Tenn SC and UConn comin up

[JellyBean]

I have watched a lot of Tennessee games this season and like any team, if their shots aren't falling, they play less aggressive which gives me hope when UConn plays them. UConn should win that match up. It is South Carolina that worries me. They are not only athletic they are also skilled inside and outside. We use to only worry about their inside game now they got outside snipers. That is going to be fun.

 

[Darwin]

I know, right? Especially in response to a post by Tony. How unoriginal can you be?

We could dredge up some of this poster's "plans" about Tennessee but that would also be unoriginal so I'll pass.

Tennessee?

 

[Bone Dog]

I’m not worried about playing Tennessee and SC in the slightest. We may lose one or both of these games. But our young players will learn a lot in them.

Tennessee is not bigger than our frontcourt (at least not by much), though Hollingshead and Spearman are more experienced and better scorers. Puckett is also an inside outside threat sort of like Sarah. I also recall that Hollingshead in particular had a very good game against Dorka and Aaliyah two seasons ago and is very capable. This will be a great challenge for Jana in particular. They have lots of pesky quick guards, but so do we. They shoot lots of 3s, but so can we. They press much of the game, but so can we. I’m expecting a win in this game, but I’m not afraid to be proven wrong in this one.

Against SC, I’m expecting a loss but hoping for a win. They are one of the favorites to win the NC and for good reason. But the margin between them and us, between #2 and #6 maybe smaller this year than in any previous one. The bigs who Dawn actually plays are not bigger than ours, maybe even a bit smaller. This hasn’t been the case in a while. But they are very athletic. The loss of Watkins was significant, but they have a very deep frontcourt. Without her, though, there’s no one in SC’s frontcourt who is completely out of Jana’s and Ice’s league. I expect they’ll be outrebounded and outscored, but not embarrassed on the court. They may even hold their own. It’s easy to underestimate how strong those two are.

Oddly, this is the second year that Dawn’s frontcourt is the best part of her team. This is a formidable squad. They shoot 3s at only a slightly lower volume and percentage as we do. An off night from the perimeter for either team could spell the difference in the game. Can we expect another 59 pt outburst from Paige Sarah and Azzi against SC’s stifling defense? I suspect we can. Can we contain PaoPao Fulwiley and Raven? This is a much more difficult question and my crystal ball has no answers.

The most fortunate thing that breaks in our favor is that Dawn can only put 5 on the court at a time. She has to make choices just like Geno. If Geno starts Paige Azzi Sarah Kaitlyn Jana as seems likely, who does Dawn put out there? Raven PaoPao Hall Kitts and Feagin is the better defensive option, though PaoPao is a liability against either Paige or Azzi, and in my view Kitts is no match for Sarah. If she plays Fulwiley instead of Hall, she gives up some defense, but gets a dynamic scorer. And if she subs Tessa for PaoPao, she gets better defense but loses some offensive punch. These are the usual compromises and they mainly come out in Dawn’s favor, but not entirely, and not by much.

Even if we lose both of these games, we gain valuable experience, for Jana and Ice, for Sarah and Ash, for Morgan and Aubrey, for Kaitlyn and KK. I leave Paige and Azzi off this list because they already have plenty of experience in these sorts of games.

 

[Darwin]

Such an original contribution.

Thank you for your interest in UConn women’s basketball.

You are quite welcome.

 

[visitingcock]

The SCar game has been sold out since individual game were offered. I hope the scalpers choke on the their

https://www.stubhub.com/south-carolina-gamecocks-women-s-basketball-columbia-tickets-2-16-2025/event/155268930/?quantity=2

 

[Darwin]

I’m not worried about playing Tennessee and SC in the slightest. We may lose one or both of these games. But our young players will learn a lot in them.

Tennessee is not bigger than our frontcourt (at least not by much), though Hollingshead and Spearman are more experienced and better scorers. Puckett is also an inside outside threat sort of like Sarah. I also recall that Hollingshead in particular had a very good game against Dorka and Aaliyah two seasons ago and is very capable. This will be a great challenge for Jana in particular. They have lots of pesky quick guards, but so do we. They shoot lots of 3s, but so can we. They press much of the game, but so can we. I’m expecting a win in this game, but I’m not afraid to be proven wrong in this one.

