How does UConn beat Creighton Tenn and SC

[ERWUC65]

I don’t think Jana is going to play all that much especially against Tennessee and maybe South Carolina. There’s only one month left in the regular season and she still has not adjusted to playing college ball in the United States. Last two games her time on the court has been in the single digits. I think Geno will go with a combination of Ice Brady and Sarah down low, and may even some hi/low between the two.

Generally I agree. I think Geno will give Jana the benefit of the doubt to prove herself in the next 2 BE games, but she is probably a year away (and needs a dedicated training effort over the summer). As you stated I expect him to go with Ice against TN and SC, but I am hoping that Morgan can get in that conversation as well. She has less experience but is quicker and faster and has "The Dog".

 

[Bone Dog]

Now that I've had a chance to digest the last couple of SC games, I may be changing my sense of where they may be going this year. Up til now, we've all noticed their depth and athleticism, and this has led us to understand that they don't have a great scorer. Joyce could be one, as could Milaysia, but there's caveats with them. And Chloe is a capable scorer, and Te-Hina is a solid perimeter scorer, and Tessa is clutch. Depth is what makes up for the lack of any standout scorer, and there athleticism is what generate that awesome defense. This is why I still think of them as the most likely to win the title, with ND and UCLA as the next most likely.

But I'm beginning to wonder how much depth SC really has after the Tennessee game. They won the game even though it was closer than Dawn may have liked at the end. And the reason Dawn gave for Tennessee's late run was "fatigue." That's a flashing red light for me. Dawn surely knew they were tired in the 4th but apparently couldn't find a group to put on the floor that would solve the fatigue problem.

Looking at the SC roster again, what I see is a rotation of 7 + Milaysia. Yes, McDaniel is good for a few minutes, but she doesn't strike me a a go to player in a pinch. And after her, and without Watkins, it's just the 3 bench warming bigs, Walker Dauda and Tac.

That first 7 is a formidable lineup and I can't picture a lot of teams that could stand up to them. And Milaysia could be great too, but she is currently not all that great. 7 doesn't strike me as great depth, but in the 4th quarter they got tired. They are very athletic, but in the tournament, this could be a vulnerability, though the only teams who might be able to exploit it have to be able to score against that defense, or at least prevent them from blowing the game out before the 4th quarter.

Also, if Tac Dauda and Walker can't contribute in crunch time, then SC is a significantly smaller team than most of us are used to seeing. SC's big are athletic enough to make it hard for UCLA's guards to get the ball into Betts, as they did in November. Then it's a matter of UCLA's guards not caving to SC's defense and vice versa. They didn't last time. This is where the battle will be in a rematch.

I think something similar is possible for ND. Their bigs are bigger, but not as athletic as SC's. But their guards are as athletic as any team's and they all are talented scorers. They should be able to shoot ND past either SC or UCLA on a good night. And if SC can be worn down over the course of a game, Hannah and Olivia are the pair to do it.

I don't know if UConn can beat SC, and if we can it may not be in this first meeting. But we aren't the only team that should take heart from the Tennessee game. What would it take for us to win. Great shooting, great defense, and good rebounding.

 

[Charliebball]

Creighton - show up.
Tennessee - guard the 3 pointer. If Tennessee has 10 or more. UConn could be in trouble.
South Carolina - need another snow storm in the south to cancel the game.

the scary thing about the SC - Tennesse game which UT lost by seven points was that Tennessee out rebounded SC by 11 on the offensive glass and 9 overall and only shot 30.7% from two and 11.5% from three.......they are no pushovers......

 

[Bone Dog]

Tennessee out rebounded SC by 11 on the offensive glass

But I think they only scored 2 points off those O-boards. Maybe I’m misremembering. But it didn’t seem to me that they gained much advantage from them.

 

[vaeman]

I get not being blindly confident going into big games but the doom-n-gloom I see posted on the BY associated with our upcoming TN and SC match-ups is well beyond "Debbie Downer-eque". I watched the recent TN v SC game and was not impressed. Both teams made mistakes that BYers would lambaste UConn if we follow suit. Turn-overs. Missed bunnies. meh 3 point shooting etc.. ANY team can get hot and shoot the lights out. So can UConn.
The next time I see a comment like "the only way we beat SC is if the game is cancelled due to snow", I will

 

[Cornell Lt]

If Jana continues to start (big "if"), she needs to be able to produce 15 to 20 points per game. I watch a lot of TCU, Texas, Kansas St. games.... We need a dominant post scoring plus two of the others main three scoring..... Then really good things will happen and the season last much longer.... The teams mentioned have set plays to get the ball to the post player that almost guarantee a score or foul when shooting... Why can't UConn do the same....??

Jana isn't going to get 15-20 points in any one game this year. I'd be happy if she got that point total in a week of games.

 

[Tonyc]

A disciplined offense will produce a lot of points at a very high percentage meaning
Patience = running plays to get people open. Paige Sarah Azzi and Ash
Poise = Dont rush a short or get sped up
Energy = Play at a go go go go level. Constant movement
Execution = Running plays, setting pics and pics and rolls screens
Spot Shots = Having spots on the floor where you know you can make shots Running plays to get you there. Offensively Allie could play a big part in big games

We have shooters that shoot at a very high percentage. We need to get them open.
We have a lineup of good ball handlers
Have Sarah/Morgan (a Big) bring the ball up in a press She will be guarded by a big girl and that works in our favor

 

[Cuango]

Rebound, rebound, rebound. Offensively and defensively. I don't know what the answer is, perhaps Geno does, but we do not have a true rebounder on our team and when you play athletic teams like South Carolina that proves to be the glaring weakness.

