Wednesday, January 12, 2022

Doggy's Doghouse 1/12/2022

 






 








                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
                    ****************************************************

GO UCONN!!!!!

**************************************************
               
                                    
                        
                               No. 10 UCONN                              Butler                                                      92                                               47   


An interesting development to start the game with a change to the starting line-up. Nika Muhl was inserted at point guard with Evina Westbrook now coming off the bench. Edwards was also coming off the bench in this game. 

And boy did that seem to work in the first quarter. Muhl contributed with two nice assists and Westbrook came off the bench to hit a three pointer and score 5 points. UConn had a nice 25-9 lead on two late quarter three pointers by Caroline Ducharme. 

Other than Williams, it was great to see the Huskies hit their three pointers. Williams was 1-7 but the rest of the team was 6-10 in the first half. Great to see a big halftime lead of 48-19. There was no let down at any point in the first half. The Seniors got the message as they led the way with 31 points. David breaks down the first half in his Stats.

The second half was more of the same until the fourth quarter. UConn at the end had in the game Piath Gabriel, Amari DeBerry, Edwards, Ducharme and Williams. Not a point guard in site. They were actually outscored in the fourth quarter. But it was fun to watch the bottom of the bench get some serious minutes. DeBerry must have had orders to shoot, shoot and shoot some more. She was 0-7 from the field including 0-4 on threes. And 0-2 from the free throw line. Bad game, right? Well, not really. She also had 5 assists 2 steals and 1 block. And no turnovers. Gabriel put up 4 shots as well, but she actually made one!

Ok, on to the rest of the team. 

UConn had 5 players in double figures with Jurhasz only missing by 1 point. It was weird to see them put up 34 three pointers but it was great to see them have 25 assists. Much better!

Let's talk about the seniors, Williams, Westbrook and Nelson-Ododa. They were just great in this game. 

Williams had 19 points, 4 assists, 7 rebounds and 7 steals. She was just dynamite outside of a slow 1-7 start on three pointers. But she finished hitting 2 of her last 3. 

Westbrook looked to like her role off the bench. She hit her first three pointer and just looked more comfortable. She had 13 points and hit 3-7 three pointers. She also added a steal. Keep shooting Evina!

Nelson-Ododa was just terrific. She had 19 points on 8-10 shooting, handed out her usual 5 assists, grabbed 7 rebounds and added 3 steals and a block. Maybe the boo birds will shut up for a little while. Doubtful.

Dorka had a quiet game, but still managed 9 points on 3-5 shooting, even hitting a three pointer. She does have a nose for the ball snaring 3 steals. 

It was another good game for the star freshman Ducharme. I don't know, she looked a little off in this game and she still scored 18 points and hit 3 three pointers. Yeah, off...lol.

The new starting point guard played like one. Nika Muhl had 5 assists and only 2 turnovers and looked to do a great job running the offense and being her usual defensive pest! She did nothing to lose that position as a starter with her performance.

Edwards came off the bench and has a slow start. But she had a very nice second half and ended up with 12 points, 7 rebounds and 2 steals. Back to back 12 point games is a great sign.

I loved how the minutes were dispursed. Eight players with double digit minutes and 6 between 24-31 minutes. Great job Geno!!!  

Yeah, I know, it was Butler. Just a terrible team. But UConn hammered them pretty good and that had to feel good for the players. And Geno.

I know I feel pretty darn good!!         

And look who was at the game tonight!!!!

**************************************************





A big win on the court and in the recruiting battles!!

Well, I have to admit. I didn't see that coming. I was feeling pretty good about UConn's chances after her unofficial visit but to see the tweet this morning at 8:00 was a real shock. In a good way!!!

From her announcement - “I would first like to thank all the college coaches that took the time to develop our relationship as player and coach. I am grateful for the opportunities that they had provided me through this process. Additionally I want to thank my family because they have been my rock and my circle throughout this entire process and I am truly thankful to have them by my side.”

What a great kid. 

She said this in August - “I like the history behind the school and how competitive their basketball program was and currently still is. I want to play at a high level, so I like that aspect of it.”

From one of her teammates - "Ashlynn’s a great person to look up to. We can always count on her to get the team started off good with some buckets and then once she gets going, she helps everyone else get going. I love being able to play with her. She makes everyone else around her so much better.”

