Game Analysis - UConn vs Tennessee

[Bald Husky]

I think Nikas response to the Tennessee question was hilarious. She really looked serious, stated she expected to play, and because she and Geno weren't on the same page that she was benched and was very mad at that. What she did last year tells me she is ready to go and will have a great impact on tomorrow nights game.

 

[Next 12]

The starting five on OCONN has reached it's peak in offense and defense as of right now. We are performing at championship level and are out to prove UCONN is for real. This game will be a factor in how good we are. The competition had better bring their A plus game if they expect to win, which I know is not in them. Tough game, but UCONN in a cakewalk. GO HUSKIES!!!!

 

[Carnac]

How many points do you think UConn needs to put on the scoreboard to win?

 

[wingsfan055]

Tough matchup for UConn at this point in time. On the road against a hostile crowd, no bench, team is tired, against a big, physical rival who wants to take us down. Lots of similarities with the ND and Maryland losses. UConn will have to play a very good/great game to pull this out.

 

[Lynx23]

The starting five on OCONN has reached it's peak in offense and defense as of right now. We are performing at championship level and are out to prove UCONN is for real. This game will be a factor in how good we are. The competition had better bring their A plus game if they expect to win, which I know is not in them. Tough game, but UCONN in a cakewalk. GO HUSKIES!!!!

Agreed. The silver lining to all the injuries is that the starting five have exhibited a tremendous amount of chemistry of late. That's an intangible that develops with time and experience that cannot be taught. In addition, the bench is providing meaningful minutes. I wouldn't underestimate Bettencourt. She is intelligent, very quick and willing to drive to the hoop, and her passing has gotten better. I don't take any game for granted, but I think we're in pretty good shape to win.

 

[Topdawg]

If we control the pace of the game and play to our rhythm, we will be very difficult to beat. Our defense usually keeps opponents well below their season scoring averages. If we score above 75 with efficiency, we should win comfortably.

 

[Kat]

TN will try to disrupt our up-tempo transition offense Slowing the game down, lots of substitutions, particularly after they score. I think it's pretty well known by now that you aren't going to bully the Huskies with physical play, but TN will have fouls to give, free-throw shooting also breaks up the tempo, and CT isn't a great free-throw shooting team.

 

[The deacon]

TN will try to disrupt our up-tempo transition offense Slowing the game down, lots of substitutions, particularly after they score. I think it's pretty well known by now that you aren't going to bully the Huskies with physical play, but TN will have fouls to give, free-throw shooting also breaks up the tempo, and CT isn't a great free-throw shooting team.

The Huskies are shooting 75 percent from the line. That's pretty darned good, if not 'great.'

 

[JoePgh]

Has anyone seen any definite news about whether Jordan Horston will play? If it was just an illness that kept her out of Sunday's game, I think she will make every possible effort to play against UConn at home in her senior year, so I'm assuming that she will play. (And I hope she will.)

If she does, then I think Aubrey will guard her, Lou will guard Sara Puckett and keep her 3-point shooting in check, and Aaliyah will guard Rickea Jackson. If that match-up happens (ideally at both ends of the court), WNBA scouts will have their binoculars at the ready, since both players are undoubtedly future WNBA-ers and the matchup will be a test of their individual skills. I think that match-up could easily be the key to the game.

My (hypothetical) bet is for Aaliyah to win that match-up. She is a bit taller, quite a bit stronger, and more physical, while Rickea (dare I say it) is more of a finesse player who is quick and can slither between defenders -- more Chiney Ogwumike than Tina Charles (or Nneka, for that matter). Both players have reliable midrange shots, and have to be guarded at the 15-foot distance. But Aaliyah is accustomed to playing tight defense, and Jackson seems to be somewhat lazy about her D. I expect Aaliyah to get a number of deflections, a few steal-and-scores, and shut down Jackson's penetration game. Jackson may get a few more offensive rebounds and putback scores than Aaliyah does. I also think that Aaliyah will play more minutes than Jackson (probably 35 vs. 25 based on past usage patterns), and have a field day when Tennessee's bench players are trying to guard her.

