Baylor at ND tonite ESPN2

[VAMike23]

BG looking almost casual - KM not so much

 

[OneTrickPony]

Baylor 69 - 59 1:39 left

 

[easttexastrash]

I cannot believe that Baylor's guards still can't throw the ball high enough where only Griner can catch it.

 

[Vowelguy]

ND showed that they are top 10 quality.

 

[easttexastrash]

There was plenty of talk about winning 100 straight -- I'm not criticizing, I just thought it showed some naivete. I enjoy reading the posts there and contributing occasionally.

Maybe by two people. Most on the board stated that it would be very difficult to go undefeated this year.

 

[VAMike23]

Fat Lady warming up in the tunnel

 

[Vowelguy]

Who would have guessed that ND would play Baylor tighter this year than they did last year?

 

[OneTrickPony]

Skylar 4 for 19...Baylor 73 - 61

 

[OneTrickPony]

Jewel Lloyd is a player...

 

[VAMike23]

Rebecca clearly wearing 4" heels for this interview

 

[VAMike23]

Jewel Lloyd is a player...

Yep

 

[RadyLady]

73 - 61 final....Jewel Lloyd is the real deal (hope I spelled her name correctly)

 

[jplotinus]

100+ responses already. Wow. Has anyone commented that Kim Mulkey looks 20 years younger, not that different from when she was running circles around everyone else at LaTech? If so, cool. If not, well, it's now been said that Botox really works :-0

Sub-par game from Skylar Diggins might have been the difference. Neither team plays at uconn's pace, IMHO.

 

[easttexastrash]

73 - 61 final....Jewel Lloyd is the real deal (hope I spelled her name correctly)

Great player! I said when I saw her at the all star game that she was the best player on the floor that day. She has game.

 

[Suebird10fan]

Outside of last year and two games at the end of her sophomore year Diggins has done nothing to earn her rep. Maybe (as in very likely) last year was an outlier and she just isn't a first team AA caliber player. Maybe not second team AA either. Loyd on the other hand...

 

[easttexastrash]

Baylor started off pretty bad, IMO. The tide actually turned when Mulkey put Hayden in toward the end of the game. Those 5 have been playing together for a long time and everything runs more smoothly when all 5 are on the court. I wish Prince were playing with a little more confidence. I was hope those early two baskets would increase her confidence but she still looks like she is hesitant and thinking too much and not following her instincts.

Someone made a previous comment about Pope that they were delaying judgement until they see more of her. She has made incredible strides since last year. It is obvious that she put in a tremendous amount of work.

Baylor still goes away from Griner too much. As Burke mentioned, there are too many possessions early in the game where she doesn't get a touch for multiple possessions. That cannot happen if Baylor wants to win a NC. She is shooting 65% for the year. She is typically going to score or get fouled.

 

[Tonyc]

Not a very good game. If they called fouls on MD like they called tonight it wouldve been over at the half. This is what bothers me. Call one game one way and another game another way. We need consistentcy from the refs when calling games.

Baylor cant shoot from the outside, lazy on defense, and no game plan to execute. ND didnt get back on defense, Diggins has to know who has the hot hand and it wasnt her. Poor leadership by Diggins tonight, she didnt get others involved she tried to do it herself and that dosnt work. She needs to get her team mates involved.

If Griner is fronted and shoots 10-15 footers againest UConn she will have her shot blocked. Simms is coming back from an injury but if she plays like that againest UConn we win. Heck I think we beat ND and Baylor both by double digets.

 

[easttexastrash]

Not a very good game. If they called fouls on MD like they called tonight it wouldve been over at the half. This is what bothers me. Call one game one way and another game another way. We need consistentcy from the refs when calling games.

Baylor cant shoot from the outside, lazy on defense, and no game plan to execute. ND didnt get back on defense, Diggins has to know who has the hot hand and it wasnt her. Poor leadership by Diggins tonight, she didnt get others involved she tried to do it herself and that dosnt work. She needs to get her team mates involved.

