[magnus]

Silverlining,  Brink should be well rested for her matchup against Boston

[magnus]

Silverlining,  Brink should be well rested for her matchup against Boston

[BillBradley]

So pumped. Anytime you can go into a place like that, have many things not go your way, have half your team lay an egg, and get out with a double digit victory we have to feel good! Thoughts:

- This game was won by Prechtel stepping up in the 4th (so great to see!), Haley's rebounding (monster), and the overall play from Anna Wilson. In particular, Anna's play where she sprinted over to take the charge in the 4th was unbelievably good. 
- Really solid minutes from Kiki - this is her kind of game. We are so deep.
- 3 of the 4 quarters were great. Totally dominated them. The first 7 minutes of the 3rd quarter...abysmal. We've seen this before from this team, where we don't hit shots and everything just goes to crap. Our leaders, namely Haley and Lexi, have to make a few plays during these times to calm us down. Neither one of them did anything during that stretch but miss a bunch of shots and throw the ball away. Yick. 
- How about 21-24 from the line?
- How about outrebounding them 52-43 with Cam on the bench?

This was a great win, although I wasn't that impressed with the Vols. Just not very good shooters and their FT's killed them. They are probably a different team with Burrell. We need to play better to get the Gamecocks. Hopefully we put it all out there. Big, big game.

[BillBradley]

So pumped. Anytime you can go into a place like that, have many things not go your way, have half your team lay an egg, and get out with a double digit victory we have to feel good! Thoughts:

- This game was won by Prechtel stepping up in the 4th (so great to see!), Haley's rebounding (monster), and the overall play from Anna Wilson. In particular, Anna's play where she sprinted over to take the charge in the 4th was unbelievably good. 
- Really solid minutes from Kiki - this is her kind of game. We are so deep.
- 3 of the 4 quarters were great. Totally dominated them. The first 7 minutes of the 3rd quarter...abysmal. We've seen this before from this team, where we don't hit shots and everything just goes to crap. Our leaders, namely Haley and Lexi, have to make a few plays during these times to calm us down. Neither one of them did anything during that stretch but miss a bunch of shots and throw the ball away. Yick. 
- How about 21-24 from the line?
- How about outrebounding them 52-43 with Cam on the bench?

This was a great win, although I wasn't that impressed with the Vols. Just not very good shooters and their FT's killed them. They are probably a different team with Burrell. We need to play better to get the Gamecocks. Hopefully we put it all out there. Big, big game.

[Softball Fan]

I like Wilson at the point. Announcers seem to think she gets us into our offense faster and case in point end of the quarter, makes the right pass to Jump for the bucket.

I agree Wilson did a good job of bringing the ball down the court.  When she was up against some pressure Wilson managed to get around it.  I don't think Wilson should start but am comfortable with her off the bench to help bring the ball down the court.

The second quarter was the best Haley played this season.  Needs to have some consistency from beginning to end of game.

Prechtel sure helped out with threes at a critical time but I don't think she rebounds as well as I expect a big 6'5" player should.  She has trouble securing the ball.  In any event I like having her in the game doing the unexpected to the opponent behind the three point line.

[Softball Fan]

I like Wilson at the point. Announcers seem to think she gets us into our offense faster and case in point end of the quarter, makes the right pass to Jump for the bucket.

I agree Wilson did a good job of bringing the ball down the court.  When she was up against some pressure Wilson managed to get around it.  I don't think Wilson should start but am comfortable with her off the bench to help bring the ball down the court.

The second quarter was the best Haley played this season.  Needs to have some consistency from beginning to end of game.

Prechtel sure helped out with threes at a critical time but I don't think she rebounds as well as I expect a big 6'5" player should.  She has trouble securing the ball.  In any event I like having her in the game doing the unexpected to the opponent behind the three point line.

[81alum]

Looking at all the negativity on this board, I shudder to think what the Lady Vols board looks like.

That's what sports fans are like. I belong to a sports fan WhatsApp chat and you should see all the negativity and declarations: "Player X sucks!" or "Team Y stinks!" or "what the heck was Coach Z thinking? Terrible play-calling", etc.

The Cardboard has generally been blessedly free of the kind of panicky negativity that is typical of sports boards, and while it has infected our football threads (with ample justification, unfortunately) it seems particularly out of place when discussing our consistently outstanding WBB team. 

Once my daughter became a college athlete I changed my attitude about these bulletin boards just a bit.  One day she looked over my shoulder to see something I was posting about the performance of the players, and she asked whether I would appreciate amateur armchair analysts posting negative things about her.  Made me think just a little bit about how I phrase things, trying to make posts more analytical and less emotional, refraining from negative criticism without it being constructive in some way.  Yes, I know that is very atypical of these boards, but the Cardboard has never been typical.  The day the Cardboard become "typical" will be the day I stop coming here.

Getting back to the game, our team nearly gave me an anxiety attack in the 3rd quarter.  So much of the college game depends on emotions and how players can control them when they are flooding their psyches.   It seemed to me that Tennessee was intimidated in the first half, and we should give Harper credit for loosening them up and getting them to play their best in the 3rd.  We also started out very tight--this was probably the biggest crowd most players on our team have played in front of--given last year's lack of attendance.  At Maples this year crowd sizes have been depressed, probably due to the elderly fan base and the thread of COVID. 

