USF Postgame Thread

[Centerstream]

As to the rest of your comments - I'll ignore your lack of insight into coaching.

Gee, I just "thanked" Dokey for their thoughtful insight ( ) put forth in a different post.

 

[Boreifs]

We need all the help we can get. Unfortunately, Stanford pulled out a miracle at CO, that would have also helped.

Maryland had another big game. They and Louisville have the inside tracks on the four and five seeds. If both of them go undefeated for the rest of the season, UConn has no chance.

 

[Centerstream]

Please coach, tell us one thing, and just one, that as coach you would have done differently.

I hope you know what you're probably getting yourself into.

 

[Steelerone]

It wasn’t a subpar game for Anna. It was a dreadful coaching job by Geno. Anna’s makes a slight mistake and gets pulled and USF rolls. Why not pull the three players who denied her assists in first few minutes. I watched her on the bench show a look that said, “When is the next flight to Poland?” The problem Geno has only one motivational technique—screaming and punishing. I suspect he may have ruined her. Crystal and Liv saved the day and it was Aubrey’s best performance. But this is the worst game I ever saw UConn play and I put it solely on miserable coaching.

Wow. We must have been watching a different game. To begin with, it went a little beyond a "slight mistake". Secondly, that one motivational technique has served both him and the team a very good stead for the past several years. Thirdly, I don't know if you have ever watched games in Europe, especially in the Baltic countries, but if you have you know that some of the coaching antics there make Geno look like the "See No Evil, Speak No Evil, Hear No Evil" monkeys. Oh, and by the way, in South Florida, against a pretty good team, we won the game by twenty points in spite of the "miserable coaching",

 

[Steelerone]

Although frankly USF is not a good team, there were a bunch of things I saw this game I haven't seen often, and some things I'd never seen before.

1) Liv spun over her left shoulder twice this game. That nearly doubled the number of times she's done it all year.
2) Meg dribble drives and made a pocket pass to Liv for a basket. I'd hadn't seen Meg do that this year.
3) Liv rolled efficiently to the hoop after a high post screen and got two baskets. These were rare sightings. Although I've seen her roll off the screen she rarely does so efficiently, and never twice in one game. Sometimes she doesn't bother rolling at all. Liv also made a nice long shot that was nearly a 3. Her longest make of the year.
4) CW shot off of a low curl. I'd never seen that before this year. She didn't make the shot, but caught the defender by surprise and got the foul.
5) For the first time in 3 games UConn started to hustle, and for the first time in 3 games they started to get some loose balls.
6) Back to Liv, she did an up and under. Although it was to her right she made the basket.
7) AG attempted an open 3. Although she missed, she has to take those shots. Too often she's passed these up, and a couple of times this year it led to a shot clock violation.

Liv is incrementally improving, and she's working hard every minute she's in there. Liv takes a pounding inside, so guys, get used to it. CW has to at least attempt to make shots off curls and on the move. Not merely off of dribble drives and set shots. CD is going to need more time on the bench. She is also taking a pounding, and it's going to show come Dance Time. Ania has to play more at the 3, because she's getting schooled at the 2.

Great insight Jordy. You make some realy incisive points concerning ONO and AG. We really needed someone to say "Get on my back" and it appears she did it today.

 

[JordyG]

I hope you know what you're probably getting yourself into.

Well, since Ania had her mark beat her off the dribble twice in the first 5 mins, then turned the ball over, I think I'm on safe that turf.

 

[FanFromMaine]

I watched the replay so, knowing the score, I could look at the play more closely. My thoughts:

1. I don't know how to rank USF more than what Massey reports but I was very impressed with their two young guards. It was apparent early on that Anna couldn't keep up with the kid from Italy. Geno tried Molly first and defensively she looked good. But she does not provide any offense. So Aubrey was the next logical candidate and she did well defensively too. And because she can take it to the hoop and rebound so well, she finished up. Other matchup will favor Anna I'm sure but not today.

2. To me, the UConn defense looked good from the start. Players are starting to switch better, to recover better and trust each other. Against USF, we needed a third rebounder and AG gave the defense that as well. USF was hot at the start so the defense might have looked worse than it was.

3. The offense, still a work in progress, looked better from the start especially as Liv doing better. I find it as hard as anybody to the see the open misses and blown layups. Especially as these events seem to stagger some psyches. But, as JordyG indicated, players did things offensively this game we haven't seen before.

