Current Point Spread

[Buzzyboy]

Whether it's by 1 pt or 21 , as long as the Huskies win.

Obviously!

 

[Buzzyboy]

Whether it's by 1 pt or 21 , as long as the Huskies win.

Philly Coach - The NCAA tournament history is full of stories of teams putting it all together for up to six games - 3 years ago Louisville pulled it all together for 5 games and then ran out of gas, while Uconn was putting it together for six games. If you have a really good defense, which OSU does (leads the nation in FG % defense), then you just have to get your shooters on a hot streak to make serious waves. TN this year pulled it together for 3 games, Washington has done it for 4 games, Syracuse for four, Stanford for three.

I agree that the turnovers are likely to be a real issue for them. TN beat them because of that, and because they refused to play a zone defense against faster guards.

But listen to Kim's presser and one lament she had was that their fourth scorer hit some real dagger shots. Geno in his lamented about one of the TX players who had hit 5 threes all year coming in and nailing them against Uconn. Weird things happen against Uconn, and against every team in the NCAAs - Stanford shoots out 15% higher against ND then their yearly average and ND is sitting at home watching.

That said - I have no idea how they are going to deal with Tuck and Stewart - Hambin will get eaten alive if she tries to guard either away from the basket, and if she does come away from the basket then Moriah will be doing lay-up practice. And the team speed and switching by Uconn should give them serious problems on offense.

They have a smart coach and smart upper class players and they have six days to prepare. It should be interesting to watch, and I am not taking anything for granted.

UC Miami, Geno and Chris have 6 days to prepare, as well. I wonder whose preparation will be more difficult. Who has more answers? Who has more questions? I think the advantages are UConn's. This team has been there before, has wonderful senior leadership that has had phenomenal success and has a very talented and athletic supporting cast so it may just dwarf the Louisville victory over Baylor were Oregon State to win this game. I don't feel that it'll happen!

 

[GG]

Does everyone know that Baylor scored all their first half points through OSU turnovers or Baylor offensive rebounds? Yes, every point. Not one from a set play/half-court offense. IMHO UConn will probably score more points in the normal fashion than that.
Key point - Geno has stated that as a team--you are who you have been all season. Sure, teams can play out of their minds for a quarter or two, maybe even 3, or that super game from the heavens. The odds are-- probably not against UConn.
Baylor showed that OSU can be disrupted and can be forced into turnovers. The OSU guards are not quick, not real athletic, they are smart, and they don't have great handles. Oh my! Guess what OSU season stats were for turnovers? They were #328 in the nation--almost last. They were -4.75 per game in turnovers. Weisner, listed at 5"10, is the top OSU scorer and has 76 assists and 87 turnovers. Hamblin is another top scorer and has 19 total assists for the season and 62 turnovers. Another starter Hunter has 65 & 65. That's 3 of their starters. The season stats show it and the Baylor game proved it again. They can be turned over. Does anyone think that the intense pressing defense might show up again this coming game?
Finally, OSU scores 67 points a game! They only have 3 players in double figures. The next two score 7 & 6 each. That's only 3 players to cover instead of 5. They shoot 35% as a team on 3 point shots. Not too scary.
The game will be competitive for awhile and then UConn will pull away. A 20 point win sounds about right, but I would not be surprised if it is a whole lot more.

I am with you on this one. Although I think OSU is a good team, I saw way too much dribbling and reliance on two players. I know that they are tall, but I really think Moriah is going to wreak havoc if they dribble the ball as much as they did against Baylor. I am not going to predict the score, and I'm certain it will be a good game, but I question if they have enough to keep up with UCONN scoring wise.

 

[HardHatGuy#2]

Lots of good points being made, here. The keys that I see for OSU are:

• It's their first dance; they need to make sure that they don't get lost in the moment.
• If they play like they are afraid to lose, they will. Badly.
• 19 turnovers will result in 19 fast break opportunities for UConn. They need to limit their turnovers, but without changing who they are as a team. Like it or not, that is the team that got them here; it is too late for them to change.
• Their centers will need help stopping Tuck, but it has to be done without leaving UConn shooters unguarded.

The first two belong to the coaching staff, the third to the players. The last to the mathematicians and lawyers; if someone can devise a proof that 5 is actually 6, and then convince the game officials that this is pertinent to only one team in this game, OSU might be able to curtail Tuck's work. Otherwise, their best move may be to leave their centers 1:1 with Tuck and focus defensive efforts elsewhere.

I do not see a Mississippi State-esque blowout. I think OSU will hang with UConn for most of the first half, and go into the locker room down by 10 or so. I think that they will start gambling towards the end of the third quarter when facing a near 20 point deficit, and we might see Tommy, Ek, and Butler close the final minute of the game out. UConn by 20-30.

I also think that Nurse will play a huge part in disrupting the OSU offense. Could we see a double-double in points and steals?

 

[Sonny44]

I just don't see how a team with mediocre guards can even give us a good game.