Once we got a small lead, the nervous energy dissipated and our team played its game and played it well for the remainder of the half, but somehow the furor of the Tennessee comeback whipped up the tightness again and our offense in the third quarter looked much like the first few minutes of the 1st.  What reversed this scoring drought?   Prechtel!  Prechtel had been 0/5 before she went on her scoring blitz.  The memory of the Louisville game game flooding back to me, and perhaps to her.  Whatever you say about Prechtel's season statistics, she has a unique ability to get into the "zone" in the moments of most pressure.  We should nickname her "Gamesaver Prechtel" as she has done it under pressure more than once.

We should not forget that Jones had been having a fairly average to mediocre year, with many performances not nearly as fine as her outstanding performances last year.  But she too seems to be able to summon her best performances when they are needed the most.  Her shot was not going down today--3/18--but 12/12 free throws, 19 rebounds, and 5 assists were the primary reason we won this game.  She shined when we needed her, and did so even while overcoming some bad shooting.

Jump and Lexie were outstanding in the first half, but with Brink's foul issues, Iriafan deserves enormous credit.  We saw a freshman come of age in a national spotlight game with thousands of hostile fans.  4/4 with 5 rebounds and 2 assists, and she seemed unflappable.  What a brilliant future she has.

As a team, keep in mind that Tennessee is on paper a much better rebounding team than we are.  So the fact that we out rebounded them is a testament to Tara's scheme and especially to Jones. 

All in all, an important win in a difficult place to play.  South Carolina will be tougher, and we will need Brink to play for many more minutes if we are going to have a chance there.  But seeing 1) the free throws go down, 2) the rebounding improve, 3) Jones come alive, and 4) our three point shooting become respectable-- are all good signs.

[81alum]

Looking at all the negativity on this board, I shudder to think what the Lady Vols board looks like.

That's what sports fans are like. I belong to a sports fan WhatsApp chat and you should see all the negativity and declarations: "Player X sucks!" or "Team Y stinks!" or "what the heck was Coach Z thinking? Terrible play-calling", etc.

The Cardboard has generally been blessedly free of the kind of panicky negativity that is typical of sports boards, and while it has infected our football threads (with ample justification, unfortunately) it seems particularly out of place when discussing our consistently outstanding WBB team. 

Once my daughter became a college athlete I changed my attitude about these bulletin boards just a bit.  One day she looked over my shoulder to see something I was posting about the performance of the players, and she asked whether I would appreciate amateur armchair analysts posting negative things about her.  Made me think just a little bit about how I phrase things, trying to make posts more analytical and less emotional, refraining from negative criticism without it being constructive in some way.  Yes, I know that is very atypical of these boards, but the Cardboard has never been typical.  The day the Cardboard become "typical" will be the day I stop coming here.

Getting back to the game, our team nearly gave me an anxiety attack in the 3rd quarter.  So much of the college game depends on emotions and how players can control them when they are flooding their psyches.   It seemed to me that Tennessee was intimidated in the first half, and we should give Harper credit for loosening them up and getting them to play their best in the 3rd.  We also started out very tight--this was probably the biggest crowd most players on our team have played in front of--given last year's lack of attendance.  At Maples this year crowd sizes have been depressed, probably due to the elderly fan base and the thread of COVID. 

Once we got a small lead, the nervous energy dissipated and our team played its game and played it well for the remainder of the half, but somehow the furor of the Tennessee comeback whipped up the tightness again and our offense in the third quarter looked much like the first few minutes of the 1st.  What reversed this scoring drought?   Prechtel!  Prechtel had been 0/5 before she went on her scoring blitz.  The memory of the Louisville game game flooding back to me, and perhaps to her.  Whatever you say about Prechtel's season statistics, she has a unique ability to get into the "zone" in the moments of most pressure.  We should nickname her "Gamesaver Prechtel" as she has done it under pressure more than once.

We should not forget that Jones had been having a fairly average to mediocre year, with many performances not nearly as fine as her outstanding performances last year.  But she too seems to be able to summon her best performances when they are needed the most.  Her shot was not going down today--3/18--but 12/12 free throws, 19 rebounds, and 5 assists were the primary reason we won this game.  She shined when we needed her, and did so even while overcoming some bad shooting.

Jump and Lexie were outstanding in the first half, but with Brink's foul issues, Iriafan deserves enormous credit.  We saw a freshman come of age in a national spotlight game with thousands of hostile fans.  4/4 with 5 rebounds and 2 assists, and she seemed unflappable.  What a brilliant future she has.

As a team, keep in mind that Tennessee is on paper a much better rebounding team than we are.  So the fact that we out rebounded them is a testament to Tara's scheme and especially to Jones. 

All in all, an important win in a difficult place to play.  South Carolina will be tougher, and we will need Brink to play for many more minutes if we are going to have a chance there.  But seeing 1) the free throws go down, 2) the rebounding improve, 3) Jones come alive, and 4) our three point shooting become respectable-- are all good signs.

[crackpot]

On the bright side: incredible play; free thows; Kiki; scoring under pressure; and a good chunk of video from which to learn.

[crackpot]

On the bright side: incredible play; free thows; Kiki; scoring under pressure; and a good chunk of video from which to learn.

[TheWildJacko]

It is the kind of game that Prechtel, if she is shooting the three well, might be very impactful.  Tennesee's Key might get Brink into foul trouble or muscle her away from the basket, but I doubt that Key would be able to come out to defend a three point shooter well.

