Georgia is getting killed by South Carolina

#26
#26
superfly said:
UCONN is trying to take back the top position...pressure UCONN....UCONN is expected to win by the fans and media...pressure UCONN....the game is on national television....pressure UCONN....no one expect South Carolina to win except South Carolina so there is no real pressure going in. This is also not the same team that beat Duke by one. There are freshman that have been in a mix since the season started that have started to jell. It may be a UCONN win....or maybe not. The real truth is, not the best team always wins....but the best team that night does.....could be anyone's night.
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The team defending the No 1 ranking always has the pressure on them. Add on the pressure of staying undefeated.

Since when has UConn folded because the game is on national TV? Much more often it's their opponent that is blinded by the bright lights.

SC may have improved from their one point win against Duke but UConn has also improved from their thirty one point win. Stokes, Chong and especially Williams have all stepped up. UConn is never satisfied.

"None of that means anything. Two teams will play on Monday, whomever executes best will win."

This says it all. And which team has a history of executing in big games? Which team has played in 4 FF games in the last 2 years and gone 4-0? Which team knows it's a S16 game loser?

I'm hoping for a great game. I like SC's team but I think they are a year away. Their massive front line doesn't shoot very well nor have they had to go out and defend the perimeter. UConn's entire starting front line can play inside and more importantly, out on the perimeter. Mitchell is an outstanding player but UConn has a long history of wearing down opposing guards.

And for SC, this game isn't the key to their season. Their biggest game will be against Tenn because it will likely be for the SEC title and the 1 seed in Greensboro. UConn has little facing them until the S16.
 
#27
#27
South Carolina will play its worst game of the year against UConn and play its best game of the year against the Lady Vols. Count on it.
 
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#28
#28
linkster said:
The team defending the No 1 ranking always has the pressure on them. Add on the pressure of staying undefeated.

Since when has UConn folded because the game is on national TV? Much more often it's their opponent that is blinded by the bright lights.

SC may have improved from their one point win against Duke but UConn has also improved from their thirty one point win. Stokes, Chong and especially Williams have all stepped up. UConn is never satisfied.

"None of that means anything. Two teams will play on Monday, whomever executes best will win."

This says it all. And which team has a history of executing in big games? Which team has played in 4 FF games in the last 2 years and gone 4-0? Which team knows it's a S16 game loser?

I'm hoping for a great game. I like SC's team but I think they are a year away. Their massive front line doesn't shoot very well nor have they had to go out and defend the perimeter. UConn's entire starting front line can play inside and more importantly, out on the perimeter. Mitchell is an outstanding player but UConn has a long history of wearing down opposing guards.

And for SC, this game isn't the key to their season. Their biggest game will be against Tenn because it will likely be for the SEC title and the 1 seed in Greensboro. UConn has little facing them until the S16.
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Do you watch the games? I don't see that they have. UConn plays weak patsies night in and night out, and can score 80+ pts in their sleep against: how does that improve UConn? USC has physical battles with every game with bodies flying all over the floor, while UConn plays against opponents like Cincinnati whose guards are so weak they can't heave the basketball from the 3pt line far enough that it makes contact with the goal. That's making UConn better?
 
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#29
#29
LurkerExposed said:
Do you watch the games? I don't see that they have. UConn plays weak patsies night in and night out, and can score 80+ pts in their sleep against: how does that improve UConn? USC has physical battles with every game with bodies flying all over the floor, while UConn plays against opponents like Cincinnati whose guards are so weak they can't heave the basketball from the 3pt line far enough that it makes contact with the goal. That's making UConn better?
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Yes, I have watched a lot of games for both teams. While I agree that UConn's conference opponents since Duke are on a whole weak, I think you under rate them and overstate SC's opponents. Both ECU and S Fla would win a lot of games in the SEC, especially against teams like Kentucky, TAMU & Georgia, the 3 "ranked" teams SC have faced since Duke,. Georgia has no business being ranked right now and TAMU is only ranked because of that early season win against Duke. Massey has South Fla. ranked above all three of those teams, even Kentucky.