 

[jdubct]

If they have anywhere near the turnovers against Uconn that they had against Baylor it won't be a close game. This is the Final Four, and
Stewie, Moriah, and Morgan thrive in this situation, being there the first time as coach and players is a very different environment.

Agree. Speed, aggressiveness, and pressure defense should result in a 20-point Uconn win.

 

[LouS]

UCONN is a 21 point favorite . Syracuse is a 1 1/2 point favorite . Seems correct.

Were do you find the point spreads for the women's game????

 

[warbler1055]

UConn had their B game. There will not be a repeat of another B game. UConn by 21 is about right!!! On the other hand if UConn play a C game then anything can happens!!!

 

[GiladKatzDeli]

I like this Oregon State team and they're very well coached. I'm excited to see what Jefferson and Nurse will do to those guards defensively. If UConn can play at its pace, I think they force a lot of turnovers and Oregon State is gassed in the second half. Also, UConn tends to do very well against teams where all 5 players cannot score, and Oregon State's 4th and 5th starters don't chip in a lot in the scoring department.

 

[BobbyJ]

Does everyone know that Baylor scored all their first half points through OSU turnovers or Baylor offensive rebounds? Yes, every point. Not one from a set play/half-court offense. IMHO UConn will probably score more points in the normal fashion than that.
Key point - Geno has stated that as a team--you are who you have been all season. Sure, teams can play out of their minds for a quarter or two, maybe even 3, or that super game from the heavens. The odds are-- probably not against UConn.
Baylor showed that OSU can be disrupted and can be forced into turnovers. The OSU guards are not quick, not real athletic, they are smart, and they don't have great handles. Oh my! Guess what OSU season stats were for turnovers? They were #328 in the nation--almost last. They were -4.75 per game in turnovers. Weisner, listed at 5"10, is the top OSU scorer and has 76 assists and 87 turnovers. Hamblin is another top scorer and has 19 total assists for the season and 62 turnovers. Another starter Hunter has 65 & 65. That's 3 of their starters. The season stats show it and the Baylor game proved it again. They can be turned over. Does anyone think that the intense pressing defense might show up again this coming game?
Finally, OSU scores 67 points a game! They only have 3 players in double figures. The next two score 7 & 6 each. That's only 3 players to cover instead of 5. They shoot 35% as a team on 3 point shots. Not too scary.
The game will be competitive for awhile and then UConn will pull away. A 20 point win sounds about right, but I would not be surprised if it is a whole lot more.

Sounds about right Philly for a score. Baylor made OSU's defense look good by running that one man, mud wrestling offense of theirs. It was difficult to watch.

 

[SHAHusky]

OSU, correct me if I'm wrong, has not really seen such a complete team like UCONN. All of the OSU players are also playing in the Final Four for the first time, so the shock of playing on the biggest stage of the season might hurt them. If they come out of the gates running, UCONN is going to have a tough game. If OSU gets blinded by the lights of the Final Four, UCONN could put them away with 21 points.

 

[PhillyCoach]

Philly Coach - The NCAA tournament history is full of stories of teams putting it all together for up to six games - 3 years ago Louisville pulled it all together for 5 games and then ran out of gas, while Uconn was putting it together for six games. If you have a really good defense, which OSU does (leads the nation in FG % defense), then you just have to get your shooters on a hot streak to make serious waves. TN this year pulled it together for 3 games, Washington has done it for 4 games, Syracuse for four, Stanford for three.

I agree that the turnovers are likely to be a real issue for them. TN beat them because of that, and because they refused to play a zone defense against faster guards.

But listen to Kim's presser and one lament she had was that their fourth scorer hit some real dagger shots. Geno in his lamented about one of the TX players who had hit 5 threes all year coming in and nailing them against Uconn. Weird things happen against Uconn, and against every team in the NCAAs - Stanford shoots out 15% higher against ND then their yearly average and ND is sitting at home watching.

That said - I have no idea how they are going to deal with Tuck and Stewart - Hambin will get eaten alive if she tries to guard either away from the basket, and if she does come away from the basket then Moriah will be doing lay-up practice. And the team speed and switching by Uconn should give them serious problems on offense.

They have a smart coach and smart upper class players and they have six days to prepare. It should be interesting to watch, and I am not taking anything for granted.

UC- You are right again. I totally agree that anything can happen. I was there at the Villanova-Georgetown dream game in 1985. I just wanted to bring up some stats that could help explain what might happen. At this point, I would rather be UConn than OSU----just sayin!

 

[jdubct]

UC- You are right again. I totally agree that anything can happen. I was there at the Villanova-Georgetown dream game in 1985. I just wanted to bring up some stats that could help explain what might happen. At this point, I would rather be UConn than OSU----just sayin!

You are so right, anything can happen. Don't expect it to, but it could happen. I watched that game, and couldn't believe Georgetown lost.

 

[Kibitzer]

Baylor made OSU's defense look good by running that one man, mud wrestling offense of theirs. It was difficult to watch.

