UConn vs UCLA
Day: Friday
Date: March 29, 20197
Location: Albany, NY
Time: 7:00
Location: Albany, NY
Time: 7:00
TV: ESPN
2 Seed UConn Huskies 6 Seed UCLA Bruins
2 Seed UConn Huskies 6 Seed UCLA Bruins
33-2 22-12
Overview
Prior Meetings
UConn leads 5-0
H: 1-0; A: 2-0; N: 2-0
11/17/98 W 113-102 A
12/23/99 W 106-64 H
12/21/14 W 86-50 N
3/25/17 W 86-71 N
11/21/17 W 78-60 A
H: 1-0; A: 2-0; N: 2-0
11/17/98 W 113-102 A
12/23/99 W 106-64 H
12/21/14 W 86-50 N
3/25/17 W 86-71 N
11/21/17 W 78-60 A
UCLA Overview
UCLA has had an up and down season. They started with a loss to Loyola Marymount 69-63 before winning their next three with a win over at the time No. 14 Georgia 80-69. They then lost four in a row including a 60-56 loss to AAC team South Florida. The other three losses were to Kentucky, Indiana and North Carolina, all teams that made the NCAA Tournament. It was upswing time, winning six in a row ending with an OT win over ranked California 84-79.
At this point the team was feeling pretty good going into the next three games against ranked conference opponents. But they lost to Stanford 86-80 Oregon State 83-73 before getting blown out by Oregon 72-52. One more loss, this time in the rematch with unranked USC 72-67 finished the four game losing streak.
Like I said, it's been an up and down season. At this point they were 9-9 and 2-4 in the conference. The season seemed to be slipping away. But the Bruins found another gear, winning 6 games in a row against two ranked teams, Arizona State 61-59 and Utah 100-90 with sandwiched four wins over the weaker teams in the conference. That streak was broken by Stanford in a 65-51 loss before beating California. That made them 15-10 and 8-5 in the conference, certainly on the upswing going into the Oregon swing against the No. 1 team in the conference Oregon and Oregon State on the road. The Bruins beat Oregon 74-69 and lost to Oregon State 75-72. Two games that gave UCLA great confidence. They beat Utah, California and Arizona State. They lost in the rematch to Oregon in the PAC 12 Tournament before receiving a 6 seed for the NCAA Tournament.
In their first round game they beat 11 seed Tennessee in a game that they had a 14 point lead after one quarter and 12 point lead at the half. They let the Lady Vols back into that game in the third quarter. Tennessee actually tied the game before a three point jumper with 3 seconds left in the quarter to expand the lead to four. Tennessee took a one point lead early in the fourth quarter and the game went back and forth for 5 minutes with the Lady Vols up 65-62 with 5:12 left in the game. An unexpected source gave the Bruins the spark they needed as Lindsay Corsaro hit two big threes. UCLA expanded the lead at the foul line to win 89-77.
In the second round, UCLA took on 3 seed Maryland. This was a fun game to watch in spite of the poor shooting by both teams. Maryland was just horrid from the three point line going 1-13. And UCLA shot only 36% from the field and 29% on threes. The difference in this game was the great job UCLA did on the offensive boards. They had 27 offensive rebound with Onyenware grabbing 8 of those and Drummer snagging another 6. Fourteen between two players? Crazy. Maryland had a big 31 point third quarter to take a five point lead into the final 10 minutes. But the Terrapins could not make a shot and only score 9 points in the final quarter and the Bruins put the game away at the foul line and a breakaway layup to win the game 85-80.
If you are reading my blog, I don't think there is much I can add about UConn that you don't know. I'll just say that UConn is coming into this game on a 14 game winning streak, winning their two NCAA games 110-61 over Towson and 84-72 over Buffalo.
At this point the team was feeling pretty good going into the next three games against ranked conference opponents. But they lost to Stanford 86-80 Oregon State 83-73 before getting blown out by Oregon 72-52. One more loss, this time in the rematch with unranked USC 72-67 finished the four game losing streak.
Like I said, it's been an up and down season. At this point they were 9-9 and 2-4 in the conference. The season seemed to be slipping away. But the Bruins found another gear, winning 6 games in a row against two ranked teams, Arizona State 61-59 and Utah 100-90 with sandwiched four wins over the weaker teams in the conference. That streak was broken by Stanford in a 65-51 loss before beating California. That made them 15-10 and 8-5 in the conference, certainly on the upswing going into the Oregon swing against the No. 1 team in the conference Oregon and Oregon State on the road. The Bruins beat Oregon 74-69 and lost to Oregon State 75-72. Two games that gave UCLA great confidence. They beat Utah, California and Arizona State. They lost in the rematch to Oregon in the PAC 12 Tournament before receiving a 6 seed for the NCAA Tournament.
