Game Analysis - UConn vs Tennessee | Page 2 | The Boneyard

Game Analysis - UConn vs Tennessee

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.
 
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.
 
Kat said:
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.
Expand ...
The Huskies are shooting 75 percent from the line. That's pretty darned good, if not 'great.'
 
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.
 
JoePgh said:
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.
Expand ...
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."
 
.-.
Jackalope said:
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!

www.yahoo.com

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 www.yahoo.com

Maybe the write talked to the refs and knows what is up.
Expand ...
 
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.
 
Carnac said:
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?
Expand ...
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.
 
DennieEddy said:
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.
Expand ...
? What’s your point?
 
.-.
Bone Dog said:
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.
Expand ...
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.
 
Kat said:
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.
Expand ...
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.
 
baggerbob said:
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.
Expand ...
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.
 
Jackalope said:
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!

www.yahoo.com

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 www.yahoo.com
Expand ...
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.
 
CL82 said:
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.
Expand ...
Whew! Good thing nobody else said it.
 
.-.

Will Jordan Horston play for Lady Vols basketball vs. UConn?​

Ahead of Thursday's game against No. 5 UConn, Lady Vols basketball coach Kellie Harper did not provide an update Tuesday morning on Jordan Horston's status.

The senior starter did not travel with the team for Tennessee's 68-65 win over Missouri on Sunday due to illness. Harper said she would know more later in the day, after the team practiced and she could see what Horston was able to do. The showdown for the Huskies and Lady Vols at Thompson-Boling Arena is scheduled for an 8 p.m. ET tip (ESPN).

www.knoxnews.com

Will Jordan Horston play for Lady Vols basketball vs. UConn?

Jordan Horston did not travel with Lady Vols basketball to Missouri on Sunday and her status remains unclear for Thursday's matchup with UConn.
www.knoxnews.com www.knoxnews.com
 
This is simply. We’re playing at Tennessee. If we get in foul trouble it’s a tuff game. If this game wasn’t in Tenn UConn wins big. At Tenn funny things happen. If we get in foul trouble we are defenseless. If UConn stays out of foul trouble UConn wins. End of subject. Good luck UConn
 
.-.
Mdoggie said:
@Tonyc here it is…. UConn has better team basketball players and play the team game extremely better than the Vols. Real basketball wins. UConn by 15+.
Expand ...
I agrees. UConn should however Ive seen and I’ve watched what happens at Tennessee in the past
 
HuskyNan said:
? What’s your point?
Expand ...
Point? That the Boneyard is often too critical of coaches and trainers and medical staff and individual players and it can be detrimental since the Boneyard is not in possession of all the necessary facts all the time.
 
DennieEddy said:
Point? That the Boneyard is often too critical of coaches and trainers and medical staff and individual players and it can be detrimental since the Boneyard is not in possession of all the necessary facts all the time.
Expand ...
It’s a forum for discussion. It’s been around for 30 years and is what it is. I don’t expect it to change any time soon.
 
IMHO UCONN has to many athletes to win the battles on the offense and the defense!
Their defense has been smothering their past several games!
 
I really believe that uconn has a great chance to make another statement with this game. Everyone one was so worried about DePaul and Morrow. She got her points, but also got shut down and a little exposed by Dorka and AA in the paint. So I expect that tonight. And as a team, I believe that uconn can stand with any team. They have that no rattle attitude. And the bench is getting great playtime. And getting confident in themselves. And a Team can beat any I. Go Huskies.
 
Fouls are going to be the key. Our bench barely plays and to be honest have never played in a huge intense game like this. Kelly plays everybody and she has a long bench. We need to jump out early. Part of Kelly’s strategy is to make it physical and use her bench. Geno will try not to.
 
.-.
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
168,154
Messages
4,555,007
Members
10,438
Latest member
UConnheart


Top Bottom