Big Ten WBB

[STLCardinal]

Clark was unconscious! But I do like watching Michigan play. They play well together, as a team. You tune in to watch Hillmon play, and while she doesn't disappoint, you come away having enjoyed watching the others too. The Phelia kid is good. Good tonight and against Indiana too. Brown out tonight, didn't slow them down. Same with Indiana - lose Holmes, play on. Not the injury situation UConn has had to deal with but still worth noting.

 

[bballnut90]

Michigan/Iowa 4th quarter was unlike anything I've ever seen. The game was a blowout and Clark was having a poor game for her standards, and just got insanely hot and was launching (and hitting) from everywhere. She must have had close to 30 points in the quarter. One possession she ran down the court, jacked up a running 40 footer with a full shot clock and nailed it. She hit another logo shot too a possession or 2 earlier. Every play was, "get the ball to Clark and get out of the way." It got to the point where Michigan had 2 players face guarding her at all times at the end to play 3 on 4 and prevent her from touching the ball. The lead was cut to 5 but Iowa couldn't stop Michigan from scoring and eventually lost 98-90. If you want to see some wild basketball, watch the 4th quarter.

 

[Iluvacc2]

Michigan/Iowa 4th quarter was unlike anything I've ever seen. The game was a blowout and Clark was having a poor game for her standards, and just got insanely hot and was launching (and hitting) from everywhere. She must have had close to 30 points in the quarter. One possession she ran down the court, jacked up a running 40 footer with a full shot clock and nailed it. She hit another logo shot too a possession or 2 earlier. Every play was, "get the ball to Clark and get out of the way." It got to the point where Michigan had 2 players face guarding her at all times at the end to play 3 on 4 and prevent her from touching the ball. The lead was cut to 5 but Iowa couldn't stop Michigan from scoring and eventually lost 98-90. If you want to see some wild basketball, watch the 4th quarter.

Clark was absolutely ridiculous in the 4th quarter, she scored more points than some teams

She was also clearly gassed at the very end, it’s a shame that she’ll never see a final four in her future unless she enters the portal.

 

[Dillon77]

Clark was absolutely ridiculous in the 4th quarter, she scored more points than some teams

She was also clearly gassed at the very end, it’s a shame that she’ll never see a final four in her future unless she enters the portal.

Someone on the Bench compared her to Pistol Pete Maravich. She's got Monika Czinano (sp) but she needs a few more people that can create their own opportunities to keep the pressure off her (as Paige has/will have Azzi, Caroline, Christyn, etc.). She looks drained by efforts against teams that can bring it (Michigan, Ohio State's guard-heavy attack). I won't get into transfer portals now but if the time comes, I know a U.S.A. u-19 teammate currently playing in NW Indiana she'd match up well with....

 

[Dillon77]

Michigan/Iowa 4th quarter was unlike anything I've ever seen. The game was a blowout and Clark was having a poor game for her standards, and just got insanely hot and was launching (and hitting) from everywhere. She must have had close to 30 points in the quarter. One possession she ran down the court, jacked up a running 40 footer with a full shot clock and nailed it. She hit another logo shot too a possession or 2 earlier. Every play was, "get the ball to Clark and get out of the way." It got to the point where Michigan had 2 players face guarding her at all times at the end to play 3 on 4 and prevent her from touching the ball. The lead was cut to 5 but Iowa couldn't stop Michigan from scoring and eventually lost 98-90. If you want to see some wild basketball, watch the 4th quarter.

Great description. I have to go back and (re) watch the second half. Here's Em Adler's (The Next) description of what Caitlin Clark has done recently:

"...We need to talk about Caitlin Clark. Over her last seven games, the Iowa point guard has notched: a 31-point triple-double, 35-point triple-double, 18/7/8 in 29 minutes, the Big Ten single-game assists record/second-most in the Her Hoops Stats era, 28-point triple-double with an overtime game-winner over the two-time reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, 43 points, triple-double, and now 46 points. Extend that back to the new year, and you add: 44 points and eight assists in 30 minutes, 30 points on the two-time reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, 31/12/8, and 24/9/8."

"Since New Year’s, Clark leads the country in points, assists, points in the paint, usage, attempts from both the field and the line, and nearly leads the country in defensive rebounds. She’s also in the 98th percentile in true-shooting and in the 93rd in blocks and ranks third overall in fouls drawn (all per CBB Analytics). This is genuinely unprecedented stuff. This is Kelsey Plum with skip passes, pulling up from the logo; this is Point Delle Donne in the Power 5; this is Odyssey Sims with size. "

"Well, there actually is precedent here: Steph Curry." Some druthers of my own ND almost came back from an 18-pt. deficit to fall short, as well. However, Clark outscored ND's team scoring in the 2nd half by herself. Steph Curry. Hmm. As noted in another post, I'm also thinking Pistol Pete. It's an intense experience watching her play: she throws everything into it.

