NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP - UConn/Notre Dame Game Preview








 

 

UCONN vs Notre Dame

Day: Tuesday

Date: April 7th, 2015

Location: Tampa, Florida  

Time: 8:30

TV: ESPN

 

 

Prior Meeting Results

UConn leads the series 32-11.

 

H: 15-4; A: 10-4; N: 7-3

1/18/96 W 87-64 A

2/24/96 W 86-79 H

3/5/96 W 71-54 H

2/9/97 W 72-49 H

3/4/97 W 86-77 H

12/6/97 W 78-59 A

2/21/98 W 73-61 H

3/2/98 W 73-53 N

12/8/98 W 106-81 A

3/2/99 W 96-75 N

2/26/00 W 77-59 H

1/15/01 L 76-92 A

3/6/01 W 78-76 H

3/30/01 L 75-90 N

1/21/02 W 80-53 H

1/20/03 W 72-53 A

2/23/03 W 77-59 H

1/13/04 L 51-66 A

1/12/05 W 67-50 A

1/30/05 L 59-65 H

3/7/05 W 67-54 N

2/19/06 W 79-64 A

3/5/06 W 71-60 N

1/27/07 W 64-47 H

1/27/08 W 81-64 A

2/22/09 W 76-66 H

1/16/10 W 70-46 H

3/1/10 W 76-51 A

3/8/10 W 59-44 N

1/8/11 W 79-76 A

2/19/11 W 78-57 H

3/8/11 W 73-64 H

4/3/11 L 72-63 N

1/7/12 L 74-67 (ot) A

2/27/12 L 72-59 H

3/6/12 W 63-54 H

4/1/12 L 83-75 (ot) N

1/5/13 L 73-72 H

3/4/13 L 96-87 (3ot) A

3/12/13 L 61-59 H

4/7/13 W 83-65 N

4/8/14 W 79-58 N

12/6/14 W 76-58 N

 

 Overview

Well, here we go again! Did anyone think this would end any other way? This rivalry is currently the biggest in WCBB. And it's not even close.

 

After twelve consecutive wins over Notre Dame from 2005-2011, Notre Dame,  in what I like to call the "Diggin's Era", won 7 out of 8 game against the Huskies, including three heartbreaking overtime games, a one point win and a two point win. It was clear they had UConn's number over that timeframe. It took the arrival of Breanna Stewart to change that. 

 

After beating UConn three times in the 2012-13 season, UConn faced Notre Dame in the Semi-final  game and it was Stewart's coming out party where UConn won 83-65 on their way to the championship. Last year they met again for the championship in what was called the "Game of the Century" or some such bull. Two undefeated teams and boy was the ESPN hype machine out in full force. The end result was another big UConn win, 79-58 behind another great performance by Stewart.     

 

In the renewed yearly matchup UConn played Notre Dame in Joyce arena. As the early minutes moved along Notre Dame and UConn were in a tight battle as it was tied 10-10 before the Irish went on their first run, an 8-0 spurt creating an 18-10 lead in just over 3 minutes. UConn came back with a 6-0 run of their own before Notre Dame outscored UConn 10-2 over the next 2 1/2 minutes for a 28-18 lead after only 10 minutes. KML  hit a big three point shot coming out of a time out where Geno appeared to have settled the team down, and had made some personnel changes. Stokes came in and it seemed like UConn was playing much better. UConn ended the half on a 22-4 run to take a 40-32 lead. The momentum had changed and UConn never gave it back. They built a double digit lead in the second half and never gave it back. 

 

In this game, ND started out incredibly hot, hitting 7 of their first 10 shots on their way to take that 28-18 lead. But after that UConn brought in Stokes and she was a true game changer.

•  ND scored only 30 points in the last 30 minutes.
• After hitting 5 of 9 on three pointers to start the game, they missed their last 9.
• They finished the game shooting 12 of 51,  23.5%.
• ND shot 11 Free Throws. They averaged 25 taken per game coming into this game.

Overall, it was a statement game for UConn. Notre Dame can point to Turner being out and know they will improve once she is back for the rematch against  UConn in the NCAA's.

 

Notre Dame really hasn't played like the dominant team they were last year in the tournament. They won their 5 games coming into the championship game by an average of 24 points and this year they won their 5 games by 15 including barely beating South Carolina by one point.

 

UConn last year won their 5 games by 27 points per game and this year they won their 5 games by an average of 37 points.

