Butler minutes...and rotation on Tuesday

[BobbyJ]

Cuse plays 4 guards/outside shooters. With Butler in that means Tuck will be defending out on the perimeter. Does not seem likely. Nan mentioned that Butler could be an answer to breaking the press. Definitely a plus, but then what? IMHO, Butler will get little to no time.
Gabby starts and plays great defense and also grabs many of those long rebounds that Washington could not corral. Maybe she does not hit the 3, but Gabby has been deadly from 12 to 15 ft. If Gabby or Tuck posts up, Cuse only plays one player over 5"11. I see Geno attacking inside and then out. UConn still has four good 3 pt. shooters in MO, Tuck, Stewie & Nurse.
Cuse is very small--their guards are 5"8. 5"9, 5'10, and 5'11. UConn would have the quickness in MO., Gabby & Nurse to handle that. Geno mentioned Stewie would probably be playing on the perimeter and Cuse top guard-Peterson- shoots a set shot that comes off very low. Washington gave too many open looks. UConn will have a hand in the face a little more than Washington did.
Washington did not handle the press and tried to dribble out of it. UConn passing game is too crisp. Gabby's passing has improved along with the rest of the team.

Cuse offense - By the way--Cuse still shot in the low 30% range yesterday. Even with all the open looks and turnovers.
Final note- When the Orange was playing half court defense, Washington had open people along the baseline all day, but did not hit the open player. UConn could slow the game ala Texas game, and execute the half court offense all day against the very short Syracuse defense.
So, break the press, half court offense against the small Cuse team and play tighter perimeter D with a lot more rebounds than Washington could grab.
I like the odds for a UConn win. Let's do it!

Right on the money Philly. Syracuse has no inside offense, it's all 3's. Their strategy is to throw enough crap at the wall and hope some sticks. Their press will be no problem. With Stewart in the middle, UConn will just break it over the top, then kill them inside with movement and offensive boards.

 

[Sonny44]

But if it's Saniya's time, why no playing time last night when he had the entire 2nd half to utilize her (excluding the last few garbage time minutes).
I'm assuming Gabby gets the start, Collier first off the bench. Then what...?

Either Butler or Chong depending on what the situation calls for guard play or height and rebounding's also if there is anyone in foul trouble, etc.

 

[CocoHusky]

I'm predicting about 30 minutes for Butler-about her season average.

 

[ctfjr]

I would say it depends on the matchups. If Saniya's defense were better she would play a lot because Geno needs the ball handling but my guess is that Natalie will get more minutes. In the absence of another ball handler, Geno can have Natalie at half court so the guards can pass to her.

I couldn't disagree more, but we will see tomorrow

The Cuse is a guard oriented, fast paced, 3 pt shooting team. Butler would be a liability out there. We have Stewie & Morgan in the post. We will need 3 nimble players on their offensive perimeter or they might actually score a few points. I can see Mo, Kia, Gabby, Collier & Sonia (in that order) splitting up the minutes.

 

[huskeynut]

I think Pheesa starts in Lou's place. Gabby comes off the bench as the "energizer bunny." Sinaya may get some minutes, I just don't know. Butler may see some time to spell Morgan and Stewie and clog up the lane. Cuse's guards like to drive the lane.

As to the Cuse, as has been mentioned, they are a volume shooting team with a low percentage of makes. They also need turnovers from opposing guards to fuel the fast break. Last night they had over 20 points on turnovers.

Cuse are not going to get turnovers. Our guards along with the rest are adept at handling the ball and getting it up court. Cuse defense is zone with pressure and that works for a team that dribbles the ball a lot. That's not UCONN. Crisp passing along with ball screens will get Stewie loose as welll as Morgan underneath. And the Cuse have no defense for Morgan or Stewie.

Cuse may be old Big East foes but they haven't seen us in three years, at least. They have not experienced "lock down" defense that UCONN is getting known for. Their guards are not going to find it easy to drive the lane or be open for 3 point shots. Their offense is not that disciplined and that plays into UCONN's hands.

Our two "wild cards, if you will, are Gabby and Pheesa. Based on last night's performance, I have no worries about them performing well.

 

[veryolddog]

I think that you may see a line up that includes Kia, Moriah, Stewie, Tuck, and Chong. Chong would be the 3 point shooter that temporarily replaces Lou in this game. This may happen for short time. However, the way that Syracuse misses 3's, the rebounding efforts of Gabby and Collier may be a difference maker in order to create a "one and done" situation. And, do not discount Butler's rebounding ability. If you limit Syracuse to one shot per possession, the game is over and statistics will not help that team.

 

[Sonny44]

I'm predicting about 30 minutes for Butler-about her season average.

What?

 

[JoePgh]

If you look at the box score for the Syracuse - Washington game, one statistic basically explains why Syracuse won by a wide margin:

Syracuse took 71 shots
Washington took 52 shots

The two teams' shooting percentages were about the same; their number of made 3's were about the same; the 3-point percentage was about the same; and their made free throws were identical. It's just that Syracuse got up a lot more shots. To a great degree, the reason for that was turnovers, but there was also a huge advantage for the Orange in offensive rebounds.

So that suggests that if UConn can limit turnovers, control the boards at both ends reasonably well, and play its normal game, it should win handily. If Washington had done those things, the margin of victory (for either team) would have been razor-thin.

