Villanova Postgame Thread

[Stinger92860]

I did not see the game, no SNY. Did Ice score her buckets in the paint? Also, loved seeing Aubrey with a block. Would have loved to see KK with a three.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

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!

Her stats from her first year well qualify her from an experience standpoint. 303 points, 99 rebounds, 40 assists, 27 steals and 15 blocks. Eat that!!!….and this was mostly after Paige got hurt.

 

[Bigboote]

I did not see the game, no SNY. Did Ice score her buckets in the paint?

Ice scored both inside and out.

My one comment on the game: I would've liked to see Aubrey a little earlier. I hope it's not a bad sign that she only played 9 minutes. In the second half, she only got in with the bench players; I hope she gets some time to develop with the starters.

 

[JoePgh]

Here is one amazing set of stats that no one has noticed, concerning the productivity of our now-established point guard platoon:

KK and Kaitlyn had a combined total of 28 points, on 11-of-13 FG shooting, including 2-of-3 from distance. They only had 4 assists, which is surprisingly below their average, but also 4 rebounds, together with 3 turnovers and 4 fouls. This was all done in 42 minutes. The fact that the minute total is slightly over 40 means that there was some amount of time where they were on the floor together, and that one of them was not the point guard.

I certainly don't think UConn will get 28 points out of the point guard position in very many games going forward, but even half of that would deter opposing coaches from ignoring the PG position in their defensive plans.

 

[Longtime fan]

Some thoughts on the Villanova game:

• The Huskies dismantled yet another conference foe. While some BY’ers may question the level of competition in the BE, it might be time to recognize that this UConn team is deep, talented, exceptionally well-coached and starting to play up to their considerable potential.
• Once again UConn exploded out of the gate as the team appears to be fully embracing Geno’s simplified offense. The Huskies ball and player movement is effortless, efficient and effective…...an absolute thing of beauty.
• 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.
• Paige was on a heat check from the opening tip, scoring 14 pts on 6/7 shooting in the 1st qtr. For the game, the best player in WBB had 21 pts, 8 rebounds, 9 assists and 3 steals in approximately 25 minutes on the court.
• This was the most aggressive I have seen Kaitlyn on offense since she was at Princeton. She was a BIG-TIME SCORER at Princeton, and when she plays like she did tonight, Kaitlyn adds yet another scorer to UConn’s lethal offense, which must be terrifying to opponents.
• Azzi had an uncharacteristically ordinary shooting game, but my goodness is she tenacious on defense!!!
• Every game Jana does a few more things on the court that makes you feel that she’s starting to get it, and that she’ll become a force by March.
• UConn put up a bunch of ridiculous numbers tonight. Here are my favorites: 26 assists, 8 turnovers, 3.25 A/TO.

But you have to admit that the last offensive unit on the floor ( for about the final 6-7 minutes of the final period) did nothing with the offense. They passed the ball around the perimeter and couldn't find a shot. Good news; they didn't throw up poor shots. They just passed the ball around and ate up the clock. I was happy to see Alli finally decide to drive and score on a left handed lay up. But neither she, nor anyone else, got free for a three in that entire episode.

 

[BRS24]

This is what I enjoyed:
65.6% from the field
52.9% 3 pt
73.3% FT
4 players in double figures
Only 1 player with 3 fouls
Only 9 TOs

 

[Longtime fan]

ICE was 3/3 with 6 points and had a +/- of + 24 while playing only 11 minutes.
Another example of a Huskie "coming into her own" at a great time. Keep it
up ICE! I loved the two-pointer from the corner and soft touch in the paint.
Very Poised on defense.

I agree. She played efficiently and aggressively in the minutes she was given. And if Katlyn can maintain the level of confidence she showed tonight, then we have a new threat. She played as though it was Princeton v Harvard in the IVY finals and she had to take over the game and win it....just like the league MVP she was. A very positive sign. Not only did the shoot well, but her assists were wonderful to watch. Let's see if it continues vs Creighton.

 

[Bone Dog]

Here is one amazing set of stats that no one has noticed, concerning the productivity of our now-established point guard platoon:

KK and Kaitlyn had a combined total of 28 points, on 11-of-13 FG shooting, including 2-of-3 from distance. They only had 4 assists, which is surprisingly below their average, but also 4 rebounds, together with 3 turnovers and 4 fouls. This was all done in 42 minutes. The fact that the minute total is slightly over 40 means that there was some amount of time where they were on the floor together, and that one of them was not the point guard.