But improvement isn't tied to the quality of the opponent. UConn needed to integrate 2 new starters into their lineup to replace Dolson and Hartley. That takes time and it's starting to show up on the court. They rely less and less on Stewart and Lewis to carry the offense. The ball moves around the floor better the players are better at anticipating where their team mates will be. Defensively UConn plays a switching MTM that requires a lot of rotation. Everybody has to be working together and earlier in the season that wasn't happening, especially when subs came in the game.

Probably the biggest change since the Duke game is the play of Gabby Williams, who is reminding UConn fans of Nina Davis of Baylor. She is far from a complete player but is shooting 63%, mostly on Davis-like shots around the basket.

UConn has a long and successful history of raising their play in big games. The few teams that have given them trouble in recent years have been strong offensive ones like Baylor & Notre Dame. Strong defensive teams like Duke, Louisville (and SC?) have failed miserably.
 
#32
#32
CockyGuy said:
Yawn. We'll see Monday.
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Let's hope it's not another yawner.

i have respect for SC. They certainly can win. I just think that on balance UConn is more likely to do so. And if there was no speculation these boards would be dead. :)
 
#33
#33
The Lady Vols better have their jock straps or whatever it is they wear on snug when they play USCe because I have a feeling they're going to try to run us out of the gym down there.
 
#34
#34
As good as USCe is, I still think UCONN blows them out by double digits.
 
#35
#35
LurkerExposed said:
Do you watch the games? I don't see that they have. UConn plays weak patsies night in and night out, and can score 80+ pts in their sleep against: how does that improve UConn? USC has physical battles with every game with bodies flying all over the floor, while UConn plays against opponents like Cincinnati whose guards are so weak they can't heave the basketball from the 3pt line far enough that it makes contact with the goal. That's making UConn better?
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Playing a tough schedule can improve a team, but it can hurt a team..injuries and physically wearing the players down can occur.
 
#37
#37
CockyGuy said:
Absolutely, and that's where the depth comes in.
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Over the long haul of a season depth can come into play.

How do you see South Carolina having 9 player rotation compared to UConn's 8 player rotation impact this particular game?
 
#39
#39
doggydaddy said:
Over the long haul of a season depth can come into play.

How do you see South Carolina having 9 player rotation compared to UConn's 8 player rotation impact this particular game?
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For starters, I think it's at least 10. Coates, Wilson, White, Cuevas, and Roy almost certainly will play. And, I don't think it's a matter of the 10 as a whole, but rather Wilson, White, Ibiam, Coates, Welch, and Dozier rotating between the 3-5 positions. The most glaring aspect is Stokes having to play longer minutes due to our size/skill combination. I know Duke has similar size, but who is an offensive threat besides Stevens? I'm not ragging on Stokes, but in my mind the longer she plays and/or Tuck does not is a plus for us and a minus for UConn(remember Tuck replaced Stokes as a starter after the Stanford loss). Stewie also has to defend the post more often in this game, not saying she can't, but rather I haven't seen her bang in the low post much. I'm not naive, I know we'll have to make adjustments too, but if it turns into a defensive game, I like our chances.
 
#40
#40
LurkerExposed said:
Do you watch the games? I don't see that they have. UConn plays weak patsies night in and night out, and can score 80+ pts in their sleep against: how does that improve UConn? USC has physical battles with every game with bodies flying all over the floor, while UConn plays against opponents like Cincinnati whose guards are so weak they can't heave the basketball from the 3pt line far enough that it makes contact with the goal. That's making UConn better?
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You can mock UConn's schedule all you want, but UConn would easily be undefeated now if they played South Carolina's schedule. And I'm not sure South Carolina would have made it through an early season trip to Stanford and Notre Dame unscathed either....
 
