UCONN vs Maryland
Day: Thursday
Date: December 29th, 2016
Location: College Park, MD
Time: 6:00
Time: 6:00
TV: ESPN2
No. 1/1 UConn Huskies No. 3/4 Maryland Terrapins
11-0 12-0
Prior Meetings
UConn leads the series 5-0
12/3/12 W 63-48 Home
3/30/13 W 76-50 Neutral
11/15/13 W 72-55 Away
4/5/15 W 81-58 Neutral
12/28/15 W 83-73 Home
Above is highlights from last year's meeting.
UConn beat Maryland last 83-73 in a game that was much closer than what was expected. Certainly closer than what I thought considering I predicted a 25 point win for the Huskies. UConn showed their rust in not playing in a weeks time. They had 13 turnovers in the first half and most of them were just ugly and unforced.
They took care of the ball better in the second half, but on offense, they just couldn't make a lot of shots. They were also slow on defense. Especially in the second half. They did push the lead to 12 points in the second half, but to their credit, Maryland kept fighting back and even had a lead at one point. Saniya Chong hit a huge three pointer with 40 seconds left to extend the lead back to 7 points. It certainly was a defining moment for Sanyia.
Team Overviews
Maryland comes into this game undefeated, but they have not exactly played a who's who in WCBB in winning their first 12 games. Their first 4 games were against UMass-Lowell 100-44, Maryland Eastern-Shore 106-61, Mount St. Mary's 106-42 and Niagara 96-64. As you can see by the scores, it's a good schedule to build up some stats, but not so much to prepare a team for tough games.
They then went on to play 2 good teams in around another bad team. They played No. 23 Arizona State 83-42, Washington State 79-69, and No. 7 Louisville 78-72. A shocking result against a ranked team in Arizona State. Almost as shocking is the close game against a pretty mediocre Washington State game. They then played a solid game against a tough Louisville on the road and came away with the win.
Well, that was it for competition. In the last 5 games leading up to the matchup with UConn, Maryland has play some bottom of the barrel teams. They beat UMBC (Maryland Baltimore County)92-42, Towson 97-63, St. Peter's 101-49, Loyola MD 79-60, and Duquesne 77-57. Again, this is no way to be ready for a team of UConn's caliber. Then again, I said this last year and Maryland gave UConn as much as they could handle.
UConn is coming into this game 11-0, beating SIX ranked teams including ND and Florida State on the road. They also played on the road in front of a HUGE crowd at Kansas State so playing in front of the Maryland fans should not be a problem. UConn got a chance to rest their starters against Nebraska. And both UConn and Maryland have 6 days between games. Everyone should be rested.
Stat by Stat Comparison
Leader is bolded.
UConn Maryland
80.0 Points Per Game 91.2
56.5 Opp Points Per Game 55.4
.490 Field Goal % .515
.360 Opp Field Goal % .350
.418 3 Point Field Goal % .346
.270 Opp 3 Point Field Goal % .300
.781 Free Throw % .726
38.4 Rebounds Per Game 47.2
33.7 Opp Rebounds Per Game 29.2
20.9 Assists Per Game 20.9
13.9 Turnovers Per Game 14.5
1.5 Assists/Turnover Ratio 1.4
1.5 Assists/Turnover Ratio 1.4
9.5 Steals Per Game 13.4
3.7 Blocks Per Game 4.7
Maryland is really dominating the stats. But like I said last year they have played a pretty weak schedule, so take them with a grain of salt.
