Game Analysis - UConn vs Marquette (Game 2)

[cferraro04]

So, after playing Marquette at the end of December and coming away with a 13 point victory 61 - 48 what can we expect in game two. Well, for starters we had the luxury of playing them at home in December...now we travel to the Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee, WI. It is an 8:00 pm game so our players should be well acclimated and rested. Are we a different team than we were in December? Yes and No. We had Caroline who gave us an inspired game in December (19 points and three 3 pointers) but we didn't have Aubrey Griffin. Also for some odd reason Both Dorka and Aaliyah had sub-par games in the scoring category each scoring only 9 points. They both did well in rebounding the basketball...Edwards with 8 and Dorka with 10. We turned the ball over 17 times in December. While Lopez was our hot hand in the first game with 22 Nika, on the other hand, failed to score.

In the first game Marquette started Jordan King, Cloe Marrotta, Liza Karlen, Rose Ngume and Emily LaChapell. This time around Coach Duffy will probably start Kennedi Myles (who was not available in our first match-up) instead of Liza Karlen. But, look for Liza Karlen to split time with Kennedi

Dorka Juhasz vs Kennedi Myles / Liza Karlen - Well Dorka has grown in confidence since that first game in December she is Averaging a solid 14.4 points and 10.2 rebounds per game...both Kennedi and Liza together average 13.6 points and 9.9 Rebounds per game. Statistically it looks like a push at that position. I know that the Marquette fans are planning a "white out" for this one and they are pumped up. In spite of Dorka's burst of confidence of late...given Marquette's home crowd and the emotional let-down from South Carolina... ADVANTAGE - EVEN

Aaliyah Edwards vs Cloe Marrotta - Aaliyah was sensational against South Carolina...Let's hope she save some in the tank for this one...this is a tough match-up Marotta averages 14 points and 9 rebounds per game. While Edward's averages are slightly better she will need to be on her game if we are going to go into the McGuire Center and walk away with the "W". I think Edwards is up to the task...why, you might ask? Simple...she is our All American and that is what AAs do. ADVANTAGE - UCONN

Lou Lopez-Senechal vs Emily LaChapell - Emily scored 11 points against us in the last game and is not playing like a Freshman. I was actually stuck here in that I couldn't decide if Lou would play Emily or Jordan but given that Jordan is their go to player...I was thinking that maybe putting Aubrey on her could limit her production. She was held to 4 points in the last game but I can't remember who wrapped the blanket around her...it could have been Nika or Caroline...but, then what do you do with 5'7" Rose NKume? So, for now this match-up seems logical and it certainly favors UConn. ADVANTAGE - UCONN

Aubrey Griffin vs Jordan King - Jordan is Marquette's go to player...she has earned Big East honors four separate times this season. She is a handful averaging 16.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game...she is their engine. But, Aubrey is a special kind of player...her speed, her defensive ability may be enough to keep Jordan under her averages. ADVANTAGE - UCONN

Nika Muhl vs Rose NKume - Rose doesn't set the world on fire with her stat line but, she is part of Marquette's starting five and is essential to their defensive schemes...she and King are master thieves and are a good reason why Marquette averages 8.3 steals a game and scores 17.6 points off turnovers. Nika must take care of the basketball and facilitate our offense. She will be a lot for Rose to handle. ADVANTAGE - UCONN

Bench - If Caroline plays limited minutes she will be a boost to our anemic bench. For Marquette bringing Liza Karlen, Clair Kaifes and McKenzie Hare off the bench should be enough to give Marquette the advantage from the bench... ADVANTAGE - MARQUETTE

Intangibles - Marquette with the home court advantage, Duffy looking to make a statement and avenge her December loss and UConn shaking off the emotional toll from the last game with South Carolina... ADVANTAGE - MARQUETTE

Coaching - Yes, Duffy is competitive she was like that when she played college ball...yes she is feisty but, again she is up against a Hall of fame Head coach and a hall of fame Associate Coach - ADVANTAGE - UCONN

UConn - 74
Marquette - 59

MOV - 15

 

[Blond D.]

teams like UCONN dont have letdowns after a loss. They want to avenge the loss and the next team up is their victim. Be afraid Marquette...be VERY afraid!

