Xavier Postgame Thread

[GRIFFBIFF20]

I would say that Aubrey Griffin had a pretty efficient game today. 4 of 5 from the field, 5 of 6 from the line. 3 Boards, 2 Assists and ZERO Turnovers, in 20 minutes of play. I would bet that Geno would be happy to get that kind of performance from AG every game. I love AG's game and yes, if she could get a bit more confidence (and opportunities) to hit that Mid-Range Jump Shot, to compliment her game, that would be gravy for this team. BUT, I think right now, being the 6th Man for this team, suits this team just fine and thus I don't feel she should start. (How does averaging 14 points a game, with 6 boards and 5 assists a game sound). Does everyone else agree with this?

 

[bluedevil]

Scored more points in the first quarter than they did in the first half against Creighton! Defense was particularly good in the first half. Offensive rebs kind of low so far?

Christyn had a breakout game. Her 24 matched Aaliyah & Aubrey combined, and those 2 were playing well. CW's short range efficiency could improve.

First time 3 pt shots going in -- CW 4/5, Evina Westbrook, 3/5, Bueckers 2/5, Mak only 1, but early in the game to set the tone. Free throws pretty good, though maybe not as good as in the Creighton game. PB's missing 2/3 for the 3 pt foul was unusual. CW missed her first, but 4/5 overall. Both Evina & LIv 2/2.

It didn't seem like Liv played a lot of minutes, but the skills she demonstrated in the Creighton game haven't diminished.

PB's passing is impressive, but as she gets used to D1 defense, I think she'll get better & have fewer turnovers. Good that she avoided foul trouble this time around.

Refs calling so many travels slows down the game to the point of being annoying.

EW is getting better and better. Better passer than PB at this point?

Nika needs to keep her mask on. And I'm sure Geno's voice can be heard through that bank robber thing; seemed like it was more off than on. Isn't he on the verge of Social Security?

Waiting for full retirement age..could have started collecting at 62..

 

[EdSaid]

We also saw what Geno is most likely going to do in the Baylor game. Anna goes to the bench replaced by Aaiyah. With the remaining starters, that was an effective lineup in the 1st quarter.

I saw something I don't think we've seen for extended minutes; ONO, AE, & AG. That's the big lineup. Geno is obviously using building blocks here. He's trying to see what works. The trap worked great, the zone not so much. He is building game by game. Nika will come along just fine, Mir might take a bit longer, but she will be ready for important minutes.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Ha! Caption this:

 

[Charliebball]

Nice comments. More minutes could smooth out some of her rough edges. Frankly I don’t need her to be able to shoot anything but a lay up. Anything else is gravy. She can finish!

she's a handful right now but her offense in the half court is predictable............imagine if she shows she can make a few jumps shots and brings the defender closer to her........she's quick enough to drive past anybody at that point............you're talking about the difference between an 8 point a game player and a 16 point a game player.....

 

[Charliebball]

Got to love Edwards!!! Love her!! We started a thread on her a while back but i feel like thee should be more. This year we hit a jackpot in terms of frosh recruits with her and Paige.

Last few years I didn't want to really see a physical team go against us-- now I'm like "Bring it on!" While at this point she still would be inconsistent and could lay a clunker-- but so what-- she just has so much force to her game. And with Aubrey - a freak athlete and Liv is also a tremendous athlete-- we have a real nice core of 3.

I'm absolutely giddy over Edwards.

she's got the power and the aggressiveness, she just needs to borrow a bit of finesse from a certain Ms Collier.............

 

[EdSaid]

Just looking at the NCAA.com scoreboard, full schedule of women's games today. 50 games being played, 13 games postponed. That is the most postponed games I've seen. Roller coaster ride, stay positive, and play whatever games you can.

 

[chrissaran]

I know Paige is strong, so please don't post about how I said she isn't strong. What I worry about is UConn is only four games in, and there are times Paige looks tired. When we get into the challenging part of the schedule, I hope she's rested enough to play her best.

