Wednesday, February 22nd, 2017
XL Center
Hartford, CT.
Hartford, CT.
Time: 7:00
TV: SNY/ESPN3
TV: SNY/ESPN3
No. 1 UConn 26-0 (13-0) No. 23 Temple 21-5 (10-2)
Head to Head games
UConn has played Temple 10 times in their history, winning the last 8 after losing twice in the PG era (pre-geno).
1/16/81 L 68-71 A
1/16/82 L 49-62 H
3/23/10 W 90-36 N
1/11/14 W 80-36 H
1/28/14 W 93-56 A
1/14/15 W 92-58 H
2/1/15 W 83-49 A
1/16/16 W 104-49 H
2/14/16 W 85-60 A
2/1/17 W 97-69 A
Highlights of the last game between these two teams
Overview
Both Temple and UConn come into this game winning their last 5 games since last playing each other on February 1st.
Temple is playing some really good basketball starting with the second half of the first matchup with UConn. They have beaten Tulane 76-50, Tulsa 70-43, East Carolina76-43, SMU 66-52 and No. 22 South Florida 77-71. That's a little big more than 26 margin of victory. The Owls are on fire!
Still number one and undefeated, UConn is also coming off 5 wins since the last matchup with Temple. UConn defeated Tulsa 96-50, Cincinnati 96-49, SMU 83-41, South Carolina 66-55 and Tulane 63-60. UConn's offense has clearly been subpar over the last 2-3 games. Against South Carolina, who plays pretty good defense and Nurse only playing made a lot of sense that it would be a low scoring game. But the game against Tulane has to be an aberration or this this could see some future struggles. We will find out more in this game.
1/16/82 L 49-62 H
3/23/10 W 90-36 N
1/11/14 W 80-36 H
1/28/14 W 93-56 A
1/14/15 W 92-58 H
2/1/15 W 83-49 A
1/16/16 W 104-49 H
2/14/16 W 85-60 A
2/1/17 W 97-69 A
Overview
Both Temple and UConn come into this game winning their last 5 games since last playing each other on February 1st.
Temple is playing some really good basketball starting with the second half of the first matchup with UConn. They have beaten Tulane 76-50, Tulsa 70-43, East Carolina76-43, SMU 66-52 and No. 22 South Florida 77-71. That's a little big more than 26 margin of victory. The Owls are on fire!
Still number one and undefeated, UConn is also coming off 5 wins since the last matchup with Temple. UConn defeated Tulsa 96-50, Cincinnati 96-49, SMU 83-41, South Carolina 66-55 and Tulane 63-60. UConn's offense has clearly been subpar over the last 2-3 games. Against South Carolina, who plays pretty good defense and Nurse only playing made a lot of sense that it would be a low scoring game. But the game against Tulane has to be an aberration or this this could see some future struggles. We will find out more in this game.
Stat by Stat Comparison
Leader is bolded
Leader is bolded
UCONN Temple
85.1 Points Per Game 70.9
54.0 Opp Points Per Game 59.1
.512 Field Goal % .396
.344 Opp Field Goal % .371
.387 3 Point Field Goal % .328
.263 Opp 3 Point Field Goal % .271
.772 Free Throw % .702
39.4 Rebounds Per Game 42.6
33.4 Opp Rebounds Per Game 38.5
22.9 Assists Per Game 14.9
12.5 Turnovers Per Game 13.3
1.8 Assists/Turnover Ratio 1.1
1.8 Assists/Turnover Ratio 1.1
10.2 Steals Per Game 7.7
4.7 Blocks Per Game 3.3
UCONN
UConn Starters
33 Katie Lou Samuelson
6'3" Sophomore Guard/Forward
Last UConn/Temple Game - 32 min, 24 pts, 4 rbs, 2 assts, 1 stl
MPG 31.2, FG% .486, 3PT% .418, FT% .813, PPG 20.6, RPG 3.8, APG 2.7
24 Napheesa Collier
6'1" Sophomore Forward/Guard
Last UConn/Temple Game - 34 min, 25 pts, 10 rbs, 2 assts, 3 stls, 4 blks
MPG 29.8, FG% .669, 3PT% .344, FT% .817, PPG 19.3, RPG 8.8, APG 2.1
15 Gabby Williams
5'11" Junior Forward
Last UConn/Temple Game - 24 min, 14 pts, 2 rbs, 6 assts, 1 steal, 4 blks
MPG 28.6, FG% .550, 3PT% .167, FT% .671, PPG 12.9, RPG 8.8, APG 5.3
