[TonyLima]

While WBB has made vast strides in the last generation, there still are relatively few teams capable of playing for a natty in any given year.  There is far less parity than in MBB.  This means that Tara gets stuck having to play a lot of creampuffs and only gets a few key tests each year.  This was one of those tests.  I have heard Tara and the assistant coaches talk about this repeatedly--not in so many words--but Tara is a teacher, and Dawn has just given her a critique of her lesson plan.  Testing a young team against a more experienced champion is a wonderful way to expose weaknesses early in the season and to help you figure out where to concentrate your efforts for improvements.

And improve we will.  What has always distinguished Tara from her competition is the November-to-March transition.  All teams may improve some, but Tara's teams often improve by leaps and bounds, and frequently look very different in March.  Those of us who are obsessed with Stanford WBB and have followed it for decades recognize the pattern.  The fact that we just played the national champions to overtime in November bodes extremely well.  South Carolina is not going to improve as much as Stanford will improve, so I like our chances if we get to play them again.

So what did we learn?

1) We have confirmed our new point guard.  The biggest question mark going into the season is erased.  Mana from heaven compared with where we were one year ago.

2) The same old saw about Cam fouling too much applies--I am at the point where I think it is just part of her DNA.  SHe probably won't change, so what we need instead is an excellent person to back her up.  We need Betts in particular to come along, and she will.

3) Iriafen has further to go than her miraculous domination early season hinted.  Good to know.  She needs to be given the green light to start hitting her jump shot, which has appeared excellent.

4) It is official, Jones is in a slump.  She was not playing well against the weaklings, and we hoped she would rise the the occasion.  She had an OK first half but too much was put on her in the second half.  We need other players to be able to take the shot with time running down, and need to develop that skill in Lepolo, most probably.  But let the pressure off of Jones, play her at wing, and let her be joyful.  She will become an automatic double-double again, and turnovers will recede too.

Playing a weak schedule before this game was not good.  But I defer to others who know more about scheduling difficulties.

My earlier question remains unanswered.  Betts scored 4 points in 4 minutes, then rode the bench for the rest of the game (including OT after Brink fouled out).

Re Brink, she continues to have ticky-tack fouls called against her.  That fourth foul was, at worst, a touch.

[TonyLima]

While WBB has made vast strides in the last generation, there still are relatively few teams capable of playing for a natty in any given year.  There is far less parity than in MBB.  This means that Tara gets stuck having to play a lot of creampuffs and only gets a few key tests each year.  This was one of those tests.  I have heard Tara and the assistant coaches talk about this repeatedly--not in so many words--but Tara is a teacher, and Dawn has just given her a critique of her lesson plan.  Testing a young team against a more experienced champion is a wonderful way to expose weaknesses early in the season and to help you figure out where to concentrate your efforts for improvements.

And improve we will.  What has always distinguished Tara from her competition is the November-to-March transition.  All teams may improve some, but Tara's teams often improve by leaps and bounds, and frequently look very different in March.  Those of us who are obsessed with Stanford WBB and have followed it for decades recognize the pattern.  The fact that we just played the national champions to overtime in November bodes extremely well.  South Carolina is not going to improve as much as Stanford will improve, so I like our chances if we get to play them again.

So what did we learn?

1) We have confirmed our new point guard.  The biggest question mark going into the season is erased.  Mana from heaven compared with where we were one year ago.

2) The same old saw about Cam fouling too much applies--I am at the point where I think it is just part of her DNA.  SHe probably won't change, so what we need instead is an excellent person to back her up.  We need Betts in particular to come along, and she will.

3) Iriafen has further to go than her miraculous domination early season hinted.  Good to know.  She needs to be given the green light to start hitting her jump shot, which has appeared excellent.

4) It is official, Jones is in a slump.  She was not playing well against the weaklings, and we hoped she would rise the the occasion.  She had an OK first half but too much was put on her in the second half.  We need other players to be able to take the shot with time running down, and need to develop that skill in Lepolo, most probably.  But let the pressure off of Jones, play her at wing, and let her be joyful.  She will become an automatic double-double again, and turnovers will recede too.

Playing a weak schedule before this game was not good.  But I defer to others who know more about scheduling difficulties.

My earlier question remains unanswered.  Betts scored 4 points in 4 minutes, then rode the bench for the rest of the game (including OT after Brink fouled out).

Re Brink, she continues to have ticky-tack fouls called against her.  That fourth foul was, at worst, a touch.