WBB: Stanford 72 Maryland 66 - Printable Version
+- The CardBoard (https://thecardboard.org/board)
+-- Forum: C-House! (https://thecardboard.org/board/forum-4.html)
+--- Forum: The CardBoard (https://thecardboard.org/board/forum-5.html)
+--- Thread: WBB: Stanford 72 Maryland 66 (/thread-23068.html)
+- The CardBoard (https://thecardboard.org/board)
+-- Forum: C-House! (https://thecardboard.org/board/forum-4.html)
+--- Forum: The CardBoard (https://thecardboard.org/board/forum-5.html)
+--- Thread: WBB: Stanford 72 Maryland 66 (/thread-23068.html)
RE: WBB: Stanford 72 Maryland 66 - BillBradley - 03-26-2022
(03-26-2022, 07:19 AM)teejers1 Wrote: The point about Maryland missing VERY OPEN treys in Q4 is so easily overlooked by those saying Stanford won "comfortably." If even one of those had been hit, the pucker would have been amped, and with two more, well . . . who knows? And those critical misses were NOT due to Stanford's great defense - Maryland just missed 'em. Thankfully for Stanford.So this is how your scenario actually would have played out (yes, my crystal ball is right :>). If they would have actually hit the threes as you suggest and the lead would have gotten much below 10, then we would have adjusted and we would have started scoring again. Simple as that. We scored pretty much at will against Maryland and it would have been even easier with Miller and Sellers out of the game and Reese with 4. Instead of pulling it out and running clock when we broke their press, we would have taken some easy shots. Haley would have attacked the basket and it would have been a layup fest. Our bigs would have gotten offensive putbacks like they did all game. They are not a good defensive team. I bet Lexie could have scored 10 straight in the 4th if she needed to. But there was no need to adjust, because those threes you point out actually didn't go in. Instead, after not making some free throws (which is a legit concern going forward), we were up 9 with 8 seconds left to watch a meaningless 3 go in at the buzzer. Yawn.
We'll see about Texas. Of course Stanford can win - they probably will even be favored by Vegas. But they'll need to take better care of the ball and be tougher, mentally and physically.
I am really surprised at the lack of confidence in this team and the "relief" reaction many have posted. We destroyed Maryland. Destroyed them. Our players took the air out of the balloon in the 4th and yes, it wasn't pretty and it would have looked better to win by 20. But all these comments about "we were lucky they didn't" and "if this would have happened" really sells short a pretty much dominating performance.
As for this "looming" Texas threat and "we better this and we better that or else stuff..." (and not just by Teejers but by multiple posters) shows even more insecurity about our team. IMO, most of the Final 8 teams are very good and you can point out threats all over the place if you just want to stir up drama. If it's not stopping Maryland's scoring it's how are we going to get the ball up the court against Texas. Or it's look out for UConn because Paige is back and they are healthy again. Or So Carolina, or Louisville, or Notre Dame - they are really hot. Sure we could lose to Texas. Or we could lose in the next round. It's the same with all these teams. But for me - I am way more confident in our team than I am scared of these other teams. How about asking this instead: "what are they going to do about <insert any of these here: <our defense, our length, our size, our depth, our execution....>. How will Texas matchup against Haley, Cam, Lexie...? Pretty sure we have some major advantages. Just listen to what the other coaches say about our team in the pressers. We are a bigggg problem.
Last point...if we lose to Texas, look awful bringing up the ball, and make a bunch of silly/costly turnovers, the boo birds will be out in force and it will be a landslide of I was worried about that and I was right about that. But what if we look awful bringing up the ball, make a bunch of silly/costly turnovers, outrebound them by 20, get a ton of layups in our half court sets, get a bunch of oboard put backs, hit lots of threes, and win anyway? Cuz that seems to be what we do.
