Texas-OU shootout at the FEC

[utwheels86]

Great game overall! Would love to see the team work on FT shooting though as we are leaving too many points in the table. That said, it's a fun team to watch and we're getting contributions from everyone. Also, hope we get to see Posey and Underwood going forward. Loads of potential!

 

[WCBBNUT]

I don't look forward to the rematch in Norman. OU was much better than I expected and the game was closer than the final score indicates. We do seem to find a way so fingers and toes will be crossed

 

[Dr. D]

These were the two best performances I have seen by Atkins and Holmes. They played like national level stars at both ends of the court. Atkins is getting masterful in her short to medium game. She has a genius for getting herself open in close. Holmes gave us a glimpse of her potential by hitting a couple of outside shots and a nifty turn around jumper, in addition to her usual powerful game under the basket. No muffs and close misses tonight. If she keeps that up, she could score 20 or more every game. She's a match up nightmare, too fast for opposing forwards and too big for the guards. Higgs might be coming on like she did at the end of last season. If Sutton and the Canadian twins can get their shooting percentages in decent shape, or hit a few outside shots, we will be ferocious. Right now the offense loses some punch when they come in...though otherwise I thought they gave us some really helpful minutes tonight.

 

[Dr. D]

I don't look forward to the rematch in Norman. OU was much better than I expected and the game was closer than the final score indicates. We do seem to find a way so fingers and toes will be crossed

Oklahoma played better here than they did at West Virginia. I agree, they have better mix of personnel than I expected. Mulkey's really not a factor, but they have two terrific freshman guards who hurts us at times. Kansas State took them to double overtime in Norman, so they won't be a pushover either.

 

[Run Pincher]

I think we are ready. We have 5 players who have proven they can consistently get into double digits and each has proven they can have breakout games when the stars align. That becomes 6 players if Sutton continues to improve.

This team has shown us more than once that they are willing to fight to the final seconds to get a win. And Karen has gotten better at substitutions. Her bench has proven itself. I still wish she would get more strategic with her timeouts.

Keys to win:
- under 15 turnovers
- Atkins cannot get into foul trouble nor can Lang
- Higgs is the X factor

Go Horns. Protect your house!

We only managed 1 of those yet cruised in the end. Should have never been so close in the 4th. After 2 games of taking care of the ball it seems like last last night we forgot the other team is going to try to take it away, especially Brianna. Not sure why 2 of our most important players are the ones always in foul trouble, although I didn't think the elbow by Kelsey was enough to warrant a technical.

OU of course made runs with Kelsey and Ariel on the bench. The CG twins hustle their butts off, but they're both like a bull in a china shop when it comes to athletic ability, and Joyner already seems to have a better BB IQ than they do. Would certainly like to see more of Jada.

 

[breckenj05]

This was a great win for our team! I was excited to see Higgs hitting so many jumpers, that is what I was expecting from her coming in. Always great to see her slashing to the bucket though too. Great game from Ariel and Joyner. Brooke, as she is most games, had another solid night, I think she was 50% from 3 point land tonight. I'm excited to see how the team continues to progress throughout the rest of the season!

 

[WCBBNUT]

We only managed 1 of those yet cruised in the end. Should have never been so close in the 4th. After 2 games of taking care of the ball it seems like last last night we forgot the other team is going to try to take it away, especially Brianna. Not sure why 2 of our most important players are the ones always in foul trouble, although I didn't think the elbow by Kelsey was enough to warrant a technical.

OU of course made runs with Kelsey and Ariel on the bench. The CG twins hustle their butts off, but they're both like a bull in a china shop when it comes to athletic ability, and Joyner already seems to have a better BB IQ than they do. Would certainly like to see more of Jada.

Ha! I'll take 16 turnovers any day with this team. And at least Ariel waited until near the end of the game to go out thank goodness. I hope Sutton follows the same path as Higgs in terms of improvement.

There was a time not too many years ago that we took good players and made them mediocre. That is no longer the case. You can see the improvement each season... each game.

Anyone have thoughts on what happens next season when Lang graduates? I know that's getting ahead of myself, but I am not seeing the solution yet. Last year it was clear Lang could step in for Imani at least as well as anyone could step in for Imani... but I don't see anyone currently who can step in for Lang. We don't do as well when she is on the bench.

 

[hoopsalot]

It looks as if all hopes are on Jatarie White to replace Lang. But the team may just play a bit of a different style with Holmes, Boothe, and the Caron-Goudreau twins. We may not have seen the Caron-Goudreau twins' best yet.

 

[flash34]

White was a top recruit at South Carolina but due to injuries and other? she seemed to fall out of favor.....leading to her transfer. It has been VERY quiet as to how she has been doing in practice. Last year we heard a little info on KCG but I don't believe anyone has posted anything about White. Since she will be an older player (junior) next year it would be nice to hear something......especially if she has been holding her own. Booth will help some in rebounding next year but she appears to be 6'-1" forward and not a center. So......has anybody actually seen her in practice and if so.........how has she been doing? I think the twins will be better later this year AND next year; however, I haven't seen evidence that they will take a huge bite of playing time. So as hoopsalot says.....all hopes are on White.

