[81alum]

Again, I was away dealing with a family health care situation, and again I return home to discover a second Arizona-like debacle.

I hope some of you who saw the game can offer insight into what happened.  Even if I had seen it, I am not sure my heart is in analyzing our roller-coaster of a team, who can beat UConn and Oregon State at their home and yet lose to doormats Arizona and Oregon.  I am sure the players are profoundly disappointed and feel even more glum than we do.

Without having seen the game but just looking at the stat sheets, it looks Alleyne dominated our posts. 

I also can hardly believe my eyes on the free throw line--we were 1/2 for the entire game and they were 11/15?  Why did we generate no fouls?

And why did we go 6/25 from three?  Were they playing a zone to force the outside shots, and we just could not make them?  Oregon got 5 treys on half as many attempts as it took us to get 6.

So, dominated by a post, didn't get any fouls, couldn't make any treys, and it looks like we were well behind and not very competitive for the last 10 minutes of the game.  What a clunker. 

For the Pac 12 we are 3rd somehow--thankfully not 4th since the 4th team (Cal) will probably have to play Washington in their home town.  We will play the winner of Arizona/UCLA on Friday.  If we get past that we will probably get ASU and if we get past them it will likely be Oregon State.  I do not think that winning the tournament would be enough to host, at this point--and I won't even take the first game for granted.

Let's say we lose in the 2nd round of the Pac12 and then lose in the second round of the NCAAs in some faraway place, with a 5 or even a 6 seed.  We would wind up at 23-11, the worst record by far since the three down years in 1998-2000.  Sadly, it took three years the last time we were in this much trouble to get back to our usual dominance.  I am hoping it won't take three years this time. 

[81alum]

Again, I was away dealing with a family health care situation, and again I return home to discover a second Arizona-like debacle.

I hope some of you who saw the game can offer insight into what happened.  Even if I had seen it, I am not sure my heart is in analyzing our roller-coaster of a team, who can beat UConn and Oregon State at their home and yet lose to doormats Arizona and Oregon.  I am sure the players are profoundly disappointed and feel even more glum than we do.

Without having seen the game but just looking at the stat sheets, it looks Alleyne dominated our posts. 

I also can hardly believe my eyes on the free throw line--we were 1/2 for the entire game and they were 11/15?  Why did we generate no fouls?

And why did we go 6/25 from three?  Were they playing a zone to force the outside shots, and we just could not make them?  Oregon got 5 treys on half as many attempts as it took us to get 6.

So, dominated by a post, didn't get any fouls, couldn't make any treys, and it looks like we were well behind and not very competitive for the last 10 minutes of the game.  What a clunker. 

For the Pac 12 we are 3rd somehow--thankfully not 4th since the 4th team (Cal) will probably have to play Washington in their home town.  We will play the winner of Arizona/UCLA on Friday.  If we get past that we will probably get ASU and if we get past them it will likely be Oregon State.  I do not think that winning the tournament would be enough to host, at this point--and I won't even take the first game for granted.

Let's say we lose in the 2nd round of the Pac12 and then lose in the second round of the NCAAs in some faraway place, with a 5 or even a 6 seed.  We would wind up at 23-11, the worst record by far since the three down years in 1998-2000.  Sadly, it took three years the last time we were in this much trouble to get back to our usual dominance.  I am hoping it won't take three years this time. 

[chimera]

I don't know what to say anymore.  The tam looked totally flummoxed by the Oregon zone.  Making the open shots would have helped but it was more than just missing, they just did not have a solid plan to beat it, or if they did, did not execute it.  I did not see a whole lot of intensity either.  Or adjustments as Oregon pulled away late.  Did not defend either Alleyne or their shooters when it mattered.  We specialize in making mediocre teams like Oregon look good. 

[chimera]

I don't know what to say anymore.  The tam looked totally flummoxed by the Oregon zone.  Making the open shots would have helped but it was more than just missing, they just did not have a solid plan to beat it, or if they did, did not execute it.  I did not see a whole lot of intensity either.  Or adjustments as Oregon pulled away late.  Did not defend either Alleyne or their shooters when it mattered.  We specialize in making mediocre teams like Oregon look good. 