I certainly don't think UConn will get 28 points out of the point guard position in very many games going forward, but even half of that would deter opposing coaches from ignoring the PG position in their defensive plans.

Excellent observation!

I suspect we’re seeing the beginning of a trend here. They may not get 28 pts, but I suspect they’ll be in double figures and even approaching 20 pts in almost all games going forward. The thing is, Kaitlyn is a smoother scorer than KK, who is a little more of a ‘blunt instrument’ when she drives into the lane, creating contact as part of her drive.

Your main point is especially well taken. If the Kaitlyn/KK platoon is a consistent scoring threat, it gets that much harder to focus on the ‘Big Three.’ This is the very logic of having multiple scoring threats — they reinforce each other — and we now have a bunch of them. It doesn’t matter if any one of them doesn’t get 20 pts in a game, because the others will pick up the slack.

 

[JoePgh]

Excellent observation!

I suspect we’re seeing the beginning of a trend here. They may not get 28 pts, but I suspect they’ll be in double figures and even approaching 20 pts in almost all games going forward. The thing is, Kaitlyn is a smoother scorer than KK, who is a little more of a ‘blunt instrument’ when she drives into the lane, creating contact as part of her drive.

Your main point is especially well taken. If the Kaitlyn/KK platoon is a consistent scoring threat, it gets that much harder to focus on the ‘Big Three.’ This is the very logic of having multiple scoring threats — they reinforce each other — and we now have a bunch of them. It doesn’t matter if any one of them doesn’t get 20 pts in a game, because the others will pick up the slack.

This also has an effect on the requirements for the center position, which now is either a 2-way or 3-way platoon among Jana, Ice, and Sarah.

UConn needs (and probably will get) consistent points from Sarah, but it doesn't really need Jana or Ice to score in double figures against good teams. As Meghan Culmo said on the broadcast last night (talking about Jana but it applies to Ice as well), "all she needs to do is make open layups, rebound, and not foul." Of those, the most important is rebounding. If Jana/Ice can prevent top-level opponents from owning the backboards and getting extra possessions that way, they have done the only job that is really important for them this year. Any other contributions are, as they say, "gravy". In other words, a Tamika Williams role on this team.

 

[uconnfan68]

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.

The play in the 4th quarter was exactly what Geno wanted, except that they scored 1point more than he would have liked. You can absolutely tell that they are trying to waste time and not score. He wants to see movement in games that he harps on in practice.

 

[ERWUC65]

Excellent observation!

I suspect we’re seeing the beginning of a trend here. They may not get 28 pts, but I suspect they’ll be in double figures and even approaching 20 pts in almost all games going forward. The thing is, Kaitlyn is a smoother scorer than KK, who is a little more of a ‘blunt instrument’ when she drives into the lane, creating contact as part of her drive.

Your main point is especially well taken. If the Kaitlyn/KK platoon is a consistent scoring threat, it gets that much harder to focus on the ‘Big Three.’ This is the very logic of having multiple scoring threats — they reinforce each other — and we now have a bunch of them. It doesn’t matter if any one of them doesn’t get 20 pts in a game, because the others will pick up the slack.

This dual PG success and having Jana play a true 5 is why our half court worked so well in the last 2 games. He has simplified the sets and most likely will sub Morgan, Aubrey and Ash in the more challenging games. If this works as well against Creighton, this might be the lineup for the rest of the season - perfect timing for TN and SC.

 

[hookshot]

This also has an effect on the requirements for the center position, which now is either a 2-way or 3-way platoon among Jana, Ice, and Sarah.

UConn needs (and probably will get) consistent points from Sarah, but it doesn't really need Jana or Ice to score in double figures against good teams. As Meghan Culmo said on the broadcast last night (talking about Jana but it applies to Ice as well), "all she needs to do is make open layups, rebound, and not foul." Of those, the most important is rebounding. If Jana/Ice can prevent top-level opponents from owning the backboards and getting extra possessions that way, they have done the only job that is really important for them this year. Any other contributions are, as they say, "gravy". In other words, a Tamika Williams role on this team.

Agree on the role, but nothing that we have seen so far would suggest Ice / Jana can be described in the same breath with Tamika Williams, one of the most efficient and underrated players in Uconn history. 50% of Tamika Williams would be a high bar, but may be enough

 

[ABCDFE]

Excellent observation!