 

[DEpup]

I was really impressed with Evina's game today. For me, she has game by game been adding more and more and I think today was the perfect sweet spot on the stat sheet. Geno talks about consistency and what can a player be depended on to get every game. If Evina can bring today's stat line routinely, good things will happen for this team.

In addition, there is constant talk about not having any seniors but today Evina was clearly the senior on the team in demeanor and stat line.

I felt like she really gave a Kia Nurse type performance today. A solid bit of everything that the team needed with both an edge and maturity.

I know what I want to see Tuesday already. I want to see if Evina can lead a shut down of Siegrist and hold her to around 12 pts..

 

[Dillon77]

she's got the power and the aggressiveness, she just needs to borrow a bit of finesse from a certain Ms Collier.............

I got to watch a fair amount of this game -- longest watch of UConn to this point -- and your eyes are drawn to Ms. Edwards. Many folks have commented that Maddy Westbeld has a "college-ready body." If that's the case, Edwards is ready to enter pro ball. Sure, there is a lot to learn, but she's in a perfect situation to contribute what she can while growing. Impressive. Great get.

 

[oldude]

Ha! Caption this:

Paige did that last game too, in a similar situation. It’s her acknowledgment that Aaliyah has just scored under the basket while knocking opponents around like pinballs.

 

[CMC'72]

Replay link?

 

[FridaFriend]

I was really happy for Evina today. I focused on her and her effort for her entire minutes. She had been solid in the earlier games, but today she showed more of what she could do. I think she plays great defense and she works well with the other players. I wondered whether she could be a good team player and she is.

 

[Argonaut]

I know Paige is strong, so please don't post about how I said she isn't strong. What I worry about is UConn is only four games in, and there are times Paige looks tired. When we get into the challenging part of the schedule, I hope she's rested enough to play her best.

We actually talked about this (kind of) at my house today. I think Paige looks a little exasperated. For probably the first time in her life, basketball is kind of hard. Whether it’s getting called for violations she isn’t used to or players getting hands on balls they don’t normally get — she’s just not used to it.

Don’t get me wrong, I think she’s playing really, really well, but I bet if you could get a truly candid answer from her, she isn’t playing as well as she anticipated she would. Some of those easy high school moves just haven’t translated as well (yet!) to the college game.

 

[HopJim]

As near a perfect game as I have seen UConn play for some time. Near perfect defense and happy to see the entire team do well with 3 pointers

My only wishes for this game that didn't come true:
-No strong defender on ONO. Love that she is getting more aggressive but it would be great experience to have a tough, tall defender to shoot over. Her opposition this year were basically good high school level players. ONO doing as well as possible playing great against the "B-team."
-No strong back up point guard. Have not seen anyone this year who could take over for Paige. Hope this does not becomes a need but you never know.
Fun game to watch. As blow outs go, enjoyable to see the development UConn is showing.

 

[oldude]

I’m going to dust off an old nickname and give it to Evina. She is the new Swiss Army Knife. Just like Kelly Faris, she does whatever is necessary to help the team win games. Need a rebound, lock down defense, knock down a 3, set up a teammate with a perfect pass, Evina does whatever needs to be done.

At TN, Evina struggled at times to lead the Lady Vols in a disfunctional environment under HW. She will not put up the same numbers at UConn that she put up at TN, but she is so much more of an impactful player at UConn, and I am delighted she’s a Husky.

 

[RedStickHusky]

Four games into a season with no exhibitions and a lost month of practice, things are taking shape.
- This team is going to score. Figure PB, CW, and ONO are going to be close to 60 every night, another 20 from EW and AM, and something close to 20 from AG and AE. We should be able to absorb some off shooting nights with that kind of balance.
- Nika supposedly coming back after the holidays but she'll be behind. Still we'll need a third guard, I like AM better at the 4.
- Don't be impatient with Mir. She's an unguided missile right now, but they'll coach her up. I'll give Geno the benefit of the doubt here.
- I'm not expecting her to be particularly impactful but AC looks pretty darn comfortable for a freshman walk-on, no?

