Thoughts after watching the first two rounds

[victor64]

--South Carolina has not shown any signs of being beatable. Just too deep.

--Niele Ivey loses her two starting guards and still makes the Sweet 16. Well done Irish.

--Hows does Stanford, with two All-American starters, lose to an eighth seed at home? It is not too drastic to suggest that Tara needs to call it a career.

--Parity in the women's game has shown itself with the increasing number of athletic, physical teams. Baylor, Miami, Ole Miss come to mind. Nobody wants to play Georgia.

--Carla Berube is favored by many UConn fans to take Geno's place when he retires. I am not sure how she recruits but the woman can coach. A great comeback against NC State and a near miss against Utah were both illustrations of how well coached Princeton is.

--Indiana basically ran out of gas. Losses to Iowa, OSU and the Miami upset overshadowed a great year. Holmes being less than 100% was a factor down the stretch but Noren plays her starters too many minutes during the regular season.

--Kara Lawson is a class act but unless I am missing something, her offense has to improve.

--I watched Louisville several time early in the season and I thought this was the year that team takes its lumps. Louisville looked great in embarrassing Texas. Hats of to Jeff Walz.

--Maddy Siegrist deserves the attention she receives but sophomore point guard Lucy Olsen is the glue to that team.

--The announcers compared OSU's freshman Cody McMahon to Lebron James. I wouldn't go that far but she has future All-American written all over her.

--My guess is UConn/South Carolina rematch in the final game. It won't matter. The Gamecocks repeat.

 

[nwhoopfan]

--Hows does Stanford, with two All-American starters, lose to an eighth seed at home? It is not too drastic to suggest that Tara needs to call it a career.

2 years removed from a Championship and 1 year after a Final 4? Maybe a bit too drastic of a reaction. Certainly a somewhat disappointing season, but they still won 29 games and a share of their conference regular season title.

Maybe some credit should be given to Ole Miss. Against both Gonzaga and Stanford, they had their opponent scrambled and discombobulated. It appears they are a tough team to match up with.

 

[JavaMan]

Respectfully...

.

 

[01Neaggrad02]

I respectfully disagree with you. This South Carolina team is the number 1 team in the nation and the favorite, and they deserve to be. But with that said, I do not think they look unbeatable. If I am not mistaken if my bracket holds out they will have to go through Iowa to make it to the final, and I would not count out Clark and her team just yet. I also think that UCONN is firing on all cylinders right now, with the addition of Azzi and Carolina... players are having more breaks, playing less time, are less worn down, look to be having more fun, and with Azzi and Caroline it helps spread out the defense which can help inside. If Azzi can get her shot back to the start of the season.... Could you imagine a game where Azzi, Caroline, Lou, and Nika are hitting their 3s? Imagine if those four hit 12 threes like Baylor did against us... then add in one or two from say Dorka or Aubrey....I think this UCONN team is a force....
While South Carolina may be favored, it is not something that is just going to be handed to them and that is why we play the game. The hope is real that they (SC) will not be cutting the nets in April.....

 

[Cornell Lt]

Stanford was a team that was not on the same page. A couple times Brink was calling for the ball (literally screaming) and Haley Jones ignored her and went elsewhere with the play. Nor sure if it was coaching or recruiting that was the Cardinal downfall. Their guard play was absolutely atrocious the entire year. Bet there will be some real soul searching in Palo Alto in the coming months.

 

[DEpup]

I really question Stanford player development over 4 years... I'm just not sure that Jones, Jump, Prechtel, Belibi, or Iriafen are better now then when they started. Plus they are still PG challenged...

 

[Cuango]

I respectfully disagree with you. This South Carolina team is the number 1 team in the nation and the favorite, and they deserve to be. But with that said, I do not think they look unbeatable. If I am not mistaken if my bracket holds out they will have to go through Iowa to make it to the final, and I would not count out Clark and her team just yet. I also think that UCONN is firing on all cylinders right now, with the addition of Azzi and Carolina... players are having more breaks, playing less time, are less worn down, look to be having more fun, and with Azzi and Caroline it helps spread out the defense which can help inside. If Azzi can get her shot back to the start of the season.... Could you imagine a game where Azzi, Caroline, Lou, and Nika are hitting their 3s? Imagine if those four hit 12 threes like Baylor did against us... then add in one or two from say Dorka or Aubrey....I think this UCONN team is a force....
While South Carolina may be favored, it is not something that is just going to be handed to them and that is why we play the game. The hope is real that they (SC) will not be cutting the nets in April.....

