Doggydaddy's Den: Doggy's Doghouse 12/2/2023

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Even my daughter (mother to Logan and Barrett)

is looking for my Blog!!!

GO UCONN!!!!!

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Bad new for the Huskies and Caroline Ducharme. She will be out for the Texas game with neck spasms. They appear to be related to her post-concussion issues. Geno said he doesn't know when she will play. Boy did he sound frustrated.

“The rest of the season, it'll never look like the way I want it to look, or the way I envisioned that it would look or that it would look like it needed to look at this point. So, all we can do is just try to find what works that game. … We'll be constantly searching, and I don't think that'll stop until the season ends.”

“When I sit there and I'm watching what's happening in some of the games, it just, really, burns me up knowing what it could have been and instead what it is. It just kills me to watch us play sometimes with one hand behind our back, again.”

We all feel your pain Geno. And as much as the fan feels it, you feel it 100 times more.

I know he is doing whatever he can to get this team playing like he wants. He still has Paige, Nika, Aubrey, and Aaliyah. That is a great four player rotation. Add in the four freshmen and it has the makings of a great team. It just takes time. Personally I'll give him all I have.

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Per Geno Auriemma on his radio show with @bobjoyce27, Azzi Fudd had surgery to repair her torn ACL today.

From the preliminary reports from the doctors, Geno said: "Everything went great. The knee is strong and stable and she should make a complete, 100 percent recovery."
— Daniel Connolly (@DanielVConnolly) December 1, 2023

Really Really good news. She will be back in time for next season. She has a great attitude!

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Here is my UConn/Texas Pregame Report.

Geno Texas Pregame Interview

Audio Only

Nika Muhl Texas Pregame Interview

Audio Only

KK Arnold Texas Pregame Interview

Audio Only

Ashlynn Shade Texas Pregame Interview

Audio Only

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** Designates Upset

Friday, 12/01

Scores and Links

No. 3 Stanford 85 San Diego State 44

No. 14 Kansas State 79 Jackson State 37

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Coach Morgan Valley is now following Chen, a senior guard from Princeton. She has stated she wants to play a Graduate Student season and Princeton (and all Ivy League schools) don't offer that. She would be a great player for the UConn system. And playing for Coach Beruby, a formor UConn player, doesn't hurt the Huskies' chances.

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Straight from the Dog

So, I read on a message board the word that Caroline will be out for this game. I was really upset for her. She has to be so frustrated. I won't give up on her until she says she is done. I'll always be hopeful she will get through this. Whenever that is it will be a great addition back into the lineup.

Back to the message board. It's not only Tennessee fans that are idiots. The poster that posted that Caroline will be out followed that up with "time to cut bait".

Time to cut bait? We all know what that expression means. The full expression is "fish or cut bait". So basically this poster is saying that she should either play or leave. Leave??? I just couldn't believe that this poster meant it that way. So I read further on.

He said "Move on from her as a contributing (player) on the team not as a person or student. Health concerns. This seems to be a chronic problem. "

So, as a fan we should move on or should the team move on? Or Geno? Anyway you look at it, it's the wrong expression to use. Mean and nasty in my mind.

She is not traveling to Texas and Geno said "Caroline won't even travel with the team to Texas. The goal is to get her to a point where she's available every day instead of showing up and seeing how it goes."

Geno isn't giving up and neither am I.

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Tennessee fans are something else. Some are thinking the season is over. 4-3 on the season. Ranked Ohio State coming up next on Sunday. Gloooom and Doooom. And some of that is warrented for sure.

Tennessee's big issues are coaching and recruiting. Kellie Harper is in her 5th season with the Lady Vols and the programs seems to be stuck. They have done a good job in the portal but a horrible job in recruiting high school players.

Credit for Rickea Jackson, who is out win an injury. A terrific player but at times a bit of a head case. Some fans are going crazy over two portal transfers for this season. Destinee Wells and Jewel Spear. They've been good but not great.

Recruiting wise they have really been struggling. Some fans say no problem we can build with the portal. Others think that HS recruiting is more important. I'm with the later. Four years of talented players build a program.

Anyway, in defending his point that the portal is more important than HS recruiting. He used their last game, against Notre Dame where Tennessee blew a 16 point lead in the fourth. Great game to use huh...lol.

His beloved transfer Wells was matched up with star freshman point guard Hannah Hidalgo, who was forced to start with Olivia Miles still recovering from her knee injury. Here is what this Tennessee fan had to say - "the transfer portal which TN is dominating. Destinee Wells head to head.. against you all favorite FR wiped their nose on Nat’l Tv."

So, you would think that Wells outperformed Hidalgo. That is my translation anyway. But did she?

Well - 33 minutes, 4-11 FG, 0-5 3PT, 5-6 FT, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 0 steals, 4 turnover, 13 points.

Hidalgo - 38 minutes, 5-17 FG, 0-2 3PT, 3-4 FT, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 steals, 4 turnover, 13 points.

Wiped their nose? Looks pretty even to me. Hidalgo was a disrupter on defense.

They should be wondering why HS players just don't see Tennessee as a great place to go.

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By PHIL

Milestone watch

• Aaliyah Edwards had 1275 career points after the UCLA game. She scored 9 in the Kansas game bringing her total to 1284. She is now 41st and needs to reach 1298 to tie Morgan Tuck.

• Nika Mühl had 450 assists after the UCLA game. She recorded 6 in the Kansas game bringing her total to 456. She passed Katie Lou Samuelson and tied Shea Ralph to move into a tie for 18th place. Svetlana Abrosimova has 473.

• Paige Bueckers has 953 career points, so need 47 to reach the 100 point milestone.

• Kim Mulkey has 699 career wins, looking for #700

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STATS

Plus one for every assist block point rebound and steal. I don’t add extra for offensive rebounds as it already seems to favor the bigs. Minus one for every missed shot (2, 3 or foul), turnover or foul committed.

UCLA 72 UConn 47. Rice 33.

Paige 19, Aubrey 16, KK 8, Nika 7, Ashlynn 3, Qadence -1, Amari -3, Ice -3, Aaliyah -6.
Yikes!

UConn 58 Kansas 37.

Aubrey 21, Paige 17, Nika 11, Aaliyah 10, KK 2, Ashlynn 1, Amari -1,
Qadence -2, Ice -4.

Season totals active players: Paige 107, Aubrey 85, Aaliyah 73, Nika 57, KK 48, Qadence 22, Ashlynn 21, Caroline 7, Ice 00, Ines -1, Amari -5.

Season per minute: Paige .63, Aubrey .58, Aaliyah .42, KK .35, Qadence .33, Nika .31, Ashlynn .27, Caroline .12, Ice 0, Ines -.10, Amari -.22.

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UCONN LINKS

Several links are pay sites. Sorry!

UConn women head into Texas without top shooter

Sue Bird attends UConn men's game with Jason Sudeikis

Maya Moore to enter Hall of Fame