Thurs. games -- TN and FSU lose; MissSt escapes (merged threads)

[Plebe]

I've had my eye on Clemson this season and last - 'cause the have totally s&cked since forever. But Coach Smith is turning them around.

It's pretty hard to go any direction but up from 4-25, which was their record last year. They went 9-2 in the OOC this year, but their nonconference SOS was #210. This is a team that lost at home to Oregon by 30. They did beat Georgia Tech for a decent win.

 

[EricSD]

Tennessee beat Bama 42 straight times and now have lost 2 in a row to them.

I did not know that. In spite of no DD, there is no way to sugar coat just how bad a loss that is... On a positive for them, JUCO transfer Nunn lit it up with 15 points and 15 boards. Russell had 17 and 9...

 

[Bayareahusky]

Yes hope DD is OK ... But wow Tennessee is a poor excuse for a hoops team.... I am sorry I have never teed off on them before but tonight is so tempting to do so.... Tennessee is simply not committed to play basketball with the big girls.... they have no heart.... you have the #1 and #6 overall nationally ranked players on your front line and you get out rebounded on the offensive glass 22-10 .... even your coach says that it is merely a question of effort. These gals have absolutely no heart. I am sorry to our TN friends who post here.... it is terrible basketball to watch... porous defense.... that makes Alabama look lightning quick..... and how can you air ball an uncontested layup? Announcers give excuse to the team .... said that "without Tea Cooper and without Diamond this game, Holly Warlick's hands have been tied" REALLY? What does that mean exactly? Call it for what it is guys, a pitiful performance!!!! Announcers also pointed out that 5 of TN's losses were by 19 pts. Failed to say that a few of the wins were by scant margins..... should we say that too ... that a few wins could have been losses? It all is just terrible basketball.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

We see how different UConn is from Tennessee. UConn plays their hardest on every play of every quarter of every game. And it doesn't matter whom they're playing. Tennessee players can't be bothered to exert themselves when they're playing nobodies. They only get up to play when they're in "big" games. But since they lose to the nobodies, their "big" games are only big games to them.

24 losses in two seasons. And counting. And these are the people who "refuse" to play UConn? Give me a break!

 

[VA Huskie]

Just got home from the UVA game. FSU didn't lose just because Thomas went down. FSU has the best rebounding margin in the ACC - UVA outrebounded them by 10. FSU is a pretty good 3 pt shooting team (Romero one of the best in the country) - their 3 starting guards shot 3 for 20. UVA has a swarming defense that can be effective for periods of the game - tonight it was consistently tough. UVA has played some pretty good teams tough. Lost to Louisville after blowing a big lead. Same with Syracuse. Sure losing Thomas made a difference, but she wasn't dominating. I think Monday's double OT game might have had a bigger impact. UVA has been on the verge of this all year. They're starting 3 freshmen. They look really ugly at times - yes, missed tons of layups! Tonite they finally pulled it all together for a whole game. GO HOOS!

 

[Plebe]

Weird night. Several upsets and near upsets

And bad injuries to star players (Thomas and DeShields).

 

[VA Huskie]

And Florida State lost to Virginia 60-51. Romero had 3 points on 1-8 shooting, 1-5 FT's. Did she get hurt too?

No, Romero not injured. As I mentioned on another thread, UVA played well, Thomas went down in the third quarter...and FSU may have been impacted by the 2 OT game on Monday.

 

[triaddukefan]

It's pretty hard to go any direction but up from 4-25, which was their record last year. They went 9-2 in the OOC this year, but their nonconference SOS was #210. This is a team that lost at home to Oregon by 30. They did beat Georgia Tech for a decent win.

They are really young.... I dont think they have any seniors or juniors that play significant minutes.... I know at least they dont have any seniors. They had a few transfers out in the past few seasons. But they are a scrappy bunch. They had a 40+ game conference losing streak.... which they ended a few weeks ago with the win over GaTech. I watched the last few minutes on replay.... they were so excited to break the streak.... they celebrated as if they were going to the Final Four.

 

[mhshuskies]

Surfed around the various games tonight and one thing struck me. There aren't many teams to be concerned about from a UCONN perspective, especially no teams in the ACC.

 

[JordyG]

Once again when pressed ND went to 1 on 1 ball with 11 assists on 32 made baskets. Turner played only 19 mins, was 4-4 and 9 points. Shame, but as I've said before, this is a sure route to a SS or at best E8 exit.

 

[Orangutan]

Once again when pressed ND went to 1 on 1 ball with 11 assists on 32 made baskets. Turner played only 19 mins, was 4-4 and 9 points. Shame, but as I've said before, this is a sure route to a SS or at best E8 exit.

Kind of hard to say that offense was the problem when ND shot 55%. Assist totals notwithstanding, I didn't think ND abandoned the offense. Definitely was not in sync but that's to be expected with no Westbeld and Turner out for long stretches.

ND needs both of them fit and in form to be successful in the tourney.

Out of curiosity, did you watch the game?

 

[j66kicker]

Stanford & Cal tied at 66 with 1:40 left.

