USC @ UCLA tonite

[BRS24]

Paige is the Stephen Curry if JuJu is Danny Manning or Carmelo Anthony.

I'm just happy that someone understood what I was referencing.

 

[cancontent]

True, UCLA has only lost to USC. But their best wins are against then number one SC, and then number 8 Maryland and Ohio State. There isn’t much of a resume to really judge either way. I still think any of UConn, SC, USC, Texas, UCLA and ND could win out and it wouldn’t be a surprise. It would take more to convince me that LSU could do it.

We or most of us have been thinking in terms ofTop Seven all year. I’m not sure it’s warranted in the case of LSU. Yes, they only have three losses and two are to top five ish teams but where are the good wins? Their SOS does nothing to elevate them. Note they are ranked only 10th by NET.

They have to make the SEC semifinals at lest to remain in contention for a two seed. They need to make it to the championship by knocking off Texas or Scar to be assured of a 2

I'm also not sure about LSU. The post I was replying to noted only coaches who haven't won championships. I included LSU in my response as an example of a team with a championship winning coach to challenge the "can't be trusted" theory.

 

[Zonepress]

UCLA's big problem, well one of them, is that they have a very good post player who cannot score away from the basket. So, Betts is getting doubled quite often and not getting much help from the guards. Also, Betts brings the ball down too often, the same problem some of you say Jana has and she is a senior. I wonder if UCLA will continue to be a one

I'm still not on the Juju bandwagon as POY, however I'm not saying it should be Paige either. I guess I look at more than just PPG to consider the award.

Sure, Juju scored 30 pts, however she took 1/3 of the team's 66 shots, and 42% of the starters' shots. With only Juju and Kiki scoring in double figures, and accounting for almost 60% of the team's points, is this an issue approaching the NCAAT? Yes, she could pull off a Danny Manning or Carmelo Anthony and get the team thru the tourney, however I'm not sure that would work now?

In all candor your post, and which seems to be based on some kind of metrics, leads me to believe you couldn’t possibly have watch the game
If you’re not sold on juju Watkins, I’m not sure what you’re looking for out of a player

 

[Stagnant]

For me, Hidalgo lost the player of the year award because of the last two weeks. And I would cast my ballot for Juju now.

 

[HuskyFan1125]

UCLA is talented but these are the things i noticed in BOTH of their losses to USC.

Why are they going under or around the screen on Watkins 3’s. The first game they made no in game adjustment for this and again last night it happened more than once. Watkins does however do the one move i do not like that gets called routinely and that is driving in the lane and throwing the ball at the basket while simultaneously flailing her body about. Couple of fouls against UCLA they didn’t even touch her. The one replay even Sarah Kustok paused and moved to another aspect of the game.

Offensively UCLA needs help from the guards. It’s easy to game plan when all you do is throw the ball into betts and watch her. Jacquez did make a nice cut a few times but other than that the guards and standing and everytime USC dropped a guard into the paint to help with the double. The difference here is USC has size. They have a couple 6-4/5/6 players plus Iriafen. Most teams don’t have that size. Betts matchup was basically a bench player, Akunwafo. She defended Betts and any combination of Marshall, Irafen, or Watkins helped double. That was basically it. And UCLA offense stalled.

I still think UCLA is a great team. They have the players and other than the 2 losses to USC no one has been able to beat them.

Tourney time starts this week and maybe we get a rubber match between the two. Or maybe not. We shall see.

 

[CL82]

After these two schools have wandered in the obscurity of PAC programming and LA inattendance for so long, I hope this game opens some West Coast eyes to WBB

The time differential will always be a handicap to them.

 

[MooseJaw]

I pick UCLA big (i.e. more than 10 point victory)

Ouch, no bragging for you.

 

[triaddukefan]

We or most of us have been thinking in terms ofTop Seven all year. I’m not sure it’s warranted in the case of LSU. Yes, they only have three losses and two are to top five ish teams but where are the good wins? Their SOS does nothing to elevate them. Note they are ranked only 10th by NET.

They have to make the SEC semifinals at lest to remain in contention for a two seed. They need to make it to the championship by knocking off Texas or Scar to be assured of a 2

L$U beat State early in the season

 

[WBBTakeover]

Well, USC wins- just too much for UCLA! Juju was great but USC is more than just her.

Yes, this felt like more of a team win. Having Marshall and Akunwafo to go along with Kiki and JuJu's helpside defense makes Southern Cal the team that is best equipped to shut down UCLA (Lauren Betts).