 

[BabHorn]

http://www.hookem.com/columns/bohls-texas-joyner-holmes-impersonations-superstars-good-ones/

 

[racerx5908]

White was a top recruit at South Carolina but due to injuries and other? she seemed to fall out of favor.....leading to her transfer. It has been VERY quiet as to how she has been doing in practice. Last year we heard a little info on KCG but I don't believe anyone has posted anything about White. Since she will be an older player (junior) next year it would be nice to hear something......especially if she has been holding her own. Booth will help some in rebounding next year but she appears to be 6'-1" forward and not a center. So......has anybody actually seen her in practice and if so.........how has she been doing? I think the twins will be better later this year AND next year; however, I haven't seen evidence that they will take a huge bite of playing time. So as hoopsalot says.....all hopes are on White.

The twins have great aggressiveness and enthusiasm, unfortunately it usually ends up with piles of arms grabbing for the ball [and then the expected foul]. They need to work on their offense to really spell Kelsey during games. But glass half full; I'd rather have aggression then passivity.

 

[BabHorn]

Don't forget that Khaléann is, for all purposes, a freshman in playing time. And Audrey-Ann is a soph in playing time. They will make mistakes but no more than our other young players.

I am curious about the actual height of Boothe. Depending on her skill set, she may be played at the SF or PF. Regardless, the combinations Coach Aston will be able to use next year are remarkable.

LaShann vs UConn last season showed her offensive skills. She is almost impossible to stop one on one. Her slashing ability and ability to finish at the basket is outstanding. She has stopped trying to finish by throwing up wild shots and is making the easy shot when available. She has also, as previously mentioned, shown much more of her ability to drain the mid-range jumper, making it even harder to guard her. Her ability to pass to an open teammate at any time makes her even more dangerous. She still tends to take chances on defensive but she is getting more selective in when to do that. I would expect her to be in the base rotation the rest of the season.

Jatarie is going to be very good. She's big and strong, has nice offensive moves around the basket and is a strong rebounder. Offensively, she won't be bumped off her spot in the paint very easily. Barring an injury, I am not worried about our post players next season. We will have four solid posts with playing experience plus Jordan and Olamide. Add in Boothe inside at times and we should be very solid inside.

 

[flash34]

Racer points out one thing that needs to be emphasized more about the twins. They are real hustlers and aggressive.........diving for loose balls, scrapping, etc. Coaches can stay with a player's mistakes longer when they show that hustle. You can see the twins want to contribute to scoring as they rush some shots. I like that in it forces defenses to respect your offense and doesn't allow their man to double our key players. I think the twins will be contributors but limited......and that is perfectly fine. They can always play on my team as their body language is excellent and are good teammates. Give them good health and let's see if they can exceed my expectations. Would love to see that.

 

[Dr. D]

The twins were touted as three point shooters. So far that hasn't happened. Audrey-Ann is 2 of 10 from outside the arc--20%. Khaleanne is 2 of 7--28%. If those percentages turned positive, it would help our offense tremendously.

 

[DFW_Horn]

I am curious about the actual height of Boothe. Depending on her skill set, she may be played at the SF or PF. Regardless, the combinations Coach Aston will be able to use next year are remarkable.

She's usually listed at 6'1"-6'2" although recently I've seen 6' 3". She has a muscular, athletic frame and a good vertical so I think she could play either. Next year's lineup decisions are going to be tough (but a nice problem to have). If you want to get Rellah on the floor at the SF/W (assuming Jatarie at C and Joyner at PF), does that bump Ariel to SG and Brooke to PG with Lashann, Sug, Chasity coming off the bench? Wow.

My projected lineup would be PG Brooke, SG Lashann, W Ariel, PF Joyner and C Jatarie. If Lashann's progress continues, I could easily see her taking over Brianna's role as lockdown defender with much more offense but would lose a bit on the boards.

 

[flash34]

It sure is fun to speculate on projected lineups. Especially when there are so many good options. My first thought was to counter DFW Horn's lineup with a few tweeks. But the more I thought about it......it sure can be supported. I can argue for or against several lineups. I don't think it matters who is starting. I guess it may be more important to the players than the fans. I do think it matters who is playing in crunch time. As an example, I have not been particularly enamored with Brie Taylor in the lineup ....last year or this. She is limited offensively and as a ball handler.....a little scary at times. A guard who is better inside than out. But doggonit......she sure shows up to play. The more I watch the dynamics..........and listen to the coaches......it is apparent that Taylor is the glue that holds it together. The team needs what she brings. Sure seemed that way against the land thieves. I will continue to listen to the discussion on lineups for this year and next..........but will most interested in who is on the floor when the game winner is still to be decided. There will be some of those coming up real soon. And I hope there is some of what Taylor brings in a player on next year's team. Fun stuff.

 

[BabHorn]

OU fans still in denial about losing to us on Tuesday, especially by 18. They think Horns stole one from them cuz they should have won, if only...

