UConn stats... new scoring record this year? | The Boneyard

UConn stats... new scoring record this year?

DavidinNaples

DavidinNaples

12 is way better than 3..!!
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Last season, UConn scored the fewest points per game, 78.9 ppg, in over a dozen years. In addition, the two leading scorers, Crystal and Megan, left for the NBA and took their 1,078 points with them. What in the world makes anyone think this season could see a record scoring season from the Huskies? The answer in a minute, but first, what are the top scoring years for UConn since Geno arrived?

1. In 1998-99, the average was 91.2 per game.
2. In 1994-95, the average was 89.5 per game.
3. In 2017-18, the average was 89.4 per game.
4. In 2014-15, the average was 89.3 per game.
5. In 2015-16, the average was 88.1 per game.

So this year's team would have a long way to go to average enough to break into the top five season's all time, much less set a record. Even breaking the top 10 means scoring 83.9 ppg, every night. Importantly, the opponents from last season that gave up the most points to the Huskies are no longer on the schedule. They included Cincinnati (105), East Carolina (98) and Oklahoma (97). No idea who the weak sisters are in the new Big East, but there will no doubt be a few. :D

So how does this year's team even score more than last season if the top two scorers are gone from a low scoring team? :eek:
1. Christyn, who had a mediocre season, still averaged 14.6 ppg vs Crystal's 14.9. She needs to lead the team in points.
2. Olivia needs to dominate in the paint w/ two full seasons under her belt. Raise the average from 10.9 to 15 or so.
3. Anna should be much improved and skip the 0 for America start from 3 point range. She was the 5th leading scorer at 8 per game & could be 2nd or 3rd this year.
4. Evina is the wildcard. If healthy and playing well, she could replace Crystal's points. Or maybe that is too much to expect.
5. Aubrey may be the 5th starter (early season) and should improve her her 54.4% shooting from inside.

And finally..
6. The six pictured above will replace Molly, Kyla, Evelyn and Batouly off the bench. (If some don't start.) Expect many more points in the 3rd and 4th quarter when UConn averaged only 37 points per half. In fact, the 4th period last year saw only an average of less than 17 points per game. The 4th period this year may see twice that scoring with the Huskie puppies running wild. ;)

Don't look for any scoring records this year. But the overall scoring should be more balanced and better than last year's 78.9 per game average. The returning players, Crystal, Olivia, Anna & Aubrey should all be much improved. Evina needs to get & stay healthy... But it is that depth off the bench that will drive the scoring in quarters 2 thru 4..!!

Opinions?? Leading scorer this season?

Go Huskies..!!
 
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I think it’s going take time this season for UConn’s offense to hit its stride due in large measure to the fact that this is one of the most inexperienced teams in UConn history, with only 4 players having played any amount of time in a UConn uniform, and 0 returning seniors. It is my hope that by tournament time, UConn’s offense is running like a well-oiled machine.
 
oldude said:
I think it’s going take time this season for UConn’s offense to hit its stride due in large measure to the fact that this is one of the most inexperienced teams in UConn history, with only 4 players having played any amount of time in a UConn uniform, and 0 returning seniors. It is my hope that by tournament time, UConn’s offense is running like a well-oiled machine.
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I believe this team will get up to speed faster than Brittany Force.
 
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oldude said:
I think it’s going take time this season for UConn’s offense to hit its stride due in large measure to the fact that this is one of the most inexperienced teams in UConn history, with only 4 players having played any amount of time in a UConn uniform, and 0 returning seniors. It is my hope that by tournament time, UConn’s offense is running like a well-oiled machine.
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While what you say makes sense from a logic perspective, I sort of disagree. UCONN returns 3 starters - Anna, Christyn and Olivia. They already have chemistry and know each other, where to be on the floor etc. I KNOW they lost uber-awesome PG Crystal, But I think if Aubrey slips into the starting lineup with Paige/Evina, you have 4 players who have played before, altho the PG will be new.

I believe starters will be Paige, Evina, Christyn, Anna, Olivia, but regardless, there is SO much talent on the floor, and the Big East competition won't be that severe for the most part. Sure we have some big games against big time teams, but aside from Depaul, if we play 20 games in the BE, what team can even give us close to a competitive game, never mind slow us down?

You may well be right, but IMHO I think there's so much talent and scoring punch on the team not to mention intense competitiveness, that even when the "reserves" of Nika, Aaliyah, Mir etc. come off the bench, they will just out talent everyone else. Great defense often leads to easy offense - i can see a lot of trapping, pressing, disruptions to the other teams' offense, which will also help with easy points.

Bottom line, no idea what to expect, and you could well be right. Either way looking forward to this season so much! Can't wait for them to get started!
 
