UCONN vs. Baylor game plan | Page 2 | The Boneyard

UCONN vs. Baylor game plan

A little too optimistic. Baylor is the defending NC, and with Lauren Cox back, they will be a handful. If UConn wins, it will be extremely close, 2 or 3 points.
 
A little too optimistic. Baylor is the defending NC, and with Lauren Cox back, they will be a handful. If UConn wins, it will be extremely close, 2 or 3 points.
Sorry, being the defending NC has nothing to do with this season (especially against our Huskies).
Well, on second thought, maybe if you are the 2 or 3 time defending NC, it might. But only 1 team in recent years knows how that worked out...:rolleyes:

I feel kinda sad that BU is going to miss out on seeing our 11 NC banners when they walk onto the court.
 
It seems that some on here are worried about defending Baylor 3pt shooting.

Forget IT!

Baylor doesn't shoot the 3 often or with any great accuracy, for example:

50 percent on 2pt shots (145 for 288)

37 percent on 3pt shots (27 for 73)

If we subtract Landrum's 14 for 23 career night vs Arkansas (a game they won 111 to 43)
.... they are shooting 26 percent from the 3pt line (13 for 50)

Nah, 12 to 15 3pt shots, making 4 - sooo, they will be shooting mostly from 15 feet and in.


UCONN by 18
lol Baylor won’t lose by 18 I can guarantee that
 
The match ups are most likely going to be
Te’a Cooper vs Crystal Dangerfield
Juicy Landrum vs christyn Williams
DiDi Richards vs Megan walker
Lauren cox vs ONO
Nalyssa Smith vs Kyla Irwin or whoever starts for her
 
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Predict Geno will start Anna or give Kyla minimal minutes. While most of us want to see Kyla play as much as possible, team flow seems better when Kyla not in and against Baylor we will need every advantage.
 
Smith is a problem, biggest issue I see is ONO foul trouble.
I did notice Baylor had commited lots of fouls against Okla,
Cox 4, Smith 4, Landrum 4, Cooper 3 and Richards 2. That
could be an issue for Baylor against us. GO HUSKIES
 
I feel like Baylor is gonna be the Hardest Game. They are just so deep and If we get in foul trouble, We are doomed. I think Baylor will win it.
 
I feel like Baylor is gonna be the Hardest Game. They are just so deep and If we get in foul trouble, We are doomed. I think Baylor will win it.
Did you see Oregon womp on Colorado the other day? OMG they looked good. A very mature team, used to playing with each other for years, not having to think about anything. They were super aggressive and just surgically dismantled Colorado. I know - it WAS Colorado. But man, the Ducks looked VERY good. I'm nervous about them now.
 
Did you see Oregon womp on Colorado the other day? OMG they looked good. A very mature team, used to playing with each other for years, not having to think about anything. They were super aggressive and just surgically dismantled Colorado. I know - it WAS Colorado. But man, the Ducks looked VERY good. I'm nervous about them now.

I saw this as well. UCONN will earn its undefeated season this year. Baylor looks to have the advantage Thursday but the game is being played in Connecticut so that evens things out. Oregon looks like a championship team today period. Another quiet match up that i think UCONN will struggle with more so than usual this year is South Carolina. They literally have the talent to compete with UCONN and possibly win the game. Chances are higher than ever with this squad Dawn has put together. Easily a championship caliber team as well.
Title contenders below
UCONN
BAYLOR
OREGON
SOUTH CAROLINA
STANFORD

I’m not sold on the beavers yet ....
 
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Can we worry about Wichita St and SMU first??? Let’s game plan for Wichita St

Now that the SMU game is behind us, we can turn/focus our collective attention to Baylor. How do we beat them? :confused:
 
As of today, UCONN is a 4 1/2 point favorite vs. Baylor. We'll see it that changes during the week.
 
Predict Geno will start Anna or give Kyla minimal minutes. While most of us want to see Kyla play as much as possible, team flow seems better when Kyla not in and against Baylor we will need every advantage.
I’d have to say it’s 50/50 between Kyla and Anna. Anna plays better perimeter defense and is better with ball handling and driving to the basket, but Irwin has been better from the 3 pt line, is a better screener, and has shown she is very very good at the high post. Overall their passing is about equal. I hope they play together because I could see them playing off each other well.
 
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IMO there’s no wing tandem in the country like our 3 in Dangerfield-Williams-Walker. I expect Geno to have those three prepared to hunt for their buckets against Baylor, someone will drop 30 because they’ll have to for a win. Baylor’s guards are long but they aren’t our three girls.

