outlookdude
250+ Posts
It’s difficult to beat a good team twice in the same season. As much as it pains me, aggy is a good team. But, UT desperately needs to win this last regular season game. UT needs to win to send aggy off to the SEC with the remembrance of a regular season sweep. UT needs to win so that the seniors can leave the FEC on a positive note. UT needs to win to help build momentum and confidence going into the B12 tournament and for next season. Obviously UT needs to win to improve chances for an NCAA tournament bid.
Most important UT needs to win because every game is important and this is a game. Still….
Texas needs to come into this game with confidence. They need to believe that they will win. The most concerning thing I have seen lately was in the Baylor game when the team appeared to be intimidated, rushing shots unnecessarily, and seeming to play from desperation instead of confidence. You simply can’t win at a high level without confidence in yourself and your teammates.
To me that is key number one. Texas needs to start the game with confidence and aggression. They need to come in with the intention of taking control in the first four minutes, but the confidence to believe that regardless they will overcome any obstacles and win. aggy is certainly good enough to make that difficult, and even best case they will make runs. Texas has to maintain that confidence, aggression, and focus during those times. One of the things that aggy has done best for several years is to put other teams on the defensive and force them to react to what aggy is doing. Texas cannot fall into that trap. Things will go wrong, if not early they will later. Texas has to weather that adversity, whenever it comes, and come back with the things that always win. Defense, rebounding, limiting turnovers, and offensive execution.
The other key for me is what I have talked about before……getting scoring from the posts, and in the paint in general. Against MU the first half started with a focus on getting the ball inside and getting easy baskets. The shots were there but missed. Then they got away from that and started taking some poorer shots. Contested jump shots, drives to the basket against the numbers…..They came back out in the second half and quickly got a few baskets inside and suddenly everything started to look easier. If you force a team to stop you inside the jump shots are less contested. Start hitting those and then it is easier to get to the basket. AG had a monster game against aggy the first time around. We don’t need for her to have another career game, (although that would be nice), but we do need to force aggy to worry about stopping Texas from scoring in the paint. Anything you can do to keep the other team from focusing defensively on your best shooter will improve your results.
All that said, it is easy to go into an important contest, and emotional because it is senior day, and be so hyped that the energy becomes a negative. They need to play with passion, but remain focused and stay within the game plan, and trust their teammates. There is pressure, but that is what competition is about. It should be fun to compete. So, I want to see a team that is able to enjoy the moment and the opportunity rather than be tense with the excitement. When you sign on to play D1 BB you want the chance to play in big games. Here you go. This is one of them.
Generally I have thought that Texas has played pretty well defensively. I only watched live, and tape might make it look differently, but I thought K-State moved the ball very well offensively and caught them a little slow in defensive rotations. They need to be in defensive lock down mode from the opening tip. Shots don’t always fall, but you can always control your defensive play. aggy will make some plays, but they need to make sure that they force them to make the difficult ones and trust that percentages will favor them in the long run.
Texas has the talent to win the game. The only reason to believe otherwise is the history shown in their records to date for this season. But, those previous games don’t count. All that matters now is this one. At different times over the second half of this season I have seen several different players step up and just refuse to let their team lose a game. If we can get a team to play to with that type passion this one will be in the bag.
We need a team that is determined to not walk off the court with any doubt but that they played the best game possible. We need a team that is determined to make aggy work their tails off for everything they get from the opening tip to the final buzzer. B12 tournament, and NCAA tournament be damned, there isn’t a more important game on the schedule. There is nothing to save energy and effort for in the future. The energy, effort, and passion in this game will ultimately in large part define how everyone remembers this season. Every game is important and should be treated with urgency. But, let’s not kid ourselves. This is the game that they have been preparing for all season. This is the one that has been circled since the start of the season. Circumstances have only made it more important.
I want to see a team that is not willing to let that opportunity pass, and is not willing to walk off the court with any regrets. I think that is what we will see Sunday.
Enjoy the moment. Seize the opportunity. Texas Fight! Beat the hell out of aggy!
(Also curious what others think are keys to the game…)
Most important UT needs to win because every game is important and this is a game. Still….
Texas needs to come into this game with confidence. They need to believe that they will win. The most concerning thing I have seen lately was in the Baylor game when the team appeared to be intimidated, rushing shots unnecessarily, and seeming to play from desperation instead of confidence. You simply can’t win at a high level without confidence in yourself and your teammates.
To me that is key number one. Texas needs to start the game with confidence and aggression. They need to come in with the intention of taking control in the first four minutes, but the confidence to believe that regardless they will overcome any obstacles and win. aggy is certainly good enough to make that difficult, and even best case they will make runs. Texas has to maintain that confidence, aggression, and focus during those times. One of the things that aggy has done best for several years is to put other teams on the defensive and force them to react to what aggy is doing. Texas cannot fall into that trap. Things will go wrong, if not early they will later. Texas has to weather that adversity, whenever it comes, and come back with the things that always win. Defense, rebounding, limiting turnovers, and offensive execution.
The other key for me is what I have talked about before……getting scoring from the posts, and in the paint in general. Against MU the first half started with a focus on getting the ball inside and getting easy baskets. The shots were there but missed. Then they got away from that and started taking some poorer shots. Contested jump shots, drives to the basket against the numbers…..They came back out in the second half and quickly got a few baskets inside and suddenly everything started to look easier. If you force a team to stop you inside the jump shots are less contested. Start hitting those and then it is easier to get to the basket. AG had a monster game against aggy the first time around. We don’t need for her to have another career game, (although that would be nice), but we do need to force aggy to worry about stopping Texas from scoring in the paint. Anything you can do to keep the other team from focusing defensively on your best shooter will improve your results.
All that said, it is easy to go into an important contest, and emotional because it is senior day, and be so hyped that the energy becomes a negative. They need to play with passion, but remain focused and stay within the game plan, and trust their teammates. There is pressure, but that is what competition is about. It should be fun to compete. So, I want to see a team that is able to enjoy the moment and the opportunity rather than be tense with the excitement. When you sign on to play D1 BB you want the chance to play in big games. Here you go. This is one of them.
Generally I have thought that Texas has played pretty well defensively. I only watched live, and tape might make it look differently, but I thought K-State moved the ball very well offensively and caught them a little slow in defensive rotations. They need to be in defensive lock down mode from the opening tip. Shots don’t always fall, but you can always control your defensive play. aggy will make some plays, but they need to make sure that they force them to make the difficult ones and trust that percentages will favor them in the long run.
Texas has the talent to win the game. The only reason to believe otherwise is the history shown in their records to date for this season. But, those previous games don’t count. All that matters now is this one. At different times over the second half of this season I have seen several different players step up and just refuse to let their team lose a game. If we can get a team to play to with that type passion this one will be in the bag.
We need a team that is determined to not walk off the court with any doubt but that they played the best game possible. We need a team that is determined to make aggy work their tails off for everything they get from the opening tip to the final buzzer. B12 tournament, and NCAA tournament be damned, there isn’t a more important game on the schedule. There is nothing to save energy and effort for in the future. The energy, effort, and passion in this game will ultimately in large part define how everyone remembers this season. Every game is important and should be treated with urgency. But, let’s not kid ourselves. This is the game that they have been preparing for all season. This is the one that has been circled since the start of the season. Circumstances have only made it more important.
I want to see a team that is not willing to let that opportunity pass, and is not willing to walk off the court with any regrets. I think that is what we will see Sunday.
Enjoy the moment. Seize the opportunity. Texas Fight! Beat the hell out of aggy!
(Also curious what others think are keys to the game…)