One area of concern I have about the upcoming season is 3-point shooting.

UConn made 281 of 705 three-pointers last season for an impressive 39.9%. One hundred seventy-eight (178), of those made 3-pointers graduated. Megan and Crystal made a combined 149 threes, while shooting a combined 43%. Amazingly, Megan and Crystal both attempted 173 threes!

Christyn Williams struggled with her 3-point shot last season, making 43 of 129 or 33%. Christyn made 47 of 128 threes as a freshman or 36.7%. I expect Christyn to take and make more 3s during the upcoming season. Can she reach 40%? Maybe not, but making 36-38% seems within reach.

After a very slow start, Anna made an impressive 41% (59/144) of her threes last season. She will be relied on to make even more in the upcoming season.

How will Evina shoot the 3? We don't know how well she'll shoot after a year off and knee surgeries. As a sophomore at Tennessee, Evina made a respectable 38% of her three-pointers (38/100).

Paige? I think she'll start immediately, btw. I think Paige will be a very good 3-point shooter over the course of her career. I just don't know what to expect from that part of her game as a freshman.

Here are the team's 3-point shooting stats for 2016-2019:

2016-2017: 302/746 40.5%

2017-2018: 302/755 40%

2018-2019: 303/833 36%

Talk about consistency!
 
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UConnCat said:
After a very slow start, Anna made an impressive 41% (59/144) of her threes last season. She will be relied on to make even more in the upcoming season.
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To your point, Anna hit 2-19 on threes in her first five games. Then in the final 27 games, she shot 57-125 (45.6%). Had she shot that well for the entire season, she would have ranked 6th in the nation in 3-point pct.
 
To address David's points, I think scoring will be up decidedly. Part of that will be the increased depth, which will allow us to play at a fast pace and to press. I think we can average about 85 ppg. Next year, especially if we get Azzi, I think the UConn record will be broken. Who will be the leading scorer? The obvious choice is Christyn. I think Liv may challenge her, especially if she can shoot free throws efficiently. I wouldn't be shocked if Paige is our leading scorer. She gets a lot of layups and free throws and can shoot a high percentage.

I agree with Cat about a possible drop-off in 3-point shooting. Both Megan and Crystal were excellent 3-point shooters. Christyn had a slump, but should be close to 40%. Anna can exceed 40%, and Evina will be close. Who is our best 3-point shooter? Paige. The following year, we add long-distance bombers Caroline and Saylor. If we add Azzi, we'll shoot over 40% as a team.
 
DavidinNaples said:
View attachment 60472

Last season, UConn scored the fewest points per game, 78.9 ppg, in over a dozen years. In addition, the two leading scorers, Crystal and Megan, left for the NBA and took their 1,078 points with them. What in the world makes anyone think this season could see a record scoring season from the Huskies? The answer in a minute, but first, what are the top scoring years for UConn since Geno arrived?

1. In 1998-99, the average was 91.2 per game.
2. In 1994-95, the average was 89.5 per game.
3. In 2017-18, the average was 89.4 per game.
4. In 2014-15, the average was 89.3 per game.
5. In 2015-16, the average was 88.1 per game.

So this year's team would have a long way to go to average enough to break into the top five season's all time, much less set a record. Even breaking the top 10 means scoring 83.9 ppg, every night. Importantly, the opponents from last season that gave up the most points to the Huskies are no longer on the schedule. They included Cincinnati (105), East Carolina (98) and Oklahoma (97). No idea who the weak sisters are in the new Big East, but there will no doubt be a few. :D

So how does this year's team even score more than last season if the top two scorers are gone from a low scoring team? :eek:
1. Christyn, who had a mediocre season, still averaged 14.6 ppg vs Crystal's 14.9. She needs to lead the team in points.
2. Olivia needs to dominate in the paint w/ two full seasons under her belt. Raise the average from 10.9 to 15 or so.
3. Anna should be much improved and skip the 0 for America start from 3 point range. She was the 5th leading scorer at 8 per game & could be 2nd or 3rd this year.
4. Evina is the wildcard. If healthy and playing well, she could replace Crystal's points. Or maybe that is too much to expect.
5. Aubrey may be the 5th starter (early season) and should improve her her 54.4% shooting from inside.

And finally..
6. The six pictured above will replace Molly, Kyla, Evelyn and Batouly off the bench. (If some don't start.) Expect many more points in the 3rd and 4th quarter when UConn averaged only 37 points per half. In fact, the 4th period last year saw only an average of less than 17 points per game. The 4th period this year may see twice that scoring with the Huskie puppies running wild. ;)

Don't look for any scoring records this year. But the overall scoring should be more balanced and better than last year's 78.9 per game average. The returning players, Crystal, Olivia, Anna & Aubrey should all be much improved. Evina needs to get & stay healthy... But it is that depth off the bench that will drive the scoring in quarters 2 thru 4..!!

