We had an off shooting nite | Page 2 | The Boneyard

We had an off shooting nite

In the postgame, Geno said sometimes shots just don’t fall (“that’s basketball“) but he wants the team to control the things that they can - i.e. defense and effort. He felt the team did ok but there are still some things to work on. He didn’t elaborate
 
Yes & No. Creighton chose to let Kaitlyn & KK shoot open 3’s, but made every effort to guard Paige, Azzi, Sarah & Ash at the arc. For the most part, their defensive game plan worked.
That's exactly right. KK and KC took a combined 18 of our 70 shots from the field which is 26% meaning that they combined to take more than 1 out of every 4 shots our team took and they moistly shared the minutes ( only 6 minutes more than the 40 minute game). Do you really want that number of shots from the point guard position when you have Paige, Sarah and Azzi?

In the first quarter Paige took 3 shots. She was not being doubled in that first quarter. They just played her close and left KC and others open. For Paige's 3 shots in the first quarter, one was on the first possession of the game, the next was on a possession where she brought it up and hoisted a 3 and the third was a forced drive and charge. She wasn't getting the ball because she wasn't being looked for. The emphasis has to be on who is shooting. Paige, Sarah, Azzi and then Ash should be taking the overwhelming majority of the shots. Our point guards have to be point guards. Defer to the All Americans on the floor and set them up. One first team and one probably second or third this year at the worst.
 
That's exactly right. KK and KC took a combined 18 of our 70 shots from the field which is 26% meaning that they combined to take more than 1 out of every 4 shots our team took and they moistly shared the minutes ( only 6 minutes more than the 40 minute game). Do you really want that number of shots from the point guard position when you have Paige, Sarah and Azzi?

In the first quarter Paige took 3 shots. She was not being doubled in that first quarter. They just played her close and left KC and others open. For Paige's 3 shots in the first quarter, one was on the first possession of the game, the next was on a possession where she brought it up and hoisted a 3 and the third was a forced drive and charge. She wasn't getting the ball because she wasn't being looked for. The emphasis has to be on who is shooting. Paige, Sarah, Azzi and then Ash should be taking the overwhelming majority of the shots. Our point guards have to be point guards. Defer to the All Americans on the floor and set them up. One first team and one probably second or third this year at the worst.
I don’t disagree. But I also believe that your pg has to be able to shoot the basketball or it negates the effectiveness of the pg. Nika was not a great shooter, but she worked at it to the point where she shot over 40% from the arc as a senior.
 
I’m sorry to disagree, @Tonyc. The shots mainly didn’t fall because of Creighton’s defense. They sped up Azzi Kaitlyn Ash and KK, especially in the first half. We did the same to them. But it’s more telling for us, because we need to be able to respond better to that sort of defensive pressure if we want to win a NC.

I think Geno will be working on this for the next couple months, but we should expect to see more of the same against SC — our shots won’t fall and it won’t just be “an off day.” Watch the SC-LSU game to see the same process work itself out. And it’s not like SC can’t be rushed. They can, as that game showed. But we need to overcome this more urgently than they do if we want to win it all.

We play Creighton once more, maybe twice more if they make it far enough in the BET. That will be an important gauge of where the team is, just like the SC game.

One last thing: Creighton rushed our shooters because they play a great switching, sagging defense. It was a team effort. SC is capable of guarding any team’s shooters straight up. They have enough speed on the perimeter to face guard at the arc And still not worry that an opponent will drive past them. This is a higher level of difficulty than we faced yesterday, because without a lot of switching, Paige won’t be able to find Sarah in the lane so easily.
A current discussion topic on this forum is the upcoming TN and SC games. In a recent presser Geno himself said he is not that concerned with out of conference games. That almost means that winning against them is not as high a priority to him as it is for us rabid Boneyarders.

To Geno out of conference games seem to be more of a learning tool than whether we win or lose. The angst on the Boneyard about facing bigger, better teams is not looked at by Geno (if I may interpret what he said) to see if we can win (although sure he'll take it) but more to see what works and doesn't work against them and getting the team prepared for a long run in March. So looking ahead, maybe the way to look at the TN and SC games is just that: important learning experiences. So we maybe need to ratchet the negative and overabundance of nervousness down to what this successful coach and staff want to achieve. I'm already more relaxed.
 
A current discussion topic on this forum is the upcoming TN and SC games. In a recent presser Geno himself said he is not that concerned with out of conference games. That almost means that winning against them is not as high a priority to him as it is for us rabid Boneyarders.

