****************************************************
GO UCONN!!!!!
**************************************************
January 15th, 1972.
My good friend Dana Perlstein (may he rest in peace) asked me to go on a blind date as a favor to his girlfriend Carol Gluck. I reluctantly said yes and we went to Carol's house for a dinner date. I believe we had pasta. The fix up was Marsha Kraimer, a senior at Hall High. It was a great night and when I left with Dana I told him I was going to marry that girl. It took almost 4 years to convince her but we finally tied the knot on November 15th, 1975. So 50 years from that first date, we are still together and still in love!!! This picture isn't from that night but we were still so young.
**************************************************
No. 10 UConn Huskies Xavier Musketeers 8-3 (3-0) 6-8 (1-4)
Saturday, January 15th
12:00 PM EST
Hartford Connecticut
XL Center
TV: SNY
Matchup History
XAVIER | UCONN LEADS 3-0
H: 2-0 | A: 1-0 | N: 0-0
03/15/99 #4 UConn 86, Xavier 84 Storrs, Conn.
12/19/20 #3 UConn 106, Xavier 59 Storrs, Conn.
02/20/21 #1 UConn 83, Xavier 32 Cincinnati, Ohio
Last Years Highilights
UConn's 83-32 win at Xavier
But they are who they are and this year will be a different game. I'm not saying the result will be that different but the product on the court will be very different.
In last year's game, UConn just ran over the Musketeers, sprinting out to a 26-6 first quarter lead and a 42-13 half time lead before finishing them off in an 83-32 fifty-one point win. So what is different in this year's game?
Well, for UConn, they are of course missing Paige Bueckers from the starting lineup. Three of the starters will be starting in this game, Nelson-Ododa, Williams and Muhl. The new starters are Juhasz and Ducharme. Westbrook started in last years game and will come off the bench.
Bueckers had a low scoring game with 11 points, but she did add 7 assists. They really miss her playmaking. Williams led UConn with 21 points and Edwards off the bench had one of her best games with 16 points and 11 rebounds.
The other missing piece in this game is Aubrey Griffin, who played 11 dynamic minutes scoring 4 points and grabbing 4 rebounds, 2 offensive. And she added 2 steals. Damn, miss her too!!
Xavier returns 2 of their 3 top players in No. 11 Kae Satterfield, a 6' junior guard that had transfered in from Ohio State last season and this year's leading scorere No. 1 Nia Clark, a 5'9" RS sophomore guard.
It looks like No. 00 Shelbey Calhoun, a 5'11" sophomore guard transfer from Virginia Tech, who is finally back from her hand injury, will add offense to Xavier.
They have 8 players who play more than 20 MPG, so look for a lot of substitutions.
Xavier is coming off a 54-49 loss to Providence on Jan. 11 at Cintas Center. Mackayla Scarlett scored a game and career-high 17 points on 6-for-17 shooting. She scored seven of her points in the final quarter. The guard added two rebounds and two steals.
Shaila Beeler added 11 points, four assists and one steal. She was also 7-for-8 from the foul line. She has now scored in double figures six times this season. In her first game back since a hand injury (suffered on Nov. 13), Shelby Calhoun posted nine points and seven rebounds in 25 minutes of action off the bench.
Ayanna Townsend pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds to go along with five points. She now has five career games with 10 or more rebounds. Xavier had 10 steals vs the Friars, the team's fifth game of the season with double-figure steals.
Xavier has had eight different players lead the team in scoring through 14 games. Nia Clark has led the team in scoring in five games, followed by Shaila Beller (twice), Aanaya Harris (twice), Kae Satterfield (twice), Mackayla Scarlett (twice), Ayanna Townsend (twice), Shelby Calhoun (once) and Mikayla Hayes (once).
All told, six players are averaging over eight points per game. Five different players have dished out 20 or more assists this season.
Overall, Xavier struggles on offense. They average 67 PPG which is not that bad. But they only shoot 41.5% from the field and 26.1% on threes. UConn will want to keep them off the free throw line as they shoot a spectacular 78.5%. That's 10th in the entire country!! A side note. Iowa is leading the country in FT shooting at....wait for it.....85%! 171 out of 200. Amazing.
Xavier has seven new players this season, so while the team will look different, the results should be similar to last season's two games.
