Geno really like this team..........Good Night WCBB!!

[jsloanjr]

I have noticed a huge improvement in the team since last weeks game at CF and the game at Memphis.......Kiah has improved her confidence and minutes, Morgan has gotten her bounce back in the step.......Banks and MO Jeff are playing very consistent ......Bria, Stewie, Stef are all at the top of their games.........KML is back to AA status...........IMHO, UCONN has 4 AA players that nobody can match up....The UCONN scoring machine is just starting to get its engines started.........TOOT TOOT!!!

Baylor will see for themselves why UCONN is undefeated and beating Top 10 teams by 20+ pointes.....Soon those 20 point games will be 30+ when they start to hit their full stride.........

 

[Striper69]

I dunno...Baylor is starting to look pretty good themselves. Simms will be sky high for the game!

 

[caramel]

Yes Sims will be sky high.However,she can't guard Stewart,Dolson,KML,and Harley all by herself.On top of that,does anyone think she will drive inside with Btreanna,S.D.,and Kiah waiting for her,not to mention the quick guards that will be rotating on her.KML is really starting to heat up,the bigs are looking for each other more and more,M.J. is growing into quite a point guard,and Hartley is due,not to mention the bench.IMO, this will not be as close as some would think.

 

[HoopsHoppy]

Sky high may be a problem - doesn't foul too often but almost all her fouls are offensive. A smart defense can mitigate that - especially as her movement isn't away from the ball but almost always driving through the lane.

 

[huskeynut]

I believe Sims will try to drive the lane to get Stef and Stewie in foul trouble. And why not. Get our bigs in foul trouble and you have the equalizer.

But Stef and Stewie are smart enough to get into position to turn the tables. They don't need to block Sims just make her change her shot enough to be inaccurate. Or draw a couple of charges to make Sims think twice about driving the lane.

 

[CCinCT]

I believe Sims will try to drive the lane to get Stef and Stewie in foul trouble. And why not. Get our bigs in foul trouble and you have the equalizer.

But Stef and Stewie are smart enough to get into position to turn the tables. They don't need to block Sims just make her change her shot enough to be inaccurate. Or draw a couple of charges to make Sims think twice about driving the lane.

Don't know - maybe the refs will buy the patented ND Natalie Novosel "3 yards and a cloud of dust" strategy again - or maybe they will give Sims the Diggins "star" treatment (i.e. you cannot breathe within 3 feet of Sims) ?

IMHO still think the Huskies have enough firepower and D to win by 20 +

 

[jsloanjr]

If you watch the Baylor and KY game you would have seen that KY did a terrible job on trapping and switches. KY had zero big's helping out. I think UCONN's half court defense will expose Baylor and being a 1 trick pony..........UCONN will cover the passing lanes that KY left open and allowed open 3 pt shooters.........IMO, UCONN will pressure Baylor to rush their offense and not allow Sims to get into her 1 on 1 offense..........No Mas!!

 

[reno tony]

We don't need to stop Sims. Let her score 42 points.... who cares. Just stop everyone else from scoring. UCONN 92 - 61.

 

[Tonyc]

A lot of excitement in this thread. The only think UConn has to do is play their game. Remember the last couple of meeting with Baylor when they had Griner. UConn was in the game but like everybody else had problems getting inside. UConn will score at will inside against Baylor. Remember Baylor isn't ranked number 1 this season. Why is it some fans are talking about them like they are? UConn will win this game big. They will slow Sims down and frankly it doesn't really matter how many points she scores all that matter is how many points Baylor scores. UConn will shoot over 45% and Baylor wont shoot 40%. UConn wins big.

 

[Zorro]

1. Sims has 30 ppg. Other than that, Nina Davis has 14.8 and Imani Wright has 7.4. Even these stats (and all others) are highly suspect because…

2. Other than Ky, Baylor has played no one; absolutely no one, Their opponents have consisted of not just cupcakes, but cream-filled cupcakes. Nichols State, Grambling, Savannah State and Houston Baptist, etc. After Ky, K-State is the best of the rest.

