[chimera]

Ah well, better rebounding would have helped.  We did not box out well enough.  Losing Karlie allowed them to zone us too easily.  Would we have won if she had not gotten hurt?  Maybe.  Winnable game.  Players seemed to be pressing in the second half.  That foul on Alanna toward the end when we had gotten close, like down 3, had me going nuts.  I thought it was on Wilson.  Alanna had position, was facing the basket, went up for the rebound, and Wilson grabbed it from behind.  Either no foul or a foul on Wilson.  Did I see that wrong?  I don't know that I've seen a foul called like that if I saw it right.  That call might have really changed the game.  Rebounding is ultimately what killed us, that and cold shooting.  I also thought the refs blew the call when Bird drove late and Wilson slid over and got her with the body.  Ball got lost OOB and no call.  the sad thing is I don't think we played close to our best, not nearly as well as we could have.  Some of that was good D by SC, but more of it was us.  How many walking TOs did we have?  Four or five?  Well, it was a great year overall despite the sad end.  Congrats to the team and good luck to the seniors.  It has been a pleasure to cheer for this team.

[chimera]

Ah well, better rebounding would have helped.  We did not box out well enough.  Losing Karlie allowed them to zone us too easily.  Would we have won if she had not gotten hurt?  Maybe.  Winnable game.  Players seemed to be pressing in the second half.  That foul on Alanna toward the end when we had gotten close, like down 3, had me going nuts.  I thought it was on Wilson.  Alanna had position, was facing the basket, went up for the rebound, and Wilson grabbed it from behind.  Either no foul or a foul on Wilson.  Did I see that wrong?  I don't know that I've seen a foul called like that if I saw it right.  That call might have really changed the game.  Rebounding is ultimately what killed us, that and cold shooting.  I also thought the refs blew the call when Bird drove late and Wilson slid over and got her with the body.  Ball got lost OOB and no call.  the sad thing is I don't think we played close to our best, not nearly as well as we could have.  Some of that was good D by SC, but more of it was us.  How many walking TOs did we have?  Four or five?  Well, it was a great year overall despite the sad end.  Congrats to the team and good luck to the seniors.  It has been a pleasure to cheer for this team.

[triangle2]

I think when I can stomach going back through the second half, what I'll see is that the offensive execution broke down. This team thrived this year on out-executing its opponents and just couldn't do it without a healthy Karlie running her usual cuts around screens  that helped the ball move.

Watching how much more difficult it was for the offense to run with Karlie on the bench was a poignant reminder of what the team is losing for next year. Teams are going to play us very differently without Karlie on the court.

This for me this was one of the most satisfying seasons in recent memory - it is always a pleasure to watch an underdog overachieve. They got so far with a team that lacked a superstar yet achieved so much by playing..."together" and for each other.

You could see after the Notre Dame game how proud Tara was of this team and of her seniors. It was a great run.

[triangle2]

I think when I can stomach going back through the second half, what I'll see is that the offensive execution broke down. This team thrived this year on out-executing its opponents and just couldn't do it without a healthy Karlie running her usual cuts around screens  that helped the ball move.

Watching how much more difficult it was for the offense to run with Karlie on the bench was a poignant reminder of what the team is losing for next year. Teams are going to play us very differently without Karlie on the court.

This for me this was one of the most satisfying seasons in recent memory - it is always a pleasure to watch an underdog overachieve. They got so far with a team that lacked a superstar yet achieved so much by playing..."together" and for each other.

You could see after the Notre Dame game how proud Tara was of this team and of her seniors. It was a great run.

[RuralFan]

It is so hard to remember what an outstanding season it has been when we played so poorly in the second half.  When Karlie couldn't go and we couldn't rebound, I was hoping we would try Bird, Alanna, and Kaylee in the front with Brit, Bri or Marta as the guards. Maybe they have never practiced together.

Each of our three seniors provided something unique and will be remembered for some special wins.  Right now, I have no idea how we will field a team next year, but I suppose we will.

[RuralFan]

It is so hard to remember what an outstanding season it has been when we played so poorly in the second half.  When Karlie couldn't go and we couldn't rebound, I was hoping we would try Bird, Alanna, and Kaylee in the front with Brit, Bri or Marta as the guards. Maybe they have never practiced together.

