Do they have the roster to accomplish that though?I’d be shocked if Iowa State doesn’t follow UCLA’s game plan.
NODo they have the roster to accomplish that though?
If ISU plays like this against UConn the game against Holy Cross just might be more entertaining.Who thought this was going to be a good matchup for the Holiday? The only women's game on and this is it? Can't call this game threading because you can't call this a game.
Do they have the roster to accomplish that though?
I feel like that's Dawn's bread and butter though: land great athletes and try and mold them into great basketball players. She seems to prioritize height, length and athleticism above developed basketball skill and players usually develop well during their time at SC. This year the team still looks rough around the edges compared to last season. Players are figuring out their role since last year the team chemistry was through the roof and now they're incorporating more players and have more depth (which isn't always a good thing). Getting embarrassed by UCLA is probably what was needed to get players dialed in. If they stay dialed in, they're one of (if not the) top title favorite/s again this year.SC simply has better athletes. I’m glad to see that their defense has come together. It’s been an impressive effort so far. On offense, it’s less cohesive. About games like this, Geno used to complain that they only show they he’s recruited better athletes, not that they play better basketball. I suspect Dawn would share this sentiment.
One example, Joyce Edwards got a steal on Kenzie Hare and raced down the court. It was an impressive display of her athleticism, her quick hands and her speed down the court. Too much of SC’s offense is about excellent individual plays like this. They’re wonderful to see. But they can become even better as a team than this. And I expect Dawn is going to be working overtime on this for the next few months.
But has ISU really shown that they were a top 10 team so far? Personally, I think the press and coaches relied too much on how they overachieved when the initial rankings came out. When compared to Iowa who lost in the championship finals and were ranked lower, it didn't make sense to me.Yeah SC is more athletic but I would’ve hoped that a recent top 10 team would be able to do a better job at knowing how to counter that.
Stuelke was an all-Big10 player and Affolter came close to winning the 6th man award last season. Considering them role players is a stretch to me if we're going to consider Crooks, Brown and Ryan key players for Iowa State. Iowa was also supposed to have a talented sophomore class of players.Iowa St has 3 key pieces back, Crooks and Brown down low, and the guard Ryan. That should be enough to be good, but they are certainly not playing like it.
Iowa thunk the media has nothing but rotation players coming back, and Olson was coming in as an inferior replacement for Clark. Hence the rankings.
Tonight Iowa was without Olson and they just plugged in two of those pesky rotation players, McCabe and Feuerbach, and they won again. Turns out these ladies are more than competent and they now go 9 deep with 3 posts and 6 guards. Plenty of assists, fun to watch.
Iowa State can't really be this bad. They will figure it out, but I think they will be more of a 11-20 team not #8.
Actually it's their freshman class with 4 top 100 players, so still pretty green. Their only sophomore on the roster still is rehabbing after a knee injury.Stuelke was an all-Big10 player and Affolter came close to winning the 6th man award last season. Considering them role players is a stretch to me if we're going to consider Crooks, Brown and Ryan key players for Iowa State. Iowa was also supposed to have a talented sophomore class of players.
If that's the logic the media used, it doesn't make sense to me. On paper, both team's situations to start the season were similar. They both should have been in the 15-20 range.
Thanks for the correction. Thought I had read something about the team being excited about their 2023 class for this upcoming season.Actually it's their freshman class with 4 top 100 players, so still pretty green. Their only sophomore on the roster still is rehabbing after a knee injury.