SCar vs Duke

[cockhrnleghrn]

Strange reaction by SC. Did they never win a big game before? ESPN tripping all over themselves giving SC credit for a total choke job by Duke. The Duke girl was waiting to get fouled and forgot to push the ball up the court. Then she dribbles to the sideline and trapped herself. Incredibly bad job. But I agree with the earlier sentiment of SC staying the #1 until we play them. That's OK with me.

Honestly, if you're so jaded that you can't enjoy a last second win as a coach, player or fan, why bother?

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

Who were they short?

Jatarie White has a hurt foot. Also, Tiffany Mitchell missed large parts of the game with a bloody nose. I was sitting behind our bench and she was bleeding profusely.

 

[triaddukefan]

Honestly, if you're so jaded that you can't enjoy a last second win as a coach, player or fan, why bother?

To be fair.... UCONN has won plenty of big games...... but how many of them have been down to the wire games that have been won in the last 2 seconds of a game. I cant think of many. I have no problems with the reaction...... freshman star.. in her first big road game.. hit the game winning shot in a game they probably thought they were going to lose.

 

[easttexastrash]

Uh, ET...The best team in the country SHOULD have the number one ranking. That is what rankings are all about. Or spozed to be.

At this point in the season the #1 team should be undefeated.

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

To be fair.... UCONN has won plenty of big games. but how many of them have been down to the wire games that have been won in the last 2 seconds of a game. I cant think of many. I have no problems with the reaction. freshman star.. in her first big road game.. hit the game winning shot in a game they probably thought they were going to lose.

I had a blast checking out Cameron today. It lacks the creature comforts, but I loved the noise level. I'm sure it's much louder for a full house men's game without many opposing fans. Even a mediocre Duke team would rarely lose at home. I was 6 feet from Dawn when she got the technical and I still couldn't hear what she said.

 

[j66kicker]

At this point in the season the #1 team should be undefeated.

I agree. Why begrudge the USC fans enjoyment of their #1 ranking and their nice win today? If we believe (and I do) that UCONN can beat them convincingly, then we get to settle that on the court in Feb. If it's the #1 ranking we want, then we shouldn't have lost to Stanford. That was UCONN's fault, not USC's.

 

[Buzzyboy]

She responded as if she had never played a game of basketball before. She was in a state of panic and appeared petrified. Shameful strip. South Carolina really dispelled any notion that they are a title contender. Supposedly they were coming into this season with a talented and experienced squad and they stunk the joint out. Duke shot themselves in the foot so many time today but saved their best stuff for the very end of the game.

 

[Buzzyboy]

I agree. Why begrudge the USC fans enjoyment of their #1 ranking and their nice win today? If we believe (and I do) that UCONN can beat them convincingly, then we get to settle that on the court in Feb. If it's the #1 ranking we want, then we shouldn't have lost to Stanford. That was UCONN's fault, not USC's.

I really have an issue with your description of "their nice win". That game was abysmal and was an affront to division one women's basketball. The fact that one of the teams was supposedly the number one team in the country is enough to make you gag. They stunk and still needed Duke to make bonehead plays throughout to win it.

 

[j66kicker]

I really have an issue with your description of "their nice win". That game was abysmal and was an affront to division one women's basketball. The fact that one of the teams was supposedly the number one team in the country is enough to make you gag. They stunk and still needed Duke to make bonehead plays throughout to win it.

Ok whatever - call it "their win today against a top 10 opponent." We wouldn't be so worried about what to call it, and there wouldn't be a 220-post thread on the BY about it, if we had taken care of business against Stanford.

 

[triaddukefan]

I had a blast checking out Cameron today. It lacks the creature comforts, but I loved the noise level. I'm sure it's much louder for a full house men's game without many opposing fans. Even a mediocre Duke team would rarely lose at home. I was 6 feet from Dawn when she got the technical and I still couldn't hear what she said.

One thing I noticed was the relative youth of the South Carolina fans. I would say the average Duke fan in attendance today was 50-70 years old.... while the average SC fan seemed to be 20s,30s, and 40s. A few 50 and over... but not many. That makes a huge difference in fan noise.

Ill be rooting for South Carolina to win the SEC and garner a #1 seed in Greensboro. That would be both great for the hotels and restaurants here... as well as the regional atmosphere.

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

One thing I noticed was the relative youth of the South Carolina fans. I would say the average Duke fan in attendance today was 50-70 years old.... while the average SC fan seemed to be 20s,30s, and 40s. A few 50 and over... but not many. That makes a huge difference in fan noise.