ONO has her work cut out for her Thursday night but I hope she learns a lesson in just how aggressive we need her to be. Kyla needs to stay within herself & not let the big moment scare her. Aubrey & Anna need to be steady as subs and not panic as well. I’m excited for this game & think we’ll win if we score 70+
 
UConn has to speed up the game. Baylor is too big, physical & has too much quality depth if this turns into a half-court grind-it-out game.
 
Some thoughts on the upcoming Baylor game. Yes, Baylor is a very talented and physical team. But this Lady Bear team is not the same team that beat UConn in Waco last season and won the national championship.

6’7” Kalani Brown was a mismatch that demanded a double team in the low blocks. Playing alongside Cox, there was no team in the country that could match up with Baylor’s twin towers. That left the rest of Baylor’s team open for mid range jumpers or easy backside cuts to the basket for wide open rebounds or layups.

UConn is not the same team either. The Huskies have a talented 6’5” center who has an enormous upside in the starting lineup this year. The matchup between Liv and Cox will go a long way towards determining the outcome of the game on Thursday night. While I would certainly give the edge to Cox, there is some question as to her current fitness level coming back from a stress reaction in her foot. if Liv can reasonably hold her own, and stay out of foul trouble, UConn has an advantage in other areas that can be exploited.

As others have pointed out, Baylor’s schedule has been largely devoid of true road games, with only the less than competitive game at OK so far this season. The XL Center will be full of loud, enthusiastic UConn fans who will no doubt inspire the Huskies. At the same time, it will be interesting to see how the Lady Bears react in a hostile environment.

Baylor is a physical team, with the ability to pound an opponent inside. UConn has more outside shooters, with the ability to trade 3’s for 2’s. Both teams shoot a very respectable 38% from the arc, but UConn has taken almost 100 more 3-pt shots than Baylor so far this season. If the Huskies knock down their 3’s, it will be difficult for Baylor to stay with them.

One other potential advantage for UConn is in transition. The past few games UConn has started to pile up lots of easy transition baskets. In the open court, UConn’s speed and conditioning can neutralize Baylor’s size and strength. For that to be a factor, UConn must rebound effectively on the defensive boards and/or force turnovers.

One final advantage for UConn that sometimes gets overlooked, even on the BY. While Kim Mulkey is a solid and successful coach, nobody does a better job preparing a team for big games and making in game adjustments than Geno and his staff. Baylor typically overwhelms opponents with their size and talent. If that doesn’t initially work, there really is no Plan B. Geno will have lots of options to both attack and defend the Lady Bears.

In any event, this should be one hell of a game. WBB needs more matchups like Baylor vs UConn. Personally, I can’t wait for Thursday night.
 
Sorry, being the defending NC has nothing to do with this season (especially against our Huskies).
Well, on second thought, maybe if you are the 2 or 3 time defending NC, it might. But only 1 team in recent years knows how that worked out...:rolleyes:

I feel kinda sad that BU is going to miss out on seeing our 11 NC banners when they walk onto the court.
They have banners in the XL Center too.
 
If you are Geno and Kim what's your game plan on Offense and Defense for the UCONN vs. Baylor game? Who guards who?
Matchups
Cox-Irwin
Smith-ONO
Richards-Walker
Landrum-Williams
Cooper-Dangerfield

The keys for UCONN will be to keep Smith off the offensive boards and also keeping Landrum cold from deep. Offensively look for ONO to get many post isolation against Smith, because Smith is at times a sloppy foul prone defender. Irwin MUST hit shots from deep and be a facilitator in the mid range to keep the Baylor defense honest. The Baylor perimeter defenders are good but can be exploited by crisp ball movement to get wide open shots or backdoor cuts off the overplay on the wing.
BTW Megan Walker has Richards right where she wants her. In the McDonalds AA game a few years back Richards defended Walker pretty effectively and was even talking some trash. Megan has been steady in the lab since then=Megatron reboot.
 
