ND Women's BB '18 -'19 Season
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Great 538 Article on ND's DEFENSE.
Great 538 Article on ND's DEFENSE.
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/notre-dame-is-less-one-dimensional-than-it-was-last-year/
APR. 3, 2019, AT 3:03 PM
Notre Dame Is Less One-Dimensional Than It Was Last Year
And last year’s team won the NCAA championship.
By Howard Megdal
Great 538 Article on ND's DEFENSE.
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/notre-dame-is-less-one-dimensional-than-it-was-last-year/
APR. 3, 2019, AT 3:03 PM
Notre Dame Is Less One-Dimensional Than It Was Last Year
And last year’s team won the NCAA championship.
By Howard Megdal
Women's Final Four primer
Charlie Creme
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Been here before: Defending NCAA champion is making its second consecutive Final Four appearance and ninth overall, all under coach Muffet McGraw; national championships in 2001 and 2018.
Reason to be excited: Experience. Notre Dame's starting lineup is four seniors (Marina Mabrey, Arike Ogunbowale, Jessica Shepard and Brianna Turner) and a junior (Jackie Young), all of whom could be playing their final games in an Irish uniform (Young is eligible for the WNBA draft but has not announced her plans). The desire to go out on top cannot be measured, but the confidence derived from winning the best Final Four in history a year ago can only help.
Reason to be concerned: Mabrey. Notre Dame prides itself on having five bona fide offensive threats. Right now, the Irish have four. Mabrey has hit a shooting slump at the worst possible time. She is 5-of-24 from the field and 2-of-15 from 3-point range in four NCAA tournament games, scoring a total of 12 points. Young scored 11 in a four-minute stretch in the second half against Stanford.
The Irish will win if ... they get just enough stops. As explosive as the Notre Dame offense is, the defense doesn't need to be great -- it needs to be timely. A few stands in key moments are enough to allow the Irish to string together a few difference-making baskets. That's what happened against Texas A&M in the Sweet 16. An Ogunbowale steal here, a Mabrey defensive rebound there, Young getting good position on a drive and a tie score turns into an eight-point Irish lead and another victory.
X factor: Turner. When talking about Notre Dame's defense, the conversation has to include Turner, the ACC's three-time defensive player of the year. Her ability to block shots and keep them in play is an ignitor for the Irish transition game. More importantly, if Turner can make Napheesa Collier less effective around the rim, UConn just isn't as good. The matchup between the Huskies' best player and Notre Dame's best defender will be a key.
Stat to know: Perhaps it's a byproduct of the struggles of Mabrey, the program's all-time leading 3-point shooter, but the Irish have also not shot well from distance. In its past three NCAA tournament games, Notre Dame has made just 9-of-33 (27.2 percent) after making nearly 37 percent of its 3-pointers during the regular season.
UConn Huskies
Been here before: NCAA-record (for men's and women's D-I basketball) 12th consecutive Final Four; the program's 20th Final Four appearance is also the most all time in NCAA tournament history. The Huskies have won 11 NCAA titles, including an unprecedented four-peat from 2013 to 2016.
Reason to be excited: Notre Dame seized control of the rivalry just before the Huskies went on their historic 111-game winning streak, but UConn has now won eight of the past nine against the Irish. That includes an 18-point win earlier this season. But that one loss was the heartbreaker in last year's Final Four. This is the chance for the UConn veterans to erase that bad memory.
Reason to be concerned: The margin for error has gotten increasingly smaller for the Huskies since their last national championship in 2016. Weaknesses have been exposed at times this season. UConn lacks depth both in numbers and in reliability after Napheesa Collier, Katie Lou Samuelson and Crystal Dangerfield. The Huskies can be had on the boards. They aren't as good defensively as they have been.
The Huskies will win if ... they make shots. Geno Auriemma is masterful in his ability to hide weaknesses and play to his team's strengths. But even he has admitted that when this UConn team shoots well, it is really good. If the Huskies don't, they can struggle. UConn shot 29.4 percent and 38 percent in the two losses this season to Baylor and Louisville, respectively. In their two biggest wins, over Notre Dame and in the regional final rematch against the Cardinals, the Huskies were 45.3 percent and 43.1 percent from the field. In Sunday's win over Louisville, they also made 14-of-26 3-pointers.