Ill be rooting for South Carolina to win the SEC and garner a #1 seed in Greensboro. That would be both great for the hotels and restaurants here... as well as the regional atmosphere.

Columbia has a very young population with over 60,000 college students in the city and USC basketball fans tend to primarily live in Columbia. I think a big difference with Duke is that, as a private school, your alumni are more spread across the country, so your fans are either students or older local residents. We do still have a lot of older fans at home games.

 

[Huskies Rule]

She oughta have a PhD. by now!

If that stands for Poor Headcoaching Decisions, she does.

 

[Bayareahusky]

I do not begrudge USC for their celebration.... in fact..... I am glad it was a spectacle...... it is good for WCBB...... we need some freshness and new teams to grab the mantle and showcase our sport....... remember a dozen years ago Oklahoma was the new kid on the block .... a new team that was good and a frequent Final Four contender..... that didnt work out..... then UNC..... Maryland never seem to get to that level...... how many times can you promote Duke as a top shelf team? and Tennessee, well obviously they have their issues.....

so who do you look for when putting together a nice Monday night matchup on ESPN? Obviously UConn...... Notre Dame has proven it belongs there..... A & M and Texas, perhaps..... Baylor is good though hot and cold...... Louisville I think is here to stay as a contender..... and Stanford of course is always relevant......

South Carolina ready to break through and they seem to be an exciting brand of basketball.....

 

[hoophuskee]

Jatarie White has a hurt foot. Also, Tiffany Mitchell missed large parts of the game with a bloody nose. I was sitting behind our bench and she was bleeding profusely.

I thought CL was talking about White. Has the freshman WHite become that much of an integral part of your lineup that you-- not you per se-- but the prior USC fan cle802A made it a point that you were missign her.-- IS the freshman that important to your team?

Secondly, what do you mean by large parts when you speak of Mitchell? She did play 31 minutes.

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

I thought CL was talking about White. Has the freshman WHite become that much of an integral part of your lineup that you-- not you per se-- but the prior USC fan cle802A made it a point that you were missign her.-- IS the freshman that important to your team?

Secondly, what do you mean by large parts when you speak of Mitchell? She did play 31 minutes.

Jatarie White has played some meaningful minutes for us, though I wouldn't call her an essential player yet. I was sitting behind our bench and in my angst it seemed like the trainer was working with Tiffany for an eternity. I didn't realize she played 31 minutes. To me it felt like she missed most of the second half.

 

[Gate81]

I'm beginning to wonder if in tight situations USC has a weak first half then stronger second half. I attended their Sweet Sixteen loss vs. UNC at Stanford last spring and USC really stank it up in the first half and fell WAY behind. We were totally disappointed in Coates (#41), but then they totally dominated the second half and almost won. Then today's tale of two halves...though I'll agree I was way disappointed with the play of both teams, given their size inside.

And agreed, what was Coach P thinking? "I think i won't call any time outs so we can all watch them lose their third straight game?"

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

I'm beginning to wonder if in tight situations USC has a weak first half then stronger second half. I attended their Sweet Sixteen loss vs. UNC at Stanford last spring and USC really stank it up in the first half and fell WAY behind. We were totally disappointed in Coates (#41), but then they totally dominated the second half and almost won. Then today's tale of two halves...though I'll agree I was way disappointed with the play of both teams, given their size inside.

And agreed, what was Coach P thinking? "I think i won't call any time outs so we can all watch them lose their third straight game?"

She seems to be a great recruiter, but can't coach her way out of a paper bag, I suppose. I don't watch Duke WBB enough to have an honest opinion of her coaching ability.

We once had a coach like that at USC - Terry Kelly - back in the early 80's. He was a great recruiter, but never knew when to call a time out. I vividly remember my college days yelling at him to call a time out on many occasions.

 

[HuskyNan]

I really have an issue with your description of "their nice win". That game was abysmal and was an affront to division one women's basketball. The fact that one of the teams was supposedly the number one team in the country is enough to make you gag. They stunk and still needed Duke to make bonehead plays throughout to win it.

A bit of hyperbole, no? It wasn't the prettiest game ever played but while there were some awful turnovers, I thought the defenses did a good job of making the other team look ugly. I do have to admit, I thought the shot selection for USC could have been better and the missed chippies for both teams, geez, but the game was hardly "abysmal" IMO.

 

[Icebear]

The first half was absolutely abysmal to the point of being unwatchable. I found there to be lack of any sense of structure to what either team was even attempting to do offensively. Seemed to be much like the same issues plaguing Tennessee, individuals and little teamwork most points scored within breaks in the chaos. Much of it may have been too much adrenalin and little experience in controlling it big games. UCONN has started games that way but seems most often to bring it back under control.

