90 pts per game?

[ConnManFan]

The team is certainly capable of scoring 90 night, the team will shoot a high percentage and will create a lot of turnovers, but the team is too disciplined on defense for it to happen. If the team adopted a run n gun attitude, they could do it easy. The team will not however sacrifice on the defensive end to create more possessions. (this makes sense to me, but im not sure i got my point across)

 

[RockyMTblue2]

You do have to blood the young uns, so when you put them in the game you better let them eat. All I'm going to say. Yup.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Didn’t the Bird, Cash, Jones, Taurasi and Williams five start the season with 3 or 4 100 point games?

They were in the 90s the first 3 games. On Nov. 30, game 7, they hit 103 against Ball State. In late December, 101 v. Call State Northridge, early January 112 v. Pitt, and late Feb. 106 v. Providence.

 

[Zarathustra]

You do have to blood the young uns, so when you put them in the game you better let them eat. All I'm going to say. Yup.

If UCONN scores 75 ppg, and wins the NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP, I would be very happy!
Add Paige again being the National Player of the Year, and a repeat consensus ALL AMERICAN,
and, of course, the # 1 WNBA Draft Pick! Do I ask too much? Let me add a healthy and
productive year for AZZI, Carolyn, and Aubrey! Go EVERYBODY! Let the games begin!

 

[VA Huskie]

This thread is annually one of my favorite threads because it gets the cerebellum juices flowing. Each year I do a player-by-player average per game and it is always hard to keep this team under 90 points. This is because this exercise when done in a vacuum comes up with a scenario of what would happen in the best of the best worlds. It usually fails to take into consideration the intangibles like;
1. Which players will not be in the line-up due to injury, personal issues, or illness?

2. The flow of the game, if UConn is in a run-away early scenario...how soon does Geno empty his bench?

3. His stars may look for their shots more in a close game but look to get their teammates involved more in games that are not closely contended.

4. It also depends on the other team's strengths and weaknesses, for example, if a team is stronger under the basket then our guards will be counted on to contribute more; if the opposing team is weak under the basket then our guards will push the ball to the paint and our bigs will have great scoring games.

Other intangibles can impact the scoring in a game...but to go into those types of intangibles would only invite speculation and conjecture, so, I will stick to those listed here.

UConn this year has a lot of firepower and in a perfect world getting each of our players sufficient minutes is going to be a very difficult task for Geno this season. Player availability will create scenarios where Azzi is scheduled to come back and must be integrated in a timely and sensible way: Aubrey and Caroline will need similar attention if and when they return to the line-up. Young players may show offensive promise early but then have to become a third, fourth, or fifth option when veteran players return. Then there are slumps that players often go through before they find their offensive rhythm. Starting line-ups will change throughout the season, especially with a team as deep and talented as UConn that has many proven upperclassmen who will be making their way back into the line-up. Finally, there is the unpredictability of the new players and transfers and how fast they will adapt to UConn's offensive and defensive sets. With players like Jana El Alfy, Allie Ziebell, Kaitlyn Chen, Sarah Strong, Morgan Cheli, and Ayanna Patterson trying to find how and where they can contribute to this very talented team it makes predictability almost impossible.

We know for sure that we will have to return from last year: Paige Bueckers, KK Arnold, Ashlynn Shade, Ice Brady, and Qadence Samuels. That is five players out of 14. That makes 9 player variables that must be accounted for and correctly anticipated if one is to come to any kind of prediction as to what this year's version of the Huskies will average per game. It is a wonder that the preseason ratings have UConn as high as they do. I guess even the rating committees are taking into account the huge talent pool and potential firepower that this year's team has.

Okay here we go: To begin with we will certainly miss the 24.5 points per game that Liya and Nika took with them to the WNBA but, we have plenty of firepower on this year's roster.

1. Paige Bueckers - the new, take-no-prisoners mamba mentality that Paige claims she will bring to the table tells me we will see a much more offensively, more selfish version this season. I look for her to bring her previous season's average up from 21.9 points per game to 26 points. I am pretty confident that there will be some 30-plus-point games from Paige.

2. I think Ashlynn Shade is the kind of player that Geno loves. She gives 110 percent every game, makes very few mistakes, shares the ball, and can score in various ways...especially that pretty pull-up jumper that she has. She averaged 11 points per game last season and was third on the team. I expect to see that sophomore leap lead her to increase her scoring average to about 14 points per game.