If Griner is fronted and shoots 10-15 footers againest UConn she will have her shot blocked. Simms is coming back from an injury but if she plays like that againest UConn we win. Heck I think we beat ND and Baylor both by double digets.

Baylor is practically the worst team in the nation.

Which is more impressive, a 15 point win against Maryland at home or a 12 point win against ND on the road? Think about it before you answer.

 

[jplotinus]

ND did have a knack for O boards. You have to really box out against them. 2nd chance points kept game closer than it otherwise would have been with Sky Digg being off.

 

[pinotbear]

Fat Lady warming up in the tunnel

Oh, Digger's back in town..?

 

[VAMike23]

Baylor started off pretty bad, IMO. The tide actually turned when Mulkey put Hayden in toward the end of the game. Those 5 have been playing together and everything runs more smoothly when all 8 are on the court. I wish Prince were playing with a little more confidence. I was hope those early two baskets would increase her confidence but she still looks like she is hesitant and thinking too much and not following her instincts.

Someone made a previous comment about Pope that they were delaying judgement until they see more of her. She has made incredible strides since last year. It is obvious that she put in a tremendous amount of work.

Baylor still goes away from Griner too much. As Burke mentioned, there are too many possessions early in the game where she doesn't get a touch for multiple possessions. That cannot happen if Baylor wants to win a NC. She is shooting 65% for the year. She is typically going to score or get fouled.

Yes Baylor needs to do a better job of getting the ball to Griner in their possessions but I also see part of it falling on BG. Her senior demeanor is a two-edged sword. Mulkey has clearly impressed upon her the importance of not rushing, not getting too excited, etc. For the most part, this pays dividends b/c she has more time to choose the right move or the right play. However it seems to be carrying over into her intensity level. I am not seeing enough intensity from BG when it comes to battling for position, refusing to be rooted, calling for the ball, and especially getting her body in better position for rebounds.

She has improved a lot but she still is content to stand her ground and attempt to reach over people and out into space to collect the ball rather than get to a better spot first. She still has almost no instinct for the offensive glass, simply because she has been able to rely on her length or so it would appear. Granted she's not as speedy as an Achonwa or a Pope but she is not slow. She actually has some pretty good foot speed and very good overall athleticism. This is where she has the biggest upside at the next level, if she chooses to focus on it.

 

[VAMike23]

Oh, Digger's back in town..?

bwaahahahahhahaaa

 

[easttexastrash]

Yes Baylor needs to do a better job of getting the ball to Griner in their possessions but I also see part of it falling on BG. Her senior demeanor is a two-edged sword. Mulkey has clearly impressed upon her the importance of not rushing, not getting too excited, etc. For the most part, this pays dividends b/c she has more time to choose the right move or the right play. However it seems to be carrying over into her intensity level. I am not seeing enough intensity from BG when it comes to battling for position, refusing to be rooted, calling for the ball, and especially getting her body in better position for rebounds.

She has improved a lot but she still is content to stand her ground and attempt to reach over people and out into space to collect the ball rather than get to a better spot first. She still has almost no instinct for the offensive glass, simply because she has been able to rely on her length or so it would appear. Granted she's not as speedy as an Achonwa or a Pope but she is not slow. She actually has some pretty good foot speed and very good overall athleticism. This is where she has the biggest upside at the next level, if she chooses to focus on it.

I agree. I do wish we would see more intensity out of Griner. I agree that she is too content to stand back and let the game come to her. I wish she would start and end the game with a greater passion.

BG does lack a nose for the ball when it comes to offensive rebounding. She simply doesn't seem to have the instincts that some players have. Maybe that comes from not playing organized ball until she was a freshman in high school.

 

[Kibitzer]

She simply doesn't seem to have the instincts that some players have. Maybe that comes from not playing organized ball until she was a freshman in high school.[/quote]

Seriously, how much organized ball do any girls play before they get to high school? Even in Texas.

 

[easttexastrash]

I would be willing to bet you that almost every top player was playing organized ball in 6th, 7th and 8th grade. Do players in other states not play in those grades?

My school had girls playing other schools in 4th and 5th grade, and I mean full court games on regulation baskets.