Hard-fought game by both teams. The rebounding Samuelson only has 3 ribbies, but has 15 points. Alanna Smith has 27 off the bench, but just fouled out.

Edit: Karlie ices it, making 2 FT's with 4 seconds left. Final Stanford 72-66

 

[JordyG]

Kind of hard to say that offense was the problem when ND shot 55%. I didn't think ND abandoned the offense. A lot of the points came from Marina off the dribble or using screens, which were good shots that came in the flow of the offense but wouldn't lead to an assist.

Out of curiosity, did you watch the game?

Some. I didn't say scoring 84 points is bad. What you're saying is just putting a positive spin on what I've just said. Their offense of dribbledribble shoot against a marginal Clemson team is okay because you won. My argument is once again it ain't gonna work when the The Dance starts, and that this team tends to devolve into this style once the pressure starts. Muffet's response to this game was "We didn't come prepared to play today". My eyes say that perhaps this is becoming a trend, and that involving Turner for more than 4 shots is a better road to a championship.

 

[JordyG]

Kind of hard to say that offense was the problem when ND shot 55%. Assist totals notwithstanding, I didn't think ND abandoned the offense. Definitely was not in sync but that's to be expected with no Westbeld and Turner out for long stretches.

ND needs both of them fit and in form to be successful in the tourney.

Out of curiosity, did you watch the game?

Let me be a little clearer. Against GT ND had 16 assists on 38 made FG's. Tonight, 11/32. Not a good trend. Hopefully against Syracuse this will change. I've said often that to me Muffet is the 2nd best coach in WCBB. I also don't hold the animosity some here have for ND. Against any other team than UConn I actually root for ND. Well, actually I'd root for Dawn against you guys. Otherwise, I've been a fan of Muffet and her program.

 

[Wbbfan1]

ND Won the Game, but no way should they be giving up 80 points to Clemson. They'll play better teams early in the NCAA tournament and can't be giving up 80 points. If they do, like last year, they'll not see the F4.

No Westbeld (ankle). Turner in foul trouble all game. When both of them are our ND has no post presence. Kristina Nelson is not effective.

Arike was off her game, too. Mabrey had her A game and that's all that saved ND. It was bowling shoe ugly.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Stanford has been kinda lucky to pull out a couple wins lately. Smith really bailed them out, the starters other than Samuelson struggled to score tonight. The Cardinal have a rematch w/ Cal in Palo Alto (stupid scheduling quirk w/ the Pac 12 where you play your rival in back-to-back games), then finish the season on the road at the Oregon schools. Against OSU will probably be a low scoring tight game. The Ducks have been coming on strong lately, both games could be a tough test for Stanford.

 

[ochoopsfan]

Stanford & Cal tied at 66 with 1:40 left.

Hard-fought game by both teams. The rebounding Samuelson only has 3 ribbies, but has 15 points. Alanna Smith has 27 off the bench, but just fouled out.

Edit: Karlie ices it, making 2 FT's with 4 seconds left. Final Stanford 72-66

Karlies a BEAST!!!!

 

[Wbbfan1]

Notre Dame plays Syracuse on Sunday 5 PM ESPN2. Should be an interesting game. Saw a Tweet where Syracuse is expecting 10,000 fans at the game. Which would be an attendance record. Maybe that's why Coach Q was still playing his starters and was pressing late in the blowout win over North Carolina.

With the FSU loss, Maryland has definitely moved up to a #2 Seed. Wouldn't surprise me, by Selection Date, Maryland is not a #1 Seed.

 

[Plebe]

They are really young... I dont think they have any seniors or juniors that play significant minutes... I know at least they dont have any seniors. They had a few transfers out in the past few seasons. But they are a scrappy bunch. They had a 40+ game conference losing streak... which they ended a few weeks ago with the win over GaTech. I watched the last few minutes on replay... they were so excited to break the streak... they celebrated as if they were going to the Final Four.

You're right about no seniors on Clemson, but their leading scorer is a junior, and out of 8 players averaging more than 18 minutes per game, four are juniors (plus two sophomores and two freshmen).

 

[triaddukefan]

Clemson scores 80 on ND, but Duke can only manage 58

You're right about no seniors on Clemson, but their leading scorer is a junior, and out of 8 players averaging more than 18 minutes per game, four are juniors (plus two sophomores and two freshmen).

Well as least I was right about something

 

[Plebe]

Clemson scores 80 on ND, but Duke can only manage 58



Well as least I was right about something

Notre Dame is a way better team at home than on the road (a lot like Duke in that way). I hope the committee takes notice that ND's toughest 5 opponents (UW, UConn, Duke, Louisville, FSU) all had to play in South Bend. One of the most home-biased schedules I've ever seen. I believe Duke would have beaten Notre Dame in Cameron.

 

[triaddukefan]

Surprised that no one has mentioned South Carolina's bounce back victory over Vanderbilt. How did we ever lose to VANDERBILT

Notre Dame is a way better team at home than on the road. I hope the committee takes notice that ND's toughest 5 opponents (UW, UConn, Duke, Louisville, FSU) all had to play in South Bend. I believe Duke would have beaten Notre Dame in Cameron.