Brink was a pretty good three point shooter, but I don't think I have seen her making them recently.

Wow did you really predict the entire flow of this game?

[TheWildJacko]

It is the kind of game that Prechtel, if she is shooting the three well, might be very impactful.  Tennesee's Key might get Brink into foul trouble or muscle her away from the basket, but I doubt that Key would be able to come out to defend a three point shooter well.

Brink was a pretty good three point shooter, but I don't think I have seen her making them recently.

Wow did you really predict the entire flow of this game?

[BillBradley]

re: Brink's fouls. One adjustment Tara could make would be to move her onto a bigger perimeter player and off the block, and let Belibi, Prechtel, Iriafen guard the other teams low post. Cam can defend certain perimeter players with ease - like Puckett on Tennessee for instance - and there would be way less chance of a fouling.

[BillBradley]

re: Brink's fouls. One adjustment Tara could make would be to move her onto a bigger perimeter player and off the block, and let Belibi, Prechtel, Iriafen guard the other teams low post. Cam can defend certain perimeter players with ease - like Puckett on Tennessee for instance - and there would be way less chance of a fouling.

[TheFarm07]

re: Brink's fouls. One adjustment Tara could make would be to move her onto a bigger perimeter player and off the block, and let Belibi, Prechtel, Iriafen guard the other teams low post. Cam can defend certain perimeter players with ease - like Puckett on Tennessee for instance - and there would be way less chance of a fouling.

True, but it seems that Tara like a lineup of 1 post (Brink, Belibi, Iriafen or Pretchtel), Jones and then a combination of three guards (the Hull sisters, Wilson and/or Jump) a lot of the time. She has played two posts at the same time, but not too often.

[TheFarm07]

re: Brink's fouls. One adjustment Tara could make would be to move her onto a bigger perimeter player and off the block, and let Belibi, Prechtel, Iriafen guard the other teams low post. Cam can defend certain perimeter players with ease - like Puckett on Tennessee for instance - and there would be way less chance of a fouling.

True, but it seems that Tara like a lineup of 1 post (Brink, Belibi, Iriafen or Pretchtel), Jones and then a combination of three guards (the Hull sisters, Wilson and/or Jump) a lot of the time. She has played two posts at the same time, but not too often.

[81alum]

It is the kind of game that Prechtel, if she is shooting the three well, might be very impactful.  Tennesee's Key might get Brink into foul trouble or muscle her away from the basket, but I doubt that Key would be able to come out to defend a three point shooter well.

Brink was a pretty good three point shooter, but I don't think I have seen her making them recently.

Wow did you really predict the entire flow of this game?

Thank you for noticing ;)  I wasn't going to toot my own horn, but it is nice that you did it for me!  But it was not really so hard to predict.  Brink has been prone to fouling and was going up against someone her own size for almost the first time this year.  The refs were calling this game fairly close though--and I could not have predicted that.  We've often had the opposite problem in the SEC.

Prechtel has had hot stretches from three point range, as she did to save our season against Louisville.   To be fair, she made her treys (I think) when Key was sitting, so it did not go exactly as I predicted.

[81alum]

It is the kind of game that Prechtel, if she is shooting the three well, might be very impactful.  Tennesee's Key might get Brink into foul trouble or muscle her away from the basket, but I doubt that Key would be able to come out to defend a three point shooter well.

Brink was a pretty good three point shooter, but I don't think I have seen her making them recently.

Wow did you really predict the entire flow of this game?

Thank you for noticing ;)  I wasn't going to toot my own horn, but it is nice that you did it for me!  But it was not really so hard to predict.  Brink has been prone to fouling and was going up against someone her own size for almost the first time this year.  The refs were calling this game fairly close though--and I could not have predicted that.  We've often had the opposite problem in the SEC.

Prechtel has had hot stretches from three point range, as she did to save our season against Louisville.   To be fair, she made her treys (I think) when Key was sitting, so it did not go exactly as I predicted.

[BobK]

Only 8 minutes for Brink so give others scored in double figures.
Without much of Brink, Ashton and Kiki in 32 minutes had 22 points and 11 rebounds.

I do dislike Debbie and Beth. Amazed they didn’t start singing Rocky Top. Boo

---

Only 8 minutes for Brink so give others scored in double figures.
Without much of Brink, Ashton and Kiki in 32 minutes had 22 points and 11 rebounds.

I do dislike Debbie and Beth. Amazed they didn’t start singing Rocky Top. Boo

[BobK]

Only 8 minutes for Brink so give others scored in double figures.
Without much of Brink, Ashton and Kiki in 32 minutes had 22 points and 11 rebounds.

I do dislike Debbie and Beth. Amazed they didn’t start singing Rocky Top. Boo

---

Only 8 minutes for Brink so give others scored in double figures.
Without much of Brink, Ashton and Kiki in 32 minutes had 22 points and 11 rebounds.

I do dislike Debbie and Beth. Amazed they didn’t start singing Rocky Top. Boo

[teejers1]

On the bright side: incredible play; free thows; Kiki; scoring under pressure; and a good chunk of video from which to learn.

It was an odd game - but compelling, too, at least for Stanford fans.

