The CardBoard
WBB: Scouting Georgia - Printable Version

+- The CardBoard (https://thecardboard.org/board)
+-- Forum: C-House! (https://thecardboard.org/board/forum-4.html)
+--- Forum: The CardBoard (https://thecardboard.org/board/forum-5.html)
+--- Thread: WBB: Scouting Georgia (/thread-4993.html)

Pages: 1 2

WBB: Scouting Georgia - 81alum - 03-27-2013

Record

Georgia is 25-6, 12-4 in the SEC, which put them third in the SEC regular season behind Tennessee and Kentucky. 

Earlier in the year against ranked opponents, Georgia lost at Tennessee 79-66, beat South Carolina 42-40, lost to A&M 64-46, beat Kentucky 75-71 (and later lost to Kentucky in the SEC tournament, see below) and beat LSU 71-53.  Based on that last result I think we have drawn the much more difficult Sweet 16 opponent compared with kal.  Kal, I fear, has the bigs to neutralize Plaisance and thus the LSU offense.

In the SEC tournament, Georgia lost to Kentucky in the semi-finals after leading in a defensive battle in the first half 24-19.  In the second half Kentucky went on 15-0 and 13-0 runs to crush Georgia 60-38.

In the NCAA tournament, Georgia defeated Montana 70-50 and squeaked by Iowa State 65-60 in the second round.  In that game, Georgia led 61-37 in the second half but gave up a 19-1 run to Iowa State that nearly cost them the game.  Iowa State took a 56-52 lead with 2:30 left before Georgia went on a run of its own to win the game.

Coach

The Head Coach is Andy Landers, the 1st and only coach in the history of WBB at Georgia.  He has 877 victories (well over 900 if you count his prior coaching job.)  He began coaching at Georgia in 1979–half a decade before Tara came to Stanford.  High level WBB with scholarships was something new in most quarters, and it was possible to become a head coach at the age of 26.  Needless to say, unlike Kim Barnes Arico, Andy Landers has so much experience and perspective that we can expect him and his team to be far from intimidated and extremely well prepared.

Players (Minutes)

Jasmine Hassell (26).  A 6'2" senior Forward.  Has started every game and leads the team in 13 points a game.  Has never taken a three point shot.  Makes 53% of her Field Goals.  Only makes 66% of her free throws.  Leads the team with 6 RPG, nearly half of them offensive–which may help explain her high field goal percentage–she probably cleans up other people’s misses fairly often.  Hassel is a 1st Team all SEC player and is the one Georgia player who can always be counted on to hang out in the paint.  While Hassell is no Chiney, to make first team SEC as a post player gives you an idea of her quality.  One commentator: "When she catches the ball with her back to the basket, she is lethal."  As a 53% completion rate would attest.

In the last part of the season--in some big tournament games--Hassell has been averaging more like 17 points a game--and for a relatively low-scoring, defensive team like Georgia you can see how important that would be.  Iowa State went to a zone to shut Hassell down and succeeded--until Georgia began making many more treys than normal for them and forced Iowa State to give up on the zone.  Basically a Michigan vs. Stanford strategy with a similar outcome.

Hassel reminds me of Alyssia Brewer. 

Anne Marie Armstrong (26).  A 6'3" senior Guard/Forward.  Has started 27 games.  Scores about 7 points per game, making 34%.  Does sometimes shoot the three, at 25%.  An 80% free throw shooter.  About 5 RPG but also 75 assists on the year.  A little high low action?  Amstrong was an all SEC player last year but had an ankle injury that threw her off track this year. 

Armstrong looks a little like a slightly more muscular Bonnie, although her game is normally quite different--she plays inside more and is a more natural ball handler.  But in the first half against Iowa State she made several threes from the top of the arc and I was thinking Bonnie.  Keep that in mind, since she had not attempted that many threes during the year, but seems to be willing and able to make them lately.

Against LSU Armstrong made some backdoor cuts on assists from Jasmine James.

Jasmine James (31).  A 5'9" senior point Guard.  Has started every game and is second in scoring with 11 points a game.  Takes very few threes.  Makes 41% of her Field Goals.  Only makes 61% of her free throws.  Leads the team in assists but also leads the team in turnovers with a 123:81 ratio.  Usually gets a couple of steals a game.

Khaalidah Miller (24).  A 5'9" junior Guard.  Has started during the last half of the season, taking over for Tiaria Griffin.  Scores 8 points per game, making 34%.  Has taken more three point shots than anyone else on the team, making 27%.  An 88% free throw shooter–don’t foul her!   

Shacobia Barbee (26).  A 5'10" Freshman Guard/Forward.  Makes about 7 points per game on 41% shooting, plus sometimes shoots the three at 34%.  Only makes 60% of her free throws.  A brobdingnagian number of rebounds for a guard–6 a game, mostly defensive.  Gets a few steals a game.  Also has the second most assists on the team but also the second most turnovers.  Probably the back up ball handler. 

The commentators on the Iowa State game pointed out that she is a future star and has already begun to distinguish herself in her freshman year.  Very athletic.  She made the all-SEC freshman team and the all-SEC defensive team.  To be one of the top defenders in the SEC in your first year is quite stunning.  One commentator said "She arrived on campus with an SEC body and ready to play."  The Georgia site points out that during the tournament she has been on fire, hitting 56% and 17ppg.