In their first round game they beat 11 seed Tennessee in a game that they had a 14 point lead after one quarter and 12 point lead at the half. They let the Lady Vols back into that game in the third quarter. Tennessee actually tied the game before a three point jumper with 3 seconds left in the quarter to expand the lead to four. Tennessee took a one point lead early in the fourth quarter and the game went back and forth for 5 minutes with the Lady Vols up 65-62 with 5:12 left in the game. An unexpected source gave the Bruins the spark they needed as Lindsay Corsaro hit two big threes. UCLA expanded the lead at the foul line to win 89-77.
In the second round, UCLA took on 3 seed Maryland. This was a fun game to watch in spite of the poor shooting by both teams. Maryland was just horrid from the three point line going 1-13. And UCLA shot only 36% from the field and 29% on threes. The difference in this game was the great job UCLA did on the offensive boards. They had 27 offensive rebound with Onyenware grabbing 8 of those and Drummer snagging another 6. Fourteen between two players? Crazy. Maryland had a big 31 point third quarter to take a five point lead into the final 10 minutes. But the Terrapins could not make a shot and only score 9 points in the final quarter and the Bruins put the game away at the foul line and a breakaway layup to win the game 85-80.
UConn Overview
If you are reading my blog, I don't think there is much I can add about UConn that you don't know. I'll just say that UConn is coming into this game on a 14 game winning streak, winning their two NCAA games 110-61 over Towson and 84-72 over Buffalo.
Comparative Team Statistic
Leader in Bold
UConn UCLA
83.4 PPG 74.1
55.3 Defensive PPG 68.8
55.3 Defensive PPG 68.8
28.1 Scoring Margin 5.3
49.5 Field Goal % 41.7
33.8 Defensive FG% 41.7
33.8 Defensive FG% 41.7
36.3 Three Point % 30.8
28.3 Defensive 3PT% 31.7
73.3 Free Throw % 73.2 28.3 Defensive 3PT% 31.7
41.5 Rebounds/game 41.6
34.5 Opp. Rebs/game 35.6
12.1 Off. Rebs/game 17.6
34.5 Opp. Rebs/game 35.6
12.1 Off. Rebs/game 17.6
20.0 Assists per game 14.0
11.7 Turnover per game 13.1
1.7 Assists/TO ratio 1.1
8.3 Steals per game 7.7
4.3 Blocks per game 4.1
UCONN
UConn Starters
24 Napheesa Collier
6'1" Senior Forward
3 Megan Walker
6'1" Sophomore Guard/Forward
13 Christyn Williams
5'11" Freshman Guard
UConn Bench
20 Olivia Nelson-Ododa
6'4" Freshman Forward
4 Mykala Coombs
5'8" Sophomore Guard
10 Kyra Irwin
6'2" Junior Forward
25 Molly Bent
5'9" Junior Guard
32 Batouly Camara
6'2" RS Junior Forward
UCLA
Head Coach
Cori Close
Cori Close
Cori Close was named the Michael Price Family UCLA Women’s Head Basketball Coach on April 21, 2011, and is currently 150-86 (.636) overall. She enters her eighth season at the helm of the Bruins’ program in 2018-19. She posted her 100th victory in a 95-47 win over Southern (Nov. 18). Close was named the 2018 United States Marine Corps/WBCA NCAA Division I Region 5 Coach of the Year for the second time in her career.
Close guided the Bruins to a 27-8 overall record in 2017-18, including a tie for third place in the Pac-12 with a 14-4 mark. The Bruins reached the Sweet 16 for a record extending third consecutive year and ended the season with an Elite 8 appearance for the first time since 1999, falling to No. 1 Mississippi State on March 25, 2018. She also produced her second and third draft picks as a head coach as Jordin Canada was taken as the fifth overall pick in the first round by the Seattle Storm and Monique Billings was the 15th overall pick (third pick in the second round) by the Atlanta Dream.
