LSU vs UConn - How they Match UP - If Healthy should you put your money on UConn? A Full Breakdown

[Bigboote]

Folks have alluded to defense above. One thing to point out is that van Lith and Morrow are both good defenders and exceptional rebounders for their size. Morrow has been known to take some plays off, but if she's playing 25 rather than 35 minutes a game, she won't have to conserve her energy.

I hope UConn sees LSU in that in-season tournament. Should be a fun game.

 

[Zarathustra]

I’m just gonna take a moment to imagine how Ashlynn might contribute this year. We’ve all been assuming (perhaps rightly) that KK is the one who’ll get some important minutes. But Ashlynn is the little engine that could. She seems to be a bit like Inês — indomitable, fierce, and hungry — though perhaps with a better skills foundation and not quite as quick.

Players like these two are an asset even if they don’t crack the rotation because in practices they’ll pressure the others, nipping at their heels, making everyone better by fighting to get PT. They’re not just an insurance policy — though thank goodness for Inês in that Princeton game. They’re also the enforcers of a minimum (maximum!!) effort by the players whose minutes they could take.

We didn’t have anything like this in practice last season (and the season before for much of the time) and it hurt us. The old rumor that UConn practices were more grueling than the games wasn’t true because we could hardly hold practices. But this year, Geno will be able to run practice like a UConn team is supposed to, and Ashlynn and Inês (and KK and Q) will have a lot to do with it.

And who knows, maybe Amari will remold herself in the firey forge of full practices, which she hasn’t really experienced for a full season either.

I'm looking for some "many" good things from Ashlynn. I can't decide who
will be the first year Huskie with the greatest contribution. "Ice" will be
the second year best contributor IMO.

 

[Bone Dog]

If Ice and Jana are as good as I think they'll be, UConn should be the favorite by the end of the season. They could give UConn 40 quality minutes at the five, ten fouls against a Reese or Cardoso, although we all hope that isn't necessary.

I hope the fouls aren't necessary, but I think (and hope) Ice and Jana will be. This is a moment for two young women to step into greatness!

 

[Bigboote]

I hope the fouls aren't necessary, but I think (and hope) Ice and Jana will be. This is a moment for two young women to step into greatness!

Yeah, I meant taking ten fouls shouldn’t be necessary.

 

[hoophuskee]

Folks have alluded to defense above. One thing to point out is that van Lith and Morrow are both good defenders and exceptional rebounders for their size. Morrow has been known to take some plays off, but if she's playing 25 rather than 35 minutes a game, she won't have to conserve her energy.

Their on-ball defense is probably "good" vs many many teams. But just as UCONN's D is very good vs many teams - there are concerns. Morrow for example is short for a pf. After Morrow crushed UCONN in her 1st game, the next 3 games the two UCONN bigs of Dorka and Edwards averaged 18.5 ppg and had an efg% of 63.38%. While ofc this isn't "all" on Morrow because UCONN also did well vs DePaul’s 2nd post player too in which Morrow has no control over, the other half of the UCONN duo was, whoever Morrow was guarding was still highly effective. This all has do with that Morrow is short for a PF. Not saying she is a bad Defender. She can be exposed is the point just as LSU can expose UCONN in areas at the other end.

 

[SECbbfan24]

Hailey Van Lith and Morrow are great talents, but neither is stepping into an opening at their natural position. LSU needs Hailey to be a PG for the team to reach their ceiling. Presumably Williams will be the 2. Hailey could be a good SG or combo guard, but a pure point is stretching it for her. Maybe she can make the conversion, but it would be a big change for her.

My guess is Kim will use Hailey Van Lith similar to how she used Chloe Jackson at Baylor. Her assist/TO ration was pretty poor at LSU and finished her senior at Baylor with 203 assists to 81 TO, a major jump from previous stop. Worst case scenario, I think you have Poole and Angelica Velez (a natural PG) who could ease some of the headaches.

