Butler minutes...and rotation on Tuesday

[Jimbo]

According to Carl Adamec, Gabby will get the start tomorrow night.

Williams looks for fresh start in final game

 

[cbraarj]

Barring injury or foul trouble and just 1 game left.IMO they only play 6 players.

 

[Zorro]

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

Huh?

 

[RockyMTblue2]

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.

So may it be written. So may it be done!

 

[BroadwayVa]

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.

Gabby was a High School Guard and recruited by Geno as a Guard, moved to forward because of the need to use her jumping ability properly.
Collier, per Geno, is an accomplished 3 point shooter (in practice, and both Gabby and Collier have hit the long 2, Collier has at least one 3 maybe more. Had blocks in OSU game. Collier is very effective near the basket and handles the ball well. Excellent rebounder. 5th starter or 6th player--flip a coin ..
Chong is a ball handler and can drive and score sometimes--does not seem to want to take the big 3 ball shot--and is slow latterly. Who then if Geno has to pull in another?? Courtney!! Can hit the 3, but bows to the big time players, isn't great in defense and at times looks lost. Lawlor?? Can drill the 3, has energy, ????

 

[bags27]

Cuse plays 4 guards/outside shooters. \!

To add to Coach's outstanding analysis.....not only does Cuse want to shoot lots, they also count as a positive shot if the ball is around the rim, meaning that it creates a second chance for points. But UConn can easily take away that opportunity even without Natalie (as much as I'd love to see her get big minutes tomorrow). It's a 6 person rotation. Whether it's Gabby who starts (as she did at the beginning of the year) or Napheesa (who took over Gabby's starting position), that only counts for ego points during introduction. They will alternate and spell others so long as the game is close. Geno has gone with a 6 rotation before, and this is a mighty good one.

BTW, wouldn't it be great if Lou were in uniform and introduced? Geez, I'd almost want her to start and immediately be replaced, but this is the NC, and also Geno has tried that gambit before!

 

[Sluconn Husky]

According to Carl Adamec, Gabby will get the start tomorrow night.

Williams looks for fresh start in final game

Really surprised anyone thought otherwise. Collier starting in a national title game against a trapping press? Geno would put CD in the starting lineup before that.

 

[Jimbo]

Gabby was a High School Guard and recruited by Geno as a Guard, moved to forward because of the need to use her jumping ability properly.
Collier, per Geno, is an accomplished 3 point shooter (in practice, and both Gabby and Collier have hit the long 2, Collier has at least one 3 maybe more. H s in OSU game. Collier is very effective near the basket and handles the ball well. Excellent rebounder. 5th starter or 6th player--flip a coin ..
Chong is a ball handler and can drive and score sometimes--does not seem to want to take the big 3 ball shot--and is slow latterly. Who then if Geno has to pull in another?? Courtney!! Can hit the 3, but bows to the big time players, isn't great in defense and at times looks lost. Lawlor?? Can drill the 3, has energy, ????

She had no trouble taking (and making) the biggest 3-pointer of the Maryland game, which is in fact the biggest high-pressure shot anyone on the team has made all season. I'm not saying Saniya will see a ton of minutes tomorrow, but if she doesn't, it won't be because she's afraid to take a big shot.

I think Geno may use Chong to stretch out the Syracuse zone a little bit in Lou's absence, if he has to. He hinted last night that he'll first try to stretch it by moving Stewie out to the perimeter a little more. If that doesn't work, we might see Chong, but I'm guessing Geno would prefer that it not come to that, because she's not as good a defensive option as Gabby or Napheesa.

 

[bags27]

She had no trouble taking (and making) the biggest 3-pointer of the Maryland game, which is in fact the biggest high-pressure shot anyone on the team has made all season. I'm not saying Saniya will see a ton of minutes tomorrow, but if she doesn't, it won't be because she's afraid to take a big shot. I think Geno may use Chong to stretch out the Syracuse zone a little bit in Lou's absence, if he has to. .

I hope you're right: it'd do great things for her in preparation for next season and send a good signal to the team that hard work and loyalty pay off. Absolutely: that 3 against Maryland was the biggest shot of the season. After the game, as Geno walked off the court and passed Saniya, he gave her a pat on the shoulder.

 

[Tenspro2002]

Really surprised anyone thought otherwise. Collier starting in a national title game against a trapping press? Geno would put CD in the starting lineup before that.

Maybe because Collier had already started over Gabby during the regular season, when Collier had an even more substantial experience deficit?

 

[Jimbo]

Really surprised anyone thought otherwise. Collier starting in a national title game against a trapping press? Geno would put CD in the starting lineup before that.

Well I'm not sure I'd go quite as far as that, but no, I'm not the least bit surprised that Gabby is starting. She's the best perimeter defender of anyone not already in the starting lineup, and perimeter defense will be important. This also seems like the type of opponent Gabby often thrives against. She has struggled at times finishing at the rim against frontcourts with a lot of size, but Syracuse is a team I think she should be able to score and rebound against effectively. I'm hoping for a big game from her tomorrow night.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Maybe because Collier had already started over Gabby during the regular season, when Collier had an even more substantial experience deficit?

That was early season experimentation against AAC competition and prior to KLS' improvement. This is the national championship game against a team that presses and traps.

 

[Sonny44]

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.

Remember KY's 49 minutes of dread, ha!