Close led the Bruins to a 25-9 overall record in 2016-17, including a fourth-place finish in the Pac-12 with a 13-5 record (the No. 1 conference in the country in RPI for the second straight season). She also guided the Bruins to their first back-to-back Sweet Sixteen appearances in program history.
In 2015-16, Close led the Bruins to a 26-9 overall record and a third-place finish in the Pac-12 with a 14-4 record and guided the Bruins to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 1999. Close was named the 2016 United States Marine Corps/WBCA NCAA Division I Region 5 Co-Coach of the Year (with Arizona State’s Charli Turner Thorne). She also produced her first draft pick as a head coach as Nirra Fields 32nd overall pick (eighth pick in the third round) by the Phoenix Mercury.
She led the Bruins to their first WNIT Championship in school history in UCLA’s first-ever appearance in the postseason tournament with a 62-60 win over West Virginia in Charleston, W.Va., on April 4, 2015. It marked UCLA’s first postseason title of any kind since winning the Pac-10 Tournament in 2006.
This is the first head coaching assignment for Close, who has worked as associate head coach or assistant on teams that have advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 16 seasons, won at least 20 games in 16 of the previous 18 seasons and won or shared a total of 11 conference championships.
Close, who served on the Bruin coaching staff in 1994 and 1995, returns to Westwood after spending seven seasons as associate head coach at Florida State University. Considered one of the top offensive minds in the game, Close helped guide the Seminoles into a nationally-recognized program in her time. FSU ranked among the nation’s top 30 teams in scoring, field goal percentage and three-point field goal percentage her last two seasons.
Close guided the Bruins to a 27-8 overall record in 2017-18, including a tie for third place in the Pac-12 with a 14-4 mark. The Bruins reached the Sweet 16 for a record extending third consecutive year and ended the season with an Elite 8 appearance for the first time since 1999, falling to No. 1 Mississippi State on March 25, 2018. She also produced her second and third draft picks as a head coach as Jordin Canada was taken as the fifth overall pick in the first round by the Seattle Storm and Monique Billings was the 15th overall pick (third pick in the second round) by the Atlanta Dream.
Close led the Bruins to a 25-9 overall record in 2016-17, including a fourth-place finish in the Pac-12 with a 13-5 record (the No. 1 conference in the country in RPI for the second straight season). She also guided the Bruins to their first back-to-back Sweet Sixteen appearances in program history.
In 2015-16, Close led the Bruins to a 26-9 overall record and a third-place finish in the Pac-12 with a 14-4 record and guided the Bruins to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 1999. Close was named the 2016 United States Marine Corps/WBCA NCAA Division I Region 5 Co-Coach of the Year (with Arizona State’s Charli Turner Thorne). She also produced her first draft pick as a head coach as Nirra Fields 32nd overall pick (eighth pick in the third round) by the Phoenix Mercury.
She led the Bruins to their first WNIT Championship in school history in UCLA’s first-ever appearance in the postseason tournament with a 62-60 win over West Virginia in Charleston, W.Va., on April 4, 2015. It marked UCLA’s first postseason title of any kind since winning the Pac-10 Tournament in 2006.
This is the first head coaching assignment for Close, who has worked as associate head coach or assistant on teams that have advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 16 seasons, won at least 20 games in 16 of the previous 18 seasons and won or shared a total of 11 conference championships.
Close, who served on the Bruin coaching staff in 1994 and 1995, returns to Westwood after spending seven seasons as associate head coach at Florida State University. Considered one of the top offensive minds in the game, Close helped guide the Seminoles into a nationally-recognized program in her time. FSU ranked among the nation’s top 30 teams in scoring, field goal percentage and three-point field goal percentage her last two seasons.
UCLA Starters
21 Michaela Onyenwere
5'11" Sophomore Forward
22 Kennedy Burke
6'1" Senior Guard
24 Japreece Dean
5'6" Junior Guard
11 Lajahna Drummer
6'1" RS Senior Forward
4 Lindsay Corsaro
6'1" RS Freshman Guard
UCLA Bench
33 Lauryn Miller
6'1" Sophomore Forward
3 Kaira Jefferson
5'9" Freshman Guard
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Game Analysis
UCLA has two starters back from last year. They lost three to graduation and two were huge for this team. Their best players last season were Jordin Canada and Monique Billings. Kelly Hayes was the other senior starter. The loss of Canada and Billings explain the difference in how this team did during the regular season compared to last year. 27-8 vs 22-12. Canada had a decent season in the WNBA. No one on this roster compares.
