BabHorn
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Stanford is the opponent as the Horns tip off the 2011-12 season on Friday, Nov. 11th. This will be the season opener for both teams. The overall record vs Stanford is 2-4; Horns won the first two games in 1981 & 1988. They have lost the last four, including last season by a score of 78-93 when the series resumed after a 15 year hiatus. Horns are 1-1 at home against Stanford, winning in 1988 by 79-58 and losing in 1995 68-72. Stanford is ranked 5th in the AP & ESPN polls while Texas is # 20 in the ESPN poll and #24 in the AP.
Stanford will present a strong challenge inside as they will start two of the best posts nationally in the sisters Ogwumike, Nneka (# 30, 6-2 Sr. F) & Chiney (13, 6-3 Soph. F). The question is whether they will man the four and five positions or the four and three. RS Jr. Sarah Boothe (# 42, 6-5 F/C) is the only true center on the roster. Has she improved enough to crack the starting lineup or will Tinkle start or a freshman guard or post? Returning players that had more than 2 starts last season: Nneka (33), Chiney (35), Joslyn Tinkle (9 starts; # 44, 6-3 Jr. F), and Lindy La Rocque (29 starts; # 5-8 Sr. G). At this time, those four plus Toni Kokenis (# 5-11 Soph. G) are my guess as the starters. Amber Orrange (# 33, 5-7 Fr. G) is likely to move into the slot that Kokenis had last season—instant energy & offense & disruptive D off the bench. Jasmine Camp (# 23, 5-7 Fr. G) is another very fast guard that will challenge for playing time. In the frontcourt, Erica Payne (# 6-2 Fr. F) could end being the first post player off the bench. Mikaela Ruef (# 3, 6-3 Jr. F) is the other post player with experience as she played in 34 games last season. Taylor Greenfield (# 4, 6-3 Fr. F) and Bonnie Samuelson (# 41, 6-3 Fr. F) are other the post players. On the perimeter, Grace Mashore (# 1, 5-10 Sr. G) and Sara James (# 21, 5-10 Soph. G) are the experienced options while Alex Green (# 00, 5-9 Fr. G) rounds out the freshman class. She is coming back from an ACL injury. Orrange, Camp, and Green give the Cardinal extraordinary speed in the backcourt.
Stanford, with its legion of bigs, has a rep as a team that depends on inside scoring. While true to an extent, what is sometimes forgotten, is that Stanford runs frequently off rebounds and turnovers. With the Ogwumike sisters, they have two posts that can leak out and get ahead of defenders for the easy layup. Orrange, in Stanford’s two exhibitions, led them in assists, pushing the ball.
Texas returns four players that started at least 24 games last season: Chassidy (# 24, 5-10 Soph. G), Ashleigh (# 33, 5-8 Sr. G), Yvonne (# 12, 5-7 Sr. G) and Ashley (# 22, 6-4 Sr. P). Chelsea (# 11, 5-10 Soph. G), Anne Marie (# 44, 6-3 Soph. F) and Tiffany (# 4, 5-10 Soph. G) all got into at least 28 games last season with Chelsea starting three. Cokie (# 45, 6-4 RS Soph. P) returns from foot surgery that kept her out last season. Four frosh join the team this fall: Nneka (# 3, 6-1 Fr. F), Cassie (# 21, 5-6 Fr. G), Brady (# 32, 5-11 Fr. G), and Ronisha (# 25, 6-1 Fr. F). Kayla (# 00, 6-1 Soph. F) will miss this game as she is not eligible to play until after the semester is over. Unlike last season, when the Horns were shorthanded in the post with two players putting in over 30 minutes inside, they will have three experienced posts in Ashley, Cokie and Anne Marie with Nneka and Ronisha capable of providing minutes.
Last season, from necessity as much as anything, the Horns relied on the outside shot. This time, they will pack more offensive punch inside and return four of their top five 3pt shooters from last season. They also add Brady, an outstanding 3pt shooter in high school. With an increase scoring presence inside, the outside shooters should find more open looks to knock down.
