Doggydaddy's Den: Doggy's Doghouse 12/4/18

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Happy Third Day of Hanukkah!!!

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One more chance to see my UConn/Notre Dame Post Game Report

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Well, no let down for the Huskies. No FUAB. (golfers know what that stands for).

UConn marched into St. Louis and did what the No. 1 team in the country is supposed to do to a lower level Div I team winning 98-42 against the Billikens. Now, I know, I have been hammering teams for scheduling cupcakes. But this was a homecoming game for Napheesa Collier and I don't think there is a college in Missouri that would give UConn a game.

The Huskies ran out to an early lead and then it was all about executing good basketball. And they did plenty of that.

Napheesa had a great game in front of her family and friends. Other than missing her first 4 foul shots, she had a terrific game. She was 10-17 from the field for her 22 points and she added 11 rebounds for her 6th double-double in 8 games. She added 2 blocks and 2 steals.

Katie Lou continues her own march to having a total game. She had 20 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds. And she bounced back from her poor shooting game against ND. 7-13 from the field and 5-9 on threes.

I'm going to mention Kyla Irwin next. She got the start in place of Megan Walker, who was out with a fever. And she took advantage of her 25 minutes. She played really hard and grabbed 10 rebounds including 2 offensive rebounds. She made one GREAT pass to Dangerfield. And her post defense was solid. I think it showed, even against weaker competition, that she can fill a role for this team.

Crystal had a really nice game. She was a little off early from long range but she ended up 3-7 on threes. And she was 4-4 on her other shots. She ended up with 18 points, 10 assists and 3 steals. Oh yeah, that's a double-double.

And Christyn…..oh Christyn. She continued to play like an upper classman. She played a team leading 31 minutes and had 17 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists. And she continues to be an efficient shooter, going 7-13 from the field and 3-5 on threes.

The other freshman, Olivia Nelson-Ododa (I just love typing that name), had a really solid game and showed she can dominate in the paint against teams like St. Louis. The question is can she bring this kind of game to the better teams. Oh yeah, I forgot. She played great against ND.....lol. In this one she had a double-double as well with 12 points and 10 rebounds. She took 12 shots, but I'd like to see her make more than 5 of those. I loved that she added 5 blocks. She is just a really talented post.

Now, wasn't it great to see Molly Bent take and make a three point shot? She is a really great kid and I'm happy she had some effective minutes. She added another basket to finish with 5 points. Nice going Molly!!

And finally, Mikayla Coombs is becoming a defensive force when she is out there. Too bad she doesn't have much of an offensive game. But with her 2 steals and 2 blocks, she can be another player that can contribute in most games.

Great job Ladies!!!!

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UConn next faces the Pirates of Seton Hall a former conference partner in the Big East. The Hall is having a good season. They are 7-1, only losing to UCLA 78-62. The rest of their schedule is pretty weak so I don't think this game will be close. Somewhere in the 90-60 range. If I have time I'll put together a brief pregame report. Hopefully I can find some Seton Hall video.

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Ok, I'm back my soapbox about ranked teams scheduling cupcakes. Here are some games being played on Wednesday.

No. 10 NC State vs 3-2 Hampton.
No. 14 Minnesota vs 0-8 Incarnate Word. Yes, that is a Div. I college.
No. 9 Tennessee continues to build up their SOS against 1-6 Stetson.

Blech!!

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By David in Naples!!!!!

Part I

If you are a Notre Dame fan, Arike Ogunbowale is the best guard in the country. If you are not blinded by devotion to the Irish, you realize she is a ball hogging, shoot first player who doesn't even try to play defense. And, as Sunday's game showed, she is prone to lose her composure and not above dirty, dangerous tactics.

1. Ball hog - Arike has taken 158 shots in 8 games. The next closest ND player has taken 94. That's a difference of 64 shots.

2. Shoot first - Arike has 29 assists in those 8 games. The player with 94 shots has 38 assists. Crystal Dangerfield has 36 assists in 7 games.

3. Foul prone - As a lazy defender, Arike has 18 personal fouls. That is the most on her team by 5. In contrast, Napheesa Collier, who guards taller and bigger players, has 13 fouls.

4. Three-point shooting - Arike fancies herself an elite shooter. She is 13-46 from 3 pt range. That is 28.3% accuracy, yet she has 49% of ND's tries from 3 range.

The video from Sunday's game shows Ogunbowale's complete lack of composure. She fouled Crystal flagrantly at least twice and tried to undercut Christyn on a drive in the lane. She told Geno to f-off and then played the victim at her press conference. Get some professional help you big cry-baby..!!

Go Huskies..!!

Part II

The difference in Notre Dame's scoring offense and defense for the season & the UConn game is dramatic. UConn really administered a beat down. Consider:

1. Notre Dame had scored 638 point in their first 7 games. That is 91.1 pts per game. Against the Huskies, they scored 71, 20 less than their average. That is a 22% drop in scoring.

2. On defense, ND had only allowed 471 points prior to meeting UConn or 67.3 per game. Against UConn, they gave up 89 points. That is 22 points more than their previous average.

It is much more than ND having a "bad game" as their coach said. It is UConn playing like the #1 team in the country.

Go Huskies..!!