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Tonyc

Tonyc

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We shot 41% from the floor 30% from 3 didnt look good which I attribute to the long layoff and coming off injuries and won by 23. Thats how good we are. We didnt look great and still won big. We have another long layoff before Baylor. Not bad and plenty of room for improvement. I wll repeat myself and say we need Evina Anna and Griff to score consistently and they will have to against Baylor. We are too dependent on Liv Paige and CW. We pass the ball really well thus better then deserved shooting percentages. The girls need to think, " I want to take the shot" before the ball gets to them and then take the shot without hesitation. Hesitation is caused by doubt because of lack of confidence in knowing what to do. When that happens, forget it, chances are pretty good you will miss. We did play well and won by 23pts and it couldve been alot more, however coudve beens dont work. You have to "make it happen". Our defense was good, our passing was good, we had height and thats why we won.

Depaul played very good defense espeically on Paige. They couldnt stop Liv. Paige got her points because shes that good and only a freshman. The rest of the team needs to learn how to get their points like Paige does. Many posts talk about the hesitation before shooting. Thats because they arent looking to shoot theyre looking to pass and hope to find someone open and thats fine but you have to have a "mindset that you want the ball and you want to score." They all had that mindset in HS thats why theyre at UConn.

The Baylor game will be a good test andwill be after another long layoff, and will be on the road. Im expecting some players to step up to the challange and not wait for somebody else to step up. Its our biggest game so far this season and thats why these kids are here. We have 2 hs number 1's a hs number 2 and a hs number 5. They better be looking to stand out against Baylor. The ole saying "if its to be,its up to me" needs to come into play in their heads. They cant wait for someone else to score they have to think I have to score because the team is depending on me. In this game the light should go on in their heads. Theyre too good for it not to in a big game like Baylor. When the lights go on in their heads the lights against opponents will go out because we're that good and they just dont get that yet.

AE got the minutes shes earned and I like her alot. If we play her with Liv for long lengths and they both get in foul trouble that puts UConn in trouble. Alternating them and playing them together for limited minutes keeps them out of foul trouble. Starting both of them at this point in the season maybe not be wise. Later in the season may be a better time.

Bottom line I see UConn with 4-5 players in double figures against Baylor. I see Liv with a double double and I see Edwards with big numbers. Because of our passing and ball handlers I think we beat Baylor by double digets. Alot will depend on others stepping up.
 
Those "others" haven't stepped up yet...Its a big ask to step up at Baylor..but you never know. Keep the faith.
 
It was a solid defensive effort. Bruno didn`t press us full court and I think that significantly affected the pace of the game. It wasn`t the up and down rapid fire game I was expecting. Looked like a scrum at times, more tie-ups than a typical eighth grade CYO game.

As a result, Depaul only had 8 fast break points. Also Depaul only had 12 points in the paint. Forced to shoot over us, and they hit some long threes but were under 25 percent from three for the game. Our defense was not giving up anything easy.

We scored 38 points in the paint, over half of our points. Liv and Edwards were overpowering even though Depaul was trying to take away the inside game. We also had 21 offensive rebounds, a season high by far. Only 11 fast break points for us though, indicative of the pace of the game.

We simply need to shoot better. The shots were there. 9 for 18 from the foul line is not good enough either. A reasonably good shooting night and we win by 40. On what for her was kind of an off night, Paige was our best outside shooter by far.

It would be nice if the shots start to fall against Baylor, but we might have to win ugly with defense down there.
 
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to counter Kim Mulkey's game plan against UCONN.

