So, would this game had been different with Turner healthy?

[alexrgct]

Might as well discuss it...or we can all agree not to discuss it.

For the record, I can't remember being happier after a regular season game...

 

[EricLA]

Just like having Achonwa unavailable for the NC game, I'd say both would be worth about a 7-8 point swing towards ND. Before people jump up and down about Achonwa remember that ND had a few players hit a trio of 3-pointers from about mid court (exaggerating) which most likely are shots that wouldn't have been taken had Achonwa been in the game and ND was not desperate for some sort of scoring at that time.

I say Turner would have been worth 7+8 points not because it's what she would have scored (altho that's possible) but because I don't think she stops any of the UCONN scorers and it's hard to say what a freshman would have scored against UCONN's defense.

 

[RadyLady]

I would rather not. There is no way of knowing, and there will be no way of knowing unless we meet them in the tourney and ALL players are healthy and ready to go

What's the point?

 

[HoopsFan21]

Just like having Achonwa unavailable for the NC game, I'd say both would be worth about a 7-8 point swing towards ND. Before people jump up and down about Achonwa remember that ND had a few players hit a trio of 3-pointers from about mid court (exaggerating) which most likely are shots that wouldn't have been taken had Achonwa been in the game and ND was not desperate for some sort of scoring at that time.

I say Turner would have been worth 7+8 points not because it's what she would have scored (altho that's possible) but because I don't think she stops any of the UCONN scorers and it's hard to say what a freshman would have scored against UCONN's defense.

Sounds about right. Everyone immediately thinks the missing player would have scored their average, in this case 14 pts/game. However, ND as a team only scored about 60% of their average, so maybe Turner's 14 pts becomes half that.

 

[Wbbfan1]

Don't think Morgan has an easy time driving to the basket and scoring if Turner is guarding her instead of Reimer. I cast my vote for option one since if thought ND would win if Turner played.

 

[msf22b]

Answer to the question…Nope!

 

[huskeynut]

Turner may have made it a little closer, but the outcome would have been the same. UCONN wins.

 

[HoopsFan21]

Turner may have made it a little closer, but the outcome would have been the same. UCONN wins.

Exactly my answer to the Achonwa question last year. It's not like UConn is barely winning these games where one player might have made a difference. Unless that one player is LeBron James, UConn was always going to win these games.

 

[chrissaran]

It would have made a difference, but Notre Dame wouldn't have won. UConn needs to fix the turnover problem, and Moriah needs to return to her old self. You know she's not happy with her play. She'll get it turned around. We need her.

 

[Sonny44]

LMM didn't duck it. She said in the post game: "I don't know it would have made a difference". She was dissappointed in everyone but Jewel and made it clear. I give her credit for that.

 

[meyers7]

I would rather not. There is no way of knowing, and there will be no way of knowing unless we meet them in the tourney and ALL players are healthy and ready to go

What's the point?

And by the time the tourney rolls around, UCONN and ND will be different teams.

 

[Geno-ista]

Don't think Morgan has an easy time driving to the basket and scoring if Turner is guarding her instead of Reimer. I cast my vote for option one since if thought ND would win if Turner played.

With Turner, maybe 10-15 pt game. Closer but I don't think she's a 20 pt turn around- just my opinion!

 

[MilfordHusky]

I think a closer game, but still a win.

 

[tomcat]

I agree. Seeing how UConn played, I think it;d be a UConn win, but a much closer one. Turner would have played her game, thus more points, and would have cut Tuck's production, thus fewer UConn points. I think her absence also threw off the ND chemistry by quite a bit. Let's face it: They played every other game with her and probably were gelling as a team with her as one of the go-to players.

 

[Rob Signor]

Brianna Turner is a game changer. When i watched high school videos of her and Aja Wilson she seemed like the more complete player. I do think she would have made a difference but Uconn still wins the game. I also thought Uconn played very well. Improving each game since the loss to Stanford. Kia Stokes showed us today that when she plays her best we will not lose. She is that good. My god she was amazing today. We were getting beat until she stepped on the court plain and simple. Then she got every rebound and changed the game.

 

[geneticrex]

Turner would have made up for an 18 point blowout.

Yeah, right.

 

[semper]

huge diff but uconn squeaks it out

 

[Tonyc]

Well if Turner played Lloyd wouldn't have scored 30+ pts and the player who replaced Turner wouldn't have her stats and if you think Turner could've guarded Tuck think again shes a freshman and not known to play one on one with a great player especially a former number 1 high school player who can play inside and out. So would it have made a difference yes would ND have won NO.

 

[Geno-ista]

What a great win with such an exclamation point!!!! We looked really good with a lot of different line ups. This will get our confidence, poise & swagger back!!!!

 

[01Neaggrad02]

The game without a doubt would have been different. However, what that would look like is impossible to know. For all we know she could have had some of Jewel Lloyd's points, she could have fouled Morgan or Breanna and sent them to the line... We will never know. Reminds me of an Education Professor who sat and asked me what the world would have been like had Lincoln not been assassinated. She did not like it when I said the course of human history would be forever altered.

 

[easttexastrash]

One player can't make that much of a difference, right?

Would it have made a difference if Tuck hadn't been able to play?

 

[Geno-ista]

One player can't make that much of a difference, right?

Would it have made a difference if Tuck hadn't been able to play?

Gabby would have gotten 25!!!

 

[geneticrex]

One player can't make that much of a difference, right?

Would it have made a difference if Tuck hadn't been able to play?

Maybe, maybe not. The law of the predetermined outcome notwithstanding.

KML would have probably taken more shots with her 62% 3pt stroke, Stewart may have gone off for 30+ and Stokes may have grabbed 28 boards, with a dozen blocks. Far more likely scenarios than a freshman playing her 1st big game on national TV against a real frontcourt and being the difference maker in a blowout.

We'll never know, but UCONN has been forced to play for huge chunks of the last 2 seasons without the brilliant Morgan Tuck and all they have to show for it are back-to-back titles and multiple thumpings of ND.

 

[Bayareahusky]

Yes Turner definitely would have made a difference to the tune of a few points..... and a couple of those ND players could have played better..... give them a few more points.....

But, floor general MoJeff could have played a better game..... and we could have played at a neutral site...... so give me back those points I gave initially to the Irish.

 

[Tonyc]

"IF" if the biggest word in the dictionary. We will never know with all the if because if Turner had played a lot of different things would've happened and if Tuck didn't play a lot of different things would've happened. UConn is balanced and ND isn't so I would say Tucks 25 pts would've been picked up by the other UConn players but we will never know what changes would've occurred. We accept the game as it was played I would've liked to see what Stokes would've done and who would've played her. ND didn't have enough defenders to stop UConn. As I said in pregame posts ND was slow and couldn't keep up with UConn and didn't have enough game changers UConn did and showed it. Another big if is if Nurse had defended Lloyd from the start Lloyd wouldn't have been able to shoot over her like she was able to shoot over MoJeff and there goes 31 pts or at least the possibility of a poorer shooting percentage.

Think back to the Ruth Riley ND team that beat #1 UConn Diana freshman year. Shea and Sveta sat with injuries. Would ND have beaten UConn. NO but we will never know. BB is a team game and ND lost and yes without Turner who may have made a difference good or bad. Don't forget she wouldn't have been defended by a lesser player she would've been defended by some great players.

Bottom line the game was played and played at ND and there was something like a 28 pts turn around and UConn won by 18. All the ifs in the world aren't going to change that. UConn did that with 24 turnovers which is really unheard of by a UConn team. So Geno has some work to do with turnovers and perhaps the next time if they meet UConn will have less turnovers and win by a lot more.