USF Postgame Thread

[BobbyJ]

Geno has indicated that tampering is rampant and nothing is being done. He cited an example that if a player enters the portal and immediately signs with another school, tampering usually occurred.

Schools have to report it and show evidence and if they don’t that’s not GA’s problem. Watch what happens if someone comes after one of his kids.

 

[HuskyNan]

 

[huskeynut]

Most enjoyable game to watch. We have season tickets so our seats are between USF fans. Very enjoyable conversations about basketball.

What impressed me about UConn was the intensity they play on defense. They were in USF's faces all night. And it didn't matter who was on the floor for UConn. They were literally in USF's grill all night. USF was frustrated all night.

The offense is getting there.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

USF scored 16 points in the first half, 10 in the 1st Q and 6 in the 2nd

Oops, thanks for the real stuff.

 

[ucmiami2]

People who are frustrated with Jana's minutes need to look first at the opponents' line-ups - USF plays two players over 6' (6'2, 6'3) and seldom at the same time and they are both athletic forwards not centers. Uconn's centers played a combined 29 minutes split 17/12 between Serah and Jana - the other 11 minutes was spent in small ball with Sarah and Yanna at center because that was a better match-up. There aren't that many teams that have a strong center on their roster, but as we saw last year, when we play one of those teams Jana will be an essential part of our roster.

We also present extra issues for teams when we do play small ball, and having Blanca is off the bench only adds to that effectiveness.

 

[donalddoowop]

And watching tonight, I felt like every player out there had some little thing you could quibble about...except for Sarah. So far this season, I'm not sure you can play the game any better.

Regarding your first sentence, I feel the same way about some Boneyarders comments.

 

[donalddoowop]

I am still concerned and disappointed that Jana now seems to be in the cleanup crew, but it appears that ship has sailed. I wonder where Ice will fit into the post rotation when she becomes healthy.

It's also clear that Geno likes the "small" lineup with Sarah at the 5 and probably Blanca at the "4" (more or less). That's no problem against most teams, or even against top teams for some number of minutes. It certainly will give those teams major problems when they are on defense, since UConn can play 5-out and have perimeter scoring threats at every position. But I think Geno recognizes that it is not a 40-minute answer against big post players like Okot, Betts, or Reagan Beers. The biggest problem against those opponents will be rebounding -- Sarah can't be expected to shoulder that responsibility by herself and still be effective for 40 minutes at the offensive end.

I am surprised that no one has mentioned that South Florida was dominating in offensive rebounds until the 4th quarter. Then Jana came into the game and got 4 rebounds (3 offensive) in just 12 minutes, still mostly against USF's starters. Meanwhile Serah Williams got only 3 rebounds (all defensive) in 17 minutes, and Blanca got 2 rebounds (both defensive) in 19 minutes. To me, it is fairly clear that the best pure rebounder on the UConn roster against other big opponents is Jana. That is why I think it is important to the team that she work her way out of the cleanup crew before the postseason tournaments.

Jana started last season after the first few games and helped lead the team to a NC. Now, she comes back this season and has to prove herself again. If Geno concentrated on working with her as much as he is with Serah, I believe she will prosper. She has the footwork, moves, a mid-range jumper, a three-point shot and a jump hook shot. If her teammates knew ow to properly pass the ball into the post the way they do Sarah, she would be more efficient on offense. UConn is going to need her skills in order to win a NC.

 

[BobbyJ]

Jana started last season after the first few games and helped lead the team to a NC. Now, she comes back this season and has to prove herself again. If Geno concentrated on working with her as much as he is with Serah, I believe she will prosper. She has the footwork, moves, a mid-range jumper, a three-point shot and a jump hook shot. If her teammates knew ow to properly pass the ball into the post the way they do Sarah, she would be more efficient on offense. UConn is going to need her skills in order to win a NC.

If she had all these things she'd be playing a lot. But she doesn't have them.

 

[1974yankees]

If she had all these things she'd be playing a lot. But she doesn't have them.

Agreed. And she did not help us win a National Championship game last year...

