2024-2025 WBB Team (2022-present)
- Thread starter TN-Gamecock
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We've handed 2 out of our last 3 opponents their worst losses of the season. It's disrespectful to suggest we haven't been playing well. Other teams are good too. Beating them is an accomplishment. I expect a battle from NC State.
Disagree. Other teams can play their best, but we’ve clearly slid the past two games…it’s not even debatable. Pao Pao disappeared today like a ghost, and Fulwiley looked absolutely terrible in limited minutes. Cardoso has horrible touch under the basket, and there’s an APB out for Kitts. Sure, ugly wins are dandy, but we are LETTING TEAMS HANG AROUND. Recipe for disaster. Did the UCONN teams from their heyday have these disappearing acts?
Credit to Dawn Staley
Dawn Staley is incredible. To lose so much production from last year's Final Four team, retool the roster, still be nine to 10 players deep on the bench and make it back to the Final Four undefeated … there's nobody better right now. What she's built at South Carolina is incredibly special.
Cameron Teague Robinson
·Staff Writer, CFB
Dawn Staley is incredible. To lose so much production from last year's Final Four team, retool the roster, still be nine to 10 players deep on the bench and make it back to the Final Four undefeated … there's nobody better right now. What she's built at South Carolina is incredibly special.
Cameron Teague Robinson
·Staff Writer, CFB
South Carolina's Final Four run continues, but this one feels different
With a new cast of stars, South Carolina is in its fourth straight Final Four.
theathletic.com
Flip side. All you said is true and we still won by 12. Imagine if just a couple of those things change.
Shay Holle for Texas
Andraya Carter postgame said something very spot on about us, when the other analyst said we were struggling.
She said and I paraphrase “South Carolina is just more. OSU assisted on 17 of 19 field goals, had 4 players in double figures, eliminated their turnover problem,dictated pace of play, played good D, even got help with a bad shooting day from the Gamecocks AND STILL had their largest loss of the season. They got killed on the O boards. To beat South Carolina you have to check off every box for 40 minutes. You can’t even do 9 out of 10 things great, it has to be 10 for 10.
Yes. The games were closer than all of us would have liked. However , these were two disciplined teams that shot well against us and it still wasn’t enough. The teams closed the margin, but it never got to the point where you were like, “Uh-Oh, we may lose this thing. I think it prepares us well especially if we see a team like Iowa. NC State’s guard play is a little bit of a concern. This may not be a Paopao game unless she is hitting shots early.
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A key moment in the game was when Gardiner committed her 3rd foul just at the under 5 minutes timeout near the end of the 1st half. OSU came out of the TO without either Gardiner or Beers in the lineup. We immediately went to Cardoso who scored to go up 7 and then on the next possession Fulwiley scored on an offensive rebound to go up 9.
Rueck immediately called timeout, realizing he was getting killed in the paint and put Beers, with 2 fouls, back in. Dawn inexplicably took Cardoso out for the final 4:23 of the half and OSU cut the lead to 4 at the half.
I don't understand taking Cardoso out with only 1 foul. Coach passed up an opportunity to not only build on the lead but get Beers to commit her 3rd foul . She did anyway and Reuck played the final minute without either of his bigs and still shaved 4 points off the lead with no Cardoso on the floor.
This also happened in the Georgia game when Coach Abe called timeout after we made a run and Dawn took out Cardoso after the timeout. At least in that game Cardoso was on a minutes restriction. Yesterday, that was not the case, I don't think.
NC State is razor thin in the post. We need to go to Cardoso early and often. She shot 16 of 25 in the last 2 games. No one has been stopping her but us by not getting her the ball more.
Rueck immediately called timeout, realizing he was getting killed in the paint and put Beers, with 2 fouls, back in. Dawn inexplicably took Cardoso out for the final 4:23 of the half and OSU cut the lead to 4 at the half.
I don't understand taking Cardoso out with only 1 foul. Coach passed up an opportunity to not only build on the lead but get Beers to commit her 3rd foul . She did anyway and Reuck played the final minute without either of his bigs and still shaved 4 points off the lead with no Cardoso on the floor.
This also happened in the Georgia game when Coach Abe called timeout after we made a run and Dawn took out Cardoso after the timeout. At least in that game Cardoso was on a minutes restriction. Yesterday, that was not the case, I don't think.
NC State is razor thin in the post. We need to go to Cardoso early and often. She shot 16 of 25 in the last 2 games. No one has been stopping her but us by not getting her the ball more.
We were +11 in 11 minutes of the 1st half with Cardoso on the floor and -7 with Feagin.
Raven was +17 for the game, so her presence was missed for the final 8 minutes the 1st half due to foul trouble. Just seems like more of a reason to have Cardoso out there. I know we have a few posters who don't appreciate how good Cardoso is, but hopefully our coaching staff and players do. I promise you Cardoso is the player Wes Moore is scheming for the most.