Just my opinion, with all the talk about Hailey Van Lith/Morrow, I personally am more excited about Mikyalah Williams and her potential much more than the other two. The issue will be she is just a freshmen but for her it will be nice to come into college and not have such pressure to perform immediately (Flaujae did not have that luxury with lack of depth for LSU this year). LSU had its issues last year but overachieved greatly last year despite probably being the third most talented team in their own conference and integrating 9 new players while having zero depth in the process.


For UCONN they are loaded, the only question obviously is can they stay healthy. Not a matter of not having the talent or coaching to win a national title or get to a final four.

 

[hoophuskee]

UCONN's team if healthy is superior. LSU doesn't have a good matchup for the former POY, Paige, if she is healthy along with the others. But if Azzi is not near her peak level, then UCONN is in trouble too. If Caroline is not healthy, it hurts a lot. We saw when Azzi was healthy, she was a machine. Her play out of the gate this past year - her 1st 6 - was absolutely amazing. And she was doing it against good competition and ofc she also did it vs Iowa.

The potential offensive machine UCONN could be if healthy rivals UCONN's past super great teams best of best of best in terms of Offense. Not saying "Defense" but "Offense."

And with the Defense, it's two players that are key Brady and Patterson. I do beleive Patterson is a good enough defender (and probably much better this year) but her offense keeps her off the floor imo. But if both or just even one is consitent overall in their game - then the Defense can become tremondously great. Right now it's already "good" (I hold a lot more value to Aubrey's defensive versatilty and Nika's terrific overall defense than others do.)
And sometimes having a great Defense is helped a lot by having a great Offense. Not all the time are they mutually exclusive if ever. But great Offenses dicate tempo. Playig to a certain tempo can help Defenses.

And I'm not giving up on Amari. If she is on the team, then in my view neither she nor Geno have given up. And I a firm believer in experience. It's why I mentioend Aubrey and Nika as well. Love the experience that can mesh with the potential supreme talent of players like Paige/Azzi. Now she is an upperclassman. And the experience coming from Aubrey, Nika and Edwards can only help Paige/Azzi/Caroline.

This team has "it" if they are healthy. Nothing is ever 100% but this team "has it."

 

[JellyBean]

Nice breakdown, but I am still picking UConn for a host of reasons. 1). Guard play. Our (UConn) guards are better than LSU guards. 2). Coaching. I will always pick Coach Auriemma. Sure, he has moments when he has been outcoached, but I am still picking Coach G. 3). We are UConn. We are the standard. Even though we have not won a NCAA title since 2016, we are still FF material and the best of the best.

 

[Jmsdawg]

To me it all comes down to Paige. If Paige can return to freshman form then I pick UConn. However, you never know how a player will respond after a serious injury and Paige has had two serious injuries in the last 2 years. LSU will be loaded next year and I think the game will be competitive even with a fully recovered Paige. BTW, I think South Carolina will also be extremely tough next season, just a notch below LSU and UConn. I am ready for next year’s season to begin!

 

[Kaizen]

The Massy predication,

 

[Tonyc]

You guys are thinkin way to much. Haley and Morrow cant compare to Paige and Azzi. Aaliyah is a tuff player and compare her to Reese this year and I think you'll be surprised. Uconn is a better defensive team then LSU too. Now take Ice and Jana with some development and I really like UConn to win it all. Oh yeah I havent mentioned anybody else either. Take it to the bank.

 

[Bone Dog]

You guys are thinkin way to much. Haley and Morrow cant compare to Paige and Azzi. Aaliyah is a tuff player and compare her to Reese this year and I think you'll be surprised. Uconn is a better defensive team then LSU too. Now take Ice and Jana with some development and I really like UConn to win it all. Oh yeah I havent mentioned anybody else either. Take it to the bank.

I'm with you on this one, @Tonyc! The wild card for me in this matchup would be Poole. She's strong and quicker than you'd expect her to be. I think she could cause problems. But as for the stars, all the vectors favor UConn.