Kim Mulkey's UCONN game plan
  1. Keys to UCONN's winning: Bueckers and Nelson-Ododa and scoring in the paint.
    1. Bueckers is the catalyst for UCONN's Offense.
      1. She is a freshman who has never experienced tight, aggressive, and effective ball denial one-on-one defense. Blanket and frustrate her with DiDi Richards. For the 2019-20 season Richards was named WBCA Defensive Player of the Year and Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Award as well as Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year.
      2. On defense Bueckers is easily beaten by quick fast guards (see Seton Hall's Park-Lane). Force switches so Bueckers has to guard Ursin Moon (Park-Lane type). If UCONN goes zone, simply move Moon to Bueckers and exploit her. Get Bueckers in foul trouble. She will oblige.
      3. Result: Bueckers neutralized. 8 or fewer points, 3 or less assists, 5 or more turnovers, 4 or less rebounds.
    2. Nelson-Ododa is the inside presence for the UCONN offense, second highest scorer and best rebounder.
      1. On defense guard Ododa with Queen Egbo who is more athletic and quicker. Since UCONN has no three point option, more like 15 feet and out, crowd the paint when the ball goes into Ododa. Force her to pass back out to UCONN's inffective shooters which is any player not name Bueckers. Of course DiDi has her covered.
      2. On offense have Egbo use her quickness and leaping ability to score and to foul out Ododa. Go at Ododa. She will obligingly commit a silly foul or five. If she does not foul out she will play loose defense (Ole!) for fear of fouling out.
      3. Result: Ododa neutralized. 10 or fewer points, 3 or less assists, 5 or more turnovers, 6 or fewer rebounds, fouled out.
    3. Exploit UCONN's ineffective three point shooting which includes two point shots 15 to 19 feet.
      1. Pack the defense inside 15 feet. Stop guard drives and Ododa's scoring. Use man-to-man or a box and one with Richards dogging Bueckers. UCONN will be reduced to passing the ball around the perimeter only to toss up a desperation three pointer as the shot clock runs out.
      2. Let UCONN embarrass themselves with long range misses.
      3. Result: UCONN's top two scoring threats will be shutdown. UCONN's offense will be sorely disrupted by Richards effectively removing Bueckers from the game. UCONN's defense will take care of itself (see their coaches own words).
 
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UConn can be divided into 3 parts at the moment: reliable, necessary but not reliable, and not reliable.

Liv and Paige are in group 1: good for 15-25 points/game + rebounds and assists. The necessary player is Christyn; the unreliable players are Evina and Aina. So far the lack of balance hasn't been damaging because of the opposition and the occasional shut-down defense the team does play. The Huskies have been winning decisively though not prettily.

I worry that Geno may be putting pressure on Paige to do more, and this may be making her efficiency fall off some. She seems flustered. Perhaps Coach knows he can't reliably get more out of Evina and Ania, so he's hoping for compensatory points from his freshman. But Paige is missing short shots she usually makes and even FTs that she never misses. Buckets' game is not forcing shots. She distributes the ball to the player with the best shot. Her great passing accounts for more points than she would likely make by shooting instead of passing. I think she should be left alone, especially as the team is winning easily at the moment. Let her step up when she needs to.

Three of the starters are questionable assets (from game to game). The success of the team may depend on Williams' scoring because, besides his best players, there's no one else he can count on.

Next year things will be very different. Azzi will be there with Paige, Liv will be a year wiser, and perhaps one of the incoming small forwards can put Ania on the bench. There will also be Aaliyah and a future #5 coming in. Evina may be most valuable as a sub-in guard.

Baylor will be the first and only test UConn will have had so far. Keys to that game will be keeping Liv from fouling out and Christyn's dropping in some shots.
 
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SVCBeercats said:
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to counter Kim Mulkey's game plan against UCONN.

