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

[Bone Dog]

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.

I think they have plenty of athleticism of the muscular variety.

Aaliyah Aubrey Ayanna in the front court, not even counting the untested, are magnificently athletic. In the backcourt, we need to have faith that the previously injured are healthy, and if they are, they have plenty of the muscular variety of altheticism. And Nika (who is as physically strong as anyone in D1) and Inês the Fierce can lead the untested towards the sort of efforts we'll need. This group looks to me to have all the prerequisites to play 40 mins of aggressive Uconn defense.

While we're on the topic, if we mean the skilled sort of athleticism (which usually points toward offense), our core group is supremely skilled -- Paige Azzi Aaliyah Caroline Nika Aubrey -- and we have reason to believe that several of the untested have excellent skills as well, Ice KK Ashlynn Q and Jana.

And if we mean the mental sort of athleticism, mental toughness, it's hard to imagine anyone more skilled in this department than Paige Azzi Caroline, with Nika Aaliyah and Aubrey close behind them. These girls all know what winning, and toughing out a win, looks like. We'll have to see how the others develop in this regard.

Just thinking of Azzi under this last heading: last season what we saw before her injury was the supreme 4th quarter player -- and we saw flashes of this same profile the previous season in the games against Villanova (the loss), Marquette, Tennessee, to use a few examples. Last season against Texas, NC St, and Iowa, what we all saw was a series of so-so shooting performances in the first half of games, followed by eruptions of scoring in the second half. Opponents would shape their defense to cope with the eruption when it would come, but there was no dealing with it. After her injury, opposing teams played warily around her for fear that she'd find her range. Unfortunately, she only really found it in the Baylor game, when she outscored the entire Baylor team in the third quarter, effectively putting the game out of reach.

That Paige and Azzi -- if that's who we see come November -- with Caroline and Aaliyah filling up the gaps and Aubrey disrupting opposing teams, and Nika organizing the whole thing, that team will be very hard to cope with for any opponents.

 

[Carnac]

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.

UConn is an “elite” level team. They buckled under the pressure of Ohio State’s full court press. So can others. It can be done.

 

[JellyBean]

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

Thank you! Coach Richardson put pride in having his players in tip top shape, yes even Oliver Miller (Google him for you youngsters). That was Coach Richardson's mindset and his philosophy. He had that run & gun mindset and stayed in that mode the whole game.

I agree we have the bodies and would love to see the team go into that some type of press to create that frantic pace to turn the game into a track meet. Hopefully these conversations were discussed by the coaching staff over the summer.

 

[hoophuskee]

If UCONN were to play LSU I wouldn't expect a deep bench or "40 minutes of hell." Instead I expect "the hell" if UCONN would cause one to be "too much Paige and Azzi." This would be the best. It's what we dreamed when Azzi commited - the joy of watching them both play a lot together. That was "the hell" I envisoned for other teams once Azzi committed.

They certainly have the bodies to press but it doesnt have to be the same press some teams do to force turnover after turnover. Instead I can see prressure that pushes pace forcing teams into quicker shots but not steal after steal. And you can press to slow the opposing team into getting their offense slower than it normally would. Maybe do this vs LSU? Because they will obviously want to try to punish UCONN in the paint. The longer it takes for them to get into their offense, the harder it will be for them to get the ball in scoring position inside to pussih UCONN.

Anyway. what I'd love to see the most is for everyone to be healthy and then see see Paige and Azzi at their peak forms. That's the beauty I enviisoned. And imo that would be "the hell" opposing teams would dread the most. When healthy Paige and Azzi have shown they are as amazing offensive weapons not only scoring as you can find. And unlike Iowa - it's not a one player show. With these two at near peak it only enhances exponenitlaly their other teammates, -- and a player like Edwards is already damn good.

 

[hoopsnloops32]

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.

I think there are way more questions for UConn than if they can stay healthy. I still will be surprised if they are a top ten team next year. I wouldn’t expect LSU to struggle with them until they prove otherwise.

 

[Carnac]

I’m pleased to see that this thread has generated the number of comments that it has. I’m always interested in the thoughts and concerns of my fellow boneyarders. Thank you.

