UConn - Syracuse

[HardHatGuy#2]

I have no fear of the Syracuse chuck-and-run offense; it depends on rebounds, and Tuck, Stewie, Gabby, and Pheese will snag them, not Syracuse. Bon-Bon and Nurse will steal their guard's lunch money. They have no inside defense; Butler may get a double-double if she gets the floor time (she played well against OSU). I'm also not concerned regarding their press; Rutgers practiced and planned their press, so the players were skilled at it; Syracuse players looks like they are in a popcorn machine - no plan, no structure, just street-ball press. I see many no-dribble fast breaks to uncontested layups.

The Syracuse plan was born of desperation, as the team cannot shoot (35% from the field, 28% from the arc) and aren't good ball handlers (A/T: 1.0). Coming up to the Tournament they beat nobody outside of the ACC. They are on one heck of a lucky streak, getting a good draw, watching South Carolina self destruct, and getting Tennessee after the pixie dust had worn off. This is not a good team. They may make hay for the first few minutes of chaos (picture Stewie as Arnold Schwarzenegger being overrun by kids in Kindergarten Cop), then gravity will take over and all will be right with the world.

This could be the biggest point deficit in championship history.

 

[huskeynut]

Syracuse is a high volume - low percentage shooting team. They also rely on turning over opponents to get fast break points. None of these will work against UCONN.

Defensively, who does the Cuse have to stop Morgan, Stewie and Mo? Their zone is aggressive but leaves a lot of holes to exploit. Crisp passing will slow down the Cuse defense and allow for UCONN to get its shots.

Defense - UCONN is playing its best defense and the Cuse haven't played us in a while. The Cuse's high volume guards are not going to find it so easy to get shots off. Any guards that do penetrate will have Stewie to deal with.

Experience - UCONN is not new to all of this. Cuse is. This will eventually catch up the the Cuse tomorrow night. You can only run on emotion for so long and then reality will set in. If UCONN is business-like in their approach, the game will be out of reach for the Cuse by the 2nd quarter.

 

[Deadrody]

Syracuse uses the press to speed up the game and maximize the number of possessions. Normally that may be a good strategy. If you think that holds true against UConn you are sadly mistaken. UConn will shred their press, turn the orange over and run them out of the building.

 

[HuskyPhan]

I have no fear of the Syracuse chuck-and-run offense; it depends on rebounds, and Tuck, Stewie, Gabby, and Pheese will snag them, not Syracuse. Bon-Bon and Nurse will steal their guard's lunch money. They have no inside defense; Butler may get a double-double if she gets the floor time (she played well against OSU). I'm also not concerned regarding their press; Rutgers practiced and planned their press, so the players were skilled at it; Syracuse players looks like they are in a popcorn machine - no plan, no structure, just street-ball press. I see many no-dribble fast breaks to uncontested layups.

The Syracuse plan was born of desperation, as the team cannot shoot (35% from the field, 28% from the arc) and aren't good ball handlers (A/T: 1.0). Coming up to the Tournament they beat nobody outside of the ACC. They are on one heck of a lucky streak, getting a good draw, watching South Carolina self destruct, and getting Tennessee after the pixie dust had worn off. This is not a good team. They may make hay for the first few minutes of chaos (picture Stewie as Arnold Schwarzenegger being overrun by kids in Kindergarten Cop), then gravity will take over and all will be right with the world.

This could be the biggest point deficit in championship history.

Excellent post-reference to Stewie as Schwarzenegger in Kindergarten Cop is priceless!!!!

 

[Charliebball]

Watching the game last night, I was amazed how open the OSU players were after they broke the initial Syracuse press....yet they just didn't have the players to attack the basket and score......assuming UConn can get the ball past half court against that press, Syracuse will be taken apart.......The Orange will need to hit a whole bunch of threes if the plan to stay in this game

 

[HoopsFan21]

With Lou out Gabby really has to defend without fouling.

Don't worry, when Gabby comes into the game and guards you, you're guarded.

 

[Jim R]

Syracuse is a high volume - low percentage shooting team. They also rely on turning over opponents to get fast break points. None of these will work against UCONN.

Defensively, who does the Cuse have to stop Morgan, Stewie and Mo? Their zone is aggressive but leaves a lot of holes to exploit. Crisp passing will slow down the Cuse defense and allow for UCONN to get its shots.

Defense - UCONN is playing its best defense and the Cuse haven't played us in a while. The Cuse's high volume guards are not going to find it so easy to get shots off. Any guards that do penetrate will have Stewie to deal with.

Experience - UCONN is not new to all of this. Cuse is. This will eventually catch up the the Cuse tomorrow night. You can only run on emotion for so long and then reality will set in. If UCONN is business-like in their approach, the game will be out of reach for the Cuse by the 2nd quarter.

Concise and correct!

 

[Paesano]

I'm not so sure. You see who started the second have when Lou could not answer the bell. He went to one of the two bench players that have been in the game rotation since the tournament began.
I'm not saying Chong won't see some minutes. I saying if that were the case, he could have put her out there this evening. Instead, he rotated Gabby and Collier, who by the way did an excellent job.

