BabHorn
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Texas and UConn resume their series on Monday, March 28, 2016 at 6 PM on ESPN. UConn leads the series 6-0. The closest game was the first one on April 06, 2003 in the Final Four semis, when Texas lost 69-71. In addition to meeting up with UConn last year in the Sweet 16 and this year in the Elite Eight, Texas and UConn will start a two year home and home series in 2017. This game Monday will be a #1 UConn matchup with a #2 Texas in the Elite Eight.
Four of the five starters for the UConn Huskies are averaging in double figures in scoring. The fifth is 0.7 ppg from giving them five starters in double figures. Breanna Stewart (# 30, 6-4 Sr. F) is the leader at 19.3 ppg. Morgan Tuck (# 3, 6-2 Sr. F) averages 13.0 ppg. Moriah Jefferson (# 4, 5-7 Sr. G) adds 12.7 ppg. Katie Lou Samuelson (# 33, 6-3 Fr. G/F) brings 11.2 ppg to the game. The fifth starter, Kia Nurse (# 11, 6-0 Soph. G) has a 9.3 ppg average. The top scorer from the bench, Gabby Williams (# 15. 5-11 Soph. G) has a 9.0 ppg average. Those six players account for 74.5 ppg of UConn’s 88.5 ppg scoring average. They are also the only players to have taken at least 200 shot attempts in 35 games. Williams has the best FG% at 63.9% (138-216). Stewart (252-431; 58.5%), Jefferson (171-307; 55.7%) and Tuck (157-310; 50.6%) are all making over 50% of their shots. Nurse (119-270; 44.1%) and Samuelson (141-285; 49.5%) are reaching for that 50%. All five starters are 3pt threats with Tuck the weak link at 28.8% (21-73). But the other four are solid shooters, led by Jefferson (48-111; 43.2%). Stewart (39-93; 41.9%), Samuelson (74-190; 38.9%) and Nurse (47-133; 35.3%) are the other main 3pt threats. Stewart is the tops in getting to the FT line (112-135) but she is only fifth in FT% at 83.0%. Jefferson and Napheesa Collier (# 24, 6-1 Fr. F/G) share the top FT% at 91.1%. Both are 41-45 from the FT line. Saniya Chong (# 12, 5-8 Jr. G) is third at 85.7% (24-28). Samuelson is fourth with a FT% of 83.7% on 36-43. Tuck is second to Stewart in FTs made and attempted (54-70; 77.1%).
Stewart is the leading rebounder at 8.6 rpg but three other Huskies average over 5 rebs per game: Tuck (5.9 rpg), Williams (5.7 rpg) and Collier (5.3 rpg). Natalie Butler (# 51, 6-4 Soph. C) adds 4.4 rpg in 13 minutes off the bench. Three players have at least 100 assists: Jefferson (183), Stewart (134) and Tuck (100). The other two starters, Nurse and Samuelson, have 96 and 80 assists, respectively. Seeing and making that extra pass that leads to an easy basket is second nature to them.
Stewart is far and away their premier shot blocker with 120 blocks, almost three times as many as second place Collier who has 45 blocks. UConn is third nationally with 430 steals. Jefferson tops the team with 92 steals. Williams adds 69 steals while Stewart is third with 62 steals. Nurse (49) and Collier (47) also have demonstrated a nose for grabbing steals.
Surprising, Nurse is the only player to start all 35 games. Six players, including Nurse, have at least 11 starts. Three others have at least one start. Jefferson’s 30.3 mpg tops the squad. Stewart (28.4 mpg) and Nurse (27.6 mpg) are second and third in minutes played. Nine players average double digit minutes per game, as much as a result of their overwhelming opponents which allows UConn to play their reserves a lot. Their main rotation is seven players: Stewart, Tuck, Jefferson, Samuelson, Nurse, Williams and Collier. Also getting double digits minutes are Butler (13.0 mpg in 24 games) and Chong (13.4 mpg in 30 games).
