Sims the Key

[chrissaran]

Whatever UConn does they have to limit Sims. Every time she touches the ball double her. Make someone else make the shot. There's no one on that team that shoots as well as she does. To that end, they need Brianna Banks. The fouls are going to be against the guards Monday, not the posts. That means Brianna should get more minutes. Hopefully she'll player better than she has been playing.

 

[hoophuskee]

I wouldn't. We've played her before. She's terrific but so are our players. We collapsed on Griner and didn't mind as much what Sims did (within reason). If I'm UCONN coaching staff - I'd love the challenge to see how different palyers (Jefferson, Bria, and Banks) can guard her. Our team has fighters and superb athletes on it. They came to UCONN to challenge themselves internally as well. For 40 minutes just doubling player you've already guarded for 3 straight years and she hasn't destroyed you- I beleive sends the wrong message.

I want to see what Hartley, Jefferson and Banks can do. I believe they have the tools to do at worst a decent job.

By the end of the year imo this team may be greatest of all-time. I just can't see re-arranging our entire defensive structure in such a dramatic manner for an entire game for a player we'veseen before and has been very good but I wouldn't say super great. IMO it's the wrong message to send to Bria and Moriah.

 

[Sonny44]

I wouldn't. We've played her before. She's terrific but so are our players. We collapsed on Griner and didn't mind as much what Sims did (within reason). If I'm UCONN coaching staff - I'd love the challenge to see how different palyers (Jefferson, Bria, and Banks) can guard her. Our team has fighters and superb athletes on it. They came to UCONN to challenge themselves internally as well. For 40 minutes just doubling player you've already guarded for 3 straight years and she hasn't destroyed you- I beleive sends the wrong message.

I want to see what Hartley, Jefferson and Banks can do. I believe they have the tools to do at worst a decent job.

By the end of the year imo this team may be greatest of all-time. I just can't see re-arranging our entire defensive structure in such a dramatic manner for an entire game for a player we'veseen before and has been very good but I wouldn't say super great. IMO it's the wrong message to send to Bria and Moriah.

Agree, just bring our A game and we win even if she get's 50.

 

[Zorro]

If she gets past MoJet or Bria or BB or Soniya, then she will have to deal with Stef or TBS or Morgan or Kiah. Not to worry.

 

[VAMike23]

If she gets past MoJet or Bria or BB or Soniya, then she will have to deal with Stef or TBS or Morgan or Kiah. Not to worry.

Yes and no -

Effective penetration doesn't have to mean going all the way to the rim or all the way to where Stef/Stewie/Kiah are there to defend. Great/experienced guards know how to effectively penetrate to the midrange, and then either pulling up before the 2nd defender can get there or passing off once they come. Secondly, if we're in m2m defense, it will be a bit tougher for Sims to get around the first defender but then Stewie won't always be in position to help quickly, depending on where her 'man' is, even if she cheats. It just depends. And Stef, while a good shotblocker, doesn't quite have Stewie's range or quickness, so while she can guard the rim and the circle area, it's not automatic that she can pop out and negate an elite guard like Sims in the midrange.

If we play the sagging m2m that Geno sometimes uses, with everyone aware where Sims is *at all times* (didn't seem like W. Virginia's players showed this awareness) then this should allow more players to give help against Sims, not just our backline players. But if she is still able to get to the middle, putting up runners and drawing fouls, we might try zone.

I don't like our 2-3 zone against Sims & Baylor - to much freedom for her on top and too many of the standard zone gaps that she has experience in finding. IMHO the 1-2-2 or 3-2 that we have used at times in recent weeks would be much better. 3 defenders on top will present Sims with fewer paths to the lane, and it will also keep our posts in tighter as well.

The weakness here is the baseline outside the lane and also in the corners, and Sims is deadly from the corners. Hopefully we won't see too many instances where Odyssey is launching 3's from there unattended....

 

[pap49cba]

I will bet my house on the fact that Geno is not going to allow one player to beat his entire team.

