Handling BYU

[wire chief]

Many comments about how we handled St. Joe how we will handle ND, but the next order of business is BYU. What will be Geno's plan for coping with a 6' 7" player?

 

[Icebear]

Nothing special.

 

[rvwsleep]

She is tall but Stef will be able to push her around. I don't think she has the strength to deal with Dolson.

 

[UConnChapette]

She is tall but Stef will be able to push her around. I don't think she has the strength to deal with Dolson.

Geno has a plan....RELEASE THE DOLSON!

 

[Wbbfan1]

I suspect Geno will use full court pressure early to frustrate BYU's guards. If their play against Nebraska is any indication, they won't be able to handle UConn's defense.

 

[UConnChapette]

I suspect Geno will use full court pressure early to frustrate BYU's guards. If their play against Nebraska is any indication, they won't be able to handle UConn's defense.

Moriah could have a field day.

 

[Kevin G]

Many comments about how we handled St. Joe how we will handle ND, but the next order of business is BYU. What will be Geno's plan for coping with a 6' 7" player?

I hope she puts on her sprinting shoes. She's going to be chasing Stef and Stewie all night up and down that floor. BYU will have to try and slow the game down.

 

[huskeynut]

Get the running game going. Let Stef and Stewie out run their center. I believe her name is Hamson. And they both can.

Stewie down low from Stef at the top of the key. Stef down low with Stewie at the top of the key.

I believe BYU's center will be in foul trouble by the 10 minute mark of the first half.

 

[semper]

Anyone know the state of BYU's conditioning?

 

[Icebear]

Anyone know the state of BYU's conditioning?

Utah.

 

[RadyLady]

Utah.

silly 'ol bear

 

[jdubct]

Get the running game going. Let Stef and Stewie out run their center. I believe her name is Hamson. And they both can.

Stewie down low from Stef at the top of the key. Stef down low with Stewie at the top of the key.

I believe BYU's center will be in foul trouble by the 10 minute mark of the first half.

I agree with your analysis. Have the posts outrun their center and challenge her inside. Because she will be outquicked, she'll either get in foul trouble or Uconn will score many points inside and the game will be a rout. Of course, if BYU's center is in foul trouble, she'll be on the bench and Uconn will score easily inside. Ah, a double bind. She loses if she tries to guard Dolson and Stewart, or she loses if she doesn't.

 

[UcMiami]

There was an interesting write up of BYU and Hamson is actually the finesse player while the 6'2" Bailey is the muscle - they play a good high/low. Will be interesting to see the match-ups in man, and they may well try to play a fair amount of zone because I don't think either can keep up with Stewart.
And based on their ball handling at the end of the Nebraska game, they may have a hard time getting the ball over half court on offense if Geno applies pressure - Stewart could be huge in the half court area stealing attempts to pass over the top.
They have 540 TOs to only 554 assists - 16.4 TOs per game and they haven't faced a Uconn style defense. If the game is relatively close I could see Geno using a rotation of guards and keeping the full court pressure on for long stretches.

 

[chrissaran]

Pressure BYU's guards. The announcers said that had a lot of problems with turnovers. Brianna and Saniya better be ready. We don't want to wear out Bria and MoJeff. Hamson will get a few blocks, but she won't be able to out muscle Stef. Also, she will be running up and down the floor as Kevin G suggested. I just don't see BYU having the talent to compete with UConn. The Huskies by thirty 86-56.

 

[rvwsleep]

There was an interesting write up of BYU and Hamson is actually the finesse player while the 6'2" Bailey is the muscle - they play a good high/low. Will be interesting to see the match-ups in man, and they may well try to play a fair amount of zone because I don't think either can keep up with Stewart.
And based on their ball handling at the end of the Nebraska game, they may have a hard time getting the ball over half court on offense if Geno applies pressure - Stewart could be huge in the half court area stealing attempts to pass over the top.
They have 540 TOs to only 554 assists - 16.4 TOs per game and they haven't faced a Uconn style defense. If the game is relatively close I could see Geno using a rotation of guards and keeping the full court pressure on for long stretches.

There was an interesting write up of BYU and Hamson is actually the finesse player while the 6'2" Bailey is the muscle - they play a good high/low. Will be interesting to see the match-ups in man, and they may well try to play a fair amount of zone because I don't think either can keep up with Stewart.
And based on their ball handling at the end of the Nebraska game, they may have a hard time getting the ball over half court on offense if Geno applies pressure - Stewart could be huge in the half court area stealing attempts to pass over the top.
They have 540 TOs to only 554 assists - 16.4 TOs per game and they haven't faced a Uconn style defense. If the game is relatively close I could see Geno using a rotation of guards and keeping the full court pressure on for long stretches.