12 Saniya Chong
5'8" Senior Guard
Last UConn/Temple Game - 31 min, 12 pts, 4 rbs, 6 assts, 1 steal
MPG 29.0, FG% .470, 3PT% .405, FT% .800, PPG 7.8, RPG 2.5, APG 4.0
5 Crystal Dangerfield
5'5" Freshman Guard
Last UConn/Temple Game - 18 min, 6 pts, 1 rbs, 1 asst, 1 steal
MPG 23.2, FG% .379, 3PT% .302, FT% .529, PPG 5.7, RPG 2.3, APG 3.3
UConn Bench
51 Natalie Butler
6'5" RS Junior Center
Last UConn/Temple Game - 19 min, 8 pts, 4 rbs, 1 assts, 2 blks
MPG 16.7, FG% .484, 3PT% .000, FT% .750, PPG 5.4, RPG 4.7, APG 1.1
10 Molly Bent
5'9" Freshman Guard
Last UConn/Temple Game - 5 min, 0-1
MPG 10.7 FG% .267, 3PT% .286, FT% .625, PPG 1.1, RPG 1.7, APG 1.5
25 Kyla Irwin
6'2" Freshman Forward
Last UConn/Temple Game - 3 min, 1 steal
MPG 8.1, FG% .415, 3PT% .250, FT% .684, PPG 2.3, RPG 1.5, APG .5
20 Tierney Lawlor
5'7" Senior Guard
Last UConn/Temple Game - 2 min
MPG 3.2, FG% .000, 3PT% .000, FT% .500, PPG 0.1, RPG .3, APG .1
Out for the game
11 Kia Nurse
6' Junior Guard
Last UConn/Temple Game - 32 min, 8 pts, 2 rbs, 4 assts, 2 steal
MPG 32.7, FG% .462, 3PT% .422, FT% .857, PPG 12.8, RPG 2.4, APG 4.2
*******************************************************************
Tonya Cardoza
Head Coach
Tonya Cardoza recently completed her eighth season on North Broad Street, after proving time and again that she was the right person for the job of continuing and building upon the success of Temple women’s basketball.
Temple's 2015-16 season marked the second-straight 20-win campaign, as Cardoza guided the Owls to an overall mark of 23-12. In the tough American Athletic Conference, Temple finished third, compiling an impressive 13-5 record, the best finish for the team in American history. During the regular season, Temple made waves with a six-game win streak, including a thrilling 68-66 win over #20 USF. The culmination of the 2015-16 season again saw the Owls earn a post-season bid. The team advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2016 WNIT, before a narrow 77-76 loss at Michigan. Individually, Cardoza's guards again shined, as sophomore Alliya Butts earned the program's first American Athletic Conference first team nod, while also being named a first-team All-Big five selection.
COACHING EXPERIENCE
Temple University (2008-present)
Head Coach Five seasons
Season Overall Conf. Postseason
2008-09 21-10 11-3 A-10 NCAA
2009-10 25-9 11-3 A-10 NCAA
2010-11 24-9 13-1 A-10 NCAA
2011-12 23-10 13-1 A-10 WNIT
2012-13 14-18 5-9 A-10
2013-14 14-16 8-10 American
2014-15 20-17 12-6 American WNIT Final Four
2015-16 23-12 13-5 American WNIT Quarterfinals
Totals 164-101 86-38
2011 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year
2011 Philadelphia Big 5 Coach of the Year
2010 Philadelphia Big 5 Coach of the Year
2009 Philadelphia Big 5 Coach of the Year
Temple's 2015-16 season marked the second-straight 20-win campaign, as Cardoza guided the Owls to an overall mark of 23-12. In the tough American Athletic Conference, Temple finished third, compiling an impressive 13-5 record, the best finish for the team in American history. During the regular season, Temple made waves with a six-game win streak, including a thrilling 68-66 win over #20 USF. The culmination of the 2015-16 season again saw the Owls earn a post-season bid. The team advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2016 WNIT, before a narrow 77-76 loss at Michigan. Individually, Cardoza's guards again shined, as sophomore Alliya Butts earned the program's first American Athletic Conference first team nod, while also being named a first-team All-Big five selection.
