It’s Oklahoma (3/21/25 @ 9:25p on TNT)

[jibsey]

We just shouldnt even discuss anything past Oklahoma, free country I know but it’s bad Karma.

 

[buddy]

The guy on the selection show picks Oklahoma

 

[87Xfer]

The guy on the selection show picks Oklahoma

You mean Seth?

 

[uconnblueinky]

Shoot, it looks like Oklahoma fans are also picking Oklahoma

 

[Hi-Low]

Porter Moser of Loyola-Chicago fame leads OK so he has good Tourney experience, should be fun game.

 

[dvegas]

From my OK State buddy "OU very average. If you shut down their freshman PG (Fears) they have a hard time scoring"

 

[IndyLives]

UConn has always had success out of the West Region. If they play good, aggressive defense & rebound, I can see another Final Four.

 

[Inyatkin]

lol we all know you’re fanboying like crazy over Florida lately but there’s no law that says if you’re playing real good on offense that you can’t also play good on defense!

It’s an interesting stat and the metrics suggests their defense has slipped lately vs earlier in the season

At least he's moved on from Duke, for now

 

[GampelGladiator]

UCONN vs OKLAHOMA

Q1 Non-Conference Wins

8 Gonzaga (N)
30 Baylor (H)
39 Texas (A)

12 Arizona (N)
23 Louisville (N)
25 Michigan (N)

Q1 Conference Wins

26 Marquette (A)
26 Marquette (H)
38 Creighton (A)

16 Missouri (H)
33 Georgia (N)
39 Texas (A)
40 Arkansas (A)

Common Opponents

39 Texas

76-65 (A)

73-77 (A)
76-72 (H)

100 Providence

87-84 (H)
75-63 (A)

79-77 (N)

335 East Texas A&M

81-46 (H)

84-56 (H)

 

[StllH8L8ner]

 

[bendm]

The guy on the selection show picks Oklahoma

Seth Davis is a clown idk how he fools cbs into getting paid

 

[GotNets?]

So they’re good at drawing FTs and guards penetrate off the dribble well. What else do we have?

 

[huskyfan224]

I can’t believe the draw Dook got. That’s the easiest draw I’ve seen in decades. Beat Oklahoma

 

[Jimdish255]

Well, we foul a ton, and Oklahoma averages more FT’s per FG attempted than any other team we’ve faced this season.

And when they get to the line, they shot 80% (top 10) as a team.

Not great!

We've played guys like Ashworth who initiate contact at every opportunity. Eliminate those goofy reach ins 30 feet from the basket and we'll be okay. I'd like to see us start by feeding Tarris and work on an inside out game. It was easier with Cam and Tristen creating for Donavan but I think we can make it work then mix in perimeter and motion. They won't know what hit them at that point.

 

[jdb50]

Tough draw. Oklahoma can be good. And Florida is a nightmare right now.

I think it was ESPN analysts that said OK plays 3 point guards and that is bad for us. They also really like Florida to make the Final 4 so a tough draw for us.

 

[Matt1010]

9:25 pm tip on Friday night - TNT

 

[SubbaBub]

I'm thinking the 3rd best team in the Big East should beat the 13th best team in the SEC going away. Otherwise, we are in a simulation.

 

[kemba]

9:25 pm tip on Friday night - TNT

Can’t remember…will we find out soon about a time for a potential 2nd round game is or is that not till they know the teams?

 

[Brochacho]

3rd best Big East team would be in the 8-10 range in the SEC so might be a closer matchup than you think.

I'm thinking the 3rd best team in the Big East should beat the 13th best team in the SEC going away. Otherwise, we are in a simulation.

 

[deedougie]

UConn has always had success out of the West Region. If they play good, aggressive defense & rebound, I can see another Final Four.

Like UConn's success against New Mexico State in the West first round game in 2022?

 

[auror]

So they’re good at drawing FTs and guards penetrate off the dribble well. What else do we have?

Other than Fears, they're really old. Lots of transfers.