Odd:  Brink contributing essentially nothing.  (Same for their big).  When staying out of foul trouble, Brink is a double-double falling out of bed.
Odd:  Haley having a monster scoring and rebounding (and blocking shots - couple brobdingnagian ones) while shooting very poorly and making some horrible turnovers, especially in Q3.
Odd:  Prechtel stinking up the joint from distance (and missed a short jumper in the key and 1-2 from the FT line) before absolutely saving the Cardinal with monster run of three treys and an O-board and put back.  I agree that Prechtel is not as strong a rebounder as she could/should be, but she must have had 3 or 4 D rebounds in Q3 (including a couple off FTs, which were not gimmes tonight), as well as the Q4 O-board and put back.

Compelling:  Stanford's entire 1H - the ball movement, backdoor cuts,  treys splashed (including a couple by Lexie and one by Wilson), and overall transition energy.

Compelling:  Anna Wilson was great tonight.  Period.

Compelling:  Iriafen - for some reason, I only saw/remember two of her buckets (not the 4-4 reported); regardless, she played very well.

Compelling:  The Jump trey at end of Q3 was rather important.

Compelling:  As noted by many, beating undefeated Tennessee on their home court . . . by double digits.  And really, the score does not lie in this one.  Stanford was double-digit better than Tennessee tonight.  (BTW, unless their missing player makes a brobdingnagian impact, I don't see Tennessee as a Top 10 team.  Too many holes and bad decision-makers.

P.S.  This is the kind of game where Stanford's depth really made the difference.  There are SO MANY good players on this squad.

[teejers1]

On the bright side: incredible play; free thows; Kiki; scoring under pressure; and a good chunk of video from which to learn.

It was an odd game - but compelling, too, at least for Stanford fans.

Odd:  Brink contributing essentially nothing.  (Same for their big).  When staying out of foul trouble, Brink is a double-double falling out of bed.
Odd:  Haley having a monster scoring and rebounding (and blocking shots - couple brobdingnagian ones) while shooting very poorly and making some horrible turnovers, especially in Q3.
Odd:  Prechtel stinking up the joint from distance (and missed a short jumper in the key and 1-2 from the FT line) before absolutely saving the Cardinal with monster run of three treys and an O-board and put back.  I agree that Prechtel is not as strong a rebounder as she could/should be, but she must have had 3 or 4 D rebounds in Q3 (including a couple off FTs, which were not gimmes tonight), as well as the Q4 O-board and put back.

Compelling:  Stanford's entire 1H - the ball movement, backdoor cuts,  treys splashed (including a couple by Lexie and one by Wilson), and overall transition energy.

Compelling:  Anna Wilson was great tonight.  Period.

Compelling:  Iriafen - for some reason, I only saw/remember two of her buckets (not the 4-4 reported); regardless, she played very well.

Compelling:  The Jump trey at end of Q3 was rather important.

Compelling:  As noted by many, beating undefeated Tennessee on their home court . . . by double digits.  And really, the score does not lie in this one.  Stanford was double-digit better than Tennessee tonight.  (BTW, unless their missing player makes a brobdingnagian impact, I don't see Tennessee as a Top 10 team.  Too many holes and bad decision-makers.

P.S.  This is the kind of game where Stanford's depth really made the difference.  There are SO MANY good players on this squad.

[chimera]

I paced my way to a few miles walked watching that one.  The third quarter almost did me and my feet in but the team regrouped and pulled away in the 4th.  Beating an undefeated, top 10 ranked TN team on the road with Belibi out and Brink essentially out is a big deal.  I don't think TN is all that and a bag of chips but they are very good and play the style that can give us trouble.  Given all that, this was a big win.  Jones had trouble making shots but everything else she did was critical (ok, a few TOs I could live without but we will ignore those given what else she did).  Prechtel was the offensive star when the game was tight.  Jones was the do everything star down the stretch with rebounds and FTs.

So nice to basically win the game at the FT line.  Love that Iriafen got some good minutes and played well.  This sort of atmosphere and her success could really help her going forward.  I also thought Wilson did an great job running the point.  I thought the team played better with her in the game.  That is the sort of game I had hoped to see from her - 5 assists and no TOs IIRC.  

I have seen so many bummer games away at TN even when we had excellent teams.  That makes this a sweet win.

[chimera]

I paced my way to a few miles walked watching that one.  The third quarter almost did me and my feet in but the team regrouped and pulled away in the 4th.  Beating an undefeated, top 10 ranked TN team on the road with Belibi out and Brink essentially out is a big deal.  I don't think TN is all that and a bag of chips but they are very good and play the style that can give us trouble.  Given all that, this was a big win.  Jones had trouble making shots but everything else she did was critical (ok, a few TOs I could live without but we will ignore those given what else she did).  Prechtel was the offensive star when the game was tight.  Jones was the do everything star down the stretch with rebounds and FTs.

So nice to basically win the game at the FT line.  Love that Iriafen got some good minutes and played well.  This sort of atmosphere and her success could really help her going forward.  I also thought Wilson did an great job running the point.  I thought the team played better with her in the game.  That is the sort of game I had hoped to see from her - 5 assists and no TOs IIRC.  

I have seen so many bummer games away at TN even when we had excellent teams.  That makes this a sweet win.

[TonyLima]

Brink had been a lot better earlier this season.  Some players get overly amped up in a big game, and try to do too much.