Here is the box score

UConn 82-59 South Carolina (Apr 6, 2025) Box Score - ESPN

Box score for the UConn Huskies vs. South Carolina Gamecocks NCAAW game from April 6, 2025 on ESPN. Includes all points, rebounds and steals stats.

www.espn.com

2 points in 12 minutes.

 

[hookshot]

Jana started last season after the first few games and helped lead the team to a NC. Now, she comes back this season and has to prove herself again. If Geno concentrated on working with her as much as he is with Serah, I believe she will prosper. She has the footwork, moves, a mid-range jumper, a three-point shot and a jump hook shot. If her teammates knew ow to properly pass the ball into the post the way they do Sarah, she would be more efficient on offense. UConn is going to need her skills in order to win a NC.

Your last line may have merit but the harsh reality is that she has bad hands, not very good feet, not quick to the ball to capture a rebound, and no particular shooting touch either inside or outside. She runs the court pretty good for a big but not like all the other gazelles in the core 9 rotation. She has big heart, big effort, and great teamate. She could well be a key contributer in say a final 4 versus UCLA, but don't fault Geno for having her out when everybody in is actually better

 

[Vowelguy]

Geno has indicated that tampering is rampant and nothing is being done. He cited an example that if a player enters the portal and immediately signs with another school, tampering usually occurred.

Tampering is pretty difficult to police.

IF Morgan Valley says to Heckel “if your friend and former teammate Syla Swords ever wants to transfer, I’m sure ANY team would be glad to have her.”

Heckel conveys the sentiment and then works on persuading her friend.

Tampering? Officially no, since no coach ever spoke to her.

Given how much these top players seem to know each other, I assume these bsckchannel discussions through friends or HS coaches happens not infrequently. And I don’t see how you can stop them.

 

[Zonepress]

Your last line may have merit but the harsh reality is that she has bad hands, not very good feet, not quick to the ball to capture a rebound, and no particular shooting touch either inside or outside. She runs the court pretty good for a big but not like all the other gazelles in the core 9 rotation. She has big heart, big effort, and great teamate. She could well be a key contributer in say a final 4 versus UCLA, but don't fault Geno for having her out when everybody in is actually better

post is quite accurate

 

[MilfordHusky]

Interesting game. We won the first half by 32 and the second half by 2.

Sarah and Blanca both missed multiple baskets at the rim, and Azzi missed a bunch of shots that she almost always makes. We could have won by 50. 😃

Sarah had a "routine" double-double. She's goooooood!

Serah had several nice moves and maybe no bad plays at all.

Kayleigh showed energy and shot-making in Q4.

Does Blanca's body run at a different tempo than everyone else on earth?

Who had this on his/her bingo card--Azzi Fudd making a real run at Defensive Player of the Year?

UConn is now 143-0 against American Conference teams. This is not a typo.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Sarah leads the nation in A:TO ratio of 4.67.

 

[HopJim]

Jana is still a sophomore. She has more than two years left. If, as seems likely, the Big O will establish
herself as the starting center, I hope and believe that Jana will have significant contributions to make
on the teams of the next two years.

More focused on where Jana will be at the end of the year than now. Suspect that her preseason injuries hurt her conditioning and she will need more time to get back to 100%. Still looks a half step slow in her reactions.

 

[Bone Dog]

More focused on where Jana will be at the end of the year than now. Suspect that her preseason injuries hurt her conditioning and she will need more time to get back to 100%. Still looks a half step slow in her reactions.

Whatever the reason, Jana has yet to seize hold of the potential she showed before her initial injury. It’s puzzling to see, but events seem to be conspiring against her. A couple of strong putbacks yesterday seemed promising. But a drive to the basket ended awkwardly as if some basic skills were still lacking. It’s tempting to see this as something not yet resolved in practice. Ayanna is a similar story and we all clutch at any glimmers of hope for a resurgence. There may still be time for each of them to put a solid season or more together, but currently it’s mainly hope we’re looking at.

 

[oldude]

Sarah leads the nation in A:TO ratio of 4.67.

And KK is 5th at 4.14. Last year, Paige led the nation at 3.5. It will be interesting to see if Sarah & KK can maintain 4+ for an entire season.