 

It's not a scientific study, but based on these numbers, it's clear that UConn is more dominating this season and Notre Dame is less dominating.    

Comparative Team Statistics 

 

                                            UConn                                        Notre Dame

 

                                              90.2              PPG                     80.6
                                              48.2        Defensive PPG          59.7

                                              42.0        Scoring Margin          20.9

                                              54.3        Field Goal %              49.6
                                              30.6        Defensive FG%         37.5

                                              40.9        Three Point %           38.5
                                              26.8        Defensive 3PT%       28.3

                                              72.0        Free Throw %            74.1

                                              44.1        Rebounds/game        41.4

                                              13.2        Rebounding Margin     8.2 

                                              21.6        Assists per game       18.0

                                              12.2        Turnover per game    14.7

                                                1.8        Assists/TO ratio           1.2

                                              10.2        Steals per game          9.3

                                                8.0        Blocks per game          5.0

                                                         

 *******************************************************************

UConn Starters

 

11 Kia Nurse 6' Freshman Guard

                                Game 1 vs SFB         - 26 min, 12 pts, 3 reb, 2 asts, 1 blk, 2 to    

                                Game 2 vs Rutgers    - 27 min, 8 pts, 3 reb, 1 asts, 3 stl, 1 to

                                Game 3 vs Texas       - 28 min, 13 pts, 0 reb, 1 asts, 2 stl, 0 to

                                Game 4 vs Dayton     - 29 min, 6 pts, 5 reb, 0 asts, 0 stl, 0 to
                                Game 5 vs Maryland - 26 min, 5 pts, 2 reb, 0 asts, 0 stl, 2 to

                                First Game vs ND   - 29 min, 12 pts, 3 reb, 2 asts, 1 stl, 6 to

 

  MPG 24.9, FG% .493, 3PT% .413, PPG 10.3, RPG 3.1, APG 2.8, 54 steals, 2 block

4 Moriah Jefferson 5'7" Junior Guard

                                Game 1 vs SFB        - 22 min, 5 pts, 3 reb, 5 asts, 2 to

                                Game 2 vs Rutgers   - 34 min, 19 pts, 4 reb, 5 asts, 1 stl, 2 to

                                Game 3 vs Texas      - 34 min, 25 pts, 4 reb, 6 asts, 3 stl, 2 to

                                Game 4 vs Dayton    - 38 min, 10 pts, 3 reb, 6 asts, 2 stl, 0 to
                                Game 5 vs Maryland - 38 min, 14 pts, 2 reb, 5 asts, 2 stl, 1 to

                                First Game vs ND   - 21 min, 0 pts, 1 reb, 2 asts, 1 stl, 5 to

 

   MPG 28.4, FG% .596, 3PT% .505, PPG 12.4, RPG 2.9, APG 4.9, 96 steals, 5 blocks

23 Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis 5'11" Senior Forward

                                Game 1 vs SFB        - 16 min, 2 pts, 3 reb, 1 asts, 0 to

                                Game 2 vs Rutgers   - 32 min, 23 pts, 2 reb, 4 asts, 1 stl, 1 blk, 3 to 

                                Game 3 vs Texas      - 23 min, 10 pts, 3 reb, 2 asts, 1 stl, 2 blk, 0 to
                                Game 4 vs Dayton    - 38 min, 27 pts, 5 reb, 2 asts, 3 stl, 4 to
                                Game 5 vs Maryland - 32 min, 4 pts, 2 reb, 7 asts, 1 stl, 1 to

                                 First Game vs ND   - 36 min, 12 pts, 6 reb, 2 asts, 2 stl, 2 to

   MPG 28.4, FG% .518, 3PT% .494, PPG 14.9, RPG 4.1, APG 2.8, 41 steals, 12 blocks

 

3 Morgan Tuck 6'2" Sophomore Forward

 

                             Game 1 vs SFB         - 29 min, 26 pts, 3 reb, 8 asts, 1 stl, 2 to

                             Game 2 vs Rutgers    - 29 min, 16 pts, 7 reb, 7 asts, 1 stl, 3 to
                             Game 3 vs Texas       - 24 min, 14 pts, 5 reb, 2 asts, 1 stl, 0 blk, 1 to

                             Game 4 vs Dayton     - 38 min, 23 pts, 8 reb, 3 asts, 1 stl, 2 to
                             Game 5 vs Maryland - 38 min, 24 pts, 9 reb, 0 asts, 0 stl, 2 to, 1 blk

