Villanova Postgame Thread

[freshler40]

Now THAT’S the Paige we need from here on out.

An explosive start with focused scoring. All aided by quick ball movement and running a very short offensive clock. This is our sweep spot, not a long clock and slow offensive setup. Even so, our turnovers within this clock were reduced to eight (8). Amazing when you consider the bench played the fourth quarter. The last few games are seeing a very different high scoring offense with diverse scoring. This reminds me of the little Dutch girl plugging the holes in the dikes. Good luck to her!

 

[GoUconn7961]

Got all three things I'd asked for:

1. Aubrey shaking off more rust
2. Jana making layups and put backs and rebounds
3. Four solid quarters of beat down basketball

Nice job Huskies, nice job.

 

[Charliebball]

I believe I said they were “deep, talented and extremely well-coached.”

Juggernaut is your word….

I want to see this team which is indeed "deep, talented and extremely well coached" prove its mettle against other "deep, talented and extremely well coached" teams not just against Big East cannon fodder.......Creighton is the only Big East team that can even give UConn a game, Tennessee is athletic and long and we all know what South Carolina brings to the table.......time for this UConn team to show it can perform to the same high level against real competition......

 

[BobbyJ]

The concept of some player on the team having an "off night" due to scoring totals is a little odd. The whole point of having so many scorers on the team is to not worry if one opponent or another decides to concentrate on one or two of ours defensively. When the offense is really clicking, the ball moves quickly to whomever is open, which is a good thing. That will always be a different player. Sure, the main focus of our offense will always be Paige, Sarah and Azzi, but as for the others, scoring totals will largely be up to the other team and how they've elected to play. Morgan or Ash may not have totals equal to their talents, but when they're being covered and making smart plays by not shooting, then they're playing well.

Don't start confusing them with this stuff. It makes too much sense. They think UConn should be taking turns shooting, everybody gets 10-12 shots, and have 8-9 in double figures every night.

 

[oldude]

I want to see this team which is indeed "deep, talented and extremely well coached" prove its mettle against other "deep, talented and extremely well coached" teams not just against Big East cannon fodder.......Creighton is the only Big East team that can even give UConn a game, Tennessee is athletic and long and we all know what South Carolina brings to the table.......time for this UConn team to show it can perform to the same high level against real competition......

You’ll get your wish in a few weeks. In the meantime this UConn team is doing everything they need to do, to be able to compete on the biggest stage against the top WBB teams.

 

[meyers7]

I had been thinking Morgan was similar to Kelly Faris but I see a lot of Shea Ralph in her, too.

I've been thinking a bit more athletic Ducharme. Not quite the shooter yet, but just an all arounder like her.

 

[Kat]

I think that the "starting five" concept is being re-worked by Geno now. He's using different player pairings, testing which combinations work in particular situations. Players will play based on what's going on in each particular game. There are only two player who are guaranteed "starters" and that's Paige and Sarah. Everyone else is interchangeable, based on that game's requirements. He can do this because this team is loaded with talent.

 

[oldude]

I think that the "starting five" concept is being re-worked by Geno now. He's using different player pairings, testing which combinations work in particular situations. Players will play based on what's going on in each particular game. There are only two player who are guaranteed "starters" and that's Paige and Sarah. Everyone else is interchangeable, based on that game's requirements. He can do this because this team is loaded with talent.

I beg to differ. Absent injury, Geno’s starting 5 is now set in stone. Before last night, it was clear that Paige, Azzi, Sarah & Jana were locks, with some potential for either KK or Ash to replace Kaitlyn in the starting lineup. After her outstanding performance vs Villanova, Kaitlyn is also a lock.

What is up in the air is the bench rotation that Geno will use in March, with no less than 6 players competing for 3 to 4 spots: KK, Ash, Ice, Aubrey, Morgan & Allie. The only healthy player that’s not under consideration to play prime time minutes is Q.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

I've been thinking a bit more athletic Ducharme. Not quite the shooter yet, but just an all arounder like her.

Speaking of Ducharme, will she be playing anytime soon? Having her back, would in my view, make this team tough to beat, by anyone. I know she’s been practicing.

 

[Rowdy831]

UConn is looking very good against the Big East teams. Their shooting has been great regardless of the quality of defense and they are playing very hard and looking like the have great chemistry. I really hope Creighton can give them a decent game just to give them some credibility as a league if nothing else.

It looks more and more like Tennessee and South Carolina are the only tough game left on the schedule. Tennessee because they can shoot threes and if UConn has a defensive weakness it is defending the three. I can also see them blowing Tennesse out which would only leave South Carolina and they look like they will be an challenge not matter what.