Horns will bring three players averaging double digit scoring to the game: Brooke (11.7 ppg), Imani (11.5 ppg) and Ariel (10.9 ppg). Brooke (147-320; 45.9%) and Imani (155-306; 50.7%) have been the leading shooters for the Horns. Ariel (103-194; 53.1%) and Kelsey (100-191; 52.4%) join Imani as the players hitting over 50% of their shots from the field. Four players serve as the primary long distance shooters for the Horns: Brooke (63-152; 41.4%), Celina (32-92; 34.8%), Empress (21-78; 26.9%) and Ariel (18-55; 32.7%). Imani is the only Horn to have passed 100 FT attempts as she leads the team with 88-112 for a 78.6%. Empress is second to Imani in FTs made & attempted with 61 of 82 for a percentage of 74.4%. Three players are making over 80% of their FTs: Ariel with a team leading 81.9% (59-72), Kelsey (35-43; 81.4%) and Brady (17-21; 81.0%).
Imani is the leading rebounder at 9.0 rpg with Kelsey (4.5 rpg), Brianna (4.4 rpg) and Ariel (4.0 rpg) providing strong support. Celina is the top distributor with 133 assists while Brooke has passed for 89 assists and Empress has set up teammates 74 times. Imani has 103 blocks for the Horns. Kelsey has 30 and three others have seven blocks each. Horns have four players with 40 plus steals: LaShann (46), Brooke (43), Brianna (43) and Celina (42). Ariel chips in with 34 steals while Imani adds 28.
Seven players have seen action in all games they have been available for. For five, that has been for all 35 games. For two, their availability has been shortened by injuries. Brooke, Imani, Celina, Empress and Kelsey have played in all 35 games. Ariel has played in 26 games with 13 starts. Brianna has seen action in 33 games with 18 starts. Horns have primarily used 9 players with eight seeing at least 10 minutes per game. LaShann has settled down and has provided a big spark on both ends of the floor in the last few games. She will give Texas another player to throw into the guard mix in this game. Brooke’s 30.8 mpg is the tops for the team. Celina, Imani, Empress and Ariel all play 20 plus minutes a game. LaShann, Kelsey and Brianna all play in the mid to high teens.
Projected starters based on the last game:
Texas______________UConn
Imani (6-7)________ Tuck (6-2)
Ariel (5-11)_______ Stewart (6-4)
Empress (5-9)_____ Samuelson (6-3)
Celina (5-8)_______ Nurse (6-0)
Brooke (5-4)______ Jefferson (5-7)
Horns are going to face what is probably the best starting five as a group in WCBB. The engines that make UConn go are Stewart and Jefferson. That will be tough matchups for Imani and Brooke. Imani will have the more difficult matchup defensively as Stewart can score anywhere from inside the paint to BTA. Imani’s best value to the Horns is in the paint where she can block or alter shots. Look for her to match up with Tuck more than Stewart with Ariel, Jordan and others covering Stewart. Brooke will take her turn on Jefferson but will receive help from others as well. Horns cannot leave any of the UConn starters, except maybe Tuck alone BTA. Look for UConn to post Stewart inside and look to take advantage of the help defense for open layups. For UConn, the question will be whether Tuck or Stewart defend Imani. The other will have to contend with Ariel’s quickness and ability to slash and stop and pop. I expect them to blanket Brooke as much as possible and force the other guards to shoot from BTA. Imani’s and Kelsey’s ability to score inside will be critical. That will be dependent on the guards ability to get them the ball in good scoring position, not making them try to make difficult catches or get the ball near their knees/ankles nor in a crowd. Both Imani and Kelsey will need to stay out of foul trouble while playing aggressive defense. LaShann will once again be an xfactor on both ends. An important option will Jordan if she is able to give good minutes at the four against either Tuck or Stewart.
