Can UConn break the scoring record next year?

[DavidinNaples]

Last season, UConn scored 3,218 points, 3rd highest total ever. They were only 176 pts shy of the record set in 2001-02. While it is never wise to count your chickens before the eggs hatch, this year's team might be able to make a run at the scoring record. Consider the following:
* Seven of the top eight scorers are returning. (Faris was 4th, Doty 9th.)

* Stewie played only 854 minutes & averaged 13.8 pts/game. In the 5 tournament games, she averaged 20.8 pts/game.

* Faris, Doty and Buck played 1,936 minutes & scored 14.2 pts/game. Banks, Jefferson and Tuck averaged 18.4 pts in less minutes.

* Kiah Stokes scored 88 points, just 33 less than Doty.

* Banks, Tuck and Jefferson missed 113 total 3pt shots and made only 29.8%.

* Stewie made only 28 of 84 total 3 pt attempts (33.3%). Her 84 tries were only 20 more than Jefferson.

* Hartley averaged 9.2 pts/game vs. 14.0 Freshman year & scored 191 fewer points.

* UConn played 2012-13 with 3 freshman, Doty gutting it out on one leg and had Banks for just 359 minutes.

* UConn plays an AAC schedule with 8 games against four teams they beat in 2012 by an average of 27.4 pts/game. They also play 10 games against five teams with a 2012 record of 81-78.

Regardless of scoring records, 2013-14 should be a fun and dynamic season. Go Huskies.

 

[UcMiami]

Nice post!
On the down side of course ... the following teams are not on the schedule:
Team/points scored/MoV
Providence/105/56
Seton Hall/90/60
Marquette/85/34 and 94/57
Syracuse/87/25
DePaul/91/47 and 94/33
(Boy I am going to miss the competition from the old Big East schools!!!)
And the OOC highlights:
Charleston/103/64
Colgate/101/60
Oregon/95/44 (am I wrong here - was this a home and home? in which case yippee!)
Idaho/105/68
Purdue/91/34

Not sure exactly how the new AAC will ever match up to that kind of murders row from the old BE. And I left out Pitt (MoV=40) because we scored below our season average.

 

[sarals24]

Well, they are going to start playing powerhouses such as SMU and Houston. So I think we will make up the points somewhere.

 

[alexrgct]

Uconn will be able to name its score against Tulane and Memphis as well.

 

[dakotaboy]

It doesn't matter which conference UConn plays in or who their regular season opponents are... This is the reality, this is the new conference, UConn will dominate regardless...

 

[VAMike23]

Yes !

 

[gandydancer]

Who cares about how many points they score. All I want is one more point than whoever we play in the NCAA final.

 

[winlots]

DAV: love this kind of post. An interesting question to me, and I like the pieces you lay out for us to help solve the puzzle. Not sure you mentioned the additon of Chong and her fire-power, though you might have. I go with with VAM and say, "Yes" barring significant injury. (At ths same time I go with GAN regarding that significant NCAA final point.....the sweetest and most important of all.)

 

[DavidinNaples]

winlots, thanks....wasn't sure how to factor in Saniya Chong.. was kinda comparing last year stats to this one coming up. She should be a real addition..!! gandy, how about 33 more points than whomever we play in N.C..? Go Huskies..

 

[alexrgct]

UConn averaged 82.5/game last year and scored significantly below that average (i.e., 10+ points below) against the following teams:

Maryland
Penn State
Stanford
Notre Dame (x2)
Louisville
Cincy
St Johns
Rutgers
Baylor
Syracuse

Now, consider the following:

-UConn's offense was stuck in the mud against elite competition much of the season and looked a million times better by tourney time. As evidence of this, UConn's scoring against Maryland, Louisville, and Notre Dame went up significantly.

-Baylor no longer has a 6'8" defensive stopper.

-UConn will not play St John's or Cuse (or Nova or Georgetown, who can also be challenging to put up points against).

-UConn, however, will be playing Rutgers twice. Rutgers is tough to score against, and Geno isn't going to go out of his way to run up the score against Jamelle.

-Although Geno is less likely to run up the score against Cincy or Temple, the Cincy game was something of an abberation. Temple got no mercy in the 2010 tourney, and UConn put up 80 in 2011 and 2012 against Jamelle's kids.