On another thread I set the over/under for BYU turnovers at 22. That may be low. They had 21 to's vs Gonzaga in their conference final loss.

 

[pinotbear]

Y'know, every diddly-dam-day in practice, Stef, Kiah, and Stewie have to play each other, as well as the male practice players. Plus, they've seen a bit of Baylor during the Griner years. Not to be disrespectful, but I don't think the BYU duo is going to be as tough as that. So, the larger challenge isn't UConn handling BYU's frontcourt - it's BYU handling the UConn frontcourt.

 

[DobbsRover2]

It all comes down to whether UConn's triple-doubles can overcome BYU's double-doubles. Hamson has 22 double-doubles, while UConn's best is Stef with 12 and Stewie has 11 (Stokes-4, KML-3, Hartley-1, Chong-1). But UConn has Stef and KML's triple-doubles, and BYU has nada. I think the triple-doubles will be the difference maker. Maybe Stewie can do one that includes blocks.

 

[rvwsleep]

The more I look at the stats the more I think UCONN's defense will just overwhelm BYU. In the first game BYU played in their conference playoffs against 6-25 Pepperdine (Sagarin ranked 242), BYU committed 21 turnovers. If tomorrow's game is played at a reasonable pace, I wouldn't be surprised if BYU's to's approached 30. That would probably mean a 35-40 pt UCONN win. I have a feeling that BYU will slow the game down as much as possible. Why would they want to try and run with UCONN ?

 

[DobbsRover2]

Rewatching the BYU-Nebraska ESPN game replay video, a couple of observations, which pretty much echo what UcM was saying.

• Bailey in a way is the key Cougar. As teams concentrate on double teaming Hamson, Bailey is open for mid-range jump shots, and she hits enough to do damage. Also a tough player who keeps the ball alive. Definitely one that will need likely Stef to work on.
• Hamson is very tall and athletic (in a stiff sort of way) and in a good Utah of condition. Pretty strictly a short range layup player who the Cougars try to lob the ball into, or have her run around trying to provide ineffective screens when she gets double teamed down low. She reaches too much laterally for blocks and picks up fouls. But like BG, she affects a lot of shots both inside and out, because she does roam out a bit. Would be good to catch her out away from the basket and blow by her to try to collect a foul on a layup. Stewie should be able to handle her on D.
  
• The guards mainly look to get open for threes. Eaton is kind of a turnover machine, and though Maeda and Beeston are much better, UConn definitely have much to exploit here. Cougars were fortunate that Maeda and Harry were left open a lot to bury 3s against Huskers, but OTOH maybe Beeston and Eaton should have a much better game if given the chance. But they won't be.
• There is really just Hamson and Bailey in the post, and though Bailey picks up few fouls, Hamson can pick up a few quickly, especially if she tries to do too much against UConn. Ironically though, it was when she picked up her 4th PF with over 10 minutes to go and almost a tie game and all Husker momentum, BYU's subs started knocking down the shots against a Nebraska team that seemed to take too much of breather. If Hamson goes out against UConn, I'm sure the Huskies will turn up the pressure.

 

[Woof 101]

Many comments about how we handled St. Joe how we will handle ND, but the next order of business is BYU. What will be Geno's plan for coping with a 6' 7" player?

We are in the tourny they call "The Big Dance" . She may be 6'7' but can she dance?
Geno will simply let our version of a modern day Ginger Rogers do her thang....

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=9115441
The most impressive thing I have witnessed this year is how fast Stephie and Stewie can get up and down the floor for their size. Unless the officials intervine Hamson's head will be spinning trying to keep up. My guess if she does dance she may prefer a waltz, Stef don't waltz.

 

[UConnChapette]

Hamson is very tall and athletic (in a stiff sort of way) and in a good Utah of condition.

Oh! I see what you did there!

 

[DobbsRover2]

Oh! I see what you did there!

Actually just echoing the i-bear. Thanks bear, Utah me well.

 

[pap49cba]

I'll be really surprised if she isn't totally gassed by half time.

 

[huskeynut]

I'll add another problem for Hamson - both Stef and Stewie have those lovely baby hook shots. No way you block those without fouling or getting called for goal tending!

 

[Geno-ista]

Utah.

You don't miss anything- classic!