I would say Sarah is a true rebounder.

 

[Cuango]

the scary thing about the SC - Tennesse game which UT lost by seven points was that Tennessee out rebounded SC by 11 on the offensive glass and 9 overall and only shot 30.7% from two and 11.5% from three.......they are no pushovers......

Wow! That really is scary! To shoot that poorly and stay within 7 of South Carolina is unbelievable! We’d better pack a serious lunch for that game!
I would just point out that Caldwell is doing this with other coaches players too! They are going to be a real problem when she fills her roster with elite players handpicked for her system! That is a scary thought!

 

[Gamecockfan77]

Now that I've had a chance to digest the last couple of SC games, I may be changing my sense of where they may be going this year. Up til now, we've all noticed their depth and athleticism, and this has led us to understand that they don't have a great scorer. Joyce could be one, as could Milaysia, but there's caveats with them. And Chloe is a capable scorer, and Te-Hina is a solid perimeter scorer, and Tessa is clutch. Depth is what makes up for the lack of any standout scorer, and there athleticism is what generate that awesome defense. This is why I still think of them as the most likely to win the title, with ND and UCLA as the next most likely.

But I'm beginning to wonder how much depth SC really has after the Tennessee game. They won the game even though it was closer than Dawn may have liked at the end. And the reason Dawn gave for Tennessee's late run was "fatigue." That's a flashing red light for me. Dawn surely knew they were tired in the 4th but apparently couldn't find a group to put on the floor that would solve the fatigue problem.

Looking at the SC roster again, what I see is a rotation of 7 + Milaysia. Yes, McDaniel is good for a few minutes, but she doesn't strike me a a go to player in a pinch. And after her, and without Watkins, it's just the 3 bench warming bigs, Walker Dauda and Tac.

That first 7 is a formidable lineup and I can't picture a lot of teams that could stand up to them. And Milaysia could be great too, but she is currently not all that great. 7 doesn't strike me as great depth, but in the 4th quarter they got tired. They are very athletic, but in the tournament, this could be a vulnerability, though the only teams who might be able to exploit it have to be able to score against that defense, or at least prevent them from blowing the game out before the 4th quarter.

Also, if Tac Dauda and Walker can't contribute in crunch time, then SC is a significantly smaller team than most of us are used to seeing. SC's big are athletic enough to make it hard for UCLA's guards to get the ball into Betts, as they did in November. Then it's a matter of UCLA's guards not caving to SC's defense and vice versa. They didn't last time. This is where the battle will be in a rematch.

I think something similar is possible for ND. Their bigs are bigger, but not as athletic as SC's. But their guards are as athletic as any team's and they all are talented scorers. They should be able to shoot ND past either SC or UCLA on a good night. And if SC can be worn down over the course of a game, Hannah and Olivia are the pair to do it.

I don't know if UConn can beat SC, and if we can it may not be in this first meeting. But we aren't the only team that should take heart from the Tennessee game. What would it take for us to win. Great shooting, great defense, and good rebounding.

Dawn attributed the Tennessee run first and foremost to really really bad decisions and bad shots.

 

[Bone Dog]

Dawn attributed the Tennessee run first and foremost to really really bad decisions and bad shots.

It seemed like her explanation for the bad decisions was fatigue.

 

[Conndog]

Watching the SC/LSU game last night I came to the conclusion of why we just can't beat those teams no matter how much talent we have. Athleticism. The rebounding, speed, pressure on the ball at all times is what SC brings to the table. Their bench is just as athletic, and even though we do have as much talent as far as shooting and ball handling, we are always beaten by rebounding and 50-50 balls. Aubrey is the only player that can match their athleticism, so the progress with her rehab on the floor is critical to having a chance to compete with SC. We can still beat them, but we have to slow them down and not let them run us out of the arena. We need a quick start, as that is how they are beating us if you look at our previous games, so having the right mindset at the beginning will go a long way in determining if we can pull out the upset.

Agree x 1000!

 

[hookshot]

Agree x 1000!

Q shares the athleticism (with Aubry) but not the experience in fast pace, high pressure games; still may need her to give somebody a breather

 

[ERWUC65]

The TN game will be a real test of our ability to play against a team that has all the attributes described above. Full court pressure, transition offense, great rebounding, etc. They do not shoot well from 3 and look mostly to score via layups on one to one matchups. I expect that to be successful we would have to try to slow down the game with more use of a half court game and really, really make our 3's. We will have to collapse in and pack the paint on defense forcing them to shoot from the outside. I believe having this game now will provide Geno with a good look at how he needs to prepare for SC.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

I agree with almost all of your points, but I think Sarah will be OK with the pace vs. Tennessee. She's so poised with the ball in her hands, and her conditioning is excellent. I don't think she'll wilt under their pressure. (Fingers crossed!)

Agree with you on Sarah, and she’s athletic for a big girl, excellent ball handler, very smart with her hands on defense. Her and Griffin on floor together should complement each other beautifully. I’d like to see Sarah, Aubrey, Paige, Azzi and Ash or KK on floor together. Maybe not as starters but I think any team would find those 5 tough opponents. Maybe subbing in Ice for Aubrey at times.