 

[Phil]

Barring significant injury, I think next year's team will challenge the total points and MoV.

While good for UConn, it may not be so good for the sport. At the risk of being too immodest, I think Geno may think up ways to work on some things that will help the team but slow down the offense. For example, if we are up 20+ points, he may decide to practice taking last second shots, so pass the ball around for 25 seconds, even if you have an open shot, then run a play.

 

[UcMiami]

An interesting thought - scoring and MoV totals/records for the typical Uconn team depend more on the last three players off the bench, than on the starting five! Think about it.
(I think the 2013-14 team will have a pretty good final three off the bench.)

 

[alexrgct]

winlots, thanks....wasn't sure how to factor in Saniya Chong.. was kinda comparing last year stats to this one coming up. She should be a real addition..!! gandy, how about 33 more points than whomever we play in N.C..? Go Huskies..

Chong could easily outscore Doty, whose 3.2 PPG is not a big hurdle to exceed.

 

[Phil]

-Although Geno is less likely to run up the score against Cincy or Temple, the Cincy game was something of an abberation. Temple got no mercy in the 2010 tourney, and UConn put up 80 in 2011 and 2012 against Jamelle's kids.

I agree he won't in regular season, but in one and done, as well as getting into the mindset of put them away, I don't expect anything other than pedal to the medal for 39 minutes in post-season.

 

[Phil]

An interesting thought - scoring and MoV totals/records for the typical Uconn team depend more on the last three players off the bench, than on the starting five! Think about it.
(I think the 2013-14 team will have a pretty good final three off the bench.)

I think that's right, I wonder how hard it would be to quantify. Anecdotally, I remember a few games where we got a huge lead, then with the bench in, we were actually outscored.

(edit)
In the past, we've often had some bench players who weren't serious candidates for a starting position, but that won't be true with next year's team

 

[EricLA]

Barring significant injury, I think next year's team will challenge the total points and MoV.

While good for UConn, it may not be so good for the sport. At the risk of being too immodest, I think Geno may think up ways to work on some things that will help the team but slow down the offense. For example, if we are up 20+ points, he may decide to practice taking last second shots, so pass the ball around for 25 seconds, even if you have an open shot, then run a play.

The only thing about that might be habits - he has tried to really teach these kids to think about the offense and look for the first and best open shot. If they are spending a lot of time in the 2nd half passing up good shots, it might create some not so great habits in tight games...

I realize my comment is a "weak" argument and I suspect you are probably right. I've often seen UCONN put the breaks on a fast break even if they have one, or not push the ball up quickly when they have big leads. I imagine you are probably right and a big lead would also give them a chance to run some specific plays. Maybe work on creating some shots for players they don't normally create them for - like Morgan, or Saniya. either way it will be interesting to see how he manages the season...

 

[DobbsRover2]

For UConn, one key element of offensive prowess has always been the defense. This year not only was the defense its normal great self, but the number of steals also took a big jump over recent years, which led to many quick high-percentage shots at the other end.

The removal of Kelly Faris from the lineup will lead to some significant changes in the focus of the UConn defense, as it no longer has the shut-down artist to sic the Husky dog on. But obviously the rest of team were no slouches on defense, and different schemes will be set up and players will develop into newer and more intense defensive roles to a certain extent. MoJeff for one may see much more high-pressure strip-the-ball action, and Stewie will perfect the two handed block of a shot all the way down court and through the iron with all net.

The defense is always a well-crafted work in progress, but we'll have to see how well it fuels the offense next year.

 

[UcMiami]

The only thing about that might be habits - he has tried to really teach these kids to think about the offense and look for the first and best open shot. If they are spending a lot of time in the 2nd half passing up good shots, it might create some not so great habits in tight games...

I realize my comment is a "weak" argument and I suspect you are probably right. I've often seen UCONN put the breaks on a fast break even if they have one, or not push the ball up quickly when they have big leads. I imagine you are probably right and a big lead would also give them a chance to run some specific plays. Maybe work on creating some shots for players they don't normally create them for - like Morgan, or Saniya. either way it will be interesting to see how he manages the season...

I think the difference is between running a full out half court offense and running breaks. Geno puts the brakes on breaks, but does not seem to stall the half court offense, beyond a delay in it getting started.
So I agree with your 'weak' comment more than you do!