They do return two starters, Kennedy Burke and Lajahna Drummer their two seniors. Burke is a solid player on both sides of the ball. The 6'1" senior guard is the second leading scorer averaging 15.4 PPG and grabs 6.1 RPG but only shoots 28% on threes. Drummer, the 6'1" senior forward is a terrific rebounder and leads the team with 8.7 per game. But she is not a scoring threat except off the offensive boards where she averages over 3 per game.
The sparkplug on the team is 5'6" point guard Jaceen Dean. She does mirror UConn's Dangerfield in many ways. She is the third leading scorer (so is Dangerfield) at 14.1 PPG, leads in assists (so does Dangerfield) at just under 4 per game and shoots a fantastic 92.9% from the FT line. Dangerfield shoots 92.2%. One big difference is in turnovers. Dean is a little sloppy with the ball and can be pressured into bad decisions. If she has more than her average 3 per game UCLA could be in trouble.
Freshman Lindsay Corsora, a 6'1" guard, is another starter and has been clutch so far in the tournament with big threes in both games. She is second on the team with 101 assists and does a pretty good job not turning the ball overs. I like her game.
The breakout star for this team is 6'1" sophomore forward Michaela Onyenware. She didn't play a lot last year but seems to have made a huge jump from her freshman year. She is averaging 18.4 PPG and 8.3 RPG. The big number for her is 146. That is how many offensive rebounds she has had on the season. That's a little over 4 per game. In contrast, Collier for UConn only has 112. UConn should have their hands full with her.
I don't think you will see much impact off the bench for UCLA. 5'9" freshman guard Kaira Jefferson and 6'1" sophomore forward Laruyn Miller might spell the starters for a quick rest and if there is some foul trouble but other than that, don't expect to see them much on the court.
Did you notice that four of the five starters for UCLA are listed at 6'1"? Not a rim protector in the bunch.
UCLA uses primarily a man-to-man defense. They rarely press or put a lot of on the ball pressure. Their players are solid pretty solid the defensive side of the ball. And they do a nice job of switching. They have given up almost 70 points per game so you can honestly say that they are not a very good defensive team. Not a good situation for a team playing a really good offensive team.
The sparkplug on the team is 5'6" point guard Jaceen Dean. She does mirror UConn's Dangerfield in many ways. She is the third leading scorer (so is Dangerfield) at 14.1 PPG, leads in assists (so does Dangerfield) at just under 4 per game and shoots a fantastic 92.9% from the FT line. Dangerfield shoots 92.2%. One big difference is in turnovers. Dean is a little sloppy with the ball and can be pressured into bad decisions. If she has more than her average 3 per game UCLA could be in trouble.
Freshman Lindsay Corsora, a 6'1" guard, is another starter and has been clutch so far in the tournament with big threes in both games. She is second on the team with 101 assists and does a pretty good job not turning the ball overs. I like her game.
The breakout star for this team is 6'1" sophomore forward Michaela Onyenware. She didn't play a lot last year but seems to have made a huge jump from her freshman year. She is averaging 18.4 PPG and 8.3 RPG. The big number for her is 146. That is how many offensive rebounds she has had on the season. That's a little over 4 per game. In contrast, Collier for UConn only has 112. UConn should have their hands full with her.
I don't think you will see much impact off the bench for UCLA. 5'9" freshman guard Kaira Jefferson and 6'1" sophomore forward Laruyn Miller might spell the starters for a quick rest and if there is some foul trouble but other than that, don't expect to see them much on the court.
Did you notice that four of the five starters for UCLA are listed at 6'1"? Not a rim protector in the bunch.
UCLA uses primarily a man-to-man defense. They rarely press or put a lot of on the ball pressure. Their players are solid pretty solid the defensive side of the ball. And they do a nice job of switching. They have given up almost 70 points per game so you can honestly say that they are not a very good defensive team. Not a good situation for a team playing a really good offensive team.
Both UCLA and UConn love to run, but I'll say that the Bruins better be in amazing shape or UConn will run them into the ground. Both teams will not go very deep. In fact I would expect the UCLA starters all to play 35+ minutes as will the Huskie starters. UConn will go their 6 deep with Oliva Nelson-Ododa coming off the bench and Geno just rotating those 6 players to rest a player here and there. If it's close, the rest of the bench will not see much time at all. Maybe Mikayla Coombs will see some time in this game to put some defensive pressure on the turnover prone Bruin backcourt.