 

[Boreifs]

I watched the replay so, knowing the score, I could look at the play more closely. My thoughts:

1. I don't know how to rank USF more than what Massey reports but I was very impressed with their two young guards. It was apparent early on that Anna couldn't keep up with the kid from Italy. Geno tried Molly first and defensively she looked good. But she does not provide any offense. So Aubrey was the next logical candidate and she did well defensively too. And because she can take it to the hoop and rebound so well, she finished up. Other matchup will favor Anna I'm sure but not today.

2. To me, the UConn defense looked good from the start. Players are starting to switch better, to recover better and trust each other. Against USF, we needed a third rebounder and AG gave the defense that as well. USF was hot at the start so the defense might have looked worse than it was.

3. The offense, still a work in progress, looked better from the start especially as Liv doing better. I find it as hard as anybody to the see the open misses and blown layups. Especially as these events seem to stagger some psyches. But, as JordyG indicated, players did things offensively this game we haven't seen before.

This is excellent analysis.

 

[Zinethar]

Like it or not here comes my take on the game. I agree with some and not with others. Anna is a large guard who has issues staying up with smaller, quicker guards. I doubt she would have been pulled if she was also shooting the ball but she was not attempting shots even when relatively open. Same for Molly. Both sat after that. Scoring was needed and they did not try to add that option. Short of taking very poor shots Geno want players who will try to score when they can. He wants 5 players who are threats.

My biggest concern is the seemingly poor hands they have. CD excluded. Balls passed or rebounded often just bounce off them instead of being grabbed and controlled. Also is the general poor passing that makes this even worse resulting in turnovers. Two great passers are coming next year but if those passes bounce off hands the problem remains. Anna is a very good passer but like in football to be completed good receivers are needed. I've watched videos of how NFL teams work on that problem with defensive backs so it is fixable or at least can be improved.

I agree with the fact that the radical improvement in Liv seems to correspond with the recent coaching change. This is not a jab at anyone as the outgoing coach was very likely not working in that area. Just changed the assignments in a way that sure has helped Liv.

As for at least one negative reaction to Geno as a screamer. He gets deeply involved in the game for sure but is well know as one of the most positive coaches out there. Yes he has a doghouse for sure. The best of people can get exasperated by the same repeated mistakes

 

[Big Mick]

Look: Nobody cares what the early scoreline was. This game was never in play. For those new to basketball (Centerstream for example ) that means that UCONN was always going to win, going away.

With that in mind, Geno was tinkering in the first half. He has Dangerfield camping out in either corner looking to shoot 3's. Meanwhile, at point guard we have Anna or Molly and open shots for Dangerfield were not coming. Once we reverted back to Dangerfield at point in the second half, UCONN rolled. It was worth a look; now, that can be retired as an option, just like those earlier trial balloons that I previously noted.

 

[EricLA]

I taped the game and watched it when it was almost over. I was able to rewind to see things i wanted to see a second time. A couple of my observations FWIW.

First, it seems like no one wants the last #1 seed. NC State went down today (against a team who was 16-9), Stanford needed last minute heroics to pull out a win against a 15-10 Colorado team, tOSU beat Indiana, Duke upset #14 FSU, LSU (coming on strong lately) lost to a really bad Auburn team, #9 Mississippi State was pummeled by Kentucky, AND... from the looks of some of the posts, UCONN ALSO LOST TODAY!

Oh wait, did I get that wrong? I was just going off some of the comments I've seen.

Look, I celebrate everyone's right to throw crap at the TV, or yell at the team during games, or go to the chat room and act like the team is Notre Dame this season, but the reality is that we have won every single game this season and lost only 3 - to the #1, #2, and #3 teams in the country. The last 3 seasons have yielded final 4's, but no NC's. WAAAAAH!

But we have so much talent on the team. Why aren't we better? Waaaaaah!

Seriously. This his me being real now.

Christyn has been a disappointment to me this season. Literally 0 improvement over last season (specifically the last month or so of the year). I'm not sure that Geno sees it that way since she played 40 minutes. Anna has hit the freshman wall after battling thru her 0-America slump. Crystal is trying to do everything since neither she, nor Geno, can get the offense to flow. Megan is NOT an alpha or a leader, but she continues to put up seriously good numbers. Kyla has gone from a starter to not even getting off the bench. Big hopes for the post (Evelyn and Batouly) have gone up in smoke. Molly? Not the answer. And that's the bad.

