Doggydaddy's Den

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

DoggyDaddy's Dailies 3/29/17

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Standings in the DoggyDaddy's Dailies brackets going into the Final Four.

Rank	Bracket, OwnerBracket	R64	R32	S16	E8	F4	NCG	ChampionChamp	PPR	TotalTot	PCT

1	MacbethJBB1985JBB1985	280	280	200	240	UConn	640	1000	96.1
2*	giwdulespn07994140	270	240	240	240	UConn	640	990	95.2
2*	espn41965188 1 connboy77espn41965188	290	300	240	160	UConn	480	990	95.2
4*	linkster1 1linkster1	280	240	280	160	UConn	480	960	91.2
4*	UConnChapette 2Chapinsfan	280	280	240	160	UConn	480	960	91.2
6	Romeo and JulietJBB1985JBB1985	270	280	240	160	South Carolina	480	950	89.5
7*	Husky1974espn74005316	260	280	240	160	UConn	640	940	87.4
7*	espn16111129 1espn16111129	280	260	240	160	UConn	480	940	87.4
7*	Chuck 7espn76827413	280	260	240	160	UConn	480	940	87.4
7*	Synfulsynful	300	280	200	160	UConn	480	940	87.4

Bracket

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Here is my UConn/Oregon Post Game Report.

Here is my UConn/Mississippi State Pre Game Report.

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My good friend Cat pointed out that Dangerfield did play a minute that wasn't mop up time in the 2nd quarter. When she turned down an open three pointer from the coerner, Geno subbed her out and then she didn't return until mop up time.

I mentioned that Geno was really coaching her up after the game and now I understand what he was talking about. He clearly (from his arm motions), telling her to shoot the ball when she is open and the shot clock is under 10 seconds. I also said I would talk about her freshman year compared to Jefferson's freshman year.

We all know the Jefferson that hit 40%+ on her threes, close to 50% overall, the great assists to turnover ratio and of course her defensive player of the year skills. But we really need to remember how her freshman year went.

Moriah certainly had some nice games...as did Crystal. Baylor comes to mind for Dangerfield. But for the most part, she played like most freshman do for Geno. Especially point guards. Compare the stats.

Dangerfield

PPG 23.9, FG% .406 3PT% .317, FT% .600, PPG 6.2, RPG 2.2, APG 3.8

113 assists, 51 turnovers, 29 steals

Jefferson

PPG 17.4, FG% .424 3PT% .266, FT% . 760, PPG 4.7, RPG 1.6, APG 1.8

69 assists 49, turnovers 52, 29 steals

As you can see, Dangerfield actually had a better year statistically, but more importantly, it was a more impactful season. She seems to me have better court vision and in spite of only shooting 31.7% on threes, better form on her long range shot.

I have great hopes for Crystal. She has what it takes to be a star.

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By David in Naples!!!!!

With her 28 points against Oregon last night, Napheesa Collier took over the scoring lead from Katie Lou Samuelson, 743 to 732. That is the first time all season Katie Lou has been 2nd in scoring. Along with her scoring lead, Pheesa leads the team in rebounds with 328, blocked shots with 75 and made baskets with 306. Oh yeah, she also leads the team in made free throws with 110, field goal accuracy at 68.6% and offensive rebounds with 105. Just to round things out, she is also #1 in personal fouls (77) and fouling out of games (4). I guess she is the best at everything she does... 8-)

Last night, Napheesa had 12 rebounds to go with her 28 points. That was her 16th double-double of the season, which leads the team. Gabby is 2nd with 11 double-doubles. On a day when she was named 1st Team All American, Collier had another well rounded game with 2 three point baskets, 4 blocked shots, 2-2 from the charity line, 2 steals and 2 assists. And she did all that in just 34 minutes of play.

With their 21 assists, this UConn team moved into 1st place for assists in a single season with 852. Given that the Huskies have scored 1,190 baskets, that means there was an assist on 71.6% of them. With at least one more game to play, they can expand that record performance. Five players currently have over 100 assists. Gabby leads with 188, then Saniya and Kia with 135 and 127, followed closely by Lou with 117 and finally Crystal at 113. As a team, UConn has an assist to turnover ratio of 1.99, the best in the country.

