Some thoughts on this week

[Tonyc]

Well 3 games in 3 days is alot especially when your in the sunny Bahamas. This long BB weekend we should see alot of players playin and how far we have come since the Ark game. FWIW I was planning on going to meet my cousins the Scalia's for the first time. However with Covid and my mother in law living with us I cant take the chance. Im very disappointed. My cousin Sara Scalia is the leading scorer for the Gophers and yes she played against Paige and played in her backyard with Azzi. Her dad Peter ranks Azzi right up there with Maya.

Im looking for improvement on the foul situation especially Edward Dorka and Liv. Im also looking for Dorka Caroline and Azzi to step up big. Geno needs to give them the green light to shoot more. Griff Im hoping will see significant minutes too. We need to get her going and we need to get everybody other then the starters going. I wish we had a few more games under our belt.

We should have SC in the finals and if we can get our offense to explode meaning our non starters scoring I think even as tuff as SC defense is we can put up alot of points that I dont think SC will be able to match that. The keys will be stay out of foul trouble, make foul shots and non starters putting up points.

Im looking for Dorka Azzi and Caroline to break out during this 3 day tournament. If they have break out games we will be fine.

 

[Carnac]

Well 3 games in 3 days is alot especially when your in the sunny Bahamas. This long BB weekend we should see alot of players playin and how far we have come since the Ark game. FWIW I was planning on going to meet my cousins the Scalia's for the first time. However with Covid and my mother in law living with us I cant take the chance. Im very disappointed. My cousin Sara Scalia is the leading scorer for the Gophers and yes she played against Paige and played in her backyard with Azzi. Her dad Peter ranks Azzi right up there with Maya.

Im looking for improvement on the foul situation especially Edward Dorka and Liv. Im also looking for Dorka Caroline and Azzi to step up big. Geno needs to give them the green light to shoot more. Griff Im hoping will see significant minutes too. We need to get her going and we need to get everybody other then the starters going. I wish we had a few more games under our belt.

We should have SC in the finals and if we can get our offense to explode meaning our non starters scoring I think even as tuff as SC defense is we can put up alot of points that I dont think SC will be able to match that. The keys will be stay out of foul trouble, make foul shots and non starters putting up points.

Im looking for Dorka Azzi and Caroline to break out during this 3 day tournament. If they have break out games we will be fine.

Agreed. The game of the day Sunday should be #9 Oregon vs #1 South Carolina. South Carolina will have their hands full trying to defeat Oregon. I wouldn't put any money on that game. Don't know who will win, but it should be a very close game. It will be interesting to watch that game to see what tactics (game plan) Ducks head coach Kelly Graves uses. Both teams have a 6'7" post player Sedona Prince vs Kamilla Cardoso. Oregon also has 6'8" freshman Phillipina Kyei. No doubt ALL UConn players and coaches will be in the arena for that game.

 

[Stymie]

To post that I’m “guardedly optimistic” would be a gross overstatement regarding this weekends action,
Based on last Sunday’s performance, I don’t think UCONN is prepared to take on SC yet.
I sincerely hope I’m proven wrong.
If I am, then Coach should star in a remake of the ‘Miracle Worker’.
What I saw last weekend was a pitiful defensive effort .
Sorry.
Big fan but also a realist.
Later on in the season, yes, but not now.
JMHO

 

[Longtime fan]

Agreed. The game of the day Sunday should be #9 Oregon vs #1 South Carolina. South Carolina will have their hands full trying to defeat Oregon. I wouldn't put any money on that game. Don't know who will win, but it should be a very close game. It will be interesting to watch that game to see what tactics (game plan) Ducks head coach Kelly Graves uses. Both teams have a 6'7" post player Sedona Prince vs Kamilla Cardoso. Oregon also has 6'8" freshman Phillipina Kyei. No doubt ALL UConn players and coaches will be in the arena for that game.

Your reference to those " bigs" at SC and Oregon remind me that UCONN is strongly disadvantaged in comparison. Olivia is not a great defender, although she can be at times. However, foul calls against her are routine. Edwards is a force but at 6'3" v 6'7", that can be problematic. Our transfer from OSU looked ineffective against Arkansas, And, unless she is a much better player than she appeared, Dorka will have little impact in shutting down the '"BIGs" of SC or Oregon. This is where three point shooting becomes the difference maker. If Paige, AZZi , Evina and others are draining from the arc, at will, we can defeat size. It should be fun to watch. These are not Big East games !