I suspect we’re seeing the beginning of a trend here. They may not get 28 pts, but I suspect they’ll be in double figures and even approaching 20 pts in almost all games going forward. The thing is, Kaitlyn is a smoother scorer than KK, who is a little more of a ‘blunt instrument’ when she drives into the lane, creating contact as part of her drive.

Your main point is especially well taken. If the Kaitlyn/KK platoon is a consistent scoring threat, it gets that much harder to focus on the ‘Big Three.’ This is the very logic of having multiple scoring threats — they reinforce each other — and we now have a bunch of them. It doesn’t matter if any one of them doesn’t get 20 pts in a game, because the others will pick up the slack.

Bone Dog, they can certainly get 20 points between the two of them. But there has not been a real good track record of that happening on a consistent basis. Lets see how it shapes out as we are in the meat of February, but at this moment I think 20 points on a consistent basis is a stretch. I believe it will be more in the 12-14ppg range. I am hopeful to be proven dead wrong

 

[Plebe]

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

The quad designation is for games, not teams. Based on their current NET ranking (32), only the road game at Creighton would be Quad 1. The home game will be Quad 2 unless Creighton can rise into the top 25.

Unfortunately, while Creighton is clearly the best of the rest in the Big East, they're similarly guard-oriented and not really the type of team that will test us in the areas where we've been exposed in our losses.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

Agree on the role, but nothing that we have seen so far would suggest Ice / Jana can be described in the same breath with Tamika Williams, one of the most efficient and underrated players in Uconn history. 50% of Tamika Williams would be a high bar, but may be enough

My thoughts exactly. Tamika Williams holds the NCAA women’s collegiate record for career FG percentage at 70.1%. She was truly one UConn’s greats.

 

[JoePgh]

My thoughts exactly. Tamika Williams holds the NCAA women’s collegiate record for career FG percentage at 70.1%. She was truly one UConn’s greats.

Geez, it seems to be a Boneyard tradition that as soon as a past player is mentioned as having a similar role to a current player, people feel obliged to respond with posts that say, "(Current player) X has not nearly achieved what (past player) Y achieved in her career at UConn." Can't you assume that most Boneyarders, including the one who made the original comparison, already know that?

The analogy between Jana/Ice and Tamika Williams was with regard to their role on the team, nothing more. T. Williams' role in the 2001 and 2002 teams was that she was not relied on as a scorer, but she was heavily relied on as a rebounder. When she got an offensive rebound and had a chance to put it back up, she usually didn't miss (hence the 70% FG percentage), but she did not make amazing offensive scoring plays like her teammate Swin Cash or like Sarah on the current UConn team.

Perhaps Kiah Stokes would be a more recent and more palatable analogy to offer for this role?

 

[Geew1992]

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.

No word. Even if she came back, it's been like 3 years since she's played any significant time. Not sure how much she'd help or how it would make UCONN any tougher than they are

 

[Tonyc]

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.

I dont think we need Caroline this season and this late in the season its probably better to red shirt her . Paige leaves after this season and Im hoping Caroline is healthy enough to fill Paiges next season. The Big 3 next would be Azzi Sarah and Caroline

 

[Bone Dog]

Im hoping Caroline is healthy enough to fill Paiges next season. The Big 3 next would be Azzi Sarah and Caroline

If we’re hoping/dreaming now, my vision of next season’s ‘Big Three’ is Sarah Azzi Jana. And Morgan Allie Ash KK and Ice will round out the rotation. The last two games have given plenty of intimations of this possible future.

Of course, we’re still miles away from Jana Morgan and Allie being ready to lead this team next season. But I liked what I saw from each of them against SHU and Villanova, and I hope we see yet another step along that path against Creighton.

 

[oldude]

If we’re hoping/dreaming now, my vision of next season’s ‘Big Three’ is Sarah Azzi Jana. And Morgan Allie Ash KK and Ice will round out the rotation. The last two games have given plenty of intimations of this possible future.

Of course, we’re still miles away from Jana Morgan and Allie being ready to lead this team next season. But I liked what I saw from each of them against SHU and Villanova, and I hope we see yet another step along that path against Creighton.

Assuming we get the “official word” after she finishes her season in Italy, Blanca Quinones has the potential to be another Sarah Strong next season.

 

[HuskyNan]

I see we’ve moved on from the game. Please start a new thread to continue the conversation