Game Analysis - UConn vs DePaul - Game 2; (Do not open until Wednesday, February 22)

[cferraro04]

Here we go...facing the sophomore phenom Aneesah Morrow and the DePaul, Blue Demons yet again. Aneesah, 6'1" is having a great sophomore year averaging 25.5 points and 12.1 rebounds per game.

It should be noted that the Blue Demons are much more than Aneesah...they have Darrione Rogers, 5'11" Jr. Guard, Kendall Holmes, 5'11" Jr. Guard, Anaya Peoples, another 5'11" Sr. Guard and Jorie Allen, 6'0" Sr. Forward. Yes, you got it right yet another 3 guard line-up for UConn to face. DePaul's starters average 25.5, 17.5, 9.8, 9.2 and 7.3 points respectively for a total of 69.3 points per game while UConn's starters average - 16.3, 16.3, 14.4, 13.3, 6.9 respectively for a total of 67.2 points per game...

Hmmm, you might be thinking how is this possible? Well, the answer is found on the defensive end. While the blue demons average 77.8 points per game they give up 72.2 points per game...the Huskies, on the other hand, average 77.2 points per game but they are very stingy on the defensive end only allowing 59.2 points per game.

The Blue demons are not having their best season this year as they are 15 and 13 overall and 8 and 9 in the Big East. They are 8 and 6 when they play at home. It is hard to look past the 43 point drubbing UConn gave DePaul in their last meeting while scoring 94 points in the victory.

I think we need to keep an eye on Keke Rimmer this game...she went off for 15 points against bpth Butler and Xavier.

Aaliyah Edwards vs Aneesah Morrow - What can you say...Aneesah is a double / double machine. Her somewhat gaudy stats of 25.5 points and 12.1 rebounds when compared to Aaliyah's 16.3 points and 9.0 rebounds only slightly eclipse Aliyah. Can Aliyah's defense cut into that differential somewhat? I think so. Last game Aneesah scored 20 points and 12 rebounds while Aaliyah Edwards had 23 points and 10 rebounds. ADVANTAGE - EVEN

Dorka Juhasz vs Jorie Allen - Jorie is a solid basketball player averaging 7.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game...she is the Demons' fifth scoring option. I don't see Jorie being able to stop Dorka as she gives up 5 inches to her. ADVANTAGE - UCONN

Aubrey Griffin vs Anaya Peoples - Anaya is a solid player averaging 9.2 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. But, Anaya also impacts the game on the defensive side as well she gets 2.1 steals per game and is a good on-ball defender. Will she be able to stop Aubrey...well that depends on which Aubrey shows up. If the hungry one shows up Aubrey should have a fantastic game...if not then maybe we get a repeat of the Aubrey who only scored 6 points in the last meeting. I say, Aubrey has a lot of pride and she will be looking to do better than she did in her first meeting with DePaul. ADVANTAGE - UCONN

Lou Lopez-Senechal vs Kendall Holmes - While Kendall is a solid player, Lou is playing her best basketball and I don't see Kendall outplaying Lou at this position. Last game Lou had 20 while Kendall had 3 points. ADVANTAGE - UCONN

Nika Muhl vs Darrione Rogers - Doesn't happen often but Nika gives up an inch to Darrione who is the Demons' second best option. Darrione averages 17 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game. Last game Darrione only scored 7 points and had 2 rebounds and 3 assists. However, she was a real pest on the defensive end as she had 5 steals in our first outing. Nika had a strange game: 0 points, 8 rebounds, 10 assists and 6 turnovers. I would look for Darrione to be more productive on the offensive end and for Nika to take care of the basketball better than she did last game against DePaul. Also hopefully, Nika can take some more shots and score a few points this time around. ADVANTAGE - EVEN

Bench - As long as we have Caroline coming off the bench...I don't see either team with a discernible advantage. ADVANTAGE - EVEN

Intangibles - This game will be played in Chicago so the home court advantage goes to DePaul. But, the defensive advantage that UConn brings each and every game by far exceeds that advantage. ADVANTAGE - UCONN