RE: WBB: Stanford 72 Maryland 66 - skip75 - 03-26-2022
Quote: I am way more confident in our team than I am scared of these other teams. How about asking this instead: "what are they going to do about <insert any of these here: <our defense, our length, our size, our depth, our execution....>. How will Texas matchup against Haley, Cam, Lexie...? Pretty sure we have some major advantages. Just listen to what the other coaches say about our team in the pressers. We are a bigggg problem.
+1!
RE: WBB: Stanford 72 Maryland 66 - MV72018 - 03-26-2022
(03-25-2022, 10:40 PM)TonyLima Wrote:(03-25-2022, 10:24 PM)jonnyss Wrote: doesn't show up on the stat sheet, but anna wilson held katie benzan scoreless! benzan averages 10.6 a game.
(from the washington post) “You look at their size from two through five, that length gave us fits,” Frese said. “And then you put Anna Wilson as that pest defensively. She gave Katie [Benzan] no open looks. Her defensive pressure and intensity was unbelievable."
Wow. Just wow.
(03-25-2022, 09:03 PM)martyup Wrote: 45 fouls were called. While they were evenly distributed between the teams, they disrupted the flow of the game and many were either bad calls or should have been no calls. Usually in the tourney the refs let the teams play. Not tonight.
Agree 100%. Zebras had way too much influence in this game.
(03-25-2022, 09:14 PM)TheWildJacko Wrote:(03-25-2022, 09:04 PM)MV72018 Wrote:(03-25-2022, 09:01 PM)JohnR34231 Wrote:(03-25-2022, 08:52 PM)BosCard Wrote: Happy with the win but the inability to score and all the missed free throws in the 4th quarter was so ugly.
Yeah, a win is a win, but the way we managed to turn a romp into a close game was really something.
I can think of many other less flattering characterizations than "really something." It is unacceptable for a team with championship aspirations. I have the sense that Stanford is not a particularly good foul shooting team. That could come back to bite us in any of the three-max remaining matchups where we will need every point we can get.
Is it unacceptable though? Consider: we won the championship last year by defeating each of our Final Four opponents by a single point after blowing decent 2nd half leads in both games. Would you give those games back?
We won. We held an exceptional offense to one of its lowest point totals of the season. Did we have a dismal 4th quarter? Yes. But we still won, and in fact never trailed the entire game.
A W is a W.
Whatever that tired cliche means. More specifically, a limping-to-the-finish W can ALSO be a harbinger of an ensuing disappointing L, in the sense that some bad habits revealed in the W can prove to be one's undoing a subsequent game's L. Stanford played HORRIBLY in Q4 and nothing Tara did stopped the collapse. We were outscored 30 to 13 in Q4! If the game were two minutes longer, we could easily have lost it. Where was the on-floor leadership of Haley or Anna or Lexie to rally the troops? Come to think of it, does this team actually have a leader (among its players)? I would have thought that Haley would have assumed that role by now.
RE: WBB: Stanford 72 Maryland 66 - Maple Leaf - 03-26-2022
(03-26-2022, 10:22 AM)MV72018 Wrote:(03-25-2022, 10:40 PM)TonyLima Wrote:(03-25-2022, 10:24 PM)jonnyss Wrote: doesn't show up on the stat sheet, but anna wilson held katie benzan scoreless! benzan averages 10.6 a game.
(from the washington post) “You look at their size from two through five, that length gave us fits,” Frese said. “And then you put Anna Wilson as that pest defensively. She gave Katie [Benzan] no open looks. Her defensive pressure and intensity was unbelievable."
Wow. Just wow.
(03-25-2022, 09:03 PM)martyup Wrote: 45 fouls were called. While they were evenly distributed between the teams, they disrupted the flow of the game and many were either bad calls or should have been no calls. Usually in the tourney the refs let the teams play. Not tonight.
Agree 100%. Zebras had way too much influence in this game.
