USF Postgame Thread

[SLY63]

Clearly you didn't see the last game. The 3 forwards actually had better numbers all around the last game.

In an effort not to pass judgement too soon, let's wait until after tomorrow's game to assess the state of our bigs. We should learn a lot about our long term chances tomorrow

 

[oldude]

So, now we know. In crunch time, Geno still will only use 6 to 7 players. Maybe that will change over the course of the season, but I tend to doubt it. I think Edwards may continue to start, but be an early sub with Azzi for instant offense. But it looks like UConn will not have a low post game, again.

The problem for me is, "live by the three, die by the three." IOW, when the three is going in, fine. But when it isn't...

I’m sure Geno doesn’t want to end up using only 6-7 players in crunch time. Now that may be the case tomorrow, but there’s still a lot of season left to develop the bench.

 

[Carnac]

I loved this test! The team fought back when down and worked out the win. Azzi found her stroke, Azzi found her stroke, Azzi found her stroke!!!!! Great grind ladies…now let’s rest up and scout for tomorrow’s game!!!!

Adversity builds character and reveals it. This was a good test for UConn. Especially after USF took a brief lead. UConn could have folded or fought back. They hunkered down and fought back despite several players being invisible today.

 

[Ron and Vida]

Whew
Does anyone know who the announcer was?
I thought she was very knowledgeable
Sounded like her name was Allie Jackson ?? But not correct

 

[MilfordHusky]

Katie Fudd and MilfordHusky were calling for a breakout game from Azzi. Bingo!!

 

[jchusky]

For whatever reason it just seemed like Aaliyah could not get in her usual flow of the game and it hurt us. The same with Evina (who I think is playing hurt). Tomorrow should a completely different situation as neither team (OR, SC) is going to have 5 players on the court jacking up 3s.

How do you know she's hurt?

 

[Hayven]

Three games played but the defense is not where it needs to be with SC coming up.
I hope this isn’t C reverting back to her up and down gameplay.
E was bad today. She gave up offensive rebounds often.
Dorka and Aaliyah sitting for most of the second half was deserved.
Great offensive game for Azzi, I hope this builds up her confidence for SC. However she should expect SC to be more rough with her.

 

[BobbyJ]

Geno post game interview:

"Every time we play these guys for the past 25 years it's a grind. So disciplined, their kids buy in, and defensively they don't give you anything inside. Really gutty win for us. We made some big shots when we had to. I hope it was Azzi's coming out party and we can go from there."

"Sometimes too much emphasis is put on who starts and who doesn't . We have 7 who could be (Dorka). Azzi coming off the bench is a weapon most don't have. I hope today was the day she says 'I'm in college, I'm good, Coach told me to shoot all the time'".

"Games and tournaments like this are great. In the past, the talent gap was so great that games like this would be a blowout. Now there is so much talent spread out that any top 25 team is going to be a tough game"

He talked fast and the quotes aren't exact - I did the best I could...

Right. Except for all the games he beat USF by 30, 40, and 50. What a load that is.

 

[donalddoowop]

USF always gives us trouble no matter who's on the roster so I'm not overly disappointed. However, the front court has to do better.

Not true. Go look at the scores of the past two to three years. Some of those games UConn blew USF off the court. Based on some posts I've read there are some who seem to think that UConn should be in mid-season form after only three games. Show me a team that is in mid-season form this early and I will show you a team that will peak too soon. Just ask last season's Maryland team.

 

[Longtime fan]

Maybe UCONN was due for a stinker. If so, let's hope they got it out of their system. This game should not have been close, but it was a nailbiter that needed Bueckers' and Fudd's heroics to win.

Unlike previous games where UCONN came out strong in Q1 and then faltered over the last 5 minutes, this game was a grind almost from the start. Quick 6-0 start for UCONN, then a quick TO from USF, and it was a battle for the rest of Q1. The 3 point defense was non-existent. Traps and pressing left USF's best shooters wide open and we were torched. Evina and Aaliyah were ineffective early so Dorka and Azzi came in and Fudd promptly went 3-3 from deep. 34 points in the 1st half - credit to USF for their defense, but so many mistakes from UCONN from so many different players.

Great start to Q2, pushed the lead to 13, then a bunch of mental lapses let USF back into the quarter. Credit to USF - obviously well coached and played HARD.

At the half Geno mentioned Azzi's tentativeness - he said "I wasn't a great shooter, but I wish when I played my coach told me to shoot whenever I got the ball <meaning that's what they tell Azzi>. Pretty easy instructions. She need to be less hesitant."