 

[oldude]

UConn is looking very good against the Big East teams. Their shooting has been great regardless of the quality of defense and they are playing very hard and looking like the have great chemistry. I really hope Creighton can give them a decent game just to give them some credibility as a league if nothing else.

It looks more and more like Tennessee and South Carolina are the only tough game left on the schedule. Tennessee because they can shoot threes and if UConn has a defensive weakness it is defending the three. I can also see them blowing Tennesse out which would only leave South Carolina and they look like they will be an challenge not matter what.

TN’s ability to shoot 3’s depends a lot on their pressure defense. The LV’s force turnovers and hit a lot of 3’s by spotting up, unguarded, in transition.

In their recent loss to Vandy, TN was 6/26 from the arc. Vandy only turned the ball over 12 times. Many of TN’s 3-pt shots were forced.

If UConn takes care of the basketball, I think the Huskies can contain TN’s 3-pt shooters.

As for SC, there’s no doubt that game will be UConn’s ultimate challenge during the remainder of the regular season.

 

[Brown Eyed]

Not true. There are at least four or more teams that put up big numbers and at least three that have four scorers as good as UConn. You should check before you make a statement like that.

Who has 3 scorers like Paige Sarah and azzi

 

[Bills Fan]

I saw one comment saying that Azzi and Morgan had "off-games", presumably based on their low scoring output.

Azzi had 9 points on 4-of-9 shooting and "only" 1-of-3 on 3-pointers. Watching the game live, it appeared to me that in the first half, Villanova's top defensive priority was to avoid giving Azzi 3-point looks, and so they gave up other chances because of that -- so Azzi helped the team even as a silent threat. I didn't see her get an open look for a 3 until the 3rd quarter, and I'm guessing that happened because Geno said something at halftime about running plays to get Azzi open. But the main reason that Azzi didn't score more is that she only took 9 shots (due in part to Villanova's defense on her), and other scorers got a benefit from that.

Morgan (in my opinion) did not have an "off night". Her scoring line was typical for her: 0 points on just one shot attempt, but 2 rebounds and 1 assist (along with good defense) in just 11 minutes on the floor. For some of those minutes, she was the tallest UConn player on the floor. She entered the game well before Ice, a trend that has been noticeable lately. It's looking like the UConn center position is not quite a two-way platoon between Jana (16 minutes tonight) and Ice (10 minutes), but a three-way circulation in which Sarah shifts to the 5 and Morgan plays the 4 for approximately one third of the minutes before garbage time. I also thought it was significant that Morgan did not play much during garbage time (Geno gave her minutes to Aubrey, quite appropriately), indicating Morgan's increasingly high rank in UConn's depth chart.

Bottom line: This was a good game for Azzi and Morgan as well as the other players.

I would just like someone to reply to my question of what is wrong with Morgan's fingers. It seems like she has missed almost every shot from outside since the game when she showed up with the fingers taped, but she has been doing everything else well including blocking out for rebounds.

 

[Brown Eyed]

Let's see how the team plays against Creighton, Tennessee and South Carolina before pronouncing this UConn squad a true juggernaut.....

Juggernaut is such a big word

 

[Brown Eyed]

You are correct

You are not correct

 

[Bone Dog]

Speaking of defending players from the suggestion they’d had an ‘off night,’ I’ll speak up for Ash. I think she played great and did exactly what Geno needs her to do.

Ash ran at top speed for 19 mins of playing time, harried opponents relentlessly on defense, got out front on the break repeatedly, and grabbed 3 tough rebounds. If that’s all she did, I’d be thrilled. She only shot 1-4 from 3. But more importantly, she was 2-3 on her signature midrange jumper. And those two came after a couple of empty possessions, effectively encouraging her teammates and demoralizing Villanova. They work like hell to get a couple stops, and then Ash pops in one of those effortless jump shots and the balance of power on the court shifts. A key part of her arsenal is that drought ending midrange jumper and I love to see it.

Also, on relentlessness, Ash exemplifies it for the freshmen every single game. They haven’t all learned to totally embody it yet, though Morgan is close. The more they get to see it in someone playing next to them, the better.

And just for contrast, I’ll praise Allie, too. She was pretty good on defense in her limited minutes. She didn’t shoot much, just the one driving layup, but she was mainly where she was supposed to be, where her teammates expected her to be. But that layup, a contested drive, is exactly what I love to see from her. Yes, when she can get open she’s a human torch from the perimeter. But she’s also a big kid who knows how to get to the rim even without a defensive lapse on the other side. This is a perfect complement to her perimeter game and I expect to see a lot more of it over the next 3 years.

