[TheFarm07]

The game was #1 UConn vs #2 Stanford in the 2010 National Semifinals.
http://www.uconnhuskies.com/sports/w-bas...40610.html

UConn missed 16 FG attempts in a row. 
Saying either of those teams was not elite would be contrary to how I think most people would evaluate them.

The real stat lines:
##  Player  p    fgm-fga  fgm-fga ftm-fta off-def tot  pf    tp  a  to  blk  stl  min
    UConn  -      19-58  6-20    9-22    14-35  49  9    53  9  10  7    5  200
    Stanford-      18-68  8-22    3-4    16-33  49  20    47  11  11  1    2  200

Down by 7, Stanford started fouling with 70 seconds left.  7 of the fouls by Stanford were in the waning seconds.
Up to that point, UConn was shooting 38% from the FT line.  For the 9 FTA in the last 70 seconds, UConn missed 4 FTA.  Were you going to say "No elite team would ever shoot that poorly"?

UConn had more TO than A.  Maya Moore 3TO, Tiffany Hayes 3TO.  Jayne Appel & Tina Charles were both 2A, 3TO. 

----

The team that wins always scores more points than the other teams.  Other than that, anything goes with the statistics.  What makes a team elite is winning a large percentage of their games.  It is easy to run up wins against much weaker teams.  It is the games against quality opponents & coaches that helps to compare elite teams.

Stanford does not have any superstars currently.  We do have at least one amazingly good shooter (who is more than a shooter).  We have some pretty quick hands.  We don't have any good player that is tall (by basketball standards) and none that are great leapers.  We don't have a player that weighs 300 pounds and can push opponents around.  We don't have the super talented players like an Oguwmike.

What we do have are players that are extremely smart (tip of the hat to Karlie - I don't know who will do the best in academics, but I think she is very smart on the floor).  Most clearly work hard and are students of the game (tip of the hat to Bird), learning & employing the moves.  At least one shows the guts and talent to take it to anyone on a basketball court (tip of the hat to Brittany).  Clearly we have a coaching staff that knows the game and can prepare the team for any game.  Some players have more to improve than others.

I believe someone recently mentioned that Plum wanted to go to Stanford, but it didn't work out.  Yeah, Stanford won't always get the players that wind up being really good.  Too bad for them; I wish them well somewhere else.  But, personally, I like the kind of person that wants to go to Stanford and is able to do and does the work it takes to get in.  And if they chose basketball as their sport and are good enough to play at the collegiate (and even elite collegiate) level, then I will cheer for them.

My expectation is that they will work hard and do well.  They will play by the rules and will respect everyone around them.  No one is perfect in all respects and all the time, but they will work to better themselves. 

And, if the result is they score more points than the other team most of the time, then so much the better!

I should have phrased my original post better, in saying that elite teams don't make these mistakes on a regular basis, anybody, even the very best teams (including UConn) can have bad nights, particularly in pressure-filled games such as a national semifinal game.

On your other point, let me reiterate, my pride in how Tara and the coaching staff runs the team and the program and I am proud that we have such outstanding young women who will become exemplary members of their communities no matter whether they play basketball professionally or not.

Even if they fall in the first round of the NCAA tournament, I'll be sorely disappointed, but it will never diminish my fandom or admiration for the team, players, coaches or program.

[TheFarm07]

The game was #1 UConn vs #2 Stanford in the 2010 National Semifinals.
http://www.uconnhuskies.com/sports/w-bas...40610.html

UConn missed 16 FG attempts in a row. 
Saying either of those teams was not elite would be contrary to how I think most people would evaluate them.

The real stat lines:
##  Player  p    fgm-fga  fgm-fga ftm-fta off-def tot  pf    tp  a  to  blk  stl  min
    UConn  -      19-58  6-20    9-22    14-35  49  9    53  9  10  7    5  200
    Stanford-      18-68  8-22    3-4    16-33  49  20    47  11  11  1    2  200

Down by 7, Stanford started fouling with 70 seconds left.  7 of the fouls by Stanford were in the waning seconds.
Up to that point, UConn was shooting 38% from the FT line.  For the 9 FTA in the last 70 seconds, UConn missed 4 FTA.  Were you going to say "No elite team would ever shoot that poorly"?

UConn had more TO than A.  Maya Moore 3TO, Tiffany Hayes 3TO.  Jayne Appel & Tina Charles were both 2A, 3TO. 

----

The team that wins always scores more points than the other teams.  Other than that, anything goes with the statistics.  What makes a team elite is winning a large percentage of their games.  It is easy to run up wins against much weaker teams.  It is the games against quality opponents & coaches that helps to compare elite teams.

Stanford does not have any superstars currently.  We do have at least one amazingly good shooter (who is more than a shooter).  We have some pretty quick hands.  We don't have any good player that is tall (by basketball standards) and none that are great leapers.  We don't have a player that weighs 300 pounds and can push opponents around.  We don't have the super talented players like an Oguwmike.

What we do have are players that are extremely smart (tip of the hat to Karlie - I don't know who will do the best in academics, but I think she is very smart on the floor).  Most clearly work hard and are students of the game (tip of the hat to Bird), learning & employing the moves.  At least one shows the guts and talent to take it to anyone on a basketball court (tip of the hat to Brittany).  Clearly we have a coaching staff that knows the game and can prepare the team for any game.  Some players have more to improve than others.

I believe someone recently mentioned that Plum wanted to go to Stanford, but it didn't work out.  Yeah, Stanford won't always get the players that wind up being really good.  Too bad for them; I wish them well somewhere else.  But, personally, I like the kind of person that wants to go to Stanford and is able to do and does the work it takes to get in.  And if they chose basketball as their sport and are good enough to play at the collegiate (and even elite collegiate) level, then I will cheer for them.

My expectation is that they will work hard and do well.  They will play by the rules and will respect everyone around them.  No one is perfect in all respects and all the time, but they will work to better themselves. 

And, if the result is they score more points than the other team most of the time, then so much the better!

I should have phrased my original post better, in saying that elite teams don't make these mistakes on a regular basis, anybody, even the very best teams (including UConn) can have bad nights, particularly in pressure-filled games such as a national semifinal game.

On your other point, let me reiterate, my pride in how Tara and the coaching staff runs the team and the program and I am proud that we have such outstanding young women who will become exemplary members of their communities no matter whether they play basketball professionally or not.

Even if they fall in the first round of the NCAA tournament, I'll be sorely disappointed, but it will never diminish my fandom or admiration for the team, players, coaches or program.