[M T]

I didn't watch the game live and had to watch a PAC-12 channel replay late Friday night.  With ALL the dead time overnight, why do they waste some editor's time cutting a 2 hour game down to 1.5 hours???  The score was 6-4 when a chunk of minutes disappeared. After the requisitee commercials, 17 more points had been scored unseen, and then we had to wait for the clock to get fixed (more commercials).

Yep, Missy called foul #1 and foul #3 on us in the first 3:35.  I didn't notice who called foul #2 (on Brink).  We also had Kyle Bacon.  There were the usual set of bad calls (we get called for a foul on a post player in the lane for 5 seconds, etc.).

I knew Brink didn't play much, but I was surprised when I saw it was only 8 minutes, and she had 3 fouls (meaning she could have played more).

I seriously think that Brink should come in off the bench rather than starting.  Wait to see how the fouls are being called.  Let the other players be the canaries.

Her playing time recently before being subbed out (usually due to a foul) has been (going back in time by games for 10 games):
1:34(M,B), 5:28(Scofield), 7:57(Jones), 4:34(Luna), 3:35, 6:11(S)(fouled at 4:11 but wasn't taken out), 5:38(M)(no foul!), 6:59(B), 2:19(L,B), 6:00I(J)(no foul!).
M=Missy Barlow, B = Kyle Bacon, L=Benny Luna, J=Lisa Jones, S=Robert Scofield.  Those are refs that have caught my attention. No obvious pattern here.

Remember, 5 fouls spread over 40 minutes is one every 8 minutes.  In those games, she was taken out at, on average, 5:00 into the game, usually for a foul.  That translates to a 25 minute playing time to get 5 fouls.

For the season, she's got 66 fouls in 512 minutes playing time.  That's one foul every 7.75 minutes.  So, it seems she's 1/3 more likely to pick up fouls early.  Whether that's on her or the refs, it doesn't matter so much - that's just how it is.

I think it would be wise to size up the opponent and the refs for a few minutes before bringing Brink in.  If we play evenly or better than the opponent, let Brink sit for 4 minutes or so at the start.  If the other team instead starts well, bring Brink in at 1:30 or so.  If we're ahead, it doesn't hurt much to keep Brink on the bench.  If we're down when she comes in, maybe the refs won't be as picky on her.

I think it works well for Stanford psychologically, if Brink buys in on it.  She gets to be the cavalry coming in to change the battle.  She would completely change the tone of the game, if it hadn't been going our way.

I think it would work psychologically on the other team too.  They're going to know that Stanford has a big gun just waiting to come in off the bench.   They might get a few points ahead, but Stanford's was playing with one hand tied behind their collective back.  So they can't feel too good about it.


Technically, Brink is sitting an average of 5 minutes in the first quarter anyway.  Let's try sitting her at the start of the quarter rather than the end.  It seems it gives Stanford more options.

[M T]

I didn't watch the game live and had to watch a PAC-12 channel replay late Friday night.  With ALL the dead time overnight, why do they waste some editor's time cutting a 2 hour game down to 1.5 hours???  The score was 6-4 when a chunk of minutes disappeared. After the requisitee commercials, 17 more points had been scored unseen, and then we had to wait for the clock to get fixed (more commercials).

Yep, Missy called foul #1 and foul #3 on us in the first 3:35.  I didn't notice who called foul #2 (on Brink).  We also had Kyle Bacon.  There were the usual set of bad calls (we get called for a foul on a post player in the lane for 5 seconds, etc.).

I knew Brink didn't play much, but I was surprised when I saw it was only 8 minutes, and she had 3 fouls (meaning she could have played more).

I seriously think that Brink should come in off the bench rather than starting.  Wait to see how the fouls are being called.  Let the other players be the canaries.

Her playing time recently before being subbed out (usually due to a foul) has been (going back in time by games for 10 games):
1:34(M,B), 5:28(Scofield), 7:57(Jones), 4:34(Luna), 3:35, 6:11(S)(fouled at 4:11 but wasn't taken out), 5:38(M)(no foul!), 6:59(B), 2:19(L,B), 6:00I(J)(no foul!).
M=Missy Barlow, B = Kyle Bacon, L=Benny Luna, J=Lisa Jones, S=Robert Scofield.  Those are refs that have caught my attention. No obvious pattern here.

Remember, 5 fouls spread over 40 minutes is one every 8 minutes.  In those games, she was taken out at, on average, 5:00 into the game, usually for a foul.  That translates to a 25 minute playing time to get 5 fouls.

For the season, she's got 66 fouls in 512 minutes playing time.  That's one foul every 7.75 minutes.  So, it seems she's 1/3 more likely to pick up fouls early.  Whether that's on her or the refs, it doesn't matter so much - that's just how it is.

I think it would be wise to size up the opponent and the refs for a few minutes before bringing Brink in.  If we play evenly or better than the opponent, let Brink sit for 4 minutes or so at the start.  If the other team instead starts well, bring Brink in at 1:30 or so.  If we're ahead, it doesn't hurt much to keep Brink on the bench.  If we're down when she comes in, maybe the refs won't be as picky on her.

I think it works well for Stanford psychologically, if Brink buys in on it.  She gets to be the cavalry coming in to change the battle.  She would completely change the tone of the game, if it hadn't been going our way.

I think it would work psychologically on the other team too.  They're going to know that Stanford has a big gun just waiting to come in off the bench.   They might get a few points ahead, but Stanford's was playing with one hand tied behind their collective back.  So they can't feel too good about it.


Technically, Brink is sitting an average of 5 minutes in the first quarter anyway.  Let's try sitting her at the start of the quarter rather than the end.  It seems it gives Stanford more options.