3. I felt that KK was beginning to find her offensive rhythm in the second half of the season. She averaged 8.9 points per game. I would be happy to see KK lift her average to 11 points. I believe for the very talented KK that this is wholly achievable.

4. Qadence Samuels averaged 12.3 minutes per game and was able to average 5.0 points per game...there were moments when her three-point shot was falling that made you wonder what the up-side for this kid was. With all the players fighting for minutes this season I don't see Qadence getting that many more minutes than last season however, I think she will go to about 15 minutes per game and assuming her productivity per game goes up we may see her average go to about 7.0 points per game.

5. Finally, from our returning players we have Ice Brady. Ice is a big who could develop into quite a threat. She has good footwork around the basket, she has soft hands and she can defend. Ice averaged 17.4 minutes per game and 4.5 points per game. With our guards looking to be more offensive which will take the pressure off our bigs, and with Ice maybe getting closer to 20 minutes per game I think we will see Ice's average also increase to about 7 points per game.

These 5 returning players could collectively average 65 points per game. This is probably more easily achieved in the early part of the season before some of our injured players return to the line-up and some of our new players are worked into the line-up. As the season progresses and other players work themselves into the line-up I expect to see Samuel's, KK's and Ice's averages drop slightly. However, the following nine players will contribute to UConn who has the potential to be viewed as an offensive juggernaut.

6. The return of Azzi Fudd...who doesn't want to see that? The prospect of seeing Azzi and Paige on the floor together is the sort of thing that basketball fans dream of. Azzi and Paige have dreamed of this themselves and for some reason things just haven't worked out that way. But, it certainly looks like it is heading that way this season. Imagine both Azzi and Paige healthy playing together I think that is how magic is created. In her freshman year, Azzi averaged 12.5 points per game in her shortened (15 games) sophomore year she averaged 15.1 points per game. Now after missing most of last year, she will be back in what appears to be early December I expect her to be playing close to what we all expected her to be playing. I would say we would not be surprised to see her averaging 17 points per game.

7. No one knows when Aubrey Griffin will return to the game...but, who could forget her athleticism and her 9.5 points per game. It will not be necessary for her to average 9-10 points per game but who is going to stop a motivated Aubrey who wants to demonstrate that she can play at the next level? If she is back by January...there is no reason to believe that she won't average 7 points per game.

8. Caroline Ducharme to me is the saddest story on this year's team. She was something to watch during her freshmen year when she averaged 9.8 points per game and at times put the team on her back. I am only slightly optimistic that we will see Caroline play major minutes. I think her offensive contributions assuming she sees some limited time on the floor to be only 4 to 5 points per game.

9. Ayanna Patterson is another enigma to me. She did not deliver in a demonstrative way during her freshman outing. Then she got hurt and now she seems to have been set back by yet another injury (shoulder). She averaged 2.2 points per game in her freshman year. She is still totally unproven and it is only fair to attribute to her 2.0 per game should she return and play some minutes during the 2024-24 season.

Now that we have discussed the returning injured players we should add up their collective offensive output keeping in mind that some may return earlier than others and some may not return at all. These 4 players if they return to the line-up could potentially add 30.2 points to the Husky's offensive output per game. As we can see we are already getting into trouble because we are reaching an offensive output that is unrealistic. We are currently at 65 plus 30.2 or 95.2 points per game and we haven't included the expected offensive output from the incoming transfers and freshmen.

10. Kaitlyn Chen will undoubtedly be a starter and she was a shoot-first point guard at Fairfield University. Kaitlyn averaged 15.8 points and 4.9 assists during her senior year at Fairfield U. It is hard to replace Nika's defensive tenacity and her 6.9 points and 6.5 assists but with Kaitlyn, we have come pretty close. Kaitlyn will not have a shortage of scorers to feed the ball to and there will be plenty of opportunities for her to score. We will not need Kaitlyn to score 15 points per game, but giving us 10 points per game is not unrealistic.

11. Jana El Alfy is virtually an unknown. She is a sort of X factor...coaches who have watched her play on the international stage have stated that she was the best player on the floor. What if she brings that same game to UConn? There is no reason to think that she won't she is chomping at the bit to prove that she belongs here. She has size, agility, and the ability to score. All I can say is wow! How many points will she bring to the table per game...5, 10, 15?