(03-25-2022, 09:14 PM)TheWildJacko Wrote:(03-25-2022, 09:04 PM)MV72018 Wrote:(03-25-2022, 09:01 PM)JohnR34231 Wrote: Yeah, a win is a win, but the way we managed to turn a romp into a close game was really something.
I can think of many other less flattering characterizations than "really something." It is unacceptable for a team with championship aspirations. I have the sense that Stanford is not a particularly good foul shooting team. That could come back to bite us in any of the three-max remaining matchups where we will need every point we can get.
Is it unacceptable though? Consider: we won the championship last year by defeating each of our Final Four opponents by a single point after blowing decent 2nd half leads in both games. Would you give those games back?
We won. We held an exceptional offense to one of its lowest point totals of the season. Did we have a dismal 4th quarter? Yes. But we still won, and in fact never trailed the entire game.
A W is a W.
Whatever that tired cliche means. More specifically, a limping-to-the-finish W can ALSO be a harbinger of an ensuing disappointing L, in the sense that some bad habits revealed in the W can prove to be one's undoing a subsequent game's L. Face it, Stanford played HORRIBLY in Q4 and nothing Tara did stopped the collapse. We were outscored 30 to 13 in Q4! Where was the leadership of Haley or Anna or Lexie to rally the troops? Come to think of it, does this team actually have a leader (among its players)? I would have thought that Haley would have assumed that role by now.
Maryland does deserve some credit, they are very talented, but earlier on they had problems with Stanford's defense and offense schemes, it took Maryland 3/4's of the game to figure out what was going on and how to attack.
RE: WBB: Stanford 72 Maryland 66 - martyup - 03-26-2022
BillBradley is correct. We destroyed Maryland. They were rated as the second best team in the Sweet 16. The only team in the Elite 8 that I am worried might beat the Cardinal is . . . Stanford.
RE: WBB: Stanford 72 Maryland 66 - BillBradley - 03-26-2022
(03-26-2022, 10:22 AM)MV72018 Wrote:More of the same. "We were outscored 30 to 13 in Q4!. If the game were two minutes longer we could easily have lost it...does this team actually have a leader?" <sigh>(03-25-2022, 10:40 PM)TonyLima Wrote:(03-25-2022, 10:24 PM)jonnyss Wrote: doesn't show up on the stat sheet, but anna wilson held katie benzan scoreless! benzan averages 10.6 a game.
(from the washington post) “You look at their size from two through five, that length gave us fits,” Frese said. “And then you put Anna Wilson as that pest defensively. She gave Katie [Benzan] no open looks. Her defensive pressure and intensity was unbelievable."
Wow. Just wow.
(03-25-2022, 09:03 PM)martyup Wrote: 45 fouls were called. While they were evenly distributed between the teams, they disrupted the flow of the game and many were either bad calls or should have been no calls. Usually in the tourney the refs let the teams play. Not tonight.
Agree 100%. Zebras had way too much influence in this game.
(03-25-2022, 09:14 PM)TheWildJacko Wrote:(03-25-2022, 09:04 PM)MV72018 Wrote:(03-25-2022, 09:01 PM)JohnR34231 Wrote: Yeah, a win is a win, but the way we managed to turn a romp into a close game was really something.
I can think of many other less flattering characterizations than "really something." It is unacceptable for a team with championship aspirations. I have the sense that Stanford is not a particularly good foul shooting team. That could come back to bite us in any of the three-max remaining matchups where we will need every point we can get.
Is it unacceptable though? Consider: we won the championship last year by defeating each of our Final Four opponents by a single point after blowing decent 2nd half leads in both games. Would you give those games back?
We won. We held an exceptional offense to one of its lowest point totals of the season. Did we have a dismal 4th quarter? Yes. But we still won, and in fact never trailed the entire game.
A W is a W.