Tiaria Griffin (18).  A 5'7" Freshman guard..  Started during the first half of the season but has not been starting lately, although gets significant minutes.  Gets about 7 points per game on 33% shooting.  Has the second most three point attempts but the MOST makes at 30%.  Shoots free throws at 68%. 

One commentator called her a "defensive stopper" but she does knock down a lot of threes.  Against LSU she caught a long inbounds pass about six feet outside the three point line and let a shot go just before the shot clock expired--it hit nothing but net.

Team Character

Georgia is a good defensive team.  It ranks 28th in scoring defense (Stanford is 10th), it ranks 29th in steals (we don’t rank in the top 50), and it ranks 7th in turnover margin (again, we don’t rank.)  They commit more turnovers than we do, but force many more turnovers than we do, and this seems to be a key to their identity.  The commentators reinforced the notion that the Georgia identity is about forcing turnovers--but not by constantly pressing.

In defending Iowa State, Georgia did not press.  They alternated between zone and man.  Even when playing zone, their speedy, quick guards would dart out and consistently challenge perimeter shooting and attempted to jump the gaps to deflect passes and get steals.  I was reminded a little of the (shudder) A&M guards, or South Carolina, or Mayberry.  We could use Toni.

In defending LSU, Georgia started off in zone, bringing two defenders to trap or harrass the star Iowa post (Plaisance) whenever she got the ball inside.  I expect they will use a variation of this on Chiney unless we shoot them out of it.  The difference between the Georgia zone and the Michigan zone is that Georgia has very speedy perimeter guards who can quickly close and contest shots on the perimeter, while Michigan's perimeter defenders were simply not that quick on defense.  Our annhialation of the Michigan zone should not be taken as any indicator of what we could do against the Georgia zone.

Georgia plays 3 guards, and one of its "bigs" (Amstrong) is appropriately listed as a guard/forward, which implies a 4 guard philosophy.  This looks like a difficult matchup for us--a team that emphasizes quickness and defense. 

Georgia gives up only 54 points a game–not that different from what we give up.  Their offensive percentages are low, but they make up for it by having more chances.

WBB: Scouting Georgia - 81alum - 03-27-2013

Record

Georgia is 25-6, 12-4 in the SEC, which put them third in the SEC regular season behind Tennessee and Kentucky. 

Earlier in the year against ranked opponents, Georgia lost at Tennessee 79-66, beat South Carolina 42-40, lost to A&M 64-46, beat Kentucky 75-71 (and later lost to Kentucky in the SEC tournament, see below) and beat LSU 71-53.  Based on that last result I think we have drawn the much more difficult Sweet 16 opponent compared with kal.  Kal, I fear, has the bigs to neutralize Plaisance and thus the LSU offense.

In the SEC tournament, Georgia lost to Kentucky in the semi-finals after leading in a defensive battle in the first half 24-19.  In the second half Kentucky went on 15-0 and 13-0 runs to crush Georgia 60-38.

In the NCAA tournament, Georgia defeated Montana 70-50 and squeaked by Iowa State 65-60 in the second round.  In that game, Georgia led 61-37 in the second half but gave up a 19-1 run to Iowa State that nearly cost them the game.  Iowa State took a 56-52 lead with 2:30 left before Georgia went on a run of its own to win the game.

Coach

The Head Coach is Andy Landers, the 1st and only coach in the history of WBB at Georgia.  He has 877 victories (well over 900 if you count his prior coaching job.)  He began coaching at Georgia in 1979–half a decade before Tara came to Stanford.  High level WBB with scholarships was something new in most quarters, and it was possible to become a head coach at the age of 26.  Needless to say, unlike Kim Barnes Arico, Andy Landers has so much experience and perspective that we can expect him and his team to be far from intimidated and extremely well prepared.

Players (Minutes)

Jasmine Hassell (26).  A 6'2" senior Forward.  Has started every game and leads the team in 13 points a game.  Has never taken a three point shot.  Makes 53% of her Field Goals.  Only makes 66% of her free throws.  Leads the team with 6 RPG, nearly half of them offensive–which may help explain her high field goal percentage–she probably cleans up other people’s misses fairly often.  Hassel is a 1st Team all SEC player and is the one Georgia player who can always be counted on to hang out in the paint.  While Hassell is no Chiney, to make first team SEC as a post player gives you an idea of her quality.  One commentator: "When she catches the ball with her back to the basket, she is lethal."  As a 53% completion rate would attest.

In the last part of the season--in some big tournament games--Hassell has been averaging more like 17 points a game--and for a relatively low-scoring, defensive team like Georgia you can see how important that would be.  Iowa State went to a zone to shut Hassell down and succeeded--until Georgia began making many more treys than normal for them and forced Iowa State to give up on the zone.  Basically a Michigan vs. Stanford strategy with a similar outcome.

Hassel reminds me of Alyssia Brewer. 

Anne Marie Armstrong (26).  A 6'3" senior Guard/Forward.  Has started 27 games.  Scores about 7 points per game, making 34%.  Does sometimes shoot the three, at 25%.  An 80% free throw shooter.  About 5 RPG but also 75 assists on the year.  A little high low action?  Amstrong was an all SEC player last year but had an ankle injury that threw her off track this year. 