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NCAA TOURNAMENT RESULTS/LINKS

No. 1 South Carolina vs No. 2 Stanford

UConn, South Carolina, Miss State and Stanford in Final Four AP

Women's Final Four set with UConn, Stanford, Miss. State, SC News 4 Jax

No. 1 South Carolina follows men's team, reaches Final Four Daily Press

Gamecock Women going to Final 4 Box One Zone

Why each Final Four team could win it all in Dallas Rocket News

South Carolina fighting to join NCAA women's basketball elite NCAA

No. 1 UConn vs No. 2 Mississippi State

Coach who came close vs. UConn says what MSU should do Jackson Clarion Register

UConn faces strong test in its latest Final Four trip Boston Globe

Final Four is set -- and UConn remains the overwhelming favorite ESPN

UConn recruit Megan Walker named Naismith Player of the Year Retail and Dealers

Tuesday Rally Set for UConn Women Patch

No question: UConn in Final Four Arkansas Online

Coaches at women's NCAA Final Four have deep connections ABC News

UConn's Geno Auriemma Hits On Number Of Topics During NCAA Call Courant

Chong honored by all-tournament selection Carl Adamec

Memorable Connecticut swan song for UConn's Saniya Chong Jim Fuller

Mississippi State get another crack at UConn in NCAA tourney Miami Herald

UConn Forward Feels the Pull of the Family Name NY Times

Women's Tournament 2017: Schedule, Bracket Ahead of Final Four Bleacher Report

Mississippi State is set for an NCAA tournament rematch with UCONN. Scout

Mississippi State's Final Four matchup against UConn is set USA Today

Mississippi State to Play UConn in the Friday Night-Cap at 2017 Women’s Final Four WCBI

The 2016-17 Mississippi State Women's Basketball Team has Staying Power Yahoo Sports

Fans rally to send UConn off to 10th straight Final Four News Times

Business as usual as UConn enters Final Four undefeated once again Middletown Press

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Statistical Sites

National Statistics

Rankings and RPI Sites

Realtime Daily RPI

Massey Rankings and Matchups

Jeff Sagarin Basketball Ratings

NCAA D1Women's RPI

ESPN AP and Coaches Poll

ESPN Conference Standings

Warren Nolan RPI and SOS

Message Boards

UConn Territory - The best UConn women's message board ever!!!

College Fans Only - WCBB board where no holds are barred

Vol Nation - Tennessee women's basketball board

CockyTalk - The upstart South Carolina women's basketball board

ND Nation - Notre Dame women's basketball board

Rebkell - WCBB for everyone that thinks they are smarter than everyone else

Videos

BBallnut's Games from the 90's/00's

UConn Women replays

UCONN Information

2016-17 Online Media Guide

UConn 2016-2017 Roster

UConn 2016-2017 Statistics

UConn 2016-2017 Schedule

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

doggydaddy.UConn@gmail.com

DoggyDaddy's UConn/Oregon Post Game Report

Image may contain: 2 people, people playing sports

The game was never in doubt. And from my perspective, that was true way before the game started. This was one of the easiest predictions of the year for me. A young team playing a talented UConn team that is coming off a "weak" game? A recipe for disaster for the UConn opponent.

From the start, the Huskies were in control. Like a cat playing with a mouse in the corner, UConn did whatever they wanted even with a few minutes each quarter that Oregon was able to play with the Huskies.

Lots of great quotes, post game interviews and highlights and of course, some opinion about the players. Enjoy!!!

Game Highlights

Game Stats and Box Score

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Game Quotes From Geno

Post Game Interivews

''There were a lot of question marks going into the season and maybe they didn't have any in their own minds. They seemed to answer every single one of those questions. They deserve to be in the Final Four. They earned it.''

''They've owned the whole month of March, they weren't just along for the ride. It's theirs and that's a huge step. That's a big step to go from riding in the backseat on a trip you're going to, to all of a sudden you're in charge of driving the bus you're responsible for getting us there.''

“There’s not much you can say about what just happened. Right from the opening tip we just had a look and a feel about how we were playing and what we were trying to do.”