From her coach - “Ash came in with the weight of the world on her shoulders. She’s had a lot of pressure on her and she’s really lived up to that and done so many things beyond scoring… It’s amazing.”

I have several tweets below ending with a tweet with 2 minutes of heaven. Some Shade highlights!!

Check out the UConn links section for stories about her committment.    



Excellent analysis with some added head scratching 
about the remarkable flip of her recruitment from TN to UConn.

*******************************************

And on a sad note.....

**************************************************
GAMES

MOST SCORES HAVE CLICKABLE LINKS TO A GAME STORY

UPSETS IN RED

No. 10 UConn Butler

No. 13 Texas 70 Kansas 66

No. 14 Baylor No. 23 Oklahoma

No. 24 South Florida 75 Tulane 62

**************************************************
 

Straight from the Dog




I'm sure you all knew what the reaction of the Orange Idiots would have once they learned about the commitment of Ashlynn Shade to UConn. They are so angry and bitter. All they can do is LIE LIE LIE about Geno and UConn. Sadly, it's the play that gets some of the spill off and is made to look bad. Well, I'm sure you were waiting to see some of what they said so here goes - 

"just all signs was pointing to us just tired of these under handed coaches, just know promises were made.."

"I wonder how much "love" these coaches really have for UConn and or Geno. Could it be colored green??"

"Wouldn’t doubt it one bit. Not at all. Especially with NIL. He was barely above board before. Now it’s a free for all for people with low ethics like Geno."

"Geno is quickly becoming yesterday's news,,,not worried"

"She's dumb not to understand that Uconn time is over"

"How bizarre is this? She goes to UConn's game on an unofficial visit, leaves halfway through the 2nd half, and then...what? Commits on the plane? Seems that she made her decision right quick if other coaches were unfollowing her by the next morning. Strange..."

"🍿👀... does thou smell something foul afoot?"

"maybe gatoraid told unconn we got more money if you need it. wait to she gets there and see money comes before she does something in college ball."

"Let's say something underhanded went down and she was looking LV now all of sudden she committed to that school.Maybe Coach Harper should play the game they are playing if not get who you can and as a fan deal with it.Ive said it before money or other benefits will win over the class act or integrity coach 99% of the time.in my opinion I think she should get underhanded to get the top players here and if we win nattys we as fan will be happy and not give a dam what she did to get them to TN atleast I won't.all those recruits are not clamoring for uconn we ain't stupid. you want top players at TN play the game they are playing and I fully support my statement even if I'm the only one that think like this.I'm OK being alone."

"The difference is there are only a select amount of schools who would be allowed to do what you're suggesting and get away with it. And only a select amount of coaches as well. ESPN will never truly expose Geno and what he is doing ."

"Future transfer."

"I have heard that Geno has been known to offer a player during a visit and expect them to commit on the spot."

Well, that's about it. Pretty pathetic, huh. 

******************************************************** 

TOP 25 UPSETS!!!


Ya think No. 14 Baylor misses Mulkey??? They were upset by No. 23 Oklahoma 83-77. The Bears were up big but the Sooners came roaring back. Nylessa Smith was great for Baylor scoring 30 points, but it wasn't enough. Oklahoma was 14-27 on threes and that was the difference. 

Unranked Kansas beat No. 13 Texas in overtime 70-66. Not that everything goes back to Tennessee, but this diminishes the Lady Vols fortunate four point win over the Longhorns earlier in the season. Texas has been living off that one big win against Stanford. They have a bunch of tough games coming up that could send them right out of the Top 25 in a couple of weeks.      

Funny comment from the Orange Idiots about this game. I guess they also played Kansas, which would be a positive for them. But one poster had this to say - "KU really played tough, I thought they looked like a good team when we played them, so far that’s proving true. Nice to see teams we played going on to do well." Uh....yeah. Nice to teams going on to play well after playing Tennessee. Except you played Texas as well, who didn't do well....right???? 
 