Head Coach Brenda Freese
Games - 12, MPG 20.6, FG% .659, 3PT% .000 FT% .783, PPG 17.5, RPG 9.5, APG .8
Games - 12, MPG 22.8, FG% .444, 3PT% .412, FT% .857, PPG 5.0, RPG 3.6, APG 2.2
Games - 12, MPG 24.8, FG% .446, 3PT% .417, FT% .788, PPG 10.7, RPG 2.5, APG 4.1
Games - 12, MPG 20.0, FG% .530, 3PT% .000, FT% .536, PPG 8.6, RPG 4.9, APG 1.3
Games - 12, MPG 13.3, FG% .611, 3PT% .000, FT% .824, PPG 6.7, RPG 4.8, APG .6
Games - 12, MPG 10.2, FG% .609, 3PT% .000, FT% .429, PPG 5.2, RPG 2.3, APG .3
UCONN
UConn Starters
33 Katie Lou Samuelson
6'3" Sophomore Guard/Forward
Games - 11, MPG 32.6, FG% .479, 3PT% .474, FT% .829, PPG 20.6, RPG 4.1, APG 2.9
24 Napheesa Collier
6'1" Sophomore Forward/Guard
Games - 11, MPG 31.7, FG% .626, 3PT% .375, FT% .818, PPG 19.6, RPG 8.1, APG 1.8
15 Gabby Williams
5'11" Junior Forward
Games - 11, MPG 28.5, FG% .495, 3PT% .250, FT% .680, PPG 10.4, RPG 8.2, APG 4.6
11 Kia Nurse
6' Junior Guard
Games - 11, MPG 35.1, FG% .441, 3PT% .434, FT% .900, PPG 13.5, RPG 2.1, APG 4.2
12 Saniya Chong
5'8" Senior Guard
Games - 9, MPG 21.9, FG% .485, 3PT% .333, FT% .643, PPG 5.0, RPG 1.9, APG 2.8
UConn Bench
5 Crystal Dangerfield
5'5" Freshman Guard
Games - 10, MPG 24.2, FG% .419, 3PT% .385, FT% .667, PPG 6.3, RPG 2.8, APG 3.3
51 Natalie Butler
6'5" RS Sophomore Center
Games - 11, MPG 17.1, FG% .415, 3PT% .000, FT% .667, PPG 3.6, RPG 4.7, APG 1.2
10 Molly Bent
5'9" Freshman Guard
Games - 10, MPG 8.3, FG% .500, 3PT% .600, FT% .500, PPG 1.6, RPG 1.0, APG .5
25 Kyla Irwin
6'2" Freshman Forward
Games - 9, MPG 6.7, FG% .182, 3PT% .000, FT% .500, PPG .8, RPG 1.0, APG .4
20 Tierney Lawlor
5'7" Senior Guard
Games - 8, MPG 2.9, FG% .000, 3PT% .000, FT% .000, PPG 0.0, RPG .4, APG .1
Maryland Terrapins
Maryland Team Preview Video Above
Ahh....Coach Freese. One of the coaches that UConn fans love to hate. It goes back to some of the recruiting wars that UConn has had with Maryland since Freese became the Terps head coach in 2002. She has done a terrific job bringing in great players.
• No. 10 2002-03 Recruiting Class
• No. 2 2003-04 Recruiting Class
• No. 4 2004-05 Recruiting Class
• No. 7 2005-06 Recruiting Class
• No. 2 2006-07 Recruiting Class
• No. 10 2007-08 Recruiting Class
• No. 15 2008-09 Recruiting Class
• No. 2 2010-11 Recruiting Class
• No. 6 2011-12 Recruiting Class
• No. 4 2012-13 Recruiting Class
• No. 11 2013-14 Recruiting Class
• No. 10 2014-15 Recruiting Class
• No. 1 2015-16 Recruiting Class
Four years later, in 2006, Freese won a National Championship for Maryland, a terrific accomplishment. She has won 30+ games five times and was in the final four the last two seasons. She has 408 wins in her 16 years of coaching.
Here are some of her awards:
• Associated Press National Coach of the Year (2002)
• WBCA Regional Coach of the Year (2012, 2013, 2015)
• ACC Coach of the Year (Coaches' 2013)
• Big Ten Coach of the Year (2002, 2015)
Maryland Starters
32 Shatari Walker-Kimbrough
5'11" Senior Guard
Games - 12, MPG 25.3, FG% .568, 3PT% .436, FT% .839, PPG 16.5, RPG 2.7, APG 3.5
Games - 12, MPG 25.3, FG% .568, 3PT% .436, FT% .839, PPG 16.5, RPG 2.7, APG 3.5
Frese on Walker-Kimbrough: “When you talk about someone who made themselves into a big time player, Shatori is one of the ultimate examples. When we recruited her, I told her how much we believed in what she could grow into. Credit to her, she’s bought in and delivered. She works on her game relentlessly and holds herself to very high standards. I challenge her every day to get better and she responds. We are so looking forward to another amazing season from her.”
Ranked the No. 38 player by Blue Star Report...No. 6 wing and No. 43 overall player in the class of 2013, according to ESPN HoopGurlz recruit rankings.
42 Brionna Jones
6'3" Senior Center
Frese on Jones: “I’m immensely proud of what Bri has achieved in our program, both on and off the court. She embodies a lot of the best qualities of what it means to be a Maryland Women’s Basketball player. It’s been incredible watching her grow and I’m going to keep pushing her to get better. She has tremendous hands and is a big time finisher around the basket.”
Ranked No. 48 player overall by Blue Star Report...the No. 7 post player and No. 55 overall player in ESPN HoopGurlz's recruit rankings.
12 Kristen Confroy
5'9" Junior Guard
Frese on Confroy: “Kristen is mentally one of the toughest players you’ll see. She accepts every challenge our staff throws at her and never shows any sign of cracking. She has hit numerous big shots for us in big situations and has a knack for rebounding from her position that is tremendous.”