[81alum]

I don't know what to say anymore.  The tam looked totally flummoxed by the Oregon zone.  Making the open shots would have helped but it was more than just missing, they just did not have a solid plan to beat it, or if they did, did not execute it.  I did not see a whole lot of intensity either.  Or adjustments as Oregon pulled away late.  Did not defend either Alleyne or their shooters when it mattered.  We specialize in making mediocre teams like Oregon look good.

You know, I think the new offense is very vulnerable to the zone.  It basically only works well against man.  We have the three point shooters to kill a zone but we don't seem to know how to switch into an effective zone-killing offense, and plenty of teams seem to be able to extend out from their zones sufficiently to hinder our three point shooters.

As teams switch from man to zone on us, we need a more effective zone killing offense.  A bit late in the season to figure this out.

[81alum]

I don't know what to say anymore.  The tam looked totally flummoxed by the Oregon zone.  Making the open shots would have helped but it was more than just missing, they just did not have a solid plan to beat it, or if they did, did not execute it.  I did not see a whole lot of intensity either.  Or adjustments as Oregon pulled away late.  Did not defend either Alleyne or their shooters when it mattered.  We specialize in making mediocre teams like Oregon look good.

You know, I think the new offense is very vulnerable to the zone.  It basically only works well against man.  We have the three point shooters to kill a zone but we don't seem to know how to switch into an effective zone-killing offense, and plenty of teams seem to be able to extend out from their zones sufficiently to hinder our three point shooters.

As teams switch from man to zone on us, we need a more effective zone killing offense.  A bit late in the season to figure this out.

[chimera]

That would be a rather fatal flaw, if all teams need to do is an extended zone and we can only chuck threes that miss. 

[chimera]

That would be a rather fatal flaw, if all teams need to do is an extended zone and we can only chuck threes that miss. 

[BobK]

Playing 4 on 5 against the zone is definitely harder than against man.  Since the post players arent part of the O then it's always 4 on 5. 

[BobK]

Playing 4 on 5 against the zone is definitely harder than against man.  Since the post players arent part of the O then it's always 4 on 5. 

[schwerer]

"I also can hardly believe my eyes on the free throw line--we were 1/2 for the entire game and they were 11/15?  Why did we generate no fouls?" from 81alum

Very similar to the stats for our loss to Cal at home.  Both times enough of a difference in points to reverse the loss -- if the game couldn't be won with twos and threes.

But what does the imbalance indicate?  Refereeing? Sophistication of play? Please tell me.

[schwerer]

"I also can hardly believe my eyes on the free throw line--we were 1/2 for the entire game and they were 11/15?  Why did we generate no fouls?" from 81alum

Very similar to the stats for our loss to Cal at home.  Both times enough of a difference in points to reverse the loss -- if the game couldn't be won with twos and threes.

But what does the imbalance indicate?  Refereeing? Sophistication of play? Please tell me.

[81alum]

"I also can hardly believe my eyes on the free throw line--we were 1/2 for the entire game and they were 11/15?  Why did we generate no fouls?" from 81alum

Very similar to the stats for our loss to Low APR U at home.  Both times enough of a difference in points to reverse the loss -- if the game couldn't be won with twos and threes.

But what does the imbalance indicate?  Refereeing? Sophistication of play? Please tell me.

Yes, my question exactly, and since I did not see either of those games I really want someone who did to explain it.  Should I be angry at the referees?  Are we just never driving the ball enough to pick up fouls? 

Who were the TV commentators on the game, and what did they say about the gargantuan foul disparity?

[81alum]

"I also can hardly believe my eyes on the free throw line--we were 1/2 for the entire game and they were 11/15?  Why did we generate no fouls?" from 81alum

Very similar to the stats for our loss to Low APR U at home.  Both times enough of a difference in points to reverse the loss -- if the game couldn't be won with twos and threes.

But what does the imbalance indicate?  Refereeing? Sophistication of play? Please tell me.