X factor: Freshman Christyn Williams scored 28 points in the first meeting with Notre Dame and then didn't have a game nearly that impactful until Sunday's 16-point, 7-rebound, 3-assist performance against Louisville. Megan Walker, who has had an up-and-down sophomore season, made her first four 3-pointers in the regional final, helping establish a late first-quarter lead that UConn never gave up. If those two are playing at that kind of level, the Huskies probably have the best starting five in the Final Four.
Stat to know: UConn gave up 25 offensive rebounds to Buffalo in the second round and 19 to UCLA in the regional semifinals, but cut that number to 12 against Louisville. That was also with the Cardinals missing 40 shots. UConn had a hole and plugged it. Notre Dame is fifth in the country in offensive rebound rate but didn't do any damage there against UConn in December, with only 11 offensive boards.
Charlie Creme
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Been here before: Defending NCAA champion is making its second consecutive Final Four appearance and ninth overall, all under coach Muffet McGraw; national championships in 2001 and 2018.
Reason to be excited: Experience. Notre Dame's starting lineup is four seniors (Marina Mabrey, Arike Ogunbowale, Jessica Shepard and Brianna Turner) and a junior (Jackie Young), all of whom could be playing their final games in an Irish uniform (Young is eligible for the WNBA draft but has not announced her plans). The desire to go out on top cannot be measured, but the confidence derived from winning the best Final Four in history a year ago can only help.
Reason to be concerned: Mabrey. Notre Dame prides itself on having five bona fide offensive threats. Right now, the Irish have four. Mabrey has hit a shooting slump at the worst possible time. She is 5-of-24 from the field and 2-of-15 from 3-point range in four NCAA tournament games, scoring a total of 12 points. Young scored 11 in a four-minute stretch in the second half against Stanford.
The Irish will win if ... they get just enough stops. As explosive as the Notre Dame offense is, the defense doesn't need to be great -- it needs to be timely. A few stands in key moments are enough to allow the Irish to string together a few difference-making baskets. That's what happened against Texas A&M in the Sweet 16. An Ogunbowale steal here, a Mabrey defensive rebound there, Young getting good position on a drive and a tie score turns into an eight-point Irish lead and another victory.
X factor: Turner. When talking about Notre Dame's defense, the conversation has to include Turner, the ACC's three-time defensive player of the year. Her ability to block shots and keep them in play is an ignitor for the Irish transition game. More importantly, if Turner can make Napheesa Collier less effective around the rim, UConn just isn't as good. The matchup between the Huskies' best player and Notre Dame's best defender will be a key.
Stat to know: Perhaps it's a byproduct of the struggles of Mabrey, the program's all-time leading 3-point shooter, but the Irish have also not shot well from distance. In its past three NCAA tournament games, Notre Dame has made just 9-of-33 (27.2 percent) after making nearly 37 percent of its 3-pointers during the regular season.
UConn Huskies
Been here before: NCAA-record (for men's and women's D-I basketball) 12th consecutive Final Four; the program's 20th Final Four appearance is also the most all time in NCAA tournament history. The Huskies have won 11 NCAA titles, including an unprecedented four-peat from 2013 to 2016.
Reason to be excited: Notre Dame seized control of the rivalry just before the Huskies went on their historic 111-game winning streak, but UConn has now won eight of the past nine against the Irish. That includes an 18-point win earlier this season. But that one loss was the heartbreaker in last year's Final Four. This is the chance for the UConn veterans to erase that bad memory.
Reason to be concerned: The margin for error has gotten increasingly smaller for the Huskies since their last national championship in 2016. Weaknesses have been exposed at times this season. UConn lacks depth both in numbers and in reliability after Napheesa Collier, Katie Lou Samuelson and Crystal Dangerfield. The Huskies can be had on the boards. They aren't as good defensively as they have been.
The Huskies will win if ... they make shots. Geno Auriemma is masterful in his ability to hide weaknesses and play to his team's strengths. But even he has admitted that when this UConn team shoots well, it is really good. If the Huskies don't, they can struggle. UConn shot 29.4 percent and 38 percent in the two losses this season to Baylor and Louisville, respectively. In their two biggest wins, over Notre Dame and in the regional final rematch against the Cardinals, the Huskies were 45.3 percent and 43.1 percent from the field. In Sunday's win over Louisville, they also made 14-of-26 3-pointers.
X factor: Freshman Christyn Williams scored 28 points in the first meeting with Notre Dame and then didn't have a game nearly that impactful until Sunday's 16-point, 7-rebound, 3-assist performance against Louisville. Megan Walker, who has had an up-and-down sophomore season, made her first four 3-pointers in the regional final, helping establish a late first-quarter lead that UConn never gave up. If those two are playing at that kind of level, the Huskies probably have the best starting five in the Final Four.
