doggydaddy
Grampysorus Rex
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Well, this seems like a good game to start my attempt at analyzing selective games. The tough part is how early in the season. At least for Stanford, I can get an idea on their rotation based on the fact they played two decent opponents in Texas and BYU. And I have a feel for what Geno will do, so I’ll use that experience in writing this analysis.
You can look at this in a simplistic way. In players that will see some time Monday:
UConn loses Moore AND DIXON, gains Doty, Lewis, Banks and Stokes.
Stanford loses Pohlen, Pederson, gains Orrange, Greenfield, and maybe Samuelson (hasn't played much yet).
As great as Moore was for UConn last year, I think based on whom they gained, UConn should be the more improved team. We have seen enough of the freshman to know their potential. I did get to see the Texas game and I love how Greenfield plays. And Orrange had a great 1st game but a weak second game. Typical ups and downs for freshman. And don't underestimate the leadership void of Pohlen and Pederson.
So, I’ll jump into the position by position comparison, including the bench and coaching staff.
PG – Doty (5’10) vs Kokenis (5’11”). Too early to use this years stats. UConn doesn’t even have them up. This will really be the first time Kokenis faces UConn as she only played 7 minutes last year. The reality is that these two are very similar players. Kokenis hasn’t seen the defense she will see on Monday. Way too much speed for her. And Caroline’s fire and experience give UConn the advantage.
SG – Hartley (5’7”, errr, 5’9) vs LaRoque (5’8). Harley has had an uneven start, but she can do it all from the guard position. Shooting great so far and shot great last year, so she is just continuing her improvement. LaRoque is a weak link. Not particularly quick, Hartley will have her way with her, unless Stanford covers her with Kokenis. That won’t work either. HUGE advantage UConn.
C – Dolson (6’5”) vs N. Ogumike (6’2”) Probably the most intriguing matchup of the game. N.O. is just a flat out star. She can dominate the game from the foul line in. The question is will her quickness allow her to successfully cover Dolson. Dolson will need a lot of help covering N.O. for sure. Got to give the advantage to Stanford here, but we all could be surprised/happy on how effective Dolson is in this game.
PF – Faris (5’11”) vs C. Ogumike (6’3”). Oh boy. Very tough matchup for Kelly. C.O. is just an awesome player. Kelly will have to be at her best in blocking out. But expect LOTS of putbacks for C.O. Really looking forward to see how Faris deals with this. Advantage Stanford on this one.
SF – Hayes (5’10) vs Greenfield (6’3”). Greenfield will struggle staying in front of Hayes. And she is a freshman on a big stage for the first time. This is a great opportunity for Hayes to show everyone that she can play in the big game. Gotta give this one to Tiff. Advantage Uconn.
Bench – Stokes (6’3”), Lewis (6’), Banks (5’9), Buck (6’3”) vs Orrange (5’8”), Tinkle (6’3”) and Boothe (6’5”). Based on minutes of the first two games, I wouldn’t include any of the other Stanford players. 1 or 2 minutes each for those. While I liked how Orrange looked in the Texas game, she was not very good in the 2nd game. Tinkle and Boothe are too slow to contribute that much. Lewis is a star in the making if not already there. Her talent is off the charts. Banks is similar to Orrange in being a speedy type guard. That might be a fun matchup. And Uconn’s bench bigs will do well against the Stanford bench bigs. Advantage UConn.
Coaching staff. – Two HOFers. Tough to pick an advantage here. But I think Geno is just a little bit better coach. Slight advantage UConn.
Intangibles – Home court here will be worth at least 5 points this year. Stanford’s backcourt will struggle mightily with the speed of Uconn and the loud crowd will just make it worse. And with many players remembering last years loss, revenge is always a good motivator.
So, in summary, I would give UConn the edge. I think if they can do a solid job on the boards, UConn will win by double digits. Stanford can keep it close with a great offensive rebounding effort. They certainly are capable of that. UConn is a MUCH better shooting team, especially from deep. If they are hot, look out. UConn runs away with it at the end.
