UConn vs. Stanford

[semper]

Chiney et co. are very much in the news. Will we beat them? How and why? They are really looking good. Let's have some thoughts about where we are vs. them, and where we will be when gametime comes.

 

[UcMiami]

Stanford is a very well coached talented team - no question on that. But I think on a player by player basis the match-ups favor Uconn players most of the time both for the starting five and for the bench. I call the coaching a draw and the player talent weighted to Uconn. It should be a good game and anything can happen on any given day, but if they played 10 times I would expect Uconn to win 8 of the games and maybe more.
Stanford had a big win against Baylor, but if both teams were healthy in a rematch, I would expect Baylor to be favored.
Side note - people keep looking for a Tuck comparison - I think the best (early days yet) may be to one of the O sisters.

 

[Tonyc]

The only game that concerns me this season is the @Stanford game. They are a very well coached team, a very disiplined team and they have height and can shoot the trey. Which is similiar to UConn. UConn dosnt lose this game but I do think it will be a good game. UConns pressure is going to haunt Stanford and Stanfords outside shooters demand UConn come out and guard them. I dont think Stanford or any other team in WCBB has an answer for UConns twin towers. Uconn will win the game down low. I also think UConn is to quick and to balanced to defend the way they need to be defended. UConn will have to work for this win but should have the game in hand and win by double digets.​

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Breanna brings a whole different angle to the game because she can do so much with he length and athleticism. She is unlike any other post player in WBB. Much like Diana she makes everybody around her better with her presence and therefore can not get in early foul trouble. In big games UConn needs her on the floor.​

 

[chrissaran]

No doubt Tara is a great coach, but to call the coaching equal is ridiculous. When was the last time Stanford won the National Championship. I believe it was 1992. UConn has won seven National Championships since 1995, including four undefeated seasons. Also, Stanford has had a lot of talent over the years.

 

[reno tony]

I watched the UCD/Stanford game on video streaming last night and Chiney looked great but that was it. Their offensive rebounding was unbelievable... I stopped counting at around 500. They won't have that against UCONN. One time they had five or six offensive rebounds on one posession. They would hit the boards hard offensively without a care about defense. They will pay dearly if they do that against UCONN. They seemed like an above average team except for Chiney. Their ball movement was average and their defense looked porous. There were a lot of 10-12 footers that were mildly contested by Stanford but UCD couldn't convert. They looked like they knew they were a much superior team and didn't care about playing up to their standards. It seems odd saying these things about a team that won by 49 points but it was the impression I got while watching the game. Stanford didn't look like a team that could beat UCONN.

 

[Suebird10fan]

UConn by 18 to 20. Stanford hasn't shown me that much. Chiney is fantastic. You could make a case that she's the second best player in the country. After that, not all that impressive. Yes, they beat Baylor but only because Sims got hurt in the first few minutes. For most of the game Baylor outplayed Stanford. They just dug themselves too deep a hole during the minutes after Sims went down.

On a neutral court, I don't think there's any way Stanford beats UConn (assuming Stewie and KML are healthy). At Staples, the Cardinal might make a game of it. But I doubt it.

 

[Alydar]

I've seen too many poorly officiated games at Maples to be confident of UConn winning there. In their 2 games at Maples the trees have been called for 6 & 9 fouls. In the rest of their games they averaged about 15 fouls. I think UConn has the depth to overcome foul trouble but if Stanford has 25-30 ft's they could pull it out.

 

[easttexastrash]

Had Sims not gone down DURING the game, even with Johnson at the point, Baylor would have beaten Stanford. Johnson wasn't ready to be leader of the team without a full game under her belt. Had Mulkey moved Hayden to the point instead of using Johnson it would have been a Baylor win. That's WITHOUT the best PG in the nation. But Mulkey wanted to see Johnson perform and it will pay off in the long run.

UCONN, IMO, is going to beat Stanford by 25+. I could be wrong but I just don't see any team other than Baylor with a shot at UCONN. There's just too much talent...plus Geno.

 

[cardfan]

good article by Ann Killion on Nneka-less Cardinal team.

http://www.sfgate.com/collegesports/article/Stanford-women-win-without-big-sister-4084264.php

 

[speedoo]

good article by Ann Killion on Nneka-less Cardinal team.

http://www.sfgate.com/collegesports/article/Stanford-women-win-without-big-sister-4084264.php

Hard to take that article seriously when despite all the ink about the win over Baylor, the absence of Sims is never mentioned.

