GOG 2009 #08: UConn

Kentucky travels to Madison Square Garden to play UConn Wednesday night.  For some reason, playing Connecticut always makes me think of this.  Anyway, UK is 9-3 in the Garden, but hasn't been there since the Coaches vs Cancer classic in 2000.  Of course, the Cats would have played UConn there 2 years ago, if it weren't for a pesky little team whose name sounds a bit like Wardner-Gebb.  In fact, this is only the second ever meeting between the two schools, the first coming in the 2nd round of the 2006 NCAA tournament.

• GOG #00 has information about the game.  Follow the link if you have any questions.
  
• Statsheet.com has information about UConn.
  
• Congratulations to Ken Howlett for winning GOG #07!  Follow the link for full results.

GOG 2009 #08: UConn [Max 30 27 Points]

1. Who wins the game? [+1 point if correct, -1 point if incorrect] UK
   
2. What is the scoring margin at halftime (regardless of who is ahead)? [4 pts if correct, 3 pts within one, 2 pts within two, 1 pt within three] 6 points, 29-23
   
3. What is the scoring margin at the end of the game (regardless of who wins)? [4 pts if correct, 3 pts within one, 2 pts within two, 1 pt within three] 3 points, 64-61
   
4. UConn is always one of the top shot-blocking teams in the country and so far this year are averaging 9.4 blocks per game (1st in the country as of Monday) while blocking 23% of opponents' shots (also #1 as of Monday).  How many shots does UConn block? [3 pts] 8 blocks
   
5. Kentucky is no slouch itself on the rejection front, swatting away 8.2 baskets each game (4th) and blocking 22.2% (3rd) of opponents' attempts.  How many shots does UK block? [3 pts] 8 blocks
   
6. With the exception of John Hood, every Kentucky player who has seen action has at least one block and nine players have multiple blocks.  How many UK players block at least one shot? [3 pts] 5 UK players had at least 1 block
   
7. I admit that I've been rather annoyed at the fiction Calipari has been trying to spin about how Darius Miller "barely played" last season.  Darius played 36 games and averaged 21.2 minutes which was 5th on the team - how stupid does he think fans are?  DM (which always makes me think of this) is having a fine season: He's made the most 3-ptrs on the team (14 of 35, 40.0%) while chipping in 28 rebounds, 16 assists, 5 steals, and 4 blocks.  He's not spectacular in any one area, but neither is he really lacking in one - He makes solid contributions everywhere and fits in well with any kind of lineup.  Predict Darius's made 3-ptrs/assists+steals/rebounds+blocks. [2 pts each] 0/3/1 Not a great game for Miller, but solid defensively and that was pretty important
   
8. The irresistable force meets the immovable object: as mentioned previously UConn is a really good shot blocking team and they are holding their opponents to 37.8% shooting percentage on 2-pt shots (8th best in the country as of Monday).  Not surprisingly, UK is really good inside the arc, making 55.9% of their 2-pt shots (13th best in the country).  Does UK shoot 50% or better on their 2-pt shots? [+1 point if correct, -1 point if incorrect] The object proved to be a bit more immovable.  UK did not shoot better than 50%, instead shooting 42.3% (22 for 52) on their 2's
   
9. The much less irresistable force meets a slightly more immovable object: UK is actually slightly tougher than UConn to make shots against, holding teams to 37.7% on 2-pt shots (3rd best).  UConn shoots only 48.5% on 2's (151st).  Does UK hold UConn below 45% on their 2-pt shots? [+1 point if correct, -1 point if incorrect] UConn went consistently inside and UK could not hold them under 45%.  UConn shot 48.9% (22 for 45) on 2's.
   
10. The completely resistable force meets the easily movable object: UK averages 17.6 turnovers per game and turns the ball over on 24.5% of their possessions (305th - yuck).  Fortunately, UConn is not terribly interested in turnovers, as they only force 13.6 per game and only on 18.9% of opponents' possesssions (268th).  Does UK turn the ball over on less than 20% of their possessions? [+1 point if correct, -1 point if incorrect] This one was close, but UK committed 14 turnovers on 69 possessions, a 20.3% turnover rate although that still constitutes an improvement.
    
11. This game is part of ESPN's SEC-Big East Challenge or Contest or Competition or some other word that begins with C.  Georgia and St. John's play in front of UK and UConn Wednesday in what should prove to be quite the battle of putridity.  The other games are on Thursday: Florida vs Syracuse and DePaul vs Mississippi St.  Setting aside UGA/SJ, what is the SEC's record in the other 3 games? [3 pts] UK and Mississippi St won while Florida lost, so the SEC goes 2-1 in the 3 games.
    

Deadline for entries is tip-off at 9:30 PM, Wednesday December 9.

Full results for GOG #08 are below: