USC Postgame Thread

[maple]

She couldn't have won it there, she could only have tied it.

Yes you’re right, I misspoke.

 

[uconnfan68]

It's early, but got to say it's the first time in my memory(which is fading) that no one blamed the officials! Of course , they only took 6 free throws to our 17.

They missed some calls both ways, but it’s difficult to figure out with announcers wanting to tell stories.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Overlooked is yet another abysmal end-of-game possession in a tight game, a common theme for 10 or more years.

 

[maple]

Overlooked is yet another abysmal end-of-game possession in a tight game, a common theme for 10 or more years.

And one of the reasons we have not won a title in nearly a decade.

 

[uconnfan68]

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.

After watching tape on Ice in high school, I’m shocked she’s so hesitant to shoot when left wide open. It’s like she’s been told not to, which seems to be totally against Geno’s usual advice to his players.

 

[tomcat]

A few observations.
1. As everyone else has noticed, UConn does not have a center who, at this point, can compete with high-level programs. The smaller lineup makes more sense unless UConn is playing against a really tall team. At that point, I have no idea what they should do, because neither Ice nor Jana are ready to handle competition like that. They may be later this year or next year, but not now.
2. After the loss to ND, I made the observation that a team like USC, which has a superstar and a good center, can do what Notre Dame did to UConn. a number of responders said USC was nothing like Notre Dame and was not nearly as strong. Well, it's true that USC doesn't have ND's guard play, but they proved they don't need it., In this game it was Watkins and Iriafen instead of Hidalgo and the ND center. USC's center absolutely owned UConn's.
3. The UConn comeback was thrilling, even as it fell short.
4. It's very hard to criticize a player who comes up with mid-20 points and a bunch of great passes. But the opposition has gotten so much better in the last two years that Paige simply cannot put the team on her back and carry it over the goal line as she did in her freshman year. That puts the burden on the coaching staff to come up with plays other than just give it to Paige.
5. I thought KK Arnold played a very good game. She was a buzzsaw on defense and ignited at least a couple of offensive plays. She may not be the steady presence that Chen is, but she sure does up the overall team amperage when she is in there. She made a real difference.
6. Sarah Strong is already very good and will get better. I agree with the previous post that noted how unfair it was that she ended up in that really pressurized situation at game's end.
7. Morgan did not look out of place at all. Her game has steadily progressed in the last month.

 

[Jaydumo20]

That game was a good lesson for me. I was a bad fan. I counted them out and chalked it up to usc being a far superior team. I'm glad I was wrong.

 

[ed4ourgirls]

. . . No reason not to keep the 4 gaurd lineup at this point

The reason is that we need to continue to develop Ice and Jana. Especially Jana. She's only
played about a dozen D1 games so far.

We don't have any all american post players coming down the pipeline. Gandy looks to be a
project for her first two years at least. We have to develop what we have (as with Kara Walters).

 

[Bone Dog]

Lol
They have 7 highly regarded frosh and 4 played.
We have 3 and 2 played.

Fair enough. I guess I was merely struck by how well Gottlieb’s freshmen played, given the criticism she often gets as a coach.

 

[Wbbfan1]

Won't be a Popular Opinion, but like the Notre Dame game this game shows that Paige should not be in serious consideration for Player of the Year. Yes, she scored 22 Points and USC would have won in a Blow Out if Paige didn't play. However Ju Ju outplayed Paige in all facets of the game. Paige was 2-8 on three point shots (9-22 overall shooting) and only had 3 Rebounds and 2 Assists. Many of her 3's were wide open. I thought down the stretch she took an ill advised three that wasn't in the flow of the offense. Now if it went it, it would have been a clutch shot. That is not POY Stats in a Game this big. Injuries have taken the toll on Paige. She's not the same player she was as a Freshmen.

 

[Rudy1927]

Katie or Karen the one official on the end by g he bar had one of the worst games I’ve ever seen by an official. But you can’t cry about that but I’ll tell you I wouldn’t want her to officiate any of my games. Great experience for young players. It’s inevitable that Cheli and Strong will win the 4 and 5 spots the other two can’t guard their women. I also feel that Chen needs to move out of the starting lineup. You can’t have your PH and Big with no points. You might have to put Paige there with Ashlyn and Azzi (when healthy) out there as shooters. USC had shooters out there with Watkins. It’s early but changes need to be made cause some of them have been earned.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

She's not the same player she was as a Freshmen.

She wasn't great but the stats show she is better now than as a frosh.

 

[mainerhuski]

What an intense game. I had to turn the sound off as the announcers were stressing me out.

How many people had Morgan Chelli being a second half fixture on their bingo cards? Good for her for rising to the occasion.

