Villanova Postgame Thread

[RedStickHusky]

Anna rebound and gets the ball moving up court; if hoops had double assists like hockey, her first pass on many two pass breaks would be getting her three or four more a game. She understands the offense and plays smart - she cuts and sees cutters. Aubrey can bring a burst of energy and/or maybe lock down a scorer for a spell, Mir for all her athleticism and energy, is like the legendary guitar player in a band playing different tunes. Until she figures it out it'll be hard for her to get more than walk-on minutes. A 25/15 split with Anna/Aubrey seems to be what Geno is comfortable with... This team scored 90 last night with Anna getting three; doesn't seem to be an issue.

 

[BobbyJ]

Coaches are never candid with their public assessments of other team's players. Always positive comments.
Yeah, Geno edits his mouth ... NOT!
In case this was missed. Go to the 12:45 mark. He speaks with a flow. No hesitation, no pauses for the correct words. etc.

Candid might not be the right word. I'll go with critical. Like I said, always positive comments in public. You can be sure that in game-prep, staff meetings he focuses on their weaknesses and areas to exploit. But never in public.

 

[Bronxjeff]

Not much more to add. Seemed to me that Villanova is a well coached, disciplined team that maximizes the kids they have.

The first quarter I was thinking "this team isn't ready to take on top teams yet." Then they settled down and and scored 90 and winning by 38. Not too shabby.

Geno keeps telling us they aren't a great shooting team from outside. I think it's time to believe him. They can still score though. I do have some concerns moving forward when they play teams with height. They won't be able to score inside so easily.

While they are far from perfect defensively at this point, they are holding every team they have played below their scoring average. Nothing about this game spoiled my eggnog...

I think that we can play big teams when we have AE on the floor too.

 

[oldude]

I'm mostly worried about Aliyah's ankle for this game. Baylor is leading the country in APG and Rebounding margin without being blessed with many gifted passers. What that says is Baylor is dumping the ball inside and pounding the offensive glass.

Per Geno, Aaliyah’s ankle should be fine. She likely would have played if the Nova game was today vs yesterday.

From what I’ve seen, I agree that Baylor likes to pound the ball inside on offense. One factor behind that strategy lies in the fact that the Lady Bears are really not a very good outside shooting team after losing Cooper, Landrum and Cox to graduation last year.

 

[Martin]

Anna is not AG or Mir though, she is a starter. Loved Anna rebounding effort, however she only attempted 5 shots in 35 minutes of game action all from deep and only made 1. That kind of shot imbalance and inaccuracy is going to present an opportunity for the defense to sag off, concentrate elsewhere or concede that shot altogether. AKA the Moriah Jefferson & Kelly Faris treatment during their Freshman and Sophomore campaigns
[/QUOTE

are you really going to sit any of our top 4 now next year when Fudd comes, in to play Anna? She really does have to shoot 40% the rest of the way on 3’s or she becomes a minor player a minor role player next year. I don’t think she came from Poland to be a minor role player her 3rd and 4th seasons here so it’s important for her to show some offense. Next year when those shooters come in if they can shoot better than her can pass reasonably well and match her defense which most here question aren’t you going to play them over her?

I blame the hype machine for over rating her ability as a scorer and falling in love with this Poland National Team experIence. I am looking forward to seeing her growth from last year against real competition, Baylor. By the way there is no one on the team i want to see succeed more than her.

 

[hart2hart]

I totally disagree with Purchase1 in reference to Anna. Ever see her play in-person? I think she hustles ALOT and obviously Geno does too because she starts. Remember this: Basketball is a team sport and all players have their strengths
and weaknesses. This team is getting better and better every game! Hooray for Anna Mak. I for one can’t wait until the DePaul game! Merry Christmas
to Anna and the fantastic team we have!!

 

[Papa33]

Geno needs the ball handler so Aaliyah will not be taking Anna’s minutes.

Basketball is more than just scoring.

Anna has been criticized roundly by a number of posters this season, much more (I think) than any other starter. I offer the following, not as a criticism, but as a impression, an observation.

I do not see her playing offense with the same decisiveness or with the same range of moves as the last half of last season. Then, she exercised a full range of options— drive and pop short/mid-range jumpers, drive all the way to the basket, penetrate and pass, shoot the three, pass and cut to the basket. She made herself hard to defend against. This year, she seems hesitant and unsure of what her role should be.

As I said, that's my impression. I hope she regains confidence that she can be a multiple-threat offensive cog in the UConn offense, one that also opens up more opportunities to find open teammates when she commands more defensive attention from opponents. She has shown that she already has the skill set to do all that . . . confidently and decisively.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Someone else chimes in on Anna:

 

[phil sampieri]

For me, Evina was the star of the night just doing everything.

Really happy that Chrystin and Liv are being consistent and acting like mature players.

Paige's game is sort of an enigma to me right now. There were stretches tonight when I wasn't sure she was on the floor and Evina was the PG. Then there were stretches where she was everywhere. The 19 pts seem to come out of nowhere.

The whole game I kept thinking if Aaliyah was healthy, they could have had way over 100. Villanova is paint challenged.

