Doggydaddy's Den: Doggy's Doghouse 1/30/2022

****************************************************

GO UCONN!!!!!

**************************************************

Unbelievable news to have another player with a boot on. Hopefully day to day means she can play on Wednesday.

UConn has nine players who have averaged at least 20 minutes per game this season.

Five of them have missed at least one game due to injury or illness https://t.co/9sGzqqlaOM
— Alexa Philippou (@alexaphilippou) January 30, 2022

*************************************************

69 61

Geno said at halftime that the team couldn't practice on Saturday and the bus that was supposed to bring them to the arena wouldn't start. So they have to wait for vans to come to bring them to the game.

And all of that contributed to a really sloppy game for the Huskies. Using a 13-0 run to end the second quarter, UConn did just enough to hold on for a 69-61 win in what I would call a slugfest. Another very physical game.

Late game, Sunday night, I'll have more in my Monday Blog!

It was just good to win.

Geno Postgame

Edwards and Williams Postgame

**************************************************

GAMES

MOST SCORES HAVE CLICKABLE LINKS TO A GAME STORY

UPSETS IN RED

No. 1 South Carolina 62 Florida 50

No. 2 Stanford 75 No. 8 Arizona 69

No. 3 NC State 66 North Carolina 58

No. 5 Louisville 77 No. 21 Duke 65

No. 12 LSU 78 Kentucky 69

No. 14 Georgia Tech 69 Clemson 62

No. 15 Georgia 62 No. 24 Ole Miss 52

No. 17 Maryland 82 Penn State 71

No. 19 Oregon 80 USC 48

No. 20 Notre Dame 74 Boston College 61

**************************************************

Straight from the Dog

It's been a while but there were no upsets in the Top 25 on a Sunday even with ten games being played.

But there was a big game with No. 2 Stanford taking on No. 8 Arizona. This game had some big Pac 12 title implications and also seeding implications. The AP poll will be impacted but that is just window dressing.

A loss against a Top 2 team shouldn't knock Arizona off the 2 seed line, but it leaves them not much margin for error in holding on to that spot.

_______________________________

Tennessee got a verbal committment for 2022 from Edie Darby, little sister of Tennessee sophomore Tess Darby. Edie verballed in November but waited to announce it until Sunday. She is going to be a walk-on after turning down scholarships from lower rated schools. What a great opportunity to be on a team with her sister, maybe room with her and get to practice every day with her. As a walk-on, it's rare they get any real playing time but that is besides the point for her. Clearly it's not about playing but more about family.

Of course, you have some Orange Idiots going over the top for her. This one takes the cake.

"Edie Darby is going to be a 1st or 2nd string All-American before she graduates from UT. Mark my words. She is smart and knows how to play basketball. Check her high school numbers and videos."

1st or 2nd "string" All-American? Not sure I know what that is. But 1st or 2nd TEAM All-American? From a walk-on? Sigh......moron.

*********************************************************

By PHIL

Yesterday I said this - Well, No. 3 UConn fell to No. 7 after their loss to unranked (at the time) Georgia Tech. Tennessee lost to unranked but also last place in the SEC Auburn. No comparison between the two unranked teams. Here is Phils take:

I don't disagree but let's examine how different they are.

Massey picks Georgia Tech to defeat Auburn by 12 points on a neutral court.

Massey thinks Tennessee is 5 points better than Georgia Tech on a neutral court.

That means Georgia Tech is much closer to Tennessee than they are to Auburn.

Losing to Georgia Tech hurt, and deservedly resulted in a drop in the rankings. Losing to Auburn is a much, much bigger deal. You can't even partially dismiss the loss as you might if it were on a last-minute buzzer beater, it was a 10 point loss.

Sometimes the better team wins when the weaker team catches fire at the three-point line. Auburn only shot 26% from beyond the arc.

It was an epic, historic beatdown and collapse. Let's see how the voters weigh in. (I know what they should do, but like Doggy, I expect merely a slap on the wrist.)