To Geno out of conference games seem to be more of a learning tool than whether we win or lose. The angst on the Boneyard about facing bigger, better teams is not looked at by Geno (if I may interpret what he said) to see if we can win (although sure he'll take it) but more to see what works and doesn't work against them and getting the team prepared for a long run in March. So looking ahead, maybe the way to look at the TN and SC games is just that: important learning experiences. So we maybe need to ratchet the negative and overabundance of nervousness down to what this successful coach and staff want to achieve. I'm already more relaxed.
I don’t believe for a second that Geno is not concerned with the games against TN & SC. I do believe that he wants to take the pressure off his team in those games. Win or lose, UConn still has to finish out their conference schedule and get ready for the Big Dance.
 
I’m sorry to disagree, @Tonyc. The shots mainly didn’t fall because of Creighton’s defense. They sped up Azzi Kaitlyn Ash and KK, especially in the first half. We did the same to them. But it’s more telling for us, because we need to be able to respond better to that sort of defensive pressure if we want to win a NC.

I think Geno will be working on this for the next couple months, but we should expect to see more of the same against SC — our shots won’t fall and it won’t just be “an off day.” Watch the SC-LSU game to see the same process work itself out. And it’s not like SC can’t be rushed. They can, as that game showed. But we need to overcome this more urgently than they do if we want to win it all.

We play Creighton once more, maybe twice more if they make it far enough in the BET. That will be an important gauge of where the team is, just like the SC game.

One last thing: Creighton rushed our shooters because they play a great switching, sagging defense. It was a team effort. SC is capable of guarding any team’s shooters straight up. They have enough speed on the perimeter to face guard at the arc And still not worry that an opponent will drive past them. This is a higher level of difficulty than we faced yesterday, because without a lot of switching, Paige won’t be able to find Sarah in the lane so easily.
UConn seems to often have "off" shooting nights against better competition.........that's a function of better defense, better athletes etc.........it's up to UConn's defense to respond in kind........that's the difference between winning and losing......
 
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I don’t believe for a second that Geno is not concerned with the games against TN & SC. I do believe that he wants to take the pressure off his team in those games. Win or lose, UConn still has to finish out their conference schedule and get ready for the Big Dance.
beating Tennessee and South Carolina is the difference between a one seed and a two/three seed in the big tournament.....that matters....
 
beating Tennessee and South Carolina is the difference between a one seed and a two/three seed in the big tournament.....that matters....
I think that if UConn beats TN, that pretty much locks up a #2 seed, assuming they run the table in the BE. If the Huskies can also take down the Gamecocks in Columbia, which is a monumental challenge, I do agree that would result in a #1 seed for UConn.
 
At this point in the season if you have a wide open shot you've got to make a high percentage of them. You can have an off day but for the most part wide open make it and force defenses to guard you. Its that simple. Im sure their working on that.

We are not where we want to be yet. We are still not 100% and we are still inexperienced but we are getting there. Luckily we have Paige Sarah and Azzi to bail us out. As the season progresses we will see where we are. Creighton was a measuring stick. Tenn and SC will be also. We need to keep improving stay healthy and work hard and it should work itself out.
 
At this point in the season if you have a wide open shot you've got to make a high percentage of them. You can have an off day but for the most part wide open make it and force defenses to guard you. Its that simple. Im sure their working on that.

We are not where we want to be yet. We are still not 100% and we are still inexperienced but we are getting there. Luckily we have Paige Sarah and Azzi to bail us out. As the season progresses we will see where we are. Creighton was a measuring stick. Tenn and SC will be also. We need to keep improving stay healthy and work hard and it should work itself out.
i assume they've been working on that since october. if they haven't gotten it by now, will they ever?

(i agree that anyone can have off days, but it seems chronic for most of the team. consistency would be nice.)

ash and azzi have shown they can be snipers (others may prove to be in time) but are undependable, so apparently the prime culprit is in their heads -- nerves, lack of confidence, a susceptibility to getting things caught in the throat, etc. -- and it's doubtful practice and correcting technical flaws alone will solve the problem. straightening their heads out may be impossible, it's like overcoming an ingrained habit or a substance dependency and that's a very difficult task. the known 'good shooters' have to address it, not count on time, effort or desire to magically change it. introspection starts it and only facing the
'head' problem will fix it.

nika was referenced earlier. mechanics (practice) improved her shooting yet even then she took few shots (fewer than 5 a game, i'm sure) because she understood her role was giving the better shooters the shots (plus, defense and leadership) and only took her own when she had excellent opportunities (and still, she had 'off games' with only goose eggs; kaitlyn suffered the same kind of 'off game' v. creighton).
 
