SC vs LSU

[bballnut90]

Stanford or Indiana.

My thoughts as well. Stanford especially can match up with size/talent/depth. Tara is finally playing Betts and she looks a LOT like Cardoso IMO. Big, not an elite level athlete but moves well, great around the rim and good hands inside, great at finishing around the basket. SC isn't going to wear Stanford down like they do most teams. Stanford has Brink, Betts, Belibi, Prechtel and Iriafen who all are capable of playing 20+ minutes per game inside. They're just streaky. When Jones is on she's as good as anyone in the country, but she's also prone to poor shooting nights and suspect decision making.

Indiana lacks the same athleticism and depth but their core is excellent. Mackenzie Holmes is maybe the most skilled offensive big around the basket and defends well inside, Berger reminds me a lot of Haley Jones when she's healthy in that she's thrives in the mid range and does everything well. Parrish is a great shooter and Moore-McNeil is a reliable PG. Most important, as a team they're consistent and have great chemistry. They have several tough games to finish the year but they have many strong wins and I think they could hang with SC. They have a tough schedule to finish the regular season and the Big Ten tournament will be brutal, but as of now I think they've established themselves as one of the top teams in the country and have a fair amount of wiggle room before they're off the 1 seed line.

 

[Bone Dog]

Stanford and IU? Huh. Interesting. Stanford doesn’t have the athletes, though they have a similar problem at pg. I like Brink, but I expect she and Iriafen will get in foul trouble in their next meeting. If they have to play Betts Belibi and Prechdel against Boston Cardoso Watkins and Saxton, they’re doomed unless Jump and Demetre really light it up from 3. What I notice is that SC has come a lot further in solving their pg problem with Fletcher Hall and Johnson than Stanford has.

IU seems like a more interesting matchup. Better guards than SC by a long stretch, but substantially outmatched in the frontcourt. Will their guard play be enough better than SC’s post play? This was the same formula many of us imagined for UConn against SC. Our healthy backcourt is a bit better than IU’s, but even with an injury wracked backcourt we came pretty close to a win. Can IU do the same? Personally, I doubt it, but I’d love to see the game.

 

[JstVisiting]

Today makes evaluating LSU a clearer picture, but also still so confusing. We learned they aren’t necessarily in the same tier as South Carolina, Stanford, Indiana, or Uconn. But where do they rank in that next tier of teams? They lost by 20+ so it’s really hard to know how good they are. Their best win is against unranked Tennessee.

I don’t see how we learned anything about them relative to Indiana

 

[shiverz45]

My thoughts as well. Stanford especially can match up with size/talent/depth. Tara is finally playing Betts and she looks a LOT like Cardoso IMO. Big, not an elite level athlete but moves well, great around the rim and good hands inside, great at finishing around the basket. SC isn't going to wear Stanford down like they do most teams. Stanford has Brink, Betts, Belibi, Prechtel and Iriafen who all are capable of playing 20+ minutes per game inside. They're just streaky. When Jones is on she's as good as anyone in the country, but she's also prone to poor shooting nights and suspect decision making.

Indiana lacks the same athleticism and depth but their core is excellent. Mackenzie Holmes is maybe the most skilled offensive big around the basket and defends well inside, Berger reminds me a lot of Haley Jones when she's healthy in that she's thrives in the mid range and does everything well. Parrish is a great shooter and Moore-McNeil is a reliable PG. Most important, as a team they're consistent and have great chemistry. They have several tough games to finish the year but they have many strong wins and I think they could hang with SC. They have a tough schedule to finish the regular season and the Big Ten tournament will be brutal, but as of now I think they've established themselves as one of the top teams in the country and have a fair amount of wiggle room before they're off the 1 seed line.

The only team that concerns me is Stanford. Like you mentioned, Stanford is our only equal when it comes to size and depth. I would love to play Indiana. Indiana is the only loss SC senior class has yet to avenge. Indiana was our only loss the year the tournament was cancelled.

 

[Rb335]

I don’t see how we learned anything about them relative to Indiana

While I agree, Indiana has at least shown they can beat good teams with wins over Maryland, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio State, and North Carolina. All of those wins are against teams higher in Massey rankings than LSU’s best win of Tennessee, who Indiana also beat.

 

[MSSportsGuy]

It was a good game and I am not surprised at the outcome. SC is on a different level than LSU but the Tigers are probably top 10, maybe top 6. Kim is still one of the best out there and Reese is legit talented, she just got outplayed today by other very talented players.

SC and Stanford are at the top of the line in terms of size and depth. Indiana intrigues me though and a team I will be watching come tournament time.

I am more confident today that SC can run the table but stranger things have happened. I hope this tournament is an exciting one.

 

[JellyBean]

The only team that concerns me is Stanford. Like you mentioned, Stanford is our only equal when it comes to size and depth. I would love to play Indiana. Indiana is the only loss SC senior class has yet to revenge. Indiana was our only loss the year the tournament was cancelled.