Opinions?? Leading scorer this season?

Go Huskies..!!
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Aubrey has all the tools to be leading scorer this season .. with plenty of assists from Liv, Ania, Paige & Nika .. eh?
 
I'm thinking an 81-82 pt average this coming year. With all the new pieces, I think it will take a while to get up to an 85ish average so the overall will probably be in the low 80s when its all said and done.
 
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What was the primary offensive problem last season? The ball getting stuck. It wasn’t a shooting problem, it was a passing (and movement) problem.

Assuming that two of Anna, Paige, Evina, and Nika are on the floor all the time and three of them much of the time, the ball will not be getting stuck. I’m hoping for many more of the classic UConn plays with the ball going from basket to basket with two dribbles or fewer. We just didn’t see much of that last season.

As others have said, it will take a few games for them to hit their stride, but, heck, the footage from the first day of practice showed Nika making a no-look pass behind her.
 
MilfordHusky said:
To address David's points, I think scoring will be up decidedly. Part of that will be the increased depth, which will allow us to play at a fast pace and to press. I think we can average about 85 ppg. Next year, especially if we get Azzi, I think the UConn record will be broken. Who will be the leading scorer? The obvious choice is Christyn. I think Liv may challenge her, especially if she can shoot free throws efficiently. I wouldn't be shocked if Paige is our leading scorer. She gets a lot of layups and free throws and can shoot a high percentage.

I agree with Cat about a possible drop-off in 3-point shooting. Both Megan and Crystal were excellent 3-point shooters. Christyn had a slump, but should be close to 40%. Anna can exceed 40%, and Evina will be close. Who is our best 3-point shooter? Paige. The following year, we add long-distance bombers Caroline and Saylor. If we add Azzi, we'll shoot over 40% as a team.
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I'm glad you mentioned the pace and possibility of more pressing. I don't know if we will be more efficient or shoot threes as well, but I think it is reasonable to assume there will be more possessions from a faster pace on offense and more pressing on defense.

In addition to your good points, I think the bench is a big factor in getting that fourth quarter scoring in blowouts up from the very low level of 17. That should be worth a few extra points a game just from that. Also while last year's team was pretty efficient on FG attempts, we were actually pretty bad at getting easy points from drawing fouls. Walker and Dangerfield were not very good at drawing fouls and I think the incoming group is much more likely to take it hard to the basket and draw easy foul shots.
 
oldhuskie said:
Also while last year's team was pretty efficient on FG attempts, we were actually pretty bad at getting easy points from drawing fouls. Walker and Dangerfield were not very good at drawing fouls and I think the incoming group is much more likely to take it hard to the basket and draw easy foul shots.
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UConn shot 48% from the field last year-- good, but not UConnesque, especially considering the schedule was weaker overall than it normally is. Under 70% from the foul line wasn't very good either. UConn either has to get to the line more--with a better percentage--or hit higher from the field. The latter would be helped with more easy baskets off steals and offensive rebounds.

Wanna know why South Carolina averaged 4 more points than UConn last year? They took 166 more shots and 260! more free throws.
 
While it appears that UConn could be slightly more productive this year on offense, predict their overall scoring average will be influenced more by the teams they play. Not sure if the Big East coaches will try to mug the Huskies and slow the game down, a scheme some of the Florida games followed last year. We know the games against the Top 5 teams usually have lower scores. Teams that tried to run with UConn usually gave the Huskies the opportunity for big numbers. Likely another no loss in league season so who knows how it will end up.
 
My 1st post, pls be kind to this ole man. I will be brief, a simple question. What do young Husky pups love to do? I agree, run, run, run. With any defensive success the scoreboard will get a workout. Looking forward to it, can't wait.
 
FT shooting last year was hurt by Liv and Aubrey. Their shooting this season will determine how well the team does overall. Paige is an excellent FT shooter. I'm not sure how much PT Mir will get, but she can get to the FT line and makes a good percentage, from what I've seen.
 
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MooseJaw said:
My 1st post, pls be kind to this ole man. I will be brief, a simple question. What do young Husky pups love to do? I agree, run, run, run. With any defensive success the scoreboard will get a workout. Looking forward to it, can't wait.
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And success on the defense doesn't have to be press press press either, right?
 
MooseJaw said:
My 1st post, pls be kind to this ole man. I will be brief, a simple question. What do young Husky pups love to do? I agree, run, run, run. With any defensive success the scoreboard will get a workout. Looking forward to it, can't wait.
Expand ...