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Matchups
Cox-Irwin
Smith-ONO
Richards-Walker
Landrum-Williams
Cooper-Dangerfield

The keys for UCONN will be to keep Smith off the offensive boards and also keeping Landrum cold from deep. Offensively look for ONO to get many post isolation against Smith, because Smith is at times a sloppy foul prone defender. Irwin MUST hit shots from deep and be a facilitator in the mid range to keep the Baylor defense honest. The Baylor perimeter defenders are good but can be exploited by crisp ball movement to get wide open shots or backdoor cuts off the overplay on the wing.
BTW Megan Walker has Richards right where she wants her. In the McDonalds AA game a few years back Richards defended Walker pretty effectively and was even talking some trash. Megan has been steady in the lab since then=Megatron reboot.
I like Cox vs Kyla, but not as a steady diet, Kyla will move her feet on D and perhaps earn a charging foul or two on Cox. But if Cox gets the ball in the low blocks, there is not much Kyla will be able to do to stop her. I suspect Geno will game plan several defensive options to contain Cox.
 
I like Cox vs Kyla, but not as a steady diet, Kyla will move her feet on D and perhaps earn a charging foul or two on Cox. But if Cox gets the ball in the low blocks, there is not much Kyla will be able to do to stop her. I suspect Geno will game plan several defensive options to contain Cox.
I would hope so but, with all due respect, I hope one of them isn't Kyla. Liv is the only player we have even close to Cox's size (height only, not real 'size'), and Cox is an extremely skilled and experienced big. She would eat Kyla alive.

In fact I'm worried about Kyla regardless of who she matches up with - all of Baylor's players are much more athletic than SMU's, and much more athletic than Kyla. And on offense, as someone mentioned about the game yesterday, all of Kyla's points came before SMU decided they actually needed to guard her. Then zero. And that was SMU, not Baylor. We need everyone to be a scoring threat, and we need athletes on defense against Baylor. This may be Aubrey's day to shine.
 
I would hope so but, with all due respect, I hope one of them isn't Kyla. Liv is the only player we have even close to Cox's size (height only, not real 'size'), and Cox is an extremely skilled and experienced big. She would eat Kyla alive.

In fact I'm worried about Kyla regardless of who she matches up with
- all of Baylor's players are much more athletic than SMU's, and much more athletic than Kyla. And on offense, as someone mentioned about the game yesterday, all of Kyla's points came before SMU decided they actually needed to guard her. Then zero. And that was SMU, not Baylor. We need everyone to be a scoring threat, and we need athletes on defense against Baylor. This may be Aubrey's day to shine.
The matchup of Irwin on Cox is not Ideal but a worse matchup would be to put Kyla on Smith. Smith is an elite "athlete" with inside outside game that Kyla cannot contest.
Cox is 2 inches taller than Kyla but far less springy and less mobile than Smith.
 
The matchup of Irwin on Cox is not Ideal but a worse matchup would be to put Kyla on Smith. Smith is an elite "athlete" with inside outside game that Kyla cannot contest.
Cox is 2 inches taller than Kyla but far less springy and less mobile than Smith.
Agree. What's wrong with Liv on Cox and Aubrey on Smith? (Well.. other than Cox has 50 pounds on Liv, and Smith has a couple years experience on Aubrey. Still has to be better than Kyla on Cox IMO)
 
Agree. What's wrong with Liv on Cox and Aubrey on Smith? (Well.. other than Cox has 50 pounds on Liv, and Smith has a couple years experience on Aubrey. Still has to be better than Kyla on Cox IMO)
Aubrey is not a starter. Depends on how the rotations shape up. Egbo and DeGarte are coming off the bench for Baylor. Megan Walker would be my next choice to guard Smith if you are determined to put ONO on Cox to start the game. Cox is also not a traditional low post, back to the basket player. She is faceup foul line extended. You put Liv on Cox and it takes Liv out of rebounding position (and lets Smith in) and negates Liv's ability to protect the rim. 3 X 2 zone with Kyla and Liv at the base also works in stretches but we may be giving up too many O boards.
 
I had assumed that Liv would guard Cox, but the Kyla option appeals to me for just the reasons that CocoHusky stated. Cox is the least quick and least mobile of the Baylor starters, especially since this is her second game back from her injury. And she will have help. The matchup will be similar to Stef's successful defense against Chiney Ogwumike a few years ago.

I think fans, including Boneyarders, overrate the importance of raw athleticism in forecasting a game like this. Some people seem to think that if UConn had five Aubreys (of appropriate height for their positions) in its starting lineup, they would be unbeatable. It ain't so -- coaches like Geno and Mulkey understand the importance of operating in the system and playing smart.

If UConn wins on Thursday, it will be because intelligent team play overcomes raw athletic talent. I think that is exactly what will happen.
 
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