Notre Dame (1) @ DePaul (15) - 11/17/17

[bantamlaker]

Geno doesnt have the depth to compete against this ND scoring machine right now. I hope Geno develops a reliable bench - the only way to beat them.

When was the last time a UConn team was unable to compete against an opponent ? While we may not win the game at ND I’d be very surprised if the game is not competitive.

 

[Fightin Choke]

I think style of play was a factor in why ND scored 101 even though they had so many TOs. DePaul plays a fast paced style, and ND was playing with pretty fast up until the last quarter. I didn't get to watch the Vanderbilt game, so I can't say of they play like DePaul. I think UConn will have a field day against DePaul.

Of course! Sure Notre Dame scored more points on DePaul than UConn scored on Vanderbilt, but Vandy only scored 42 points and DePaul scored 77.

Another way to look at the game is that Notre Dame was favored by 9.5 points and won by 24 whereas UConn was favored by 41.5 points and won by 38. Seems like Notre Dame overperformed their Massey expectation, but Massey still has UConn ranked higher so the Huskies have higher expectations from Massey. Of course UConn's higher ranking is due to their performance last season. It will take a few weeks before the model no longer requires initial conditions.

 

[Reypl21]

DePaul showed how to effectively defend ND....well ND without Mabrey that is....she is the straw that stirs the drink....if ONO was up to speed UConn would have a much easier time with Shepard and Turner....I'm unsure that NC can hold them off without a lot of help on the defensive end...

Ogunbowale and Young aren't really 3 point shooters, not quite like Mabrey. The freshman guards don't seem to want to take a shot other than layups. ND has forced a lot of passes into the paint and had TOs. Mabrey will open up the lane, and she's a good passer.

 

[Reypl21]

Of course! Sure Notre Dame scored more points on DePaul than UConn scored on Vanderbilt, but Vandy only scored 42 points and DePaul scored 77.

Another way to look at the game is that Notre Dame was favored by 9.5 points and won by 24 whereas UConn was favored by 41.5 points and won by 38. Seems like Notre Dame overperformed their Massey expectation, but Massey still has UConn ranked higher so the Huskies have higher expectations from Massey. Of course UConn's higher ranking is due to their performance last season. It will take a few weeks before the model no longer requires initial conditions.

I haven't looked at any of those sites. I just was making a guess because I watched the ND game today.

Btw, Patterson's play was exciting today. 14 pts and 3 blocks. Made all her free throws, made a short jumper, and defended pretty good on the perimeter. She took Turner's minutes though.

 

[SCGamecock]

Have not seen Oregon State this year but I thought SC was not as advertised in the Clemson game. SC strong point was thought to be in the guards, I was disappointed in the SC guard play. That being said I have emense respect for Dawn Staley, she will get them ready.

It’s a little early to ring the “SC is not as advertised” alarm. That was our 2nd game of the season and it was against our instate rival who we’ve beaten the last 8 times and is desperate to beat us. Be patient, our guards will be our strong point, but we’re installing a new offense and we’re asking a lot of people to step into new roles.

We play a tough non conference schedule (Maryland comes to us Sunday and that’s our THIRD game of the season) so I’m not expecting it to be pretty out the gate.. but like you said, Dawn will get them ready. As a fan, id be more concerned if we looked that way in January/February.

 

[CPD016]

The DePaul fan behind me is doing a constant running commentary...between that and how close the game is, it's gonna be a stressful afternoon...

I moved from our assigned seats to an empty area ( of which there were many). My stress came from the announcer - when UCONN plays here next year I will have ear plugs. Game went as expected. My only concern was how badly coach Bruno was limping

 

[Fightin Choke]

I haven't looked at any of those sites. I just was making a guess because I watched the ND game today.

Btw, Patterson's play was exciting today. 14 pts and 3 blocks. Made all her free throws, made a short jumper, and defended pretty good on the perimeter. She took Turner's minutes though.

Turner only played 6 minutes in the first half because she picked up her second foul in the first quarter and Muffet sat her for the rest of the half. Turner only played 10 minutes in the second half because the game was in hand and Patterson was playing so well. Irirsh were pleased with Patterson and Prohaska. Abby actually led the team in assists and steals (true freshman in third college game).

 

[Dillon77]

Turner only played 6 minutes in the first half because she picked up her second foul in the first quarter and Muffet sat her for the rest of the half. Turner only played 10 minutes in the second half because the game was in hand and Patterson was playing so well. Irirsh were pleased with Patterson and Prohaska. Abby actually led the team in assists and steals (true freshman in third college game).

I switched my fields of play yesterday and ventured up to Yankee Stadium to see the Irish rise to the occasion and beat Syracuse. On the subway ride from the Bronx to the Port Authority bus terminal, I picked up the box score (and only the box score) of the ND-DePaul game. Since I'm aware of DePaul's style of play (we did play them last year), it was fairly interesting to deduce what took place.

After reading some boards to round out the story, a few points come to mind:

- Thanks to the hoop gods for an extended bench (knock on wood). ND was able to mix and match correctly to get the right personnel on the floor. Last year, they relied on a 39-pt. performance from Shepard to hang on. Here the right mix got them right on both ends of the floor.
- As you said, DP (Danielle Patterson) was perfect for this assignment: 6'2", good athlete (quicker than Vaughn, so probably better on outside-the-paint defense).
- Prohaska's scoring does not stand out, but every other stat does: steals, assists, rebounds; and, what she does on defense. Until Mabrey is back, she'll get ample floor time.
- Speaking of Mabrey, it's not like she's the overwhelming scoring Irish threat, but she's thoroughly involved in all aspects of what they do, from setting up the half-court offense, making adepts passes and, yes, shooting the daggers from 3-point land. Plus, she's ultra-competitive, emotional and a proxy for McGraw.
- I expect UConn's starting five to do fine with DePaul. The skill sets and athletic abilities match up well.
- What made for interesting reading between the Vandy thread and this one was how ND went to the next level -- the bench -- to handle having no Mabrey and this particular team's skill sets. Good sign for MM. I'm sure Geno's trying to do the same.

 

[DEpup]

Yeah they hung 100+ on the 15th ranked team today and didn't play anywhere close to their best. Meanwhile we struggled to put 80 on an unranked team. That game in South Bend is gonna be interesting to say the least LOL.

Wait a minute. You can't compare the two games. UConn was on purpose focusing on defence and Vandy was working the shot clock. We all know that DePaul ball is a lot of shots so of course their game would be more scoring. One could say ND gave up over 75 pts and that's a defense challenge....