 

[BBallF]

That's a fact. Once again, complaining about referee's always seems to me like homer flailing. I saw Liv get away with a lot of arm smacking tonight with no calls. All of the travels called against UConn were so obvious it became a comedy. Don't call these and you may as well allow 3 and 4 steps to the hoop. Heck, isn't enough that Paige gets away with palming the ball on every possession?

On one of Paige's travel calls, when she came to the ball in the corner after inbounding it, you could read Gens's lips say "Dribble first".

 

[BBallF]

As near a perfect game as I have seen UConn play for some time. Near perfect defense and happy to see the entire team do well with 3 pointers

My only wishes for this game that didn't come true:
-No strong defender on ONO. Love that she is getting more aggressive but it would be great experience to have a tough, tall defender to shoot over. Her opposition this year were basically good high school level players. ONO doing as well as possible playing great against the "B-team."
-No strong back up point guard. Have not seen anyone this year who could take over for Paige. Hope this does not becomes a need but you never know.
Fun game to watch. As blow outs go, enjoyable to see the development UConn is showing.

It will be Evina or Nika playing the point when Paige isn't and you will see Paige sliding to the 2 as well. I think both are experienced point guards and are very capable regarding all aspects of that position. There is , however, only one Paige.

 

[Bigboote]

You guys with these starting lineup changes. NOT...GONNA...HAPPEN unless Anna or Evina go into a prolonged slump. Or unless they don't listen to Geno (ie. Geno has told Anna she needs to take more shots when the outcome of the game is undecided - she took and made 2 shots in 1).

I'm not sure why soe people are so obsessed with changing up the starting lineup. UCONN won the 1st quarter 38-7 with most of the starting 5 in there. I think he subbed someone in the last 3-4 minutes, and another towards the end of the Q. I get that people are super excited about how Aubrey and Aaliyah are playing, but to boot someone out of the starting lineup? Just no...

Each great sub brings something special off the bench. But Aubrey STILL doesn't know the offense and she's a sophomore. I see other players on the floor having to tell her where to go at times. Megan said the coaches had to simplify what they ask Aubrey to do on offense. But she and Edwards had a really good 21 or so minutes each. . .

I don't get the obsession with the starting lineup either. Over the years, Geno seems to have been comfortable with a set of starters, but that sometimes has little bearing on who got the most minutes. Later in Doty's tenure, she ALWAYS started, even on the worst days for her knees when she may have played two minutes at the beginning and fewer than ten for the game. Geno said he liked how she set the tone for the game.

Not UConn, but I think Kevin McHale averaged over 35 minutes a game as a sixth man one year. I'm sure there will be games when Aubrey or Aaliyah plays 30 minutes, either against a bigger team or if there's foul trouble.

I loved Geno's remark, "We play great defense when the other team is throwing the ball out of bounds."

 

[Bigboote]

I wasn't as thrilled with Westbrook coming to UConn as many on the board were. But I'm definitely warming to her. At UT she pretty much played a central role, but she really seems to be letting the game come to her at UConn. Also, she's a really good team defender. She seems so totally in control; that's especially important for a team loaded with freshmen.

This is the first game in which it seems to me that Nelson-Ododa is holding her ground underneath on offense. It may be coincidental, but I think this is the first team with any size they've played. I think the Xavier starting lineup had 6-4 and 6-2 up front.

It amazes me that if Paige misses a few shots, I think she's had a poor shooting game. She was 7-13 today, which I think just about any team would take from their primary point guard, but before I looked at the box score, I thought she had a lousy shooting game.

I can't imagine where Edwards will be in a couple of years.

 

[CTBballfan243]

What happened with Mir? Just five minutes' playing time? In a big blowout? That constitutes a severe rebuke from the head coach. Mir through the first three games was leading the team in points per minute. And even in this game, she came in and got a block and a rebound.

Very strange. Hope it passes......

