Iowa (17) @ Minnesota (18) - 1/14/19

[noirwestern]

Gustafson is tough!

She's easily the tallest 6'3" player on the planet.

 

[mudcat]

Antonelli has taken 5 minutes or so to lecture the WBB world on how unfair it is that UConn knows where it will be for the regional, but other teams don't. I find her irritating, so say the least.

She's only pointing out, rightly enough, that UCONN fans can order tickets knowing where their team will likely be, and other fans can't. This is likely true and the reason she want's to see the final 16 in the NCAA's in one spot. Other top teams (Baylor, Louisville,) don't know which regional they'll be in; a legitimate beef in my opinion. I'm just not sure her solution is better: it solves the ticket problem, but creates others.

 

[DefenseBB]

Gustafson finishes with 34 points and 13 rebounds. What a performance. Apparently a large portion of her tiny hometown of Port Wing, Wisconsin, made the trip to Minneapolis to watch this game (about 200 miles away).

I'll remind people that she was ranked #80 by Hoopgurlz coming out of high school.

Minnesota, meanwhile, is reeling from their 4th consecutive loss after starting the season 12-0.

Minn played better than I thought they would but I still think they have not earned their top 25 rank.
Iowa played a great second half after a sloppy 1st half. Big 10 is wide open and whodda thunk MCGuff would have tOSU beating Mich St? The Big10 is bizarro world...

 

[DefenseBB]

She's only pointing out, rightly enough, that UCONN fans can order tickets knowing where their team will likely be, and other fans can't. This is likely true and the reason she want's to see the final 16 in the NCAA's in one spot. Other top teams (Baylor, Louisville,) don't know which regional they'll be in; a legitimate beef in my opinion. I'm just not sure her solution is better: it solves the ticket problem, but creates others.

I want to like Deb but honestly, just like the WNBA players, she is not aware of the state of the game in the public consciousness. This is not MBB or Football. Most All the other NCAA sports play their rounds at the higher seeds #1, #2, #3...etc until the semis. Softball/Baseball have a Superregional at the higher seed. For the most the 1st/2nd Rds do well at the top 16 school sites. The attendance out west and even in Texas for the Sweet 16 game series has not been good. Even hosting at Rupp Arena has been abysmal.
Albany/Bridgeport bid on the games because they sell out and the host school and venue can make money. The real issue is there’s not another top team in the Northeast like in Men’s BB so there is no uncertainty like in Chicago or the South or our West with 2/3 schools vying for top seeds.

 

[Orangutan]

I want to like Deb but honestly, just like the WNBA players, she is not aware of the state of the game in the public consciousness. This is not MBB or Football. Most All the other NCAA sports play their rounds at the higher seeds #1, #2, #3...etc until the semis. Softball/Baseball have a Superregional at the higher seed. For the most the 1st/2nd Rds do well at the top 16 school sites. The attendance out west and even in Texas for the Sweet 16 game series has not been good. Even hosting at Rupp Arena has been abysmal.
Albany/Bridgeport bid on the games because they sell out and the host school and venue can make money. The real issue is there’s not another top team in the Northeast like in Men’s BB so there is no uncertainty like in Chicago or the South or our West with 2/3 schools vying for top seeds.

Didn't you just list all the problems her proposal seeks to solve?

 

[DefenseBB]

Didn't you just list all the problems her proposal seeks to solve?

Never let the facts get in the way of a good rant!

I don’t think a 16 team central location could work. You probably could do two 8 team locations and then the debate becomes which two locations and is it static (same every year location) or dynamic moves around to different venues.

 

[Ron and Vida]

Was pulling for MN and Iowa. Both have a compelling story in Whalen and Gustafson.
Need to remind that ordering tickets to the Albany regional and actually receiving them are two different matters..........

 

[Plebe]

 

[Rixxx]

I watched Gustafson closely in the second half last night. She scores well as she finishes well. Given the ball in the lane, she quickly makes a move and immediately the ball is up on the glass. I don't remember her missing a shot in the paint. I didn't look up her stats, but her FG% must be amazing.

 

[Plebe]

I watched Gustafson closely in the second half last night. She scores well as she finishes well. Given the ball in the lane, she quickly makes a move and immediately the ball is up on the glass. I don't remember her missing a shot in the paint. I didn't look up her stats, but her FG% must be amazing.

She was 16-22 (73%) in yesterday's game, just above her nation-leading average of 70%.

You really nailed it. The combination of her footwork and the quickness with which she goes from gather to shot is what separates her.

 

[LoTrader]

Watching Iowa yesterday got me thinking about how OSU would defend the Iowa team? Would it be best to try and defend Sophie one-on-one, or, zone it? Would you take the strategy that we will give up 30+ points to Sophie, but shut down everyone else? Or, would you give help to defend Sophie? I'm sure every opposing coaching staff considers these questions (given their own talent). With a player like Sophie, you have to be ready to adjust in game if your strategy is not working. I'm sure the Iowa coaching staff has seen every defense as well. Whoever gets matched up with Iowa in the NCAA tournament, will be challenged.

 

[Dillon77]

Bad game plan by Whalen. You can't expect Lamke to handle Gustafson by herself. There should have been ball denial of some sort. There wasn't much of that happening.

Once she set that seal, it was a done deal, particularly from the left side.

Iowa and Minnesota faced off in a delightful back-and-forth B1G playoff game last season and I've gone out of my way to watch Gustafson since then...she keeps getting incrementally better, addressing all aspects of her game. Like rooting for someone like that.

