Thoughts on the First Round

[BfromCT]

From what games that I have been able to view on ABC, ESPN, and ESPN 2, certain matters are apparent. Unfortunately, we still do not see as many competitive games as with the men, but there have been more this year than in most recent seasons.

On Friday, South Carolina, Baylor, Iowa, and Louisville looked real good and deserving of their high seeds. I would vote for Caitlin Clark for POY. Can anyone stop her? And Hailey Van Lith, another sophomore, played impressively.

Saturdays games - NC State and Indiana both looked solid, Tennessee not so much. Notre Dame is a much better team now than in December.

On Saturday, UConn looked solid but not outstanding. ABC said the Williams was player or the game, but I was not impressed by her performance. Ok but not great. Good to see Villanova pull an upset with Siegrist scoring 25. Three of 4 BE teams have won their first games.

It was nice to see some upsets on the first two days. Was particularly pleased with the Creighton triumph over Colorado. South Dakota was impressive in its win over SEC Ole Miss. I expect the coach to get some offers. Lastly Florida Gulf Coast obtained a narrow victory over Virginia Tech, despite 42 points from their All-American Center Elizabeth Kitley. On Saturday, not only was Villanova a bracket buster, but a well-coached Princeton team also emerged victorious. Two other close games that I saw parts of, but LSU came from behind with less than five minutes to play to win by six, while a missed free throw caused Belmont a victory in regulation and again in overtime. Just goes to show how important foul shooting is at crunch time.

Will not add to the Mercer Post Game Thread, but I agree with whoever said that Nika should start because she brings a defensive intensity that is extremely important. I would keep Azzi and Paige in the starting lineup, sit down Williams, and tell her to stop shooting 3s. I would, however, allow Caroline to continue shooting. Just my opinion. I hope no one gets hurt against the physical UCF team on Monday.

 

[cohenzone]

Basically a nice rundown, but. Yeah, UConn looked solid but not outstanding. Um, 20-0 in the 3rd is kinda pretty good. I like Muhl as much as any, but Williams is not a bad defender, shoots better than Muhl and can score in traffic. In their recent run UConn is beating the daylights out of everyone. That includes Villanova. Obviously the
#1 seeds in women's hoops are normally going to look really good against #16 seeds and the #1s are very good teams. UConn’s scoring balance has been great. Sub Muhl in as it’s been the last few games, she will play enough starting or not. Our toughest outs will be against teams with very good bigs. Our backcourt is as good as any.

 

[oldude]

For many years, fans of WBB have been hoping for greater parity, as the brackets were often as predictable as the sunrise. A number of upsets in the first round showed that we are getting closer, maybe not for #1 or #2 seeds, but certainly for teams like Oregon & KY, parity has arrived painfully just in time for the official adoption of the “March Madness” logo in WBB.

 

[eebmg]

The only thing I would say is CW seems to be in a strange mode where she plays her best in the 1Q and just like in the BET where she basically hit big 3pt shots to get us going when we looked a bit nervous out of the gate (this was actually cited in the BET MOP citation), she seems to cool off later in the game. So I guess, we better not take her out of the Starting 5 but what happens if her game slips later. But she still is a defensive workhorse and does alot of good things.

Bottom line is we don't seem to have anyone who we can pencil in for 20+ but have 9 who can give us between 5 and 15. I got to admit, it is a weird vibe.

 

[oldude]

The only thing I would say is CW seems to be in a strange mode where she plays her best in the 1Q and just like in the BET where she basically hit big 3pt shots to get us going when we looked a bit nervous out of the gate (this was actually cited in the BET MOP citation), she seems to cool off later in the game. So I guess, we better not take her out of the Starting 5 but what happens if her game slips later. But she still is a defensive workhorse and does alot of good things.

Bottom line is we don't seem to have anyone who we can pencil in for 20+ but have 9 who can give us between 5 and 15. I got to admit, it is a weird vibe.

Some BY’ers used to complain that Christyn got most of her points late, after the game was basically decided, so I’m a bit confused…

As for 20-pt scorers, I think UConn has 6-7 at least. But right now, when the Huskies go 9-deep, no one has to shoulder that kind of scoring burden. Everybody Eats!

