UNT Game 11/29/20

Looking forward to the game today. After getting past those first game jitters, I'll be watching for little signs of improvement in a few areas. I'm particularly interested to see how Charli starts the game off. We need her to establish her presence early, but play smart enough not to be sidelined with fouls.

 

The last 2 years UNT has pushed Texas. Longhorns had to grind out a 63-57 win last season and 64-54 the year before. With 2 members of last year’s staff (Carey and Jones) they know Wednesday’s starting 5.

 

UNT isn’t Baylor, nor are they SMU. I watched UNT on Wednesday and they shot the ball well for 3 quarters. Their defense is lacking. The key for Texas is keeping out of foul trouble, particularly Charli. UNT gonna come out playing hard for Jamie and Kelby but UT has the talent advantage. We all know Charli and Celeste will get theirs so my x-factor player in this game is Audrey. With that being said, should be a more competitive game than the last one.

 

No surprise changes.

 

Well I guess the million dollar question is will Charlie be able to get a break at some point each game. You can get away with it against UNT but conference play won’t be so nice.

 

Can we all just take the time to acknowledge how DOMINANT COLLIER IS!! she is just on another level and the fact that she was not named a top 25 player in the country is just ridiculous and she is letting her game do the talking.

 

25 & 12
44 & 16

I’d put the probability of Elena and Johnnie passing along Charli’s 2 performances to post recruiting targets at 100%.

 

At the beginning of the game, I was a bit worried. UNT was answering Texas one-for-one. And, they were shooting off 3's. But Vic ADJUSTED and got the team doing the right thing, wow it really took off.

1. I was disappointed that UNT was leading in rebounds. Then, look up a bout 30 minutes later and Texas is ahead double-digits in rebounds.
2. There are a few European soccer players who are tipping their hats to Audrey's flop game.
3. I'm gonna write Vic a congradulatory email saying he should brand his style of play "100% effort 100% of the time"
4. Why is Precious Johnson regulated to "Helen Tau time"? Stamina? Doghouse? Gonna experienced bodies late in the season.
5. I love the fighting, scratching, and trying to score until the last 20 seconds.
6. Wondering who Gaston is going to be bumping from the starting lineup a few weeks from now.
7. Celeste girl, get some free shooting practice in!
8. I keep wondering if they're going to blow the whistle on Charli taking a very deliberate time to shoot each free throw. I mean, it's working! But wow, it's very measured out.
9. Celeste, have a meditation session with Charli!
10. UNT kept rolling in players with no playing time as their regulars started picking up fouls. Now, I'm not saying the non-starters contributed much, other than fouling our players, but when we started creeping up in the number of players with 3 fouls, I started wondering about one of those games when we start running out of players during a high foul game.
11. Speaking of which, these were some "ticky-tacky" call refs.

On to La Tech!

12. ADDED: During the game I thought, "Can you imagine what's going to happen next year when TWO point guards show up?"

 

Agree with everything you stated. I absolutely love Audrey Warren's game as she just does the little things that makes the system work and her basketball IQ is just amazing. I hope this was the game that made it click for Joanne as she made some spectacular plays in the second half. When Lambert gets back I think Ortiz will get benched because she is not very quick and seems to be out of shape a bit. Depending on if Ebo gets a waiver then I would expect the starting lineup to be:

1. Lambert
2. Taylor
3. Warren
4. Collier
5. Ebo

If Ebo is not granted a waiver then I don't think he would put Gaston in the starting lineup as we have no other post available that Vic can rely on.

As far as our guards next season. I really hope everyone on the roster and staff convince Collier to stay one more year. We could have a championship caliber team with our roster and incoming recruits & probably a transfer or two. Absolutely dominant and deep team.

 

I’m going to give a shout-out to Chevalier. She is quick as a cat, doesn’t seem out of place, has a great handle, moves her feet really well on defense, has a really good hesitation dribble, hustles, and is left-handed. The NT players never seemed to realize she was left-handed. They should have asked her. Admittedly she seems ambidextrous but they should have overplayed her left hand. I think we got a good one in Chevalier. Lambert will take some of the point guard time soon, but I am pleasantly surprised the stsge doesn’t appear to big for her.

 

Collier is not going anywhere after this year...guaranteed...

