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Message: [QUOTE="cferraro04, post: 5194676, member: 267"] [B][COLOR=rgb(226, 80, 65)][SIZE=5]GENERAL COMMENTS:[/SIZE][/COLOR][/B] I will be traveling to Colorado from February 14th to February 21st and as a result, I will not be analyzing the Seton Hall and Butler games. I do not anticipate any problem for UConn with either one of those games. Let's all hope that UConn will be able to close out the regular season without any more injuries. This is our last really big test before the post-season. The Gamecocks are number 1 in RPI and number 1 in SoS. They have played the games they need to be ready for the post-season. We, on the other hand, seem to be behind schedule in terms of knowing what we have and what we can expect from all the working pieces. We know a lot more than we did mid-season but there are still some questions that need to be answered. I think Azzi answered on lingering question this past week in the St. John's game. Sarah seems to be in a slump...maybe the "freshman wall". Morgan is in a boot, and Ice is in a shoulder brace...will they be ready for the final run in March and will they be able to contribute? I believe that there are still lingering effects from the Tennessee game. If we can win or even if we can keep this game close it can help shake off the effects of the Tennessee game. Statistically, South Carolina gets to the line 5-6 times more per game than UConn. It can probably be assumed that UConn will get called for more fouls than usual. It will be extremely important for Paige, Azzi, and Sarah to stay out of foul trouble. We can't afford to play tentative on defense. SC will require UConn's best defensive effort, one unencumbered by foul trouble on our starters. I will give South Carolina a 5-point advantage because of the home court. This small advantage will be exasperated by the fact that SC took a tough loss to Texas and they will be looking to show the selection committee that it was an anomaly rather than the norm. It also appears that Ashlyn Watkins who hasn't played since January 9th (she missed 10 games) will be missing for Sunday's game. While Ashlyn played a major role in South Carolina's last victory of UConn I do not expect her absence to affect the game cocks all that much. South Carolina will have the rebounding edge over UConn as they average 6 more rebounds than UConn. I believe this game will be won on the defensive end of the court. South Carolina has a great defense as they hold their opponents to 55.8 points per game. UConn, likewise, has a great defense as well. They have been holding their opponents to 52.1 points per game. I do worry about South Carolina's fast guardsPao Pao, Tessa Johnson, Malaysia Fulwiley and Raven Johnson are a handful. On the other hand, South Carolina has to worry about our guards as well...Paige, Azzi, Ashlynn, KK and Kaitlyn can be a handful on their account. I expect this to be a very close, well-contested game and I think our beloved Huskies could give the selection committee reason to pause if they can go into South Carolina and come out with a "W". [B][COLOR=rgb(226, 80, 65)][SIZE=5]RPI / SoS:[/SIZE][/COLOR] [COLOR=rgb(85, 57, 130)]South Carolina's RPI - 1[/COLOR][/B] [COLOR=rgb(85, 57, 130)][B]UConn's RPI - 6 South Carolina's SoS - 1[/B][/COLOR] [B][COLOR=rgb(85, 57, 130)]UConn's SoS - 15[/COLOR] [COLOR=rgb(226, 80, 65)][SIZE=5]PLAYER ANALYSIS:[/SIZE][/COLOR] [SIZE=5]Jana El-Alfy, 6'5" - R-Freshman - Center vs Sania Faegin, 6'3" Senior - Forward[/SIZE][/B] - Sania averages 7.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, .8 blocks, and 1.6 blocks per game. Jana is averaging 5.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1 assist, .6 steals, .7 blocks per game. While Jana has 2 inches on Sania...I think that Sania will get the better of Jana. And, unfortunately, Jana will not fare any better when Joyce Edwards is inserted into the game. With Ice Brady not in the game and Morgan Cheli questionable Aubrey will have to be the one to play behind Jana. Even though her athleticism is off the charts, she is a bit undersized and will have difficulty stopping either Sania or Joyce. It is possible that Sara will slide over to that position and Aubrey will play the forward position. This position is going to be a challenge for UConn. [B][COLOR=rgb(85, 57, 130)][SIZE=5]ADVANTAGE - SOUTH CAROLINA[/SIZE][/COLOR] [SIZE=5]Sarah Strong, 6'2" - Freshman - Forward vs Cloe Kitts, 6'2" - Junior - Forward[/SIZE][/B]. Cloe is a gutsy forward who will not take plays off. Sarah will have to work hard on defense to contain Cloe. Cloe averages 9.