ACC/SEC Challenge Week: Pick 'Em

[nwhoopfan]

They ALWAYS struggle with Big Brother... whether its in the NCAA tourney or when they used to play each other in Myrtle Beach.

Unfortunately they might've poked the bear right before the bear heads over to Durham...

 

[Vowelguy]

Okay, well South Carolina isn't indestructible. Pushed hard by a North Carolina team that has been struggling mightily all year.

But they have a favorable schedule.
@ Duke
v Utah
v Miss St
@ LSU
v Ole Miss
v UConn
@ Tenn
v Tenn

Only current top 10 opponent is @ LSU.

 

[nwhoopfan]

But they have a favorable schedule.
@ Duke
v Utah
v Miss St
@ LSU
v Ole Miss
v UConn
@ Tenn
v Tenn

Only current top 10 opponent is @ LSU.

Probably won't be after tonight, LSU in trouble against VA Tech.

 

[darrell]

The difference maker. Could have been a different game without those 4 fouls.

 

[Vowelguy]

Probably won't be after tonight, LSU in trouble against VA Tech.

Early

Great crowd

 

[nwhoopfan]

Early

Great crowd

I have been known to jump the gun with predictions a time or two.

 

[triaddukefan]

Unfortunately they might've poked the bear right before the bear heads over to Durham...

Thanks a lot Chapel Hill

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

But they have a favorable schedule.
@ Duke
v Utah
v Miss St
@ LSU
v Ole Miss
v UConn
@ Tenn
v Tenn

Only current top 10 opponent is @ LSU.

Utah is top ten in the coaches poll, but not AP. I had wanted to go to that game at Mohegan Sun, but it's going to be too hard to get away.

 

[Vowelguy]

Utah is top ten in the coaches poll, but not AP. I had wanted to go to that game at Mohegan Sun, but it's going to be too hard to get away.

The coaches poll is generally awful. I do not acknowledge its existence.

 

[Vowelguy]

VT player fouled OUT with 2 mins to go in the first half.
Definitely an overachiever.

 

[Vowelguy]

After a slow start LSU 24-7 run

 

[Gamecockfan77]

They ALWAYS struggle with Big Brother... whether its in the NCAA tourney or when they used to play each other in Myrtle Beach.

UNC dropped the Myrtle Beach series once it became competitive.

I expected a fight and it sure was one. UNC doesn't score much. What happened to the Key sister? Hurt again?

 

[Gamecockfan77]

After a slow start LSU 24-7 run

Every time I watch VPI, I'm a little confused how they run up gaudy records. They seemed outmatched athletically. Good coaching I guess.

But they have a favorable schedule.
@ Duke
v Utah
v Miss St
@ LSU
v Ole Miss
v UConn
@ Tenn
v Tenn

Only current top 10 opponent is @ LSU.

It's unclear why Stanford needed to back out the series because they had to come East a lot next year, but that's what they did. I feel like that would have been a good game for WBB.

These other non-con schools were supposed to be good. Not sure what happened.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

The difference maker. Could have been a different game without those 4 fouls.

In fairness they decided not to call fouls on the Heels in the fourth quarter.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Dang it, well I'll take credit for jinxing VA Tech in this one. My bad.

 

[bballnut90]

LSU looked really good after the 1st quarter, outscoring Virginia Tech 69-44 in the last 3. Immediate reactions:

1. Mikaylah Williams is REALLY good. Reminds me a lot of Cappie Pondexter/Arike Ogunbowale. Maybe not as explosive as Arike but just appears so strong and can get her shot off easily with a high chance of it going in. Seems like a good team player and was unselfish too, definitely not a chucker. She's already a star.

2. Aneesah Morrow is fitting in well and really elevates the energy and intensity for LSU. She's an animal on the glass and has a nice midrange game. As a hybrid forward I think she'll pair well with Reese and looked great tonight on both ends.

3. Reese looked rusty but like herself tonight. Very aggressive offensively posting hard every possession. I think sitting out gave her some clarity and made her motivated. She isn't a polished player but she's so active and just wears you down. Stat line doesn't tell the whole story but I thought she handily outplayed Kitley due to her high energy and activity.