I found relief from the tedium of the game when watching the hilarious Charles Barkley-Spike Lee-Samuel Jackson commercials.

 

[Geew1992]

As good as OSU played, if Baylor made their free throws, we wouldn't be talking about this. I think the spread is where is should be.

 

[Roundball fan]

If we play our A game. We will all be posting how good the girls are playing and shooting the ball. We will brag about our defensive pressure and the girls running a lay up drill. I guess I am optimistic because this what I think will happen. UConn 95-55. Sure hope I am right.

 

[bags27]

I know a win is a win is a win and one point is enough but that very, very rarely happens and with their pedigree and having been there before and the talent involved, I'm inclined to think EVERY advantage is UConn's.

I emotionally agree with you. But intellectually, I appreciate that the same appraisal applied to Notre Dame (until they would have faced UConn in the finals). In fact, at every level of the tournament, it usually (not always!) applies to the higher seeded school, and yet, so many upsets....

 

[Huskies Rule]

Does everyone know that Baylor scored all their first half points through OSU turnovers or Baylor offensive rebounds? Yes, every point. Not one from a set play/half-court offense. IMHO UConn will probably score more points in the normal fashion than that.
Key point - Geno has stated that as a team--you are who you have been all season. Sure, teams can play out of their minds for a quarter or two, maybe even 3, or that super game from the heavens. The odds are-- probably not against UConn.
Baylor showed that OSU can be disrupted and can be forced into turnovers. The OSU guards are not quick, not real athletic, they are smart, and they don't have great handles. Oh my! Guess what OSU season stats were for turnovers? They were #328 in the nation--almost last. They were -4.75 per game in turnovers. Weisner, listed at 5"10, is the top OSU scorer and has 76 assists and 87 turnovers. Hamblin is another top scorer and has 19 total assists for the season and 62 turnovers. Another starter Hunter has 65 & 65. That's 3 of their starters. The season stats show it and the Baylor game proved it again. They can be turned over. Does anyone think that the intense pressing defense might show up again this coming game?
Finally, OSU scores 67 points a game! They only have 3 players in double figures. The next two score 7 & 6 each. That's only 3 players to cover instead of 5. They shoot 35% as a team on 3 point shots. Not too scary.
The game will be competitive for awhile and then UConn will pull away. A 20 point win sounds about right, but I would not be surprised if it is a whole lot more.

Well done, coach. Judging only from what I saw of the Baylor game (and it might be an outlier), OSU is unlikely to win IF:

- They score 50 points.
- Hamblin is on the bench for half the game with foul trouble.
- They commit 19 turnovers, particularly the live-ball kind.
- They don't make at least 10-12 three-pointers.
- UConn plays its 'A' game.

I see OSU trying to slow the game pace down to a crawl, throwing up 20-25 threes, packing in their 'd' super-tight, and reducing UConn possessions by using as much of the shot-clock as possible.
Anticipate an 'ugly' win, probably not a cover- and I'll gladly take it.

 

[Ken171]

I am really looking forward to this game a lot, I graduated from Oregon State in 1975, my brother who lives in Washington State says I need to root for OSU, I tell him I left Oregon in 1983 and have lived in Connecticut since 1983, I can't pull for the Beavers, but I am for the Washington Huskies, but only against Syracuse. I can't recall the women playing basketball when I went there, but the boys team was not half bad then. I am hoping for a Huskies vs Huskies final with Uconn winning number 11.

 

[mdakota]

We'll win by at least 30... Remember, Tennessee beat Oregon State... nuff said!!!!

 

[Buzzyboy]

UConn had their B game. There will not be a repeat of another B game. UConn by 21 is about right!!! On the other hand if UConn play a C game then anything can happens!!!

UConn never has a C game on defense, do they???? I think UConn's C game is a winner unless Oregon State plays their PERFECT GAME.

 

[Buzzyboy]

UConn had their B game. There will not be a repeat of another B game. UConn by 21 is about right!!! On the other hand if UConn play a C game then anything can happens!!!

UConn never has a C game on defense, do they???? I think UConn's C game is a winner unless Oregon State plays their PERFECT GAME.

I found relief from the tedium of the game when watching the hilarious Charles Barkley-Spike Lee-Samuel Jackson commercials.

In the first minutes of their game, I thought "how did Oregon State even make the tournament", they started off so badly! They looked totally dysfunctional but obviously they started playing better and making some three's that opened things up. Initially they weren't even getting a shot off on the offensive end.

 

[warbler1055]

OSU has SIZE!!! One thing that nobody can deny. If they rain 3s, play defense, limit fouls, reduce turnovers, then we will have an extremely exciting game. UConn needs to play their A game or closed to it. It's going to be VERY difficult. Respect your opponent!!!!

 

[UcMiami]

I found relief from the tedium of the game when watching the hilarious Charles Barkley-Spike Lee-Samuel Jackson commercials.

Love those commercials, but they have a small problem - can you immediately bring to mind what product they are advertising?!

 

[adlitem]

I thought the same thing. What are they advertising.