Doggydaddy's Den: Doggy's Doghouse 2/11/2022

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GO UCONN!!!!!

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84 60

Suddenly I'm feeling a lot better!!!! Seriously. Stomach issues are gone. No fever. This dog has his bite back.

And so do the Huskies!!!!!

Right from the start, you start, UConn was playing on another level. There was a sense of urgency that you could feel right thought the TV (or computer) screen.

It was funny to hear Kara Wolters say in the pregame that Dorka Juhsz and Alliyah Edwards had to come through tonight and then bam!!! They do it!

I don't know which was better, the UConn defense or the UConn offense.

First the offense. How many backdoor baskets did we see in the first half? Great screens? Yeah, the three point shooting was pretty bad, led by Fudd's 0-7. But they really took care of the ball with only 9 turnovers and outside missing from long range they still shot 49% from the field.

Defense. Defense. Defense. This really led the way. UConn won the first matchup 84-82. This time 84-60. Notice the 22 less points given up by the Huskies. It's hard to miss. They held DePaul to 28% shooting from the field and 7-31 on threes.

The player of the game is really tough to pick out. Edwards had her best game of the season. So did Juhasz. Williams' second half helped keep DePaul at bay. And even Westbrook's intensity and defensive play could be considered the key.

Juhasz was the picture of efficiency. She only played 25 minutes and was able to score 22 points. She was 8-12 from the field, 2-3 on threes, 4-5 on free throws. She added 8 rebounds and 4 assists. She even had a block. This picture tells you everything.

I'm not sure who fed off who, but Edwards was just amazing in this game. She played 30 minutes, maybe the most she has managed this season, and scored 19 points on 8-13 shooting. She was aggresive to the basket and the Huskies needed her to do just that. She also had 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and a block. And lastly, she only had 2 turnovers, which has been a problem this season.

Senior leadership came through in a big way in this game. First of all Williams played all 40 minutes. That is huge when you only have 6 players in the rotation. She had 20 points, with 16 of them in the second half. She was great with her spin move in the lane going from right to left and finishing with her right hand. The photo is from one of those finishes. I could watch that all game. She also had 3 assists and 3 steals. It wasn't like UConn was going to lose the lead, but maintaining it is a big deal for how the team feels after the game.

The other senior guard, Westbrook ended up as the fourth player with a double digit scoring effort. but her contribution was way more than her 10 points. First, she had 5 assists and only 1 turnover. Then she added 3 steals. Boy, she was just intense. It was manifested in her steal of an inbounds pass, a missed layup, a rebound, an unintentional shot to the opponents mouth and finallyt the basket.

Nika oh Nika.....where would this team be without you? Another great game from their backup point guard. Backup? No, STARTING point guard. She did what she always does. Play aggressive basketball for a ton of minutes. 38 to be exact. She was excellent in this game. 4-8 from the field. 1-2 on threes, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and only 2 turnovers. And guess who led the team in blocked shots with 2 in this game? The shortest player on the court for the Huskies.

Yeah, Azzi had a tough game. And UConn still won by 22. Can you imagine if she was just a little hot on her shooting? It was not to be. She did grab 6 rebounds. And Geno still played her 34 minutes. As Geno has said, just because you shot poorly doesn't mean you played poorly. I'll go with that.

So, it's two days before heading out to Marquette for a different kind of game and the Golden Eagles will be coming off a brutal overtime loss to Villanova. Maggie Siegrist added to her BE POY resume with 42 points and she just dominated the overtime with 10 points and 3 rebounds, a block and a steal. Impressive.

The game is Sunday at 2:30? I better get to work!!! The games are coming too quickly!!!

Ahh...who am I kidding. I love it!

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Game Replay

Game Highlights

Geno's Postgame Presser

Edwards and Juhasz Post Game Presser

Doug Bruno Post Game Presser

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GAMES

MOST SCORES HAVE CLICKABLE LINKS TO A GAME STORY

UPSETS IN RED

No. 2 Stanford 91 Utah 64

No. 6 Arizona 77 Arlizona State 80

No. 24 Oregon 74 Oregon State 64

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Straight from the Dog

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Paige Bueckers participated in team shooting drills and did some light running for the first time. Thie was per Maria Marino's pre-game.

