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If you haven't seen it, here is my UConn/LSU Post Game Report
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Here is the slam of Gabby to the floor by the LSU player. I believe it was more of a Flagrant II foul than a Flagrant I. She should have been ejected from the game. Her actions were intentional and could have been season ending for Williams. Watch and let me know what you think. You can comment at the end of the blog.
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No exciting games Tuesday but wow, what a game between California and UCLA late Monday night.
From the UCLA team site - Bruins' Rally Falls Short, 108-104
I wish I had seen this game. Sounded like a lot of fun.
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I've been pretty hard on Tennessee in my blog. Hey, everyone needs a hobby. But I think I'll spread around my kind words to another SEC team. The top of the heap. The big cheese. South Carolina.
Now, you might ask me what bad could I possible say about last years final four team, one basket away from beating Notre Dame and playing UConn for the championship. A team that lost only two players, a fair center in Ibiam and their emotional leader Welch.
The party line among Gamecock fans was that putting A'ja Wilson and Alaina Coates in the starting lineup would get them more minutes and therefore more points and rebounds. That Tiffany Mitchell would play like that first team AA that she was last year. That the returning players White, Cuevas, Sessions, Dozier, and Roy along with 5th year senior Imovbioh and Freshman Colley would make this team even better.
Well, they are 12-0 after beating Elon Tuesday 78-63 and based on how all the other teams have performed, they do deserve to be ranked second. But are they even as good as last year?
Lets take a quick look.
Wilson has been terrific this season. Average is up, rebounding is up. She is just playing like the AA that she will be again this season. Top ten player.
Coates is also playing better in the starting lineup. Points and rebounds up. She has dominated some games. Strangely, her FT percentage is down to under 50%. Not good as she gets to the line often.
Mitchell has been struggling for most of the season, although she had a nice game Tuesday. Her scoring and rebounding are down. But more importantly, she is shooting 40% from the field. She was 50% last year. And she has less assists per game and more turnovers per game. Not an AA season so far. Even though she will still be one.
Sessions this year is the same as Sessions last year. A weak shooting point guard that plays great defense and can get to the basket. 2-11 on threes this year.
Roy had moved into the starting lineup but lost that job the last two games. I think Staley wants some offense off the bench. They haven't been getting that but more on that below. Roy has had some hot games, even going 3-3 on threes Tuesday against Elon. But she is shooting much worse than last season. Her FG% is 25.5% from the field and 28.3% on threes. Not good for a player who is supposed to be a shooter.
Dozier is now starting as South Carolina tries to find someone to fill the hole left by Welch. Again, I don't see much improvement in her game. She can hit the occasional three and gives SC more size than Roy.
Cuevas looks exactly like she did last year. Fast but out of control. Not a great shooter, but she loves to take a lot of shots. She still is a shoot first point guard that doesn't pass well. They expected more this season.
White was supposed to give the South Carolina bigs, Wilson and Coates, some rest off the bench. There were some SC fans that said she would be taking and making threes. Wishful thinking. She has to be a big disappointment to Staley. She is only playing 15 mpg and shooting 37% from the field. she is averaging 3.8 ppg and 4.4 rpg. She took one three and missed.
Imovbioh was really supposed to come in and replace Welch in the starting lineup. She did start the first three games of the season. She was a dominant force in the paint last year for averaging 12 points and 10 rebounds. This year she is just not in the flow. Getting only 16 mpg, she is averaging 6.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. I think that Staley realized that having three front court players that can't pass the ball on the court at the same time is not a good thing.
Colley is playing like a freshman and not contributing very much.
So, there is my breakdown of the numbers behind the perfect record. They very well could (should) win the SEC. Kentucky will give them a run. They are good enough to get to the final four as well. I believe they really miss Welch. We will see how close the UConn game is in February, but so far, South Carolina - I'm not impressed.
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I've been pretty hard on Tennessee in my blog. Hey, everyone needs a hobby. But I think I'll spread around my kind words to another SEC team. The top of the heap. The big cheese. South Carolina.
Now, you might ask me what bad could I possible say about last years final four team, one basket away from beating Notre Dame and playing UConn for the championship. A team that lost only two players, a fair center in Ibiam and their emotional leader Welch.