Each of our three seniors provided something unique and will be remembered for some special wins.  Right now, I have no idea how we will field a team next year, but I suppose we will.

[cardcrimson]

Didn't see any of the game. Listened to the first half on XM, nothing on the second half. The color commentated said several times that she couldn't believe there wasn't a foul called on SC. Then I saw the box score, Stanford only shot 5 from the line, while SC shot over 20. Any comments as to why?

[cardcrimson]

Didn't see any of the game. Listened to the first half on XM, nothing on the second half. The color commentated said several times that she couldn't believe there wasn't a foul called on SC. Then I saw the box score, Stanford only shot 5 from the line, while SC shot over 20. Any comments as to why?

[TheFarm07]

It is so hard to remember what an outstanding season it has been when we played so poorly in the second half.  When Karlie couldn't go and we couldn't rebound, I was hoping we would try Bird, Alanna, and Kaylee in the front with Brit, Bri or Marta as the guards. Maybe they have never practiced together.

Each of our three seniors provided something unique and will be remembered for some special wins.  Right now, I have no idea how we will field a team next year, but I suppose we will.

Right now, it looks like we have Marta, Brit, Alanna and Kaylee as probable starters, so it leaves one open starting role.

We could go for a bigger lineup by sliding Brit into the 2 and having Fingall join the frontcourt of Smith and Kaylee.

We could go for smaller and more athletic with Carrington at the 2. I was heartened to see her make a couple of big contributions at the end of the game. She only had limited minutes this season playing behind Karlie and Brit and the 2-point guard offense, but I think with her hustle, athleticism and aggression and a summer's worth of improvement, she can make a contribution right away next season.

We need Marta to have the confidence and willingness to hit jumpers, she doesn't have to take 15 shots a game, but she has to make opposing teams pay for sagging off of her.

Kaylee has shown limited flashes of scoring inside, but she needs to contribute more offensively and work on her post moves. She's great at rebounding and defense, but her limited time even after recovering from injury was due to the emergence of Smith's scoring. Tara needed the points and Kaylee couldn't contribute very much.

With Bri's graduation, I think we might see heavy usage of Kiana Williams, despite being a freshman. Sniezek logged in significant time as a freshman at point and if Anna Wilson is not fully recovered from her injury, then Kiana might be called to relieve Marta during games.

[TheFarm07]

It is so hard to remember what an outstanding season it has been when we played so poorly in the second half.  When Karlie couldn't go and we couldn't rebound, I was hoping we would try Bird, Alanna, and Kaylee in the front with Brit, Bri or Marta as the guards. Maybe they have never practiced together.

Each of our three seniors provided something unique and will be remembered for some special wins.  Right now, I have no idea how we will field a team next year, but I suppose we will.

Right now, it looks like we have Marta, Brit, Alanna and Kaylee as probable starters, so it leaves one open starting role.

We could go for a bigger lineup by sliding Brit into the 2 and having Fingall join the frontcourt of Smith and Kaylee.

We could go for smaller and more athletic with Carrington at the 2. I was heartened to see her make a couple of big contributions at the end of the game. She only had limited minutes this season playing behind Karlie and Brit and the 2-point guard offense, but I think with her hustle, athleticism and aggression and a summer's worth of improvement, she can make a contribution right away next season.

We need Marta to have the confidence and willingness to hit jumpers, she doesn't have to take 15 shots a game, but she has to make opposing teams pay for sagging off of her.

Kaylee has shown limited flashes of scoring inside, but she needs to contribute more offensively and work on her post moves. She's great at rebounding and defense, but her limited time even after recovering from injury was due to the emergence of Smith's scoring. Tara needed the points and Kaylee couldn't contribute very much.

With Bri's graduation, I think we might see heavy usage of Kiana Williams, despite being a freshman. Sniezek logged in significant time as a freshman at point and if Anna Wilson is not fully recovered from her injury, then Kiana might be called to relieve Marta during games.

[BostonCard]

Don't get too excited but Mississippi state is up on the evil empire at the half.

BC

[BostonCard]

Don't get too excited but Mississippi state is up on the evil empire at the half.