"Maybe the only people that expected it to happen was them. Maybe somehow or another, they thought, 'We can do this. Why is everybody doubting us?' But going into practice the first couple of weeks? Nobody saw this coming. But they just kept getting better and better and better."

Game Quotes from

Oregon Coach Kelly Graves

''I just think all of it is part of the process. A run like this will make it easier to motivate our team in the offseason. Our goal is to host the first and second round and not to make two trips across the country. Those things will really help us and give these guys confidence that they can win in the tournament.''

''The turnovers doomed us right from the get-go. That defensive pressure set the tone.''

“We knew we were going to give up something at the other end. Gabby Williams has shown at times that she is not as comfortable shooting that 17 footer as she was tonight. You have to give up something. When you are not quite as good, you have to pick your poison, we picked and we chose wrong. Those kids are great players, they really are. That set the tone for them, shooting is contagious, good shooting and bad shooting. Once she started making them then Saniya (Chong) was making them.”

“We played them in stretches fairly well, but … obviously not for 40 minutes. You can’t just have those let-ups because that 10-0 run in a minute and a half crushes you, and then you try to dig out of it. Then, bam, it’s another 10-0 run.”

"Everybody talks about their offense. I've always felt what sets them apart from everybody else is the defense. They give you nothing, and we've been a really good offensive team. I think we're one of the more efficient teams in the country, and we were playing on our heels all night long, and it was survival mode at times."

Player Evaluations

Player Interviews

Napheesa Collier

She is back in front of Katie Lou in leading the team in scoring. And there is a good reason for that. While she has dominated games with her inside presence, in this game, it was her mid-range jumper that put away the Ducks. They intentionally left her open at the foul line extended and Collier made them pay time after time. She still dominated the post, but also went 2-4 on threes. In her 33 minutes, she had 28 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 4 blocks. And she mad it look so easy. I don't know Geno, a player can't be accused of playing no defense when she has 2 steals and 4 blocks. But gotta love his way of motivating his players.

''It means a whole lot, especially with this group because no one thought we'd be here and we worked so hard this year,'' said Collier, who earned most outstanding player of the region honors.

Gabby Williams

Like the announcers said a few times during the game. How can the best player in the country not be a 1st team AA? It's really too bad that having great teammates hurts her ability to win awards. She was just spectacular in this game. In 33 minutes she had 25 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals. She is averaging 21 points per game for the tournament, really turning up her output. But she is much more than scoring points. Her athleticism is so off the charts, the opponents can't help but be intimidated. They know from the start there is no one on their team that can guard her. Too big for guards, too quick for bigs. Game over. In this game it wasn't even close and she was a huge part of that.

“When teams play off of us that much, for her (Collier) it doesn’t make much sense because she can hit that shot with her eyes closed. For me, it has been a little bit of a struggle all year. That was probably the only shot they were going to give me so I had to make it. It is the next step, I have been struggling with it and just trying to be consistent because if I can get people to play up on me, I can find my teammates earlier.”

“Being undefeated is a feeling that never gets old. We’ve been there before, but it never gets old.”

Kia Nurse

Another ho hum game for Kia...lol. In her 33 minutes, she had 11 points hitting 2-3 threes. Her percentage on her long range shots is an unworldly 72%. Seriously? She added 7 assists and had NO turnovers. She really looks to be 100% back from her ankle issues. Bad news for opponents. Her on the ball defense should strike fear into any opponent.

Katie Lou Samuelson

Well, not the best scoring game for Katie Lou. She struggled from long range, going 0-4 on threes. But the rest of her game was pretty darn good. She used her long arms for 5 steals. And she handed out 4 assists. She is in a mini-slump, but she scored 21 points against Mississippi State last year and I expect her to break out with some long distance shooting against them at the Final Four.

“We just wanted to come out and make a statement that we really wanted to make it to Dallas. Right before we started playing we were like, ‘Let’s get this one. Let’s do this right now.’"

“We saw what happened. It was a little warning that … whoever is playing right now is playing for a reason. They’re not just going to get scared and play worse because we’re a No. 1 seed.”