Ranked the No. 51 overall player by Blue Star and No. 55 by All Star Girls Report… averaged 19.3 points, 6.2 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game through her high school career…McDonald's All-American nominee
5 Destiney Slocum
5'7" Freshman Guard
Frese on Slocum: “Destiny was born to be a leader. She is genuinely concerned and connected to other people. She has endless energy and is always bouncing around with a smile. She sees the floor very well. I’ve coached some really good point guards and her leadership qualities are as good as any I’ve seen.”
2016 McDonald’s All-American…named to Jordan Brand Classic and a WBCA High School All-American and the Gatorade State Player of the Year for Idaho as a senior and junior…ranked the No. 7 overall player by both ESPN, All Star Girls Report and the Collegiate Girls Report. point guard for U.S. Under-19 team...helped lead Team USA to a gold medal in Moscow in the FIBA World Championships in the summer of 2015.
3 Kaila Charles
6'0" Freshman Guard
Frese on Charles: “Kaila is a champion in every sense of the word. As a freshman, she’s already pushing the level of everything this team does from workouts to practices and anything else. That probably shouldn’t be a surprise when her mom and sister were Olympians. I’m excited for her future.”
2016 McDonald’s and WBCA All-American…named to the Jordan Brand Classic USA Today All-America Second Team…named Washington Post All-Met Player of the Year as a senior…scored 2,000 points in her career...averaged over 22.0 points and 9.0 rebounds with 13 double-doubles her senior year…the No. 25 overall player by both ESPN and the Collegiate Girls Report and No. 21 by the All Star Girls Report
Maryland Bench
34 Brianna Fraser
6'3" Sophomore Forward
Frese on Fraser: “Brianna can do some things that maybe no post player we’ve had before her can do. She’s very fluid with the ball and can be very hard to defend. I’m excited to keep challenging her to grow into all her potential.”
Named a McDonald's All-American...rated the No. 12 overall player by the All Star Girls Report, No. 15 overall by ESPN’s Hoop Gurlz and Collegiate Girls Basketball Report…also rated the No. 3 player at her position by ESPN.
24 Stephanie Jones
6'2" Freshman Forward
Frese on Jones: “The Jones family has been incredible for our program. Stephanie is coming along well while rehabbing her repaired ACL. Once she’s 100 percent, we know she can provide that same Jones family standard we’ve enjoyed for four years.”
Named to Naismith Trophy Watch List…named the No. 51 overall player by both ESPN and the Collegiate Girls Report and No. 35 by the All Star Girls Report.
22 Blair Watson
6' Freshman Guard
Frese on Watson: “I’ve said from the first day I saw her, she has the potential to be a great player in our program. She can do it all on the floor. She’s been patient and diligent in rehab for her shoulder and once she's 100 percent, I think you’re going to see her put the pedal to the metal.”
2016 McDonald’s All-American…also named a WBCA High School All-American…named the No. 28 overall player by both ESPN and the Collegiate Girls Report and No. 24 by the All Star Girls Report.
Game Analysis
There are some parallels between this year and last year coming into this game. Both teams are undefeated and both teams are coming off a week off between games. But there is really a big change in rosters for both teams.
Back are three terrific players in Shatari Walker-Kimbrough, Brionna Jones and Kristen Confroy.
SWK is the best guard on the team. She has the complete package from the guard position. She can drive to the basket, hit the mid-range jumper, can hit the step-back jumper as well as a solid long range shot. Her quickness makes her a tough matchup for any defense. She can also find the open player on her drives to the basket if her path is blocked.
One player that benefits from SKW's passes is Brionna Jones. The 6'3" center is a big. As in wide. She can really establish post position and has nice soft hands to receive the entry passes. Once she has the ball in the paint, she is money. Last year she overwhelmed the UConn post defense and with no Stewart or Tuck this year, I'm sure Maryland will try to establish her early and often. Jones also has a nice jumper from inside the foul line. She is probably the biggest matchup problem for the Huskies.
The other player that benefits from SWK's penetration and passes is Kristen Confroy. She is a deadly shooter when left open. If UConn doubles on Jones, you would think she will get some open looks but UConn might be too quick in recovering to the shooter for her to get many clean looks at the basket. Confroy has improved the rest of her offensive game with drives to the basket. But that is against weaker teams and not a defense as good as UConn's.
Maryland has lost two starters in Malina Howard and Chloe Pavlech. But they also lost their first two players off the bench in Brene Mosley and Tierney Pfirman and these two players impacted last years team more than the two starters. They were the third and fourth leading scorers on the team.
They replaced these four players with mostly freshman from the No. 1 class for 2015.
5'7" Destiny Slocum is one terrific freshman point guard. She has a great feel for the game and also plays with great flair. I saw one highlight where she used the Maya Moore one handed drive to the basket ending with a scoop shot. It was awesome. She has a solid assists/TO ratio (1.4) and is hitting 41.7% on threes. Again, not against the best competition so we will see how that translates for a team as talented on defense as UConn.