 

[caramel]

Sims is a special player.However,UConn has some special players too.The difference,will come down to who is guarding Sims.If UConn only had one or two good defensive guards to focus on Sims,then she could do very well.However,UConn has a number of good defensive guards to play her,and they will be freah coming off the bench,or returning to the floor after a break.There is also something that may have not been mentioned.When a high scoring guard has to play defense,it usually affects their offensive game somewhat.Sims will have to guard Jefferson(speedy),Chong(speedy),Hartley(3 pointer and driving inside),or Banks(driver inside.)Whichever she gets as her assignment,it will affect her stamina and concentration,especially in the second half.It is like going into a nest of hornets,and Sims will get stung.The UConn lady hornets will will affect Sims,both offensively and defensively,is my prediction.Sims-18 points tops---UConn 86 baylor 62.

 

[pap49cba]

Sims is a special player.However,UConn has some special players too.The difference,will come down to who is guarding Sims.If UConn only had one or two good defensive guards to focus on Sims,then she could do very well.However,UConn has a number of good defensive guards to play her,and they will be freah coming off the bench,or returning to the floor after a break.There is also something that may have not been mentioned.When a high scoring guard has to play defense,it usually affects their offensive game somewhat.Sims will have to guard Jefferson(speedy),Chong(speedy),Hartley(3 pointer and driving inside),or Banks(driver inside.)Whichever she gets as her assignment,it will affect her stamina and concentration,especially in the second half.It is like going into a nest of hornets,and Sims will get stung.The UConn lady hornets will will affect Sims,both offensively and defensively,is my prediction.Sims-18 points tops---UConn 86 baylor 62.

No, the answer will come down to who is going to guard Stewie, Dolson, KML and Bria.

 

[chrissaran]

Maybe you haven't been paying attention to the number of points some of the guards UConn has played against have put up. The guard from UCF hung twenty-eight on the Huskies. Is she as good as Sims? No. Kelly was the one covering Sims. Do you see a defender who can guard someone with Sims' size and strength. No. MoJeff will bother her, but she won't be able to stop her. Brianna probably has the best frame to stop her, but she doesn't start and hasn't played well of late. I said double her and make her pass so that someone else has to make the shots.

 

[cohenzone]

Hate to mess with mojo, but I think that if she takes enough shots to score 50. the rest of them maybe will have 10-15 points. UConn is the double whammy. Great team D and great team O. Based on comparative records this year, UConn will have to be stone cold as a team for Baylor to score even 65 and win. UConn hasn't scored less than 70.The only team to score more than 60 this year was Oregon, whom we beat by a zillion points. Baylor scores well, but their schedule hasn't been very tough, and the one decent team they played, beat them in several overtimes in a real shootout. I'll take our O over Kentucky's any day. They've given up over 60 a half dozen times. Aside from Sims, UConn is probably better than Baylor at every other position, including what we bring off the bench. And our own guards aren't too shabby. I think Baylor has more players on our side to try and control than we do on theirs. But hey, more power to any player good enough to lead a team to a W against UConn, because there is nothing misleading about our record. If I'd be concerned about anything it would be possible foul problems. Play a smart first half as far as fouls go and I like our chances regardless of Sims, who is a great player. It's an away game and anything is possible, but I think overall they are easier to defend than we are.

 

[hoophuskee]

Maybe you haven't been paying attention to the number of points some of the guards UConn has played against have put up. The guard from UCF hung twenty-eight on the Huskies. Is she as good as Sims? No. Kelly was the one covering Sims. Do you see a defender who can guard someone with Sims' size and strength. No. MoJeff will bother her, but she won't be able to stop her. Brianna probably has the best frame to stop her, but she doesn't start and hasn't played well of late. I said double her and make her pass so that someone else has to make the shots.

1--- I've been paying attention - yes to the blowouts UCONN has been pounding on teams despite other team's guard play. I'm unfortunately a Knicks fan, I see Carmello Anthony scoring 30 on many nights and the Knicks still lose. It doesn't matter the UCF guard hung 28. We blew them out.

2--- I don't beleive Faris guarded Sims most of the time. Maybe she did but I don't think so. We played "small" against Baylor which meant Faris was probably guarding a combination of their pf's or sf's a bit as well because Baylor would play "big." Faris only played 26 mintues. Sims played 37. Doty/Hartley/Jefferson played a combined 61 minutes which meant they were on the floor together for a bit of time. I can't see any of the 3 guarding any small forwards- so one or a combination had to be guarding Sims a bit..

