Tuesday, January 9, 2024

Doggy's Doghouse 1/10/2024

 






 



                                                                                                                       
                    ****************************************************




Even my daughter (mother to Logan and Barrett) 
is looking for my Blog!!!

GO UCONN!!!!!

************************************************** 

No. 13 UConn 12-3 (4-0)                Providence 8-8 (2-1)

From the Providence team site

FRIARS AND HUSKIES ALL-TIME... Providence and UConn have met 65 times during the history of the two programs. The Huskies lead the all-time series, 44-21, including victories in each of the last 33 game.

LAST TIME PROVIDENCE DEFEATED CONNECTICUT... The Friars last defeated UConn on March 7, 1993. On that day, Providence claimed an 87-73 victory over the Huskies to advance to the Championship Game of the BIG EAST Tournament in Providence, R.I.

PROVIDENCE ON THE HUSKIES' HOME COURTS... Providence and UConn have met 32 times on the Huskies' home courts, including 29 meetings at Gampel Pavilion and three games at the XL Center. The Huskies lead the series, 20-9, at Gampel Pavilion and a 3-0 at the XL Center.

PROVIDENCE VS. UCONN AT THE XL CENTER...

2/15/06     Hartford, Conn.     58-84 (L)    

2/20/10     Hartford, Conn.     53-85 (L)    

1/10/12    Hartford, Conn.    35-96 (L)    

LAST MEETING BETWEEN THE TWO PROGRAMS... Providence and UConn last met on Feb. 1, 2023 at Alumni Hall in Providence, R.I. The Huskies claimed a 64-54 victory. UConn led by as many as 17 with 7:52 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Friars cut the deficit to eight with 3:23 remaining on an 11-2 scoring run (60-52), but UConn's defense held Providence to just two points in the closing minutes. Olivia Olsen paced the Friars with 13 points and four blocked shots. Dorka Juhasz led the way for UConn with 19 points and 17 rebounds. 

KAILI MCLAREN RETURNS TO ALMA MATER AS A FRIAR... Current Providence College Assistant Coach Kaili McLaren played for UConn from 2007-10 and was part of the Huskies' back-to-back undefeated seasons in 2009 and 2010, during which the program won consecutive NCAA Championships. McLaren played professionally overseas for a decade in Greece, Israel, Switzerland, Turkey and Australia before joining the coaching ranks. Her collegiate coaching career began at Maryland as Director of Recruiting Operations and Player Personnel (2019-20) and spent the previous three seasons at UC Santa Barbara (2020-23) as an assistant coach. McLaren joined the Friars' this season under the direction of first-year Head Coach Erin Batth. 

DEFENSE... The Friars are ranked 19th in the nation in field-goal percentage defense and 50th in scoring defense among 348 teams NCAA Division I programs. Through 16 games, the Friars are holding their opponents to just 34.8-percent shooting from the field and 56.2 points per game. Providence has held six of its 15 opponents to 50-or-fewer points this season. 

MORE DEFENSE... The Friars have held nine opponents below 40-percent shooting from the field this season. In those games, they have compiled a 7-2 record. Their two losses in that scenario came against No. 10/11 Baylor and Kennesaw State at the West Palm Beach Classic (Dec. 20 -21). Through three BIG EAST games, the Friars held Seton Hall to 23.4-percent (15-64) and DePaul to 36.1-percent (26-72).

SOMETHING'S GOT TO GIVE... Providence leads the BIG EAST in field-goal percentage defense this season, holding opponents to just 34.8-percent shooting from the field. Connecticut leads the league in field-goal percentage this season, shooting 51.1-percent from the floor. Additionally, the Friars are holding opponents to a league-best 26.4-percent from beyond the three-point arc, while the Huskies enter the game as the second-best three-point shooting team in the BIG EAST (0.348).