Normally UCONN makes adjustments and comes out of the half with purpose. However it was Jose who had answers to start Q3 as his team completely outplayed UCONN - coming out on fire on a 9-2 run. The announcers kept saying we have a young team - this is not true. Maybe off the bench, but the NPOY is a sophomore and we start 3 seniors as well as a Canadian Olympian. Q3 was basically a disaster. For all UCONN's depth, there was no group of 5 he put out there that played well. I know he likes the team to figure it out, but he sat on the bench while USF demolished us.

UCONN got wide open shots in Q4 and missed and missed letting USF hang around. 15 O-boards for USF was inexcusable. Out-rebounded us 33-29. I thought our defense was good, but the rebounding was not.

Paige - finally had he 1st TO and then her 2nd and Geno took her out. She was scoring early, but made some questionable decisions in passing up shots with passes that players missed. Been a while since I've seen Geno take her out for poor play. Her defense on Tsineke and Pinzon was below average in the 1st half. Still, 9 points and 6 assists in H1. When you are as incredible as she is, it's easy to forget she's human. But Paige was Paige in Q4 and we needed every bit of it. 21 points, 7 assists, 3 boards.

Olivia - USF makes it hard to operate in the post even tho they are undersized. She was solid. Some nice assists and the best post player today. 5 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds.

Christyn - picked up 3 fouls in half 1, but the 3rd was bogus. She was driving and passed the ball to Azzi who drained a 3. Called off for offensive foul, but CW was in the air before the defender was setting her feet. Geno yanked her early in Q3 for Azzi. Then came back and promptly committed 2 TO's. Not her best game for sure, but drained a big 3 in Q4 to settle the team.

Aaliyah - struggled this game. 2 fouls in half 1 and they were just bad decision brain-fart plays. Geno yanked her early in Q3 for Dorka.

Evina - again, hard to talk about the players when the offense struggled, but she was solid. Geno had a quick hook for her and Liya in Q1 but I am not sure if he saw something he didn't like.

Azzi - YAY! She actually was 4-4 from deep in H1, but her her 4th was called off on a bogus foul call against CW. Played a LOT of minutes and scored 18 points going 6-9. What slump?

Dorka - better than Liya today. Didn't see the mental lapses that often crept into her play in the past.

Nika - continues to take steps backwards. Unsure what to do with the ball.

Caroline - Meh.

I have not read what EricLA wrote (above ), but I shall once I post this.....to see where we agree and disagree. I believe this was a good game for UCONN. Good in the sense that there were many weaknesses exposed, and they realized they might just lose. It forced them to tighten up and "play big" when it most mattered. There was a lot of sloppiness and too many lapses in concentration. I noted several occasions where we had no one within twenty feet of a USF Shooter at the three point line And clearly, their "#20"is better than our "#20." A better shooter, a better rebounder and a better scorer in the paint. More muscle and more athleticism. I noticed, on several occasions, that Olivia "assumes" her height and reach are all she needs for a rebound...so she doesn't jump. And often gets beat to the ball. Where did she learn that? It is significant that we saw little of both Caroline and Muhl...and not at
all in " crunch time." Compared to yesterday, Williams was awful. Out of control and forcing things. She did hit some big threes, but her game was not on an "A" level. I think Geno did not assign her to a three point shooting star for USF, because they had too many of them. We have reason to be concerned about our BIGs because we were out-rebounded. Time after time, USF won the offensive rebounds. Maybe we need the size and muscle of Piath Gabriel after all ( I know she isn't close to ready)...but the muscle seemed lacking today, whether it was Dorka, Olivia or even Edwards. We'll have no shot against the inside groups of either South Carolina or Oregon. And, for whatever reason, Edwards also had a bit of an off day. Connecticut shooting, with a few exceptions, was consistently off, and I don't think it was due to defense. Clearly, Azzi Fudd and Paige were the difference today. And what a thrill to see Azzi begin to do her thing. Whew.

 

[SARG 2011]

USF only shot 37% for the game, the rebounding absolutely needs to improve but teams are not going to just roll over for us. Better to be tested early and often...only way to improve. Azzi grew up today, win or lose tomorrow should be fun.

 

[Bama fan]

Offensive rebounds versus a smaller team: UConn 3, USF 10. Effort? Too much beach time?

USF accustomed to the beach atmosphere. Uconn not so much.

 

[Childhood]

Mununga completely out played all of UConn's posts combined. 7 points from UConn's front line is better than the 6 they got against Minn.

Evina was solid defensively, but offensively gave them little to nothing.

AE was surprisingly ineffectively on both ends. She's still getting beaten off the dribble, is still prone to bad fouls, while missing too many bunnies.

Christyn was really not playing well today on both ends. I'll leave it at that.

Dorka's hustle is admirable. But twice yesterday and twice today she turned the ball over after picking up her dribble then turning to her right.

Jose had Paige running through so many screens early and Harvey had open 3's. Paige adapted though and played fairly well offensively.