******************************************************** 

By David in Naples

Butler lost this game in the 1st half. How, you ask? 
Consider:

1. Butler shot 29% from the field.
2. They made 7 baskets.
3. They turned the ball over 15 times. UConn scored 25 pts off TOS.
4. Butler made just 2 of 14 threes.
5. The Huskies made as many threes (7) as the Bulldogs had baskets.
6. Butler gave up 48 points in the 1st half.

Nice effort for the Huskies..!!

Go UConn..!
******************************************************** 
UCONN LINKS


******************************************************** 

Message Boards

UConn Territory - The best UConn women's message board ever!!! 
Vol Nation - Tennessee women's basketball board
ND Nation - Notre Dame women's basketball board
Rebkell - WCBB for everyone that thinks they are smarter than everyone else

UCONN Information



I'm always open for suggestions. Just please reply to this blog or email me at:

doggydaddy.UConn@gmail.com
Posted by at No comments:

Tuesday, January 11, 2022

Doggy's Doghouse 1/11/2022

   






 








                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
                    ****************************************************

GO UCONN!!!!!

**************************************************


BIG BOY BARRETT!!

Never too young for good dental hygiene!!

**************************************************
               
                                    
                        
                               No. 10 UCONN                               Butler                                                      7-3                                             1-11   

Wednesday, January 12th
7:00 PM EST
Indianapolis, Indiana
Hinkle Field House
TV: SNY

Matchup History

BUTLER | UCONN 
HUSKIES LEADS 2-0 H: 1-0 | A: 1-0 | N: 0-0 

01/19/21 #3 UConn 103, Butler 35 Storrs, Conn. 
02/27/21 #1 UConn 97, Butler 68 Indianapolis, Ind.

UConn came off a four game absence because of Covid issues to beat Creighton 63-55 in their first game back. We all know how rusty they looks. Now it's Butler's turn as they are coming off a 4 game layoff because of Covid. They haven't played a game since losing to Xavier 77-55 on December 29th. Not quite the 21 day layoff but 14 days is still a lot of time to miss. 

The difference is this is not a very good Butler team. They have only won one game so far this season and that was 75-67 win over Evansville. There are no mutual opponents so far this season, so I can't use that to see how Butler might do against the Huskies. But they lost 87-63 to No. 6 Indiana and 101-64 to DePaul. Probably the two best teams on their schedule to date. 

The Bulldogs are led by 6'3" grad student Celena Taborn, who can really carve out some space in the paint. She averages 14.4 PPG and 5.1 RPG. She is shooting an amazing 50-67 from the field for 74.6%. I have a feeling she doesn't take many jump shots. 

Alex Richard is a 6'1" freshman forward who is the only other player with double digit scoring. She shoots a solid 51.2% from the field and hasn't taken a three pointer all season. 

They have 5 players who do take three point shots and while they take around 20 per game they only make around 5 of them. 

Not much more to say about this game. UConnwill be looking to knock off more rust, play solid defense and keep working on improving their offensive continuty. It's all about getting in game shape. 

UConn by 25+.   

**************************************************

Things are looking really good for UConn. I know I've posted about the 2022 recruits Isuneh "Ice" Brady and Ayanna Patterson along with 2023 recruit KK Arnold. And I will have a few videos of recent play for you to enjoy. But there appears to be some good news on the 2023 class.

What was thought to be close to a lock for Tennessee, Ashlyn Shade, a 5'10" guard from Indiana, is looking more like a good shot for the Huskies to pick up. It's all guess work based on circumstantial evidence, but it appears to be all good news.

Shade was at the Creighton game with her dad on her own dollar for an unofficial visit.  


Ok...that is always good news. But there is more!!!

It was always thought that she was a Tennessee lean as her brother is being recruiting by the Vols for their baseball team. Ashlyn took a visit to their campus with her brother and was there a few other times. However from my friend David - 

According to a poster on VolNation Ashlyn Shade may be narrowing her schools of interest. 

"A few of the other schools on Shade's list have reported on their message boards today that their coaches have stopped following Shade on social media. Perhaps she was in contact with some coaches last night or this morning."

And this from another poster there regarding the Lady Vol recruiting coordinator;
"Looks like Coach Sam unfollowed her as well. Welp. A little disappointing."

It also appears that on the Lady Vol recruiting site, they have removed Shade's name from their list of players of interest.

One last clue. 