BC

[chimera]

Hard to think about next year right now but it will be another interesting puzzle for the coaches to sort out.  To the good, Alanna has become a key player and should only get better.  Kaylee was starting to find her offensive groove before she got hurt but never recovered it after coming back.  If Alanna can sort of take over the down low scoring we got from Bird, and all indications are she can, Kaylee doesn't need to score a ton, she just needs to be a good complimentary scorer and a key rebounder.  We can also hope and expect Nadia improves and adds to the post rotation.  She got enough time this year to know what she needs to do.  The wild card inside might be Dodson, who maybe can play the 4.  And will Shannon stay healthy and improve enough to get into the rotation?  Certainly possible.  We should be ok inside if everyone is healthy and the improvement trajectory is what we expect.

Outside, we will miss Karlie, probably more than anyone else because we do not seem to have another dead eye shooter like her.  Has to be done by committee because we need shooters.  We cannot space the floor well without them.  So who can shoot?  Brit struggled a lot with her three-point shot for much of the season but got it going later on.  She should be good for a few threes a game besides all her drives and pull ups.  Marta came on late too, getting much better at running the offense and mostly cutting down on TOs from too ambitious passing.  She does need to find a shot, not a lot but she needs to take two or three threes a game and make somewhere around a third to be a credible threat.  Tara seems to think she is a capable shooter, which means it is mental - getting confident and taking in rhythm shots.  Alanna can shoot threes.  Nadia is supposedly a decent shooter also.  DiJonai is a very intriguing player.  She could be fantastic.  She is very strong with the ball and can shoot and rebound.  She can be a bit of a wild card on court but experience should cure that and if and when it does, we could have a special player.  Not sure it will be next year but we can hope.  And what about Alexa, who looks like she can play a little, maybe not as the back-up pg, as she has been playing, but maybe an off guard.  She can shoot, is pretty quick, and maybe next year she gets more time.  Wild cards are Brewer (what is up with her status?), Wilson (how good is she when healthy?  Can she get and stay healthy?) and the freshmen.  Williams could get time if Wilson is not healthy. 

Anyway, back to this year, which I think I will remember very fondly as a fan.  Fun team to root for and they overachieved in my book.  I never thought we were a F4 team, not without a real go-to star player, and with our not always clicking offense, but they pulled it off with grit and teamwork. 

[chimera]

Hard to think about next year right now but it will be another interesting puzzle for the coaches to sort out.  To the good, Alanna has become a key player and should only get better.  Kaylee was starting to find her offensive groove before she got hurt but never recovered it after coming back.  If Alanna can sort of take over the down low scoring we got from Bird, and all indications are she can, Kaylee doesn't need to score a ton, she just needs to be a good complimentary scorer and a key rebounder.  We can also hope and expect Nadia improves and adds to the post rotation.  She got enough time this year to know what she needs to do.  The wild card inside might be Dodson, who maybe can play the 4.  And will Shannon stay healthy and improve enough to get into the rotation?  Certainly possible.  We should be ok inside if everyone is healthy and the improvement trajectory is what we expect.

Outside, we will miss Karlie, probably more than anyone else because we do not seem to have another dead eye shooter like her.  Has to be done by committee because we need shooters.  We cannot space the floor well without them.  So who can shoot?  Brit struggled a lot with her three-point shot for much of the season but got it going later on.  She should be good for a few threes a game besides all her drives and pull ups.  Marta came on late too, getting much better at running the offense and mostly cutting down on TOs from too ambitious passing.  She does need to find a shot, not a lot but she needs to take two or three threes a game and make somewhere around a third to be a credible threat.  Tara seems to think she is a capable shooter, which means it is mental - getting confident and taking in rhythm shots.  Alanna can shoot threes.  Nadia is supposedly a decent shooter also.  DiJonai is a very intriguing player.  She could be fantastic.  She is very strong with the ball and can shoot and rebound.  She can be a bit of a wild card on court but experience should cure that and if and when it does, we could have a special player.  Not sure it will be next year but we can hope.  And what about Alexa, who looks like she can play a little, maybe not as the back-up pg, as she has been playing, but maybe an off guard.  She can shoot, is pretty quick, and maybe next year she gets more time.  Wild cards are Brewer (what is up with her status?), Wilson (how good is she when healthy?  Can she get and stay healthy?) and the freshmen.  Williams could get time if Wilson is not healthy. 

