Why do so few seem to talk about a strategy of asking more 3's from Mo and Kia? It's not like they can't shoot them. We'll see Stewie at the arc some, as we always do, but she's needed too much at the rim to park her on the outside all night. That would put excessive pressure on Morgan.
I certainly agree with you that Mo and Kia have more than proven that they can inflict major damage from behind the arc. (Remember how Notre Dame's game plan last April was to give them those shots? That didn't work.) I think the problem with Lou out, which Geno mentioned when he was interviewed during halftime of the second semifinal, is that ideally he'd like to have three guards on the perimeter to stretch out the Syracuse zone. He hinted that Lou's unavailability might force him to move Stewie out to the perimeter more, even though he'd prefer not to do that. I don't think that would be my first choice either, but given the available options, it makes sense to me. If Stewie, Morgan, and Gabby/Napheesa all spend most of their time inside, it makes it much easier for Syracuse to pack in their zone and clog up the middle. And of those players, Stewie is the most dangerous and versatile perimeter offensive player. I'm sure she'll move around plenty, don't get me wrong, but it may be important to have somebody be a third shooting threat on the outside, and spreading the floor that extra amount may also make it easier for Mo and Kia to get clean looks at 3-pointers. I think the only other realistic candidate to park on the outside for extended periods of time is Chong, but while I wouldn't rule out seeing her tonight, she hasn't played meaningful minutes in a while, so it's unclear whether Geno would go that way.
Also, the more I think about it, given Syracuse's history of trying their best to beat up our post players in the lane, having Stewie float outside a little more often may not be such a bad thing.
