USA just trounced Louisville

[caseyb7]

In comparison UConn did well.

Maybe there is hope against Ore.

 

[msf22b]

It was a 15 point lead through most of the 3rd quarter.
But as in our game, the team America subs just ran away in the 4th...
as the L'ville kids got worn down
like Stewie, Skylar, Asia, etc...c'mon...give me a break.
Got completely out of hand

 

[JordyG]

It was a 15 point lead through most of the 3rd quarter.
But as in our game, the team America subs just ran away in the 4th...
as the L'ville kids got worn down
like Stewie, Skylar, Asia, etc...c'mon...give me a break.
Got completely out of hand

In a nutshell.

 

[bballnut90]

I wouldn't read much into these exhibition games as a means to compare UCONN to Louisville or Oregon. Louisville beat Oregon who beat USA who slaughtered Louisville by 40+.....USA has also had varying efforts against each team and the games definitely appear to be for fun rather than high level and laser focused basketball.

UCONN definitely has a good shot against Oregon. Oregon appears to be the better team on paper but home court advantage, game planning, and ultimately which players bring their A game will be a huge factor. Oregon looks scary offensively since they can beat you from anywhere but their defense can be exposed. I think it'll be an extremely competitive game.

 

[baggerbob]

Stewie after a few practices, 100% better then against Uconn. A'ja was better then Tina was against Uonn, and Angel played well. 3 players who weren't there against Oregon, or no factor as Stewie wasn't against Uconn.

 

[Steelerone]

It's one of those games where one team (the Pro's) are probably thinking "As soon as this game is over I want to get home and get some things done." and the other team (any college team) is thinking "This is one of the biggest games I will ever play in my life and I'm going to do everything I can to win".

 

[UcMiami]

Both USA and the college teams they play are not 'playing for keeps' - substitution patterns, scouting, game planning, practice, and for USA the roster are all set for learning and practice. USA had one practice before playing Uconn and presumably had a few more practices this week before playing Louisville. They had a week of games in November and they have 3 games in Serbia coming up in Feb. They have yet to put together their Olympic team and are treating all of this as developmental as they are already guaranteed an Olympic spot.

 

[eebmg]

Thought Stewie was physically struggling in 1Q and I was worried if she should be on the court. By she apparently let it rip in the second and her 7 quick points did as much as anything to turn the game around.

 

[willtalk]

In a nutshell.

They made their first big run in the second quarter as well. The common denominator was that the supposedly second team came in both times to instigate those runs. Of course this was not noticed because the announcers thought it was more important to focus on the USA coach gesturing and carrying on a conversation with him as to how good DT and Bird are instead of actually watching and focusing on the game when the USA was making runs. They did the same in the second half except with Walz.

 

[nwhoopfan]

They made their first big run in the second quarter as well. The common denominator was that the supposedly second team came in both times to instigate those runs. Of course this was not noticed because the announcers thought it was more important to focus on the USA coach gesturing and carrying on a conversation with him as to how good DT and Bird are instead of actually watching and focusing on the game when the USA was making runs. They did the same in the second half except with Walz.

I couldn't help but notice that Plum has been on the floor these last 2 games when the game swung in favor of the National Team. But I'm sure that doesn't mean anything.

 

[ThisJustIn]

Minor quibble - no spot is "guaranteed."

 

[Alydar]

Way too much is being read into these games. They are being played mostly to give the national team some public exposure. If they truly wanted to work on things they could scrimmage among themselves and get more done. That's why we get interviews during play and the marketing of certain players.

 

[willtalk]

I couldn't help but notice that Plum has been on the floor these last 2 games when the game swung in favor of the National Team. But I'm sure that doesn't mean anything.

I have watched all the USA's games and except for Plums first two outings, she has played really well.
The best guard combination they put on the floor is Gray at PG and Plum at SG. That was always the top dynamic. That was the combo they had in the game during crunch time against their closest Pan Am game when the game was in doubt. If Bird and DT make it, it will be on name alone. Bird and DT has been the worst combination they have put on the floor. The can still shoot, but thats about it. Neither one is close to the players they were two years ago. Bird can at least play some defense, but DT is pretty much done and has yet to show any sign of recovering from her last injury. This makes all the Bird/DT hype we hear during every game that much harder to take. They should do everyone a favor and just bow out gracefully. The team could carry one but certainly not both of them.

I found it interesting that when the team made it's run in the second and fourth Quarters they split screen focused away from the game an unto a couple coaches talking and waving their arms in the air while the commentators ask them questions about how good Bird and DT were and away from how good the team was playing without either of them on the floor. Since when is it necessary to watch a commentator during a game when action is in process.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Since when is it necessary to watch a commentator during a game when action is in process.

Yeah the split screen was really annoying, as well as the lack of focus on the game.

It kind of makes you wonder if a coach is even necessary for the National Team, since they went on a big run while the coach obviously wasn't doing any coaching at all.

 

[Ron and Vida]

I couldn't help but notice that Plum has been on the floor these last 2 games when the game swung in favor of the National Team. But I'm sure that doesn't mean anything.

Plum played her heart out here and against Uconn
Hope she makes it

 

[eebmg]

Plum played her heart out here and against Uconn
Hope she makes it

Her recent play has been great on both ends but she can enter into dreadful periods where she cant
hit anything. Still, I think she should make it as a reserve guard.

 

[jabstep]

I couldn't help but notice that Plum has been on the floor these last 2 games when the game swung in favor of the National Team. But I'm sure that doesn't mean anything.

She certainly is a lot quicker. Louisville guards were going by Diggin and Bird rather easily. Sabrina will take over the lead guard on the USA national team soon.