Armstrong looks a little like a slightly more muscular Bonnie, although her game is normally quite different--she plays inside more and is a more natural ball handler.  But in the first half against Iowa State she made several threes from the top of the arc and I was thinking Bonnie.  Keep that in mind, since she had not attempted that many threes during the year, but seems to be willing and able to make them lately.

Against LSU Armstrong made some backdoor cuts on assists from Jasmine James.

Jasmine James (31).  A 5'9" senior point Guard.  Has started every game and is second in scoring with 11 points a game.  Takes very few threes.  Makes 41% of her Field Goals.  Only makes 61% of her free throws.  Leads the team in assists but also leads the team in turnovers with a 123:81 ratio.  Usually gets a couple of steals a game.

Khaalidah Miller (24).  A 5'9" junior Guard.  Has started during the last half of the season, taking over for Tiaria Griffin.  Scores 8 points per game, making 34%.  Has taken more three point shots than anyone else on the team, making 27%.  An 88% free throw shooter–don’t foul her!   

Shacobia Barbee (26).  A 5'10" Freshman Guard/Forward.  Makes about 7 points per game on 41% shooting, plus sometimes shoots the three at 34%.  Only makes 60% of her free throws.  A brobdingnagian number of rebounds for a guard–6 a game, mostly defensive.  Gets a few steals a game.  Also has the second most assists on the team but also the second most turnovers.  Probably the back up ball handler. 

The commentators on the Iowa State game pointed out that she is a future star and has already begun to distinguish herself in her freshman year.  Very athletic.  She made the all-SEC freshman team and the all-SEC defensive team.  To be one of the top defenders in the SEC in your first year is quite stunning.  One commentator said "She arrived on campus with an SEC body and ready to play."  The Georgia site points out that during the tournament she has been on fire, hitting 56% and 17ppg.

Tiaria Griffin (18).  A 5'7" Freshman guard..  Started during the first half of the season but has not been starting lately, although gets significant minutes.  Gets about 7 points per game on 33% shooting.  Has the second most three point attempts but the MOST makes at 30%.  Shoots free throws at 68%. 

One commentator called her a "defensive stopper" but she does knock down a lot of threes.  Against LSU she caught a long inbounds pass about six feet outside the three point line and let a shot go just before the shot clock expired--it hit nothing but net.

Team Character

Georgia is a good defensive team.  It ranks 28th in scoring defense (Stanford is 10th), it ranks 29th in steals (we don’t rank in the top 50), and it ranks 7th in turnover margin (again, we don’t rank.)  They commit more turnovers than we do, but force many more turnovers than we do, and this seems to be a key to their identity.  The commentators reinforced the notion that the Georgia identity is about forcing turnovers--but not by constantly pressing.

In defending Iowa State, Georgia did not press.  They alternated between zone and man.  Even when playing zone, their speedy, quick guards would dart out and consistently challenge perimeter shooting and attempted to jump the gaps to deflect passes and get steals.  I was reminded a little of the (shudder) A&M guards, or South Carolina, or Mayberry.  We could use Toni.

In defending LSU, Georgia started off in zone, bringing two defenders to trap or harrass the star Iowa post (Plaisance) whenever she got the ball inside.  I expect they will use a variation of this on Chiney unless we shoot them out of it.  The difference between the Georgia zone and the Michigan zone is that Georgia has very speedy perimeter guards who can quickly close and contest shots on the perimeter, while Michigan's perimeter defenders were simply not that quick on defense.  Our annhialation of the Michigan zone should not be taken as any indicator of what we could do against the Georgia zone.

Georgia plays 3 guards, and one of its "bigs" (Amstrong) is appropriately listed as a guard/forward, which implies a 4 guard philosophy.  This looks like a difficult matchup for us--a team that emphasizes quickness and defense. 

Georgia gives up only 54 points a game–not that different from what we give up.  Their offensive percentages are low, but they make up for it by having more chances.

Re: WBB: Scouting Georgia - Griffins78 - 03-27-2013

Great writeup, 81. Very impressed.

It seems they can go relatively deep into their bench and with several quick guards they will probably put aggressive perimeter pressure and try to deny the passes into Chiney down on the block. This will probably bring MT's suggestion to bring Chiney to the top of the key, shortening the entry pass to her and also dragging her defenders with her, leaving the block and baseline open for back door cuts or Jos/Mikaela post ups.

Defensively, we have to keep their guards from driving the lane and putting pressure on Chiney to defend. This is the kind of game that we really miss Toni. Jasmine will probably have to play more minutes and help defend their quicker guards and help with handling the ball to take some pressure off Amber. In past years, Melanie Murphy had to come off the bench to play significantly more minutes in the Tournament and step up to handle the ball. Taylor will have to play more minutes too - to provide ball handling - but when she does, she'll have to keep up and defend their guards.

We have to box out their quicker players and dominate the boards.

It'll be a chess match with contrasting styles and personnel.

Re: WBB: Scouting Georgia - Griffins78 - 03-27-2013

Great writeup, 81. Very impressed.

It seems they can go relatively deep into their bench and with several quick guards they will probably put aggressive perimeter pressure and try to deny the passes into Chiney down on the block. This will probably bring MT's suggestion to bring Chiney to the top of the key, shortening the entry pass to her and also dragging her defenders with her, leaving the block and baseline open for back door cuts or Jos/Mikaela post ups.

