Has the women's game gotten too physical for its own good? What say you...

[ThisJustIn]

and here we go

that's what sarcasm will get ya!

 

[pinotbear]

It was too fat a pitch..I just couldn't lay off of it...I'm just not strong enough!

 

[Icebear]

Completely Barncastle's fault for putting her face in the way.

 

[willtalk]

A Modest Proposal! I believe the solution to making the games more competitive is very simple. It could also result in bringing more interest and money into the WCBB programs. Horses are made to carry extra weight to equalize the odds for betting purposes. Well the better teams could be handicapped in much the same manner. The players could be made to carry extra weight depending on how much better they are than the other team. This would make WCBB more attractive in regards to organized gambling. Each team would get a percentage amount that was bet on their games, thus making their programs less of a money drain on their schools.

 

[baggerbob]

I was going to post the other day when I turned on the game to watch basketball, a wrestling match broke out. The takedown of Breanna from behind when she was going for a layup , used to be called a flagrant foul , but now it seems as long as you can get up its ok. The refs need to start calling fouls early in games to set a tone. Maryland was only called for 5 fouls in the 1st half, the refs should have called at least twice that many. It would have prevented some of the problems in the 2nd half. By not calling fouls the flow of the game changes, and you have a scrum, not basketball.

 

[jplotinus]

What's Jordan Barncastle up to these days? Google reveals much about "the punch" and little else.

 

[pinotbear]

A Modest Proposal! I believe the solution to making the games more competitive is very simple. It could also result in bringing more interest and money into the WCBB programs. Horses are made to carry extra weight to equalize the odds for betting purposes. Well the better teams could be handicapped in much the same manner. The players could be made to carry extra weight depending on how much better they are than the other team. This would make WCBB more attractive in regards to organized gambling. Each team would get a percentage amount that was bet on their games, thus making their programs less of a money drain on their schools.

You just got Alydar very excited..!

 

[earl the pearl]

If the ref's "think" they have to allow rough play it isn't because of how the men's games are called. It would have more to do with the public statements by coaches to let them "play" and not call the game tight. The past couple of years Geno has gone on record during the NCAA's suggesting that calling fouls/ or the game tight would hurt his team and that the refs should let them play. The response? The single most physical game I've ever witnessed between UConn and ND in the F4. That game made me feel sore by just watching. I don't think teams are any more physical now than in the recent past. The difference is that there are MORE teams willing to be physical. UConn is a very physical team just like Tennessee use to be. The difference is that there are a few teams that can be just as physical back. If you watched the recent Maryland/UConn game and didn't have a dog in the fight you'd think that they were both physical with each other and gave as good as they got, but nothing dirty or crossing the line.

Your points are well taken, but do you think the coaches want players mugging each other? I think Geno was commenting on tick tack calls that were hurting players like Stef. The refereeing in the women's game is very uneven. Some games you are called for touch fouls and the next you can maul your opponent. The MD game was a tough game but fairly called, the ND game you mention was a little too much and they let it get out of hand.

 

[vtcwbuff]

If the ref's "think" they have to allow rough play it isn't because of how the men's games are called. It would have more to do with the public statements by coaches to let them "play" and not call the game tight. The past couple of years Geno has gone on record during the NCAA's suggesting that calling fouls/ or the game tight would hurt his team and that the refs should let them play. The response? The single most physical game I've ever witnessed between UConn and ND in the F4. That game made me feel sore by just watching. I don't think teams are any more physical now than in the recent past. The difference is that there are MORE teams willing to be physical. UConn is a very physical team just like Tennessee use to be. The difference is that there are a few teams that can be just as physical back. If you watched the recent Maryland/UConn game and didn't have a dog in the fight you'd think that they were both physical with each other and gave as good as they got, but nothing dirty or crossing the line.

I would like this twice if I could

 

[Brad Palmer]

The 2 things that have hurt the "flow" of college men's and women's basketball games the most are: 1) increased weightlifting, and 2) technical advances in scouting. Players are physically stronger, so muscle is more of an impediment to free-flowing offensive basketball and everyone knows exactly what the other team is running offensively. In my opinion, these 2 facts hurt the women's game even more, as men are able to compensate with hang time/athletic ability. There are numerous D1 women;s game with 3-4 TOTAL fast-break baskets per game. Not very exciting.

Unfortunately, there's nothing you can really do about either now that the Genie is out of the bottle.

Oh, and if the refs had initially starting calling fouls for physical play years ago, much of this could have been avoided.