                                First Game vs ND   - 35 min, 25 pts, 9 reb, 3 asts, 2 stl, 5 to, 2 blks

 

   MPG 25.1, FG% .606, 3PT% .275, PPG 14.5, RPG 5.6, APG 2.8, 30 steals, 13 blocks

 

30 Breanna Stewart 6'4" Junior Forward

                          Game 1 vs SFB         - 30 min, 17 pts, 10 reb, 5 asts, 1 stl, 2 blk, 3 to

                          Game 2 vs Rutgers    - 20 min, 8 pts, 2 reb, 4 asts, 1 stl, 2 blk, 2 to

                          Game 3 vs Texas       - 31 min, 31 pts, 12 reb, 7 asts, 2 stl, 3 blk, 1 to
                          Game 4 vs Dayton     - 38 min, 23 pts, 16 reb, 1 asts, 1 stl, 4 blk, 2 to

                          Game 5 vs Maryland - 39 min, 25 pts, 8 reb, 3 asts, 2 stl, 2 to, 4 blk

First Game vs ND   - 38 min, 15 pts, 9 reb, 2 asts, 0 stl, 2 to, 0 blks
 

  MPG 28.0, FG% .539, 3PT% .316, PPG 17.8, RPG 7.6, APG 3.2, 597 steals, 100 blocks

UConn Bench

41 Kiah Stokes 6'3"  Senior Center

                                Game 1 vs SFB         - 20 min, 2 pts, 10 reb, 2 asts, 6 blk, 1 to

                                Game 2 vs Rutgers    - 12 min, 4 pts, 8 reb, 1 asts, 2 blk, 2 to

                                Game 3 vs Texas       - 19 min, 4 pts, 7 reb, 0 asts, 1 stl, 4 blk, 0 to
                                Game 4 vs Dayton     - 7 min, 2 pts, 1 reb, 0 asts, 0 stl, 1 blk
                                Game 5 vs Maryland - 18 min, 6 pts, 6 reb, 1 asts, 0 stl, 1 to, 2 blks

                                First Game vs ND   - 24 min, 6 pts, 18 reb, 1 asts, 2 stl, 2 to, 4 blks

 

  MPG 18.6, FG% .563, 3PT% .500, PPG 4.6, RPG 6.9, APG .8, 18 steals, 147 blocks

 

12 Saniya Chong 5'8" Sophomore Guard

                                Game 1 vs SFB          - 27 min, 8 pts, 3 reb, 2 asts, 3 stl, 2 to

                                Game 2 vs Rutgers    - 18 min, 2 pts, 4 reb, 0 asts, 0 stl, 1 to

                                Game 3 vs Texas       - 10 min, 3 pts, 1 reb, 1 asts, 2 stl, 0 blk, 0 to
                                Game 4 vs Dayton     - 5 min, 0 pts, 0 reb, 0 asts, 0 stl, 0 to
                                Game 5 vs Maryland - 2 min, 0 pts, 0 reb, 0 asts, 0 stl, 0 to

                                First Game vs ND   - 9 min, 2 pts, 1 reb, 2 asts, 0 stl, 0 to

 

 MPG 19.0, FG% .470, 3PT% .366, PPG 5.6, RPG 1.9, APG 1.9, 26 steals, 8 blocks

 

15 Gabby Williams 5'11" Freshman Guard

  

                                Game 1 vs SFB         - 14 min, 15 pts, 6 reb, 0 asts, 1 stl, 1 to

                                Game 2 vs Rutgers    - 19 min, 11 pts, 10 reb, 1 asts, 2 stl, 1 to

                                Game 3 vs Texas       - 13 min, 2 pts, 6 reb, 2 asts, 0 stl, 1 blk, 2 to
                                Game 4 vs Dayton     - 5 min, 0 pts, 0 reb, 1 asts, 0 stl, 1 to
                                Game 5 vs Maryland - 6 min, 3 pts, 1 reb, 1 asts, 0 stl, 0 to

                                First Game vs ND   - 5 min, 4 pts, 1 reb, 0 asts, 1 stl, 2 to

  MPG 15.9, FG% .640, 3PT% .000, PPG 8.5, RPG 5.9, APG 1.4, 46 steals, 14 blocks

UConn Complete Stats

 

Notre Dame Starters

 

 

  32  Jewel Loyd 5'10" Junior Guard

 

