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GO UCONN!!!!!
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We won't be seeing much competition with Butler taking on No. 5 UConn. The Huskies beat then in their first match up on Butler's home court 80-47. The Bulldogs are having a tough season. Right now they are 7-12 6-8 and 2-8 1-4 in the Big East. Including the UConn loss, they are 1-4 in their last 8 games. They lost to the Huskies, Villanova 68-58, Creighton 75-56 and Providence 74-66 in their last game. Their only win in that stretch was a 72-48 win over Georgetown.
When you can their team stats you can understand why they are who they are. Their only really plus stat is their three point shooting. As a team they are shooting 38.1% from deep. That is an excellent number.
Leading the way is Rachael McLimore, a 5'10" guard. Very experienced as a Grad Student, she the only double digit scorer with 11.1 PPG. She shoots 39.1% on threes and takes the most on the team. Against the Huskies she had a very nice game, scoring 18 points on 7-12 shooting and 4-8 on threes. Look for the Huskies to limit those shots more in this game.
They have several three point threats with six other players making double digit threes on the season. This includes Anna Mortag, a 6'1" junior forward, Caroline Strande, a 5'11" junior guard, Tenley Dowell, a 6' senior guard and Shay Fredrick, a 5'7" grad student guard.
Fredrick scored 9 points against UConn in the first game going 3-6 on threes.
Their leading rebounder and only big on the team is Sydney Janes, a 6'3" sophomore forward. She was totally ineffective against the Huskies in the first game going 0-5 from the field with 1 rebound and 1 assists. She did manage 3 steals. More a product of bad UConn passing.
Other than a good three point percentage, the team is really stuggling in the other parts of the game. They only average 62.9 PPG. They do only give up 64.8 PPG but that is not enough to produce wins.
Where they get killed is their inability to hold on to the ball. They only average 12.5 assists per game and turn it over as much as UConn with 16.7 per game. The overall numbers just look really bad, 181 assists and 239 turnovers.
And their lack of rebounds compounds the turnover issues. They only average 32.8 per game and that just won't cut it.
Not much to say about this game other than I'm just hoping UConn maybe Patterson can play in this game. UConn was without Fudd and Ducharme in the first game, so it could be pretty much the same rotation. Patterson as last word is a game time decision. I'm hopeful.
All 5 starters scored in double digits led by Edwards with 20 points. Patterson had a good game, so it would nice to see her back.
At home after such a great game against Seton Hall, even if Patterson doesn't play, I expect a big win. Last game was a 37 point UConn win. I expect more this time, maybe a 45 point win for the Huskies!!
Geno Pre-Game Presser
Aubrey Griffin Pre-Game Presser
Aaliyah Edwards Pre-Game Presser
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If you didn't click on the YouTube of Geno, do it when you can. It's worth the 31:41 minutes of your time.
The first 10 minutes of the video is all about injuries and how the team deals with it.
My take on Azzi Fudd is that she will be back. The good news is there is no surgery needed. That means it's not an ACL. It's not an MCL. It's not a meniscus tear. Right now she is two weeks with no weight bearing. Big brace and crutches.
It's just time. She will be back.
Geno was pretty pensive about the situation the the team finds themselves in. It's really tough and I can feel the empathy he feels for his players.
But we can only as fans support the players AND Geno. He's only human and needs the suport as much as anyone else.
So stay positive and root hard for the players they have available each game. Geno feels they are special, so we should follow his lead!!
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GAMES
UPSETS IN RED
No. 2 Stanford 74 No. 8 Utah 62
No. 9 UCLA at Washington - Late Game
No. 22 Villanova 73 Creighton 57
No. 23 Oregon at Oregon State - Late Game
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Straight from the Dog
More on Tennessee, a subject I love to talk about.
The Orange Idiots sure have an inflated opinion about their team. They go on and on about how they are undefeated in the SEC. Well, let me tell you, the teams they played are nothing ro brag about.
After the Stanford loss, where the Tennessee fans brag about only losing by 7 points, they beat Wofford. They they went 7-0 against the bottom of the SEC. Florida twice, Alabama, Georgia, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt and Mississippi State. And several of those games were closer than they should have been.
"I really feel like, however, we have not even come close to playing at our best. I feel like we are at about 60% of our potential. We haven’t strung four good quarters together yet. Can you imagine a game where both JH and RJ are on offensively and defensively, our three point shooters are having a good, not even a great night and a couple of point guards are playing tight defense and running an active offense? If we get to 85% we can play and beat anyone."
21 games in and they haven't strung four good quarters together. By now the players are who they are.
I'll wait until I see them against UConn before pronouncing them National Championship material.
Their latest over the top comments are about forwrard Rickea Jackson.
"Rickea Jackson overall skill level is second to none."
"a player of Rickea’s caliber is good enough to lead a team to a championship on the collegiate level."
"i could be bias but Rickea Jackson is one of the best players in the country if not THE BEST! She scores at will."
"It’s Aliyah Boston or Rickea Jackson."
Really? Hyperbole much??
Don't get me wrong. Jackson is a very good player. But there are serveral players better than her. And having better seasons.
Tenn - Jackson - 18.2 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 22 assists, 45 turnover, 56% from the field, 25% on threes.
UConn - Edwards - 16.7 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 49 assists, 50 turnover, 62% from the field.
UConn - Lopez-Senechal - 16.7 PPG, 50% from the field, 50.% on threes, 28 assists, 39 turnovers
LSU - Reese - 24.2 PPG, 15.6 RPG, 57% from the field, 47 assists 38 turnovers
DePaul - Morris - 25.2 PPG, 11.9 RPG, 33 assists, 50 turnovers, 42% from the field
Vill - Segriest - 25.3 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 51 assists, 49 turnovers, 49% from the field, 34% on threes
Iowa - Clark - 26.7 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 7.1 APG, 46% from the field, 35.9% on threes
All who I believe are better than Jackson.
Ok, my homerism made me put in Lou.
But there is Brink and Jones from Stanford, Holmes from Indiana, Boston from South Carolina. Maybe others.
Like I said a very good player. But the best in the country? Please.....
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UCONN LINKS
Several links are pay sites. Sorry!
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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
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