Doggydaddy's Den: DoggyDaddy's Dailies 2/18/16

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I finally got to a game after a long break. When I looked at the board with the lineup, I thought my break went into next season!

Did my car now have a flux capacistor set for November 2016?

Did that last nap I took last 9 months?

Yet there it was. The picture came out poorly, but here it is anyway.

Trust me when I tell you it said Nurse, Chong, Collier, Samuelson and Butler.

Thankfully, a tweet by Carl Adamec saved the day and I not totally crazy. Just a little crazy.

carl adamec ‏@carladamec 7m7 minutes ago
Word is Geno is not upset/mad at seniors. No message being sent, other than younger players have to be ready to help.

So, it was just Geno trying to get into the heads of the players he wants to see more out of. I'm sure he is thinking that maybe if they don't have the crutch of the seniors to START the game they will get the message.

That lineup got out to a good start, taking a 15-7 lead only 5 minutes into the game. Geno did not press with this lineup and Cincinnati took advantage of three defensive lapses in a row to score a quick 8 points, including two three-pointers. This was over a 1 1/2 minute span. It was clear that the help defense was a step slow with this group. Certainly understandable without them having a lot of time together on the court.

At that point Geno did the hockey line change, bringing in Stewart, Tuck, Jefferson, Williams and Ekmark. I thought the first five did a nice job out there. But the second five scored 10 points in the last 3:30 to extend the lead to 25-19 after one quarter. And Ekmark three from the corner on a nice pass by Tuck was the exclamation point.

The rest of the game was a defensive clinic. Geno pressed hard with the starters, Cincinnati had no chance to get shots off and it got ugly for the Bearcats.

UConn held Cincinnati to 6, 5 and 4 points in the last three quarters. That is what you get when you take a good defense and put it up against really bad offense.

There was a lot of good out of this game. First the starters.

Butler looked great. She scored 14 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked two shots. She looked the best she has all season. Strong with the ball. I would like to see her throw that outlet pass more often. She had some chances and held back.

Collier had one of her better games. She had 11 points, 8 rebounds 2 assists and a block. She also hit her first three of the season. She still made a couple of silly mistakes, but she was more aggressive on offense. She has so much more to give.

Katie Lou was good but not great. I loved her aggressiveness on defense. She did hit 2-5 on threes. I'll take that every game. She also had 3 steals and 3 assists.

Kia, Kia, Kia.....Kia had some good, some bad and some ugly. But being the optimist that I am, I'll go with mostly good. She was more under control. She had three assists and no turnovers. And her defense was outstanding. She just couldn't make her threes again. 1-6. Most looked good but it's the sign of a tight shooter. Relax, Kia, relax.

Chong is really struggling. She looks a step slow. I'm guessing her knee, while not keeping her out, has sapped some of her quickness. Scoreless, it was deuces wild for Sanyia with 2 shots, 2 misses, 2 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 turnovers.

Not a bad bench when you have these players as backups.

Stewart had a nice game in limited minutes. 14 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocks. She did miss two free throws, unusual.

Tuck only played 11 minutes, but after a couple of misses on easy shots, she looked like the old Morgan. She scored 8 points and had 6 rebounds in those abbreviated minutes.

Jefferson was wonderful to watch. She is just so friggin' quick. In person, it's even more amazing to see. She has tremendous leaping ability and used that to block two jump shots. Just straight up jumping and blocking a jumper. Amazing. She had 11 points and 3 assists.

Williams was her usual self with 4-6 from the field. In 18 minutes she had 8 points and 4 rebounds along with her good defense.

Ekmark had a terrific game. Besides hitting that corner three, she was solid on defense. Better than she has been all season. She rebounded strong, made a terrific move to the basket for a layup and handed out a couple of assists. She just looked good.

Overall, it was just what I expected. A dominating performance. Only this one came with a lineup twist. I liked it!!!

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No. 20 Oklahoma was kinda upset by West Virginia, 63-55 Wednesday night. I say kinda because you could see this one coming. West Virginia was at home and is a pretty good team. And Oklahoma has been very inconsitant, losing to unranked Kansas State by 16 one week and beating No. 6 Texas the next. More movement to happen on the bottom of the top 25.

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From David in Naples

Two years ago, UConn went 40-0 for the season and won the National Championship. Many Husky fans wonder if this year's team can duplicate that feat and how the two teams compare statistically. Consider the following:

1. The 2013-14 team scored 3,283 points for an average of 82.1 per game. This year UConn is averaging 88.8 pts per game.
2. The Dolson-Hartley led team shot 50.3% while making 1,251 baskets. The Huskies today shoot 53.1% from the field.
3. From the free throw line, the current Huskies are making 79.3% on 352 attempts. Two years ago, it was 75.0% on 648 tries.
4. The rebounding edge goes to the 2013-14 team, which averaged 42.9 per game vs 40.9 this season.
5. Opponent scoring is up slightly, 49.2 this year vs 47.8 two years ago.
6. Turnovers are worse this year, 12.45 vs 11.78 in 2013-14, but steals are better, 12.41 vs 9.37.
7. The two constants from both teams are Stewie and MoJeff. Both have better years with scoring averages, shooting percentages, steals and rebounds.

Time will tell how these two teams compare, but there is no reason to conclude 2015-16 can't match the final result of 2013-14. After all, UConn has Stewie and Mo, and nobody else does... 8-)

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David in Naples felt sorry for me, knowing I was going to the game and wouldn't have a lot of time to blog so he sent me this. Boy, I thought that I was hard on Deshields. Thanks David!!!!

Recently, UConn fans have been delighting in the frequent defeats of hated rival Tennessee. The question has been asked about how to "fix" their "star" player Diamond DeShields ? The simple answer is Diamond can't be fixed, persuaded or coached. The numbers tell the story and prove the point.

1. DeShields has played 640 minutes and taken 344 shots, despite the reality that only 39% went in. That is 210 missed shots..!!
2. In sharp contrast, Stewie has played 36 more minutes, but taken 46 fewer shots. Her 122 missed shots pale in comparison.
3. Stewie's overall accuracy rate is 59.1%, 20% better than Diamond, yet she shoots less. Why? Because she passes the ball to teammates. Her 97 assists are 2nd on the team.
4. Diamond, on the other hand, only has 55 assists. Yes, Stewie's team makes more shots, but part of that is because of the attention Stewie gets when she has the ball.
5. DeShields has taken 103 three point shots. She has made only 23 for a 22.3% accuracy rate. Stewie has 28 made threes on only 64 attempts. That is 43.1% accuracy, double Diamond's rate.
6. Stewie only has 39 turnovers versus DeShield's 88. Diamond is more than twice as likely to turn the ball over.
7. Breanna Stewart went to one high school and one college, despite some bumps in the road as a freshman.

Summary: Diamond shoots too much, makes too few and turns the ball over a lot. If you add her missed shots (210) and her turnovers (88) and then divide by her assists (55), you get a 5.41 ratio. That means DeShields is 5.41 times more likely to shoot & miss or lose the ball, than pass it to a player who makes the shot. How about Stewie? Her missed shots (122) plus turnovers (39) divided by assists (97) equals a 1.66 ratio. Not just better, but dramatically better.

NO adult or coach in Diamond's life will tell her to stop shooting so much, be more careful with the ball or pass to teammates more often. No adult or coach in Stewie's life has to tell her those things. She knows without being told. DeShield won't ever get that message or understand it.

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So, without further ado!!!

Ladies and Gents, DD looks at the news........