ANALYSIS and COMMENTS - UConn vs Duke - Sweet Sixteen (Game 3 - NCAA Tournament)

[DEpup]

I didn't realize that they were a 14 seed...thought they were a 12. Like you said...it is even more stark based on how they played.

I feel like the committee just uses a formula for the 13-16 seeds based on the conference history and probably very little on the actual teams. I bet they watch very little film on those teams.... Jackson State had some good transfers from top programs and some size which most mid majors don't have. They probably should have been a 13 seed or at least higher in the 14 seeds.

 

[Rowdy831]

If Duke plays their usual game I think that UConn will win and most likely by more than the Syracuse game. Where I have a little fear in this game if Kara decides to roll the dice and play three taller players and a couple guards. Size is the one thing talent has a hard time overcoming when the talent is short.

I thought AE played average at best last weekend and I expect her to come out and have a great weekend. Paige will be what Paige is so it will come down to how the support staff does and I think this week Nika will need to score. Duke will let Paige get hers and attempt to stop Ash and limit AE which means they win if KK and Nika can't go off to some degree. If Duke goes big then Ice will play a major role and she will need to have the same confidence she did in the Big East Tournament.

The wildcard for me is I don't know how well Duke will handle the UConn pressure defense.

 

[cferraro04]

There was an article in December about Duke (and a few others)

The idea of a Knife Kid is simple: it’s a kid running around with a knife, dangerous and unpredictable. Entertaining at first glance, until you fully register that it’s a kid with a knife, liable to hurt themselves if left unattended and likely to hurt you when you try to intervene.

A Knife Kid team is just the same: entertaining, as long as you’re not the one that has to play them because that can end very badly! They’re the kind of team that runs a high NET without actually earning an at-large bid in March, as their highest highs are offset by bewildering lows. And the past couple of weeks have seen a lot of Knife Kid teams swinging wildly and hitting everything in sight. Try to make sense of them, I dare you.


I posted on here in the fall that I can see Duke missing the tournament or making the Sweet 16.

A few examples of my favorite mercurial team

Down 17 to Stanford in the first quarter. Had a shot to win the game on the last play in regulation, missed the shot and lost by 3 in OT.
Down 15 points to SCar midway through the 3rd quarter... tied the game with 7:43 left in the 4th quarter
Down 13-1 to VPI, won the game by 17
Beat a ranked FSU squad by 42 points... could have been a 50+ pt spread easily.
Trailed Wake Forest by 17 points in the 2nd quarter.. Duke won by 23 points.
Had 27 turnovers at Syracuse, still led the Orange by 20 points in the 4th quarter
Led NC State by 20 points in the 3rd quarter
Down to Richmond 9 points at the half... won by double digits.
Down to Ohio State by 16 in 2nd quarter, won by double digits.

Of course, after we gave SCar a battle, we got blown out by a trash arse Clemson Team
Numerous examples of having single digit scoring quarters.

That is an impressive list of come-back game victories from one team in one season. I think this game will come down to whether or not UConn's defense can contain Duke's scorers. If UConn can cause turnovers and prevent Duke players from being able to do what they are used to doing...then it could be a long day for the Blue Devils. I also think that Paige will continue to take 20-plus shots if UConn is to win this game.

 

[DefenseBB]

For UConn to proceed further both Aaliyah and Nika need to show senior leadership by eliminating dumb turnovers and dumb fouls, There is simply no excuse for these mental mistakes and given our short bench, it is even more imperative they exhibit better leadership qualities. We had 13 turnovers yesterday and AE and Nika accounted for 6 of them. While Nika did a great job yesterday at not committing fouls, tomorrow will be the ultimate test that we need to hope it is not a repeat of Syracuse.

Be smart ladies, play smart.

 

[YKCornelius]

For UConn to proceed further both Aaliyah and Nika need to show senior leadership by eliminating dumb turnovers and dumb fouls, There is simply no excuse for these mental mistakes and given our short bench, it is even more imperative they exhibit better leadership qualities. We had 13 turnovers yesterday and AE and Nika accounted for 6 of them. While Nika did a great job yesterday at not committing fouls, tomorrow will be the ultimate test that we need to hope it is not a repeat of Syracuse.

Be smart ladies, play smart.

"Better leadership qualities"? "Mental mistakes"? Nika had just three turnovers to go along with 8 assists in a full 40 minutes of play. When in the history of WCBB is that type of performance from a point guard seen as anything other than commendable? Not to mention hounding the Blue Devil backcourt into a miserable shooting performance. Two of her three turnovers were in the first two minutes of the game, and the third was with seven seconds left in the 3rd quarter, NONE of her turnovers resulted in Duke points.

Aaliyah had only three turnovers - two of which were the result of dubious offensive fouls - and NONE of her three turnovers resulted in Duke points.

"Not a repeat of Syracuse"?? UConn won that game for pete's sake!!! Nika played BRILLIANT against Fair! If she does the same to JuJu for 35 minutes, I love our chances!