Kim Mulkey's UCONN game plan
  1. Keys to UCONN's winning: Bueckers and Nelson-Ododa and scoring in the paint.
    1. Bueckers is the catalyst for UCONN's Offense.
      1. She is a freshman who has never experienced tight, aggressive, and effective ball denial one-on-one defense. Blanket and frustrate her with DiDi Richards. For the 2019-20 season Richards was named WBCA Defensive Player of the Year and Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Award as well as Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year.
      2. On defense Bueckers is easily beaten by quick fast guards (see Seton Hall's Park-Lane). Force switches so Bueckers has to guard Ursin Moon (Park-Lane type). If UCONN goes zone, simply move Moon to Bueckers and exploit her. Get Bueckers in foul trouble. She will oblige.
      3. Result: Bueckers neutralized. 8 or fewer points, 3 or less assists, 5 or more turnovers, 4 or less rebounds.
    2. Nelson-Ododa is the inside presence for the UCONN offense, second highest scorer and best rebounder.
      1. On defense guard Ododa with Queen Egbo who is more athletic and quicker. Since UCONN has no three point option, more like 15 feet and out, crowd the paint when the ball goes into Ododa. Force her to pass back out to UCONN's inffective shooters which is any player not name Bueckers. Of course DiDi has her covered.
      2. On offense have Egbo use her quickness and leaping ability to score and to foul out Ododa. Go at Ododa. She will obligingly commit a silly foul or five. If she does not foul out she will play loose defense (Ole!) for fear of fouling out.
      3. Result: Ododa neutralized. 10 or fewer points, 3 or less assists, 5 or more turnovers, 6 or fewer rebounds, fouled out.
    3. Exploit UCONN's ineffective three point shooting which includes two point shots 15 to 19 feet.
      1. Pack the defense inside 15 feet. Stop guard drives and Ododa's scoring. Use man-to-man or a box and one with Richards dogging Bueckers. UCONN will be reduced to passing the ball around the perimeter only to toss up a desperation three pointer as the shot clock runs out.
      2. Let UCONN embarrass themselves with long range misses.
      3. Result: UCONN's top two scoring threats will be shutdown. UCONN's offense will be sorely disrupted by Richards effectively removing Bueckers from the game. UCONN's defense will take care of itself (see their coaches own words).
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Looks like in about 2 weeks Egbo has suddenly become an AA. No real need for UConn to make the long trip. Baylor wins by 30.
 
Stepping up is a relative term. If Evina Westbrook had a mediocre game with 10 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists, it would be nice to see that mediocrity spread to some other players. My understanding concerning Evina is that she was playing with some difficulty with her knee. I really do not know and that is hearsay.

On the upside, when the UConn Team seem have a poor shooting experience, the next game seems to bring out the best and, perhaps, we will see a 55 percent shooting team against Baylor. We will see.
 
To follow up on SVC's post:

Mulkey's game plan on offense should be:

1) get the ball inside
2) get the ball inside
3) get the ball inside

Nelson-Ododa hasn't seen a good post player yet this year. People are talking about how she's stronger, but she still gets moved off her block by smaller players. She'll pick up a couple of quick fouls against Egbo or Smith. I think UConn should bring Edwards (for Makurat or Williams) in after Ododa gets one foul, have Edwards guard the inside. Having to go big could actually work in UConn's favor, as long as Ododa doesn't get a second foul quickly.

On defense, as SVC said, the plan should be have Richards stick to Bueckers. That would put Ursin on Williams or Westbrook, either of whom would have a considerable size advantage. UConn should exploit that, which would mean those kids making shots and/or good entry passes to the post.
 
Baylor will be the best we've played so far and they could beat us. On the other hand they are no super team. They have blown out some uncompetitive teams, beat USF by five and lost to Arkansas by five. Neither Egbo not Gusters have great stats. If UConn has to show they are an elite team in this game so does Baylor. If ONO and Edwards can do their thing, and I think they will, and Paige and Williams can get their shots, and I think they will, then it comes down to how many points Evina, Anna and Griff contribute. Anything from the bench, beyond Edwards and Grriff, is gravy. UConn should be favored in this game. I like our chances.
 
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BobbyJ said:
Looks like in about 2 weeks Egbo has suddenly become an AA. No real need for UConn to make the long trip. Baylor wins by 30.
Expand ...
Who said she has to play at an AA level for the UCONN game? :rolleyes:;)
 
and one said:
Baylor will be the best we've played so far and they could beat us. On the other hand they are no super team. They have blown out some uncompetitive teams, beat USF by five and lost to Arkansas by five. Neither Egbo not Gusters have great stats. If UConn has to show they are an elite team in this game so does Baylor. If ONO and Edwards can do their thing, and I think they will, and Paige and Williams can get their shots, and I think they will, then it comes down to how many points Evina, Anna and Griff contribute. Anything from the bench, beyond Edwards and Grriff, is gravy. UConn should be favored in this game. I like our chances.
Expand ...