The other freshman starter is Kaila Charles, a 6' guard/wing is more of a slasher and likes to play around the basket. She is also the second leading rebounder on the team.
Maryland has started these 5 players every game, so the only mystery is who will be coming off the bench. That is directly related to how many minutes the starters play. Because they have played so many weak teams, the bench has had plenty of time. They have 11 players with double digit minutes with a high of 25 minutes by SKW. So unlike UConn's minutes. But I'm thinking they will play minutes more like the only game against a top 10 team.
In the win against Louisville, SKW had 40 minutes, Confroy had 39, Slocum had 31. Jones and Charles only played 24 minutes. But off the bench, only two players really saw any time. Brianna Fraser, the 6'3" sophomore forward and Stephanie Jones, a 6'2" freshman forward. I suppose that Frese might play a few other players a few minutes, but I just can't be sure. Ieshia Small, a transfer from Baylor has had big minutes in a few games, but not in the Louisville game. I do expect her to see some in this game. The only other player that might see some time off the bench re the two 6' freshman guards, Blair Watson and Sarah Meyers. One player you probably won't see much of Connecticut native Kiah Gillespie a 6'2" forward. She has really struggled her sophomore season and it looks to me that Coach Frese has lost confidence in her. I remember a controversy on the UConn message board last year, when she started the season well and Katie Lou started slow. One poster went on and on about how UConn missed out not recruiting Kiah. Maybe so, but it's clear who is the better player.
Maryland plays mostly a matchup zone, where they look like they are playing a man-to-man but as the UConn players cut through the lane they are picked up by the post defenders. It's pretty effective. But UConn moves so well without the ball and they pass the ball so crisply that they should be able to find openings in the zone. Passes over the top of the zone to perimeter players should find some open threes for Samuelson.
Offensively, Maryland will probably try to duplicate the success they had against the Huskies last year in their close loss. They pounded the ball inside to Jones and worked to get open threes. Confroy was particularly effective from the perimeter in the second half going 4-7. She is shooting over 40% on threes, as is SKW and Slocum so UConn can't give up the open perimeter shot.
I think UConn will try to do what they always do, try to run as much as possible to tire out the opponent. That could be particularly effective against Jones. UConn will set up in the half court if the break is not there and work the ball around the Maryland zone with their excellent passing.
UConn has to be happy that Chong is back. She and Butler gives UConn a solid 7 player rotation. Hopefully Dangerfield got the message from Geno and will see some serious time against Maryland. And against Jones's size, Butler might be the best defensive option for UConn to keep her from dominating the paint.
Maryland will have some issues trying to guard the new big three. Samuelson is a match problem for most teams, and Maryland starts four guards. None of them will be able to handle Lou's height. She will take advantage of that factor, posting up and coming off curls for jumpers. Collier is similar to Tuck, an undersized post, and she had a very good game against Jones. She should be able to pull Jones away from the basket. And Williams is too athletic for any of the Maryland guards to cover.
Final Prediction
UConn and Maryland have some recent history. And it's easy to think that last years close game is an indication that this year's game will be even closer. I mean, UConn has lost such great players, and being even smaller than last year, who will guard the "unstoppable" Jones. Well, toss that out the window.
It's time for me to get on the UConn bandwagon in full. Yes, I've been predicting win after win. But I've tempered my expectations of the margins based on losing the big three and the unpredictability of the returning players.
Well, after 11 games and 6 against ranked opponents, it's hard to not believe in this team. They handled ND in South Bend. They will be able to do the same with a team that is not as good in Maryland and certainly not as well coached.
Geno will have a week to figure out the best way to handle whatever Maryland brings to the game. The Maryland depth will be ineffective and let me tell you why. The talent drop off and lack of experience off the bench will force Maryland to play the starters extended minutes. Will they be able to handle that? Doubful. That is one issue when you spread around the minutes so much. You don't get into game shape to handle that. Especially Jones. I don't think she is capable of playing more than 25-30 minutes. UConn will take advantage of when Maryland's best players are on the bench.
The other issue with Maryland's schedule is that when you finally play a team of UConn's caliber it's unknown how the team will react. Especially the freshman, who play such an important role for this Terp team. How will the freshman point guard Slocum handle the deceptive UConn defense? She hasn't seen anything like UConn in her career.
Based on everything I have laid out my final prediction is UConn by 15+.
So happy that Saniya is back, I think she will be a player that can get loose while they are trying to stop our 6' 3" nightmare match up.
ReplyDeleteHeading down Thursday Morning. CAN NOT WAIT.
ReplyDeleteI hope UCONN can give us a nice new year present.
ReplyDelete