                      Game 1 vs Montana     - 26 min, 18 pts, 3 reb, 4 asts, 0 stl, 3 to

                      Game 2 vs DePaul       - 33 min, 10 pts, 5 reb, 3 asts, 3 stl, 4 to

                      Game 3 vs Stanford     - 36 min, 21 pts, 6 reb, 1 asts, 3 stl, 1 to, 1 blk

                      Game 4 vs Baylor        - 39 min, 13 pts, 7 reb, 4 asts, 1 stl, 4 to

                       Game 5 vs S. Carolina - 40 min, 22 pts, 5 reb, 3 asts, 1 stl, 3 to

                         First Game vs UConn   - 38 min, 31 pts, 1 reb, 2 asts, 4 stl, 7 to, 1 blk 

 

MPG 31.9 FG% .450, 3PT% .317 PPG 20.0, RPG 5.3, APG 3.1, 58 steals, 16 blocks

 

15 Lindsay Allen 5'7" Sophomore Guard

 

                 Game 1 vs Montana    - 29 min, 9 pts, 5 reb, 7 asts, 2 stl, 2 to

                 Game 2 vs DePaul       - 36 min, 11 pts, 5 reb, 7 asts, 1 stl, 1 to, 1 blk

                 Game 3 vs Stanford     - 36 min, 28 pts, 5 reb, 4 asts, 1 stl, 4 to

                 Game 4 vs Baylor        - 40 min, 23 pts, 5 reb, 7 asts, 4 stl, 0 to

                 Game 5 vs S. Carolina - 27 min, 0 pts, 5 reb, 3 asts, 0 stl, 2 to

                    First Game vs UConn   - 31 min, 11 pts, 2 reb, 3 asts, 3 stl, 3 to, 1 blk 

 

MPG 30.8, FG% .533, 3PT% .392 PPG 10.5, RPG 3.4, APG 5.2, 51 steals, 3 blocks

 

23  Michaela Mabry 5'10" Junior Guard

 

                Game 1 vs Montana     - 24 min, 9 pts, 4 reb, 1 asts, 0 stl, 2 to

                Game 2 vs DePaul       - 27 min, 19 pts, 3 reb, 1 asts, 2 stl, 1 to

                Game 3 vs Stanford     - 13 min, 2 pts, 2 reb, 0 asts, 0 stl, 0 blk, 0 to

                Game 4 vs Baylor        - 19 min, 14 pts, 0 reb, 0 asts, 0 stl, 1 to, 1 blk

                Game 5 vs S. Carolina - 27 min,  5 pts, 1 reb, 5 asts, 3 stl, 1 to

                      First Game vs UConn   - 29 min, 0 pts, 1 reb, 2 asts, 0 stl, 0 to, 1 blk 

  

MPG 22.8, FG% .378, 3PT% .393 PPG 7.1, RPG 1.9, APG, 2.4, 34 steal, 3 blocks

12 Taya Reimer 6'3  Sophomore Forward

 

                      Game 1 vs Montana     - 23 min, 9 pts, 2 reb, 3 asts, 0 stl, 3 to, 3 blks

                      Game 2 vs DePaul       - 28 min, 14 pts, 10 reb, 1 asts, 0 stl, 5 to

                      Game 3 vs Stanford     - 20 min, 10 pts, 3 reb, 0 asts, 0 stl, 0 blk, 2 to

                      Game 4 vs Baylor        - 34 min, 9 pts, 8 reb, 2 asts, 0 stl, 2 to, 2 blks

                      Game 5 vs S. Carolina - 33 min, 16 pts, 6 reb, 4 asts, 1 stl, 2 to, 3 blks

                      First Game vs UConn   - 26 min, 8 pts, 6 reb, 1 asts, 2 stl, 3 to, 1 blk  

 

 

MPG 24.6, FG% .525 3PT% .000 PPG 10.3, RPG 6.0, APG 1.9, 19 steals, 41 blocks

 

 11 Brianna Turner 6'4" Freshman Forward

                   Game 1 vs Montana     - 19 min, 12 pts, 4 reb, 0 asts, 1 stl, 3 to, 1 blk

                   Game 2 vs DePaul       - 25 min, 14 pts, 11 reb, 2 asts, 1 stl, 1 to, 3 blks

                   Game 3 vs Stanford     - 30 min, 12 pts, 7 reb, 2 asts, 1 stl, 2 blk, 2 to

                   Game 4 vs Baylor        - 36 min, 12 pts, 10 reb, 2 asts, 1 stl, 1 to, 2 blks

                   Game 5 vs S. Carolina - 27 min, 17 pts, 8 reb, 0 asts, 1 stl, 0 to, 3 blks

 