 

[packwrap]

I'm just happy that someone understood what I was referencing.

Understood Love Curry too, but he only dragged his team to Elite 8.

 

[Bone Dog]

I still think UCLA is a great team. They have the players and other than the 2 losses to USC no one has been able to beat them.

I think UCLA ought to be a great team. I'm just not persuaded they are one. They had a good win against SC early, and decent wins against MD and tOSU midseason. But otherwise they haven't been really challenged by anyone other than USC, and faced with those challenges they wilted. That's not a talent issue, or even necessarily a coaching failure (though it could be), but a player motivation problem.

The real question is, how does USC keep doing this to them? Yes, Juju and Kiki played very tough -- not perfect games, but tough ones. Kiki also found the range on her midrange turnaround jumper, which is a pretty devastating move when it's working for her. More importantly, I think, USC played tougher defense than UCLA did. They were scrappier, chased down loose balls more effectively, and generally seemed to want it more. You can't coach this sort of tenacity, though you can recruit for it. And I'd say USC has been playing this way most of the year. Against UConn, this is what they did for the entire first half.

There are definitely flaws in the way Coach Gottlieb has built this team, starting with the over dependence on two players for the bulk of the scoring. If Juju sits, the offense screeches to a halt. But her rotation goes 9 deep and the freshmen play as tough on defense as anyone else. Heckel, Smith, Samuels and Howell deserve a lot of credit for the work they do on defense. I can't really say the same for UCLA. Jones, Arnisalo and Jaquez are all I can point to, and only one is a freshman.

Just an observation: KK and Ash could probably start or get major minutes for either of these teams, and UCLA would be better for having players like them.

 

[packwrap]

Yes, this felt like more of a team win. Having Marshall and Akunwafo to go along with Kiki and JuJu's helpside defense makes Southern Cal the team that is best equipped to shut down UCLA (Lauren Betts).

USC also had a season best game from Van Oelhoffen. Kennedy Smith has really blossomed too.

Akunwafo can actually guard Betts one on one!

JuJu help defense is good. She's big enough to offer regular defense, and her quick hands lead to steals and tie ups.

UCLA twice ground their way back into the game but first JuJu, and second Iriafen shut down any comeback plans.

Another great game for WBB, what a season!

 

[JellyBean]

I was pulling for UCLA, but USC was just too much in the end. That 2nd quarter blitz by USC was the factor and UCLA never recovered. Plus you could see USC wanted it more. Body language. The hustle plays. USC just had that fight in them. The scary part, they are going to face each other again in the Big Ten tournament game, unless something odd happens.

 

[visitingcock]

The time differential will always be a handicap to them.

Yes. But a sellout with stars is a good sign

 

[bballnut90]

I'm still not on the Juju bandwagon as POY, however I'm not saying it should be Paige either. I guess I look at more than just PPG to consider the award.

Sure, Juju scored 30 pts, however she took 1/3 of the team's 66 shots, and 42% of the starters' shots. With only Juju and Kiki scoring in double figures, and accounting for almost 60% of the team's points, is this an issue approaching the NCAAT? Yes, she could pull off a Danny Manning or Carmelo Anthony and get the team thru the tourney, however I'm not sure that would work now?

Paige isn't in the mix for POY this season. It's a 3 horse race between Hidalgo, Juju and Betts. Honestly there's a strong case for all 3:

Hidalgo-monster showings in big games this year, though she's cooled off to finish the season and Notre Dame isn't in position for a #1 seed. Still her stats are top tier and she's been considered the front runner for most of the season. Has outplayed Booker, Bueckers and Watkins head to head.

Juju-she isn't as efficient but her impact on both ends can't be denied. When she's on and at her best, I think she's the best player in the country. Her performances against UCLA were brilliant and she had a great showing vs. UCONN too. She's a streaky shooter/scorer but USC is likely in position for the #2 overall seed right now and her numbers are very good. Definitely a strong contender.

Betts-she's the clear standout post player this season. 20/10, 3 assists and 3 blocks shooting 62% from the floor is POY worthy.

I wouldn't be upset with any of the 3. All 3 impact the game in a huge way on both ends of the court. We'll see what conference tournaments bring but this is the most open POY race in a long time.

 

[bballnut90]

We or most of us have been thinking in terms ofTop Seven all year. I’m not sure it’s warranted in the case of LSU. Yes, they only have three losses and two are to top five ish teams but where are the good wins? Their SOS does nothing to elevate them. Note they are ranked only 10th by NET.