Raven was +17 for the game, so her presence was missed for the final 8 minutes the 1st half due to foul trouble. Just seems like more of a reason to have Cardoso out there. I know we have a few posters who don't appreciate how good Cardoso is, but hopefully our coaching staff and players do. I promise you Cardoso is the player Wes Moore is scheming for the most.
Although I do not put much stock into media MVP selections, KC was, in fact, named the regional MVP.
Interestingly, four other Gamecocks played more minutes yesterday (Hall, Raven, Watkins, and PaoPao (team high 30)). In KC's 25 minutes (rounded up), she was 6-13, 9 rebounds and two steals. Surprisingly, she had no blocked shots..
Other than simply a bad shooting day by the team, we were statistically very solid yesterday: 78% on free throws, +14 rebounding, six steals, six blocks, and only six turnovers. Had we just been 30-78 (still just 38.5%) instead of 26-78, this game would never have been in doubt.
Stanford has had horrible guard play this year. There was a reason that Haley Jones played point forward for Stanford the last two years. That plus Stanford post players and stars Cameron and Kiki got in foul trouble. Kiki played 23 minutes and Cameron 22 minutes and the pair still managed 39 points and 19 rebounds combined.
With Stanford stars playing half a game and the guards being disappointing I believe NC State took advantage with their superior guard play.
Texas had Booker, who is really a 3, playing the point yesterday. The other two guards did absolutely nothing. The Longhorns obviously missed Harmon. Just like Stanford, they were no match for the Pack guards.
The way the tournament are officiated, a team that relies heavily on post play is at a disadvantage imo. We are familiar with that disadvantage from previous seasons and have added perimeter scoring.
btw, Booker played the 4 on the USA team last summer and Edwards played ahead of her. Just imagine how good Joyce is going to be.
I found a post from last year on the UCONN board when the Huskies started recruiting her. The poster described her as the kind of player South Carolina recruits.
She's originally from the Dominican Republic and is kind of raw. Extremely athletic, though. Having lost both Cooper and Jah this season, there is actually a spot for a long athletic guard on the roster next year. If she likes sitting on the bench, she can go to UCONN. She may want to stay closer to home since there are a couple of Florida schools in her top 5.
She's originally from the Dominican Republic and is kind of raw. Extremely athletic, though. Having lost both Cooper and Jah this season, there is actually a spot for a long athletic guard on the roster next year. If she likes sitting on the bench, she can go to UCONN. She may want to stay closer to home since there are a couple of Florida schools in her top 5.
When I saw her returning, I was convinced Harper would be back
What about Barnes at Arizona? Has she lost her luster? I know they fell off after making the final four a few years back.
Harper gone
www.espn.com
Lady Vols fire Harper after five seasons, 108 wins
Tennessee fired coach Kellie Harper on Monday after five seasons, opting to make a change to try to reinvigorate a program that has not played for a national championship since the late Pat Summitt retired.
www.espn.com
Doesn’t do much for support in playing tough schedules. She played one of the hardest schedules in the country and was playing great at end of season so kind of bad deal for her. Then you have Mulkey getting rave reviews for playing patsies all year
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I, for one, wish her well. She's good people.Harper gone
Lady Vols fire Harper after five seasons, 108 wins
Tennessee fired coach Kellie Harper on Monday after five seasons, opting to make a change to try to reinvigorate a program that has not played for a national championship since the late Pat Summitt retired.
Agree. She seemed to do things the right way. Trying to live up to the Pat legend is near impossibe. It was a different time and different rules. Now with NIL, and transfer portal and so many more good programs, getting to the promise land is that much more difficult.
I wonder if Dawn will try to schedule a regular season home-and-home with them.....?
I like Harper also. Seems like a good person and actually a pretty good X & O coach except for her brain cramp in the SEC Tournament. She lost her job for a number of reasons
*Recruiting, she failed at on the HS Level.
*Scheduling, she played 12 ranked OOC schools over the last 2 years and was 1-11. Schedule like Mulkey and she still has a job.
* Losing to us in SEC Tourney, she wins she still has the job.
*getting passed by both Bama and Ole Miss in the standings
Harper is not Pat Summitt. Warlick averaged 25 wins a season, Harper averaged 22 wins. Neither missed the Dance and they both got canned. Both played for Pat, and UT has a fetish that they must be coached by a disciple. That leaves Matthew Mitchell who I don’t think is healthy enough for the rigors OR Kara Lawson, who appears to be on the cusp at Duke. I think she would be unwise to take the job.
I think they need to abandon the Summit legacy for a coach. Wes Moore would be a perfect fit but he’s 66. N Jeff Walz at L’ville would be a great choice. Maybe Kevin McGuff from Ohio St. but he comes with some NCAA baggage. Teri Moren from IU might work