Coaching - I almost feel bad for Coach Bruno but he has been here before he knows what to expect and he doesn't have the horses he has had in the past. UConn's coaching staff knows what needs to be done. ADVANTAGE - UCONN

UConn - 87
DePaul - 65

MOV - 22

 

[cferraro04]

Wow! I don’t think anyone saw St.John’s coming into our house and getting the win. Let’s hope the rest has done the UConn women some good

 

[Centerstream]

Bruno doesn't have the horses that he's had in the past. At this point, sadly neither do we. Our starting 5 players are pretty worn out and if they haven't caught a second wind come Saturday, all bets should be off.
Personally, I hope that every starter has caught their second wind.

 

[Zarathustra]

The Blue Demons probably smell HUSKIE blood. But will there be any bloodletting?
I believe UCONN endures and sets the stage for a happy Xavier "senior night".
However, I do remember Caroline Ducharme having to bail us out with that tremendous
basket with 1.6 - 1.8 seconds on the clock last year: 80 - 78. It was scary fourth quarter
with a happy ending. My MOV is 4 points. It we need the points, Lou or Caroline will
provide for the Boneyard happiness. GO HUSKIES. !!!

 

[Kat]

DePaul is 15-14 overall, 8-10 in conference play. Their home record is 8-10. Their fan turnout is pitiful. I don't see a problem here.

 

[Blond D.]

Nika and Lou said in their post game interview that they need to get back to practicing like the Huskies used to practice. I think with that mindset and a new commitment to practicing hard, they will be ready to go.

 

[Conndog]

Here we go...facing the sophomore phenom Aneesah Morrow and the DePaul, Blue Demons yet again. Aneesah, 6'1" is having a great sophomore year averaging 25.5 points and 12.1 rebounds per game.

It should be noted that the Blue Demons are much more than Aneesah...they have Darrione Rogers, 5'11" Jr. Guard, Kendall Holmes, 5'11" Jr. Guard, Anaya Peoples, another 5'11" Sr. Guard and Jorie Allen, 6'0" Sr. Forward. Yes, you got it right yet another 3 guard line-up for UConn to face. DePaul's starters average 25.5, 17.5, 9.8, 9.2 and 7.3 points respectively for a total of 69.3 points per game while UConn's starters average - 16.3, 16.3, 14.4, 13.3, 6.9 respectively for a total of 67.2 points per game...

Hmmm, you might be thinking how is this possible? Well, the answer is found on the defensive end. While the blue demons average 77.8 points per game they give up 72.2 points per game...the Huskies, on the other hand, average 77.2 points per game but they are very stingy on the defensive end only allowing 59.2 points per game.

The Blue demons are not having their best season this year as they are 15 and 13 overall and 8 and 9 in the Big East. They are 8 and 6 when they play at home. It is hard to look past the 43 point drubbing UConn gave DePaul in their last meeting while scoring 94 points in the victory.

I think we need to keep an eye on Keke Rimmer this game...she went off for 15 points against bpth Butler and Xavier.

Aaliyah Edwards vs Aneesah Morrow - What can you say...Aneesah is a double / double machine. Her somewhat gaudy stats of 25.5 points and 12.1 rebounds when compared to Aaliyah's 16.3 points and 9.0 rebounds only slightly eclipse Aliyah. Can Aliyah's defense cut into that differential somewhat? I think so. Last game Aneesah scored 20 points and 12 rebounds while Aaliyah Edwards had 23 points and 10 rebounds. ADVANTAGE - EVEN

Dorka Juhasz vs Jorie Allen - Jorie is a solid basketball player averaging 7.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game...she is the Demons' fifth scoring option. I don't see Jorie being able to stop Dorka as she gives up 5 inches to her. ADVANTAGE - UCONN

