Doggydaddy's Den: Doggy's Doghouse 1/2/2019

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Leaving Thursday morning to a visit to my son in Boynton Beach. We get to hang out with our

two granddaughters!!!! I'm bringing my laptop so don't worry about missing my blog. I know you organize your day around reading it. I'll be back on Monday 1/14. A short trip this time.

I'm gonna miss these two guys!!

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OK, maybe it's the headphones, but Barrett is so much cuter than Shea's baby.

She was born 1 day after Barrett.

Does saying that make me a bad person?

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Oh boy, we are doomed. I mean, according to the experts on the UConn message board, the Huskies are in big trouble against Baylor.

"this match up scares me to death as a UConn fan! Coming off a long layoff, playing on the road in a completely sold out Ferrell Center, Baylor's height, Baylor's underrated 3 point shooters, UConn's lack of anything resembling a bench, and UConn's inability to rebound or guard the 3 point line make this a tough matchup for UConn. UConn is going to have to limit 2nd chance points, keep Brown from completely dominating the game, shoot the ball well, and stay out of foul trouble if they want any chance at winning this game!"

Now, I do get it. Baylor is nothing to sneeze at. In my Pre-Game Report, I certainly gave Baylor some respect. But, let me dissect a few of this fan's points.

Underrated three point shooters? The players that will see time against UConn only average 6 three point shots TAKEN per game. Even at 50% they only make 3 per game. No, three point shooting for the Bears shouldn't come into play.

Once again, the bench issue is being overstated. Yes, several starters will probably go 40 minutes. But they have had 11 days off and have shown they are in incredible shape. AND Baylor will go only 6 deep with effective players.

Brown hasn't dominated many games this year. And in the 3 competitive games that they had had Brown certainly didn't dominate.

Arizona State - 22 minutes, 14 points, 7 rebounds, 1 block, 4 fouls
South Dakota State - 27 minutes, 13 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks, 3 fouls
Stanford - 30 minutes, 5 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks, 3 fouls

Yeah, she won't dominate these teams but will dominate UConn. Right.....

Hey, UConn could lose this game. It's certainly possibly. But I'm pretty sure that the Huskies are favorites in this game. Fans should act like it.

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Here are some Baylor post game interviews with Collier, Samuelson, Dangerfield and Geno.

Here is my UConn/Baylor Pregame Report.

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FUN BAYLOR FACTS

Baylor has out-rebounded its opponents in 79 of the last 82 games

Baylor is 206-1 all-time when shooting 50 percent or better from the field and 33-0 when shooting 60 percent or higher

Baylor has 54-straight games with a 3-point field goal; the last time the Lady Bears did not connect from beyond the arc was at Texas Feb. 20, 2017 (0-1).

Baylor has assisted on 240 of 341 field goals this season, marking 70.4 percent of the Lady Bears’ field goals coming on an assist.

Baylor’s last loss at home came Feb. 6, 2017 vs. Texas (85-79), since then the Lady Bears have won 27 straight at the Ferrell Center.

Baylor’s last non-conference loss at home came Jan. 13, 2014 vs. UConn (66-55). Since then, the Lady Bears have won 44-straight non-conference home games at the Ferrell Center including 10 NCAA Tournament contests

Baylor is 146-3 all-time vs. non-conference opponents at the Ferrell Center under head coach Kim Mulkey.

Baylor is 0-14 all-time vs. the No. 1-ranked team in the nation, 0-4 under head coach Kim Mulkey. The Lady Bears’ last matchup vs. No. 1 was also vs. UConn in Waco, Jan. 13, 2014 and the Huskies won 66-55 on ESPN2.
Kalani Brown’s streak of scoring in double figures ended at 23 games after scoring nine vs. Georgetown (11/24), but she has double digits in 26 of the last 28 games.
Lauren Cox is 83 points shy of 1,000; 5 rebounds shy of 550; 34 blocks shy of 200; 28 assists shy of 200.
Baylor head coach Kim Mulkey is 2 wins shy of 550 at Baylor and as a head coach.

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By David in Naples!!!!!

Doggy is right that Baylor has not had many competitive games so far this season. Probably the only one that really counts is their loss to Stanford 68-63. Consider:

1. Baylor took 63 shots in that game and missed 41 of them. In particular, they were only 3-7 from three-point range.

2. This is important because UConn will collapse on Baylor's big inside players. The last time UConn did this was California and the Bears responded with 30 three-point shots.

3. Only two players, Landrum and DeCosta, made threes. Only two other players even tried a three.

4. Against Stanford, Baylor had 18 personal fouls and 15 turnovers. As Doggy said, they are not fast and pressure can affect their ball handling.

5. In that one competitive game, Baylor only scored 13 points in the 1st period and 11 in the 2nd. Stanford had a 17 point halftime lead.

Baylor will be at home and UConn needs to start fast and not let up the pressure. The Huskies need to shut down th inside game of the Bears and make them live or die with the 3 point shot. Should be a good game.

Go Huskies..!!

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UCONN LINKS

UConn women basketball play Baylor in Texas

Lady Bears set to host top-ranked UConn

Daughter has given UConn women's basketball assistant coach Ralph new perspective

UConn women ready to get back to game action

Women’s basketball gameday: No. 1 UConn at No. 8 Baylor

No. 1 Huskies return to action with major test at Baylor

Lady Bears Host #1 UConn

WCBB LINKS

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