 

[Bone Dog]

Thanks again, Sensei!

I may be a bit more optimistic than you about this game even though I really like Marquette as a team and respect Megan Duffy as a coach. They played us tough last time at home, and I expect the same effort from them again. But I think we’ll be riding high after playing SC. No pressure on us anymore. This may be a blowout in the second half.

Marotta and Karlen are really good players, and very strong. But they’re no match for Aaliyah and Dorka when they’re playing well. We just have too much size for them.

Jordan King is having the best year of her career. She’s feisty and fierce on D and a resourceful pg and scorer. She’s the core of their team. This is exactly who I’d want Nika to guard. It’s a matchup made for both of them.

They have nobody comparable to Lou or Aubrey. I think they could each have very big nights. Last year, they played us close in the Maguire Center for 3 quarters, until Azzi and Evina blew the game wide open. I wouldn’t be surprised if Lou and Aubrey did something similar this time.

This is an important game against a fine Big East team. Playing them is a treat. If Caroline plays a few minutes, it will be wonderful. We’ll roll either way, but it would be good to see her on the court.

 

[DEpup]

The reality is the refs will decide the MOV.... This could be a 5 pt wrestling match or a 30 pt display of great motion offense.... it's a shame that it won't be decided by the players.

 

[Bone Dog]

Good thing it’s not our barn.

 

[HopJim]

While I don't worry too much about the match ups, Duffy is one of the stronger coaches we face. If the opposition coach can figure out a way to keep the game close, I always am concerned with one off issues like key players fouling out, injuries, etc. Should be good game.

 

[Huskee11]

While Nika`s stats for the last Marquette game are underwhelming, she was still a factor and played a very good defensive game. She covered King like a blanket.

Aubrey was not available for that game and it is possible that she will see some time on King as well. But I think Nika will draw the assignment at least to start.

Both Nika and Aubrey are quicker than King. If King is held down, I don`t see how Marquette can score enough points to be competitive.

LaChappell shot it well from three against us the first time so somebody is going to have to keep track of her on the perimeter.

 

[DEpup]

With our injury issues, it's like every 2nd conference game is a whole new situation. Aubrey being available does change the dynamic for the better in this second game.

 

[JoePgh]

Since I have relatives in Milwaukee, I decided to visit and watch this game in person. So I may contribute to the Postgame thread.

I just re-watched the first game. It was Caroline's last game of the season thus far, and also her best game this season, playing 38 minutes and scoring 19 points, including 3-for-6 from the arc, plus 7 rebounds. Unfortunately, at the very end of the game she caught an elbow to the face. Even though she scored on a driving layup after that, she had to go to the bench before the end of the game and apply an icepack to her head. We haven't seen her since.

So, assuming that Caroline either doesn't play or plays very little in the rematch, this is effectively a repeat of the rosters from the first game except with Aubrey replacing Caroline. Aubrey will have to play VERY well to match Caroline's performance in that game, but she may do just that. UConn had no transition offense in the first game, and I think that the absence of Aubrey was a big reason for that.

Lou also had a great game, scoring 22 points on 9-for-15 shooting, including 2-for-3 from 3-point range. I wonder if she will be able to match that, given that Marquette will probably focus its defense on her to a greater degree. But that may mean Aaliyah and Dorka may have more opportunities. It appeared that Marquette was focusing its defense on them, and they succeeded in limiting both of them to 9 points, albeit with 18 rebounds.

UConn should have better talent at every position than Marquette, but not by a wide margin. The Tundra Dwellers are experienced and quite unlikely to make dumb mistakes. In the last game, the turnovers and points off turnovers were basically even. If that happens again, UConn should win.

 

[Ct Dog]

Not worried much about this game unless of course the Refs let it turn into a case of Uconn against street ballers again. Then who knows