Egbo is averaging 13.4 points and 7.7 rebounds on 56% shooting in under 20 minutes a game.

Gusters is averaging 10.6 points in just 14 minutes on 76% shooting.
 
Sluconn Husky said:
Egbo is averaging 13.4 points and 7.7 rebounds on 56% shooting in under 20 minutes a game.

Gusters is averaging 10.6 points in just 14 minutes on 76% shooting.
Expand ...
A little closer look at these two is interesting. Baylor has only played 4 games that were competitive and one of those was a 46 pt blowout against Texas Tech. The other 3 were Arkansas, W. Virginia, and So. Fla. The other 4 I didn't really consider "college" teams. In the "real" games Gusters only gets off the pine for 9 min. a game and averages 5 pts and 1 reb. with 10 of her 20 pts coming in the blowout. Not exactly an impact player. As for Egbo, she's 11 pts and 7 reb. a game with 3.5 fouls a game in 18 minutes. Not quite AA numbers. The serious problem I see is NaLyssa Smith.
 
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Sluconn Husky said:
Egbo is averaging 13.4 points and 7.7 rebounds on 56% shooting in under 20 minutes a game.

Gusters is averaging 10.6 points in just 14 minutes on 76% shooting.
Expand ...
Sure, they both shoot a high percentage but I discounted that given the number of awful teams they have played. I'm not saying that that they aren't good, I am saying that there is no way, based on the level of competition they have faced, to tell if they are AA types that could be expected to outplay ONO and AE. Time will tell and real soon;)
 
With a big game coming up against Baylor, not to dismiss the previous teams and their talent level and hard work, I believe that the "others" will step up and play well. Not really sure about match ups but I am sure the coaching staff will develop a nice game plan for our girls.
 
As for our "poor shooting", our ave. for the season on 3's is right at 40%, which is not shabby and is where I expect if to pretty much stay. Our overall fg % is about 48%, which I do expect to see improve as the other players get more accustomed to Paige's no-look and unexpected passes. The fact that we hit a lower percentage of 3's against DePaul is no reason to panic; 3 point shooting tends to be streaky, for all teams at this level. Some games we will be over 50%, some under 30. And there is really nothing to be done about it. The fact is, sometimes the ball goes in, ans sometimes it doesn't.
 
and one said:
Sure, they both shoot a high percentage but I discounted that given the number of awful teams they have played. I'm not saying that that they aren't good, I am saying that there is no way, based on the level of competition they have faced, to tell if they are AA types that could be expected to outplay ONO and AE. Time will tell and real soon;)
Expand ...


Edwards hasn't played a lot of great competition either and can't be counted on to outplay someone like Egbo at this point.
 
BobbyJ said:
The serious problem I see is NaLyssa Smith.
Expand ...


The serious problem is if you collapse on ONO and guard Paige closely--and Baylor has the reigning defensive player of the year to do so--UConn has almost no halfcourt offense and is a turnover waiting to happen. Also almost no size to counter Baylor either.
 
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Sluconn Husky said:
Egbo is averaging 13.4 points and 7.7 rebounds on 56% shooting in under 20 minutes a game.

Gusters is averaging 10.6 points in just 14 minutes on 76% shooting.
Expand ...
Look at their stats against Top 150 teams

Mins FG% PTS RBDS AST STL BLK TO PF
USF: Has 4 players 6'2"
Egbo 32 52.6 25 11 3 1 3 4 2
Gusters 6 100 6 2 0 0 0 0 1

ARK: Has 2 players 6'3" and 2 6'2"
Egbo 11 33 6 7 1 0 0 4 5
Gusters 9 50 4 1 1 0 0 2 1

WVU: Has 2 players at 6'5", a 6'3" and a 6'2"
Egbo 14 75 5 4 0 1 0 4 3
Gusters 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0

TX Tech: Has a 6'4" and a 6'2" player
Egbo 15 57 8 3 0 1 0 2 4
Gusters 16 83 10 1 1 0 3 0 3

These four games are the only ones that you should look at when it comes to the competition.