12. Sarah Strong is the number one player from her class. Geno says she continues to surprise him in every way, every day. He says that she is the best freshman that has been in Storrs in a long time. This is a double WOW!... She has to play, she has to play meaningful minutes...how do you keep her under double-digit scoring? Her high school opponents couldn't do it. Her international opponents couldn't do it. How many points does she average...?

13. Morgan Cheli is a versatile big guard who averaged double figures in high school and was a highly sought-after recruit. Will they bring her along slowly or will she earn minutes on this very talented team? She is very capable of contributing on the offensive end.

14. Allie Zeibell - is a sharpshooter in the same vein as Azzi Fudd... You can't stop a shooter from scoring. She is another who will contribute to the offensive output of this team...

These last five players are capable of playing and giving many Division One teams a competitive game...it is difficult to see these players going o'fer and not contributing to the 95.2 points per game already predicted in the above 9 players. The question shouldn't be how is this team going to average 90 points but rather it should be how to keep a team like this from scoring 100 points. The drop-off is minimal as you move down the lineup. If people aren't excited about this team they better get on board. Remember we haven't even discussed how if this team rises to Geno expectations defensively...how many points will be created from their defense? Do I sound excited you bet I am?

Great analysis! Of course, I’m sure you know that Chen went to Princeton - not Fairfield. Just a preseason “brain fart”. I’m sure you’ll do better once the games begin

 

[Cuango]

Just win #12! The rest is just noise. I don’t care about any of the rest, except for health, of course! I’m sure Paige et al would all be happy scoring ten points under their career averages if they could just win that title! Of course, we know that‘s not going to happen but I’m pretty sure that’s how they feel. . “Just win, Baby!”

 

[RockyMTblue2]

If UCONN scores 75 ppg, and wins the NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP, I would be very happy!
Add Paige again being the National Player of the Year, and a repeat consensus ALL AMERICAN,
and, of course, the # 1 WNBA Draft Pick! Do I ask too much? Let me add a healthy and
productive year for AZZI, Carolyn, and Aubrey! Go EVERYBODY! Let the games begin!

I wouldn't count on 75 winning the Natie. And that only play 6 in the NCAAs is maybe a necessity, but I'd want 9 ready to go. Hence blooding the kiddies.

 

[Stagnant]

They could get 90 PPG. I really think the big east is going to be bad this year. And they will be able to pick their score in those games.

 

[Bigboote]

What does everyone think: can the team get 8 more possession on average?

That's equivalent to going from 40 seconds per trip up and down the floor to 34 seconds. That certainly happens in some games, but most UConn foes don't try to quicken the pace of the game.

 

[Zarathustra]

I wouldn't count on 75 winning the Natie. And that only play 6 in the NCAAs is maybe a necessity, but I'd want 9 ready to go. Hence blooding the kiddies.

What I meant was UCONN scoring 75 points per game for the regular season. The thread was
a discussion of " 90 points per game". The gist of what I was saying, somewhat poorly, was
that I really don't care how many points the team scores.... the only important Stat is winning the last
game of the season. I apologize for the confusion! "GO UCONN... score more than the other teams!"

 

[Vowelguy]

Will Paige & Co score 90 points/game this season? If so, where will it come from?

 

[Bone Dog]

Is Judge Judy being recruited?

 

[DefenseBB]

Ok, ignoring my knee jerk reaction of this author is off his rocker, I did an analytic approach of looking at the statistics of the leading scoring teams for the last 12 years and UConn's scoring during the years they didn't lead it.

In the past 12 years (back to 2012-13 season) exactly 3 teams have averaged more than 90 points per game during the season:

• 2014 Oregon 93.2 with 81.5 Field Goals attempted and 22 3 pt attempts with 10.7 steals
• 2021 Maryland 90.8, 67.6 FGA, 20.4 3GA, 9 steals
• 2024 Iowa 91.0 65.5 FGA, 29 3GA, 7.4 steals
• Only 91 teams in 12 years have averaged more than 80 points per game (UConn 7 times with a high of 89.0 in 2015

While not impossible it is highly, highly improbable. The last 3 years, UConn has averaged only 74.47 points per game. This is a key concern as our league, the Big East, will slow down the pace to use every bit of the shot clock and slow the UConn tempo down as they don't have the same athletes we do.
During our last 4 years in the BE, we averaged
77.8 pts 60.7 FGA and 18.9 3ptA

In the 8 years before we averaged
84.9, 63.4 and 21.0 3 PtA

As UConn has NEVER averaged 90 points per game for a season and with a league that is notorious for milking the shot clock, I am pretty confident we will be hard pressed to break 80 points per game.

