01-09-2014, 12:47 PM
I was out of town this past weekend & couldn't go to the games or watch them live. I just got through them on the TiVo.
So many players deserve superlatives -- but I'll defer to the already-made comments.
I was more worried about OSU. That was the closest 22 point win I can remember. It felt like Stanford was one missed shot from letting OSU really getting close. But the shots kept falling. With their 3 pointers & height, OSU has a chance to beat good teams. ND almost learned that. I happened to watch their game against Kal after watching the Stanford game. Of note was that the Kal bigs did better & longer hedging on the high double screen, and on the other screens as well. Weisner & Wiese really were good at hitting the threes if you gave them even an instant.
I think the game showed that we have responded to the problems shown in the UConn game. (Whether we're on track to beat them in a future match-up is still uncertain.) Chiney wasn't hitting the mid-range jumpers in games in the first part of the season, but she did well on Sunday. And, of course, our offense is more diversified.
While OSU may be glad that they aren't playing the Bay Area teams again during the regular season, I'm somewhat ambivalent about that from a Stanford fan point of view. OSU represents a risk to Stanford, esp. playing them at their site. But, OSU may also be our best test against some of the UConn traits (good 3s & height)
If you missed the comment attributed to Tara by the TV announcers (probably Ros) this weekend, she said something like "The team is like a band. Chiney is the conductor. Amber keeps the beat going. The rest of the team will get their own solos." During the first part of the game, OSU might have thought they were a band saw.
It was good to see the team do well without Chiney in, during the main part of the game. I think that is tied to the diversified offense. Players are looking for shots more than just looking to pass to Chiney.
One negative thing that caught my eye was where our point guard (two different ones at different times) was near midcourt when the opponent got the ball under our basket. Our guard drifted back 20' or 30', waiting as the players caught up to her, and ignored the opponents rushing down the court on the opposite side, well ahead of their appointed defender (who had been trying to rebound or whatever), resulting in a long pass to an open player & quick points.
So many players deserve superlatives -- but I'll defer to the already-made comments.
I was more worried about OSU. That was the closest 22 point win I can remember. It felt like Stanford was one missed shot from letting OSU really getting close. But the shots kept falling. With their 3 pointers & height, OSU has a chance to beat good teams. ND almost learned that. I happened to watch their game against Kal after watching the Stanford game. Of note was that the Kal bigs did better & longer hedging on the high double screen, and on the other screens as well. Weisner & Wiese really were good at hitting the threes if you gave them even an instant.
I think the game showed that we have responded to the problems shown in the UConn game. (Whether we're on track to beat them in a future match-up is still uncertain.) Chiney wasn't hitting the mid-range jumpers in games in the first part of the season, but she did well on Sunday. And, of course, our offense is more diversified.
While OSU may be glad that they aren't playing the Bay Area teams again during the regular season, I'm somewhat ambivalent about that from a Stanford fan point of view. OSU represents a risk to Stanford, esp. playing them at their site. But, OSU may also be our best test against some of the UConn traits (good 3s & height)
If you missed the comment attributed to Tara by the TV announcers (probably Ros) this weekend, she said something like "The team is like a band. Chiney is the conductor. Amber keeps the beat going. The rest of the team will get their own solos." During the first part of the game, OSU might have thought they were a band saw.
It was good to see the team do well without Chiney in, during the main part of the game. I think that is tied to the diversified offense. Players are looking for shots more than just looking to pass to Chiney.
One negative thing that caught my eye was where our point guard (two different ones at different times) was near midcourt when the opponent got the ball under our basket. Our guard drifted back 20' or 30', waiting as the players caught up to her, and ignored the opponents rushing down the court on the opposite side, well ahead of their appointed defender (who had been trying to rebound or whatever), resulting in a long pass to an open player & quick points.