Stats vs LSU were weird, odd & ugly...

[BroadwayVa]

Ericsandiego,
Before judging Natalie, consider UcMiami from the game thread, who write this:
Butler didn't have a great game, but this is the type of team she is going to struggle with - short, quackish, and pesky. She did really well against the trees of Baylor and the larger FSU, but LSU just isn't the type of team she is going to find easy. One of the reasons we saw as much as we did of Irwin in that while she would be lost against Baylor, LSU is an easier match-up.

The phrase "taking steps backward" suggests that now Natalie is in a worse place from which she needs to move forward. But really, without practice or anything else, she could have a fantastic game tomorrow night. I know you didn't mean that she's now in a worse position, but just that it sounds that way. Athletic (or any artistic) performance can't be judged by a single data point as reflecting anything other than that precise moment and circumstance. Again, I realize you were only comparing her to her previous performances, not suggesting that she's actually in a worse place. I'm more reacting to the obsessive need we all seem to have to grade everything "objectively" on a moment-by-moment basis.

As usual i agree with most of what you write.

Posters can say what they want (isn't that a surprise) about Butler---in every game she played --she had good hands, got beat up by the defense, has a good to better shot, rebounded, and played Defense---what impressed me --was even when she was exhausted she ran as fast as she could to get on Defense--and often beat Baylor down the floor. She's good --she'll be better. Irwin had those same good match ups with FSU -- she did well in the LSU game--terrible game to have to play..