3. If Geno decides to play man-to-man, Sims might get 20-30; so will the rest of the Baylor team. If he decides to concentrate on Sims, the rest of the BU team might get as much as 35-40 at the outside, which will not be nearly enough.

4. My hope is that he will choose not to double on Sims, but defend her one-on-one with MoJet, Big Game Bria, Banks and maybe even Stewie or Morgan from time to time, just to mess her mind. It would be fun to see just what she could really do against really skilled and energetic defenders. I suspect she is in for a frustrating experience.

5. I think the Huskies will be up by their usual 20+ at the half, and coast in from there, winning by 30-35. Stewie and Stef are both good shots to get double-doubles, we should win the paint by 20-30 points. Kiah might get 6-8 blocks. It is gonna be fun, bar injuries.

6. Bottom line; something like 85-55.

 

[JoePgh]

I predict that Geno's defensive strategy will be to have one of the guards meet Sims as soon as she crosses the time line, similar to the defense on Maryland's guards. If another Baylor player is within 10-12 feet of Sims, whoever is guarding that player may double on Sims, forcing a difficult pass. If Sims is isolated, then she will be defended 1-on-1 from midcourt forward, which will force her to focus as much on protecting the ball as on starting the offense. If Sims gets past her man, she is still a long way from the basket and the defense will have time to recover. The idea is to make her a passer rather than a shooter or a penetrator, and to make someone else do the scoring.

IF:

1. Sims were a great passer; or
2. she could be expected to go by MJ or Bria routinely; or
3. Baylor had another experienced guard who could run the offense if Sims passed to her; or
4. Baylor had serious offensive threats in the front court;

... then this strategy would be very risky. In the actual situation next Monday where none of these conditions apply, it should not be that risky. If it works, then Sims may score as few as 12-14 points (many from the free throw line), although she may have 6-8 assists. But UConn will have plenty of takeaways, and Baylor will be doing 1-on-1 improvisation for most of the game.

If the UConn offense works as usual (48% FG shooting), that should lead to a 30-point win. If UConn's shooting is subpar (around 40% -- a real possibility in a game like this), then the margin might be only 20.

Turnovers or fouls, combined with poor shooting, would be the only recipe for a UConn loss, but neither seems very likely, at least not to me.

 

[Geno-ista]

Yes Sims will be sky high.However,she can't guard Stewart,Dolson,KML,and Harley all by herself.On top of that,does anyone think she will drive inside with Btreanna,S.D.,and Kiah waiting for her,not to mention the quick guards that will be rotating on her.KML is really starting to heat up,the bigs are looking for each other more and more,M.J. is growing into quite a point guard,and Hartley is due,not to mention the bench.IMO, this will not be as close as some would think.

Caramel- what did you mean by, "and Hartley is due"?

 

[caramel]

Caramel- what did you mean by, "and Hartley is due"?

It has been a while where Hartley has had one of those games where she is on fire from the three point area,and interior scoring mixed in.Yes,she has played very good,but,remember last year how she almost took over some games on the offensive end -some big games especially,and she really hasn't had a jaw dropping game in a while.She has the talent to be a dominating guard,and has done in before.I have a feeling,between her and KML, it could be like a pounding rain coming at Baylor from the outside,and one of Hartley's best games of the year to date.Just my opinion-guess.

 

[meyers7]

It has been a while where Hartley has had one of those games where she is on fire from the three point area,and interior scoring mixed in.Yes,she has played very good,but,remember last year how she almost took over some games on the offensive end -some big games especially,and she really hasn't had a jaw dropping game in a while.She has the talent to be a dominating guard,and has done in before.I have a feeling,between her and KML, it could be like a pounding rain coming at Baylor from the outside,and one of Hartley's best games of the year to date.Just my opinion-guess.