Whatever that tired cliche means. More specifically, a limping-to-the-finish W can ALSO be a harbinger of an ensuing disappointing L, in the sense that some bad habits revealed in the W can prove to be one's undoing a subsequent game's L. Stanford played HORRIBLY in Q4 and nothing Tara did stopped the collapse. We were outscored 30 to 13 in Q4! If the game were two minutes longer, we could easily have lost it. Where was the on-floor leadership of Haley or Anna or Lexie to rally the troops? Come to think of it, does this team actually have a leader (among its players)? I would have thought that Haley would have assumed that role by now.
RE: WBB: Stanford 72 Maryland 66 - teejers1 - 03-26-2022
(03-26-2022, 09:50 AM)BillBradley Wrote:(03-26-2022, 07:19 AM)teejers1 Wrote: The point about Maryland missing VERY OPEN treys in Q4 is so easily overlooked by those saying Stanford won "comfortably." If even one of those had been hit, the pucker would have been amped, and with two more, well . . . who knows? And those critical misses were NOT due to Stanford's great defense - Maryland just missed 'em. Thankfully for Stanford.So this is how your scenario actually would have played out (yes, my crystal ball is right :>). If they would have actually hit the threes as you suggest and the lead would have gotten much below 10, then we would have adjusted and we would have started scoring again. Simple as that. We scored pretty much at will against Maryland and it would have been even easier with Miller and Sellers out of the game and Reese with 4. Instead of pulling it out and running clock when we broke their press, we would have taken some easy shots. Haley would have attacked the basket and it would have been a layup fest. Our bigs would have gotten offensive putbacks like they did all game. They are not a good defensive team. I bet Lexie could have scored 10 straight in the 4th if she needed to. But there was no need to adjust, because those threes you point out actually didn't go in. Instead, after not making some free throws (which is a legit concern going forward), we were up 9 with 8 seconds left to watch a meaningless 3 go in at the buzzer. Yawn.
We'll see about Texas. Of course Stanford can win - they probably will even be favored by Vegas. But they'll need to take better care of the ball and be tougher, mentally and physically.
I am really surprised at the lack of confidence in this team and the "relief" reaction many have posted. We destroyed Maryland. Destroyed them. Our players took the air out of the balloon in the 4th and yes, it wasn't pretty and it would have looked better to win by 20. But all these comments about "we were lucky they didn't" and "if this would have happened" really sells short a pretty much dominating performance.
As for this "looming" Texas threat and "we better this and we better that or else stuff..." (and not just by Teejers but by multiple posters) shows even more insecurity about our team. IMO, most of the Final 8 teams are very good and you can point out threats all over the place if you just want to stir up drama. If it's not stopping Maryland's scoring it's how are we going to get the ball up the court against Texas. Or it's look out for UConn because Paige is back and they are healthy again. Or So Carolina, or Louisville, or Notre Dame - they are really hot. Sure we could lose to Texas. Or we could lose in the next round. It's the same with all these teams. But for me - I am way more confident in our team than I am scared of these other teams. How about asking this instead: "what are they going to do about <insert any of these here: <our defense, our length, our size, our depth, our execution....>. How will Texas matchup against Haley, Cam, Lexie...? Pretty sure we have some major advantages. Just listen to what the other coaches say about our team in the pressers. We are a bigggg problem.
Last point...if we lose to Texas, look awful bringing up the ball, and make a bunch of silly/costly turnovers, the boo birds will be out in force and it will be a landslide of I was worried about that and I was right about that. But what if we look awful bringing up the ball, make a bunch of silly/costly turnovers, outrebound them by 20, get a ton of layups in our half court sets, get a bunch of oboard put backs, hit lots of threes, and win anyway? Cuz that seems to be what we do.
We SHOULD be a big problem, given that Stanford has better, more heralded recruits than anyone outside of UConn. (Do you think Maryland had better recruits than Stanford?).
Look, it's not that difficult to evaluate how the teams match up (or matched up). When watching the game, the primary thing I look at is "which team is getting better looks on O?" Stanford had more better looks early, Maryland did in Q4 (you say because Stanford just packed it in - whatever, I suspect the team would say they didn't, that they were still trying). Regardless, throughout the game, Stanford benefited from Maryland missing a lot of shots, including on the good looks.
