Who wins this weekend? #6 Notre Dame at #3 U$C, #1 SCAR at #5 fUCLA

[WBBTakeover]

Gottlieb came back to college with a lot of fanfare but I'm still not impressed with the in-game coaching and offensive system, need to see more besides great recruiting

This is who she is (and is going to be), and hardly any real noise will be made about it unless JuJu ends her career without a natty.

 

[Bone Dog]

I think Hidalgo gets a generous whistle on defense. And she is allowed to be more aggressive than other defensive players. She even gets away with hand checking. I hope refs whistle her when UConn plays Notre dame. Because if they don’t. That crowd will explode. And it will be a long day for the huskies.

I hadn’t noticed a generous whistle. Hannah takes a lot of chances on defense but is quick enough to recover. I suspect Niele has given her a green light to take all the chances. I think a lot of the steals others got were indirectly cause by Hannah creating tension among the USC players. She sped them up.

I think the only way to deal with her is to try to contain her offense, and that is no easy task. She is pretty much only able to score going right, but she is quick enough to blow past a defender on the left and then cut back right. The second line of defense in the paint has to read the scout too. Also, there’s too many other weapons to simply key on Hannah.

I like Koval. She’s huge and slow moving. But she plays within herself and rarely seems out of position. If Maddy returns before January, they will be able to make a run in March. I think this is the best squad in South Bend in several years.

 

[jdote33]

The last play is a perfect example of what others have mentioned. She'll gamble, miss and still get back in the play. I may be drinking the Kool aid but I literally can't think of someone who plays with as much energy. Also if u check the score on some of her buckets, they were so timely.

 

[Boreifs]

Both teams play six players. ND really needs those post players to come back and Hidalgo and Miles will need to play 38-40 minutes a game. We saw what happened last year when that was a necessity.

 

[Dillon77]

The last play is a perfect example of what others have mentioned. She'll gamble, miss and still get back in the play. I may be drinking the Kool aid but I literally can't think of someone who plays with as much energy. Also if u check the score on some of her buckets, they were so timely.

A part of her game that has improved since last year: her ability to hit mid-range jumpers off the pull-up. It was good last year. Now, it's one of the cornerstones of her game. But you're right -- it's the energy and continued focus. It powers up everyone: Cass Prosper is flying around this year like I've never seen.

 

[cancontent]

The last play is a perfect example of what others have mentioned. She'll gamble, miss and still get back in the play. I may be drinking the Kool aid but I literally can't think of someone who plays with as much energy. Also if u check the score on some of her buckets, they were so timely.

That's the play that had me hollering. It's like watching Ed Reed of the Ravens back in the day. Amazing instincts.

 

[Dillon77]

Well said by both of you... USC just doesn't have an apparent offense other than watching JuJu try to do it all.

My biggest take: Sonia Citron once again goes under the radar as an impactful player. Her defense had JuJu at 6 of 19 from the floor until JuJu scored eight garbage-time points in the last three minutes.

You might remember Paige shot 5 of 17 vs. ND at Gampel last January, with Citron being the chief culprit in limiting Paige.

BTW, Citron made her way to the bench for at least two of those minutes.
(So why did Gottlieb risk getting her star injured when the game was done? Teach her team a lesson?)

Citron's defensive chops, deceptive foot speed and length at 6'1" make her another defensive weapon alongside the focused energy of Hidalgo.

 

[DallasDomer]

I'm confused. Did you think I was criticizing ND? Sorry to disappoint, but USC should be embarrassed by giving up those 17 steals. Sure, ND could have blown them out even worse, but this is early in the season. They'll be a handful for any team they meet all season. They should be #2 or #3, and USC should probably drop to #10 or below.

Can you clarify how this response relates to my post about Smith being out of the game?

I was trying to add to what Dillon said but maybe it was in your chain of posts, my mistake.

 

[TheFarmFan]

BTW, Citron made her way to the bench for at least two of those minutes.
(So why did Gottlieb risk getting her star injured when the game was done? Teach her team a lesson?)

Citron's defensive chops, deceptive foot speed and length at 6'1" make her another defensive weapon alongside the focused energy of Hidalgo.

Amen. I'm gleefully eyeing her as a possible pick still on the board when the Valks pick fifth in the spring...

 

[Cuango]

Well, I’d love to see Betts & Co. absolutely smoke South Carolina, but I‘m afraid it’s just wishful thnking! While UCLA has the horses to give Dawn’s team a run, I have very little faith in UCLA’s coach and think it is far more likely that Dawn will be the big difference in this game. I’ve got my fingers crossed, but I don’t think it’s very likely!

 

[Cuango]

Notre Dame is gonna be tough in South Bend! We’re gonna need an exceptional effort to win that game! I can hardly believe Miles is shooting threes at 47%! If she maintains that, they are going to be a real threat to win it all.

 

[Jumper33]

Juju stunk today.

Facing the same defender who made Paige look uncomfortable and unlike her normal dominant self last season.

I have to agree with some of the comments above, I’m not moved by Gottlieb’s in game coaching. Last season she designed the offense so heavily around Juju I feel like it was possibly to the detriment of some other players. Just not the style of ball I enjoy in general. This season I thought there might be a bit more balance.