Villanova post game thread

[hoopsfan22]

Coach Dillon and Maddy Siegrist:

 

[MSGRET]

This loss is because UConn had 3 top players not playing, if ONO had played we most likely win. If both ONO and Caroline play we win. If all three had played it's a cake walk.

 

[BobbyJ]

As well it should in my opinion. As much as many of those can complain about ONO swatting, she is a gamer. Myself I hope she improves her drop step to stop the traveling calls. Her presence on the bench tonight has a lot of the nay sayers shooting themselves in the foot.
This game showed with her absence what a lot of critics have underestimated tonight.

I've said for 2 years that she is basically their whole interior defense. But regarding the drop step, that should have happened 2+ years ago.

 

[CocoHusky]

Muhl had 4 T/O's and two of those were not her fault. On one of them as she let go of the ball the player she was passing to moved from their position and the other was a traveling call that Meg stated that Muhl was fouled and that was what caused her to travel. She had the most assists 6, was tied for second in rebounding, 4 with Azzi, third in scoring, and shot 50% from 3.

Nika crippled the UCONN offense tonight by over dribbling and picking up her dribble in the middle of the court for no apparent reason way too many times. She also passed up some critical shots when Azzi was getting harassed by two + defenders as UCONN was making a comeback. She simply does not have the ability to optimally facilitate this offense which requires timely passing to the post players and cutters when they are open. The wing players (Caroline, Azzi, and Christyn) all have to work way too hard to make this offense work while Nika is out top patting the rock and pointing at air. I might as well get this off my chest as well- Nika act of complaining to the refs after every stinking call is getting tired. The refs are human beings also, you simply don't build any credibility with the refs by complaining about every stinking call, especially when some of your fouls would qualify as assault in 48 of the 50 states.

 

[BobbyJ]

Because Villanova spreads the floor with 5 players and Amari would have been lost out there trying to guard one of Nova's forwards on the perimeter.

I agree. She would've looked like she was stuck in a revolving door.

 

[Nolefan]

The sky is falling for some folks .. it’s a loss in a regular season game who really cares ? If this team is healthy come the tournament it’s gonna make a deep run no matter what seed or region we are in ..

 

[CocoHusky]

Azzi was already physically not right (3 games in 3 days), and Caroline was not even visible back then. Pageitis (over reliance on Paige set in in the 2nd half) . The SC loss does not shake the confidence like this one did especially coming off the TN win.

I still disagree. The loss to SC was with Paige and 5 returning starters from a FF team and was by 16 points.

 

[JellyBean]

Tough tough game. But the chat tonight was abhorrent

Got that interesting, huh?

 

[browns]

This loss is because UConn had 3 top players not playing, if ONO had played we most likely win. If both ONO and Caroline play we win. If all three had played it's a cake walk.

Or if Uconn played defense an hustled they win

 

[Postie]

Oh so Dorka was the reason the team lost? If Villanova made their foul shots at the end UCONN never would have got back in the game

 

[JellyBean]

Tough loss. I tip my hat to Villanova. They came out and played a solid game. They were knocking down shots left and right! I applaud our beloved UConn squad. This year, like others have stated, has been one for the ages! So many ups and downs. I just hope that the players don't get down on themselves after a game like tonight. Just stay positive, stay healthy, and be there for each other. Lift one another up.

 

[OviedoFLHusky]

It's late at night, and I know many are feeling as bummed and/or frustrated with (take your pick) the game, the team, certain players, certain circumstances, etc., as I am. I just wanted to say two things:

(1) As bummed and/or frustrated we as mere fans feel, it can't compare to how the team is feeling right now. Just imagine, it's on them that the 160+game streak was snapped. If it were me, I'd feel horrible about that.

(2) I have a lot of respect for CW for saying what she did about taking responsibility. That showed great character. I hope that going forward, she can inspire the team to show similar great character, bounce back stronger from this loss, and start a new streak.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

How about effort

If people are tired, then effort takes a hit.

 

[Urshurak]

I was traveling this afternoon. Got off the plane and turned on my phone. Told my wife I was on the ground and she said she’s glad I was safe. Then she said, UConn game isn’t good…………

 

[tower1]

Out rebounded by 16...only 2 players in double digits. You can't win that way. What a strange season this is, so far. We did well considering only 6 players were available.

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.

 

[AgStatesman]

As usual not giving credit to the other team. Forget about rankings. The point is they played liked a "ranked" team tonight. That's all that matters. We did not lose to a team that played poorly tonight. It happens. Not the end of the world. We will be back in a big way.

Nova was great tonight! I am taking nothing from them at all. My point is this is the worst loss in 20 years. But, that doesn't even necessarily mean it was a bad loss. It's all relative. If a team has 998 wins and 2 losses over the course of a 1000 games, one of the losses might be to the number one team in the country and the other loss to the number two team in the country. While losing to the number 2 team isn't bad, it's still the worst loss the team suffered in the 1000 game stretch. Does anyone get my thinking here? The concept is sound even if I'm wrong about this being the worst loss.

 

[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]

I'm not sure what we are discussing here so let me change the track here. My contention is that based on who the opponent was and the general success of the program year to year, that this was the worst loss the team has suffered since 2012. If I am wrong, can someone please point me to the specific loss that's worse. Here are the rules - losses to top 20 teams aren't terrible and neither are losses in the Final Four.

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.

 

[Blue Huskie]

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