UConn-Texas A&M Game Preview
by doggydaddy
#1 UConn vs Texas A&M
Monday, 9:30 pm
Television – ESPN, Radio – WTIC AM
Records UConn 37-0, Texas A&M 27-8
All time record – 2-0 UConn.
2011 – UConn 81 Texas A&M 51
2012 – UConn 81 Texas A&M 50
NCAA results to date
UConn 87, Prairie View A&M 44
UConn 91, Saint Joseph’s 52
UConn 70, BYU 51
Texas A&M, 70 North Dakota 55
Texas A&M, 85 James Madison 69
Texas A&M, 84 DePaul 65
Overview
UConn finally had a challenge, their first since struggling with Baylor. Both games were similar in that Uconn struggled to find their shooting touch. They certainly had enough open opportunities. They tightened up the defense, which fed the offense and were able to pull away from a game BYU team. BYU played a terrific game and you can tell a well-coached team when you see it. KML was the savior to date and carried UConn on her shoulders for much of this game. It’s clear UConn is only going to go 6 deep unless there is foul trouble or an overwhelming lead. It’s also clear the starters are capable of playing 35-40 minutes each and Geno is expecting that. It’s winning time.
Speaking of well-coached teams, Gary Blair is one heck of a coach. He is fun to watch on the sideline as well. His press conferences are like sitting on the porch with an old uncle telling stories. This year, his team has had its ups and downs. The battled tough in their effort to win the SEC regular season but late season losses to Vandy and Kentucky killed them. They played a great game against eventual SEC tourney winner Tennessee losing late in that game. They have been solid in the tourney to date with 3 double digit wins coming into this battle with UConn.
UConn Starting Lineup
| 14 G Bria Hartley | SR 5’9” | 31.6 mpg, 16.5 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 4.4 apg |
| 5 G Moriah Jefferson | SO 5’7” | 29.0 mpg, 10.1 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 4.9 apg |
| 30 F/C Breana Stewart | SO 6’4” | 29.9 mpg, 19.7 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 3.1 apg |
| 23 F Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis | JR 6′ | 27.9 mpg, 12.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.6 apg |
| 31 C Stefanie Dolson | SR 6’5” | 31.0 mpg, 12.4 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 3.4 apg |
UConn Bench
| 13 G Briana Banks | JR 5’9” | 15.8 mpg, 3.9 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 1.4 apg |
| 41 C/F Kia Stokes | JR 6’3” | 18.8 mpg, 4.5 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 0.9 apg |
| 12 G Sanyia Chong | FR 5’9” | 18.9 mpg, 5.2 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 1.7 apg |
Texas A&M Starting Lineup
| 33 G Courtney Walker | SO 5’8” | 33.5 mpg, 15.7 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.5 apg |
| 01 F/G Courney Williams | SO 6’1” | 28.8 mpg, 13.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.1 apg |
| 34 C Karla Gilbert | SR 6’5” | 27.7 mpg, 11.6 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 0.5 apg |
| 24 G Jordan Jones | SO 5’6” | 29.5 mpg, 7.0 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 7.4 apg |
| 35 F Achiri Ade | JR 6’1” | 24.7 mpg, 6.9 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 0.3 apg |
Texas A&M Bench
| 15 G Tori Scott | 5’10” JR | 17.2 mpg, 6.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 0.3 apg |
| 11 G Curtyce Knox | 5’7” RSFR | 14.2 mpg, 3.4 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 0.7 apg |
| 13 G Chelsea Jennings | 5’9” SO | 8.5 mpg, 2.2 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 2.1 apg |
| 32 G T. Scott-Williams | 6′ JR | 7.5 mpg, 2.1 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 0.6 apg |
| 23 G Rachel Mitchell | 6’7” SO | 7.3 mpg, 1.2 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 0.0 apg |
Team Stats
| UConn | Texas A&M | |
| Scoring Offense | 83.7 | 71.1 |
| Scoring Defense | 47.0 | 59.3 |
| Scoring Margin | 36.7 | 11.8 |