I don't think this team will have any problem scoring. Defense is a question though. All the new players to blend into a defense that wasn't vintage UConn last season. Some of that was due to the short bench that kept them from playing tight defense. I think it's a year till we see a shutdown switching MTM I love watching so much but with an expanded rotation I expect to see more pressure. I know that Bueckers and Griffin are quick disruptors. Let them do what they are good at. Muhl can harass the ball full court and play in your face defense. I think it was Bueckers that said she fouled a lot due to the Euro style but I'd let her foul out if she can go 100% for 15-20 minutes and cause a couple of to's and generally torment the opposing pg. At some point they will jive in the MTM and then UConn will be something.
 
UConn doesn't have to depend on Liv and Aubrey's shooting because there is so much shooting talent on this team. They will both do a little better than last year, and that will be enough. If they do a lot better than last year, UConn will be in the NC game.
 
Here's my 2 cents. Aubrey can do a lot of really good things on both ends of the court (and even in the middle of the court). She will get her points. I just don't see her being a top scorer. I would be very happy if she proves me wrong.
 
I don't think anyone will average 20/game. Too many options. But several players will have hot games of 25+. The top UConn teams had several players capable of putting up big numbers which is nice in a one-and-done tournament when your star goes cold. This team has that capability.
 
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I see a lot of mentions of Aubrey and Anna and Liv and CW and Evina and even some Mir. I'd like to introduce to you the Canadian National Player of the Year, The Ontario Player of the Year, The Ontario Defensive Player of the Year, The youngest player for the Canadian National Women's Team; Here she is Miss ........ O I forgot again! What is her name! Darn! Well, very soon we will never forget her!
 
hoophuskee said:
And success on the defense doesn't have to be press press press either, right?
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I love the press, the quickest way to dominate and demoralize an opponent. That said it has it's place in a defensive scheme as well as zone, man or combo's. I say mix it up. Defense is the backbone of most great teams.
 
Alydar said:
I think it was Bueckers that said she fouled a lot due to the Euro style but I'd let her foul out if she can go 100% for 15-20 minutes and cause a couple of to's and generally torment the opposing pg.
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No way no how. She is way too valuable to foul out and play only 15-20 minutes. Her bones are not her defense. Her bones is her passing.
IMO it's hubris to suggest going against elite teams that UCONN would be okay if one of their star players fouls out after only playing 15-20 minutes and feel confident they would be okay. OFC they could still win but that's not the point. **The other elite teams have great players and great coaching too.

Offensive halfcourt execution is also critical. Elite teams will also have plans and great players to counter UCONN's strengths. IMO you don't want to limit the UCONN strength of Paige Buecker's superior combination of passing and scoring abilities. For example - she fouls out-- we only have one legit 3pt shooter (if Paige is also a good shooter). Everyone else other than AMak is a question mark.

You had said Paige is one of the best players on this team in a prior post. Then if she is - it means she can hit 3's then more-than-likely- no way you want her sacrificing her elite minutes on offense to only play 15-20 minutes.
 
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Alydar said:
I don't think anyone will average 20/game. Too many options. But several players will have hot games of 25+. The top UConn teams had several players capable of putting up big numbers which is nice in a one-and-done tournament when your star goes cold. This team has that capability.
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With all of the passers this team has I believe that Liv could come close to averaging 20 points a game. Especially if she developed a hook shot over the Summer. The Big East really has very few players that will challenge her, and only a few of the out of conference teams like SC have size that could hamper her.
 
hoophuskee said:
No way no how. She is way too valuable to foul out and play only 15-20 minutes. Her bones are not her defense. Her bones is her passing.
IMO it's hubris to suggest going against elite teams that UCONN would be okay if one of their star players fouls out after only playing 15-20 minutes and feel confident they would be okay. OFC they could still win but that's not the point. **The other elite teams have great players and great coaching too.

Offensive halfcourt execution is also critical. Elite teams will also have plans and great players to counter UCONN's strengths. IMO you don't want to limit the UCONN strength of Paige Buecker's superior combination of passing and scoring abilities. For example - she fouls out-- we only have one legit 3pt shooter (if Paige is also a good shooter). Everyone else other than AMak is a question mark.

You had said Paige is one of the best players on this team in a prior post. Then if she is - it means she can hit 3's then more-than-likely- no way you want her sacrificing her elite minutes on offense to only play 15-20 minutes.
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Reread his original post. I believe he was referring to Muhl's Euro defense that Bueckers was speaking of. He's saying he'd let Muhl play defense and foul out.
 
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