SC vs LSU

[TC22]

Cardoso has been better offensively, but she still is somewhat of a liability on defense. I think Brink would still be able to out-maneuver her like she did in the first game. We just saw Aaliyah Edwards do this to her in UConn's game with South Carolina. Even against LSU, their freshman was able to go around her a few times. I still think the length of Stanford can contend with South Carolina's, this has been the case regularly.

You are correct. Cardoso is just learning to play defense. It's not just blocking shots. She's still a work in progress, but a lot of progress has been made this year. Stanford is the one team I don't want to see again because I feel like offensively we have the same strengths. Overall I think our defense is better and our PG situation is in a much better place than when we played. It's still the toughest matchup for us though in my opinion.

 

[TC22]

And why WAS Mulkey allowed to stay on the floor almost the entire game, especially in the first half when SC was shooting on their end? It was ridiculous. At one point she was so far on the court that she looked like part of our offense.

 

[hoopsnloops32]

Can contend with? Unquestionably. I don't think any reasonable person can dispute that.

As to Cardosa being a "liability on defense" you are waaaaaaaaaaayy underestimating her. She has 1.9 blocks per game off the bench. Even though playing only 17.4 minutes per game, that 1.9 blocks per game is 32nd in the Nation. Yeah, Brink is better but not as much as you probably believe.

Brink........................ 23.6 minutes/pg, 3.4 blocks per game. = . 0.144 blocks per minute played
Cardosa.................. 17.4 minutes/pg, 1.9 blocks per game. = 0.131 blocks per minute played

But she can't guard the perimeter which is what the poster is saying. If you face a team with multiple post players that can play around the perimeter - which is the case with Stanford and Uconn, it will be tough to keep her on the floor for long stretches as she is a liability. Aaliyah Edwards scored 25 points in 28 minutes because she either got an open jump shot or an open layup driving in when she was defended by Cardosa. If it wasn't for foul trouble she would have had a career day offensively.

Brink is significantly better than Cardosa on both sides of the ball because she is a three level player on both sides. Cardosa is great around the basket but gets worse and worse the more you pull her away.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

I loved the fantastic five, Larry Johnson, Anderson Hunt, Stacey Augman, Greg Anthony, and David Butler, with "Tark the Shark" as the coach. It's still the largest margin of victory in the Men's NCAA Championship game, 30 points, 103-73. UNLV is the last NON-Power Conference team to win the championship and the only one to win since 1977. They are also the only team to score 100+ points in the championship game.

Louisville in 86 out of the Metro seems

I know we all make fun of Kim as she is a firecracker but I was pleasantly happy with how she acted during the game and after. No sore loser mentality or anything. She straight up said SC is the standard and said that is who they strive to be one day and used the game as a learning experience for the program and its current players.

She didn't take anything out on any player or throw excuses. She was actually remarkable calm. She used it as a tool to learn, grow and what they have to adapt to down the road.

Any coach though who has built their program into a powerhouse it is today took their lumps at some point to get there. Don't get embarrassed or make excuses. Just use it to fuel you and get better.

She started conceding the game early in the week. Partly setting the narrative. A narrative I think is truthful. They have had a great season.

It's Always good to downplay expectations. I think she sure hoped to steal it, but coaches understand matchups better than anyone.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

But she can't guard the perimeter which is what the poster is saying. If you face a team with multiple post players that can play around the perimeter - which is the case with Stanford and Uconn, it will be tough to keep her on the floor for long stretches as she is a liability. Aaliyah Edwards scored 25 points in 28 minutes because she either got an open jump shot or an open layup driving in when she was defended by Cardosa. If it wasn't for foul trouble she would have had a career day offensively.

Brink is significantly better than Cardosa on both sides of the ball because she is a three level player on both sides. Cardosa is great around the basket but gets worse and worse the more you pull her away.

It wasn't all Cardoso though. Maybe not even half the tone. The whole team was getting caught by Edwards pump fakes.

Saxton and Beal bit too.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

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.

IU seems like the hot dark horse take right now.

Have a healthy respect for the program as one of this SC senior class's few losses. They execute.