UConn was out rebounded by a smaller team. This is absolutely inexcusable.

Thank goodness for Azzi. Paige appeared tired the entire game. I hear she has a bad toothache, yet she was still the lynchpin for UConn's victory. Although her 3 point shooting this year isn't good it will improve.

Toothache? It's fine then. I'm really afraid she is sick. Paige played 38 min today. Tmr 40 min is coming. What a challenge.
Offensive rebounds nearly killed UConn. Our bigs can do much better.

 

[Husky fanatic]

Glad to see Azzi start hitting her 3's. Not much going on from anyone else except Paige and she was a bit off. Thought Paige was beat to death with picks in the first qtr.

 

[Tonyc]

A couple of things. USF slowed it down to a snails pace. The worked the ball until they got a shot. The were relentless and hit many clutch 3's. They didnt hit that many shots against Tenn the other day. Our bigs were doubled and we missed alot of wide open shots today. When we played a zone USF struggled when we played man they were able to penetrate and if no shot dish it out for a wide open shot. Why did we play man to man and not stick with the zone??????? Tomorrow will happen tomorrow. Cant predict the future but we are one of the two teams in tomorrow. Who ever we play we will be up for and you wont see our bigs doubled up on like they were the past two games. If we're hitting our shots we will be tuff to beat because SC/Oregons outside shooters are no match for us and the bigs arent going to score more points then our guards. That could change tomorrow but all things being relative it shouldnt happen. Today was a great preparation for tomorrow.

 

[Centerstream]

How do you know she's hurt?

First off, I said "think". Second, she is wearing an ankle brace and seemed to be grimacing more than usual.

 

[TCC Kid]

Maybe UCONN was due for a stinker. If so, let's hope they got it out of their system. This game should not have been close, but it was a nailbiter that needed Bueckers' and Fudd's heroics to win.

Unlike previous games where UCONN came out strong in Q1 and then faltered over the last 5 minutes, this game was a grind almost from the start. Quick 6-0 start for UCONN, then a quick TO from USF, and it was a battle for the rest of Q1. The 3 point defense was non-existent. Traps and pressing left USF's best shooters wide open and we were torched. Evina and Aaliyah were ineffective early so Dorka and Azzi came in and Fudd promptly went 3-3 from deep. 34 points in the 1st half - credit to USF for their defense, but so many mistakes from UCONN from so many different players.

Great start to Q2, pushed the lead to 13, then a bunch of mental lapses let USF back into the quarter. Credit to USF - obviously well coached and played HARD.

At the half Geno mentioned Azzi's tentativeness - he said "I wasn't a great shooter, but I wish when I played my coach told me to shoot whenever I got the ball <meaning that's what they tell Azzi>. Pretty easy instructions. She need to be less hesitant."

Normally UCONN makes adjustments and comes out of the half with purpose. However it was Jose who had answers to start Q3 as his team completely outplayed UCONN - coming out on fire on a 9-2 run. The announcers kept saying we have a young team - this is not true. Maybe off the bench, but the NPOY is a sophomore and we start 3 seniors as well as a Canadian Olympian. Q3 was basically a disaster. For all UCONN's depth, there was no group of 5 he put out there that played well. I know he likes the team to figure it out, but he sat on the bench while USF demolished us.

UCONN got wide open shots in Q4 and missed and missed letting USF hang around. 15 O-boards for USF was inexcusable. Out-rebounded us 34-29. I thought our defense was good, but the rebounding was not.

Paige - finally had he 1st TO and then her 2nd and Geno took her out. She was scoring early, but made some questionable decisions in passing up shots with passes that players missed. Been a while since I've seen Geno take her out for poor play. Her defense on Tsineke and Pinzon was below average in the 1st half. Still, 9 points and 6 assists in H1. When you are as incredible as she is, it's easy to forget she's human. But Paige was Paige in Q4 and we needed every bit of it. 21 points, 7 assists, 3 boards.

Olivia - USF makes it hard to operate in the post even tho they are undersized. She was solid. Some nice assists and the best post player today. 5 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds.

Christyn - picked up 3 fouls in half 1, but the 3rd was bogus. She was driving and passed the ball to Azzi who drained a 3. Called off for offensive foul, but CW was in the air before the defender was setting her feet. Geno yanked her early in Q3 for Azzi. Then came back and promptly committed 2 TO's. Not her best game for sure, but drained a big 3 in Q4 to settle the team.

Aaliyah - struggled this game. 2 fouls in half 1 and they were just bad decision brain-fart plays. Geno yanked her early in Q3 for Dorka.

Evina - again, hard to talk about the players when the offense struggled, but she was solid. Geno had a quick hook for her and Liya in Q1 but I am not sure if he saw something he didn't like.