Egbo has played for 72 minutes, has shot 51% on 18 of 35 shooting with 10 of 19 against USF for 44 points for a 11 point average. Has 25 rebounds, which is 6.25 a game. Has 4 assists for 1 per game, 3 steals and 3 blocks for .75 each a game. Has 14 turnovers and fouls for 3.5 a game.

Gusters has played for 38 minutes, has shot 69% on 9 of 13 shooting with 5 of 6 against ARK for 20 points which is a 5 point average. Has 4 rebounds, 1 per game average. Has 2 assists, 0.5 per game, 3 blocks and 3 TO 0.75 per game, and averages 1.25 fouls a game.
 
Sluconn Husky said:
The serious problem is if you collapse on ONO and guard Paige closely--and Baylor has the reigning defensive player of the year to do so--UConn has almost no halfcourt offense and is a turnover waiting to happen. Also almost no size to counter Baylor either.
Expand ...
I agree that UConn has some problem areas that can really bite them against good competition. But I also wonder how much Egbo and Gusters will play against them. In their loss to Arkansas, when you'd expect them to play the most, Gusters only played 9 min with 4 pts and a rebound. Egbo managed to foul out in 11 minutes when they needed her most. And Arkansas isn't a big team, only one kid 6-2 played against Baylor and she comes off the bench. I think Bueckers has to be very aggressive offensively, take it right at Richards when she can and try to get her in foul trouble early. Against solid teams like Baylor I believe ONO and Edwards need to play a big chunk of the game together to avoid them collapsing on ONO.
 
Olivia Nelson Ododo (JR) - 6'5" (23.2 minutes) 17.2 points; 8.7 rebounds;
Anne Makurat (SO) - 6'2" (30.2 minutes) 5.8 points; 4.7 rebounds
Evina Westbrook (RS JR) - 6'0" (30.3 minutes) 9.5 points; 4.8 rebounds
Paige Buekers (FR) - 5'11" (35 minutes) 18.2 points; 6.0 rebounds
Christyn Williams (JR) - 5'10" (36 minutes) 17.0 points; 6.0 rebounds

Aaliyah Edwards (FR) - 6'3" (16 minutes) 10.2 points; 4.2 rebounds
Aubrey Griffin (SO) - 6'1" (15.5 minutes) 5.8 points; 3.3 rebounds
Nika Muhl (FR) - 5'10" (11 minutes) 0.0 points; 0.7 rebounds
Mir MacLean (FR) - 5'11" (6.3 minutes) 4.3 points; 2.2 rebounds

Queen Egbo (JR) - 6'3" (19.6 minutes) 13.4 points; 7.7 rebounds
NaLyssa Smith (JR) - 6'2" (27.0 minutes) 17.3 points; 9.3 rebounds
Di Di Richards (SR) - 6'1" (25.7 minutes) 7.1 points; 3.0 rebounds
Caitlin Bickle (JR) - 6'0" (20.1 minutes) 5.9 points; 6.9 rebounds
Ursin Moon (SR) - 5'6" (24.9 minutes) 7.6 points; 5.0 rebounds

Trinity Oliver (JR) - 5'9" (21.6 minutes) 7.1 points; 3.0 rebounds
DiJonai Carrington (SR) - 5'11" (19.5 minutes) 12.0 points; 4.0 rebounds
Hannah Gusters (FR) - 6'5" (14.4 minutes) 10.6 points; 1.8 rebounds
Oliver Jordyn (SO) - 5'10" (15.0 minutes) 5.5 points; 3.3 rebounds
Sarah Andrews (FR) - 5'6" (14.9 minutes) 5.4 points; 2.4 rebounds
Jaden Owens (SO) - 5'8" (12.0 minutes) 3.5 points; 1.5 rebounds

A couple of observations:

