We're going to the Sweet 16!

utfannforlife said:
so @JoeDallas let me ask, if we had to implore that same method on Stewart and co to win would you be angry? Lord knows I wouldn't. A win is a win
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Do you really want the Texas program to gain a reputation for dirty play solely to advance to play another game in a march towards a championship?

The moment that gets condoned is precisely the moment I cease to be a fan of any team I follow, no matter the sport...
 
@mb227 is that the reputation that Lville has? I think they have more of a reputation of success, and excellent coaching. History wont tell how that game was won, just that it was won. And quite frankly I don't think it was all that dirty. Were there a few questionable spots? Obviously, as there are in most highly competitive games but winning is winning.
 
As Joe Dallas said, what really did it for Louisville was amazing 16 of 25 three point shooting, tying an NCAA tournament record. The stars have to align...Unfortunately we do not appear to be a team likely to hit 16 from beyond the arc. On the other hand, Louisville was a lowly five seed, just like us. On the other other hand Louisville was much better offensively then we are, while UConn is a better, more balanced offensive team than Baylor was. That's why I think our chances are much better in a slow low scoring game.
 
utfann -- I'm with mb227. I want to win, but not by playing dirty. And it was dirty. There was much outrage about it at the time. It wasn't "playing physical." It was at an entire different level. There is a lot of questioning, at least in some quarters (UConn message board!) about Jeff Walz coaching dirty. I don't respect him as a coach.
 
utfannforlife said:
@mb227 is that the reputation that Lville has? I think they have more of a reputation of success, and excellent coaching. History wont tell how that game was won, just that it was won. And quite frankly I don't think it was all that dirty. Were there a few questionable spots? Obviously, as there are in most highly competitive games but winning is winning.
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History obviously DOES tell how that game was (at least in part) won or else it would not be a discussion in this thread.

Dirty play is just that...all you have to do is look at the notable incidents just in the past few years around the conference, to include any number of selections surrounding Andrea Riley...and the now-infamous roundhouse by Griner at Tech that quite possibly gave rise to the strategies of beating the hell out of her to get her to do something stupid.

There is a substantial difference between tough, gritty play and dirty play...and respectable programs do not stoop to the level of dirty play. One would hope that a fan of the Texas program would recognize the difference.
 
mb227 said:
History obviously DOES tell how that game was (at least in part) won or else it would not be a discussion in this thread.

Dirty play is just that...all you have to do is look at the notable incidents just in the past few years around the conference, to include any number of selections surrounding Andrea Riley...and the now-infamous roundhouse by Griner at Tech that quite possibly gave rise to the strategies of beating the hell out of her to get her to do something stupid.

There is a substantial difference between tough, gritty play and dirty play...and respectable programs do not stoop to the level of dirty play. One would hope that a fan of the Texas program would recognize the difference.
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I consider us who actually remember the "intricate" details of that game to be in the minority. We watched that game with some sort of vested interest because it involved baylor. As far as the general public? That game still runs on ESPN Classic, it's in almost every single womens ncaa montage highlighting "March madness" and they even won an espy for biggest upset. So I stand by what I said, most will not remember how winners won, but merely the fact that they won.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that texas should elevate to Detroit bad boy era in the sake of victories. But if we're able to get past Uconn and on to the elite 8, I could really give less than a damn how we do it. We haven't won championships in quite some time so we've been relegated to the status of caring about perception. Lions could care less about the opinions of sheep. You know what Uconn, Baylor, la tech, and the Tennessee of old (the mique's era specifically) have in common? Their rings, and the fact that they could give a damn about what their opponents whom they beat thought of them. So would I take being nice clean cut perception monitoring, or doing what it takes to win? I don't think that's really much of a choice to be honest.
 
As Coach Wakz said - there were three professional refs calling the game. It was very physical - maybe too physical - but I don't believe it was "dirty". And Louisville continues to do well as a program so just maybe they actually play the physical game well.

Trying to get under the skin or get a player into foul trouble is pretty common. Louisville appropriately centered in on Griner. Just as UConn will center in on Imani. (And that will piss us off as fans.). I hope Katen prepares her for that.

Besides, Walz looks way better on the sidelines than Mulkey and that's all I will remember about that game going forward. :smokin:
 
I hate to admit it, but I don't watch women's basketball or softball. To be honest I found most women's sports pretty boring besides volleyball. Best of luck to the ladies though. :hookem2:
 
TheWalkingHorn said:
I hate to admit it, but I don't watch women's basketball or softball. To be honest I found most women's sports pretty boring besides volleyball. Best of luck to the ladies though. :hookem2:
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Lol Volleyball??? no offense but borrrrrring!!! Still love our girls team....just not interesting enough.
 
I love volleyball!

Baseball, now that's a boring sport to watch.

Too each his own, but I'm loving the Longhorns NCAA tournament (and season) run.
 
I know I know you don't even have to say it, I know its all my fault. But I spent a nice chunk of time looking at the Baylor board this morning and of course they're down on us and our potential to win the game. And our "lip reading". Then somehow the top switched to Lville and their game two years ago. And like Jeff Walz said in his post game interview, no one mentions that BU gave up 82 points!! I don't think anyone scored more than 70 on BG if IRCC. While everyone seemed to be so focused on what they did or didn't do on defense, no one talks about how amazing Lville was able to execute on offense. Mulkey got out x'ed and o'ed and people seem to have a hard time accepting that
 
This is the fifth meeting between the schools. The first was the 2003 NCAA semifinal game on April 6 which Texas lost 69-71. The last game on November 17, 2009 was a 83-58 loss. UConn is going for their tenth overall national championship and third in a row. The two teams have two common foes this season: Stanford and UCLA. Texas defeated both, winning on the road at Stanford (87-81 in OT) and at UCLA (75-65). UConn lost to Stanford on the road 88-86 in OT while taking down UCLA 86-50 at Uncasville, Conn. Texas had Nneka for those two wins but did not have Imani. Facing UConn, Texas has lost Nneka but gained Imani.

