DoggyDaddy's UConn/Texas Pregame Report




UCONN vs Texas

Day: Sunday

Date: Dec. 4th, 2016

Location: Mohegan Sun
Time:4:00

TV: ESPN2

No. 2 UConn Huskies                                            No. 14 Texas

           5-0                                                                      2-3

Overview

Prior Meetings

UConn - 7-0

 H: 1-0; A: 1-0; N: 5-0

4/6/03 W 71-69 N

1/17/05 W 73-57 H
2/12/06 W 71-58 A
3/25/08 W 89-55 N
11/17/09 W 83-58 N 
3/28/15 W 105-54 N
3/18/15 W 86-65 N

Overview

Two years ago UConn met Texas in the Sweet Sixteen game, absolutely destroying the Longhorns 105-54. That game was in Albany, my first NCAA tournament experience. Other than UConn winning big,  the other big thing that came out of that game was when UConn Hartford Courant beat writer John Altivalla tweeted about the Texas cheerleader in a dirty old man way and he was removed from the UConn women's basketball beat. It looks like forever.

Last season UConn defeated Texas 86-65 to send them to Indianapolis for their NINTH consecutive Final Four. An amazing feat and one that will be like DiMaggio's 56 game hitting streak. Not soon to be broken.

This was a great win by UConn against a very game Texas team. Two years ago they collapsed in a heap after UConn put a run on them. Last year, they fought tooth and nail the entire 40 minutes, a credit to their coach and the players themselves.

Thanks to my friend David (from Naples) who does the "Fun with Numbers" for my blog every day, I was able to attend the game with close to mid-court seats and three rows from the court. Amazing view of the game. I was really able to see close up how physical the game can be.

Texas is really struggling this year, sitting at 2-3 with losses at No. 11 Stanford 71-59, at No. 10 Mississippi State 79-68 and at home against No. 3 South Carolina 76-67. I'm sure that the Longhorns are thrilled to be playing UConn in Connecticut.

UConn is coming of an incredible win against No. 15 DePaul 91-46. The win was not shocking but the margin of victory sure was. An incredible 37-6 lead after one quarter says it all. The Huskies are coming into this game full of confidence and a wealth of possibilities.  

Comparative Team Statistic
Leader in Bold

                                            UConn                                        Texas

                                              82.5              PPG                     75.6
                                              57.2        Defensive PPG          62.2

                                              25.3        Scoring Margin          13.4

                                              50.7        Field Goal %              45.3
                                              33.3        Defensive FG%         40.7

                                              42.6        Three Point %            34.8
                                              25.4        Defensive 3PT%        26.0

                                              75.0        Free Throw %            63.5

                                              40.2        Rebounds/game         41.6

                                                5.2        Rebounding Margin    13.4 

                                              21.5        Assists per game        15.0

                                              14.2        Turnover per game     15.6

                                                1.8        Assists/TO ratio            1.0

                                                8.2        Steals per game           8.0

                                                4.0        Blocks per game          5.8

                                                         

UConn Starters

33 Katie Lou Samuelson

6'3" Sophomore Guard/Forward

Samuelson continues her terrific play. She is constantly expanding her game. She was as usual deadly from behind the arc, going 4-6 against DePaul but it was her team leading 7 rebounds and her 7 assists that stood out to me. Her defense is improving as well.

24 Napheesa Collier

6'1 Sophomore Forward/Guard

Her shooting percentage is jumping with another efficient game against DePaul. She was 9-12 from the field pushing her FG% to 66.7. And she added 4 steals. Those long arms come in handy.   

11 Kia Nurse

6' Junior Guard

I keep saying it. Kia is still not 100% in the groove yet. Well after the DePaul game, I can stop saying it. She is in the groove. She scored a career high 33 points on 6-9 shooting on threes. Her defense was still top notch. Just an amazing game for her. Can she carry that forward to the Texas game?  

 

15 Gabby Williams

5'11" Junior Forward

Now she is a point forward? Her instincts are improving every game. She knows she doesn't have to score to impact the game and her 10 assists was the first double digit UConn assist game in a long time. A super star in the making!

