What we learned about this UConn women’s basketball team in its 90-87 loss to Arkansas

[Carnac]

After taking care of then-No. 18 DePaul with a 23-point win last month and rallying to beat then-No. 25 Tennessee by six last week, the Huskies earned their first loss of the season Thursday, falling 90-87 to No. 19 Arkansas on the road, learning a lot about themselves in the process.

What we learned about this UConn women’s basketball team in its 90-87 loss to Arkansas

Games against ranked opponents are learning experiences for any team, particularly a young squad like No. 3 UConn. After taking care of then-No. 18 DePaul with a 23-point win last month and rallyin…

www.courant.com

Geno's Arkansas post game presser

UConn women’s basketball midseason report: What we know (and don’t know) about the No. 3 Huskies - By Doug Bonjour Jan 29 ​

Troubles come in 3s - Carl Adamec Jan 29 ​

 

[Aluminny69]

One thing UConn is missing is a lock down defender, ala Kelly Ferris.

 

[BBallF]

One thing UConn is missing is a lock down defender, ala Kelly Ferris.

Or Kia Nurse. I was hoping that Evina would fill that role. There is still time.

 

[Carnac]

Evina and Paige's Arkansas post game presser

 

[LCConnFan]

After taking care of then-No. 18 DePaul with a 23-point win last month and rallying to beat then-No. 25 Tennessee by six last week, the Huskies earned their first loss of the season Thursday, falling 90-87 to No. 19 Arkansas on the road, learning a lot about themselves in the process.

What we learned about this UConn women’s basketball team in its 90-87 loss to Arkansas

Games against ranked opponents are learning experiences for any team, particularly a young squad like No. 3 UConn. After taking care of then-No. 18 DePaul with a 23-point win last month and rallyin…

www.courant.com

Geno's Arkansas post game presser

UConn women’s basketball midseason report: What we know (and don’t know) about the No. 3 Huskies - By Doug Bonjour Jan 29 ​

Troubles come in 3s - Carl Adamec Jan 29 ​

Thanks for the post carnac! The 2nd 'link', "UCONN womens BB midseason report" won't allow us to read it w/o a subscription though.

 

[BBallF]

Evina and Paige's Arkansas post game presser

Right on cue. They know exactly where it went sideways. Guard defense, lateral movement.

 

[southofnorth]

Or Kia Nurse. I was hoping that Evina would fill that role. There is still time.

I was thinking it would be Aubrey. She has all the tools to follow in the footsteps of Kalana Greene, Kelly Faris, Kia Nurse, and Gabby Williams.

 

[Carnac]

Thanks for the post carnac! The 2nd 'link', "UCONN womens BB midseason report" won't allow us to read it w/o a subscription though.

Thanks LC, I addressed that problem. Try it now, or use this [link]

 

[LCConnFan]

Thanks LC, I addressed that problem. try it now. or use this link [link]

Thanks Carnac. That link worked. What a well written article that was from the CT Insider. It really displayed most of the same ideas we have seen from our Huskies as well. It really brought out the fact that we need Ono to 'find herself'. The article stated "She was better in the Huskies’ other big non-conference game (seven points and 11 rebounds against then-No. 25 Tennessee), but still far from dominant. And at this point in her career, 81 games in, she needs to be dominant against everyone, not just the lightweights of the Big East". That was 'spot on'.

 

[JellyBean]

That on any given night a hot shooting team, like Arkansas, can beat our beloved UConn Huskies.

 

[Florida Fan]

After taking care of then-No. 18 DePaul with a 23-point win last month and rallying to beat then-No. 25 Tennessee by six last week, the Huskies earned their first loss of the season Thursday, falling 90-87 to No. 19 Arkansas on the road, learning a lot about themselves in the process.

What we learned about this UConn women’s basketball team in its 90-87 loss to Arkansas

Games against ranked opponents are learning experiences for any team, particularly a young squad like No. 3 UConn. After taking care of then-No. 18 DePaul with a 23-point win last month and rallyin…

www.courant.com

Geno's Arkansas post game presser

UConn women’s basketball midseason report: What we know (and don’t know) about the No. 3 Huskies - By Doug Bonjour Jan 29 ​

Troubles come in 3s - Carl Adamec Jan 29 ​

Aubrey has to make the open 15 footer.

 

[Tonyc]

Why was a defense so poor? How bout Liv getting in to foul trouble immediately and Edwards fouling out and Dungee not getting called for pushing off twice from what I could see. Im not blaming the refs Im stating a point of what I saw. With that said the middle was open.

With that said we learned when we've got players not hitting treys stop taking them. Griff is a really good player but not a good 3 pts shooter yet. Put somebody in to shoot the trey(Anna when available or Nika) and Griff in when we need her skills like defense rebounding and inside play. Liv needs to stay underneath and guard someone who cant shoot the trey. If her opponent goes outside let her go and stay underneath. Christyn when not hitting the trey dribble drive and attack the basket strong. Play to your strengths and stop trying to do things that arent working especially in a game like we had at Ark.

