Saturday, December 14, 2019

Doggy's UConn/DePaul Pregame Report



UCONN vs DePaul
Day: Monday
Date: December 16th, 2019
Time: 8:00  
Location: Chicago, Ill.
TV: FS1

                                         



No. 2 UConn Huskies                                       No. 16 DePaul 
                                                                             Blue Demons                 8-0                                                                9-1


Prior Meetings

DEPAUL | UCONN LEADS 16-1 H: 6-0 | A: 6-0 | N: 4-1

12/28/83 DePaul 70, UConn 64 Coral Gables, Fla.
01/28/06 #5 UConn 84, #12 DePaul 75 Chicago, Ill.
03/06/06 #8 UConn 69, #15 DePaul 57 Hartford, Conn.
01/24/07 #7 UConn 88, DePaul 76 Storrs, Conn.
03/01/08 #1 UConn 77, DePaul 76 Chicago, Ill.
03/09/08 #1 UConn 86, DePaul 67 Hartford, Conn.
01/13/09 #1 UConn 77, DePaul 62 Storrs, Conn.
02/10/10 #1 UConn 95, DePaul 62 Chicago, Ill.
02/05/11 #2 UConn 89, #9 DePaul 66 Storrs, Conn.
01/21/12 #3 UConn 88, #21 DePaul 44 Chicago, Ill.
02/10/13 #3 UConn 91, DePaul 44 Storrs, Conn.
03/10/13 #3 UConn 94, DePaul 61 Hartford, Conn.
12/19/14 #2 UConn 98, #29 DePaul 64 Bridgeport, Conn.
12/02/15 #1 UConn 86, #18 DePaul 70 Chicago, Ill.
12/01/16 #2 UConn 91, #15 DePaul 46 Storrs, Conn.
12/08/17 #1 UConn 103, DePaul 69 Chicago, Ill.
11/28/18 #2 UConn 99 #16 Depaul 63 Hartford, Conn.




LAST YEARS HIGHLIGHTS

Team Overviews

DePaul
DePaul comes into this matchup with a 9-1 record, recently beating Alabama State in their last outing.  It's one of the best starts that Doug Bruno's Blue Demons have had since the 2010-11 season when they started 13-1 and beat No. 3 Stanford in their 14th game. This year's team has only lost to No. 4 Oregon State 98-77 and they are now on a seven game winning streak. In those seven games they have scored 
over 100 points in three of those outings. Scoring has not been an issue for this team.       

UConn

The Huskies come into this game at 8-0 on the season. They are coming off a total destruction of Notre Dame, beating the Irish 81-57. The team seems to be rounding into shape and expanding the rotation. 

Comparative Team Statistics

                                                UConn                                       DePaul

                                              77.9              PPG                       90.4
                                              55.5        Defensive PPG          74.9
                                              22.4        Scoring Margin          15.5
                                              47.1        Field Goal %              44.7
                                              34.0        Defensive FG%          48.4 
                                              37.3        Three Point %            34.8
                                              28.0        Defensive 3PT%        34,6
                                              71.6        Free Throw %             75.2
                                              43.1        Rebounds/game        38.9
                                                8.3        Rebounding Margin      .8 
                                              18.1        Assists per game        23.1
                                              13.0        Turnover per game     15.4
                                                1.4        Assists/TO ratio            1.5
                                                8.3        Steals per game         13.2
                                                5.8        Blocks per game           2.6

             


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DEPAUL

2018-19 DePaul Women's Basketball Team
Coach Doug Bruno

Doug Bruno’s powerful impact on the game he loves resonates across the entire spectrum of women’s basketball as not only a highly successful college coach and staunch advocate of academics, but a passionate and undaunted promoter of the sport itself.

The former DePaul basketball player who is forever grateful to the athletic scholarship he received from legendary Blue Demon coach Ray Meyer is heading into his 33rd season as the head coach at his alma mater. Born and raised in Chicago and a product of Quigley South High School, Bruno has transformed DePaul women’s basketball into a steadfast national power.

He has guided the Blue Demons to 17 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances---a feat only the NCAA elite of Connecticut, Notre Dame, Stanford, Tennessee and Oklahoma can also claim.  

DePaul Starters

2018-19 DePaul Women's Basketball Team


 Game Analysis

DePaul is doing what they usually do in scoring a lot of points averaging 90.4 points per game. I'm sure Coach Bruno realizes his teams only chance to make a game of it is to make a lot of threes. The good news for DePaul is they take a lot of threes. Every player in the regular rotation has hit a three pointer. They have nine players that are in double digit three-point shots taken. They have taken 353 three pointers in 10 games so far this season. That's 35+ per game. And they have taken only 758 shots in total. Crazy! Unfortunately for DePaul, they only make them at a 34.5% clip and it was much lower before their last game against Savanah where they were 22-41. But that was Savanah.  

As usual, DePaul is also one of the best passing teams in the country. Coach Bruno is an excellent offensive coach and his players usually do a great job valuing the ball.  But this season they have turned the ball over 15.4 times per game. More than usual. 

The question for DePaul is twofold. Can they hit their three point shots at a high percentage against UConn? Can they find a way to play enough defense to keep UConn under 80? It's the same question I asked the last two years and DePaul failed in both aspects.

DePaul  pretty much has only one inside players in second leading scorer 6'1" Chante Stonewall. She is the only player over 6' tall in their rotation. I'm not sure that they have anyone to guard Walker and I know they don't have anyone to guard Nelson-Ododa. 

Look for Sonya Morris and Lexi Held to take a lot of three point shots. Both average around 6 taken per game. That being said, every player on the court for DePaul will fire away.

DePaul is able to create turnovers against most teams, and UConn can't afford to be sloppy with the ball. It could be a problem with all the time off between games for the Huskies. UConn has the good ball handlers so I don't expect DePaul to have much success in doing that although they will press to try to disrupt the UConn offense. 

It almost goes with saying but UConn's defense will have to work hard in preventing open threes. DePaul seems to find that open player. UConn is the best at closing in on the open shooter with their amazing switching defense and their advantage with their length. However, it's certain that DePaul will get some open looks. If they hit them at a high rate, DePaul can certainly make it close but I don't see how they can slow down the UConn offense. 

UConn likes a fast pace, so it will be interesting to see if they still want to do that with a team that scores so quickly like DePaul.  The Huskies have a size advantage and I believe a speed advantage as well. UConn will run off DePaul misses and I expect there to be enough of those to allow UConn so score plenty of points.   

Final Prediction

After a loss in their first meeting ever in 1983, UConn has won the last 16 game in a rivalry that started in 2006. In their first 4 meeting since 2006 UConn won by an average of 8 PPG with one really close game won in the last second by the Huskies. Sine then UConn has won the last 12 games by an average of 30 PPG. I really don't expect this to be too different. Then again, DePaul always has that puncher's chance to upset UConn or at least keep it close. It will take them making 40% of the 40+ threes they will take. And for UConn to struggle on offense.

I just don't see both of those happening so I would guess it ends up UConn by 15+.

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