It would be interesting to see the IU/SC game.

 

[JellyBean]

Like I have said, this South Carolina/LSU game was exciting. Even though South Carolina blew the game wide open, there was a stretch where LSU kept things interesting. I gotta give both coaches props for their post game pressers. Coach Mulkey's presser was awesome! Her comments were classy and on point. I can see how and why she is good at what she does.

 

[baggerbob]

If this was a national POY showcase, Reese just dropped out of contention. Boston had a solid game, but wasn't even the best player on her own team.

The player on South Carolina with the biggest upside is Cardosa. You can't teach 6-7 who can run the floor.

 

[maple]

I am more confident today that SC can run the table but stranger things have happened. I hope this tournament is an exciting one.

I also think that SC is more than capable of repeating.

But I agree … if they have an off night and some team gets hot or even if another team keeps it close and gets a few lucky bounces, who knows. In the early rounds of the tourney last year I felt like SC was off their game at times and the only reason they didn’t lose was because their opponents just couldn’t hit the ocean from the shore.

However if SC plays like they did against UConn and LSU, they will be difficult to beat.

 

[hoopsnloops32]

It was a good game and I am not surprised at the outcome. SC is on a different level than LSU but the Tigers are probably top 10, maybe top 6. Kim is still one of the best out there and Reese is legit talented, she just got outplayed today by other very talented players.

SC and Stanford are at the top of the line in terms of size and depth. Indiana intrigues me though and a team I will be watching come tournament time.

I am more confident today that SC can run the table but stranger things have happened. I hope this tournament is an exciting one.

There is no reason to think LSU is a top 10, let alone top 6 team. This was the first ranked team they played all year and it was a double digit deficit the majority of the game.

 

[cancontent]

The player on South Carolina with the biggest upside is Cardosa. You can't teach 6-7 who can run the floor.

Actually, yes you can as Cardoso wasn't doing that consistently at Syracuse from what I remember. Her time at South Carolina has helped her to improve this aspect in her game IMO.

 

[The deacon]

Stanford and IU? Huh. Interesting. Stanford doesn’t have the athletes, though they have a similar problem at pg. I like Brink, but I expect she and Iriafen will get in foul trouble in their next meeting. If they have to play Betts Belibi and Prechdel against Boston Cardoso Watkins and Saxton, they’re doomed unless Jump and Demetre really light it up from 3. What I notice is that SC has come a lot further in solving their pg problem with Fletcher Hall and Johnson than Stanford has.

IU seems like a more interesting matchup. Better guards than SC by a long stretch, but substantially outmatched in the frontcourt. Will their guard play be enough better than SC’s post play? This was the same formula many of us imagined for UConn against SC. Our healthy backcourt is a bit better than IU’s, but even with an injury wracked backcourt we came pretty close to a win. Can IU do the same? Personally, I doubt it, but I’d love to see the game.

Hey, Bone Dog, I wonder what Tara and her team would say to your comment that Stanford doesn't have the athletes... I see athletes of top quality all around the court when I watch the Cardinal play.

 

[Dognusty]

Good news/Bad news:
Good news: I think the SC 24 point MOV sheds a good light on the UConn effort.
Bad news: I hope I'm wrong, but I think Cardoso is getting better...
Good news: Dorka is also getting better...
Bad news: UConn still a pretty depleted team... SC bench strong...

Bad news. To be honest SC played horrible against UCONN.

 

[visitingcock]

Hey, Bone Dog, I wonder what Tara and her team would say to your comment that Stanford doesn't have the athletes... I see athletes of top quality all around the court when I watch the Cardinal play.

Stanford definitely has the athletes.

2021 Final Four. Stanford won. Boston missed the buzzer beating tip in.

2022 ; SCar wins at home by four after trailing big

2023: Scar eeks it out in overtime due to a Stanford mistake

Three extremely close nailbiters.

 

[Bone Dog]

Stanford definitely has the athletes.

2021 Final Four. Stanford won. Boston missed the buzzer beating tip in.

2022 ; SCar wins at home by four after trailing big

2023: Scar eeks it out in overtime due to a Stanford mistake

Three extremely close nailbiters.

To @visitingcock and @The deacon , Stanford has athletes, but not as many game-ready ones as SC. Tara can bring in Betts and Prechdel if/when Brink and Iriafen get in foul trouble. But neither of them can really run with Cardoso, and Boston is not as foul prone as Brink. Jump and Demetre are good perimeter shooters, but I think Beal & Co can manage them easily. The X factor is Jones, of course, and she’s capable of changing a game just through force of will. But she’s also capable of blowing a game, especially if the opponent has someone with the physical skills to run with her, and there’s a few of those on SC.

I think SC’s starting 5 is better. If it came down to it, who would I favor, SC’s bench or Stanford’s? I don’t think this is really in doubt. And I don’t think that early nail biter is representative of what SC is now.

This is just my sense of things. It doesn’t mean it won’t be a great game — I never said that. And strange things can happen in the final four.

