We are entering a long stretch of 11 games that we should win pretty easily. I think by the end of that period the rotation for Tennessee, South Carolina and the rest of the season will have been determined. Azzi and Aubrey should be back. Jana will have more minutes to determine if she can pass Ice in the starting lineup. Which guard comes off the bench instead of starting, if Azzi resumes starting, should be settled. We will get to see much more of Allie and Q, probably in mop up minutes, and Morgan will have a chance to prove she should be part of the rotation, even if that rotation is as big as 10.
The small ball lineup vs. a more traditional two big lineup can be tested both ways over this period as well. The return of Aubrey, Morgan's ability to play the 4, and Jana becoming reliable at the 5 could all increase the odds of a more traditional lineup, but the bar is still pretty high because three pretty good guards with Paige at the 4 isn't a bad option either. If the play at the 5 steps up, with Aubrey's return, Geno could even think about using Aubrey or Sarah at the 3 together, or if the 5 is still a relative weakness, both together with Aubrey at the 4 and Sarah at the 5.
The games during this stretch may not provide much if any drama regarding the outcome, but there will still be many questions to be answered, rotations to be determined, and roles to get settled in before the most important part of the season begins. At a minimum the rotation will be significantly different from the team that lost two games because of Azzi and Aubrey, but several other roles and the size of the rotation could change as well depending on how things play out over this stretch.
The small ball lineup vs. a more traditional two big lineup can be tested both ways over this period as well. The return of Aubrey, Morgan's ability to play the 4, and Jana becoming reliable at the 5 could all increase the odds of a more traditional lineup, but the bar is still pretty high because three pretty good guards with Paige at the 4 isn't a bad option either. If the play at the 5 steps up, with Aubrey's return, Geno could even think about using Aubrey or Sarah at the 3 together, or if the 5 is still a relative weakness, both together with Aubrey at the 4 and Sarah at the 5.
The games during this stretch may not provide much if any drama regarding the outcome, but there will still be many questions to be answered, rotations to be determined, and roles to get settled in before the most important part of the season begins. At a minimum the rotation will be significantly different from the team that lost two games because of Azzi and Aubrey, but several other roles and the size of the rotation could change as well depending on how things play out over this stretch.
