[81alum]

  When they're consistently dialed-in, no PAC-12 team can beat us.

I hope you are right.

Something that doesn't get discussed enough is the quality of coaching in the Pac 12.  Probably about half of the other coaches besides Tara are truly quality coaches that--given the players they have available--know how to put on a defense that forces us to play away from our strengths. 

For example, Charmin Smith may or may not be a good recruiter and she has not always had the best players, but clearly she has learned how to put on a superb defense against us.

Cori Close has always known how to take away our strengths, ever since she held Chiney to 3 points I believe in a Pac 12 tournament game.  I think Amber won that game for us despite Chiney's performance--with a mid-range jumper!

JR Payne has beaten us several times, always with defense.

Adia Barnes has also beaten us and of course came within one point in the national championship game.  And it is always by playing an aggressive defense in a low scoring game.

Scott Rueck, when he has the players, has beaten us in tough, low scoring games.

Kelly Graves is the exception to this rule.  Oregon usually plays zone--and sometimes is is a very active and very good zone--but when they were beating us it was often in higher scoring games.

So what is the point of this litany of opposing coaches?  They build on each other's work.  All of them saw what Smith did to us last game, and many of them can implement the same strategy with even better players.  When one has a break-through in exposing a weakness on our team, they all benefit.  This is why it is imperative that Tara and the coaches come up with a plan by Friday to overcome what I will call 1-sag-paint defense.  (The most athletic perimeter defender blanketing Jump and all others sagging into the paint to stop Brink and Jones.)   (By the way, this might in fact be an "official" junk defense, the box-and-1, with the 1 on Jump and the others sagging so much it might as well be a 4 man zone.)

I have confidence that Tara will do just this, and then all the quality opposing coaches will be scheming up something fresh to take us out of our strengths.  That is their job.  And Tara's is to stay one step ahead of them.  She did not last time, but I hope we won't have too many more root canals.

[81alum]

  When they're consistently dialed-in, no PAC-12 team can beat us.

I hope you are right.

Something that doesn't get discussed enough is the quality of coaching in the Pac 12.  Probably about half of the other coaches besides Tara are truly quality coaches that--given the players they have available--know how to put on a defense that forces us to play away from our strengths. 

For example, Charmin Smith may or may not be a good recruiter and she has not always had the best players, but clearly she has learned how to put on a superb defense against us.

Cori Close has always known how to take away our strengths, ever since she held Chiney to 3 points I believe in a Pac 12 tournament game.  I think Amber won that game for us despite Chiney's performance--with a mid-range jumper!

JR Payne has beaten us several times, always with defense.

Adia Barnes has also beaten us and of course came within one point in the national championship game.  And it is always by playing an aggressive defense in a low scoring game.

Scott Rueck, when he has the players, has beaten us in tough, low scoring games.

Kelly Graves is the exception to this rule.  Oregon usually plays zone--and sometimes is is a very active and very good zone--but when they were beating us it was often in higher scoring games.

So what is the point of this litany of opposing coaches?  They build on each other's work.  All of them saw what Smith did to us last game, and many of them can implement the same strategy with even better players.  When one has a break-through in exposing a weakness on our team, they all benefit.  This is why it is imperative that Tara and the coaches come up with a plan by Friday to overcome what I will call 1-sag-paint defense.  (The most athletic perimeter defender blanketing Jump and all others sagging into the paint to stop Brink and Jones.)   (By the way, this might in fact be an "official" junk defense, the box-and-1, with the 1 on Jump and the others sagging so much it might as well be a 4 man zone.)

I have confidence that Tara will do just this, and then all the quality opposing coaches will be scheming up something fresh to take us out of our strengths.  That is their job.  And Tara's is to stay one step ahead of them.  She did not last time, but I hope we won't have too many more root canals.