                       First Game vs UConn   - DNP

 

MPG 25.3, FG% .648, 3PT% .000 PPG 13.8, RPG 7.8, APG .7, 38 steals, 88 blocks 

 

Notre Dame Bench
 

33 Kathryn Westbeld 6'2" Freshman Forward

 

                      Game 1 vs Montana     - 18 min, 8 pts, 10 reb, 1 asts, 4 stl, 0 to

                      Game 2 vs DePaul       -  6 min, 0 pts, 1 reb, 1 asts, 0 stl, 1 to

                      Game 3 vs Stanford     - 14 min, 2 pts, 5 reb, 1 asts, 0 stl, 0 blk, 0 to

                      Game 4 vs Baylor        - 3 min, 0 pts, 0 reb, 0 asts, 0 stl, 1 to

                      Game 5 vs S. Carolina - 20 min, 4 pts, 6 reb, 1 asts, 0 stl, 2 to

                        First Game vs UConn   - 20 min, 5 pts, 4 reb, 1 asts, 0 stl, 1 to 

 

MPG 17.7, FG% .532, 3PT% .412 PPG 6.9, RPG 4.5, APG 1.7, 40 steals, 10 blocks 

 

 

22 Madison Cable 5'11" Senior Guard

 

                      Game 1 vs Montana     - 20 min, 4 pts, 1 reb, 0 asts, 1 stl, 1 to

                      Game 2 vs DePaul       - 20 min, 3 pts, 4 reb, 2 asts, 1 stl, 2 to

                      Game 3 vs Stanford     - 25 min, 0 pts, 3 reb, 0 asts, 3 stl, 0 blk, 0 to

                      Game 4 vs Baylor        - 21 min, 6 pts, 6 reb, 0 asts, 0 stl, 0 to, 2 blks

                      Game 5 vs S. Carolina - 21 min, 2 pts, 2 reb, 0 asts, 1 stl, 0 to

                        First Game vs UConn   - 19 min, 0 pts, 3 reb, 1 asts, 1 stl, 0 to 

 

MPG 21.2, FG% .459, 3PT% .488 PPG 6.2, RPG 4.1, APG 1.7, 58 steals, 9 blocks

24 Hannah Huffman 5'9" Junior Guard

                     Game 1 vs Montana     - 13 min, 0 pts, 1 reb, 3 asts, 0 stl, 0 to

                     Game 2 vs DePaul       - 6 min, 0 pts, 1 reb, 1 asts, 0 stl, 1 to, 1 blk

                     Game 3 vs Stanford     - 20 min, 4 pts, 5 reb, 3 asts, 1 stl, 1 to

                     Game 4 vs Baylor        - 8 min, 0 pts, 1 reb, 1 asts, 0 stl, 0 to

                     Game 5 vs S. Carolina - 5 min, 0 pts, 2 reb, 0 asts, 0 stl, 0 to

                       First Game vs UConn   - 11 min, 2 pts, 4 reb, 0 asts, 0 stl, 0 to 

 

MPG 11.0 FG% .541, 3PT% .000 PPG 2.2, RPG 1.8, APG 1.0, 28 steals, 8 blocks

Notre Dame Team Stats

Final Analysis

 

It's the matchup we all were waiting for. UConn and Notre Dame for the championship. Again. Both teams are 100% for this matchup. UConn finally gets to play against Notre Dame's terrific freshman, Brianna Turner. If you look at the numbers for the last two games for these teams, neither one went much past 6-7 players. The rotations are set and we all know what we are going to see. Barring foul trouble, pretty close to over 40 minutes for Loyd and Allen. Same for Stewart, Tuck, KML and Jefferson. Over 30 for Reimer and Turner. For UConn, I wouldn't be surprised to see Stokes the only bench player with serious minutes for UConn. Cable and Westbeld will see the majority of the bench minutes for the Irish. So, based on these lineups, how will this game shake out?

 

Match ups

Many times games are won and lost based on match ups. Notre Dame will be playing a lot of zone and the matchups don't always stay the same during the course of the game, but it's a good start to look at who has the advantage position by position.


Point Guard - Moriah Jefferson vs Lindsay Allen.

A terrific matchup of two of the best point guards in the country.

