USC Postgame Thread | Page 2 | The Boneyard

USC Postgame Thread

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This came down to game management and UConn just did not manage the last 3 minutes as effective as they could have. Kudos for them on the comeback, but recognizing time and score was missing in the end. Geno not throwing KK back was costly and ultimately, this came down to making free throws. USC kept the ball in JuJu's hands and she made her, we couldn't make ours. Sarah, KK, Cheli, Shade and Paige really tried their hardest.
 
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The minutes Morgan Cheli played versus Ice & Jana, I think, are telling.

Morgan had shown all year that she brings KK Arnold level intensity and is ever-present around the ball, but this is a rapid evolution for a 1st year player. At the same time, I think it underscores the lack of development potential of our post-game with Ice & Jana. Not the first time we’ve seen this deficiency bite us. Hope this matures more quickly, but doesn’t seem to show a third through the season.

Kudos to KK Arnold for the impact she has on game flow with her intensity. She & Morgan stand out as having “Nika-like” intensity and they change the emotion of the game when in.
 
This was a really tough loss, but I think that this loss can propel us into the post season.

The first half was awful. Didn't run our offense, we looked scared, we looked confused. The second half was night and day. We ran our offense, we made the extra pass, we played better defense.

Trust me when I say that USC does NOT want to see us come tournament time...
 
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uconnever said:
Also USC didn’t miss anything that first half, so I think that probably won’t happen most games. They just were hot and coooled off the second half.
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Good call! If USC repeated their 1st half scoring in the 2nd half, they would have had 84 points!
That was improbable & when they came down to earth, UCONN took full advantage.
 
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UConn990411 said:
We’ve seen way too many Chen minutes at the expense of Arnold/Azzi
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While I agree that KK should get more playing time I don’t feel like Azzi is ready right now except limited time. Not because of injury but because she was unproductive tonight. If she was hot I would say yes let’s keep her out there.
 
Unfortunately, there was no carryover from the Iowa St on offense tonight. As hot as the team was against ISU, they started the game ice cold. Wasn't the best effort in the first half, but give USC & JuJu credit for being prepared and ready to play from the opening tip.

I wasn't a fan of having Paige guard JuJu. She is a strong, physical player that really makes you work on defense. I think it took a lot out of Paige on offense as she was off & short on her shots most of the evening.

However, happy to see the fight from UConn in the second half, and KK brought a lot of the energy & tenacity. It's easy to forget that in the last minutes of the game, UConn had Paige, a transfer, a soph and 2 freshmen on the floor. Obviously, it wasn't a win, but this loss hopefully prepares the team for later contests against SC and UT, and more importantly, tournament time.
 
It was a hard-fought game, for sure. I was proud that we fought back like we did. But as Oldude stated, we cannot afford to get so far behind in games that it takes everything to get back into them. We still need to figure something out with our post-play or lack thereof. In one huddle Lindsay told her players that we had no match up for them in the paint. However, our guards and Sarah attacking the paint with dribble drives seems to be effective most of the time. Maybe this should be the formula because it seems to be paying dividends.

Keep your head up Husky Nation. We haven't had a full complement of players for a few years now and yet, we are still in the running at the end. That if anything says a lot about how great this program is!
 
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caseyb7 said:
The minutes Morgan Cheli played versus Ice & Jana, I think, are telling.

Morgan had shown all year that she brings KK Arnold level intensity and is ever-present around the ball, but this is a rapid evolution for a 1st year player. At the same time, I think it underscores the lack of development potential of our post-game with Ice & Jana. Not the first time we’ve seen this deficiency bite us. Hope this matures more quickly, but doesn’t seem to show a third through the season.

Kudos to KK Arnold for the impact she has on game flow with her intensity. She & Morgan stand out as having “Nika-like” intensity and they change the emotion of the game when in.
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Morgan reminds me of all the scrappy UConn players of old. Not necessarily the best player on the floor but is bringing 120% and creating plays and changing the momentum.
 
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maple said:
While I agree that KK should get more playing time I don’t feel like Azzi is ready right now except limited time. Not because of injury but because she was unproductive tonight. If she was hot I would say yes let’s keep her out there.
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I do t think so, did you see Azzi to tonight?, she looked rusty. And besides I like our guard and wings, we are rock solid there, we have a serious post problem and I pray it doesn’t do us in. Chen has been solid.
 
This game was a heart attack in progress for me in the beginning. When Uconn finally woke up in the third and forth quarters , I thought they would pull it out, but , alas .we did not. It was as expected a hard fought game with the better team " this night " prevailing. So Cal played hard and deserved to win. Now comes the games in the BE that will finish Uconn's training and become the team it will be and then watch. Playing together and "practicing" Uconn historic games man ship, I believe So. Carolina and Tenn. will find that we are no pushover. Uconn's better days are ahead and I can't wait for each game to get here. I still have faith in THIS team and that it can go all the way. GO FRESHMEN!!!! GO SOPHOMORES!!!!! GO HUSKIES!!!!!
 
Looks like a top 5-7 team. Surprisingly, not the mental focus and drive to meet the challenge of tier one opponents. Lots of wins coming against conference “competition” ahead and hopes will be raised. But the mental edge isn’t currently present to compete with, and best, the elite teams. It will be fun to see if they grow, and if the injured return in time to make an impact.
 
I"m so proud of our team-what a comeback from 18 down!! Geno has been talking about going with the smaller line up and after what he and we saw tonight it's plain that against top competition that is the way to go. With Morgan taking Ice's spot on the floor USC couldn't play 5 on 4 defense which really killed us in the first half. And I just have to say that Sarah Strong really does appear to be the next One. Leading the team in points, rebounds and assists-as a freshman, in a huge, nationally broadcast matchup-simply AMAZING!!!!
 
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Great comeback. Much better D in the second half. KK was great. Strong and PB were solid. Strong’s game is so impressive. She is working hard, but it looks effortless. Reminds me of Maya. I am very concerned about our inside game.
 
JBK said:
I think Morgan played a lot.
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WLT1717 said:
Looks like a top 5-7 team. Surprisingly, not the mental focus and drive to meet the challenge of tier one opponents. Lots of wins coming against conference “competition” ahead and hopes will be raised. But the mental edge isn’t currently present to compete with, and best, the elite teams. It will be fun to see if they grow, and if the injured return in time to make an impact.
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Well said, I totally agree, but tonight with Sarah at the five have me new hope. That’s something they can work on and get better at. It could also backfire and Sarah get into foul trouble early, just have to wait and see. But I agree they are not where they need to be as far as toughness, mostly mentally.
 
uconnever said:
Probably not to start the games, but against the better teams, she will end up there.
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Understand. But Azzi is a steak player and needs to get into a rhythm. If she hits one- she can hit 10
 
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