Another exciting game going on at UCLA...

[Frodo]

where Stanford has managed to put up some mind numbing numbers in the first half. 5 baskets and 13 TOs for 14 points. This wouldn't faze me too much if we didn't have to listen to the partisan PAC 12 announcers tell us how great that conference is oand back it up by showing the RPI ratings for the conference with Stanford at #5. Anyone who seriously believes that Stanford is the fifth best team in the country is completely nuts!

 

[Checkmate]

Stanford has 27 points at the start of the 4th quarter. What the heck happened to their team/ program ?

 

[JordyG]

Stanford has 27 points at the start of the 4th quarter. What the heck happened to their team/ program ?

The Peter Principle.

 

[mudcat]

Stanford has 27 points at the start of the 4th quarter. What the heck happened to their team/ program ?

This is what happens when you have NO scorers on a team. They're good defensively, but have no one who can shoot. Lili Thompson only scores if you let her in the lane. Keep her on the perimeter and she really struggles. Who else is going to put up some points on that team?

 

[Lobo50Fan]

I don't know much about UCLA and I'm not able to watch the game. One thing I have noticed is if the opposing team has a good big, Stanford has A LOT of trouble. A lot of their offense seems to go through Erica McCall and when she is shut down, the offense falls apart. Lili tries her best to carry them, but she is very erratic and not particularly reliable all the time. Stanford was able to beat Tennessee fairly easily because their bigs were unmotivated and not very good and they had problems up in Oregon when they had to face a couple really good bigs.

 

[HuskyFan1125]

UCLA has some good players. Canada and Billings are a good inside out punch. I think they are a better team when Nirra Fields distributes. She has a tendency to take a lot of shots. When she passes it makes them better. I like the Bruins.

 

[Frodo]

Stunning...< 2 minutes to go and Stanford has 9 baskets.

 

[HuskyFan1125]

UCLA wins 56-36

 

[Lobo50Fan]

They made more free throws than baskets...10 baskets, 14 free throws. I've never seen that, I don't think.

 

[Gus Mahler]

They made more free throws than baskets...10 baskets, 14 free throws. I've never seen that, I don't think.

Yeeouch! Me, neither.

 

[MilfordHusky]

The once-proud Cardinal put up 36 tonight after tallying 31 against ASU a few weeks ago.

How the he!! did they score more than 80 against us last year???

 

[alexrgct]

Don't get me wrong here; Tara is a terrific, all-time great coach in wcbb. But is something passing her by? If so, what 's rotten in Denmark?

 

[Gate81]

Yes complete lack of offense lately and complete inability to handle zones this year. Unbelievable. Makes me really glad I'm moving back East next year and will be able to watch UConn in person!

 

[Kibitzer]

I have to be curious about two Stanford players, both of whom were definitely recruited by Geno.

The belief here on the Boneyard (possibly an internet legend) was that Karlie Samuelson (yes, Lou's sister) really wanted to come to UConn but felt compelled by a family situation (sick uncle?) to stay in California.

Erica McCall was recently cited by Jim Fuller (along with Lauren Cox and A'ja Wilson) as having enjoyed being recruited by UConn while having no intention of coming to Storrs.

I wonder what the tone of texts between Karlie and Lou is like.

 

[Wbbfan1]

The change in Stanford is that since Chiney graduated, they don't have a Go To player (Difference Maker). They have some good players but not a great one. Also in prior years Stanford had the best recruiting classes in the PAC 12 that's no longer happening. Also many of the good California players are deciding to choose schools on the West Coast where before many of them went East. This has enabled the other PAC 12 schools to get better. The PAC 12 is the best conference Top to Bottom, but they don't have any of the Elite Teams in the country.

 

[BIGMAC]

They made more free throws than baskets...10 baskets, 14 free throws. I've never seen that, I don't think.

On the bright side they did assist on 80% of their baskets. At least they share the ball.

 

[ThisJustIn]

So, if it's UConn by a mile... who are the top 4?

Notre Dame
South Carolina
Baylor
Texas

 

[kat0189]

It really comes down to admissions for Stanford.

Off the top of my head, some relatively recent players for whom Stanford was their #1 choice but couldn't quite get admitted, despite being solid students:

#1) Played for the USA National Team last summer – Capital One Academic All-America Second Team (senior year), Capital One Academic All-District First Team (sophomore & senior years), Academic All-Big 12 First Team (sophomore through senior years), and ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District First Team member (sophomore year)
#2) First Round WNBA Draft Pick – All-ACC Academic Team (junior & senior years)
#3) Top 5 Recruit out of HS – SEC Academic Honor Roll (junior & senior years)
#4) Top 12 Recruit out of HS/Projected 1st Round WNBA Draft Pick – Academic All-Big 12 First Team (freshman through sophomore years, currently a senior)

Heck, Shoni Schimmel's #1 choice by a mile was Stanford (her dad played baseball there), but didn't quite have the grades.

I do, however, think Tara makes some mistakes in recruiting. One year she had to pass on a top 12 recruit b/c she didn't have room b/c she took a c couple benchwarmers a couple years earlier.

Also, Aly Beebe (ranked #13 out of HS) would have been a senior thids year but medically retired after 3 ACL's.

 

[bags27]

isn't there another thread on this site about where next year's McDonald's AA are going and that 3 of them are going to Stanford? Or did Tara just make me write that?