I'm not saying Maryland deserved to win; I am saying the final score is more indicative of the play on the court that you think it was (Maryland was not "destroyed"). And if Maryland had made even that one wide open trey midway through Q4 . . .
The Texas game will again be about which team gets more, better looks. If Stanford limits turnovers, especially live ball ones (which can lead to layups or good looks in transition), then it should have a good chance to get more better looks; and thus, a decent chance to win.
P.S. If Stanford "look[s] awful bringing up the ball, make[s] a bunch of silly/costly turnovers, outrebound[s] them by 20, get[s] a ton of layups in our half court sets, get[s] a bunch of oboard put backs, hit[s] lots of threes, and wins]," then I'll be "relieved." And content.
RE: WBB: Stanford 72 Maryland 66 - TheWildJacko - 03-26-2022
We are a big problem for other teams. Maryland was also a really good opponent. Texas, UCONN/Indiana, NC State, South Carolina, all of the remaining teams are highly talented and daunting to face. Yes, even Creighton and South Dakota.
I don’t think we could have scored at will in the 4th quarter if we wanted to, mostly because it’s ludicrous to think that we didn’t want to in the first place. One factor that it doesn’t seem like we’re talking about as much is that Cam fouled out with 6:43 remaining. Regardless of how one views the reffing in this game (I think it was not great on either end), Cam not being on the floor undoubtably affected our play in those last 6+ min of the game.
We dominated Maryland for 3 quarters, to the point that even our poor play in the 4th didn’t allow them to get closer than 6—and as BillBradley wrote, MD only achieved that margin on a last-second 3 when the game was decided. This was essentially a 9-point win over one of the best teams in the country.
We can play with and beat any team remaining in this tournament. Does that make it unreasonable to worry about our upcoming opponents? No. It’s sports! Worrying about the next game is practically included in the price of admission! It’s possible to both have confidence in our team and worry about our shortcomings and our opponents’ and potential opponents’ strengths.
RE: WBB: Stanford 72 Maryland 66 - PalmTree - 03-26-2022
(03-26-2022, 11:20 AM)TheWildJacko Wrote: We are a big problem for other teams. Maryland was also a really good opponent. Texas, UCONN/Indiana, NC State, South Carolina, all of the remaining teams are highly talented and daunting to face. Yes, even Creighton and South Dakota.
I don’t think we could have scored at will in the 4th quarter if we wanted to, mostly because it’s ludicrous to think that we didn’t want to in the first place. One factor that it doesn’t seem like we’re talking about as much is that Cam fouled out with 6:43 remaining. Regardless of how one views the reffing in this game (I think it was not great on either end), Cam not being on the floor undoubtably affected our play in those last 6+ min of the game.
We dominated Maryland for 3 quarters, to the point that even our poor play in the 4th didn’t allow them to get closer than 6—and as BillBradley wrote, MD only achieved that margin on a last-second 3 when the game was decided. This was essentially a 9-point win over one of the best teams in the country.
We can play with and beat any team remaining in this tournament. Does that make it unreasonable to worry about our upcoming opponents? No. It’s sports! Worrying about the next game is practically included in the price of admission! It’s possible to both have confidence in our team and worry about our shortcomings and our opponents’ and potential opponents’ strengths.
Actually, Cam fouled out with about 4:10 or so remaining - MD got the ball inside and/or attacked the rim with multiple players on each of their shots, probably hoping to get fouls on her and it worked. Fran did an OK job getting good inside positioning when she was in but she's more flat footed and less aggressive going after the ball, plus she tends to get tied up pretty easily when she's planted. I have more confidence with Kiki subbing in for Cam, but that's just me - she's got more natural "game instinct" and is a better inside scorer, IMHO.
