Villanova Postgame Thread

[JellyBean]

Like others have stated, my thoughts are with Paige. Hoping that all goes with her medical report. Game said of things, the Bigs played well. I love the assertiveness by Jana and Ice in the post. The active hands and feet on defense. They played well.

You gotta applaud the shooting effort by the players. Some players shots were automatic, and some players shots just weren't falling, today. Those shots will fall the next game. Great game in the end and hoping the best for Paige.

 

[UConnCat]

Just listened to the Dailey Recap. Here are Chris's thoughts:

• Defense was really good from the start.
• Offensively, we're an unselfish team. Kaitlyn Chen can impact a game without scoring. She played really good defense on their best player; had 7 assists but no points but had an impact on the game. Those are the things that we look at and make a difference and it's not all about scoring.
• KK is different from other guards, can put the ball on the floor and get to the rim. We need to put her in a position to do that and she needs to take advantage of those opportunities. We as a team want to get to the free throw line more and to do that we need to put the ball on the floor and go by people. KK did that today. We've challenged her to be more disruptive on the defensive side and from the USC game on she has been different and a difference-maker coming off the bench.
• Wouldn't call what happened to Paige an injury. She is doing okay. It was a basketball play that happens and you have to deal with it.
• Our defense right now is better than we thought it would be at this point. Has taken our offense longer which is surprising since we spend a lot of time on it. Nice to see us making progress on offensive side.
• Lineup? Sometimes it's a match-up situation. Villanova went small so we adjusted and went small. We need contributions from everybody. Post players need to be better defenders and control the backboards. Will play teams with a lot more size than Villanova.
• Thoughts on Azzi: Still a little hesitant. Azzi is a perfectionist and she likes everything to be perfect. I'm not sure she's feeling everything is perfect right now. No injury. The more time playing and practicing the better off we will be, and the better off she will be and more confident she will feel Confidence is a funny thing. What creates confidence is her work ethic and she has a great work ethic. She will regain the confidence we saw before the Louisville game. That's the goal for her. Azzi may be our best one-on-one offensive player when it comes to knowing how to score.

 

[Dugway]

As a side note, did you see all those personal fouls committed by El Alfy today?

Me either! (Party Emoji).

 

[JoePgh]

I saw Jana twice and Ice once refuse to close out on the open Nova forward and she hit 3 short jump shots. Does the scout say they don't shoot open jump shots. They really have to improve or I'd rather play small and aggressive.

I noticed the same thing, and I believe that in all three cases the Villanova forward who got this treatment was #25, Denae Carter. I would bet the farm that the scouting report on her did indeed say that she is not a threat as a jump shooter, but is a threat close to the basket. So the decision to leave her alone when she was 15-20 feet from the basket was surely a deliberate decision, and both Jana and Ice were doing exactly as they were told.

The scout may also have said that she likes to take jump shots which she usually doesn't make, so tempting (daring?) her to shoot -- and positioning yourself close to the basket for the defensive rebound -- is an excellent defensive strategy. Today she ended up going 5-for-14 and 0-for-1 from 3, so maybe that strategy worked just as intended. I have seen UConn do the same thing in other games against players who had the ball in a spot which was well out of their normal shooting range. It would be interesting to see how many of Carter's 5 made shots were jump shots, and how many of her 9 misses were jump shots -- I suspect that would confirm what I am hypothesizing.

But certainly it is unjustified to draw a negative inference about the defensive energy of Jana or Ice based on what you observed in these instances.

 

[JoePgh]

As a general reply to all of you (apparently including CD) who say that Kaitlyn is playing well despite not scoring much and therefore should remain as a starter, let me say this:

I agreed with you for a long time, but in recent games KK has established a level of productivity that Kaitlyn simply has not matched. That doesn't mean that Kaitlyn is playing badly, but KK is playing better and should get more minutes. That is true not only with regard to scoring, but also getting to the free throw line and disrupting the other team's offensive flow.

If Paige has to miss a week or two of play as Azzi did in December, then the issue is moot because both Kaitlyn and KK will probably start during that period of time.

 

[and one]

That was just a really nice UConn win. Everyone played at least ok and most better than that. They looked like a TEAM out there on O and D and it was nice to see.

My two main takeaways are 1. Sarah is just so good at so many things that having a truly bad game is hard to imagine. She can go 2 for 10 shooting and still be a big factor. 2. When Azzi gets back to being an elite shooter and scorer the team will have to adjust and make it their business to get her a minimum of ten shots a game. She's way too talented to be just another steady role player.

Fingers crossed that Paige's injury isn't too bad.

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

My stomach turned over when Paige got hurt as it looked exactly as it was an ACL injury!
Was really surprised at Geno's reply post game as he is usually not that positive about anything!
As it applies to KK, Geno loves a spark coming off the bench that changes the game! Just think of the turmoil it will cause when both Aubrey and KK come in from the bench!

 

[donalddoowop]

Going to post my thoughts before this thread gets inevitably locked -

Sarah Strong is UConn's swiss army knife and they haven't had a player this versatile since Morgan Tuck, but Sarah has a better shot and mobility early on. I'd be shocked if she wasn't Freshman and or/Player of the Year. She's just so good at everything.