 

[bendm]

I can’t believe the draw Dook got. That’s the easiest draw I’ve seen in decades. Beat Oklahoma

Saving grace is they’d have to beat both Houston and winner of Auburn/Florida and I think that’s as tough as it gets for a final 4/final

 

[UCTitleTown]

9:30 games are our thing lately.

 

[Fan1978]

Lol no. Doomed! This is about as easy a draw as we could have hoped for. We got the weakest 1 and a 9 that’s on fumes after getting annihilated in the SEC.

Florida is the strongest 1, have you watched their games. All the experts are picking them. Same guys that picked UConn last year

 

[caw]

OK had a very good OOC overall. Not a ton of top teams by they won every game OOC. The games against decent teams were all pretty close except the one against their rival.

OOC wins were PC by 2, UL by 5, Mich by 1, OKST by 15 and Zona by 5. So they beat a four, five and eight seed OOC.

In the SEC they beat Arkansas (10 seed), and Texas on the road and SC, Vandy (10 seed), Miss St (8 seed), Missouri (6 seed) and UGA at home.

SC, Missouri and Vandy were a blowout victories.

They play a deep bench with 10 players playing 10+ minutes and playing in most games.

The good news:

They have one of their players as questionable (Sam Godwin). He is one of two guys who doesn't shoot the rock from deep but he is also one of their biggest players. They play three guys over 6-10 and Godwin is their best statistically though the other two played well against UK in the SEC tournament when he was out.

They also turn the ball over a good amount and don't block a ton of shots. They also are pretty bad at rebounding the ball. They also struggle defending the paint.


The bad news:

They are pesky and small. They average near 8 steals a game with three players 6'2 or smaller, two at 6'4 and two at 6'6/6'7. Fears is their star but Jalon Moore is a player. They have three very good shooters and two more who are very solid. They also make their FTs and take a ton. Their True Shooting Percentage is top 12 in the country at 59.5% (UConn is 20th at 59.1%). Their 3PT defense is also very good.

Overall:

In terms of pace they play at a relatively fast one overall, rated in the top 70 in the country at 70 possessions per 40 minutes. UConn is near the bottom at 64.7 possessions per 40. (The national spread is 59.7 to 76)

I don't think they have played a team who runs an offense quite like UConn does. UK is the closest in terms of good passing and cutting off the ball but they play at a much higher pace and usually go for a shot much earlier in the shot clock. They did lose both games to UK but they were both by a single point.

In terms of teams UConn has played, I guess Memphis is the closest comparison, though Memphis is better down low.

They do play to UConn's weakness, but UConn also plays to theirs. It's an interesting matchup.

 

[uconntoatl]

Looking at Florida's last 10 games, they are trending more like a 30ish defense (96.5), not the 13th ranked defense they finished with. (Torvik rating)

If we get past Oklahoma—-Florida’s guards are going to take us to the woodshed. I’d be happy to keep it competitive but UConn does not have the offensive or defensive consistency to roll with Florida

 

[BFieldHusky]

I saw them play a bunch this year, including the Atlantis games. They peaked very early. My biggest concern is the FT issue. They live at the line, and they shoot it well from there.

I think this is a game where Reed could cause them a lot of problems. In terms of the teams we could have faced as a 9, I think we did ok here.

 

[Austin316]

Analysis:

The Sooners rank in the top 30 in the nation at getting to the free throw line, making 79% of their attempts, but they could run into issues against teams that are dominant in the paint. They allow a lot of offensive rebounds and don't block a lot of shots. Leading scorer freshman Jeremiah Fears has taken over the offense, dropping at least 28 points in three of his last four games.

The only way we lost this game is if we are in foul trouble against a team that is foul prone.

 

[UConnSwag11]

Looking at Florida's last 10 games, they are trending more like a 30ish defense (96.5), not the 13th ranked defense they finished with. (Torvik rating)

We're not playing Florida

 

[UConnSwag11]

Not to get ahead of ourselves, but …

Our 3 point defense against the shooters that Florida has is a bad matchup. We’ve been torched by 3s, and they torch the opponent with 3’s

Oklahoma - we will need to find a way. They break teams down with quick driving guards. You know, the kind thats slices up our D. McNeeley, Karaban and Ball will need to shoot very well.

See above