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The boys are heading to San Antonio and hope to get there in time for the game!
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Like the Husky is doing in this pic, I hope UConn can trip up Syracuse in their 2nd round match up Tuesday night.
There is a long history between these two teams going back to 1980. UConn lead the series 39-11, 19-4 at home and 16-7 on the road. This is a neutral court game and UConn leads those 4-1. Here is every game result for these two teams.
12/29/80 SU 73, UConn 68 Philadelphia, Pa.
02/13/82 SU 86, UConn 78 Storrs, Conn.
02/02/83 SU 90, UConn 64 Syracuse, N.Y.
02/25/84 SU 61, UConn 56 Storrs, Conn.
01/12/85 SU 82, UConn 61 Syracuse, N.Y.
02/13/85 SU 74, UConn 59 Storrs, Conn.
01/04/86 SU 68, UConn 60 Syracuse, N.Y.
02/01/86 SU 78, UConn 72 Storrs, Conn.
01/17/87 SU 67, UConn 52 Syracuse, N.Y.
02/18/87 UConn 52, SU 49 Storrs, Conn.
01/20/88 SU 68, UConn 54 Syracuse, N.Y.
02/20/88 UConn 74, SU 60 Hartford, Conn.
01/21/89 SU 77, UConn 60 Syracuse, N.Y.
01/08/90 UConn 58, SU 42 Syracuse, N.Y.
02/07/90 UConn 68, SU 56 Storrs, Conn.
01/16/91 #18 UConn 65, SU 63 Syracuse, N.Y.
02/17/91 #15 UConn 85, SU 49 Storrs, Conn.
01/15/92 SU 68, #22 UConn 51 Storrs, Conn.
02/15/92 UConn 83, SU 68 Syracuse, N.Y.
01/02/93 #21 UConn 78, SU 50 Syracuse, N.Y.
02/07/93 UConn 85, SU 54 Storrs, Conn.
01/03/94 #4 UConn 64, SU 45 Storrs, Conn.
02/24/94 #4 UConn 79, SU 50 Syracuse, N.Y.
01/22/95 #1 UConn 89, SU 58 Storrs, Conn.
02/25/95 #1 UConn 89, SU 62 Syracuse, N.Y.
01/02/96 SU 62, #2 UConn 59 Syracuse, N.Y.
01/07/97 #1 UConn 93, SU 67 Storrs, Conn.
02/26/97 #1 UConn 86, SU 52 Syracuse, N.Y.
02/01/98 #2 UConn 100, SU 62 Storrs, Conn.
02/03/99 #4 UConn 96, SU 50 Storrs, Conn.
02/23/99 #6 UConn 105, SU 43 Syracuse, N.Y.
02/18/00 #1 UConn 100, SU 74 Storrs, Conn.
01/09/01 #1 UConn 76, SU 63 Syracuse, N.Y.
01/27/01 #2 UConn 84, SU 60 Hartford, Conn.
02/13/02 #1 UConn 85, SU 55 Syracuse, N.Y.
02/12/03 #1 UConn 75, SU 51 Hartford, Conn.
02/11/04 #2 UConn 82, SU 38 Syracuse, N.Y.
02/19/05 #11 UConn 85, SU 49 Hartford, Conn.
03/06/05 #14 UConn 82, SU 56 Hartford, Conn.
02/22/06 #8 UConn 65, SU 36 Syracuse, N.Y.
01/13/07 #7 UConn 76, SU 45 Storrs, Conn.
01/15/08 #1 UConn 65, SU 59 Syracuse, N.Y.
01/17/09 #1 UConn 107, SU 53 Hartford, Conn.
02/24/10 #1 UConn 87, SU 66 Syracuse, N.Y.
03/07/10 #1 UConn 77, SU 41 Hartford, Conn.
02/28/11 #1 UConn 82, SU 47 Storrs, Conn.
01/25/12 #3 UConn 95, SU 54 Syracuse, N.Y.
01/19/13 #3 UConn 87, SU 62 Hartford, Conn.
03/11/13 #3 UConn 64, #24 SU 51 Hartford, Conn.
04/05/16 #1 UConn 82, #17 SU 51 Indianapolis, Ind.
03/20/17 #1 UConn 94, SU 64 Storrs, Conn.
Syracuse won the first 9 games of the series. 10 of their first 11 games. And UConn has won the last 25 times they have met the Orange.
So, how do they match up in this game?
SU is going to go with 4 of their starters playing 35-40 minutes in this game.
Let's start with Point Guard Tiana Mangakahia, a 5 year player from Brisbane, Australia, who came back from cancer and is having a terrific season. She is the true leader on this team, emotionally and physically. She averages 7.5 assists per game, which leads the entire country. She is a great passer and facilitator. But she also averages 4.8 turnovers per game and against this UConn defense, that could be a big problem. We will see who Coach Dailey has cover her. Like they say, cut off the head of the snake and it dies. Ugghh, that was a gross analogy..lol.
