Vermont Postgame Thread

[Aluminny69]

The best shooter in the world, Steph Curry, said that Fudd is the third best (behind him and Klay). I'm not all all worried about her shots starting to fall.

Except Azzi is still a teenager, coming off extended injury, not a professional ( yet).

 

[RedStickHusky]

Vermont was never in this game.

what most of us expected to see against a vastly over-matched opponent.

Vermont is not in UConn's class, which is probably why Geno doesn't schedule them in his OOC lineup.

Did you get a speeding ticket in Vermont? They played hard, made some shots, never got chippy. It's what you get in a 2/15 game. No reason for us to kick them while they're down.

 

[hoopsfan22]

Except Azzi is still a teenager, coming off extended injury, not a professional ( yet).

She's 20. Will be 21 before next season's games kick off.

 

[Rowdy831]

I thought Caroline looked like she was back today. She moved well, she hit all her shots and made some good passes. I don't recall a game where her and Azzi both played good this year. If they get that in the last 5 games it makes them that much tougher to beat. I also though Azzi did a good job running the offense when Nika came out of the game.

AE played an almost perfect game. Great great on offense and really was working on defense. When she is focused she is as good as their is in the country and she is the only person I have seen that can play Boston straight up.

 

[HuskyNan]

 

[Longtime fan]

Some Thoughts on the Vermont game:

• For Vermont, a team making their first appearance in the Big Dance in 13 years, it’s probably a thrill to play the greatest program in the history of WBB on the big stage at the BASKETBALL CAPITAL OF THE WORLD. For UConn, a team that’s made 14 straight FF’s and won 11 national championships, it’s simply GO TIME!!!
• I had a feeling UConn would open up pressing Vermont, something we haven’t seen since early this season. Make no mistake, Geno wants to push tempo, cause opponents to rush, turn the ball over and score in transition. We will absolutely see more of UConn’s press as the tournament continues.
• Aubrey is back and hopefully healthy, although she sat for the 2nd half...precautionary? She was moving well while absorbing a couple hard shots with no apparent problem when she played.
• A lot of Huskies played well today, but Aaliyah & Dorka were everywhere, scoring, rebounding, dropping dimes, blocking shots and making steals.
• The Huskies outrebounded the Catamounts by +24, dropped 27 dimes, shot 62%, while holding the Catamounts to only 33% shooting. Today, everybody played and EVERYBODY ATE!!!
• So please explain to me why Aaliyah is only a 3rd team AA???
• Other than worrying about Lou’s balky knee and Aubrey's back, I suppose the one thing we all really need to see is for Azzi to start the game hot and stay hot the whole game. As the tournament goes on, the Huskies are going to need the Azzi Fudd who dropped back-to-back 32-point games against TX & NC St.
• Survive and advance. Bring on the Bears or the Crimson Tide….

I would like to talk about Azzi. She actually played a pretty decent game of basketball. Handled the point when Nikka needed a rest, and moved well on defense. She passed well and earned a few open looks. However, at this moment, there are. probably 100 Division I guards who are more reliably hitting their three point shots. I know you will all say, " well she has to work her way back into her game, having missed so much basketball this season due to injury." And that is all true. However, the clock is running. This UCONN team needs Azzi to be exceptional. We need her to be the most reliable and consistent three point shooter in the country and we need it now. Having the smoothest shot in America is what she is known for. If we don't get it ( if she can't find it given the time lost ) we may not beat Baylor. They will find a way to limit our inside game ( which Vermont could not do ), and we are going to need a lot more from the guards. If Lou is hobbled; if Aubrey can't play, it will all fall to Azzi. (And Caroline).

 

[Longtime fan]

I liked it. UConn did what UConn does with a Team that had10 days to regroup, relax and do whatever these young ladies do. The results showed and it looked like to me that it did not take much effort. Lou and Azzi saved themselves for a breakout 3's performance in the next game.

A shout out to Vermont: a gutsy Team that when it relaxed could really shoot the 3's. Good job! Vermont.

" Lou and Azzi saved themselves?" You make it sound as if it was their plan. Lou was injured and that limited her ability to create and execute shots. Azzi has not found her stroke. Right now, there are 100 guards in the Division I tournament who are having more success shooting threes than Azzi Fudd. And she is the best there is. But that particular talent has not yet re-emerged. And the clock is ticking. If those two are not going to be at the top of their games, we are going down. Lou has carried us all year. And we need Azzi to carry us now. She is an exceptional talent. And that is what UCONN needs right now.

