Looking ahead to USC while looking back at ND

[tomcat]

I have a few questions. I've seen quite enough of Notre Dame, thank you very much, and have not seen USC at all. But it seems to me that while I am sure they are two very different teams, they have one thing in common: a hotshot guard.

USC has now seen a way to stop UConn (if they didn't know already). So I have questions. Those of you who have seen USC games can weigh in if you'd care to:
1. Does USC have the big presence inside to do what ND did -- hang in there without a lot of fouls and frustrate our bigs?
2. Can JuJu do to UConn what Hannah did? Does she have the three-point skill to pull it off?
3. Does USC have the defensive prowess to frustrate Paige? If they hold her to 25 or so and keep her from doing her rebounding and assists thing, they win, it seems to me.

 

[HuskyNan]

I’m wondering if folks remember UConn played USC back in April?

 

[ConnMotors]

Yesterday USC was 4-21 from beyond the line. They have level scoring in their starting line up. UConn depends on two with Paige and Sarah. Ashlynn’s smile was huge when making her three. But that three has to be drained 3 to 4 times a game if she is going to start while we wait for Azzi.

Ice has me fooled am not sure whats up. Other than she’s a four playing the five. It’s great to step out and take shots as it opens up the offense. But those shots have to fall more often than not. Missing the bunnies at the rim need to stop. Once this is fixed the rhythm will flow. We all expected Jana to battle and possibly start. This lady has talent. She is a true 5. But she is still learning. The fouls hurt her and she is needed on the floor. The Iowa State game will show if she has progressed.

Everyone expected with a deep bench at the start of the season for minutes to drop. Against the lowly Big East teams it will. But when UConn is going to be playing the big girl teams plan on seeing Paige and Sarah at 38 minutes per game.

Defense has to step up. Will Aubrey bring that? Am sure that it will. But when and for how long? KK will be playing more minutes as she is our quickest player. Granted there are not many ND type guards left on our schedule until tournament time.

UConn has four games remaining against quality teams. They should win vs Iowa State if Crooks doesn’t go off for 50 points. I even think that they can beat Tennessee at home. Hopefully they don’t drain 30 3-pointers again. Is there a chance that we can beat JUJU and friends. I think so but it depends on who is in the floor from our team.

 

[Bald Husky]

I have said it before, there is ONE key thing that Geno has to do starting now.
PLAY JANA MORE!!!!
She is our only true Big, but she needs experience by playing at least 15 minutes a game. She has talent, but if she doesn't play, she will never get the confidence to be to be aggressive, such as what Sarah has shown. We all expected a lot from Jana based on what Geno has said about her, we've seen flashes, but she will never be a factor in the future games if she isn't allowed to play through her mistakes and gain the time she needs to work out her problems. She is our only hope going against some of the big teams, but my opinion means nothing, so I guess I have to hope that he decides to actually do this.

 

[pvdoggy]

If the team thinks like some of the fans and looks ahead to USC, they will get their butt handed to them by ISU tomorrow.

 

[HuskyNan]

I have said it before, there is ONE key thing that Geno has to do starting now.
PLAY JANA MORE!!!!
She is our only true Big, but she needs experience by playing at least 15 minutes a game. She has talent, but if she doesn't play, she will never get the confidence to be to be aggressive, such as what Sarah has shown. We all expected a lot from Jana based on what Geno has said about her, we've seen flashes, but she will never be a factor in the future games if she isn't allowed to play through her mistakes and gain the time she needs to work out her problems. She is our only hope going against some of the big teams, but my opinion means nothing, so I guess I have to hope that he decides to actually do this.

Jana is currently averaging 16.1 minutes a game

 

[Skeets]

I have a few questions. I've seen quite enough of Notre Dame, thank you very much, and have not seen USC at all. But it seems to me that while I am sure they are two very different teams, they have one thing in common: a hotshot guard.

USC has now seen a way to stop UConn (if they didn't know already). So I have questions. Those of you who have seen USC games can weigh in if you'd care to:
1. Does USC have the big presence inside to do what ND did -- hang in there without a lot of fouls and frustrate our bigs?
2. Can JuJu do to UConn what Hannah did? Does she have the three-point skill to pull it off?
3. Does USC have the defensive prowess to frustrate Paige? If they hold her to 25 or so and keep her from doing her rebounding and assists thing, they win, it seems to me.

