Doggydaddy's Den: Doggy's Doghouse 2/10/18

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Days until Florida!!!!

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Here is my UConn/Wichita State Pre Game Report

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The butt of my criticisms, Tennessee, is under fire again.

First let's talk about their uninspired win against a terrible Arkansas team. On second thought, let's not. It's repeating situation for the Lady Vols. They did the same thing against Ole Miss and Vanderbilt, playing just good enough to beat these weak teams. And they lost to LSU in a game they couldn't overcome their uninspired play. Damn, I used "uninspired" twice. But it just fits them. They play No. 18 Georgia, Alabama, No. 15 Missouri, Florida and No. 7 South Carolina to finish the regular season. 3-2 sounds about right to me.

Their play this year is one thing. But it's the program that takes the cake. I'm sure you all remember the complaint that Tennessee made to the NCAA about UConn's recruiting. 30+ pages of a complaint with most of them copies of a UConn message board. I won't rehash the entire thing, but what they did to South Carolina is no surprise.

It appears that Tennessee was one of the reasons, if not the main reason that T'ea Cooper was not granted a waiver to play this year for South Carolina. Cooper transferred from Tennessee at the end of last year to South Carolina with no restrictions. That means that the inter-conference rule of 2 years sitting out for the player was waived and the normal 1 year was in place. But then South Carolina asked for a waiver for Cooper based on her sitting out the year before with an injury meaning it would be 2 years before she played. And the NCAA talked to Tennessee and the Lady Vols objected to the waiver.

“It’s basically, if Te’a’s previous institution would have agreed to allow her to play, it would have helped our cause,” Staley said Friday. “But they didn’t agree.”

Excuse my language, but Tennessee is really a "dick" institution.

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By David in Naples!!!!!

Part I

The leading scorer for UConn is now Napheesa Collier with 352 points. Kia is 2nd at 351 points and Azura is 3rd with 330 points. Katie Lou is right behind at 312 points. So, after 23 games, only 40 points separate the top four scorers for the Huskies. This is key because players can have a bad game now and again. The UCF game saw two starters score 6 points combined. But, three others scored 19, 12 and 11 and the game was never close.

It is no surprise that UConn has balanced scoring, but each of those players is also a great passer. UConn leads the nation in assists with 514. Gabby is already at 117 for the season, with Crystal next at 90. But, three other players have a shot to reach 100 assists this year. Pheesa (69), Kia (65) and Katie Lou (62) just need to stay healthy and go deep into the tournament.

This year, six Huskies have led the team in scoring in a particular game. Four have led the team in assists at least once. The same is true for rebounding, where four players have been the leading rebounder in at least one game. All this balance makes UConn hard to beat. Game plan for Lou and Pheesa will beat you. Pack the paint and Kia will kill you. Take those three away and Gabby, Z, and Crystal will lead the team. The key is balance... 8-)

Go Huskies..!!

Part II

The impact of Crystal Dangerfield not playing against UCF was more dramatic than some people think. On the surface, one would think Geno just plugs in Azura and UConn wins easily. That is partly true, mostly because the Huskies are not going to lose to UCF with the Core Four and Z. But Crystal's absence impacts four parts of UConn's "normal" play.

1. Breaking the press - UCF is a short team with athletic guards. UConn lost their short, athletic guard and replaced her with a 6'6" forward. Breaking UCF's full court press would have been significantly easier w/ Crystal. That would have led to more baskets and fewer than 18 turnovers.

2. Fast breaks - How often does Kia Nurse "leak out" on a fast break off opponents missed shot or turnover? The answer is "often." That is because Crystal stays back to bring the ball up court if the fast break opportunity fizzles. With Kia playing point, she can't take off running down court looking for a long pass.

3. Assists vs points - Trading Z for Crystal in the lineup changes the assist/three-point mix. Crystal has 90 assists or 4.3 per game. Z has 1/2 that total. Crystal scored 35% of her points from outside the arc. Z scores 5% from out there. Against UCF, the Huskies needed better passing and more three-point shooters. Z doesn't provide that. She crowds the paint where Pheesa and Gabby make a living.

4. More rest - Crystal plays 29.6 minutes per game. Starting her and bringing Z in as a sub for Pheesa or Gabby gives everyone more rest. Not having her to play gives her 30 minutes to starters or the 8th sub. Against UCF, her minutes went to the starters.

UCF had next to a zero chance to win. But, Crystal being hurt made it harder and much messier. Credit the Huskies for adapting and working it out.

Go Huskies..!!

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UCONN LINKS

Huskies host AAC newcomer Wichita State Carl Adamec
Geno Auriemma: 'I don't think anybody will be surprised' to see Louisville in the Final Four Courier Journal
Huskies Begin Three-Game Homestand on Saturday UConn Team Site
No. 4 Louisville will face No. 1 UConn 'with the plan to win' Courier Journal
UConn's Williams named a finalist for the Senior CLASS Award KOLO 8
Visiting Wichita State learning lessons on and off the court Jim Fuller

WCBB Top 25 Results

in RED

Friday's Games

All Late Games

8 UCLA Arizona
9 Oregon Washington
16 Oregon State Washington State
17 Stanford Utah
25 Arizona State USC

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