Items to consider are possessions per game, shot attempts, ability to make those shots and strong offensive rebounding plus steals to get easy transition baskets. Temper the over exuberance on what you THINK the skill set of the team is with the past 4 years of the reality.

 

[UcMiami]

Averaging 90 points a game - Uconn has done it once, in 1998-99 - the first year of the TASSK force at 91.2 points. That was also before the BE got really good, and while Uconn was playing some quite questionable OOC games against the likes of Holy Cross. They were bringing Swin, Tamika, and Asjha (freshmen) off the bench, while Shea and Sveta were the stars.

They had a run at it in 1994-5 (89.5), and 1999-2000 (86.1), 2000-01 (86.7) and 2001-02 (87.0).

And they had a stretch in their AAC days in the years from 2014-15 through 2017-18 ranging from 87.1-89.4.

The last of the top 10 was Maya's sophomore year at 83.9.

It is not just the speed of games, but also the quality the the reserves that inevitably play large portions of the fourth quarter in blow-outs. This year we have enough talent (though young) off the bench that we should be able to keep the score ticking over. But Geno is much more likely to also slow the offense these days to work the half court offensive sets with the reserves than he used to.

 

[Skeets]

Look, a heck of a lot of respective posters put a of time in this, but here's my (often mistaken) opinion. Geno has the fire power to approach 100 in every BE game. But will he? Why? Where is the margin in that? More likely he'll empty his bench early, and then run the clock late. Do you really think Geno wants to embarrass the BE? That doesn't help jack...

 

[uconnfan68]

Will Paige & Co score 90 points/game this season? If so, where will it come from?

In the Paige era, which really only consists of 2 season so far, the girls have only managed 80+ twice:

• 82 points (20-21)
• 80 points (23-24).

The other two seasons, with Paige mainly riding the rehab bench (sigh), they scored

• 74 points (21-22)
• 76 points (22-23)

Geno's teams have won NCs without breaking the 80 point barrier, so this isn't necessarily a prerequisite. In fact, the team has only broken the 90 point barrier once (98-99), and this was not an NC year. But some of the strongest teams flirted with 90 points, like the last two Stewie teams, 89 points (14-15) and 88 points (15-16). And the NC team featuring Rebecca scored 89.5 points (94-95). In other words, Geno's teams can win it all with defense or offense, and sometimes both.

But if this team is truly special, as I believe, led by one of the most special players in the game right now, I wonder if they can break the 90 point barrier and win an NC. What would it take, and from whom? Paige averaged 22 points/game last season. It may not be unreasonable to think once Azzi returns, that she'll average something similar. And we know Ash can fill it up, as can Kaitlyn. One question mark is Caroline -- if she can truly return, it's not unreasonable to expect 10-12 points from her. The same for Aubrey. The other question marks are Ice Jana and Sarah. Once unleashed on opponents in her more natural position at PF, can Ice get 12 points in 20 mins? And if Jana can stay in games, can she manage 12 points? And finally Sarah, who I think is good for 14 points.

These are all optimistic numbers. But even if no one but Paige scores 20, the rest of an 8 player rotation only needs to average 9 points to get close to 90, which seems conservative to me. And that's not counting the wild cards like Allie and Qadence. I expect any of these players can go off for 20+ in any given game. For one thing, the team shot 36% from 3, and while they lose Nika's 40% effort, they get back Azzi and add the newcomer Allie, who looks to be capable of lighting it up from behind the arc. They averaged 17 attempts/g last season and made 6. Just up those numbers slightly to 20 attempts and 7.5 makes (or a conservative 37.5%) and that could make a significant difference, especially in opening up the paint for Jana and Ice.

We've all mused this summer on the plethora of sharpshooters Geno has on the roster. If those dreams come true, it would look something like this. And I think it would be a fitting signature for Paige to put on her final season, to win an NC and lead the team to a new scoring mark.

Like Dean Smith holding down Jordan, Geno will hold down his team so as not to embarrass opponents he respects.

 

[cferraro04]

Great analysis! Of course, I’m sure you know that Chen went to Princeton - not Fairfield. Just a preseason “brain fart”. I’m sure you’ll do better once the games begin

Oops, lol I guess it is obvious that I have not accepted the fact that we only had Lou Senechal Lopez for one season. You are right, however, I am not in mid-season game shape yet lol