Anyway, back to this year, which I think I will remember very fondly as a fan.  Fun team to root for and they overachieved in my book.  I never thought we were a F4 team, not without a real go-to star player, and with our not always clicking offense, but they pulled it off with grit and teamwork. 

[BostonCard]

Uconn MSU going to OT.

BC

[BostonCard]

Uconn MSU going to OT.

BC

[CompSci87]

I'm super proud of this year's team. They went way farther than I thought they could at the start of the year: Pac-12 tournament champs and a close 2nd in the regular season, and Final Four in the NCAA tournament. I would never have predicted that.

We'll lose a lot with the seniors, but next year's team will have talent too. We have a strong incoming freshman class with two McD's AAs, the Wisconsin player of the year, and the best player in Canada. In the sophomore class, Anna Wilson looked like the real thing in the rare game or two when she was healthy, while Carrington and Fingall got good experience this year and will hopefully make the customary big improvement from freshman to sophomore. Brewer could contribute too if healthy. I forget who it was, but one of the sportscasters who got to watch practice remarked on how good Alexa Romano looked there, and quoted Tara having some good words about her, but Tara said it was hard to crack the rotation with the guards we had this year in front of her. Hoping to see her do that this coming year.

[CompSci87]

I'm super proud of this year's team. They went way farther than I thought they could at the start of the year: Pac-12 tournament champs and a close 2nd in the regular season, and Final Four in the NCAA tournament. I would never have predicted that.

We'll lose a lot with the seniors, but next year's team will have talent too. We have a strong incoming freshman class with two McD's AAs, the Wisconsin player of the year, and the best player in Canada. In the sophomore class, Anna Wilson looked like the real thing in the rare game or two when she was healthy, while Carrington and Fingall got good experience this year and will hopefully make the customary big improvement from freshman to sophomore. Brewer could contribute too if healthy. I forget who it was, but one of the sportscasters who got to watch practice remarked on how good Alexa Romano looked there, and quoted Tara having some good words about her, but Tara said it was hard to crack the rotation with the guards we had this year in front of her. Hoping to see her do that this coming year.

[TheFarm07]

There are a lot of uncertainties about the team going into next year with how the starters will improve, how the bench players' production translates over the course of full games and how soon the incoming class will contribute.

It's tough to watch how the season ended and also to wait 7+ months until the next season to start and a year until the next postseason

(and now UConn's streak is at a L1)

[TheFarm07]

There are a lot of uncertainties about the team going into next year with how the starters will improve, how the bench players' production translates over the course of full games and how soon the incoming class will contribute.

It's tough to watch how the season ended and also to wait 7+ months until the next season to start and a year until the next postseason

(and now UConn's streak is at a L1)

[French Rage]

MSU upsets UConn 66-64 in OT.

The Samuelsons are taking suggestions on sights to see in Dallas over the weekend.

[French Rage]

MSU upsets UConn 66-64 in OT.

The Samuelsons are taking suggestions on sights to see in Dallas over the weekend.

[CompSci87]

Uconn MSU going to OT.

MSU wins on a buzzer beater!

Just before that, Lou Samuelson had tied it up on 2 free throws, on a flagrant 1 that was missed in real time but called on video review. Difficult for the officials to call that, but it was correct.

UConn got the ball with a tie score after the free throws, but Chong drove early into traffic and lost the ball. That set up MSU to go for the final shot.

[CompSci87]

Uconn MSU going to OT.

MSU wins on a buzzer beater!

Just before that, Lou Samuelson had tied it up on 2 free throws, on a flagrant 1 that was missed in real time but called on video review. Difficult for the officials to call that, but it was correct.

UConn got the ball with a tie score after the free throws, but Chong drove early into traffic and lost the ball. That set up MSU to go for the final shot.

[81alum]

That was one of the most exciting finishes in WBB history as Mississippi State defeats UConn with time expiring in overtime, on Morgan William's jumpshot that dropped through after time expired.  Wow.

[81alum]

That was one of the most exciting finishes in WBB history as Mississippi State defeats UConn with time expiring in overtime, on Morgan William's jumpshot that dropped through after time expired.  Wow.

[TheFarm07]

MSU upsets UConn 66-64 in OT.

The Samuelsons are taking suggestions on sights to see in Dallas over the weekend.

Between Karlie's bum ankle and Katie Lou's shot to the neck and the two disappointing games for the family, I feel for them. Not the way they wanted to end the season.