Against SC, I’m expecting a loss but hoping for a win. They are one of the favorites to win the NC and for good reason. But the margin between them and us, between #2 and #6 maybe smaller this year than in any previous one. The bigs who Dawn actually plays are not bigger than ours, maybe even a bit smaller. This hasn’t been the case in a while. But they are very athletic. The loss of Watkins was significant, but they have a very deep frontcourt. Without her, though, there’s no one in SC’s frontcourt who is completely out of Jana’s and Ice’s league. I expect they’ll be outrebounded and outscored, but not embarrassed on the court. They may even hold their own. It’s easy to underestimate how strong those two are.

Oddly, this is the second year that Dawn’s frontcourt is the best part of her team. This is a formidable squad. They shoot 3s at only a slightly lower volume and percentage as we do. An off night from the perimeter for either team could spell the difference in the game. Can we expect another 59 pt outburst from Paige Sarah and Azzi against SC’s stifling defense? I suspect we can. Can we contain PaoPao Fulwiley and Raven? This is a much more difficult question and my crystal ball has no answers.

The most fortunate thing that breaks in our favor is that Dawn can only put 5 on the court at a time. She has to make choices just like Geno. If Geno starts Paige Azzi Sarah Kaitlyn Jana as seems likely, who does Dawn put out there? Raven PaoPao Hall Kitts and Feagin is the better defensive option, though PaoPao is a liability against either Paige or Azzi, and in my view Kitts is no match for Sarah. If she plays Fulwiley instead of Hall, she gives up some defense, but gets a dynamic scorer. And if she subs Tessa for PaoPao, she gets better defense but loses some offensive punch. These are the usual compromises and they mainly come out in Dawn’s favor, but not entirely, and not by much.

Even if we lose both of these games, we gain valuable experience, for Jana and Ice, for Sarah and Ash, for Morgan and Aubrey, for Kaitlyn and KK. I leave Paige and Azzi off this list because they already have plenty of experience in these sorts of games.

Joyce Edwards is out of Jana and Ice’s league. I suspect Kitts is as well. Finally, Feagin is better than both of them, the final nail in your assessment coffin.

 

[topogigio]

Gotta' see the replay of the Tenn v Vanderbilt. Shea and Co. took them down yesterday. Wonder if Geno will be calling his protégé.

 

[Bone Dog]

Joyce Edwards is out of Jana and Ice’s league. I suspect Kitts is as well. Finally, Feagin is better than both of them, the final nail in your assessment coffin.

Is it permitted to disagree with your assessment? I can't tell from your peremptory tone.

I am impressed by Joyce Edwards' play. She's just a notch or two below Sarah as a player. A good rebounder and can score in the paint. Defends well. Sarah outplayed her in high school in their only meeting last year.

Jana is not likely to be matched up against Chloe. Not sure what makes you think she would be. That's just weird. Chloe is not a low post banger. Also, when Jana is in the game, which your remark presupposes, Sarah will be too and she'll be shutting Chloe down. Or maybe even Aubrey will take over this task.

I like Feagin's game. She's long and quick for 6'3". Not a great scorer but a talented defender and pretty good rebounder. As I said above -- perhaps you missed it -- I suspect Jana and Ice will not out play Feagin, but neither will they be completely negated. They'll still be able to alter shots, discourage guards driving, grab a few rebounds, etc. That's how the game is played. Not every player has to dominate for a team to have a chance.

But to take you seriously, I don't think Dawn's front court is the real problem facing Geno. It's the backcourt, which is as talented as an SC backcourt has ever been, I suspect.

 

[Darwin]

Is it permitted to disagree with your assessment? I can't tell from your peremptory tone.

I am impressed by Joyce Edwards' play. She's just a notch or two below Sarah as a player. A good rebounder and can score in the paint. Defends well. Sarah outplayed her in high school in their only meeting last year.

