Jewel Loyd with 30 points and 11 boards in ND's win...

[EricLA]

over Central Michigan today. Great game by Jewel - 12-15 from the field so it's not like she just chucked up shots left and right. I think it's becoming pretty clear she's one of the elite 2 guards in the nation! I'll bet she's thrilled to be playing more off the ball with Allen running the point...

 

[pap49cba]

I still say it's going to be UConn and ND playing for the NC.

 

[CBus13]

I really look forward to seeing her playing this year. I haven't seen any games on tv this year.

Also, Central Michigan is playing a pretty grueling schedule this year. Hopefully it doesn't hurt their resume too much though.

 

[EricLA]

I still say it's going to be UConn and ND playing for the NC.

At this point I tend to agree. Let's hope they are on opposite sides of the bracket.

 

[MilfordHusky]

At this point I tend to agree. Let's hope they are on opposite sides of the bracket.

I think they go into the tourney as the top 2 seeds. And maybe undefeated.

 

[Stray Cat]

I still say it's going to be UConn and ND playing for the NC.

Agree...it's so obvious to most except DD!

Edited to note that ND has vastly improved their 3-point shooting as they are now 45% on the season (53-118). By contrast UConn is shooting 37% (91-248). UConn may have the inside advantage but they teams seem to be focusing on this and allowing the Huskies to win from further out. Can't blame them...it's pick your poison, and 3-point shots are theoretically a lower-percentage shot.

 

[rocky rococo]

I have great respect for the Irish, for Muffet, for Loyd. But! This year, with Geno going for #9 and the NC in Nashville, there's only one opponent I want.

 

[JoePgh]

Edited to note that ND has vastly improved their 3-point shooting as they are now 45% on the season (53-118). By contrast UConn is shooting 37% (91-248). UConn may have the inside advantage but they teams seem to be focusing on this and allowing the Huskies to win from further out. Can't blame them...it's pick your poison, and 3-point shots are theoretically a lower-percentage shot.

Isn't is quite obvious that the major reason for UConn's 37% number is that KML has been out of action for all but 3.5 games out of 12? If KML can hit 45-50% from 3 and the rest of the team can hit 37%, then packing the lane and letting UConn fire away from the arc is unlikely to be a successful strategy.

I have been impressed, both today and for most of this season, by the fact that the team has relied quite a bit less on 3-point shots as their offense against zones than (say) last year. I'm not sure we have seen a really good zone yet (e.g., Georgetown last year), but I thought UConn attempted too many 3's against that. This year, because of Stef's passing and Stewie's versatility (and perhaps Moriah's ability to penetrate), the offense seems to be getting more short jump shots against the zones that have been seen thus far.

 

[hussybulldog]

I still say it's going to be UConn and ND playing for the NC.

except they might meet in the semifinal as they have always done so far.

 

[Stray Cat]

except they might meet in the semifinal as they have always done so far.

True, but all three previous FF match-ups occurred when both teams competed in the Big East and had already played each other 2-3 times already. This year, a FF match-up will be the ONLY time these two teams could possibly meet. And since UConn already mauled and clobbered Stanford and Duke, they wouldn't make for a very appealing opponent for UConn in the championship game. But given the recent history of UConn-ND, a NC game featuring these two teams would be quite delish! The only other acceptable championship game would be UConn-Tenn just for the historical factor, because everyone already knows the LV's would get dusted by 30+ points if these two teams met.

 

[easttexastrash]

I still say it's going to be UConn and ND playing for the NC.

Or in the semis? Wouldn't that be a travesty?! I would like to see UCONN vs UT in one semi and ND and.....Baylor in the other. After watching Duke play against a UK team that was without Stallworth, and getting played pretty closely, I think Baylor has as good a shot as any team.

 

[Jim]

I'd like to see UCONN and ND in the FF too, but for a different reason. If both are in the FF then it means UCONN didn't have to beat ND at ND just to make it to the FF.