12 Saniya Chong

5'8" Senior Guard

One of her best overall games against DePaul, even though she didn't shoot that well. Only 6 points and 4 assists, it was her defense that stood out. UConn needs her to play like this going forward.  

UConn Bench

51 Natalie Butler

6'5" RS Sophomore Center

Butler continues to gain more and more confidence. She will need it against the Texas tough front line. But she is starting to get it. A solid effort against DePaul, a team I didn't think she matched up well with.

5 Crystal Dangerfield

5'5" Freshman Guard

The rust was there after no practices dealing with her concussion. But at least she got on the court and will be ready for Texas.

10 Molly Bent

5'9" Freshman Guard

Her few minutes are always solid. She still looks like she belongs. I hope she is part of the regular guard rotation!

25 Kyla Irwin
6'2" Freshman Forward

She played some nice minutes against DePaul. Still not quite ready for prime time, but her game is improving every minute on the court.

20 Tierney Lawlor

5'7" Junior Guard

GO TIERNEY!!!!!! 1 rebounds and 1 assists in 4 minutes. Played her usual tough defense.

UCONN TEAM STATS







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Head Coach Karen Aston

Karen Aston returned to the institution where she originally carved her reputation as an energetic leader and relentless recruiter in 2012, becoming just the fourth Texas Women's Basketball head coach in program history.

Since arriving at The University of Texas, Aston has made steps to lay the foundation for the Longhorns’ return to national prominence, which she experienced as an eight-year assista­nt to Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame coach Jody Conradt. Aston was instrumental in the Longhorns’ trip to the 2003 NCAA Final Four and a pair of Sweet 16 appearances in 2002 and 2004.

A native of Benton, Ark., Aston was a two-time first-team all-state selection at Bryant High School. She capped her high school career by leading Bryant to the 1982 Arkansas Class 4A State Championship. Aston earned a Bachelors of Arts degree in physical education from Arkansas-Little Rock in 1987. She played two seasons of basketball at UALR after transferring from Ouachita Baptist.

Texas Starters

11 Brooke McCarty

5'4" Junior Guard

  

 AWARDS & HONORS • All-Big 12 (2016 First Team)
• Big 12 All-Freshman Team (2015)
• Academic All-Big 12 - (2015 Rookie Team, 2016 First Team)
• Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll (Fall 2015, Spring 2015, Fall 2016, Spring 2016)
• Big 12 Freshman of the Week (Feb. 16, 2015, Feb. 23, 2015)
• High School All-American (consensus) - 2013-14

24 Arial Adkins

5'11" Junior Guard

AWARDS & HONORS  • Bridgeport All-Regional Team (2016)
• All-Big 12 (2016 Second Team)
• Big 12 All-Freshman Team (2015)
• USBWA National Freshman of the Week (Feb. 3, 2015)
• Big 12 Freshman of the Week (Nov. 24, 2014, Feb. 2, 2015)
• Preseason Big 12 Freshman of the Year (2014-15)
• Sporting News Preseason All-American (2014-15 Third Team)
• USA Basketball U18 National Team (2014)
• Academic All-Big 12 (2015 Rookie Team, 2016 First Team)
• Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll (Fall 2014, Fall 2015)
• Morgan Wootten National High School Player of the Year (2014)
• High School All-American [consensus] (2013-14)
• Texas High School Player of the Year [consensus] (2012-13)

20 Brianna Taylor

5'9" Senior Guard

AWARDS & HONORS  • Academic All-Big 12 (2014 Rookie Team, 2015 First Team, 2016 First Team)
• Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll (Fall 2013, Spring 2014, Spring 2015)

  

40 Kelsey Lang
6'5" Senior Center

AWARDS & HONORS • All-Big 12 (2015 Second Team)
• Big 12 Player of the Week (Dec. 1, 2014)
• Academic All-Big 12 (Rookie Team 2014, First Team 2015, 2016 First Team)
• Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll (Fall 2013, Spring 2014, Fall 2014, Fall 2015, Spring 2016)

24 Joyner Holmes
6'3" Freshman Guard/Forward

AWARDS & HONORS • College Sports Madness National Freshman of the Year (2016)
• McDonald's High School All-American (2016)
• Jordan Brand Classic Co-MVP (2016)

• The nation’s No. 1 recruit in the class of 2016, according to the Blue Star Report and the No. 2 prospect in the espnW Hoop Gurlz Top 100.
• Earned First-Team All-America honors from both the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association and the Naismith Trophy as a senior in 2016. Was also a MaxPreps Second-Team All-American. 