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I posted this elsewhere, but it applies here also.

"Live by the Three, Die by the Three."


When UConn is hitting their 3 pt. shots, they look unbeatable. But when they are missing, it seems like there is no Plan B. They shot poorly against Notre Dame (3 for 16 18%), USC (6 for 23 26%) and even Creighton ( 4 for 20 20%).
So, this is the key for UConn this season. No other UConn Championship team has been so reliant on the 3 point shot. This doesn't leave much margin for error.
They really don't have an inside game so plan B is to continue to shoot from outside. Sarah can play inside but when struggling outside why not put in a big line up and bang? As far as good defense goes, I thought Creighton made KC make the threes and she missed every shot that wasn't a layup in that game. That allows 5 of their defenders to defend 4 of your players and that makes it tough on the 4.
 
UConn isn't a good three point shooting team. They have had two games where they were amazing but the other games are below average so maybe they need to have a better plan. KC is a liability on offense and will be targeted by SC as the weakest defender. Paige, Azzi and Sarah are great players and against the great teams all three of them need to show up and play at the level equal to their ability. The last thing you can do is say a player has an off game when the player knows it is a big game and that happens too often for UConn lately.

I will add that Sarah is an amazing player. She has a calmness about her that you just don't see in most players, even the great ones. Right now she is the team MVP and I look to UConn to ride her once the tournament begins and I think she will deliver. She also showed she can defend against Creighton and that is the strength of this team.
 
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UConn isn't a good three point shooting team. They have had two games where they were amazing but the other games are below average so maybe they need to have a better plan.

Not sure what plan B is when you dont have an inside game and you're not a great 3-point shooting team. :(

3-pt % against the 5 best opponents (UNC, Ole Miss, ND, USC, Crei): 24, 21, 19, 26, 20.
 
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They really don't have an inside game so plan B is to continue to shoot from outside. Sarah can play inside but when struggling outside why not put in a big line up and bang? As far as good defense goes, I thought Creighton made KC make the threes and she missed every shot that wasn't a layup in that game. That allows 5 of their defenders to defend 4 of your players and that makes it tough on the 4.
Because defensively their two bigs are comparatively slow, can't guard anyone in space, and foul a lot in the post. Tenn. and SC would run them off the floor.
 
Here’s an idea: why don’t we just say the team is used to a Spaulding ball, and the game was played with a Wilson, so that’s why they didn’t play better.
That sounds like something I’d expect to hear from a SC. ;)
 
Not sure what plan B is when you dont have an inside game and you're not a great 3-point shooting team. :(

3-pt % against the 5 best opponents (UNC, Ole Miss, ND, USC, Crei): 24, 21, 19, 26, 20.
wow. if that's right, uconn is lucky to not to have 5 losses 'stead of 2. the pathetic trey shooting is even a bigger flaw than i thought.
 
UConn isn't a good three point shooting team. They have had two games where they were amazing but the other games are below average so maybe they need to have a better plan. KC is a liability on offense and will be targeted by SC as the weakest defender. Paige, Azzi and Sarah are great players and against the great teams all three of them need to show up and play at the level equal to their ability. The last thing you can do is say a player has an off game when the player knows it is a big game and that happens too often for UConn lately.

I will add that Sarah is an amazing player. She has a calmness about her that you just don't see in most players, even the great ones. Right now she is the team MVP and I look to UConn to ride her once the tournament begins and I think she will deliver. She also showed she can defend against Creighton and that is the strength of this team.
Co-sign. I agree we are not a good 3 point shooting team. There is enough data now to reach that conclusion. The games we shot really well in are outliers; and we should not anticipate them imo.
 
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The sound that was made when the ball hit the rim was very unusual. I believe the tightness of the rims were a factor in the shooting % for both teams
Is there a standard for rim tightness? How do you adjust the rim for tightness? Are rims tested before gametime for tightness?
 