Defensively, we have to keep their guards from driving the lane and putting pressure on Chiney to defend. This is the kind of game that we really miss Toni. Jasmine will probably have to play more minutes and help defend their quicker guards and help with handling the ball to take some pressure off Amber. In past years, Melanie Murphy had to come off the bench to play significantly more minutes in the Tournament and step up to handle the ball. Taylor will have to play more minutes too - to provide ball handling - but when she does, she'll have to keep up and defend their guards.

We have to box out their quicker players and dominate the boards.

It'll be a chess match with contrasting styles and personnel.

Re: WBB: Scouting Georgia - 81alum - 03-27-2013

A couple additional notes.

1. Georgia was in Spokane for rounds 1 and 2, so they decided not to travel home and back.  They are staying in Spokane, so they will be thoroughly adjusted to timezone, etc.  Although I imagine they are getting pretty homesick by now.  I wonder of the Spokane crowd will favor them?  They will have followed them for a couple of games already...and it could be a kind of Cinderella story.

2. I found this on the Georgia site about their freshman phenom:

Quote:Shacobia Barbee, who was named to both the All-SEC Freshman and Defensive teams, leads the Lady Bulldogs in steals and is second in both rebounds and assists.  The Murfreesboro, Tenn., has stepped up her game in the post-season. In two NCAA Tournament games, Barbee is averaging a team-high 16.5 ppg while making 56.5 percent of her FGs.
http://www.georgiadogs.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/032713aac.html

Basically, the old stats on Barbee need to be tossed away.  She is a frosh who is only now coming into her full potential.

2. The Georgia site has some interesting other information:
--Tara and Andy Landers each have 28 20-win seasons.
--In specialty stats, UGA is: +347 in points off TOs, +297 in paint points and +249 in bench points

3. The last time we played was also in the sweet 16 game in 2010 Sacramento.  We won 73-36. 

I looked up that 2010 game.  Mikaela (3) played limited minutes, but Joslyn (12) had some clean-up time towards the end in that game, which was dominated by Kayla, Jane, Nneka, and Jeanette.  But Georgia's Jasmine James was starting as a freshman that year and played 38 minutes!  Anne Marie Armstrong played 17 minutes and Jasmine Hassell played 11.  Three of their starters this year had significant minutes against us three years ago as freshman.  Interestingly, Armstrong off the bench as a freshman led their team in points with 8.  Looking at the play by play, Joslyn played directly against Hassell for a few minutes in that game, so Saturday will be a reunion of sorts.

4. Georgia this year rarely plays any player for more than 30 minutes.  Their 5 starters average between 23 and 30 minutes, and they have five other players who average between 10 and 17.  That said, the pattern has changed so far in the tournament, with the above six players getting almost all the time.


Re: WBB: Scouting Georgia - 81alum - 03-27-2013

A couple additional notes.

1. Georgia was in Spokane for rounds 1 and 2, so they decided not to travel home and back.  They are staying in Spokane, so they will be thoroughly adjusted to timezone, etc.  Although I imagine they are getting pretty homesick by now.  I wonder of the Spokane crowd will favor them?  They will have followed them for a couple of games already...and it could be a kind of Cinderella story.

2. I found this on the Georgia site about their freshman phenom:

Quote:Shacobia Barbee, who was named to both the All-SEC Freshman and Defensive teams, leads the Lady Bulldogs in steals and is second in both rebounds and assists.  The Murfreesboro, Tenn., has stepped up her game in the post-season. In two NCAA Tournament games, Barbee is averaging a team-high 16.5 ppg while making 56.5 percent of her FGs.
http://www.georgiadogs.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/032713aac.html

Basically, the old stats on Barbee need to be tossed away.  She is a frosh who is only now coming into her full potential.

2. The Georgia site has some interesting other information:
--Tara and Andy Landers each have 28 20-win seasons.
--In specialty stats, UGA is: +347 in points off TOs, +297 in paint points and +249 in bench points

3. The last time we played was also in the sweet 16 game in 2010 Sacramento.  We won 73-36. 

I looked up that 2010 game.  Mikaela (3) played limited minutes, but Joslyn (12) had some clean-up time towards the end in that game, which was dominated by Kayla, Jane, Nneka, and Jeanette.  But Georgia's Jasmine James was starting as a freshman that year and played 38 minutes!  Anne Marie Armstrong played 17 minutes and Jasmine Hassell played 11.  Three of their starters this year had significant minutes against us three years ago as freshman.  Interestingly, Armstrong off the bench as a freshman led their team in points with 8.  Looking at the play by play, Joslyn played directly against Hassell for a few minutes in that game, so Saturday will be a reunion of sorts.

4. Georgia this year rarely plays any player for more than 30 minutes.  Their 5 starters average between 23 and 30 minutes, and they have five other players who average between 10 and 17.  That said, the pattern has changed so far in the tournament, with the above six players getting almost all the time.


Re: WBB: Scouting Georgia - 81alum - 03-28-2013

Notes from Tara's March 27 press conference

The reporters asked repeatedly about Georgia and its style.  Tara described it as an "aggressive, athletic defense."  She said their style was similar to Tulsa, South Carolina, Colorado, with a few similarities to Tennessee, Arizona State, and UCLA.  They "get up in your grill" and try to deny passing lanes.  Not lost on her was Georgia's turnover ratio, 7th best in the country.