If the game is called fairly and consistently and UConn avoids stupid fouls and turnovers (are you listening, Nika?), I can envision UConn winning by 20 even if Horston plays. If she doesn't, then a 30-point win is possible.

 

[visitingcock]

Will take 66 to win. Anything above that will be gravy

 

[cferraro04]

Has anyone seen any definite news about whether Jordan Horston will play? If it was just an illness that kept her out of Sunday's game, I think she will make every possible effort to play against UConn at home in her senior year, so I'm assuming that she will play. (And I hope she will.)

If she does, then I think Aubrey will guard her, Lou will guard Sara Puckett and keep her 3-point shooting in check, and Aaliyah will guard Rickea Jackson. If that match-up happens (ideally at both ends of the court), WNBA scouts will have their binoculars at the ready, since both players are undoubtedly future WNBA-ers and the matchup will be a test of their individual skills. I think that match-up could easily be the key to the game.

My (hypothetical) bet is for Aaliyah to win that match-up. She is a bit taller, quite a bit stronger, and more physical, while Rickea (dare I say it) is more of a finesse player who is quick and can slither between defenders -- more Chiney Ogwumike than Tina Charles (or Nneka, for that matter). Both players have reliable midrange shots, and have to be guarded at the 15-foot distance. But Aaliyah is accustomed to playing tight defense, and Jackson seems to be somewhat lazy about her D. I expect Aaliyah to get a number of deflections, a few steal-and-scores, and shut down Jackson's penetration game. Jackson may get a few more offensive rebounds and putback scores than Aaliyah does. I also think that Aaliyah will play more minutes than Jackson (probably 35 vs. 25 based on past usage patterns), and have a field day when Tennessee's bench players are trying to guard her.

If the game is called fairly and consistently and UConn avoids stupid fouls and turnovers (are you listening, Nika?), I can envision UConn winning by 20 even if Horston plays. If she doesn't, then a 30-point win is possible.

The following was found in the news from the Tennessee Vols web site: "With Jordan Horston out sick on Sunday in Columbia, Tennessee managed to remain perfect in SEC play by getting a layup from Jordan Walker, a three-pointer from Sara Puckett and a turn-around jumper "and-1" from Rickea Jackson over the final minute to secure a 68-65 victory. Jackson's bucket and free throw came with a second remaining."

 

[Ralph]

Rather than start a separate thread on this article, I figured it is better added to this one. Laughable article from the Knoxville News Sentinel via Yahoo. Their "Analysis" gives all the advantages to UCONN, and then predicts a Lady Vols win!

Tennessee Lady Vols basketball vs. UConn: Scouting report, score prediction

Lady Vols basketball takes a break from SEC play to face historic rival UConn on Thursday. Here's what you need to know about the matchup.

www.yahoo.com

Maybe the write talked to the refs and knows what is up.

 

[MD#12Fan]

Our D has been so rock solid. BE squads don’t have the skills to get away from us, to get space for open looks. Even Morrow, kind of throwing the ball up at the rim rather than being able to square up and score. She got loose a couple of times. Now, we face a bigger, stronger team. Not way more talented basketball-wise than BE teams but more physically talented. This is the test. I think we’ll learn a lot. The AZ effect or not. Can we keep this same tempo on offense? Not get stymied. Can we rebound at all 5 positions? Our shots will be challenged by taller players. It feels different. Sometimes a 16 footer challenged by a strong player is leagues different than a 15 footer against Seton Hall. I can’t wait.
Personally, and I know I will be challenged here; we need to stretch our defense further out against bigger teams. It’s a dominoe effect: force the ball further out, under duress (enter Nika), deny the wings, thus pulling them further out, front the posts, thus pulling them further out and lo and behold, size advantage negated, plus deflections and steals leading to transition. Coach K’s D. Geno knows it. Everybody knows it.UConn’s got the players to do it. Get Boston to come out to get the ball. We win. He needs this tomorrow, against SC, and the end of March and April. Give them Friday off to rest. Can’t wait.

