Baylor lost last night

[DaddyChoc]

did I miss the mention of this or is it buried in another thread?
ETT... what happened against OSU?

 

[Wbbfan1]

Niya Johnson starting PG did not play. She's out with a Bone Bruise. Don't know how long she is out for.

Didn't help that Alexis Jones shot 2-18 for 5 points. Box Score: http://espn.go.com/womens-college-basketball/boxscore?gameId=400832053
Baylor only played 2 guards for the game.

 

[UcMiami]

I think Kim's coaching should take the blame for this - prior to their little holiday swing through FL for two hard fought games where Johnson played extended minutes (73 of 80 game minutes) because the score was close, Baylor had 4 games with MOVs of 40-60 points - a great chance to work the line-up and get contingency plans in place for those tough games where fouls or illness force players out of their normal roles. Johnson averaged 30 minutes in each of those games and had fabulous stats of 19 and 18 assists in two which was great for her, but ... that was 20+ minutes of game time wasted when Jones and or Wallace could have worked their PG skills in live game situations. Playing cupcakes is not an issue in and of itself - not using those game situations to work on specific issues that may come up in future contests is. Baylor's offense is completely PG oriented - play is designed for the PG to get the assists, and if that doesn't happen, the ball goes back to the PG for a reset.

Johnson already has 137 assists - 40% of the Baylor total. That compares to Moriah with 67 which represents only 27% of Uconn's offense and Allen at 77 or 29% of ND's total. Different offensive philosophy at Baylor that puts much more emphasis on the PG, so you need a better contingency plan.

 

[huskeynut]

This loss is definately on Kim. Not having another PG ready is bad coaching. Not planning for potential injuries is bad coaching.

 

[easttexastrash]

This loss is definately on Kim. Not having another PG ready is bad coaching. Not planning for potential injuries is bad coaching.

I agree. Johnson has way too much responsibility on this team and in her absence the team did not know how to operate. Only 7 assists to 18 TOs last night. When Johnson is in the game that ratio is incredibly good. We are now playing without Johnson and Prince, two starters from the beginning of the season, and we are too thin at guard to recover from that.

The Baylor bigs continuously tried to spin into the lane last night and OSU was sitting there waiting with a double team every time. At no point did we figure out that spinning into the lane was not going to work.

Also, as pointed out, Alexis Jones went 2-18 from the field (1-10 from three point range). That certainly didn't help much.

On the bright side, Mompremier is showing us some really good stuff. She is great on the boards, shoots a high percentage around the basket and can really run the floor. She needs to be playing 30+ minutes a game. Kim took her out at a crucial point in the 4th quarter when Baylor had momentum, mainly because of Mompremier, and OSU pushed the lead back to 7 or so.

Nina Davis now has an outside shot. She went 3-4 from three point range. Her shot looks funky, but it is effective.

Onward and upward! Use it as "lessons learned" and look forward to the next game.

 

[easttexastrash]

This loss is definately on Kim. Not having another PG ready is bad coaching. Not planning for potential injuries is bad coaching.

Alexis Jones has played quite a bit at the PG position but she certainly was not effective last night, as she had 4 assists to 5 TOs. Alexandria Gulley, who really looked sharp in the one game that she played, is still injured and would otherwise be the PG in training.

 

[Gus Mahler]

Playing cupcakes is not an issue in and of itself - not using those game situations to work on specific issues that may come up in future contests is. Baylor's offense is completely PG oriented - play is designed for the PG to get the assists, and if that doesn't happen, the ball goes back to the PG for a reset.

Well, that bodes well for UCONN in any future encounter, as the Huskies counter with a PG who is pretty darn good on defense.

 

[UcMiami]

ETT - What is the word on Johnson? A bone bruise, but that can cover a few days rest, to a more prolonged issue depending on severity and the bone in question. Did it happen in a game or in practice? She is a really good player and you will miss her a lot until she gets back.

 

[UcMiami]

Well, that bodes well for UCONN in any future encounter, as the Huskies counter with a PG who is pretty darn good on defense.

Yes it does, and it is not just Moriah, but a coaching staff that is very good at adjusting defensively to take away what an opponent wants to do.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Baylor, like Louisville, generally tries to overwhelm with hustle and a couple of people who know what they are doing. Kim's coaching ability is over rated IMO. Right now she has a very unbalanced team and has had that going on for several + years.

 

[CamrnCrz1974]

Alexis Jones has played quite a bit at the PG position but she certainly was not effective last night, as she had 4 assists to 5 TOs. Alexandria Gulley, who really looked sharp in the one game that she played, is still injured and would otherwise be the PG in training.

Jones has Alana Beard-like qualities. She is a great creator off the dribble who can pass and rack up assists, but she is not best as a PG when she has to constantly balance scoring and playmaking for everyone else. She is a great shooting guard who will rack up assists as the secondary ballhandler/playmaker, especially in a two-man game (pick-and-roll, pick-and-pop).

PG is a mentality, not just a position. Jones is a wonderful player with good vision, but she excels as the secondary ballhandler/playmaker, not the primary one.

 

[willtalk]

PG is a mentality, not just a position. Jones is a wonderful player with good vision, but she excels as the secondary ballhandler/playmaker, not the primary one.