 

[DEpup]

Interesting game. We won the first half by 32 and the second half by 2.

Sarah and Blanca both missed multiple baskets at the rim, and Azzi missed a bunch of shots that she almost always makes. We could have won by 50. 😃

Sarah had a "routine" double-double. She's goooooood!

Serah had several nice moves and maybe no bad plays at all.

Kayleigh showed energy and shot-making in Q4.

Does Blanca's body run at a different tempo than everyone else on earth?

Who had this on his/her bingo card--Azzi Fudd making a real run at Defensive Player of the Year?

UConn is now 143-0 against American Conference teams. This is not a typo.

That is actually how Azzi defended in high school. I think the health issues just didn't allow her to do it. Now we are finally seeing it at the college level.

 

[oldude]

Watched a replay this morning and noticed something interesting. Evidently, Kelis has her own team cheer. When she made that remarkable play where she got hammered driving to the basket for a 3-pt play, the entire bench was up cheering for her by mimicking a “fish face” with both hands on either side of their heads flapping like fins and their lips puckered like a fish.

I can not recall another UConn Husky that ever inspired their own personal cheer. Wonder if the team was imitating a “BIG FISH” or a “little fish”….. 😎

 

[BBallF]

Some postgame thoughts on the USF game.

• I suspect Jose was happy to watch the game from the stands tonight. ☺️
• There may not be a team in the country who can run their offense effectively against UConn. Tonight, the Husky defense was absolutely suffocating, forcing USF into 20 turnovers, while holding the Bulls to just 51 points on 37% shooting.
• When you lose two outstanding pg’s to the W, you might expect to stumble out of the gate next season. But the Huskies have barely missed a beat with their ball and player movement on offense, as KK, Sarah, Azzi & Ash orchestrate the offense with the newbies, youngsters and transfers all getting up to speed quickly. UConn is currently 2nd in the nation in assists per game, 3rd in A/TO ratio while averaging almost 90 ppg.
• For the 2nd game in a row, the Husky 3-pt marksmen lit it up from downtown as UConn went 9/23 with Azzi, amazingly, going 0-4 😮.
• It’s difficult to overstate just how important KK is to UConn’s strong 1st qtr starts this season, whether she is terrorizing the opposing pg on defense or pushing the ball up in transition and dropping dimes on offense. If she gets into foul trouble, the Huskies don’t lose much in Kayleigh.
• Everyone tends to focus on Azzi’s offense. Can you blame them? But Azzi has become a relentless on-ball defender, who’s strength, quickness and footwork are as good as any guard in WBB.
• Serah worked much harder tonight to establish low post position, before the ball arrived. As a result, when the ball arrived, she just had to turn and score. I sense Jamelle, the post whisperer, at work. 😎
• Blanca continues to impress whether she’s knocking down 3’s, driving to the basket like a freight train or locking down opponents on D.
• I really like the minutes that Allie is giving the Huskies off the bench.
• Sarah with 14 pts, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 0 turnovers.....ho hum.......
• Next up the Blue Demons at Gampel on a very special day when Sue's #10 will be retired.

Great review. I was lucky to be at the game last night having flown down from Jersey and had floor seats. It is a great venue to watch a game.

Our defense up close is almost terrifying. KK actually fakes her man on defense repeatedly as though she is going to try to deflect the ball and makes it impossible for the offense to get started. We do not lose very much at that position when Kayleigh comes in either, she is a very opportunistic player both on defense and offense.

In the pre-game warm ups, USF was deadly from the arc at one point making 12 in a row by various players. Once the game started, it was a different story and it had to do with the defense.

Azzi is an extraordinary defender and very underrated. She shuts down whoever she guards. She is smart, quick and strong. Sarah is just so impressive on defense. Her timing on deflections and steals is precise and merciless. Her diving onto the floor when we were up 35 is just so telling of who she is and how we play.

Jana tried out the floor also and our bench went crazy when she did. I thought she had a solid game last night. As many BYers have stopped mentioning her I will say this. She is much improved over last year. More athletic, better footwork, but still has to learn to set the pick and not move. When she does do it right and allows the dribbler or cutter to do the work, it is a dream pick because of its width and strength.

