Villanova post game thread

[tchalla1]

Does anyone else wonder why, in a game we are short of players and are getting out rebounded badly, DeBerry can't get even a minute's playing time ?

This makes absolutely no sense, especially given the pedestrian effort Dorka and AE were providing and AE was playing with four fouls ....

 

[temery]

No we didn't, stop making excuses they played terrible! Besides Azzi and Williams they got beat all night and the defense was terrible just like the offense. I can't understand how this team has so many long lasting injuries. They need to take a look at their training and medical staff.

Or maybe UConn has a great training and medical staff, and they are cautious when other teams would tell their players to play through an injury.

 

[tchalla1]

This team has faced a ton of adversity and tonight was no exception. I'd like to think that this will only benefit them in the post season. Every team is going to be up to play us and best believe Depaul is chomping at the bit.

True, adversity does build character, but I am hoping that bad habits are not being sowed with this team.... Like with Paige last year, I now see a lot of "caboose-ing" in our players--give the ball to Azzi and we'll just go along for the ride. IMO that's what happened against Arizona, If anyone is telling me that the six that Villanova put out on the floor had the talent that the six that UConn placed on the floor was equitable... I'm afraid we have way too many cabooses on our train...

 

[hoophuskee]

As I said on the Tennessee thread. Continuity is a huge problem.

This team is going through too many injuries. It's comical. This game-- think of all throughout you are practicing with Liv or anticipating what she is going to bring. Preparing that you are going to have your best defender and best rebounder. All of sudden - it's all gone. Your entire preparation wiped out. They cannot sustain quality play having to deal with this. They are not pros.

Their struggles have little to do with hustle and nearly everything to do with continuity.

By the way, where were they beaten the worst? Subpar rebounding and defense? And who exactly is their best rebounder and defender, and how many minutes did she play tonight?

This team will continually suffer if the injury bug doesn't go away. In sports "teams win" because they have a certain familiarity. This team is just going through one obstacle after another and they aren't pros.

 

[hoophuskee]

Give Villanova all the credit. They probed the paint, popped threes, snatched away rebounds and forced the refs to make calls.

Christyn gave it her all, which was good to see. Villanova's defensive gameplay was to crowd Azzi and let everyone else beat them. Azzi put up a strong effort with 29 11/20 Field goals. 4/8 from the three point line, some defensive tips, smart decisions, missed open cuts but it wasn't enough. It just wasn't their night and I'll leave it at that. It happens. Better now than in March.

I hope Ice Brady and Ayanna are ready to contribute this Fall because we need athletic, versatile posts

We need Paige Bueckers and C Ducharme.

 

[MD#12Fan]

That was ugly and disappointing. I thought we might have moments of being flat, but not 30 minutes worth. Only 2 players were offensive threats, and they were really good. Rebounding was very poor.

We were down by 22-7. We need to figure out how to start better, especially at home.

I can't imagine how difficult it is to play with a different lineup on no notice. I was hoping we'd have Carol and expected to have Liv. For sure, they would have made a difference.

Regarding the next game, DePaul will be competitive. We'll need Liv and/or Carol back, or else the consecutive loss streak could go by the wayside, just as the conference streak did.

This team could be really good when everyone is healthy. But we need 3-4 players to be really good when we are playing a solid team.

Let's see what tomorrow's NCAA reveal shows. I'm afraid we may be in Spokane. As a 3 seed.

On the positive side, Christyn was excellent on the offensive end and shot the ball great from distance. For the folks who hadn't seen it before, you got to see more of Azzi's repertoire--3-pointers, midrange, layups, and FTs. Maybe she needs to shoot even more.

Good post!
She can't shoot more when she can't get open. Geno's got to get her open. Has he ever had a scorer like Azzi before. She has to pop off of screens to get open and then she can deal, even off the dribble. How many times I watched her just camped in the corners with no movement. It must be the play. She generally moves well without the ball. Obviously she'll work well with Paige, since defenders have to help on her, but with this group, they have to work like heck to get her open. If she shoots 60% (factor in the 3's) regularly, why do other people shoot as much as they do. Ugh Azzi could have kept UConn in this game single-handedly if given the chance. Gosh I hate that passing game. And those bleeping hand offs. Sorry, I'm out.

 

[FridaFriend]

I give credit to Villanova for playing well. However I would say that the UCONN loss was attributable to two main reasons:

1. LUCK - I have never seen as many shots (by Villanova) in the general direction of the basket that somehow found their way into the basket. And I have not seen so many attempts by UCONN that didn't quite make it in. Such a combination of good luck and bad luck!

2. I disagree with those who saw an absence of effort by UCONN players. I saw players at unfamiliar positions trying, with huge effort, to pass to and defend with people who were not playing tonight. Azzi and Christyn nearly pulled out the game with individual efforts, but the team effort in the Tennessee game was absent, because of the team's unfamiliarity with each other at those particular positions, made worse by the inability to practice with each other.

