Doggydaddy's Den: Doggy's Doghouse 1/4/2023

GO UCONN!!!!!

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We had a dinner party that ran late into the evening so no blog after the UConn win Tuesday night. I finally had a chance to watch some of the game. Here are my thoughts on the UConn 80-47 win and then a bunch of videos with highlights, interviews and the full game replay.

I made my predictions for this game on Monday. Some good some not as good.

- UConn will come close to the 100 point mark.

Well, they should have! But only 80.

- Butler will struggle to reach 50.

Got this one right. They only managed 47.

- UConn will outrebound Butler by 20.

I was close. It was only +15 for the Huskies.

- UConn will have less than 15 turnovers (if Fudd plays)

Even without Fudd. They had only 13. Five by Griffin.

- UConn will win the game by 45+ points.

It was only 33. A product of a couple of low scoring quarters.

Overall another solid effort by a short handed team. Missing Ducharme and Fudd, UConn only went 8 deep but everyone player double digit minutes and everyone found a way to contribute.

Edwards is still forging her way to an All-American season with 20 points and 9 rebounds. So consistant.

Great to have Griffin back! A solid game despite the turnovers. 15 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal and 2 blocks. She even hit a three point shot!

Juhasz is just a complete post. She can score in so many ways. And she has turned into a terrific passer. She had 12 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals. Nice!

Lopez-Senegal did not force her offense althought I would like so see her take more than the 11 shots she took no matter what. She did score 11 points and had 5 assists. Love the passing.

Ms. Muhl played her ususal game. Scoring 13 points is a bonus. She added 6 assists, 4 rebounds, a steal and a block. And her usual harrassing of the opponents ball handlers.

The three players off the bench are so young but Coach Dailey was very happy with them. They contributed double digit minutes. Only Patterson was able to put points on the board and she would have had double digits if she shot her foul shots better. She scored 9 points and was 5-9 on free throws. I love that DeBerry is seeing more time and impacting the game on the defensive end with 2 blocks. And the freshman Bettancourt is not afraid to shoot and had 2 assists and 2 steals.

When Fudd and Ducharme are back UConn will be able to go a solid ten deep in the rotations. And of course, Geno will cut that to 7 or 8 against the better teams.

In a game that was never in doubt, the energy level of the players was excellent.

UConn/Butler Game Highlights

Chris Dailey Postgame Interview

Edwards and Griffin Postgame Interview

"Coaches Film"

Game Replay

Coach Daily catches the errant pass

The team goes crazy as she checks her feet to make sure

she isn't over the line.

Love her smile.

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UConn continues their two game road trip with a visit to Cincinnati to take on the Xavier Musketeers.

XAVIER | UCONN LEADS 5-0

H: 3-0 | A: 2-0 | 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

01/15/22 #10 UConn 78, Xavier 41 Hartford, Conn.

02/18/22 #10 UConn 89, Xavier 35 Cincinnati, Ohio

Clearly UCon has dominated Xavier other than the game from almost 24 years ago. The MOV has been 47, 51, 37, and 54 the last four games they played. And it doesn't matter where, Storrs, Hartford or Cincinnati.

This season the Musketeers started out strong, but against a box of cupcakes. They beat Miami (OH), Detroit Mercy, St. Francis (PA), Old Dominion and McNeese State to go 5-0. They then lost to No. 16 Creighton 57-51, maybe one of their better games. It was another weak team in SIU Edwardsville and then lost their 6 of their last 7 games, only beating Cincinnati 48-35 in a game that set back basketball several years.

They are just not a very good team. What to the stats tell us?

Well, like Butler, they are a decent three point shooting team. In fact, their overshooting is not much better, shooting 39.5% from the field and 36.4% from long range. And like Butler, they are a poor rebounding, poor ball handling team. They have no height to speak of.

I'd look for UConn to dominate the boards, run run run and shoot a little better from deep than the outside.

Based on past history, UConn should be close to 100 points, Xavier should struggle to reach 50, UConn should outrebound them by 20, turnovers under 15 and the final margin will be 45+.

Look familiar?

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Extended highlights from Allie Ziebell New Year's Eve game:

Driving to the basket and missed a layup, got her own rebound, got block, took the ball back out to set up her own possession and read what the defense gave her then scored.

If you don’t know about UConnWBB commit Allie Ziebell, you will soon 👀 pic.twitter.com/mFI8EfxmfW
— 24:8 (@HightowerRobert) January 4, 2023

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GAMES

UPSETS IN RED

No. 11 Iowa State 70 West Virginia 50

No. 21 Kansas 77 Texas Tech 59

No. 24 St. John's 51 Seton Hall 72

No. 25 Creighton 75 Providence 79

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Straight from the Dog

Congrats to Azzi Fudd and Aaliyah Edwards for making the cut on the Mid-Season Wooden Award list.

In spite of her injuries I was glad to see Fudd make the cut. Once back, she will show why.

Edwards is getting more and more recognition and it is so deserved.

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Well, that's was fun while it lasted. At least for the St. John's fans. Seton Hall put a beating on the No. 24 and undefeated Red Storm 72-51. It wasn't close. Does that make St. John's a paper tiger?

Their best win was Creighton, but other than that, the other wins in their streak are a little suspect. Back down to earth for the Johnnies. They get a respite with Xavier up next but then it's a tougher opponent in the Huskies.

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And in another BE battle, unranked Providence went to No. 25 Creighton and beat the Bluejays 79-75.

Creighton has been on a real downturn. They have now lost 4 of their last 5 and 5 of their last 7. And they will now be out of the top 25. As will St. John's.

Tough night for the Big East.

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