Wonderful UConn stats after 12 games & a New Year....:)

[DavidinNaples]

UConn is now 12 games into the 2014-2015 season and riding a 10 game win streak. Many Huskies are performing as expected, while a few are providing some wonderful surprises. Consider the following:

1. Kia Nurse has been just what the doctor ordered to fix the post Hartley/Dolson blues. She is averaging 25.8 minutes per game and scoring 13.4 points every time she plays (161 pts total). Kia is shooting 43% from 3 pt range (18-42) and 58% overall. It is no accident she has been to the foul line 48 times, 2nd only to Stewie’s 49. Despite that scorer mentality, she has 44 assists vs only 18 turnovers.

2. Even with tough games against Stanford, Notre Dame and Duke, UConn is averaging 89.8 points per game (1,077 total in 12 games). The last two years were 82 pt averages. Scoring, as usual, is led by Stewie w/ 208. But after that, BALANCE is the key. Morgan, KML & Nurse have 163, 162 & 161. MoJeff is coming on strong w/ 136. Who ya gonna cover..??

3. Kiah Stokes has settled comfortably into the role of “instant defense.” Her 44 blocks and 96 rebounds lead the team despite only 236 minutes on the hard court. Many opponents have given up driving the lane w/ Stokes in the game. Add in 71 pts (6 per game), 12 assists and 7 steals and compare that to only 18 fouls & just 9 turnovers. Kiah is playing solid..!

4. Gabby Williams has taken to the frontcourt like a Husky to snow & is now “Kiah Jr.” In just 167 minutes (15 per game) she has 52 rebounds, 16 steals, 14 assists and 5 blocks. Add in 85 points on 65% shooting from the field and that is 172 positive contributions or more than one per minute of play. Who expected that..!!

5. KML is closing in on the UConn record for 3 pt field goals w/ 315. She is just 3 behind D.T. But her game is much more than just 3’s w/ 55 rebounds, 31 assists, 20 steals and the highest per game average for minutes at 31.2 per game. Look for the 3 pt record to fall at Madison Square Garden on Sunday.

6. Morgan Tuck is playing like the #1 prospect she was in high school before injuries set he back. She is 2nd in scoring (163 pts), 3rd in rebounds (58), 2nd in made baskets (67) and has 34 assists (3rd) and 20 steals. She is shooting 64% from inside the 3 pt arc and 80% from the charity stripe. Tuck does it all well..!!

7. Larceny is up..! With 138 steals in just 12 games, UConn is averaging 11.5 per game. Last year’s average was less than 9.4 per game. MoJeff leads w/ 32, but Nurse, KML and Stewie are right behind w/ 22, 20 & 19. Gabby has an incredible 16 in half the playing time..!!

8. UConn has 244 assists on 403 made baskets or 60.5%. MoJeff leads, of course, w/ 55, but the next four players (Nurse, Tuck, Stewie & KML) have 44, 34, 32 & 31. Share and share alike..

9. Three point shooting is up this season w/ 105 made 3’s. With 269 attempts, that is a shooting average of 39% vs 37% last year. KML is scorching the nets at 51% (38 for 75). After her, BALANCE again w/ Nurse, Stewie, Jefferson and Chong at 18, 15, 15 & 13 made three’s.

10. UConn has given up only 627 points so far this season. Interestingly, opponents have scored 308 in 1st half and 308 in 2nd half. (11 in overtime) After 712 shot attempts, opponents are hitting just 32.4%, including 81 that were blocked. UConn has tried 763 shots and made 52.8% and had only 23 blocked. Can’t win if they don’t go in…

Go Huskies..!!

P.S. – Happy New Year & see everyone at MSG..!!

 

[EricLA]

Love your stats David. Always look forward to your posts on these things. The biggest surprises for me have been the play of Nurse, the overall excellence of Tuck, and Gabby's steady improvement. A little surprising is the lack of leadership (many games it's required adjustments made by Geno at half time, not adjustments the players or on court leaders make), the sometimes sloppy play (as if the entire team has a brain fart), and Chong/Stokes being moved from the starting lineup to the bench. BUT perhaps the last thing is not so surprising given how fantastic Nurse and Tuck have been, and it gives a trio of terrific players off the bench... (hopefully soon to be a solid quartet!)

 

[ChicagoGG]

Thanks for starting the New Year off with such an excellent STD recap!!

 

[MilfordHusky]

Thanks for starting the New Year off with such an excellent STD recap!!

STD???

David--are you coming up to NYC? I look forward to meeting.

 

[DavidK]

My favorite is #7. It is a team stat led by Jefferson who you can't count how much her on ball D disrupts opponents offense flow.

 

[Rayvin56]

STD???

David--are you coming up to NYC? I look forward to meeting.

STD=Stats To Date...?

 

[Sluconn Husky]

All UConn rotation players are shooting better than 50% with the exception of Saniya Chong. Pretty remarkable considering the absence of Stef Dolson's passing, screening, and efficient scoring.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Even after Duke I'm still concerned with handling of tall teams. What Duke had in tall they also had in slow. Couple of others out there, different breed of cats. So, as Geno noted yesterday, this year's team is faster and they are still finding themselves in that speed - and that is the answer to my concern. Get that speed sorted, get the passing crisper. A lot of it is just playing together and learning each other's moves. Whole different chemistry this year.

 

[ChicagoGG]

STD=Stats To Date...?

YES - Season to Date!! Sorry!!!

 

[Zorro]

That is all very well, David, but how much popcorn have they sold? I notice that you very blatantly left that out.

 

[JellyBean]

That is all very well, David, but how much popcorn have they sold? I notice that you very blatantly left that out.

 

[DobbsRover2]

Okay, one more to add. At 64.4%, UConn's FT% defense is still at a historically tough level of psyche-outness and continues a trend of plunging proficiency for opponents at the line during the last four years, and is 1.5% below last year.

I believe earlier in the year Geno saying the team was really working on the FT defense in practice putting in hundreds of minutes at the sides of the free throw area making scowls, sole scuffings, armpit noises, hairy eyeballs, and muttering "Ni" and other disturbing titterings.