 

[hoophuskee]

This is all opinion.
Your rules are flawed. Sorry but 2 years ago we got humiliated by Oregon on our own homecourt.
Getting blown out on Nat'l TV is humiliating.
It's not even close imo which is worse. You are just choosing to sweep injuries under the rug -- that doesn't make you right. It's just your preference.
My preference is not being humiliated and getting blown out on Nat'l TV when you have a top 10 team.

 

[uconnfan68]

Nah, this was the worst beating in my memory… over 30 years. We were competitive in some bigger losses, but we didn’t compete in this one until about 4 minutes left.

 

[hoophuskee]

I was also wondering why we did not have Williams guarding their top player again - it felt like we were in a slow zone
Would like to see more of De Berry . The other 2 freshman have performed pretty well when they got some time.

I think they move too much without the ball to have one player able to stick with her.

And I can't see DeBerry having any shot in this style of game.

 

[Notyetready]

5

True, an important aspect of leadership is taking responsibility--but leadership also is providing guidance and direction during the storm and I personally didn't see much of that tonight--except from Paige...

I believe that is what she was taking responsibility for— not providing guidance and direction. That is what she said would not happen again.

 

[Cuango]

A little tough on herself I think.

I find this statement to be quite sad actually. She was one of only two players who actually played up to their capabilities (she actually played better than usual) and has no reason to apologize. She and Azzi stepped up big time in this game while the rest of the team was simply bad! There is no other way to put it.

I am beginning to think it might be best to shut Paige down officially until next year. It’s very difficult to see this team going anywhere special this season. Just play the season out with what we have, give Amari and Piath lots of minutes, make sure Azzi, Caroline, Dorka, Aliyah and Nika get enough, but not too many minutes, and take a hard look at whether the coaching has indeed gone downhill since Shea left! If so, then some tough decisions might need to be made. Let Paige heal up and start preparing for next year! Meanwhile, if the team catches lightning in a bottle, then of course, we ride the wave as far as it takes us! Of course, convincing Paige to wait may not be possible anyway.

At this point it is pretty clear Imo that we have three really good players. Two of those may end up among the best that have ever played here while Caroline imo is going to be on the wall as well. We have two, possibly three more that have the potential to be at least solid, while one of those (AE) seems to have the potential to be a game changer if she can reverse this inexplicable decline that she has suffered through this year. Piath is a bit of an unknown but I have confidence that she will, at the very least, begin to be a contributor next season. Aubrey meanwhile, is capable of being a major weapon if she can just get healthy.

Meanwhile, we have two outstanding recruits coming next season. One, Ice, looks as if she may play meaningful minutes right away, while the other, Ayanna, could be anything from a typical freshman to an immediate force of nature! Finally, there may be a player or two in the transfer portal that may attract the staff’s interest. Looking ahead, I think it’s fair to say that our recruiting is going very well for “23 at least!

To tell the truth, my big concerns right now are making sure Paige is completely solid for next season and fixing what seems to me to be a troubling decline in our guard play especially. Perhaps it is just my lack of knowledge about this game but our guard play just seems to have fallen precipitously. Now it may be that I’m simply seeing things that are not there or that it’s not attributable to coaching, but I can’t help but wonder if Shea’s departure has been more damaging than we know?

 

[hoophuskee]

Nah, this was the worst beating in my memory… over 30 years. We were competitive in some bigger losses, but we didn’t compete in this one until about 4 minutes left.

we were not competitive vs Oregon 2 years ago. We got blown out. A team that was actually rated 5th or 6th getting humiliated on their home floor is 10 times worse than a team crushed by injuries and losing by 3. It's not even close. They scored 10 points in the 4th quarter because they called off the dogs and played slowdown. They felt sorry for us - and that isn't humiliating?????

This UCONN team didn't get blown out. When you get blown out on NAty'y TV and you are 5 or 6 and playing at home it is embarrassing.

This lineup without Paige, Aubrey, Liv and Ducharme cannot sustain beating good non-top--20 teams. Too much they are missing and not enough games in which they have had chance to develop continuity.

 

[Blueballer]

Nah, this was the worst beating in my memory… over 30 years. We were competitive in some bigger losses, but we didn’t compete in this one until about 4 minutes left.

That’s absolute baloney. You’ve got a real faulty memory. 30 plus years we’ve had much worse losses than this. Especially considering we were down 3 key players, one of which went down right before the game started. I remember sitting in Gampel when we got clubbed by Fern Labati‘s Miami teams in the early 90’s. And I’m not sure even then we used only 6 players. Here are some examples of bad losses to refresh your memory. Oregon hands UConn women most lopsided Gampel Pavilion loss

 

[Notyetready]

I give credit to Villanova for playing well. However I would say that the UCONN loss was attributable to two main reasons:

1. LUCK - I have never seen as many shots (by Villanova) in the general direction of the basket that somehow found their way into the basket. And I have not seen so many attempts by UCONN that didn't quite make it in. Such a combination of good luck and bad luck!

