Notre Dame Discussion

[Stagnant]

I think ash has to have a good game.

Jana and Ice need to outplay Koval. That matchup can’t be a draw for UConn.

 

[ConnManFan]

To me, the questions surrounding UCon are much greater than with ND. With ND we know exactly what we are going to get. Is UConn going to be a big 2 or is Paige going to continue her streak of mediority? Can Chen even begin to stay with either Miles or Hidalgo? That is a matchup that has disaster written all over it. Can we finally get some consistent play out of Ashlynn and KK? UConn's only clear cut advantage without Azzi is Sarah.

 

[yhun89]

I think ash has to have a good game.

Jana and Ice need to outplay Koval. That matchup can’t be a draw for UConn.

I think we can outplay Koval.

Ice so far hasn't been nearly as foul prone as she used to be. She's even got a few nice post moves and good offensive positioning, in fact, her positioning draws fouls rather than give herself one. If Ice can take Koval out, we have a good chance at controlling the boards. In high pressure situations, Jana was great at getting the rebounds, like vs Ole Miss.

Unless ND wants to use Citron on Sarah (they won't) , they have no answer for her. King isn't big enough to do anything but maybe try and outrebound her.

 

[GoUconn7961]

My two pennies:

Playing in front of a hostile crowd is really hard for the newbies and ND is about as hostile as you can get. If they can weather that we have a good chance of winning.

I think ND will throw a zone defense at UConn just to see if they can hit the outside shots. If they're falling, they'll go back to man-to-man.

Defense is going to win this game.

 

[Bigboote]

Well, Azzi being likely out changes things. I’d already thought we’d see more of KK than in recent games, but that might be bumped up even more.

Ashlynn will be the primary defender on Miles, but I think we might see some of Morgan marking Citron and Paige sliding onto Miles, especiallyy if Miles starts going off.

UConn should have a huge advantage in the front court. Koval is big and strong, but not quick, and King is more of a guard than a forward. UConn could go with three guards plus Morgan and Sarah, and Sarah could eat Koval for lunch. Then there’s the possibility of Jana/Ice and Sarah up front, leaving King to guard Sarah.

This game could have a lot of shifting lineups and strategies, and I think Geno is better equipped for that than Niele. But Notre Dame just sometimes has UConn’s number.

 

[yhun89]

My two pennies:

Playing in front of a hostile crowd is really hard for the newbies and ND is about as hostile as you can get. If they can weather that we have a good chance of winning.

I think ND will throw a zone defense at UConn just to see if they can hit the outside shots. If they're falling, they'll go back to man-to-man.

Defense is going to win this game.

I think we have an advantage in that, Ash (likely starting for Azzi) and KK have played against hostile crowds like SC last year as primary players. I think they could get used to ND. Rivalry and all, but SC was pretty hostile as well. Chen played against the Gampel crowd 2 years ago as well.

 

[Tonyc]

First of all I dont see Koval being a big scoring threat. That makes it 4 on 5. I believe ND has to play alot of zone due to their lack of depth. UConn has the shooters and their dribble drive pullup jumpers will be key. I dont see Hannah and Oliva sharing the ball much in this game unless they are forced to. They are each others options and will look to Citron when necessary. That makes me believe UConn will overplay them and force them to go to their left and when they do, double them up on their drives and force them to give up the ball or take a bad shot.

I dont think you will see ND overplaying Paige this year. Last year they could because of UConns lack of scorers. UConn has too many scorers for them to play like that this year. ND cant wear UConn down this year either because we are too deep and they arent. The last thing ND wants to do is go to their bench.

UConn moved the ball crisply their last few games. I expect that again which will eliminate turnovers. Jana and Ice will be key and I expect plays designed for them to take it at Koval. Im also looking for someone to step up like Ash did against LVille. I expect Ash to step up again and maybe Chen.

I dont think ND has anybody who can defend Sarah. NDs defense can not double up on Paige so I dont see NDs defense being as effective against UConn. The Cuse missed alot of open shots and alot of bunnies and it took ND a while to get their big lead. Against Texas ND really didnt put Texas away and Texas didnt shoot well. For those 2 reasons I expect UConn to win.

