Hoping to bring some civility back to the topic. The poster, from the UCLA forum, who talked about Oregon State also gave his perspective on some other things, namely recruiting and game management. Some of them are related to OSU and UCLA players and teams. Interesting reading and thoughts.
1) Shooting matters
2) If you recruit for athleticism and quickness, you have to use that to your advantage: Create turnovers and offensive rebounds to compensate for poor shooting and lack of 3-point shooting (comparatively). I would press OSU full court. When Dangerfield is out for UConn, I would press full court. Make Weise or Fields handle the ball for 94 feet against a quicker, more athletic defender.
3) Play faster. You do not want to play against the shot clock against the better defensive teams. Get into offense earlier and attack quicker. This does not mean shooting with 20 seconds on the shot clock; this means having time for #4 and #8. Take good shots. Do not wait for perfect shots.
4) Make the defense defend multiple penetrations. I did not watch a lot of UCLA games, but those that I did, and the comments here, Canada is the primary ball handler and nobody else really attacks with the dribble. Maybe Burke. To beat a solid defense like this, you need multiple penetrations, not just one, unless you have great outside shooting. This is also why #3 is important; you need more time to have multiple penetrations. If you wait to penetrate until the shot clock is 10, you're playing against the clock and players tend to panic and take questionable shots.
5) Make midrange shots. If that's what they're going to give up, you have to make some to force them to change. Especially shots off penetration or in PnR situations.
6) Without a post who can shoot, use the post as a screener for a shooter. If their post is not going to help or hedge at all, set hard screens on their defenders on shooters.
7) Mix up sets with untraditional approaches; I'd clear out for Billings and allow her to use her athleticism from the elbow or even top of the key against their post defenders. Set guard to guard screens to create the matches that you want (if they switch those screens); they're unlikely to defend guard to guard screens in the same way, and if they do, the guar setting the screen will be open popping for a 3. So, use Korver as a screener for Canada, as an example, either to get a more favorable match up for Canada or to get an open shot for Korver.
8) Quicker motion. Get the ball from side to side. See Golden State. Again, #3. Give yourself a chance to create 2 or 3 openings, not just one.
9) You have to punish the players who do not defend their match up. That could be offensive rebounding, making midrange shots, setting multiple screens, etc., but you cannot allow one defender to play a one-person zone and not punish her. That makes the other four defenders that much more effective. If you can't punish that defender, substitute until you find a player who can.
