On defense, correct, the teams are close although I acknowledge SC’s stronger strength of schedule. On offense - so many people have freaked out about mere 25 point wins, they haven’t noticed UConn is actually pretty good.
Yes, of course, I was referring to Jana and Ice whose minutes would be limited, and not to Sarah and Aubrey, the latter of whose minutes would be limited for other reasons..
The statistic that says it all about SC’s biggest threat is #shots taken- they lead the country. This is due to relentless rebounding since shooting percentage has them at #19 versus UConn at #1. Aubrey’s return will definitely help with rebounding, but limiting turnovers and boxing out will determine who wins that game.
The interesting thing about SC’s rebounding is that nearly half come from their guards, more than half in some games. For example, in the blowout of OU, 22 of their 42 rebounds, and 5 of their 15 O-boards. Boxing out will be key, but it may not be a matter of boxing out their bigs. In this sort of rebounding environment, I think you’re right about Aubrey making a difference, as well as Morgan Ash and KK, who are all active rebounders. We’ll see if they’re up to this challenge.
It's actually not enough to ask - Allie healthy too.
I think they meant on paper, excluding injuries. That's how I took it.
Yes, LSU playing in Columbia today!
I think it's tomorrow in Columbia...
Game has been rescheduled to Friday
I don’t think so, though there are similarities. Sarah is an excellent perimeter shooter, has excellent handles and scores really well at the rim. She’s also a great passer with a great a/to ratio. By contrast, Aneesah is not a great passer and her handles outside the lane are only so-so. But she has that same incredible tenacity going for rebounds that Angel had, and like her is a bit range-limited in her scoring. She’s shooting 40% from 3, but that’s only on 15 attempts. Her overall shooting percentage is ~54%, which would be pretty efficient for a guard. But she scores mainly in the lane or the low post. What this means is that like Angel she gets a lot of O-boards off her own missed layups. She also gets ~1/4 of her points at the free throw line.Imagine a match up between Morrow & Strong.
That could be the "battle of the year."
They're like 2 peas in a pod.
OU shot egregiously bad particularly from 3 in the first quarter. Three pointers tend to make for long rebounds. That, in part, probably explains why SC was guard heavy on the rebound side. It’s a little surprising that overall rebounds were fairly equal in that game, especially considering that SC shot so much better (although the total misses were close - SC just took a lot more shots). It definitely suggests that OU did OK on the rebounding side, but their shooting was just terrible. To me, the turnovers were the story of the game at 22-6. For UConn, I think that means playing under control and not making bad passes. You just can’t win games when you turn the ball over that many more times than your opponent.
Similar size and while Morrow averages more points (18.7 vs 16.9) and rebounds (14.2 vs 7.9), Sarah has more assists (69 vs 28), fewer turnovers (30 vs 40) similar fouls (28 vs 30, amazing for a freshman vs senior), and more threes. Morrow is a terrific post; Sarah is a terrific basketball player. I would take Sarah every day and twice on Sunday.Imagine a match up between Morrow & Strong.
That could be the "battle of the year."
They're like 2 peas in a pod.
!000%. One is a natural athlete who plays basketball at a very high level. The other is a natural athlete who is also a natural basketball player who makes her own level.
For Paige to outplay the other greats she needs someone other than her to defend that player. I don't know if Aubrey will be in physical shape to defend the likes of Juju but she is capable and it won't hurt UConn offensively as much as having one of the key scorers chasing great players.
I'm with you. SC is so very athletic that I fear UConn will have a more difficult time on the offensive end than in any other game this season. Can the Huskies win, sure they can, but not likely in a matchup with SC in which SC plays their typical game.