 

[Bone Dog]

If we don't get it ( if she can't find it given the time lost ) we may not beat Baylor. They will find a way to limit our inside game ( which Vermont could not do ), and we are going to need a lot more from the guards. If Lou is hobbled; if Aubrey can't play, it will all fall to Azzi. (And Caroline).

I understand the concern. But even given the worst case you describe I think we beat Baylor going away.

 

[Waquoit]

Dont worry about Azzi It will come just be patient. She needs time and thats all. The good thing is shes shooting and looking for her shot and not afraid to take it

Plus +1 here Tony, only because you can't +2.

 

[Bama fan]

Looks like UConn will be facing Bama, leading 22-4 after one.

Fraid not! Bama cannot finish lately

 

[JBK]

Gastronomic outburst. Ines, Deberry. Patterson. You cannot stop them. You can only hope to contain them.

So funny.
More press on the BY for our 3 bench players today- more so then AE.
I am really happy for them, but it may be the only time they get in this tournament.
Ayanna may get a few minutes in some games, but Geno had no confidence in them throughout the entire season. I know we are all excited today - but we need a healthy AE and Azzi getting her shot back to get where we want to go.
Geno will probably keep the rotation to 8 going forward and maybe 9 - but that’s it ..

 

[JBK]

We've got some really special guards coming in next year, but they are going to have to keep up with Ines to earn playing time. I hope to see more of her this post-season...mostly because we'll be ahead, but I do think that she'll shine in the future. Also just check the stats to see what Caroline did today in the amount of time she played. Keep your head up Caroline!

We have incredible talent coming in next year and it may be a challenge for Ines.
I know she will have a great experience being on a NC team

 

[Hist-teacher]

Great game overall. Excellent energy in the first half. A bit of a drop off in the second but that's to be expected. Would like to see Azzi catch fire. If that happens we 'll be a tough out. Should beat Baylor/Alabama but if OSU makes it through they'll be a difficult Sweet 16 game. Maybe our toughest in a long time. That being said I Love it! And I like our chances of making it back to the Final Four. Go Huskies!

 

[Huskee11]

There was a good crowd at the game. Not a lot of students though, although I expect quite a few on Monday night when they are all back from their break. It looked there were non-students in part of the section normally reserved for students.

It was also a little weird that the Vermont band was where the UConn band normally is and the UConn band was on the other end of the floor.

It was great to see UConn extending the defense full court. They have not been able to do that up until now due to the short bench. The defense was very intense although the few hoops that Vermont scored in the first quarter appeared to be due to defensive mixups on switches. As has been noted, we gave up too many threes throughout the game, that is probably the only blemish in an otherwise great showing.

I was watching Aubrey closely in warmups before the game and I thought she was moving a bit stiff. This was before she fell in the game.

Our passing was terrific today. Nika of course, but really everyone. Nika`s feeds into the post are simply remarkable, the post players are getting the ball in perfect position most of the time. Occasionally she will force one inside but I can live with that.

Aaliyah was totally dominant inside. She scored on drives, rebounds, jumpers, everything. She is playing at another level. They obviously had no answer. I could not understand why Vermont was allowing both Aaliyah and Dorka to drive to the right, almost like they were playing them to go left. They were just waltzing in uncontested much of the time.

Caroline was moving and playing far better than she was a couple of weeks ago. Good sign.

I think Ayanna is starting to put things together. She usually plays like she is holding her breath and I didn`t see that today.

Watched the first half of the second game. Even though Alabama was up pretty big, I figured that Baylor would probably win. I would have preferred to face Alabama but I am not concerned about Baylor. We do need to guard the three point line against them though, as they made 14 against Alabama. (They also gave up 14.)

 

[BRS24]

In addition to solid practices, in the ten days b/w BET and NCAA R1 the team was able to tighten up and work on defense. I get that they won't be able to press as much vs better teams, however it was great to see today. Although there were a few breakdowns on switches, the team looked locked in. All those little errors will be fixed tomorrow at practice.

 

[The deacon]

The best shooter in the world, Steph Curry, said that Fudd is the third best (behind him and Klay). I'm not all all worried about her shots starting to fall.

Steph's humility is inspirational.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Just want to acknowledge Azzi. She's still off the mark, but she didn't let it affect the rest of her game and her defense was tireless and dogged, as it should be for a Husky.