Jana is not likely to be matched up against Chloe. Not sure what makes you think she would be. That's just weird. Chloe is not a low post banger. Also, when Jana is in the game, which your remark presupposes, Sarah will be too and she'll be shutting Chloe down. Or maybe even Aubrey will take over this task.

I like Feagin's game. She's long and quick for 6'3". Not a great scorer but a talented defender and pretty good rebounder. As I said above -- perhaps you missed it -- I suspect Jana and Ice will not out play Feagin, but neither will they be completely negated. They'll still be able to alter shots, discourage guards driving, grab a few rebounds, etc. That's how the game is played. Not every player has to dominate for a team to have a chance.

But to take you seriously, I don't think Dawn's front court is the real problem facing Geno. It's the backcourt, which is as talented as an SC backcourt has ever been, I suspect.

That high school game you speak of, Sarah scored 31 and Joyce had 27.

Joyce and Sarah played for team USA in the Americup over the summer. They won gold, Joyce was the team MVP And leading scorer. Joyce is not “a notch or two below” anyone in the freshman class. Different roles on teams with different needs.

Chloe plays the 5 spot at times in most games. She is more than capable of excelling against Ice and Jana when she is down low. I’m not sure where you are getting this confidence for Ice and Janna vs a top ten type team. Have either of those two ever had a good showing against a top 20 type team?

 

[ERWUC65]

Joyce and Sarah played for team USA in the Americup over the summer. They won gold, and Joyce was the team MVP.

"Joyce Edwards shared the MVP title with Sarah Strong in the McDonald's All-American Game, meaning neither technically "won" over the other; they were both recognized for their outstanding performances in the game".

 

[Darwin]

"Joyce Edwards shared the MVP title with Sarah Strong in the McDonald's All-American Game, meaning neither technically "won" over the other; they were both recognized for their outstanding performances in the game".

That is correct for the McDonald’s all American game.

They Also played the FIBA Americup tournament for team USA this summer/Fall. Joyce was voted team and tournament MVP.

 

[Bone Dog]

That high school game you speak of, Sarah scored 31 and Joyce had 27.

Joyce and Sarah played for team USA in the Americup over the summer. They won gold, and Joyce was the team MVP And leading scorer. Joyce is not “a notch or two below” anyone in the freshman class. Different roles on teams with different needs.

Scoring is not the only thing that determines a game. Sarah did a lot more in that game.

I think Joyce is a really good player, maybe the best pure power forward in her class. But her offense is limited compared to Sarah’s, and Sarah is a much better perimeter defender. She has quicker hands and feet. Just to give one example, try to picture Joyce bringing the ball up the court to break a press. Or shooting 3s. Or picking a guard’s pocket at the top of the key.

All that said, I’ll repeat that I expect SC to win the upcoming game. I think they’re just too deep and athletic for us at present. And who knows, maybe it will be because Kitts dominates Jana at center. I doubt this, but it’s not outside the realm of possibility. More likely, Feagin will outplay Jana and Ice with some help from the bigs Dawn has on her bench. But this won’t be the difference maker, in my opinion. It will be Raven & Co outplaying Paige & Co in the backcourt.

If I were game planning this one, I’d want Azzi and Ash to shadow PaoPao, deny her the ball and force her to defend them, and I’d hope KK and Kaitlyn can contain Raven and Milaysia. That would leave Bree and Tessa to guard Paige and vice versa. Don’t let PaoPao Milaysia and Chloe beat us. Force someone else to. And even this may not be enough, because Dawn has a lot of weapons. Will Paige Azzi and Sarah be up to playing 30+ minutes at this point in the season? We’ll have to see.

 

[Cuango]

I’m not worried about playing Tennessee and SC in the slightest. We may lose one or both of these games. But our young players will learn a lot in them.