#42
#42
CockyGuy said:
Yawn. We'll see Monday.
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I still say do not sale USC short. UCONN is much more beatable than they have been in the last three years. USC will have to be physical in order to win. Maybe its because of the conference UCONN plays in, but I have watched a few of their games and UCONN does not look as physical as they have been in the past.
 
#43
#43
Darth_Vol said:
You can mock UConn's schedule all you want, but UConn would easily be undefeated now if they played South Carolina's schedule. And I'm not sure South Carolina would have made it through an early season trip to Stanford and Notre Dame unscathed either....
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Notre Dame maybe... I like our chances if we got them w/o Turner(i.e. nevermind) Stanford?? Laughable.. They've pretty much lost to everyone not named UConn.
 
#44
#44
This is going to be a great game on Monday night, but conference games are more important for USC. The Duke comparison doesn't work because the Gamecocks won at Duke (where the Blue Devils blew out Kentucky and Louisville) and UCONN played them in Hartford. With a lot of snow predicted in Connecticut on Monday night, there may not be as large a crowd at the game as under normal circumstances.
 
#45
#45
CockyGuy said:
Notre Dame maybe... I like our chances if we got them w/o Turner(i.e. nevermind) Stanford?? Laughable.. They've pretty much lost to everyone not named UConn.
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Trips to Palo Alto for Eastern teams are brutal, just ask Geno or Pat. The Cocks might win, but it isn't laughable to think they could lose that game at all.

The fact is South Carolina's nonconference schedule has been cupcake city. They played one good team, and were VERY fortunate to come out with a 1 point win.... against the same team UConn absolutely slaughtered.
 
#46
#46
Cockhornleghorn said:
This is going to be a great game on Monday night, but conference games are more important for USC. The Duke comparison doesn't work because the Gamecocks won at Duke (where the Blue Devils blew out Kentucky and Louisville) and UCONN played them in Hartford. With a lot of snow predicted in Connecticut on Monday night, there may not be as large a crowd at the game as under normal circumstances.
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From what I read that game at Duke happened during their break and there were more SC fans there than Duke fans.

Duke had a size/depth advantage over UConn also, but it was their lack of offensive skills that did them in at UConn. Physical play is emphasised in the SEC where the bulk of the scoring is done in the paint and it also works well in OOC games when the opponent is undersized and unable to stand up to 40 minutes of pounding. But as we saw last year in the NCAA S16, when the opponent has skills and can shoot a little all that beef in the paint is much less effective when it has to extend itself out to the perimeter.

I will agree that SC's best chance is to turn the game into a slow, defensive battle.
 
#48
#48
linkster said:
Yes, I have watched a lot of games for both teams. While I agree that UConn's conference opponents since Duke are on a whole weak, I think you under rate them and overstate SC's opponents. Both ECU and S Fla would win a lot of games in the SEC, especially against teams like Kentucky, TAMU & Georgia, the 3 "ranked" teams SC have faced since Duke,. Georgia has no business being ranked right now and TAMU is only ranked because of that early season win against Duke. Massey has South Fla. ranked above all three of those teams, even Kentucky.

But improvement isn't tied to the quality of the opponent. UConn needed to integrate 2 new starters into their lineup to replace Dolson and Hartley. That takes time and it's starting to show up on the court. They rely less and less on Stewart and Lewis to carry the offense. The ball moves around the floor better the players are better at anticipating where their team mates will be. Defensively UConn plays a switching MTM that requires a lot of rotation. Everybody has to be working together and earlier in the season that wasn't happening, especially when subs came in the game.

Probably the biggest change since the Duke game is the play of Gabby Williams, who is reminding UConn fans of Nina Davis of Baylor. She is far from a complete player but is shooting 63%, mostly on Davis-like shots around the basket.

UConn has a long and successful history of raising their play in big games. The few teams that have given them trouble in recent years have been strong offensive ones like Baylor & Notre Dame. Strong defensive teams like Duke, Louisville (and SC?) have failed miserably.
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How many teams in the AAC are ranked in the top 25?
 
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