Stanford started three guards and two forwards in their first exhibition and two guards and three forwards in their second and last exhibition before heading to Austin. Toni Kokenis did not play in the second exhibition. Assuming everyone is healthy, I will project the following starters for both teams. The projection is based primarily on having experienced players starting in the first game.[pre]Starters: Texas Stanford
Ashley (6-4) Nneka (6-2)
Cokie (6-4) Chiney (6-3)
Chassidy (5-10) Tinkle (6-3)
Yvonne (5-7) Kokenis (5-11)
Ashleigh (5-8) La Rocque (5-8)[/pre]
Last season, the Stanford posts had a field day inside offensively. Stanford had 52 points in the paint to 20 for Texas. Included in that is an 8pt advantage for Stanford in points off TOs. Both Ogwumike sisters like to sneak out and run on the break. It should be harder to do as I expect Texas to be able to limit those opportunities through better rebounding and ball handling. Horns will have to limit Stanford’s offensive rebounding as a means to keep the Ogwumike sisters from doing that. That inside battle should be very interesting to watch. Cokie’s presence inside will force the Cardinal posts to play her straight or double if she is having success. That will open it up for other Texas players cutting to the basket. Of equal importance to Stanford will be their ability to close on the Horns’ open perimeter shooters. That and FTs from our guards kept the game within reach for Texas. Horns shot over 50% from BTA and 78% from the FT line.
These are two teams that like to fast break. Texas uses their guards and wings to finish the fastbreak. Stanford likes to have their posts beat their defenders downcourt and finish with layups. Don’t know if it will happen but I expect all players wearing “Texas” on their jersey to get double digit minutes if healthy. For Stanford, there are a couple that usually don’t get in unless it’s a blowout. If they get in, Horns are in trouble.
Stats for this first game of the season are the ones from last season’s game. Of course, there’s quite a few key players missing on both sides. For Texas: Kat (I’m not including Kristen because she didn’t play in this game); for Stanford: Kayla Pedersen & Jeannette Pohlen.
Texas brings back 73.4% of their offense; 69.78% of their rebounding; 67.5% of their 3pt shooting; and shooters that made 76.9% of their FGs. Stanford has 62.4% of their offense returning; 70.3% of their rebounding; players that made 42.7% of 3s; and that made 67.5% of their FGs.
TEAM STATISTICS Texas Stanford
--------------------------------------------------
SCORING................. 78 93
Points per game....... 78.0 93.0
Scoring margin........ -15.0 +15.0
FIELD GOALS-ATT......... 24-62 39-68
Field goal pct........ .387 .574
3 POINT FG-ATT.......... 9-17 4-12
3-point FG pct........ .369 .333
3-pt FG made per game. 9.0 4.0
FREE THROWS-ATT......... 21-27 11-12
Free throw pct........ .778 .917
F-Throws made per game 21.0 11.0
REBOUNDS................ 32 39
Rebounds per game..... 32.0 39.0
Rebounding margin..... -7.0 +7.0
ASSISTS................. 13 21
Assists per game...... 13.0 21.0
TURNOVERS............... 18 17
Turnovers per game.... 18.0 17.0
Turnover margin....... -1.0 +1.0
Assist/turnover ratio. 0.7 1.2
STEALS.................. 10 7
Steals per game....... 10.0 7.0
BLOCKS.................. 1 4
Blocks per game....... 1.0 4.0
ATTENDANCE.............. - 5692
Ashley and Kat played 36 & 32 minutes while Anne Marie was in for 7. They combined to make 7-15 FGs inside the paint while grabbing 11 rebounds. Stanford’s Ogwumike sisters and Sarah Boothe were 23-29 and had 17 rebounds. Ashley with 9 pts & 8 rebs was the main force for Texas inside. This time around, she will have Cokie to help inside as well as a more experienced Anne Marie and two strong frosh in Nneka and Ronisha. I expect Stanford to counter primarily with the Ogwumike sisters, Boothe and Ruef. Payne and Samuelson should also find time in the paint. Both Tinkle and Greenfield have the height to play inside but are more likely to play on the wing, similar to Pedersen last season. Of course, she burned us for 19 pts and 12 rebs. Our guards were better scorers but not so our posts. This game will be won in the paint as that is the strength for both. it is in getting to the FT line. Last season, Texas was 231-626 for 36.9% and Stanford 225-623 for 36.1% from BTA. Not much difference there. A difference this season: The Horns lost their top 3pt threat but return four others that attempted at least 50 3pters. Stanford lost their top two 3pt threats. They return four that took between 76 and 36 3pters last season. Look for Tinkle and Kokenis to become the Cardinal’s top three point shooters. La Rocque (Sr. G) and Samuelson (Fr. F) are also sharpshooters that the Horns will need to be aware of. Texas, while depending heavily on Chassidy, will have at least five others capable of hitting the three. I am expecting Ashleigh to regain her shooting touch (she hit 29.5% of her 3s after coming in hitting around 36%) and Yvonne to continue her outstanding shooting from BTA (47% last season and 44% for her career). Those two especially will keep teams from focusing entirely on Chassidy. Chelsea and Tiff are also good 3pt shooters who should get more opportunities this season. Brady is an excellent 3pt shooter coming in from HS. She has a really quick release and good height at 5-10. I look for a game in the high 80s, maybe in the 90s. While logic would choose Stanford to win, I will concede that they are the favorable but still look for the Horns to pull off the upset. Home court advantage should help the Horns pull off the upset. Both teams will have similar defensive concerns-Texas needs to slow down the interior scoring and watch the perimeter as the Cardinal is capable of hitting open shots; Stanford will be more concerned with stopping the Texas outside game but will have to pay attention to the inside game due what should be improved offensive proficiency inside.