Tennessee is not bigger than our frontcourt (at least not by much), though Hollingshead and Spearman are more experienced and better scorers. Puckett is also an inside outside threat sort of like Sarah. I also recall that Hollingshead in particular had a very good game against Dorka and Aaliyah two seasons ago and is very capable. This will be a great challenge for Jana in particular. They have lots of pesky quick guards, but so do we. They shoot lots of 3s, but so can we. They press much of the game, but so can we. I’m expecting a win in this game, but I’m not afraid to be proven wrong in this one.

Against SC, I’m expecting a loss but hoping for a win. They are one of the favorites to win the NC and for good reason. But the margin between them and us, between #2 and #6 maybe smaller this year than in any previous one. The bigs who Dawn actually plays are not bigger than ours, maybe even a bit smaller. This hasn’t been the case in a while. But they are very athletic. The loss of Watkins was significant, but they have a very deep frontcourt. Without her, though, there’s no one in SC’s frontcourt who is completely out of Jana’s and Ice’s league. I expect they’ll be outrebounded and outscored, but not embarrassed on the court. They may even hold their own. It’s easy to underestimate how strong those two are.

Oddly, this is the second year that Dawn’s frontcourt is the best part of her team. This is a formidable squad. They shoot 3s at only a slightly lower volume and percentage as we do. An off night from the perimeter for either team could spell the difference in the game. Can we expect another 59 pt outburst from Paige Sarah and Azzi against SC’s stifling defense? I suspect we can. Can we contain PaoPao Fulwiley and Raven? This is a much more difficult question and my crystal ball has no answers.

The most fortunate thing that breaks in our favor is that Dawn can only put 5 on the court at a time. She has to make choices just like Geno. If Geno starts Paige Azzi Sarah Kaitlyn Jana as seems likely, who does Dawn put out there? Raven PaoPao Hall Kitts and Feagin is the better defensive option, though PaoPao is a liability against either Paige or Azzi, and in my view Kitts is no match for Sarah. If she plays Fulwiley instead of Hall, she gives up some defense, but gets a dynamic scorer. And if she subs Tessa for PaoPao, she gets better defense but loses some offensive punch. These are the usual compromises and they mainly come out in Dawn’s favor, but not entirely, and not by much.

Even if we lose both of these games, we gain valuable experience, for Jana and Ice, for Sarah and Ash, for Morgan and Aubrey, for Kaitlyn and KK. I leave Paige and Azzi off this list because they already have plenty of experience in these sorts of games.

I tend to agree that we will likely beat Tennessee and lose to SC! As far as whether we can expect another 59 from the “big three”, I would doubt that very much! If we did somehow, I’m pretty confident we would win the game. While I still believe we are more talented than them, there are two things imo, that will make a win for us highly unlikely. One; we are playing on their court where they are virtually unbeatable! Two; Imo, they are simply tougher than us. It hurts me to say it but…there it is! Obviously, we are a very young team and are not (imo) particularly tough as a team, while SC (credit to Dawn here) are (to quote Vic Schaefer), “like piranhas on a roast!”) Nevertheless, I do think it is possible that we could walk out of there with a win but a lot of things have to go our way in order for that to happen!
Basically, we are going to need some help from them! They need to shoot poorly, we need to light it up. Also, we must find a way to respond to their physical play without sending them to the free throw line and relegating our young team to the bench! Obviously, it is particularly critical that our “big three” avoid getting in foul trouble. Jana needs to play her best game and Ice needs to give us some good minutes against the SC bigs. I have an idea Ash will step up in this game and could be a difference maker. Finally, if Aubrey can get her groove back by then, she could also be a difference maker. After all, our defense ain’t exactly chopped liver!
Of course, having said all that, if we are able to overcome their defensive pressure and shoot like we did against Seton Hall, then all bets are off! Conversely, if they are able to beat us down and get a big lead from the get go, then it’s likely to be a very long afternoon indeed! Finally, (for real this time) we need some fair officiating!
Still, in the end, though I think we will lose, I agree that our young players will grow tremendously from the experience and be better equipped to face them should we have to play them in the FF!

 

[HuskyNan]

Joyce Edwards is out of Jana and Ice’s league. I suspect Kitts is as well. Finally, Feagin is better than both of them, the final nail in your assessment coffin.

