Notre Dame Discussion

[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.

 

[BobbyJ]

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?

How many UConn players do you know well enough to question their guts and motivation? Or are you just trolling for attention?

 

[ConnManFan]

How many UConn players do you know well enough to question their guts and motivation? Or are you just trolling for attention

I could care less about attention. I know my takes and insights are a lot closer to reality than many of the Husky's can do no wrong pollyanna posts that appear here. Your ad hominem attack, while not unexpected, does nothing to advance the discussion here. Just because it may not always be positive, why am I not entitled to an opinion?

 

[HuskyNan]

I could care less about attention. I know my takes and insights are a lot closer to reality than many of the Husky's can do no wrong pollyanna posts that appear here. Your ad hominem attack, while not unexpected, does nothing to advance the discussion here. Just because it may not always be positive, why am I not entitled to an opinion?

BobbyJ was responding to your post questioning the UConn players’ “guts and motivation”. Just your stating your opinion doesn’t make it true and BobbyJ, whose opinion on basketball I would take over many others, is within his rights to disagree with you

 

[JoePgh]

My first observation about the comments in this thread is that most of the people (especially those with the strongest opinions) appear not to have gone back and actually watched last season's game. I just did that, and (as you would expect) it is enlightening in several respects.

• Last season's game (which was played in late January) was tied with 9 minutes left. Early in the second quarter, UConn had a 12-point lead. It was not the start-to-finish blowout that many gloom-and-doom posters seem to remember. Only the fourth quarter could be characterized as one-sided, and I will discuss below the reasons for that.
• The game was going to be a 6-point ND lead at halftime until Hidalgo hit a buzzer-beater at the end of the half, so UConn was facing a 9-point deficit to start the 3rd quarter. Late in that 3rd quarter, UConn held a 3-point lead for about 3 minutes, until ND tied it and took a 3-point lead on a late shot by Westbeld.
• In that 3rd quarter, Paige and Aaliyah had a very effective pick-and-roll game going, with Aaliyah matching Hidalgo's baskets almost one-for-one. Geno was asked at the post game press conference why UConn got away from that action in the 4th quarter, and he made a comment about how no one was hitting outside shots, so the paint was full of defenders. I think that is only a partial explanation.
• Those who think that KK is the answer for defending Hidalgo should watch the replay: KK was defending Hidalgo for most of the game, and Hannah was going by KK just as easily as she went by anyone else. The real answer for why Hidalgo scored 34 is why there was no secondary defense after the initial defender got beat. No single defender is going to keep Hidalgo in front of her consistently, so a rotation has to be in place to stop her drives (always to the right) before she gets to the rim. That just wasn't happening, and for the most part I don't know why, but I'm fairly sure that Geno will have that problem fixed for Thursday evening.
• As to the fourth quarter, the most important event was that Nika fouled out very early in that quarter. That meant Geno had to bring Ice in as her substitute, switching UConn to a 2-big, 3-guard lineup, and it was obvious that that lineup wasn't prepared to defend Hidalgo. Once Hidalgo beat her initial defender (usually with a Westbeld pick), there was no switch that had any chance of success. Ice certainly wasn't going to be able to switch off of Westbeld and stop Hildalgo's drive. There has to be a defensive plan for that situation, and there wasn't. Geno's teams usually don't have a major problem keeping fast guards from getting to the rim, but they certainly did in the 4th quarter. Probably the pre-game plan was that Nika would be the secondary defender if KK got beat, but in the 4th quarter, she wasn't around anymore.
• UConn allowed ND to shoot 55% in the game, which is unprecedented for UConn defensive performance. Not only was Hidalgo 14-24, but Westbeld was 9-15 and Citron was 6-13. If ND shoots 55% on Thursday night, they will win going away, but I can't believe that will happen again.

What does all of this say about the upcoming game on Thursday evening?

1. Assuming Westbeld doesn't play, I don't think that Koval will be able to set picks as expertly as Westbeld did last January, so Hidalgo may have a lot more difficulty getting launched on her drives. And I certainly think that secondary defense will be in place on Hildalgo's right side to stop the ball short of the rim. Hidalgo may be able to hit short jumpers or tear-drops anyway, but just keeping her away from the rim would be a big improvement over January's defense.
2. I think Sarah will be able to score against ND as easily as Aaliyah did, and that isn't bad -- Aaliyah was 10-for-14 and scored 23 points.
3. Paige had a shooting experience in the January game similar to what she just had against Louisville, and I don't think that will happen in two consecutive games. Paige was 5-for-17 for 17 points, and her misses weren't due to great ND defense -- she just wasn't hitting that night. It would have been a different game if she had been hitting.
4. I'm assuming that Ice/Jana will defend Koval, and will do so with reasonable success, and will hopefully stay out of acute foul trouble. That would seem to leave Sarah without an adequate match-up (from ND's perspective) at either end of the floor. She should be able to guard King without difficulty, and Citron is probably the only ND defender who can contend with her, which would leave Miles (really?) to defend Paige. Those match-ups all favor UConn, and at least offset Hidalgo's advantage over anyone who tries to defend her.
5. I hope to see Jana get the majority of minutes at the 5 position, if she can stay on the floor. That should allow UConn to dominate the boards. This is an ideal game for Jana to demonstrate her potential mainly as a rebounder, but also as an inside scorer.
6. I'm pretty sure that Morgan is better than the 8th player on ND's depth chart, and she should also help with rebounding and passing. A breakout game for her would really change the game if it can happen.