 

[undersized]

The Iowa @ Indiana game was moved up a day to make room for them to reschedule the Indiana @ Iowa game that was originally postponed due to COVID issues within the Indiana program back in January. Both teams currently dealing with injured starters and limited depth.

 

[JellyBean]

Michigan stumbles to archrival Michigan State. I wonder how far Michigan falls in the rankings.

 

[Dillon77]

Michigan stumbles to archrival Michigan State. I wonder how far Michigan falls in the rankings.

I don't think too far: Leigha Brown, their 2nd leading scorer, didn't play. Hillmon played great, but Brown always plays clutch against tougher opponents. They missed her last night.

 

[cancontent]

Came across this post on Twitter. Interesting stats on Hillmon's performance. She really had to work for those points

 

[undersized]

Love Naz as a college player but seeing her relatively contained by 6'3'' freshman Isaline Alexander does not bode well for her WNBA prospects IMO.

 

[cancontent]

Love Naz as a college player but seeing her relatively contained by 6'3'' freshman Isaline Alexander does not bode well for her WNBA prospects IMO.

I get your point, but wouldn't WNBA teams also take the fact she still scored 27 points into account? She was 12-25 for FG, which is just under 50%.

Not trying to take anything away from Alexander, but Hillmon was able score around her season average. Like Kyei, she's another intriguing player out of Canada that people may/may not be aware of. Her playing time seems to be increasing as the BIG 10 tournament is getting closer.. Will be interesting to see how she fares for the rest of the season.

 

[JellyBean]

Man. Michigan is reeling right now. Lost the last two games (Michigan State & Northwestern). Up next, another tough one, Maryland.

 

[bballnut90]

Man. Michigan is reeling right now. Lost the last two games (Michigan State & Northwestern). Up next, another tough one, Maryland.

I guess that's the curse of entering the top 4. Both Tennessee/Michigan lose twice to unranked teams in a quick span.

NC State/Louisville looks like they're in safe spots (for now) for the other #1 seeds. Arizona, Oklahoma, Michigan (twice), UCONN, and Tennessee all with bad losses as of late. Indiana has a shot to sneak in but I think they'll need NC State/Louisville to lose unexpectedly or they'll need to win out and take home the Big Ten tournament title.

 

[Dillon77]

I guess that's the curse of entering the top 4. Both Tennessee/Michigan lose twice to unranked teams in a quick span.

NC State/Louisville looks like they're in safe spots (for now) for the other #1 seeds. Arizona, Oklahoma, Michigan (twice), UCONN, and Tennessee all with bad losses as of late. Indiana has a shot to sneak in but I think they'll need NC State/Louisville to lose unexpectedly or they'll need to win out and take home the Big Ten tournament title.

...and that's going to be hard to do if Center McKenzie Holmes does not come back. She was their MVP this year and IU really plays their starters, period. Aleksa Gulbe has played well in Holmes' absence, but that's a tough chore for her to do: do both her job and Holmes'.

 

[JellyBean]

I guess that's the curse of entering the top 4. Both Tennessee/Michigan lose twice to unranked teams in a quick span.

NC State/Louisville looks like they're in safe spots (for now) for the other #1 seeds. Arizona, Oklahoma, Michigan (twice), UCONN, and Tennessee all with bad losses as of late. Indiana has a shot to sneak in but I think they'll need NC State/Louisville to lose unexpectedly or they'll need to win out and take home the Big Ten tournament title.

Yup. Indy has a chance. Gonna need some outside help and run the table on their end.

 

[cancontent]

...and that's going to be hard to do if Center McKenzie Holmes does not come back. She was their MVP this year and IU really plays their starters, period. Aleksa Gulbe has played well in Holmes' absence, but that's a tough chore for her to do: do both her job and Holmes'.

She may be closer to getting back on the court. I watched their game on Saturday and it looked like Holmes was dressed even though she didn't play.

 

[visitingcock]

The one seeds are "pretty well safe." Position could fluctuate but they should not drop out of the top 4. Louisville and nc state can both afford the loss to the other. Of course, snot happens but lets consider them safe.

After that, who knows what will happen? Who will be the best out of the Big 10 and Big 12? Whoever it is will end up a second seed for sure. That leaves two spots among the second seeds. I could see a second team from the Big 12; not so much for the Big 10. Arizona? They aren't really looking dominant, Uconn would have a shot but do you guys really want it? 3 seed in Bridgeport looks pretty good. Of course, your team is not gonna' slack off to get 3 rather than a 2. Tennessee could move back up to a 2 seed if they win out against everybody except SC.