Just remember - you’re here only as long as I can stand you.

 

[HuskyNan]

We are not turning this into a South Carolina thread. We set up a board just for that purpose and it’s not this one.

 

[visitingcock]

We are not turning this into a South Carolina thread. We set up a board just for that purpose and it’s not this one.

After we finish our gauntlet )Sunday against Tenn), I’ll open a special dogs vs cocks thread on the General board where we can speak more freely - but respectfully.

It’s still too early folks. We have LSU this week and then Texas at their place before we host UConn

 

[ERWUC65]

Just watched the TN - TX game, another close loss by TN. They did well, it was at TX, I think they missed their coach. Quite interesting to watch TN play - full court press the entire game, played 10 players, mass substitutions at any point in the game - they are fast, athletic and conditioned. Must be hard to coach this, seems like it's always a transition game, they are not good at the half court and all players seem to have roughly the same ability, not any superstar standout. They are 15-4 with all 4 losses by 2 points or less. I wish we had some BE competitor who played this way (maybe Creighton) to see how we would do - I remember the Ohio State game in the NCAA tournament a few years back where we just fell apart against their press. Like to hear some comments on this...

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

I also watched the TN at TX game tonight and even though TN looked good a lot of times there's something there that I'm not impressed with! I can't pin it down but chalk it up to bad vibes!
TX looked good but the lack of real 3-point scorers is a major weakness! The turning point was Jones played really good at Center tonight! I feel UConn can handle her though!
UConn ball handlers must stay away from corners and sidelines vs TN! Spread the court and pass the ball vs dribbling it!
Presently UConn's defense is awesome we can wreck TN's offense with our ball pressure!

 

[packwrap]

TN Press and 3?

Fortunately UConn has our own press, so at least we have been going against it in practice. Sarah at midcourt and Paige are excellent press busters.

Everyone on our team except the 5s are good ballhandlers this year. In theory we will be OK.

Goal will be not just to beat press, but get behind it for layups. Tenn is like the terminator, even if UConn blows up the press, it won't stop. They don't have a plan b.

Congrats to Vol Coach Caldwell on birth of son Conor!

 

[packwrap]

Joyce Edwards is out of Jana and Ice’s league. I suspect Kitts is as well. Finally, Feagin is better than both of them, the final nail in your assessment coffin.

You may not even see Jana and Ice in Columbia to defend your slippery mobile posts. It may well be our more athletic trio of Strong, Griffin and Cheli. Lots of strategery here for Geno.

Meanwhile we get to see you tomorrow battle with Morrow, Smith and Wolfenbarger. Good luck, should be a great game. 5 pm start.

 

[Jim R]

Boxing out is one piece. Anticipation and pursuit is another that helps. Especially on rebounds from 3 pointers, like what we'll see with Tennessee.

Rebounding and inside dirty work are musts, especially against S. Carolina - gotta box out and keep their guards off the boards - if we do, I like our chances

 

[cancontent]

Rebounding and inside dirty work are musts, especially against S. Carolina - gotta box out and keep their guards off the boards - if we do, I like our chances

Yes, but you also need to be good at tracking those rebounds that won't land outside the key, which happens a lot with 3-point shots. Reminds me of a drill called hotspot that I ran with my summer programs. It took a while for the kids to figure out boxing out helped, but if you didn't figure out where that ball was going in those situations it was a lost cause.

 

[HopJim]

Tenn and virtually all the top teams we are about to face have quick, strong guards able to drive to the basket. When you look to the playoffs, you see Notre Dame and USC, teams with exceptionally fast guards that make their living driving to the basket. Not a UConn strength.
Pros: both Paige and Azzi have long arms and are quick on their feet. UConn doesn't get enough credit for the defense these and KK produce. With Chen starting to play like she did as the best player in the Metro Atlantic Conference and Shade becoming very consistent on both offense and defense, UConn will be a handful.
Con: UConn, with the possible exception of Strong, does not have a shot blocker. Each game, much smaller guards fly by Jana for layups. We need to stop them from the outside or play Ice more. While not as tall as Jana, Ice is quicker and has a more diverse offense. Jana is also a dual risk in a close game, tending to swat down and create fouls and not making her own freebees. While we all agree on her potential, its time for production and minutes earned based on match ups.

 

[drweo]

South Carolina and Tenn are very athletic and very quick. They will be keying on our Big 3 so we will need everybody else to step up, without hesitancy and shoot. We dont need our Big 3 to score 20 pts a game we need them to be a threat to score 20 pts a game which they are. They also shoot at a very high percentage and are unselfish. Being unselfish is where their passing comes in. We will need everybody else to step up. If their defense slacks off somebody will be open and that somebody could be Jana KK Kaitlyn. We will rely on them to score when needed. I don't think they will leave Ash open because she has shown she is not afraid to shoot and makes a good percentage of her shots. This is gonna be a battle but its not the end. If Tenn and SC can't stop our Big 3 it could be a long nite for them. Our Big 3 can put up a lot of points in a very short time and that threat is one of UConn's advantages. We haven't had that in a few years.

We are still young and developing. Will be be ready for these 2 big games? Will Griff be back and ready to go? Defensively having Griff and KK at 100% will take a lot of pressure off everybody else. We know how they both can impact the game on defense and that will be huge "IF" Griff can play. With that said Griff needs to see some playtime sooner then later to be effective.

SC is a very good team and UConns dominance has suffered because of injuries. Imagine a healthy Paige and Azzi show with a healthy Caroline and Griff over the past few years. SC may not have had 3 NC's and UConn may have more then 11 Something to consider. The point of me mentioning that is we now have our Big 3 back with Sarah filling Caroline's position who Im hopin and prayin we will see play again. I believe when we have Azzi and Griff at 100% we will show our dominance once again. If its not in these two big games then by March. Dont forget we have been playing with injuries and playing in and out of the lineup for the past few years which makes it tuff to build consistency and continuity and we still made the FF last season which imo was one of Genos greatest coaching seasons.

One of the biggest pieces of our improvement over the past few weeks is we are beginning to look for our shot without hesitation and without looking for Paige and Sarah and now Azzi. Azzi has shown us she can create her own shot and shoot it at a high percentage. Paige is a great facilitator and the attention she draws and her ability to find an open team mate could play huge in the big games coming up because for no other reason then Azzi and Sarah will be the recipients of many of those passes.

When you look back to the ND and USC games and our inexperience, which has grown, and playing those games without Azzi and we were in both those games and imo should've won the USC game with the come back we made I feel we will have very competitive games @ Tenn and SC. We have a more balanced attack then we did in those games.

For the next few games we will build on our improvement. Everybody else will continue to improve and gain confidence. We will be what we will be and we will have to accept that until be become what we know we will become. More than anything I am looking forward to see Paige Azzi and Sarah on the floor together. With the 3 of them on the floor together our ability to score a lot more points has just gone up. Our Big 3 is the nucleus of our team. I am expecting if we remain healthy we just may not to lose a game for the rest of this season. Again if we are healthy.

Re the Tennessee game: I think UConn can handle their press ( though there might be lapses), but UConn has to defend the three point line and minimize lapses on that. Tenn. set the NCAA record for threes in a game earlier in the season. And if you take a look at yesterday's Tenn. vs. Texas game, it's clear that anyone on Tenn. can hit the three in nearly any situation and they don't hesitate to do so. UConn has been getting better at that dimension of defense, but they'll have to focus even more on it vs. Tenn., which adds to the defensive challenge for that game.

 

[Rowdy831]

I’m not persuaded that this really matters at all. This season with all the ball handling talent among the top 6 or 7 players, the PG role doesn’t need to be determined very carefully.

I agree on the ball handling aspect of it and put more interest on who can defend the better guards on the best teams. In the end I expect Geno will have a short leash in big games and will resort to the best players so it will work itself out. The Big East is so weak that UConn is literally playing its starters for just over half a game every night so technically 10 players are getting quality time.