Other Games: Tonight is the night...

[PointGuard]

Next year, the Huskies lose to the LVs in the NCAA championship game by 65 points, as the LV set an NCAA by shooting 100% from the field (including 30 for 30 from behind the arc). I saw it in a vision!!!!!

Yes, I have been drinking - tainted absinthe and lead tinged moon shine-- why do you ask?

Laughing out loud. Really!

 

[PointGuard]

Is it too early to start thinking about 200 in a row? And sadly, I'm not exaggerating....

Neither was Kara when she said it last night. I admire great "pure" basketball. Unfortunately, you only can watch UConn to see it. Another coaching staff, somewhere somehow has to step up and replicate the total "system" package UConn has mastered.

 

[proVolone]

As long as Geno is around I don't see them losing a step. I honestly think it's a boring brand of basketball they play because it's so systematic but it works.

I would bet if our beloved LadyVols played this boring brand and systematic basketball you would be on board with it? You would prefer the boring and unsystematic brand of Holly ball?

 

[maxvolfan]

You must have looked over the last part of my sentence. To me their style of basketball is boring because it's not flashy. I like flashy I love men's bball because it's high flying. That doesn't mean it doesn't work. It wins championships. So sure if UT played better systematic and mistake free ball every game they would win more games and I'd support it.

 

[Amb3096]

You must have looked over the last part of my sentence. To me their style of basketball is boring because it's not flashy. I like flashy I love men's bball because it's high flying. That doesn't mean it doesn't work. It wins championships. So sure if UT played better systematic and mistake free ball every game they would win more games and I'd support it.

There is no flashy in women's basketball if the comparison is the men's game. The difference in athleticism makes it practically a different sport.

Do you think the Lady Vols are flashy?

 

[proVolone]

You must have looked over the last part of my sentence. To me their style of basketball is boring because it's not flashy. I like flashy I love men's bball because it's high flying. That doesn't mean it doesn't work. It wins championships. So sure if UT played better systematic and mistake free ball every game they would win more games and I'd support it.

If their style is not "flashy", with the exception of Gabby (high flying), are there any WCBB teams out there that you would consider flashy? if not, you must be bored as heck watching WCBB.

 

[maxvolfan]

No I think the LV rely on individual play more than team play. They have to begin to trust each other's strengths and build cohesion. I guess flashy is not the right word to describe the type of play our team has. I would say the play confused and out of sorts. We you watched last night no one on that team showed a I'm better than you attitude. They just went out and played their game. Although ' boring' it won the game.

 

[maxvolfan]

No I love WCBB. I travel a lot for their games. I guess I'm tired of watching the other teams win.

 

[Amb3096]

No I think the LV rely on individual play more than team play. They have to begin to trust each other's strengths and build cohesion. I guess flashy is not the right word to describe the type of play our team has. I would say the play confused and out of sorts. We you watched last night no one on that team showed a I'm better than you attitude. They just went out and played their game. Although ' boring' it won the game.

Only because Kia Nurse barely played. That expression is her default one. This is not very PC, but she has a very punchable face. She's the Grayson Allen of WCBB in my book.

Agree with you about Tennessee's discombobulated style of play. The unfortunate thing is that Jordan is the player who struts around with that "I'm better than you" attitude, and she's usually the worst player on the court. Even Diamond doesn't act like that (at least since she got to Tennessee). My general belief is if you're going to show swag, you better back it up by playing like Candace Parker or Diana Taurasi.

 

[Amb3096]

Three reasonably strong players with a role player should be able to get it done against most teams.

That type of play is what cost SC the game last night. Harris...great role player, can't shoot, not worth a defender on the perimeter.

Having that kind of offensive liability makes it harder for the strong players to get going, because they just draw an extra defender.

UConn's guards didn't score much last night, but you have to respect their offense. You can't sag off Saniya Chong because she will burn you if left open. Same with Nurse. KLS shot miserably, largely due to Allisha Gray draped all over her for the entire evening, but you can't leave her open. Harris was left open all night, and when Kaela Davis got open, she bricked shots.