In the meantime back-to-back threes by Prechtel stretch the lead to 10 (now 8).  Looking at all the negativity on this board, I shudder to think what the Lady Vols board looks like.

BC

---

Make that back-to-back-to-back threes by Prechtel!

BC

The sophomore slump can be real. I’m wondering about Brink’s health.

[TonyLima]

Brink had been a lot better earlier this season.  Some players get overly amped up in a big game, and try to do too much.

In the meantime back-to-back threes by Prechtel stretch the lead to 10 (now 8).  Looking at all the negativity on this board, I shudder to think what the Lady Vols board looks like.

BC

---

Make that back-to-back-to-back threes by Prechtel!

BC

The sophomore slump can be real. I’m wondering about Brink’s health.

[BillBradley]

re: Brink's fouls. One adjustment Tara could make would be to move her onto a bigger perimeter player and off the block, and let Belibi, Prechtel, Iriafen guard the other teams low post. Cam can defend certain perimeter players with ease - like Puckett on Tennessee for instance - and there would be way less chance of a fouling.

True, but it seems that Tara like a lineup of 1 post (Brink, Belibi, Iriafen or Pretchtel), Jones and then a combination of three guards (the Hull sisters, Wilson and/or Jump) a lot of the time. She has played two posts at the same time, but not too often.

For sure. I'm a big fan of playing 4 guards (counting Haley as a guard). Just thinking there might be a few games where Brink is scoring at will and it might be worth the adjustment to keep her out there.

[BillBradley]

re: Brink's fouls. One adjustment Tara could make would be to move her onto a bigger perimeter player and off the block, and let Belibi, Prechtel, Iriafen guard the other teams low post. Cam can defend certain perimeter players with ease - like Puckett on Tennessee for instance - and there would be way less chance of a fouling.

True, but it seems that Tara like a lineup of 1 post (Brink, Belibi, Iriafen or Pretchtel), Jones and then a combination of three guards (the Hull sisters, Wilson and/or Jump) a lot of the time. She has played two posts at the same time, but not too often.

For sure. I'm a big fan of playing 4 guards (counting Haley as a guard). Just thinking there might be a few games where Brink is scoring at will and it might be worth the adjustment to keep her out there.

[crackpot]

It is the kind of game that Prechtel, if she is shooting the three well, might be very impactful.  Tennesee's Key might get Brink into foul trouble or muscle her away from the basket, but I doubt that Key would be able to come out to defend a three point shooter well.

Brink was a pretty good three point shooter, but I don't think I have seen her making them recently.

Wow did you really predict the entire flow of this game?

Thank you for noticing ;)  I wasn't going to toot my own horn, but it is nice that you did it for me!  But it was not really so hard to predict.  Brink has been prone to fouling and was going up against someone her own size for almost the first time this year.  The refs were calling this game fairly close though--and I could not have predicted that.  We've often had the opposite problem in the SEC.

Prechtel has had hot stretches from three point range, as she did to save our season against Louisville.   To be fair, she made her treys (I think) when Key was sitting, so it did not go exactly as I predicted.

It's as if you learn from history or somethin' ;)

[crackpot]

It is the kind of game that Prechtel, if she is shooting the three well, might be very impactful.  Tennesee's Key might get Brink into foul trouble or muscle her away from the basket, but I doubt that Key would be able to come out to defend a three point shooter well.

Brink was a pretty good three point shooter, but I don't think I have seen her making them recently.

Wow did you really predict the entire flow of this game?

Thank you for noticing ;)  I wasn't going to toot my own horn, but it is nice that you did it for me!  But it was not really so hard to predict.  Brink has been prone to fouling and was going up against someone her own size for almost the first time this year.  The refs were calling this game fairly close though--and I could not have predicted that.  We've often had the opposite problem in the SEC.

Prechtel has had hot stretches from three point range, as she did to save our season against Louisville.   To be fair, she made her treys (I think) when Key was sitting, so it did not go exactly as I predicted.

It's as if you learn from history or somethin' ;)

[triangle2]

In fairness to Brink, she had Tim Young disease today - at least a couple of those foul calls were pretty chippy, but she can’t afford to pick up fouls setting screens. Refs were darn inconsistent on the calls inside. Not worried in general about Brink even if today was a hydrant day. She’s still developing and still so young. Love that the team had her back and pulled the win out.

Today was a great day for depth and a reminder that foul trouble and injury can suddenly mean that the team needs you. Props to Prechtel, Wilson and Iriafen who each stepped up with big minutes. I like that the team senses when Prechtel is hot and then gets her shots in her spots.

[triangle2]

In fairness to Brink, she had Tim Young disease today - at least a couple of those foul calls were pretty chippy, but she can’t afford to pick up fouls setting screens. Refs were darn inconsistent on the calls inside. Not worried in general about Brink even if today was a hydrant day. She’s still developing and still so young. Love that the team had her back and pulled the win out.

Today was a great day for depth and a reminder that foul trouble and injury can suddenly mean that the team needs you. Props to Prechtel, Wilson and Iriafen who each stepped up with big minutes. I like that the team senses when Prechtel is hot and then gets her shots in her spots.