Saniya Chong

Joy. That is what I feel for Saniya. She is just loving her senior season. She is just not playing, she is playing great. In this game she played 35 minutes, and hit two huge three pointers in the first quarter. For the game she had 11 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. And some great ball handling. Like the picture above shows, she escaped every pressure defense that was put on her.

Crystal Dangerfield

As much as we want Dangerfield to contribute more in each game, she has only had the occasional game where we see the possible greatness. I'll post the stat comparison in one of my Dailies, but I can tell you that her freshman year has been comparable to Moriah Jefferson in every way and better in some. This game was not one of her best. In her 13 minutes she had 2 points, 1 rebound and 1 assists. But she pretty much only played mop up time.

Natalie Butler

Natalie only played 10 minutes, but I think Geno might be finding more time for her against the big frontline of Mississippi State after how she did in her limited minutes. She had 5 points, 8 rebounds and 2 sweet blocks.

Kyla Irwin, Molly Bent, Tierney Lawlor

Just a few minutes each, but they enjoyed every second of it!!!

Final Thoughts

I only have one final thought.

BEAT MISSISSIPPI STATE!!!

DoggyDaddy's UConn/Mississippi State Pre Game Report

UCONN VS. Mississippi State

Day: Friday

Date: March 31, 2017

Loc: Dallas, Texas

Time: Approx. 10:00
TV: ESPN

1 Seed UConn Huskies 2 Seed Mississippi State

36-0 33-4

Overview

Prior Meetings

UConn leads 1-0

H: 0-0; A: 0-0; N: 1-0

3/26/16 W 98-38 N

Highlights from last years game

UConn's 98-38 victory in last years Sweet Sixteen match up was the most dominating performance in NCAA tournament history for margin of victory in the regional rounds and beyond. Click on the score link for details. Mississippi State has almost everyone back this year from that game, so I'm sure the players are plenty pissed off about that game. But are they still shell shocked? Well, UConn lost Stewart, Jefferson and Tuck, who contributed 48 points, 21 rebounds and 11 assists to that win. So, how did all the returning players do in that game?

Mississippi State

Vivians 6 points, 3 rebounds, 3-15 FG, 0-3 3PT

Dillingham 4 points, 5 rebounds, 2-6 FG, 0-1 3PT

Williams 2 points, 0 assists, 1-8 FG

McCowan 10 points, 4 rebounds, 5-6 FG

UConn

Samuelson 21 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 9-14 FG, 2-6 3PT

Nurse 6 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 3-5 FG, 0-1 3PT

Williams 7 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals

Collier 4 points, 1 rebound, 1 assists

Chong 3 points, 1 rebound, 1 assists

Butler 6 points, 8 rebounds

I don't think you can glean much from these numbers. But we know for sure that the remaining UConn players have stepped up to replace the ones that left.

Mississippi State has had one of their most successful seasons last year, going 28-7 and making the Sweet Sixteen for the second time in their history. This season, they topped that by going 33-4 this year and getting to the Elite Eight. This is their 9th appearance in the NCAA tournament starting with the 1998-99 season, losing in the first round.

MSU has only four losses this season. They won their first 20 games before losing to then No. 4 South Carolina 64-61 in a tough defensive battle. They followed that with seven more wins before losing a heartbreaker in overtime to then No. 22 Kentucky 78-75. They followed that up with their worst game of the season, a 82-64 loss at home to Tennessee. In another defensive battle, they lost to then No. 5 South Carolina in the SEC tournament final 59-49.

Much of their OOC schedule was pretty weak, so the 20-0 start was not that surprising. Their best win of the OOC schedule as a 79-68 win over then No. 8 Texas. But other than that, they played some pretty weak teams. They did beat NCAA tourney team Texas A&M twice, but I don't think that is really that impressive.

To me, this team is not that much different than last years team. And that one was pretty good.