 

[hoopsfan22]

Speaking of Ducharme, will she be playing anytime soon? Having her back, would in my view, make this team tough to beat, by anyone. I know she’s been practicing.

She's played like 25 games in 3 years. Experience wise she's basically a sophomore. Sad to say she's not going to be a difference maker especially given that it's almost February of her senior year.

 

[YoDore]

 

[Ozimoto]

They put on quite a show last evening. Even though the group that played the fourth quarter wasn't as prolific as the starters, they showed that they were moving the ball and there wasn't a lot of standing around. Seemed to me like they needed to spread the floor a little more. Lots of movement across the top of the key, but they weren't "high" enough (too close to the top of the circle) for the movement to spread out the defense and create open passing lanes or shop opportunities off of screens. They will get better.

They have certainly shot the ball the last few games like everyone hoped the would at the beginning of the season, which is great to see. I'm not sure the shooting numbers from last night are sustainable, but if they can consistently hit the benchmark 50/40/90 shooting percentages against the rest of the teams they face they will be in great shape for the tournament run.

 

[cabbie191]

• One element of that simplified offense is to run the hell out of the 2-man game with Sarah & Paige. They play off each other like they have been doing it their entire lives, and they have only played together for 18 games.

I know this is quite likely wishful thinking on my part but deep inside me lurks the wish that Paige wakes up one morning with an "aha" moment and says to herself (and then Geno):

"Why in heavens name would I give up the incredible satisfaction and fun playing with Sarah & Azzi just to wind up in Dallas! I'm staying one more year!"

 

[CONN78SEJ]

She's played like 25 games in 3 years. Experience wise she's basically a sophomore. Sad to say she's not going to be a difference maker especially given that it's almost February of her senior year.

Try 57 games in her first 2 years, and FG percentages of 45% and 42% those two years. She basically carried the team while Paige and Azzi sat on the bench. She only played one game last year. Are you from Mars?

 

[hoopsfan22]

Try 57 games in her first 2 years, and FG percentages of 45% and 42% those two years. She basically carried the team while Paige and Azzi sat on the bench. She only played one game last year. Are you from Mars?

She played zero games this year, 4 games last year, and 23 games in her sophomore season. She's played 27 games in the last three years and not 25 as I claimed thanks for the big correction!

 

[packwrap]

UConn is looking very good against the Big East teams. Their shooting has been great regardless of the quality of defense and they are playing very hard and looking like the have great chemistry. I really hope Creighton can give them a decent game just to give them some credibility as a league if nothing else.

It looks more and more like Tennessee and South Carolina are the only tough game left on the schedule. Tennessee because they can shoot threes and if UConn has a defensive weakness it is defending the three. I can also see them blowing Tennesse out which would only leave South Carolina and they look like they will be an challenge not matter what.

Creighton becomes a useful set of games due their NET quad 1 rating and current polls ranking.

On TN I'm more worried about their press and athletics than their 3. I'm a fan of new coach Caldwell and the commitment she has to "press and 3". Of course the irony this year is they take a lot of 3s, but don't make a lot of 3s.

Still TN a great game for Chen/KK, Jana/Ice and Morgan to see how they perform under pressure against Power4 athletes.

SC of course coming too. They play LSU on Friday in Columbia. After TX and OK consensus is SC will win by 30, but I expect a close one. That game will be a good scout for the Huskies and the Boneyard.

 

[cabbie191]

So much to like about the game but one thing I was really happy about was the body language of Jana & Ice.

Earlier in the season, if they missed a shot or were called for a foul, you almost always saw a pout. Not last night. I am hoping that the incremental improvement in both their games is allowing them to more easily shrug off whatever negatives occur.

 

[cabbie191]

Creighton becomes a useful set of games due their NET quad 1 rating and current polls ranking.

On TN I'm more worried about their press and athletics than their 3. I'm a fan of new coach Caldwell and the commitment she has to "press and 3". Of course the irony this year is they take a lot of 3s, but don't make a lot of 3s.

Still TN a great game for Chen/KK, Jana/Ice and Morgan to see how they perform under pressure against Power4 athletes.

SC of course coming too. They play LSU on Friday in Columbia. After TX and OK consensus is SC will win by 30, but I expect a close one. That game will be a good scout for the Huskies and the Boneyard.

Gracious but remember just a couple of years ago whether or not having Tennessee on our schedule was a source of heated/emotional argument?

Especially this year, I am grateful we're playing them AND that they are much improved. And willing to play us this late in the season. Win or lose, the games with the Lady Vols and Gamecocks will be important yardsticks for the team, and a reminder for the Huskies that the NCAA matchups will not be like playing our conference games.