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USC Postgame Thread

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UConn990411 said:
If you have to do a platoon, then the player who’s in for offense should be averaging more than 6.8 points per game.

I think it’s past time KK starts games, or at least plays a whole lot more than she has been.
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KK averages 4.2 ppg. Kaitlyn shoots 42% from the perimeter, KK 7%.

I like playing them together as part of the small lineup.
 
This game felt eerily similar to the ND game, their 3 pt shots and mental mistakes on our end. As mentioned, small ball got them going, along with toughness. I'm not sure how many top teams get a player like Aubrey back in a month. Geno will coach them up and our best ball is in front of us. Oh and Sarah is the truth.
 
oldude said:
Some thoughts on the USC game;
  • Really terrible start to the game for UConn. As with ND, the Huskies came out tight and dug themselves a big hole that they just couldn't climb out of. :(
  • Through my 30 years as a UConn fan, these were the games that I lived for. The Huskies won far more big games than they lost, but even the handful of losses were usually close and hard fought to the end. But I have never seen anything quite like the game I watched tonight.
  • Once again, the Huskies showed signs of life in the 3rd qtr. Obviously, UConn can’t continue to wait that long to start playing basketball against teams as talented as USC.
  • UConn went with a small lineup and fought their way back into the game. I thought that KK's ferocious defense was the jump start the team needed, and then everyone else started making plays.
  • I am sure the BY is frustrated and there will be an inclination among some UConn fans to blame the players and coaches. I have one word for you, DON'T!!!
  • The season is not over by any stretch of the imagination. UConn has a lot of things to work on, and it is certainly possible to build this roster into a team capable of making a deep run in March. If anyone can build that team, it’s Geno.
  • Merry Christmas everyone. Go Huskies!!!
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But they did climb out of it. The game was there to be won in the last 4 minutes but UConn couldn't make enough plays or shots to do it. UConn was never going to win this game by double digits, they're not that strong. They had a one possession game with no key players in serious foul trouble and just weren't good enough to get it done. Just have to play better under pressure.
 
Vowelguy said:
Bad 1st half but 2nd half adjustment to small lineup was key

Sarah more than handled herself at the 5. Are we back to a 4 guard lineup?

Curious decision to not play KK most of the 4th.
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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.
 
If I have learned ONE thing from 65 years of watching and playing basketball, it is that it is very, very difficult, if not impossible, to come back from a large deficit to win in the fourth quarter. UConn made a valiant effort, but came up just short.
 
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Terrible first half..why does it take Paige so long before she gets going..if she had come out like JuJu did we would have won this game
Uconn made their comeback with KK in there..she changed the game but Geno had Chen in there the last few mins.
I thought Morgan played really well especially guarding bigger people
Sara what can you say ..another tough dbl dbl..she is going to be a great one
Now we go and play in the Big East..is that going to help Ice or Jana get any better..because we have no inside game against good teams
 
It was a fun watch. I still think it's a bad loss but I thought the team fought hard after a rough first half. I thought kk was phenomenal and so was Sarah. I also think a 100 percent, not first game back Azzi could've made a difference. But this has to be like the 7th straight loss vs a top 10 team in the regular season.
I think the team has a lot of talented players but they seem to be in limited roles. I actually think Paige should take a step back and facilitate more. It's one of her strengths. I know it's kinda damned if you do damned if you don't with her but I think she kinda forces shots more.
 
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pvdoggy said:
You likely lose more than win big games shooting 10-17 from the FT line, especially against quality opponents.
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yeah, true. could have won the game with a few more. paige missing two in a row is always inexplicable to me. I think Paige thinks on the basketball court more now than she did as a freshman. she just played loose and free back then.
 
Ozimoto said:
Made a courageous comeback but just couldn’t get over the hump. Need another consistent double digit scorer as many have said.
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I like the small lineup and Azzi will be double a digit scorer in the future and add Aubrey to the mix, and I think Shade will get more consistent. We will be good. I think the outlook is better than it was looking honestly
 
HuskyNan said:
KK averages 4.2 ppg. Kaitlyn shoots 42% from the perimeter, KK 7%. I like playing them together as part of the small lineup.
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I agree, Nan!
Despite UCONN's smaller lineup, they were even in rebounds with USC & the Huskies had more offensive boards. If they can hold their own rebounding with a smaller lineup, it can be a successful strategy.
 