Geno says Paige is doing more and more things every day. "She's doing more basketball stuff on the court, it just doesn't involve a lot of cutting. ... each day there is something that we try to add." He adds that he thinks she will play this year.
— Maggie Vanoni (@maggie_vanoni) February 12, 2022

Geno Auriemma on Paige Bueckers: "Do I think she's going to play this year? I do. I do. I'm not just hoping, either. I think she's going to play."
— Mike Anthony (@ManthonyHearst) February 12, 2022

Geno - ‘When are you going to play?"

Paige - "When I’m ready."

Geno - "When are going to be ready?"

Paige - 'I’ll let you know when I’m ready,”

Geno - “Athletes know their own bodies. They know when they’re ready."

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Just as I was going to publish this blog, I saw that 12-7 Arizona State beat No. 6 Arizona 80-77. Do they lose their 2 seed?

So much parity this season. I'm loving it. Well, except when UConn loses.

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Well, the streak continues, and I'm feeling pretty good that we won't see that ending any time soon. UConn has now gone 1044 games without losing two in a row. That is just an amazing stat!!

Hey, nothing last forever, and who thought that Conference winning streak would end against Villanova? Not me.

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The Orange Idiots never dissapoint.

"Still think UCONN was very lucky to have had that Butler game cancelled. I find it a bit suspicious honestly. Geno knew they’d have to have fresh legs for the rebounds and we have been getting the crap beat out of us (literally) in the SEC. I find the timing of their postponements this season incredibly suspicious. They don’t seem to have any trouble keeping games against really crappy teams. But anytime they have been having an issue and had a good opponent coming up they magically had a postponement in their favor. Don’t hold your breath for the DePaul game to happen this week"

And there's more....when a Tennessee fan pointed out that Butler cancelled the game....

"I wouldn’t be at all shocked if Geno made a “hey Buddy” call and asked them to postpone.Just don’t trust him and wouldn’t put it past him. Not for a minute."

When that same Tennessee fan pointed out it was due to weather.....

"I’ll continue to theorize. Not many flights were cancelled and they had less that 7” total accumulation in 3 days. If they had really wanted to go they could have without a doubt."

Well, it was not just snow. It was ice. And plane issues...

Finally he says.....

"Still possible. I think GA is shady AF (As Fuck). Always has been and always will be. Whatever rules he can bend and get away with he will"

Then the truth comes out.

"I’m just keeping the Connies stirred up."

What a jerk.

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So, it's not only Tennessee fans that say really dumb things.

Derrick - "Great. Ducharme and Nelso odada our out. We’re screwed."

I get that is looked tough for UConn, but the Nelson-Ododa spelling makes the comment special.

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By David in Naples

Great victory tonight for UConn, 84-60 over DePaul. The Huskies finally had answers for every problem.

Consider:

1. Ono late scratch from the line up. No worries, Dorka steps up and scores 22 on 8-12 shooting. Adds 8 rebounds and 4 assists. Liv light..😎
2. Morrow for DePaul scores 20. Aaliyah ups her game, scores 19, with 6 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals.
3. Fudd goes 0-7 from three range. Not a problem, Dorka with 2 threes and Nika with 1. Nika 4-8 and Evina 5-9 and Azzi gets off the hook.
4. UConn goes 4-19 or 21% from three. Defense holds Blue Demons to 7-31 or 22%.
5. Turnover bug in past few games. Huskies only have 7 until two last minute to’s by Piath.
6. Defense missing Olivia, DePaul scored only 60 points, lowest total in 2 years.
7. Offense missing Paige, Caroline and Azzi with off night. No worries, Huskies explode for 84 pts.

Gutsy win that will pay dividends in the Big Dance..! Learning to overcome whatever adversity comes their way..!

Go Huskies..!

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