That was a different team. Syracuse plays zone and, more importantly, presses a lot. We have a player that can be both a zone breaker and a press breaker. That, right there, kills Syracuse. They aren't a great offensive team so Saniya's defense will be fine. If anything goes wrong, you can always sub in Gabby.

I also agree with pressing them back. The only risk is foul trouble and especially if there is a biased ref out there.

 

[magic]

Washington was taylor made for the cuse . In Syracuse ,you ave a team , that must press, and shoot a high volume of threes to overcome their poor shooting percentage. On top of it, Wash. Played a horrible zone , giving syracuse tons of open looks, not to metion the poor ball handling. After Uconn shreds their press witha few eary layups, what will the Cuse do ? Husky defense is not going to allow 13 threes. Not when there is no interior offense to be afraid of.

 

[Fiftyish]

This game with Ore. St. was the Nervous Nelly Game to get into the Finals, UCONN will be at it's usual best and beat Syracuse
85 to 56 for the 11th Championship and 4th in a row!

LOL How true, how true!

 

[GiladKatzDeli]

.....The only risk is foul trouble and especially if there is a biased ref out there.

Let's hope that one ref from last night is sitting this one out. She made at least three terrible calls on UConn and a couple on Oregon State. Not championship quality.

 

[UcMiami]

It will be interesting to see how well Syracuse can offense rebound - they depend very much on their guards and wings to get those rebounds, and how long Q can send five after the boards if Uconn is getting a lot of them and then getting layups at the other end because the guards haven't gotten back. I think that will be very telling.

On starters - I think either Chong or Collier, because that will keep Gabby in the exact same role she has played the last half of the year as the first change of pace sub off the bench. I think Gabby is a key ingredient to this game and having her in her accustomed role is the best way to get her accustomed production. (On the other hand - her defensive pressure out front with Moriah can be really devastating to an offense unused to the quickness and pressure those two apply. So what do I know?! )

 

[Henry]

I watched last night's second game and agree with others that Syracuse reminds me of Texas. Texas pressed and shot threes. We struggled a bit early but still won by 21. I also think starting Soniya would be smart only if Geno thinks she can handle the pressure,mentally and physically. I would prefer we keep the rotation we have and that would help. He could always pull her early if she commits turnovers.

 

[Carnac]

I have no fear of the Syracuse chuck-and-run offense; it depends on rebounds, and Tuck, Stewie, Gabby, and Pheese will snag them, not Syracuse. Bon-Bon and Nurse will steal their guard's lunch money. They have no inside defense; Butler may get a double-double if she gets the floor time (she played well against OSU). I'm also not concerned regarding their press; Rutgers practiced and planned their press, so the players were skilled at it; Syracuse players looks like they are in a popcorn machine - no plan, no structure, just street-ball press. I see many no-dribble fast breaks to uncontested layups.

The Syracuse plan was born of desperation, as the team cannot shoot (35% from the field, 28% from the arc) and aren't good ball handlers (A/T: 1.0). Coming up to the Tournament they beat nobody outside of the ACC. They are on one heck of a lucky streak, getting a good draw, watching South Carolina self destruct, and getting Tennessee after the pixie dust had worn off. This is not a good team. They may make hay for the first few minutes of chaos (picture Stewie as Arnold Schwarzenegger being overrun by kids in Kindergarten Cop), then gravity will take over and all will be right with the world.

This could be the biggest point deficit in championship history.

THAT'S the kind of talk I want to hear.!!! NO FEAR!!!!! Syracuse is not going to bring anything new to the dance. They can't match up with UConn. That's not bragging, or being cocky. Its the truth. Sometimes the truth hurts. Some folks can't handle the truth. No more playing nice, or trying to be politically correct. This is it!!! UConn's going out, not with a bang, but an explosion. THIS IS UCONN'S YEAR.!!!! Embrace it.

I respect what Hillsman and his squad has been able to do to get to this point. But the party is over. Syracuse is going to find out and experience what Robert Morris, Duquesne, Mississippi State, Texas and Oregon State found out. The UConn Huskies are the best team in the country. Every drill, every practice, every lap run was done in preparation for this final game. UConn will not be denied.

This year, they have no peer. UConn has beaten every opponent by double digits. Its going to get ugly real fast for Syracuse, and go down hill from there. Syracuse is not going to fare any better than any of the other programs have so far this in this tournament.

I was 100% correct in ALL of my predictions for the Oregon State game, and I'm right now. ALL of the soothsaying aids (crystal balls, tea leaves, rabbits feet, tarot cards, etc.) I use, all point to UConn winning, and winning big. If you watch this game, don't blink. You might miss something.

Carnac says: Final score: 85-56 UConn

 

[Carnac]

I've been wondering about the dunk thing. The NC game is not a good time to be trying it. And dunking against Syracuse could be taken as bad form.

Or not!

You may be right Gus. Maybe I got a little carried away.

