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Post by bulkey on Jan 22, 2021 9:06:45 GMT -5
At some point, Kellie probably thought: if Evina hadn't transferred, we win.
For all Tenn's length, they barely outrebounded UConn. I didn't see a breakdown by quarters/halves, but I suspect throwing a zone in the 2nd half helped a lot.
How's Paige's ankle? Will she have to sit or at least play less for a couple of games? Realistically, the next competitive game isn't for a week (Arkansas), and meanwhile, it might be interesting to see how Geno adjusts, if that's necessary.
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Post by semper on Jan 22, 2021 9:30:07 GMT -5
Hope we get an official report on it...
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Post by doggydaddy on Jan 22, 2021 9:33:08 GMT -5
Hope we get an official report on it... Working on it!!
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Post by chicagogg on Jan 22, 2021 9:46:55 GMT -5
Hope we get an official report on it... Working on it!! One of the MANY reasons we love you, DD!
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Post by rockymtblue2 on Jan 22, 2021 9:58:44 GMT -5
I don't consider that game a victory. Was the team too tight? The shooting sure seggests that. Got some groing to do if we are to go deep in the tourney.
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Post by UConnChapette on Jan 22, 2021 10:28:27 GMT -5
I don't consider that game a victory. Was the team too tight? The shooting sure seggests that. Got some groing to do if we are to go deep in the tourney. No doubt. With only 8 games so far this season, the opportunities for growth have been limited. I think in a normal season, the growth would have been noticeable at this point. This is a season with a lot of uncertainty. I am just grateful to have games to watch. We don't even know if there will be a tournament at this point. I am taking it day by day, hoping for the best, but keeping my expectations realistic.
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Post by pinotbear on Jan 22, 2021 10:29:05 GMT -5
I don't consider that game a victory. Was the team too tight? The shooting sure seggests that. Got some groing to do if we are to go deep in the tourney. Well, the scoreboard says it was a victory, so, who am I to argue? Perspective-check time, I think. First "big game", very young team, national TV, on the road, only the second game in 12 days... and, sometimes, you just have a stinky shooting night. Variously attributed, often to Gertrude Stein, "sometimes a rose is just a rose". You don't need to read layers of meaning into it: it is what it is, to use another hackneyed quote. We forgot, too often, that this is a college basketball team, much less an extraordinarily young one. I worked for many years on college campuses. Got a news flash for ya - 18 to 21 year-olds are very human, inconsistent and variable. Reliability is the exception and the aspiration, not the rule, which is why we treasure it so much. It's unrealistic to expect that of them. How many professional teams throw up a stinker, now and then? (Answer: all of them). Treading very, very lightly, how many times over our lifetimes have we seen political or business leaders, esteemed public figures, "throw up a stinker"? Too often, we seem to expect a level of perfection and performance out of the UConn Women's basketball team that we wouldn't find almost anywhere else in our lives - much less from folks too young to rent a car, buy a drink or get a loan from a bank. To me, what really mattered - more than the win, more than the poor shooting - was that they did not fold. Having a really off-night offensively, playing a physically imposing team, big stage, trailing for the first time all season going into the 4th - they did not fold. They gutted out the game, collecting a tough win. That's a good bit of growing up.
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Post by rockymtblue2 on Jan 22, 2021 10:45:13 GMT -5
pinotbear you surprised me there. Something else surprised me last night. Geno let Paige go back out there and she rewarded him big time. Special relationship being fostered there. Evina is the presser: I knew it was going in as soon as it left her hand. The whole team knew.
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Post by bulkey on Jan 22, 2021 11:04:04 GMT -5
It was a great game last night. Tenn showed real improvement, and I'm remembering that we debated Kellie's hiring. At the time some of us thought it would blow up and some of us thought it was a great move. So far, looking like it might have been the right move. For UConn, it was the first real test...and they passed. Don't think of it as a graded exam. Think of it as pass/fail.
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Post by msf22b on Jan 22, 2021 11:25:10 GMT -5
Thoughts
-One poster on the other board reminded us that our team is young....interesting, until the last 3 ball heroics by Paige it was the "old lady" and the junior that kept us alive.
-Liv's struggles reminded me of the game in which Geno proclaimed that he had no center...I believe she has the talent to overcome a game in which she was rendered pretty ineffective...And I think (and hope) that she will have a "Tina" moment and find a way(s) to increase her aggression, improve skills and effectiveness.
- This seemed (at least in the first half) to be a pretty poorly coached team; shot selection, defensive alignments, rotation discipline, composure...very unusual for a Geno coached team...and yet coach has hinted as much...that they don't listen to him (or at least don't take in what he says), that they aren't very good defensively...it was all on display Throughout the proceedings, our grownups kept us in the game, led the way until team discipline and composure returned...until they mistakenly tried to run out the clock and more heroics were required.
