[stopandpop]

Coach Paye is 0-8 against ranked teams as a head coach. Stanford has not beat a ranked opponent since Cam Brinks senior season and Tara’s last year on the bench.

Is this really worth pointing out? Should we have beaten Tennessee? Should we have beaten LSU, NC State or Duke last year? Do we have better players than those teams?  

I'm not saying KP has done anything to give us confidence that she's going to be a great coach for Stanford, but I don't think there's an evident case that she's underperforming either. Last year's team and this year's team are just not as good as every other team of the last ~15 years. If you're expecting those results with these players, I think you're not in touch with where this program is right now. When Tara left, Cam, Kiki and Hannah left with her.  

I think we have a lot more talent on this roster than last year, but it's going to take time (i.e. probably not this season) for them to become a contender for conference titles, let alone national titles.

Our women's team performance against ranked teams under this new coach, yes, seems relevant on a discussion board about that women's team.
Should we have won against Tenn?  I dunno, maybe coulda, rather than shoulda.
But how about vs FGCU which is ranked only 159 in Net rankings?  That looks like a bad loss just 10 games into this season, should we climb into consideration for the NCAA tournament later.
How about an underwater team Assists/TO ratio of 0.84? Which indicates continued lack of ball control basketball.
One can still root for a team while observing that while some things may be going good, others are really not.

I hear you. But I also think you're saying 2 different things (and maybe I am too). One is about our record against ranked teams under Paye. Of course, you're well within your right as a fan to complain about this stuff and this is an appropriate place to do so. I'm saying, is that really the best way to judge what's happening with this team/program right now? I don't think so. I don't think we're better than most (or any) of those teams, either on paper or certainly on the court. I wish we were, but we're not. I bet Tennessee fans often feel kind of similar; they're a WCB blue blood just like us, and they haven't played at that level consistently for a while now. We're only in Year 2 of being off that track, and I think we have to be more patient. That's what I was trying to suggest. 

The second thing you said was should we have beaten FGCU? And I agree with you, that was a bad loss and a roster with this kind of talent shouldn't lose* to a team like that (* except sometimes teams have head-scratching losses). That one is concerning to me. That's a better place to raise questions, I think, and perhaps a better place to judge whether this program is headed in the right direction than to criticize the record against top teams. I want to see them get better this year, and I'll be disappointed if they don't. Last year they didn't get better, but they had a lot working against them: first year in the ACC, first-year coach, a lack of quality players, an underperforming senior class, and Nunu got hurt in conference play. 

I hope we start to see progress, and I think that 5-person lineup they had on the court for most of the 2nd half was a sign of progress, even if we didn't get the W against this ranked team in a close, winnable game.

First, kudos to the team that fought to the end against a much quicker and more physical Tennessee team.  If you have been following officiating trends over the past several seasons, you have noticed that the refs are rewarding physicality so Stanford must adapt and better-prepare for that physicality the rest of the way.

I agree with everyone on the Board who said that (despite the 30 turnovers), Stanford could have won this game.  I think the problem near the end was the Stanford players were simply 'out of gas', working so hard to get the ball past midcourt and having withered continuous waves of (fresh) Tennessee players who were hounding Stanford at every step.  The Stanford (side to side) offense, which we have vigorously debated (sadly) was 'made to order' for a team like Tennessee.  One way you attack Tennessee is how UCLA and crushed them down in Pauley Pavilion on Nov. 30th. 99-77 and it wasn't even that close.  They accomplished this without Lauren Betts being any kind of factor.  In fact, UCLA played better that night WITHOUT Betts in the line-up.  UCLA placed a post or forward art midcourt as a safety-valve for guards Rice and Leger-Walker to pass to and the press was broken.  Once over midcourt, the Bruins set strong screens at the high post and their players went 'down hill' and scored repeatedly.  I am not suggesting that Stanford should play like UCLA- 2 totally different teams and talent, but I would bet that Coach Paye, her staff and possibly the team watched that game and I'm surprised they didn't seem to prepare for Tennessee's pressure.

Another way to attack a relentless defense (like Tennessee's) is setting HARD (legal) screens at the high post.  Stanford's screens are typically 'soft'.

I am reminded that Coach Vanderveer was one of the greatest half-time adjusters in women's college basketball.  I remember that Coach V. would put Brink at midcourt (just like UCLA did with their Bigs).  The Stanford guards would throw the ball to Brink and the press would be broken.   I did not see any adjustments in this game, nor against FGCU, a mid-major that never should have challenged Stanford in Las Vegas.

I do agree that the team will grow from this experience.