12 might be on the low side! Azzi could easily hit 6-8 by herself if she gets hot. I could see that group hitting 16-18 if they all went off in the same game. Of course, the opposition will have something to say about it as well, but UConn clearly has (even without Paige) about as scary a three point shooting lineup as I’ve seen in a long time. It would be fun (for us) to see them all get going in the same game.

 

[bballnut90]

--South Carolina has not shown any signs of being beatable. Just too deep.

--Niele Ivey loses her two starting guards and still makes the Sweet 16. Well done Irish.

--Hows does Stanford, with two All-American starters, lose to an eighth seed at home? It is not too drastic to suggest that Tara needs to call it a career.

--Parity in the women's game has shown itself with the increasing number of athletic, physical teams. Baylor, Miami, Ole Miss come to mind. Nobody wants to play Georgia.

--Carla Berube is favored by many UConn fans to take Geno's place when he retires. I am not sure how she recruits but the woman can coach. A great comeback against NC State and a near miss against Utah were both illustrations of how well coached Princeton is.

--Indiana basically ran out of gas. Losses to Iowa, OSU and the Miami upset overshadowed a great year. Holmes being less than 100% was a factor down the stretch but Noren plays her starters too many minutes during the regular season.

--Kara Lawson is a class act but unless I am missing something, her offense has to improve.

--I watched Louisville several time early in the season and I thought this was the year that team takes its lumps. Louisville looked great in embarrassing Texas. Hats of to Jeff Walz.

--Maddy Siegrist deserves the attention she receives but sophomore point guard Lucy Olsen is the glue to that team.

--The announcers compared OSU's freshman Cody McMahon to Lebron James. I wouldn't go that far but she has future All-American written all over her.

--My guess is UConn/South Carolina rematch in the final game. It won't matter. The Gamecocks repeat.

Agree with most of this. Disagree about Stanford though as @nwhoopfan commented on. Tara is still doing a great job even if this year was a disappointment by Stanford standards. Worth noting, Brink was also not 100% which should be mentioned if Holmes is being brought up.

And agree about Lawson, but keep in mind it's just her 2nd year and she had Duke as a top 10-15 team most of the season after missing the tournament last year. Huge turnaround and I think they'll improve quite a bit as she implements her own players and recruits. She has the #3 recruit on board for next year and has done a good job identifying kids in the portal who seem to buy into her coaching and style of play.

If I'm a UCONN fan and am insistent on keeping the next coach in Geno's tree, Berube is far and away my top choice right now.

 

[bovwa10]

I really question Stanford player development over 4 years... I'm just not sure that Jones, Jump, Prechtel, Belibi, or Iriafen are better now then when they started. Plus they are still PG challenged...

Tbh I think Brink has improved so much more than the others because she and her family have invested a lot in getting outside help

 

[jdote33]

Just in terms of this UConn team after two rounds, wow are they fun to watch. I mean I know we were robbed of seeing Paige and Lou play together which is heartbreaking. But I feel like we were robbed of seeing this healthy 10 (seven women rotation). We saw them to begin the season, and it was a lot of fun. In March, it remains fun!

I really question Stanford player development over 4 years... I'm just not sure that Jones, Jump, Prechtel, Belibi, or Iriafen are better now then when they started. Plus they are still PG challenged...