 

[eebmg]

Some BY’ers used to complain that Christyn got most of her points late, after the game was basically decided, so I’m a bit confused…

As for 20-pt scorers, I think UConn has 6-7 at least. But right now, when the Huskies go 9-deep, no one has to shoulder that kind of scoring burden. Everybody Eats!

Not trying to explain CW, just stating clear observations.

I agree, we have 6-7 players who can get 20 but if you are out of that scoring mode for a while, it might be hard to recapture on command in a tough game where everything seems to be a slog. I would love to see one of our key guys just go nuts in a game and go for 20+ so we feel comfortable riding the horse if needed.

 

[cohenzone]

The only thing I would say is CW seems to be in a strange mode where she plays her best in the 1Q and just like in the BET where she basically hit big 3pt shots to get us going when we looked a bit nervous out of the gate (this was actually cited in the BET MOP citation), she seems to cool off later in the game. So I guess, we better not take her out of the Starting 5 but what happens if her game slips later. But she still is a defensive workhorse and does alot of good things.

Bottom line is we don't seem to have anyone who we can pencil in for 20+ but have 9 who can give us between 5 and 15. I got to admit, it is a weird vibe.

We have a few who definitely could be penciled in for high teens under certain circumstances or in general. But recently the balance has been so good there has been no reason to, coupled with Paige’s limited minutes. She’s a scoring machine when she plays enough minutes and healthy. I think as it stands now we are a rough team to defend with 8 who can score double figures with Nika being the least likely scoring option but even she can be ok from outside if not attended to.

 

[my2cents]

My thoughts on the first round are that teams that plan on winning the NC based on playing "Bully Ball" are not going to make it. Princeton beat a more physical Kentucky team by excellent guard play ( Abby's play was eye popping). Jackson St should have beaten LSU .
Inside scoring is being negated because in the women's game, it has become a mosh pit at the basket. Shoving, pushing, arms and hands being wacked are just being ignored.
The teams that can consistently make the three pointers are going to win it all.

 

[warbler1055]

We have Paige Buckets and Azzi Fudd and you don't !!!

 

[BBallF]

I am more concerned with the half court offense in the first 6 or so minutes than anything else. When AE gets the ball on the foul line the offense just seems to stall and the turnover probability increases when the bigs have to make plays. I also see a downside to Paige being the point in the opening frame because she tends to get less shots. Yes she is a great playmaker but we need her and Azzi getting open, shooting 3s and pull ups and we need CD more involved. If you want to score those players who can, should. To win close games, you get the ball to the players who have the higher shooting percentage at the places on the court where they have the highest percentages.

 

[warbler1055]

Most of us know that UCF is big, physical and aggressive. They can also score. So the interior is going to be a battle. I only post half in jest when I said we have PB and and you don't. Truth is we need those 3pts shooters to win this game convincingly.

 

[Aluminny69]

Obviously the #1 seeds in women's hoops are normally going to look really good against #16 seeds and the #1s are very good teams.

My son, who doesn't really follow WCBB, pointed out the obvious: The top teams get to play the first two rounds on their home courts! Hence, it is virtually impossible for lower seeds to get an upset, as reflected in the results. Isn't WCBB scheduled to move away from this practice in the near future?

 

[TheGOAT23]

If only Christyn and Aaliyah would settle down, the team could be more effective in the half court set. I think that they are a little too hyped and try to do too much. I’ve been noticing that whenever both of them miss a jump shot, it’s often long. When both of them jump, vertically in a straight line, they tend to make more of their shots. In contrast, if they shoot a jumper moving their bodies towards the basket, the ball tends to hit the back of the rim. Also, when at the high post, why do some dribble towards a teammate who’s wide open for a clear shot? That tends to bring the defense with you. A quick pivot and pass is more efficient. Caroline and Azzi would get better looks even though both only need a “Dell Curry Inch” to get their shots off (Sorry Steph ). Just my observations from what I’ve seen during the season.

 

[oldude]

My son, who doesn't really follow WCBB, pointed out the obvious: The top teams get to play the first two rounds on their home courts! Hence, it is virtually impossible for lower seeds to get an upset, as reflected in the results. Isn't WCBB scheduled to move away from this practice in the near future?