The Musketeers don't rebound the ball well, so UConn will look to dominate the boards, something they haven't been able to do all season. They also turn the ball over almost 17 times per game. I'd expect UConn to use their rebounding advantage and ability to force turnovers to turn defense into offense and run run run. I love how Muhl rebounds and takes off.
This should be a good game for Geno to keep working on his new lineup and rotation and still get plenty of time on the court for DeBerry and Gabriel. I'm looking forward to DeBerry's first basket since her one made basket against Georgia Tech in December.
My prediction? I underestimated the new lineup in the last game and said a 25 point win against Butler when it ended up 45. I'll split the difference and say UConn by 35+.
GO HUSKIES!!!
**************************************************
GAMES
MOST SCORES HAVE CLICKABLE LINKS TO A GAME STORY
UPSETS IN RED
**************************************************
Straight from the Dog
If you read any article I linked, read the first one, it's a doozy. Some great Geno quotes and an insight to how the team is handling Covid and injuries and how Geno is motivating the team. I would suggest you guys read it!
Four Big East games Friday night and they were pretty competative.
Providence went over .500 with their 56-49 win over St. John's. The Friars are now 3-3 in the conference and the Johnnies are 1-3. I'd say more about this matchup but really, I'll have more about these two teams when UConn puts a whippin' on them.
Creighton is showing everyone that they are probably the 2nd best team in the Big East behind UConn. They beat up Seton Hall 83-60. The Bluejays are just a really good offensive team. They shot 55.6% from the field and 32% on threes. It just shows what a good defense that UConn is playing. Seton Hall is a disappointment. Their two hyphaneted stars Park-Lane and Espinosa-Hunter were just terrible in this game. They each scored only 4 points each with Espinosa-Hunter only making 4 free throws.
DePaul used a big second half to beat Villanova 75-63. The Wildcats actually had a halftime lead, 33-30 before DePaul exploded in the third quarter to take a 7 point lead they wouldn't lose. Villanova's Maddy Siegrist, possible Big East POY scored 31 points, snared 14 rebounds and had 4 steals. DePaul's Sonya Morris, another POY candidate had 25 points in this game.
Marquette showed what a bad team Georgetown is, holding them to 4 points in the second quarter and 5 points in the fourth quarter in their 68-32 win. The Golden Eagles is right there with Creighton and DePaul for second in the conference.
********************************************************
By David in Naples
Among the many talents that Caroline Ducharme brings to the Huskies, her free throw shooting is the most unknown. She is currently 12-15 or 80%. That is best on the team. Paige was 10-13 or 76.9% before her injury. (Last season she was hitting at 86.9%.) But Paige was only 3rd on the team behind Aaliyah Edwards who is making 77.8% (7-9).
The most surprising stat is her shot blocking. She has 10 blocks and is 2nd on the Huskies to Olivia's 18 blocks. She has a real talent getting her long arms up & in the shot arc without fouling. Surprising in the other direction is Dorka and Aaliyah's lack of blocks. Dorka, who is 6'5", has 2 and Aaliyah, at 6'3", has 4. Is it not about height, but rather timing.
Caroline is 5th on the team in scoring with 93 points. She is averaging 18 pts per game in her last 4 games. Only a matter of time until she catches Liv (103 pts) and Evina (106).
Go Huskies..!!
The most surprising stat is her shot blocking. She has 10 blocks and is 2nd on the Huskies to Olivia's 18 blocks. She has a real talent getting her long arms up & in the shot arc without fouling. Surprising in the other direction is Dorka and Aaliyah's lack of blocks. Dorka, who is 6'5", has 2 and Aaliyah, at 6'3", has 4. Is it not about height, but rather timing.
Caroline is 5th on the team in scoring with 93 points. She is averaging 18 pts per game in her last 4 games. Only a matter of time until she catches Liv (103 pts) and Evina (106).
Go Huskies..!!
********************************************************
UCONN LINKS
Several links are pay sites. Sorry!
Muhl brings much needed energy The Day
UConn has renewed energy and willpower EMEA Tribune
Ducharme has burst on the team for UConn Boston Globe
Williams: 5 things to know about her Ct Insider
********************************************************
Message Boards
UConn Territory - The best UConn women's message board ever!!!
Vol Nation - Tennessee women's basketball board
ND Nation - Notre Dame women's basketball board
Rebkell - WCBB for everyone that thinks they are smarter than everyone else
I'm always open for suggestions. Just please reply to this blog or email me at:
No comments:
Post a Comment