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists, .6 steals, and .5 blocks per game. Sarah who has been in a slump of sorts lately averages 16.1 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.3 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game. She also averages 1.5 three-pointers per game. Let's hope Sarah breaks out of her slump for this game. If Sara has to move over to play the 5 then Aubrey will have to be counted on to cover the 4. Either way, I believe this position belongs to UConn. [B][COLOR=rgb(85, 57, 130)][SIZE=5] ADVANTAGE - UCONN[/SIZE][/COLOR] [SIZE=5]Paige Bueckers, 6'0" - R-Senior - Guard vs Bree Hall, 6'0" - Senior - Guard[/SIZE][/B] - Bree Averages 6.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists, .7 steals, and she averages 1.2 three-pointers per game. Bree plays 22 minutes per game. Dawn will bring in Malaysia and Tessa Johnson to make up the other 20 minutes. South Carolina will play this position by committee...and will more than likely be able to bring approximately 20 points and 5 rebounds to the #3 spot. Paige has been averaging about 28 minutes per game. I believe Paige will play over thirty in this one and that she will be aggressively looking for her offense. Paige averages 18.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 2.1 steals, and .6 blocks and hits 1.9 three-pointers per game. I believe that this will a statement game by Paige. [B][COLOR=rgb(85, 57, 130)][SIZE=5]ADVANTAGE - UCONN[/SIZE][/COLOR] [SIZE=5]Azzi Fudd, 5'11" - Graduate - Guard vs Hina Pao Pao, 5'9" - Senior - Guard[/SIZE][/B] - Hina is a fast guard who can shoot and defend. She averages 25 minutes per game and impacts the game in many ways. Hina averages 10.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.0 steals, and 1.7 three-pointers per game. Azzi is averaging 2.7 points, 1.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.0 steals, and hits 2.5 three-pointers per game. Azzi just came off a break-out game against the Red Storm (St. John's), where she hit 8 threes and had 34 points. Let's hope she can maintain that high level of play against the game cocks [B][COLOR=rgb(85, 57, 130)][SIZE=5]ADVANTAGE - UCONN[/SIZE][/COLOR] [SIZE=5]Kaitlyn Chen, 5'9" - Graduate - Guard vs Raven Johnson, 5'9" - Junior - Guard[/SIZE][/B] - Raven averages 5.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.7 steals, and .6 blocks per game. Kaitlyn averages 6.5 points, 1.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. Kaitlyn will be spelled by KK Arnold and Raven who averages 24 minutes per game will be spelled by Malaysia Fulwiley. This position will be characterized by great defense. Great players make great plays and I expect to see some great play from the point guard position in this game. [B][COLOR=rgb(85, 57, 130)][SIZE=5]ADVANTAGE - EVEN[/SIZE][/COLOR] [COLOR=rgb(226, 80, 65)][SIZE=5]BENCH:[/SIZE][/COLOR][/B] South Carolina has the big three coming off the bench Joyce Edwards, Malaysia Fulwiley, and Tessa Johnson. UConn will be bringing Ashlyn Shade, KK Arnold, and Aubrey Griffin. South Carolina will be bringing 32.7 points 9.6 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 4.2 steals off the bench. UConn will be bringing 25.1 points, 13.7 rebounds, 6.7 assists, and 4.4 steals off the bench. [B][COLOR=rgb(85, 57, 130)][SIZE=5]ADVANTAGE - SOUTH CAROLINA[/SIZE][/COLOR] [COLOR=rgb(226, 80, 65)][SIZE=5]INTANGIBLES:[/SIZE][/COLOR][/B] South Carolina playing at home, coming off a loss to Texas...Fast athletic players. [B][COLOR=rgb(85, 57, 130)][SIZE=5]ADVANTAGE - SOUTH CAROLINA[/SIZE][/COLOR] [COLOR=rgb(226, 80, 65)][SIZE=5]COACHING: [/SIZE][/COLOR][/B] Dawn and Geno both have great coaching staffs who know how to get the most out of their players. [B][COLOR=rgb(85, 57, 130)][SIZE=5]ADVANTAGE - EVEN[/SIZE][/COLOR] [COLOR=rgb(226, 80, 65)][SIZE=5]SCORE:[/SIZE][/COLOR] [COLOR=rgb(85, 57, 130)][SIZE=5]UConn - 77 South Carolina - 73 MOV - 4[/SIZE][/COLOR][/B] [/QUOTE]

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