Shout out to ESPN women's desk!

[UcMiami]

Just wanted to post a thread about the Women's studio team ESPN has put together - they are great and get better every time they are on. Lobo and Kara are fabulous together and Kevin has grown on me as well and now does a really good job too.
For talent Kara for all her being a TN grad is the best of the best I think - very smart and articulate about the game, humorous, and clearly enjoys her work. She has great insights and has not gotten caught up in a 'shtick' like so many in the sports business seem to do - she just gives fresh analysis each time based on what she sees in the game under discussion.
And Lobo is never better than when she is beside Kara as a foil.
Half of the game folks I can't even listen too, and I wish they could get some new blood in there, but the studio is great and I dread the day when the Men's side steal Kara away completely - she is already becoming a fixture on that beat.

 

[pvdoggy]

I thought Katie Smith as a game color analyst for the AAC semifinal game UConn vs Tulane was better than a lot of others.

 

[Bayareahusky]

Yes none better than Kara and Rebecca..... and i agree about Katie.... she did a nice job

 

[RegisteredUconn]

I have little doubt that Lobo is as astute, thoughtful, and insightful as Lawson but where Kara separates herself is in the ability to deliver analysis in the form of a sound bite.

One of my favorite Kara-isms is the time she noted that Geno's genius is that he can "do more with more." A person who can "do more with less" is so commonplace as to be trite. Every coach who has built a successful program has, at some point, done more with less. Eventually, those who do more with less, get more, and that's where the the adults get separated from the teens.

Some coaches can't handle more and end up doing less with more. E.g. Duke. E.g. Tennessee. Some coaches do about the same with more. E.g. Maryland. Then there are those who do more with more. E.g. Notre Dame. Finally, there's the one who does the most with more. That solution set is left to the reader.

 

[Plebe]

Just wanted to post a thread about the Women's studio team ESPN has put together - they are great and get better every time they are on. Lobo and Kara are fabulous together and Kevin has grown on me as well and now does a really good job too.
For talent Kara for all her being a TN grad is the best of the best I think - very smart and articulate about the game, humorous, and clearly enjoys her work. She has great insights and has not gotten caught up in a 'shtick' like so many in the sports business seem to do - she just gives fresh analysis each time based on what she sees in the game under discussion.
And Lobo is never better than when she is beside Kara as a foil.
Half of the game folks I can't even listen too, and I wish they could get some new blood in there, but the studio is great and I dread the day when the Men's side steal Kara away completely - she is already becoming a fixture on that beat.

Couldn't agree more. Kara Lawson impresses me more each time I see her. They now have her doing tons of studio work for men's ball as well. She is already a superstar and only getting better.

Katie Smith is great doing color as well. Along the lines of former Big Ten all-stars, one of my absolute favorites is Stephanie White.

 

[CocoHusky]

On a related note Swin Cash was on Tru TV last night (looking lovely as always) as in studio for the play in games of the Men's tournament. It took me a while to find Tru TV in my cable lineup, but Swin was worth it. Don't ask me who won either.

 

[Buzzyboy]

Just wanted to post a thread about the Women's studio team ESPN has put together - they are great and get better every time they are on. Lobo and Kara are fabulous together and Kevin has grown on me as well and now does a really good job too.
For talent Kara for all her being a TN grad is the best of the best I think - very smart and articulate about the game, humorous, and clearly enjoys her work. She has great insights and has not gotten caught up in a 'shtick' like so many in the sports business seem to do - she just gives fresh analysis each time based on what she sees in the game under discussion.
And Lobo is never better than when she is beside Kara as a foil.
Half of the game folks I can't even listen too, and I wish they could get some new blood in there, but the studio is great and I dread the day when the Men's side steal Kara away completely - she is already becoming a fixture on that beat.

Who doesn't concur with Kara's brilliance. I think Rebecca is blessed to work with her because she makes everyone around her look better. I think she is decent but it's Kara that makes this team work.

