UConn vs. Texas

[chrissaran]

Texas has the experience of having played UConn last year. When a team has played UConn before, they tend to do better. Texas will do better. UConn 92-57. That's 16 points better than last year.

 

[Sonny44]

What do you tell your kids when they were beaten by 50 last year?

 

[Lobo50Fan]

What do you tell your kids when they were beaten by 50 last year?

Try to cut it to 49 instead?

 

[Carnac]

Texas has the experience of having played UConn last year. When a team has played UConn before, they tend to do better. Texas will do better. UConn 92-57. That's 16 points better than last year.

That's true. USF plays UConn 3 times a year. Sometimes they do better than last time, sometimes they don't. Go figure. UConn (I'll be conservative here) by 30. Even more if Imani Boyette gets in early foul trouble which she tends to do. Nina Davis is very good in the paint, but she's 5'11", not 6'7" big difference.

 

[bags27]

We have the best athletes and the best coaching in the WCBB. Victory and margin, as Geno said in presser, all depend on whether our shots are dropping.

 

[alexrgct]

Texas has the experience of having played UConn last year. When a team has played UConn before, they tend to do better. Texas will do better. UConn 92-57. That's 16 points better than last year.

Louisville, Rutgers, and USF, have played Uconn for years without the situation improving for them very much. I could see Texas losing by 35 rather than 51, but this Uconn team is focused because of Elite Eight upsets and is taking dead aim as other top-two seeds fall out. We saw it against Miss State, and we'll see it again tomorrow. Stewie is focused on going out in style, and Moriah is excited to play a Texas team one last time.

Again, I'm not predicting another 51-point victory, but I don't see how the experience of playing Uconn last year changes much. Look at what the experience of p,saying Baylor multiple times this season did for the Horns.

 

[BigBird]

You know me... Mr. Bad-Karma-paranoid. I thought MS State was going to be a Waterloo. And it was, for MSU.

But this one worries me. Texas is tall and fast. It could be very close.

 

[EricSD]

I was at the game live on Saturday with Milford and did not see anything from either Texas or UCLA that gave me any cause for concern. Boyette is a big (tall) body and could be disruptive, so it will be interesting to see how UCONN deals with 6'7". But if you look at how Texas plays as a team on offense - it's still a crapload of 1 on 1 play. Maybe 1 or 2 passes, then 1 player tries to do a shake and bake and jack up a shot.

That kind of offense is tailor made for UCONN because even tho we are great at help side defense, it seems we don't have to use it that often. Neither UCLA nor Texas seemed to want to move the ball around, to keep their players moving (so much standing around) to try to draw UCONN out of position. And it was noticeable that they ran specific "plays".

I think Texas is better than Miss State but I just don't see them with the horses to compete.

One thing about UCONN's offense that is different from every other team out there is that there are not a lot of "set plays". The kids are taught how to read the defense and use what is given to them to create open shots. UCONN will either take a quick shot, or work the clock, but the point is they are taught to take the FIRST shot that is wide open. I've seen every player on the team catch the ball with the intent of shooting, but realize they are either covered, the lane to the hoop disappeared, or a defender is bearing down too fast on them, so instantaneously, it's a quick pass to another player who's open and BAM. Score a hoop.

Texas is eager for a 2nd chance at UCONN and feels better prepared after facing us last year. And that's how they should feel, but UCONN is simply better in every aspect. I don't expect Texas to be shell shocked like Miss State was, so I expect the first quarter to be closer, but ultimately, I would be surprised if UCONN wins by less than 25-30.

 

[JoePgh]

For those concerned about Boyette, remember that Mississippi State also had a 6-7 player (McGowan) who was stronger and more durable (although less experienced) than Boyette. Stewie guarded her without major difficulty, and she had 4 fouls by the end of the first half. And she had no clue about how to guard Stewie.

It seems unlikely that UConn will have a second consecutive magical shooting night, so I don't think the game will look like Saturday's game. Last year's Texas game was within single digits until late in the first half, and then Kiah Stokes (along with Stewie) started blocking shots by their big players, many of which resulted in runouts. Last year, Texas's offensive game plan seemed to be to take the ball into the paint. I think they will revise that thinking this year. But it's hard to see how they can generate enough perimeter offense to stay in the game for a full four quarters.

I watched the first half of the Texas-UCLA game in person, and during that time (UCLA led at the half) UCLA had no difficulty getting rebounds and scoring in the paint against either Boyette or Lang. I was somewhat surprised that Texas never tried a "twin towers" approach with both players in the game at the same time. That would have the potential to cause UConn some defensive problems, since it is unlikely that Morgan could guard a 6-5 player who was shooting well from 10-15 feet (although she did OK against Alaina Coates). On the other hand, I don't see how Boyette can guard Stewie, and Lang would be hopeless against Morgan's post moves.

I expect basically a repeat of the South Carolina defensive plan. UConn will pick up the defense high so that the Texas guards will have to make uncomfortably long passes into the post. The Texas guards probably won't be used to that and won't handle it very well, and that is how the game will get out of hand by late in the first half.

 

[Roundball fan]

Watching the pre-game presser I was hoping for some sort of comment on how Texas could beat UConn, but no nothing was said. Kind of takes the fun out of the game for us on the yard. What can we comment on if Texas players and coach don't feed our frenzy. Guess we just have to wait for the game and enjoy our girls and coaches. Go Huskies.

 

[Fiftyish]

this Uconn team is focused because of Elite Eight upsets and is taking dead aim as other top-two seeds fall out.

Geno has always said that the Elite 8 games can be the most difficult. They will be focused. This team is not looking past TX.