Regarding the questions about the differences in coaches. This has been discussed throughout the season on the Olympics board, but here are highlights:
-- Moore's 4-out, 1-in offense runs through Gatling first and then Burke and then the guards; Harper's version was guard-oriented and Gatling was mainly used as a decoy and to set screens.
-- Moore uses different defenses (including various traps and zones and junk defenses); Harper rarely did.
-- Moore has a tighter rotation (going about seven players a game); Harper went as many as nine deep and had inconsistent substitution patterns, which contributed to problems with lack of rhythm on offense.
-- Moore brought discipline, both on the court and off. He doesn't put up with crap, and he nips things in the bud as soon as they pop up. Discipline was needed; even the players have openly said that was lacking before.
-- Moore's practices are much more intense.
-- Moore placed an emphasis on conditioning, which Harper had even said wasn't her strength.
-- Moore doesn't have favorites. He plays who has earned it and who is needed to win the game, and he and the coaching staff work to bring out the best in all the players.
-- Moore has confidence, and he has instilled it in his team and players. He believes in them, and they believe in them and in each other.
Moore is an exceptional coach. I'd say he is the second-best coach in the ACC right now, behind McGraw, and she gets the first spot because of her resume (NCAA title and multiple Final Fours). (Jeff Walz will be up there, too, when Louisville joins the ACC next season.)
Moore's great coaching ability, though, is greatly helped this season by having a very experienced group of players who were hungry to win and who welcomed the breath of fresh air. They are much more relaxed than they have been in the past, and that affects the product on the floor, too.