Team Stats______________________Texas (31-4)__________UConn (35-0)
Scoring__________________________2495________________3098
PPG_____________________________71.3_________________88.5
Scoring Margin_________________+15.7________________+40.8
FGs Made-Att___________________926-2124_____________1206-2284
FG Ave/Game Made-Att_________26.5-60.7____________34.5-65.3
FG%____________________________43.6%________________52.8%
2pt Made-Att___________________767-1645____________938-1566
2pt FGs Ave/Game Made-Att___21.9-47.0_____________26.8-44.7
2pt FG%________________________46.6%________________59.9%
3p FGs Made-Att_______________159-479_______________268-718
3pt Ave/Game Made-Att_______4.5-13.7______________7.7-20.5
3pt FG%_______________________33.2%________________37.3%
FTs Made-Att__________________484-696______________418-524
FT Ave/Game Made-Att________13.8-19.9____________11.9-15.0
FT %___________________________69.5%_______________79.8%
Rebounds_____________________1464__________________1443
RPG___________________________41.8_________________41.2
Reb Margin___________________+9.6___________________+11.7
Assists________________________494___________________756
APG___________________________14.1________________21.6
Turnovers_____________________558__________________412
TOPG_________________________15.9__________________11.8
TO Margin____________________+2.2________________+9.4
A/TO Ratio____________________0.9_________________1.8
Steals_________________________280__________________430
SPG___________________________8.0_________________12.3
Blocks_________________________183__________________227
BPG___________________________5.2________________6.5
Winning Streak_______________3____________________35
Score by quarters (ave)_____1st_____2nd_____3rd _____4th_____Total
Texas (31-4)_________________17.3___16.6_____18.2____19.2_____71.3
UConn (35-0)________________24.0___21.1_____23.8____19.6_____88.5
Okay, once again. Texas vs UConn, this time in the Elite Eight for a chance to get to the Final Four. I know pretty much everyone has conceded this game to UConn. I hope our players are not thinking that way. There’s a chance, however slim, for the upset. UConn is simply playing at another level. They don’t take more shots than the average team; they simply make a lot more of their chances. They don’t get a large number of rebounds, mainly because they don’t miss that much. Their defense is stifling. But Texas has to run their offense effectively to find the cracks.
Both teams like to run. UConn forces over 21 TOs a game. Horns average 16 TOs a game. Horns will need to use crisp, sharp passes to minimize TOs. UConn gets over 12 steals a game which leads usually to a layup on the other end. Texas can counter with 8 steals a game. While UConn has a lot of team speed, Texas is not exactly slow in the backcourt. A JOAT is a jack of all trades, able to do a bit of everything. Realistically, the game changer that UConn has is Stewart who does a bit of everything very well, basically a MOAT, master of all trades. Texas’ advantage is inside with Imani. Texas’ ability to get out and run off defensive rebounds will be key. As will be making open shots. Horns have to be steady and opportunistic to have a chance to advance to the Final Four for the first time since 2003.
Game time is Monday, March 28 at 6 PM. The game will be televised on ESPN and carried on The Horns, 104.9 FM.
Four of the five starters for the UConn Huskies are averaging in double figures in scoring. The fifth is 0.7 ppg from giving them five starters in double figures. Breanna Stewart (# 30, 6-4 Sr. F) is the leader at 19.3 ppg. Morgan Tuck (# 3, 6-2 Sr. F) averages 13.0 ppg. Moriah Jefferson (# 4, 5-7 Sr. G) adds 12.7 ppg. Katie Lou Samuelson (# 33, 6-3 Fr. G/F) brings 11.2 ppg to the game. The fifth starter, Kia Nurse (# 11, 6-0 Soph. G) has a 9.3 ppg average. The top scorer from the bench, Gabby Williams (# 15. 5-11 Soph. G) has a 9.0 ppg average. Those six players account for 74.5 ppg of UConn’s 88.5 ppg scoring average. They are also the only players to have taken at least 200 shot attempts in 35 games. Williams has the best FG% at 63.9% (138-216). Stewart (252-431; 58.5%), Jefferson (171-307; 55.7%) and Tuck (157-310; 50.6%) are all making over 50% of their shots. Nurse (119-270; 44.1%) and Samuelson (141-285; 49.5%) are reaching for that 50%. All five starters are 3pt threats with Tuck the weak link at 28.8% (21-73). But the other four are solid shooters, led by Jefferson (48-111; 43.2%). Stewart (39-93; 41.9%), Samuelson (74-190; 38.9%) and Nurse (47-133; 35.3%) are the other main 3pt threats. Stewart is the tops in getting to the FT line (112-135) but she is only fifth in FT% at 83.0%. Jefferson and Napheesa Collier (# 24, 6-1 Fr. F/G) share the top FT% at 91.1%. Both are 41-45 from the FT line. Saniya Chong (# 12, 5-8 Jr. G) is third at 85.7% (24-28). Samuelson is fourth with a FT% of 83.7% on 36-43. Tuck is second to Stewart in FTs made and attempted (54-70; 77.1%).
