UConn vs. Notre Dame (Match Up Analysis)

[Cuango]

Hey, what about Providence?

Seriously, I would match Miles and Nika, Fudd and Mabrey in the comparison sheet since I think that is how the matchups will look from the ND side at least. And I would make Nika / Miles even and Fudd super edge on Mabrey unless you count cheap fouls

I’m not sure how anyone could fail to give Miles an edge, a substantial one, over Nika. I love Nika but let’s face it, Miles is averaging 16 pts, 7.5 boards, 6.7 assists, 2.8 steals, 3 turnovers with 2.2 fouls. Nika- 4 pts, 3.2 boards, 10.8 assists, 2.8 steals, 3 turnovers, with 2 fouls. Miles shooting percentages are 48, 31, and 80 while Nika shoots 40, 33, and 83. Hopefully, Nika can defend her well enough to even those numbers out some but she’s going to have to watch her fouls (which she has admittedly been doing a great job at) Again, I have faith Nika will leave it all on the court, and find a way to put the clamps on Miles, but she’s certainly not the favorite statistically in that matchup.

 

[Bone Dog]

I’d think of the Nika-Miles matchup not in terms of comparing stats, but in terms of removing a piece from the chess board. Nika kept Caitlin from dominating the game and she’ll do the same with Miles. She’s not going to outscore her, but I suspect she’ll out assist her and maybe even keep her off the boards. If Miles scores 12 with 4 rebounds and 5 assists, while Nika scores 6 with 11 assists and 4 rebounds, she’ll have done her job. But I can also dream higher and Nika so frustrates Miles that she gets two technicals and is ejected.

 

[eebmg]

I’m not sure how anyone could fail to give Miles an edge, a substantial one, over Nika. I love Nika but let’s face it, Miles is averaging 16 pts, 7.5 boards, 6.7 assists, 2.8 steals, 3 turnovers with 2.2 fouls. Nika- 4 pts, 3.2 boards, 10.8 assists, 2.8 steals, 3 turnovers, with 2 fouls. Miles shooting percentages are 48, 31, and 80 while Nika shoots 40, 33, and 83. Hopefully, Nika can defend her well enough to even those numbers out some but she’s going to have to watch her fouls (which she has admittedly been doing a great job at) Again, I have faith Nika will leave it all on the court, and find a way to put the clamps on Miles, but she’s certainly not the favorite statistically in that matchup.

Well, Nika is more important to her team than stats. Subjective I know but what the heck.

 

[Gus Mahler]

Always interesting see how the competition sizes up one's players and competition.
I'll comment on a few things I've seen and attach some stat sheets for your review and context setting and I'll ponder some match-ups from the ND perspective.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish 2023-24 Women's College Basketball Stats - ESPN

Visit ESPN for Notre Dame Fighting Irish live scores, video highlights, and latest news. Find standings and the full 2023-24 season schedule.

www.espn.com

- If you go to this attachment, you'll see that Miles and Citron are not only ND's leading scorer, they're also ND's leading rebounders. Quite candidly, they're the engines that drive ND. Miles is the flashier and more outwardly intense of the two, but don't fool yourself, Citron is a critical factor -- she'll plays the most minutes for the Irish.

- If you judge ND's inside game by traditional input (centers and bigs scoring) perhaps they're suspect (but I don't buy that). However -- and this is where they're interesting -- Citron and KK Bransford crash the offensive boards -- Citron with her vision and adeptness and Branford with brute force. So, guards are part of the inside scoring equation.

- Where ND is suspect, in my opinion, is that Mabrey is pretty much the only guaranteed source of downtown shooting, unless Citron makes a point of it. However, Citron tends to let the game come to her and she'll take what is given her.

- Miles has improved as a ball handler. Zip turnovers against ASU. Her one-armed passes are more accurate.