The party line among Gamecock fans was that putting A'ja Wilson and Alaina Coates in the starting lineup would get them more minutes and therefore more points and rebounds. That Tiffany Mitchell would play like that first team AA that she was last year. That the returning players White, Cuevas, Sessions, Dozier, and Roy along with 5th year senior Imovbioh and Freshman Colley would make this team even better.
Well, they are 12-0 after beating Elon Tuesday 78-63 and based on how all the other teams have performed, they do deserve to be ranked second. But are they even as good as last year?
Lets take a quick look.
Wilson has been terrific this season. Average is up, rebounding is up. She is just playing like the AA that she will be again this season. Top ten player.
Coates is also playing better in the starting lineup. Points and rebounds up. She has dominated some games. Strangely, her FT percentage is down to under 50%. Not good as she gets to the line often.
Mitchell has been struggling for most of the season, although she had a nice game Tuesday. Her scoring and rebounding are down. But more importantly, she is shooting 40% from the field. She was 50% last year. And she has less assists per game and more turnovers per game. Not an AA season so far. Even though she will still be one.
Sessions this year is the same as Sessions last year. A weak shooting point guard that plays great defense and can get to the basket. 2-11 on threes this year.
Roy had moved into the starting lineup but lost that job the last two games. I think Staley wants some offense off the bench. They haven't been getting that but more on that below. Roy has had some hot games, even going 3-3 on threes Tuesday against Elon. But she is shooting much worse than last season. Her FG% is 25.5% from the field and 28.3% on threes. Not good for a player who is supposed to be a shooter.
Dozier is now starting as South Carolina tries to find someone to fill the hole left by Welch. Again, I don't see much improvement in her game. She can hit the occasional three and gives SC more size than Roy.
Cuevas looks exactly like she did last year. Fast but out of control. Not a great shooter, but she loves to take a lot of shots. She still is a shoot first point guard that doesn't pass well. They expected more this season.
White was supposed to give the South Carolina bigs, Wilson and Coates, some rest off the bench. There were some SC fans that said she would be taking and making threes. Wishful thinking. She has to be a big disappointment to Staley. She is only playing 15 mpg and shooting 37% from the field. she is averaging 3.8 ppg and 4.4 rpg. She took one three and missed.
Imovbioh was really supposed to come in and replace Welch in the starting lineup. She did start the first three games of the season. She was a dominant force in the paint last year for averaging 12 points and 10 rebounds. This year she is just not in the flow. Getting only 16 mpg, she is averaging 6.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. I think that Staley realized that having three front court players that can't pass the ball on the court at the same time is not a good thing.
Colley is playing like a freshman and not contributing very much.
So, there is my breakdown of the numbers behind the perfect record. They very well could (should) win the SEC. Kentucky will give them a run. They are good enough to get to the final four as well. I believe they really miss Welch. We will see how close the UConn game is in February, but so far, South Carolina - I'm not impressed.
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From David in Naples
. Breanna Stewart missed the LSU game with a sprained ankle. The injury is not serious and she is expected to be ready for Maryland December 28th.
Missing the game ended Stewie's 92 game playing streak. She was one of two players to start and play in all 39 games last year, as well as start and play in all 40 games in 2013-14.
Who is that other player? The smallest, toughest player on the team, Moriah Jefferson. MoJeff played in all 39 games as a freshman, started all 40 as a sophomore, started all 39 as a junior & has started all 9 games this year.
That is 127 out of 127.
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Related to yesterday's "What The ????" about being worried about Maryland's three point shooting, there was more worry from the same fan that said this:
"Before people write off Maryland completely - the Terripins like to shoot the three are there are, count 'em, 8 players that shoot from the arc.
Two players average over 50% (Brene Mosley is almost 60%)and as a team, MD hits 40%. If they hit threes like DePaul and ND did, it could be long night."
Now it's not just worrying about Maryland's three point shooting. It's UConn defending the three point shooting. The exact quote is this:
"UConn shoots 35.2% from the arc and have been allowing opponents to shoot 36.2%. It's been an issue this season."
