[Mudhead]

Preview:

We get a return engagement with JR Payne and Colorado on Sunday.  The last time in Colorado we won a low scoring game by 8 points.  In that game Jones had 7 turnovers and the team 22--Colorado had 15 steals.  That resulted in us taking 52 shots compared with Colorado's 57 shots.  That, in a nutshell, is JR Payne's defensive mentality and how she wins games.

Colorado is now 16-6, 5-6 in conference.  Massey has them at 32, the NET has them at 33.  That is pretty good, and is reflected in the tight game they played us in last time out:

https://thecardboard.org/board/showthrea...#pid341204

Since our last victory, Colorado has not done so well, going 3-5 over that stretch.  They lost to Oregon State in overtime, lost to the Arizona schools on an away trip, split with Utah, split with the Washington schools and just clobbered Cal.

Colorado is tough to defend in that they do not depend on only 1 or 2 offensive stars--and if their defense is working they don't need them.  In our loss to them a couple of years ago forward Hollingshed torched us, and guard Sherrod has sometimes been a dynamo.  We held both of them in check last time we played, but Quay Miller scored 16 instead.  In a low scoring game, 16 is a lot, and it shows that while Colorado players are not always prolific on offense, most of them are capable of stepping up if we focus on others.

In our victory over Colorado we scored 60--our lowest scoring victory of the season.  In our three losses we scored 56, 54, and 61--so that should indicated the kind of defense we are up against.  We ought to be able to keep Colorado's own offense under control, but the key to the game will be finding ways to get our own offense in gear against a suffocating defense similar to the defenses that have beaten us. 

I think we are a better team than we were last time out, and Colorado no longer will have the elevation advantage.  A lot may hinge on Anna Wilson, who brings a 3 game no-turnover streak into a game against a steal-oriented team.  If Anna can keep it up and get a couple of steals of her own, this might be a very different game than last time out.

Thanks for a very good write up. I thought your insight into the method behind what appears to be Paynes madness was important. I’ve been trying to figure out why you would have a basic approach that  can only work against a good team if your players are amped up and the other team is flat.  If you believe you will always have inferior talent, your goal is to surprise people rather than win championships.  That’s ok with me except Colorado’s style of play seems to lead to injuries for both teams and places physical aggressiveness on a pedestal above all other traits.

I’m digressing, though, because I deeply dislike this style of play .  

The game is nevertheless important for us.  A win effectively clinches the #1 seed for the PAC 12:tourney . Hopefully, we can avoid injury. The coaching staff can then focus on preparing first for the PAC 12 tourney but more importantly for a run at another Natty.  That means developing players like Iriafen  and Demetre who seem only a step away from being of major hellp in key games where we have (1) foul trouble or (2) injury. 

FYI, i think Hamilton, Van Gytenbeek (sp?) and Agnes are already there.

[Mudhead]

Preview:

We get a return engagement with JR Payne and Colorado on Sunday.  The last time in Colorado we won a low scoring game by 8 points.  In that game Jones had 7 turnovers and the team 22--Colorado had 15 steals.  That resulted in us taking 52 shots compared with Colorado's 57 shots.  That, in a nutshell, is JR Payne's defensive mentality and how she wins games.

Colorado is now 16-6, 5-6 in conference.  Massey has them at 32, the NET has them at 33.  That is pretty good, and is reflected in the tight game they played us in last time out:

https://thecardboard.org/board/showthrea...#pid341204

Since our last victory, Colorado has not done so well, going 3-5 over that stretch.  They lost to Oregon State in overtime, lost to the Arizona schools on an away trip, split with Utah, split with the Washington schools and just clobbered Cal.

Colorado is tough to defend in that they do not depend on only 1 or 2 offensive stars--and if their defense is working they don't need them.  In our loss to them a couple of years ago forward Hollingshed torched us, and guard Sherrod has sometimes been a dynamo.  We held both of them in check last time we played, but Quay Miller scored 16 instead.  In a low scoring game, 16 is a lot, and it shows that while Colorado players are not always prolific on offense, most of them are capable of stepping up if we focus on others.

In our victory over Colorado we scored 60--our lowest scoring victory of the season.  In our three losses we scored 56, 54, and 61--so that should indicated the kind of defense we are up against.  We ought to be able to keep Colorado's own offense under control, but the key to the game will be finding ways to get our own offense in gear against a suffocating defense similar to the defenses that have beaten us. 

I think we are a better team than we were last time out, and Colorado no longer will have the elevation advantage.  A lot may hinge on Anna Wilson, who brings a 3 game no-turnover streak into a game against a steal-oriented team.  If Anna can keep it up and get a couple of steals of her own, this might be a very different game than last time out.

Thanks for a very good write up. I thought your insight into the method behind what appears to be Paynes madness was important. I’ve been trying to figure out why you would have a basic approach that  can only work against a good team if your players are amped up and the other team is flat.  If you believe you will always have inferior talent, your goal is to surprise people rather than win championships.  That’s ok with me except Colorado’s style of play seems to lead to injuries for both teams and places physical aggressiveness on a pedestal above all other traits.

I’m digressing, though, because I deeply dislike this style of play .  

The game is nevertheless important for us.  A win effectively clinches the #1 seed for the PAC 12:tourney . Hopefully, we can avoid injury. The coaching staff can then focus on preparing first for the PAC 12 tourney but more importantly for a run at another Natty.  That means developing players like Iriafen  and Demetre who seem only a step away from being of major hellp in key games where we have (1) foul trouble or (2) injury. 

FYI, i think Hamilton, Van Gytenbeek (sp?) and Agnes are already there.