Interesting Opening Day/Week Games

[JellyBean]

Great night of games. Really enjoyed watching the VA Tech/Iowa game. I knew Georgia Amoore was good. Just not that GOOD! Wow.

 

[JellyBean]

Anyone watch the Harvard at Maryland game yesterday? Looking at the stats, how did Harvard get 87 fga in that game? Was there no attempt at defense by Maryland? Harvard took 36 3 point shots and 51 2 point attempts. By the way, Maryland had 67 fga in the game.

Wow. I will have to watch this game. Holy smokes! 87 fga by Harvard?

 

[hoopsfan22]

Yup, took 31 shots and was 5 for 16 from behind the arc. Amazing.

Scoring 44 pts and doing what she had to against one of the best teams in the country. If this is an off night for her that is pretty amazing.

 

[visitingcock]

Mid majors from the Carolinas traveling out west are getting treated very rudely tonight. Utah is thrashing South Carolina St. and just set a school record with 20 made 3s. Still 4+ minutes left.

Washington set a school record against NCCU with a 34 point quarter.

It’s hard to consider SC State as a mid major. Coastal Carolina is about the only sports MID Major in the state of SC. “Major “ shouldn’t really apply

 

[nwhoopfan]

It’s hard to consider SC State as a mid major. Coastal Carolina is about the only sports MID Major in the state of SC. “Major “ shouldn’t really apply

Low major? I don't know the hierarchy of the directional type schools in other parts of the country as much as I do out my way.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Gonzaga-Washington St. is going down to the wire. Cougs up 1 with under a minute left.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Looks like Gonzaga got a 3 at the buzzer to force OT.

 

[Hester42]

Scoring 44 pts and doing what she had to against one of the best teams in the country. If this is an off night for her that is pretty amazing.

I don’t mean this as a slight to Iowa but with the loss of Czinano and Warnock, I think Caitlin is gonna have to do more of it herself this year until others around her develop and become dependable

She wasn’t efficient tonight but Caitlin Clark is Iowa and she will keep them in any game by herself.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Washington St. survives in OT. Pac 12 looking pretty good so far.

 

[Bone Dog]

I thought Caitlin played well and badly, and the dichotomy was more marked than usual. Yes, her team shot poorly overall and she had to carry them. But of course they’re exactly what she’s led them to be on offense. They played tremendous defense, won so many 50/50 balls, and generally outhustled VPI. Caitlin forced lots of shots, too many, and seemed to regress to her freshman habit of hunting fouls. It’s tedious, ugly basketball, relived by the occasional brilliant play.

On the other side, I thought Amoore was almost as bad. Not so much of the hunting for fouls, but not enough getting her teammates the ball in useful positions. Too much one on one ball. She was a better point guard last season.

And Kitley was also good and bad. She got lots of rebounds in the second half, but also she and her teammates let Iowa get too many offensive rebounds. And what is with her fall away jumper? Every time she takes that shot she effectively gives up on getting the rebound. I found her very frustrating to watch. On the basis of this game, I don’t think she’d be a first round draft pick.

 

[hoopsnloops32]

I thought Caitlin played well and badly, and the dichotomy was more marked than usual. Yes, her team shot poorly overall and she had to carry them. But of course they’re exactly what she’s led them to be on offense. They played tremendous defense, won so many 50/50 balls, and generally outhustled VPI. Caitlin forced lots of shots, too many, and seemed to regress to her freshman habit of hunting fouls. It’s tedious, ugly basketball, relived by the occasional brilliant play.

On the other side, I thought Amoore was almost as bad. Not so much of the hunting for fouls, but not enough getting her teammates the ball in useful positions. Too much one on one ball. She was a better point guard last season.

And Kitley was also good and bad. She got lots of rebounds in the second half, but also she and her teammates let Iowa get too many offensive rebounds. And what is with her fall away jumper? Every time she takes that shot she effectively gives up on getting the rebound. I found her very frustrating to watch. On the basis of this game, I don’t think she’d be a first round draft pick.