Well, I guess this poster is technically right. They have not been shooting threes as well as last year. In fact, after this game, their percentage of 3's made went down to 34.7%. Not great. But that is also deceiving.
Tuck went up to 38% and Jefferson is now 36.7%. And Stewart is still sitting at 44%. Those three take almost half of the three pointers. Many of the others are taken by Nurse and Samuelson who shoot 32.1% and 25% respectively. I grudgingly accept the need to do better and I expect them to, but certainly Samuelson's shooting from long range has been an issue.
How about defensively? Is it an issue? I say no. There were two games that are the outliers this season, Notre Dame and DePaul. In those games ND was 13-20 and DePaul was 13-29. That's 26-49.
UConn has allowed 60 three pointers in 169 attempts. That's 35.5, down from the 36.2. So, just for fun, let's take away the ND game. Why? Well, 13-20 is not something you will see from any other team. Many were contested and many went in anyway. So, what are the stats without the Notre Dame game? Well, 47-149. That works out to 31.9%. Pretty darn good. Now how about we take out the DePaul game as well. That would be 34-120 or a sparkling 28.3%. Still an issue?
You had two very good shooting three point teams make a lot of three point shots. It happens. But an issue is when there are more than two bad games. When it's two, its no issue. Yeah, I know...the Colgate player shot 7-8. Really, 7-8. It was still part of the three game set that UConn gave up a high percentage. If it was an issue, it's been taken care of. Let's not get carried away with the negativism.
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Here is a beauty from a UConn fan that just loves everything Tennessee. I know, weird. I think he has a crush on Nikki Fargas. Sorry, he doesn't post in full sentences, but you will get the drift.
"ran some plays, crashed the boards... I was impressed with Nikki's team! effort just like Colgate etc. didn't think hey had a chance but Nikki is in charge... no 1 on 1 or run and gun"
Well, as my friend Meyers said, "you are comparing an SEC team to Colgate?". Silly stuff. Yeah, that was an impressive 29% shooting and 28 turnovers....wow.
********************************************************************************Two players average over 50% (Brene Mosley is almost 60%)and as a team, MD hits 40%. If they hit threes like DePaul and ND did, it could be long night."
Now it's not just worrying about Maryland's three point shooting. It's UConn defending the three point shooting. The exact quote is this:
"UConn shoots 35.2% from the arc and have been allowing opponents to shoot 36.2%. It's been an issue this season."
Well, I guess this poster is technically right. They have not been shooting threes as well as last year. In fact, after this game, their percentage of 3's made went down to 34.7%. Not great. But that is also deceiving.
Tuck went up to 38% and Jefferson is now 36.7%. And Stewart is still sitting at 44%. Those three take almost half of the three pointers. Many of the others are taken by Nurse and Samuelson who shoot 32.1% and 25% respectively. I grudgingly accept the need to do better and I expect them to, but certainly Samuelson's shooting from long range has been an issue.
How about defensively? Is it an issue? I say no. There were two games that are the outliers this season, Notre Dame and DePaul. In those games ND was 13-20 and DePaul was 13-29. That's 26-49.
UConn has allowed 60 three pointers in 169 attempts. That's 35.5, down from the 36.2. So, just for fun, let's take away the ND game. Why? Well, 13-20 is not something you will see from any other team. Many were contested and many went in anyway. So, what are the stats without the Notre Dame game? Well, 47-149. That works out to 31.9%. Pretty darn good. Now how about we take out the DePaul game as well. That would be 34-120 or a sparkling 28.3%. Still an issue?
You had two very good shooting three point teams make a lot of three point shots. It happens. But an issue is when there are more than two bad games. When it's two, its no issue. Yeah, I know...the Colgate player shot 7-8. Really, 7-8. It was still part of the three game set that UConn gave up a high percentage. If it was an issue, it's been taken care of. Let's not get carried away with the negativism.
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Here is a beauty from a UConn fan that just loves everything Tennessee. I know, weird. I think he has a crush on Nikki Fargas. Sorry, he doesn't post in full sentences, but you will get the drift.