Well the Penn State game, which wasn't that long ago, she was 10-20, 5-10 (3 pt) scored 29 pts. with 4 assists and 6 rebounds. The UC-Davis game, even not as long ago, she had 25 pts on 8-9 shooting (5-5 from 3 pt), with 5 assists and 4 rebounds. What else are you looking for?

 

[UcMiami]

Well the Penn State game, which wasn't that long ago, she was 10-20, 5-10 (3 pt) scored 29 pts. with 4 assists and 6 rebounds. The UC-Davis game, even not as long ago, she had 25 pts on 8-9 shooting (5-5 from 3 pt), with 5 assists and 4 rebounds. What else are you looking for?

Like he says ... what have you done for me lately! She has had two games in a row now and it is like 3 weeks since she had a good shoot night! Hello ....

 

[Striper69]

Don't know - maybe the refs will buy the patented ND Natalie Novosel "3 yards and a cloud of dust" strategy again - or maybe they will give Sims the Diggins "star" treatment (i.e. you cannot breathe within 3 feet of Sims) ?

IMHO still think the Huskies have enough firepower and D to win by 20 +

Sims handles the ball too much for the defensive tactics they used against players like Maggie Lucas to work. They'll just get into foul trouble with the new rules.

 

[jsloanjr]

Geno will make Sims give up the ball and force them into bad shots...........

 

[Icebear]

Geno will make Sims give up the ball and force them into bad shots......

Exactly, force her to give it up and then deny her the return pass.

 

[Striper69]

Geno will make Sims give up the ball and force them into bad shots......

And in the process her key players may get onto foul trouble...

 

[Bestiarius]

I too believe Geno and the players will find a way to deal with Odyssey. She is a great player who deserves immense respect. It will be a pleasure to see her perform and what UConn can do to counteract her brilliance.

 

[jsloanjr]

Again, UCONN has another Sat/Monday National TV game..........Temple in Bridgeport..Sold-out and a Baylor game in Waco on Monday Sold out...........

 

[msf22b]

It has been a while where Hartley has had one of those games where she is on fire from the three point area,and interior scoring mixed in.Yes,she has played very good,but,remember last year how she almost took over some games on the offensive end -some big games especially,and she really hasn't had a jaw dropping game in a while.She has the talent to be a dominating guard,and has done in before.I have a feeling,between her and KML, it could be like a pounding rain coming at Baylor from the outside,and one of Hartley's best games of the year to date.Just my opinion-guess.

Reiterating a position I took in an earlier game: I think Bria is struggling to find a role since the emergence of Mo as the principle ball-handler. She tends to totally disappear at times. And it seems to effect her shooting.

IMHO the problem is between the ears. i'm sure the staff has noticed and will figure it out.

Interestingly, Chong and Banks fit right in and were productive during their minutes.

OT: Watch for Morgan to have important minutes guarding Sims

 

[Striper69]

Again, UCONN has another Sat/Monday National TV game.....Temple in Bridgeport..Sold-out and a Baylor game in Waco on Monday Sold out......

It's kinda wierd that I saw a lot of empty seats at last night's game (the cheaper looking seats up high) but UCONN sells out on the road. I can understand that though. They would like to see their home team upset the "unbeatable" and they want to be there if it happens.

 

[Striper69]

I believe Sims will try to drive the lane to get Stef and Stewie in foul trouble. And why not. Get our bigs in foul trouble and you have the equalizer.

But Stef and Stewie are smart enough to get into position to turn the tables. They don't need to block Sims just make her change her shot enough to be inaccurate. Or draw a couple of charges to make Sims think twice about driving the lane.

I watched a replay of an earlier game last night. Sims looks like she has the pick and roll going with her center pretty good. Something I didn't see enough of with Griner.

 

[meyers7]

It's kinda wierd that I saw a lot of empty seats at last night's game (the cheaper looking seats up high) but UCONN sells out on the road. I can understand that though. They would like to see their home team upset the "unbeatable" and they want to be there if it happens.

Well the cold weather and playing possibly the worst team in the AAC didn't help attendence.