#22 Brynn Farrell

G
 
6' 0"
 
Senior

#31 Olivia Olsen

F
 
6' 3"
 
Junior
 

#1 Kylee Sheppard

G
 
5' 9"
 
Junior

#13 Marta Morales Romero

G/F
 
6' 1"
 
Junior

#23 Sarah Bandoma

F
 
6' 3"
 
Junior
 

#10 Ugne Sirtautaite

F
 
6' 1"
 
Freshman
 

Starter #99 Laryn Edwards

G
 
5' 6"
 
Graduate Student
Doggy Analysis

Olivia Olson is the begining, the middle and the end for Providence. She leads the team in scoring at 14.7 PPG, rebounding at 8.7 RPG, FG percentage at 57.4%, takes the most shots, the most foul shots, and most blocks. The 6'3" junior is just a terrific player. 

I check prior box scores and the stats to see who the starters are. I gave up after looking at at the prior few games. I don't think the coach knows who the starters are until just before the opening tip. The Friars have started 10  different players and countless combinations. 

So, instead of doing a player review, I'll just share the bottom line. Team stats.

Providence shoots 41.4% from the field, 29.4% on threes, 65.9% from the FT line.

They have 190 assists and 325 turnovers. Just a horrible ratio. That's .6 for those who care.

The best game we can use is how No. 6 Baylor did against Providence. It was a 61-36 win for the Lady Bears. 

With me and my daughter and my two grandsons cheering them on I'm guess a 50+ point win. Pictures to follow!!   

************************************************** 
Geno Pregame Presser
************************************************************
Allie Ziebell and Morgan Cheli are nominees. Hopefully they make the final  

***********************************************************************
***********************************************************************


** Designates Upset

Monday January 8th, 2024

No. 23 Marquette 75 Seton Hall 54

*************************************************
 
 

Straight from the Dog



Wow, that article about Paige maybe coming back changes everything for 2024-25. 


Geno, in  his pregame presser was quite coy about Paige coming back. 

“She’s probably one more college year away from really, really getting it,” he said, before giving a big smile.

Oh yeah, gotta love that big smile. Does he know something we don't know?

Bottom line is that Paige just loves basketball and if being at UConn one more year to play with Azzi and win a championship makes her happy, she will just come back.

It's never about the accolades or money for Paige. It just feels like there is a good chance she will be coming back. I can't wait to put together the different lineups when she declares she is staying.

*****************************************

By PHIL

Tennessee puzzlement

I’ll start off by conceding that I have a bias when it comes to Tennessee. I’ll try to write this as fairly as possible but there’s a chance a bias will sneak in.

A friend noted that the recent bracketology didn’t include Tennessee. That might not seem surprising to some, as they disappeared a few weeks ago. However, looking more closely there are some interesting questions to ponder.

The first, unanswerable question is what criteria Creme uses for inclusion. I suspect he uses a variety of sources which would make sense. I feel certain he doesn’t rely heavily on Massey, and while I’m a big fan, I don’t fault him for that.

Massey has Tennessee as number 30, which is just outside being ranked but clearly high enough to be included in the bracket. If you were to go by Massey ranking alone, Creme has 13 teams in the bracket that all are weaker than Tennessee according to Massey rankings. (I treat Princeton as a special case — they may get in as an at-large team, but he has them in as an automatic qualifier).

An obvious consideration is the NET ranking. Tennessee was ranked in the 90s, although has been creeping up. They are currently number 67 which is decidedly outside consideration as an at-large team. Before going on I will post 14 teams with the Massey ranking following the team name and the NET ranking in parentheses following the Massey ranking.

• Tennessee 30 (67)
• Michigan 31 (37)
• Syracuse 32 (51)
• Washington State 33 (22)
• Nebraska 34 (29)
• Alabama 35 (25)
• Arizona 36 (43)
• Texas A&M 37 (24)
• Mississippi 38 (43)
• Vanderbilt 39 (52)
• Miami 42 (45)
• UNLV 43 (27)
• Mississippi State 46 (32)
• TCU 49 (34)

Starting at the bottom is suggested that NET plays a role. The TCU Massey ranking of 49 is not good enough for at-large but the NET 34 is. Similarly, Mississippi at 46 wouldn’t get in but Mississippi at 32 would get in.

However, then it gets tricky.

