South Carolina Preparing For UConn ...Again

[JavaMan]

and that joint will be jumpin with 15,000+ fans. The energy level will be sky high.

The game against the Huskies will be the most spotlighted women's basketball game -- and perhaps women's sports event of any kind -- ever in the Palmetto state.

"We learned it was a different level of basketball, and they were in a different place as a team," Mitchell said of the takeaway from the Gamecocks' 87-62 loss at UConn last February. "We realized, 'What we're doing is not enough,' and I think that kind of refocused us as far approaching the rest of the season. We looked at the film and were like, 'Look at that!' We'd see the things that we didn't do and they did."

Sessions echoed that sentiment: That playing UConn last season was an invaluable experience in regard to really measuring where the Gamecocks were.

"I don't think we were ready. We thought we were, but we weren't," Sessions said. "You watch them on TV, and people say how efficient they are, and so you think you know that. But then when you're actually playing against so much efficiency, just being in that moment, it's really hard to do.

"They play so well together, and they have great players like Breanna Stewart and Moriah Jefferson. From that game on, we thought that if we face UConn again, we want to see if we can do better against all the things they do well."

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[HGN]

and that joint will be jumpin with 15,000+ fans. The energy level will be sky high.

The game against the Huskies will be the most spotlighted women's basketball game -- and perhaps women's sports event of any kind -- ever in the Palmetto state.

"We learned it was a different level of basketball, and they were in a different place as a team," Mitchell said of the takeaway from the Gamecocks' 87-62 loss at UConn last February. "We realized, 'What we're doing is not enough,' and I think that kind of refocused us as far approaching the rest of the season. We looked at the film and were like, 'Look at that!' We'd see the things that we didn't do and they did."

Sessions echoed that sentiment: That playing UConn last season was an invaluable experience in regard to really measuring where the Gamecocks were.

"I don't think we were ready. We thought we were, but we weren't," Sessions said. "You watch them on TV, and people say how efficient they are, and so you think you know that. But then when you're actually playing against so much efficiency, just being in that moment, it's really hard to do.

"They play so well together, and they have great players like Breanna Stewart and Moriah Jefferson. From that game on, we thought that if we face UConn again, we want to see if we can do better against all the things they do well."

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Java , there will indeed be 15,000+ fans in the arena Monday night..........95% of them Gamecock fans....... The Huskies need to get on top of USC early to keep the fans out of it. Because being behind with 15K fans yelling at you , on national TV , will not be a good position to be in. But if the Huskies can silence the crowd and gain the momentum , we should be ok.

Hopefully Tuck is feeling ok and starts.........Which will strengthen the bench (Gabby).

Should be a good game.

 

[Zorro]

When you come right down to it, howthehell are you going to prepare for UConn?

 

[HoopsFan21]

When you come right down to it, howthehell are you going to prepare for UConn?

Put two bodies on Stewie and hope the others have off nights? Kia doesn't score much these days, so I can see them helping off her to triple team Stewie if necessary, the way teams used to defend Griner. Spreading the floor will help, so knocking down some early 3s will help, but South Carolina would rather play the game in the paint and bring the pace to a grind. A low scoring game really benefits them.

 

[Aluminny69]

When you come right down to it, howthehell are you going to prepare for UConn?

UConn fans may hate me for saying this, but you can take a good intramural boy's team that can play at least as well as UConn. Sorry, but I'm old school, so, until UConn beats a good boy's intramural team, that's my belief.

 

[huskyd]

Not much talk of SC's winning in the ESPN article that J-man cites. Kara Wolters was asked point blank on SNY if the Gamecocks have any chance of winning on Monday. She said no.
Wolters did compliment the Gamecock bigs, though she didn't feel SC could score enough points to defeat UConn. Another advantage cited was the sold-out and predictably loud home crowd. But the game is played between the lines. If the Huskies bring anything like the energy and focus they brought to the Big Easy last night, this game could be over in half one. Should UConn get ahead early, it will be tough for the shot challenged home team to catch up. Last year, SC hung around for most of the first half, only to see the Huskies run away while the Lady G's got bogged down. Kaleena was the leading scorer in that game, raining 3's on SC's parade. This year UConn has gotten pretty balanced scoring and has more weapons than last. Husky Nan asked a while back how the Huskies defend SC. Last year Geno used a man defense almost the whole game: Morgan on Coates, Stewart on Aja, Mo on Mitchell. Will Coach switch up this year now that he has more height and mobility? The better question is: how will the Gamecocks guard the Huskies?

 

[ctfjr]

UConn fans may hate me for saying this, but you can take a good intramural boy's team that can play at least as well as UConn. Sorry, but I'm old school, so, until UConn beats a good boy's intramural team, that's my belief.

lol! And the is relevant how? A women's softball team can't beat the Red Sox either. Thanks for playing

 

[HoopsFan21]

I think this year's game will be a lot closer, and despite what Kara said, UConn can lose this game.

 

[HoopsFan21]

lol! And the is relevant how? A women's softball team can't beat the Red Sox either. Thanks for playing

I think he meant preparing for UConn by playing against men, something I assume all the top teams do already.

 

[Roundball fan]

If both teams play well, which I hope is the case. UConn by 15.

 

[pvdoggy]

A lot of "easy" interior points that Gabby has been getting against smaller opponents are not going to happen in this game, I don't think. Let's hope that UConn won't have a cold shooting night from outside.

 

[HoopsFan21]

A lot of "easy" interior points that Gabby has been getting against smaller opponents are not going to happen in this game, I don't think. Let's hope that UConn won't have a cold shooting night from outside.