 

[Carnac]

Why was a defense so poor? How bout Liv getting in to foul trouble immediately and Edwards fouling out and Dungee not getting called for pushing off twice from what I could see. Im not blaming the refs Im stating a point of what I saw. With that said the middle was open.

With that said we learned when we've got players not hitting treys stop taking them. Griff is a really good player but not a good 3 pts shooter yet. Put somebody in to shoot the trey(Anna when available or Nika) and Griff in when we need her skills like defense rebounding and inside play. Liv needs to stay underneath and guard someone who cant shoot the trey. If her opponent goes outside let her go and stay underneath. Christyn when not hitting the trey dribble drive and attack the basket strong. Play to your strengths and stop trying to do things that arent working especially in a game like we had at Ark.

Hey Tonyc, it sounds like we had a "Vulcan mind-meld" moment, cause you're thinking exactly what I'm thinking.

"How bout Dungee not getting called for pushing off twice from what I could see". Geno (who was going ballistic on the sidelines) and everyone watching on TV could see her pushing off. How could all 3 refs miss it? Players will do whatever and as much as the refs let them do. ALL players. They didn’t call it, so she kept doing it.

 

[MooseJaw]

Thanks Carnac. That link worked. What a well written article that was from the CT Insider. It really displayed most of the same ideas we have seen from our Huskies as well. It really brought out the fact that we need Ono to 'find herself'. The article stated "She was better in the Huskies’ other big non-conference game (seven points and 11 rebounds against then-No. 25 Tennessee), but still far from dominant. And at this point in her career, 81 games in, she needs to be dominant against everyone, not just the lightweights of the Big East". That was 'spot on'.

Interesting to me, every point in the article has already been covered in the BY by various posters. We have a wealth of talented posters some who I think could easily be writing the articles for the Current i.e. Old dude, Tony C and Carnac to mention a few.

 

[j66kicker]

After taking care of then-No. 18 DePaul with a 23-point win last month and rallying to beat then-No. 25 Tennessee by six last week, the Huskies earned their first loss of the season Thursday, falling 90-87 to No. 19 Arkansas on the road, learning a lot about themselves in the process.

What we learned about this UConn women’s basketball team in its 90-87 loss to Arkansas

Games against ranked opponents are learning experiences for any team, particularly a young squad like No. 3 UConn. After taking care of then-No. 18 DePaul with a 23-point win last month and rallyin…

www.courant.com

Geno's Arkansas post game presser

UConn women’s basketball midseason report: What we know (and don’t know) about the No. 3 Huskies - By Doug Bonjour Jan 29 ​

Troubles come in 3s - Carl Adamec Jan 29 ​

From the Doug Bonjour/CTInsider article:

WHAT WE STILL DON’T KNOW

Can ONO be trusted in big spots?

I'm afraid we do know that, and the answer is "No." She's half-way through her junior year. It is what it is, and it's not going to get us where we want to go. Oh, I'm sure she'll "bounce back" and have a great game tomorrow against the 5'9" Kramer Karate School Blue Demons. So what - zzzzzzzzz....

Let's focus on developing somebody (AE?) who might be able to help us in March.

 

[Carnac]

Interesting to me, every point in the article has already been covered in the BY by various posters. We have a wealth of talented posters some who I think could easily be writing the articles for the Current i.e. Old dude, Tony C and Carnac to mention a few.

I agree. We do have some very talented and knowledgeable posters here. I'm humbled, thank you. 😌

 

[Bigpetunia]

We learned three things from the game:
1. To borrow a term from the pandemic, the curve is flattening. The talent disparities in WCBB that used to characterize the sport, and from which UCONN was long the beneficiary, are gradually evening out. Coaching is getting better,(see Kellie Harper, Mike Neighbors and many others), the recruiting pool is dramatically improving, more fan bases are getting into it. This is a very good thing.
2. As a result of the above, undefeated seasons, once uncommon in WCBB and almost unheard of in MCBB, will largely be a thing of the past.
3. No matter how talent-laden a team is, if it goes on the road against a quality opponent, and that opponent shoots lights out, especially from beyond the arc, they quite possibly may sustain a loss.
The conclusion? The game is improving and the loss ain't no big deal!

 

[Florida Fan]

One thing UConn is missing is a lock down defender, ala Kelly Ferris.

Aubry could be the lock down. But she has to learn to shoot. They took Nika out front to practice shooting, and Aubrey must step up. Paige hurt could not stop them from turning the corner.

 

[MooseJaw]

I agree. We do have some very talented and knowledgeable posters here. I'm humbled, thank you. 😌

👍

 

[LCConnFan]

Interesting to me, every point in the article has already been covered in the BY by various posters. We have a wealth of talented posters some who I think could easily be writing the articles for the Current i.e. Old dude, Tony C and Carnac to mention a few.

Heck! I think they should be our addition to scouting for HS talent!