Nice puff piece for Stanford fans. Otherwise, a worthless article.

 

[cardfan]

Hard to take that article seriously when despite all the ink about the win over Baylor, the absence of Sims is never mentioned.

Nice puff piece for Stanford fans. Otherwise, a worthless article.

Stanford and Chiney played Griner great. That was the pt, especially after Nneka's team lost to BU last year when Chiney was in foul trouble much of the game. Chiney learned from that loss and took it to Griner. That is not fluff.

 

[speedoo]

Stanford and Chiney played Griner great. That was the pt, especially after Nneka's team lost to BU last year when Chiney was in foul trouble much of the game. Chiney learned from that loss and took it to Griner. That is not fluff.

The most important factor in the game was the absence of Sims and the article failed to even mention that. Unless you are a Stanford fan, it's a puff piece.

 

[jsloanjr]

I agree with easttexastrash that UCONN will win by 20+.........Too many shooters and now they're defense will be so much sharper come Dec 29th.........Watch how bad they beat MD and Penn State this week and then you tell me who will get within 30 points......Geno has been waiting for this year....

 

[Tonyc]

The game is being played at Stanford. Not many fouls have been called in their last couple of games. I hope that dosnt change with UConn in town. If we stay out of foul trouble especially early I do believe it will be a blowout.

 

[EricLA]

No doubt Tara is a great coach, but to call the coaching equal is ridiculous.

UCONN's record all time vs. Stanford is 6-6 with 2 of those losses coming recently in the NCAA's. Additionally, last year when the two teams played, UCONN won by "only" 10. I was one who thought for sure our speed in the guard spots would be way too much for the Cardinal. But apparently that wasn't a factor at all.

Tara is great a coach at masking her own teams' weaknesses and maximizing a game plan to stop the other teams' strengths. Obviously I think Geno is a better coach, but if it's the case, it sure isn't by much and Tara is outstanding at making a game plan to disrupt what the other team does well.

As to how the teams fare this year, I would not be surprised to see a 10-15 point UCONN win. However, this game will tell the fans a lot about just how good this UCONN team is. So I also would not be surprised to see a 25+ point win. I agree with Tony that Breanna needs to stay out of foul trouble, and on paper, it would appear that UCONN has too many ways to score for Stanford to be able to hang.

And like most teams, Stanford has no one like Breanna. HOWEVER, in man to man matchups, I could see Dolson on Tinkle, Stewart on Ogwumike, Lewis on Ruef, and Hartley/Faris on Orange/Kokenis. Ogwumike is the closest to the type of player I could see shutting down Stewart.

Against Gonzaga yesterday, Stanford basically only played 7 players - starters of Kokenis, Orange, Ruef, Ogwumike and Tinkle. Greenfield was a monster off the bench and Camp also got 11 minutes. UCONN is much deeper, so we will see if that's a factor.

 

[Icebear]

I believe the record is 7-6 in favor of UConn.

 

[cardfan]

UCONN's record all time vs. Stanford is 6-6 with 2 of those losses coming recently in the NCAA's. Additionally, last year when the two teams played, UCONN won by "only" 10. I was one who thought for sure our speed in the guard spots would be way too much for the Cardinal. But apparently that wasn't a factor at all.

Tara is great a coach at masking her own teams' weaknesses and maximizing a game plan to stop the other teams' strengths. Obviously I think Geno is a better coach, but if it's the case, it sure isn't by much and Tara is outstanding at making a game plan to disrupt what the other team does well.

As to how the teams fare this year, I would not be surprised to see a 10-15 point UCONN win. However, this game will tell the fans a lot about just how good this UCONN team is. So I also would not be surprised to see a 25+ point win. I agree with Tony that Breanna needs to stay out of foul trouble, and on paper, it would appear that UCONN has too many ways to score for Stanford to be able to hang.

And like most teams, Stanford has no one like Breanna. HOWEVER, in man to man matchups, I could see Dolson on Tinkle, Stewart on Ogwumike, Lewis on Ruef, and Hartley/Faris on Orange/Kokenis. Ogwumike is the closest to the type of player I could see shutting down Stewart.

Against Gonzaga yesterday, Stanford basically only played 7 players - starters of Kokenis, Orange, Ruef, Ogwumike and Tinkle. Greenfield was a monster off the bench and Camp also got 11 minutes. UCONN is much deeper, so we will see if that's a factor.

