Butler minutes...and rotation on Tuesday

[DGHuskyFan]

So what does everyone think of Butler getting quality minutes against OSU and her spot in the rotation come Tuesday night?
I liked her coming in and can see that she's possibly the 7th in after Napheesa now that KLS is out. As much as I love Chong it seems that Geno is just not comfortable with her anymore in big spots. Of course I guess it all depends on the situation that unfolds.

Put yourself in Geno's shoes and let me know your rotation on Tuesday.

 

[Billybonggg]

The "next man up " challenge was for Saniya.

 

[HoopsFan21]

Gabulous and more Gabulous! That would be my rotation. OK Collier can play some too, but I'd give the starting spot to Gabby.

 

[Checkmate]

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.

 

[DaddyChoc]

Syracuse players seem to have a lot of energy, may be able to match UConn's energy... it's going be about turnovers and foul shooting

 

[iamcbs]

It's Saniya's time. This is the stuff that dreams are made of, Geno said specifically last night that he prefers have 3 guards on the floor. Gabby doesn't fit in that scenario and her energy off the bench is vital to this team. Saniya has the ability to handle the ball and score off the bounce, which will be an important factor in breaking the Syracuse press, she can also shoot the three another important factor against the zone.

 

[DGHuskyFan]

It's Saniya's time. This is the stuff that dreams are made of, Geno said specifically last night that he prefers have 3 guards on the floor. Gabby doesn't fit in that scenario and her energy off the bench is vital to this team. Saniya has the ability to handle the ball and score off the bounce, which will be an important factor in breaking the Syracuse press, she can also shoot the three another important factor against the zone.

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...?

 

[pinotbear]

It's Saniya's time. This is the stuff that dreams are made of, Geno said specifically last night that he prefers have 3 guards on the floor. Gabby doesn't fit in that scenario and her energy off the bench is vital to this team. Saniya has the ability to handle the ball and score off the bounce, which will be an important factor in breaking the Syracuse press, she can also shoot the three another important factor against the zone.

The one factor in Gabby's favor, other than performance (!?! - I know!), is that she was a guard in high school - so, she's got that goin' for her....

 

[HuskyNan]

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...?

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.

 

[pinotbear]

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...?

match-ups: OSU was big, Syracuse is a very perimeter-dominated team. Geno & Co. may prefer to go smaller and faster - a lot may ride on practice performance today and shoot-around tomorrow.

 

[Vowelguy]

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.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

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

I'm sorry, but Butler just is not ready for prime time. She's not a work in process. Saniya, however, is a fine talent. Let's keep in mind how she's been hobbled by that IT band injury- very painful. We haven't seen her at her peak performance, or peak of Geno training. Lot's more in her, after she recovers over the spring and summer.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

It's not about energy, but about raining 3's. Syracuse is a bona fide three-point threat club. And with KLS being out, that eliminates a key threat (albeit, emerging late in the season) from Connecticut. Neither Napheesa nor Gabbie can provide that threat. But Gabbie is a threat to do everything else- rebound, offensive rebound, block, steal, score under the basket, shoot in the lane. She's been the unrecognized, unheralded spark plug for two years.

 

[HGN]

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.

 

[UcMiami]

Hamblin and OSU's other bigs were the perfect assignment for Butler - tall and strong and not too mobile. Syracuse is very different and not a good defensive assignment, nor with their swarming defense and rebounding, the best situation for Butler. I'll be surprised to see her getting many minutes until the fourth unless it is a wrestling match.

 

[Stinger92860]

IMO Lou's minutes are going to Gabby and Naphessa. I hope I am wrong but the game at this level appears too fast for Natalie. She was a step slow on defense which contributed to her fouls. In addition, her shot and offense moves took a long time.

 

[HardHatGuy#2]

Syracuse is downright scary.. A good shooting perimeter team

Wait a sec, we're talking about the Syracuse women's basketball team. You know, Syracuse, that city in mid-upstate NY? The team that shoots <30% from beyond the arc?