Both teams will press. Stanford’s freshmen guards are very quick and fast. Texas will need to not only protect the ball but be alert to help out the ball handler as needed. Screens set at various points on the court will help make the Cardinal play a bit more cautious on defense. Texas will also press but is more likely to trap with two players, preferably using the halfcourt line or sideline as an extra defender. Both teams’ perimeter players will take chances to steal the ball, knowing they have strong support behind them to help erase mistakes. They will look to turn those steals into easy layups.
Horns could be a bit short handed compared to what was expected. Three players (Brady, Tiff & Chelsea) either missed or had limited participation in practice Sunday. Hopefully, they will be available for Friday but they could still recovering from whatever kept them out or limited their participation. The good news is that they have five or six players that can play on the wing where those three would play. Still would feel better isf at least one of them was good to go against Stanford. Stanford had Kokenis sit out the second exhibition after suffering an ankle injury in the first exhibition although it looks like she had flu like symptoms which contributed to her sitting out. Also sitting out was Mikaela Ruef, who is recovering from a sore foot. Both are supposed to be ready to go Friday.
The game will be carried by KVET 1300 AM as well as the Longhorn Network. Rebecca Lobo and Andrew Monaco will call the game for the LHN. FYI, the longhornnetwork.com will be free for that weekend and the Stanford game can be watched online by those not attending the game and that don’t have the LHN on their TV package. Since the free preview will be all weekend, I am hoping that means I can watch the VB game on Saturday as well as the various FB shows. This should be good news for Cardinal fans that would miss this game otherwise. Now they can use the internet link to watch the game, either on their computer or by using their TV as a monitor.
The Stanford game is the inaugural Texas Women's Basketball Ladies Night . Lots of perks for the women attending, including: “FREE neck and shoulder rubs, nail polish changes, hand massages, blue oil sensory experiences, lip finishing touches and other fun surprises on the concourse from 6 p.m. until tip off at 7 p.m.” Wonder if us guys can get in on the neck and shoulder rubs and hand massages? We get tension, too, before the games.
TheBlue oil sensory experience sounds like fun.
Stanford preview
Stanford will present a strong challenge inside as they will start two of the best posts nationally in the sisters Ogwumike, Nneka (# 30, 6-2 Sr. F) & Chiney (13, 6-3 Soph. F). The question is whether they will man the four and five positions or the four and three. RS Jr. Sarah Boothe (# 42, 6-5 F/C) is the only true center on the roster. Has she improved enough to crack the starting lineup or will Tinkle start or a freshman guard or post? Returning players that had more than 2 starts last season: Nneka (33), Chiney (35), Joslyn Tinkle (9 starts; # 44, 6-3 Jr. F), and Lindy La Rocque (29 starts; # 5-8 Sr. G). At this time, those four plus Toni Kokenis (# 5-11 Soph. G) are my guess as the starters. Amber Orrange (# 33, 5-7 Fr. G) is likely to move into the slot that Kokenis had last season—instant energy & offense & disruptive D off the bench. Jasmine Camp (# 23, 5-7 Fr. G) is another very fast guard that will challenge for playing time. In the frontcourt, Erica Payne (# 6-2 Fr. F) could end being the first post player off the bench. Mikaela Ruef (# 3, 6-3 Jr. F) is the other post player with experience as she played in 34 games last season. Taylor Greenfield (# 4, 6-3 Fr. F) and Bonnie Samuelson (# 41, 6-3 Fr. F) are other the post players. On the perimeter, Grace Mashore (# 1, 5-10 Sr. G) and Sara James (# 21, 5-10 Soph. G) are the experienced options while Alex Green (# 00, 5-9 Fr. G) rounds out the freshman class. She is coming back from an ACL injury. Orrange, Camp, and Green give the Cardinal extraordinary speed in the backcourt.
Stanford, with its legion of bigs, has a rep as a team that depends on inside scoring. While true to an extent, what is sometimes forgotten, is that Stanford runs frequently off rebounds and turnovers. With the Ogwumike sisters, they have two posts that can leak out and get ahead of defenders for the easy layup. Orrange, in Stanford’s two exhibitions, led them in assists, pushing the ball.
Texas returns four players that started at least 24 games last season: Chassidy (# 24, 5-10 Soph. G), Ashleigh (# 33, 5-8 Sr. G), Yvonne (# 12, 5-7 Sr. G) and Ashley (# 22, 6-4 Sr. P). Chelsea (# 11, 5-10 Soph. G), Anne Marie (# 44, 6-3 Soph. F) and Tiffany (# 4, 5-10 Soph. G) all got into at least 28 games last season with Chelsea starting three. Cokie (# 45, 6-4 RS Soph. P) returns from foot surgery that kept her out last season. Four frosh join the team this fall: Nneka (# 3, 6-1 Fr. F), Cassie (# 21, 5-6 Fr. G), Brady (# 32, 5-11 Fr. G), and Ronisha (# 25, 6-1 Fr. F). Kayla (# 00, 6-1 Soph. F) will miss this game as she is not eligible to play until after the semester is over. Unlike last season, when the Horns were shorthanded in the post with two players putting in over 30 minutes inside, they will have three experienced posts in Ashley, Cokie and Anne Marie with Nneka and Ronisha capable of providing minutes.
Last season, from necessity as much as anything, the Horns relied on the outside shot. This time, they will pack more offensive punch inside and return four of their top five 3pt shooters from last season. They also add Brady, an outstanding 3pt shooter in high school. With an increase scoring presence inside, the outside shooters should find more open looks to knock down.
Stanford started three guards and two forwards in their first exhibition and two guards and three forwards in their second and last exhibition before heading to Austin. Toni Kokenis did not play in the second exhibition. Assuming everyone is healthy, I will project the following starters for both teams. The projection is based primarily on having experienced players starting in the first game.[pre]Starters: Texas Stanford
Ashley (6-4) Nneka (6-2)
Cokie (6-4) Chiney (6-3)
Chassidy (5-10) Tinkle (6-3)
Yvonne (5-7) Kokenis (5-11)
Ashleigh (5-8) La Rocque (5-8)[/pre]
Last season, the Stanford posts had a field day inside offensively. Stanford had 52 points in the paint to 20 for Texas. Included in that is an 8pt advantage for Stanford in points off TOs. Both Ogwumike sisters like to sneak out and run on the break. It should be harder to do as I expect Texas to be able to limit those opportunities through better rebounding and ball handling. Horns will have to limit Stanford’s offensive rebounding as a means to keep the Ogwumike sisters from doing that. That inside battle should be very interesting to watch. Cokie’s presence inside will force the Cardinal posts to play her straight or double if she is having success. That will open it up for other Texas players cutting to the basket. Of equal importance to Stanford will be their ability to close on the Horns’ open perimeter shooters. That and FTs from our guards kept the game within reach for Texas. Horns shot over 50% from BTA and 78% from the FT line.
These are two teams that like to fast break. Texas uses their guards and wings to finish the fastbreak. Stanford likes to have their posts beat their defenders downcourt and finish with layups. Don’t know if it will happen but I expect all players wearing “Texas” on their jersey to get double digit minutes if healthy. For Stanford, there are a couple that usually don’t get in unless it’s a blowout. If they get in, Horns are in trouble.
Stats for this first game of the season are the ones from last season’s game. Of course, there’s quite a few key players missing on both sides. For Texas: Kat (I’m not including Kristen because she didn’t play in this game); for Stanford: Kayla Pedersen & Jeannette Pohlen.
Texas brings back 73.4% of their offense; 69.78% of their rebounding; 67.5% of their 3pt shooting; and shooters that made 76.9% of their FGs. Stanford has 62.4% of their offense returning; 70.3% of their rebounding; players that made 42.7% of 3s; and that made 67.5% of their FGs.
TEAM STATISTICS Texas Stanford
--------------------------------------------------
SCORING................. 78 93
Points per game....... 78.0 93.0
Scoring margin........ -15.0 +15.0
FIELD GOALS-ATT......... 24-62 39-68
Field goal pct........ .387 .574
3 POINT FG-ATT.......... 9-17 4-12
3-point FG pct........ .369 .333
3-pt FG made per game. 9.0 4.0
FREE THROWS-ATT......... 21-27 11-12
Free throw pct........ .778 .917
F-Throws made per game 21.0 11.0
REBOUNDS................ 32 39
Rebounds per game..... 32.0 39.0
Rebounding margin..... -7.0 +7.0
ASSISTS................. 13 21
Assists per game...... 13.0 21.0
TURNOVERS............... 18 17
Turnovers per game.... 18.0 17.0
Turnover margin....... -1.0 +1.0
Assist/turnover ratio. 0.7 1.2
STEALS.................. 10 7
Steals per game....... 10.0 7.0
BLOCKS.................. 1 4
Blocks per game....... 1.0 4.0
ATTENDANCE.............. - 5692
Ashley and Kat played 36 & 32 minutes while Anne Marie was in for 7. They combined to make 7-15 FGs inside the paint while grabbing 11 rebounds. Stanford’s Ogwumike sisters and Sarah Boothe were 23-29 and had 17 rebounds. Ashley with 9 pts & 8 rebs was the main force for Texas inside. This time around, she will have Cokie to help inside as well as a more experienced Anne Marie and two strong frosh in Nneka and Ronisha. I expect Stanford to counter primarily with the Ogwumike sisters, Boothe and Ruef. Payne and Samuelson should also find time in the paint. Both Tinkle and Greenfield have the height to play inside but are more likely to play on the wing, similar to Pedersen last season. Of course, she burned us for 19 pts and 12 rebs. Our guards were better scorers but not so our posts. This game will be won in the paint as that is the strength for both. it is in getting to the FT line. Last season, Texas was 231-626 for 36.9% and Stanford 225-623 for 36.1% from BTA. Not much difference there. A difference this season: The Horns lost their top 3pt threat but return four others that attempted at least 50 3pters. Stanford lost their top two 3pt threats. They return four that took between 76 and 36 3pters last season. Look for Tinkle and Kokenis to become the Cardinal’s top three point shooters. La Rocque (Sr. G) and Samuelson (Fr. F) are also sharpshooters that the Horns will need to be aware of. Texas, while depending heavily on Chassidy, will have at least five others capable of hitting the three. I am expecting Ashleigh to regain her shooting touch (she hit 29.5% of her 3s after coming in hitting around 36%) and Yvonne to continue her outstanding shooting from BTA (47% last season and 44% for her career). Those two especially will keep teams from focusing entirely on Chassidy. Chelsea and Tiff are also good 3pt shooters who should get more opportunities this season. Brady is an excellent 3pt shooter coming in from HS. She has a really quick release and good height at 5-10. I look for a game in the high 80s, maybe in the 90s. While logic would choose Stanford to win, I will concede that they are the favorable but still look for the Horns to pull off the upset. Home court advantage should help the Horns pull off the upset. Both teams will have similar defensive concerns-Texas needs to slow down the interior scoring and watch the perimeter as the Cardinal is capable of hitting open shots; Stanford will be more concerned with stopping the Texas outside game but will have to pay attention to the inside game due what should be improved offensive proficiency inside.
Both teams will press. Stanford’s freshmen guards are very quick and fast. Texas will need to not only protect the ball but be alert to help out the ball handler as needed. Screens set at various points on the court will help make the Cardinal play a bit more cautious on defense. Texas will also press but is more likely to trap with two players, preferably using the halfcourt line or sideline as an extra defender. Both teams’ perimeter players will take chances to steal the ball, knowing they have strong support behind them to help erase mistakes. They will look to turn those steals into easy layups.
Horns could be a bit short handed compared to what was expected. Three players (Brady, Tiff & Chelsea) either missed or had limited participation in practice Sunday. Hopefully, they will be available for Friday but they could still recovering from whatever kept them out or limited their participation. The good news is that they have five or six players that can play on the wing where those three would play. Still would feel better isf at least one of them was good to go against Stanford. Stanford had Kokenis sit out the second exhibition after suffering an ankle injury in the first exhibition although it looks like she had flu like symptoms which contributed to her sitting out. Also sitting out was Mikaela Ruef, who is recovering from a sore foot. Both are supposed to be ready to go Friday.
The game will be carried by KVET 1300 AM as well as the Longhorn Network. Rebecca Lobo and Andrew Monaco will call the game for the LHN. FYI, the longhornnetwork.com will be free for that weekend and the Stanford game can be watched online by those not attending the game and that don’t have the LHN on their TV package. Since the free preview will be all weekend, I am hoping that means I can watch the VB game on Saturday as well as the various FB shows. This should be good news for Cardinal fans that would miss this game otherwise. Now they can use the internet link to watch the game, either on their computer or by using their TV as a monitor.
The Stanford game is the inaugural Texas Women's Basketball Ladies Night . Lots of perks for the women attending, including: “FREE neck and shoulder rubs, nail polish changes, hand massages, blue oil sensory experiences, lip finishing touches and other fun surprises on the concourse from 6 p.m. until tip off at 7 p.m.” Wonder if us guys can get in on the neck and shoulder rubs and hand massages? We get tension, too, before the games.
Stanford preview