[cardfan1996]

UConn likely won’t beat S.Carolina (unless Edwards flops even more and the refs go for it). But they could beat us easily. Edwards surprisingly dominated Stanford on the offensive boards in the Final Four last year and Edward this year is so much better than she was last year. I put every team under a microscope but I also enjoy basketball and watch a lot of it.

Sure if Lopez-Senechal, Nika or Edwards get into foul trouble, we could keep the game close BUT when is the last time a UConn player fouled out? It rarely happens and Geno gambles a lot with his starters in foul trouble. Also he has always played 7-players deep a lot of minutes in competitive games and has won 11 national championships doing so. How do you neutralize Edwards who unlike last year, now has a reliable 15 footer? So does Dorka who was injured and didn’t play in our game. Dorka has legitimate range out to the 3-pt line. That means, you can’t drop back in the lane like we did last year and stop all their interior actions which are very dynamic. Also who in that starting lineup can guard Edwards on the block other than Brink? And Edwards flops a lot on defense but also on offense and is very good at it like she practices flopping as a skill outside of games so I’d be worried about Brink fouling out. So Edwards comes out to 15 ft and they post up Dorka. Who guards Dorka in the post at 6’4”? Sure you can possibly double off Nika or Aubrey but Aubrey and Nika are both capable of scoring enough to put the game out of reach. Aubrey went 100% vs Princeton. Nika has improved later in games hitting her open shots. Flip defensive assignments and now you pull Brink completely away from the basket on defense since Dorka is good from 3-pt line. Who does that benefit? Haley only plays good defense when she wants to which is a rare desire because if you are forced to play 40 minutes as Tara insist she does, when do you rest? Likely on defense.

Boston is better than Edwards and we contained Boston. Prechtel and Belibi is the answer to your question. I didn't say that the perimeter players had to foul out you made a big deal of it. I said well defended or have an off night. Watched the Tenn-Uconn game and the perimeter players had big games because though Tenn pressured a lot and got some TOs they did not play good overal fundamental D plus they were sloppy on O leading to many fast breaks by Uconn and points off TOs. 
Yes, Geno has had short rotations in the past but never with the number of inuries before. But you mainly diverted from my point that fans of all teams that follow their teams closely or pretty closely envision and have concerns over what can derail their team. I just used Uconn as an example because you mentioned them - I could have picked any team and found issues. I wasn't trying to build a case agst Uconn per se that for some reason you felt a need to defend them. In fact, I mentioned at the start that I have feared Uconn from the start of the season.

But since you have some need to turn the thread into a Uconn vs Stanford thread; yes, I believe that we will beat Ucoon this year if we play them, particularly if Fudd can't play or she is not fully healthy. Teams like USC are more a problem for us this year. I am still concerned about Texas being in our bracket.

Ashten has averaged 1 minute a game the last 2 games. Belibi is not a good defender though she has shown improvement recently. She could barely guard Quay Miller in the post. Belibi use to be the primary mark for other teams. She was single-handedly responsible for nearly half of Colorado’s first half/quarter points in Maples last year because Tara put her on Hollingshed and Miller and Colorado promptly called ISO plays for them.

So you agree our starting lineup as currently constructed couldn’t beat UConn? Because that is the point some of us are making.

You’d be spotting UConn a lead before you hope Tara subs in the most logical defender - Ashten. But she hasn’t the last two games when it would seem Ashten is the most logical right? Ashten won 6th player of the year her freshman year right? She has had some really productive games vs Colorado in particular. I would go so far as to say she was the difference in at least 2 or 3 games vs Colorado. This year she got 1 minute. Tara is not infallible and this year is no exception. 

Re: Goat status

And while Tara is a legendary coach, she is not Geno or Pat. She is not the Goat of WBB as someone said above that cannot be critiqued on some of her choices this year. She may be the Goat of West coast basketball. But the titles that Geno or Pat have won, no living Division 1 Coach will ever surpass. And Geno is on her heels on all-time winnings. But that doesn’t diminish Tara’s place in history. Being at least Top 3-5 in WBB is still a legendary career. Who wouldn’t want to retire Top 5 in their career? I would.