Stewart is the leading rebounder at 8.6 rpg but three other Huskies average over 5 rebs per game: Tuck (5.9 rpg), Williams (5.7 rpg) and Collier (5.3 rpg). Natalie Butler (# 51, 6-4 Soph. C) adds 4.4 rpg in 13 minutes off the bench. Three players have at least 100 assists: Jefferson (183), Stewart (134) and Tuck (100). The other two starters, Nurse and Samuelson, have 96 and 80 assists, respectively. Seeing and making that extra pass that leads to an easy basket is second nature to them.
Stewart is far and away their premier shot blocker with 120 blocks, almost three times as many as second place Collier who has 45 blocks. UConn is third nationally with 430 steals. Jefferson tops the team with 92 steals. Williams adds 69 steals while Stewart is third with 62 steals. Nurse (49) and Collier (47) also have demonstrated a nose for grabbing steals.
Surprising, Nurse is the only player to start all 35 games. Six players, including Nurse, have at least 11 starts. Three others have at least one start. Jefferson’s 30.3 mpg tops the squad. Stewart (28.4 mpg) and Nurse (27.6 mpg) are second and third in minutes played. Nine players average double digit minutes per game, as much as a result of their overwhelming opponents which allows UConn to play their reserves a lot. Their main rotation is seven players: Stewart, Tuck, Jefferson, Samuelson, Nurse, Williams and Collier. Also getting double digits minutes are Butler (13.0 mpg in 24 games) and Chong (13.4 mpg in 30 games).
Horns will bring three players averaging double digit scoring to the game: Brooke (11.7 ppg), Imani (11.5 ppg) and Ariel (10.9 ppg). Brooke (147-320; 45.9%) and Imani (155-306; 50.7%) have been the leading shooters for the Horns. Ariel (103-194; 53.1%) and Kelsey (100-191; 52.4%) join Imani as the players hitting over 50% of their shots from the field. Four players serve as the primary long distance shooters for the Horns: Brooke (63-152; 41.4%), Celina (32-92; 34.8%), Empress (21-78; 26.9%) and Ariel (18-55; 32.7%). Imani is the only Horn to have passed 100 FT attempts as she leads the team with 88-112 for a 78.6%. Empress is second to Imani in FTs made & attempted with 61 of 82 for a percentage of 74.4%. Three players are making over 80% of their FTs: Ariel with a team leading 81.9% (59-72), Kelsey (35-43; 81.4%) and Brady (17-21; 81.0%).
Imani is the leading rebounder at 9.0 rpg with Kelsey (4.5 rpg), Brianna (4.4 rpg) and Ariel (4.0 rpg) providing strong support. Celina is the top distributor with 133 assists while Brooke has passed for 89 assists and Empress has set up teammates 74 times. Imani has 103 blocks for the Horns. Kelsey has 30 and three others have seven blocks each. Horns have four players with 40 plus steals: LaShann (46), Brooke (43), Brianna (43) and Celina (42). Ariel chips in with 34 steals while Imani adds 28.
Seven players have seen action in all games they have been available for. For five, that has been for all 35 games. For two, their availability has been shortened by injuries. Brooke, Imani, Celina, Empress and Kelsey have played in all 35 games. Ariel has played in 26 games with 13 starts. Brianna has seen action in 33 games with 18 starts. Horns have primarily used 9 players with eight seeing at least 10 minutes per game. LaShann has settled down and has provided a big spark on both ends of the floor in the last few games. She will give Texas another player to throw into the guard mix in this game. Brooke’s 30.8 mpg is the tops for the team. Celina, Imani, Empress and Ariel all play 20 plus minutes a game. LaShann, Kelsey and Brianna all play in the mid to high teens.
