UConn-Cincinnati Game Preview

UConn (12-0, 0-0) vs Cincinnati (7-4, 0-0 AAC)
Sunday, December 29, 2013, 5:00 pm
Gampel Pavilion, Storrs CT
Boradcasted on ESPN

Probable Starters

UConn Huskies

#4 Moriah Jefferson	5-7 G, So	10.6 pts	5.0 asst	2.7 reb
#14 Bria Hartley	5-10 G, Sr	14.6 pts	5.2 asst	4.2 reb
#23 Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis	6-0 F, Jr	13.0 pts	0.3 asst	3.0 reb
#30 Breanna Stewart	6-4 F, So	19.3 pts	3.0 asst	7.7 reb
#31 Stefanie Dolson	6-5 C, Sr	13.9 pts	4.1 asst	10.0 reb

Other Key Players

#3 Morgan Tuck	6-2 F, So	7.3 pts	1.5 asst	2.0 reb
#13 Brianna Banks	5-9 G, Jr	5.9 pts	1.8 asst	3.2 reb
#41 Kiah Stokes	6-3 C, Jr	6.7 pts	0.7 asst	8.2 reb
#12 Saniya Chong	5-8 G, Fr	6.8 pts	1.8 asst	2.3 reb

Cincinnati Bearcats

#10 Kayla Cook	5-10 G, Sr	7.2 pts	1.6 asst	3.0 reb
#31 Dayeesha Hollins	5-6 G, RSr	14.1 pts	3.2 asst	3.3 reb
#12 Alyesha Lovettr	6-0 G, Jr	9.0 pts	2.0 asst	4.7 reb
#33 Jeanise Randolph	6-2 F, Sr	12.2 pts	0.6 asst	7.8 reb
#32 Shelbi Chandler	6-3 F, So	1.6 pts	0.5 asst	1.6 reb

Other Key Players

#22 Bianca Quisenberry	5-8 G, Fr	5.0 pts	2.3 asst	5.1 reb
#15 Alexis Durley	5-8 G, So	4.7 pts	4.7 asst	1.7 reb
#35 Marley Hill	6-2 F, Fr	4.6 pts	0.3 asst	2.5 reb

Overview
The Huskies open conference play against former Husky assistant Jamelle Elliott’s Cincinnati Bearcats. Coach Geno Auriemma has said many times that winning the league is extremely important and he’ll no doubt do all he can to ensure this victory…and yet, you get the feeling that Geno would rather not annihilate the competition this time around.

The Bearcats will help him out there. For years, Cincinnati has struggled to beat “name” teams but this year, Jamelle’s team got over the hump, defeating Ohio State 64-49, a win made sweeter by the fact that the Buckeyes defeated Cincy 87-49 last season. As a result of that win, senior forward Jeanise Randolph was named the AAC Player of the Week and the USBWA Ann Meyers National Player of the Week, a feat matched only by UConn’s Breanna Stewart.

Randolph isn’t the only improved player for the Bearcats. Preseason All-AAC player Dayeesha Hollins has long been the star for her team, leading Cincy in scoring, three pointers, free throws, assists, and steals last season (no word on whether or not she drove the bus, too) but this year, she has some help. Randolph’s improved performance has taken some pressure off of Hollins as has the promising play of freshman guard Bianca Quisenberry. Another promising youngster is freshman forward Marley Hill, who has started in prior games and may start in this one although Coach Elliott may feel the first year player might be intimidated in her first game against the Huskies.

Scoring (62.9 pts per game) is up over the same number of games last season (57.2 ppg) but more importantly, six different players have led the Bearcats in scoring since the season started as opposed to only three at this point last year. Clearly, Cincinnati is moving in the right direction, but will that be enough against the Huskies?

The Mountain
Cincinnati may have gotten over the hump with Ohio State but UConn towers over both teams like Mount Everest. Any glimmer of hope that the Huskies might be vulnerable this year was firmly squashed when a short-handed UConn team breezed through the most challenging part of its schedule without missing a beat, now standing at 12-0 with a very realistic chance of going undefeated through the regular season.

Randolph is a much better player than she was last year but now she will have to score against UConn superstar Breanna Stewart. Likewise, Hollins will have to score while being defended by Bria Hartley, who seems determined to prove that deserves to be back on the All-American lists (and doing a fine job of it, I might add).

Scoring is only half the problem, though. One of the reasons many teams start out like a house on fire against UConn only to fade late in the game is that opponents need to defend the Huskies, too, a very tall task. UConn’s ball movement makes defenders move constantly and this year’s sweet inside-out game has players, forwards especially, running around in circles, tiring out the big girls and opening up opportunities in the paint. Randolph, Hill, and Shelbi Chandler could be in for a fatiguing evening.

I would like to point out that anyone that doesn’t see Stefanie Dolson’s contributions to this team should zero in on UConn’s passing for a few plays. When Dolson gets the ball on the perimeter she can 1. pass the ball, 2. drive into the lane, or 3. shoot. Everyone knows Stef can shoot from the arc (or just inside) and that she’s fully capable of driving to the basket but it’s her ability run the give-and-go or to see the open player for an assist that makes her especially deadly. It’s an unusual skill for forward/centers that seems to catch some coaches off guard. Most UConn half court plays are successful when Stef touches the ball.

Anywho, back to Cincinnati. Despite the improved scoring this season, this is not a great shooting team. Cincinnati had a chance to topple Florida State earlier in the year, falling short by only 5 points, and it was a poor shooting day that did it in. Many of the Bearcats’ wins have come through improved defense as they have allowed only 37% field goal percentage this year. Their one common opponent, Ohio State, shot 33% vs Cincinnati and 30.7% against UConn.

Unfortunately, turnovers are also an issue for Cincy. In order for the Bearcats to have a good chance against the Huskies, they’re going to have to hold on to the ball, something easier said than done

Bottom Line
Cincinnati is an improved team and recent wins and near losses will certainly give the Bearcats confidence. When teams are roughly equal in coaching and talent, it’s often just a matter of confidence for the winning team. Cincinnati is also loaded with upperclassmen that have played not only UConn but Notre Dame, and Louisville, along with other ranked teams so they won’t be intimidated. But, talent is not equal here and as long as the Huskies aren’t overlooking the Bearcats they should win comfortably.

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