Doggydaddy's Den: Doggy's Doghouse 12/16/2021

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GO UCONN!!!!!

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Everyone is here!!!!

From left to right - Granddaughter Noa, Grandson Barrett, Daughter Liz, Wife Marsha, Me, DIL Jules, Son Jay, SIL Brendan, Grandson Logan and Granddaughter Mya!

What a great time!!

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I want to wish my friend Ken a quick recovery from his shoulder surgery. He had the surgery right about the same time as Paige Bueckers.

Ken is a HUGE UConn women's basketball fan and posts regularly on the UConn message board UConn Territory. He has helped me with my blog more than he knows!!

Get well soon Ken. It's tough typing with one hand....lol.

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GAMES

UPSETS IN RED

MOST SCORES HAVE CLICKABLE LINKS TO A GAME STORY

No. 2 North Carolina State 80 No. 17 Georgia 82

No. 6 Louisville 82 Eastern Kentucky 38

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Straight from the Dog

I'm not sure that playing a cupcake like Eastern Tennessee is going to help them prepare for UConn, but Louisville hammered the Colonels . It certainly could have helped the confidence of some players who really shot the ball well in this game. Kiana Smith continued her hot shooting with a 5-7 game. She was shooting 43.6% coming into this game. Louisville was 10-22 on threes. UConn can't allow that to happen against them. I hope to find time to put together a Louisville/UConn analysis but can't promise.

In a great Top 25 game, No. 17 Georgia beat No. 2 NC State 82-80 in overtime. Georgia went out like gangbusters and took a 40-28 halftime lead. But the Wolfpack ran off an 11-1 run the last 4 minutes of the third quarter to take a 1 point lead going into the final 10 minutes. The fourth quarter was a back and forth affair and after NCST took a 3 point lead with 3 seconds remaining. Georgia's Sarah Ashlee Barker hit a long, leaning 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds left in regulation to force the extra period. The finish wasn't without controvery as it looked like Georgia's Stasi fouled NC State's center Cunane in the final seconds of overtime. But Georgia held on for the win. I wrote this before I read Phil's take on the game. He did a better job.

An aside on the Georgia win. It's just showing the higher level of parity in the women's game. And the fact that while UConn lost to an unranked Georgia Tech team, GT is now ranked, and beat this Georgia team that just beat No. 2 NC State. Not a terrible loss in regards to seeding.

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By PHIL

The best game I couldn’t watch

I have XFINITY, and many of the TV games not on ESPN I can manage to watch other directly on my TV or through the computer in many cases. When game is carried by the SEC for example, that network appears to have an arrangement with XFINITY so I can click on the game. It wants me to login but I can watch it. For reasons I don’t understand, the ACC doesn’t seem to have this option. The ESPN listing has a “watch” button, but whenever I tried to access it, I get a message that I cannot connect.

I saw the Georgia - NC State game on the lineup and thought it would be a fun one to watch. I did pay attention through gamecast but it’s not the same.

The two teams started out even enough, scoring 20 points each in the first quarter. Then Georgia shut down NC State and outscored them 20–8 in the second quarter.

I assume there was some spirited discussion at halftime, and NC State started clawing back, taking a one point lead going into the final quarter. It was very close in the final quarter but it appeared to be NC State’s game when Kai Crutchfield hit two free throws for NC State to give them a three point lead with three seconds left to go.

Georgia advanced the ball I assume ( I didn’t see it), and bounded to Stadi who passed out to Sarah Ashlee Barker who nailed a three-pointer as time expired.

Prose doesn’t do it justice but, you may have heard, I didn’t get to see it.

The teams traded baskets in overtime with Georgia hitting the first and NC state responding, then Georgia hit another jumper and NC State responded. Que Morrison hit another basket for Georgia then Stati fouled Kayla Jones who went to the line. She hit the first but missed the second leaving Georgia with a one point lead. Stati rebounded the missed free throw leaving Georgia in the drivers seat but Georgia turned it over.

With six seconds left, Elissa Cunane missed a layup that would’ve given NC State the lead. They fouled Que Morrison, who hit one of two. She missed the second free throw but I’d love to know whether that was an accident or on purpose. If she made it, Georgia would be up three, but NC State could advance the ball and try for a tying three-pointer. Instead, she missed her second attempt and NC State rebounded the ball but ran out of time, so Georgia upsets number two NC State.

I wish I had seen it.

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By David in Naples

South Carolina, Arizona and Tennessee are the lone undefeated teams left in the AP Top 25 poll. SC is #1 with a 11-0 record, fresh off a beating of Duke. The Dukies were undefeated until that loss.

#4 Arizona is 9-0 and scheduled to play #3 Stanford (6-2) and #11 Texas (7-1) before the conference tournament. They also play both the Oregon teams and arch rival ASU. They could end up with as many as 3 losses.

Tennessee is 9-0 and that will change. They play #3 Stanford, #23 Texas A&M, #17 Georgia, #19 Kentucky and #7 UConn before finishing with #1 South Carolina and #22 LSU (7-1). That is a lot of games for the Vols to win without falling. Their road games against SC, UCOnn and Georgia are the most dangerous. Between their regular schedule and the conference tournament, 3 losses are also a possibility.

Parity and injuries are the great equalizer. South Carolina may be the only team left unblemished when the tournament rolls around. Then again, maybe January 27th will be their undoing.