Not too soon to start discussion TENNESSEE? So much to discuss... My questions are=

[Bone Dog]

I was noticing the same thing, and I see it in freshmen (and sophomores!) every year. The emotional burden of the coming semester's school work looms large in January and February. You arrive on campus, bright-eyed and eager, and then the work load is a bit heavier than you expected. You get through the fall semester, and then the spring term is upon you. It can be daunting.

But this is why I have a feeling the Tennessee game could be a tonic for Blanca. They will try to cause chaos on the court for UConn. But chaos is Blanca's natural element. If she recognizes what's happening, she could well thrive in such a game.

Kim then has a problem whenever Blanca's on the floor, since really only Cooper or Barker will be able to stay with her, though Cooper is undersized and Barker is not quite quick enough, and they will be needed to stay with Sarah and Azzi. Given Geno's recent substitution patterns, The longer Sarah and Azzi and Blanca are on the floor, the longer Cooper and Barker have to be out there too. But the burden will be greater on those two than on Sarah Azzi and Blanca.

 

[JeannoCT]

Mia Pauldo is the real deal. Her sister Mya barely plays. But I think KK, K9 and Azzi will have no problem defending Mia. Kim has changed her system, finally realizing it doesn't work. She doesn't sub as much, and the 5 person subs don't happen that often. She keeps her better players on the court.

 

[ERWUC65]

I am always worried about "bigger" games. UConn has not looked unbeatable in really any recent games. Long stretches of uninspired play, or an arctic freeze from deep, etc. Tennessee has been playing better beating who they are supposed to and I'm sure they will be up for the game. On the flip side, UConn should remember what happened last year. It DID launch us to a fabulous end to the season and we were unstoppable after that loss, but they team does remember.

I think there will be stretches where they play us tough. But I just don't believe they have the talent to match our game plan and keep up with us. We will see. I'd love to see a 40 point blowout.

Did you not see the last game (against Georgetown)? Especially the 3rd quarter? There was both "long stretches of uninspired play and an artic freeze from deep. If it happens again against TN it can be problematic.

 

[Gus Mahler]

If TN hasn't improved much since the L'ville game, UConn should win handily. I predict a 30+ MOV.

 

[rugbymate]

Not sure their press is anything to be concerned about….in theory a good pressing team should create both more turnovers and easy baskets which generate a higher shooting percentage. TN’s shooting % is a mere 41.7 vs UCONN’s 52.5. Their turnovers per game are 15.1 vs ours of 13.1 and their assists are 14.7 vs ours of 24.1. Those numbers lead me to believe that our press is far more effective in generating offense and our ball control is considerably better. Should be a decisive win.

 

[HuskyNan]

Blanca has hit the freshman wall this month. Freshmen tend to struggle, to various extents, and you can see it in Blanca’s last couple of games. It doesn’t seem all that bad, mostly a loss of concentration, so hopefully she’ll come out of it soon

FWIW, Sarah breezed through the wall like it wasn’t there for her. She is truly special


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Well, so much for the freshman wall!

 

[Zarathustra]

Blanca has hit the freshman wall this month. Freshmen tend to struggle, to various extents, and you can see it in Blanca’s last couple of games. It doesn’t seem all that bad, mostly a loss of concentration, so hopefully she’ll come out of it soon

FWIW, Sarah breezed through the wall like it wasn’t there for her. She is truly special


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No "freshman wall" for BLANCA in the Seton Hall game! 16 points on 7/9 shooting,
5 rebounds, one offensive, 4 assists, one block (and a VERY nice one I must
say!!), 3 steals, in 28 minutes of playing time. I'll skip the charges! and
total fouls stats. Blanca was (just about) the consensus BADASS. Well DONE!!!

 

[Zarathustra]

Mia Pauldo is the real deal. Her sister Mya barely plays. But I think KK, K9 and Azzi will have no problem defending Mia. Kim has changed her system, finally realizing it doesn't work. She doesn't sub as much, and the 5 person subs don't happen that often. She keeps her better players on the court.

This could be a very nice comparison of contending NATIONAL FRESHMAN OF
THE YEAR candidates. Different positions, different style, but truly a
"Game within a game". A lot to anticipate in this game and individual
matchups!
FYI: a comparison of the FRESHMAN Mia Paulo and Blanca
Mia: 17 g 12 starts 23 min/g FG% 40.4, 3'% 33.3% 12.1 ppg, Reb 45
2.6 rb/g assists 43 T.O. ratio 2.15

Blanca 19 g 0 starts 19.6 min/g FG% 57.4, 3'% 40.4% 10.7ppg, REB 64
3.3 re/g assists 41 T.O. 38 T.O. Ratio 1.07 Also: 9 blocks and 35 steals

 

[RoadWarrior]

Well, so much for the freshman wall!

You beat me to the punch. She played very well today.

 

[LuvBball]

Jada Civil has really come into her own lately. I' looking forward to a great game.

 

[PJCLaw]

Blanca has hit the freshman wall this month. Freshmen tend to struggle, to various extents, and you can see it in Blanca’s last couple of games. It doesn’t seem all that bad, mostly a loss of concentration, so hopefully she’ll come out of it soon

FWIW, Sarah breezed through the wall like it wasn’t there for her. She is truly special


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I think BQ's game today may have quieted some of the "hitting the freshman wall" talk! She is truly a gem. Once she controls the speed with which she plays, she will be like a sixth starter...which I already consider her.

