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Message: [QUOTE="JoePgh, post: 3316928, member: 1131"] I guess it's never too soon to start the conversation about how the defense of Ionescu in February is going to proceed. Personally, I don't think that Crystal, one on one, is the best option because of the size differential. I think the most likely option is a zone defense with three high and two low, so that she can effectively be double-teamed as soon as she gets in shooting range. I recall that is what was done (and very effectively) against Kelsey Mitchell in a season opener against Ohio State a few years ago. Kia and Gabby were two of the three up-front defenders (as I recall, KLS was the third guard high), and it was extremely effective. That was before anyone thought the Kia and Gabby were outstanding defenders, but maybe that game started to build their reputation. Another possibility is a box-and-one on Sabrina. Geno derides that as a "junk defense", but I don't think he would be above using it, at least intermittently, against that kind of a threat. Yet another option would be to have someone face-guarding her while the rest of the defense is conventional. My nominee for that role (bearing in mind that it will be in February and not immediately) is Aubrey, because of her "Gabbiness". In any case, UConn will focus on making Sabrina a passer rather than a scorer, and on making her start their offense just a few steps beyond the mid-court line. The more pressure is on her passes, and the longer they have to be, the less effective she will be. Most of the UConn guards (with the exception of Molly) should have a quickness/athleticism advantage over Sabrina. Geno will certainly mix up the defenses so that she is not facing one scheme for the entire game, and will try to be unpredictable in what triggers the defensive changes. That was a critical part of UConn's defense against Courtney Williams (USF) when she was facing UConn multiple times in a season. [/QUOTE]

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