Aubrey Griffin vs Anaya Peoples - Anaya is a solid player averaging 9.2 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. But, Anaya also impacts the game on the defensive side as well she gets 2.1 steals per game and is a good on-ball defender. Will she be able to stop Aubrey...well that depends on which Aubrey shows up. If the hungry one shows up Aubrey should have a fantastic game...if not then maybe we get a repeat of the Aubrey who only scored 6 points in the last meeting. I say, Aubrey has a lot of pride and she will be looking to do better than she did in her first meeting with DePaul. ADVANTAGE - UCONN

Lou Lopez-Senechal vs Kendall Holmes - While Kendall is a solid player, Lou is playing her best basketball and I don't see Kendall outplaying Lou at this position. Last game Lou had 20 while Kendall had 3 points. ADVANTAGE - UCONN

Nika Muhl vs Darrione Rogers - Doesn't happen often but Nika gives up an inch to Darrione who is the Demons' second best option. Darrione averages 17 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game. Last game Darrione only scored 7 points and had 2 rebounds and 3 assists. However, she was a real pest on the defensive end as she had 5 steals in our first outing. Nika had a strange game: 0 points, 8 rebounds, 10 assists and 6 turnovers. I would look for Darrione to be more productive on the offensive end and for Nika to take care of the basketball better than she did last game against DePaul. Also hopefully, Nika can take some more shots and score a few points this time around. ADVANTAGE - EVEN

Bench - As long as we have Caroline coming off the bench...I don't see either team with a discernible advantage. ADVANTAGE - EVEN

Intangibles - This game will be played in Chicago so the home court advantage goes to DePaul. But, the defensive advantage that UConn brings each and every game by far exceeds that advantage. ADVANTAGE - UCONN

Coaching - I almost feel bad for Coach Bruno but he has been here before he knows what to expect and he doesn't have the horses he has had in the past. UConn's coaching staff knows what needs to be done. ADVANTAGE - UCONN

UConn - 87
DePaul - 65

MOV - 22

The Edwards vs Morrow matchup is even? Seriously?

 

[pacific 44]

Don't let Morrow's gaudy per game average fool ya. Vs. Villanova she shot 11-29 and this is approximately her average for the year. If her teammates took some of those shots instead, they wouldn't have a worse shooting percentage than her. If Edwards were to shoot 29 times per game i guarantee she would be scoring more points than Morrow. In their first game, Aaliyah shot half as many shots and i believe she outscored Morrow. It wouldn't be too outrageous if one were to say:" advantage Uconn", rather than even.

 

[Happydad745]

Depaul has a good offense, but their defense is not nearly as good as ours-This game really depends on which UConn team shows up; The tired/burned/frustrated team or The awesome/score from anywhere/great defensive one.

 

[YKCornelius]

This game will be all about preparation and perseverance. Whoever wants it more will take it. Win or lose, DePaul is locked into the #7 seed in the BET, and barring a complete meltdown against Xavier on Senior Night, UConn will be the top seed.

Both teams’ starters average a lot of minutes each game, so it is reasonable to assume that will continue in this contest.

This season, Morrow has launched almost three times as many 3-point shots (174) than she did last year as a freshman (60), even though her percentage is about the same (23.6 to 23.3). She also has taken more field goal attempts than anyone else in WCBB - by far. She has 0ver 100 more FGA (704) than the Maddy Siegrist (who is in second place at 603). Morrow has taken 35.3 5 of her team's shots - the highest percentage in D-1.

I hope Geno puts Ayanna in the game early in the third quarter and tells her to face guard Morrow on offense. Wear her down and frustrate her. Don’t worry about fouling her, just make sure when you do, get your money’s worth. Nothing soft. Use all five fouls. Be aggressive.

I would bring Amari into the game to cover Morrow also, and give her similar instructions. Nothing soft. Guard her all the way out to the arc. Morrow is averaging six 3-pt attempts per game. She is itching to fire from deep. Make her earn everything!

 

[fomalhaut]

Vs. Villanova she shot 11-29 and this is approximately her average for the year.

.425 is a lot better than 11-29, and Morrow is getting way more rebounds than Edwards. Also Edwards is 15-42 in her last three games, and hasn't has a great shooting game since South Carolina (and she only had 4 rebounds in that game). I would rate this as Advantage DePaul.

