01-03-2025, 09:14 AM
I was also at the game, but now with the miracle that is the ACC Digital Network, we can all see the game:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbgCgOv7lzs
It felt like many of the guards driving in were hoping for a foul call. Some of those drives really deserved whistles, but they were not often blown. The ages-old desperation three game yielded the same result in the third quarter. Some of those were decent looks too. It's D1 basketball: your best looks are always going to be uncomfortable, so get used to it.
SMU's Jones is a grad student who easily created her own shot and seemingly couldn't miss up until the very end. Robertson was talented as well, and SMU had two bigs inside who got away with second-degree murder in the paint (in my opinion). I didn't realize Stanford was a 12-pt favorite (really?), not without equally effective guard play.
At some point in the third quarter, SMU had more offensive rebounds than Stanford had defensive rebounds. Never a good sign (but okay, SMU had two very effective bigs). And I gotta say, the team's ability to anticipate rebound timing was just not there tonight. It was as if their basketball instincts were turned off until the last few minutes of brilliance. Against faster or more athletic opponents, they'll need to rely on instincts and anticipation to stay ahead of the defense. For most of the game, there was too much wait-and-see on offense, not enough chemistry. I think I saw Heal motion quite visibly for someone to cut to the basket at one point, after which a bounce pass resulted in a layup. That kind of situation shouldn't require a big hand wave. The players need to be thinking on the same wavelength and seeing the same chessboard.
Those last few minutes were amazing though. Stanford took SMU out of their comfort zone and had SMU players jawing at each other to assign blame for turnovers and blown opportunities. A whole first quarter of Stanford brilliance might have knocked SMU out right away. Instead, it was SMU who nearly knocked out Stanford early on.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbgCgOv7lzs
It felt like many of the guards driving in were hoping for a foul call. Some of those drives really deserved whistles, but they were not often blown. The ages-old desperation three game yielded the same result in the third quarter. Some of those were decent looks too. It's D1 basketball: your best looks are always going to be uncomfortable, so get used to it.
SMU's Jones is a grad student who easily created her own shot and seemingly couldn't miss up until the very end. Robertson was talented as well, and SMU had two bigs inside who got away with second-degree murder in the paint (in my opinion). I didn't realize Stanford was a 12-pt favorite (really?), not without equally effective guard play.
At some point in the third quarter, SMU had more offensive rebounds than Stanford had defensive rebounds. Never a good sign (but okay, SMU had two very effective bigs). And I gotta say, the team's ability to anticipate rebound timing was just not there tonight. It was as if their basketball instincts were turned off until the last few minutes of brilliance. Against faster or more athletic opponents, they'll need to rely on instincts and anticipation to stay ahead of the defense. For most of the game, there was too much wait-and-see on offense, not enough chemistry. I think I saw Heal motion quite visibly for someone to cut to the basket at one point, after which a bounce pass resulted in a layup. That kind of situation shouldn't require a big hand wave. The players need to be thinking on the same wavelength and seeing the same chessboard.
Those last few minutes were amazing though. Stanford took SMU out of their comfort zone and had SMU players jawing at each other to assign blame for turnovers and blown opportunities. A whole first quarter of Stanford brilliance might have knocked SMU out right away. Instead, it was SMU who nearly knocked out Stanford early on.