Texas vs Iowa State

Discussion in 'Women’s Basketball' started by Malcom, Feb 24, 2017.

  1. Malcom

    Malcom 1,000+ Posts

    Well...glad we got that outta our system..that was ugly. Couple of days to regroup before tough trip to Kansas State.
    Defense has been below norm for last 4 games. Is it finals time of year? Hard to see us winning if Ariel and Brooke are having off nights.
    Now this game probably put us back at 3 seed which wont mean anything but a first round exit if we cant get it together. I'm no coach but a day off seems in order....or maybe suicides....what do I knows, I'm just a die hard Longhorn Fan. That will never give up on these ladies
    We Are Texas!!
    Longhorn Nation Forever!!
     
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  2. brnkj

    brnkj 2,500+ Posts

    A lack of variety makes us easy to scout. 'Nuff said.
     
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  3. rattfatt

    rattfatt 500+ Posts

    Coach Aston still needs to improve as a coach on the offensive side of the floor. Also she has to continue to recruit shooters.
     
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  4. WCBBNUT

    WCBBNUT 2,500+ Posts

    And now we have to turn around and play another Monday game and on the road against a good team. This schedule might have been one FSU game too brutal.

    I hope the ladies can regroup and refind their mojo in time for March madness.

    Horns Up! :hookem:
     
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  5. JoeDallas

    JoeDallas 1,000+ Posts

    I agree. We never change anything, either on offense or defense. Aston is a lot like Jody in that respect. It was embarrassing the way they drove around us on individual plays so often. Similar to the Stanford game. i really don't think our players know how to guard the dribble drive. You don't just run along side of the player, you anticipate a little and try to get to the spot you think they are going to. Oh well, i'd better not get started. It was sad to see all those All Americans missing so many shots, and then getting scared to even take a shot. I think we will be more ready for KSU. I think we are the underdog, or should be, and maybe that will help.
     
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  6. car54

    car54 1,000+ Posts

    Well that sucked...Just saw the score didn't watch it. Calling baseball tonight.... Crap...This bunch may go one and done in the NCAAs. No, seriously......I fully expect we go 2 and out after seeing us fold over with three straight losses. Peaked early......SMH
     
  7. texexted

    texexted 500+ Posts

    That was awful. Three-game skid losing to a below average team on Senior Night. The only bright spot was rebounds but it doesn't matter when you play like that.
     
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  8. geewago

    geewago 100+ Posts

    I am an avid WBB fan. I watch them all. Since I live in Waco it's just natural that I root for my home team. I also have always liked Iowa State. Their fan base has been very impressive over the years, especially at the Big 12 tourney in KC. I made a trip up to Ames this year to watch them play BU. They are truly a better team than their record shows.

    This is just a casual observation, but I really don't understand the logic behind scheduling an ooc game late in the season in the middle of the conference battle. To me that double overtime game at FSU is what took the sap out of the horns. Having to go on the road and then meet a good hungry OU team, and turning around and facing BU in the rematch was just too much for them. Baylor was not about to go down without putting up a real fight. And that game was truly a hard fought battle. I really don't offer this as criticism of the scheduling that Aston did in putting FSU on that late in the schedule. There may be a lot more to it than I realize. But I think it is obvious after the long trip and the hard fought battle at FSU that things have changed for this team. 3 conference losses in a row has me wondering if Karen wouldn't like to re-do the scheduling a bit.
     
    Last edited: Feb 25, 2017
  9. LutherIsMyDog

    LutherIsMyDog 1,000+ Posts

    Geewago....it's hard to argue with your assessment of the timing of the FSU game. Even though we won the FSU game in double overtime we then had multiple conference games that were set apart by only two days with the Saturday/Monday timing. Maybe we can use the Big 12 tourney as a restart and put these losses behind us. Meanwhile, KSU awaits and it's going to be a daunting challenge in Manhattan.
     
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  10. WCBBNUT

    WCBBNUT 2,500+ Posts

    Your rationale falls apart when you look beyond just the last few games. We are quite capable of going all the way just as we are capable of going one and done. Just hard to believe a fan expects the latter rather than the former. Why bother?
     
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  11. Bobcat

    Bobcat 500+ Posts

    NOTE........The game has CHANGED in womens' basketball. You can no longer play OVER aggressive defense and be successful because the rules have changed to favor the offensive player......i.e. touch fouls leading to foul trouble and free throw attempts. I don't understand why we foul so much. There is much more of an emphasis on offensive production now from a rules perspective. You have to adjust and play more disciplined on the defensive end. Sug Sutton is going to become way more important to us in the NCAA because if teams continue to do what they have done with Bre Taylor and others, packing the paint which effectively takes away driving lanes and forcing us to shoot mid-range and even further out, she could become the wildcard. Muffet McGraw said last year that the emphasis is now on offense and if you want to win in today's game, you have to do it primarily with efficiency in your half-court offensive production. I also think tired legs is playing a factor here.