The oddity is that in most matchups I ask myself if another team’s backcourt can outscore SC’s frontcourt. With Stanford, it’s tempting to think their frontcourt is really competitive with SC’s. I think this is an illusion.

 

[JstVisiting]

I also think that SC is more than capable of repeating.

But I agree … if they have an off night and some team gets hot or even if another team keeps it close and gets a few lucky bounces, who knows. In the early rounds of the tourney last year I felt like SC was off their game at times and the only reason they didn’t lose was because their opponents just couldn’t hit the ocean from the shore.

However if SC plays like they did against UConn and LSU, they will be difficult to beat.

UConn was a B performance.

 

[darkstar1]

Well to be fair UConn only has 1 healthy 3 pt shooter right now, so it was not that hard to take that away. If Fudd was available or is available for NCAA tournament that would make a substantial difference. Whether Fudd can return is still a huge question but I’d love a rematch with a healthy Fudd and Ducharme.

Return of a healthy Fudd OR Ducharme makes it very close. Return of both, and in game condition, tilts outcome in UConn’s direction, IMHO.

 

[shiverz45]

Bad news. To be honest SC played horrible against UCONN.

I would not say horrible, but it was definitely not SC best game.

 

[darkstar1]

Bad news. To be honest SC played horrible against UCONN.

Did you watch the game? A close, physical game by the two best defenses in the country, where a call here or there may have changed the result. One of the most exciting games I’ve seen. Hoping for a rematch in the NC game.

 

[MSSportsGuy]

There is no reason to think LSU is a top 10, let alone top 6 team. This was the first ranked team they played all year and it was a double digit deficit the majority of the game.

It was their first ranked team but also the number 1 team in the country, playing on their home floor. I never thought LSU would win even be close because SC is that much better.

The prescence of Mulkey and a player like Reese gives them an advantage over many other teams. I don't think they are on that top 6 or 7 but they would probably win or at least have close games with most of the other ranked squads but we won't get to see those until tournament time.

 

[The deacon]

To @visitingcock and @The deacon , Stanford has athletes, but not as many game-ready ones as SC. Tara can bring in Betts and Prechdel if/when Brink and Iriafen get in foul trouble. But neither of them can really run with Cardoso, and Boston is not as foul prone as Brink. Jump and Demetre are good perimeter shooters, but I think Beal & Co can manage them easily. The X factor is Jones, of course, and she’s capable of changing a game just through force of will. But she’s also capable of blowing a game, especially if the opponent has someone with the physical skills to run with her, and there’s a few of those on SC.

I think SC’s starting 5 is better. If it came down to it, who would I favor, SC’s bench or Stanford’s? I don’t think this is really in doubt. And I don’t think that early nail biter is representative of what SC is now.

This is just my sense of things. It doesn’t mean it won’t be a great game — I never said that. And strange things can happen in the final four.

The oddity is that in most matchups I ask myself if another team’s backcourt can outscore SC’s frontcourt. With Stanford, it’s tempting to think their frontcourt is really competitive with SC’s. I think this is an illusion.

Agree to disagree, Bone Dog.

I'd definitely pick SC, but I believe you don't do justice to the Stanford roster, either its starters or its bench. My point was simply that Stanford has athletes, and lots of very good ones. No one has as many as SC. That's not the issue, nor is that a guarantee the Gamecocks would win a rematch.

 

[The deacon]

I would not say horrible, but it was definitely not SC best game.

Think maybe UConn might have had something to do with that, shiverz45? A lot of teams have walked away from games vs. the Huskies feeling they didn't play their best. SC is the better team but, almost always when two outstanding teams play (think SC/Stanford last fall), neither team feels it played its best, probably because of what the other team did.

 

[hoopsnloops32]

It was their first ranked team but also the number 1 team in the country, playing on their home floor. I never thought LSU would win even be close because SC is that much better.

The prescence of Mulkey and a player like Reese gives them an advantage over many other teams. I don't think they are on that top 6 or 7 but they would probably win or at least have close games with most of the other ranked squads but we won't get to see those until tournament time.

Based on what?? There is nothing objective to point to to say they would even be competitive with any teams in the top 10. They beat Georgia by 5, Texas A&M by 6, Tennessee by 8 and Arkansas by 3. Those are the teams they are competitive with, not top 10 teams.

 

[toadfoot]

Will

Realistically neither Fudd or Ducharme will be in good enough condition to start and play more than 15-20 minutes assuming they even get back before the NCAA’s. Assuming that’s correct Fudd would take minutes from both Senechal and Muhl and Ducharme probably Griffin. My opinion anyway. Without knowing what’s really going on with Fudd’s knee and Ducharme’s concussion situation I’m not sure either should play again this year. Obviously a question for the coaching and medical staff but Fudd’s initial diagnosis I believe was 3-6 weeks but it’s now 10+ and I’ve never heard of a player being in concussion protocol as long as Ducharme has been, so both situations are worrisome for this year.