Texas Bench

 10 Lashan Higgs

5'9" Senior Guard

AWARDS & HONORS • Big 12 Freshman of the Week (Nov. 30, 2015)
• Bridgeport All-Regional Team Member (March 30, 2016)
• Big 12 Preseason Freshman of the Year (2015-16)
• High School All-American [consensus] (2015)

31 Audrey-Ann Caron-Goudreau

6'4" Junior Forward

SOPHOMORE (2015-16) [at Gulf Coast (Fla.) State College] • Led her Gulf Coast State College team to the NJCAA Division I National Championship and was named Co-Most Valuable Player of the Tournament.
• One of 10 junior and community college players nationally to be selected to the WBCA Junior/Community College Coaches’ All-America Team.
• Gulf Coast finished with a 32-1 record during the 2015-16 season.
• Averaged 13.3 points per game and 10.4 rebounds per game. Shot 47.7 percent from the field and 44.5 percent from beyond three-point range.
• Ranked 10th among NJCAA Division I women’s basketball players with 77 blocks on the year.
• Averaged 18.5 points per game 14.0 rebounds per game and 3.5 blocks per game in the four national tournament games that were contested in Lubbock.
• In the NJCAA Championship game alone, led her team with 16 points, 17 rebounds and six blocks. Had 14 points and made four three-pointers in the second half. 

5 Jordan Hosey

6'1" Sophomore Forward 

AWARDS & HONORS  • High School All-American (consensus) - 2015

 Texas Stats

 Game Analysis

The players have changed some, but the matchups of style has not. Texas plays at a slower pace and UConn will try to speed them up.   

On offense it's all about the guards for Texas with the solid backcourt of McCarty and Atkins. I like the 5'4" McCarty. I said this last year, McCarty is a better version of South Carolina's Bianca Cuevas. More under control and a better feel for the game. And this year she is hitting 41% her threes and takes by far the most of their long range shots. She is leading the Longhorns is scoring.

Atkins loves to take the ball to the rim, but has been struggling with her three pointer this season, shooting only 28%. She had a great game against UConn last year and sometimes that carries through to the next matchup.

Texas does have a big frontcourt in the senior Lang and freshman Holmes. But Lang is limited offensively and Holmes has suffered from the freshman inconsistencies you see with young big players. She is listed as a guard/forward, and loves to initiate her offense from the top of the key. You can see the raw talent she has but look for her to turn the ball over against the tough UConn defense.

Texas plays exclusively man-to-man defense and I don't think they match up well with UConn's diverse offense. UConn will screen them like crazy and use there terrific motion offense to get plenty of open looks.

Like UConn, Texas like to screen and then dribble drive to the basket. That is what they did against South Carolina and it got some of the bigs in foul trouble. UConn will have to watch out for that. They can't afford to have their best players sitting.

It looked to me that Texas doesn't do a good job of getting to the three point shooters. If they can't close and Nurse remains hot, KLS and Kia will hurt them badly. Lang is big but slow, so both Williams and Collier should be able to succeed in the paint.

Final Prediction

They played and lost to three ranked team and only managed to score 59, 68 and 67 points. My guess is they do not score more than the low sixties. And I don't believe they can stop the UConn offense.

While they have some good players, Texas is right now star-starved and that makes a big difference in the outcome.

Look for a 15 point UConn win. My only caveat is that Texas right now is a desperate team. They lose and they are 2-4 and dropping deeper in the rankings if not out of the top 25. That can really play on a teams psyche.