 

[UConnCat]

I was in Tenerife at the 2018 World Cup and Plum looked terrified every time she was on the court. The pressure at the Olympics will be even greater.

BTW, Stewie looked that way in Istanbul but she was still a college player.

 

[Shades]

Sabrina will take over the lead guard on the USA national team soon.

Soon.... as in 2 years from now?

 

[eebmg]

She certainly is a lot quicker. Louisville guards were going by Diggin and Bird rather easily. Sabrina will take over the lead guard on the USA national team soon.

Actually, if you catch Geno's comments on Sabrina in his pregame presser, he was of course extremely complementary and clearly loves her game and spirit but when he commented on her future, he said

" She will have an interesting career after college" which I thought very strange language.

Please help me interpret BY.

 

[jonson]

Actually, if you catch Geno's comments on Sabrina in his pregame presser, he was of course extremely complementary and clearly loves her game and spirit but when he commented on her future, he said

" She will have an interesting career after college" which I thought very strange language.

Please help me interpret BY.

I did as well. On the one hand, it may mean that Geno believes that her game will not translate very well to the next level; or perhaps he is pointing to activities beyond the court? I think it's also worth noting that Geno stated that Sabrina had over the past 4 years "redefined" the possibilities of the point guard position--but of course he was referring to college ball, not the WNBA. My guess is that she is too driven and too competitive not to make whatever changes she needs to make to be successful, if not perhaps a star, at the next level (that was her response to Kobe's analysis of her game on ESPN+). And it will be certainly be "interesting" for this Oregon fan to watch what happens.

On another topic, as an Oregon fan I also found it interesting--surprising, actually--that Geno said that when Oregon had trouble scoring it was mostly a function of not shooting well (vs. the other team's defense).

 

[eebmg]

I did as well. On the one hand, it may mean that Geno believes that her game will not translate very well to the next level; or perhaps he is pointing to activities beyond the court? I think it's also worth noting that Geno stated that Sabrina had over the past 4 years "redefined" the possibilities of the point guard position--but of course he was referring to college ball, not the WNBA. My guess is that she is too driven and too competitive not to make whatever changes she needs to make to be successful, if not perhaps a star, at the next level (that was her response to Kobe's analysis of her game on ESPN+). And it will be certainly be "interesting" for this Oregon fan to watch what happens.

On another topic, as an Oregon fan I also found it interesting--surprising, actually--that Geno said that when Oregon had trouble scoring it was mostly a function of not shooting well (vs. the other team's defense).

Thanks for your analysis. Close to mine but better coming from an Oregonian.

On the other hand, Why is it surprising that Geno would say " If Oregon had trouble scoring it was mostly a function of not shooting well (vs. the other team's defense)"

That seems to be the case. I know there are a few OU players that seem to be having 3pt shooting issues relative to their career levels (Sabally the main one and even Sabrina to a lesser extent). On the other hand, no one would blink an eye if they hit 12-24 3pt shots against any defense or at least make the critical 3 when needed.

 

[jonson]

Thanks for your analysis. Close to mine but better coming from an Oregonian.

On the other hand, Why is it surprising that Geno would say " If Oregon had trouble scoring it was mostly a function of not shooting well (vs. the other team's defense)"

That seems to be the case. I know there are a few OU players that seem to be having 3pt shooting issues relative to their career levels (Sabally the main one and even Sabrina to a lesser extent). On the other hand, no one would blink an eye if they hit 12-24 3pt shots against any defense or at least make the critical 3 when needed.

I guess because, if I said it, it would simply sound like "homer-speak"--which it would be. So it's nice to hear it from Geno, and I take it as a compliment to the team's offensive schemes. Regarding the 3-point shooting, it's been an issue from game 1 this year, with both Boley and, more importantly, Sabally shooting well below their averages last year. (The subs, on the other hand, have been terrific from there and the team overall is scoring at about the same level as last year.) That was also true of Ionescu. In conference games, however, Sabrina is now shooting 40% from 3 and almost 55% overall, a number that is by far her highest shooting percentage since she arrived. Last year, there were some rumors that WNBA executives had concerns about her shooting inside the arc, and--Sabrina being Sabrina--she seems to have taken action accordingly, to the extent that her mid-range game has become perhaps her major offensive weapon. Sabally is trying to follow suit, although, as she admitted in a recent interview, without a lot of success so far.

 

[EricLA]

This is great experience for Team USA - excellent chance for the committee to evaluate in game situations. Most college teams run out of gas vs. Team USA - who can have their reserves come in and still play at a very high level. Heck. players 6-12 on Team USA are still top players in the WNBA - some even all stars.

I found it interesting that L'ville was blown out by so much while UCONN gave a much better performance. Keep in mind that UCONN did quite well with Evelyn and Molly on the floor, so it's not like you can say "but L'ville got swamped when they had all their reserves in".

I realize the game will have no bearing on rankings, but from an eye test, the 1/2 seed I'd love to see most in our region is L'ville. I think we are better by about 15-20 points...

 

[cardadistance]

I have admired this site since I started reading a number of years ago. It is the best one in college women's sports. And Geno is a favorite of mine even as a Cardinal fan. I thought that perhaps this interview (pasted below) with the assistant head coach of the All Stars following the Louisville game might be of interest to you folks. Admittedly he was addressing Louisville writers and fans, but he had some interesting things to say about the progress of the all stars. By the way Breanna Stewart who had not played much in previous games certainly showed her prowess. The coach mentioned the tremendous depth of this squad which paints a tremendous gap between depths of college squads and the All Stars.