Excellent point! Too many people confuse a players physical abilities in respect to playing the point and ignore the mind set required to utilize those abilities.

 

[easttexastrash]

ETT - What is the word on Johnson? A bone bruise, but that can cover a few days rest, to a more prolonged issue depending on severity and the bone in question. Did it happen in a game or in practice? She is a really good player and you will miss her a lot until she gets back.

The injury occurred in a game a couple weeks back in the Florida tournament that Baylor played in. She was a game-time decision last night and will probably be ready for the OU game on Sunday.

I am hoping that we can get Alexis Prince back this month, also. In a recent interview she said that she is on track for a return. Kristy Wallace is a nice player but lacks the athleticism that Prince has so that has been a big loss for us.

 

[easttexastrash]

Baylor, like Louisville, generally tries to overwhelm with hustle and a couple of people who know what they are doing. Kim's coaching ability is over rated IMO. Right now she has a very unbalanced team and has had that going on for several + years.

Mulkey does have a way of only trusting a select few players and runs everything through them, which can certainly be a liability. She has put so much on Johnson's shoulders that the team becomes disorganized in her absence.

The solution: Johnson can never be injured, never be sick, never be in foul trouble and never graduate.

 

[huskyd]

Baylor, like Louisville, generally tries to overwhelm with hustle and a couple of people who know what they are doing. Kim's coaching ability is over rated IMO. Right now she has a very unbalanced team and has had that going on for several + years.

I guess you're referring to all of bigs, Rock. And Baylor added Cox to the mix. The one time I saw the Lady Bears play, it appeared the end of the court would flip over and sink into the Gulf: those are BIG bigs.

 

[UcMiami]

The solution: Johnson can never be injured, never be sick, never be in foul trouble and never graduate.

Yeah - we have some of the same feelings about Stewart ... maybe we can sneak her past the NCAA committee for a few more years!

 

[easttexastrash]

I guess you're referring to all of bigs, Rock. And Baylor added Cox to the mix. The one time I saw the Lady Bears play, it appeared the end of the court would flip over and sink into the Gulf: those are BIG bigs.

Mompremier is about to become a starter and her numbers are going to be impressive. She is probably the best rebounder Baylor has had in many years and she is the only "big" that can face up and take her defender off the bounce.

By the end of the month Baylor will have 3 starters that were not starters in the OSU game: Johnson, Prince and Mompremier. And we saw last year after the Stanford game what a difference one starter can make when Geno replaced Chong with Nurse.

 

[PhillyCoach]

Mulkey does have a way of only trusting a select few players and runs everything through them, which can certainly be a liability. She has put so much on Johnson's shoulders that the team becomes disorganized in her absence.

The solution: Johnson can never be injured, never be sick, never be in foul trouble and never graduate.

Yo East - I like how you can be objective and clear eyed about your own team. It is refreshing. Happy New Year!

 

[easttexastrash]

Yo East - I like how you can be objective and clear eyed about your own team. It is refreshing. Happy New Year!

Thanks, PC. I try not to just be a cheerleader with rose-colored glasses on. And Happy New Year to you and all of the BY'ers who allow me to be a guest in your home all year long.

 

[JoePgh]

Mompremier is about to become a starter and her numbers are going to be impressive. She is probably the best rebounder Baylor has had in many years and she is the only "big" that can face up and take her defender off the bounce.

By the end of the month Baylor will have 3 starters that were not starters in the OSU game: Johnson, Prince and Mompremier. And we saw last year after the Stanford game what a difference one starter can make when Geno replaced Chong with Nurse.

Your point is well taken, but there is a slight inaccuracy in the last line. After the Stanford game last year, two changes were made in UConn's starting lineup: (a) Nurse for Chong; and (b) Tuck for Stokes. Both changes were highly impactful. Had Geno presciently started the season with the lineup that he went to after the Stanford game, UConn would probably have a winning streak approaching 100 games by now.

 

[easttexastrash]

What a difference a few days and one player can make. Johnson returns to have a double double and nearly a triple double. And Jones recovers nicely from her horrific shooting night against Okie Lite to drop 25 (a career high) against OSU. Nina Davis add 24. Wallace also had 13.

Order has been restored.

 

[easttexastrash]

Your point is well taken, but there is a slight inaccuracy in the last line. After the Stanford game last year, two changes were made in UConn's starting lineup: (a) Nurse for Chong; and (b) Tuck for Stokes. Both changes were highly impactful. Had Geno presciently started the season with the lineup that he went to after the Stanford game, UConn would probably have a winning streak approaching 100 games by now.

Thanks for that correction. I had forgotten about Tuck's insertion as a starter.

 

[msf22b]

I thought Jones had a great night, Davis was Davis and that kid who hit everthing in the first half saved the team from a loss.
But as a group they were some distance from overwhelmimg.

 

[easttexastrash]

I thought Jones had a great night, Davis was Davis and that kid who hit everthing in the first half saved the team from a loss.
But as a group they were some distance from overwhelmimg.

Hey, not all games will be overwhelming wins. I don't think all of UCONN's wins have been overwhelming wins this year, either. I will take a 10 point conference win over a top 20 opponent any day of the week.

Baylor is still playing with only 3 available guards due to injuries to Prince, Gulley and Dry. I expect to see Prince back on the court by the end of the month but probably not Gulley or Dry.