 

[phil sampieri]

If you Look at the games Paige Played point , in my opinion, she was more effective
both scoring and passing the ball. Your best played hS to touch the ball every possession and right now she is the best player. I also think Williams might be more
effective as a 2 JMO folks

 

[Tonyc]

Let me say this. Anna is a really good player. A complete ball player. She isnt shooting enough in many fans opinion. IMO I leave it up to Geno. I think he might know what he's doing. Until the last 2 games a couple of players werent playing like they did in the last 2 games. Anna will start scoring more and there will be plays set up so she can. Last season she was 0 for America. This year shes not. Be patient. I can only think what her family must think reading some of these posts.

 

[The CDR-Ret]

I've said this before, but I'm convinced now that Aaliyah will be in the starting lineup before season end. Anna is the player that will be out of the starting lineup. She did nothing last night on offense until the game was decided. She missed her first three point attempt and went into a shell not looking for her shot. I also don't think she had a good game on defense either.

Aaliyah like Live also picks up early fouls because of her aggressiveness. She'll need to get that under control as Geno can't afford to have both Liv and Aaliyah in foul trouble if Aaliyah is in the starting lineup.

I think the fouling issues will be cut in half when both are on the floor together, because then both of them will not be thinking, "I'm the only one who can stop them near the rim!" They will also learn that they cannot win every possession, but just win the next one after getting beat. Three stops in a row is excellence, and four is outstanding...
Realizing when you are beat is key to not adding to the other team's energy by fouling, and getting the ball going rapidly to the other end, while the other team is still celebrating, shuts them up quite handily. Learning from each interation is key with any young group, and our group appears to be learning faster than most, if not ALL other teams...

 

[MooseJaw]

Anna has been criticized roundly by a number of posters this season, much more (I think) than any other starter. I offer the following, not as a criticism, but as a impression, an observation.

I do not see her playing offense with the same decisiveness or with the same range of moves as the last half of last season. Then, she exercised a full range of options— drive and pop short/mid-range jumpers, drive all the way to the basket, penetrate and pass, shoot the three, pass and cut to the basket. She made herself hard to defend against. This year, she seems hesitant and unsure of what her role should be.

As I said, that's my impression. I hope she regains confidence that she can be a multiple-threat offensive cog in the UConn offense, one that also opens up more opportunities to find open teammates when she commands more defensive attention from opponents. She has shown that she already has the skill set to do all that . . . confidently and decisively.

Fair enough, but only time will tell. One thing is for certain we hope and want every player to be better in the second half. To me Anna appears to have put herself under unneeded pressure to be better than the new players and keep her spot on the floor. Like you I hope she goes back to playing under control and regains her confidence and improves. The team needs the second half Anna.

 

[phil sampieri]

If you Look at the games Paige Played point , in my opinion, she was more effective
both scoring and passing the ball. Your best played hS to touch the ball every possession and right now she is the best player. I also think Williams might be more
effective as a 2 JMO folks

I certainly agree with a lot of the posts but find some of the criticism of the team sounds like opponents rather than supporters. One frustrating thing that I saw as blatently obvious in this game as that the wing on the left facing the basket seems to never get passed to. We get on Anna for not shooting usually from that area but she almost never gets the ball in that location. Why did I say it was obvious? It is because when Evina took over the point and Paige went to the left wing she also never got the ball while in that location! Paige had a bit less patience than Anna when standing there wide open with no passes but the same thing occurred. Anna also get heat for being a bit slower than some of the smaller quicker guards. People want a big body under the basket but apparently don't like it when Anna is filling that position. A 6'2" wider body that can also pass, lead a fast break, and shoot the 3 ball. We are lucky to have her. I wonder if Geno was giving Paige a bit of a rest without taking her out of the game. She missed a few of her usually automatic 15' jumpers. It seemed like she didn't have the legs for it tonight. It was good to see her back to herself shooting FT.

 

[UcMiami]

Evina looks like a completely different player from the player I saw wearing orange - much calmer and letting the offensive game come to her, not forcing it. Also much happier. I was interested to see how much point she played last night - she looked good, but I agree that Paige did not look as comfortable hanging on the wing - she needs more time to get comfortable if Geno wants to continue the experiment.

I like the starting five and I like the changes the bench provides when they come in. Waiting on Nika, who I think it was mentioned was not full on practicing leading up to the opening game so she could play in the opener. Obviously whatever the issue was, did not respond well to the first games. She and now Edwards get a good break before the next game. Hope they are both ready to go on the 29th.

I also think the team will get a lot of valuable practice in. They have played a lot of games (5 in eight days) and had very little practice since the opener. Lots of film to study and learn from now.

 

[phil sampieri]

It seems that if a Loyal UConn fan posts anything critical about a player , some of the board assumes they are from another team. I usually end most post with just my opinion and also I have been a rabid fan of this team since 1995. Chill folks

 

[Bama fan]

Was thinking Nika and Edwards would get some minutes and Autumn might surprise us so don't leaf her out(see what I did)..