Stat by Stat Comparison

Leader is bolded

UConn Mississippi State

87.7 Points Per Game 76.8

54.6 Opp Points Per Game 57.2

.529 Field Goal % .450

.350 Opp Field Goal % .392

.404 3 Point Field Goal % .353

.276 Opp 3 Point Field Goal % .278

.783 Free Throw % .728

39.1 Rebounds Per Game 38.3

32.1 Opp Rebounds Per Game 31.4

23.7 Assists Per Game 15.0

11.9 Turnovers Per Game 12.8
2.0 Assists/Turnover Ratio 1.2

10.2 Steals Per Game 8.4

4.9 Blocks Per Game 4.0

I always like to do some "stats analysis". As usual, UConn has the advantage with every stat (except opp rebounds per game..thanks Phil). I compared last years stats for this game to this year and there is not much difference between the two seasons. Last years team was a better rebounding team and better overall defensive team (no surprise with Jefferson and Stewart on that version). This year's team has advantages in three point shooting, three point defending and passing efficiency. It all balances out to a team just about as good as last years version.

How does MSU compare from last year's team? This years team is clearly better offensively. That average around 6 more points per game. Their shooting percentages are higher in both 2 point shots and three point shooting. They have less turnovers and more assists this year than compared to last year. In fact, they have a positive assists/to ration compared to last seasons negative number.

But on the defensive end, the numbers are down The defensive shooting percentages are worse, they rebound less, and they block less shots.

So UConn's offense is better and MSU's defense is worse. And conversely, UConn's defensive is worse and MSU's offense is better. How does that translate into the final score? More points than the 38 for MSU for sure. But I'm not sure UConn will score more than their 98.

UCONN

UConn Starters

33 Katie Lou Samuelson

6'3" Sophomore Guard/Forward

Albany - 33 minutes, 15 points, 3 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals
Syracuse - 35 minutes 23 points, 5 rebounds 4 assists, 1 steal
UCLA - 40 minutes, 15 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
Oregon - 34 minutes, 8 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 5 steals

MPG 31.4, FG% .486, 3PT% .419, FT% .837, PPG 20.3, RPG 3.8, APG 3.3

24 Napheesa Collier

6'1" Sophomore Forward/Guard

Albany - 28 minutes, 24 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 3 blocks
Syracuse - 28 minutes 17 points, 7 rebounds 3 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks
UCLA - 36 minutes, 27 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks
Oregon - 34 minutes, 28 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 4 blocks

MPG 30.0, FG% .686, 3PT% .429, FT% .827, PPG 20.6, RPG 9.1, APG 2.3

15 Gabby Williams

5'11" Junior Forward

Albany - 27 minutes, 20 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 steals, 1 block

Syracuse - 32 minutes 23 points, 6 rebounds 5 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks
UCLA - 38 minutes, 17 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal
Oregon - 33 minutes, 25 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals

MPG 28.6, FG% .581, 3PT% .167, FT% .730, PPG 14.1, RPG 8.4, APG 5.2

11 Kia Nurse

6' Junior Guard

Albany - 24 minutes, 24 points, 0 rebounds, 3 assists
Syracuse - 34 minutes, 29 points, 1 rebound, 6 assists
UCLA - 31 minutes, 9 points, 0 rebounds, 0 assists
Oregon - 33 minutes, 11 points, 1 rebound, 7 assists, 1 steal

MPG 30.1, FG% .487, 3PT% .467, FT% .855, PPG 12.9, RPG 2.2, APG 3.8

12 Saniya Chong

5'8" Senior Guard

Albany - 31 minutes, 6 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals
Syracuse - 31 minutes, 0 points, 1 rebound, 7 assists
UCLA - 38 minutes, 16 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists
Oregon -35 minutes, 11 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals

MPG 30.6, FG% .470, 3PT% .395, FT% .808, PPG 8.2, RPG 3.0, APG 4.0

UConn Bench

5 Crystal Dangerfield

5'5" Freshman Guard

Albany - 29 minutes, 16 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 block
Syracuse - 23 minutes, 2 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal
UCLA - 17 minutes, 2 points, 0 rebounds, 4 assists
Oregon - 13 minutes, 2 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist

PPG 23.9, FG% .406 3PT% .317, FT% .600, PPG 6.2, RPG 2.2, APG 3.8

51 Natalie Butler

6'5" RS Junior Center

Albany - 15 minutes, 8 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks
Syracuse - 8 minutes, 0 points, 1 rebound
UCLA - DNP
Oregon - 10 minutes, 6 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks

MPG 15.9, FG% .500, 3PT% .000, FT% .689, PPG 5.6, RPG 5.1, APG 1.1

10 Molly Bent

5'9" Freshman Guard

Albany - 5 minutes
Syracuse - 3 minutes
UCLA - DNP
Oregon - 3 minutes

MPG 9.3 FG% .303, 3PT% .333, FT% .625, PPG 1.1, RPG 1.2, APG 1.1

25 Kyla Irwin

6'2" Freshman Forward

Albany - 5 minutes, 3 points, 1 assist
Syracuse - 4 minutes
UCLA - DNP
Oregon - 3 minutes, 1 rebound

MPG 7.8, FG% .462, 3PT% .353, FT% .714, PPG 2.4, RPG 1.4, APG .5

20 Tierney Lawlor

5'7" Senior Guard

Albany - 2 minutes, 1 steal
Syracuse - 3 minutes, 1 assist
UCLA - DNP
Oregon - 2 minutes

MPG 3.4, FG% .000, 3PT% .000, FT% .500, PPG 0.1, RPG .4, APG .1

UCONN TEAM STATS

Head Coach

Vic Schaefer

Schaefer, a veteran coach of 31 seasons, came to Starkville with the blueprints to crafting Mississippi State into a championship program. In just his third season he added a major building block as the Bulldogs enjoyed a record-setting 2014-15 campaign that earned him SEC Coach of the Year honors from the Associated Press, co-Coach of the Year accolades from his league peers and Naismith National Coach of the Year semifinalist honors.

If you want to see a show in a show, train your eye on Vic Schaefer on the sidelines. He is so intense, 100% of the time. When he extols his team to run after a rebound, he runs down the sideline, spinning his arm in a circle. And his looks when a ref makes a call he doesn't like is priceless. He always looks at the replay and then points to the scoreboard when yelling at the ref.

Mississippi State Starters

35 Victoria Vivians

6'1" Junior Guard

Troy - 16 minutes, 13 points, 6 rebounds, 0 assists, 1 steal

DePaul - 19 minutes, 12 points, 1 rebounds, 2 assists

Washington - 23 minutes, 13 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal

Baylor - 45 minutes, 24 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals

MPG 28.8, FG% .376, 3PT% .283, PPG 16.3, RPG 4.2, APG 1.5

2 Morgan William

5'5" Junior Guard

Troy - 21 minutes, 6 points, 1 rebounds, 5 assists

DePaul - 15 minutes, 0 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists

Washington - 31 minutes, 5 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal

Baylor - 40 minutes, 41 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, 1 block

MPG 28.4, FG% .473, 3PT% .377, PPG 10.9, RPG 2.1, APG 4.6

15 Teaira McGowan

6'7" Sophomore Center

Troy - 24 minutes, 9 points, 13 rebounds, 1 assists, 1 steal, 4 blocks

DePaul - 17 minutes, 8 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal

Washington - 29 minutes, 26 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 6 blocks

Baylor - 29 minutes, 10 points, 5 rebounds, 0 assists, 2 steal, 1 block

MPG 19.4, FG% .575, 3PT% .000, PPG 8.7, RPG 7.0, APG 0.2

3 Breanna Richardson

6'1" Senior Forward

Troy - 20 minutes, 10 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals

DePaul - 19 minutes, 12 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal

Washington - 18 minutes, 2 points, 4 rebounds, 0 assists, 1 block

Baylor - 39 minutes, 8 points, 5 rebounds, 0 assists, 1 block

MPG 22.2, FG% .521, 3PT% .278, PPG 5.6, RPG 4.9, APG 1.3

00 Dominique Dillingham

5'9" Senior Guard

Troy - 11 minutes, 7 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist

DePaul - 31 minutes, 10 points, 3 rebounds, 0 assists, 2 steals

Washington - 27 minutes, 2 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks

Baylor - 13 minutes, 0 points, 2 rebounds, 0 assists

MPG 28.3, FG% .383, 3PT% .368, PPG 6.7, RPG 2.7, APG 1.8

Mississippi State Bench

01 Blair Schaefer

5'7" Junior Guard

Troy - 26 minutes, 21 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists

DePaul - 26 minutes, 18 points, 3 rebounds, 0 assists, 1 steal

Washington - 22 minutes, 10 points, 4 rebounds, 0 assists

Baylor - 25 minutes, 5 points, 1 rebounds, 1 assists

MPG 14.4, FG% .365, 3PT% .402, PPG 5.2, RPG 1.1, APG 0.5

45 Chinwe Okorie

6'5" Senior Center

Troy - 16 minutes, 6 points, 5 rebounds, 0 assists

DePaul - 20 minutes, 12 points, 9 rebounds, 0 assists

Washington - 11 minutes, 4 points, 2 rebounds, 0 assists

Baylor - 17 minutes, 4 points, 4 rebounds, 0 assists, 1 steal

MPG 18.9, FG% .558, 3PT% .000, PPG 7.7, RPG 5.5, APG .1

13 Ketara Chapel

6'1" Senior Forward

Troy - 10 minutes, 4 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist

DePaul - 22 minutes, 6 points, 3 rebounds, 0 assists

Washington - 20 minutes, 6 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist

Baylor - 6 minutes

MPG 16.2, FG% .484, 3PT% .600, PPG 3.0, RPG 2.3, APG 1.0

11 Roshunda Johnson

5'7" RS Junior Guard

Troy - 18 minutes, 13 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals

DePaul - 4 minutes, 0 points, 1 rebounds, 0 assists

Washington - 7 minutes, 5 points, 0 rebounds, 1 assist

Baylor - 8 minutes, 2 points, 4 rebounds

MPG 13.4, FG% .442, 3PT% .441, PPG 6.6, RPG 1.6, APG 0.6

MISSISSIPPI STATE TEAM STATS

Game Analysis

It's difficult for me to not remember last years game between UConn and MSU and consider that blowout when analyzing this matchup. The 98-38 UConn win was so complete and so destructive of Mississippi State, no matter who UConn lost to graduation and how many of the players for MSU are coming back, there has to be some residual remaining in the confidence of the returning UConn players and the pain that MSU must still be feeling. Maybe Coach Schaefer can try to use it to his advantage.

For MSU, their offense is pretty simple. Their dynamic point guard, 5'5" Morgan William (no "s" but listen for how many times the announcers call her Williams) is a terrific player. She is quick and can take contact and finish in the paint when she does drive. Usually she will dribble at the top of the key, and look for an entry pass to their two-headed center, the starter 6'5" Chinwe Okorie and 6'7" Sophomore Tearia McGowan. McGowan will get the most minutes between the two. Or William will try to find a guard on the wing. In the games I watched, the problem was not getting the ball to the center but both centers actually finishing with a basket. So many missed chippies. McGowan did lead the Bulldogs in double-doubles and has improved a lot from last season.

But the Bulldogs offense is all about 6'1" junior guard/forward Victoria Vivians. She has taken over 300 more shots than anyone else on the team averaging 15 shots per game. She has also taken more than 100 more three point shots than anyone on her team averaging 7 three point shots per game. Vivians is the definition of a volume shooter. The problem for MSU is that she shoots only 37.6% from the field and 28.3% on threes. That is even worse than last season. She has not impressed me this year. The numbers don't lie.

Vivians seemed to do a lot of standing around the perimeter, waiting for a teammate to pass it to her. She does run the baseline occasionally, trying to rub her defenders off of screens. But you can rest assured that when the ball is in her hands she will either launce a three pointer or attempt a move to the basket. She has only 57 assists in 37 games. You've heard of a black hole? The ball goes to her but doesn't come out. And either will she, probably playing 40 minutes.

My favorite player on this Bulldog team is a player that plays very bulldoggish on every possession. Dominique Billingham is a 5'10" guard that is just all over the court on defense. She won't give you much on offense, but she is a real pest defending her (wo)man. She has taken a team high number of charges with 52, over 1 per game. So expect to see that at least once. Her problem is she is not a very good shooter.