"The only high school players currently followed by UConnWBB's Instagram account are Ayanna, Ice, KK and now Ashlynn Shade."

She would be a great pick up. Care to see how she plays? 


If there is one player she reminds me of it's Shea Ralph. One tough cookie!

And as promised, here are some new videos of the players who have already said they are coming to UConn. 

Ayanna Patterson

KK Arnold

Ice Brady

These kids are GOOD!!!!!

**************************************************
GAMES

MOST SCORES HAVE CLICKABLE LINKS TO A GAME STORY

UPSETS IN RED

No. 15 Georgia Tech 63 Pittsburgh 52

No. 9 Iowa State 73 No. 25 Kansas State 70

**************************************************
 

Straight from the Dog

UConn is back in the Top 10! Mostly because No. 8 Michigan lost to unranked Nebraska and dropped to No. 11 allowing UConn to move up one slot. None of this matters, but it feels good to see UConn back in the top 10. 

No.1 South Carolina solidified their spot at the top with 2 Top 25 wins. They picked up 3 votes that went to previously undefeated Arizona and one vote from Louisville. I'm still not sure how Louisville has any No. 1 votes but they still have 4. However,  it doesn't push them past No. 2 Stanford. 

Congrats to Tennessee for moving into the Top 5 for the first time this century. Ok, not that long ago but it's been a while. They did that on the tail of a win over at the time No. 25 Texas A&M and against unranked Ole Miss. The Aggies also lost to unranked Florida in double overtime to drop out of the Top 25. They got ZEROS votes. So in retrospect, why would Tennessee move up over a team that is just not that good like Texas A&M and also a weak Ole Miss team? Maybe they get special treatment now that UConn is such a bad team???    

Ok, what would a blog be without some Tennessee fan trashing. If you remember correctly, Tennessee fans (and to be fair, UConn fans) were all over Geno for keeping Paige Bueckers in the game with a big lead where they couldn't lose and then she got injured. I'm not one to believe in that. Players play. It was just back luck. But in their last game, a win against Ole Miss, Tennessee had FOUR starters in the game with a 12 point lead with thirty seconds left in the game. Of course a UConn fan posted on Volnation.com that Coach Harper basically did the same thing as Geno did. I'm sure you can imagine the response from the Tennessee fans. This one was especially nuts!

"If you’re trying to relate this to Buecker’s you’re just looking stupid and showing your a**. She was still in and it was a 20 point deficit. There was zero reason for her to be on the floor. A 12 point lead in the SEC is something that can evaporate in 30 seconds."

My favorite poster on that board, a supposed Rutgers fan, had a great response.

"I don’t know which is more insane. That you actually believe this or that 5 other posters liked it. A 12 point lead with 30 seconds left is just as secure as UConn’s 20 point lead. And your two best players were just as vulnerable to injury during those 30 seconds as Bueckers was." 

Someone scoured the internet to actually find two men's games where teams lost 12 point leads in the last minutes. One in 2005. Morons. Apples and Oranges.  

One more from the Orange idiots. 

They are talking about their three point shooting expertise. 

"The emergence of Darby and Puckett as legit three point threats" 

Yep, 36% and 35% is solid. But then someone added this....

"Horston can make the three as well.."

Uhh.....6-31 for 19.4%. What a dope.

Not that UConn is the same as Pittsburgh, but Georgia Tech got lucky again. They played the Panthers without Pitts top scorer, like UConn was minus theirs when they played GT. Good timing. 

******************************************************** 

By David in Naples

Nobody on the Huskies has been hotter these last three games than Caroline Ducharme. Consider:

1. Points - In three games against UCLA, Louisville and Creighton, CD4 has scored 55 pts. That is 18.3 per game.
2. Rebounds - A total of 15 in the 3 games or 5 per game.
3. Blocks - Six blocked shots in 3 games. Three in the last game vs Creighton. Her total of 8 for the season is 2nd on the team.
4. Steals and Assists - 6 assists and 3 steals to complete an overall wonderful run.
5. Minutes - Total minutes of 110 in the three games for ama verage of 36.6 per game. Never stops moving..!

Very sweet 3 game run for Caroline. This next stretch of games in the Big East should result in more stats for this up and coming freshman..!

