[81alum]

The game in November is not the national championship game.  It is at the time of the year that a team is developing game conditioning and honing its tools.  I have no problem with pushing the players endurance now, seeing how (and having them see how) they play when tired, especially against a top team.

Excellent point, MT.  And it fits with everything we know about Tara.  For many, many years it has been clear that Tara's March teams evolve substantially from her November teams.  And testing them early and then making corrections and lineup changes is what she does.  She is a developmental coach--in the sense of TEAM development.  I rarely have been able to guess how she is going to develop the team, but then along comes another final-four 30+ win season like clockwork.  There have been seasons she has achieved that with far, far less talent than she has now.  In Tara we trust.  That said, I am scratching my head at how little the bench got used against SCAR.  But she knows what she is doing.  That was not some mental lapse on her part.

[81alum]

The game in November is not the national championship game.  It is at the time of the year that a team is developing game conditioning and honing its tools.  I have no problem with pushing the players endurance now, seeing how (and having them see how) they play when tired, especially against a top team.

Excellent point, MT.  And it fits with everything we know about Tara.  For many, many years it has been clear that Tara's March teams evolve substantially from her November teams.  And testing them early and then making corrections and lineup changes is what she does.  She is a developmental coach--in the sense of TEAM development.  I rarely have been able to guess how she is going to develop the team, but then along comes another final-four 30+ win season like clockwork.  There have been seasons she has achieved that with far, far less talent than she has now.  In Tara we trust.  That said, I am scratching my head at how little the bench got used against SCAR.  But she knows what she is doing.  That was not some mental lapse on her part.