Appreciate your sense of humor, but if you have to tell people you are making a joke you do not get credit! Those are hard and fast rules, my friend. Sorry to disappoint you.
It is only right that you are left out.

 

[The CDR-Ret]

Even if Evina does not return the future is indeed brighter than the present because in Azzi, Saylor and Caroline you will have 3 new perimeter players with similar ( potentially better) interchangeable skill sets. Potentially better is: Saylor being better perimeter defender than anyone on the current roster. Azzi a better mid range Shooter than anyone on the current roster and Caroline a better deep shooter than anyone on the current roster.

I, for one, hope Evina stays for her fourth year of eligibility, as it will make her a much stronger player for the next level. She is so pleasant in post game interviews as well as praising the team for setting up any of her individual successes.
However, it still makes me nervous when she dives for loose balls [having her knee surgeries in the past year], but it is part of her heart for aggressive basketball which is an extremely positive example for the "youngsters" on the team when "mom" is aggressively going after each 50/50 ball and getting there first on most occassions. It will also allow next year's freshmen (other than AZZI) to learn the system, and be positive impact players off of the bench.

 

[The CDR-Ret]

Appreciate your sense of humor, but if you have to tell people you are making a joke you do not get credit! Those are hard and fast rules, my friend. Sorry to disappoint you.
It is only right that you are left out.

I'm not Falling for it for a moment...

 

[The CDR-Ret]

I certainly agree with a lot of the posts but find some of the criticism of the team sounds like opponents rather than supporters. One frustrating thing that I saw as blatently obvious in this game as that the wing on the left facing the basket seems to never get passed to. We get on Anna for not shooting usually from that area but she almost never gets the ball in that location. Why did I say it was obvious? It is because when Evina took over the point and Paige went to the left wing she also never got the ball while in that location! Paige had a bit less patience than Anna when standing there wide open with no passes but the same thing occurred. Anna also get heat for being a bit slower than some of the smaller quicker guards. People want a big body under the basket but apparently don't like it when Anna is filling that position. A 6'2" wider body that can also pass, lead a fast break, and shoot the 3 ball. We are lucky to have her. I wonder if Geno was giving Paige a bit of a rest without taking her out of the game. She missed a few of her usually automatic 15' jumpers. It seemed like she didn't have the legs for it tonight. It was good to see her back to herself shooting FT.

Probably the 5 games in eleven days with one day of practice between games might give a little fatigue when compared to a High School schedule. Also, the speed of the college game played by UCONN contibutes to fatigue, but when asked about time off, Bueckers said that she was looking at balancing time off with staying in basketball shape... Fantastic attitude displayed in the post-game interviews by both Bueckers and Westbrook together.

 

[oldude]

Probably the 5 games in eleven days with one day of practice between games might give a little fatigue when compared to a High School schedule. Also, the speed of the college game played by UCONN contibutes to fatigue, but when asked about time off, Bueckers said that she was looking at balancing time off with staying in basketball shape... Fantastic attitude displayed in the post-game interviews by both Bueckers and Westbrook together.

As far as time off is concerned, it’s not like anyone is going home for the holidays. While I’m sure the team has some plans that involve eating a lot, they’re basically stuck on campus with no classes and most of the student body gone. So what else is there to do other than wander over to the gym to workout and put up a few thousand shots?

 

[Littlemin]

Let me say this. Anna is a really good player. A complete ball player. She isnt shooting enough in many fans opinion. IMO I leave it up to Geno. I think he might know what he's doing. Until the last 2 games a couple of players werent playing like they did in the last 2 games. Anna will start scoring more and there will be plays set up so she can. Last season she was 0 for America. This year shes not. Be patient. I can only think what her family must think reading some of these posts.

Personally, I would think her family is basketball savvy enough to take the criticism for what it is by considering the source(s). Everyone is entitled to their opinion but the preponderance of posts here focused on individual after individual, who is greater, who was the greatest, etc. leads me to think that many here miss the very essence of Auriemma’s teams; that they are teams in every sense of the word, not a conglomeration of the best players individually, all playing to score, all playing to run up stats.
I don’t mean to be disrespectful but Makurat has not played as well as she probably can IN SCORING THE BALL but very well in other aspects. But, the team has focused on establishing Ono down low, Williams is much more aggressive hunting for shots, and Auriemma has insisted that Bueckers do the same; that was obvious against Nova because he took her off the ball and used Westbrook for much of the game to initiate offense. So maybe Makurat is not scoring because she is not necessarily looking to score because the emphasis is on other players to fill that role.
Uconn is averaging 89+ PPG, not too shabby, so to me the obsession with Makurat not scoring would have much more credence were the team not scoring. Basically, it appears clear to me she is not scoring because she is not looking to score. If Auriemma had a problem with that, I am sure he would prod her into hunting shots and increasing her offensive aggressiveness, as he did with Williams and Bueckers.

 

[donalddoowop]

Appreciate your sense of humor, but if you have to tell people you are making a joke you do not get credit! Those are hard and fast rules, my friend. Sorry to disappoint you.
It is only right that you are left out.

Yes, yes, yes!

 

[HuskyNan]

This thread is drifting too far afield