I had a long talk (at a wedding, where we had hours to kill) with an AD of an excellent small college and asked him why Princeton lost its mojo (= its great coach) in men's lacrosse and found it in women's b-ball. His reply: very elite schools make choices about bending admission requirements for athletes, but concentrate those exceptions so as to gain national attention in certain sports. He speculated (and that is all it was) that Princeton shifted its athletic priorities. Stanford is so hot academically that it's hard to believe that a couple of exceptions in women's b-ball would make much of a difference to its admit metrics of class rank and SAT scores. But football does take up a huge number of athletic admits and football ultimately rules there. Football coaches simply won't work at places where their star recruits aren't admitted (why Wisconsin lost 2 HCs in succession). Add to that the enormous pressure to take all those low achieving kids of Silicon Valley quadrillionaires and maybe there's not much room left.

 

[donalddoowop]

The once-proud Cardinal put up 36 tonight after tallying 31 against ASU a few weeks ago.

How the he!! did they score more than 80 against us last year???

They had Orrange.

 

[ochoopsfan]

UCLA has some good players. Canada and Billings are a good inside out punch. I think they are a better team when Nirra Fields distributes. She has a tendency to take a lot of shots. When she passes it makes them better. I like the Bruins.

Don't hold your breath. Although a very talented player in WBB, she takes way too many shots that should be passes, or wait for numbers. Nirra has never seen a 1 on 3 chance that she doesnt think she can score on. I actually think UCLA will be an even better "team" next year after Fields has graduated.

 

[ochoopsfan]

I have to be curious about two Stanford players, both of whom were definitely recruited by Geno.

The belief here on the Boneyard (possibly an internet legend) was that Karlie Samuelson (yes, Lou's sister) really wanted to come to UConn but felt compelled by a family situation (sick uncle?) to stay in California.

Erica McCall was recently cited by Jim Fuller (along with Lauren Cox and A'ja Wilson) as having enjoyed being recruited by UConn while having no intention of coming to Storrs.

I wonder what the tone of texts between Karlie and Lou is like.

I dont believe that is true. The uncle, who I met and was a very nice person, died suddenly from a heart attack at a very young age, probably in his 40's. He was in great shape, I believe a distance runner and was also an orthopedic surgeon. I am pretty sure Karlie was going to Stanford, although she would have been a good fit at UConn too.
I am sure the texts between the entire family are all supportive. Bonnie was at last nights game vs UCLA and she has seen Lou play at least once, maybe twice. Family is as close as a family in this sport that I know.

 

[Gate81]

It really comes down to admissions for Stanford.

Off the top of my head, some relatively recent players for whom Stanford was their #1 choice but couldn't quite get admitted, despite being solid students:

#1) Played for the USA National Team last summer – Capital One Academic All-America Second Team (senior year), Capital One Academic All-District First Team (sophomore & senior years), Academic All-Big 12 First Team (sophomore through senior years), and ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District First Team member (sophomore year)
#2) First Round WNBA Draft Pick – All-ACC Academic Team (junior & senior years)
#3) Top 5 Recruit out of HS – SEC Academic Honor Roll (junior & senior years)
#4) Top 12 Recruit out of HS/Projected 1st Round WNBA Draft Pick – Academic All-Big 12 First Team (freshman through sophomore years, currently a senior)

Heck, Shoni Schimmel's #1 choice by a mile was Stanford (her dad played baseball there), but didn't quite have the grades.

I do, however, think Tara makes some mistakes in recruiting. One year she had to pass on a top 12 recruit b/c she didn't have room b/c she took a c couple benchwarmers a couple years earlier.

Also, Aly Beebe (ranked #13 out of HS) would have been a senior thids year but medically retired after 3 ACL's.

And add current younger players like Turner, Boley, Lambert (whose nickname per an ESPN article was Stanford) and UCLA's Monique Billings...

 

[Dillon77]

Don't hold your breath. Although a very talented player in WBB, she takes way too many shots that should be passes, or wait for numbers. Nirra has never seen a 1 on 3 chance that she doesnt think she can score on. I actually think UCLA will be an even better "team" next year after Fields has graduated.

UCLA has played Notre Dame tough two years in a row, with this year's going to OT in an early-season game. As such, I've taken an interest in them and have come away impressed with Jordin Canada and Monique Billings and think that Karli Korver adds some long-range firepower who might get more touches if the ball was reversed more often. Like the direction UCLA is going in.

There's a lot of teams that are vying for the formidable talent on the West Coast now and I'm not sure Stanford is getting first dibs anymore, whether these kids are highly ranked or if notable "under the radar" or "glue" players. If I was to see a possible tournament matchup for Irish this year, I'd be a lot more worried about a UCLA or Oregon State matchup, let alone a game against ASU, then taking on Stanford.
That could change with one or two recruiting classes...got to think Stanford and Tara command a lot of respect.

 

[Kibitzer]

I dont believe that is true. I am pretty sure Karlie was going to Stanford, although she would have been a good fit at UConn too.

I am certain that your recitation of facts is accurate, for which I thank you. I persist in my statement about "the belief here on the Boneyard (possibly an internet legend) was that Karlie Samuelson. . . really wanted to go to UConn. . . ."

The "belief" was clearly mistaken, but I assure you that my statement to the effect that it prevailed on this very Boneyard is true. I hope we can agree that the Boneyard belief was an "internet legend" after all.