Game Analysis - Game 31 - UConn v. St. John's - II

[cferraro04]

GENERAL COMMENTS:

This is an away game played at Madison Square Garden. While the venue is a home game for St. John’s, I expect our women will be excited to play in the Garden given its storied history. I don’t expect anyone to be “godsmacked or star-struck.” I actually think it will be a motivator. St. John’s will start: 1 senior, 3 juniors, and 1 sophomore (3 guards and 2 forwards).

St John’s record is 21-9. Their RPI is 88; UConn’s is 4. Their SOS is 149; UConn’s is 27. Their NET Ranking is 100; UConn’s is number 1. St. John’s Defensive rating is 89.6, which ranks them 140th in the nation. UConn’s defensive rating is 68.8, which ranks them 1st in the nation.

St. John’s averages 63.3 points, 5.4 three-pointers, 34.8 rebounds, 14.1 assists, 17.0 turnovers, 6.2 steals,s and 4.7 blocks.

UConn averages 88.6 points, 9.4 three-pointers, 36.9 rebounds, 24.0 assists, 13.0 turnovers, 15.8 steals, and 5.0 blocks per game.

In their first meeting on January 7th this year, UConn throttled St. John’s 88 - 43, earning a 45-point victory. Now that Blanca is back, I expect that Geno will give her close to 20 minutes. She did well against St. John's in that first meeting, scoring 14 points. I think we will see Blanca returning to form in this game. I expect the starters to get about 22-24 minutes, and the bench to see a lot of time. It would be good to get Jana and A to Z (my nickname for Allie Ziebell, you know the shortened version of the Alpha and the Omega) going again. I think the MOV will be in the 40s again.

PLAYER MATCH UPS:

Sarah Williams, 6’4” Senior Forward v. Daniela Abies, 6’0” - R-Junior Forward - Daniela averages 6.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.2 steals, and .5 blocks per game. Sarah is averaging 6.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists, .7 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game. I think Sarah will want to make a statement that she is ready for the postseason, and I expect her to be more aggressive and assertive. ADVANTAGE - UCONN

Sarah Strong, 6’2’ - Sophomore Forward v. Sa’Mya Wyatt, 5’11” - Junior Forward - Sa’Mya is averaging 11.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.2 assists, .5 steals, .4 blocks per game. Sarah is averaging 18.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 3.1 steals, 1.6 blocks, and 1.6 three-pointers per game. ADVANTAGE - UCONN

Azzi Fudd, 5’11” - Graduate Guard v. Brooke Moore, 6’0” - Junior Guard - Brooke is averaging 12.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.1 steals, 1.2 blocks per game. Brooke averages .6 three-pointers per game. Azzi is averaging 18.1 points, 2.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.5 steals, .4 blocks, and 3.1 three-pointers per game. ADVANTAGE - UCONN

Ashlynn Shade, 5’10” - Junior Guard v. Beautiful Waheed, 5’10” - Junior Guard - Beautiful is averaging 9.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists, .9 steals, 1.2 blocks, and hits 1.4 three-pointers per game. Ashlynn is averaging 8.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 2.0 steals, and hits 1.4 three-pointers per game. In game one of their home and away series with UConn, Beautiful scored 14 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists, and had 3 three-pointers with 6 turnovers. Shade scored 8 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and had 2 three-pointers with zero turnovers. ADVANTAGE - UCONN

KK Arnold, 5’9” - Junior Guard v. Jailah Donald, 5’7” Senior Guard - Jailah averages 4.5 points, 1.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists, .4 steals, and .7 three-pointers per game. KK averages 7.0 points, 2.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 2.9 steals, and averages .5 three-pointers per game. In the first match-up, Jailah had 3 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 three-pointer. KK had 11 points, 1 rebound, 4 assists, 6 steals, and 1 three-pointer.
ADVANTAGE - UCONN

BENCH:

St John’s will bring three players off the bench. They collectively have been averaging 17.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.7 steals, 1 block, and 2.1 three-pointers per game

UConn will bring in at least 6 players from the bench. They have collectively been averaging 34.1 points, 15.7 rebounds, 8.9 assists, and 3.2 three-pointers per game
ADVANTAGE -UCONN

COACHING:

Joe Tartamella was introduced as the ninth head coach in the history of ST. John’s Women’s basketball program on April 27th 2012 and he is entering his 114th season.

In his 13 completed years at the helm of the Red Storm, Tartamella has continued the tradition of success that he helped mold over the last 20-plus years, boasting an overall record of 239-173 (.581) as a head coach. The winningest coach in program history, he has led the Johnnies to four NCAA Tournament bids, eight postseason appearances, nine top-five finishes in the conference, and a 2016 BIG EAST Tournament Championship. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that Joe’s record and accomplishments don’t come close to what Geno and his staff have been able to create at UConn. ADVANTAGE - UCONN

INTANGIBLES:

As discussed above in the General Comments Upon will be up to playing this game in what many consider the greatest venue to play a basketball game, Madison Square Garden. They will be looking to bounce back from what was considered by many to be an ugly, sloppy game. They have more talent, size, and experience than St John’s. ADVANTAGE - UCONN

SCORE:

UCONN - 88
ST. JOHN’S - 48
MOV - 40

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

Hey sensi good work as usual!
I'm now prepared for the battle!
I fully expect UConn to be ready for war with St. John's!
They'll want to finish the regular season on a high note!