[TheFarm07]

MSU upsets UConn 66-64 in OT.

The Samuelsons are taking suggestions on sights to see in Dallas over the weekend.

Between Karlie's bum ankle and Katie Lou's shot to the neck and the two disappointing games for the family, I feel for them. Not the way they wanted to end the season.

[UltimateCard]

Snake-bit?!
http://www.espn.com/espnw/culture/the-bu...n-stanford

[UltimateCard]

Snake-bit?!
http://www.espn.com/espnw/culture/the-bu...n-stanford

[winflop]

Couldn't be more proud of this year's team. It just looked like they ran out of gas in the second half. Lots of good looks and many of them were front rim which is a sign of tired legs. Can't blame them - on the road for basically an entire month and having finals in the middle of the tournament. Not making excuses, but they just didn't have it tonight in the second half.

[winflop]

Couldn't be more proud of this year's team. It just looked like they ran out of gas in the second half. Lots of good looks and many of them were front rim which is a sign of tired legs. Can't blame them - on the road for basically an entire month and having finals in the middle of the tournament. Not making excuses, but they just didn't have it tonight in the second half.

[neya]

cant get over it. 😳 what an unfortunate time to get injured.with no superstar,they say this team overachieved this yr.i dont think so.they may not have a superstar but they have a super team.they compensate their mismatches with their smarts.and they play team basketball.their unselfishness got them this far. and im extremely proud to have watched most of their games from a diff continent.

so sad to see karlie ending her career with an injury. she is my fav player on this team.my fav samuelson.i wanted to see more of her.if not for her twisted ankle,stanford is going for the NC no doubt. to me, she is a superstar.

until next season.will still cheer for this team all the way from Manila ☺

[neya]

cant get over it. 😳 what an unfortunate time to get injured.with no superstar,they say this team overachieved this yr.i dont think so.they may not have a superstar but they have a super team.they compensate their mismatches with their smarts.and they play team basketball.their unselfishness got them this far. and im extremely proud to have watched most of their games from a diff continent.

so sad to see karlie ending her career with an injury. she is my fav player on this team.my fav samuelson.i wanted to see more of her.if not for her twisted ankle,stanford is going for the NC no doubt. to me, she is a superstar.

until next season.will still cheer for this team all the way from Manila ☺

[81alum]

In the Stanford locker room, McCall said, “I don’t think it’s hit me yet” that the season is over. “I still feel like we’ve got a game in the upcoming days. Right now, I’m smiling. I’m proud of how this team performed. I’m proud of the career I’ve had at Stanford, the love I have here. I can only keep smiling.”

http://www.sfgate.com/collegesports/arti...042611.php

And we will smile with you, Bird.

[81alum]

In the Stanford locker room, McCall said, “I don’t think it’s hit me yet” that the season is over. “I still feel like we’ve got a game in the upcoming days. Right now, I’m smiling. I’m proud of how this team performed. I’m proud of the career I’ve had at Stanford, the love I have here. I can only keep smiling.”

http://www.sfgate.com/collegesports/arti...042611.php

And we will smile with you, Bird.

[BobK]

If the foul had been called correctly on Turner not Smith we have the ball down 3 with two Minutes to go.

Ah crap what could have been

[BobK]

If the foul had been called correctly on Turner not Smith we have the ball down 3 with two Minutes to go.

Ah crap what could have been

[81alum]

If the foul had been called correctly on Turner not Smith we have the ball down 3 with two Minutes to go.

Ah crap what could have been

ESPN3 has the game available on replay with both the standard broadcast and an alternative rim view.  Quite enlightening to watch it from the other angle.  It sure looks like Turner was going over the back of Smith on that rebound, but I guess they thought the rebound was clean and that Smith then got Turner backing up into her while Turner was shooting after the rebound was over.

[81alum]

If the foul had been called correctly on Turner not Smith we have the ball down 3 with two Minutes to go.

Ah crap what could have been

ESPN3 has the game available on replay with both the standard broadcast and an alternative rim view.  Quite enlightening to watch it from the other angle.  It sure looks like Turner was going over the back of Smith on that rebound, but I guess they thought the rebound was clean and that Smith then got Turner backing up into her while Turner was shooting after the rebound was over.