That said, we made it through - survive and advance.
RE: WBB: Stanford 72 Maryland 66 - TheWildJacko - 03-26-2022
(03-26-2022, 11:40 AM)PalmTree Wrote: Actually, Cam fouled out with about 4:10 or so remaining - MD got the ball inside and/or attacked the rim with multiple players on each of their shots, probably hoping to get fouls on her and it worked.
Ah thanks—I thought it was later, but I was looking through the play-by-play and for some reason I missed the last time it mentioned Brink.
RE: WBB: Stanford 72 Maryland 66 - Former Jewish jump shooter - 03-26-2022
I remember an interview with Bill Walton’s brother who played with him at helix high school. He was, in effect the enforcer, Protecting Bill from abuse down low. Maurice Lucas later played that role for Bill with the trailblazers. The point is, cam is going to get beat up and encourage a lot of abuse because of her unique physical stature. Maryland took advantage because they are, basically, a bit rough team.
This shouldn’t be part of the game but it is. It has been part of the men’s game, on playgrounds and organized for decades. And the fact is, Tara needs to recognize it and appoint somebody to let the other team know that if you hurt our player we’re gonna do this to you.
That’ll put a stop to it. Of course, Tara doesn’t necessarily want this nor does she espouse it. And that’s to her credit. Nobody should fear that they are going to get punched in the ribs every time they deign to be inside ALaTv need a healthy and productive cam going forward.
RE: WBB: Stanford 72 Maryland 66 - martyup - 03-26-2022
(03-26-2022, 11:54 AM)Former Jewish jump shooter Wrote: And the fact is, Tara needs to recognize it and appoint somebody to let the other team know that if you hurt our player we’re gonna do this to you.
No, no, and no. This is not hockey.
RE: WBB: Stanford 72 Maryland 66 - 2006alum - 03-26-2022
(03-26-2022, 07:19 AM)teejers1 Wrote: P.S. Prechtel has been relegated to an afterthought. My sense is that Ashten feels she needs to score in the first half minute or two she is allocated, lest she won't play again. Thus, she takes a looooong trey (didn't go, but almost did) and that was that. Belibi and Kiki are playing reasonably well, so that's good. Hopefully we won't need a bench player going off from long range in Elite 8 to advance to FF this year (though I guess Jump is technically a bench player now, but teams rarely lose sight of her).
Still haven't had a chance to watch this game yet, but as to this point, to the degree this is an accurate characterization (and I somewhat disagree with it), the problem is that Prechtel is effectively fourth in our post rotation for the 5, behind Brink, Belibi, and Iriafen. Prechtel is a pretty good shot blocker, but she has buttery hands for holding onto rebounds, and she fouls quite frequently when defending in/around the paint. I don't blame Tara for generally not wanting to give her the 5 assignment.
The other big problem is that there's not really a lot of room for her as a high post 4 or stretch-four, because the 4 is often held down by Jones in any starting lineup with the Hulls + Wilson or Jump. We simply have too many guards (Wilson, Hulls, Jump, JVG) who can hit the outside shot, and Jones can not only hold down the high post as a 4 but can also pass or drive to the basket more like a 2.
In short, there's not really one thing Prechtel does better than anyone (or two) on the team, and for whatever reason, she has not developed the same kind of defensive (or offensive) paint presence that Belibi and now even Iriafen have. I really like Prechtel a lot, and appreciate her versatile tool kit, but there's just not a ton for her to do with our current rotation.