COACHING EXPERIENCE
Temple University (2008-present)
Head Coach Five seasons
Season Overall Conf. Postseason
2008-09 21-10 11-3 A-10 NCAA
2009-10 25-9 11-3 A-10 NCAA
2010-11 24-9 13-1 A-10 NCAA
2011-12 23-10 13-1 A-10 WNIT
2012-13 14-18 5-9 A-10
2013-14 14-16 8-10 American
2014-15 20-17 12-6 American WNIT Final Four
2015-16 23-12 13-5 American WNIT Quarterfinals
Totals 164-101 86-38
2011 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year
2011 Philadelphia Big 5 Coach of the Year
2010 Philadelphia Big 5 Coach of the Year
2009 Philadelphia Big 5 Coach of the Year
Temple Starters
15 Alliya Butts
5'4" Sophomore Guard
Last UConn/Temple Game - 35 min, 13 pts, 2 rbs, 5 assts, 2 steal, 6 TOs
MPG 33.8, FG% .342, 3PT% .322, FT% .794, PPG 14.6, RPG 2.7, APG 3.2
2 Feyonda Fitzgerald
5'7" Junior Guard
Last UConn/Temple Game - 30 min, 7 pts, 2 rbs, 7 assts, 2 steal
MPG 35.0, FG% .395, 3PT% .321, FT% .816, PPG 16.9, RPG 3.6, APG 7.3
12 Ruth Sherrill
6' Senior Forward
Last UConn/Temple Game - 16 min, 6 pts, 6 rbs, 1 assts
MPG 21.8, FG% .525, 3PT% .000, FT% .520, PPG 4.8, RPG 6.9, APG .6
35 Safiya Martin
35 Safiya Martin
6'4" Senior Center
Last UConn/Temple Game - 12 min, 4 pts, 2 rbs
MPG 15.1, FG% .417, 3PT% .000, FT% .643, PPG 1.9, RPG 3.2, APG .2
32 Donnaizha Fountain
6'0" Sophomore Guard
Last UConn/Temple Game - 23 min, 6 pts, 1 rbs
MPG 29.2, FG% .421, 3PT% .363, FT% .776, PPG 14.7, RPG 7.8, APG .9
Temple Bench
22 Tanaya Aikenson
5'9" Sophomore Guard
22 Tanaya Aikenson
5'9" Sophomore Guard
Last UConn/Temple Game - 35 min, 20 pts, 10 rbs, 4 assts, 1 steal
MPG 28.5, FG% .477, 3PT% .222, FT% .611, PPG 12.3, RPG 8.2, APG .9
21 Kadijiah Berger
5'10 Sophomore Guard
Last UConn/Temple Game - 25 min, 12 pts, 3 rbs, 2 assts
MPG 21.0, FG% .304, 3PT% .362, FT% .714, PPG 4.6, RPG 2.9, APG 1.5
Game Analysis
Temple is having a great season and just entered the top 25 at No. 23 this week. They are also sitting at an 8 seed in the latest Bracketology and that is before their win against South Florida. In that game they played five guards for the majority of the game with their two bigger players getting 17 and 21 minutes each.
Temple is led by 5'7" Feyonda Fitzgerald. She is a very quick player and a terrific passer averaging 7.6 assist per game. Last game Nurse did a nice job defending her but with Nurse out, she will be a handful. Fitzgerald is not a great outside shooter, making only 32% of her threes. But she uses the threat of a three pointer to give her driving opportunities where she will more than likely dish to an open teammate.
Her backcourt mate is their 5'4" dynamo, Alliya Butts. The junior guard continues to take her game to another level. She loves the three pointer, with over half of her shots coming from beyond the arc. She takes around 40% of the Owls' three pointers at about at about 8 per game. The problem is she only makes 31% of them.
Temple has been on fire lately led by Fitzgerald shooting 39% for the last 5 games on threes. Donhaizha Fountain has shot 41% on threes over the same timeframe and even Butts has been hitting at a higher clip shooting 35% since the first UConn game.
Temple loves to throw the ball around the perimeter until a drive opportunity shows up. They will either go to the basket or kick out for a three. But they generate most of their offense from their defense. You can see the "Geno" influence in their aggressive defensive play. They will run off misses and off turnovers and they are really, really good at it.
UConn has a big advantage inside and they are going to have to take full advantage of that. Temple's only size is 6'4" Safiya Martin, who only gets around 16 minutes each game. She is just not capable of staying with the UConn front court. There is no one on Temple to cover Williams, Collier and Samuelson and all three should have big games, but expect Collier to dominate play.