[TonyLima]

I paced my way to a few miles walked watching that one.  The third quarter almost did me and my feet in but the team regrouped and pulled away in the 4th.  Beating an undefeated, top 10 ranked TN team on the road with Belibi out and Brink essentially out is a big deal.  I don't think TN is all that and a bag of chips but they are very good and play the style that can give us trouble.  Given all that, this was a big win.  Jones had trouble making shots but everything else she did was critical (ok, a few TOs I could live without but we will ignore those given what else she did).  Prechtel was the offensive star when the game was tight.  Jones was the do everything star down the stretch with rebounds and FTs.

So nice to basically win the game at the FT line.  Love that Iriafen got some good minutes and played well.  This sort of atmosphere and her success could really help her going forward.  I also thought Wilson did an great job running the point.  I thought the team played better with her in the game.  That is the sort of game I had hoped to see from her - 5 assists and no TOs IIRC.  

I have seen so many bummer games away at TN even when we had excellent teams.  That makes this a sweet win.

Iriafen has the look of a star. Smooth, quick, can dribble and drive, cleans up under the hoop.

---

On the bright side: incredible play; free thows; Kiki; scoring under pressure; and a good chunk of video from which to learn.

It was an odd game - but compelling, too, at least for Stanford fans.

Odd:  Brink contributing essentially nothing.  (Same for their big).  When staying out of foul trouble, Brink is a double-double falling out of bed.
Odd:  Haley having a monster scoring and rebounding (and blocking shots - couple of immense proportions ones) while shooting very poorly and making some horrible turnovers, especially in Q3.
Odd:  Prechtel stinking up the joint from distance (and missed a short jumper in the key and 1-2 from the FT line) before absolutely saving the Cardinal with monster run of three treys and an O-board and put back.  I agree that Prechtel is not as strong a rebounder as she could/should be, but she must have had 3 or 4 D rebounds in Q3 (including a couple off FTs, which were not gimmes tonight), as well as the Q4 O-board and put back.

Compelling:  Stanford's entire 1H - the ball movement, backdoor cuts,  treys splashed (including a couple by Lexie and one by Wilson), and overall transition energy.

Compelling:  Anna Wilson was great tonight.  Period.

Compelling:  Iriafen - for some reason, I only saw/remember two of her buckets (not the 4-4 reported); regardless, she played very well.

Compelling:  The Jump trey at end of Q3 was rather important.

Compelling:  As noted by many, beating undefeated Tennessee on their home court . . . by double digits.  And really, the score does not lie in this one.  Stanford was double-digit better than Tennessee tonight.  (BTW, unless their missing player makes a of immense proportions impact, I don't see Tennessee as a Top 10 team.  Too many holes and bad decision-makers.

P.S.  This is the kind of game where Stanford's depth really made the difference.  There are SO MANY good players on this squad.

Agree with all of this. Just want to add that TN seems to have found a coach ready for the big time. Did not like her screaming at players. Hopefully she matures.

[TonyLima]

I paced my way to a few miles walked watching that one.  The third quarter almost did me and my feet in but the team regrouped and pulled away in the 4th.  Beating an undefeated, top 10 ranked TN team on the road with Belibi out and Brink essentially out is a big deal.  I don't think TN is all that and a bag of chips but they are very good and play the style that can give us trouble.  Given all that, this was a big win.  Jones had trouble making shots but everything else she did was critical (ok, a few TOs I could live without but we will ignore those given what else she did).  Prechtel was the offensive star when the game was tight.  Jones was the do everything star down the stretch with rebounds and FTs.

So nice to basically win the game at the FT line.  Love that Iriafen got some good minutes and played well.  This sort of atmosphere and her success could really help her going forward.  I also thought Wilson did an great job running the point.  I thought the team played better with her in the game.  That is the sort of game I had hoped to see from her - 5 assists and no TOs IIRC.  

I have seen so many bummer games away at TN even when we had excellent teams.  That makes this a sweet win.

Iriafen has the look of a star. Smooth, quick, can dribble and drive, cleans up under the hoop.

---

On the bright side: incredible play; free thows; Kiki; scoring under pressure; and a good chunk of video from which to learn.

It was an odd game - but compelling, too, at least for Stanford fans.

Odd:  Brink contributing essentially nothing.  (Same for their big).  When staying out of foul trouble, Brink is a double-double falling out of bed.
Odd:  Haley having a monster scoring and rebounding (and blocking shots - couple of immense proportions ones) while shooting very poorly and making some horrible turnovers, especially in Q3.
Odd:  Prechtel stinking up the joint from distance (and missed a short jumper in the key and 1-2 from the FT line) before absolutely saving the Cardinal with monster run of three treys and an O-board and put back.  I agree that Prechtel is not as strong a rebounder as she could/should be, but she must have had 3 or 4 D rebounds in Q3 (including a couple off FTs, which were not gimmes tonight), as well as the Q4 O-board and put back.

Compelling:  Stanford's entire 1H - the ball movement, backdoor cuts,  treys splashed (including a couple by Lexie and one by Wilson), and overall transition energy.

Compelling:  Anna Wilson was great tonight.  Period.

Compelling:  Iriafen - for some reason, I only saw/remember two of her buckets (not the 4-4 reported); regardless, she played very well.

Compelling:  The Jump trey at end of Q3 was rather important.

Compelling:  As noted by many, beating undefeated Tennessee on their home court . . . by double digits.  And really, the score does not lie in this one.  Stanford was double-digit better than Tennessee tonight.  (BTW, unless their missing player makes a of immense proportions impact, I don't see Tennessee as a Top 10 team.  Too many holes and bad decision-makers.