 

[fomalhaut]

Blanca is going to commit fouls and turnovers. She gives so much more, though, that it's worth it.

 

[WBBZen]

Mia Pauldo is the real deal. Her sister Mya barely plays. But I think KK, K9 and Azzi will have no problem defending Mia. Kim has changed her system, finally realizing it doesn't work. She doesn't sub as much, and the 5 person subs don't happen that often. She keeps her better players on the court.

Interesting. I haven’t seen them since the Louisville game. I do think that KK will be able to handle Mia though and she’s been a huge force for them lately

 

[Rowdy831]

I would enjoy hearing from the BONEYARD on all things "Lady Volunteers" but to start:
1. Have you "Major" concerns about Tennessee's press? I watched the game
highlights of Louisville beating Tennessee and it appeared to me that (IN THE SECOND
HALF) Louisville had no trouble breaking down the Lady Vol's pressure defense. I
think that this issue is "real" but I believe that it will not be a big ++ in Tennessee's a favor.
2. Does anyone have insights into Tennessee's capacity to play any form of
effective ZONE defense? This is probably my major concern. Tennessee has
athleticism and length and with those variables it could make Tennessee's ability to use
some form of ZONE (3 -2 ?) rather effectively and strike at one of UCONN's Achilles' Heels (more than one you say?). This could be a real concern for Geno and our otherwise high-flying offense.
3. Other ideas/ concerns???
Seton Hall and Xavier come first... but... really, February 1st is NOT that far away!!

UConn will beat Tennessee by as many as they chose. I really don't see any team that will challenge UConn until deep in the tournament if even then.

 

[OldSchooler]

Blanca has hit the freshman wall this month. Freshmen tend to struggle, to various extents, and you can see it in Blanca’s last couple of games. It doesn’t seem all that bad, mostly a loss of concentration, so hopefully she’ll come out of it soon

FWIW, Sarah breezed through the wall like it wasn’t there for her. She is truly special


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None of these should apply to Blanca. Yes, she's a freshman, but certainly not your typical recent H.S. graduate.

 

[Zarathustra]

Blanca is going to commit fouls and turnovers. She gives so much more, though, that it's worth it.

See Blanca's assists and turnovers and ratio in thread number 33, above
where there is a "Freshman of the Year" stat comparison with Mia Paulo.
Maybe not being a starter will not be such a burden to overcome for
Blanca???

 

[JoePgh]

I do think it's correct to say that Tennessee has the most athletic team that UConn has faced this year. Louisville had several good athletes, and Ohio State and USC each had one very athletic player, but just about everyone on the Tennessee roster is a star athlete.

I also watched Tennessee against Louisville at Barclay Center. It was close for the first half, and then it appeared to me that TN essentially gave up in the second half. Louisville had enough athleticism that TN couldn't dominate them either with speed or with rebounding, and when TN didn't have that clear advantage, they seemed to get bewildered.

I have also watched last year's UConn - Tennessee game at least twice since watching it in real time, and the teams seemed very evenly matched, as if the contest could go either way. It was certainly a much more contested game than either of UConn's games against South Carolina. I am still not sure why UConn wasn't able to pull away in that game as it did in the NCAA tournament games against good teams.

I think if UConn gets a lead in the first quarter and maintains it into the 3rd quarter, it is quite likely that TN will become frustrated and make numerous mental mistakes, as happened at Barclay Center. If that happens, it should lead to a 25-point blowout in UConn's favor. But if the game stays within single digits into the third quarter, then it could stay that way for the entire game, and the result could be a tossup.

I have more faith in UConn's ability to deal with adversity than Tennessee's. That's why I think UConn will win this year's game, probably by a comfortable double-digit margin.

 

[bballnut90]

I don't see Tennessee keeping this close to be honest. A lot of what worked well for them a year ago isn't working as well this year (scoring, rebounding, forcing crazy numbers of TOs, 3pt shooting). They have a lot of talent but are young and undisciplined, and their offense just isn't as potent as it was a year ago. Plus it's a road game. UCONN this year is playing at a much higher level than the 2024-25 team was the first half of the year. Defense is notably better in 2025-26 too. I think it's a cushy 20-25 point win even if Tennessee can keep it close for the first half.

 

[donalddoowop]

Pauldo is nowhere near the player Hidalgo is and look how UConn slowed her down. Have the player she guards post her up.

 

[Bone Dog]

All will be known in seven days.

 

[HuskylnSC]

This is a team that shoots 41.7% from the floor, 30.4% from 3 and 66.2% from the stripe. So, what's the weather supposed to be?

 

[HuskylnSC]

Blanca has hit the freshman wall this month

kind of a low wall. 28 minutes, 16 points on 7/8 shooting 5 rebounds and 4 assists

 

[CONNCAN]

Pauldo is nowhere near the player Hidalgo is and look how UConn slowed her down. Have the player she guards post her up.

I think that, as a Freshman, Tennessee's Mia Pauldo is extremely similar in playing style as Hanna Hildalgo was during her Freshman Year at Notre Dame.

 

[sno-cat]

 

[Tonyc]

UConn won another game yesterday and the starters didnt play the entire game again. What do you think UConn will to a team like Tenn when the starters play the entire game? Dont even think about Tenn beating UConn. It aint happenin.