She said that Amber and Sara "like to play against that style."  Sara and Chiney were at the conference, and Sara preferred games that were not called tightly.  That makes sense given that she kept her hands all over Thompson while guarding her.

When asked about preparation, she said that teams at this stage of the year do not suddenly alter their style.  Each team figures out what the other likes to do on offense and tries to make it hard for them to do it.  On offense, we will probably not come up with brand new plays but will reach back and find plays that we have practiced before that are more likely to work against Georgia. 

On defense "We have an excellent idea of what Georgia likes to do."  Tara said that Andy is still using some of the same plays that he used 20 years ago when we faced him--they are good plays.

Beyond this, there was not a lot of substance at the press conference.  I got the feeling from Tara and Chiney and Sara that there is a lot of quiet confidence.  There is no looking past Georgia--everything is focussed on them.  They can still ride the shock of the Tulsa half to motivate players to be ready from the start.  And what our shooters (besides Chiney) needed more than anything was a shot of confidence so they would shoot the ball more often when open, and they got that.

"Be strong with the ball" was the phrase I heard all three use.  They are preparing for a physical battle.  Tara noted that the character of the game will be affected by how it is called, but the seeds have been planted that at least some of our players (Sara, Amber) like wrestling matches just fine, so it will be nothing to be scared of if it happens.

Re: WBB: Scouting Georgia - 81alum - 03-28-2013

Notes from Tara's March 27 press conference

The reporters asked repeatedly about Georgia and its style.  Tara described it as an "aggressive, athletic defense."  She said their style was similar to Tulsa, South Carolina, Colorado, with a few similarities to Tennessee, Arizona State, and UCLA.  They "get up in your grill" and try to deny passing lanes.  Not lost on her was Georgia's turnover ratio, 7th best in the country.

She said that Amber and Sara "like to play against that style."  Sara and Chiney were at the conference, and Sara preferred games that were not called tightly.  That makes sense given that she kept her hands all over Thompson while guarding her.

When asked about preparation, she said that teams at this stage of the year do not suddenly alter their style.  Each team figures out what the other likes to do on offense and tries to make it hard for them to do it.  On offense, we will probably not come up with brand new plays but will reach back and find plays that we have practiced before that are more likely to work against Georgia. 

On defense "We have an excellent idea of what Georgia likes to do."  Tara said that Andy is still using some of the same plays that he used 20 years ago when we faced him--they are good plays.

Beyond this, there was not a lot of substance at the press conference.  I got the feeling from Tara and Chiney and Sara that there is a lot of quiet confidence.  There is no looking past Georgia--everything is focussed on them.  They can still ride the shock of the Tulsa half to motivate players to be ready from the start.  And what our shooters (besides Chiney) needed more than anything was a shot of confidence so they would shoot the ball more often when open, and they got that.

"Be strong with the ball" was the phrase I heard all three use.  They are preparing for a physical battle.  Tara noted that the character of the game will be affected by how it is called, but the seeds have been planted that at least some of our players (Sara, Amber) like wrestling matches just fine, so it will be nothing to be scared of if it happens.

Re: WBB: Scouting Georgia - BobK - 03-28-2013

I really don't think any Stanford player or fan wants to see Chiney held grabbed thrown like a couple of teams have done.  And if that happens we are in trouble. 

Re: WBB: Scouting Georgia - BobK - 03-28-2013

I really don't think any Stanford player or fan wants to see Chiney held grabbed thrown like a couple of teams have done.  And if that happens we are in trouble. 

Re: WBB: Scouting Georgia - 81alum - 03-28-2013

I'm afraid you are right, and Georgia will use Hassel the way UCLA used Brewer, to sort of sumo wrestle Chiney all night.  But if the refs don't call it, there is not much we can do about it other than be as prepared as possible.

I think Tara is trying to get her guards ready and motivated for an SEC style of defense, and part of that is getting them into a positive frame of mind about a lot of physical contact.  If it doesn't happen, so much the better.

Re: WBB: Scouting Georgia - 81alum - 03-28-2013

I'm afraid you are right, and Georgia will use Hassel the way UCLA used Brewer, to sort of sumo wrestle Chiney all night.  But if the refs don't call it, there is not much we can do about it other than be as prepared as possible.

I think Tara is trying to get her guards ready and motivated for an SEC style of defense, and part of that is getting them into a positive frame of mind about a lot of physical contact.  If it doesn't happen, so much the better.

Re: WBB: Scouting Georgia - CompSci87 - 03-28-2013

I watched the first half of the Georgia vs. Iowa State game, and Georgia's defense didn't look all that scary or ultra-physical. However, that may have been a function of the approach they decided to take against Iowa State's offense. Both teams were zoning a lot in that game and daring the other to shoot over the top. Maybe Georgia will defend us more like Tulsa/SCar/Colo/etc. did.

Re: WBB: Scouting Georgia - CompSci87 - 03-28-2013

I watched the first half of the Georgia vs. Iowa State game, and Georgia's defense didn't look all that scary or ultra-physical. However, that may have been a function of the approach they decided to take against Iowa State's offense. Both teams were zoning a lot in that game and daring the other to shoot over the top. Maybe Georgia will defend us more like Tulsa/SCar/Colo/etc. did.