 

[darkstar1]

If you watched her play last year, you would have to agree that Dorka is a much better player than she appeared vs Arkansas. I really don’t See SC at this point as any better than last year and UConn is certainly not “worse” than last year. UConn is 9-1 vs SC over last games. I’m sure SC is at least as nervous as the nervous Nellies on the BY. Personally, I can easily see a UCONN/Oregon final, which could be more of a matchup problem than SC provides.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I have no plans after 2:00 on Sunday, so I may take in the Ducks v. Gamecocks.

 

[oldude]

Agreed. The game of the day Sunday should be #9 Oregon vs #1 South Carolina. South Carolina will have their hands full trying to defeat Oregon. I wouldn't put any money on that game. Don't know who will win, but it should be a very close game. It will be interesting to watch that game to see what tactics (game plan) Ducks head coach Kelly Graves uses. Both teams have a 6'7" post player Sedona Prince vs Kamilla Cardoso. Oregon also has 6'8" freshman Phillipina Kyei. No doubt ALL UConn players and coaches will be in the arena for that game.

Unfortunately, Oregon’s 2 top guards, Paopao & Rodgers are both out with injuries. It’ll be much harder for the Ducks to pull off an upset against the Gamecocks without them. Also out for the Ducks is freshman guard Bigby as well as starting forward Sabaly.

 

[jchusky]

no disrespect to Oregon, but I can't wait four months for Sc Uconn, I need it Monday!

 

[Alydar]

These holiday tournaments produce lots of upsets. Not an upset but I remember UConn beating Stanford in a game where UConn led by around 20+ late in the game. In April the Trees beat UConn in the FF semi. I think the resort atmosphere is not conducive to hard-nosed physical effort. More like rum punches at poolside. But then I remember upsets at that tournament on the west coast of Fla. in that arena that is kept at 50 degrees.

 

[ballerfan]

I watched the South Carolina vs. Clemson game yesterday. South Carolina easily won, and they had moments of greatness, but they also made a lot of mistakes. They don’t look unbeatable against a good team. The game against Oregon might be interesting.

Zia Cooke, though 5’9”, is strong, athletic, and dangerous. Destanni Henderson, admittedly good, is just 5’7”, and she’s no Aari McDonald. She looks like a child on the court. I would like to see Nika guard her. South Carolina was fortunate to get Kamilla Cardoso, who had iffy stats but a solid game. Aliyah Boston looked mediocre, but she somehow still went 5 for 9 for 11 points in 17 minutes. The South Carolina bench had a good game and unfortunately played better than what I’ve seen from the UConn bench.

I do think UConn has a better backcourt. If Paige, CW, and E play well, they’re going to be a challenge for South Carolina. But the South Carolina frontcourt is imposing. Liv is thin and can be passive, and I don’t have a lot of hope in her ability against Boston and Cardoso. Let me be wrong! AE, given her size and strength and if she plays well, could do okay against South Carolina. Dorka is a wild card.

My biggest takeaway from the South Carolina game is the importance of Nika, Azzi, and Caroline. Because of the strength of the South Carolina bench, UConn needs them. As others have said here, for Nika to be truly useful on defense, she has to be at least a credible threat on offense. She wasn’t against Arkansas. Azzi and Caroline need to stop playing like freshmen. Arkansas was just one game, and it’s normal to have freshman jitters, but if Azzi and Caroline start playing up to their incredible potential, UConn will be scary. And they could convincingly beat South Carolina.

 

[jonson]

Unfortunately, Oregon’s 2 top guards, Paopao & Rodgers are both out with injuries. It’ll be much harder for the Ducks to pull off an upset against the Gamecocks without them. Also out for the Ducks is freshman guard Bigby as well as starting forward Sabaly.

"Unfortunately" is (unfortunately) just the right word here, although there is still hope that Sabally might be able to provide some minutes. At full strength, I think Oregon might well give SCar a significant challenge, but down 3 guards, (potentially) a starting center and another player who hasn't been cleared by the NCAA, things will likely be quite different. (I'd add that Rogers, Paopao, and Sabally were all on last year's all-Pac12 roster.) And getting past Oklahoma is certainly not a sure thing.