The second half when I came back The game had slowed down a bit probably as energy wained. But there was still a major lack of intentionality and control of anything offensively and undisciplined and undirected reliance on athleticism. Again it reminded me of Tennessee the last 5 seasons more than ND or UCONN. That does not get one to the Final Four.

The ending was disastrous for Duke with mental meltdowns similar to a couple of the games UCONN lost to ND during the 7 losses. There was no excuse for allowing anyone a shot on the perimeter when two twos could only tie the game. Get beat going to the hoop but no one shoots a three. Then to head to the sidelines to be trapped and for there to be no time out called. Complete brain fart. Exciting sure good basketball, not in the least. JPM's time may begin to run out if this trend continues in big games.

 

[Striper69]

Weird game. Why on earth didn't Coach P call a timeout after Wilson scored? Basically gave up the game right there.

South Carolina celebrated like they won the championship even though it's a non-conference game they were expected to win. I don't think there was a handshake after USC went nuts after Wilson hit the shot. Exciting finish, I wonder if they'll stay #1.

They knew they were going to stay at #1. I'd say that was a reason to celebrate.

 

[Frodo]

South Carolina will only need to win by 1 or 101 it's irrelevant. UConn will for sure get some #1 votes, but UConn has a loss already and I don't think it's fair to knock down an undefeated team that will have just won on the road against a top 10 team.

Is there anyone who seriously thinks Duke is among the ten best teams in the country? They are big, but one of the slowest teams I've seen in a very long time, and simply have no guards. With or without Williams they are not a top team. This could be a 10 loss season for Duke.

 

[RadyLady]

Think we should be careful with proclamations of UConn destroying these teams. Yes, it was mostly ugly basketball but they're going to ugly up the games against the Huskies as well. Duke's sheer size can make any game an issue as it did this one. I thought SC had more offensive weapons and would pull away but it never happened. Duke has almost no clue what to do in the halfcourt offensively. But they can win games just with offensive rebounds and putbacks. Ironic to see them lose that way today.

UConn beat the tar out of Tennessee teams who had the same thought. Watching these two teams (SC and Duke) run fairly stagnant offense yesterday - I mean, they were standing around, not sure where to pass the ball, it is unfathomable to me that UConn could not beat the stuffing out of these two easily. I am not normally a fan of bravado and bluster even for UConn, but frankly watching SC's two "wins" against ranked teams by very small margins, one has to wonder how anyone, after watching UConn dismantle the likes of Notre Dame, could think that South Carolina can come close to beating UConn. Personally, I think that SC nation, if they are thinking that are setting themselves up for a whole lotta hurt.

JMO

 

[RadyLady]

I agree. Why begrudge the USC fans enjoyment of their #1 ranking and their nice win today? If we believe (and I do) that UCONN can beat them convincingly, then we get to settle that on the court in Feb. If it's the #1 ranking we want, then we shouldn't have lost to Stanford. That was UCONN's fault, not USC's.

Hardly a "nice" win.

IMO they were damn lucky to have squeaked by, and they can thank Duke for falling apart at the end (Sorry Triad and Cam - it was Duke's game to lose. I felt bad for that frosh who got stripped at the end. I bet that will never happen again. She's a good player)

 

[RadyLady]

UConn beat the tar out of Tennessee teams who had the same thought. Watching these two teams (SC and Duke) run fairly stagnant offense yesterday - I mean, they were standing around, not sure where to pass the ball, it is unfathomable to me that UConn could not beat the stuffing out of these two easily. I am not normally a fan of bravado and bluster even for UConn, but frankly watching SC's two "wins" against ranked teams by very small margins, one has to wonder how anyone, after watching UConn dismantle the likes of Notre Dame, could think that South Carolina can come close to beating UConn. Personally, I think that SC nation, if they are thinking that are setting themselves up for a whole lotta hurt.

JMO

Wrote this before I saw your post Icebear. That'll learn me to read the whole thread before posting...

 

[Beemer]

The first half of that game was an absolute dog's breakfast. I mean, really. Both teams looked & played incredibly tight, the shooters on both teams couldn't buy a bucket even when they were wide open. I believe at one point Duke went like 5 minutes without a basket and that wasn't due to SC's superior defensive scheme.

The second half was a little better but not much. Duke had SC down but took their feet off the Gamecocks' necks just long enough to blow it in the final seconds.

Not a great showcase for WCBB IMHO. I really did expect a more exciting game especially with all the talk about SC at the start of the season. Watching them live was a disappointment. My bad, I should know better than to believe the hype.