    I would sure like to see us mix it up a bit more on the defensive end, throwing some junk zone defenses at our opponents just to change the pace~~~
     
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    Last edited: Feb 25, 2017
  12. Run Pincher

    Run Pincher 2,500+ Posts

    Karen alluded to that the other day on Game Plan when she said they were emotionally drained and tired. It's obvious Ariel, Kelsey and Joyner have lost their shooting touch. That's what happens with tired legs.

    The B12 is brutal enough. Why go on the road and play a top 10 team when the girls need a rest the most? I guess we can hope Kansas takes KSU into triple OT today and they have tired legs Monday night too.
     
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  13. texexted

    texexted 500+ Posts

    I'm unwilling to blame three straight losses on one tough double overtime win against FSU.
    OU was almost fluke-ish - we should have won.
    Baylor - we just stunk it up in the 4th quarter.
    Last night against ISU - we played awful except for rebounding. I'm not sure why the coaches didn't try something different to break the zone. Nothing changed the entire night.
    Really a bad game and an untimely losing stretch to end the season.

    There is not a new sheriff in town or even a deputy - not yet. I'm not a Mulkey fan but does fade at the end of the season like this - I'll at least give her that.
     
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    Last edited: Feb 25, 2017
  14. Moooooo

    Moooooo 5,000+ Posts

    Overall, we just didn't play well on either end of the floor. We rebounded very well; and, did a great job at the free throw line. But, we did not attack the zone well at all. Ariel and Lashann weren't driving to the basket and making shots; maybe it was bad spacing. Joyner and Kelsey have huge mismatches down low as ISU has nowhere near the physical interior players that Baylor has; but, we couldn't get the ball to them the few times they tried to establish position. And, as Coach A said in her post-game interview, we just missed too many easy shots. Early on, we took way too many jump shots with plenty of time on the shot clock; that plays right into ISU's gameplan. We didn't reverse the ball and show patience. When the shot clock is winding down, that's when Brianna and Joyner have to take those jumps shots; other than that they shouldn't be. After the Baylor game, I bet our coaches told Brianna that she is going to have to shoot more as teams are going to sag off of her; but, that can't be happening early in the shot clock.

    I don't think the coaches did a good job in running plays for Ariel and Joyner. Ariel really seems to be struggling the last couple of games. She is a very important player for us. Of course, it doesn't help when she picks up two early fouls. Speaking of fouls, I was very disappointed that the coaches did not take Brooke out of the game after she picked up her second foul in the second quarter; then, she quickly picks up her third. Even though Brooke rarely gets into foul trouble, pulling her for even just a couple of minutes would give her time to collect herself.

    I am a big Alecia Sutton fan; I think she has a beautiful shot. What she lacks right now is confidence. I think she prefers being a distributor (which is a great mindset for a point guard) over a scorer/shooter; and, as a freshman who has played limited minutes this season, she probably prefers to defer the shots to other players. But, last night, I think she should have shot even more than she did as she was wide open. She nailed a couple of 3-pointers (2 of 8), but we needed more from her as no one else was getting those wide open looks from long range. Nailing one or two more would have been huge; and, perhaps would have forced ISU to bring someone out to guard her, and allow more space in the paint for our other players to operate.

    To me, there are always a couple of plays which stand out as costly in our losses. Last night right before the end of third quarter, Audrey-Anne rebounds the missed free throw by Brooke; but she misses the easy put back off the glass. Then, Audrey-Anne gets the defensive rebound on the other end and tries to outlet a pass to Brooke, but the ball is stolen by Carlton and she hits a long 3-pointer right as the buzzers sounds. That sequence results in a 5-point swing.
     
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  15. brnkj

    brnkj 2,500+ Posts

    Bill Fennelly basically used the same game plan (especially defensively) that Sherri Coale used to beat us. I love that we're a tough, man-to-man, rebounding and running machine. However, if that's ALL we do, then we're enabling opponents to prepare for us with a single-minded focus.

    One strategy is NEVER going to work ALL THE TIME. Match-ups, the way the refs call the game, having an off night, the way opponents prepare for you.... All of those things fluctuate and can either work in your favor or not. Bottom line, we've got to incorporate some variety in our strategies on both sides of the ball. Otherwise we're going to keep having the same problems against these teams who have FAR less talent, but are well-coached and fundamentally sound. That's just what that is.
     
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    Last edited: Feb 25, 2017
  16. Run Pincher

    Run Pincher 2,500+ Posts

    I hate to say it, but Bill F is just a better X's & O's coach than Karen right now. Plus he's got the players that fit his system perfectly: great shooters, don't turn it over, don't foul, make free throws, patience to let the other team self destruct. You don't have to have great athletes when you do all those things great. Jeff Mittie is the same way. I'm sure they both learned from Bill Snyder.
     