- But I remain optimistic: I think what the team most learned is...coach knows, might be better to grasp all he is trying to convey. On our own, one on one, with all our skills, its not worth (too) much. Talent can get you pretty far...Team coherence is the extra mile.
And we have a talented, long, 3-point bomber (among other things) to be soon added to the mix...should be interesting
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Post by bulkey on Jan 22, 2021 11:55:49 GMT -5
Interesting discussion here: www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/30756086/uconn-paige-bueckers-etches-name-uconn-tennessee-loreVoepel: I think this is a legitimate worry, and not just Auriemma being nitpicky because he wants perfection. He said Monday that he's usually big on aesthetics, that he always wants his teams to look a certain way in regard to style of play and execution. But not this season.
"I'm probably at a point now where I really don't care how we look," he said. "I just want us to play a game and win that game. This idea of 'Yeah, we look like we're a really good team?' Nope."As Al Davis famously said, "Just win, baby."
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Post by davidinnaples on Jan 22, 2021 12:22:15 GMT -5
I don't consider that game a victory. Was the team too tight? The shooting sure seggests that. Got some groing to do if we are to go deep in the tourney. Respectfully disagree, it was a great victory for a very young team. See Doggy Daddy's blog tonight for details...
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Post by chicagogg on Jan 22, 2021 12:27:59 GMT -5
Interesting discussion here: www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/30756086/uconn-paige-bueckers-etches-name-uconn-tennessee-loreVoepel: I think this is a legitimate worry, and not just Auriemma being nitpicky because he wants perfection. He said Monday that he's usually big on aesthetics, that he always wants his teams to look a certain way in regard to style of play and execution. But not this season.
"I'm probably at a point now where I really don't care how we look," he said. "I just want us to play a game and win that game. This idea of 'Yeah, we look like we're a really good team?' Nope."As Al Davis famously said, "Just win, baby." I rarely say this about an ESPN article, but Voepel, Maine and Creme make a lot of valid points. Thanks for sharing, Bulkey!
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Post by chicagogg on Jan 22, 2021 12:28:51 GMT -5
Thoughts -One poster on the other board reminded us that our team is young....interesting, until the last 3 ball heroics by Paige it was the "old lady" and the junior that kept us alive. -Liv's struggles reminded me of the game in which Geno proclaimed that he had no center...I believe she has the talent to overcome a game in which she was rendered pretty ineffective...And I think (and hope) that she will have a "Tina" moment and find a way(s) to increase her aggression, improve skills and effectiveness. - This seemed (at least in the first half) to be a pretty poorly coached team; shot selection, defensive alignments, rotation discipline, composure...very unusual for a Geno coached team...and yet coach has hinted as much...that they don't listen to him (or at least don't take in what he says), that they aren't very good defensively...it was all on display Throughout the proceedings, our grownups kept us in the game, led the way until team discipline and composure returned...until they mistakenly tried to run out the clock and more heroics were required. - But I remain optimistic: I think what the team most learned is...coach knows, might be better to grasp all he is trying to convey. On our own, one on one, with all our skills, its not worth (too) much. Talent can get you pretty far...Team coherence is the extra mile. And we have a talented, long, 3-point bomber (among other things) to be soon added to the mix...should be interesting Still have that bee in your bonnet about Geno, I see.
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Post by rockymtblue2 on Jan 22, 2021 15:44:26 GMT -5
It amazes me how quickly Paige can be outside and then inside for a rebound in traffic. She had at least a couple of those last night.
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Post by swash on Jan 22, 2021 16:54:17 GMT -5
Interesting discussion here: www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/30756086/uconn-paige-bueckers-etches-name-uconn-tennessee-loreVoepel: I think this is a legitimate worry, and not just Auriemma being nitpicky because he wants perfection. He said Monday that he's usually big on aesthetics, that he always wants his teams to look a certain way in regard to style of play and execution. But not this season.
"I'm probably at a point now where I really don't care how we look," he said. "I just want us to play a game and win that game. This idea of 'Yeah, we look like we're a really good team?' Nope."As Al Davis famously said, "Just win, baby." Lots of lofty words for the team, and for Paige in that piece
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Post by phil on Jan 23, 2021 8:49:23 GMT -5
It amazes me how quickly Paige can be outside and then inside for a rebound in traffic. She had at least a couple of those last night. I agree. It's interesting to see how often the rebound seems to fall into her hands underneath, and I think it's her great court sense that sends her to the right place at the right time.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 23, 2021 10:06:15 GMT -5
I don't consider that game a victory. Was the team too tight? The shooting sure seggests that. Got some groing to do if we are to go deep in the tourney. Also getting out-rebounded early on and not boxing out??? Then not covering Rae Burrell out to the 3 point line for the entire first half was perplexing??? A couple of times Christyn left Burrell to 'help out' Olivia near the rim and Tennessee passed to Burrell who then hit a 3??? So Christyn played well in scoring 20 points, but she had a few baffling brain farts where she screwed up on defense? 6' 5" athletic Olivia can handle her assignment at the basket without 5' 11" Christyn's help......LOL???