UConn's defense was excellent in the first outing against Temple in the first half but allowed 51 points in the second half, by far the most for the season in a half. With Nurse they should be able to contain the star guard duo of Temple but with her out, it will be tougher for Chong and Dangerfield to accomplish the same thing. The Owls have a clear advantage in the back court.
Some crazy stats from the first game.
UConn scored 97 points in the game but was only 4-16 on threes.
Temple scored 18 points in the first half and 51 points in the second half. Insane.
5'9" Guard Tanaya Atkinson had 10 rebounds in the last game against UConn. Not so crazy. But NINE of those were offensive rebounds. Very Crazy. I remember a lot of long rebounds off three point misses that she corralled.
Both Collier and Williams had four blocks each. Nuts!!!!
Temple is led by 5'7" Feyonda Fitzgerald. She is a very quick player and a terrific passer averaging 7.6 assist per game. Last game Nurse did a nice job defending her but with Nurse out, she will be a handful. Fitzgerald is not a great outside shooter, making only 32% of her threes. But she uses the threat of a three pointer to give her driving opportunities where she will more than likely dish to an open teammate.
Her backcourt mate is their 5'4" dynamo, Alliya Butts. The junior guard continues to take her game to another level. She loves the three pointer, with over half of her shots coming from beyond the arc. She takes around 40% of the Owls' three pointers at about at about 8 per game. The problem is she only makes 31% of them.
Temple has been on fire lately led by Fitzgerald shooting 39% for the last 5 games on threes. Donhaizha Fountain has shot 41% on threes over the same timeframe and even Butts has been hitting at a higher clip shooting 35% since the first UConn game.
Temple loves to throw the ball around the perimeter until a drive opportunity shows up. They will either go to the basket or kick out for a three. But they generate most of their offense from their defense. You can see the "Geno" influence in their aggressive defensive play. They will run off misses and off turnovers and they are really, really good at it.
UConn has a big advantage inside and they are going to have to take full advantage of that. Temple's only size is 6'4" Safiya Martin, who only gets around 16 minutes each game. She is just not capable of staying with the UConn front court. There is no one on Temple to cover Williams, Collier and Samuelson and all three should have big games, but expect Collier to dominate play.
UConn's defense was excellent in the first outing against Temple in the first half but allowed 51 points in the second half, by far the most for the season in a half. With Nurse they should be able to contain the star guard duo of Temple but with her out, it will be tougher for Chong and Dangerfield to accomplish the same thing. The Owls have a clear advantage in the back court.
Some crazy stats from the first game.
UConn scored 97 points in the game but was only 4-16 on threes.
Temple scored 18 points in the first half and 51 points in the second half. Insane.
5'9" Guard Tanaya Atkinson had 10 rebounds in the last game against UConn. Not so crazy. But NINE of those were offensive rebounds. Very Crazy. I remember a lot of long rebounds off three point misses that she corralled.
Both Collier and Williams had four blocks each. Nuts!!!!
Final Prediction
This is a really tough game to call. UConn is still undefeated but in their last two games they only scored in the 60's. Temple is playing some of their best basketball of the seasons since losing to UConn.
The last game was at Temple so UConn's home court advantage in this game should be a difference maker, but the game is at the XL center, not in Storrs. UConn needs a big turnout.
The guards favor Temple, the front court favors UConn. So who will dominate more?
I just think that the close game against Tulane will still be on their minds and the Huskies will continue some of their struggles. If Temple continues to shoot well on threes, the game could be pretty close. Nurse would be a big help in shutting down their guards.
I expect Temple to be not as hot, and that the UConn frontcourt will dominate the game.
So, I'll go with UConn by 15+. Nurse is just that important.
The last game was at Temple so UConn's home court advantage in this game should be a difference maker, but the game is at the XL center, not in Storrs. UConn needs a big turnout.
The guards favor Temple, the front court favors UConn. So who will dominate more?
I just think that the close game against Tulane will still be on their minds and the Huskies will continue some of their struggles. If Temple continues to shoot well on threes, the game could be pretty close. Nurse would be a big help in shutting down their guards.
I expect Temple to be not as hot, and that the UConn frontcourt will dominate the game.
So, I'll go with UConn by 15+. Nurse is just that important.
No comments:
Post a Comment