Villanova Postgame Thread | Page 3 | The Boneyard
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Villanova Postgame Thread

HuskyNan said:
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Loved KK's early aggressiveness. That kicked off sparks all over the court. Our offense was led by fewer passes and more dribble penetration at high speed. I can't remember seeing this kind of explosiveness. It really didn't matter that several misses ensued, the intense offensive pressure matched our great on ball defense. This is what was different in this game. Geno tapped into another higher level of speed that this team's talent and depth is well suited for. We dictated the pace and kept at it, even though the 4th quarter.
 
Bigboote said:
Shade only scored two points, but I thought this was one of her best games of the year. It seemed like every time Villanova turned the ball over, she was somewhere close to it -- doubling a player, in a passing lane, grabbing a pass a teammate had tipped.

Plus three offensive rebounds after (IIRC) the second game this season when she hadn't gotten one.
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She did contribute a lot. However, on offense , I would like to see more. As a freshman, I thought she made more of her 2 point shots. She is really struggling to put the ball in the basket.
 
12 PF,14TO better than last game, still room for improvement. But, wow what defense. KK is so much fun to watch, K9 can really motor, Ash is everywhere, Azzi so solid and then the blocking monster Strong. ND will be more of a challenge. We know what Hildago can do, so let’s have the same energy on Monday. And, Azzi make more than 2 threes. Go Huskies!
 
One aspect of last night’s game deserves mention. UConn leads the nation in 3-pt shooting percentage at over 40%. Villanova made every effort to defend the 3-pt line, with some success. The result is that UConn shot a pedestrian 30% from the arc (6/20).

The problem is that against a team like UConn, you can’t effectively defend every option. UConn constantly attacked the basket by putting the ball on the floor, post entry passes and backdoor cuts. Against Nova, UConn shot a scintillating 65% (33/51) from inside the arc.
 
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I couldn't decide whether to post this thought here, or in the "What are opposing teams thoughts", so here goes.

Villanova is the #2 team in the conference, and agree with others that I thought it would be a bit more competitive, however:
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But, for all the naysayers that slam UConn for playing in the BE wrt ranking and SOS, my response is "look at the box score". Now, last night's quarter to quarter production was pretty consistent, and earlier in the season there was a lot of angst about it. Because Geno demands the same level of play no matter the opponent or quarter, that's what makes them a great team.

Things I enjoyed about the game -
  • The K9 and BQ chemistry is off the charts.
  • Everything that Sarah did. Seriously. Her footwork and positioning around the basket is .... chef's kiss. 5 blocks. Phew.
  • Azzi's night was somewhat quiet from a points perspective, however her drives to the hoop and defense were great.
  • The absolute joy of the bench when Ayanna scored, and the smile on her face hearing that support.
  • Same, the bench support when Gup-Gup scored.
  • Sarah and Azzi on the bench in the 4Q will go a long way this season wrt rest and recovery.
  • The number of held balls the team caused. Ash is a menace.
  • Ash had the highest mpg at 29.
The 3 second calls on Serah seem to be unevenly enforced. One play, I started counting when she went into the lane, and she got the ball before 3, and it still got called. Reminds me of players in the past that were unfairly tagged with doing certain "things" and it seemed the referees would make those calls based on past calls and not what was actually happening.

A fun DYK - through 18 games, the team is averaging 90.4 ppg and 51.7 against, where last year it was 79.1 ppg. and 51.6 against. And 13 games have resulted in 4 or more players in double figures, a mere (lol) 72%, where last year, it was 4 of 18 (22%)
 
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At one point in the third quarter (I think) Bascoe got caught in a trap and lost the ball out of bounds. It looked like she wanted to complain to the refs and may have lost her temper when the camera cut away, the analysts were chatting on a tangent, and then apparently coach Dillon had subbed her out of the game. Bascoe didn’t return for several minutes. Did anyone who was at the game see what happened?
 
oldude said:
OK, let’s say Caroline has earned a start. She is most definitely a Wing/forward. You can’t start her at center because that would be a negative mismatch in the post and she doesn’t have the handle to play the guard spot. That leaves two possibilities. So who do you sit: Sarah or Azzi?
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Obviously Ash if you were goîng to do it
 
hookshot said:
Obviously Ash if you were goîng to do it
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Ash played more minutes last night than anyone. On a team where everyone plays hard, Ash plays harder than anyone. She flies around the court hunting rebounds, closing out on shooters and if you don't cover her, she can kill you from the arc. If we are talking about someone who has earned a starting spot through hard work and effort, no one has earned it more than Ash.
 