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Post by vtcwbuff on Jan 23, 2021 10:08:53 GMT -5
Lots of folks on the orange board are crowing about how their defense limited UConn's scoring. To me it looked like UConn limited UConn's scoring. I rewatched the game last night and the only crappy shooting came from Bueckers and ONO (5 of 21) and in Bueckers case it had little to do with defense. She took 14 shots and made only three but it wasn't because of Tennessee's defense. Most of her shots were either uncontested or poorly defended. She simply had an off night. The rest of the team shot 50% including 40% from outside.
Tennessee's defense was awesome against UConn free throws.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 23, 2021 10:12:56 GMT -5
It was a great game last night. Tenn showed real improvement, and I'm remembering that we debated Kellie's hiring. At the time some of us thought it would blow up and some of us thought it was a great move. So far, looking like it might have been the right move. For UConn, it was the first real test...and they passed. Don't think of it as a graded exam. Think of it as pass/fail. The Lady Vols actually put in a very good effort and didn't quit the game early like during the Holly Warlick Coached tough games 2 years ago!! It takes a while to change a dysfunctional team culture and Kellie seems to have succeeded in doing that!
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Post by Deleted on Jan 23, 2021 10:19:04 GMT -5
It amazes me how quickly Paige can be outside and then inside for a rebound in traffic. She had at least a couple of those last night. I agree. It's interesting to see how often the rebound seems to fall into her hands underneath, and I think it's her great court sense that sends her to the right place at the right time. Paige often follows her shot and she has good instincts as to where the ball may go when either she or another player misses a shot! Sabrina Ionescu almost always followed her shots and she always rebounded well! Paige is really a complete player and plays good defense already as a young freshman!
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Post by semper on Jan 23, 2021 10:20:08 GMT -5
Yeah, that was what really surprised me (I have yet to sit and watch the whole game, though...book MS due!). Tenn was much better than I thought they would be. I guess KH is going to be fine. I was a naysayer, I admit. Geno was really worried about their height, as his presser revealed. We need another big quite badly and next year we are getting one. That will make a huge difference when we play the really tall teams. I had a reality check in this game; but my hopes for next year have become even brighter.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 23, 2021 10:27:37 GMT -5
It amazes me how quickly Paige can be outside and then inside for a rebound in traffic. She had at least a couple of those last night. Because; unlike some players, she doesn't just stand there admiring her shot and she follows it! Sabrina Ionescu played the same way, always following her shot and usually getting 6 - 8 rebounds a game! So you expend a little more energy, but you get more boards and contribute more to your team! BTW....nothing worse than a player launching 3 point bricks and just watching them ricochet off the rim?
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Post by Deleted on Jan 23, 2021 10:42:02 GMT -5
At some point, Kellie probably thought: if Evina hadn't transferred, we win. For all Tenn's length, they barely outrebounded UConn. I didn't see a breakdown by quarters/halves, but I suspect throwing a zone in the 2nd half helped a lot. How's Paige's ankle? Will she have to sit or at least play less for a couple of games? Realistically, the next competitive game isn't for a week (Arkansas), and meanwhile, it might be interesting to see how Geno adjusts, if that's necessary. She also probably mused: if we had Paige We'd have won this game! The rebounding stats by quarter are: 1st...TN 16 - UConn 9; 2nd...TN 8 - UConn 6; 3rd...TN 11 - UConn 8; 4th...UCONN 15 - TN 7!!! We only won the final quarter, but that was good enough for the win! Paige, Evina and Olivia had 10 of those 15 rebounds! stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=317552
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Post by bulkey on Jan 23, 2021 11:01:19 GMT -5
At some point, Kellie probably thought: if Evina hadn't transferred, we win. For all Tenn's length, they barely outrebounded UConn. I didn't see a breakdown by quarters/halves, but I suspect throwing a zone in the 2nd half helped a lot. How's Paige's ankle? Will she have to sit or at least play less for a couple of games? Realistically, the next competitive game isn't for a week (Arkansas), and meanwhile, it might be interesting to see how Geno adjusts, if that's necessary. She also probably mused: if we had Paige We'd have won this game! The rebounding stats by quarter are: 1st...TN 16 - UConn 9; 2nd...TN 8 - UConn 6; 3rd...TN 11 - UConn 8; 4th...UCONN 15 - TN 7!!! We only won the final quarter, but that was good enough for the win! Paige, Evina and Olivia had 10 of those 15 rebounds! stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=317552Thanks, Ken! So, the zone helped. But the interesting thing about the 4th period: was Aubrey on the bench with 4 fouls then? Was the Liv/Aaliyah combo more effective underneath? Can't really draw definite conclusions from one instance, but interesting....
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