More from David - 

Me: UConn outrebounded Creighton in their game on Sunday!! 
Casual fan: No they didn't, you lying dog..!
Me: Wait, let me explain...

In basketball, EVERY shot that doesn't go in the basket has to have a rebound. These are usually individual rebounds by the player who gets the ball. Sometimes, a "team" rebounds is assigned, not in the individual numbers in the box score. For example, when Caroline Ducharme blocked a lay up attempt out of bounds, Creighton got an offensive rebound. Why? Because EVERY shot that doesn't go in the basket creates a "rebound." Since there was no change in possession CU got a "rebound." Same thing with some missed free throws. Miss the first free throw (of two) and your team gets an offensive rebound. Creighton had at least two shots that were "air balls" that missed everything. UConn got a "team" defensive rebound, but no player got credit.

How do I know this is all true?  Because there is a "team rebound" stat in the box score. UConn had 4 team rebounds and Creighton had 7. In fact, the player totals favor UConn 29 to 27. So the Huskies outrebounded CU on actual rebounds, but blocked shot rebounds and missed free throw rebounds made it look like UConn was outrebounded. 

Now you know...!

Go Huskies..!!

******************************************************** 
UCONN LINKS


******************************************************** 

Message Boards

UConn Territory - The best UConn women's message board ever!!! 
Vol Nation - Tennessee women's basketball board
ND Nation - Notre Dame women's basketball board
Rebkell - WCBB for everyone that thinks they are smarter than everyone else

UCONN Information



I'm always open for suggestions. Just please reply to this blog or email me at:

doggydaddy.UConn@gmail.com
Posted by at No comments:

Sunday, January 9, 2022

Doggy's Doghouse 1/9/2022

  






 








                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
                    ****************************************************

GO UCONN!!!!!

**************************************************

Well, this is a first. Our grandaughter Noa texted us and asked if we wanted to go out for suishi for dinner. She said she would drive and pay! 

Well, we had to drive to her house because she only has a learner's permit and needs a licensed driver. And she used her dad's charge card (although it does have her name). But it was just wonderful. A great kid and yummy sushi!!!!   

**************************************************

Ahhh.....what a relief. I bet all of you were as nervous about this game that I was. But now that it's over, let's take a look at the 63-55 win by the Huskies.

I think it's important to put this win in perspective. Yes, Creighton closed the gap late in the game but the victory was never in question. And they did this - 

* Missing Azzi Fudd and Paige Bueckers, probably their two best guards (sorry Evina and Christyn).
* 21 days off without playing
* Playing with little 5-5 practice
* Four player recovering from Covid

I mean, how could any fan in their right mind complain about anything in this game. They played hard against a really, really good Creighton team.  So, with that in mind lets just talk about all the good things. You can go on the UConn message boards for all the bad things that happened.

Defense - Geno was thrilled with the defense. David writes about the details in his Stats and he nails it. Let's just say here that UConn held a good offensive team to below their averages in EVERYTHING.

Geno said it earlier and we have all said it before. Paige's and Azzi's injury has given Carolina Ducharme the opportunity to get the minutes to show what she can do. In this game she played 38 minutes and led the Huskies in scoring with 17 points. She also added 3 blocks. She is a complete player!!

I'm mentioning Aaliyah Edwards next because she hasn't played like this since last season. And her contributions were huge in this game. In her 22 minutes she scored 12 points on 5-10 shooting and added 3 steals. Her post moves were the aggressive kind that Geno wants to see out of her. 

Dorka Juhasz was just solid in this game with 10 points 3 assists and 3 rebounds, but she with Edwards give UConn a tough 1-2 punch in the post. Her 31 minutes were huge in this game. She adds the emotion to the frontcourt that Nika Muhl adds to the backcourt. Love her!! 

Speaking of Nika,  she was really aggressive and emotional on the court, part of what UConn was missing the three games she was out. And she managed to play 16 minutes that might have been more if not for her four fouls. A few of those were really fun to watch, especially her reactions after!!  

I'm sure there was plenty of trashing of Olivia Nelson out there in the Web World, but she was everything UConn needed in this game. In her 22 minutes, she had 7 points, 7 rebounds and added 3 assists with only 1 turnover. 

