In Reply to: Excited about tonight's game posted by Cachorro on April 04, 2025 at 09:28:33
I agree, Yes, Close was very clear that we have to chase them off the three point line but their counter will be to use back cuts to get behind our defense and we have to be alert and prepared for that as well.
XLNT presser - see uclabruins.com - transcript/quotes available there as well.
I agree about defending Bueckers - we have to do that - but the problem is different than defending Watkins. Watkins is 6'2" and a very tough athlete who has a power game to get to her spots and is a volume shooter. Bueckers' game is built around her speed, her smarts and her passing ability as well. Londynn Jones may (MAY) have the quickness to stay with her but doesn't have the size. At a claimed 5'4" she gives up 8 inches to the 6'0" Bueckers but that still doesn't keep Paige from shooting over her and especially if she can get a couple foot edge past her laterally. Against this one, doubt Gabi has the quickness to get the job done but I do feel we need to find ways to anticipate Bueckers so we can double her - that will be more difficult than against Watkins when we made our adjustment at halftime also which inhibited their ability to counter during the game.
In her presser, Close talked about Geno allowing her to spend four days during the tournament observing his practices when Cori was a first year coach. (Growing the next generation.) She said he's a brilliant teacher and UConn is a very high IQ team whose attack is based on read and react rather than set plays or movements which makes them just about impossible to predict. Think you're also right that the keys will be in the scout - which hands do they (Bueckers, Fudd, the freshman phenom Booker? think I'm forgetting the name there) prefer, which direction are they most comfortable going? (For example, Betts loves to spin clockwise and go to her left hand for shots close in. She often spins that way even when the defender is shaded to that side and the other direction is easier with a more open path to the hoop.)
Tracy Murray, calling the men's games as the analyst, goes a bit nuts when we allow opponents to keep going to their dominant hand, a no-no that is generally stressed in the scouts. It's a mantra - like "First, somebody stop the ball" - "Don't let him go to his dominant side."
Haven't focused on the tapes to have any idea how much that might apply to UConn's three stars but hopefully our scout of them has spotted something like that because it could be a real key to who wins this one tonight.
Reason this one is so exciting is that college women's basketball had about six star teams this year, six real heavyweights. That makes today's games really interesting.