GO HUSKIES!!!!!
You can look at this in a simplistic way. In players that will see some time Monday:
UConn loses Moore AND DIXON, gains Doty, Lewis, Banks and Stokes.
Stanford loses Pohlen, Pederson, gains Orrange, Greenfield, and maybe Samuelson (hasn't played much yet).
As great as Moore was for UConn last year, I think based on whom they gained, UConn should be the more improved team. We have seen enough of the freshman to know their potential. I did get to see the Texas game and I love how Greenfield plays. And Orrange had a great 1st game but a weak second game. Typical ups and downs for freshman. And don't underestimate the leadership void of Pohlen and Pederson.
So, I’ll jump into the position by position comparison, including the bench and coaching staff.
PG – Doty (5’10) vs Kokenis (5’11”). Too early to use this years stats. UConn doesn’t even have them up. This will really be the first time Kokenis faces UConn as she only played 7 minutes last year. The reality is that these two are very similar players. Kokenis hasn’t seen the defense she will see on Monday. Way too much speed for her. And Caroline’s fire and experience give UConn the advantage.
SG – Hartley (5’7”, errr, 5’9) vs LaRoque (5’8). Harley has had an uneven start, but she can do it all from the guard position. Shooting great so far and shot great last year, so she is just continuing her improvement. LaRoque is a weak link. Not particularly quick, Hartley will have her way with her, unless Stanford covers her with Kokenis. That won’t work either. HUGE advantage UConn.
C – Dolson (6’5”) vs N. Ogumike (6’2”) Probably the most intriguing matchup of the game. N.O. is just a flat out star. She can dominate the game from the foul line in. The question is will her quickness allow her to successfully cover Dolson. Dolson will need a lot of help covering N.O. for sure. Got to give the advantage to Stanford here, but we all could be surprised/happy on how effective Dolson is in this game.
PF – Faris (5’11”) vs C. Ogumike (6’3”). Oh boy. Very tough matchup for Kelly. C.O. is just an awesome player. Kelly will have to be at her best in blocking out. But expect LOTS of putbacks for C.O. Really looking forward to see how Faris deals with this. Advantage Stanford on this one.
SF – Hayes (5’10) vs Greenfield (6’3”). Greenfield will struggle staying in front of Hayes. And she is a freshman on a big stage for the first time. This is a great opportunity for Hayes to show everyone that she can play in the big game. Gotta give this one to Tiff. Advantage Uconn.
Bench – Stokes (6’3”), Lewis (6’), Banks (5’9), Buck (6’3”) vs Orrange (5’8”), Tinkle (6’3”) and Boothe (6’5”). Based on minutes of the first two games, I wouldn’t include any of the other Stanford players. 1 or 2 minutes each for those. While I liked how Orrange looked in the Texas game, she was not very good in the 2nd game. Tinkle and Boothe are too slow to contribute that much. Lewis is a star in the making if not already there. Her talent is off the charts. Banks is similar to Orrange in being a speedy type guard. That might be a fun matchup. And Uconn’s bench bigs will do well against the Stanford bench bigs. Advantage UConn.
Coaching staff. – Two HOFers. Tough to pick an advantage here. But I think Geno is just a little bit better coach. Slight advantage UConn.
Intangibles – Home court here will be worth at least 5 points this year. Stanford’s backcourt will struggle mightily with the speed of Uconn and the loud crowd will just make it worse. And with many players remembering last years loss, revenge is always a good motivator.
So, in summary, I would give UConn the edge. I think if they can do a solid job on the boards, UConn will win by double digits. Stanford can keep it close with a great offensive rebounding effort. They certainly are capable of that. UConn is a MUCH better shooting team, especially from deep. If they are hot, look out. UConn runs away with it at the end.
GO HUSKIES!!!!!