I believe there is a plan to move to only 2 regional sights for WBB. But I haven’t heard any discussion about eliminating early round games at the top 16 seeded schools. The problem you get into trying to do that is that you increase travel costs while reducing attendance, something the women’s tournament can’t really afford to do right now.

 

[veryolddog]

It was exciting to see the upsets occur. Good job Villanova and Creighton and the other teams as well. Look at the teams that were defeated like Oregon, Kentucky, etc., from the big leagues. As we move through the tournament, we are going to see other teams upset that will be very surprising. Some of these big boys become arrogant and defeat themselves because they think they got an easy win against a team that has got nothing to lose and has the eye of the tiger.

 

[cohenzone]

My son, who doesn't really follow WCBB, pointed out the obvious: The top teams get to play the first two rounds on their home courts! Hence, it is virtually impossible for lower seeds to get an upset, as reflected in the results. Isn't WCBB scheduled to move away from this practice in the near future?

I think the home court advantage in women's hoops between a #1 and a #16 is normally negligible. Meaning the margin of victory and results would be in the same ballpark for sure on a neutral court and probably on the 16’s home court The talent differential between the top say 6 to 8 teams (more than in years past) and the league champs of many mid majors and bubble type 15th and 16th seeds is still generally pretty big. I think the real parity at the moment is for example, that a 10th seed can give a game to a very high seed. Ideally all tourney games should be on a more or less neutral court. But with attendance still being a committee consideration, it’s still some years away. Regional set ups even in the men’s tournament pretty much guarantee that the really good teams will have a home crowd if not a home court edge. One thing is certain. The overall talent pool in women’s hoops improves every year.

 

[Zarathustra]

We have Paige Buckets and Azzi Fudd and you don't !!!

And I expect / hope to see additional stars in the UCONN constellation!

 

[SVCBeercats]

Bottom line is we don't seem to have anyone who we can pencil in for 20+ but have 9 who can give us between 5 and 15. I got to admit, it is a weird vibe.

You use Evina and Christyn as subs and start Azzi and Caroline for 30+ minutes and you will have your 20+ points per game twice over.

 

[SVCBeercats]

We have Paige Buckets and Azzi Fudd and you don't !!!

Why are you dissing Caroline, When Azzi was injured Caroline was dropping something like 18 per game. Give her the minutes and delivers as well as Azzi because of her all around game and height advantage.

 

[LoboDays]

We have Paige Buckets and Azzi Fudd and you don't !!!

Looking at yesterdays box score, that’s not gonna scare anyone. The questions about this team remain unanswered. We played a team yesterday that would probably go down to the final seconds against Butler. Maybe tomorrow’s game will provide some answers. It been so long since they played a team where they needed a good 4th quarter to win, it’s impossible to tell what kind of a team we have at crunch time. One thing seems pretty obvious. AZZI needs to take more shots.

 

[JellyBean]

I am really enjoying the games so far. The games have been competitive and well coached. Some teams you knew that they would dominate their games and get the win. The LSU/Jackson State game. Now that was really epic! Just sad how some coaches can get away with some things and other coaches better not even think about trying what some coaches get away with. SMH.

But it is great seeing teams like Utah for example, win and advance. I am a huge Coach Neighbors fan and was hoping that Arkansas would get a win. But Utah just outplayed Arkansas. Then the Kansas/Georgia Tech game. Kansas played without any fear or worries about Tech's defense. Been a great First Round.

 

[Plebe]

The home court advantage is a huge deal. Almost impossible for teams seeded 13 and below to win on top 4 seed's home court.

There were some close calls, and I suspect that on a neutral court we might have seen the likes of LSU, Oklahoma, Arizona, Iowa State and Tennessee go down.

When was the last time a top 4 seed lost a first-round game on its home court? I sure can't remember.

 

[SECbbfan24]

The home court advantage is a huge deal. Almost impossible for teams seeded 13 and below to win on top 4 seed's home court.

There were some close calls, and I suspect that on a neutral court we might have seen the likes of LSU, Oklahoma, Arizona, Iowa State and Tennessee go down.

When was the last time a top 4 seed lost a first-round game on its home court? I sure can't remember.

LSU did their best to choke it away and lose. Of course they have blown multiple 10+ 2nd half leads this year. Kim is a defensive minded coach but the defense has been a mess this back end of the year, I don't get it.