Princeton @ Texas 11/27/22

It was interesting to hear Ford yelling "give me the ball!" many times. We could hear it from the opposite end. She did have a back issue and had an ice pack on it at the end of the game. My memory might not be great but she is a big inside presence we haven't had for a while. She keeps the ball high in the air, doesn't try to dribble, and passes out if she's double or triple covered.
Jones? I like her a lot. Has great ball handling under the hoop. Odd they call her a forward.
 
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Post-game presser

I was a bit stunned to hear how positive Vic was about the game. As I saw the numbers under "TO" start going up and up I thought Vic would come down hard on the team about it in the postgame. But, I guess he was so happy having Rori back that the only thing he wasn't happy about was the offensive rebounding.
 
Vic is probably happy they held Princeton to 17 points below their average.

Texas shot 52% and 81.5% from the line which I’m sure he is very pleased about too.

Princeton had 10 offensive boards and caused 18 turnovers. I’m sure Vic will get that cleaned up. (I don’t think Princeton missed a FT until the 4th Qtr and missed 2)

It did feel it was pretty low energy in The Moody today and I chalk that up to students still gone for the break.
 
Enjoyed the game. What a difference having Rori back. Sonya is quickly becoming one of my favorites-fast, tenacious and can make shots. And Jones. Get her the ball! She gets down the floor fast for a big.
 
As Vic pointed out, we had a great, loud crowd even without the students. I sit behind the bench and you can tell the players feel the energy. We are a different team with Rori. It’s scary to rely on her so much, but she just elevates everyone.

I think this was the first game with both Rori and Jones healthy… although Jones seems to be fighting a back issue. That duo resulted in a blowout against a very good Princeton team. If Amo can get fouls under control, that triplet will be hard for anyone to stop.

Gaston and Morris are just icing, but it’s exciting to think Holle, Gonzales, Faye… the bench is truly deep. If history tells us anything with Vic, the team we just saw will be exponentially better come March.
 
Looking at upcoming games, next 5-8 should be wins. South Florida should be competitive for awhile but can’t see them staying on task for full 40. Need several games with Harmon running team. I was happy to hear no mention of toe. She did mention some muscle stiffness or whatever due to weeks without game play. The rotations are fun to watch evolve. Some who played a lot, will be cut back some. Lots of depth.
 
Glad to see Rori back on the court. Perhaps now, moving forward, Shaylee can settle into her regular position, and we will see some of her scoring magic.
 
Vic is probably happy they held Princeton to 17 points below their average.

Hard to tell how much of that was good defense since Princeton looked really slow and awkward on offense.

Honestly we didn't look great either. I don't want to whine much about a 25 point win, but compared to last year we just don't look as much like fluid athletes. Even a lot of the same players don't seem to have the same physique, athletic instincts, etc. Hopefully just early rustiness?

Not trying to be negative, just was honestly surprised as I was watching how much we didn't look like an Elite Eight team.
 
Hard to tell how much of that was good defense since Princeton looked really slow and awkward on offense.

Honestly we didn't look great either. I don't want to whine much about a 25 point win, but compared to last year we just don't look as much like fluid athletes. Even a lot of the same players don't seem to have the same physique, athletic instincts, etc. Hopefully just early rustiness?

Not trying to be negative, just was honestly surprised as I was watching how much we didn't look like an Elite Eight team.
Have to say Gonzalez and Morris don't look as quick and athletic as I was hoping, but Jones is a little better than I was expecting.
 
Have to say Gonzalez and Morris don't look as quick and athletic as I was hoping
Yes, and lacking the quickness we had with JAT and Matharu is a bit of an impediment to the dribble-drive offense. Still scratching my head as to why JAT didn't utilize that extra year of eligibility.
 
Even a lot of the same players don't seem to have the same physique, athletic instincts, etc.

I agree with this statement completely. I mean, look at Shay Holle...a person known not to foul much has fouled out three times this year already! Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think she's ever been so reckless.
 
Hard to tell how much of that was good defense since Princeton looked really slow and awkward on offense.

Honestly we didn't look great either. I don't want to whine much about a 25 point win, but compared to last year we just don't look as much like fluid athletes. Even a lot of the same players don't seem to have the same physique, athletic instincts, etc. Hopefully just early rustiness?

Not trying to be negative, just was honestly surprised as I was watching how much we didn't look like an Elite Eight team.
Good points. Difficult to pinpoint a cause, but I can only assume that the staff is even more aware of the team chemistry that has to evolve.

After watching Iowa St in the first half vs North Carolina, you saw how a team that is totally on the same page performs. I sure wish I watched the 2nd half of that game to better understand how to counter ISU's strengths.

When asked to comment on her team's performance, UNC coach Courtney Banghart joked "Which game? The first half or the second half?"
 
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We are integrating a lot of new players. I hope this is not the norm, but perhaps it will be. Vic is playing the freshmen a lot. How much will we see them as the intensity increases? They seem to be really good fits for his system. I think Shay is feeling pressure being one of the returners. Yes, we don't look like an Elite-8 team, but when has a Vic team peaked in November? Players will continue learning the system and we'll get better. Jones is a great addition and the team will get better at finding her. I'm feeling good about where we're headed. Only concern is that right now, we cannot lose Rori.
 
We are integrating a lot of new players. I hope this is not the norm, but perhaps it will be. Vic is playing the freshmen a lot. How much will we see them as the intensity increases? They seem to be really good fits for his system. I think Shay is feeling pressure being one of the returners. Yes, we don't look like an Elite-8 team, but when has a Vic team peaked in November? Players will continue learning the system and we'll get better. Jones is a great addition and the team will get better at finding her. I'm feeling good about where we're headed. Only concern is that right now, we cannot lose Rori.

Being so reliant on Rori is scary indeed. Let’s hope she stays healthy.
 
Being so reliant on Rori is scary indeed. Let’s hope she stays healthy.
Well, actually we were "so reliant" on Rori all of last season. The difference was we had JAT, a person familiar with Vic's system, pick up the slack when Rori needed a breather or got into foul trouble. Now we have Shaylee as backup and so far she still seems to be struggling to get comfortable and find her place. While some players really excel at new challenges, I think Shaylee has been set back by it all. In the last game, I was ready for her to fire off lots of shots and live up to all the scoring stats while not playing point, but it didn't happen.
 
Point guard is like qback. The most important position on any team. In the next 3 years, if Harmon goes down, everything immediately changes regarding end of season results. That’s ok. That’s a risk worth every penny for a talent like her. JAT was under appreciated even though lots of discussion. Her defensive presence is missing and is evident all over the floor. As was her value as backup point guard. I don’t think Schaefer was blind to that, as evidenced by him not being able to take her off the floor. The backup point guard will need to be a focus for Schaefer offseason and I think he’ll find a solution. The team is going bigger at the 2 and 3 guard positions as seen from all new players. That advantage of bigger guards like Jack and Muhammad…..and even Morris…….and Codio and Maul next year……makes the team look a little “less quick”. Doesn’t mean they can’t win…..just different. None of my points takes away from the glaring need for better point guard play when Harmon is off the floor. Other teams are smelling blood in the water when she’s not in the pool. Let’s all be thankful we have Harmon and hope she stays healthy and out of foul trouble.
 

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