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Brrrrrr................only in the 60's Sunday. Good day to watch some football!!!!
At least I got to see my wonderful grandkids again!
And I don't want to leave out Logan back in Connecticut having a blast playing with snow boots.
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Here is my UConn/South Florida Pre Game Report.
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Seventeen Top 25 games Sunday. So many games, so much to say......so here goes -
* No. 4 Mississippi State defeated the Tennessee Lady Vols 74-64 in a game that set back women's basketball several decades in development. Ok...maybe I'm exaggerating a little bit. but here are some stats from that game that might help me make my case.
Mississippi State shot 37% from the field and 30% on threes making only 6 of 20. They only had 10 assists on their 26 baskets. They do play a smart offensive plan, taking good care of it with only 7 turnovers.
Tennessee was even worse. They shot 30% from the field and 0-6 on threes. They missed a bunch of layups and short shots. They only made 17 FGs for the entire game. And they only had 6 assists on those 17 baskets. They added 17 turnovers. Now, when you have as many turnovers as baskets you know there is a big problem with the offense.
The worst part of the game was the terrible job done by the officials. There were a total of 43 fouls called for the game, 23 on Mississippi State and 20 on Tennessee. The Lady Vol number is padded with late game fouls trying to get back into the game. Let me tell you , the refs were all over the place with their calls. Tennessee seemed to get every break. There were a few charges that were called blocks against MSU and I'm sure that Coach Vic Shaeffer was livid. But he was all smiles when his daughter hit the three pointer that gave them their final lead. All the talk about great SEC defense is just that.....talk. It's bad offenses that rule that conference.
Mississippi State shot 37% from the field and 30% on threes making only 6 of 20. They only had 10 assists on their 26 baskets. They do play a smart offensive plan, taking good care of it with only 7 turnovers.
Tennessee was even worse. They shot 30% from the field and 0-6 on threes. They missed a bunch of layups and short shots. They only made 17 FGs for the entire game. And they only had 6 assists on those 17 baskets. They added 17 turnovers. Now, when you have as many turnovers as baskets you know there is a big problem with the offense.
The worst part of the game was the terrible job done by the officials. There were a total of 43 fouls called for the game, 23 on Mississippi State and 20 on Tennessee. The Lady Vol number is padded with late game fouls trying to get back into the game. Let me tell you , the refs were all over the place with their calls. Tennessee seemed to get every break. There were a few charges that were called blocks against MSU and I'm sure that Coach Vic Shaeffer was livid. But he was all smiles when his daughter hit the three pointer that gave them their final lead. All the talk about great SEC defense is just that.....talk. It's bad offenses that rule that conference.
* Two years ago Miami gave Notre Dame their first ACC loss. But since that game ND has handled the Hurricanes with ease. It looked like there was a possibility of another upset after a close first half. But the Irish were able to pull away in the second half behind Marina Mabrey's 15 points. Notre Dame was unusually sloppy with 21 turnovers. I've said this before, this is just not the same Notre Dame team we've been used to seeing the last several years.
* No. 24 Kentucky was upset by unranked Texas A&M 77-68 sending them tumbling out of the top 25. I've been calling this for a few weeks. The SEC is as overrated a conference as you will find by the fans and the media. With only two teams in the top twenty five come Monday's poll, the SEC will have as many teams in the top 25 as the AAC. They ain't all that!!!
* More about the Tennessee game. They had a halftime feature on Alexa Middleton. A really sweet kid. So likable. And so overrated. Ever since she won the skills competition at the McDonalds game a few years ago, Tennessee fans have been waiting for her to blossom for three years and it's just not going to happen. There are HS stars that just don't have the game to be a star in WCBB. The announcer did not do her any favors by talking about what a great shooter she is. He actually called her a sharp-shooter. Now, if you look at her three point shooting percentage you might agree. Overall she is shooting 45% on threes going 22-49. Great percentage. Sharp-shooter worthy. But when you break down the numbers you see that she only excels in games against really weak opponents. She was 4-4 against James Madison, 6-7 against Navy. Those were the first two games of the season and Lady Vol fans were Lady Gaga over her. She slumped for the next eight games going 4-17. She had a big game against Troy, going 7-10. Then over her last 4 games she was 1-9. So.....against 3 teams, JMU, Navy and Troy Middleton was 17-21, an incredible 81%. But in the majority of her games she was 5-28, an incredibly poor 18%. Now, you tell me, which is the real Middleton? It's clear to me.
* One more about the Tennessee game. While Diva Diamond Deshields led Tennessee with 25 points, she once again dominated the ball to the (in my opinion) to the detriment of the offensive flow. You could bet money that when she had the ball in her hands she would be shooting it before passing it to another teammate. She was fortunate that the refs bailed her out on several drives which allowed her to go 13-15 from the foul line. But she once against had a poor shooting percentage going 6-16 from the field and missing her only three. And she added 4 turnovers. She is now under 40% from the field and at 33% on threes. Both numbers keep dropping. And with 40 assists and 53 turnovers? She better not be an All-American over someone like Williams or Collier. It would be a travesty.
* Now, for a REAL player of the year candidate, Kelsey Plum score 39 points in leading No. 12 Washington over No. 9 UCLA 82-70. She was 13-26 from the field and 5-13 on threes. She dominates the ball like DDD but Plum shoots 51% from the field and 46% on threes. You want her to shoot. She is averaging 30.1 points per game.