 

[triaddukefan]

I loved the fantastic five, Larry Johnson, Anderson Hunt, Stacey Augman, Greg Anthony, and David Butler, with "Tark the Shark" as the coach. It's still the largest margin of victory in the Men's NCAA Championship game, 30 points, 103-73. UNLV is the last NON-Power Conference team to win the championship and the only one to win since 1977. They are also the only team to score 100+ points in the championship game.

Hey hey hey... Lets stick to the topic at hand. . Bringing back some painful memories.

 

[cancontent]

Hey hey hey... Lets stick to the topic at hand. . Bringing back some painful memories.

Just fast forward to the following year. That was an awesome rematch with a MUCH better ending.

 

[MSSportsGuy]

Just fast forward to the following year. That was an awesome rematch with a MUCH better ending.

As a high school senior who grew up with Methodist pastor graduate from Duke Divinity School, I flipped out at the UNLV win in 1991.

 

[MSGRET]

And why WAS Mulkey allowed to stay on the floor almost the entire game, especially in the first half when SC was shooting on their end? It was ridiculous. At one point she was so far on the court that she looked like part of our offense.

I was hoping that one of the SC players threw a bullet pass and hit her. That would have made the officials give her a technical foul for interfering with play on the court.

Louisville in 86 out of the Metro seems.

Back in the late 70's to early 90's the Metro Conference was one of the premier basketball conference's in the Nation and it was way before the Big 5 was established in its current form. At one time they had the following ACC/SEC teams. South Carolina, Florida State, Louisville, Georgia Tech, and Virginia Tech. The other teams were considered basketball powerhouses, they were Cincinnati, Memphis (State), St Louis, Tulane, and Southern Mississippi. At the time that Louisville won the Metro was still considered a Power Conference.

 

[SECbbfan24]

She started conceding the game early in the week. Partly setting the narrative. A narrative I think is truthful. They have had a great season.

It's Always good to downplay expectations. I think she sure hoped to steal it, but coaches understand matchups better than anyone

She’s been quick to down play every possible expectation since being hired IMO. I think she legit tries to set her own fans straight every week if you listen to her press conference. She may be arrogant or have an ego but she isn’t dumb. She knows what it takes to compete with the elite. She knew good and well they aren’t there yet.

Maybe because LSU fans are crazy. Most think her waving a magic wand will turn them into Baylor, which was never happening over night. You got to be realistic about what you have. They have done great things so far and are much ahead of schedule in year 2, but they have a long way to go still as she has said all year. It takes years of recruiting and developing a program with chemistry and depth.

But sports fans are crazy and we live in this win now and everything era of sports. If not, people think the sky is falling

 

[ThatCG1801]

 

[hoopsnloops32]

It wasn't all Cardoso though. Maybe not even half the tone. The whole team was getting caught by Edwards pump fakes.

Saxton and Beal bit too.

I'm pretty sure Edwards scored over half her points against Cardosa specifically, not all, but it was a mismatch defensively for South Carolina there.

 

[Darwin]

You were right,

Won’t be a million. No way it surpasses SCar at UConn’s 1.087 million rating last week. Or, UConn at Tenn (.642 million)UConn is THE nationally established name. LSU is the flavor of the month that has not established a national fan base. Not saying UConn is better than LSU at this time. I’m saying they draw the biggest eyeballs. SCar’s biggest eyeball total not including UConn was about .747 mill at Stanford.

I’m guessing a half million though Super Sunday couch potatoes might move it up.

it wasn’t a million, it was 1.6 million.

 

[visitingcock]

You were right,

it wasn’t a million, it was 1.6 million.

I've called and ordered a nice sauteed Crow for my Valentine's meal tonight.

 

[GoChips20]

I'm pretty sure Edwards scored over half her points against Cardosa specifically, not all, but it was a mismatch defensively for South Carolina there.

Not to take anything away from how UConn played, but that entire game was completely uncharacteristic defensively for South Carolina. At times we looked wholly incapable of getting a stop.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

Man I swear I remember seeing one or two early tourney games where SC was just throwing up bricks in the first half. I remember thinking that I couldn’t see how they could beat Stanford playing like that. I even commented in the chat about it.

The average margin of victory in the tournament was one of the bigger ones in recent history.

Want to say 538 had an article on that.

Not really the narrative around what has been a really dominant run by South Carolina.

 

[triaddukefan]

As a high school senior who grew up with Methodist pastor graduate from Duke Divinity School, I flipped out at the UNLV win in 1991.

