Why Saturday's Game Is So Important

[BBallF]

I'm sure there are many points of view on this, and maybe some think it is just another game without transcendent importance, but I don't. Here are my reasons why:

1) It is considered a home game for us and the results will be important come March because USC will be right up there in consideration for a #1 seed. We want to have an edge over them.

2) Paige v. JuJu- A rematch of last year's Elite 8 game and two of the very best players in the country, both of whom have name recognition. It will be viewed by many fans, casual or otherwise, and the curious.

3) Basketball is a game of nemeses. Russell-Wilt, Bird-Magic, and now Clark-Reese. This could be the continuation of a new one that can last a decade. It should be a great show but also can demonstrate just how great both players are in a sport which has burst onto the national consciousness.

4) For our team, there are so many areas of importance. First, the post game against the other pre-season All-American on USC. Second, the Ash phenomenon becoming consistent. Third, Paige taking charge. Fourth, Sarah being Sarah at this level and several other areas.

This could be a watershed moment for the sport, a regular season game people want to watch because of the teams and players. Don't kid yourself, it's a major big deal.

 

[Cornell Lt]

So Geno says he needs 3 consistent/reliable scorers . Who might the three be against USC ?

 

[The deacon]

3) Basketball is a game of nemeses. Russell-Wilt, Bird-Magic, and now Clark-Reese.

Russell-Wilt!

Bird-Magic!

Clark-Reese? In Angel's dreams.

Otherwise, BBallF, I'm with you throughout your post. Thanks.

 

[BBallF]

So Geno says he needs 3 consistent/reliable scorers . Who might the three be against USC ?

Is that a rhetorical question? If Azzi doesn't play it's Paige, Sarah and Ash. KC has too many other responsibilities. If Azzi plays, she is the third. We have to see if Ash got to the top of the mountain and came down or is pitching a tent and staying up there.

 

[The deacon]

Is that a rhetorical question? If Azzi doesn't play it's Paige, Sarah and Ash. KC has too many other responsibilities. If Azzi plays, she is the third. We have to see if Ash got to the top of the mountain and came down or is pitching a tent and staying up there.

I believe it's fair to surmise Azzi needs to offer a lot of high-level basketball to reach the level, of Sarah and Paige. An 18-point game vs. a discombobulated Louisville team isn't quite enough evidence for me.... I'm hoping, but she needs to do it on the court, not rely on plaudits from the media or our best wishes in the Boneyard.

 

[Huskee11]

It is UConn's ONLY home game against a ranked opponent. Think about that. All the other big games are away or at neutral sites.

Iowa State is not ranked but that was not technically a home game anyhow. Louisville was in Brooklyn.

It is a sellout. The crowds at XL can be iffy though, unlike Gampel. The students are off so that isn't good.

The crowd that is there better show up big time. It is the one and only time this year that they need to make a difference. (That includes me.)

I think UConn will win but I would feel a lot better if Azzi was good to go. She did not participate in any of the pregame Iowa State warmups. As I recall she was doing so in a couple of games leading up to her return earlier this year. So I don't see it, unfortunately. Hope I'm wrong.

 

[Lurker]

It is UConn's ONLY home game against a ranked opponent. Think about that. All the other big games are away or at neutral sites.

....

As a season ticket holder, that's actually kind of a depressing situation

And doubly so if we consider the upcoming increases in prices, loss of our forever seats, the likelihood of Paige leaving, and the possibility that Fudd will also go...

 

[Bone Dog]

… maybe some think it is just another game without transcendent importance, but I don't.

I think you’re right. In terms of the popularity of the sport, this game is clearly important, as have the two ND games been. Two of the most dazzling players in WCBB match up against each other on national television, this is huge. It’s probably unfair, but Hannah and Olivia don’t have quite the marquee value of Paige and Juju. I say this even though I think Hannah ought to be the current favorite for NPoY.

In terms of the tactical advantages that could unfold in the season, which are a secondary consideration at best, this may be more important for USC (slightly) than it is for UConn. They have more to lose, in terms of rankings and potential seedings than UConn has to gain from a victory.

I think you’re also right to think of the importance of this game for Ash and Sarah. This is an opportunity for Ash to prove herself against a top team, something she didn’t really do last season. If she can score in double digits and hit some 3s, it would be a huge confidence boost for her. For Sarah, this is an occasion to prove herself against one of the top players in D1, a likely lottery pick. If Sarah manages merely to meet her averages, that’s huge. But if she does more than this, maybe scores twenty and registers another double-double, she’ll have made her mark on the women’s game.

I really hope Azzi can play. But ironically it might be better for Ash if she doesn’t, assuming she has another good game. The standard Azzi’s backup has to meet is not as high as the one the starting 2 or 3 has to meet.

 

[Bigboote]

My first thought was #2 in the OP. Let Paige vs Juju grow the audience for NCAAW.

 

[maxw]

While everyone’s attention is on Paige and Juju, Sarah will emerge (once again) as the top-scorer and the most impactful player.

She’s unstoppable!

Hope Fudd is back and hope we blow USC out of gym.

 

[hoopsfan22]

Whose idea was it to have this game go up against the CFP prime time game?

 

[JRRRJ]

My first thought was #2 in the OP. Let Paige vs Juju grow the audience for NCAAW.

Be careful what you wish for. With the crowd comes the circus.

 

[oldhusky]

It is a very big game for final seeding purposes. The schedule with Azzi's injury is very unfortunate. Three difficult games out of four without her (assuming she is not available Saturday) and if we lose against Southern California we will have two losses and I think only two quality win possibilities after that, Tennessee and South Carolina.