 

[DennieEddy]

A question to the boneyard, if you were Geno, what would you tell them in the dressing room prior to them taking the floor for the game?

I'm not a long time boneyarder, less than a year, long time UConn sports fan, in fact, I watched Wes Balasuknea (sic??) in the Field House my years there.

And it's been way too long since the last NC banner was hoisted, men or women. We got spoiled with mucho talent for so many years, other teams just caught up to UConn in recruiting and talent. For years, I think, the women won on finesse, teamwork, knowledge and savvy, instead of muscle and outright height. Now, the UConn women still have all those traits, and other top 5-6 teams have that now as well.

I don't know if the student athletes read The Boneyard. Some do, most don't, BUT friends do, roommates do, significant others do, and families most certainly do. Sometimes Boneyard comments border on fantasy and lack of knowledge. Especially when WE start saying "if I was Geno", "Geno Should...", "I'd start A and bring B in off the bench", "why isn't C playing more", "its been 6 weeks since the injury, D should be playing by now"...you get the idea. We're not Geno, we're not the trainers, nor are we the medical staff, and it's a good thing too. I don't see much of an upside to these "if I..." comments. It will mostly cause frustration, confusion...even a pedestal attitude...when a roommate says, "did you read Boneyard today? You were mentioned 10 times today!".

And when a recruit or a recently signed player visits campus or a game, the Boneyard is quick to lay out the welcome signs and the red carpet. UNTIL, "she's making freshman mistakes", "she's inconsistent", "I think she has a nagging high school injury".

I enjoy many of the threads, badass, score predictions, press conferences, game analysis, past stories, and others, but I don't enjoy the harping on when someone will play, or start, or come off the bench, or when someone should be off the IR list.

 

[HuskyNan]

I'm not a long time boneyarder, less than a year, long time UConn sports fan, in fact, I watched Wes Balasuknea (sic??) in the Field House my years there.

And it's been way too long since the last NC banner was hoisted, men or women. We got spoiled with mucho talent for so many years, other teams just caught up to UConn in recruiting and talent. For years, I think, the women won on finesse, teamwork, knowledge and savvy, instead of muscle and outright height. Now, the UConn women still have all those traits, and other top 5-6 teams have that now as well.

I don't know if the student athletes read The Boneyard. Some do, most don't, BUT friends do, roommates do, significant others do, and families most certainly do. Sometimes Boneyard comments border on fantasy and lack of knowledge. Especially when WE start saying "if I was Geno", "Geno Should...", "I'd start A and bring B in off the bench", "why isn't C playing more", "its been 6 weeks since the injury, D should be playing by now"...you get the idea. We're not Geno, we're not the trainers, nor are we the medical staff, and it's a good thing too. I don't see much of an upside to these "if I..." comments. It will mostly cause frustration, confusion...even a pedestal attitude...when a roommate says, "did you read Boneyard today? You were mentioned 10 times today!".

And when a recruit or a recently signed player visits campus or a game, the Boneyard is quick to lay out the welcome signs and the red carpet. UNTIL, "she's making freshman mistakes", "she's inconsistent", "I think she has a nagging high school injury".

I enjoy many of the threads, badass, score predictions, press conferences, game analysis, past stories, and others, but I don't enjoy the harping on when someone will play, or start, or come off the bench, or when someone should be off the IR list.

? What’s your point?

 

[DennieEddy]

How many points do you think UConn needs to put on the scoreboard to win?

One more than Tennessee

 

[Blond D.]

I REALLY get tired of people ragging on Nika about watching her fouls. Nika hasnt been in foul trouble all year and yet has been better on defense. Give her a break.

 

[baggerbob]

Do you know the story behind her departure?


This sounds about right. But even with Horston in the lineup, I often wonder how much of a net positive she really is. She and Jackson are talented playmakers, but that’s mostly in one-on-one play. Neither one is a great passer, and both can be turnover prone. On the other hand, Horston has active long arms and can disrupt the passing lanes. I expect we’ll give up some turnovers to them.