 

[RegisteredUconn]

Is the record in question for UConn or the NCAA overall? Who and/or what year were the higher totals recorded?

 

[MilfordHusky]

Interesting points. The newest Husky and perhaps last player off the bench is one of the most prolific scorers we've ever had. She averaged 30+ ppg, shoots threes and FTs very well, can get to the basket, is an excellent passer, and is accustomed to a fast tempo. In "garbage" time, Saniya's skills may help us to increase leads, unlike a few years ago, when we got 40-point leads and the deep bench gave back 10 of that. We'll certainly have a lot of skilled offensive players.

 

[DobbsRover2]

Is the record in question for UConn or the NCAA overall? Who and/or what year were the higher totals recorded?

Just margin as far as NCAA tops go, as UConn teams occupy top 3 spots for 2002, 2010, and 1995, with 2013 at #7 despite the four losses. Although UConn 2010 and 2012 occupy the top two spots for scoring defense on the NCAA list, none of the Husky teams have really put up the huge numbers of run-and-gun schools of the early 1990s in a different era with lower competition levels. Uconn's 1999 team at 91.2 is the top offensive scorers and are #11 on the NCAA charts.

 

[doggydaddy]

Barring significant injury, I think next year's team will challenge the total points and MoV.

While good for UConn, it may not be so good for the sport. At the risk of being too immodest, I think Geno may think up ways to work on some things that will help the team but slow down the offense. For example, if we are up 20+ points, he may decide to practice taking last second shots, so pass the ball around for 25 seconds, even if you have an open shot, then run a play.

Geno consistantly instructs his players to stop fast breaking and work the ball for a good shot in the second half of blowouts. The first half, he just wants them to play as good as they can and not worry about the score.

I believe he would practice last second shots in practice and not embarrass an opponent like that.

I think that scoring record is toast. The only thing that could slow this team down is Geno, but even he will struggle to do that.

 

[DobbsRover2]

Geno consistantly instructs his players to stop fast breaking and work the ball for a good shot in the second half of blowouts. The first half, he just wants them to play as good as they can and not worry about the score.

I believe he would practice last second shots in practice and not embarrass an opponent like that.

I think that scoring record is toast. The only thing that could slow this team down is Geno, but even he will struggle to do that.

But again, just possibly Margin of Victory for toast though. As noted above, teams of the 2000s can't match the burners of the 1990s, and though this year's team led the NCAA, it was still almost 9 ppg shy of the UConn record and more than 14 short of the NCAA record. Hard to fathom averaging 96.7 ppg for a full season.

 

[Phil]

The only thing about that might be habits - he has tried to really teach these kids to think about the offense and look for the first and best open shot. If they are spending a lot of time in the 2nd half passing up good shots, it might create some not so great habits in tight games...

I realize my comment is a "weak" argument and I suspect you are probably right. I've often seen UCONN put the breaks on a fast break even if they have one, or not push the ball up quickly when they have big leads. I imagine you are probably right and a big lead would also give them a chance to run some specific plays. Maybe work on creating some shots for players they don't normally create them for - like Morgan, or Saniya. either way it will be interesting to see how he manages the season...

No, it is a valid point, and gave me pause when I was typing. I'm a big believer in the creation of habits, you want to make a lot of things, on and off the court, a habit. There isn't time in the course of a close game to think about everything, so you need to make some things a habit. I guess you could have the ball handler literally wait in the back-court, so they wouldn't be passing up good shots. Of course, if too obvious, it might be viewed as rubbing it in. I wondered whether the ball handler could stop and chat with Geno to take up the time, but that might remind people too much of Villanova, and Geno might object if people thought he was copying Harry. (Not that Geno would have any problems stealing good ideas form anyone, but he wouldn't want Harry to have the satisfaction.)

 

[Phil]

Is the record in question for UConn or the NCAA overall? Who and/or what year were the higher totals recorded?

NCAA record for margin.

In 2002, UConn outscored its opponents by 35.4 points per game. I can see that margin in jeopardy.

I think those talking about breaking the scoring record are talking about a UConn record. In 1991 Providence scored 96.7 points per game, and I don't see us getting within 5 points of that.