Excellent questions to ask AFTER the Iowa St. game. Let's not overlook even the games we should win.

 

[Vowelguy]

USC has now seen a way to stop UConn (if they didn't know already). S

Way to stop UConn: have the best backcourt in the country.

 

[Vowelguy]

I’m wondering if folks remember UConn played USC back in April?



View attachment 105469

Both teams vastly different. Juju and Paige are back. That's about it.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

I have a few questions. I've seen quite enough of Notre Dame, thank you very much, and have not seen USC at all. But it seems to me that while I am sure they are two very different teams, they have one thing in common: a hotshot guard.

USC has now seen a way to stop UConn (if they didn't know already). So I have questions. Those of you who have seen USC games can weigh in if you'd care to:
1. Does USC have the big presence inside to do what ND did -- hang in there without a lot of fouls and frustrate our bigs?
2. Can JuJu do to UConn what Hannah did? Does she have the three-point skill to pull it off?
3. Does USC have the defensive prowess to frustrate Paige? If they hold her to 25 or so and keep her from doing her rebounding and assists thing, they win, it seems to me.

There is a big difference between the ND game and the upcoming game with USC. I guess you don’t see it?

 

[HuskyNan]

Both teams vastly different. Juju and Paige are back. That's about it.

Well, yes, including the fact the Huskies have more than 7 available players now

I thought the OP could see JuJu‘s play in the video and answer some of his questions

 

[Jim R]

I have said it before, there is ONE key thing that Geno has to do starting now.
PLAY JANA MORE!!!!
She is our only true Big, but she needs experience by playing at least 15 minutes a game. She has talent, but if she doesn't play, she will never get the confidence to be to be aggressive, such as what Sarah has shown. We all expected a lot from Jana based on what Geno has said about her, we've seen flashes, but she will never be a factor in the future games if she isn't allowed to play through her mistakes and gain the time she needs to work out her problems. She is our only hope going against some of the big teams, but my opinion means nothing, so I guess I have to hope that he decides to actually do this.

Hope as the season progresses, it’ll happen. Believe, while we may be able do get #12, Jana’s involvement, and increased production are pivotal. While we can’t deny the criticality of our perimeter play, to include our 3 point shooting, strong post play will be crucial to beating potential Final Four opponents like UCLA, USCar, USCal, Notre Dame, etc. While stat sheets speak volumes, so do eye tests. Jana’s got the skills, and with court time, believe the rest of the Husky faithful will be convinced as well. While Sarah’s talents are AA worthy already, to include her board work, at 6’2”, it’s a bit tougher against bigger front lines. Additionally, with another, taller post for opponents to contend with, In addition not to our perimeter players, it’ll provide a bit more freedom and space for others. We’ve got plenty of games to develop as a team, let’s hope the finished product brings us #12…in the meantime, enjoy the ride.

 

[Zarathustra]

Both teams vastly different. Juju and Paige are back. That's about it.

Paige is still "efficient"... JuJu... not so much so. Should be
a good game.... but first: the ISU Cyclones!!

 

[Jonathan14]

I have a few questions. I've seen quite enough of Notre Dame, thank you very much, and have not seen USC at all. But it seems to me that while I am sure they are two very different teams, they have one thing in common: a hotshot guard.

USC has now seen a way to stop UConn (if they didn't know already). So I have questions. Those of you who have seen USC games can weigh in if you'd care to:
1. Does USC have the big presence inside to do what ND did -- hang in there without a lot of fouls and frustrate our bigs?
2. Can JuJu do to UConn what Hannah did? Does she have the three-point skill to pull it off?
3. Does USC have the defensive prowess to frustrate Paige? If they hold her to 25 or so and keep her from doing her rebounding and assists thing, they win, it seems to me.