"ran some plays, crashed the boards... I was impressed with Nikki's team! effort just like Colgate etc. didn't think hey had a chance but Nikki is in charge... no 1 on 1 or run and gun"
Well, as my friend Meyers said, "you are comparing an SEC team to Colgate?". Silly stuff. Yeah, that was an impressive 29% shooting and 28 turnovers....wow.
So, without further ado!!!
Ladies and Gents, DD looks at the news........
Stewart Provides Glimpse Into Future, Other Things Learned Hartford Courant
UConn freshman Napheesa, Samuelson shine in starting roles New Haven Register
Lady Tigers Back To .500 Record, Dismantled At No.1 UConn The Valley Shook
Minus Stewie, Huskies still crush LSU American Republican (subscription)
No Breanna Stewart, no problem for UConn in win over LSU New Haven Register
Nurse looks to balance her game American Republican (subscription)
Freshman Collier starting to make her mark Carl Adamec
Upsets in Red
Mitchell's 18 Leads No. 2 South Carolina to 78-63 Win ABC News
No. 12 Stanford women race away from CS Bakersfield 83-41 Huffington Post
No. 15 Northwestern Clobbers Missouri-Kansas City 80-38 NY Times
Walker leads No. 16 Texas A&M women past Little Rock 69-39 USA Today
No. 23 Miami Women Roll Over Florida International 83-55 ABC News
Cowgirls bounce back in win against UCF The Daily O'Collegian
Mitchell's 18 Leads No. 2 South Carolina to 78-63 Win ABC News
No. 12 Stanford women race away from CS Bakersfield 83-41 Huffington Post
No. 15 Northwestern Clobbers Missouri-Kansas City 80-38 NY Times
Walker leads No. 16 Texas A&M women past Little Rock 69-39 USA Today
No. 23 Miami Women Roll Over Florida International 83-55 ABC News
Cowgirls bounce back in win against UCF The Daily O'Collegian
Thanks to Johnny C for sending me many of these numbers!!!
Funda Nakkasoglu Utah St. 19 points 7 assists
Courtney Walker Texas A&M 29 points
Olivia Nash Oakland 21 points 10 rebounds
Marena Whittle N. Dakota St. 24 points 13 rebounds
Brittney Martin Oklahoma St. 27 points
Mikah Aldridge Delaware St. 25 points
Bryanna Fernstrom Iowa St. 23 points 13 rebounds
Lizzy Wendell Drake 35 points
Josie Stockill Colgate 27 points
Jamie O'Hare Lafayette 26 points
Kaylan Mayberry Oral Roberts 25 points
Natisha Hiedman Marquette 30 points
Allazia Blockton Marquette 25 points
Dezz Ramos San Jose St. 26 points
Statistical Sites
NCAA 2015 Stats
NCAA Division I basketball records thru 2013-2014
ESPN Women's Basketball Stats
Women's Basketball State
NCAA 2015 Stats
NCAA Division I basketball records thru 2013-2014
ESPN Women's Basketball Stats
Women's Basketball State
Message Boards
UConn Territory - The best UConn women's message board ever!!!
College Fans Only - WCBB board where no holds are barred
Vol Nation - Tennessee women's basketball board
ND Nation - Notre Dame women's basketball board
UCONN Information
Interesting Blogs and Links
Carl Adamec's blog, SNY
John Altavilla's blog, Hartford Courant
Jim Fuller's blog, New Haven Register
A Dime Back - A great web site for all UConn Sports, Including UConn Women
A Dime Back - A great web site for all UConn Sports, Including UConn Women
I'm always open for suggestions. Just please reply to this blog or email me at:
I don't how the refs could have missed that live and even with the benefit of replay they still blew the call. Should have been an ejection.
ReplyDeleteLSU had been suffocated by UCONN's D all game; so I thought it was possible that some of Bethel's throw down was wrought from frustration.... that is until, I watched her body language on the bench while the ref's reviewed the tape. Flangrant 2 and ejection.
ReplyDeleteFlangrant is supposed to Flagrant ..... ooops
ReplyDeleteIf this is what refs allow without ejection, UConn is in for a long season getting beat up. Hope no one gets hurt badly.
ReplyDelete