P.S.  This is the kind of game where Stanford's depth really made the difference.  There are SO MANY good players on this squad.

Agree with all of this. Just want to add that TN seems to have found a coach ready for the big time. Did not like her screaming at players. Hopefully she matures.

[TonyLima]

Looking at all the negativity on this board, I shudder to think what the Lady Vols board looks like.

That's what sports fans are like. I belong to a sports fan WhatsApp chat and you should see all the negativity and declarations: "Player X sucks!" or "Team Y stinks!" or "what the heck was Coach Z thinking? Terrible play-calling", etc.

The Cardboard has generally been blessedly free of the kind of panicky negativity that is typical of sports boards, and while it has infected our football threads (with ample justification, unfortunately) it seems particularly out of place when discussing our consistently outstanding WBB team. 

Once my daughter became a college athlete I changed my attitude about these bulletin boards just a bit.  One day she looked over my shoulder to see something I was posting about the performance of the players, and she asked whether I would appreciate amateur armchair analysts posting negative things about her.  Made me think just a little bit about how I phrase things, trying to make posts more analytical and less emotional, refraining from negative criticism without it being constructive in some way.  Yes, I know that is very atypical of these boards, but the Cardboard has never been typical.  The day the Cardboard become "typical" will be the day I stop coming here.

Getting back to the game, our team nearly gave me an anxiety attack in the 3rd quarter.  So much of the college game depends on emotions and how players can control them when they are flooding their psyches.   It seemed to me that Tennessee was intimidated in the first half, and we should give Harper credit for loosening them up and getting them to play their best in the 3rd.  We also started out very tight--this was probably the biggest crowd most players on our team have played in front of--given last year's lack of attendance.  At Maples this year crowd sizes have been depressed, probably due to the elderly fan base and the thread of COVID. 

Once we got a small lead, the nervous energy dissipated and our team played its game and played it well for the remainder of the half, but somehow the furor of the Tennessee comeback whipped up the tightness again and our offense in the third quarter looked much like the first few minutes of the 1st.  What reversed this scoring drought?   Prechtel!  Prechtel had been 0/5 before she went on her scoring blitz.  The memory of the Louisville game game flooding back to me, and perhaps to her.  Whatever you say about Prechtel's season statistics, she has a unique ability to get into the "zone" in the moments of most pressure.  We should nickname her "Gamesaver Prechtel" as she has done it under pressure more than once.

We should not forget that Jones had been having a fairly average to mediocre year, with many performances not nearly as fine as her outstanding performances last year.  But she too seems to be able to summon her best performances when they are needed the most.  Her shot was not going down today--3/18--but 12/12 free throws, 19 rebounds, and 5 assists were the primary reason we won this game.  She shined when we needed her, and did so even while overcoming some bad shooting.

Jump and Lexie were outstanding in the first half, but with Brink's foul issues, Iriafan deserves enormous credit.  We saw a freshman come of age in a national spotlight game with thousands of hostile fans.  4/4 with 5 rebounds and 2 assists, and she seemed unflappable.  What a brilliant future she has.

As a team, keep in mind that Tennessee is on paper a much better rebounding team than we are.  So the fact that we out rebounded them is a testament to Tara's scheme and especially to Jones. 

All in all, an important win in a difficult place to play.  South Carolina will be tougher, and we will need Brink to play for many more minutes if we are going to have a chance there.  But seeing 1) the free throws go down, 2) the rebounding improve, 3) Jones come alive, and 4) our three point shooting become respectable-- are all good signs.

Re attendance at Maples, I’m one of those elderly fans. I’m fully vaxxed. And I would gladly go to games if the mask mandate was repealed. I could go without a mask, but, if I was allowed in, I’m sure I would be harassed continuously. No thanks.

---

Silverlining,  Brink should be well rested for her matchup against Boston

LOL good point. But I thought it was USC (east)

[TonyLima]

Looking at all the negativity on this board, I shudder to think what the Lady Vols board looks like.

That's what sports fans are like. I belong to a sports fan WhatsApp chat and you should see all the negativity and declarations: "Player X sucks!" or "Team Y stinks!" or "what the heck was Coach Z thinking? Terrible play-calling", etc.

The Cardboard has generally been blessedly free of the kind of panicky negativity that is typical of sports boards, and while it has infected our football threads (with ample justification, unfortunately) it seems particularly out of place when discussing our consistently outstanding WBB team. 

Once my daughter became a college athlete I changed my attitude about these bulletin boards just a bit.  One day she looked over my shoulder to see something I was posting about the performance of the players, and she asked whether I would appreciate amateur armchair analysts posting negative things about her.  Made me think just a little bit about how I phrase things, trying to make posts more analytical and less emotional, refraining from negative criticism without it being constructive in some way.  Yes, I know that is very atypical of these boards, but the Cardboard has never been typical.  The day the Cardboard become "typical" will be the day I stop coming here.

Getting back to the game, our team nearly gave me an anxiety attack in the 3rd quarter.  So much of the college game depends on emotions and how players can control them when they are flooding their psyches.   It seemed to me that Tennessee was intimidated in the first half, and we should give Harper credit for loosening them up and getting them to play their best in the 3rd.  We also started out very tight--this was probably the biggest crowd most players on our team have played in front of--given last year's lack of attendance.  At Maples this year crowd sizes have been depressed, probably due to the elderly fan base and the thread of COVID. 

