UCONN vs LSU
Day: Monday
Date: December 21st, 2015
Location: XL Center
Time: 6:00
Time: 6:00
TV: SNY
No. 1 UConn Huskies LSU Tigers
8-0 6-4
Prior Meetings
UConn leads the series 6-1
3/27/00 W 86-71 N
1/16/06 W 51-48 H
2/11/07 W 72-71 A
3/26/07 L 50-73 N
2/25/08 W 74-69 A
1/3/09 W 76-63 H
11/28/10 W 81-51 H
8-0 UConn is coming of their long exam week break, last playing against No. 11 Florida State. The Huskies handily won that game 73-49 behind great games by Breanna Stewart, Morgan Tuck and Moriah Jefferson. The three players from that amazing 2012 class have been dominating so far this year. Geno made a change in the starting lineup, moving Napheesa Collier into the starting lineup and bringing Gabby Williams off the bench. There is a good possibility that we see Natalie Butler in action.
LSU is coming off a tough season in 2014-15, going 17-14 and losing in the first round of the NCAA tournament. They were lucky to get invited in my opinion. They are 7-4 this year, losing by 3 to Wake Forest, 4 at Tulane, 17 at home to Purdue and 11 to Maine. Yes, Maine. In their most recent game, they played Rutgers, which started their two game Northeast swing, losing 69-57.
Stat by Stat Comparison
Leader is in the team color.
Leader is in the team color.
UConn LSU
88.5 Points Per Game 61.6
55.0 Opp Points Per Game 54.1
.547 Field Goal % .407
.365 Opp Field Goal % .384
.352 3 Point Field Goal % .322
.362 Opp 3 Point Field Goal % .285
.746 Free Throw % .642
39.6 Rebounds Per Game 37.4
29.0 Opp Rebounds Per Game 33.5
22.1 Assists Per Game 12.2
13.5 Turnovers Per Game 15.0
1.6 Assists/Turnover Ratio 0.8
1.6 Assists/Turnover Ratio 0.8
13.5 Steals Per Game 8.8
5.6 Blocks Per Game 2.8
 |
UConn Starters
30 Breanna Stewart
6'4" Senior Forward
6'4" Senior Forward
At the quarter mark of the season, Stewarts stats are just off the charts when you look at them in totality. Her complete line of scoring, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks has to be the best in the country.
2015-16 Stats
8 Games - MPG 31.5, FG% .626, 3PT% .444, PPG 22.9 RPG 8.1, APG 4.4, 19 steals, 27 blocks
3 Morgan Tuck
6'2" RS Junior Forward
6'2" RS Junior Forward
Her shooting percentage is going up and up. I can see her making a run at 60% before the season is over. Her 3 point percentage is now over 35% which makes her a real threat and impossible to guard.
2015-16 Stats
8 Games - MPG 31.6, FG% .520, 3PT% .353, PPG 15.5, RPG 5.8, APG 3.6, 7 steals, 4 blocks
4 Moriah Jefferson
5'7" Senior Guard
5'7" Senior Guard
At 60% and now almost 35% on threes, Jefferson is almost where she was last season in her first team all-American season. At close to 6 assists a game, she is working to her second 1st team AA season along with another Lieberman Award.
2015-16 Stats
8 Games - MPG 32.5, FG% .620, 3PT% .348, PPG 12.6, RPG 2.8, APG 5.8, 22 steals, 0 blocks
11 Kia Nurse
6' Sophomore Guard
Nice to see her have a good shooting game. It's the only thing missing from her performance so far this season. Looks to me that she might be out of her slump.
2015-16 Stats
8 Games - MPG 27.1, FG% .492, 3PT% .348, PPG 10.0, RPG 2.4, APG 2.8, 13 steals, 1 block
24 Napheesa Collier
6'1 Freshman Forward/Guard
Napheesa is now in the starting lineup and it's hard to see how she doesn't stay there. She seems to be in the right place at the right time and her nose for the ball just stands out. She is second on the team in steals and grabs her share of rebounds. You can see her confidence grow as she becomes more comfortable with Geno's system.
2015-16 Stats
8 Games - MPG 20.4 FG% .500, 3PT% .000, PPG 6.4, RPG 5.5, APG 1.3, 20 steals, 5 blocks
UConn Bench
15 Gabby Williams
5'11" Sophomore Forward
Geno has removed her from the starting lineup. I don't know if that was the reason for her slow start against FSU, but she had a nice second half. After a quick start this season, she seemed to have struggled against the many zone defenses that the Huskies see. Geno wants her to give a spark off the bench and she certainly is capable of doing that.
5'11" Sophomore Forward
Geno has removed her from the starting lineup. I don't know if that was the reason for her slow start against FSU, but she had a nice second half. After a quick start this season, she seemed to have struggled against the many zone defenses that the Huskies see. Geno wants her to give a spark off the bench and she certainly is capable of doing that.
2015-16 Stats
8 Games - MPG 19.0, FG% .593, 3PT% .000, PPG 8.9 RPG 7.1, APG 1.3, 18 steals, 6 blocks
33 Katie Lou Samuelson
6'3" Freshman Guard/Forward
Geno gave her a shot against FSU but that only lasted 3 minutes. Games like that are stat killers. Hopefully the 10 day rest did her good and she will play like we know she can.