[cardfan1996]

UConn likely won’t beat S.Carolina (unless Edwards flops even more and the refs go for it). But they could beat us easily. Edwards surprisingly dominated Stanford on the offensive boards in the Final Four last year and Edward this year is so much better than she was last year. I put every team under a microscope but I also enjoy basketball and watch a lot of it.

Sure if Lopez-Senechal, Nika or Edwards get into foul trouble, we could keep the game close BUT when is the last time a UConn player fouled out? It rarely happens and Geno gambles a lot with his starters in foul trouble. Also he has always played 7-players deep a lot of minutes in competitive games and has won 11 national championships doing so. How do you neutralize Edwards who unlike last year, now has a reliable 15 footer? So does Dorka who was injured and didn’t play in our game. Dorka has legitimate range out to the 3-pt line. That means, you can’t drop back in the lane like we did last year and stop all their interior actions which are very dynamic. Also who in that starting lineup can guard Edwards on the block other than Brink? And Edwards flops a lot on defense but also on offense and is very good at it like she practices flopping as a skill outside of games so I’d be worried about Brink fouling out. So Edwards comes out to 15 ft and they post up Dorka. Who guards Dorka in the post at 6’4”? Sure you can possibly double off Nika or Aubrey but Aubrey and Nika are both capable of scoring enough to put the game out of reach. Aubrey went 100% vs Princeton. Nika has improved later in games hitting her open shots. Flip defensive assignments and now you pull Brink completely away from the basket on defense since Dorka is good from 3-pt line. Who does that benefit? Haley only plays good defense when she wants to which is a rare desire because if you are forced to play 40 minutes as Tara insist she does, when do you rest? Likely on defense.

Boston is better than Edwards and we contained Boston. Prechtel and Belibi is the answer to your question. I didn't say that the perimeter players had to foul out you made a big deal of it. I said well defended or have an off night. Watched the Tenn-Uconn game and the perimeter players had big games because though Tenn pressured a lot and got some TOs they did not play good overal fundamental D plus they were sloppy on O leading to many fast breaks by Uconn and points off TOs. 
Yes, Geno has had short rotations in the past but never with the number of inuries before. But you mainly diverted from my point that fans of all teams that follow their teams closely or pretty closely envision and have concerns over what can derail their team. I just used Uconn as an example because you mentioned them - I could have picked any team and found issues. I wasn't trying to build a case agst Uconn per se that for some reason you felt a need to defend them. In fact, I mentioned at the start that I have feared Uconn from the start of the season.

But since you have some need to turn the thread into a Uconn vs Stanford thread; yes, I believe that we will beat Ucoon this year if we play them, particularly if Fudd can't play or she is not fully healthy. Teams like USC are more a problem for us this year. I am still concerned about Texas being in our bracket.

Ashten has averaged 1 minute a game the last 2 games. Belibi is not a good defender though she has shown improvement recently. She could barely guard Quay Miller in the post. Belibi use to be the primary mark for other teams. She was single-handedly responsible for nearly half of Colorado’s first half/quarter points in Maples last year because Tara put her on Hollingshed and Miller and Colorado promptly called ISO plays for them.

So you agree our starting lineup as currently constructed couldn’t beat UConn? Because that is the point some of us are making.

You’d be spotting UConn a lead before you hope Tara subs in the most logical defender - Ashten. But she hasn’t the last two games when it would seem Ashten is the most logical right? Ashten won 6th player of the year her freshman year right? She has had some really productive games vs Colorado in particular. I would go so far as to say she was the difference in at least 2 or 3 games vs Colorado. This year she got 1 minute. Tara is not infallible and this year is no exception. 

Re: Goat status

And while Tara is a legendary coach, she is not Geno or Pat. She is not the Goat of WBB as someone said above that cannot be critiqued on some of her choices this year. She may be the Goat of West coast basketball. But the titles that Geno or Pat have won, no living Division 1 Coach will ever surpass. And Geno is on her heels on all-time winnings. But that doesn’t diminish Tara’s place in history. Being at least Top 3-5 in WBB is still a legendary career. Who wouldn’t want to retire Top 5 in their career? I would.