Baylor averages 90.3 points per game while holding their opponents to 48.9
UConn averages 87.0 points per game while holding their opponents to 49.7
Baylor's scoring margin is 41.7
UConn's scoring margin is 37.3
Baylor shoots 28 for 98 from three for a .286 percentage from three (3.5/game)
UConn shoots 37 for 111 from three for a .333 percentage from three (6.2/game)
Baylor shoots .504 from the floor
UConn shoots .537 from the floor
Baylor shoots 126 for 184 from the line for a .685 average
UConn shoots 75 for 111 from the line for a .676 average
Baylor gets 53.1 rebounds per game
UConn gets 45.5 rebounds per game
Baylor gets 26.1 assists per game
UConn gets 22.7 assists per game
Baylor turns the ball over 16.8 times for a 1.6 Assist / TO ratio (points off turnovers 27)
UConn turns the ball over 15.7 times for a 1.4 Assist / TO ratio (points off turnovers 24)
Baylor gets 13.1 steals per game
UConn gets 10.3 steals per game
Baylor gets 5.3 blocks per game
UConn gets 5.2 blocks per game

Baylor's advantages are lots of seniors and junior leadership; Baylor gets to the line more often than UConn; Baylor plays an aggressive defense getting steals and causing turnovers only a little better than UConn.

UConn's advantages: They are a little better shooting team, they hit more 3s per game, they take care of the basketball a little better than Baylor.

This game will come down to match-ups. While Baylor is more mature with more seniors and juniors than UConn. UConn is extremely talented. I do not agree that the game plan posted earlier for beating UConn is as easily achievable as the poster seem to indicate. I believe game plans are good and necessary but the match-ups and the individual performances that day are the "x" factor. Who will step up for UConn will Christyn Williams have a record day? Will Aubrey Griffin find her stride? Will Olivia stay out of foul trouble and prove she belongs in the conversation for one of the best bigs in the country? Will Evina show why she was so successful in Tennessee? Will Paige Buekers prove why she was number one coming out of high school or will she get nervous on the big stage and suddenly remember that she is only a freshman? Will Makurat find her 3 point shot? And will Aaliyah Edwards continue to impress? There are a lot of variables here that make the aforementioned game plan more difficult than it appears.

Keep in mind Baylor heretofore has successfully spread the minutes out among 11 players, which they can do with such a heavily laden upper classmen team while UConn because of their youth has concentrated the minutes among 8 players. I don't expect to see Baylor continue to spread the minutes in this game they will shorten their bench and give more minutes to their producers. It should be noted that Carrington is only 10 for 36 from 3 point land.

Olivia Nelson-Ododo vs Queen Egbo...this will be a great match-up and I think if Olivia can stay out of foul trouble she can win this match-up...slight ADVANTAGE UCONN

Anne Makurat vs NaLyssa Smith - I think NaLyssa Smith is too athletic for Anne and either Aubrey or Aaliyah will need to be called in. ADVANTAGE BAYLOR

Evina Westbrook vs Di Di Richards - this will be a great match-up as well. I think this match-up will be somewhat EVEN

Paige Buekers vs Ursin Moon - Here we have a Senior vs a Freshman...I look look for Ursin to cause problems for Paige and hopefully Paige can stay out of foul trouble. But, at the end of the day Paige will be Paige. ADVANTAGE UCONN

Christyn Williams vs Caitlin Bickle - I am looking for Christyn to have a big game she will show why she was number one coming out of high school. ADVANTAGE UCONN

Bench - Baylor's bench is much deeper than UConn's - Big ADVANTAGE FOR BAYLOR

I think UConn will win this game 81 to 77
 
I love the way people come onto a UConn board and take over telling us how badly UConn will lose. Maybe they are right. Probably not if you look at history. There is a reason UConn is seeded in the polls ahead of Baylor. Could Baylor win? Sure. They are home although other than getting to sleep in their own beds it is less of a factor than with fans present although I remember past players saying how the fans being against them fueled them to be better. In a game where bigs might have a real presence the officials could affect the outcome. Paige is a freshman but has started and played against some of the best players in the world unlike most frosh.I would expect Baylor fans to expect their team to win. I'm a UConn fan and expect UConn to win. If they shoot like the last game it will be an ugly game. If UConn shoots well it should be an over 20 point victory. We shall see.
 
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