Some 3s from Mo and Tuck like we got early on in last year's game will really help.

 

[CocoHusky]

When you come right down to it, howthehell are you going to prepare for UConn?

I actually saw the South Carolina itinerary for Monday. It has mandatory chapel or mass before and after the morning shoot around. Not sure how they can get away with that at a public university though.

 

[HoopsFan21]

I actually saw the South Carolina itinerary for Monday. It has mandatory chapel or mass before and after the morning shoot around. Not sure how they can get away with that at a public university though.

Really? That's weird.

 

[UcMiami]

This is the players perspective behind that media observation that 'teams that play Uconn for the first time have little chance to win'. There are few teams in WCBB outside of Uconn who bring the intensity and efficiency and speed to the court for 40 minutes in almost every game they play year after year. ND gets as close as anyone, and Stanford and Baylor try hard. SC is trying to learn.
But a game like last year truly is an eye opener for a good opponent because good enough in the rest of their schedule is woefully inadequate again Uconn.

If SC were to win, it will be because they brought their A+ game and Uconn didn't bring their A game. I think that is certainly possible especially playing on their home court. And I actually think it would likely hurt them should the teams meet again. While they obviously want to win, if they did it could well give them a complacency that would serve them ill - a loss would redouble their focus through the end of the season.

 

[Aluminny69]

/

I think he meant preparing for UConn by playing against men, something I assume all the top teams do already.

Yes, that's exactly what I meant. It was an attempt to answer Zorro's question. I still enjoy watching Women's basketball. And for the record, I watched Women's softball, too, having grown up in Stratford, CT.

 

[Sonny44]

UConn fans may hate me for saying this, but you can take a good intramural boy's team that can play at least as well as UConn. Sorry, but I'm old school, so, until UConn beats a good boy's intramural team, that's my belief.

Do you practice irrelevance or does it come natural? Alfred would never have worried about this.

 

[Sonny44]

I think this year's game will be a lot closer, and despite what Kara said, UConn can lose this game.

We beat them by 25 last year. I figure home team advantage is worth maybe ten points. So we win by 15 or so.

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

The big + for SoCar is they're playing at home! That is the ONLY +! The 15,000 crowd will not rattle UCONN! Are you kidding me?
Stewie, MoJeff, Tuck (if healthy), are capable of scoring between 15 & 25+ points; Collier, KLS, Gabby, Chong, Butler, Nurse (if Healthy), are all capable of scoring between 5 to 10 points. So if you go the low end, 15 each for the 3 stars and 5 for the next 6 = 75 points! If you go the top end it's way over 100! So if you go mix & match UCONN capable of easily scoring 85+ points vs SoCar!
SoCar has faced a defense the type UCONN brings only once in the last 2 years and that was vs UCONN last year and we all know how that turned out!
SoCar is averaging top end 75 to 77 points a game, so where does SoCar get the extra 10 points? And can SoCar hold UCONN to the 70's? I say no way on both accounts!
As mentioned above by huskyd, Stewie covers Wilson, Tuck covers Coates, MoJeff covers Mitchell, so the 3 stars for SoCar are held at least 5 under their averages, they cannot score into the 80's to beat UCONN! SoCar defense cannot stop the Huskies!
Even UCONN's bench is superior!
IMO the final score will be UCONN 83 / SoCar 52!

 

[SCGamecock]

I actually saw the South Carolina itinerary for Monday. It has mandatory chapel or mass before and after the morning shoot around. Not sure how they can get away with that at a public university though.

Mass? This is a BAPTIST belt state...

I'm actually a Methodist though.

 

[CocoHusky]

Mass? This is a BAPTIST belt state...

I'm actually a Methodist though.

I was thinking more of the players. Cuevas is Catholic, I'm sure of that.

 

[caramel]

In my opinion,Breanna,Morgan,and Moriah are not going to let this game be anything but a convincing win,even if they play a few more minutes.The defense on this team is improving every week,Lou is starting to find her groove,the bench is becoming a strength,and the team is really starting to come together,no matter what combination is on the floor.This will be another teaching game,Geno and company giving the lesson.No one,this year,is going to dethrone Stewart from what she is playing for,and that is perfection from start to finish.South Carolina will play good,but good does not beat complete,and one of the best,if not the all time best,to ever play the college game!

 

[bags27]

/

Yes, that's exactly what I meant. It was an attempt to answer Zorro's question. I still enjoy watching Women's basketball. And for the record, I watched Women's softball, too, having grown up in Stratford, CT.

Thanks for the clarification, but I think this is still incorrect. Yes, the technical level of competition supplied by a good men's intramural team might compare with the level of competition played by the UConn women's team. But no intramural team is so well practiced, so efficient (USC's women's description of UConn in the original article), supplies so much constant pressure on offense, defense and transition for 40 minutes, and is so willing to sacrifice limb and ego for the win. In short, skill-wise, it's not hard to round up 5 guys to practice against. But psychologically, you can't prepare for UConn except to play other comparable teams under game conditions. And the only team I'd put in the same solar system as UConn (subject to change in either direction after Monday's game) to do that against is Notre Dame.

 

[BlueDevils]

Two great quotes by seniors. Sessions nailed it, Uconn is so efficient on film and live. What makes UCONN so dangerous is they have great players and great role players surrounding them. What makes them extremely dangerous is all 5 play consistently efficient. Very rare.

 

[PalPa]

I just hope UCONN plays better against South Carolina than they did against Tulane.