Re: WBB: Scouting Georgia - 81alum - 03-28-2013

(03-28-2013, 01:15 PM)CompSci87 link Wrote:I watched the first half of the Georgia vs. Iowa State game, and Georgia's defense didn't look all that scary or ultra-physical. However, that may have been a function of the approach they decided to take against Iowa State's offense. Both teams were zoning a lot in that game and daring the other to shoot over the top. Maybe Georgia will defend us more like Tulsa/SCar/Colo/etc. did.
I noticed that too.  And Georgia did a fair bit of zone against LSU, too.

Try watching the Vanderbuilt game, where they open up in man.  There you see the close defense by the guards more, especially Jasmine James.  But you are right, it is not a Mayberry smothering type of defense, but they generate a lot more turnovers than Tulsa, somehow.

Also in that game you see James making pinpoint passes from the top of the arc all the way to Hassell under or around the basket.  Repeatedly.  Just like they have to stop Chiney first, we have to stop Hassell first, and that may mean defending James so she can't pass so effectively.  I now understand her relatively high number of turnovers.  Some of those passes were pretty high-risk.  They were Elway bullet passes, and if Hassell caught it it was a certain 2 points, but a couple of times they sailed out of bounds.  Those are not bad turnovers, since it gives the defense plenty of time to get set.

The announcers called Hassell "the strongest player in WBB."  That might be an exagerration, but she is not one of the spindly types.  She routinely pushed her opponent out of the paint, but at the other end she was very difficult to push out of the paint herself.  I imagine she will be on Chiney trying to bulldoze her.  And I would imagine we will need Ruef on Hassell at the other end, and maybe two players, since I doubt that Chiney or Jos can push Hassell around by themselves.

With our focus on Hassell, it is likely that Georgia will have some open threes.  They have not made a high percentage of their threes this year, but have been heating up lately and (unlike us) never seem to get tired of shooting it.  In short, stopping Georgia will be similar to stopping Stanford--a lot could depend upon whether anyone gets hot from three point range.

Re: WBB: Scouting Georgia - 81alum - 03-28-2013

(03-28-2013, 01:15 PM)CompSci87 link Wrote:I watched the first half of the Georgia vs. Iowa State game, and Georgia's defense didn't look all that scary or ultra-physical. However, that may have been a function of the approach they decided to take against Iowa State's offense. Both teams were zoning a lot in that game and daring the other to shoot over the top. Maybe Georgia will defend us more like Tulsa/SCar/Colo/etc. did.
I noticed that too.  And Georgia did a fair bit of zone against LSU, too.

Try watching the Vanderbuilt game, where they open up in man.  There you see the close defense by the guards more, especially Jasmine James.  But you are right, it is not a Mayberry smothering type of defense, but they generate a lot more turnovers than Tulsa, somehow.

Also in that game you see James making pinpoint passes from the top of the arc all the way to Hassell under or around the basket.  Repeatedly.  Just like they have to stop Chiney first, we have to stop Hassell first, and that may mean defending James so she can't pass so effectively.  I now understand her relatively high number of turnovers.  Some of those passes were pretty high-risk.  They were Elway bullet passes, and if Hassell caught it it was a certain 2 points, but a couple of times they sailed out of bounds.  Those are not bad turnovers, since it gives the defense plenty of time to get set.

The announcers called Hassell "the strongest player in WBB."  That might be an exagerration, but she is not one of the spindly types.  She routinely pushed her opponent out of the paint, but at the other end she was very difficult to push out of the paint herself.  I imagine she will be on Chiney trying to bulldoze her.  And I would imagine we will need Ruef on Hassell at the other end, and maybe two players, since I doubt that Chiney or Jos can push Hassell around by themselves.

With our focus on Hassell, it is likely that Georgia will have some open threes.  They have not made a high percentage of their threes this year, but have been heating up lately and (unlike us) never seem to get tired of shooting it.  In short, stopping Georgia will be similar to stopping Stanford--a lot could depend upon whether anyone gets hot from three point range.

Re: WBB: Scouting Georgia - M T - 03-29-2013

Another good write-up 81!

Team Stats

(03-27-2013, 07:24 PM)81alum link Wrote:--In specialty stats, UGA is: +347 in points off TOs, +297 in paint points and +249 in bench points
Regarding the specialty stats, I don't see them at the Stanford site nor at the Georgia site.  Here's what I have.

TeamFGFGA3Pt3PtAFTFTAORDRPFTPATOBlkSPiPPoT2ndFBPBench
Stanford 945 2067 183 571 406 565 448 1032 460 2479 494 418 185 207 1090 415 430 157 506
Opp6712129135578332471476739516180929842868203708356317119473
Diff274-6248-77494-28293-56670196-101174382591133833
Georgia827206215354639058251283950921974764671053651035003170
GA opp662182316255027543340281552417613856711072287380000
GA diff165239-9-411514911024-1543691-204-213729734700249

Point distribution per game:
Stanford:  FT: 11.6  3PT: 15.7  Paint: 31.1  2PT outside the paint: 12.4  Total: 70.8
Georgia:    FT: 11.1  3PT: 13.9  Paint: 31.4  2PT outside the paint: 10.2    Total: 66.6

Obviously our normal advantages are in FG (ie, FG%), 3 pointers (3PT%), def. reb., total points, assists, blocks, points in the paint, second chance points (we don't always get ORs, but when we do, we prefer putbacks).