* Did No. 6 Florida State expose No. 13 Duke in their 69-45 win? The Blue Devils really struggled in this one. It's hard to believe a Top 15 team could shoot this poorly. They shot 24% from the field and were 0-11 on threes. Along with 20 turnovers, this makes the performance by Duke one of the worst of any team let alone a ranked team. On the flip side, FSU had something to do with Duke's ineptitude. They continue to impress me.
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* No. 24 Kentucky was upset by unranked Texas A&M 77-68 sending them tumbling out of the top 25. I've been calling this for a few weeks. The SEC is as overrated a conference as you will find by the fans and the media. With only two teams in the top twenty five come Monday's poll, the SEC will have as many teams in the top 25 as the AAC. They ain't all that!!!
* More about the Tennessee game. They had a halftime feature on Alexa Middleton. A really sweet kid. So likable. And so overrated. Ever since she won the skills competition at the McDonalds game a few years ago, Tennessee fans have been waiting for her to blossom for three years and it's just not going to happen. There are HS stars that just don't have the game to be a star in WCBB. The announcer did not do her any favors by talking about what a great shooter she is. He actually called her a sharp-shooter. Now, if you look at her three point shooting percentage you might agree. Overall she is shooting 45% on threes going 22-49. Great percentage. Sharp-shooter worthy. But when you break down the numbers you see that she only excels in games against really weak opponents. She was 4-4 against James Madison, 6-7 against Navy. Those were the first two games of the season and Lady Vol fans were Lady Gaga over her. She slumped for the next eight games going 4-17. She had a big game against Troy, going 7-10. Then over her last 4 games she was 1-9. So.....against 3 teams, JMU, Navy and Troy Middleton was 17-21, an incredible 81%. But in the majority of her games she was 5-28, an incredibly poor 18%. Now, you tell me, which is the real Middleton? It's clear to me.
* One more about the Tennessee game. While Diva Diamond Deshields led Tennessee with 25 points, she once again dominated the ball to the (in my opinion) to the detriment of the offensive flow. You could bet money that when she had the ball in her hands she would be shooting it before passing it to another teammate. She was fortunate that the refs bailed her out on several drives which allowed her to go 13-15 from the foul line. But she once against had a poor shooting percentage going 6-16 from the field and missing her only three. And she added 4 turnovers. She is now under 40% from the field and at 33% on threes. Both numbers keep dropping. And with 40 assists and 53 turnovers? She better not be an All-American over someone like Williams or Collier. It would be a travesty.
* Now, for a REAL player of the year candidate, Kelsey Plum score 39 points in leading No. 12 Washington over No. 9 UCLA 82-70. She was 13-26 from the field and 5-13 on threes. She dominates the ball like DDD but Plum shoots 51% from the field and 46% on threes. You want her to shoot. She is averaging 30.1 points per game.
* Did No. 6 Florida State expose No. 13 Duke in their 69-45 win? The Blue Devils really struggled in this one. It's hard to believe a Top 15 team could shoot this poorly. They shot 24% from the field and were 0-11 on threes. Along with 20 turnovers, this makes the performance by Duke one of the worst of any team let alone a ranked team. On the flip side, FSU had something to do with Duke's ineptitude. They continue to impress me.
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By David in Naples!!!!!
If you are Jose Fernandez, the coach at USF, here's what is facing you on Tuesday. Your three best players graduated last year. Your leading scorer has an injured finger, although she can still play. Your rotation in games is often only 6 deep. Your tallest player is 6'1". Against Tulsa, last night, two players took 70% of your shots and scored 70% of your points, including all made 3 pointers. Your next game is against UConn, #1 team in the country. They have won 89 straight games and your record against them is 0-20. Oh yeah, it just snowed in Storrs and your guys are from Florida.
If you are Geno, coach of the Huskies, here's your outlook. Your three best players also graduated last season. Your leading scorer has been taping a finger on her shooting hand, but can still play. Your rotation is often only 6 deep. Your tallest inside player is 6'1"..... (now the good news...) Four players average in double figures. Seven players have made three point baskets and as a team you make 42%. Your record at the XL Center is 83-2 in the last 85 games. Your record against USF in 20-0. This season, you already beat the snot out of Notre Dame, Texas, Ohio State, Baylor and Maryland. You haven't lost a game in 416 days. Oh yeah, your at home and it just snowed.
I like Geno's chances on this one, even without the six days he has had to game plan.
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If you are Geno, coach of the Huskies, here's your outlook. Your three best players also graduated last season. Your leading scorer has been taping a finger on her shooting hand, but can still play. Your rotation is often only 6 deep. Your tallest inside player is 6'1"..... (now the good news...) Four players average in double figures. Seven players have made three point baskets and as a team you make 42%. Your record at the XL Center is 83-2 in the last 85 games. Your record against USF in 20-0. This season, you already beat the snot out of Notre Dame, Texas, Ohio State, Baylor and Maryland. You haven't lost a game in 416 days. Oh yeah, your at home and it just snowed.
I like Geno's chances on this one, even without the six days he has had to game plan.
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UCONN LINKS
Huskies take business-like approach as history looms Cark Adamec
No. 1 UConn Looks For 90th-Straight Win Tuesday UConn Team Site
Upsets in Red
Late games in Green
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