The concerning part about today's game is that I'm afraid some fans, members of the media and even Dawn herself believe we lost to Iowa because of the lack of outside shooting. That wasn't the main reason. The biggest reason was a lack of urgency. We fall behind ten points to start the game; the bench claws our way back into and then the starting lineup once again falls behind by double digits to start the 3rd. The bench valiantly fought back in the 2nd half, but we dug ourselves too big of a hole. Dawn didn't play the players who were playing the best enough.
Today, I thought the team came out with an unbelievable sense of urgency. They were absolutely locked in on defense. With a minute left in the 1st half, we were up 20. Inexplicably, Dawn puts Sakima Walker in the game. It's difficult to imagine Walker could have played any worse. She turned the ball over twice in her first 40 seconds in the game. On defense, she completely misplayed a screen and allowed Jewel Spear an open look from 3, which she hit. The lead went from 20 to 13 in a minute.
I don't get it. Why was she in the game? Yes, Cardoso picked up her 2nd foul. However, Feagin was already in the game and Kitts was on the bench with 1 foul. Chloe was perhaps our best player today. We finished +12 with her on the court in only 17 minutes. We have NINE players who helped build a lead and then Dawn has to play that 10th player who did nothing to build the lead. Why take your foot off the gas? This is the semi-finals of the SEC tournament against Tennessee. The players came out playing with great intensity and I feel like Dawn sent the wrong message by playing the end of her bench, like we were playing Mississippi Valley State in November.
All that being said, Dawn is 66-1 over the last two seasons, so what do I know? She believes her team is going to win the 4th quarter and win the game, and they did. She is cool, calm and collected, no doubt about it. But, maybe, just a little more urgency will make this team perform even better. The NCAA tournament doesn't start for over a week. No need to rest anyone tomorrow. Play the players playing the best.