Not strange at all. Once Mir figures out how to play defense and figures out the offense in practice she will earn more playing time. Geno said from day one that she and Piath weren’t ready to really contribute and will require significant practice.

 

[hoophuskee]

My point was their play today after the first quarter was lackluster. They were getting beat fairly consistently on defense, did not really pressure the outside shots, committed quite a few silly fouls. Offensive, they passed up too many open shots for a more "perfect shot" but ended up over passing, Now, it must be hard to keep motivated when you're up by 30 in the first quarter, but staying focused is the issue. When we play top 5 teams you have to bring it for 40 minutes - that was my focus. I am excited for every style of play, as long as it is solid. Life is good when we can complain in a blowout!

I agree that they didn't play as well. I don't look at it though as "lackluster."

For me one of the most exciting programs on the men's side was the old John Thompson Georgetown Hoyas. They played a soft schedule early then once they got into the Big East they were susceptible to get beat early in Big East season but as season went on-- you could start to see their domination. They really didn't sustain much early in the Big East but you could see how they were playing and what their plan of style of play was going to be. But it took a while before they got consistent. But it seemed every year - for around 5+ years straight- every year- his team was playing peak at tourney time.

Could be that this team is doing exactly that and just needs time. There are two brand new pg's and their two top leading scorers from last year are gone. And they are much different than last year on the defensive end too. I look at this as the type of team that won't play peak for a while. This team imo is just so different than last year or year before.

 

[JellyBean]

There were some good things and some bad things that I saw in this game.

Good:
Filling the lanes on the break.
The Big 3 doing what they do.
Role players playing within the scheme of the offense and not really forcing anything.
Ball Movement.
Spacing
High Bball IQ with reads on the S&R looks.


Bad:
We can not play zone---yet.
M2M Defensive Rotations were iffy but in time that will improve.

That is all I got. I figure in time, the team will get better on defense and that is the scary part. Offensively, we are good. Loving the spacing.

 

[JordyG]

There were some good things and some bad things that I saw in this game.

Good:
Filling the lanes on the break.
The Big 3 doing what they do.
Role players playing within the scheme of the offense and not really forcing anything.
Ball Movement.
Spacing
High Bball IQ with reads on the S&R looks.


Bad:
We can not play zone---yet.
M2M Defensive Rotations were iffy but in time that will improve.

That is all I got. I figure in time, the team will get better on defense and that is the scary part. Offensively, we are good. Loving the spacing.

One more thing. CW had a lot of issues keeping her mark in front of her. She was beaten 3 times on back door plays and consistently to both her left and right. Now I'm going to watch the game for a 2nd time.

 

[MD#12Fan]

I agree that they didn't play as well. I don't look at it though as "lackluster."

For me one of the most exciting programs on the men's side was the old John Thompson Georgetown Hoyas. They played a soft schedule early then once they got into the Big East they were susceptible to get beat early in Big East season but as season went on-- you could start to see their domination. They really didn't sustain much early in the Big East but you could see how they were playing and what their plan of style of play was going to be. But it took a while before they got consistent. But it seemed every year - for around 5+ years straight- every year- his team was playing peak at tourney time.

Could be that this team is doing exactly that and just needs time. There are two brand new pg's and their two top leading scorers from last year are gone. And they are much different than last year on the defensive end too. I look at this as the type of team that won't play peak for a while. This team imo is just so different than last year or year before.

I loved John Thompson too. Believe it or not his HS coach was my HS coach, Bob Dwyer. Legendary Wash DC team, Archbishop Carroll. You’re right, he used to play cupcakes early season. I remember St Leo’s from Florida. OMG But he played in arguably the best league in the history of college basketball. Wasn’t the Big East a 10 team league with nary a patsy. That means 18 games that the other team is trying to rip your face off. I’ve said this before here- best 30 for 30 ever, Requiem for the Big East. Syracuse twice, St John’s twice, Providence twice, UConn twice, Villanova twice, Boston College twice, Seton Hall twice, Pittsburgh twice. Have a tough year and lose 8-10 league games. 1985 3 of the 4 final four teams were from the Big East. Sick!
We ain’t got that. Wish we did. Gotta be a blast for the kids. We’re playing league games now and winning by 35, 40. Anyway, it is what it is! I love thinking back! ACC was similar in the 70’s.