They have to make the SEC semifinals at lest to remain in contention for a two seed. They need to make it to the championship by knocking off Texas or Scar to be assured of a 2

NC State, Tennessee twice, Oklahoma and Kentucky is a very strong collection of wins. I think they have better wins than anyone outside of the top 7, not to mention better wins than UCONN and arguably better wins than UCLA has.

I don't think the committee factors in margin of victory/losses, but their only losses are road games to South Carolina and Texas (both games were competitive) and an OT loss at a decent Alabama team. I think they're safely on the 2 line unless they lose today and prior to the semis of the SEC Tournament.

 

[topogigio]

2 things stuck out to me, well, actually 3. One; why was Betts a non-factor? The ball should have gone into her a minimum of once per set. Two; JuJu is heads and shoulders above anyone in WCBB (and I'm a huge Paige fan, sorry) and three; there were many empty seats in the stands, especially in the lower sections along the sidelines.

 

[nwhoopfan]

why was Betts a non-factor? The ball should have gone into her a minimum of once per set.

The ball went into her and she was ineffective. USC did a good job on her defensively. She's had a great season, but last night she reminded me of some of the misgivings I had about her earlier in her career. Fairly limited repertoire of moves. She also seemed to get frustrated fairly quickly and took herself out of the game. She had as many TOs as made buckets.

 

[cancontent]

The ball went into her and she was ineffective. USC did a good job on her defensively. She's had a great season, but last night she reminded me of some of the misgivings I had about her earlier in her career. Fairly limited repertoire of moves. She also seemed to get frustrated fairly quickly and took herself out of the game. She had as many TOs as made buckets.

That stood out to me last night as well. Instead of playing through it and forcing the refs hands to finally make a call, she seemed to resign herself to how USC was defending her.

 

[NoSpamHere]

Sabreena wrote a great article critiquing UCLA last night. Was all about the mental weakness and structural failures. Familiar demons haunt UCLA in another loss to USC

 

[Bone Dog]

I don't think Paige is going to win NPOY this time around, and neither will Sarah Strong. But I don't see the other 3 (Betts Watkins Hidalgo) as head and shoulders above either of them. I'm only thinking about Win Shares just now -- don't worry, I know there's no requirement that this be a determining factor. But it's not a bad thumbnail for eyeballing likelihoods. And Paige and Sarah lead all three of them in this stat. Other stats, more misleading ones, are likely to determine in favor of Hannah or Juju.

 

[Puppy Love]

I don't think Paige is going to win NPOY this time around, and neither will Sarah Strong. But I don't see the other 3 (Betts Watkins Hidalgo) as head and shoulders above either of them. I'm only thinking about Win Shares just now -- don't worry, I know there's no requirement that this be a determining factor. But it's not a bad thumbnail for eyeballing likelihoods. And Paige and Sarah lead all three of them in this stat. Other stats, more misleading ones, are likely to determine in favor of Hannah or Juju.

Sarah is just amazing. If the women’s game were the same as the men's and freshman were eligible to go pro, I think Sarah might be the first pick this year. Yes, Paige is a proven commodity, but Sarah is that good. Can’t imagine how good she will be in three years.

 

[AzzisBraids]

UCLA's big problem, well one of them, is that they have a very good post player who cannot score away from the basket. So, Betts is getting doubled quite often and not getting much help from the guards. Also, Betts brings the ball down too often, the same problem some of you say Jana has and she is a senior. I wonder if UCLA will continue to be a one seed.

I agree but I also they think don't get her in a multitude of ways- for a big like her, you can -

1. Catch her rolling to basket off a screen
2. Get her Iso'd on the block off an inverted wing with your best three-point shooters
3. Do a pass, repass, post and repost (which they tried)
4. Do set plays where 3 point shooters shoot intentionally and allow her to offensive rebound.

Close has restricted her to the paint and if she is she needs to Monica Czinano her and tell her not to dribble because she travelled everytime she felt pressure against USC. You either do one or the other. But I think using her as a decoy was better, she is a terrific passer.

 

[jdote33]

Just saw a bit of the press conference for UCLA. Cori Close was tight! Im a hypocrite, I love the game meaning a lot but it's like someone's dog died. Guess I can't have it both ways. But I kinda just think USC is a bad matchup. Kiki Rice kinda underperformed. But the press conference was talking about grit and heart. I just saw Juju at least in the first half just being great. Theres not an equalizer to that.