3--- Just as Carmello doesn't need to be "stopped" neither does Sims. The game is on UCONN's shoulder. Can they stop our overall team? We're extremely efficient and I'd be surprised if we weren't superior with all other positions on the floor other than Sims including our bench vs. Baylor. Thus even if Sims scores a lot she also has to be efficient for them to win. That should be the challenge to our guards. Don't maker her efficient. While "showing the coaching staff" you can defend. Unless she is totally torching us in 1st half and game is tight, I'd go with our 3 guards and no double-team. We havea possibility of up to 4 1st team a/a's. I can't see Sims being more efficient being guarded by our talent.

4--- Challenge the players. If you don't challenge them, you possibly stunt their growth in addition to possibly may affect future recruiting. It is "not acceptbale" for the combination of 3 guards (Bria/Jefferson/Banks) to not be at least decent in defending. This game is a measuring stick to see how they can perform. I'm sure the coaching staff and the players know they can defend better. Let's see if they can improve. Each of the 3 players has possibility of becoming a pro. The combination of the 3 should not get annihilated.

 

[Icebear]

I agree with VAMike, I expect to see the 1-2-2 or 3-2 zones against Baylor to force sims left or right,and to keep her from attacking straight on.

 

[Zorro]

Well, if Sims can; 1) score 40 or so and 2) shut Stewie and Stef down without letting MoJet and Bria run wild and 3) prevent MKL from hitting 4 or 5 threes and 4) dominate the boards against Stef, Stewie and Kiah 5) while staying out of foul trouble, Baylor might be able to keep it close. To do all this, though, she will probably need supernatural help, either divine or diabolical.

 

[DobbsRover2]

Although Baylor is not a conference game for UConn, in the last four games the Huskies have played against AAC-mates UCF, Memphis, Houston, and Temple, the opposing guards have shot a combined 28.8% against the Huskies, and it's been 25.5% for the last three games and 21.2% for the last two. UCF's Jackson got 28 points on 22 shots and Memphis's Hearn got 20 points on 22 shots. To a certain extent, if a single player shoots 20+ shots, you have to expect that she will get some points. But the Husky guards seem to be rising to the challenge of shutting down opposing guards, though obviously Dolson, Stokes, and Stewart also figure heavily into everything with all the blocks.

 

[meyers7]

I don't like our 2-3 zone against Sims & Baylor - to much freedom for her on top and too many of the standard zone gaps that she has experience in finding. IMHO the 1-2-2 or 3-2 that we have used at times in recent weeks would be much better. 3 defenders on top will present Sims with fewer paths to the lane, and it will also keep our posts in tighter as well.

Bingo.

 

[Icebear]

Well, if Sims can; 1) score 40 or so and 2) shut Stewie and Stef down without letting MoJet and Bria run wild and 3) prevent MKL from hitting 4 or 5 threes and 4) dominate the boards against Stef, Stewie and Kiah 5) while staying out of foul trouble, Baylor might be able to keep it close. To do all this, though, she will probably need supernatural help, either divine or diabolical.

You aren't suggesting the spirit of David Koresh is running loose in Waco?

 

[FairView]

You aren't suggesting the spirit of David Koresh is running loose in Waco?

There's currently research underway that will prove Koresh is a huge Baylor fan and that his spirit actually possesses Kim Mulkey when the spirit sees a call it doesn't like. After watching the pained expressions, physical gyrations and flailing that Mulkey experiences during the spirit's times of possession, I am a believer. Once, I saw the spirit even try to undress her.

Mirabile dictu, the Baylor band is learning Tubular Bells.

 

[Striper69]

I will bet my house on the fact that Geno is not going to allow one player to beat his entire team.

Griner...(I mean it's happened before)

 

[BJLfromBK]

Sims' touches will have to be limited. Shes going to score because, well... thats what she does. I predict she will drop 18 regardless. Our pressure D with quick athletic guards to throw at her will rattle her and shes a very emotional baller. It might be enough to throw her off her game and the one (wo)man show might close their curtaind early out in Waco.

Let's Go Huskies