I had this same post in my drafts right after Stanford lost but thought it was a bit too soon. Well, mainly the first part, as I am a big fan of their point guard Lepolo. I was thinking Haley Jones should stay another year in college, and really work on becoming a better shooter/scorer, but that's really been the knock on her since she's come into college. Additionally, I think they may have had too many bigs. It was great to hear Tara praise Kiki early on in the season as she started out of the gate hot, but then her playing time diminished. I also think Prechtel and Belibi would be impact starters on most teams, so it's tough to see them get limited minutes in their senior season only to lose in the second round.
Our road to the final four remains tough. I know OSU hasn't played great, but Sheldon looks pretty healthy and was a true difference maker in both of their games. I like the VT vs Tennesee game too. They met earlier in the season but it's a completely different Tennessee team. I don't know if I'd rather play them or VT in the elite eight should Uconn advance.

 

[bovwa10]

Just in terms of this UConn team after two rounds, wow are they fun to watch. I mean I know we were robbed of seeing Paige and Lou play together which is heartbreaking. But I feel like we were robbed of seeing this healthy 10 (seven women rotation). We saw them to begin the season, and it was a lot of fun. In March, it remains fun!

I had this same post in my drafts right after Stanford lost but thought it was a bit too soon. Well, mainly the first part, as I am a big fan of their point guard Lepolo. I was thinking Haley Jones should stay another year in college, and really work on becoming a better shooter/scorer, but that's really been the knock on her since she's come into college. Additionally, I think they may have had too many bigs. It was great to hear Tara praise Kiki early on in the season as she started out of the gate hot, but then her playing time diminished. I also think Prechtel and Belibi would be impact starters on most teams, so it's tough to see them get limited minutes in their senior season only to lose in the second round.
Our road to the final four remains tough. I know OSU hasn't played great, but Sheldon looks pretty healthy and was a true difference maker in both of their games. I like the VT vs Tennesee game too. They met earlier in the season but it's a completely different Tennessee team. I don't know if I'd rather play them or VT in the elite eight should Uconn advance.

Agreed on Sheldon, she’s so underrated. I think she would be a lottery pick if she entered the draft this year

 

[nwhoopfan]

I really question Stanford player development over 4 years... I'm just not sure that Jones, Jump, Prechtel, Belibi, or Iriafen are better now then when they started. Plus they are still PG challenged...

I definitely think it has been an issue with some players at Stanford over the years. I disagree about Jump, she has become a much bigger impact player than when she arrived, and has added at least a little bit to her game so she is not strictly a 3 point shooter and nothing else.

 

[nwhoopfan]

In regards to Ole Miss, is everyone forgetting they took South Carolina to OT in mid February? That was not that long ago, and very relevant I think.

 

[Boreifs]

Mississippi is a classic case study in building a team with transfers. It takes five months to jell, but if everyone buys into what the coach is saying they can become a dangerous team in the playoffs. Duke was not quite as successful; the approach is still new for every program that goes in that direction.

 

[victor64]

In regards to Ole Miss, is everyone forgetting they took South Carolina to OT in mid February? That was not that long ago, and very relevant I think.

And lost 80-51 in the rematch.

Mississippi went about 6 minutes in the fourth quarter against Stanford without scoring.

Mississippi didn’t discombobulate Stanford as you suggest. Stanford was too disorganized and rushed to take advantage of the numerous opportunities the Rebels gave them.

I am not sure Miss beats Louisville.

Tara has had a fabulous career but in the Miss game, the Cardinal looked like a team that was not listening to their coaches.

 

[nwhoopfan]

And lost 80-51 in the rematch.

Yeah, I think South Carolina has done that to a few teams in their second meeting with them.

 

[tigers4ever]

2 years removed from a Championship and 1 year after a Final 4? Maybe a bit too drastic of a reaction. Certainly a somewhat disappointing season, but they still won 29 games and a share of their conference regular season title.

Maybe some credit should be given to Ole Miss. Against both Gonzaga and Stanford, they had their opponent scrambled and discombobulated. It appears they are a tough team to match up with.

Yes, this is much more of an Ole Miss issue rather than a Stanford issue. Ole Miss was seeded to low. Stanford should never have met them in the second round but kudos to Ole Miss for not getting hung up on the seeding and just taking care of business.

 

[Next 12]

--South Carolina has not shown any signs of being beatable. Just too deep.

--Niele Ivey loses her two starting guards and still makes the Sweet 16. Well done Irish.