I would take Ashlynn Shade on my team any day.

We are going to enjoy Sarah Strong for the next few years.

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!

 

[uconnfan68]

Won't be a Popular Opinion, but like the Notre Dame game this game shows that Paige should not be in serious consideration for Player of the Year. Yes, she scored 22 Points and USC would have won in a Blow Out if Paige didn't play. However Ju Ju outplayed Paige in all facets of the game. Paige was 2-8 on three point shots (9-22 overall shooting) and only had 3 Rebounds and 2 Assists. Many of her 3's were wide open. I thought down the stretch she took an ill advised three that wasn't in the flow of the offense. Now if it went it, it would have been a clutch shot. That is not POY Stats in a Game this big. Injuries have taken the toll on Paige. She's not the same player she was as a Freshmen.

Good thing she has a lot more games.

 

[Stagnant]

Won't be a Popular Opinion, but like the Notre Dame game this game shows that Paige should not be in serious consideration for Player of the Year. Yes, she scored 22 Points and USC would have won in a Blow Out if Paige didn't play. However Ju Ju outplayed Paige in all facets of the game. Paige was 2-8 on three point shots (9-22 overall shooting) and only had 3 Rebounds and 2 Assists. Many of her 3's were wide open. I thought down the stretch she took an ill advised three that wasn't in the flow of the offense. Now if it went it, it would have been a clutch shot. That is not POY Stats in a Game this big. Injuries have taken the toll on Paige. She's not the same player she was as a Freshmen.

Love Paige. But she is out for now. A 40 point performance in a win over South Carolina and we can talk about her as a potential candidate again; but for now… that discussion should be dead imo.

 

[Blueballer]

How quickly people forget. When USC lost to Notre Dame recently, USC was 1-13 from 3. Juju was 0-5. Was it the ND defense? Maybe a bit but I'm inclined to think they just weren't hitting. We had open threes tonight (And at ND) but just didn't hit a lot of them. That's the thing about threes. I don't think Geno will fret about the threes as much as he will be bothered by the missed free throws.

 

[packwrap]

That is not POY Stats in a Game this big. Injuries have taken the toll on Paige. She's not the same player she was as a Freshmen.

It's still a long season. Hidalgo now leader in clubhouse, followed by JuJu then Paige, but each will have some bad games.

To be fair Paige was a big part of the comeback, as her shooting came back from awful first half.

Both HH and JJ will be expected to lead their teams to league titles. ND has a pretty clear path, but USC has to deal with UCLA.

 

[mainerhuski]

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.

Speaking of the opening tip, starting Ice makes it tough for the guards to get free for a clear three. I don’t know why, but Ice seems incapable of setting a solid pick for Paige (or anyone up top.) I wish she would not start.

 

[Hayven]

Not if she has a say. If I recall, she really didn’t want to be a low post player during recruiting.

She literally never said that. What she did say was that she’s going to play whatever position Geno wants her to play.
It just so happens that having her at the 5 and Paige going back to the power forward position, is the best lineup

 

[mainerhuski]

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

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.

Like a taller Rizotti!

 

[Soxx]

Did anyone else notice a stretch there where Ice caught the ball at the Foul line, defense sagging off of her, and never once looked to the basket for a potential shot? She immediately was looking to pass after a pivot. She can and has made those shots in the past. I wondered if she had been told—this is your job tonight. Really unfortunate that USC could ignore her and double soneone else.

 

[mainerhuski]

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.

I’d love to see that 5 get some consecutive minutes together.

 

[Stagnant]

Morgan is a great connector on offense. She does set the screens. She does make the extra passes.

Surprisingly, she is leading the team in 3 point field goal percentage. (Maybe we should run some plays to get her some open shots until that percentage drops?)

And she also crashes the glass when a shot is attempted. I don’t know how many times this year I have seen us make a 3 and Morgan is the one catching the ball out of the net.

Her offense is ahead of her defense.

If Azzi and Aubrey do ever come back. I hope she doesn’t totally fall out of the rotation. I think that would be a shame. She looks like a player with a bright future.

 

[NEforceUConn]

I'm encouraged after this game. UConn can play better. The blazing starts by USC/ND will run their course. Agree that our 2 bigs will be sitting more in key games. At least Geno has seen his 4 guard lineup play well and its only December. I have faith that Chen will become more comfortable in 2025 and will surprise many on this board. If Aubrey or Azzi can be 90% by February I think we will be celebrating. A tall ask, but PB needs a breather or two on defense. A healthy Aubrey would cause problems for JuJu.

I was amazed that Geno drew up that quick hitter for SS with about a minute and change left. Play took like 5 seconds. Encouraging.