 

[Suebird10fan]

Anybody on Q's bench beyond the 3rd player, is not going to see any game time. With respect to the players towards the end of the bench, You and I have a better chance of getting into the game than they do.
Q can't even see down that far. Those players are strictly cheerleaders that got to dress out for the game, and are happy to be there.

I dunno Carnac. I'm kinda hopin' both benches empty by around the 1 or 2 minute mark.

 

[Suebird10fan]

UConn is currently favored by 24-1/2

That seems too high.

Let me start by saying that going into each of the last three games I thought the point spread was too low, so I'm not a nervous Nellie. And, I see a lot of reason to be extremely confident, starting with the fact that the big three are the best threesome ever and I expect them to bring their A games. Not to mention that Geno has an unblemished track record in the finals.

However (and I'm hardly the first to point this out) Syracuse with a small, quick lineup and a tendency to shoot a lot of threes is the kind of team that has a shot even if it's a really, really long one. Now I know Syracuse hasn't shot well from three over the course of the season but they're 34-86 (just under 40%) over the last three games. Butler seems like a streaky shooter and she could get hot. Most importantly for 'Cuse's chances, taking a ton of threes is part of their game plan. To beat UConn you have to take (and make) a lot of threes. But, if that forces you out of your game, then you don't really have a chance. Syracuse can easily hoist thirty threes without changing their offense. And if they happen to get hot from beyond the arc it could be interesting.

Bottom line, I think they have a better chance than Texas or OSU. My prediction: 83-65.

 

[mdakota]

After we wrap up the NC... and they are interviewing Stewie... she should do a mic drop and walk away

 

[diggerfoot]

It is the nature of the fan to think that the next opponent faced is the most dangerous opponent to face in the tournament, with some just cause. After all, the next opponent face has at least made it thus far. Yet in the case of this senior class we have outperformed fan expectations save for three times: BYU, Dayton and Texas.

BYU had an inside presence and disciplined offense that Syracuse does not. Dayton had a disciplined offense that Syracuse does not. Texas got to see UConn in the tournament last year, removing the problem of adjustment opponents often face.

While losing Samuelson does give some pause that we might not outperform expectations, I do not see Syracuse as dangerous for us. Also, while Auriemma pulls back the tempo (and score) in many games, there's one noted exception, Syracuse, and Auriemma may once again have cause not to pull back for this very same team. Stewart in particular could, perhaps, see lots of minutes in this came. If I was a betting man I would take UConn and the points.

 

[shakes65]

Have to respect SU shooters....they have 4-5 shooters on floor at any one time. Their ability to drain the three reminds me of ND, but they do not play with the Irish's discipline. But their speed can be dangerous.

That said, if we play our game and DEFEND, DEFEND, DEFEND, our offense will come and we will deflate their bubble.

I am confident that Geno will be ready and the women will be ready as well. Go do it guys!

 

[Jeff H]

Syracuse doesn't shoot a high percentage from three or overall. They don't shoot that well from the line. They got out rebounded during the season whereas UConn had a plus 406 margin. The one thing they do well is turn the other team over. That looks to be their only chance. They need a lot more shots than UConn and I'll be shocked if UConn lets that happen.

 

[Waquoit]

If Cuse makes shots, their athleticism could make this a tough out. Losing a 3-pt shooter hurts UConn. It will be tough to shoot better than they did on Sunday.

 

[Plebe]

Syracuse doesn't shoot a high percentage from three or overall. They don't shoot that well from the line. They got out rebounded during the season whereas UConn had a plus 406 margin. The one thing they do well is turn the other team over. That looks to be their only chance. They need a lot more shots than UConn and I'll be shocked if UConn lets that happen.

They are also good at offensive rebounding. Long rebounds from 3-point misses are harder to defensive-rebound. UConn showed some vulnerability in this area against Texas, giving up 16 offensive rebounds in that game. By comparison, Washington gave up 17 O-boards to Syracuse. UConn will need to do better than that.

 

[huskies29]

After watching Syracuse last night against washington I don't see how this is not a 30 point plus win and another title. Washington was embarrassing slow, played no defense giving up one open shot after another and watching them attempt to dribble against the syracuse press it reminded me of a cyo team totally inept. Their passes were cringeworthy and if not for 1 player who hit 8 or 9 3's syracuse would have won by another 20. Against Uconn their press result will be a Uconn layup line. Uconn unlike washington will play suffocating defense and will not allow more than 1 syracuse shot at the basket. Uconn will slice up the syracuse defense like a knife thru butter and their bigs will have a field day with the inside of syracuse D. Geno has no love lost for this team and will try to beat them by 100 if he can. Syracuse has done a good job beating all the teams they did to get here. But unfortunately for them they now get the VARSITY tuesday night. This will be like the louisville final a few years back.

 

[Vowelguy]

It is the nature of the fan to think that the next opponent faced is the most dangerous opponent to face in the tournament.

Even before the Syr-Wash, I considered Syr more dangerous.
When you're an overwhelming favorite, a conventional opponent like Washington has very little chance.
A havoc team like Syracuse has a wider variance, and when you're the favorite, high-variance is not what you want.