Imho, Geno having more NCs necessarily doesn't make him the better coach than Tara. Could Geno get the same type of talented player he has now, at Stanford? It's about the players.

 

[alexrgct]

Imho, Geno having more NCs necessarily doesn't make him the better coach than Tara. Could Geno get the same type of talented player he has now, at Stanford? It's about the players.

Of course he could. How is UConn an easier sell than Stanford? And I don't want to hear about the academic standards for admission screening out so many good players- that's bogus. The academic prestige of Stanford attracts as many good players as it screens out, plus the admissions criteria are NOT the same for a regular kid trying to get in. They admit athletes early, which means they're in a completely different pool from anyone else. Basically, you have to have good grades and SATs, but you don't have to be someone who would have been admitted on the basis of academic credentials alone as part of the general applicant pool.

 

[doggydaddy]

Imho, Geno having more NCs necessarily doesn't make him the better coach than Tara. Could Geno get the same type of talented player he has now, at Stanford? It's about the players.

Being a better coach makes Geno a better coach.

 

[UConn990411]

Imho, Geno having more NCs necessarily doesn't make him the better coach than Tara. Could Geno get the same type of talented player he has now, at Stanford? It's about the players.

Aside from this being the weakest argument I've ever heard in my life (LOL at Storrs, CT being an easier sell than Stanford), I'll give you one stat that should end this debate: Geno's record in the National Championship is 7-0.

Game over.

 

[cardfan]

Of course he could. How is UConn an easier sell than Stanford? And I don't want to hear about the academic standards for admission screening out so many good players- that's bogus. The academic prestige of Stanford attracts as many good players as it screens out, plus the admissions criteria are NOT the same for a regular kid trying to get in. They admit athletes early, which means they're in a completely different pool from anyone else. Basically, you have to have good grades and SATs, but you don't have to be someone who would have been admitted on the basis of academic credentials alone as part of the general applicant pool.

You are completely wrong about admissions at Stanford. They do not admit athletes early. And yes, they have to meet the same requirements as all students and they follow the same process as the general applicant pool. In 2011, 2, 437 freshman were admitted and just over 34,000 applied.

 

[Tonyc]

I respect Tara as a very good coach. Geno has set himself far and above any coach in WCBB. IMO he is the Vince Lombardi of WCBB. Conradt and Summitt have had their day, now Geno is rewriting the record books. By the time he's finished he will hold every record in WCBB.

As far as getting the best players. Thats part of coaching. Geno has built a reputation and team that attracks many of the top players out of HS and AAU. He dosnt get them all but he get enough so that when they do come to UConn they understand that making the FF and Winning Championships isnt a pipe dream its a reality.

 

[cardfan]

Aside from this being the weakest argument I've ever heard in my life (LOL at Storrs, CT being an easier sell than Stanford), I'll give you one stat that should end this debate: Geno's record in the National Championship is 7-0.

Game over.

It's about the recruiting pool and getting top players. It is easier at UConn because they have a bigger pool, as do most all schools than Stanford. Of course Stanford is a draw, but not all can get it in.

 

[OneTrickPony]

You are completely wrong about admissions at Stanford. They do not admit athletes early. And yes, they have to meet the same requirements as all students and they follow the same process as the general applicant pool. In 2011, 2, 437 freshman were admitted and just over 34,000 applied.

Not remotely true, Cardfan...I had a friend in high school that got a Stanford football scholly...unless things have changed pretty dramatically in the last 40 years...possible I guess (tempus fugit)...the standards were substantially relaxed...

 

[cardfan]

I respect Tara as a very good coach. Geno has set himself far and above any coach in WCBB. IMO he is the Vince Lombardi of WCBB. Conradt and Summitt have had their day, now Geno is rewriting the record books. By the time he's finished he will hold every record in WCBB.

As far as getting the best players. Thats part of coaching. Geno has built a reputation and team that attracks many of the top players out of HS and AAU. He dosnt get them all but he get enough so that when they do come to UConn they understand that making the FF and Winning Championships isnt a pipe dream its a reality.

Tara and Stanford have attracted many of the top players too, but the pool is given the 10% admission rate. He doesn't get all the talent? How many #1 h.s. players has he got over the years, 8? And how many in a row? Stanford got 2 in 27 years under Tara, both O sisters (two years apart).