 

[Carnac]

I think there are way more questions for UConn than if they can stay healthy. I still will be surprised if they are a top ten team next year. I wouldn’t expect LSU to struggle with them until they prove otherwise.

Can you please elaborate on the "way more" questions you think UConn will have this coming season?

 

[SECbbfan24]

Can you please elaborate on the "way more" questions you think UConn will have this coming season?

If anything lsu has no shot vs UConn. kim has not proven she can beat Geno, Dawn or the other elite coaches quite yet.

 

[hoopsnloops32]

Can you please elaborate on the "way more" questions you think UConn will have this coming season?

Well they lose two starters one of which was their second leading scorer and best shooter, the other was their center. They have no proven frontcourt player outside of Aaliyah and the backcourt is a mystery to me because you don’t know what kind of player Paige will come back as. Same as Azzi post knee injury. Just scratching the surface of the questions honestly.

 

[oldhusky]

Well they lose two starters one of which was their second leading scorer and best shooter, the other was their center. They have no proven frontcourt player outside of Aaliyah and the backcourt is a mystery to me because you don’t know what kind of player Paige will come back as. Same as Azzi post knee injury. Just scratching the surface of the questions honestly.

I think it is possible to view this from two different perspectives. I notice most on the Boneyard qualify their optimistic projections with "if healthy", applying that to the team overall. If, however, you look at each player with a potential injury issue individually as a separate question mark, then we have quite a few including Paige, Azzi, Caroline, Ice and Aubrey. We have a lot of injury question marks because we had so many injuries over the last two years.

Those injuries are both a concern and a reason for optimism. Whatever we get out of Paige and Ice this year is more than we got last year, it is like adding two more recruits to the rest of our incoming class. But the difference between getting Paige like she was the first 6 games of her sophomore year, and her post injury return is huge so how close to 100% of what she was is a pretty major issue. Azzi is in a similar position. Her first 6 games last year were All American level, but her drop off after coming back from injury was even more dramatic than Paige's. Caroline too, do we get the freshmen version of her or what we saw as a sophomore, and it is not just the concussions, the hip surgery apparently set her back quite a bit last year as well.

So we do have many injury question marks because we have so many comeback stories. Case by case I think most are pretty optimistic. I suspect Ice will be fine and Aubrey will not have recurring back issues, I think Caroline one more year removed from hip surgery should be better regarding that issue, but the concussions could be an ongoing issue, and the biggest question is if Paige and Azzi can still be the players we have seen at their best, or has their ceiling been lowered due to multiple injuries. Good news on all or most of those fronts and we are loaded.

As far as Lou and Dorka are concerned, one is easily replaced and the other has talented but unproven prospects as substitutes. Lou was a great pickup but even a healthy freshmen level Caroline could match her, and a healthy Paige or Azzi would be a major improvement. The odds are high that we will actually upgrade Lou with playing time from someone better. With Dorka we could take a step backwards. In terms of how good Ice or Jana might be by their senior year, I might consider Ice and Jana roughly equal to Dorka, but in their first year that would be a pretty high bar to match, and of course both are unproven.

Our questions are mostly health related and how good our prospects will be at the 5, the only position where we need production right away from a newcomer. LSU has far more fit questions with both big portal additions probably playing major minutes at something other than their best position, or resulting in an existing player moving away from their best position. Kim accepted major talent and major challenges with those moves. Maybe she can make it work, maybe not, time will tell.

 

[Bone Dog]

… but since the thread presupposes everyone is healthy — check the thread title — all these reflections on injuries and recoveries are not to the point. The only relevant question is about replacing Dorka. We know we have scorers who can fill the hole left by Lou. Do we have a 5 to play effectively next to Aaliyah?

I think there are two responses to this question. First, we have two (or three?) really promising but untested bigs and between them Geno should be able to cover the 5 for all those times when we want to run a double big lineup. Second, in some of our best games (like the ones against NC St, Iowa and Duke) Dorka was injured.

The other half of the thread question is how will we match up against LSU. Two halves to that question: front court and backcourt. If Morrow and Reese develop some chemistry (which many here are rightly dubious about) they will be formidable, maybe too much for Aaliyah alone. We know from the DePaul games last season that she can outplay Morrow. But we can’t expect her to outplay both Morrow and Reese. Who will step up to fill this gap?