So what is my conclusion / prediction? If Azzi were playing and at full strength, I would expect a 10-point UConn win. Without Azzi, I would expect it to be decided by one possession in the final minute, but if the favorable surprises in #5 and #6 above occur, it still could be a 10-point UConn win anyway.

 

[BobbyJ]

I could care less about attention. I know my takes and insights are a lot closer to reality than many of the Husky's can do no wrong pollyanna posts that appear here. Your ad hominem attack, while not unexpected, does nothing to advance the discussion here. Just because it may not always be positive, why am I not entitled to an opinion?

Better check your dictionary for the definition of ad hominem. Read the first question again. You’re implying that the UConn kids can’t match the ND kid’s guts and motivation. My question challenges your position. You don’t know them and therefore shouldn’t be judging them. Talk all you want about their skills but don’t be judging their character.

 

[ConnManFan]

Better check your dictionary for the definition of ad hominem. Read the first question again. You’re implying that the UConn kids can’t match the ND kid’s guts and motivation. My question challenges your position. You don’t know them and therefore shouldn’t be judging them. Talk all you want about their skills but don’t be judging their character.

Their skills across the roster are unimpeachable. There is no team in America with anywhere near as much skill as UConn has. It is exactly their character that has to judged. (ad hominem - appealing to feelings or prejudices rather than intellect - calling me a troll is precisely an ad hominem attack. If you are related to one of the players and taking this personally I can understand that. Just send me a sign so I know) Finally - please show my quote where I used either the word guts or determination? Not fair to just pull made up things out of thin air. Just show a good faith effort to argue about things actually said.
P.S. I wont reply to this any more - when you fight the powers that be on this board you get smacked down fast and hard.

 

[David54]

With azzi out they player I’m expecting to see get more minutes is Morgan.

 

[AzzisBraids]

The Irish's 1-3-1 zone is a concern. That has been an issue moving the ball and with Hidalgo roaming around it doesn't get easier. I'm not concerned about Paige, she needs to figure it out and post up whichever guard they put on her. Sarah will get hers, Kaitlyn Chen, Shade, Cheli, and Ziebell need to be ready. I expect KK to come in and have a steal off between her and Hildalgo. She could be huge. UConn wins if Paige can get loose from Citron

 

[Dillon77]

Have either karlen or Westbeld started warming up? At any point?

Warming up for games? Not at all. They haven't even dressed.
Are they working out in practices? Of course, but trying to get up to speed.

 

[BigKahuna]

Does anyone remember last year when Hidalgo ran wild because no one on the bench or on the floor realized she was right hand dominant and never tried to make her go left? A fundamental of basketball defense is make your opponent do something they’re not comfortable with. It was taught to me in grammar school.
Last year it was like a pregame layup line for her.
Hopefully a lesson was learned.

 

[Stagnant]

Here is a curveball.

Any chance Aubrey plays? Has she officially been ruled out? She has been warming up with the team for a couple of weeks now.

 

[ConnManFan]

Here is a curveball.

Any chance Aubrey plays? Has she officially been ruled out? She has been warming up with the team for a couple of weeks now.

Geno said in the pregame presser that she is playing a lot of simulated games and the focus is on how she feels the day after she puts in a hard workout. I dont think ND but seems like she is so close.

 

[Cuango]

Azzi’s absence makes this game a lot more difficult! I like to think Geno will have a better (actually that’s a bit unfair as Nika was gone in the crucial fourth quarter) game plan to deal with HH. Unfortunately, they now have Miles who is shooting 46% from three! However, we have a little (actually, two) surprise/s for them named Sarah and Jana. Paige will need to play well and we have to avoid foul trouble. Finally, we cannot allow them to go off from three! If those things happen, I like our chances. Win or lose however, the most important thing for me, is no injuries!

 

[hoophuskee]

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 so we're clear. UCONN showed a ton of enthusiasm in the S16 and E8 celebrating their wins and winning their Regional to get to the Final Four, while your enthusiastic Notre Dame lacked enthusisam on their trip home after their S16 Regionals. I feel for them that they weren't good enough to go as far as UCONN. I really do. - Not.

 

[Hayven]

I don’t like this matchup at all. You would think everyone on this board would have learned not to take ND lightly.
Paige needs to get out of her shooting funk. She and Strong will need a big game. Chen needs to prove she can defend. Do you put Ashlynn on Hidalgo? ND would not mind an up-tempo game. I wonder if Geno plays into this, and hopes their guards get tired?
If they can manage to get by this one, I think they can go undefeated the rest of the season

 

[Stagnant]

One thing I want to say, Miles shooting 46% from 3. I expect that to drop. There still isn’t a very big sample size.

39 attempts this season. She attempted 122 the year she was 27%. She has obviously worked on it a lot though. So, she deserves credit for that.