RE: WBB: Stanford 72 Maryland 66 - 81alum - 03-26-2022
(03-26-2022, 12:26 PM)2006alum Wrote:I think her main problem has been that her three point shot has not been falling this year. She is shooting 27% this year, she shot 37% last year. If her shooting improved, I am sure Tara would find a way to work her in for more minutes. Without Prechtel's shooting, we don't get past Louisville last year.(03-26-2022, 07:19 AM)teejers1 Wrote: P.S. Prechtel has been relegated to an afterthought. My sense is that Ashten feels she needs to score in the first half minute or two she is allocated, lest she won't play again. Thus, she takes a looooong trey (didn't go, but almost did) and that was that. Belibi and Kiki are playing reasonably well, so that's good. Hopefully we won't need a bench player going off from long range in Elite 8 to advance to FF this year (though I guess Jump is technically a bench player now, but teams rarely lose sight of her).
Still haven't had a chance to watch this game yet, but as to this point, to the degree this is an accurate characterization (and I somewhat disagree with it), the problem is that Prechtel is effectively fourth in our post rotation for the 5, behind Brink, Belibi, and Iriafen. Prechtel is a pretty good shot blocker, but she has buttery hands for holding onto rebounds, and she fouls quite frequently when defending in/around the paint. I don't blame Tara for generally not wanting to give her the 5 assignment.
The other big problem is that there's not really a lot of room for her as a high post 4 or stretch-four, because the 4 is often held down by Jones in any starting lineup with the Hulls + Wilson or Jump. We simply have too many guards (Wilson, Hulls, Jump, JVG) who can hit the outside shot, and Jones can not only hold down the high post as a 4 but can also pass or drive to the basket more like a 2.
In short, there's not really one thing Prechtel does better than anyone (or two) on the team, and for whatever reason, she has not developed the same kind of defensive (or offensive) paint presence that Belibi and now even Iriafen have. I really like Prechtel a lot, and appreciate her versatile tool kit, but there's just not a ton for her to do with our current rotation.
RE: WBB: Stanford 72 Maryland 66 - BillBradley - 03-26-2022
(03-26-2022, 11:20 AM)TheWildJacko Wrote: We are a big problem for other teams. Maryland was also a really good opponent. Texas, UCONN/Indiana, NC State, South Carolina, all of the remaining teams are highly talented and daunting to face. Yes, even Creighton and South Dakota."Does that make it unreasonable to worry about our upcoming opponents?". No, I agree with you - it is possible to both have confidence in our team and worry about the shortcomings. But that's not what I'm perceiving from many posters. I don't read a lot of confidence in many of the posts about the Maryland game. I read more of "we were lucky to win". To me, that's just a really pessimistic view of this team and it's off the mark. I realize this is just a sports message board and people can say "it's our right to criticize". Sure, go for it. But it's fascinating to me to see the fear and the insecurity that comes out in people after the game we just played. This team is 31-3, and either #2 or #1 in the nation depending on which rating service you look at. Personally I have a lot of confidence in them and I think it's justified by their accomplishments, not diminished by building up a 25 point lead and letting it drop to 9.
I don’t think we could have scored at will in the 4th quarter if we wanted to, mostly because it’s ludicrous to think that we didn’t want to in the first place. One factor that it doesn’t seem like we’re talking about as much is that Cam fouled out with 6:43 remaining. Regardless of how one views the reffing in this game (I think it was not great on either end), Cam not being on the floor undoubtably affected our play in those last 6+ min of the game.
We dominated Maryland for 3 quarters, to the point that even our poor play in the 4th didn’t allow them to get closer than 6—and as BillBradley wrote, MD only achieved that margin on a last-second 3 when the game was decided. This was essentially a 9-point win over one of the best teams in the country.
We can play with and beat any team remaining in this tournament. Does that make it unreasonable to worry about our upcoming opponents? No. It’s sports! Worrying about the next game is practically included in the price of admission! It’s possible to both have confidence in our team and worry about our shortcomings and our opponents’ and potential opponents’ strengths.
RE: WBB: Stanford 72 Maryland 66 - 2006alum - 03-26-2022
True, though I think Teej's point was that the reason for this is in part because she gets pulled too often and hasn't been permitted enough game time to get the stroke back consistently. I guess my point was that there are other reasons for that that have nothing to do with her 3 point shooting.