It's a mess right now. Ain't it grand!

 

[cancontent]

The one seeds are "pretty well safe." Position could fluctuate but they should not drop out of the top 4. Louisville and nc state can both afford the loss to the other. Of course, snot happens but lets consider them safe.

After that, who knows what will happen? Who will be the best out of the Big 10 and Big 12? Whoever it is will end up a second seed for sure. That leaves two spots among the second seeds. I could see a second team from the Big 12; not so much for the Big 10. Arizona? They aren't really looking dominant, Uconn would have a shot but do you guys really want it? 3 seed in Bridgeport looks pretty good. Of course, your team is not gonna' slack off to get 3 rather than a 2. Tennessee could move back up to a 2 seed if they win out against everybody except SC.

It's a mess right now. Ain't it grand!

Yes indeed.

 

[Plebe]

Quite the logjam at the top of the B10 standings:

Indiana 10-2
Michigan 11-3
Ohio State 11-3
Maryland 11-3
Iowa 10-4

It's actually Ohio State with the clearest path to a regular season title. They play at Maryland next but then finish against Wisconsin, Penn State and Michigan State.

Maryland has almost the toughest conference schedule possible; their remaining games are against Ohio State, Michigan and Indiana, each of whom they're facing for the second time.

Indiana plays Iowa back-to-back and then travels to Maryland.

Michigan finishes against Maryland, Michigan State and Iowa.

 

[DefenseBB]

Quite the logjam at the top of the B10 standings:

Indiana 10-2
Michigan 11-3
Ohio State 11-3
Maryland 11-3
Iowa 10-4

It's actually Ohio State with the clearest path to a regular season title. They play at Maryland next but then finish against Wisconsin, Penn State and Michigan State.

Maryland has almost the toughest conference schedule possible; their remaining games are against Ohio State, Michigan and Indiana, each of whom they're facing for the second time.

Indiana plays Iowa back-to-back and then travels to Maryland.

Michigan finishes against Maryland, Michigan State and Iowa.

Maryland looked pretty good tonight even without Ashley Owuzu. Indiana looked very weak without Mackenzie Holmes and even when she comes back what kind of a game shape will she be in for back to back games against Iowa? And how long is Brown out as Michigan also looks vulnerable so I think Maryland has a good shot.

So yeah, OSU has the easiest path with the exception of Maryland so whoever wins this game is my guess as the #1 seed for the Big Ten Tourney.

 

[JellyBean]

Quite the logjam at the top of the B10 standings:

Indiana 10-2
Michigan 11-3
Ohio State 11-3
Maryland 11-3
Iowa 10-4

It's actually Ohio State with the clearest path to a regular season title. They play at Maryland next but then finish against Wisconsin, Penn State and Michigan State.

Maryland has almost the toughest conference schedule possible; their remaining games are against Ohio State, Michigan and Indiana, each of whom they're facing for the second time.

Indiana plays Iowa back-to-back and then travels to Maryland.

Michigan finishes against Maryland, Michigan State and Iowa.

The way this season is going, it is going to be a wild race to the finish.

 

[TerpWomenFan]

Maryland looked pretty good tonight even without Ashley Owuzu. Indiana looked very weak without Mackenzie Holmes and even when she comes back what kind of a game shape will she be in for back to back games against Iowa? And how long is Brown out as Michigan also looks vulnerable so I think Maryland has a good shot.

So yeah, OSU has the easiest path with the exception of Maryland so whoever wins this game is my guess as the #1 seed for the Big Ten Tourney.

The first half we saw the Terp team we saw last season. Their lack of depth sort of hurt them in the 2nd half. During their winning streak they have played excellent defense in the first have and they get tired in the 2nd.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

The first half we saw the Terp team we saw last season. Their lack of depth sort of hurt them in the 2nd half. During their winning streak they have played excellent defense in the first have and they get tired in the 2nd.

MD played well. I can see why they would tire as the starters logged some very long minutes. I still can't make up my mind about Brenda. I thought during the late Iowa run, and being on the road, and with key players with fouls, she should have used her timeouts better. And Diamond Miller is really good, but she seems indecisive or out of control at times. She had six turnovers. Benzan should get more looks. They are going to need her outside scoring. They pretty much shut down Clark who was pushing off like crazy and trying her best to flop her way to free throws. Glad the refs weren't having any of it.

 

[jchusky]

good lord Iowa needs to move on from Bluder, her coaching is garbage. Do whatever it takes to get Jennie and bring her home!

 

[letsgogirls]

good lord Iowa needs to move on from Bluder, her coaching is garbage. Do whatever it takes to get Jennie and bring her home!

Wonder if CC is regretting her decision :|