This is a great analysis of what I saw. Clark looked like her freshman self out there going 13-31 and 5-16. Last March she put up massive numbers pretty efficiently. I thought she was bailed out quite a bit by the officials tonight with some questionable foul calls that sent her to the line. I do expect her to be more efficient moving forward and more career highs from her as her team will rely on her even more than last season.

 

[bballnut90]

Yup, took 31 shots and was 5 for 16 from behind the arc. Amazing.

Sheesh. Tough crowd for a 44 point, 8 rebound, 6 assist and 1 TO game going up against a Final Four team and leading them to a win.

 

[bballnut90]

I thought Caitlin played well and badly, and the dichotomy was more marked than usual. Yes, her team shot poorly overall and she had to carry them. But of course they’re exactly what she’s led them to be on offense. They played tremendous defense, won so many 50/50 balls, and generally outhustled VPI. Caitlin forced lots of shots, too many, and seemed to regress to her freshman habit of hunting fouls. It’s tedious, ugly basketball, relived by the occasional brilliant play.

On the other side, I thought Amoore was almost as bad. Not so much of the hunting for fouls, but not enough getting her teammates the ball in useful positions. Too much one on one ball. She was a better point guard last season.

And Kitley was also good and bad. She got lots of rebounds in the second half, but also she and her teammates let Iowa get too many offensive rebounds. And what is with her fall away jumper? Every time she takes that shot she effectively gives up on getting the rebound. I found her very frustrating to watch. On the basis of this game, I don’t think she’d be a first round draft pick.

Keep in mind this was the first major game for both teams this year and they're missing key pieces from their Final Four squads a year ago. Clark/Amoore are still working on developing chemistry with new teammates and getting into a rhythm. Clark especially played far worse in early games last year before her historic season, so I'd look for the forced shots to decrease as the season unfolds. Especially as her posts develop more chemistry in the pick and roll.

 

[visitingcock]

Low major? I don't know the hierarchy of the directional type schools in other parts of the country as much as I do out my way.

We are all that way probably

 

[Bone Dog]

Keep in mind this was the first major game for both teams this year and they're missing key pieces from their Final Four squads a year ago. Clark/Amoore are still working on developing chemistry with new teammates and getting into a rhythm. Clark especially played far worse in early games last year before her historic season, so I'd look for the forced shots to decrease as the season unfolds. Especially as her posts develop more chemistry in the pick and roll.

Yes, you’re probably right. I was impressed by how effective Iowa’s defense was. They were in midseason form in that respect. Lisa Bluder deserves a lot of credit for this. As a team, their offense sputtered a little bit, but they were firing on all cylinders on defense. On that basis alone, I’d consider bumping them up the rankings. I haven’t seen anyone else playing defense like that right now.

 

[cancontent]

Keep in mind this was the first major game for both teams this year and they're missing key pieces from their Final Four squads a year ago. Clark/Amoore are still working on developing chemistry with new teammates and getting into a rhythm. Clark especially played far worse in early games last year before her historic season, so I'd look for the forced shots to decrease as the season unfolds. Especially as her posts develop more chemistry in the pick and roll.

Agreed.

1). In Iowa's case, it's the inside game that will take time to develop. When Stuelke was setting screens, she got a lot of wide open bank shots and was cashing in. Anything else, was a struggle. Her propensity for fouls yesterday didn't help.

Goodman was serviceable, got hit with a couple offensive blocking calls, but considering she's coming back from being out last season it will take time.

What I didn't understand was why O'Grady didn't get court time. She held her own during the NCAA tournament, especially during the latter part of the tourney.

2). For VT/VPI, definitely a matter of new pieces trying to gel. I think Amoore took on more of the offence because King and Ekh were both struggling with their shots last night. Ekh being 3-11 isn't typical from what I remember of her BIG 10 days.

Their redshirt freshman, name escapes me looks to be ready for this level of play this season. Looking forward to seeing more of her. What is perplexing is why Michaux played only 8 minutes last night. Thought she could be helpful in the post to keep Iowa honest when defending Kitley.