 

[cferraro04]

The Edwards vs Morrow matchup is even? Seriously?

Are you forgetting in game one Morrow was 20 and 12 while Edwards was 23 and 10…looks pretty even to me.

 

[Skeets]

Here's what I don't want to see in the DePaul game. UConn has a tough time when the other team slows the game down (think Harry Perretta in the old days). St. Johns used just about the whole shot clock on just about every possession. A couple of times they had a shot clock violation. For a group of thoroughbreds this is very frustrating. To make matters worse Geno slowed it down some on the UConn end. You can't play well when you are frustrated.

I agree with Nika. Practice hard, but then they should go out and play hard. Don't worry about fatigue. UConn should play UConn basketball and it they get beaten playing their game, so be it. But don't play the other guy's game.

 

[YKCornelius]

Haha! Maybe "cover" is the wrong verb for me to have used. Probably should have used "frustrate", "annoy" or "pester" instead!

 

[Jokerman619]

I believe after last week call out to the whole team on the effort and grit. They go out and take it all out on DePaul. This is UConn, fear no one. Beat all. I know it will be a wake up call. And they will answer big time. Go Huskies

 

[TCC Kid]

Here we go...facing the sophomore phenom Aneesah Morrow and the DePaul, Blue Demons yet again. Aneesah, 6'1" is having a great sophomore year averaging 25.5 points and 12.1 rebounds per game.

It should be noted that the Blue Demons are much more than Aneesah...they have Darrione Rogers, 5'11" Jr. Guard, Kendall Holmes, 5'11" Jr. Guard, Anaya Peoples, another 5'11" Sr. Guard and Jorie Allen, 6'0" Sr. Forward. Yes, you got it right yet another 3 guard line-up for UConn to face. DePaul's starters average 25.5, 17.5, 9.8, 9.2 and 7.3 points respectively for a total of 69.3 points per game while UConn's starters average - 16.3, 16.3, 14.4, 13.3, 6.9 respectively for a total of 67.2 points per game...

Hmmm, you might be thinking how is this possible? Well, the answer is found on the defensive end. While the blue demons average 77.8 points per game they give up 72.2 points per game...the Huskies, on the other hand, average 77.2 points per game but they are very stingy on the defensive end only allowing 59.2 points per game.

The Blue demons are not having their best season this year as they are 15 and 13 overall and 8 and 9 in the Big East. They are 8 and 6 when they play at home. It is hard to look past the 43 point drubbing UConn gave DePaul in their last meeting while scoring 94 points in the victory.

I think we need to keep an eye on Keke Rimmer this game...she went off for 15 points against bpth Butler and Xavier.

Aaliyah Edwards vs Aneesah Morrow - What can you say...Aneesah is a double / double machine. Her somewhat gaudy stats of 25.5 points and 12.1 rebounds when compared to Aaliyah's 16.3 points and 9.0 rebounds only slightly eclipse Aliyah. Can Aliyah's defense cut into that differential somewhat? I think so. Last game Aneesah scored 20 points and 12 rebounds while Aaliyah Edwards had 23 points and 10 rebounds. ADVANTAGE - EVEN

Dorka Juhasz vs Jorie Allen - Jorie is a solid basketball player averaging 7.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game...she is the Demons' fifth scoring option. I don't see Jorie being able to stop Dorka as she gives up 5 inches to her. ADVANTAGE - UCONN

Aubrey Griffin vs Anaya Peoples - Anaya is a solid player averaging 9.2 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. But, Anaya also impacts the game on the defensive side as well she gets 2.1 steals per game and is a good on-ball defender. Will she be able to stop Aubrey...well that depends on which Aubrey shows up. If the hungry one shows up Aubrey should have a fantastic game...if not then maybe we get a repeat of the Aubrey who only scored 6 points in the last meeting. I say, Aubrey has a lot of pride and she will be looking to do better than she did in her first meeting with DePaul. ADVANTAGE - UCONN