On the good side - Aubrey came in and played with energy and poise. Yeah she made a few mistakes, but dayum is she fun to watch. Olivia played like a woman possessed today. "Not in my house, beeyotches" - 4 blocks, 8 boards, and 2 steals, and a lot of that came after her 3rd foul early in Q3. REALLY smart play on her part, especially on the defensive end. Megan shot 8-12 and 50% from beyond the arc.

So bottom line we beat a really solid team by 20, crushed them in the 2nd half, and did all off this with literally 2 players playing really well (Aubrey/Olivia), and one playing well (Megan - I take points away from her mainly for her lack of leadership). Crystal was decent - 9 points, 5 assists, 3 steals, and NO turnovers. Christyn and Anna? Next...

That's how I see it. This team will be fortunate to make the final 4. Things will have to fall our way (ie. luck). But goodness - we are one of the top 5-6 teams in the country and next year we get a LOT of help and lose very little that matters.

If I could make a suggestion - instead of bemoaning that the team is not playing better, how about just celebrating who does play well. I can almost guarantee this team is not good enough to make the NC game, never mind win the NC, unless literally 4 out of our core 6 have really good nights, and in 24 games so far, it's just not happened.

Do I get pissed when we play like crap? Sure. Do I wish Geno would pull anyone and everyone off the floor who continues to stand around looking clueless when we are supposed to be running motion offense? Of course. But if he did that, he'd have to turn to the managers and water-girl to suit up. Do I wish someone (anyone) would exhibit any signs of toughness and leadership? Hells yeah. But it most likely isn't going to happen this year.

Next year, however, watch the hell out. UCONN will be back at the top and bad for WCBB yet again. Mark that down! OH - and when players stand around and look like crap when we are supposed to be running motion offense will find themselves riding the pine cuz we will have a DEEP bench.

 

[ABCDFE]

Just finished watching the replay. My thoughts:

• We are still a work in progress, and that can be a little concerning given where we are in the season. We continue to have only a few ppl contribute well whereas others struggle each game. Let’s hope we can put it all together for a magical run in March.
• I thought Liv played in control most of the game and maybe missed one layup (hope her free throws can improve in the future). Her presence defensively was stellar. Her moves are coming with less hesitation and I see more catch and jump to the hoop as opposed to wasted movement. Nice game by Liv
• Megan played a solid game, her 21 points were quiet in a sense and her all around game seems to shine against less athletic and unranked opponents. The more I think of it, I think Meg needs to let the game come to her more in the bigger games and move more to create opportunities. When she tries to much one on one in the big games she typically is going against an athletic 3or 4 and it doesn’t end well.
• Although we have been moaning about CW I do think she has become a better all around player. I think defensively and rebounding she is better this year. Unfortunately her offense and especially missing layups has been a real surprise. Not sure if she’s battling anything this year and just not sure why her shot is so inconsistent. Overall game was good today with assists and rebounding. She has so much potential. I really hope she catches fire for just a few games in the tournament because that easily can mean final four for us (assuming others play their part)
• Crystal shot poorly but was working so hard on defense. Loved seeing her on the defensive side of the ball for a 5’5” player. Very admirable
• Anna I thought wasn’t aggressive enough today and we can see now that she needs to work on her agility and footwork because at this level the defenders are causing her problems. If she can change her body and increase her agility and foot speed I think she can be a dynamite player for us
• Aubrey was great tonigh on defense and got her points in transition, steals and drives. Her three point attempt I thought was great as it showed her confidence to shoot when the shot is there. She just needs to work on her shot, specifically mid range this summer (like nalyssa smiths). If she can get a mid range game on curls and set screens she will be incredible because her first step is so explosive most defenders will give her a bit of space.
• I think our team is what it is. We will have one quarter or two of some baffling basketball, but we will fight. We may not have the horses to win it this year, but if CD, Meg, CW can catch fire and Liv play well down low, we have a shot and that’s all we can ask for is a chance. You never know. Lots of Luck and hot shooting...
  
  

 

[Papa33]

And in the post game, when Meghan Culmo was asked if trying to get Liv the ball all the time down low interferes with the other players trying to cut in the post, Meghan said it is not a problem. All you have to do is cut differently at different angles. I just worry that we don't have that basketball IQ across the board we are used to and is needed to make the UConn system go more smoothly. Good thing Paige has a PhD.