By then we presumably have Azzi and Aubrey, but we don't have much cushion. You don't make up much ground beating Big East competition. If we win and only suffer one loss during the early tough out of conference schedule without Azzi or Aubrey,, I think we still largely control our own destiny. I don't expect any remaining undefeated team to stay that way, but a few could have only a couple of losses.

If we lose this Saturday and maybe against South Carolina later, that might not be good enough for a number 1 seed, even if we run the table in the Big East and beat Tennessee. On the other hand the top contenders in the power 4 conferences could all knock each other off a few times. That would be much better than any team completely dominating a power conference, at least from our perspective.

 

[Plebe]

UConn has lost many of these marquee showdowns over the past few years, and many of those losses haven't been close. This is a game, at home, which we can and should win.

It's also our best chance for a top 10-caliber win. Right now our best wins are over Ole Miss and UNC, which for now look like borderline top 20 teams at best. Louisville and Iowa State have fallen well short of preseason expectations thus far.

 

[BBallF]

Whose idea was it to have this game go up against the CFP prime time game?

The CFP schedule came out June 5th. I don't know when this game was first scheduled.

 

[BBallF]

Russell-Wilt!

Bird-Magic!

Clark-Reese? In Angel's dreams.

Otherwise, BBallF, I'm with you throughout your post. Thanks.

Yeah, I know but that's all I could come up with currently for the women. It's not meant to compare, just to list.

 

[yhun89]

So Geno says he needs 3 consistent/reliable scorers . Who might the three be against USC ?

Paige, Sarah, Ash likely.

Paige will likely be our leading scorer because there's no one on that team that's great at defense except maybe Juju.

Sarah will have her hands full with Kiki, who will prove to be a challenge.

Ash, if she can just open up more of those shots and knock them down, should get a nice 15-20 PTS for us.

 

[Rowdy831]

Will Sarah get to guard Juju in this game? Her size and strength would be difficult for Juju to overpower which is her game. To me I like Sarah's game better than Juju's at this point and I think games like this are where stars are really revealed.

As far as scoring goes I loved the shooting last game from distance but I am still not convinced UConn is a consistently good 3pt shooting team, at least not the current starters. On the other hand I think UConn will bring the hammer this weekend to USC and it will be the coming out party for Jana on the inside. Geno has had this thing lately where he lets teams get back in games, I hope in this one it is pedal to the metal all game long.

 

[hoopsfan22]

Will Sarah get to guard Juju in this game? Her size and strength would be difficult for Juju to overpower which is her game. To me I like Sarah's game better than Juju's at this point and I think games like this are where stars are really revealed.

As far as scoring goes I loved the shooting last game from distance but I am still not convinced UConn is a consistently good 3pt shooting team, at least not the current starters. On the other hand I think UConn will bring the hammer this weekend to USC and it will be the coming out party for Jana on the inside. Geno has had this thing lately where he lets teams get back in games, I hope in this one it is pedal to the metal all game long.

I don't think it's Geno that lets teams back into games. I think that falls on the players.

 

[CL82]

Be careful what you wish for. With the crowd comes the circus.

And with the circus comes the clowns?

 

[huskyd]

Only a short distance from Jerusalem, up the Mount of Olives, is small town housing the tomb of Lazarus. He is famous for being raised from the dead. I can personally verify that the man's tomb is empty.
For some reason, this story made me think of Azzi Fudd, surely not the stuff of bibles. Sometimes I feel it's going to take a miracle to see her whole again. And I think that the reason so many of us mention her as she goes through her latest injury is that we feel cheated not to see her in her natural environment. She is a very great baller, great shooter (obviously), excellent defender, precision passer, instant court vision, really nice young woman.
It bothers me a bit that some feel the need to raise doubts about her. What satisfaction does that bring? She is a victim of circumstances; she has worked hard and long to get her body right.
I definitely feel cheated by her absence, and very sad. This is, after all, her life, and time lost cannot be reclaimed.

 

[BobbyJ]

Will Sarah get to guard Juju in this game? Her size and strength would be difficult for Juju to overpower which is her game. To me I like Sarah's game better than Juju's at this point and I think games like this are where stars are really revealed.

As far as scoring goes I loved the shooting last game from distance but I am still not convinced UConn is a consistently good 3pt shooting team, at least not the current starters. On the other hand I think UConn will bring the hammer this weekend to USC and it will be the coming out party for Jana on the inside. Geno has had this thing lately where he lets teams get back in games, I hope in this one it is pedal to the metal all game long.

Yeah, I wish he'd stop telling his kids to miss shots and give up offensive rebounds.

 

[BBallF]

I believe it's fair to surmise Azzi needs to offer a lot of high-level basketball to reach the level, of Sarah and Paige. An 18-point game vs. a discombobulated Louisville team isn't quite enough evidence for me.... I'm hoping, but she needs to do it on the court, not rely on plaudits from the media or our best wishes in the Boneyard.

Ouch. Azzi is great talent on both ends of the court. It's just a matter of health. She has a great shot, good pull up J, can go left and right, moves without the ball classically and is a great defender. She is also a very smart player. She has averaged in double figures every year she has played and never had a really injury free season. I will tell you this. If she is healthy for the FF and in true form, we win it all.

 

[yhun89]

I believe it's fair to surmise Azzi needs to offer a lot of high-level basketball to reach the level, of Sarah and Paige. An 18-point game vs. a discombobulated Louisville team isn't quite enough evidence for me.... I'm hoping, but she needs to do it on the court, not rely on plaudits from the media or our best wishes in the Boneyard.

She carried us in Ole Miss, especially in the end. She’s probably one of our best defenders in the three games she was back for. She’s faster, stronger. Can create a shot, drive, get open, cut, pass, handle, etc. I’d say that’s pretty high level basketball to me.