 

[Monte]

The next man up will probably be Gabby Williams. Then Collier would be the first sub. I think Chong will be the second sub. I doubt Geno plays more than 7 players while the game is close.

I doubt Butler plays much vs Syracuse , their forte is uptempo basketball , not Butler's strength.

There is no way that Butler will play if it is a close game. It will be Williams+Collier.

 

[CocoHusky]

I'm predicting about 30 minutes for Butler-about her season average.

What?

Butler averages about 30 minutes per game. Go ahead look it up if you don't believe me.

 

[Monte]

What?

WHAT(again).

 

[Rixxx]

Butler averages about 30 minutes per game. Go ahead look it up if you don't believe me.

You're talking about the Cuse Butler. Right?

 

[CocoHusky]

You're talking about the Cuse Butler. Right?

Why couldn't you just play along?

 

[Rixxx]

Sorry....

 

[Kibitzer]

There are a couple unusual features of 'Cuse's game to consider:

1. They love to press, full-court, to step up the pace and try to force turnovers; and,

2. They shoot a lot of treys and make about 30% of them.
​

Good ball-handling and passing not only breaks the press, but creates opportunities for easy open shots.

A "miss rate" of 70% creates lots of opportunities for rebounds, many of them caroming well away from the basket.

To take advantage of both areas of opportunity, I see a lot of minutes for Napheesa, Gabby and Saniya - not so much for Natalie.

 

[iamcbs]

But if it's Saniya's time, why no playing time last night when he had the entire 2nd half to utilize her (excluding the last few garbage time minutes).
I'm assuming Gabby gets the start, Collier first off the bench. Then what...?

Sometimes the opponent and their style of play dictate who plays and who doesn't, I only offered an opinion as I'm not the coach and have no idea what Geno and his staff will do.

 

[Gus Mahler]

This is not about Butler per se. But as you all know, when you play zone you don't rebound as well. I see Stewie, Tuck, Gabby, and Pheese having a field day. And Butler if she plays, but I don't look for that to happen.

It'll be like old times from the other orange: Jack up a shot and let the bigs go rebound.

 

[Tenspro2002]

Big 3 = 40 minutes
Nurse = 35 mins
Gabby = 25-30
Collier = 15-20
Chong = 0-5
Butler will get 0 minutes. Not athletic enough for this matchup.

I think this is about right.

Morgan will probably sit for a few, maybe a minute for Stewie here or there, but those 3 will likely go 38-40. Mo definitely will go all 40. Nurse might actually be closer to 40 herself.

I actually think Collier will get the start, regardless of how many overall minutes she gets. The spark Gabby provides off the bench is valuable.

I agree Chong is only going to see a few minutes here or there -- Geno has shown over the last 2 years that he doesn't trust her in big games, after the Stanford debacle. That isn't going to change overnight because of an injury.

And, yes, while Butler was a decent matchup against OSU's towering big, she has no place in the frenetic kind of game that Syracuse will play.

 

[Vowelguy]

I actually think Collier will get the start, regardless of how many overall minutes she gets. The spark Gabby provides off the bench is valuable.

.

Frosh starting the NC game after not starting for a long time? Doesnt seem like something Geno would do, when an older player is available.

 

[meyers7]

Mo definitely will go all 40.

Let's hope not. All 3 seniors should get an ovation substitution late in the 4th quarter. We should have the game in hand by then.

 

[Kibitzer]

Frosh starting the NC game after not starting for a long time? Doesnt seem like something Geno would do, when an older player is available.

After 6+ months of practice and 37 games the frosh are no longer very fresh.

 

[ctfjr]

Let's hope not. All 3 seniors should get an ovation substitution late in the 3rd quarter. We should have the game in hand by then.

Fixed that for you

 

[Blueconn]

Syracuse is downright scary.. A good shooting perimeter team that plays fast and plays a scrambling defense with good guard play. Just the type of team that can give UConn problems. We need to come out of the gates fast and on fire on Tuesday. Make them play catch up . And hope they panic and start throwing up ill-advised shots.

I would not like for this game to be too close , say under 12 , in the 4 th quarter. Syracuse has shown that it can hit 3 or 4 shots in a row making it too close for comfort.

Hard to find anything exceptional about Syracuse that would suggest they're downright scary.

They are not a good shooting perimeter team. They've thrived on 3s in their last two games but it's not who they are. For the year their 3 point shooting percentage is 29.8%. And they don't shoot all that many: UConn shoots twice as many and with greater accuracy (38%).

And overall the'yre not a very good shooting team: 37.5% versus 53% for UConn.

Decent guard play for sure...although the team averages 1 TO for each assist.

The scrambling style may be tailor made for creating ways for the Huskies to show off with some speed and elegance. Our defense should punish them.

Nothing scary.

 

[Blueconn]

After 6+ months of practice and 37 games the frosh are no longer very fresh.

Spot on ! One season with Geno can equal years trying to understand your parents.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Frosh starting the NC game after not starting for a long time? Doesnt seem like something Geno would do, when an older player is available.

Think there's zero percent chance Collier starts for a slew of reasons.

Guessing Geno will try to get Tuck at least a little rest during the game, perhaps use all his timeouts.

Something like this barring a Miss State type blowout:

Stewart: 40
Jefferson: 40
Tuck: 37
Nurse: 37
Williams: 31
Collier: 15