One fear is I hope the refs dont let the game get really physical. This is a game where the stars shine. UConn will execute their offense unselfishly and thats what makes them so good.

 

[OldSchooler]

Win the TO battle. These are two high-percentage shooting teams. Have to disrupt BEFORE they get the shot off.

Do better at the FT line than we've been doing. That's how you win close games.

 

[yhun89]

Win the TO battle. These are two high-percentage shooting teams. Have to disrupt BEFORE they get the shot off.

Do better at the FT line than we've been doing. That's how you win close games.

FT line is huge, I don't know about you, but it should be unacceptable for a Top 5 team to shoot that poorly on a free shot with no defense.

 

[yhun89]

First of all I dont see Koval being a big scoring threat. That makes it 4 on 5. I believe ND has to play alot of zone due to their lack of depth. UConn has the shooters and their dribble drive pullup jumpers will be key. I dont see Hannah and Oliva sharing the ball much in this game unless they are forced to. They are each others options and will look to Citron when necessary. That makes me believe UConn will overplay them and force them to go to their left and when they do, double them up on their drives and force them to give up the ball or take a bad shot.

I dont think you will see ND overplaying Paige this year. Last year they could because of UConns lack of scorers. UConn has too many scorers for them to play like that this year. ND cant wear UConn down this year either because we are too deep and they arent. The last thing ND wants to do is go to their bench.

UConn moved the ball crisply their last few games. I expect that again which will eliminate turnovers. Jana and Ice will be key and I expect plays designed for them to take it at Koval. Im also looking for someone to step up like Ash did against LVille. I expect Ash to step up again and maybe Chen.

I dont think ND has anybody who can defend Sarah. NDs defense can not double up on Paige so I dont see NDs defense being as effective against UConn. The Cuse missed alot of open shots and alot of bunnies and it took ND a while to get their big lead. Against Texas ND really didnt put Texas away and Texas didnt shoot well. For those 2 reasons I expect UConn to win by double digits.

One fear is I hope the refs dont let the game get really physical. This is a game where the stars shine. UConn will execute their offense unselfishly and thats what makes them so good.

Fair points. I can see Koval being a rebounding threat, but that's all.

More worried about TOs bringing the ball up. Chen is too slow and Hannah will feast. So that means KK or Paige have to bring it up, they are faster. Azzi is also capable of this, which makes her injury even more impactful.

 

[Stagnant]

First of all I dont see Koval being a big scoring threat. That makes it 4 on 5. I believe ND has to play alot of zone due to their lack of depth. UConn has the shooters and their dribble drive pullup jumpers will be key. I dont see Hannah and Oliva sharing the ball much in this game unless they are forced to. They are each others options and will look to Citron when necessary. That makes me believe UConn will overplay them and force them to go to their left and when they do, double them up on their drives and force them to give up the ball or take a bad shot.

I dont think you will see ND overplaying Paige this year. Last year they could because of UConns lack of scorers. UConn has too many scorers for them to play like that this year. ND cant wear UConn down this year either because we are too deep and they arent. The last thing ND wants to do is go to their bench.

UConn moved the ball crisply their last few games. I expect that again which will eliminate turnovers. Jana and Ice will be key and I expect plays designed for them to take it at Koval. Im also looking for someone to step up like Ash did against LVille. I expect Ash to step up again and maybe Chen.

I dont think ND has anybody who can defend Sarah. NDs defense can not double up on Paige so I dont see NDs defense being as effective against UConn. The Cuse missed alot of open shots and alot of bunnies and it took ND a while to get their big lead. Against Texas ND really didnt put Texas away and Texas didnt shoot well. For those 2 reasons I expect UConn to win.

One fear is I hope the refs dont let the game get really physical. This is a game where the stars shine. UConn will execute their offense unselfishly and thats what makes them so good.

I don’t think UConn has that much depth either. I like Morgan a lot as a prospect. But when Azzi came back; she basically fell out of the rotation. Geno didn’t play her against Ole Miss. And she didn’t appear against Louisville until garbage time. I think that means she isn’t totally trusted yet. Aubrey is not back either. So, who is trusted off the bench? KK and Jana. That’s only 7. So, the loss of Azzi makes me think we don’t really have a depth advantage in this game.