- I'm intrigued by how the Irish match up defensively against UConn. Ivey has been emphasizing man to man a lot this fall, but they can slip into zone at any given time. If they do go man, the natural match-up is putting Citron on Senechal or Ducharme.
However, I have a suspicion that if you see Azzi warm up, you'll see a rotation of guards play her, including Bransford and possibly even Citron, who is a long guard who knows Azzi from national team duty.

- Muhl on Miles is something I can see and understand. That will be crucial for both teams. If Muhl can bulldog and frustrate Miles, big advantage to UConn. But if Muhl gets into foul trouble, watch for Miles to drive incessantly. She's taller, smoother and stronger than you think. Should be a great match-up.

Enjoyed your post.

 

[cgshuskie]

Nika will do just fine against Miles. Nika's defense will keep Miles from being a great force. Otherwise, Uconn has more footspeed than the Irish. Azzi will dominate. Aalijah and Aubrey can take care of the boards, with help from Ayanna.

 

[Dillon77]

Enjoyed your post.

Thx. Appreciate it.
I'm looking forward to the game.

 

[Deadrody]

I would match Nika and Miles as well, but Miles has the edge. Agree with you on Azzi having the super edge on Mabrey. Bransford is a much better defender and is physical, so hopefully she's ready for a big game.

I think that depends on how you define success and failure. Nika was matched up with Caitlin Clark in the Iowa game and Clark scored 25 pts. Advantage Clark ? Meh. She had to put up 24 shots to get 25 points and Nika was busy handing out 13 assists. I'll be surprised if any opposing player ends up with the advantage over Nika this season.

 

[cgshuskie]

Deadrody you've got it right!!!! No 'advantage' over Nika, it won't happen! It's going to be a struggle for each opponent! Nika is boss....

 

[HuskyNan]

I’m not sure how anyone could fail to give Miles an edge, a substantial one, over Nika. I love Nika but let’s face it, Miles is averaging 16 pts, 7.5 boards, 6.7 assists, 2.8 steals, 3 turnovers with 2.2 fouls. Nika- 4 pts, 3.2 boards, 10.8 assists, 2.8 steals, 3 turnovers, with 2 fouls. Miles shooting percentages are 48, 31, and 80 while Nika shoots 40, 33, and 83. Hopefully, Nika can defend her well enough to even those numbers out some but she’s going to have to watch her fouls (which she has admittedly been doing a great job at) Again, I have faith Nika will leave it all on the court, and find a way to put the clamps on Miles, but she’s certainly not the favorite statistically in that matchup.

I am not denigrating Miles in any way beca she’s a terrific player but her numbers this season is against teams with an average Massey score of 105

 

[HuskyNan]

I’m not sure how anyone could fail to give Miles an edge, a substantial one, over Nika. I love Nika but let’s face it, Miles is averaging 16 pts, 7.5 boards, 6.7 assists, 2.8 steals, 3 turnovers with 2.2 fouls. Nika- 4 pts, 3.2 boards, 10.8 assists, 2.8 steals, 3 turnovers, with 2 fouls. Miles shooting percentages are 48, 31, and 80 while Nika shoots 40, 33, and 83. Hopefully, Nika can defend her well enough to even those numbers out some but she’s going to have to watch her fouls (which she has admittedly been doing a great job at) Again, I have faith Nika will leave it all on the court, and find a way to put the clamps on Miles, but she’s certainly not the favorite statistically in that matchup.

Nika’s numbers are against teams with an average Massey of 58, or 18 if we take Northeastern out (hey, I’m a biased UConn fan)

 

[sun]

Miles' bio & statistics page lists many notable accomplishments from last season that I wasn't aware of.
It shows that she's nationally recognized for being a great player when she was only a freshman.

Olivia Miles

und.com

 

[Dillon77]

I think that depends on how you define success and failure. Nika was matched up with Caitlin Clark in the Iowa game and Clark scored 25 pts. Advantage Clark ? Meh. She had to put up 24 shots to get 25 points and Nika was busy handing out 13 assists. I'll be surprised if any opposing player ends up with the advantage over Nika this season.