 

[jazz]

I don't get the obsession with the starting lineup either. Over the years, Geno seems to have been comfortable with a set of starters, but that sometimes has little bearing on who got the most minutes. Later in Doty's tenure, she ALWAYS started, even on the worst days for her knees when she may have played two minutes at the beginning and fewer than ten for the game. Geno said he liked how she set the tone for the game.

Not UConn, but I think Kevin McHale averaged over 35 minutes a game as a sixth man one year. I'm sure there will be games when Aubrey or Aaliyah plays 30 minutes, either against a bigger team or if there's foul trouble.

I loved Geno's remark, "We play great defense when the other team is throwing the ball out of bounds."

Point well taken but I think that was Bill Walton.

 

[Littlemin]

In the 83-84 and 84-85 seasons McHale averaged over 30 mpg off the bench. He became a starter in 85-86 after coming off the bench for five years. That same year, Walton joined the Celtics and averaged 19 mpg off the bench, 11 the next; he went on injured reserve for a year or two and then retired.

 

[jazz]

In the 83-84 and 84-85 seasons McHale averaged over 30 mpg off the bench. He became a starter in 85-86 after coming off the bench for five years. That same year, Walton joined the Celtics and averaged 19 mpg off the bench, 11 the next; he went on injured reserve for a year or two and then retired.

Nice work Littlemin. So who was the starter in 83-84 and 84-85?

 

[jazz]

Just got done watching the game and here is my 2 cents worth. Tell me if you agree or not...

One of the things I tried to focus on during this game was defense against dribble penetration. It looks to me that UCONN needs some work in this area. Xavier is not a good team, but they had some success with this and more as the game wore on.

By my count- beaten by dribble penetration: CW-4, AM-3, PG-2, EW-4, MM-1.

In addition, CW was beaten by two backdoors and EW was beaten twice in succession by not fighting through the screen. PB did a better job fighting through screens. Not much fight by EW. EW doesn’t look to have much lateral quickness on defense. This is a worry to me. Hopefully she gets better..Geno is sure having patience with her on the defensive side!

This matters little against Xavier but if Xavier guards can do this to us, then how well can really good and quick guards on elite teams do against us? This will also get Liv in foul trouble having to cover for these defensive lapses.

EW and CW were both hitting their shots today which for me, means that Geno can sub in AE and AG more for AM. This gives Geno more options. I like the isolation plays with AG getting the ball down low, but that only works if you can spread the floor.

AE took a step forward in this game. She has a fantastic low post BB body to make things happen. She is quick too…hard to defend if she gets the ball down low. Too bad she missed on a nice, quick drive and an easy 10 footer. She didn’t look comfortable on the 10 footer. I think she gets better and better and makes a big difference once we get to the post season!

Geno didn’t use PB on that curl and foul line jumper until late in the game(once and she missed)…but she did play pretty well. She had 9 assists bc her teammates were hitting more shots when PB passed them the ball. But 6 TOs?? I didn’t see this but that is what the box score had. Did she really have 6 TOs????

AM went almost half the game without taking a shot. But her presence does open things up for others. She missed a couple easy ones.

Solid game by Liv but I still worry if she can do it against top competition. She just loses her balance too easily on contact. I do like her as the distributer to cutters and this will work as it did to EW if Liv is a threat to hit the jumper and brings out the low post defender.

Great block by MM and in getting down the floor. She has some bounce! She looks a little hesitant on where she should go on offense. She got there but after a bit of hesitation. Not sure why Geno took her out with 2 minutes to go. That seemed a bit counter-productive to me. I liked what she did in the 5 minutes she played.