I believe that UConn will put constant pressure on the ball trying to turn over the Bruins or at least give them limited time to run their offense. That being said, UCLA doesn't run a great half court offense. They are more in the old Tennessee offensive mode.....throw it up and rebound, rebound, rebound. They had 27 offensive rebounds against Maryland. I'm sure Geno is pounding into his teams head to block out and rebound on the defensive boards. One problem for the Bruins is that if they are pounding the offensive glass, they will be vulnerable to UConn fast breaking if the Huskies grab the defensive rebound. I can see Collier, Samuelson and Walker grabbing the board and starting a break leaving the UCLA defenders in the dust. And don't be surprised if Christyn Williams is told to give a hand on the defensive boards. It's that important to the success of UConn in this game.
On offense UConn is going to do what they always do. Run their offense, take the open outside shots, and get the ball inside to Collier and Walker. I don't think anyone on UCLA has seen Collier and her dance moves in the paint. She could get some Bruins in foul trouble. As I said, UConn will also run after rebounds. They want to tire out UCLA if possible. It's harder to offensive rebound when you are fatigued.
I believe that UConn will put constant pressure on the ball trying to turn over the Bruins or at least give them limited time to run their offense. That being said, UCLA doesn't run a great half court offense. They are more in the old Tennessee offensive mode.....throw it up and rebound, rebound, rebound. They had 27 offensive rebounds against Maryland. I'm sure Geno is pounding into his teams head to block out and rebound on the defensive boards. One problem for the Bruins is that if they are pounding the offensive glass, they will be vulnerable to UConn fast breaking if the Huskies grab the defensive rebound. I can see Collier, Samuelson and Walker grabbing the board and starting a break leaving the UCLA defenders in the dust. And don't be surprised if Christyn Williams is told to give a hand on the defensive boards. It's that important to the success of UConn in this game.
On offense UConn is going to do what they always do. Run their offense, take the open outside shots, and get the ball inside to Collier and Walker. I don't think anyone on UCLA has seen Collier and her dance moves in the paint. She could get some Bruins in foul trouble. As I said, UConn will also run after rebounds. They want to tire out UCLA if possible. It's harder to offensive rebound when you are fatigued.
Final Prediction
I have to tell the truth. I've been a UCLA fan for a long time. But it was the men's team that I followed as a young teen. It started with the remarkable young man Lew Alcindor, so tall and so graceful and so unique. And the hippie Bill Walton, near and dear to my heart. Many years of great play and great coaching by the greatest men's coach of all time, John Wooden. The great play of Connecticut native Rocket Rod Foster. I even have a UCLA sweatshirt.
But, this is a different time and a different gender. I haven't been a fan of the UCLA women's program as I have the men's team. But I have somewhat followed them over the years and UConn has played them the last two seasons so my pre game report was not difficult to put together.
I'm sure there are some fans out there that will continue to fret based on the 14 now infamous minutes in the Buffalo game. But I find those minutes such an anomaly that I won't even consider them in this analysis.
UConn could hit 100 points if they can run. UConn's defense should shut down the Bruins if they can hold their own on the boards. UCLA is a very good offensive rebounding team. Relentless comes to mind. But they are not big and UConn could neutralize that advantage.
I still believe that UConn is just at a different level than a team like UCLA. But it is the NCAA tournament and strange things can happen.
I don't see it being a runaway. More like a 10+ point win in this one. One caveat is the boards. If UConn can match up and stop a big offensive board advantage for UCLA, UConn will win by 20+ points.
But, this is a different time and a different gender. I haven't been a fan of the UCLA women's program as I have the men's team. But I have somewhat followed them over the years and UConn has played them the last two seasons so my pre game report was not difficult to put together.
I'm sure there are some fans out there that will continue to fret based on the 14 now infamous minutes in the Buffalo game. But I find those minutes such an anomaly that I won't even consider them in this analysis.
UConn could hit 100 points if they can run. UConn's defense should shut down the Bruins if they can hold their own on the boards. UCLA is a very good offensive rebounding team. Relentless comes to mind. But they are not big and UConn could neutralize that advantage.
I still believe that UConn is just at a different level than a team like UCLA. But it is the NCAA tournament and strange things can happen.
I don't see it being a runaway. More like a 10+ point win in this one. One caveat is the boards. If UConn can match up and stop a big offensive board advantage for UCLA, UConn will win by 20+ points.
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