 

[Dfoss1978]

I ran a search before I posted this. It came up negative. If I missed it, my apologies. I posted this for those that may have missed it on the world-wide-web. It's a slow week news-wise in WCBB, in UConn WBB in particular. So, here we go......If you think LSU is going away just because they won last season's national championship, think again.

Everyone apparently has forgotten about a healthy Page ‍♂️

 

[Alydar]

I am in full agreement about UConn's superiority but we should all be ready for when the ESPN hype machine watches LSU beat E Oshkosh St by 65 and declares them the best team ever. I expect LSU to roll over their OOC games and be No 1 on Jan 1st.

Of course they are as likely to suffer injuries as UConn and that could change everything, as UConn fans know. I'm hoping that all teams go injury-free.

 

[Jmsdawg]

I live in Baton Rouge and I think Kim is a fantastic coach but I still think Geno is the best. If they play in the beginning I expect LSU to give UCONN a good game but I still think UCONN has the most talent. If they play at the end of the season I think LSU will be coming apart over players bickering and not being the center of attention. UCONN will beat them handily at tournament time.

I think just the opposite, LSU will be much tougher at tournament time because Kim will have a team that knows how to play together.

 

[Bone Dog]

I think just the opposite, LSU will be much tougher at tournament time because Kim will have a team that knows how to play together.

You may be right, but I think @Rowdy831 has a point too. It could go either way. Come March-April, they’ll have imploded or they’ll have figured out how to play together.

 

[hoophuskee]

I think just the opposite, LSU will be much tougher at tournament time because Kim will have a team that knows how to play together.

I like Kim a lot. She is good for the game and one helluva coach. I expect she'll have her team coached up. I just believe if UCONN is healthy, they have a very unique team for this year.

 

[HuskyNan]

Please stop talking about egos. None of you know the players personally.

They’re teenagers and young twenty-somethings. They’re wildly popular on social media and traditional sports media is giving them a lot of coverage. How many of you were mature enough at 18-22 to handle all of that? Give them a break. Don’t forget, you’re judging them through the lens of 50-60-70+ years of age and experience

 

[sun]

Kim is trying to establish a long term winning culture at LSU to extend beyond just next year.
She's making the most of LSU's success & generating a lot of media splash over her recruitment efforts for star prospects from the classes of 2024 & 2025.
For instance, Kate Koval is scheduled to visit LSU in September in direct competition with UConn.
Kim is also receiving interest from other top 10 recruits such as five-star prospect Justice Carlton & five-star guard Keeley Parks both in the class of '25.
That means that next year is just the beginning and not the end of LSU's rise to national prominence.
Since Kim is only 61 years old she'll be coaching beyond Geno's tenure at UConn.

MSN

MSN

 

[meyers7]

Since UConn has been good, what teams besides Tennessee and UConn have won back-to-back?

SC was the heavy favorite to repeat, no dice. Stanford was supposed to be in the same class as SC, but could not beat us to repeat in what many say was a subpar performance for them.

The evidence suggests that, rather than an advantage, winning the year before serves as a handicap for most teams. There are some sound, logical explanations as to why that has been consistently so.

Very good point. In fact only 3 teams have won back to back. UCONN, TN and USC (the real one).

USC did it once in '84 (with Cheryl Miller)
TN has done it 3 times.
UCONN has done it 6 times.

So historically, one shouldn't expect LSU to repeat. The odds are against them.

 

[Rowdy831]

Kim is trying to establish a long term winning culture at LSU to extend beyond just next year.
She's making the most of LSU's success & generating a lot of media splash over her recruitment efforts for star prospects from the classes of 2024 & 2025.
For instance, Kate Koval is scheduled to visit LSU in September in direct competition with UConn.
Kim is also receiving interest from other top 10 recruits such as five-star prospect Justice Carlton & five-star guard Keeley Parks both in the class of '25.
That means that next year is just the beginning and not the end of LSU's rise to national prominence.
Since Kim is only 61 years old she'll be coaching beyond Geno's tenure at UConn.