At the point guard position, Nika owned Jordan Walker last year. Just watch the replay of that game, especially the 3rd quarter. Nika engineered a 14-0 run to open the quarter, including a statement steal and run-out from Walker at the top of the key. They never recovered from it. I think Walker has improved her game since then and much might ride on how this matchup goes.

Without Key, Dorka and Aaliyah will have a significant advantage in the paint, and if they avoid fouls, I expect they’ll wear out Striplin and Hollinshead. I can’t see Jackson as a defender down there. But I don’t expect to see Aaliyah defending Jackson. I think that will be Aubrey’s assignment. I wonder how Jackson will respond to being defended at that level of intensity.

There may be important minutes for Amari and Ayanna in this game. A rebounding edge — if we can manage it — may be decisive for us. I think we don’t want to be out-rebounded by this team.

Ironically, Amari’s game is similar in some ways to Tamari’s. She also seemed like a low energy player who understood positioning really well. This is how she got a lot of her blocks. I think Amari is coming to understand positioning and footwork much better of late. I hope we see this trend continue. Tamari won’t be playing however, so Amari will be the tallest player on the floor when she’s out there. I know, Hollinshead is listed at 6’5” too, but I suspect Amari is a little taller than that with very long arms. Our 3-big lineup with Aubrey or Lou and Nika could see some good minutes.

I don't think Tennessee has anyone who can chase Lou for 40 minutes.
She is like constant motion, and doesn't need a lot of room to shoot.

 

[JRRRJ]

TN will try to disrupt our up-tempo transition offense Slowing the game down, lots of substitutions, particularly after they score. I think it's pretty well known by now that you aren't going to bully the Huskies with physical play, but TN will have fouls to give, free-throw shooting also breaks up the tempo, and CT isn't a great free-throw shooting team.

The bolded text has been true in the past, but it no longer is. 3 of the 5 starters and one bench player hit more than 79.5% of their attempts, 2 hit more than 90%. The team's at 74.9%, which is 65th out of 350 div I schools.

 

[amb3096]

I don't think Tennessee has anyone who can chase Lou for 40 minutes.
She is like constant motion, and doesn't need a lot of room to shoot.

Jordan Walker or Jordan Horston. But that means a mismatch for Aubrey Griffin and not much pressure on Muhl when she’s directing traffic. Or they can play both PGs at the same time for defensive purposes, but at the expense of their best 3 pt shooters and overall scoring abilities.

This is just not a good matchup for Tennessee. If they can’t draw fouls quickly, this can get away from them in a hurry.

 

[Urshurak]

Rather than start a separate thread on this article, I figured it is better added to this one. Laughable article from the Knoxville News Sentinel via Yahoo. Their "Analysis" gives all the advantages to UCONN, and then predicts a Lady Vols win!

Tennessee Lady Vols basketball vs. UConn: Scouting report, score prediction

Lady Vols basketball takes a break from SEC play to face historic rival UConn on Thursday. Here's what you need to know about the matchup.

www.yahoo.com

Same over on their forum. 90% of them are delusional. It’s really comical. Some here on the BY can get a little “stick your head in the sand” from time to time, but I think most here are realistic. Maybe 1 in 10 is realistic over on their forum. The article above? Hilarious.

 

[Notyetready]

Plus, it gives you the opportunity to say “Jolly is better than Holly to think otherwise is folly.”

On second thought, it’s probably better that you didn’t.

Whew! Good thing nobody else said it.

 

[90BSEE]

Good analysis of the matchups. But you missed one. Who do we line up against the refs?

 

[housekeys]

Plus, it gives you the opportunity to say “Jolly is better than Holly to think otherwise is folly.”

On second thought, it’s probably better that you didn’t.

She must be a "joy" at Christmas time.

 

[CL82]

She must be a "joy" at Christmas time.

They get along surprisingly well and actually host a joint Christmas party. You haven’t lived until you’ve had a Holly Jolly Christmas.