Their strengths are getting more shots than their opponents (and a higher FG% than the opponents), more free throw attempts (ie, more fouls commited against them, like C.al), offensive rebounds (directly against our DR strength), causing turn overs, steals, points in the paint, points off turnovers (they get 1.5 points off each turnover, it appears), and bench points.

The FG% of the team without Hassell or Armstrong is 38%.  Respectable.  (Stanford minus Chiney is 41.5%)

There seems to be two aspects of their game that dominate the stats.  Steals/turnovers & offensive rebounds.  The other one is FTA/opponent PF, meaning they draw lots of fouls as they shoot.

I'm surprised they didn't list fast break points.  That may mean that the turnovers they get are not out on the perimeter, but more internal.  1/2 of the turnovers are steals. Turnovers lead to more FGA, and thus more FG.  If some of these are fast breaks, and some are transition baskets, that may help explain a somewhat higher FG% for the team.

With 200 extra turnovers (leading to 347 PoT) and 100 extra offensive rebounds, I'm surprised that they  have ONLY 300 extra points in the paint.  That's beginning to sound like maybe they don't get many transition points.  Or else their forwards are not that dominant.  (Look at Stanford stats and you see nothing that contributes to PIP.  Take away all the 2nd chance points, and we still are +269 for PiP.  The majority of all that is on the credit sheet of one player on her first shot.  Stanford gets 1090 PiP + 406 FT + 549 points from 3PTs = 2045.  So the total scoring from jumpers outside the paint but inside the 3PT line is 2479-2045 = 434 = 12.4/game)


Georgia gets an extra 204 possessions from TO and an extra 100 or so possessions from the total rebound difference, for about 300 extra possessions.  But they only get an extra 240 FGA.  I suppose most of the other possesssions (20%) wind up with free throws.  That's a high percentage.  Corroborating evidence is that they fouls are even between Georgia and their opponents, but Georgia gets 20% more FTAs.  I suspect a lot of fouls against them are in the act of shooting (which, by the way, raises their FG% since the ones that go in count and the ones that don't, don't).

My impression is that the NCAA tourney is being called with few common fouls on the floor and a moderate (but not as much as in the regular season) set of shooting fouls.  If a team can cause you to foul while they are shooting, they'll probably get more fouls called against the other team during the tourney.  I believe that Chiney & Amber are our two players that can get those calls.  But maybe Georgia has more players that get those calls.  But if our defenders can play without fouling on drives to the basket, then we can take away that advantage for Georgia.


My guess

Just based on the stats and my knowledge of Stanford,

I hope I'm wrong, but I think Amber will be challenged in this game.  I think defending our perimeter players full time will be a focus, and that will result in difficulties getting the ball inside or even getting threes off.  Bonnie will get some threes.  I hope Jos can get some.

But mainly, Stanford perimeter players are going to have to work hard to get passes inside.  We'll be doing a lot of picks.  I expect Amber will have to bring her A game of cutting around a high pick and toward the basket.

If we get the ball inside, Chiney should be fine or else someone else is open.  Mikaela and Jos need to keep the ball high as they may have 4" on their defender, but the defender is quick.

Although I've thought about it less, I think our defense can handle Georgia.  In the last month, Miss St beat them 50-38 and Kentucky beat them 60-38.  In those games Georgia was not in foul trouble.  In one, Hassell got 17 points.  In the other one player got as many as 10.  In both games, Georgia had about 17 TO.  Kentucky had 13 TO while Miss St had 18 TO.  In the Kentucky game, Georgia shot 22%.  In the other, they shot 18.2% (down 2 at the half, half their shots in the second half were threes, all 16 of which missed).

I expect Stanford to shut down their offense similarly.

I will be comfortable with a score of Stanford 62, Georgia 48  (but I anticipate something more like 70-40)

(Griffin78: I was not the first one here to suggest bringing Chiney out from the basket.) 


Re: WBB: Scouting Georgia - M T - 03-29-2013

Another good write-up 81!

Team Stats

(03-27-2013, 07:24 PM)81alum link Wrote:--In specialty stats, UGA is: +347 in points off TOs, +297 in paint points and +249 in bench points
Regarding the specialty stats, I don't see them at the Stanford site nor at the Georgia site.  Here's what I have.

TeamFGFGA3Pt3PtAFTFTAORDRPFTPATOBlkSPiPPoT2ndFBPBench
Stanford 945 2067 183 571 406 565 448 1032 460 2479 494 418 185 207 1090 415 430 157 506
Opp6712129135578332471476739516180929842868203708356317119473
Diff274-6248-77494-28293-56670196-101174382591133833
Georgia827206215354639058251283950921974764671053651035003170
GA opp662182316255027543340281552417613856711072287380000
GA diff165239-9-411514911024-1543691-204-213729734700249

Point distribution per game:
Stanford:  FT: 11.6  3PT: 15.7  Paint: 31.1  2PT outside the paint: 12.4  Total: 70.8
Georgia:    FT: 11.1  3PT: 13.9  Paint: 31.4  2PT outside the paint: 10.2    Total: 66.6

Obviously our normal advantages are in FG (ie, FG%), 3 pointers (3PT%), def. reb., total points, assists, blocks, points in the paint, second chance points (we don't always get ORs, but when we do, we prefer putbacks).

Their strengths are getting more shots than their opponents (and a higher FG% than the opponents), more free throw attempts (ie, more fouls commited against them, like C.al), offensive rebounds (directly against our DR strength), causing turn overs, steals, points in the paint, points off turnovers (they get 1.5 points off each turnover, it appears), and bench points.

The FG% of the team without Hassell or Armstrong is 38%.  Respectable.  (Stanford minus Chiney is 41.5%)

There seems to be two aspects of their game that dominate the stats.  Steals/turnovers & offensive rebounds.  The other one is FTA/opponent PF, meaning they draw lots of fouls as they shoot.

I'm surprised they didn't list fast break points.  That may mean that the turnovers they get are not out on the perimeter, but more internal.  1/2 of the turnovers are steals. Turnovers lead to more FGA, and thus more FG.  If some of these are fast breaks, and some are transition baskets, that may help explain a somewhat higher FG% for the team.

With 200 extra turnovers (leading to 347 PoT) and 100 extra offensive rebounds, I'm surprised that they  have ONLY 300 extra points in the paint.  That's beginning to sound like maybe they don't get many transition points.  Or else their forwards are not that dominant.  (Look at Stanford stats and you see nothing that contributes to PIP.  Take away all the 2nd chance points, and we still are +269 for PiP.  The majority of all that is on the credit sheet of one player on her first shot.  Stanford gets 1090 PiP + 406 FT + 549 points from 3PTs = 2045.  So the total scoring from jumpers outside the paint but inside the 3PT line is 2479-2045 = 434 = 12.4/game)


Georgia gets an extra 204 possessions from TO and an extra 100 or so possessions from the total rebound difference, for about 300 extra possessions.  But they only get an extra 240 FGA.  I suppose most of the other possesssions (20%) wind up with free throws.  That's a high percentage.  Corroborating evidence is that they fouls are even between Georgia and their opponents, but Georgia gets 20% more FTAs.  I suspect a lot of fouls against them are in the act of shooting (which, by the way, raises their FG% since the ones that go in count and the ones that don't, don't).

My impression is that the NCAA tourney is being called with few common fouls on the floor and a moderate (but not as much as in the regular season) set of shooting fouls.  If a team can cause you to foul while they are shooting, they'll probably get more fouls called against the other team during the tourney.  I believe that Chiney & Amber are our two players that can get those calls.  But maybe Georgia has more players that get those calls.  But if our defenders can play without fouling on drives to the basket, then we can take away that advantage for Georgia.


My guess

Just based on the stats and my knowledge of Stanford,

I hope I'm wrong, but I think Amber will be challenged in this game.  I think defending our perimeter players full time will be a focus, and that will result in difficulties getting the ball inside or even getting threes off.  Bonnie will get some threes.  I hope Jos can get some.

But mainly, Stanford perimeter players are going to have to work hard to get passes inside.  We'll be doing a lot of picks.  I expect Amber will have to bring her A game of cutting around a high pick and toward the basket.

If we get the ball inside, Chiney should be fine or else someone else is open.  Mikaela and Jos need to keep the ball high as they may have 4" on their defender, but the defender is quick.

Although I've thought about it less, I think our defense can handle Georgia.  In the last month, Miss St beat them 50-38 and Kentucky beat them 60-38.  In those games Georgia was not in foul trouble.  In one, Hassell got 17 points.  In the other one player got as many as 10.  In both games, Georgia had about 17 TO.  Kentucky had 13 TO while Miss St had 18 TO.  In the Kentucky game, Georgia shot 22%.  In the other, they shot 18.2% (down 2 at the half, half their shots in the second half were threes, all 16 of which missed).

I expect Stanford to shut down their offense similarly.

I will be comfortable with a score of Stanford 62, Georgia 48  (but I anticipate something more like 70-40)

(Griffin78: I was not the first one here to suggest bringing Chiney out from the basket.) 


Re: WBB: Scouting Georgia - 81alum - 03-29-2013

MT, I got those specialty stats from this Georgia press release:
http://www.georgiadogs.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/032713aac.html
I did not parse through the raw data myself.  Where do you obtain the specialty stats for yourself?  The normal stat sheets don't seem to have them...

Nice analysis, and I hope you are right in you conclusions!  I do think that Georgia will play well.  I would not be surprised if it was one of their better games, given the way the psychological factors stack up.  But whether it will be enough to threaten us...will be decided on the court.

I'm also not sure exactly what Landers will do on defense.  What Georgia has that other teams don't is the ability to switch between man and zone effectively.  Perhaps they will switch situationally.  As long as we don't make threes, zone and surround Chiney.  If we make threes man and close defense of the perimeter. 

Re: WBB: Scouting Georgia - 81alum - 03-29-2013

MT, I got those specialty stats from this Georgia press release:
http://www.georgiadogs.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/032713aac.html
I did not parse through the raw data myself.  Where do you obtain the specialty stats for yourself?  The normal stat sheets don't seem to have them...

Nice analysis, and I hope you are right in you conclusions!  I do think that Georgia will play well.  I would not be surprised if it was one of their better games, given the way the psychological factors stack up.  But whether it will be enough to threaten us...will be decided on the court.

I'm also not sure exactly what Landers will do on defense.  What Georgia has that other teams don't is the ability to switch between man and zone effectively.  Perhaps they will switch situationally.  As long as we don't make threes, zone and surround Chiney.  If we make threes man and close defense of the perimeter.Â