Vanderbilt with a Massey ranking of 39 would be on the bubble but the NET ranking of 52 is not good enough to make the tournament as an at-large. So why are they included? Similarly, the Massey ranking of Syracuse is perfectly fine for inclusion but the NET ranking of 51 is not good enough.

It probably means he is looking at multiple criteria, but it is interesting that the Tennessee NET ranking of 67, even though it has improved with their most recent five wins, is still considerably worse than the Massey ranking. I don’t see anyone else in this group where the two values are so far apart. I think Syracuse is next closest with 19 positions difference between the two rankings, but Tennessee’s rankings differ by an astounding 37 places.

Milestone watch

• Aaliyah Edwards had 1435 career points after the Creighton game. She scored 18 in the Georgetown game to reach 1453. That moves ahead of Kalana Greene. Next up Crystal Dangerfield at 1480.

• Nika Mühl had 506 assists after the Creighton game. She recorded 8 assists in the Georgetown game for a career total of 514 so far. She needs 17 more to tie Laura Lishness in 13th place

• Geno Auriemma now has 1192 wins and needs eight more to reach the 1200 plateau.
******************************************************** 
By David in Naples

On the surface, KK and Ashlynn have a lot in common. Both are talented Freshman thrust into starting roles for basketball powerhouse UConn. For the season, one (Ash) plays 25 minutes a game for the Huskies, the other (KK) just over 26. One (Ash) shoots 54% from the field, the other (KK) 55%. Ash has scored 148 points this season. Her partner, KK, has tallied 145 points. But that is where the similarities end. Their styles at both ends of the court are dramatically different. Consider:

1. KK is a defensive disrupter, leading the team with 36 steals, often leading to breakaway lay-ups. Her "in-your-face" style has also resulted in 37 fouls, 2nd only to Aaliyah with 39.

2. Ashlynn plays "text book" defense, upright and close, but not too close. Her 17 fouls are lowest of the regular players. Her 6 steals are also lowest of the regular players.

3. KK slashes and drives to the basket. Her lay-ups are a thing of beauty. 43 of her 53 baskets have been inside the 3 pt arc. Her 42 free throws are testament to the old adage, "The only way to stop her is to foul her."

4. Ashlynn has a near perfect, squared up shooting style that is effective from outside the arc or closer in. 58 of her 108 shots have been 3 pt attempts. Her 20 made threes are twice as many as KK, who has only tried 25 total threes.

5. Ashlynn, until the last three games, had only 1 free throw try all season. As defenses tighten coverage of her to stop the scoring, she has now made 11 more trips to the charity stripe. She is 12-12 (100%) for the year.

6. KK is a legitimate threat from outside the arc at 10-25 or 40%. She seems more comfortable lately from long range, as defenses sag off her to prevent lightening quick drives to the hoop.

7. KK is also a talented passer with 46 assists. Her 29 to's give her an assist/turnover ratio of 1.59. Very respectable. Ash has fewer assists at 18 & only 12 turnovers. Her ratio is an even 1.5

8. The strangest stat is the rebounded edge for KK, 34 to 28. The shorter Kk is a demon on the boards despite often drawing the opponent's point guard as a defensive assignment.

I guess KK & Ashlynn being alike or similar doesn't really matter. Both score and defend in their own unique way. UConn fans are blessed to have both playing as well as could have been predicted. And both will only get better and expand their talents.
*****************************************

SPIDER 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.

UConn 95 Georgetown 35.

Net positives/minutes played: Nika 23/29, Aaliyah 22/26, KK 18/30, Paige 16/28, Ashlynn 15/39, Qadence 4/16, Amari -1/3, Ice -2/22, Ines -3/7.

Arnold, Bueckers, Samuels: 5 rebounds each. Brady 2 rebounds. 

Heck of a starting five! Minutes well distributed, Iron Woman award to Ashlynn. Great to see Nika lead the spider stats.

Go Huskies!!

******************************************************** 

UCONN LINKS

Several links are pay sites. Sorry!



******************************************************** 

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

UCONN Information

UConn 2023-2024 Statistics (updated after 1st game)


I'm always open for suggestions. Just please reply to this blog or email me at:

Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)