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JBK said:
As good as Sarah has been. How many of us thought she would hit the 3 foul shots. Tough position to be in
The missed 3 by Paige towards the end was big. It would have brought the house down
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I feel bad that Sarah was put into the position of having to win it at the charity stripe.
 
uconnever said:
I like the small lineup and Azzi will be double a digit scorer in the future and add Aubrey to the mix, and I think Shade will get more consistent. We will be good. I think the outlook is better than it was looking honestly
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Agree. With Chen and Kk being so fast we should do more full court pressing.
 
What a game. I had so much fun. It'd have been more fun if we got the dub but I'll take this L. Sarah Strong is her!
 
I’ll try to be positive, this team fought back from 18 points down. That feels like an improvement from ND. But this team spotted a top 10 team 9 points from the tip, something that needs to be fixed. We can chalk it up to hot shooting by both USC and ND, but frankly the perimeter defense is questionable. There was a stretch where usc got a wide open look on what felt like 10 straight possessions.

I have been doubtful of shade, but thought she gave some great minutes tonight. And proved to me she can bring some offense in big games. Kudos.

Cheli showed up big time. Major kudos.

I’m sometimes perplexed by lineups and choices. Kk sparks the 3rd quarter run, then sits nearly the entire 4th. Geno seems too loyal to Chen sometimes.

Paige is denied the ball on the final possession of the quarter, just to run off 13 screens and get the ball in the same spot she originally was, now with just 3 seconds to work with.

Ice continuing to start. She doesn’t rebound, can’t shoot, can’t post up, and is widely not guarded by opponents. But then sometimes she’ll be great defensively and other possessions gamble or rotate in costly ways.

Jana can’t get off the bench, when I feel she has more upside and does make an impact. I really feel like we could use her more.

It’s a disappointing loss. But I think this version of the team isn’t what we’ll be employing in March. Can Azzi get and stay healthy? Will Aubrey contribute. Can Jana or KK or Cheli force genos hand? The upside is that Sarah strong is on an upward trajectory towards greatness. If we can surround her and Paige with a unit that is cohesive and works well together, we’ll be alright.
 
I hope that this game will convince Geno to go for a change in the starting 5. We can't continue to dig such a deep hole in the first half and work so hard to dig out of it.
IMO, the new starting 5 should be Paige, Sarah, Azzi, Ash and Jana. Need to see what Jana can do with more minutes as it's pretty clear that Ice does not cut it as a starting center against the better teams. This line up will have Paige as the PG.
From the bench: KK, KC, Morgan and Ice.
If UConn plays the small line up with Sarah at the 5, i doubt she'll have much left by seasons end.
 
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uconnfan68 said:
Not if she has a say. If I recall, she really didn’t want to be a low post player during recruiting.
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Kiki Iriafen is a forward not a center. At 6'3" she only had one inch on her. She might not do that well against a real top flight center. Why would Strong play out of position for herself. It will do nothing for her preperation for the next level.
 
UConn990411 said:
They at least showed some fight this time, but the same bad habits continue to put this team in difficult positions.

I know a lot of people don’t want to hear this, but the coaching has been inexplicable this season. We’ve seen way too many Chen minutes at the expense of Arnold/Azzi, not nearly enough of Paige at the point, and Brady starting over El Alfy is indefensible at this point.

It’s time for a lineup change so this team can compete athletically with the top teams in the nation.
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Azzi? She gave us absolutely nothing out there tonight. She had no business being in this game at all as she was ready. Chen is getting such a bad rap from many of you. Ice and Jana have terrible hands and haven't learned to move towards the pass QUICKLY when being defended. They don't and as a result Chen gets a turnover when the defender slaps the ball away. Both she and Arnold played very well in this game, KK sparking the turn around for us and Chen hitting a big 3 pointer. I was so happy that Geno kept his "bigs" on the bench where they belonged.

After this game, I too now believe we would be better off with Sarah handling the post along with four (4) guards.
 
willtalk said:
Kiki Iriafen is a forward not a center. At 6'3" she only had one inch on her. She might not do that well against a real top flight center. Why would Strong play out of position for herself. It will do nothing for her preperation for the next level.
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You see the way the 5 plays in our offense. You really want to shut her down?
 
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