2015-16 Stats
8 Games - MPG 16.6, FG% .417, 3PT% .273, PPG 6.6, RPG 2.6, APG 1.8, 7 steals, 0 blocks
6'5" RS Sophomore Center
Geno said she was probably going play in this game. I sure hope so. Maybe 10-15 minutes? I'm just anxious to see what she brings to the table. Last word from Geno is maybe. It's not what we all need to hear.
22 Courtney Ekmark
6' Sophomore Guard
Not too many minutes in the last game. It seems that Geno is not going to be comfortable with her yet against top teams. She should see time against LSU.
2015-16 Stats
6 Games - MPG 10.3, FG% .600, 3PT% .400, PPG 2.5, RPG 1.5, APG 1.0, 2 steals, 1 block
20 Tierney Lawlor
5'7" Junior Guard
Still Miss Perfect!!!!
2015-16 Stats
6 Games - MPG 3.0, FG% 1.000, 3PT% 1.000, PPG 1.3, RPG 0.2, APG 0.2, 0 steals, 0 blocks
5'7" Senior Guard
Dr. Pulido!!!!
2015-16 Stats
5 Games - MPG 2.0, FG% .000, 3PT% .000, PPG 0.0, RPG 0.0, APG 0.2, 0 steals, 0 blocks
Out for the game
5'8" Junior Guard
He sore knee kept her out of the Colgate and FSU games and appears for this game as well according to Geno.
2015-16 Stats
6 Games - MPG 13.3, FG% .412, 3PT% .364, PPG 3.7, RPG 1.3, APG .5, 0 steals, 1 block
UCONN TEAM STATS
*******************************************************************
LSU TIGERS
I'm sure the older UConn fans remember Coach Fargas as Nikki Caldwell, a great player for Tennessee from 1991-94. She was on a championship team winning the NCAA title during her freshman season of 1991.
She was a broadcaster after her, becoming the color analyst for Tennessee games, and later the SEC game of the week.
She was an assistant at Tennessee (98-99, 02-08) and Virginia (99-02). The then became head coach at UCLA.
At UCLA, she was very successful if you look at the previous years before she was hired. She was appointed head coach on April 17, 2008 with a five-year contract. In her first season as coach, the UCLA team compiled a regular season record of 18 wins and 11 losses. Her team was 25-9 for the 2009-2010 season. In her last season at UCLA they were 28-5. She made two trips to the NCAA and lost in the second round.
She was hired by LSU, joining a team in the more familiar SEC conference. She won 23, 22 and 21 games in her first 3 seasons with two trips to the Sweet Sixteen. But she had a down year last season with only 17 wins and losing in the first round of the tournament.
LSU Starters
1 Jenna Deemer
5'7" Sophomore Guard
A three-star recruit rated by ESPN.com her scouting report says - Athletic floor-leader with a scorer's mentality … Smooth stroke elevates in mid-range game … Confident ball handler who excels in up tempo.
2015-16 Stats
11 games - MPG 27.6, FG% .406, 3PT% .434, PPG 11.8, RPG 2.5, APG 0.8, 8 steals, 0 blocks
20 Alexis Hyder
5'11" Junior Forward
Hyder is in her first year at LSU after sitting out last season. She is a transfer from North Texas where she averaged 12.8 points and 7.4 rebounds per game while starting 51 of 59 games for the Mean Green during her freshman and sophomore seasons.
2015-16 Stats
10 games - MPG 23.7, FG% .529, 3PT% .000, PPG 10.0, RPG 7.9, APG 2.1, 15 steals, 8 blocks
10 games - MPG 23.7, FG% .529, 3PT% .000, PPG 10.0, RPG 7.9, APG 2.1, 15 steals, 8 blocks
3 Akilah Bethel
6'0" Senior Forward
Bethel transferred from West Virginia in 2012 and sat out the 2013-14 season due to transfer rules. She started 13 times as a forward on LSU’s front line with 17 of her final 18 appearances of the season coming off the bench and produced 4.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game.
2015-16 Stats
10 games - MPG 28.9, FG% .500, 3PT% .000, PPG 9.7, RPG 6.5, APG 2.3, 23 steals, 3 blocks
13 Rina Hill
5'7" Junior Guard
Hill was the 2014-15 LSU Defensive Player of the Year and the 2014-15 Strength & Conditioning Team Award. She was also on the 2014-15 SEC Academic Winter Honor Roll.
2015-16 Stats
10 games - MPG 30.6, FG% .304, 3PT% .000, PPG 5.9, RPG 1.5, APG 2.1, 6 steals, 0 blocks
2 Shanice Norton
5'8" Freshman Guard
Shanice is from England and Prepped at Barking Abbey Basketball Academy in England before spending her final two high school season at Potter’s House Christian Academy in Jacksonville, Florida. She represented England on the U16 Team at the 2012 and 2013 FIBA European Championships and was selected to England’s U18 Team for the 2015 FIBA European Championships.
