forced to adjust.

U r correct

 

[Gurleyman]

So what happened for Paige to regress in her game?

Her own injuries set her back a bit, but I think playing last year on an injury laden team that started three point guards forced her to change her game, which helped last year’s team overachieve, but she hasn't been able to hit the reset button and go back to her old self. This year, she should have a good mix of talent around her with Strong and an older Shade to be multi dimensional and she’s just not there at this point. Perhaps a healthy Azzi will open things up.

Paige was never actually the full time point guard as a freshman - Evina Westbrook handled a lot of the point guard duties (bringing the ball up and getting us into offense) and Paige would create from the wing, but she was put in positions to make plays and reads and decisions. We used her strengths, and I am not sure how we get best get back to that. Chen coming on board and being a ball dominant non-scorer is questionable at this point, since it sort of puts Paige back in the box of needing to think as a scorer, but we’ll see how it plays out. Maybe by year end, they’ll figure it out a little better.

 

[Nev]

Really happy to see the remarkable second half with the small lineup. KK did a great defensive job and sparked the comeback. She also is one of the few guards that can take it to the hoop. Chen ran a long clock and takes a lot of time to set the offense. We might be more effective if more players looked for their shot but I guess this is the way the coach wants them to play. The defensive knows only two players are likely to shoot as the clock winds down, we seem to create our own pressure and desperate shots to much.

We have a lot of fine pieces to play many styles as needed but also need serious production out of our center position. Hoping that will change by March. This game might be a watershed one for the Huskies if we respond well.

Surprised no one asked Geno in post game presser why KK didn't play much in 4th Q.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

Which way?

Many of the fans in the area I was sitting, at midcourt just a few rows up, were noting as I did that JuJu was regularly getting held, grabbed and basically just plain fouled by Paige, Kaitlyn, KK, Ashlynn, et al, and very few times were they whistled.

We all agree Paige often doesn't get the whistle enough but, last night, I believe JuJu had the better claim on that...

You like in the critical 4th quarter, when Paige was pushed out of bounds and fell down right in front of Geno.