Yeah. It was an awesome crowd. Nice game for both teams. Seeing Caitlin Clark in person is something different. Michigan was looking pretty good in that first half. Iowa went zone and then it became of game of runs for both teams. Michigan was up and then down. Like I said, nice game by both teams. Michigan is 13-3 (3-2 Big Ten) & Iowa is 14-2 (4-1 Big Ten).
If anyone votes for someone else in the BIG10, I'd be shocked. I'd also be ticked off because it would indicate people aren't paying attention to what she's done for the program. A turnaround like this is seen rarely, let alone beating a top 25 team.
This was BY FAR the biggest crowd that Michigan has had at home all year (10,731 vs. 3,237 second best) and beat last year's high of 6,471 in the OPENING Round of the NCAA at home. By contrast, this was the 4th largest crowd this year that Iowa has played in front of.
I was interested to see, with Berger's return, who went to the bench. Figured it would come down to Sydney Parrish or Sara Scalia and, indeed, it was Scalia. However, the former Minnesota sharpshooter played a lot, some 30 minutes. Looks like Moren was employing a guard. Berger is so calm and laser-focused, it rubs off on everyone -- and IU has been playing fine during her absence.
Not a good look when you lose at home to Rutgers.
True. No different than Michigan State losing to Wisconsin, who ironically, lost to Rutgers.
No bigger Whalen fan & supporter than myself. She will survive this season and probably take the off season to evaluate if she wants to come back next season. She has a great rapport with the AD and thankfully, her fans and supporters got her back, but we can see the writing on the wall, and you can see coaching is starting to take a lot out of her. Body language reveals so much.
My first concern isn't the coach, but the star player. Is Mara Braun going to waste a season on a flailing program? She deserves better.
Whalen has 2 more years after this year at $575,000 and $600,000 so there is zero chance she gets fired and they pay another coach. What’s really galling is they gave her the extension in March of 2022. She was 28-44 in conference play with a slew of leading players transferring out. This year she’s again abysmal at 1-5 in Big Ten and 8-9 overall with ONE win again’t a team ranked in the top 143. That’s pathetic by any stretch. Great player, seems like a nice person but the AD had no reason to hire her without any WCBB experience. Heck, she makes Marlene Stollings coaching look good.
Winning ugly is the new thing. Take it and run.
Their center had a monster game today. I didn't expect that.
Her game is so unorthodox. Potentially the most unique 5-player in the nation. She’s not a strong defender but she can make a lot of different shots and is unpredictable offensively which makes her hard to guard.
Yeah. Rebeka Mikulasikova (Ohio State) was a beast in this game. Like folks always say, be ready. Never know when your number is going to be called. She took what the defense was allowing her to do. Rebeka played well last year and I think that this year, she has taken her game to another level.
No idea. People wonder why it seems certain players get away with things.
I get using the off arm for balance, but even in the game last night...she pushed defenders to the floor. And not just Clark, but the flopping thing is getting old. Czinano ( a post) went 11 for 11 and shot one FT, and Clark shot 14 or some ridiculous number.
It seems like that arm push off is being allowed more nowadays and it's not just Clark. I've noticed the same with Brown at Michigan in some games. Guards are getting more leeway in my opinion. The onus is being put on the defender but I can understand the frustration, especially when the defender does a good job at moving their feet and staying with their man.
If the Spartans had managed to make a play with 5 seconds left it would have also cost over the game. I was rather surprised at Clark's lack of composure near the end of the OT.
Plum does that in the WNBA, and isn't the only one, it seems to be a natural move in basketball now.