 

[Plebe]

Watching Iowa yesterday got me thinking about how OSU would defend the Iowa team? Would it be best to try and defend Sophie one-on-one, or, zone it? Would you take the strategy that we will give up 30+ points to Sophie, but shut down everyone else? Or, would you give help to defend Sophie? I'm sure every opposing coaching staff considers these questions (given their own talent). With a player like Sophie, you have to be ready to adjust in game if your strategy is not working. I'm sure the Iowa coaching staff has seen every defense as well. Whoever gets matched up with Iowa in the NCAA tournament, will be challenged.

Uh, are you getting Iowa and Missouri mixed up?

 

[DefenseBB]

Watching Iowa yesterday got me thinking about how OSU would defend the Iowa team? Would it be best to try and defend Sophie one-on-one, or, zone it? Would you take the strategy that we will give up 30+ points to Sophie, but shut down everyone else? Or, would you give help to defend Sophie? I'm sure every opposing coaching staff considers these questions (given their own talent). With a player like Sophie, you have to be ready to adjust in game if your strategy is not working. I'm sure the Iowa coaching staff has seen every defense as well. Whoever gets matched up with Iowa in the NCAA tournament, will be challenged.

Who's Sophie? Do you mean Megan? The only Sophie I know is the thug at Mizzou...

 

[DefenseBB]

She was 16-22 (73%) in yesterday's game, just above her nation-leading average of 70%.

You really nailed it. The combination of her footwork and the quickness with which she goes from gather to shot is what separates her.

Plebe, my fine watcher of all P5 (and other schools), I have seen MG play 5 times this year and she is definitely the leading candidate of POY in the Big10 and no one else is that close at this point, but is she really a National POY candidate? I am curious as to your thoughts and anyone else's view. The top candidates so far are Asia Durr, Arike (yuk!-I respect her skills but sorry our ND colleagues-she's a dirty player), Katie Lou, Sabrina Ionescu and I guess Brown and McCowan? Who am I missing?

 

[Plebe]

Plebe, my fine watcher of all P5 (and other schools), I have seen MG play 5 times this year and she is definitely the leading candidate of POY in the Big10 and no one else is that close at this point, but is she really a National POY candidate? I am curious as to your thoughts and anyone else's view. The top candidates so far are Asia Durr, Arike (yuk!-I respect her skills but sorry our ND colleagues-she's a dirty player), Katie Lou, Sabrina Ionescu and I guess Brown and McCowan? Who am I missing?

She's definitely a NPOY candidate, IMO. Her numbers are eye-popping, leading the country in scoring and 4th in rebounding. She's a senior and she's a sympathetic candidate because of how much she's improved and exceeded expectations. Voters LOVE a player like her. (Antonelli last night just couldn't stop gushing over her.) One thing holding back her candidacy may be that Iowa just isn't an elite team.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Who am I missing?

Maybe she'll be left out in the cold but Alanna Smith absolutely belongs in the conversation.

 

[DefenseBB]

Maybe she'll be left out in the cold but Alanna Smith absolutely belongs in the conversation.

Who do you think will be the PAC12 POY?

 

[nwhoopfan]

Who do you think will be the PAC12 POY?

Two horse race between Smith and Ionescu I think. Too many games left to call it yet. McDonald a really really long shot, but Arizona will probably finish too far behind the conference champion for her to be considered a serious contender.

edited--Megan Huff is another long shot candidate. Anigwe has the numbers but Cal is only 1-3 so I think she's just about out of it already.

 

[LoTrader]

Uh, are you getting Iowa and Missouri mixed up?

I did in fact get Sophie & Megan mixed up...why? I don't know. My daughter's name is Megan, you'd think I could remember Megan "Cunningham's" name.

 

[jonson]

Who do you think will be the PAC12 POY?

Smith.

 

[noirwestern]

She's definitely a NPOY candidate, IMO. Her numbers are eye-popping, leading the country in scoring and 4th in rebounding. She's a senior and she's a sympathetic candidate because of how much she's improved and exceeded expectations. Voters LOVE a player like her. (Antonelli last night just couldn't stop gushing over her.) One thing holding back her candidacy may be that Iowa just isn't an elite team.

I spent about an hour watching video of her and on top of everything else she comes off as a really decent human being so any and every award they give her I'm completely okay with.

 

[Striper69]

Iowa gets into the habit of depending on Megan way too much. Her teammates need to up their game so the other teams can't focus on Gustafson.
The other teams intentionally send their guards into the middle to try to get Megan in foul trouble. I've said it before but the Iowa guards need to improve their perimeter defense and keep the other team's guards from penetrating so easily.

 

[Striper69]

She's definitely a NPOY candidate, IMO. Her numbers are eye-popping, leading the country in scoring and 4th in rebounding. She's a senior and she's a sympathetic candidate because of how much she's improved and exceeded expectations. Voters LOVE a player like her. (Antonelli last night just couldn't stop gushing over her.) One thing holding back her candidacy may be that Iowa just isn't an elite team.

Megan is the best offensive/rebounding center in college BB (and maybe women's BB- period).

I saw the same look in her eyes after the defeat in last year's NCAA's that I saw in Maya's after Minny had lost to LA before they came back and won the next year.

She's like EDD in that the other team knows how much Iowa depends on her but they can't stop her even with double and triple teams.