--Hows does Stanford, with two All-American starters, lose to an eighth seed at home? It is not too drastic to suggest that Tara needs to call it a career.

--Parity in the women's game has shown itself with the increasing number of athletic, physical teams. Baylor, Miami, Ole Miss come to mind. Nobody wants to play Georgia.

--Carla Berube is favored by many UConn fans to take Geno's place when he retires. I am not sure how she recruits but the woman can coach. A great comeback against NC State and a near miss against Utah were both illustrations of how well coached Princeton is.

--Indiana basically ran out of gas. Losses to Iowa, OSU and the Miami upset overshadowed a great year. Holmes being less than 100% was a factor down the stretch but Noren plays her starters too many minutes during the regular season.

--Kara Lawson is a class act but unless I am missing something, her offense has to improve.

--I watched Louisville several time early in the season and I thought this was the year that team takes its lumps. Louisville looked great in embarrassing Texas. Hats of to Jeff Walz.

--Maddy Siegrist deserves the attention she receives but sophomore point guard Lucy Olsen is the glue to that team.

--The announcers compared OSU's freshman Cody McMahon to Lebron James. I wouldn't go that far but she has future All-American written all over her.

--My guess is UConn/South Carolina rematch in the final game. It won't matter. The Gamecocks repeat.

You are right with Uconn and SC in the final but wrong in that SC is unbeatable. I give Iowa and Caitlan Clark as good a chance to win against SC as Uconn. If SC gets by Iowa then we take over and end SC's dream of 2 in a row. WE are as good as any team this late in the season can be and Uconn is 9-3 against SC, soon to be 10-3. Aaliyah, Dorka and Aubrey can handle SC's bigs and Azzi, LOU and caroline will handle the 3 point shots and on to No.12!! GO HUSKIES !!!!!

 

[tigers4ever]

You are right with Uconn and SC in the final but wrong in that SC is unbeatable. I give Iowa and Caitlan Clark as good a chance to win against SC as Uconn. If SC gets by Iowa then we take over and end SC's dream of 2 in a row. WE are as good as any team this late in the season can be and Uconn is 9-3 against SC, soon to be 10-3. Aaliyah, Dorka and Aubrey can handle SC's bigs and Azzi, LOU and caroline will handle the 3 point shots and on to No.12!! GO HUSKIES !!!!!

UConn is def more fun to watch.

 

[visitingcock]

You are right with Uconn and SC in the final but wrong in that SC is unbeatable. I give Iowa and Caitlan Clark as good a chance to win against SC as Uconn. If SC gets by Iowa then we take over and end SC's dream of 2 in a row. WE are as good as any team this late in the season can be and Uconn is 9-3 against SC, soon to be 10-3. Aaliyah, Dorka and Aubrey can handle SC's bigs and Azzi, LOU and caroline will handle the 3 point shots and on to No.12!! GO HUSKIES !!!!!

There is a more appropriate thread than this but.

To start with: UConn is 9-4 against Scar All time. Not 9-3. Geno is 8-4 vs Dawn at SCar

More relevant perhaps: UConn is 1-4 against this SCar senior class with that 1 win being a home court overtime squeaker. 0-1 at Scar and 0-2 neutral site in pretty solid whippings. And one close loss in Stoors this year.

Not saying that this record will have ANY affect on this year’s (potential) rematch as you imply the “9-3” record would. Games are played in the present - not the past.

Just setting the “record” straight

 

[Bone Dog]

I think SC is definitely beatable. They are still clear favorites to win it all. Most of their games are like Ali-Foreman. They take the best shot a competitive opponent has, then wear them out in the second half. It’s a good strategy. It also means Dawn has learned how to make good adjustments at halftime.

If SC were to lose, how would it happen? Indulge me. Well, they have 4 tough games ahead of them — this is the NCAA tournament after all. Of course they’ll be facing their toughest competition of the year. Next game is UCLA, and they can surprise. After that it’s MD or ND, either one also capable of surprising. I suspect MD poses the deeper challenge. And then Iowa, supposing they make it that far. This could be the most interesting game of the year, given how different Iowa is from most anyone in the SEC.