2. I disagree with those who saw an absence of effort by UCONN players. I saw players at unfamiliar positions trying, with huge effort, to pass to and defend with people who were not playing tonight. Azzi and Christyn nearly pulled out the game with individual efforts, but the team effort in the Tennessee game was absent, because of the team's unfamiliarity with each other at those particular positions, made worse by the inability to practice with each other.

You can’t discount the luck factor… in most any endeavor.

 

[Pilot B52]

With Olivia out and Dorka hobbled, we were outrebounded by 16. Our presence in the paint was compromised and this affected everything, not to mention the absence of Paige and Caroline. I note that we have two 6'5" players sitting on the bench that seemingly have not been groomed to step into situations like this. I wonder how they must feel wanting to play but not given the chance. I feel a little uncomfortable with the comment that we only had 6 players to use. How do you think they must feel about this?

 

[todbo]

The Huskies didn’t have enough players to press or play man for long. Fatigue was an issue

Villanova played 8, but their bench played 19 minutes (16, 2, 1) to Dorka's 20. Bench points were exactly even.

 

[JBK]

I think they move too much without the ball to have one player able to stick with her.

And I can't see DeBerry having any shot in this style of game.

Understand your thoughts
The practice guys stated DeBerry was lighting it up in practice and Dorka and Edwards were completely ineffective. Very slow game that we needed some inside presence.
I guess it is a mute point

 

[JBK]

After the first half my thought was they were playing like a team that lacks maturity. But, then I reflect on the fact that Villanova was shooting out of their minds. Villanova played a nearly perfect game (undoubtedly a perfect half) on a night when the Huskies were missing their key inside defender and one of their more productive scoring threats. Once Villanova started hitting their three point shots and pulling the defense out to the three point line they were making outstanding entry passes to the paint. To many open looks down low, likely because Dorka is still not 100$% mobility wise and Aliyah was saddled with fouls. I think it is now pretty obvious how much Olivia means to this team.

This can go one of two ways. They hitch up their britches and play well to get the bitter taste out of their mouths from tonight or they have a meltdown and the season gets away from them. The fourth quarter comeback gives me hope that for the next game we see the former and not the latter.

I am sure the Blue Demons are licking their chops right now.

As to how they could play so well on Sunday and so "lousy" today? It's simple. Villanova ran an offense and hits their shots. The Huskies didn't rebound and seemed to forget how to run an offense in the first half. On Sunday, the Huskies did those things.

I know high school rankings mean little in college, but we had enough talent to win vs Villanova
High school rankings
Williams - 1
Fudd - 1
Westbrook - 1 or 2
Deberry in the bench - top 5
Edwards. Top 30
Dorka. Big ten all star for 2 years
Not sure why Dorka - Westbrook and Edwards are still in a funk in February.

 

[hoophuskee]

How do you think they must feel about this?

The same that the players that played feel.

 

[Littlemin]

With Olivia out and Dorka hobbled, we were outrebounded by 16. Our presence in the paint was compromised and this affected everything, not to mention the absence of Paige and Caroline. I note that we have two 6'5" players sitting on the bench that seemingly have not been groomed to step into situations like this. I wonder how they must feel wanting to play but not given the chance. I feel a little uncomfortable with the comment that we only had 6 players to use. How do you think they must feel about this?

Players earn playing time, coaches need to coach them up but getting on the court is earned. That has been a constant for this program forever and I for one applaud Auriemma for sticking to that principle; that is much more important in the development process of young people entrusted to him than losing a basketball game.
I have no insight into why neither play and will not speculate but the way I would feel is PO’d at myself for not earning the coaches trust enough to play when my team needed me.

 

[LarryLegend]

Even without the degree of difficulty that an injury and covid plagued season has presented to fielding a well conditioned team, it’s pretty tough to ask players to play 35-40 minutes of a division one game and be prepared to pressure and trap for more than a few possessions. Fatigue makes a coward of everyone who has ever played, and before being critical about the lack of pressing or trapping earlier you might ask yourself how many times you were able to practice it with only the players who were available in tonight’s game, some of which were in foul trouble & were probably playing in a different position when they did practice it.

JMO

again begs the question why are there two players who just sit on the bench game after game? Couldnt they be subbed in even for 60 seconds to give one of the others a breather

 

[JBK]

Nah, this was the worst beating in my memory… over 30 years. We were competitive in some bigger losses, but we didn’t compete in this one until about 4 minutes left.

Question. I know Villanova is not ranked at this point - but was wondering if Nika Muhl would start on Villanova. She started most of the games last year and this season for UCONN.
I do root for her and respect her energy, grit and fire , but other then a steal once in awhile her defense is just okay - offensive is below average and passing is too aggressive.
Ps. I am not questioning anyone’s judgement - it is just my opinion and question as a fan.