4. Flaujae was also excellent tonight and thrived in her role as a rebounding guard who attacks the basket. LSU needs her to play like this night in night out.

5. Hailey Van Lith really struggled guarding Amoore (who is a tough guard) but found her rhythm as the second half progressed. It's definitely a process for her adjusting to the new role. Just watching her play you can tell she's so used to playing a ton of 1 on 1 ball like she did at Louisville and she's figuring out how to help teammates score. To her credit she let the other stars take shots and was unselfish but has a long way to go as a distributor.

6. For VT, Kitley is a strong defender but looked soft offensively. She has a pretty turnaround but she just doesn't seek out contact and is robbing herself chances of offensive rebounds or getting to the foul line.

7. Amoore was great off the dribble but turns into a Caitlin Clark high volume shooter in big games and doesn't have the efficiency to match. As a team VT only had 6 assists and most of the game was watching Amoore play 1 on 1. She's a great player but needs help and to get others involved if VT is going to be a top 10 team.

8. Clara Strack fouled out in the first half for VT. I don't think I've ever seen that happen before--HS, college, or pros. It was just rather bizarre than anything else.

9. The rest of the VT players didn't stand out to me, you can tell they miss their other contributors (Traylor/Soule). Amoore/Kitley can't be a 2 woman team but right now it looks like that's the trap VT is falling into.

10. LSU is very much a title contender if they play like this going forward. Their athleticism is off the charts with Reese/Morrow/Flaujae and having a gunner like Williams in the backcourt. After seeing SC look vulnerable tonight too, the SC/LSU matchup will be can't miss TV.

 

[Hester42]

Amoore and Kitley are studs. Its the surrounding cast for VT that will have to improve for them. We saw those same issues in the Cayman island but Kenny is a excellent coach and they will be tough to deal with in another couple months.

Morrow is so incredibly exciting to watch. I think her defense is dramatically improved since her days at DePaul and adds on to her arsenal of great rebounding and being such a prolific scorer. LSU's freshmen Rosario is a long way away, but I was surprised how much she affected Kitley and the interior threat of VT when in the game with her size at 6'6, it certainly made a difference at times.

 

[Bjbod]

My apologies to the fine folks from VA Tech, but Kitley takes herself out of so many plays with the fadeaway thing.
Sorry, but needs to toughen up inside.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

LSU looked better than SCar tonight. Hard to see this SCar team winning in BR but it's early yet. Chance to get better.

 

[LETTERL]

Virginia Tech is a work in progress.

 

[Hester42]

The national title race looks as open as its even been in quite a while. I do think you have a core group who are in contention.

Still only November, teams are trying to find their identity still and injuries obviously change a lot

 

[GoChips20]

Rough night for South Carolina that I suspect was more than a fluke. The Notre Dame and Maryland wins were and are solid but both look less valuable now. That said, I thought this was going to be a barnburner from the moment it was scheduled. Throw it all out when it comes to a rivalry.

For South Carolina:

• Not Raven Johnson’s best night although I continue to be impressed with her defensive performance. Made some really poor decisions with the ball and bricked a handful of key free throws. She didn’t look rattled to me, it was just a bad day at the office.
• Chloe Kitts might’ve been the MVP of this game. Broke open the floor with a couple of midrange jumpers and was SC’s best option at the line. Rotated very well defensively. Did a decent job on Ustby, she’s a tough cover (more on that below).
• Excellent breakout game for Hall and had a massive late block on Ustby on a drive that could have tied the game.
• Watkins made an impact but is foul-prone. Wonder if that’s why she’s not starting.
• Cardoso was a nonfactor offensively although UNC sold out to make sure that happened. It didn’t necessarily show in the stat sheet but I thought Gakdeng outplayed her. I think Kamilla is just reserved by nature but at times she seems passive to me and she’s too important and skilled for that to happen regularly.
• PaoPao’s shooting is a difference-maker for this team.
• I’m not sure SC is truly the best team in the country right now after watching LSU tonight but gritty wins like this go a long ways in March. They started hot, let’s see what happens from here.