Projected starters based on the last game:
Texas______________UConn
Imani (6-7)________ Tuck (6-2)
Ariel (5-11)_______ Stewart (6-4)
Empress (5-9)_____ Samuelson (6-3)
Celina (5-8)_______ Nurse (6-0)
Brooke (5-4)______ Jefferson (5-7)
Horns are going to face what is probably the best starting five as a group in WCBB. The engines that make UConn go are Stewart and Jefferson. That will be tough matchups for Imani and Brooke. Imani will have the more difficult matchup defensively as Stewart can score anywhere from inside the paint to BTA. Imani’s best value to the Horns is in the paint where she can block or alter shots. Look for her to match up with Tuck more than Stewart with Ariel, Jordan and others covering Stewart. Brooke will take her turn on Jefferson but will receive help from others as well. Horns cannot leave any of the UConn starters, except maybe Tuck alone BTA. Look for UConn to post Stewart inside and look to take advantage of the help defense for open layups. For UConn, the question will be whether Tuck or Stewart defend Imani. The other will have to contend with Ariel’s quickness and ability to slash and stop and pop. I expect them to blanket Brooke as much as possible and force the other guards to shoot from BTA. Imani’s and Kelsey’s ability to score inside will be critical. That will be dependent on the guards ability to get them the ball in good scoring position, not making them try to make difficult catches or get the ball near their knees/ankles nor in a crowd. Both Imani and Kelsey will need to stay out of foul trouble while playing aggressive defense. LaShann will once again be an xfactor on both ends. An important option will Jordan if she is able to give good minutes at the four against either Tuck or Stewart.
Team Stats______________________Texas (31-4)__________UConn (35-0)
Scoring__________________________2495________________3098
PPG_____________________________71.3_________________88.5
Scoring Margin_________________+15.7________________+40.8
FGs Made-Att___________________926-2124_____________1206-2284
FG Ave/Game Made-Att_________26.5-60.7____________34.5-65.3
FG%____________________________43.6%________________52.8%
2pt Made-Att___________________767-1645____________938-1566
2pt FGs Ave/Game Made-Att___21.9-47.0_____________26.8-44.7
2pt FG%________________________46.6%________________59.9%
3p FGs Made-Att_______________159-479_______________268-718
3pt Ave/Game Made-Att_______4.5-13.7______________7.7-20.5
3pt FG%_______________________33.2%________________37.3%
FTs Made-Att__________________484-696______________418-524
FT Ave/Game Made-Att________13.8-19.9____________11.9-15.0
FT %___________________________69.5%_______________79.8%
Rebounds_____________________1464__________________1443
RPG___________________________41.8_________________41.2
Reb Margin___________________+9.6___________________+11.7
Assists________________________494___________________756
APG___________________________14.1________________21.6
Turnovers_____________________558__________________412
TOPG_________________________15.9__________________11.8
TO Margin____________________+2.2________________+9.4
A/TO Ratio____________________0.9_________________1.8
Steals_________________________280__________________430
SPG___________________________8.0_________________12.3
Blocks_________________________183__________________227
BPG___________________________5.2________________6.5
Winning Streak_______________3____________________35
Score by quarters (ave)_____1st_____2nd_____3rd _____4th_____Total
Texas (31-4)_________________17.3___16.6_____18.2____19.2_____71.3
UConn (35-0)________________24.0___21.1_____23.8____19.6_____88.5
Okay, once again. Texas vs UConn, this time in the Elite Eight for a chance to get to the Final Four. I know pretty much everyone has conceded this game to UConn. I hope our players are not thinking that way. There’s a chance, however slim, for the upset. UConn is simply playing at another level. They don’t take more shots than the average team; they simply make a lot more of their chances. They don’t get a large number of rebounds, mainly because they don’t miss that much. Their defense is stifling. But Texas has to run their offense effectively to find the cracks.
Both teams like to run. UConn forces over 21 TOs a game. Horns average 16 TOs a game. Horns will need to use crisp, sharp passes to minimize TOs. UConn gets over 12 steals a game which leads usually to a layup on the other end. Texas can counter with 8 steals a game. While UConn has a lot of team speed, Texas is not exactly slow in the backcourt. A JOAT is a jack of all trades, able to do a bit of everything. Realistically, the game changer that UConn has is Stewart who does a bit of everything very well, basically a MOAT, master of all trades. Texas’ advantage is inside with Imani. Texas’ ability to get out and run off defensive rebounds will be key. As will be making open shots. Horns have to be steady and opportunistic to have a chance to advance to the Final Four for the first time since 2003.
Game time is Monday, March 28 at 6 PM. The game will be televised on ESPN and carried on The Horns, 104.9 FM.