Allen has elevated her game this year in almost every possible way. She is shooting better, running the court better, facilitating better, scoring more, rebounding more. Mentally, she is no longer acquiescing to McBride and Achonwa, who were so forceful in their leadership abilities. It might be Loyd's team when talking about leading by example and just being THE player, but it's clear that Allen is becoming the leader of this team. Allen was amazing in the tournament going into the South Carolina game where she had possibly her worst game of the season  going scoreless before fouling out.

Jefferson has been the best point guard in the  country this season in my opinion.  She is has continued with her excellent 3 point shooting from last year and has been even better hitting over 50%. Combine that with her incredibly quick first step and it makes her almost impossible to guard. I called this as Jefferson's advantage before the last game and she was scoreless and fouled out in her worst game of the year. There is no way that comes close to happening again.

Advantage UConn

Shooting Guard - Kia Nurse vs Jewell Loyd.

 

In Loyd you have a 1st team AA player in Loyd. She has the entire package. She is just an incredible scorer. With her step back jumper, she can get her shot off against any defense. Her three pointer has deserted her lately (1-9) to the point where she doesn't look for it very often. Her overall shooting is down in the tournament as well, only 33-92 for 35%. She is still excellent in disrupting the passing lanes and her rebounding is underrated.

Nurse is definitely not playing as well offensively as she was the first time these two teams met. But her defense is still strong and that is where she can make a difference. Her best bet is to keep the ball out of Loyds hands. Tough to do.   

There is no way you can't give this matchup to Loyd. She is one of the best players in the country. Nurse is not....yet.

Advantage Notre Dame          

 

 

Forward - Kaleena Mosquada-Lewis vs Michaela Mabrey 

 

A matchup of two terrific shooters. 

 

Mabrey can be deadly when left open. And if you come up to defend, she will try to drive by you. But she is not quick enough to take advantage of that against KML.  She is a decent passer but fairly one dimensional. 77% of her shots are three pointers.  

 

KML is the best open shooter in the country. Kaleena is a terrific rebounder and sees the court really well. I like her chances to post up Mabrey. Big advantage here. 

 

KML is an All-American. Mabrey is not.

 

Advantage UConn 

 

Forward -  Morgan Tuck vs Taya Reimer

 

I love this matchup. Two very strong and talented front court players.

 

Reimer came back from her "issue" and has been solid in the tournament. She has played excellent defense, blocking 5 shots in her last two games. Her midrange jumper has been deadly and if left alone she will make UConn pay.  

 

Tuck has just gotten better and better, peaking in the tournament.  She is a tough player to guard with her inside outside game and she has maybe the best post moves in the country. In the tournament she is hitting the three pointer at over 40% and if you come out to guard her, she will use her renewed quickness to drive past her defender. Amazing to say, but she is as tough a matchup as Stewart.     

At the beginning of the year, I called this even. No longer.  

 

Advantage: UConn

 

 

Forward - Breanna Stewart vs Brianna Turner 

 

Turner has been terrific this year once she came back from her shoulder injury. But she has played like a freshman at time and had foul trouble against the size of South Carolina. How will she handle Stewart and Stokes? Turner is great coming off the weakside to block shots and for her size, really runs the court well. She can hurt UConn with both of those skills.   

 

Stewart is in championship mode. She is aggressive in the paint and I can't wait to see the 1-1 matchup with Turner. She found her three point shot in the tourney. POY will be MOP again. 

 

Turner is terrific. Stewart is Stewart.  

 

Advantage UConn 

 

Bench - Stokes, Chong and Williams vs Westbeld, Cable and Huffman

Both benches will see little time, but some will make some major contributions. Stokes was a monster in the earlier game with 18 rebounds and 4 blocks. Geno will remember that and give her time to repeat.      

 

Advantage UConn 

      

Final Prediction

 

I have every matchup except for Loyd/Nurse going to UConn, but the game will be closer than you might think based on that.

 

UConn has shown time and time again that they are going to score points. Only ND (76) and SJU (70) have held UConn under 80 points. Maybe the addition of Turner from the first game will make a difference. She can block shots and disrupt the post game. But does anyone think that Jefferson will be held to zero points and only 24 minutes in this game? Doubtful. I just don't see ND slowing down the Huskie by a significant amount. UConn just has too many scorers and they will be on top of their game. It then will come down to whether or not Notre Dame can score enough points. They certainly have a lot of firepower in Loyd, Allen, Turner and the invigorated Reimer. They will get their points.

 

Muffet will have them ready and this should be competitive for much of the game. But UConn is just too explosive to hold down and UConn will have its' share of big runs. 

 

UConn will win it's 10 championship and third consecutive title with a 15 point win.