For North Carolina:

• Ustby is a player I’m taking at the top if I’m building a team. She has no shot but does everything else very well. I think she’s easily their best player. For those that have heard of incoming Duke recruit Toby Fournier, I think Ustby is a good player comparison for what she could become. Underratedly athletic at the 4 spot.
• Gakdeng is a beast. I hadn’t seen much of her at Boston College but she’s skilled and played great defense. She’s 6’3” but a LONG 6’3”. Terrific athlete and got a lot of big boards off pure hustle and want-to.
• I have never been a huge Deja Kelly fan but I do see why she’s so valuable to UNC. She’s not efficient but draws a lot of contact and can get to the line easily. She carried them in the first half, it just didn’t hold up after the break. Took a hard fall, hope she’s all good.
• Donarski was never ISU’s go-to but she looks a little underutilized to me, especially given her defensive reputation.

Other thoughts:

• The brawl in the first half definitely added to the tension of the game, especially late. Just seemed like there was some fire between both teams which isn’t a bad thing if it’s kept under control. I was a little mystified Ustby didn’t come away with a tech given she appeared closely involved in the origin.
• Not sold on Banghart as a coach. Defensively they’re very good but I think the collective whole is less than the parts when it comes to scoring the ball.
• UNC v. UConn could be a very interesting and entertaining game. Tar Heel’s defense will keep them in a lot of games.

 

[Plebe]

To me the most impressive performance by an ACC team in the past two days was the losing effort by UNC, putting a legit scare into a much more stacked SC squad. I'm sure most people expected this to be a blowout, myself included.

Virginia Tech is definitely not as good as advertised this season, at least not yet.

 

[triaddukefan]

Rough night for South Carolina that I suspect was more than a fluke. The Notre Dame and Maryland wins were and are solid but both look less valuable now. That said, I thought this was going to be a barnburner from the moment it was scheduled. Throw it all out when it comes to a rivalry.

I was hoping SCar would pummel Chapel Hill, but figured it would be a lot closer than expected. They always play tight games.... in the 2013-14 season that SCar was a #1 seed for the first time... they lost twice to baby blue.. once in the regular season, and got knocked out by them in the Sweet 16. The very next season, #1 seed Scar won in the sweet 16 here in Greensboro, a game that was tooth and nail until the buzzer. 2022... Chapel Hill gave the Chickens their toughest game in the tournament in the Sweet 16 in Greensboro. Hopefully next year they have a rematch in Columbia.. all of the Tar heels can return from this years team. Utsby and Kelly have a covid year to use. I don't see either being a high draft pick, so they might as well return to school.

Concerning Gakdeng.... of all of the transfers last year, she was #1 on my wish list for Duke.... pained me that she opted to go down the road instead. Fortunately, we picked up her former teammate Mair, who was the #2 player on my wish list.

 

[Jmsdawg]

I’m hesitant to respond as I do congratulate Miami and don’t want to “well if…” but I guess I’m going to do that anyway. The backup five/four R Parker is out for the season with an ACL. Starting five J Carter and starting four E Barnum were out with a concussion and ankle sprain respectfully. Freshman post Q Montague was out with the flu. You are correct there were only seven players available last night, all guards accept N Gony who is 6-4 but more of a swing 3/4. MSU was up three at half and it was tied going into the fourth quarter when Miami outscored MSU 24-18 to win. I was really hoping MSU could hang on but Miami hit back to back threes about halfway through the quarter to go up five and it stayed around there until the end.
Substantively L Lattimore, S Day-Wilson, L Hylton, and L Spearman all came off the bench and had outstanding games. Specifically L Spearman had 15 rebounds to include seven on the offensive glass. Miami had 45 bench points.

You have to play the hand you have. I do agree no post is a tough draw but I believe we came of age this game. We were competitive with 7 available players. Jordan leds our scoring but was in foul trouble all game, I suspecryfrom trying to rebound against Miami’s taller lineup. I, for one, believe our team came together during this game and believe we will be a better team for the effort and teamwork we showed during this game. HAIL STATE!