2015-16 Stats
10 games - MPG 18.3, FG% .390, 3PT% .267, PPG 4.7, RPG 2.6, APG 2.1, 6 steals, 0 blocks
LSU Bench
31 Ann Jones
6'3" Senior Forward
Jones was on the 2014-15 SEC Community Service Team and won the LSU team award for Community Service. Coming out of HS she was the No. 45 ranked power forward by ESPN Hoop Gurlz.
2015-16 Stats
10 games - MPG 17.1, FG% .451, 3PT% .000, PPG 5.9, RPG 3.9, APG .7, 8 steals, 10 blocks
10 games - MPG 17.1, FG% .451, 3PT% .000, PPG 5.9, RPG 3.9, APG .7, 8 steals, 10 blocks
10 Jasmine Rhodes
5'10" Junior Guard
Rhodes averaged 2.0 points, 1.5 rebounds and 0.9 steals per game with 26 of her 27 appearances coming off the bench last season.
2015-16 Stats
10 games - MPG 16.9, FG% .417, 3PT% .000, PPG 4.6, RPG 2.8, APG 1.0, 8 steals, 2 blocks
10 games - MPG 16.9, FG% .417, 3PT% .000, PPG 4.6, RPG 2.8, APG 1.0, 8 steals, 2 blocks
4 Anne Pedersen
6'1" Senior Guard/Forward
Pedersen, from Copenhagen Denmark, was on the 2014-15 SEC Academic Winter Honor Roll and won the LSU Team Award 2014-15 Most Improved Player. Pedersen started in 27 of LSU’s 31 games last year which included the final 17 games of her redshirt junior season. She added 5.4 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.
2015-16 Stats
9 games - MPG 24.8, FG% .220, 3PT% .111, PPG 3.8, RPG 2.8, APG 1.3, 4 steals, 4 blocks
9 games - MPG 24.8, FG% .220, 3PT% .111, PPG 3.8, RPG 2.8, APG 1.3, 4 steals, 4 blocks
Game Analysis
I tried. I looked at every biography for every LSU player and not one of the players was ranked coming out of high school. This makes this a really difficult game for LSU to try and keep competitive. And believe me, it will be up to them to do that. UConn will play their game, pressuring the LSU guards early and often. They will use their big size advantage to score inside. They will run off turnovers and even off of made baskets.
I don't know how good a shape the LSU players but they will need to be in great shape to handle what will be coming at them. I watched their game against Rutgers and LSU played a 2-1-2 one to try to deal with the Rutgers size advantage. In the second half it looked like a 3-2 zone or a 1-2-2. It was tough to tell. Either way there is no way this version of LSU can cover their UConn counterparts with zoning. But it is their best choice. They will try to force UConn to shoot threes. I'm not sure that even with a zone the can do that.
Jenner Deemer is really the only three point threat for LSU at 43%. In fact, she has taken 53 of the 87 three pointers for LSU. The rest of the team is 5-34. Doing the math, Deemer has made 23 of the 28 three point shots the team has made. You can bet Jefferson will be in her pocket the entire game. Pederson is back from a concussion and adds a nice offensive player to the LSU lineup. She has a nice mid-range jumper, although her prior shooting percentage doesn't reflect that. It's not just their lack of threes. They really don't have many players that can shoot. Their point guard pretty much dribbles around on the outside and eventually passes the ball to someone else on the perimeter.
LSU doesn't have any size in their starting lineup. Alexis Hyder is a 5'11" fireplug. She has excellent strength in the post and against many teams, she can really use that to her advantage. She plays the middle of their zone and does a lot of bumping as players come into her area. She also is very subtle in using her body to clear out rebounding space. Her problem in this game is that UConn has players that makes her ability in the post mostly ineffective. Tuck is just as strong and 3 inches taller and Stewart is.....well.....Stewart. The Tigers might play 6'3" Jones off the bench for more than her 17 mpg average.
LSU's only chance is to force turnovers, but they really don't have the players to do that. I do expect them to try and pressure UConn but that won't last long after UConn breaks the pressure for easy scores. It's really a lesson in futility.
Geno knows that coming off the break UConn will be more prone to turnovers. It happens almost every time they have a week off between games. So he will be after them to take care of the ball, run off their defensive pressure and take good shots. Geno also knows that a tougher Maryland game is after this one and will want the team to show the progress they should be making after 8 games. A few things to look for. If Butler plays, how much will she play, how effective will she be, how is her stamina, is she favoring her surgically repaired thumb? I'd also be looking to see how Williams does off the bench. She was terrific last year in that role.
Final Prediction
LSU is a struggling team that is trying to find their way. They only managed 57 points against Rutgers on 40% shooting. Now they have to face a team that they match up so poorly with, it could get away from them early in the game.
UConn will want to make a statement in this game against a Power 5 Conference team even one as weak as LSU. They will press early and often, run at every chance and feed the post when they don't. This is over early and gets ugly. UConn by 45+
I? an "older" UConn fan?!?
ReplyDeleteOf course I remember Nikki....who doesn't? Those were the days....
Great write up! Thank you