One of the other seniors, Christyn Williams played 38 minutes and was second in scoring with 13 points. It took me a few minutes to recognize her with her new hairdo. Wow, what a change. 

No one looked more rusty than Evina Westbrook, who played 33 minutes and only took one shot, missing that one. She had open looks but just couldn't pull the trigger. Hopefully just a one game thing. UConn needs her to take and make three pointers until Fudd and Bueckers are back.

Overall, a great to start their "second" season.

Sadly, one piece of bad news. Aubrey Griffin is undergoing back surgery. She will likely miss the rest of the season. 

Up next is at Butler on Wednesday. The Bulldogs are the worst team in the league with a 1-11 record and 0-3 in the Big East. It's really good timing for a UConn team that has more kinks to work out.        
 
**************************************************
UCONN VIDEOS


Game Highlights

Geno's Post Game Interview

Post Game Interview
Ducharme, Williams and Edwards

Paige Injury Update


Straight from the Dog

I only talked about two games in yesterday's blog, but I pretty much nailed it.

No. 1 South Carolina beat No. 21 Kentucky pretty easily 74-54. I said that Kentucky star Rhyne Howard would have to do better than her 30 point previous outing. Well, she only had 9 points on 2-14 shooting. Horrible outing but South Carolina will make you do that. 

No. 7 Tennessee kept their run going beating Ole Miss 70-58. I didn't think Ole Miss had the chops to win this game and they didn't. The Lady Vols keeps doing enough to beat the teams they should beat. I don't think they have played one game where they weren't favored. 

There were a couple of upsets on Sunday.

No. 25 Texas A&M had a brutal loss after getting slapped around by Tennessee, this time to unranked Florida in double overtime 97-89. The Aggies finally ran out of gas at the end and the Gators made their foul shots to close it out. A&M will be out of the Top 25. Probably out of the Top 30.

The big upset was No. 4 and previously undefeated Arizona losing to unranked USC 76-67 on the Trojan's home court. This was a make up game for a previously postponed game due to Covid. The Wildcats joined North Carolina as the last Top 25 teams to be undefeated. 

However, unranked Colorado is still undefeated but just on the cusp of the Top 25. They take on No. 2 Stanford in their next game. Should be interesting.       

Ya gotta love how you can get two different looks at the same game. UConn fans seem to be upset with the game that they easily won and if you look at the article from the Creighton team web site, well, they couldn't be more thrilled. 

"The Creighton women's basketball team pushed No. 11 Connecticut to the end in Storrs, delivering #11 Connecticut's closest game since rejoining the BIG EAST last season, but ultimately fell 63-55 on Sunday, January 9."

I guess that is a moral victory, right?  

******************************************************** 

By David in Naples

After 21 days without a game, the Huskies took on a good Creighton team and came away with a comfortable victory. Comfortable, because UConn led virtually the whole game and played into the middle of the 4th period with a 12-15 point lead.  That won’t stop the crybabies from criticizing the Huskies’ play. 

But, this was a great defensive effort by the Huskies. Creighton averaged 70 pts per game and shot well from 3 range all season. Today they scored 55 and made only 5 threes. Four of those threes were by a player (Maly) who jacked up 13 bombs. Only one other Blue Jay made a three & 6 other players combined to go 0-7.

Consider some other great defensive stats:

1. CU shot 37% from the field and only 20% from three range.
2. UConn forced 16 turnovers, including 9 steals.
3. Caroline D had three of UConn’s 5 blocks.
4. UConn held CU to only 6 free throws. 
5. The Huskies starters had only 6 fouls & switched brilliantly at the defensive end of the court.

Cry all you want, but UConn played very well at the defensive end despite injuries, transfers and COVID issues.

Go Huskies..!!

PS- UConn has now gone 1,033 games without back to back loses..!

******************************************************** 
UCONN LINKS


******************************************************** 

Message Boards

UConn Territory - The best UConn women's message board ever!!! 
Vol Nation - Tennessee women's basketball board
ND Nation - Notre Dame women's basketball board
Rebkell - WCBB for everyone that thinks they are smarter than everyone else

UCONN Information



I'm always open for suggestions. Just please reply to this blog or email me at:

doggydaddy.UConn@gmail.com
Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)