RE: WBB: Stanford 72 Maryland 66 - TheFarm07 - 03-26-2022
(03-26-2022, 12:26 PM)2006alum Wrote:(03-26-2022, 07:19 AM)teejers1 Wrote: P.S. Prechtel has been relegated to an afterthought. My sense is that Ashten feels she needs to score in the first half minute or two she is allocated, lest she won't play again. Thus, she takes a looooong trey (didn't go, but almost did) and that was that. Belibi and Kiki are playing reasonably well, so that's good. Hopefully we won't need a bench player going off from long range in Elite 8 to advance to FF this year (though I guess Jump is technically a bench player now, but teams rarely lose sight of her).
Still haven't had a chance to watch this game yet, but as to this point, to the degree this is an accurate characterization (and I somewhat disagree with it), the problem is that Prechtel is effectively fourth in our post rotation for the 5, behind Brink, Belibi, and Iriafen. Prechtel is a pretty good shot blocker, but she has buttery hands for holding onto rebounds, and she fouls quite frequently when defending in/around the paint. I don't blame Tara for generally not wanting to give her the 5 assignment.
The other big problem is that there's not really a lot of room for her as a high post 4 or stretch-four, because the 4 is often held down by Jones in any starting lineup with the Hulls + Wilson or Jump. We simply have too many guards (Wilson, Hulls, Jump, JVG) who can hit the outside shot, and Jones can not only hold down the high post as a 4 but can also pass or drive to the basket more like a 2.
In short, there's not really one thing Prechtel does better than anyone (or two) on the team, and for whatever reason, she has not developed the same kind of defensive (or offensive) paint presence that Belibi and now even Iriafen have. I really like Prechtel a lot, and appreciate her versatile tool kit, but there's just not a ton for her to do with our current rotation.
+1
Despite her height and size, Prechtel's top offensive skill is shooting the three, rather than posting up and scoring in the paint. Unfortunately for her, we already have a plethora of three point shooters in our guards and wings and they have the quickness and speed to guard their counterpart on the other team.
If we have her in, then we potentially take away an interior scoring threat and make ourselves more dependent on outside shooting unless Tara wants to go with a bigger lineup.
RE: WBB: Stanford 72 Maryland 66 - BillBradley - 03-26-2022
(03-26-2022, 07:19 AM)teejers1 Wrote: I am saying the final score is more indicative of the play on the court that you think it was (Maryland was not "destroyed").Yes they were. You can try to build a case about shots not going in (which they didn't) and I could counter with a lot of stuff that could have gone our way (but didn't). The game was never in doubt. It was over after the third quarter. Destruction I say!
RE: WBB: Stanford 72 Maryland 66 - old spanish trail - 03-26-2022
I'm 100% with Bill Bradley and Martyup. Maryland was destroyed. And, yes, it's ok to be "concerned" in analysis of next game. But I don't see how Texas' two bigs can deal with our 3 headed monster (4 if you count Prechtel). One is pretty good, the other a big body who can shoot a little. How did we lose to them back when, anyway? And, well, yes, that's why you can be concerned.
RE: WBB: Stanford 72 Maryland 66 - 81alum - 03-26-2022
(03-26-2022, 01:04 PM)old spanish trail Wrote: I'm 100% with Bill Bradley and Martyup. Maryland was destroyed. And, yes, it's ok to be "concerned" in analysis of next game. But I don't see how Texas' two bigs can deal with our 3 headed monster (4 if you count Prechtel). One is pretty good, the other a big body who can shoot a little. How did we lose to them back when, anyway? And, well, yes, that's why you can be concerned.We shut down their bigs last time. The problem was their short guards, who had about 50 of their 61 points--the vast majority inside the arc and outside the paint. Meanwhile, we had only 22 points in the paint and were 4-27 from three point range while they were 4/7. We had 20 turnovers and you might as well consider the 20 missed treys as turnovers.