Breanna Richardson, a 6'1" forward is the other starter and shares the position with Ketera Chapel, a 6'1" forward. Both solid defenders and decent around the basket on offense. They will end up with 40 minutes between them.

Along with McGowan and Chapel, two smallish guards at 5'7" come off the bench. Roshunda Johnson and Blair Schaefer add some outside shooting to the Bulldog offense. Their problem is getting open enough to hit their shots. As the tournament has gone on, it is getting harder and harder for these two to find open looks. I don't think that they can be very effective against the UConn pressure defense.

Defense is the Lady Bulldogs calling card. Their coach Vic Schaefer, was an assistant to Gary Blair at Texas &M when they won their national championship. As I heard too many times while watching their games, he is know as the Secretary of Defense. So how does he do it?

They play exclusively man to man. In the several games I watched, they didn't play zone once. They pressure the inbounds after a made basket almost every time. And they do a good job of that. Once the opponent inbounds they seem to release the pressure, quickly retreating to set up their man to man. I didn't see them use extended pressure too often. It's just not their strategy. They trust that their half court defense is good enough to stop the opponent most of the time.

In the man to man, they use their athleticism to defend hard. Against most of the teams they played, it's been very successful. They only allow 39.2% shooting from the field (up from last season) and 27.8% shooting on threes. Some of that can be related to their poor schedule and the lousy shooting teams in the SEC. What I did see was that they are prone to allowing back door cuts. Simple fake to the outside then cut to the basket type back door cuts. Their help defense seemed a little slow. Hey, if I saw it, I know Geno saw it. They force 19 turnovers per game and will need to have UConn hit those numbers. Unlikely.

Their two headed centers are decent post defenders, but both are slow up and down the court and Collier and Williams should be able to run them into exhaustion. Foul trouble could come into play for the two centers as they haven't come close to seeing a player with post moves like Collier and Williams.

I'm thinking that Williams will get the Vivians assignment. That should be a great one to watch as both players are so gifted physically. Power forwards Chapel and Richardson will match up with Samuelson. Both are 6'1" going against a 6'3" player that can hit threes. I would expect MSU to put Vivians on Samuelson in spite of the fact that Vivians is not a good defender. It's known that she is still a work progress on that side of the ball, making their coach crazy at times with her lack of defensive effort. She will lose Samuelson on the perimeter as she tries to take the easy way out and double the ball instead of staying home with Samuelson. This happened often last year.

UConn will look to take full advantage of their matchup advantages. Williams and Colliers quickness over the two MSU centers will be apparent early. Both will run the court, and bring them out to the perimeter to clear the lane for back cuts. It's been all about quickness over size all season for the Huskies. This game will be no different. They will screen like crazy, opening up the outside for their shooters.

On defense, I'm not sure how much zone UConn will play, but with a team as weak as Mississippi State is from the outside, it might be effective. But you can bet they will pressure William early and with great intensity. They don't have a lot of other great ball handlers so I would expect the pressure to either create turnovers or give MSU less time on the clock to run what little offense they have.

UConn's advantages are vast on both sides of the ball.

Final Prediction

Ok....toss out that performance against Baylor. MSU won that game because Morgan William had a once in a lifetime performance. She hit 13 of 22 shots. She only averages 7 shot attempts per game. And only 3 makes. And she hit 6-8 three pointers. She made only 14 coming into that game. And her three point percentage was only 31% before this game. Great for her. And UConn. I didn't want to see Baylor. But I am totally dismissing this performance.

What we will see is the same MSU team that has played all season. UConn's defense is good enough to make the Bulldog offense look a little scattered. And while the MSU defense is pretty good, this UConn offense will pick apart the Bulldog man-to-man coverage as they have with most teams this year.

The Huskies will shoot their 50% from the field, will have 20+ assists on their made baskets. They will hold MSU to 40% or less from the field and they won't come close to the 10-20 on threes they had against Baylor.

It won't be 60 points, but it won't be close.

UConn by 20+ and it could get worse if the MSU players get frustrated. They don't seem very disciplined to me.