Yes, my question exactly, and since I did not see either of those games I really want someone who did to explain it.  Should I be angry at the referees?  Are we just never driving the ball enough to pick up fouls? 

Who were the TV commentators on the game, and what did they say about the gargantuan foul disparity?

[chimera]

You should  >:( and  ::) at us settling for long range shots over and over and missing.  You should  :'( that we never pass inside and thus have little post game.  Wasn't the refs.

[chimera]

You should  >:( and  ::) at us settling for long range shots over and over and missing.  You should  :'( that we never pass inside and thus have little post game.  Wasn't the refs.

[Yellowlab]

Stanford was getting extremely good looks, sometimes wide open ones, but they just stopped making them.  I didn't think Oregon could keep hitting theirs, but they did.  That was it in a nutshell.

Oregon made me think of all those years when we could throw the ball into Jayne, Nekka or Chiney and get a lay-up, foul, or a kick back outside for an open look.  Of course, we had Wiggins or Pohlen making those open looks.  This time it was our turn to feel helpless as Oregon tossed it inside, something good would happen, or the ball would rotate back out for an open look that they kept making.

Defensively our posts could not guard one on one and they needed a help defender.  Oregon was very good at moving the ball to the open shooter and then making their shots before the defense could rotate back.  You have to give them credit.

There were hardly any fouls called in the first half.  Sometimes this stat gets skewed, because the team that is behind towards the end has to resort to desperation fouling.  This also happened in the second Cal game.

We have a weakness in the post.  (Bird is not going to grow 2 inches overnight, and Johnson is not going to gain 15 pounds of muscle.)  Some games this weakness gets masked, and some games it gets exposed.  You cannot expect a team with this sort of flaw to make a deep run.  They can lose against almost anyone.  They have also proven, however, that they can beat just about anyone.  They have exceeded my expectations.

[Yellowlab]

Stanford was getting extremely good looks, sometimes wide open ones, but they just stopped making them.  I didn't think Oregon could keep hitting theirs, but they did.  That was it in a nutshell.

Oregon made me think of all those years when we could throw the ball into Jayne, Nekka or Chiney and get a lay-up, foul, or a kick back outside for an open look.  Of course, we had Wiggins or Pohlen making those open looks.  This time it was our turn to feel helpless as Oregon tossed it inside, something good would happen, or the ball would rotate back out for an open look that they kept making.

Defensively our posts could not guard one on one and they needed a help defender.  Oregon was very good at moving the ball to the open shooter and then making their shots before the defense could rotate back.  You have to give them credit.

There were hardly any fouls called in the first half.  Sometimes this stat gets skewed, because the team that is behind towards the end has to resort to desperation fouling.  This also happened in the second Cal game.

We have a weakness in the post.  (Bird is not going to grow 2 inches overnight, and Johnson is not going to gain 15 pounds of muscle.)  Some games this weakness gets masked, and some games it gets exposed.  You cannot expect a team with this sort of flaw to make a deep run.  They can lose against almost anyone.  They have also proven, however, that they can beat just about anyone.  They have exceeded my expectations.

[Jskass]

agreed on everything. will add that the refs definitely didn't call much at all.
on the posts, my broken record is that sometimes we need to play Kaylee and Erica. With Karlie out, seems like not only is Brittany getting more time but so is TG. TG's a body for rebounding and can be effective on defense when she's in their faces, but her offense never developed so it's like giving up when we need to score. I don't understand why in the world she'd be in the game if we're behind....

i don't get why we have energy one game then not the next. This teams needs to consider itself the underdog for every game (especially if others have figured out they just need to play zone)!

[Jskass]

agreed on everything. will add that the refs definitely didn't call much at all.
on the posts, my broken record is that sometimes we need to play Kaylee and Erica. With Karlie out, seems like not only is Brittany getting more time but so is TG. TG's a body for rebounding and can be effective on defense when she's in their faces, but her offense never developed so it's like giving up when we need to score. I don't understand why in the world she'd be in the game if we're behind....

i don't get why we have energy one game then not the next. This teams needs to consider itself the underdog for every game (especially if others have figured out they just need to play zone)!