 

[Stray Cat]

I'd like to see UCONN and ND in the FF too, but for a different reason. If both are in the FF then it means UCONN didn't have to beat ND at ND just to make it to the FF.

There is NO WAY this will happen...it would be an injustice to both UConn and ND. If anything, I think the selection committee will do what it can to put those two teams on a path to meet in the NC game. I also predict the selection committee will do the LV's some favors to "try" and help them get to Nashville. Problem is, the LV's might not be able to overcome themselves to save their lives and advance to the Final Four. See last year...not sure if the LV's could have received a bigger gift than Baylor going down, and yet they still gagged and failed to take advantage of this great opportunity.

 

[EricLA]

There is NO WAY this will happen...it would be an injustice to both UConn and ND. If anything, I think the selection committee will do what it can to put those two teams on a path to meet in the NC game. I also predict the selection committee will do the LV's some favors to "try" and help them get to Nashville. Problem is, the LV's might not be able to overcome themselves to save their lives and advance to the Final Four. See last year...not sure if the LV's could have received a bigger gift than Baylor going down, and yet they still gagged and failed to take advantage of this great opportunity.

IF the Vols get a 1 seed (and right now I think it's UCONN, ND, Duke and then probably Stanford since the Cardinal only play 2 ranked teams the rest of the year), I'm not sure Tennessee even gets to the final 4...

 

[Jim]

There is NO WAY this will happen...it would be an injustice to both UConn and ND. If anything, I think the selection committee will do what it can to put those two teams on a path to meet in the NC game. I also predict the selection committee will do the LV's some favors to "try" and help them get to Nashville. Problem is, the LV's might not be able to overcome themselves to save their lives and advance to the Final Four. See last year...not sure if the LV's could have received a bigger gift than Baylor going down, and yet they still gagged and failed to take advantage of this great opportunity.

You say NO WAY, but the four regional sites are ND, Louisville, Stanford, and Lincoln, Nebraska. Where do you think UCONN will be sent for its regional? Proximity would suggest Louisville or ND, unless either of those was a #1 seed. Louisville is in the same conference as UCONN, so if ND were to lose a couple of games and end up as a #2, I think there definitely IS a way UCONN has to win at ND to reach the FF.

 

[baggerbob]

They won't send UConn to Louisville, or Notre Dame, the only available site would be Lincoln.

 

[Suebird10fan]

I think we may be jumping the gun a bit to crown ND #2. Going into the season I had them #3 (unlike many BYers!). And Allen and Reimer have exceeded expectations. So yes I have them penciled in at #2. But they haven't really been tested. Toughest game was @PSU and a ten point win in Happy Valley is a tad underwhelming. Let's see how they do on the road vs tn, md and duke late next month, early Feb. My guess is they perform well and come out a pretty clear #2. Until then we're guessing.

 

[Stray Cat]

You say NO WAY, but the four regional sites are ND, Louisville, Stanford, and Lincoln, Nebraska. Where do you think UCONN will be sent for its regional? Proximity would suggest Louisville or ND, unless either of those was a #1 seed. Louisville is in the same conference as UCONN, so if ND were to lose a couple of games and end up as a #2, I think there definitely IS a way UCONN has to win at ND to reach the FF.

Jim, I will repeat myself, there is NO WAY that UConn will be sent to the ND Regional. ND is a lock for a 1 or 2 seed, and UConn is a lock for the #1 seed overall. Not that UConn can't beat ND in South Bend, but most would agree that playing ND at their home court would be their last choice of all the Regionals. In a way, it would be penalizing the #1 overall seed. Besides, next to UConn, ND is the sexiest team, given their recent rivalry with the Huskies, and given the two teams won't play before the tournament, they certainly don't want to waste this potential epic match-up in the Regionals.

I have said all along that I believe UConn will be sent to the Nebraska Regional...it is where the #1 overall seed deserves to go, because even if Nebraska is in the Regional, they are absolutely no threat to any #1 seed, where as Louisville, Notre Dame and Stanford would at least pose a legitimate threat (on any given day -- if the home team played out of their minds and the Huskies had an "off" game).