Deadrody you've got it right!!!! No 'advantage' over Nika, it won't happen! It's going to be a struggle for each opponent! Nika is boss....

I'm struck by your phrase "how you define success and failure" and would add "how it fits into overall team objectives." I'd submit to you that Iowa has very different expectations for Clark than most teams would: Clark is a high-volume shooter, who has taken 132 shots, as opposed to Azzi Fudd's 94 and ND's Sonia Citron and 'Liv Miles, both of whom have taken (only) 64 shots thus far. I'm sure Iowa would've liked Clark to shoot better in the game, particularly three pointers, and I think that's where Muhl helped the cause. However, she actually shot pretty well from two-point range. For UConn, Muhl had 13 assists, as you wrote, which is her forte. Geno expects her to lead the break and run the half-court offense and so far, she's been exceptional.

Miles does a lot of things for ND (score, rebound, assist, steals), much like Clark. However, as pointed out, she does not shoot high-volume like CC. What she does do, like Muhl, is make sure the entire offense runs. It notably stalls when Miles is out. As I pointed out, if Nika can slow down Miles, she slows down ND. Team objective met. On the other hand, if Miles can adjust to what Muhl is doing (score more or pass more), maybe the other way around. That's how one can define success and failure.

Should be critical and fun match-up on Sunday.

 

[npignatjr]

Exactly! Caitlin was not "shut down" she was contained. She has been contained in both games against UCONN in her career.

Remember this "scored her season average"?

 

[Minicoop69]

There will be a lot of lime green

There are still some tickets left. I will be in section 111 rocking UConn gear!!!!

 

[SVCBeercats]

I’ll be interested in whether Geno puts Nika on Miles. If she does, Miles can get very rattled by having someone in her grill (Doris Burke reference), as does Mabrey. (part of the gene pool).

Fact: Notre Dame averages 31 foul shots per game. UCONN averages 16 per game.
Add in fouls not resulting in a free throws and UCONN will be hard pressed to weather the storm of fouls. Will they get into Nika's grill stimulating an unfortunate response? She and Lou are a bit prone to foul. Particularly charges and blocking fouls. You know they will be flopping against Lou and Azzi until they foul them out or simply neutralize them with 4 fouls. They are also one of the top three rebounding teams in the country. This will be a trying game without Dorka to help rebound and absorb some of the fouls. This will be a white knuckle game.

 

[Bone Dog]

Fact: Notre Dame averages 31 foul shots per game. UCONN averages 16 per game.
Add in fouls not resulting in a free throws and UCONN will be hard pressed to weather the storm of fouls. Will they get into Nika's grill stimulating an unfortunate response? She and Lou are a bit prone to foul. Particularly charges and blocking fouls. You know they will be flopping against Lou and Azzi until they foul them out or simply neutralize them with 4 fouls. They are also one of the top three rebounding teams in the country. This will be a trying game without Dorka to help rebound and absorb some of the fouls. This will be a white knuckle game.

Fact: ND are notorious floppers. 31 fouls, Pfffft. In the last game, Paige got fed up with all the flopping and in the second half gave them some of their own medicine, hanging fouls one each of them—Miles Mabry Citron. It was like a warning shot across the bow — “cut the crap, because I can beat you at this game.”

 

[SVCBeercats]

Fact: ND are notorious floppers. 31 fouls, Pfffft. In the last game, Paige got fed up with all the flopping and in the second half gave them some of their own medicine, hanging fouls one each of them—Miles Mabry Citron. It was like a warning shot across the bow — “cut the crap, because I can beat you at this game.”

Oops! I didn't realize Paige was playing this Sunday in South Bend. Paige is head and shoulders better than any of UCONN's players. Azzi is outstanding but Paige is transcendent.

 

[The deacon]

Caitlin shot 9/24, 2/11 from 3. 25 points on 24 shots. Points really only tell half the story.