I am much more familiar with ND than USC, so please take the following with a grain of salt:
1. Kiki Iriafen is an All-American level talent who did not play for USC last year. She scores, she defends, she rebounds, she blocks shots. She will be a lot to contend with.
2. Juju is an athletic phenom and a volume shooter. She has the potential to score a ton, but to me, her game is very different than Hannah's. If she lights us up, I predict that it comes not from just three but from a variety of shots. She's not a bad three-point shooter at all, but I would be surprised to see her going off the way Hannah did. (Then again, I would be surprised to see anyone do that.)
3. From the little I've seen of them, USC doesn't have the elite defenders ND does. Citron played superb individual defense on Paige, and I don't believe USC has anyone who could defend her as well. Hidalgo is also a tremendous defender, and her on- and off-ball defense are second to none (and Miles is no slouch either).

Both USC and UConn have played and beaten Ole Miss (them by two and us by more than that) and lost to ND (by about the same). I'd say the rest of our schedule has been a bit tougher. The game on Saturday should be a nail-biter.

My dearest wishes: Azzi and Aubrey suited up and ready to play. Azzi would open our offense up, and Aubrey would give Juju a real run for her money on defense!

But first: Iowa State!

 

[ERWUC65]

Juju suffered an ankle injury in the Elon game. USC was up 50 points and she was still in the game, a questionable decision by their coach. Looks like Stat stuffing might have backfired if she misses the UConn game. No comments about severity of injury yet.

 

[Bone Dog]

Let me preface this by saying I assumed from the beginning that UConn wouldn’t go undefeated in the OOC, and might even lose two games. This was merely because of the youth and inexperience of the team.

Now to USC. As others have said, USC is not ND. In particular, they do not have the guard talent ND has and they do not play defense on the scale ND can. But for the injuries, it looks to me that ND is an obvious NC contender, and USC is less so. By contrast, UConn has excellent guard talent, comparable even to ND’s guards, and Geno recruits for and coaches team defense. This is a signature of his teams. This means the comparison of how USC and UConn did against ND should be read not only on the results, but also on team characteristics. In playing UConn, USC will encounter many of the same problems they faced against ND.

But there are differences. Most importantly, Kiki and Rayah were not quite ready to face ND’s defensive onslaught a few weeks ago. They may be better prepared for such a defense now. And Heckel is now just a bit more experienced than she was then. She shares some of Hannah’s skills, a speedy PG who can play good on-ball defense, though she’s not the scorer Hannah is.

And as a side note, I’d say Hannah has leapfrogged over Juju and Paige and should be considered the favorite for NPOY If she continues to play as she has been. This doesn’t mean Paige or Juju can’t overtake her, or that she might not stumble along the way. But she’s thrown down a gauntlet, so to speak. It’s up to them to prove they deserve it more.

Now to the big question: will Juju be able to lift her team over UConn, or will Paige be able to keep her in check? Paige did it last time, though with the help of Nika Ash and KK. This season, I could wish Morgan were up to the task of defending Juju for a few minutes. She has the size for it. But she doesn’t look quite ready for that assignment. And Sarah doesn’t have the speed for it. Paige’s main assistance guarding Juju will have to come from Ash Kaitlyn and KK. They give up several inches, and if Juju were a cannier passer she could take good advantage of this. Also Juju, like Hannah, is a dominant righty. I read that over the summer she spent good deal of time working on lefty moves. But I suspect the scout will be the same: cheat on her right hand. This worked quite well against Hannah. Almost all of her scoring came from beyond the arc.

So, in the USC game, I have no strong sense of how it will end up. UConn could win, and I half expect this, especially if Azzi is back and the 3s are falling. But if Kiki and Juju have big games and Azzi has not returned, and everyone other than Paige and Sarah sputters on offense, USC could prevail.

 

[Oldschoolbb]

I have said it before, there is ONE key thing that Geno has to do starting now.
PLAY JANA MORE!!!!
She is our only true Big, but she needs experience by playing at least 15 minutes a game. She has talent, but if she doesn't play, she will never get the confidence to be to be aggressive, such as what Sarah has shown. We all expected a lot from Jana based on what Geno has said about her, we've seen flashes, but she will never be a factor in the future games if she isn't allowed to play through her mistakes and gain the time she needs to work out her problems. She is our only hope going against some of the big teams, but my opinion means nothing, so I guess I have to hope that he decides to actually do this.