Did you ever go to Camp Tekoa?

 

[Gamecockfan77]

I was hoping that one of the SC players threw a bullet pass and hit her. That would have made the officials give her a technical foul for interfering with play on the court.


Back in the late 70's to early 90's the Metro Conference was one of the premier basketball conference's in the Nation and it was way before the Big 5 was established in its current form. At one time they had the following ACC/SEC teams. South Carolina, Florida State, Louisville, Georgia Tech, and Virginia Tech. The other teams were considered basketball powerhouses, they were Cincinnati, Memphis (State), St Louis, Tulane, and Southern Mississippi. At the time that Louisville won the Metro was still considered a Power Conference.

Yeah, I'm a child of the Metro.

Louisville was strong and Memphis had a moment. Wasn't Cincy's best era.

FSU had a nice team just as they were exiting. The Bobby Sura, Charlie Ward, Doug Edwards squad that showed very well in the best era of the ACC imo.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

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.

Stanford has punched us in the mouth a couple of times and is the only team that's been able to out rebound us.

If someone wants to knock them off before they meet up with us, that's fine with me.

 

[hoopsnloops32]

Not to take anything away from how UConn played, but that entire game was completely uncharacteristic defensively for South Carolina. At times we looked wholly incapable of getting a stop.

How many games have you played against teams with multiple post players who need to be guarded around the perimeter? Having watched all your games I’d say not many besides UConn and Stanford. Defensively you guys really utilize that second line of defense but it gets taken away when they can’t sag off the front court players around the perimeter. UConn does still have a strong backcourt even without Azzi and a Carolyn that are capable of getting by even elite defenders.

TLDR: I’m not surprised UConn score so well against South Carolina because they are more difficult to guard than most of the teams you’ve played this year.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

We probably play a lot of teams that have tried to go small or spread us out.

I don't really think UConn requires too much attention to Edwards or Dorka on the perimeter.

For that matter, Stanford doesn't really have great perimeter shooting bigs outside of Prechtel.

 

[hoopsnloops32]

We probably play a lot of teams that have tried to go small or spread us out.

I don't really think UConn requires too much attention to Edwards or Dorka on the perimeter.

For that matter, Stanford doesn't really have great perimeter shooting bigs outside of Prechtel.

Well then you gave them needless attention as they pulled your bogs away from the paint. Feel free to go back and watch the game. They aren’t great outside shooters but you can’t leave them wide open either.

It’s not having free toerimeter shooting big but bigs that you have to contest beyond the three point line. Brink is a problem in that regard when she hits out outside shots like she did early in the South Carolina game.

 

[TC22]

Well then you gave them needless attention as they pulled your bogs away from the paint. Feel free to go back and watch the game. They aren’t great outside shooters but you can’t leave them wide open either.

It’s not having free toerimeter shooting big but bigs that you have to contest beyond the three point line. Brink is a problem in that regard when she hits out outside shots like she did early in the South Carolina game.

I think you are correct. We did have trouble guarding the 2 dominant bigs and I think that was addressed before the LSU game. It doesn’t matter who you are, SC is going to try to run you off the 3 line and make you shoot 2s and they are very good at it. Other than Stanford, we have not played another team with more than 1 good post player. Hopefully we got that corrected.

i dont believe SC played a Great game and some of that was due to Connecticut.There we’re definitely some adjustments made before the LSU game. It doesn’t matter what teams are played. There is always goin to be players that are great individual players. The key is to stop enough of the other players on the team so that one player can’t beat you.

 

[Bone Dog]

There is always goin to be players that are great individual players. The key is to stop enough of the other players on the team so that one player can’t beat you.

Exactly. In fact, this is everyone’s strategy against SC. Stop Zia and maybe Johnson, and then Aliyah and/or Kamila can’t beat you. The entire lineup is pretty strong, which means most opponents can still be beaten by the rest of the team. At the beginning of the season, it looked like only UConn and Stanford had the personnel to pull this off. I was surprised a depleted UConn was able to stay within striking distance of a win in that game. I’d be even more surprised if they can do it again with the current lineup. To me, that says only Stanford remains as an “even up” threat. Betts has been playing with more confidence recently and that may help.

Of course, a fluke upset is always possible, but I’m only thinking of games when both teams are playing their best.