No matter how she does it, the Huskies don't want Olivia scoring 25. Points pretty much tell the story on the scoreboard.

 

[Bone Dog]

Paige is head and shoulders better than any of UCONN's players. Azzi is outstanding but Paige is transcendent.

I'm pretty sure Azzi would disagree with this assessment... or haven't you seen hundreds of their videos together?

 

[cgshuskie]

Nika'a job will be to slow Miles down and contain her. This is well within Nika's gameplan. It will be bare knuckles but Nika is up to the task. Well within her wheelhouse!!!!!!!!

 

[cferraro04]

Since this thread already exist, it saves me the trouble to set it up...however, I feel that even though we should beat Providence by a lot...having this thread before the Providence game is played is in a way a "diss" to their team. But, with four pages of responses I might as well get into the mix no disrespect intended to the Friars.

This game is one that both fan bases tend to mark off on the calendar. ND and UConn have developed a sort of rivalry over the years. It isn't about who has more wins but more about the energy surrounding the game and the intensity at which the game is played. Ms. Diggins, Ms. Lloyd, Ms Turner and others deserve some credit for getting it rolling and after the romantic break-up of the Tennessee and UConn marriage the ND/UConn rivalries took on a life of their own.

This promises to be a close one...I am not sure I would call it a barn burner this early in the season but I am sure this one will have its moments. I expect the back courts of both teams to be dynamic and competitive...much has been said about the Miles/Citron duo and deservedly so. However, the Fudd/Lopez-Senechal back-court is quickly developing into one of the best in the country. Should be interesting to see how this one shakes out (I can only dream about next year's match-up with Paige and Fudd...I know, I know...Paige will get zero minutes in this one but one can only dream). So, here we go...

Kylee Watson vs Aaliyah Edwards - This one should clearly belong to Aaliyah as I see a potential All American season coming from her. I don't see her double-double average as being in jeopardy here. Simple enough if she stays out of foul trouble..she should have a good night in South Bend. Advantage - UConn

Matty Westbeld vs Aubrey Griffin - While she has started every game and more than likely will start this one Matty's minutes have been inconsistent...she averaged over 20 minutes per game in 4 of the games and averaged 14 minutes in the other two. She may be dealing with an injury and the coaches are managing her time. Aubrey has been a bright spot for the team since returning to the line-up. It was hard to tell what we were going to get with Aubrey given the almost 2 years she was out of the line-up with various injuries. but who can complain about 12.2 and 5.4...given the other players who are on the bench with injuries this has been a God-send. But, her stats only tell a part of the story...her explosiveness to the basket and her crashing the boards, her defensive intensity and the fact that she has added a shooting touch to her game...should be helpful in getting UConn a win. Advantage - UConn

Sonia Citron vs Lou Lopez-Senechal - Lou ability to score and Citron's relentless attacks on the basket should at least offensively off-set each other...however, Cintron's ability to rebound the basketball I think will have a greater impact on the game from this position. Advantage - Notre Dame

Olivia Miles vs Nika Muhl - both players have similar height and weight but both bring different skill sets to the game. Olivia is Notre Dame's most impactful player 16 points, 7.5 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 2.8 steals a game mean that Olivia represents the "head of the snake". Nika has gained a reputation as a tough, tenacious player. Her ability to play on-ball defense can be bothersome to many players. However, foul trouble could bring a quick end to that quality. I almost rather Nika didn't have to play Olivia but frankly given Notre Dames height and talent in the other positions almost makes Nika the best person for the job. Can she hold Olivia to below average performance numbers? That could be big...but, Olivia is a proven player and probably will let the game come to her and be able to perform as usual. She is playing in front of the home crowd so I look for a good performance from Olivia. Advantage - Notre Dame

