Doggydaddy's Den: Doggy's Doghouse 2/14/2022

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GO UCONN!!!!!

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Hope you all had a great day!!!

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I'm so impressed with the conditioning of the UConn players.

Once Nelson-Ododa and Ducharme were deemed not available starting with the Villanova game, UConn had 3 games in 6 days with only 6 players in the regular rotation.

So, how did Geno dispurse the minutes?

Fudd, Muhl, and Williams bore the brunt of those minutes.

Fudd - 40, 34, 38

Muhl - 37, 38, 40

Williams - 40, 40, 38

Wow!! And the fact that this team played incredibly hard in their comeback bid against Villanova to start the tough minutes and put a fourth quarter beating on Marquette to end it was quite impressive.

Young legs I guess. Must be nice...lol.

So now they get four days between games. Maybe Monday off and then back to work.

Thankfully Ducharme looks like she will be available on Friday. Nelson-Ododa is still day to day. Hopefully we will hear more soon.

Geno says Caroline Ducharme (head) has passed "99% of protocols" but still doesn't feel 100%, though she's improving, so they've been holding her out.

She has appointments this week but he's optimistic she can play Friday
— Alexa Philippou (@alexaphilippou) February 13, 2022

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This was after the game; she held their hand during an interview then celebrated with them! #notjustanathlete @AshlynnShade @NHSGirlsBBall @MillerNationAD @260sports pic.twitter.com/QhQsFcbZSW
— Tim Atkinson (@timatkinson22) February 14, 2022

Knock off the #1 team in 4A ✅
Leading scorer in @MillerNationAD’s first Regional title since 1996 ✅
Earn 3C Media Girl’s Basketball Player of the Week ✅

What a phenomenal week for @AshlynnShade pic.twitter.com/CgT30EIAle
— 3CMedia (@3CMediaSports) February 14, 2022

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GAMES

No. 5 Indiana 55 Nebraska 72

No. 13 Maryland 81 No. 22 Iowa 69

No. 17 Florida 83 Auburn 77

No. 18 Ohio State 86 Illinois 67

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Straight from the Dog

UConn dropped two sport to No. 10 in the AP poll. That and $3.00 will get you a Starbucks Coffee. It doesn't mean anything.

Net Rankings - 7

Massey - 5

I think that is way more like what we will eventually see with the seedings. Eventually, UConn will be a 2 seed.

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Well, surprise, surprise, surprise. Another upset in the Top 25. This time a top FIVE team.

No. 5 Indiana was handled by unranked Nebraska 72-55. The Cornhuskers used a 20-8 fourth quarter to put the game away.

This is a tough loss for Indiana. They were already at No. 16 in the net rankings and Massey has them at 12th. And this is before the loss.

I can't see them staying a 2 seed. They have to play Iowa twice in back to back games and finish with Maryland before the Big Ten tournament.

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By PHIL

Monday’s games

There aren’t a lot of games involving ranked teams Monday night, but there are some seeding implications.

One of the games is seventh ranked Indiana versus unranked Nebraska. Creme has Indiana as a two seed, possibly the weakest 2 seed, given that they are in South Carolina’s region. However, a few days ago they were ranked 16 in Massey, which is just barely a four seed. After losing by 15 to Michigan, they are on a four-game winning streak, but they played teams they should beat. Their wins move them up to number 12 in Massey, but that’s not high enough to justify a 2 seed, so they will be looking for a woman against Nebraska to help hold onto their 2 seed. Nebraska also has something at stake. Massey has them ranked number 25, but neither the AP nor coaches’ poll have them ranked. They are getting some votes but not many. This is Nebraska’s best chance to make a statement. They have five games after Indiana but not against teams likely to make the tournament, so this is just about the last chance to add a decent game to their resume.

Florida against Auburn is an interesting game for different reasons. Florida has been one of the hotter teams in the SEC, winning eight of their last nine, with their only loss to South Carolina. However, while that propelled them to a number 19 ranking in the AP, Massey has them at number 44, one of the larger differences between the AP and Massey rankings. Auburn is one of the worst teams in the SEC, the only team under .500 in the conference, yet Florida is picked to win by only 2.5 points. This is Auburn’s best chance at a second win conference.

The Maryland-Iowa matchup might be the most intriguing matchup. Maryland was number 18 in the AP poll so not surprisingly didn’t make the top 16. But they climbed to 15 in the AP poll and 12 in the coaches poll. Equally as interesting, they are ranked number 11 in Massey. Creme still has them as a five seed in his latest bracketology, so Maryland may see this as a game to make the selection committee take notice. In contrast, Iowa has stumbled twice recently, losing to both Michigan and Ohio State. Now the loss is not a stunner, but Iowa has visions of being in the top 16, and a win over Maryland would move them in the right direction.

Finally, Ohio State takes on Illinois. I don’t think this’ll be much of a contest as Illinois seems to be going through the motions now, losing their last six and nine of the last 10, so there’s not much doubt who’s going to take the W, but Ohio State would like to make a statement against Illinois then beat Maryland for chance to argue for a top 16 seed.

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By David in Naples

Just how good was the 4th quarter played by UConn against Marquette? Besides the lopsided score of 27-11 in the period, the Huskies played almost error free basketball. Consider:

1. UConn shot 11-15 or 73% for the period.
2. The Huskies had 0 turnovers.
3. Marquette was only able to get 6 shots off. (made 3)
4. UConn had 3 steals and only 3 fouls.
5. The Huskies 27 points came on four 3's, 7 baskets and 1 free throws.
6. UConn was 4-6 from three range. MU had 0 threes in the 4th.
7. Azzi Fudd scored 10 points in those 10 minutes. Marquette scored 11.

The Huskies played 5 players the whole period. They dominated MU and made a close game a washout. Next game on Friday vs Xavier.

Go Huskies..!!

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