Bigboote said:
Shade only scored two points, but I thought this was one of her best games of the year. It seemed like every time Villanova turned the ball over, she was somewhere close to it -- doubling a player, in a passing lane, grabbing a pass a teammate had tipped.

Plus three offensive rebounds after (IIRC) the second game this season when she hadn't gotten one.
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No one disputes Ash's defense and hustle, but a starter needs to contribute more than 2 points to the offense. Trying to alter her shot mechanics to the faster game pace is proving to be a challenge.
 
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I was only able to watch the first half due to other commitments last night. At one point VIllanova put together a nice 10 - 0 run to get the lead down from over 20 points to just over 10 points and I was thinking "this isn't good." Two minutes later, including a three by Azzi, the score was back up to nearly 20 and the route was on. It must be very frustrating to try to run any kind of offense against the Huskies.
 
The scary thing for the rest of WCBB is that the Huskies are improving and this year someone gets a boo boo, we've got someone else who can come in and do the job.
 
boontonbomber said:
No, I'm suggesting that she's earned it. And, actually, I think she's steadily earning more minutes. To suggest that playing her would be a gift really sells her short. You surprise me. The only players on that team who understand the game as well as Caroline does are Azzi and Sarah.
But you're right, that's not Geno's style. He is a bit of a savant, he is stuck on that starting group, and that's the way it's gonna be.
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No your wrong..she looks really slow out there on both ends of the court..everyone loves Caroline and appreciates all she has been through but she is the 10th person in the rotation behind Blanka,K9,Jana and Allie for a reason..the speed the way Uconn plays the game there is no way Caroline would fit in ..on top of that she can't shoot..a carreer 28.8% 3 pt shooter with this year shooting a dismal 13.3% and only 31% overall
I'd also say that k9 understands the game quite well also
 
Bone Dog said:
At one point in the third quarter (I think) Bascoe got caught in a trap and lost the ball out of bounds. It looked like she wanted to complain to the refs and may have lost her temper when the camera cut away, the analysts were chatting on a tangent, and then apparently coach Dillon had subbed her out of the game. Bascoe didn’t return for several minutes. Did anyone who was at the game see what happened?
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Didnt she turn an ankle on a different play? Or was that someone else??
 
browns said:
Don't forget Miles of TCU
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I said “pure pg.”. I know it’s splitting hairs. But I would suggest that Miles is more of a combo guard. In any event Miles isn’t close to KK when it comes to defense.
 
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Bone Dog said:
At one point in the third quarter (I think) Bascoe got caught in a trap and lost the ball out of bounds. It looked like she wanted to complain to the refs and may have lost her temper when the camera cut away, the analysts were chatting on a tangent, and then apparently coach Dillon had subbed her out of the game. Bascoe didn’t return for several minutes. Did anyone who was at the game see what happened?
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Frustration. UConn is trapping these opponents into submission. I don’t mean a trap that leads to a bad pass, which happens too. Her only way out is to drill a hole in the floor. It happened 2-3 times. She was beside herself. She wanted help from her coach. This was brutal! People are saying Villanova is a top 25 team. I’m not knocking Nova, UConn is a video game. It can’t be real. That’s what Bascoe was feeling.
She got free throws from an Azzi foul at the elbow on a trap. Azzi locked her in with her legs. Arguable for sure.
Something not mentioned a ton is how physically strong UConn players are as well as fast and quick.
 
victor64 said:
-as usual the defensive pressure was too much. This time forcing 25 turnovers.

-KK gets my vote for player of the game. Just a terrific all around game in just 22 minutes.

- Sarah filled up the stat sheet as usual but at least McCurry challenged her a little.

-You can tell how much Geno respects the Wildcats. His rotation was a little tighter than normal in the first half

-Third straight game that Serah was called for 3 seconds. Unusual because you rarely see it called anywhere else. Part of the problem is that it takes forever for her to make her move.

-This team is fearless going to the basket and finishing through contact.

-99 points against the second place team in the BE.