Can Ayanna matchup with Morrow? She’s plenty strong enough and can be relentless but is not nearly as skilled as Morrow. If she can at least keep Morrow from dominating the low post, I think Aaliyah is a good matchup against Reese. This is our answer even if Ice Jana and Amari contribute nothing. We may not win this half of the matchup, but we are likely to keep them close. And if one of our bigs can contribute something we are likely to do rather better.

But on the backcourt side of the equation our answers are rather different. I don’t think any of us seriously thinks Paige Azzi Nika will not be able to win against Hailey Van Lith Poole Johnson. The most comparable games for thinking about this are the ones we played against Iowa Baylor and Indiana with Paige in the lineup.

Baylor that year was similar to what LSU is likely to be. That game featured Richards Ursin and Carrington in the backcourt and it was a close call until Didi went down in the 3rd quarter. After that, it was clear they had no answer for Paige. She scored 28 and Christyn added 21. Our frontcourt was outplayed by Smith and Egbo, but that was freshman Aaliyah, and senior Aaliyah is likely to be a very different player. Is Reese a better front court player than a Alyssa Smith was?

This year, Poole Johnson and Hailey Van Lith will be a smaller trio than Nika Paige and Azzi. How will they matchup? Can freshman Williams contribute anything? Can KK? Reese and Morrow will also be smaller across the front line than Aaliyah and whoever we pair her with. The Indiana game from two years ago might be instructive here too. That backcourt was very athletic, seasoned, and featured a very crafty scorer in Berger. They were no match for a Paige-led backcourt. Their frontcourt with Holmes and Gulbe is comparable to the challenges Reese and Morrow would pose. How would Aaliyah fare against Holmes this season? That may be as close a comparison — at least on the offensive side — as Aaliyah against Reese.

And we haven’t considered what Aubrey and Caroline would add to this comparison. I don’t think LSU has anyone who can really matchup to either of them.

So, what’s the strategy? Put Nika on Hailey Van Lith and let Azzi and Paige deal with Johnson and Poole. Aubrey might put in some time defending one of the guards, Williams for example, if she gets hot. On the other side, who guards Paige and Azzi? I don’t think Hailey Van Lith or Johnson can really matchup with either of them. Is it Poole? And if Caroline is on the perimeter, who guards her? Or Aubrey?

Reese and Morrow may win the battle in the paint, but there’s too many other questions on their side for me to bet on them.

 

[hoophuskee]

Our questions are mostly health related and how good our prospects will be at the 5, the only position where we need production right away from a newcomer. LSU has far more fit questions with both big portal additions probably playing major minutes at something other than their best position, or resulting in an existing player moving away from their best position. Kim accepted major talent and major challenges with those moves. Maybe she can make it work, maybe not, time will tell.

IMO there is little doubt that Kim is going to be able to transform her team into one helluva team.

The question though shouldn't be about LSU - they have a terrific floor; -> but about UCONN. OFC on any random night anything can happen. For example, I wouldn't say by evaluating teams from last year that Iowa was a better team than SC nor was LSU better than SC. But upsets happen.

And as for UCONN, imo there is such fear of size yet forgetting how great Paige was. How great Azzi looked early. And for Caroline, as you mention oldhuskie, about her frosh year what she showed. She took over the team for a stretch as a frosh vs the likes of CWill, Evina and others.

When you have superstar players - someone like a Clark can knock off a super SC team a lot on her own (ofc she needed some help but the superstar naturally makes others much, much, much greater as Clark was able to do too.)..

Well, potentailly, UCONN has two Clark's. LSU doesn't have 2. LSU has a much higher floor than UCONN beucase of so many injury concerns but Hailey Van Lith and Morrow while terrifc are top level but not as special like Reese and Paige and Azzi in terms of potential. So- to quote a specific word used in Quentin Taratino's movie "Kill Bill;", UCONN's ceiiling is gargantuan. -->

I'm so glad I had a chance to use this word in a sentence. Thank you Elle Driver.

So the main question should be about UCONN and if they can hit their ceiling. Any big injuires while LSU has none, will put UCONN further and further back.