 

[JBK]

I would like to talk about Azzi. She actually played a pretty decent game of basketball. Handled the point when Nikka needed a rest, and moved well on defense. She passed well and earned a few open looks. However, at this moment, there are. probably 100 Division I guards who are more reliably hitting their three point shots. I know you will all say, " well she has to work her way back into her game, having missed so much basketball this season due to injury." And that is all true. However, the clock is running. This UCONN team needs Azzi to be exceptional. We need her to be the most reliable and consistent three point shooter in the country and we need it now. Having the smoothest shot in America is what she is known for. If we don't get it ( if she can't find it given the time lost ) we may not beat Baylor. They will find a way to limit our inside game ( which Vermont could not do ), and we are going to need a lot more from the guards. If Lou is hobbled; if Aubrey can't play, it will all fall to Azzi. (And Caroline).

I will bet on Azzi !!! She will be as clutch as Paige - built from the same mold.
When the going gets tough - Azzi will step up.

 

[HuskyNan]

" Lou and Azzi saved themselves?" You make it sound as if it was their plan. Lou was injured and that limited her ability to create and execute shots. Azzi has not found her stroke. Right now, there are 100 guards in the Division I tournament who are having more success shooting threes than Azzi Fudd. And she is the best there is. But that particular talent has not yet re-emerged. And the clock is ticking. If those two are not going to be at the top of their games, we are going down. Lou has carried us all year. And we need Azzi to carry us now. She is an exceptional talent. And that is what UCONN needs right now.

Lou did not play injured today. Geno didn’t need her so he held her, and Aubrey, out

 

[RedStickHusky]

Steph's humility is inspirational.

He used to have a problem with that, but since he fixed it he's perfect.

 

[HuskyNan]

So funny.
More press on the BY for our 3 bench players today- more so then AE.
I am really happy for them, but it may be the only time they get in this tournament.
Ayanna may get a few minutes in some games, but Geno had no confidence in them throughout the entire season. I know we are all excited today - but we need a healthy AE and Azzi getting her shot back to get where we want to go.
Geno will probably keep the rotation to 8 going forward and maybe 9 - but that’s it ..

If UConn is up by whatever number Geno wants to see, the reserves will play. Why run his starters into the ground or risk injury?

 

[HuskyNan]

" Lou and Azzi saved themselves?" You make it sound as if it was their plan. Lou was injured and that limited her ability to create and execute shots. Azzi has not found her stroke. Right now, there are 100 guards in the Division I tournament who are having more success shooting threes than Azzi Fudd. And she is the best there is. But that particular talent has not yet re-emerged. And the clock is ticking. If those two are not going to be at the top of their games, we are going down. Lou has carried us all year. And we need Azzi to carry us now. She is an exceptional talent. And that is what UCONN needs right now.

As Christy Thomaskutty explained, quite well, is that simply having Azzi on the court forces the opposing coach to dedicate a defender to her, opening up the court and preventing opponents from packing the lane. Having Azzi and Lou/Caroline is double trouble for opponents.

In addition, Azzi is a terrific defender and ball-handler that can relieve Nika at the point, as she did today. Azzi and Lou and Caroline - oh my! Who is the other team going to guard?

So, no, Azzi doesn’t need to hit a ton of baskets to be important to the team

 

[BBallF]

Just got home from Storrs. From the game itself, I thought we were a little rusty at first, as to be expected, but that soon changed. I thought Caroline had a very solid game, perfect from the field, moved well without the ball (was open at least twice more on back doors) and had great wrap around assist on one of her drives. She is still 1/2 step slower but this kind of game off the bench can win a Championship. Azzi is still struggling on her shot. It's a timing issue. It is the usual bill of fare with a knee or ankle injury and I think it will be much better perhaps as early as Monday. Nika was in rare form, she is pure fun to watch live. Geno was furious at her when she picked up her third foul but it was as though she had ear plugs in. I knew she was going to pick her opponent's pocket at one point and said it out loud. Her defense is just relentless. The team's defense was the real story today. The press plus great half court pressure causing Vermont to shoot 3s from deep or off balance. I stayed around to watch some of the Baylor game. They are a very good offensive rebounding team and if they are on from the arc they can be problematic. One more point, we are not firing on all cylinders yet. Aubrey is still not herself as well. Azzi's shot is not fully back but the Azzi effect on the turnovers is apparent in reducing them to 12 today because she is an adept ball handler and passer and our bigs don't have to do it anymore. Our turnovers were mostly walks by Aaliyah or Caroline and forces by Nika which is fine because the bigs seemed open so much. Just another step forward. Anxious to see us Monday after we are more back in form.

 

[Gordo]

The best, most creative passes of the afternoon were by Caroline

Thanks for noticing. When reasonably healthy Caroline is a fantastic passer and sees her open teammates.