 

[donalddoowop]

It has been said that MSG is a tough place to play and many players have trouble with shooting accuracy there. I hope UConn has no problems with shooting accuracy.

 

[cferraro04]

Hey sensi good work as usual!
I'm now prepared for the battle!
I fully expect UConn to be ready for war with St. John's!
They'll want to finish the regular season on a high note!

"They'll want to finish the regular season on a high note!" And, that they will RSHERMVIKES!

 

[cferraro04]

It has been said that MSG is a tough place to play and many players have trouble with shooting accuracy there. I hope UConn has no problems with shooting accuracy.

The UConn women’s basketball team has a storied history at Madison Square Garden:

1. December 11, 2022, UConn lost to Maryland, 85-78;
2. November 19, 2019, UConn defeated UCLA - 97-72;
3. December 29, 2017, UConn defeated Maryland - 87-81 (Maggie Dixon Classic);
4. December 28, 2015, UConn defeated Notre Dame - 83-73;
5. January 4, 2015, UConn defeated St. John's - 70-54 - Final meeting at MSG before a decade-long hiatus;
6. December 19, 2010, UConn defeated Ohio State - 81-50 - UConn tied the NCAA record for consecutive wins at 88;
7. December 21, 2010, UConn defeated Florida State - 93-62...who could forget Maya Moore going off for 41 points;
8. December 14, 2008, UConn defeated Penn State - 77-63;
9. January 7, 1988, St. John's defeated UConn 73-72 - first-ever matchup between the two programs;
10. Historically, the Huskies played numerous Big East tournament games at the Garden, winning multiple championships there during the late 90s and early 2000s;

 

[Bone Dog]

Thanks again, Sensei. The only thing I can disagree with is your nickname for Allie. Her ‘true’ nickname — which I made up just a few days ago — is Allie Threeball.

I love UConn-SJU games mainly because the teams Joe Tartamella puts on the court are always interesting. They’re going to lose soundly tomorrow, but it will be a fun game to watch. That’s my prediction. Defense doesn’t tend to have cold streaks, and as your analysis shows, UConn’s defense is formidable. This is something we can count on. And I’m pretty sure we can also count on Azzi and Sarah dominating at both ends of the court.

 

[oldude]

The UConn women’s basketball team has a storied history at Madison Square Garden:

1. December 11, 2022, UConn lost to Maryland, 85-78;
2. November 19, 2019, UConn defeated UCLA - 97-72;
3. December 29, 2017, UConn defeated Maryland - 87-81 (Maggie Dixon Classic);
4. December 28, 2015, UConn defeated Notre Dame - 83-73;
5. January 4, 2015, UConn defeated St. John's - 70-54 - Final meeting at MSG before a decade-long hiatus;
6. December 19, 2010, UConn defeated Ohio State - 81-50 - UConn tied the NCAA record for consecutive wins at 88;
7. December 21, 2010, UConn defeated Florida State - 93-62...who could forget Maya Moore going off for 41 points;
8. December 14, 2008, UConn defeated Penn State - 77-63;
9. January 7, 1988, St. John's defeated UConn 73-72 - first-ever matchup between the two programs;
10. Historically, the Huskies played numerous Big East tournament games at the Garden, winning multiple championships there during the late 90s and early 2000s;

I’m a bit confused. You correctly point out that UConn WBB’s last game at MSG was the Maggie Dixon Classic vs St Johns in 2015. But then you list 3 more recent games, none of which were played at MSG?

 

[Huskee11]

Saint John's comes in undersized and off of a close win on the road at Seton Hall, which followed a close loss at home against Georgetown.

In the first game, UConn shot 59% from the floor, outshot Saint John's 61-39, and led 72-32 after three quarters. Final 88-43.

Sarah led the way with 24 points on 11-15 shooting. Like most teams, they don't have an answer for her.

Saint John's committed 33 turnovers, and UConn had 23 steals. If anything, UConn has increased its defensive pressure in recent games.

UConn's shooting has been off, only 11-33 from three against Georgetown and 10-38 from three against Providence, I'd like to see at least 40% from three on Sunday with Shade and Allie each hitting a few.

This game should not be close. I am hoping for a "Garden Party". I note that Saint John's best player in the first game against UConn, "Everything Is" Beautiful Waheed, did not play against Seton Hall so hopefully she is good to go against UConn.

 

[Tonyc]

Last game of the regular season and on the biggest stage. Im looking forward to UConn putting on a show. This is what its all about. Start strong and finish strong. There will be a good crowd even with the snow. I expect like in previous years (Maggie Dixon Classic) for many of the area high school girls to show up. This is a great recruiting apnosphere.

 

[cferraro04]

I’m a bit confused. You correctly point out that UConn WBB’s last game at MSG was the Maggie Dixon Classic vs St Johns in 2015. But then you list 3 more recent games, none of which were played at MSG?

You should be...I must have been sleepwalking through that post. You are right, those last three games were not played at the Garden. It was 12:45 am when I wrote that post...don't know what I was thinking.