 

[RockyMTblue2]

We learned this: ONO is no center and I wish we had a true center and that we had brought her along as a four (4). She doesn't have the mind set or temperament to be a center. Not her fault, but ... Help may come with the arrival of Amari DeBerry. Here is a kid who was in the trenchs against Amari and she didn't like it one bit:

 

[msf22b]

Some thoughts on offense:

Sure, at the end of the day, one has to hit the shots but to these eyes
an awful lot of our success late was the old one on one where Paige's unique talent came into play (and to some extent E)...rather than smartly run plays that got (say) Breanna reasonably makable ones, back in the day.

Christyn's 3-point woes have been noted but she also missed a bunch of makable 2-point pull-ups as well, shots that she needs to make if we're going to win...or at least if we're going to count on her. 7 for 17 is far from terrible but one recalls most of the makes, early and most of the misses late.

I think its a mistake to count on Nika to be a 3-point threat, this early in her career...better to encourage her in the direction of hard nosed D...an area in which she could really help.

And I'm sure the staff is working with Edwards to find ways to keep her in the game...Her BB, instincts including offense (other than Bull in the China shop mentality) are excellent...I expect her to gradually improve in this area.

If one looks at the box score and tries to find statistical reasons for winning or losing...The Razorbacks took four more shots than us ...in a one-possession game where a lot is going in, that's significant...Why...because we had 15 turnovers to their 9, most of ours were by our two bigs.

I would not be surprised to see the elements noted above among the areas Geno is working on...

 

[Boreifs]

Or Kia Nurse. I was hoping that Evina would fill that role. There is still time.

Or Gabby Williams. That team had two lockdown defenders.

 

[huskyd]

Thanks for the post carnac! The 2nd 'link', "UCONN womens BB midseason report" won't allow us to read it w/o a subscription though.

Try googling "Hartford Courant." Click to bring up the website, go to "sports," read the article.

 

[huskyd]

Or Gabby Williams. That team had two lockdown defenders.

And then there was the Great Wall of Kiah Stokes . . . (Stewie, too, was an ace defender.)

 

[veryolddog]

The problem with ONO is ONO. She has the talent and developed new skills. She lacks one thing that would make her outstanding and one of the best in the sport. That one thing is: THE KILLER INSTINCT TO PLAY WITH A PASSION THAT CANNOT BE MATCHED BY HER OPPOSITON AND THE COMPOSURE AND POISE TO EXECUTE HER GAME WITHOUT BECOMING A FOULING MACHINE. Other than that she is a good player. Edwards on the other hand is not afraid to mix it up. She just needs to learn how to do it without fouling everyone in her way like Tuck and Pheesa.

 

[Carnac]

We learned this: ONO is no center and I wish we had a true center and that we had brought her along as a four (4). She doesn't have the mind set or temperament to be a center. Not her fault, but ... Help may come with the arrival of Amari DeBerry. Here is a kid who was in the trenchs against Amari and she didn't like it one bit:

I hope Amari brings some attitude (aggressiveness), bite and a touch of “Junk Yard Dogg” with her when she arrives on campus this June. That will be some baggage I bet her teammates won’t mind helping her unpack.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Some thoughts on offense:

Sure, at the end of the day, one has to hit the shots but to these eyes
an awful lot of our success late was the old one on one where Paige's unique talent came into play (and to some extent E)...rather than smartly run plays that got (say) Breanna reasonably makable ones, back in the day.

Christyn's 3-point woes have been noted but she also missed a bunch of makable 2-point pull-ups as well, shots that she needs to make if we're going to win...or at least if we're going to count on her. 7 for 17 is far from terrible but one recalls most of the makes, early and most of the misses late.

I think its a mistake to count on Nika to be a 3-point threat, this early in her career...better to encourage her in the direction of hard nosed D...an area in which she could really help.

And I'm sure the staff is working with Edwards to find ways to keep her in the game...Her BB, instincts including offense (other than Bull in the China shop mentality) are excellent...I expect her to gradually improve in this area.

If one looks at the box score and tries to find statistical reasons for winning or losing...The Razorbacks took four more shots than us ...in a one-possession game where a lot is going in, that's significant...Why...because we had 15 turnovers to their 9, most of ours were by our two bigs.

I would not be surprised to see the elements noted above among the areas Geno is working on...

I'm scatching my head thinking I've gone senile, unable to recall Nika! I agree with much of what you say, but to have Nika be a reasonable 3 ball threat (and I think she already is) really helps keep the defense frompacking ONO's offensive territory. Guards can really disrupt or turn her over if she puts the ball on the floor or holds it for the taking.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

I hope Amari brings some attitude (aggressiveness), bite and a touch of “Junk Yard Dogg” with her when she arrives on campus this June. That will be some baggage I bet her teammates won’t mind helping her unpack.

I put up a video up above of a kid who did not enjoy playing against Amari which suggests she's got what you and a lot of others want. I'm one of those others.

 

[Carnac]

I put up a video up above of a kid who did not enjoy playing against Amari which suggests she's got what you and a lot of others want. I'm one of those others.

Thanks, I saw that video. It's what inspired me to write that comment.