Once we got a small lead, the nervous energy dissipated and our team played its game and played it well for the remainder of the half, but somehow the furor of the Tennessee comeback whipped up the tightness again and our offense in the third quarter looked much like the first few minutes of the 1st.  What reversed this scoring drought?   Prechtel!  Prechtel had been 0/5 before she went on her scoring blitz.  The memory of the Louisville game game flooding back to me, and perhaps to her.  Whatever you say about Prechtel's season statistics, she has a unique ability to get into the "zone" in the moments of most pressure.  We should nickname her "Gamesaver Prechtel" as she has done it under pressure more than once.

We should not forget that Jones had been having a fairly average to mediocre year, with many performances not nearly as fine as her outstanding performances last year.  But she too seems to be able to summon her best performances when they are needed the most.  Her shot was not going down today--3/18--but 12/12 free throws, 19 rebounds, and 5 assists were the primary reason we won this game.  She shined when we needed her, and did so even while overcoming some bad shooting.

Jump and Lexie were outstanding in the first half, but with Brink's foul issues, Iriafan deserves enormous credit.  We saw a freshman come of age in a national spotlight game with thousands of hostile fans.  4/4 with 5 rebounds and 2 assists, and she seemed unflappable.  What a brilliant future she has.

As a team, keep in mind that Tennessee is on paper a much better rebounding team than we are.  So the fact that we out rebounded them is a testament to Tara's scheme and especially to Jones. 

All in all, an important win in a difficult place to play.  South Carolina will be tougher, and we will need Brink to play for many more minutes if we are going to have a chance there.  But seeing 1) the free throws go down, 2) the rebounding improve, 3) Jones come alive, and 4) our three point shooting become respectable-- are all good signs.

Re attendance at Maples, I’m one of those elderly fans. I’m fully vaxxed. And I would gladly go to games if the mask mandate was repealed. I could go without a mask, but, if I was allowed in, I’m sure I would be harassed continuously. No thanks.

---

Silverlining,  Brink should be well rested for her matchup against Boston

LOL good point. But I thought it was USC (east)

[WBB fan]

What a lot of great comments -- I find myself basically agreeing with everything said. But one thing re Haley did strike me. She was obviously crucial, especially all the rebounds and the free throws, and she deserves all the kudos given her, but there were a few times I felt that she seemed to be trying to take too much on herself, not looking for her teammates, instead, trying to do it all. Prechtel and Iriafen really deserve all the credit given them above, also Anna. And what about Jump? She was right in there as well. Fantastic win. And Lexie was a beast -- and Lacie did a great job. Actually, nearly everyone did. What a fantastic win.

And I too did a lot of pacing. I think I put in about 2 miles walking around my kitchen island (which is just behind the TV set)

Now onward to S. Carolina. At this point, I'm feeling that a win there is possible. I can't imagine that Cam will have two awful games in a row. And those predictions that after the AP poll on Sunday it will be a 1 vs 2 game -- I think that is now highly likely. ESPN must be salivating. Though I suspect they'd be even happier if U Conn was one of the 1 or 2 ranked in the game.

[WBB fan]

What a lot of great comments -- I find myself basically agreeing with everything said. But one thing re Haley did strike me. She was obviously crucial, especially all the rebounds and the free throws, and she deserves all the kudos given her, but there were a few times I felt that she seemed to be trying to take too much on herself, not looking for her teammates, instead, trying to do it all. Prechtel and Iriafen really deserve all the credit given them above, also Anna. And what about Jump? She was right in there as well. Fantastic win. And Lexie was a beast -- and Lacie did a great job. Actually, nearly everyone did. What a fantastic win.

And I too did a lot of pacing. I think I put in about 2 miles walking around my kitchen island (which is just behind the TV set)

Now onward to S. Carolina. At this point, I'm feeling that a win there is possible. I can't imagine that Cam will have two awful games in a row. And those predictions that after the AP poll on Sunday it will be a 1 vs 2 game -- I think that is now highly likely. ESPN must be salivating. Though I suspect they'd be even happier if U Conn was one of the 1 or 2 ranked in the game.

[M T]

Once my daughter became a college athlete I changed my attitude about these bulletin boards just a bit.  One day she looked over my shoulder to see something I was posting about the performance of the players, and she asked whether I would appreciate amateur armchair analysts posting negative things about her.  Made me think just a little bit about how I phrase things, trying to make posts more analytical and less emotional, refraining from negative criticism without it being constructive in some way.  Yes, I know that is very atypical of these boards, but the Cardboard has never been typical.  The day the Cardboard become "typical" will be the day I stop coming here.

Where's the +1 when a post deserves it?

[M T]

Once my daughter became a college athlete I changed my attitude about these bulletin boards just a bit.  One day she looked over my shoulder to see something I was posting about the performance of the players, and she asked whether I would appreciate amateur armchair analysts posting negative things about her.  Made me think just a little bit about how I phrase things, trying to make posts more analytical and less emotional, refraining from negative criticism without it being constructive in some way.  Yes, I know that is very atypical of these boards, but the Cardboard has never been typical.  The day the Cardboard become "typical" will be the day I stop coming here.

Where's the +1 when a post deserves it?