MSN

MSN

Kim will win her share of games but what she is doing now won't bring long term success. The one advantage she has over other top coaches is she is at a university that is paying its athletes a ton of money just to come on board. For many kids the money is important because it might be the best income they ever have from basketball. The ticket to the WNBA is just too difficult to count on no matter how good you are in HS.

The second part of the comment regarding age is also interesting. Geno may retire after next year for all I know but he certainly looks at least as healthy as Kim does at this point and Geno has the best support staff (coaches) in the business.

 

[Carnac]

I hope the fouls aren't necessary, but I think (and hope) Ice and Jana will be. This is a moment for two young women to step into greatness!

Exactly........It's time. If not now, when?

While watching several WNBA games over the weekend, something occurred to me. I noticed something that was prevalent and consistent in ALL of the games I watched. Excellent team defense. I thought to myself, why can't the UConn women play TAHT level of defense? The UConn roster is full of players that can score. Any 3 players on any given night can carry the team.

UConn can keep their opponents at bay with relentless team defense from tip to buzzer. Geno will have more than enough players in reserve to keep fresh bodies on the floor during the game, especially the final 10 minutes. More than anything else, THAT is what I what to see this year from our team. Relentless consistent in-your-face defense. Or as Nolan Richardson, former coach of the Arkansas men's basketball team use to referer to his team's brand of defense....."40 minutes of hell."

 

[Carnac]

Kim is trying to establish a long term winning culture at LSU to extend beyond just next year.
She's making the most of LSU's success & generating a lot of media splash over her recruitment efforts for star prospects from the classes of 2024 & 2025.
For instance, Kate Koval is scheduled to visit LSU in September in direct competition with UConn.
Kim is also receiving interest from other top 10 recruits such as five-star prospect Justice Carlton & five-star guard Keeley Parks both in the class of '25.
That means that next year is just the beginning and not the end of LSU's rise to national prominence.
Since Kim is only 61 years old she'll be coaching beyond Geno's tenure at UConn.

MSN

MSN

Let's not forget...Kim knows how to close a deal. She kept DePaul portal transfer Aneesah Morrow from visiting South Carolina as she was scheduled to do. Kim "closed the deal" while she had Morrow in her presence on campus. No doubt she made Morrow a "Godfather offer." Kim and LSU are not going away. They're just getting started. If you want to compete with them, you'd better be ready to meet them where they are. Kim has the full and complete backing of the administration and the LSU fanbase ($$$).

 

[SEbluebood]

Exactly........It's time. If not now, when?

While watching several WNBA games over the weekend, something occurred to me. I noticed something that was prevalent and consistent in ALL of the games I watched. Excellent team defense. I thought to myself, why can't the UConn women play TAHT level of defense? The UConn roster is full of players that can score. Any 3 players on any given night can carry the team.

UConn can keep their opponents at bay with relentless team defense from tip to buzzer. Geno will have more than enough players in reserve to keep fresh bodies on the floor during the game, especially the final 10 minutes. More than anything else, THAT is what I what to see this year from our team. Relentless consistent in-your-face defense. Or as Nolan Richardson, former coach of the Arkansas men's basketball team use to referer to his team's brand of defense....."40 minutes of hell."

View attachment 88757

Assuming good health, they will have the numbers to play aggressive defense. But that type of defense, IMO, requires both superior effort and athleticism. What I wonder is whether they have enough athleticism to do so. Either way, I hope they give it a shot.

 

[NC28604]

I would agree with the "If everyone is healthy, we'd win" mantra. I would like to add that one piece of past UConn teams that we have not seen recently due to those injuries, score a basket, immediate full court press, ALL GAME LONG! This used to be the standard at UConn and now, with a large and talented roster, I can see this reappearing in Geno's game plan. This may help with the 'finding minutes' as our players will have more fun with the press and the rest from substitution that they might not even notice if the big wins start and keep racking up.