Stat to know: UConn gave up 25 offensive rebounds to Buffalo in the second round and 19 to UCLA in the regional semifinals, but cut that number to 12 against Louisville. That was also with the Cardinals missing 40 shots. UConn had a hole and plugged it. Notre Dame is fifth in the country in offensive rebound rate but didn't do any damage there against UConn in December, with only 11 offensive boards.
UCONN HUSKIES
NO NAME POS HT CLASS HOMETOWN
3 Megan Walker G 6-1 SO Chesterfield, VA
4 Mikayla Coombs G 5-8 SO Buford, GA
5 Crystal Dangerfield G 5-5 JR Murfreesboro, TN
10 Molly Bent G 5-9 JR Centerville, MA
13 Christyn Williams G 5-11 FR Little Rock, AR
20 Olivia Nelson-Ododa F 6-4 FR Winder, GA
24 Napheesa Collier F 6-1 SR O' Fallon, MO
25 Kyla Irwin F 6-2 JR State College, PA
32 Batouly Camara F 6-2 JR New York, NY
33 Katie Lou Samuelson G 6-3 SR Huntington Beach, CA
NO NAME POS HT CLASS HOMETOWN
3 Megan Walker G 6-1 SO Chesterfield, VA
4 Mikayla Coombs G 5-8 SO Buford, GA
5 Crystal Dangerfield G 5-5 JR Murfreesboro, TN
10 Molly Bent G 5-9 JR Centerville, MA
13 Christyn Williams G 5-11 FR Little Rock, AR
20 Olivia Nelson-Ododa F 6-4 FR Winder, GA
24 Napheesa Collier F 6-1 SR O' Fallon, MO
25 Kyla Irwin F 6-2 JR State College, PA
32 Batouly Camara F 6-2 JR New York, NY
33 Katie Lou Samuelson G 6-3 SR Huntington Beach, CA
NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH
NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH
NO NAME POS HT CLASS HOMETOWN
0 Jordan Nixon G 5-8 FR New York, NY
2 Kaitlin Cole G 5-10 JR Toledo, OH
3 Marina Mabrey G 5-11 SR Belmar, NJ
5 Jackie Young G 6-0 JR Princeton, IN
10 Katlyn Gilbert G 5-10 FR Indianapolis, IN
11 Brianna Turner F 6-3 SR Pearland, TX
12 Abby Prohaska G 5-10 FR Liberty Township, OH
20 Nicole Benz G 5-8 FR Valencia, CA
22 Danielle Cosgrove F 6-4 FR Holbrook, NY
24 Arike Ogunbowale G 5-8 SR Milwaukee, WI
30 Mikayla Vaughn C 6-3 SO Philadelphia, PA
32 Jessica Shepard F 6-4 SR Fremont, NE
33 Danielle Patterson F 6-2 SO Brooklyn, NY
40 Maureen Butler F 6-1 SR Livonia, MI
NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH
NO NAME POS HT CLASS HOMETOWN
0 Jordan Nixon G 5-8 FR New York, NY
2 Kaitlin Cole G 5-10 JR Toledo, OH
3 Marina Mabrey G 5-11 SR Belmar, NJ
5 Jackie Young G 6-0 JR Princeton, IN
10 Katlyn Gilbert G 5-10 FR Indianapolis, IN
11 Brianna Turner F 6-3 SR Pearland, TX
12 Abby Prohaska G 5-10 FR Liberty Township, OH
20 Nicole Benz G 5-8 FR Valencia, CA
22 Danielle Cosgrove F 6-4 FR Holbrook, NY
24 Arike Ogunbowale G 5-8 SR Milwaukee, WI
30 Mikayla Vaughn C 6-3 SO Philadelphia, PA
32 Jessica Shepard F 6-4 SR Fremont, NE
33 Danielle Patterson F 6-2 SO Brooklyn, NY
40 Maureen Butler F 6-1 SR Livonia, MI
Circa
Conspire to keep It real
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UConn should be building a wall tonight. With Bricks,<iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/3oFyD5ridqWaDvXg8o" width="480" height="480" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe><p><a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/cat-stealth-burglar-3oFyD5ridqWaDvXg8o"
Count em boys. Or the men that actually care about ND.
Count em boys. Or the men that actually care about ND.
Last edited:
I looked at some of the earlier season games and Marina seemed to move more smoothly a few weeks ago. She also (recently) looks heavier now around the middle. Maybe it's the cut of the jersey, maybe it's a consequence of a gym rat not being able to spend all the time on the court recently due to being banged up.
