What's ailing ND lately?

[RegisteredUconn]

For those writing ND off as ailing- answer this, where would Uconn be with Stewart and Jefferson out of the line-up? As I remember, the Depaul and MD (and ND) games were not sleepers. Personally, I think if ND can get by SC they will be in the Championship game. SC is to them what Stanford were to Uconn in years back. And think about their recruits (and recruitment) for next year.

However ailing ND might be, it's not possible for them to be down two first team All Americans with three National Championships each. Your analogy thus suffers.

 

[UcMiami]

I think what you see with ND is the issue of an unbalanced team - they have to rely to a large degree on either foul shots or three point shooting, because with Turner ailing, and Reimer gone, they are too easy to defend on the interior. And distance shooting is something that can come and go, even when you have a lot of good shooters on the team - they can get on a role and look great, and then someone starts missing and everyone else starts missing as well, and suddenly it looks terrible. DePaul is another team that always seems to have that issue as they almost never have good interior offense. And Stanford has the same issues with the O-sisters departures. KY as well has struggled to have any sort of post presence.
On the opposite side you have teams like SC, TN, and Baylor who are consistently post weighted and can run into issues when teams pack in the defense and force guards and wings to hit shots.

 

[Orangutan]

Re Muffet - here is the graphic from the broadcast:

 

[Orangutan]

I think what you see with ND is the issue of an unbalanced team - they have to rely to a large degree on either foul shots or three point shooting, because with Turner ailing, and Reimer gone, they are too easy to defend on the interior.

I think you have the right idea. Specifically regarding Pitt, they stayed tight to the shooters and didn't give up any 3s. However, they are not big inside and certainly don't have anyone to match Turner. ND should have pounded Turner relentlessly until Pitt started to collapse in, thus freeing up the shooters and completing the circle of life.

The issue was that the entry passing was horrible and so was the decision making on the pick and roll. Turner did her thing when she actually got the ball in good position but that happened too infrequently. ND finally got going and made the run that put the game away when Huffman came in to play the high post. She made a couple decent entry passes plus got a block and 3 steals and that sparked the run. But it shouldn't take putting a 5'9 guard in at the high post forward spot to get some decent entry passes. Normally, that would be Reimer's spot but she's gone and Westbeld had an off game.

On a macro level, there's nothing "ailing" ND. They are having some growing pains as good coaches like Scott Rueck, Machelle Joseph, and Susie McConnell-Serio figure out ways to attack this specific ND lineup. I expected this before Reimer left and Turner hurt her shoulder.

 

[easttexastrash]

Only one team should be judged by UCONN standards, and that is UCONN. There are a lot of teams that are fairly equal in talent after UCONN and they are going to play some close games, but that doesn't mean that anything is "ailing" them.

 

[easttexastrash]

Turner is still not 100%. Last thing I read she might need surgery and whether is should be done during or after the season. ND has a lot of shooters. Not a lot of rebounders and not a guard like Lloyd. So they struggle at times and look great when theyre hitting their outside shots. Remember against UConn. Mabrey 2 went off. Say she scores half those points what happens to ND????? There are a lot of good teams that can give each other a good game and were beginning to see that now. Everybody but this years UConn. Now with Butler and Chong coming on if UConn stays healthy well the writing is on the wall.

I guess I still don't see where Chong is "coming on." Her numbers against the top UCONN opponents aren't indicative of a player that is going to produce against other top teams.

• 0 points vs. Ohio State
• 4 points vs. DePaul
• 0 points vs. Notre Dame
• 5 points vs. Maryland

 

[UcMiami]

I guess I still don't see where Chong is "coming on." Her numbers against the top UCONN opponents aren't indicative of a player that is going to produce against other top teams.

• 0 points vs. Ohio State
• 4 points vs. DePaul
• 0 points vs. Notre Dame
• 5 points vs. Maryland

She has been injured most of this season and spent most of last season in a confidence funk, but in both the Maryland game and the game against Cinci she appeared to be playing very well and to have regained her confidence and joy on the court. Early days, but it is looking promising if she can kick this injury which appears to sort of chronic. Against Maryland she sank perhaps the most important shot of the game and her defense which has not always been stellar was very good.

 

[Dillon77]

I think you have the right idea. Specifically regarding Pitt, they stayed tight to the shooters and didn't give up any 3s. However, they are not big inside and certainly don't have anyone to match Turner. ND should have pounded Turner relentlessly until Pitt started to collapse in, thus freeing up the shooters and completing the circle of life.

The issue was that the entry passing was horrible and so was the decision making on the pick and roll. Turner did her thing when she actually got the ball in good position but that happened too infrequently. ND finally got going and made the run that put the game away when Huffman came in to play the high post. She made a couple decent entry passes plus got a block and 3 steals and that sparked the run. But it shouldn't take putting a 5'9 guard in at the high post forward spot to get some decent entry passes. Normally, that would be Reimer's spot but she's gone and Westbeld had an off game.

On a macro level, there's nothing "ailing" ND. They are having some growing pains as good coaches like Scott Rueck, Machelle Joseph, and Susie McConnell-Serio figure out ways to attack this specific ND lineup. I expected this before Reimer left and Turner hurt her shoulder.

Great points...completely agree. Would only add that the constant ebb and flows of the early part of the season (Turner starts season, hurts shoulder, comes back; Reimer hurt, kinda back, then gone) and you've got some continuity issues. Plus, even though the frosh (Mabrey2, Arike) have done very well, they're still frosh and will have some off games, as Mabrey2 did against Pitt, for sure. And they'll have more as -- you pointed out -- good coaches figure out ways to confound them.

However, they're still winning in spite of it all. Do expect this to be tough and even see a few possible losses down the pike (the return game against GT could be tough...).