 

[flash34]

Considering it was VERY close late in the fourth quarter I can see why the dirt-burglers would think that. It will be fun to see what happens in Norman. I am sure each staff will try to plug up the holes they saw in this first game..........and I am optimistic that any changes in strategy can be offset with the options that Coach A has at her disposal. I am not sure that Coale has as many good pieces to do that.

 

[BabHorn]

Considering it was VERY close late in the fourth quarter I can see why the dirt-burglers would think that.

I understand that as well, but what they are refusing or not looking at is that in that last 4:40, they scored one FG and two FTs while we scored 20 pts. Before that, every time they got close, Horns responded with a run of their own to re-open the gap. True that the scoring gap would not had been that much had OU not had to foul but they did need to foul and we did make our FTs. I don't consider that win to been "stolen" so much as "taken" by Texas. Horns did what they needed to do to win and OU did not. Pretty simple to me. The result in OU may be different but I think this team is mentally tough enough to win at OU.

 

[racerx5908]

I am not sure that Coale has as many good pieces to do that.

I was thinking about that today. There have been years where other teams have had the better players than UT. For a while in the 90's Coale had the Paris twins and some supporting players that UT could not turn the corner on in games. Mulkey has had a string of upper tier players in the last 10 years or so. Due to Karen & staff's excellent evaluation and recruiting we're now stocking up on bench players deep and good enough to come close to matching Baylor and for sure surpassing OU. I think the players/bench that Coale has now is equivalent to last years of Jody and Gail's tenure. But, that's kinda a gut feeling, with no analytics involved.

 

[flash34]

I agree racer. One of the good things about this team is that very few teams have a player that can match up with Brooke due to quickness, ball handling, size, etc. I was glad the guard that got called for a technical for trash-talking Brooke had to go out with 4 fouls. She was really quick both offensively and defensively...and was causing McCarty some problems. Coale mentioned that the turning point of the game was that technical and I agree. The land thieves do have some good bench players that can cause match up problems.........but I think we all agree........Aston has a few more options than Coale. Hope we are correct!

 

[BBV_Horn]

Good Job Texas so far.
Why do she continue to play B.Taylor so much.
She has no offense at all.

FYI...Brianna is in for defense, she is the best at it...they do not count on her for offense!

 

[BabHorn]

FYI...Brianna is in for defense, she is the best at it...they do not count on her for offense!

Bri reminds me of Tai Dillard on that Final Four team, who was not a big scorer but was maybe our best perimeter defender, have to consider Kala Bowers too, and one of the leaders of the team.

 

[jusme828]

The twins were touted as three point shooters. So far that hasn't happened. Audrey-Ann is 2 of 10 from outside the arc--20%. Khaleanne is 2 of 7--28%. If those percentages turned positive, it would help our offense tremendously.

I may be wrong, but to me it seems like every three both have taken were on a whim, where they couldn't find a guard to pass off to. If there were plays that actually set them up to take the shot, I think the stats might be different. It makes a big difference when you know you're suppose to take the shot verses taking it when you're forced to. Again, JMO.

 

[BabHorn]

I wondered who #33 for OU was as that number was not on the OU roster in the game program. Chelsea Dungee is going to be a very good player for OU.

 

[Statalyzer]

Kala Bowers could score when she needed to, but with Stacey Stephens, Heather Schrieber, and Jamie Carey, and company around, she didn't need to that often

 

[Moooooo]

I wondered who #33 for OU was as that number was not on the OU roster in the game program. Chelsea Dungee is going to be a very good player for OU.

She's going to need to be. OU loses Payton Little, Maddie Manning, Gioya Carter, and T'ona Edwards after this season.

 

[BabHorn]

Kala Bowers could score when she needed to, but with Stacey Stephens, Heather Schrieber, and Jamie Carey, and company around, she didn't need to that often

true but I was referring to her defensive ability. She and Tai gave that team two extraordinary perimeter defenders. I always thought Kala should have been taking more shots.

 

[RBarabino]

Rellah is a solid 6'3.
Here she is next to Trevon Duval who is listed at 6'3 and 180.

She's usually listed at 6'1"-6'2" although recently I've seen 6' 3". She has a muscular, athletic frame and a good vertical so I think she could play either. Next year's lineup decisions are going to be tough (but a nice problem to have). If you want to get Rellah on the floor at the SF/W (assuming Jatarie at C and Joyner at PF), does that bump Ariel to SG and Brooke to PG with Lashann, Sug, Chasity coming off the bench? Wow.

My projected lineup would be PG Brooke, SG Lashann, W Ariel, PF Joyner and C Jatarie. If Lashann's progress continues, I could easily see her taking over Brianna's role as lockdown defender with much more offense but would lose a bit on the boards.

 

[yelladawgdem]

Considering it was VERY close late in the fourth quarter I can see why the dirt-burglers would think that. It will be fun to see what happens in Norman. I am sure each staff will try to plug up the holes they saw in this first game..........and I am optimistic that any changes in strategy can be offset with the options that Coach A has at her disposal. I am not sure that Coale has as many good pieces to do that.

Uhhh......"fun" and "Norman" belong together in the same sentence as "Cullen Davis" and "innocent".

Sorry. Couldn't resist.
l