Oregon and Stanford
by dillon77 (2020-02-25 08:37:22)
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I watched more than a bit of the Ducks and Cardinal game on ESPN last night.
Outside of the Sabrina Love Fest (deserved on many fronts), a few thoughts:

OREGON:
- Man, Sabrina is 100% in control of that team. Outside of one assist by Taylor Chavez, not one other Duck had an assist. (Granted Sabrina had 12). That's what this year's team is, but it sure will be interesting to see what happens next year.

- Satou Sabally is the optimal example of a stretch 4. Shooting 3's, following her shot, setting high picks and then rolling. Whew. I think her growth has made Oregon the NCAA favorite (along with S. Carolina and Baylor). An she will be a terror at the pro level.

- Oregon didn't get much from Ruth Hebard (fouls) or Minyon Mooore this game and -- save for a 4th Quarter surge by the Cardinal -- the game was pretty much in the bag. When they're on, tough.

STANFORD

- Lot of key pieces missing (Hayley Jones, Carrington) and they're still putting up tough battles. Credit to Tara and her staff.

- Dodson's just coming back from injury and her touch is still in Georgia (her home state). Surprised Tara didn't play the frosh Prechtel more, unless she's in a frosh slump.

- And here's the individual takeaway for me: Lexie Hull is the West Coast Version of Maddie Cable. Six feet tall, kinda gangly, but tough as nails. Shoots threes, goes to the hoop, throws her body into everything (players, floors). Great find fy Tara.

In reference to Charles T. e-mail note, if ND has some tough standards, well one can only guess at the Cardinal and both she and her twin sister nailed the academics part, too.

- Neither soph. Jenna Brown or the leaping freshman Fran Belibi barely played. Belibi has averaged about 13 mpg, which is fine for a frosh, but it seems to have curtailed in conference play. And Jenna Brown is getting about 7 mpg. And most of the point guards are coming in, with another top recruit from Colorado behind her. Stay tuned.

Don't see them beating Baylor
by NDLAW88  (2020-02-25 08:42:55)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

unless Baylor goes really cold. I think Baylor's defensive intensity will shut down Oregon. Boley won't have any space to shoot, Baylor's length will clog up the middle and their depth will allow them to be as aggressive defensively as possible, especially harrassing Ionescu. Not saying that Oregon couldn't win, of course, but I watched Baylor just clamp down on WVU last night and I think they'll do that throughout the tournament.
I Saw That, Too. I Think The Key is Sabally vs. Smith..
by dillon77  (2020-02-25 10:05:10)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

...it that match-p comes to pass. Remember, Oregon was right in that semifinal gme last year and Baylor had a 6'7" center to hold the fort. Kalani has a good substitute, but it's a bit different. Cox will probably take on Hebard, which means Nalyssa (sp) Smith will match up with Sabally. Smith got in foul trouble against the Irish in the final, but she's probably improved. So, I just think this matchup comes down to this one up front.

FWIW, I also think the game-in, game-out toughness of the PAC12 will help out in the NCAA's. Helps with focus.

(Don't get me going about a certain team not zooming in against Baylor last year until the fourth quarter....)
Don’t forget South Carolina
by domer65  (2020-02-25 19:24:27)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

They are still ranked #1. They have been playing three freshmen and they get better as the year progresses. I think Boston will be tough for Hebard.
I Think SC is Quite Good & A Bit Ahead of Their Time...
by dillon77  (2020-02-26 07:34:34)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

..Cooke is allowed to be herself because Harris runs the ship.
And Boston has this calmness about herself on the court that is a value in itself.

That said, Ionescu and Minyon Harris would match up well against Harris and Cooke. While Boston and Hebard could occupy each other, I think Sabally will wear our Harrigan. Or they'll all be so busy chasing each other, Boley will be left wide open in the first half to drill three or four 3's before people remember just what she brings to the court!
Good analysis. I think the PAC12 challenge has prepared the
by Domerduck  (2020-02-26 22:45:27)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

Ducks for the tourney. I think Baylor has not really been tested and probably won't be until their regionals. We will see if they get to the Final 4. Same with SC and their youth. They also might get challemged in the regionals. Barring injury, with the Ducks in Portland, I don't see anyway they don't make it to New Orleans. Obviously the 4 teams that get there will all have a chance, but I believe the Ducks are on a mission and have the overall talent and Sabrina as the leader to win it all. I like their chances this year. Despite Sabrina's record breaking feats unless her and her team wins a national championship her legacy will be limited.

As for Monday's game, the Ducks controlled #4 ranked Stanford team because their D is solid and even with a subpar offensive effort it never got too close. This game was very similar to the UConn game as the Ducks scored 74 in both, but Stanford won the last quarter by 10 to end up only losing by 8 whereas UConn lost Q4 by 3 so they lost by 18. Stanford hit 6 threes
in that Q4 including 3 by Lexie and 2 by Prechtel in the last 75 seconds. Having seen Stanford in person twice when Haley Jones was playing, I felt Prechtel is their most impressive Freshman & Lexie/Kiana their bexst players. They really are missing DJ Carrington, as she was their 2nd best player last yearto Alanna Smith.