 

[Tonyc]

Fair points. I can see Koval being a rebounding threat, but that's all.

More worried about TOs bringing the ball up. Chen is too slow and Hannah will feast. So that means KK or Paige have to bring it up, they are faster. Azzi is also capable of this, which makes her injury even more impactful.

Yeah I posted this before knowing Azzi will be out. I expect Ash and Chen to step up their scoring.

 

[maple]

A big thing in my mind is how often we let ND get to the FT line. I saw a stat that showed how ND had MADE 40 more FTs so far this season than UConn had even been AWARDED. That's a huge stat discrepancy. Cannot allow them to get easy fouls and head to the line a lot.

On the flip side, ND has the shorter bench, so getting them into foul trouble early would be a benefit for us.

 

[ConnManFan]

Hidalgo and Miles play the game with great enthusiasm. They also have a tremendous will to win. Does UConn's desire and willingness to do anything to win match ND's?

 

[ERWUC65]

More of a test of what we have now that Azzi is out. I expect Geno to use Morgan in relief of Ash. Could be a big opportunity for Ice, nobody seems to be mentioning her in the posts.

 

[cancontent]

Hidalgo and Miles play the game with great enthusiasm. They also have a tremendous will to win. Does UConn's desire and willingness to do anything to win match ND's?

Dangerous question to ask on this side of the board. My answer would be yes considering who is on the roster.

 

[Stagnant]

I don’t know the answer to that question.

I have to be honest though. When I considered the question. My first thought was that Nika Muhl is not on the roster anymore.

 

[Urshurak]

Notre Dame has had UConns number a couple years now. Then, going into the third year, no Azzi. Just man.......

UConn needs to hit their hots and have no off quarters. 4 quarters of punching.

I just don't know about this one. a loss wouldn't surprise me. Notre Dame has their issues too. Ball always seems to bounce their way against UConn though.

I guess we'll find out. Got a weird feeling in my gut on this. Not settling well.

 

[hoophuskee]

Hidalgo and Miles play the game with great enthusiasm. They also have a tremendous will to win. Does UConn's desire and willingness to do anything to win match ND's?

Is this a joke? UCONN got to Final four last year, where did Notre Dame go? While UCONN took a late seconds shot to potentially win to get to Finals, ND was at home eating porpcorn watching UCONN. Their enthisisasm watching UCONN and supporting WCBB was appreciated.

 

[Ozimoto]

I would think differently if the game were not in South Bend. Unfortunately, it is. I don't think UConn will be able to handle Miles and Hidalgo's speed. If they get penetration and get the UConn front court players in foul trouble that will mean lots of (relatively) trips to the line for free points. I don't think UConn's guards will be able to do the same. Maybe Sarah can cause enough mayhem inside to get ND's front court players in foul trouble. Hopefully we can draw some charges. That was key for Utah in their win against the Irish.

UConn has to have a good shooting percentage and hit a good number of threes to have a chance. Paige is going to have to figure out how to be more efficient shooting wise than she has been the last few games. Without Azzi, Chen and Ash will have to have good games offensively to punish the Irish if they double team Paige. I think the home court advantage is real and that means ND will likely win by around 10 points. Very much hope I am wrong about all of this.

 

[ConnManFan]

Is this a joke? UCONN got to Final four last year, where did Notre Dame go? While UCONN took a late seconds shot to potentially win to get to Finals, ND was at home eating porpcorn watching UCONN. Their enthisisasm watching UCONN and supporting WCBB was appreciated.

Just so we are on the same page, the ND team that beat UConn by 15 last season and Hidalgo dropped 34 points with 10 rebounds?

P.S. pretty interesting box btw - each team only played 7 and each essentially had 3 players play 40 minutes.

 

[maple]

Just so we are on the same page, the ND team that beat UConn by 15 last season and Hidalgo dropped 34 points with 10 rebounds?

P.S. pretty interesting box btw - each team only played 7 and each essentially had 3 players play 40 minutes.