Their leading scorer is Kiara Lewis, a 5'8" RS Senior guard who scores at a 14.3 PPG rate. She takes around 5 three pointers a game, but only hits a little better than one per game at 24%. Her strength is getting to the foul like using her quickness. Players like this have given UConn fits in some games this year.
Emily Engstler is a 6'1" junior guard who loves to crash the boards. She had 12 rebounds against South Dakota State in their first round win and leads the team in rebounding at 9.1 per game. That is a crazy good number. She is also a good three point shooter at 36.9% but only takes a few per game. Averaging 10.2 PPG she is close to a double double for the season.
Digna Strautmane is a 6'2" senior forward. A solid player, she had a double double against South Dakota State. She is second on the team in three pointers taken but like Lewis, she doesn't shoot them very well at only 28.6%.
The fifth starter is 6'7" freshman center Kamilla Cardosa. She is one big player! She is 13th in the country in blocked shots at 2.8 per game. You can count on her getting a few against UConn. While the other four starters will get a ton of minutes, Cardosa is just not prepared to play more than 23-25 minutes. I don't know if it's fatigue or foul issues. While she is in the game, she WILL impact it.
Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi is a 6'2" RS junior forward. She will cover the other minutes that Cardosa doesn't play.
Syracuse relies a lot on turning over the other team. This is a Coach Hillsman trademark. His teams love to shoot the three and press. Unfortunately for them, UConn is a tough team to press. And the Huskies play very good three point defense. Teams may be able to put up 30+ in a game, but it's rare they his anywhere close to a reasonable percentage.
Syracuse is playing the underdog role to the max.
Coach Hillsman - "Anytime we play a very good basketball team, we’re gonna be the underdog"
Point guard Tiana Mangakahia disagrees - “I think we don’t get that opportunity to play the best so just going up against them is a huge way to prove we can do this and we can beat top-five teams in the country. But I wouldn’t say we’re the underdog even though everybody’s probably saying that. I would say we will compete and we can win just as much as they can.”
Well, I don't think they can win just as much as UConn can.
I'll go with UConn by 20+ points.
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I used to really not like Coach Hillsman. He really annoyed me. But now I just love watching him on the sidelines. He is a terrific show in itself. He is a snappy dresser if you like that style and his glasses are always something else. Elton John-like!! Here are a few shots.
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UCONN PREGAME VIDEO
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Well, I got my wish. Several upsets. Well, except that I had Arkansas going to the Final Four in my bracket. I really suck at this...lol.
Fifth seed Gonzaga lost to twelfth seed Belmont 64-59.
Sixth seed 6 Rutgers lost to eleventh seed BYU 69-66.
Fourth seed Arkansas lost to thirteenth seed Wright State 66-62.
Crazy! And I love it. It's what makes the men's tournament great and now we are seeing it in the women's tournament. I hope there are a few more before it's all over.
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Dana Evans is one of the four finalists for the Naismith Award along with Rhyne Howard, Aliyah Boston and Paige Bueckers.
In the first half of the 1st round game for Louisville against Marist she had 8 points. Not bad. But it was on 3-10 shooting. 0-5 on threes. 1 rebound, 1 assist and 4 turnovers. Maybe she will have a big second half but really?
And she is riding the bench in the second half. Something is up with her. She is really struggling and Coach Watz has decided to let her figure it out from the bench. She is sitting there with her hands on her lap and legs crossed occasionally clapping for her teammates.
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MERCADO REGION
No. 1 NC State vs No. 8 South Florida game preview Tuesday 3:00 ET ESPN2
HEMISFAIR REGION
No. 1 South Carolina vs No. 8 Oregon State game preview Tuesday 7:00 ET ESPN
No. 5 Georgia Tech vs No. 4 West Virginia game preview Tuesday 5:30 ESPNU
No. 3 UCLA vs No. 14 Wyoming Monday 10:00 ET ESPN
ALAMO REGION
No. 1 Stanford vs No. 8 Oklahoma State game preview Tuesday 9:00 ET ESPN2
No. 6 Oregon vs No. 11 South Dakota Monday 10:00 ET ESPN2
RIVER WALK REGION
No. 1 UConn vs No. 8 Syracuse (links in UConn section) Tuesday 9:00 ET ESPN
No. 5 Iowa vs No. 4 Kentucky game preview Tuesday 3:30 ET ESPNU
No. 2 Baylor No. 7 Virginia Tech game preview Tuesday 7:00 ET ESPN2
No. 6 Michigan vs No. 3 Tennessee game preview Tuesday 5:00 ET ESPN2
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The Hoop Hall Awards is open for voting. It's a position by position ballot.
Paige Bueckers is on the list for the Nancy Leiberman Point Guard award.
Olivia Nelson-Ododa is on the list for the Lisa Leslie Center award.
