Doggydaddy's Den: Doggy's Doghouse 11/25/19

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It's not gonna be pretty, but it's got to be gritty!

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Logan kissing away the tears from his brother Barrett

My wonderful grandchild Mya has always been very smart. I just didn't know how smart until today.
My older granddaughter Noa attends a private school, American Heritage. Mya might be going there next year. So in preparation she had to take placement testing to see where she stand academically.

Well, I was stunned. She tested at the 8th grade level in English and the 10th grade level in Math.

Amazing!!! Love that girl!!!

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Yes, I'm still feeling like crap. Literally. But the fever is gone so hopefully after one more good nights sleep I'm up and about. Staying in bed for two days sucks. But I'm feeling good enough to blog and I'm working on a short Dayton pregame report. Just the facts ma'me.

The new poll is out and UConn is hanging in there at No. 4 with South Carolina right on their heels. No change in the top 12, but lots if minor changes in 13-25. The biggest change was for Tennessee, who jumped 3 places, from 23 to 20 after beating up on Stetson. I'm not sure why they jumped Gonzoga, who had lost to Stanford in OT last week and that was built into their ranking already. She did Gonzoga to this past week to allow Tennessee to pass them? They beat Eastern Washington 84-44. Maybe they needed to beat them by 50 to stay ahead of the Lady Vols?

Ok, a little more on the UConn/Ohio State game. I'll admit I was surprised at how well the Buckeyes played. I called for a much bigger margin of victory. My predictions will be more likely as inconsistent as the team. But in the post game interview, Geno was happy, so he has expectations in line with reality. We fans are either too worried or overly optimistic. You know where I stand!

Let's here it for Crystal Dangerfield, who hit every big shot that UConn needed. She really carried the team at the right times in this game. Hopefully UConn gets to play in a blowout soon so Geno can afford to give her a blow here and there. Conference play will be a blessing.

Here is the UConn/Dayton Pregame Report.

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By David in Naples!!!!!

Much is made of the conditioning of UConn teams. Practices are said to be harder than games. Two hours of nothing but drills and running is harder that 40 minutes of game time with timeouts, water breaks and a long halftime. Yesterday could serve as an example of how superior conditioning can bring victory. Consider:

1. Three UConn players, Crystal, Christyn and Megan played all 40 minutes with no substitution.

2. Ohio State used 10 players and 9 had 11 minutes or more on the court.

3. UConn shot 70% (7-10) in the 4th period and 6-6 from the free throw line.

4. OSU was a miserable 5-18 in the 4th quarter. Can you say tired legs?

5. In that 4th period, OSU only made 2 of 9 three point shots.

6. At the end of the 3rd period, UConn finished with a 7-2 run. The Huskies won the 4th period 21-16.

7. In the last 1:49 of the game, Crystal outscored Ohio State 6-1, after playing the whole game.

Someone I know was at the game and said you have to see UConn's conditioning to fully appreciate it. It is real and it is a tremendous advantage.

Go Huskies..!!

Free throws should be an easy way to score points. You get to take your time, line up the shot and no defenders can get in your way. Tell that to Ohio State, who missed 8 of their 13 tries. For the season, OSU is shooting a ridiculous 46-80 or 57.5%. Really bad. Especially when you consider that practice will make a player a better shooter at the free throw line. Consider Crystal, who made just 16-29 free throws her freshman year. That is 59%. Last season she made 61-66 for 92%. Last season, Olivia was a 53% free throw shooter (50-94). This year, vastly improved at 11-14 or 79%.

UConn has finally started improving their free throw % this season. They now sit at 69% made for the year (51-74). Against OSU, they went 7-8 from the charity stripe. Given that the Huskies normally foul less and make more free trows, this part of their game is normally good for 6-10 points a game. This year, opponents have tried only 44 free throws vs the 74 for UConn. The 19 additional made free throws comes out to just under 4 points per game. They are called "free" throws for a reason. Take the free points..!!

Go Huskies..!!

UCONN LINKS

UConn women stay at No. 4 in the AP Poll
Crystal Dangerfield plays entire game in spite of load management
Geno, Pat - A timeline

Top Twenty-Five Scores and Links
Upsets in Red

No. 10 Mississippi State at Marquette

Statistical Sites