Azzi - YAY! She actually was 4-4 from deep in H1, but her her 4th was called off on a bogus foul call against CW. Played a LOT of minutes and scored 18 points going 6-9. What slump?

Dorka - better than Liya today. Didn't see the mental lapses that often crept into her play in the past.

Nika - continues to take steps backwards. Unsure what to do with the ball.

Caroline - Meh.

Stinker??? Three cheers for FUDD 18 points on 3's. This was a game that proves the old coach adage Offense (Paige/Fudd/Williams) wins games. Defense brings you back and back it brought them. Agree E was good, a few threes would have been better.
A great lesson's game and a WIN.
A team that isn't tested will never know how good or bad they are. This team was TESTED. Now Geno knows which wrinkles to work on.
Again, I'm pleased with Caroline, I'm thrilled with AZZI, I'm happy for Williams and pleased as punch with Paige. Dorka, Edwards, ONO --working on kinks. If only one of them would emulate Stokes.
A win is a win is a win. One point or 1000 it all counts the same. A win.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

dorka played 12 minutes, led the team in boards, including tying for the lead in o boards -1!
1 o board to be tops. reediculous. 3 o boards for the entire team. 3.
fix that, like, overnight.
we missed 41 shots, no big deal, but 3 total o boards?
fix that, like, overnight.
further evidence for fear of the o paint? 6 ft's. 6.
fix that, like, overnight.

 

[donalddoowop]

USF accustomed to the beach atmosphere. Uconn not so much.

Well, UConn may not be accustomed to the beach atmosphere but if some players don't start playing better, they will get used to the Bench atmosphere.

 

[BobbyJ]

USF always gives us trouble no matter who's on the roster so I'm not overly disappointed. However, the front court has to do better.

In 26 games prior to today Uconn has beaten USF by an average of 27 pts with 5 games being over 50 and one game by 65. Today the 27th was the only game by single digits. USF has been a punching bag.

 

[huskeynut]

First - a win against a scrappy USF team. Give USF and Jose their due. They are a ranked team with 3 very good guards. Despite the carping, there is nothing wrong with a hard fought game.

Second - Azzi has her breakout game. Olivia tied Paige with 7 assists.

We will see tomorrow. What will be will be.

 

[TCC Kid]

A couple of things. USF slowed it down to a snails pace. The worked the ball until they got a shot. The were relentless and hit many clutch 3's. They didnt hit that many shots against Tenn the other day. Our bigs were doubled and we missed alot of wide open shots today. When we played a zone USF struggled when we played man they were able to penetrate and if no shot dish it out for a wide open shot. Why did we play man to man and not stick with the zone??????? Tomorrow will happen tomorrow. Cant predict the future but we are one of the two teams in tomorrow. Who ever we play we will be up for and you wont see our bigs doubled up on like they were the past two games. If we're hitting our shots we will be tuff to beat because SC/Oregons outside shooters are no match for us and the bigs arent going to score more points then our guards. That could change tomorrow but all things being relative it shouldnt happen. Today was a great preparation for tomorrow.

What you are saying is USF PLAYED BASKETBALL have a great coach. Saw the openings and took them. South Carolina knows Geno, knows Uconn and knows this team. If the highlighted above worked well for USF why not USC? Really, only the 3rd game against good competition. New kids, some sophs, all trying to figure out the chemistry and who gets the shot when and which player do I pick up on the switch, they are learning. As CARNAC has said---wait for game 5 or (me,saying game 10) then we'll see.

 

[oldude]

A couple of things. USF slowed it down to a snails pace. The worked the ball until they got a shot. The were relentless and hit many clutch 3's. They didnt hit that many shots against Tenn the other day. Our bigs were doubled and we missed alot of wide open shots today. When we played a zone USF struggled when we played man they were able to penetrate and if no shot dish it out for a wide open shot. Why did we play man to man and not stick with the zone??????? Tomorrow will happen tomorrow. Cant predict the future but we are one of the two teams in tomorrow. Who ever we play we will be up for and you wont see our bigs doubled up on like they were the past two games. If we're hitting our shots we will be tuff to beat because SC/Oregons outside shooters are no match for us and the bigs arent going to score more points then our guards. That could change tomorrow but all things being relative it shouldnt happen. Today was a great preparation for tomorrow.

Tonyc, I agree that the zone worked, but I think what worked even better against USF was the 4-guard lineup Geno went with for the entire 4th qtr.

 

[TheGOAT23]

First off, I said "think". Second, she is wearing an ankle brace and seemed to be grimacing more than usual.

I saw the same in yesterday’s game.

 

[JordyG]

Toothache? It's fine then. I'm really afraid she is sick. Paige played 38 min today. Tmr 40 min is coming. What a challenge.
Offensive rebounds nearly killed UConn. Our bigs can do much better.

Ya think?