Just for the sake of transparency, this was a game where Nika fouled out early and two more UConn players had 4 fouls. ND had no players over 3 fouls. Obviously there is a discrepancy with how well you can defend in the paint when in foul trouble (and inside the paint is where ND got over half of their points).

The game was very close until Q4 and for a good reason.

ETA: But at the end of the day, UConn still made it to the FF and ND did not.

 

[CL82]

To me, the questions surrounding UCon are much greater than with ND. With ND we know exactly what we are going to get. Is UConn going to be a big 2 or is Paige going to continue her streak of mediority? Can Chen even begin to stay with either Miles or Hidalgo? That is a matchup that has disaster written all over it. Can we finally get some consistent play out of Ashlynn and KK? UConn's only clear cut advantage without Azzi is Sarah.

We're doomed.

 

[Surly1]

I would think differently if the game were not in South Bend. Unfortunately, it is. I don't think UConn will be able to handle Miles and Hidalgo's speed. If they get penetration and get the UConn front court players in foul trouble that will mean lots of (relatively) trips to the line for free points. I don't think UConn's guards will be able to do the same. Maybe Sarah can cause enough mayhem inside to get ND's front court players in foul trouble. Hopefully we can draw some charges. That was key for Utah in their win against the Irish.

UConn has to have a good shooting percentage and hit a good number of threes to have a chance. Paige is going to have to figure out how to be more efficient shooting wise than she has been the last few games. Without Azzi, Chen and Ash will have to have good games offensively to punish the Irish if they double team Paige. I think the home court advantage is real and that means ND will likely win by around 10 points. Very much hope I am wrong about all of this.

Talk about looking at the glass at 1/8 full. Last year, UConn hosted and it didn't seem to affect the ND players. The last I checked UConn was the #2 ranked team and currently undefeated, but they have to do everything right to stand a chance?

Last year, the players didn't read the memo to force Hidalgo to her left. The same applies to Olivia Miles. While Hidalgo scorched them last year, I offer that Maddy Westbeld was more of the difference maker, setting screens, giving Hidalgo clear room to drive and popping out to hit some killer 3's. If UConn allows penetration, it could be a long night. I'll take my chances with Hidalgo and Miles shooting 3's. If they are hitting, fair play to them.

So Paige had an off shooting night and now she needs to figure out how to be more efficient shooting. Tell that to all the players in the nation who are shooting less than 56% from the field. Maybe it's a good thing that she had a horrible outing against Louisville, and she'll remember to be more efficient and put the ball in the basket this game.

Paige has faced double teaming all her life. The difference in this game is she will be more assertive. Unlike the Louisville game, UConn will be minus Azzi and will need Paige's offense. She has last year's sinker (5-17) to motivate her. I expect a vintage Paige performance, regardless of how tight Citron guards her or whatever defensive schemes ND hatches.

Only BY fans can offer up such doom and gloom. What happened last year is no barometer on what will occur this year.

I expect a UConn victory in a hotly contested game.

 

[Dillon77]

Greetings from the other side.
I've read through the thread and found it interesting. Want to add just a few things for edification purposes:

• It's highly doubtful either Maddy Westbeld or Liza Karlen will play on Thursday. Too bad, but if this is the ND team playing at the time (the starting five you detailed + Prosper/Risch), so be it.
• ND, starting with the 2017-18-19 teams relied on the 2-3 zone for a variety of reasons: a short bench and a conviction that team could simply outscore most people. Coach Ivey likes to go man-to-man, but the lack of depth caught up to them in the Cayman's; hence the switch to a zone. FWIW, I think you'll see a combination of man-to-man and a tad zone, particularly if Koval/King get in foul trouble.
• I'm very sorry Azzi is not going to play but glad to hear she should be back soon. Want to see that. Ditto, Aubrey.
• Look forward to seeing Sarah Strong on Thursday in what will be a very loud environment (the game is sold out). Wish we had Westbeld, but King's a pretty darn good athlete.

Loved Geno's quote in this ESPN story:

"Like I tell the team all the time, when we play these games, the loser of that game, the season doesn't end," Auriemma said. "It's going to feel like an NCAA game, but it's not. That's the beauty of playing these games.

"I love this game, win or lose. I love this game."

Should be fun. Good luck.