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  17. brnkj

    brnkj 2,500+ Posts

    Speaking of Jeff Mittie, he'll have his team ready and chomping at the bit Monday night.
     
  18. texexted

    texexted 500+ Posts

    And there's a proven strategy to beat us that works.
     
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    Last edited: Feb 26, 2017
  19. WCBBNUT

    WCBBNUT 2,500+ Posts

    We come off a 20 game winning streak but now suddenly we're the easiest team to beat? Really? That's a laugh.
     
  20. loyallonghorn

    loyallonghorn 500+ Posts

    I hate that we lose to less talented teams because the other team has a better head coach at strategy. It's unacceptable that a team with 7 McDonald's All Americans cannot overcome teams with zero (Iowa State) or one (Oklahoma) McDonald's All Americans. Sherri Coale and Bill Fennelly deserve a lot of credit because they're able to play to their players' strengths and expose the opponent weakness.

    I would like to have seen Texas go into a 3-2 defensive zone against Iowa State in the third quarter.
     
  21. texexted

    texexted 500+ Posts

    I missed the post about Texas being the easiest team beat. Certainly three game losing streak makes them look a lot more vulnerable.
     
  22. Statalyzer

    Statalyzer 10,000+ Posts

    I can't credit it to fatigue when we were outsprinting and outhustling Baylor for most of our game with them.
     
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  23. Moooooo

    Moooooo 5,000+ Posts

    The last thing anyone would ever do is play a zone defense against ISU; too many good long range shooters.

    As for having 7 McDonald's All-Americans on our roster, that is true. But, Jatarie is redshirting. So, we have six on the active roster. And, Jordan Hosey hasn't shown in on the court in two years. And, Lashann has shown flashes, but still way too inconsistent. Alecia is still not back to her pre-injury form. So, that leaves 3 McDonald's All-American and they are starters. But, when those 3 aren't on their games, we just don't have enough offensive firepower to make up for that. Regardless, ISU has zero McDonald's All-Americans; but, on Friday, their team played better than our team.
     
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  24. loyallonghorn

    loyallonghorn 500+ Posts

    Hi Moo. I am well aware of Iowa State's 3-point proficiency and that is why I would have tried a 3-2 zone defense instead of a 2-3 zone, funnel the penetrators into Kelsey/Joyner/Khaleann. Texas man defense was not stopping their penetration to the baskets.
     
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  25. JoeDallas

    JoeDallas 1,000+ Posts

    A 3-2 zone would have been interesting to try. The drives to the basket, which are a large part of what killed us, would have been stopped by a zone. If what you're doing is failing, you try something else. If anyone watched Notre Dame-Florida State today, Notre Dame used a zone over half the time (I believe the announcers said). And, get this, they only had 4 fouls by the end of the third quarter. Not for the second half, but for the entire game.

    Gail Goestenkoers did color for the Tennessee-MSU game. (She is really smart, and I'm still sorry it didn't work out for her here.) She said she attributed a lot of MSU's problems to it being senior night. I think that happened to us against ISU. I think Senior Night, with the hoopla and parents and flowers, etc etc, gets people's minds off what they should be focusing on, and also puts a lot of pressure on the team, especially the seniors. The players know it's their last home game, and no doubt are dealing with that in their own personal way. There's no reason to make a huge thing of it. Some might respond well, but many would not, depending on their personality, IMO.
     
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  26. Moooooo

    Moooooo 5,000+ Posts

    I understand. I guess I just don't think either type of zone defense would work against ISU. Yes, that might have stopped some of their dribble drive to the basket. But, they would adjust by putting all 5 of their players beyond the three-point line and fire away.

    Over the last 3-4 times we played them, it seemed as if we had gotten better at defending them. On Friday night, we did make some mistakes on defense, but I think our lack of offensive execution really hurt. Those easy missed shots we suffered probably affected our defense, as well.
     
  27. brnkj

    brnkj 2,500+ Posts

    A zone is not a passive strategy.. Especially if you play a match up zone. Furthermore you can play man to man less aggressively when the other teams are getting you into foul trouble. My point is we need to make our opponents have to think by mixing things up now and then.
     
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    Last edited: Feb 27, 2017
  28. texexted

    texexted 500+ Posts

    I agree - I liked Gail and wanted her to succeed. However I'm also very happy with have Coach Aston. I think sometimes people on this board get very defensive when you simply critic the team/players/coaches are express an opinion about what you saw and believe. There's plenty of room for sunshine pumpers but like any sports forum, there's room for criticism as well - doesn't mean you're not a fan.

    Interesting what Gail said about Senior Night. The people around me and myself thought the same thing. For example Taylor came out shooting. She should never do that because she simply can't shoot - especially mid-range jumped. But I'm sure she wanted to have a big night and I get that.

    Oh well - moving on. Beat KSU. I'll be watching.
     
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