Preview:
Oklahoma State defeated Wake Forest 84-61 today to earn the right to take us on.
Oklahoma State is led by 6'4" Natasha Mack, reportedly a top 5 WNBA pick this year. She has a very long reach beyond her height--reminds me of Brink in build, or perhaps a taller Mya Hollingshed. She gets the ball down low and has spin moves and accuracy once she does. She also has a decent mid range jumper and uses the glass well, even from outside layup range. Wake Forest had no one who could stop her--on some possessions Wake Forest shut her down by doubling her and having both doubles fronting her so she could not get the ball--but later she received lobs and put them in. WF pushed her 8 or even 10 feet out and still she would hit jumpers or bank them in. At first they had some success offensively against Mack, but Mack improved defensively as the game went along and in fact has an excellent reputation for defense--she leads the nation in blocks. Mack averages 19 points and 12 rebounds per game, and is the national leader with 107 blocks on the year.
One possible weakness--I noticed by the 3rd quarter that Mack was not really running the floor. Not sure if she was tiring or if the OSU strategy is to keep her back until later in the shot clock. Perhaps we can wear her down by rotating multiple bigs against her and all running the floor.
Oklahoma State also has Ja'Mee Asberry, a 5'5" redshirt junior who is hitting 42% of her threes, and freshman guard Lexi Keyes got hot from three point range today too. This gives Oklahoma State the inside/outside game that makes them tough to defend. If Anna Wilson can go, I think she would probably be assigned to Asberry, and we will need to double Mack. I worry about foul trouble by Brink trying to cover Mack. OSU will be studying our Colorado loss, I am sure, for pointers on how to get Mack to have a game like Hollingshed's.
Only Mack and Asberry average in double figures. Other players can score, but only those two are apt to "go off" and so I have some confidence that Tara's defensive scheme will come up with something. OSU does not appear to have 5 players who are all threats, so Tara may be able to devise something interesting to take something away from them. On the other hand, in today's game they had 21 assists to propel their 35 baskets, they made 8 of 21 treys--and that is tough to defend.
OSU did not significantly out rebound a shorter and less athletic Wake Forest team, so perhaps there is an opportunity to beat them on the glass.
We may need Brink or Belibi to have an outstanding defensive game, and it sure would help to be just as hot shooting from three point range as we were tonight. But Oklahoma State seems to me to be more of a sweet 16 team than they do a 2nd round team--they certainly are better than Colorado, so we will have our hands full. Can we beat them if we play less than our best? Probably. Can we beat them if have a bad shooting night as we did for our two losses? Probably not. But fortunately we have been shooting well of late.
Oklahoma State defeated Wake Forest 84-61 today to earn the right to take us on.
Oklahoma State is led by 6'4" Natasha Mack, reportedly a top 5 WNBA pick this year. She has a very long reach beyond her height--reminds me of Brink in build, or perhaps a taller Mya Hollingshed. She gets the ball down low and has spin moves and accuracy once she does. She also has a decent mid range jumper and uses the glass well, even from outside layup range. Wake Forest had no one who could stop her--on some possessions Wake Forest shut her down by doubling her and having both doubles fronting her so she could not get the ball--but later she received lobs and put them in. WF pushed her 8 or even 10 feet out and still she would hit jumpers or bank them in. At first they had some success offensively against Mack, but Mack improved defensively as the game went along and in fact has an excellent reputation for defense--she leads the nation in blocks. Mack averages 19 points and 12 rebounds per game, and is the national leader with 107 blocks on the year.
One possible weakness--I noticed by the 3rd quarter that Mack was not really running the floor. Not sure if she was tiring or if the OSU strategy is to keep her back until later in the shot clock. Perhaps we can wear her down by rotating multiple bigs against her and all running the floor.
Oklahoma State also has Ja'Mee Asberry, a 5'5" redshirt junior who is hitting 42% of her threes, and freshman guard Lexi Keyes got hot from three point range today too. This gives Oklahoma State the inside/outside game that makes them tough to defend. If Anna Wilson can go, I think she would probably be assigned to Asberry, and we will need to double Mack. I worry about foul trouble by Brink trying to cover Mack. OSU will be studying our Colorado loss, I am sure, for pointers on how to get Mack to have a game like Hollingshed's.
Only Mack and Asberry average in double figures. Other players can score, but only those two are apt to "go off" and so I have some confidence that Tara's defensive scheme will come up with something. OSU does not appear to have 5 players who are all threats, so Tara may be able to devise something interesting to take something away from them. On the other hand, in today's game they had 21 assists to propel their 35 baskets, they made 8 of 21 treys--and that is tough to defend.
OSU did not significantly out rebound a shorter and less athletic Wake Forest team, so perhaps there is an opportunity to beat them on the glass.
We may need Brink or Belibi to have an outstanding defensive game, and it sure would help to be just as hot shooting from three point range as we were tonight. But Oklahoma State seems to me to be more of a sweet 16 team than they do a 2nd round team--they certainly are better than Colorado, so we will have our hands full. Can we beat them if we play less than our best? Probably. Can we beat them if have a bad shooting night as we did for our two losses? Probably not. But fortunately we have been shooting well of late.