After that, it’s either VT or UConn. I think VT would be easy after the rest of that gauntlet. UConn could be either hard or easy, depending on how well Azzi Caroline Lou and Aubrey play on that night. If they’re all on their A games, it could quite a contest. Let’s hope so, for the sake of WCBB!

 

[DefenseBB]

--South Carolina has not shown any signs of being beatable. Just too deep.

--Niele Ivey loses her two starting guards and still makes the Sweet 16. Well done Irish.

--Hows does Stanford, with two All-American starters, lose to an eighth seed at home? It is not too drastic to suggest that Tara needs to call it a career.

--Parity in the women's game has shown itself with the increasing number of athletic, physical teams. Baylor, Miami, Ole Miss come to mind. Nobody wants to play Georgia.

--Carla Berube is favored by many UConn fans to take Geno's place when he retires. I am not sure how she recruits but the woman can coach. A great comeback against NC State and a near miss against Utah were both illustrations of how well coached Princeton is.

--Indiana basically ran out of gas. Losses to Iowa, OSU and the Miami upset overshadowed a great year. Holmes being less than 100% was a factor down the stretch but Noren plays her starters too many minutes during the regular season.

--Kara Lawson is a class act but unless I am missing something, her offense has to improve.

--I watched Louisville several time early in the season and I thought this was the year that team takes its lumps. Louisville looked great in embarrassing Texas. Hats of to Jeff Walz.

--Maddy Siegrist deserves the attention she receives but sophomore point guard Lucy Olsen is the glue to that team.

--The announcers compared OSU's freshman Cody McMahon to Lebron James. I wouldn't go that far but she has future All-American written all over her.

--My guess is UConn/South Carolina rematch in the final game. It won't matter. The Gamecocks repeat.

...and when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor.... It's Teri Moren

Also, most believe when Geno retires, CD, who is 5.5 years younger than Geno, will take the reins and UConn will not skip a beat.

Not sure about Lawson being a class act with her behavior of cancelling the season 2 years ago after 4 games, complaining about the size of the ball when both teams had to play with it and the fact she's alienated a passionate fanbase from 3,883 a mere 3 years ago to 2,276 fans this season and only 1,904 for last night's NCAAT game.

But hey, I will leave you alone now as you seem to be on a roll....

 

[TerpWomenFan]

From ESPN:

With a 32-point dominance of Holy Cross and a 13-point win over the Wildcats, the Terps have been the most impressive team in the NCAA tournament.

They have played great in 7 out of the 8 quarters of basketball. The only quarter they didn't play well was the 2nd quarter against Arizona and the Wildcats rallied to take a lead in the 2nd period because Shyanne Sellers was stuck on the bench with 2 fouls.

 

[bovwa10]

You are right with Uconn and SC in the final but wrong in that SC is unbeatable. I give Iowa and Caitlan Clark as good a chance to win against SC as Uconn. If SC gets by Iowa then we take over and end SC's dream of 2 in a row. WE are as good as any team this late in the season can be and Uconn is 9-3 against SC, soon to be 10-3. Aaliyah, Dorka and Aubrey can handle SC's bigs and Azzi, LOU and caroline will handle the 3 point shots and on to No.12!! GO HUSKIES !!!!!

I just don’t see Iowa beating South Carolina. Czinano is gonna have a very hard time scoring against Boston imo, and SC is just so much faster and more athletic than Iowa. I think UConn has a much better shot matching up with SC’s athleticism

 

[Orangutan]

...and when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor.... It's Teri Moren

Also, most believe when Geno retires, CD, who is 5.5 years younger than Geno, will take the reins and UConn will not skip a beat.

Not sure about Lawson being a class act with her behavior of cancelling the season 2 years ago after 4 games, complaining about the size of the ball when both teams had to play with it and the fact she's alienated a passionate fanbase from 3,883 a mere 3 years ago to 2,276 fans this season and only 1,904 for last night's NCAAT game.

But hey, I will leave you alone now as you seem to be on a roll....

I don't know that I agree with your Lawson takes but I do appreciate their spiciness.