I believe you can vote once a day per email address.
Here is the link.
And here is the link for the Naismith player of the year.
It's open now.
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By David in Naples
Why do some UConn fans over think a nice victory like the one against High Point last night? The final score was 102-59 and that is a 43 point beat down. But questions and criticism persist:
1. What about the 53 points the defense gave up? Well, HPU averages 73 points per game, so that is well below their average.
2. But they made a bunch of three point shots? No, only 9 threes, and only 3 in the 2nd half. And two were bank shots..!
3. Our three point defense stinks? No, they took 34 threes and made 9. That is 26.5%.
4. We missed some easy shots? Yes, but we scored 102 points on 59.2% shooting.
5. Olivia didn't play well? No, she scored 2 pts, had 7 rebounds and 4 assists in 31 minutes. Missed a few close in shots, but overall, not too bad.
6. UConn's subs didn't play enough? Aaliyah played 25 minutes, Anna and Aubrey had 13+ minutes each. The end of the bench had 6 total minutes. That is 58 minutes out of 200,. 30%.
7. We need to play better than that to beat better teams? HPU is a good shooting team. Curran, their best player, made 42.5% of her threes this season. Last night she was 2-13 or 15%. Overall, UConn played just fine.
UConn last played on March 8th against Marquette. Two weeks off doesn't result in rust, but it takes a game or two to get back running on all cylinders. The injury to Nika looked bad and no doubt that impacted the players. They scored 102 points and played well. Relax....
Go Huskies..!!
1. What about the 53 points the defense gave up? Well, HPU averages 73 points per game, so that is well below their average.
2. But they made a bunch of three point shots? No, only 9 threes, and only 3 in the 2nd half. And two were bank shots..!
3. Our three point defense stinks? No, they took 34 threes and made 9. That is 26.5%.
4. We missed some easy shots? Yes, but we scored 102 points on 59.2% shooting.
5. Olivia didn't play well? No, she scored 2 pts, had 7 rebounds and 4 assists in 31 minutes. Missed a few close in shots, but overall, not too bad.
6. UConn's subs didn't play enough? Aaliyah played 25 minutes, Anna and Aubrey had 13+ minutes each. The end of the bench had 6 total minutes. That is 58 minutes out of 200,. 30%.
7. We need to play better than that to beat better teams? HPU is a good shooting team. Curran, their best player, made 42.5% of her threes this season. Last night she was 2-13 or 15%. Overall, UConn played just fine.
UConn last played on March 8th against Marquette. Two weeks off doesn't result in rust, but it takes a game or two to get back running on all cylinders. The injury to Nika looked bad and no doubt that impacted the players. They scored 102 points and played well. Relax....
Go Huskies..!!
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By Phil
Numbers, Numbers, Numbers
You might start by checking with the usual suspects. Iona is one of the highest scoring teams in the nation and they had 27 in a quarter, but not them. UConn scored a lot yesterday; they had 28, but not them. How about Baylor, they had 29 in the first quarter? Stanford also scored 29 in the first quarter. And look, Baylor got 29 in the third quarter. Then check some of the not so usual suspects. West Virginia had 29 in the third quarter. Four different quarters for three different teams had 29 in a quarter, but none of those take the crown. Idaho State poured in 32 points in the final quarter against Kentucky. That’s notable, not simply because it was the most points in a quarter yesterday, but 32 points exceeded Idaho State’s point total in the first second and third quarters combined. And, oh by the way, they lost. The largest single point total in a quarter was scored by a losing team.
Another unusual thing about Idaho State’s point total is that it was so low. In 2019 UConn scored 33 points in the second quarter of their first game. Mississippi State scored 37 points in their first quarter.
At the other end of the spectrum, Stephen F Austin scored only five points in their third quarter. What’s notable about this result is that if they had one more free-throw, and scored six points in the quarter, they still would’ve tied for low points in a quarter and won the game. They were one free throw away from having the lowest point total in a quarter scored by a winning team while the largest point total in a quarter was scored by a losing team.
The five-point effort is also notable because there usually are more extreme examples. In 2019, Southern matched SFA’s low point total with five points in a quarter, but Robert Morris only scored four, both Belmont and Abilene Christian managed only three, and Arkansas Little Rock scored only two points in a quarter.
When Renee Montgomery was providing color commentary, she was asked how much teams watch the results of our games and care about outperforming them. She won on at length, explaining it wasn’t good enough to be a number one seed, you wanted to be the top number one seed, and then you wanted to outperform everybody in the games.
So yes, UConn saw Baylor score 101 points in a game, and scored 102. UConn’s margin of victory was 43. While Stanford did not match UConn’s overall total, they match the margin of victory of 43. They had a 39 point margin of victory at the end of the third quarter so that look like they were going to far surpassing cons but it came in at the identical amount. However, I’m sure Baylor fans will be pointing out that their margin of victory was 49 points.
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