-Looking forward to the revenge match against ND.
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Good point about Serah but makes me wonder and ask the following: Do refs share observations with each other on things to look out for or be aware of re: player tendencies? Besides the 3-second calls against Serah, what about the charging fouls when Blanca drives to the basket (even though the defender was still moving and feet were not stationary) or how about the fouls charged against Ash? Just seems these happen a little too frequently on a game-to-game basis to not be something that refs aren't made aware of and therefore are looking for, ready to blow the whistle. Any refs in the audience?
 
oldude said:
OK, let’s say Caroline has earned a start. She is most definitely a Wing/forward. You can’t start her at center because that would be a negative mismatch in the post and she doesn’t have the handle to play the guard spot. That leaves two possibilities. So who do you sit: Sarah or Azzi?
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I love Caroline and feel for everything she has been through. She is just not athletic enough to make the rotation with the current roster. Different level. Watch Blanca, Heckel - those are the players coming off the bench.
Not saying she couldn’t help if we were hit by a bunch of injuries and I’m happy to see her get 4 th quarter extended minutes in these blow outs. But starting? Or even top 8 player. Not happening. Geno knows what he’s doing.
 
I thought, at the start of the game, that the 'cats really showed some preparation in breaking the UConn press. On several early occasions they were able to advance the ball into the front court quite handily. But in no time our defense started to wear them down, and that preparation edge seemed to disappear. Our defensive discipline and communication was maintained at a higher level throughout the game than in any other game this season. They're like a swarm of bees. It seemed like every Villanova ballhandler, whether in backcourt or frontcourt, was doubleteamed, to the extent that the ballhandler couldn't even see a possible pass recipient. All I kept thinking about was the countless hours of practice that kind of play takes.

And on offense, the passing seemed crisper than at any time this year. That being said, it's understandable that some passes go awry. I get the feeling that when the offense is clicking on such a high level, Geno doesn't mind if an occasional pass is intercepted.

Can't help but be impressed with this team. And yet, Geno still feels they don't hold a candle to the teams who were being honored last night. I wonder if he'll say the same if they continue to improve and win out this year.

As to Geno, his aches and pains are becoming more noticeable at the post-game pressers, through his frequent stretches and flexing of his left elbow, shoulder and back, his facial grimaces and verbal grunts. What he probably needs is a good, deep massage on a regular basis.

And what we should do is let up on all the speculation about his successor. He's obviously enjoying this team immensely, to say nothing of salivating about the prospects on their way in. Let's sit back and enjoy the genius and his staff work this magic while we can. We're watching basketball history in the making.
 
BRS24 said:
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The 3 second calls on Serah seem to be unevenly enforced. One play, I started counting when she went into the lane, and she got the ball before 3, and it still got called. Reminds me of players in the past that were unfairly tagged with doing certain "things" and it seemed the referees would make those calls based on past calls and not what was actually happening.
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I agree with you 100%. Two "bigs" come to mind: Natalie Butler and Jana. IMHO they were/are treated differently.
 
WiseWillie said:
Good point about Serah but makes me wonder and ask the following: Do refs share observations with each other on things to look out for or be aware of re: player tendencies? Besides the 3-second calls against Serah, what about the charging fouls when Blanca drives to the basket (even though the defender was still moving and feet were not stationary) or how about the fouls charged against Ash? Just seems these happen a little too frequently on a game-to-game basis to not be something that refs aren't made aware of and therefore are looking for, ready to blow the whistle. Any refs in the audience?
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Better now than to be surprised by it in March.
I agree about Blanca’s “charge”. Not sure about Ash. I’m not on the ground. Remember Dawn fussing in the Championship game. Tessa obviously grabbing Ash’s arm. All due respect, UConn’s defense is so dominant that refs may be missing some stuff. I love it, but how can you engulf offensive players in traps without fouling.
Sorry, Serah needs big-time help with her post moves. She can’t play low post in the W, as it stands today. Every team has a couple Janas. I hope CD and Jamelle are doing daily extra work with her.
 
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Bone Dog said:
KK played like a mad thing, and Sarah was incredible, Blanca was dazzling and absurd at the same time, Azzi was quietly steady and reliable after missing a few layups early – and it was all against a tough scrappy Villanova team. And through it all, Ash had a fierce game though she only scored 2 pts. But everything else she did was golden
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Love how solid Azzi is in all aspects of her game, particulary areas she has improved in such as defense and driving to basket. Among the best in country now in both. Am I the only one who would like to see her start to shoot more again? She is still one of the best but we may need MVP Azzi in the playoffs.
 
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