And Kitley definitely needs to get tougher this season. Fall away jumpers are okay, but right now it's telling teams that they can keep pushing her out with no fear.

 

[DefenseBB]

So with a few days to go for a full week 1 of games, my own impressions are:
1. The PAC-12 is really good this year and looks to be the best conference by far
2. There were some "expected" upsets (USC beating tOSU) and some "surprise" upsets (Colorado beating LSU, FSU beating Tenn and Oklahoma beating Ole Miss)
3. Competition for the 2nd best conference is wide open, while initially I had thought the SEC but losses by Tenn, Ole Miss and even LSU have me scratching my head.
4. I think Iowa is actually deeper this year in talent and I think their front court depth will continue to improve under Jan Jensen throughout the year. They are still the team to beat in the BigTen.
5. Virginia Tech looked good sometimes and not so good at other times but not sure what that means for the ACC or the their elite 8 aspirations.

I am looking forward to re-upping my Sling account to see the ACC, SEC and Pac12 games. ESPN+ has the Big 12 so I have 3 of 4 covered to make further assessments.

 

[Bone Dog]

Kitley definitely needs to get tougher this season. Fall away jumpers are okay, but right now it's telling teams that they can keep pushing her out with no fear.

This is exactly how I saw her play too. Reminds me of something Ralph Sampson said in an interview before UVa was eliminated from the men's tournament: "My favorite shot is a fadeaway." That sounded so incongruous for a 7'2" big man with long arms. Granted, he had a really smooth shot. But it didn't sound like he was pro-ready in his senior year.

I think Iowa is actually deeper this year in talent and I think their front court depth will continue to improve under Jan Jensen throughout the year. They are still the team to beat in the BigTen.

I'm totally with you on this one. I had underestimated Iowa and what Lisa Bluder has built there. They looked a lot better than I expected, especially on defense.

 

[DefenseBB]

I just looked at the LSU-Queens box score which LSU won 112-55 but Morrow came off the bench, played 19 min, had 16 points and 4 rebounds but Van Lithe only had 3 points and 3 assists in 21 minutes-yikes!

I also looked at the SC-ND box score a bit more closely and WOW, SC had 29 assists and 14 turnovers while ND had only 12 assists yet 18 turnovers. Kudos to the Gamecocks on this ball movement!

 

[GoChips20]

This is exactly how I saw her play too. Reminds me of something Ralph Sampson said in an interview before UVa was eliminated from the men's tournament: "My favorite shot is a fadeaway." That sounded so incongruous for a 7'2" big man with long arms. Granted, he had a really smooth shot. But it didn't sound like he was pro-ready in his senior year.


I'm totally with you on this one. I had underestimated Iowa and what Lisa Bluder has built there. They looked a lot better than I expected, especially on defense.

They’re better defensively for sure. For as good as Czinano and Warnock were offensively they couldn’t guard a lamppost and that left Iowa vulnerable against talented frontcourts. Their frontcourt defense last night actually wasn’t great either but they were frantic enough in space to rattle VT and as such they never really established Kitley inside. Fueurbach (spelling?) is just what they need. Agile defender who can drive the ball. Iowa’s defense will never be top 25 but I think it’s stronger than people give it credit for and they can play hard on that end when they need to. I think people forget that most teams they play can’t score 85-90 and so in the past Iowa hasn’t always needed to put energy into the defensive end. Some of Muffet’s best Notre Dame teams had this same issue.

I will say this, though - for all the talk about Gabbie Marshall being an elite perimeter defender…I just don’t see it. I’ve now seen Cooke and Amoore go for 24 and 31 in Iowa’s last two big games with her as the primary matchup.

 

[Bone Dog]

for all the talk about Gabbie Marshall being an elite perimeter defender…I just don’t see it. I’ve now seen Cooke and Amoore go for 24 and 31 in Iowa’s last two big games with her as the primary matchup.

I think of her more as a pesky defender, not an elite perimeter defender. Mischievous. Very enjoyable to watch.