 

[PhillyCoach]

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!

 

[Tonyc]

We are bigger and our bigs are athletic. Cuse will have problems inside the foul line getting shots off and rebounding against UConn. We will not dribble through the press we will pass though the press a big difference from Washington. Then who guards Stewie and Tuck? They have no answer. I don't see it raining 3 either. OSU has some great 3 pt shooters and we kept them in check. We can cheat on defense on the perimeter because of our height underneath. If were scoring down low then Cuse has to handle our press. I expect Collier and Gabby to see a lot of minutes. I also see Butler getting minutes underneath to back up Stewie who I see playing away from the basket in Lous spot. We will be fine. We are very quick and big. Cuse is quick and their press looked very good however we can pass over it and go down low where they have no answer. I have no worries however I expect a very good game. Cuse has a lot of fight and a lot of confidence in their press because it has been so good. However this is UConn and once again UConn will steam roll its way to number 4 and number 11.

 

[Fightin Choke]

UConn won't have any trouble tomorrow night. If Geno needed to see how to break 'Cuse's press, he could just watch the Notre Dame games vs. Syracuse. The Irish passed over the press easily and got easy baskets in transition. Geno and his team will be ready for the press. I don't see Butler playing, but Gabby, Napheesa and Chong will see minutes.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

'Cuse is a volume 3 point shooting team - counting on high volume and turn overs to feed that. 538 has UConn victory at 97% which I feel is somewhat high, but our AA bigs could have a very big night Tuesday. The wild card - who are the refs and will they think the game is about them.

 

[Fightin Choke]

'Cuse is a volume 3 point shooting team - counting on high volume and turn overs to feed that. 538 has UConn victory at 97% which I feel is somewhat high, but our AA bigs could have a very big night Tuesday. The wild card - who are the refs and will they think the game is about them.

I don't think UConn needs its 'bigs' to act big to win tomorrow. UConn will score so many points in transition that half court points are not very important. UConn's players will run a layup drill, with some kick outs for open 3's. On defense, Syracuse relies on confusing its opponents, causing them to panic, and there is no way that UConn gets flustered. Breaking the press => layup drill. If the game is a half court game, Syracuse is even more trouble, as they cannot score on UConn in the half court. The game will not be close and UConn will score over 100 points if Syracuse keeps up the press.

 

[BigBird]

I pull for Natalie to become the next Mama Stef. Like all of our Huskies, it's nearly impossible not to like her and appreciate her effort. But the next Stef? It probably won't happen, but it's a worthy objective. She actually runs the court pretty well, as did Stef. But her lateral quickness is only average. She has long arms, but weak hands. And she simply refuses to elevate. When you're 6'5" in high school, you can rebound flatfooted. This isn't high school.

 

[huskyd]

Everything's been pretty much touched on. Because UConn won't want to shoot as much from outside as it did against OSU, Lou's loss in this game will be mitigated by Napheesa (who's really playing well) and Williams. Stewart and Tuck should score big in this game, and the other interior players will get some points inside as well. I really like Collier's long arms and quick feet for guarding on the perimeter; she may be the biggest surprise in the game. Mo and Kia can handle the outside shots, but, I think, most of the Husky offense will come inside. If Syracuse gets demoralized by being chopped up, the result could be the biggest blow-out in a championship game.

 

[warbler1055]

Everything's been pretty much touched on. Because UConn won't want to shoot as much from outside as it did against OSU, Lou's loss in this game will be mitigated by Napheesa (who's really playing well) and Williams. Stewart and Tuck should score big in this game, and the other interior players will get some points inside as well. I really like Collier's long arms and quick feet for guarding on the perimeter; she may be the biggest surprise in the game. Mo and Kia can handle the outside shots, but, I think, most of the Husky offense will come inside. If Syracuse gets demoralized by being chopped up, the result could be the biggest blow-out in a championship game.

Call me what you will, but I would love a BIG blow out of Syracuse. Butler is a work in progress. She might get into the game at end if UConn has a big lead.