11-09-2017, 11:50 PM
I think our fortune on both ends of the court rests on very similar issues.
On the defensive end, focus on Mitchell and Mavunga and make someone else on the Buckeyes beat you, much like when we focused on Griner and Sims with our matchup against Baylor and left Condrey, Hayden, etc. wide open in the 2012 national semis.
Offensively, you know Ohio State will look to stop Alanna and Brit, as they are our top returning scorers. Someone else will have to step up. Does Sniezek finally find a propensity to shoot the ball, especially when left wide open? Will Carrington carry over some of the results she had during the Italy trip? Will Kaylee Johnson add a little offense to her rebounding/defense specialties? Or will Fingall show she's ready to take on significant minutes? Or will Dodson make an immediate splash?
We have a lot of questions and hopefully some good answers.
Yes, it would not be good to start the season 0-2. But it's not a shame to lose the first two against national title contenders. If we learn and improve from these games and then don't drop any head-scratchers like we have like the last few years (Gonzaga last year, Santa Clara the year before that, Arizona in the 14-15 season), then it would not be a terrible trajectory.
Anyway, get excited for some basketball! 7 months has passed since Karlie's terrible ankle injury and our disappointing loss to South Carolina. Hopefully, we will end this season the way it will start -- with a trip to Columbus (site of this season's Final Four)!
On the defensive end, focus on Mitchell and Mavunga and make someone else on the Buckeyes beat you, much like when we focused on Griner and Sims with our matchup against Baylor and left Condrey, Hayden, etc. wide open in the 2012 national semis.
Offensively, you know Ohio State will look to stop Alanna and Brit, as they are our top returning scorers. Someone else will have to step up. Does Sniezek finally find a propensity to shoot the ball, especially when left wide open? Will Carrington carry over some of the results she had during the Italy trip? Will Kaylee Johnson add a little offense to her rebounding/defense specialties? Or will Fingall show she's ready to take on significant minutes? Or will Dodson make an immediate splash?
We have a lot of questions and hopefully some good answers.
Yes, it would not be good to start the season 0-2. But it's not a shame to lose the first two against national title contenders. If we learn and improve from these games and then don't drop any head-scratchers like we have like the last few years (Gonzaga last year, Santa Clara the year before that, Arizona in the 14-15 season), then it would not be a terrible trajectory.
Anyway, get excited for some basketball! 7 months has passed since Karlie's terrible ankle injury and our disappointing loss to South Carolina. Hopefully, we will end this season the way it will start -- with a trip to Columbus (site of this season's Final Four)!