For Tennessee, if Jordan is going to play 30+ minutes a game, she has to be a scoring threat to command the attention of a defender. Same with MeMe. Otherwise, they are just taking up space. That will not get them far against a team with athletic guards who can attack the paint and enough height inside to make MR think twice.

 

[HoopDR]

Only because Kia Nurse barely played. That expression is her default one. This is not very PC, but she has a very punchable face. She's the Grayson Allen of WCBB in my book.

Agree with you about Tennessee's discombobulated style of play. The unfortunate thing is that Jordan is the player who struts around with that "I'm better than you" attitude, and she's usually the worst player on the court. Even Diamond doesn't act like that (at least since she got to Tennessee). My general belief is if you're going to show swag, you better back it up by playing like Candace Parker or Diana Taurasi.

Just to clarify....."show swag" is that like saying, "I want to take this program back to the promise land"?

 

[Amb3096]

Just to clarify....."show swag" is that like saying, "I want to take this program back to the promise land"?

It's hard to describe. Think of Parker (college days) or Taurasi's body language when their games are really clicking, and that's what I mean. Or Jordan's when she's putting up a triple double vs. UNC-W...

 

[maxvolfan]

There's nothing wrong with a little 'swag' but it still has to be a team first effort. Those players mention had to rely heavily on their teammates to win Championships. Although they had the unstoppable attitude they were team players first.

 

[HoopDR]

Pssh, she's no Te'a Cooper though....

That is true....just refer back to their head-to-head competitions to make USA teams....even tho CD is a class younger!

 

[Amb3096]

There's nothing wrong with a little 'swag' but it still has to be a team first effort. Those players mention had to rely heavily on their teammates to win Championships. Although they had the unstoppable attitude they were team players first.

I agree, but most of all, if you are going to show swag, first and foremost, you have to back it up. Parker and Taurasi are the two most prominent ones I can think of, but there have been others that were masterclass in the art of swag AND being a winner. And I'm pretty sure they cared less about their stat line and more about the fact that their team was winning.

When you're Jordan or Cierra Burdick (for large stretches of her career), and you're wagging your tongue and shaking your head only while playing cupcakes, and then walk around with a shellshocked look on your face when getting slapped around by a more capable team, then it's probably better to just cut it out.

 

[vol-un-tear]

Only team with a shot to beat uconn in the final 4 is Maryland

No team had a shot

 

[maxvolfan]

I have to agree, they had no Kia Nurse, KLS only had 7 pts, and they scored 43 pts in the paint with a 5'11 Center!!! No one has a chance.

 

[Rickster]

That type of play is what cost SC the game last night. Harris...great role player, can't shoot, not worth a defender on the perimeter.

Having that kind of offensive liability makes it harder for the strong players to get going, because they just draw an extra defender.

UConn's guards didn't score much last night, but you have to respect their offense. You can't sag off Saniya Chong because she will burn you if left open. Same with Nurse. KLS shot miserably, largely due to Allisha Gray draped all over her for the entire evening, but you can't leave her open. Harris was left open all night, and when Kaela Davis got open, she bricked shots.

For Tennessee, if Jordan is going to play 30+ minutes a game, she has to be a scoring threat to command the attention of a defender. Same with MeMe. Otherwise, they are just taking up space. That will not get them far against a team with athletic guards who can attack the paint and enough height inside to make MR think twice.

I didn't say that role players don't have to score.

 

[Amb3096]

I have to agree, they had no Kia Nurse, KLS only had 7 pts, and they scored 43 pts in the paint with a 5'11 Center!!! No one has a chance.

I still think Baylor is the better team. UConn did a great job limiting the SC posts because they weren't wasting a defender on Harris. If they try that against Baylor, then Jones or Wallace can burn them from outside.

When Baylor had the double posts in, they were scoring at will, but were undone by foul trouble. If Brown can stay on the court and Nina Davis gives Williams a taste of her own medicine, then I think they can win a rematch.

 

[Rixxx]

After a touchdown, give the ball to the ref, like you have done this many times before.

 

[Amb3096]

I didn't say that role players don't have to score.