I was so impressed with how much we communicate with each other as a team. KK and Kayleigh direct traffic mostly on offense but so does Azzi and Sarah. On defense, I heard "switch" all the time an they execute it perfectly.

Blanca is something else. She is long, physically powerful, hugely talented and almost seems to be going at half speed. If you noticed, she reduced her speed on her patented spin move by about 50%, no doubt through coaching. It was under control and that move and the nifty drop pass by Sarah, were probably the best looking plays of the night.

Talk about the effects of coaching, Serah used her left hand and went to her left better than she has all year so far and looked really comfortable out there asking for the ball.

Very sad seeing both Morgan and Ice in warm ups and knowing how frustrating it must be. I was struck with how tall Morgan is. I just didn't think of her that way while seeing her from a distance or on TV. I also really feel for Caroline. She had a good "floor and glue" game and tries to get everyone involved, especially Ay last night, but her shot is just not dropping and she passed up an 8 foot pull up. As for the 0-4 from Azzi from the arc, it looked like she was just trying to aim her shot instead of just letting it fly. I have seen. that at times in the past with her so it is just a temporary thing.

Lots more thoughts and observations but it is was just an incredibly enjoyable experience. One last item. We had our UCONN tops on but for floor seats you can't wear opponents gear. Good idea as one of our most illustrious alums noted. When UCONN came out of the tunnel right before the game began, I thought I was at Gampel it was so loud! We are everywhere and in droves.

I didn't think that I could ever like any team better than last year's but I have to say after watching them up close, I honestly love this team. They are a sheer joy to watch. They are focused, workmanlike, fearless, and so supportive of each other that you just are in awe. We are up by 30 and we play like we are down by 5. Yup, that's UCONN.

 

[YKCornelius]

Your last line may have merit but the harsh reality is that she has bad hands, not very good feet, not quick to the ball to capture a rebound, and no particular shooting touch either inside or outside. She runs the court pretty good for a big but not like all the other gazelles in the core 9 rotation. She has big heart, big effort, and great teamate. She could well be a key contributer in say a final 4 versus UCLA, but don't fault Geno for having her out when everybody in is actually better

Hookshot, I think Jana is much improved since last year with both her hands and her feet, but wholeheartedly agree that she is not quick to the ball to capture a rebound. Not only does this often cost her a chance to snare the rebound, but also results in her reaching over the opponent which is easy for the refs to spot.

I invite Boneyarders to look at the replays of the games with particular attention to how Jana delays in moving into position to get a potential rebound. She is prone to watch the ball's flight for a second before moving deliberately and quickly to box out her opponent and establish position. I suspect this is a holdover habit from before coming to UConn, where she was rarely - if ever - up against someone her size.

Instilling different reactionary habits/mindset is correctable and can (must) occur in practice. It is not a "needs more game time experience in order to get comfortable or confident" situation. Performing rebound drills against the male practice players will get her to where she needs to be.

There are other habits that she still does - like bringing the ball down low before going up with a shot - but those are getting better, IMO.

I agree we will need her against the big bodies of UCLA, Texas, Oklahoma, TCU, South Carolina and Iowa State.

 

[Majic Hands]

Watched a replay this morning and noticed something interesting. Evidently, Kelis has her own team cheer. When she made that remarkable play where she got hammered driving to the basket for a 3-pt play, the entire bench was up cheering for her by mimicking a “fish face” with both hands on either side of their heads flapping like fins and their lips puckered like a fish.

I can not recall another UConn Husky that ever inspired their own personal cheer. Wonder if the team was imitating a “BIG FISH” or a “little fish”….. 😎

Or Gup-Gup 🤪

 

[Ozimoto]

My only observation not already covered is that Geno seems really relaxed this year so far.

 

[oldude]

My only observation not already covered is that Geno seems really relaxed this year so far.

Good observation. I’m sure that winning the natty last year took a lot of personal pressure off of Geno’s shoulders. While the goals are the same this year, Geno can enjoy his team and if they win #13, it’s almost like a bonus.

 

[hookshot]

Or Gup-Gup 🤪

Soared up like Dolfîn on that drive to the baskeg