Call it what you will— basketball IQ, floor sense, vision, timing, syncing with team-mates, anticipation before getting the ball— that is not this group's strong point. Players with "it" know where and how and when to cut, adjusting to where Liv is positioning herself. If they cannot adjust on their own, no coach can move them as if they are passive chess pieces during the game. That is why Geno was so frustrated in his half-time interview. This group has beem slow to "get it."

Same principles on defense, learning opponents' team and individual habits. I wish Christyn would not lose her opponent by turning away from her to look at where she passes and losing sight of who she's guarding; proper positioning (adjusting) would allow her to see both her assigned player AND the ball . . . both of them. When she fastens on the ball, she gets beat by back cuts. The "man-ball" defensive principle can be learned and practiced, but she has to bring more concentration to the moment during game action.

 

[Papa33]

Putting Aubrey on the USF point guard completely took them out of offensive rhythm in the second half. It really was the difference maker to my eye.

I was especially impressed by Aubrey's adjustments to the talented USF point guard. Early on, she got called for a "hand on the dribbler" foul. Thereafter, she used her quick feet and balance to keep the point guard from finding spots on the floor for her shot, allowing her to keep her hands well away from trouble or any possibility of another foul. That positioning kept USF from getting into their usual setups and patterns. Beyond that, Aubrey's four steals were pure gravy.

 

[oldude]

As info, in Jose’s postgame presser he was asked about future games with UConn. He indicated that for the next two years, with the Huskies playing 20 BE games, USF and UConn will not be playing. However, they are expecting to set up a home & home series for the following 2 seasons.

Just in time to face Paige in her junior & senior seasons.....

 

[MSGRET]

We need all the help we can get. Unfortunately, Stanford pulled out a miracle at CO, that would have also helped.

Stanford is most likely going to go 2 & 2 over the next 4 games. Home against Oregon & Oregon State and on the road against Arizona and Arizona State.

 

[Ozimoto]

I will only add that this is the poorest free throw shooting team UConn has had in my memory. Maybe just perception, but they are not a good free throw shooting team.

 

[Boreifs]

I will only add that this is the poorest free throw shooting team UConn has had in my memory. Maybe just perception, but they are not a good free throw shooting team.

The stats from the last five seasons confirm your observation

 

[Blueconn]

Agree with you both but my guess is this Dokey is either I’ll informed or a troll

Absolutely. Correct.

 

[JellyBean]

Like others have stated, that 2nd half was huge!! Our beloved UConn women kicked up their effort, their intensity, and started making shots! Whatever the coaching staff (or the players) said, worked. UConn only gave up 18 points in the 2nd half and put up 42!! Not gonna lie. Watching that 1st half, I thought that we were going to lose. Poor shot selection. Sloppy passing. Silly fools. Just looked like our girls were over matched. But they came back out in that 2nd half a whole different team. Different mindset. Great win.

 

[Papa33]

Agree with you both but my guess is this Dokey is either I’ll informed or a troll

Those two choices are not mutually exclusive.

 

[HopJim]

The thing that's a little disconcerting is that 24 games into the season, the Huskies still don't have an answer to the question we all asked at the start of the season, "Who's the 5th starter?"

Well said. Not only questions about 5th starter but who should be 1st sub, which of top 2 scorers will show up, and who will sub for ONO if/when she gets in foul trouble. Certainly not boring year.

 

[oldude]

Well said. Not only questions about 5th starter but who should be 1st sub, which of top 2 scorers will show up, and who will sub for ONO if/when she gets in foul trouble. Certainly not boring year.

That’s why Geno gets paid the Big Bucks....

 

[OldAlum]

LOL about the comment about Liv finally going left! Even I noticed that and it is not the sort of thing I usually see.

I was concerned after the first half that the team had lost their confidence and would get more frustrated and even lose. Very happy to see the toughness and determination in the second half. I think they may get more out of these circumstances than if they had played more evenly.

I suspect the person to get the most minutes in the 5th position will greatly depend on the matchups and the performance when given a chance. Anna did not look good offensively and was not quick or skilled enough to cover defensively. I think Kyla also did not get time because her assets of defensive positioning and rebounding against bigger, slower players were not needed as much as more quickness. Different matchups will produce different substitution patterns.

 

[Urshurak]

Uuhh, nope

You clearly missed the joke.......