| Field Goal % | 49.7 | 45.4 |
| Field Goal % Defense | 30.1 | 36.4 |
| Free Throw % | 76.2 | 69.3 |
| Rebounds per game | 43.4 | 41.3 |
| Rebound Margin | 9.0 | 5.3 |
| 3pt FG Per Game | 7.0 | 2.3 |
| 3 point % | 33.8 | 30.5 |
| Assists Per Game | 21.0 | 16.4 |
| Blocked Shots Per Game | 8.9 | 4.9 |
| Steals Per Game | 10.3 | 7.8 |
| TO Per Game | 11.9 | 15.4 |
| Personal Fouls Per Game | 11.7 | 18.3 |
| Disqualifications | 2 | 12 |
| 3 pt FG Defense | 26.1 | 25.8 |
| Turnover Margin | 6.7 | .9 |
| Assist Turnover Ratio | 1.8 | 1.0 |
Game analysis
UConn
Can UConn shoot as poorly against A&M as it did against BYU? Of course. Is it likely? No. Their track record is what it is. But shooting is all about confidence. I think we saw that Stewart, as remarkable as she is, is still only a sophomore and can let a few missed shots mess with her head. But she showed she’s grown as a player by continuing to play great defense and blocking 4 shots. The story of the tourney so far for UConn, for me, is KML. What a Herculean on her part. Her size at the 3 spot is such a mismatch for teams and I believe it will be continue to be against A&M. Courtney Walker has the height but not the bulk to keep KML off the boards.
Hartley was impressive in the second half. Her leadership was evident. She took the ball hard to the basket time after time. Her shooting was off as much as Stewart and as hot as she has been, it was discouraging to see. I’m sure the team is looking at this as a one game slump. We will know more tomorrow night.
Jefferson had 1 assist against BYU? Hard to believe based on the season to date. I think it just shows how Hamson and the BYU defense took UConn out of their defensive flow once Connecticut struggled in shooting the 3 pointer. Against A&M, UConn will make a concerted effort to get the ball inside to Stewart to get her going and if she hits her first 3 pointer, look out. Again, the bench, other than Stokes, will see little time.
Texas A&M
A&M play two smaller guards that don’t shoot the 3 very often (the entire team takes around 7 a game). Not something that UConn sees very often. Every team lately seems to use the 3 as a weapon. No so in this game. With Hartley and Jefferson hounding them and UConn bigs guarding the basket, I think Walker and Jones will find little room to maneuver. In last year’s match-up, the freshman Walker had a terrific game with 20 points in playing 38 minutes an the Aggies will need that from her again. Jones saw very little minutes last year but this season has exploded onto the scene with 259 assists and only 108 TO’s for a remarkable 7.4 assist per game. It will be interesting to see how the UConn pressure defense impacts her ability to find her teammates.
UConn is very familiar with Gilbert and she is a solid presence in the middle. She played an uneventful 16 minutes last year against UConn. This year, at times, she was dominating the post but there were many times she just disappeared. Dolson is a really tough match-up for her. Their other main big, Ade is a JC transfer that is a very tough player. Her overall play reminds me some of Braker from ND and her ability to defend (either Stewart or KML) will be tested like never before.
Courtney Walker is a star. She is a dynamic player. I hope everyone gets to see her skills at full bore. It will be interesting to see how UConn defends her. KML? Stewart? She will get her points but I expect a lower shooting percentage and more shots to do it.
Final prediction
Well, I’m sure I was the blind squirrel finding an acorn with my last prediction, but it felt good to get one right. I just can’t see UConn shooting as poorly as they did against BYU. Gilbert is no Hamson defensively so I expect UConn’s advantage in size to give A&M a lot of problems. The Courtney’s are terrific, but UConn will handle them and the rest of the team to the tune of a 15-20 points.
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