It all boils down to how good our 3-point shooting is, and how much their defense can affect both Paige's shooting and passing. I don't think our 3 point shooting will be great, but I expect us to make about 6 or 7, so I'm gonna go with an 11 point win. To be honest, I would not be surprised to see us win by 15+.
I wrote this on the Paige thread but it also applies here:
IMHO Paige will start a little antsy but quickly settles into her normal game!
Once she does settle in she will look for her own shot when available as Geno wants her to do, which will open up her passing game to teammates!
Also look for ONO and Edwards to have great games hustling down the court making Egbo and Smith chase them! UCONN has too much speed and athletic bodies for Baylor to contend with!
I also feel Anna and Evina have breakout games!
UCONN's defense plays it's best game of the year!
UCONN rises to the occasion and wins by 10+ points! UCONN 81 / Baylor 68
Baylor doesn't quite have the offensive firepower they did last year. Cooper and Cox bailed out Baylor in a big way in last year's game, so someone besides Smith will have to step up and put points on the board. UConn is better offensively than they were last year (despite the shooting woes). Therefore, I will subtract 10 points from Baylor's point total last year and add 10 points to UConn's score to get:
I have mixed feelings about this game. UConn probably has more talent and should win. However the game is being played in WACO and which Anna we'll see. Are we going to see the Anna that was playing at the end of last season or are we going to see the Anna that has played this year.
My thoughts are:
Baylor will have trouble bringing the ball up court. Evina starts on Didi and is in her grill all game. Look for the 1-2-2 with occasional pressure.
Pressure causes Baylor to start their offense further out than they want. Causes longer passes. Paige and CW will be poaching the passing lanes. Will the Bear guards get the ball inside? If not it's a long night for Baylor.
Liv outruns the defense to score early putting pressure on the Baylor bigs to run more than they have to date. Can they keep up is the question.
Fouls on Liv and/or Aaliyah cause rotation problems meaning Anna and Aubrey will have to step up and handle Smith in the D end.
Conclusion:
Didi a great defender but is revealed as an inadequate point guard at this level.
Baylor is thwarted in the half court and outrun in the full court.
4 UConn players score between 14-20 each (Liv, CW, E, and the other one
UConn 73 - Baylor 63 unless Anna finds her shot. Then Katie bar the door.
UConn 76 - Baylor 67. Just a guess. I just want UConn to win. Baylor will not lay down and let UConn roll. However, I think UConn will have a good shooting game.
This is not the Baylor of last season. They escaped with a win over USF and didn't look good at all. And this is not the UConn of last season. This UConn team is better despite the perceived shooting woes. I see it as a crap shoot. SO-------
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