Marina doesn't have to score big from the arc ... but a couple would help.
SouthSideChiDomer
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The game hasn't even started yet and my heart is already racing.
Turner with a brick.
Williams mniss;
Mabs 3 NG.
Collier all alone for 2.
Young in the paint.
DANGERFIELD!
Collier blocks Shep off a spin move.
WIlliams miss. Bri reb.
Mabs 3 NG
Collier inside NG!
Young 3 off the rim.
Samuelson dish to Collier for 2
Shep J for the key NG
CT transition break for 2.
Mabs pass off SHep ND T.O.
Williams mniss;
Mabs 3 NG.
Collier all alone for 2.
Young in the paint.
DANGERFIELD!
Collier blocks Shep off a spin move.
WIlliams miss. Bri reb.
Mabs 3 NG
Collier inside NG!
Young 3 off the rim.
Samuelson dish to Collier for 2
Shep J for the key NG
CT transition break for 2.
Mabs pass off SHep ND T.O.
ND turnover.
Abby Dreb
Shep inside NG. PUTBACK!
COLLIER All Alone at the back of the key for 3!
Young from the key NG
Bri wins battle under CT boards
Young in the paint!
Mabs taps reb to shep to Bri for 2 on the break.
ND down 4
End of 1
Abby Dreb
Shep inside NG. PUTBACK!
COLLIER All Alone at the back of the key for 3!
Young from the key NG
Bri wins battle under CT boards
Young in the paint!
Mabs taps reb to shep to Bri for 2 on the break.
ND down 4
End of 1
SouthSideChiDomer
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Why must they insist on giving me a heart attack to start the game? Oh well, only down 4 and looking like they are putting it together.
End of 1, CT 16 ND 12
End of 1, CT 16 ND 12
Matchup CT ND
End of 1, CT 16 ND 12
Matchup CT ND
HTML:
FG 7-20 6-20
FG % 35.0 30.0
3PT 2-7 0-5
3PT % 28.6 0.0
FT 0-0 0-0
FT% 0.0 0.0
Rebs 13 14
ORebs 1 2
DRebs 12 12
Team Rebs 0 0
Assists 6 4
Steals 1 0
Blocks 2 1
Turnovers 2 3
Team TOs 0 1
Total TOs 2 3
Fouls 1 1UConn
Notre Dame
HTML:
STARTERS FG 3PT FT OREB DREB REB AST STL BLK TO PF PTS
N. Collier F 3-5 1-1 0-0 0 5 5 0 0 2 0 0 7
M. Walker G 2-4 1-3 0-0 0 5 5 2 1 0 0 1 5
C. Williams G 1-6 0-0 0-0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 2
C. Danger G 1-3 0-2 0-0 0 1 1 3 0 0 0 0 2
K. Samuel G 0-2 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0
BENCH FG 3PT FT OREB DREB REB AST STL BLK TO PF PTS
TEAM 7-20 2-7 0-0 1 12 13 6 1 2 2 1 16
35.0% 28.6% 0.0%Notre Dame
HTML:
STARTERS FG 3PT FT OREB DREB REB AST STL BLK TO PF PTS
J. Shepard F 1-5 0-0 0-0 1 3 4 3 0 0 1 0 2
B. Turner F 3-5 0-0 0-0 0 2 2 0 0 1 0 1 6
M. Mabrey G 0-3 0-2 0-0 0 2 2 1 0 0 1 0 0
A. Ogunbo G 0-2 0-2 0-0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0
J. Young G 2-5 0-1 0-0 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 4
BENCH FG 3PT FT OREB DREB REB AST STL BLK TO PF PTS
A. Prohas G 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
TEAM 6-20 0-5 0-0 2 12 14 4 0 1 3 1 12
30.0% 0.0% 0.0%SouthSideChiDomer
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I love the move to Prohaska. If Marina is still hurt and can't get her shot going I would rather have the energy and defense of Abby.
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Auriemma is a piece of garbage that I find weirdly ironic. 5 years ago all we heard about was his love for Pat Summerall. He thinks he should have the throne but he's just....
<iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/VuiEWsIiXn1OE" width="421" height="480" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe><p><a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/friendship-little-pony-VuiEWsIiXn1OE"
<iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/VuiEWsIiXn1OE" width="421" height="480" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe><p><a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/friendship-little-pony-VuiEWsIiXn1OE"