Lou Lopez-Senechal vs Kendall Holmes - While Kendall is a solid player, Lou is playing her best basketball and I don't see Kendall outplaying Lou at this position. Last game Lou had 20 while Kendall had 3 points. ADVANTAGE - UCONN

Nika Muhl vs Darrione Rogers - Doesn't happen often but Nika gives up an inch to Darrione who is the Demons' second best option. Darrione averages 17 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game. Last game Darrione only scored 7 points and had 2 rebounds and 3 assists. However, she was a real pest on the defensive end as she had 5 steals in our first outing. Nika had a strange game: 0 points, 8 rebounds, 10 assists and 6 turnovers. I would look for Darrione to be more productive on the offensive end and for Nika to take care of the basketball better than she did last game against DePaul. Also hopefully, Nika can take some more shots and score a few points this time around. ADVANTAGE - EVEN

Bench - As long as we have Caroline coming off the bench...I don't see either team with a discernible advantage. ADVANTAGE - EVEN

Intangibles - This game will be played in Chicago so the home court advantage goes to DePaul. But, the defensive advantage that UConn brings each and every game by far exceeds that advantage. ADVANTAGE - UCONN

Coaching - I almost feel bad for Coach Bruno but he has been here before he knows what to expect and he doesn't have the horses he has had in the past. UConn's coaching staff knows what needs to be done. ADVANTAGE - UCONN

UConn - 87
DePaul - 65

MOV - 22

Your analysis is good, accurate. We've seen Morrow have some fantastic games against Uconn. Your analysis "intangible"missed the 2 others on the Bench---Patterson and DeBerry. Yes, minimal experience. But with DePaul going straight after Dorka and Edwards you may see DeBerry --
Yes, I'm a bit a dreamer, not always living in the world provided. I think, from what I have seen likely, neglecting Freshman mistakes, I think if DeBerry was POSTED at the post on Defense Morrow would score some, but I think SIZE/height would overcome brawn of Morrow. DeBerry can shoot.

 

[TCC Kid]

Adjectives used for Geno's coaching ability, for the past 20 years are: Master Motivator, Master Coach, DeBerry is not without intellect or even physical abilities. If she CAN'T play the game, what is she doing on the bench--and I"M NOT saying she can't play the game.
Defense is 98 percent intensity, speed, quick reaction time ---DeBerry can do all that. EXPERIENCE should fix that--MAYBE. There comes a time when she must Deliver OR ????
The truism of the game is---you use what you have and Geno only has DeBerry and Patterson along with the 6 others. Azzi isn't ready, she says. Paige is NEXT YEAR same for ICE. Ines is lacking in Div Experience. That leaves DeBerry and/or Patterson.

 

[TCC Kid]

I believe after last week call out to the whole team on the effort and grit. They go out and take it all out on DePaul. This is UConn, fear no one. Beat all. I know it will be a wake up call. And they will answer big time. Go Huskies

Our/my Marines were on a 76 mile fighting march. Forgive my tears. Some made it all the way. Could they have turned around and done it again? Sure, They ARE Marines. But the results may have been disaster.

Point is, these UConn kid have been fighting a battle---look at the scars--every bit of physical or mental energy has been used. They SHALL do it again and again without relief, IF NEED BE, but you won't like the results. Human endurances has it's limits. Even the Uconn Women have limits.

How grateful we should be for what they has already achieved.

 

[YKCornelius]

As mention on the prognostications thread, I believe this is Senior Day for DePaul. Given that, I expect to see max effort from Peoples, Allen and Rimmer, in addition to the usual effort from the sophomore Energizer Bunny (Morrow). I think covering Rogers, especially on the perimeter, is key to victory.

DePaul's starters have played comparable minutes-per-game averages to ours. Looking for strong games from our bigs, and a few minutes from Amari and Ayanna to spell Dorka and Aaliyah.

Also hoping to see the results of renewed intensity/focus coming out of the St John's loss. Leave it all on the court, ladies! Go Huskies!