I don’t disagree. But I also believe that your pg has to be able to shoot the basketball or it negates the effectiveness of the pg. Nika was not a great shooter, but she worked at it to the point where she shot over 40% from the arc as a senior.
Totally. Neither KC nor KK are strong outside shooters which is why they always try to force the drives. You want a PG who is a scoring threat from the outside, and can also drive, but you don't want that PG taking 25% of the shots when we have who we have on this team. Part of this also is Paige not being as assertive as she should but I think as we move on down the schedule the sense of urgency by the sheer passage of games and time will take over her will. I think if we get to a Paige with her current physical form and skills but with a true senior mentality we will get to the NC game. We just need to get the ball to her.....all the time.
 
Another fun fact is the type of net used. Teams that like to go fast usually have nets that don’t impede the ball. Others like the net to hold the ball briefly.
This is true. I remember reading as a kid that the dynasty Celtics had very fast nets at the old Boston Garden.
 
Not sure what plan B is when you dont have an inside game and you're not a great 3-point shooting team. :(

3-pt % against the 5 best opponents (UNC, Ole Miss, ND, USC, Crei): 24, 21, 19, 26, 20.
Plan B is the stop and pop 15 footers but we have to use our picks and screens more wisely.
 
All I know is that the sound of the ball hitting the rim on misses at Creighton made a different sound from all the other games that I have watched them play.
I thought so too, and the ball bounced off a little funny. Of course, if you swish your threes the rim doesn't matter. I also felt they passed up a lot of open threes, maybe gunshy from the early misses.
 
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Here’s an idea: why don’t we just say the team is used to a Spaulding ball, and the game was played with a Wilson, so that’s why they didn’t play better.
Uh-oh. We’re in big trouble when the team plays an away game at South Carolina. They use Wilson basketballs. I think UConn uses Nike basketballs.
 
Creighton is a tough out and will be more so when they are at full strength. Lots of experienced players. Tough environment, tight rims, and little warmup probably affected the scoring, but they will be a challenge when we meet later on, good thing it is at home. While as Geno said, they should be ranked, their lack of size will relegate them to bottom 20 at best. While this game was a good test, it was BE style basketball (disciplined, tight marking, well coached) whereas I see the TN game to be much different with their full press, athletic, wide open style baskeball. If we can get by them, we should know our team, the good and bad, before the big matchup with SC.
I believe you are over-rating the quality of the Creighton team. "Tight rims?" C'mon guys. This game showed a lot of flaws in the UCONN team. They will become less obvious when Geno settles on a fixed rotation for the Big Dance. But we have two stars, not three.
 
I don’t disagree. But I also believe that your pg has to be able to shoot the basketball or it negates the effectiveness of the pg. Nika was not a great shooter, but she worked at it to the point where she shot over 40% from the arc as a senior.
What do we know about KCs career percent from the arc at Princeton, was it over or under 40% ? Muhl had solid mechanics but a very slow delivery, so she could only make shots at 40% when she was wide, wide open (which is OK). Chen was Princeton's primary offensive threat and likely (like Paige) didn't see many wide open opportunities
 
I believe you are over-rating the quality of the Creighton team. "Tight rims?" C'mon guys. This game showed a lot of flaws in the UCONN team. They will become less obvious when Geno settles on a fixed rotation for the Big Dance. But we have two stars, not three.
I believe it was Geno who was exhorting the quality of the Creighton team. If you read his presser, he mentions they should be in the top 25 and how well their team veterans play together. I will look forward to hearing more from him regarding the status quo.
 
What do we know about KCs career percent from the arc at Princeton, was it over or under 40% ? Muhl had solid mechanics but a very slow delivery, so she could only make shots at 40% when she was wide, wide open (which is OK). Chen was Princeton's primary offensive threat and likely (like Paige) didn't see many wide open opportunities
she shot 33% as a senior, around 26 or 28% as a junior. Overall shot around 48% as a senior, and I think around 42% as a junior. She knew she had to work on her shot when she came here. She has, but you can only improve so much in one year.
 
What do we know about KCs career percent from the arc at Princeton, was it over or under 40% ? Muhl had solid mechanics but a very slow delivery, so she could only make shots at 40% when she was wide, wide open (which is OK). Chen was Princeton's primary offensive threat and likely (like Paige) didn't see many wide open opportunities
As I’ve said in another thread, Kaitlyn was an average 3-pt shooter at Princeton, at best. Her strength on offense was getting to the midrange or all the way to the basket where she was very effective.

If the defense isn’t going to guard you, then having slow, solid shooting mechanics is not a problem. If both Kaitlyn and KK can shoot a reasonable % on open 3’s, that forces defenders to come out to defend them, opening up opportunities for UConn’s Big 3.
 
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