[stopandpop]

Coach Paye is 0-8 against ranked teams as a head coach. Stanford has not beat a ranked opponent since Cam Brinks senior season and Tara’s last year on the bench.

Is this really worth pointing out? Should we have beaten Tennessee? Should we have beaten LSU, NC State or Duke last year? Do we have better players than those teams?  

I'm not saying KP has done anything to give us confidence that she's going to be a great coach for Stanford, but I don't think there's an evident case that she's underperforming either. Last year's team and this year's team are just not as good as every other team of the last ~15 years. If you're expecting those results with these players, I think you're not in touch with where this program is right now. When Tara left, Cam, Kiki and Hannah left with her.  

I think we have a lot more talent on this roster than last year, but it's going to take time (i.e. probably not this season) for them to become a contender for conference titles, let alone national titles.

Our women's team performance against ranked teams under this new coach, yes, seems relevant on a discussion board about that women's team.
Should we have won against Tenn?  I dunno, maybe coulda, rather than shoulda.
But how about vs FGCU which is ranked only 159 in Net rankings?  That looks like a bad loss just 10 games into this season, should we climb into consideration for the NCAA tournament later.
How about an underwater team Assists/TO ratio of 0.84? Which indicates continued lack of ball control basketball.
One can still root for a team while observing that while some things may be going good, others are really not.

I hear you. But I also think you're saying 2 different things (and maybe I am too). One is about our record against ranked teams under Paye. Of course, you're well within your right as a fan to complain about this stuff and this is an appropriate place to do so. I'm saying, is that really the best way to judge what's happening with this team/program right now? I don't think so. I don't think we're better than most (or any) of those teams, either on paper or certainly on the court. I wish we were, but we're not. I bet Tennessee fans often feel kind of similar; they're a WCB blue blood just like us, and they haven't played at that level consistently for a while now. We're only in Year 2 of being off that track, and I think we have to be more patient. That's what I was trying to suggest. 

The second thing you said was should we have beaten FGCU? And I agree with you, that was a bad loss and a roster with this kind of talent shouldn't lose* to a team like that (* except sometimes teams have head-scratching losses). That one is concerning to me. That's a better place to raise questions, I think, and perhaps a better place to judge whether this program is headed in the right direction than to criticize the record against top teams. I want to see them get better this year, and I'll be disappointed if they don't. Last year they didn't get better, but they had a lot working against them: first year in the ACC, first-year coach, a lack of quality players, an underperforming senior class, and Nunu got hurt in conference play. 

I hope we start to see progress, and I think that 5-person lineup they had on the court for most of the 2nd half was a sign of progress, even if we didn't get the W against this ranked team in a close, winnable game.

First, kudos to the team that fought to the end against a much quicker and more physical Tennessee team.  If you have been following officiating trends over the past several seasons, you have noticed that the refs are rewarding physicality so Stanford must adapt and better-prepare for that physicality the rest of the way.

I agree with everyone on the Board who said that (despite the 30 turnovers), Stanford could have won this game.  I think the problem near the end was the Stanford players were simply 'out of gas', working so hard to get the ball past midcourt and having withered continuous waves of (fresh) Tennessee players who were hounding Stanford at every step.  The Stanford (side to side) offense, which we have vigorously debated (sadly) was 'made to order' for a team like Tennessee.  One way you attack Tennessee is how UCLA and crushed them down in Pauley Pavilion on Nov. 30th. 99-77 and it wasn't even that close.  They accomplished this without Lauren Betts being any kind of factor.  In fact, UCLA played better that night WITHOUT Betts in the line-up.  UCLA placed a post or forward art midcourt as a safety-valve for guards Rice and Leger-Walker to pass to and the press was broken.  Once over midcourt, the Bruins set strong screens at the high post and their players went 'down hill' and scored repeatedly.  I am not suggesting that Stanford should play like UCLA- 2 totally different teams and talent, but I would bet that Coach Paye, her staff and possibly the team watched that game and I'm surprised they didn't seem to prepare for Tennessee's pressure.

Another way to attack a relentless defense (like Tennessee's) is setting HARD (legal) screens at the high post.  Stanford's screens are typically 'soft'.

I am reminded that Coach Vanderveer was one of the greatest half-time adjusters in women's college basketball.  I remember that Coach V. would put Brink at midcourt (just like UCLA did with their Bigs).  The Stanford guards would throw the ball to Brink and the press would be broken.   I did not see any adjustments in this game, nor against FGCU, a mid-major that never should have challenged Stanford in Las Vegas.

I do agree that the team will grow from this experience.