 

I fully expected us to beat UNT handily by 25+. What I did NOT expect was for it to be such a fight for the first 15-16 minutes. That said, I am glad that it was. Our team kept playing hard and sticking to the game plan, and responded with a turned up intensity that was really enjoyable to watch.

There were some really well-executed set plays in the half-court offense. The guards relentlessly attacked the rim, and defensively it was a great team effort. Charli's stat line speaks for itself. Wow! I hope she can play that efficiently with some consistency this season.

There are still some wrinkles to iron out, but this was a solid performance by the team as a whole. I'm good with where the team and program is at this point. I think we'll enjoy watching this team grow and progress as the season continues.

 

I hope your right because the system that Vic runs fits perfectly with who we have coming in next season in every aspect. Harmon and Collier will be one of if not the best pg to big combo there is. We just need Covid to go away or under control to start so this team can really get the time they need in the gym over the summer.

 

Anyone know on who and why the technical foul was called? The announcers were talking about something else and did not even mention it.

 

It was on Charli - I had to rewind to get the number but no idea why it was called. She had just made a nice block so she might’ve yelled but, if that was why, it was a BS call.

 

Lot of good quotes from the writeup in the Statesman:
Collier scores 44, one of UT's best games ever, in Texas' 106-69 romp past North Texas | Hookem.com

 

Just musing. Wonder why NT never tried zoning? I am a little perplexed about the play of Ortiz. Knew she wasn’t a scorer but less a threat than I thought especially for a 2 guard. She appears to have decent athleticism and quickness and plays pretty good D. Perhaps it’ll come . Sure need her size to guard bigger guards but need her to be an offensive threat. It’s early. I’m nitpicking as there hasn’t been much to criticize. Did you see Schaefer’s reaction late when Chevalier threw two fast break passes away? He doesn’t like turnovers. To Chevaliers credit, her reaction was to make a few good plays in a row after that. Being coaches’ kid, she is used to being coached hard and had little outward reaction to the turnovers. Look forward to Lambert playing a little next game.

 

Schaefer asked the referee what Collier said. He didn’t argue the call so it probably was warranted.....maybe. Seemed she might have said something about the block that was considered taunting.

 

You can’t guarantee anything! Who are you?

 

Why don’t you guarantee praying for a healthy and safe season and let’s see what happens after that.

 

In case you are wondering why Charlie’s uniform now looks slightly different, it’s the giant bullseye on the back right under her name. I hope Celeste and Audrey understand what that means. Allen-Taylor seems to understand.

 

Lol yall didn't hear what she said? It was pretty loud and I couldn't even be mad at the referee for giving her the tech. Due to nature of the score and what she said it was just a little bit over the top. It was more of a sportsmanship thing than anything. Once she blocked the shot she said. "give me that "

 

That was frustrating to me. Why can't Andrea and her dumb*&^ sidekick ever tell us what's going on on the court? They are very self absorbed.

I don't know anything, but I don't know why any women's player would go pro early given the WNBA salaries. Why not stay in school and get a Masters for free?

 

Is Andrea still courtside during this pandemic setup? I know that I see the game play-by-play and commentary parked up in the "luxury" boxes a safe distance away.

 

I don't think saying "give me that smiling poop emoji" is particularly worthy of a T...

 

Mother nature decrees that an athletic career is time limited. Fewer than 10 WNBA players are 35 plus. I think? If professional basketball is Collier's desired career path, a year delayed is a year lost. Compare Collier's earning potential as a WNBA player to that of average young college graduates and not to NBA players, and I think going pro looks pretty good. Collier has the potential to bank at least in the low millions during her basketball career. With just a little financial savvy, that money can become the base for a lifetime of financial security. Collier could make much more if she becomes a star.

 

I thought the call was BS myself... but then I'm admittedly biased.

 

Really, it's playing overseas is where the money is at for most women athletes, post-college.

For WNBA stars who play overseas, positives outweigh negatives

 

If the $$ is there, and it will be for her, she be gone and take her classes down the road. On the other hand she may fall completely in love with this coaching staff, she may put off going pro for a year.

 

Yes, but the new WNBA collective bargaining agreement may change things a bit. With some exceptions, WNBA players are required to return to the US for the start of the WNBA season. In the past, players often returned later because their overseas teams were still playing.

We can hope. Sabrina Ionescu returned to try to win a national championship with Oregon only to have the NCAA tournament cancelled because of the COVID outbreak.