The ACC Tourney should be interesting this year. With FSU losing to UVA...... there is a chance their could be a three way tie for 2nd in the conference if NC State and Duke win out... and FSU loses to ND. I know Duke loses the head to head tiebreaker with both State and FSU... I forget how the tiebreaker works in a 3-way tie.

 

[meyers7]

TN goes down to Bama 65-57

 

[Fairfield Fan]

Notre Dame walloped Clemson! 84-80.

How in the world does Mighty Notre Dame win by just four points against Clemson? Is the ACC pulling it down to the level of the rest? Are they losing motivation?

What's up?

 

[Orangutan]

Clemson scores 80 on ND, but Duke can only manage 58

Versus Duke - Turner 37 min, Westbeld 26 min
Versus Clemson - Turner 19 minutes (foul trouble), Westbeld DNP (ankle)

That's your difference right there.

 

[Orangutan]

Notre Dame plays Syracuse on Sunday 5 PM ESPN2. Should be an interesting game. Saw a Tweet where Syracuse is expecting 10,000 fans at the game. Which would be an attendance record. Maybe that's why Coach Q was still playing his starters and was pressing late in the blowout win over North Carolina.

With the FSU loss, Maryland has definitely moved up to a #2 Seed. Wouldn't surprise me, by Selection Date, Maryland is not a #1 Seed.

10,000? In January they only had 1900 for a game against then #14 Miami. The current record is 4,357 for a game against UConn in 2012. Gonna be quite the marketing job to get 10k in there even on Alumni Weekend.

 

[chrissaran]

Katie Lou didn't shoot well against SC, and UConn still won. It's a team game - emphasis on team.

 

[mhshuskies]

Surprised that no one has mentioned South Carolina's bounce back victory over Vanderbilt. How did we ever lose to VANDERBILT
The ACC Tourney should be interesting this year. With FSU losing to UVA. there is a chance their could be a three way tie for 2nd in the conference if NC State and Duke win out... and FSU loses to ND. I know Duke loses the head to head tiebreaker with both State and FSU... I forget how the tiebreaker works in a 3-way tie.

How did you ever lose to Vandy? You have Coach P and they don't.

 

[Orangutan]

Let me be a little clearer. Against GT ND had 16 assists on 38 made FG's. Tonight, 11/32. Not a good trend. Hopefully against Syracuse this will change. I've said often that to me Muffet is the 2nd best coach in WCBB. I also don't hold the animosity some here have for ND. Against any other team than UConn I actually root for ND. Well, actually I'd root for Dawn against you guys. Otherwise, I've been a fan of Muffet and her program.

Against GT - Turner 33 min, Westbeld 17 min. Against Clemson - Turner 19 min, Westbeld 0. Not a good trend. Westbeld is key to the offense as a passer from the high post. She doesn't get tons of assists but she keeps the offense flowing.

Without Turner and Westbeld, ND's frontcourt options are Nelson and Boley and neither of them is very good in that role (Boley is more of a big wing, Nelson just isn't good). With Westbeld injured, ND really need 30+ min from Turner every night.

It is what it is at this point in the year. If ND has Allen, Mabrey, Turner, Westbeld, and Arike playing big minutes plus a smattering of Young and Boley off the bench, they can be as good as anyone bar UConn and Baylor. There's no margin for error on injuries and foul trouble.

 

[JordyG]

Against GT - Turner 33 min, Westbeld 17 min. Against Clemson - Turner 19 min, Westbeld 0. Not a good trend. Westbeld is key to the offense as a passer from the high post. She doesn't get tons of assists but she keeps the offense flowing.

Without Turner and Westbeld, ND's frontcourt options are Nelson and Boley and neither of them is very good in that role (Boley is more of a big wing, Nelson just isn't good). With Westbeld injured, ND really need 30+ min from Turner every night.

It is what it is at this point in the year. If ND has Allen, Mabrey, Turner, Westbeld, and Arike playing big minutes plus a smattering of Young and Boley off the bench, they can be as good as anyone bar UConn and Baylor. There's no margin for error on injuries and foul trouble.

The baseball player Joe Morgan was once asked on air about prospects and their potential. He said, and I paraphrase, "I don't care about prospects or potential. I care about players". In lieu of sounding repetitive, was is, is. What ain't, ain't. IF the starting 5 you've mention played as a cohesive team, and IF the players on the bench bought into a well executed share the ball mentality and IF that team could remain healthy and IF Turner played like the AA she should be, yeah. Yeah, they could be as good as any team not named UConn or Baylor. That's a lot of "ifs". That potential is probably what makes Muffet's head spin at night. But I don't truck much with potential. I've watched an undermanned UConn team play game after game at a high level this year. Last game I watched a hobbled Nurse, an ineffective Lou and a foul challenged Collier still contribute to a double digit victory over a determined USC team. ND may yet (hopefully) turn the corner, and maybe it will take at Dallas. With this squad as it's currently composed however, I ain't a believer.