The Arkansas State Red Wolves, based in Jonesboro AR, compete in the Sun Belt Conference.
Why should SCar be up by 25? The Jacks are not a cream puff team, and they have a good game plan that they're executing. They won the NIT last year, and their main competition in the Summit went to the Sweet Sixteen.
If you'd watched the game, you'd see why. SC blocked like a hundred shots in a row, but somehow couldn't manage to box out a smaller, slower team. Yeah, the Jackrabbits are a decent team. but there's no way they're competitive with SC.
I watched the whole game, and I’ve seen both the Jacks and the Gamecocks several times in the last few years. This game didn’t surprise me at all. SDSU is inconsistent. The good version almost showed up tonight. Good defense, and if they’d made a few wide open layups and a couple more wide open threes, the result may have been different.
There are several areas where I disagree with Dawn Staley but weak scheduling is certainly not one of them. She is not afraid to play tough teams and has shown that over and over. This may not be her toughest schedule ever but it’s a veritable gauntlet compared to Kim’s.
The Jack Rabbits are the type of mid-major teams a lot of P5 schools don't want to play because a loss will look bad for them being the 5th, 6th, or 7th team from their league getting a bid, and playing them might improve South Dakota State's SOS enough for them to have a shot at getting an at large bid if they don't win their conference championship.
Nice analysis, especially about scheduling priorities. You make several really good points.
Arkansas is looking good!
They've got Oregon tomorrow night and a possibility of a battle of undefeateds on 12/29 against LSU!
The Tennessee fans used to say the same derogatory things about UConn and its schedule. Back then, no big names wanted to risk losing to a brash upstart from Connecticut so Geno had trouble scheduling too
If a was a big time recruit I would take a good long look at her scheduling. Why would you want to be on an elite team and play such a weak schedule? You will hardly ever be featured on ESPN in the OOC, and as a competitor all of those cupcakes have to feel unsatisfying. Mulkey's players aren't tested very much. I don't think she has a very good track record with developing WNBA players either. Not like Geno or Muffett. How can you develop when you are playing practice squads for a majority of the year?
Nothing will make a coach cuss,
and become irate than a turn over at this point in a game when you have a chance to win or tie the game, especially and unforced turnover. You work hard for 39 minutes and 49 seconds to stay in the game only to give it away in the final seconds. Maybe things will get better for USC next year when Juju Watkins joins the team.
Saylor did the right thing leaving UConn. Like Mir McLean (Virginia), she's getting minutes and opportunities she would not have gotten at UConn. Not this year anyway.
I disagree that Saylor wouldn't be playing much for UConn this year. She has a good handle and played some point guard in high school. She's an excellent passer and is averaging three assists for Arkansas. She's a Swiss Army Knife and could have filled in for Dorka, Caroline, and Azzi when they've been injured.