Dara Mabry vs Azzi Fudd - Two sharp shooters but, let's be real here has anyone seen a better 3 ball shooter than Azzi Fudd? And, hasn't Azzi Fudd shown that she is more than a 3 point shooter. Azzi is averaging 25.6 per game against some pretty stiff competition. I think most of us have seen enough Mabrey women over the past decade to be really glad when Dara finally leaves...please tell me there aren't any more of them coming. I think this match-up is interesting but I am going to go with our next All American on this one. Fudd is a star in the making and she will shine bright in this one. Advantage - UConn

Intangibles - Well this game will be played in South Bend...that won't be helpful. We have seen some "home cooking" in years past but I am taking the high road on this one and expect a clean, hard fought game...hopefully, we will not see any flip-flopping in this one. Notre Dame makes a living in the paint but that is because their guards score a lot in the paint along with their bigs. UConn will need to be on their game with regards to their interior defense. Notre Dame shoots 29 FTs per game to UConn 12.2 per game...this is a very concerning stat. Advantage - Notre Dame

Bench - Both benches will be shortened in this one. I think both teams will get production out of 7 players with Notre Dame possibly going 8 deep. With that being said...we are fortunate to have Caroline finding her way back to her normal self 14 last game here is to hoping she can build off of that. But, Ebo and KK off the bench will probably give Notre Dame the edge. Slight Advantage - Notre Dame

Coaching - Niele and her staff are good but, Geno, Chris and the UConn staff are the best... Advantage - UConn

I think UConn wins this one by 7 points: UConn - 79 Notre Dame - 72

 

[Conndog]

Miles and Citron are two of the best guards UConn will face all year. How they do against UConn will determine game outcome, I believe. Hope that Lou has good game shooting, but Caroline needs to continue getting time and scoring points. If Lou and Caroline can outperform Citron, UConn wins 82 - 68.

 

[my2cents]

I’m not sure how anyone could fail to give Miles an edge, a substantial one, over Nika. I love Nika but let’s face it, Miles is averaging 16 pts, 7.5 boards, 6.7 assists, 2.8 steals, 3 turnovers with 2.2 fouls. Nika- 4 pts, 3.2 boards, 10.8 assists, 2.8 steals, 3 turnovers, with 2 fouls. Miles shooting percentages are 48, 31, and 80 while Nika shoots 40, 33, and 83. Hopefully, Nika can defend her well enough to even those numbers out some but she’s going to have to watch her fouls (which she has admittedly been doing a great job at) Again, I have faith Nika will leave it all on the court, and find a way to put the clamps on Miles, but she’s certainly not the favorite statistically in that matchup.

Enough already with the individual match up comparisons. Last I looked, basketball was a team game, and not a combo of one-on-ones.
The only comparison between Nika and Myles is they both control the ball and initiate their teams offense. Both are very good at the roles they play for their teams.

 

[CONNCAN]

Well guess what UCONN Fans, our favorite ESPN prognosticator, Charlie Creme is predicting a Notre Dame victory over our UCONN Huskies. (knowing his historical track record, over the years, I am fine with his prediction, as the odds of a UCONN win, now are in our favor, given "Choo Choo Charlie's" pick.

Creme: I should know better than to pick against UConn. No team has impressed me more than the Huskies so far this season. But I am taking Notre Dame to win Sunday. UConn's schedule is just so tough. Eventually, the Huskies are going to have an off night against one of these elite teams, right? As good as they have been against the Texas Longhorns, NC State and Iowa, this game against the Irish will be their first true road game. Finding that extra gear might just be a bit more difficult away from home. And regardless of which team wins, who isn't giddy at the idea of seeing Olivia Miles and Azzi Fudd, the two best young guards in the country, on the same court?

 

[sun]

UConn will be missing Dorka.
But then Ducharme has a clutch gene.
Will Ayanna be an overall plus or a minus?
It's impossible to predict how the fouls that are called will affect UConn's game & substitutions.
But it often seems that the refs give the home team a slight advantage.
Will more of the fouls called be blocks or charges, and against which team?
Almost time to flip a coin, it could be a nail biter.