 

[oneresult]

Still sad that they did not ask womens/chair why ucf was put in Uconn's bracket, after 3 metings in leaque play
[very sad]

 

[Geew1992]

On a related note Swin Cash was on Tru TV last night (looking lovely as always) as in studio for the play in games of the Men's tournament. It took me a while to find Tru TV in my cable lineup, but Swin was worth it. Don't ask me who won either.

Swin also works for MSG doing Knicks games. And yes, she is beautiful!

 

[UcMiami]

Agree about White and Smith being breaths of fresh air on color, but I am also a little leery of being too high on folks I have heard so infrequently - game callers can on first hearing them seem great because they are new to the ear, but over even quite a short time can become routine and then grating - I think they have a much harder job because it is continuous and live, with little time to prepare for their 'moments'.

Kara's pacing, diction, and delivery are I think what moves her ahead of Rebecca - they both have great knowledge and ability to break down what they are seeing, but Kara just seems more relaxed and easy. Not a knock on Lobo, just a distinction for Kara in comparison of two very good commentators.

 

[cbraarj]

I love the way she played at Tenn.and her heart will always be with them.She loves her job in Conn.IMO if they offer her enough money.She should be next coach at Tenn.

 

[JordyG]

I thought Katie Smith as a game color analyst for the AAC semifinal game UConn vs Tulane was better than a lot of others.

I loved Katie. I'd like to see more of her. But it seems to me none are more capable of getting their ideas across than Kara. I know some people may not like me saying this, but Kara sure is easy on the eyes.

 

[tomcat]

I've always been impressed with Kara. She is incisive, well-spoken and, IMHO, the best there is at what she does.

 

[Vowelguy]

Kevin N is soooooooooooooo much better than Trey Wingo who consistently had a condescending attitude. Negandhi has a respect and appreciation for the game, and the viewers!

 

[Vowelguy]

Still sad that they did not ask womens/chair why ucf was put in Uconn's bracket, after 3 metings in leaque play
[very sad]

The committee has a zillion things to consider its bracketing process. There are all sorts of rules, but UConn and USF possibly meeting in a regional final is not one of them.

The other 6 seeds are Depaul, West Virginia, and Oklahoma. With Texas in UConn's bracket, and the committee directive to try to keep conference opponents from meeting before the regional final, neither WV nor Oklahoma could be in UConn's bracket. That leaves DePaul.

I have little doubt that Depaul was higher in the committee rankings than USF. So do you send the higher ranked Blue Demons all the way out to UCLA or South Florida? (With the other team going to Louisville.) I think it was fair to reward Depaul and keep them closer to home.

 

[CTtransplant]

Kara Lawson is a proverbial gym rat. She loves basketball. She loves to play it, watch it, study it, read about it and discuss it. Men's, women's, college, pro or Olympic. Her enthusiasm shows, and the more time she puts into it, the better a job she does. I miss her when she is not in the women's studio.

And she is way too smart to want to trade in her very cool job to be a college coach somewhere.

 

[Plebe]

The committee has a zillion things to consider its bracketing process. There are all sorts of rules, but UConn and USF possibly meeting in a regional final is not one of them.

The other 6 seeds are Depaul, West Virginia, and Oklahoma. With Texas in UConn's bracket, and the committee directive to try to keep conference opponents from meeting before the regional final, neither WV nor Oklahoma could be in UConn's bracket. That leaves DePaul.

I have little doubt that Depaul was higher in the committee rankings than USF. So do you send the higher ranked Blue Demons all the way out to UCLA or South Florida? (With the other team going to Louisville.) I think it was fair to reward Depaul and keep them closer to home.

This is almost exactly what I posted on the other thread (http://the-boneyard.com/threads/aac-usf-gets-a-raw-deal.89563/#post-1622374). You and I think quite alike. My argument is that DePaul and West Virginia, in addition to being ahead of USF on the seed line, were intentionally placed at the sites that were within the designated 350-miline threshold for "driving distance"; thus, DePaul was sent to Louisville and WVU to Columbus.

If the "driving distance" threshold was a big enough consideration to send South Carolina to Sioux Falls instead of Lexington (and this was chairwoman Dawson's explanation), then we can be almost certain that it played a role in placing the #6 seeds.