 

[militarydog]

I just looked at the LSU-Queens box score which LSU won 112-55 but Morrow came off the bench, played 19 min, had 16 points and 4 rebounds but Van Lithe only had 3 points and 3 assists in 21 minutes-yikes!

I also looked at the SC-ND box score a bit more closely and WOW, SC had 29 assists and 14 turnovers while ND had only 12 assists yet 18 turnovers. Kudos to the Gamecocks on this ball movement!

It’s going to take a while for LSU to figure out the proper combination of players and rotation. I liked S Smith in the lineup. She adds toughness and a physical presence. A Reese is so much better as a secondary post player for offensive rebounds. A Morrow is her best in a similar role as Reese. H Van Lith is very talented but I’m still not sure the best role for her on the team. She hasn’t looked comfortable in any of the games I’ve watched her play. However, luckily for LSU Coach Mulkey is capable of straightening it all out. It’s going to be a tough team by the end of the season.

 

[DefenseBB]

It’s going to take a while for LSU to figure out the proper combination of players and rotation. I liked S Smith in the lineup. She adds toughness and a physical presence. A Reese is so much better as a secondary post player for offensive rebounds. A Morrow is her best in a similar role as Reese. H Van Lith is very talented but I’m still not sure the best role for her on the team. She hasn’t looked comfortable in any of the games I’ve watched her play. However, luckily for LSU Coach Mulkey is capable of straightening it all out. It’s going to be a tough team by the end of the season.

LSU has a lot of talent on the team and Kim will find the right combinations to be very successful but repeating is extremely difficult and now they have a target on their back so my guess is they may not even make to the Elite 8. The other major concern is who does she have to play point guard. Converting a shoot first guard which is what Hailey is, to a pass first guard is harder than converting a pass first player into a shoot more player. I just don't know if one year of tutelage is enough for Kim and Hailey to figure it out. This has been tried before and I just don't recall it ever blossoming. Against the cupcakes, this issue gets masked but against good to great teams, this issue will be exposed.

 

[SECbbfan24]

It’s going to take a while for LSU to figure out the proper combination of players and rotation. I liked S Smith in the lineup. She adds toughness and a physical presence. A Reese is so much better as a secondary post player for offensive rebounds. A Morrow is her best in a similar role as Reese. H Van Lith is very talented but I’m still not sure the best role for her on the team. She hasn’t looked comfortable in any of the games I’ve watched her play. However, luckily for LSU Coach Mulkey is capable of straightening it all out. It’s going to be a tough team by the end of the season.

Eh I'm not buying it. Sure they may get better but like I reiterated all summer, LSU will finish 5-7 in the SEC with this current group.

Kim was too busy chasing stars instead of needs last offseason. For a supposed 'elite coach' she looks like an idiot with her decision making these days.

LSU will max out at a sweet 16 at best with this current roster. No PG, no true center, lack of overall team defense, no one outside of Mikyalah Williams is remotely good for that "#1 class". I mean how was Rosario a top 10 recruit much less a top 100 recruit? She is terrible. Kim is about to sign her worst HS recruiting class in over 15-20 years... maybe its time for her to stop being lazy these days or its just time to hang it up.

 

[SECbbfan24]

LSU has a lot of talent on the team and Kim will find the right combinations to be very successful but repeating is extremely difficult and now they have a target on their back so my guess is they may not even make to the Elite 8. The other major concern is who does she have to play point guard. Converting a shoot first guard which is what Hailey is, to a pass first guard is harder than converting a pass first player into a shoot more player. I just don't know if one year of tutelage is enough for Kim and Hailey to figure it out. This has been tried before and I just don't recall it ever blossoming. Against the cupcakes, this issue gets masked but against good to great teams, this issue will be exposed.

Because LSU has no true PG on the roster outside of Velez who Kim is scared to play because of her love for upperclassmen.

Poole and Poa are slow out of shape unathletic guards being force at the point, they have zero offense, granted they play better D than Hailey Van Lith which isn't saying much.

This has to be Kim's worst constructed roster of her career. She looks dumb as hell. She got her money and is gonna coast now.