UConn – Notre Dame Pregame Analysis
by doggydaddy
UConn / Notre Dame Final Four Semi-Final game
Sunday April 7th, 8:30
TV – ESPN
UConn – 33-4 overall, 14-2 conference
Notre Dame – 34-1 overall, 16-0 conference
CONNECTICUT
Probable Starters
G – Doty 5’10” SR (3.4 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 2.2 apg)
F – Stewart 6’4″ FR ( 13.1 ppg, 6.3 rpg, .9 apg)
G – Faris 5’11” SR (10.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 3.9 apg)
F – KML SO 6’ (17.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 2.4 apg)
C – Dolson 6’5” (13.8 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 3.0 apg)
Bench
G – Jefferson FR 5’7″ (4.8 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 1.8 apg)
G – Hartley 5’9” JR (9.0 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 3.7 apg)
F – Tuck FR 6’2” (6.5 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.4 apg)
C – Stokes SO 6’3″ (2.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg, .7 apg)
Coach – Geno Auriemma
NOTRE DAME
Starters
PG – Diggins 5’9” SR (17.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 6.0 apg)
SG – Loyd 5’10” FR (12.5 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 2.3 apg)
SF – McBride 5’11” JR (15.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.4 apg)
PF – Braker 6’2” JR (5.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.7 apg)
C – Achonwa 6’3” JR (13.9 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 2.3 apg)
Bench
Turner 5’8” SR (4.0 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 1.6 apg)
Wright 6’2” SO (4.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.0 apg)
Cable 5’11” SO (4.0 ppg, 3.1 rpg, .8 apg)
Mabrey 5’10” FR (3.1 ppg, 1.0 rpg, 1.3 apg)
Coach – Muffett McGraw
Team Stats – UConn listed first
Points PG – 82.2 81.6
Rebounds PG – 42.8 43.8
Assists PG – 20.5 19.6
TO/G – 14.0 15.3
Opp PPG – 49.1 58.6
FG % – 49.6 46.0
Opp FG% – 31.5 37.4
3pt % 37.4 34.1
Steals PG – 10.6 10.7
Block PG – 6.0 4.0
Meetings this year
Jan 5th ND 73 UConn 72
March 4th ND 96 UConn 87 3OT
March 12th ND 61 UConn 59
It would take up too much space to go into each game, so I won’t. I think we all know how close these were. UConn had every chance to win all of them but they didn’t and ND gets all the credit for taking advantage of their opportunities, whether they created them or UConn handed those chances to them.
NCAA results
UConn 103, Idaho 37
UConn 77, Vanderbilt 44
UConn 76, Maryland 50
UConn 83, Kentucky 53
Notre Dame 97, UT Martin 64
Notre Dame 74, Iowa 57
Notre Dame 93, Kansas 63
Notre Dame 87, Duke 76
Notre Dame
Notre Dame has played its usual methodical style in winning their 4 tourney games. They grind, they dominate the foul line, they pressure their opponents into mistakes and if a game is close they make the right plays at the right time.
Post play – Achonwa has played like a future AA. Averaging 13/11 for the tourney. Braker is a solid player having a good tourney. She does a lot of the “dirty” work with screens and boxouts. Who can forget her block on Stewart? Wright is the only size off the bench, but her minutes have been spotty at best.
Guard/Wing play – Maybe the best 3 players on a single team this year in Diggins, McBride and Loyd. Diggins, while she does get sloppy trying to do too much, has dominated the tournament. All three guards have had a game of 24+ points in the tourney. They are a very difficult matchup and its not just their offensive abilities. They pressure the ball, protect the passing lanes and are just all around pains in the butt. Uconn will have their hands full.
Bench play – In the game against Duke, the starters all played extended minutes with 32, 33, 37, 38 and 38 minutes. Diggins played only 32 minutes because of foul trouble. Without that, the bench would have been nonexistent. I’m not sure that will be the case against UConn. They will need the size of Wright off the bench.
Notre Dame is just a really really good team. They are well coached, in great shape, play tough defense and have a scoring offense. Sound familiar? There is a reason these games are close.
Connecticut
UConn has had its most dominating 4 game stretch of the season and against tourney teams. With convincing wins against Maryland and Kentucky, UConn is looking more and more like a championship team.
Post play – Dolson was clearly not at 100% but they were still able to dominate the post with Stewart and Tuck. Stewart looks to have figured it out. Her NCAA tourney stats on top of her BE tourney stats show that this is more than just a hot streak. Along with the improved play from Tuck, the post should be a big advantage for UConn. Stokes might see some time to help tire out Achonwa. Despite her injuries, Dolson has played hard when on the court. With 5 full days to improve, I don’t see much impact the injuries will have on her performance.
Guard/Wing play– KML has had an excellent tourney to date. She hasn’t shot as well from beyond the arc, but her overall game has been terrific. Faris has had a solid tourney to date. Her ball handling has been excellent although she did throw a few scratch your head passes. Hartley did an excellent job of handling the press against Kentucky and this bodes well against the tough pressure defense of ND. And to help the veteran guards is the rising star, Jefferson. She will be the quickest and fastest player on the court Sunday. Can she play within herself as she has so far in the tourney against the tough Diggins and her fellow freshman Loyd? If so, Uconn has a great chance to win this game.
Bench play – Uconn will play an eight player rotation with Hartley, Tuck and Jefferson coming off the bench. Stokes could see some brief minutes. Hartley is really a starter coming off the bench.
The true strength of this team is its defense. With the roaming help defense of Stewart and the quick hands of Jefferson, the two freshman had changed the dynamics of this team. Add in the BE defensive player of the year and the pressure and switching defenses and it’s obvious why UConn has dominated the tourney so far.
Final Analysis
This is the 4th and final installment of “as the ND/UConn game turns”. I have said that UConn would win each and every one of them. I won’t change that now. But there is good reason for confidence that UConn can win this game. They truly appear to be playing at a different level. One that many UConn fans thought they would play all all season. Stewart, Jefferson and Tuck are finally playing as their press clippings said they would. With Stewart playing like the most talented player on the court, Jefferson playing like the faster players in WCBB and Tuck using her prominent posterior to carve out position, UConn is not the same team that ND beat 3 times. Now, will they have their “Taurasi freshman moments” like DT had her freshman year in the Final Four? It’s certainly a possibility. All three? Doubtful.
Notre Dame is still the scariest team for UConn. You can never dismiss the mental hurdle that UConn has to overcome from the scars of the three prior games. Diggins just has the ability to find a way to make the best play at the right time. McBride has really been the UConn killer and UConn has to find a way to slow her down. I’m sure Geno is working on that right now.
It’s really hard to imagine UConn losing 4 times to a team. Especially in games that were so close. Will they hold on to a lead late in the game? They had that situation in all 3 games and failed. This time will be different. I like a 7 point UConn win in the usual tough battle.
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