Paige had her mid-range going and Im optimistic she will be fine.

Azzi is focusing on her defense and her shot is looking better and better, a breakout game is inevitable.

KK is a stud. Her confidence is building and against elite teams Geno is going to have to play her early and often.

Jana has some solid buckets. Her and Ice are two halves of a really good player, Jana on offense and Ice on Defense but they cannot be on the floor at the same time and, now, I see why Geno hasn't went to that. The high-to-low with them is off no matter who is either or.

If you think Chen had a great game then you're not familiar with her game, she went scoreless and she is a scorer. Some very silly fouls and if she doesn't become an offensive threat, UConn is vulnerable. She's putting on her best Nika Muhl impression and I hope she realizes that being Kaitlyn Chen is more than enough.

All in all - a win is a win.

Strong is not a lock for FOY. Syla Swords, playing against better competition, has stats just as good or better. Mykala Blakes is also having a really good season for Vanderbilt. However, I believe if Strong continues to play at the level she is playing now, and UConn makes the FF, she will win it. I just wish she would average at least 15 to 16 shots a game.

 

[DallasDomer]

They outlawed that in football, but it’s ok in basketball?

If this was outlawed in football Notre Dame would not have had four starters knocked out with season ending injuries so far. The accidental roll ups happen, I wish they didn't and I hope she's fine but it's a part of playing the game.

 

[Bigboote]

I noticed the same thing, and I believe that in all three cases the Villanova forward who got this treatment was #25, Denae Carter. I would bet the farm that the scouting report on her did indeed say that she is not a threat as a jump shooter, but is a threat close to the basket. So the decision to leave her alone when she was 15-20 feet from the basket was surely a deliberate decision, and both Jana and Ice were doing exactly as they were told.
. . .

Yeah, nobody was covering Carter even around the foul line the whole game, definitely part of the game plan.

 

[meyers7]

I have just recently come around to the view that KK should start in place of Kaitlyn, and I think that Geno will reach that conclusion very soon, judging by his comments.

However, have you noticed how FAST Kaitlyn is when running up the floor, with or without the ball? She appears to me to be as fast as KK. Maybe that is the reason why Geno has delayed pulling the plug on her as a starter.

Well also, she's leading the team in assists (tied with Bueckers) with a 2.2 A/TO ratio and shooting 36% from 3pt.

 

[Geew1992]

Strong is not a lock for FOY. Syla Swords, playing against better competition, has stats just as good or better. Mykala Blakes is also having a really good season for Vanderbilt. However, I believe if Strong continues to play at the level she is playing now, and UConn makes the FF, she will win it. I just wish she would average at least 15 to 16 shots a game.

FOY award, along most other awards, are a regular season award. Doesn't matter if they make the final 4 or get knocked out in the second round.

 

[uconnfan68]

If this was outlawed in football Notre Dame would not have had four starters knocked out with season ending injuries so far. The accidental roll ups happen, I wish they didn't and I hope she's fine but it's a part of playing the game.

Professional, not semiprofessional.

 

[HopJim]

Some thoughts on the Villanova game;

• UConn and Nova have had their battles through the years. But this year’s Nova team reflects the cruel mathematics of the Portal & NIL for any non-p4 team, not named UConn. The Wildcats lost 6 players to the transfer portal, 4 to P4 conferences, including 2 of last year’s stars: Olsen & Dalce. Nova brought in 4 transfers, only 1 of which came from a P4 program, a reserve wing from Vandy who grew up in nearby Warminster, PA.
• As for the game itself, UConn ran a bunch of textbook pick and rolls, particularly with Paige and Sarah involved. Paige dropped a season-high 9 dimes today in sadly, limited activity.
• As for Sarah, she scored an extremely efficient 21 points on just 12 shots.
• Paige got her knee rolled-up on by a freshman who had no idea what she was doing. It was clearly a dumb foul, and now we can all hold our breath once again until the results of yet another MRI on Paige are determined….Ugh….
• Jana continues to be a work in progress with some good and some not so good. I’m not certain what to make of Ice right now. She appears to have had her PT cut as Geno seems more comfortable going small. That’s fine vs an undersized Villanova team. But it’s difficult to envision in March.
• KK with another really nice game. I'm sure that everyone was thrilled to see her confidently bury a 3 from the top of the key.
• Next up the Musketeers at XL on Wednesday. Go Huskies!!!

-I have been begging for more pick and roles and got them this game. Pretty basketball that will translate against all level teams.
-Kk appears to have learned how to keep the ball away from her defender when driving to the basket. The % of her layups has increased. What a bonus to see a three go in!
-Concerned that each game a relatively small guard does right into or by Jana for a layup. Does not appear to offer much defense near the basket. Putting Morgan in does not lose much while offering alot more offense and speed.

 

[Bald Husky]

I like the optimism about Paiges injury, but I'm sure there were a lot of disappointed little girls and boys that wanted a picture and autograph from Paige after the game. This Wednesday I'm taking my daughter -in-law to her first UConn women's game. I didn't tell her it was the worst team in the league, but now I have to tell her that Paige won't be playing. Even if it is a minor injury, Geno won't play her for a week or two.