The problem right now is that there aren't enough role players that are even scoring threats, let alone actual scorers. What Alexa contributes on offense is usually taken away on the defensive end.

If Tennessee is going to make a serious run in the tournament, then at a minimum, Jordan and MeMe need to be taken seriously as perimeter scoring threats to open up the lanes and unclog the paint.

 

[HoopDR]

The problem right now is that there aren't enough role players that are even scoring threats, let alone actual scorers. What Alexa contributes on offense is usually taken away on the defensive end.

If Tennessee is going to make a serious run in the tournament, then at a minimum, Jordan and MeMe need to be taken seriously as perimeter scoring threats to open up the lanes and unclog the paint.

I have seen this mentioned several time in different threads. Usually in reference to her defense and even lately her rebounding. I believe the rebounding comments peaked after their poor rebounding in the aTm game.

So, out of curiosity , I went and looked at the stats. Interestingly enough, AM & MeMe play pretty much the same minutes. AM on the season has 5 more rebounds than MeMe. But the interesting take on that is that when AM is in the game she is what the LVs refer to as a "get back". Meaning that when a LV takes a shot her job is to go directly back to the defensive end to prevent a snowbird or easy run-out baskets. So what make that interesting is that of AM's 54 rebounds, 50 are defensive and 4 are offensive. Look at that in comparison to MeMe whose 49 rebounds are made up of 23 offensive and 26 defensive.
And then AM has 25 steals to MeMe's 14. I know this is not a complete verdict on defensive performance. I am still waiting on someone to publish a complete stat sheet on defense.

 

[Amb3096]

I have seen this mentioned several time in different threads. Usually in reference to her defense and even lately her rebounding. I believe the rebounding comments peaked after their poor rebounding in the aTm game.

So, out of curiosity , I went and looked at the stats. Interestingly enough, AM & MeMe play pretty much the same minutes. AM on the season has 5 more rebounds than MeMe. But the interesting take on that is that when AM is in the game she is what the LVs refer to as a "get back". Meaning that when a LV takes a shot her job is to go directly back to the defensive end to prevent a snowbird or easy run-out baskets. So what make that interesting is that of AM's 54 rebounds, 50 are defensive and 4 are offensive. Look at that in comparison to MeMe whose 49 rebounds are made up of 23 offensive and 26 defensive.
And then AM has 25 steals to MeMe's 14. I know this is not a complete verdict on defensive performance. I am still waiting on someone to publish a complete stat sheet on defense.

There are also some things that stats don't show. Like how easy it is for opposing guards to beat Alexa off the dribble and either score or draw a help defender and dish for an easy bucket. MeMe is marginally better at staying in front of the player she's defending, but doesn't give back on offense.

The Ole Miss, Auburn, VT and PSU games were the obvious ones, but even in some of the wins, you could see that she was unable to keep up with the speedier guards.

 

[Nuyoika]

There are also some things that stats don't show. Like how easy it is for opposing guards to beat Alexa off the dribble and either score or draw a help defender and dish for an easy bucket. MeMe is marginally better at staying in front of the player she's defending, but doesn't give back on offense.

The Ole Miss, Auburn, VT and PSU games were the obvious ones, but even in some of the wins, you could see that she was unable to keep up with the speedier guards.

For Middleton it really seems like it's the speed more than anything. For Jackson it's more her positioning. She is overly aggressive. It could just be a lack of memorizing the scout. She over plays or plays up too closely on speedy guards that's why she seems to get beat most of the time. Middleton could play off a guard and still get beat. For either it's not good because Tennessee has zero help side defense.

 

[HoopDR]

For Middleton it really seems like it's the speed more than anything. For Jackson it's more her positioning. She is overly aggressive. It could just be a lack of memorizing the scout. She over plays or plays up too closely on speedy guards that's why she seems to get beat most of the time. Middleton could play off a guard and still get beat. For either it's not good because Tennessee has zero help side defense.

I will agree with you on the help side defense. They have no understanding of defensive rotation. Actually looks a lot like the offense...... move once and then stand and watch! Or is it stand and watch to see what happens then move?