IDK, she can't shoot very well - even close to the basket; her rebounding is reasonably solid but not eye-catching; she fouls a lot and turns the ball over a lot; is a really bad foul shot individual. I agree some of these things may get better with more playing time, but I'm not convinced she is above average in terms of talent.

 

[Jonathan14]

Let me preface this by saying I assumed from the beginning that UConn wouldn’t go undefeated in the OOC, and might even lose two games. This was merely because of the youth and inexperience of the team.

Now to USC. As others have said, USC is not ND. In particular, they do not have the guard talent ND has and they do not play defense on the scale ND can. But for the injuries, it looks to me that ND is an obvious NC contender, and USC is less so. By contrast, UConn has excellent guard talent, comparable even to ND’s guards, and Geno recruits for and coaches team defense. This is a signature of his teams. This means the comparison of how USC and UConn did against ND should be read not only on the results, but also on team characteristics. In playing UConn, USC will encounter many of the same problems they faced against ND.

But there are differences. Most importantly, Kiki and Rayah were not quite ready to face ND’s defensive onslaught a few weeks ago. They may be better prepared for such a defense now. And Heckel is now just a bit more experienced than she was then. She shares some of Hannah’s skills, a speedy PG who can play good on-ball defense, though she’s not the scorer Hannah is.

And as a side note, I’d say Hannah has leapfrogged over Juju and Paige and should be considered the favorite for NPOY If she continues to play as she has been. This doesn’t mean Paige or Juju can’t overtake her, or that she might not stumble along the way. But she’s thrown down a gauntlet, so to speak. It’s up to them to prove they deserve it more.

Now to the big question: will Juju be able to lift her team over UConn, or will Paige be able to keep her in check? Paige did it last time, though with the help of Nika Ash and KK. This season, I could wish Morgan were up to the task of defending Juju for a few minutes. She has the size for it. But she doesn’t look quite ready for that assignment. And Sarah doesn’t have the speed for it. Paige’s main assistance guarding Juju will have to come from Ash Kaitlyn and KK. They give up several inches, and if Juju were a cannier passer she could take good advantage of this. Also Juju, like Hannah, is a dominant righty. I read that over the summer she spent good deal of time working on lefty moves. But I suspect the scout will be the same: cheat on her right hand. This worked quite well against Hannah. Almost all of her scoring came from beyond the arc.

So, in the USC game, I have no strong sense of how it will end up. UConn could win, and I half expect this, especially if Azzi is back and the 3s are falling. But if Kiki and Juju have big games and Azzi has not returned, and everyone other than Paige and Sarah sputters on offense, USC could prevail.

Great analysis, @Bone Dog . You make a really good point about Morgan. This is why I wish so badly that Aubrey was recovered. (One of the many reasons!) She was tailor-made to guard Juju with her speed, length, athleticism, and ability to recover on defense. Morgan's got some of those qualities, but not to the same degree...at least not yet. But she has the heart and the grit, which counts for something!

 

[Bone Dog]

IDK, she can't shoot very well - even close to the basket; her rebounding is reasonably solid but not eye-catching; she fouls a lot and turns the ball over a lot; is a really bad foul shot individual. I agree some of these things may get better with more playing time, but I'm not convinced she is above average in terms of talent.

I’d agree that Jana’s performance has not impressed yet. But I don’t think she’s only an average talent. More time is needed to know if a ‘freshman’ post returning from ACL surgery is capable of great things, as so many of us have said since the summer. This can’t really be judged after only 10 games.

 

[donalddoowop]

IDK, she can't shoot very well - even close to the basket; her rebounding is reasonably solid but not eye-catching; she fouls a lot and turns the ball over a lot; is a really bad foul shot individual. I agree some of these things may get better with more playing time, but I'm not convinced she is above average in terms of talent.

You don't have to be convinced she is above average in terms of talent because I am convinced and that is all that matters.

 

[Centerstream]

IDK, she can't shoot very well - even close to the basket; her rebounding is reasonably solid but not eye-catching; she fouls a lot and turns the ball over a lot; is a really bad foul shot individual. I agree some of these things may get better with more playing time, but I'm not convinced she is above average in terms of talent.

What I don't understand is why the refs call almost every foul. I am of the belief that they usually call what they think happens.
But to your point. I recently looked back at the box score of our earlier games and I was surprised by how many minutes Jana played with very few fouls. Again, I think it depends on the refs. I don't believe she committed 3 fouls yesterday but was called for 3. Same with Ice and Morgan. And the calls Paige didn't get.
My hope is that neither Dee Kantner nor Joe Vaszily officiates the USC game. Just because.

 

[DallasDomer]

I have a few questions. I've seen quite enough of Notre Dame, thank you very much, and have not seen USC at all. But it seems to me that while I am sure they are two very different teams, they have one thing in common: a hotshot guard.

USC has now seen a way to stop UConn (if they didn't know already). So I have questions. Those of you who have seen USC games can weigh in if you'd care to:
1. Does USC have the big presence inside to do what ND did -- hang in there without a lot of fouls and frustrate our bigs?
2. Can JuJu do to UConn what Hannah did? Does she have the three-point skill to pull it off?
3. Does USC have the defensive prowess to frustrate Paige? If they hold her to 25 or so and keep her from doing her rebounding and assists thing, they win, it seems to

1. No Irafen seems to be disconnected from the rest.
2. No unless she has an extraordinary game. Plus she will keep shooting even if cold.
3. No. Defense is secondary them.

Enjoy the game!

 

[Rowdy831]

I have a few questions. I've seen quite enough of Notre Dame, thank you very much, and have not seen USC at all. But it seems to me that while I am sure they are two very different teams, they have one thing in common: a hotshot guard.

USC has now seen a way to stop UConn (if they didn't know already). So I have questions. Those of you who have seen USC games can weigh in if you'd care to:
1. Does USC have the big presence inside to do what ND did -- hang in there without a lot of fouls and frustrate our bigs?
2. Can JuJu do to UConn what Hannah did? Does she have the three-point skill to pull it off?
3. Does USC have the defensive prowess to frustrate Paige? If they hold her to 25 or so and keep her from doing her rebounding and assists thing, they win, it seems to me.

Southern Cal is no where near the team ND is at the guard position. HH hurt UConn but they can handle her if it was only her. Problem is she is the second best guard on the team and UConn has had problems with Miles going back to her first game against UConn. Fact is you don't match up with every team and sometimes you need to rely on someone else taking out some of your stuff.

I think UConn matches up perfectly with USC and unlike most people I see Juju as a good player who shoots a lot of shots she has no chance of making. Play her tough, don't let her get away with jumping into your defenders and she will have trouble scoring. Of all the teams out there I was most concerned about ND but if UConn makes one of the guards beat them I think UConn has to much offense to lose.

 

[jake0414]

Juju hasn’t been a particularly efficient scorer this season and has struggled from 3-pt range other than a 9-11 night shooting 3’s against 2-10 Cal Baptist. Juju’s last three games (@Oregon, Fresno State, Elon) she went 3-9, 1-5 and 1-6 from three. Nevertheless she is quite capable of going off as she did @Stanford last season, scoring 51 of the team’s 67 pts in a road win.

The thing Juju seems to as well as anyone is to draw shooting fouls (she shot 17-19 FTs in the Stanford win - no other Trojan attempted a FT). She averages just under 8 FTAs per game so far this season. The Huskies must try to limit Juju’s FTAs, easier said than done.

Southern Cal’s offense consists mainly of Watkins and Iriafen. Marshall collects rebounds and defends inside well but isn’t a prolific scorer. Heckel is still adjusting to D1 ball and Von Oelhoffen brings good experience but I don’t think USC’s system, or lack there of, suits TVO’s skill set. The rest of the team consists mainly of freshmen and sophomores who’ve gotten limited mop-up minutes even against overmatched opponents.

I think the key to winning is limiting Iriafen’s production. I assume that assignment will go to Brady and Strong?

 

[ABCDFE]

Way to stop UConn: have the best backcourt in the country.

Or athletes from 1-5 like SC