Five players average in double figure scoring for the Huskies. Breanna Stewart (# 30, 6-4 Jr. F) tops the five with an average of 17.1 ppg. Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis (# 23, 5-11 Sr. F) is second at 15.0 ppg. At 14.0 ppg is Morgan Tuck (# 3, 6-2 RS Soph. F). Moriah Jefferson (# 4, 5-7 Jr. G) adds 12.0 ppg . The last double digit scorer is Kia Nurse (# 11, 6-0 Fr. G) at 10.5 ppg. Off the bench, Gabby Williams (# 15, 5-11 Fr. F) puts up 9.1 ppg. Williams has moved from guard to forward and has taken only one 3 this season. Stewart leads the Huskies in FGs made and attempted (234-435; 53.8%). Mosqueda-Lewis (186-349; 53.3%) and Tuck (210-346; 60.7%) have broken the 300 FGs attempt line. Those with at least 200 FGs attempted are Jefferson (167-285; 58.6%), Nurse (127-252; 50.4%) and Williams (135-209; 64.6%). Saniya Chong (# 12, 5-8 Soph. G) and Kiah Stokes (# 41, 6-3 Sr. C) have taken 100+ shots. Chong is at 77-162 (47.5%) and Stokes has hit 65-120 (54.2%). UConn takes 20.5 3s a game. All five starters are threats from BTA. Mosqueda-Lewis is the main threat, having made 109 of 219 attempts (49.8%). Nurse is second in attempts with 47 of 114 treys (41.2%). Jefferson is making over 50% of her 3s (48-94; 51.1%). Chong has made 34-91 (37.4%) while Stewart has connected on 25-82 (30.5%). Tuck has taken 59 3s and made 15 (25.4%). Stewart is the top Husky from the FT line, connecting on 106 of 133 FTs (79.7%). Mosqueda-Lewis has the best percentage at 93.3% but gets to the FT line an average of just under once a game. Nurse (65-91; 71.4%) and Williams (41-89;46.1%) rank second and third in FTs attempted.

Stewart (7.2 rpg) and Stokes (7.1 rpg) lead UConn in rebounding. Williams (6.2 rpg), Tuck (5.4 rpg) and Mosqueda-Lewis (4.2 rpg) provide solid support to Stewart and Stokes on the boards. Williams’ ability to jump was shown early at age 15 when she placed fifth 2012 U.S. Olympic high jump trials. Four players have reached triple digits in assists with two others close to that. Jefferson tops the squad with 169 assists. Stewart (111), Nurse (107) and Tuck (103) are the others to reach triple digits. Mosqueda-Lewis (93) and Chong (73) have a chance to reach triple digit assists for the season. Stokes ranks first on the team with 140 blocks (4.0 bpg). Stewart is second with 89. Next is Williams with 13. Jefferson has 89 steals. Six others have between 54 (Stewart) and 24 (Chong) steals.

No one player is playing more than Mosqueda-Lewis’ 28.1 mpg. Stewart, Tuck, Jefferson, Nurse and Chong all average between 27.7 and 20.2 mpg. Williams averages 16.6 mpg and Stokes 18.9 mpg while Courtney Ekmark (# 22, 6-0 Fr. G) has averaged 10.6 mpg in 25 games. The base rotation in 35 games for UConn is eight players with Ekmark getting into 25 games. The starters, Stewart, Mosqueda-Lewis, Tuck, Jefferson and Nurse, all average 20+ mpg. Chong and Ekmark are the primary backcourt subs with Williams and Stokes subbing into the frontcourt.

Horns head into the Sweet Sixteen matchup with UConn with two players averaging in double figures: Kelsey (10.7 ppg) and Imani (10.0 ppg). Lending scoring support are Ariel (9.7 ppg), Brady (7.8 ppg), Empress (7.3 ppg) and Brooke (7.1 ppg). Kelsey (160-290, 55.2%) and Imani (102-181, 56.4%) are the leaders in FGs made and percentage. Kelsey has the most attempts with Ariel (234), Brady (230), Empress (240) and Brooke (221) all having taken at least 200 shots. Brianna (175) joins them and Imani in having triple digit FG attempts. That comes out to balanced shooting from the team with those averaging shots per game of 8.8 (Kelsey), 9.0 (Ariel), 7.0 (Brady), 7.5 (Empress), 6.5 (Brooke), 5.6 (Brianna) and 7.0 Imani.

Brady (35-111, 31.5%) and Brooke (36-106, 34.0%) are the top 3pt threats for the Horns. Krystle (16-55, 29.1%) and Ariel (16-54, 29.6%) are tied for the third most threes made. Wonder if Nneka would have hit 250 FT attempts made this season if she had not gotten hurt. She still leads the team with 93 FT attempts. Next up are Empress (58-83, 69.9%) and Brady (59-82, 72.0%). Our three freshmen guards have the highest FT percentages on the team: Ariel (64-76, 84.2%), Tasia (18-23, 78.3%) and Brooke (39-50, 78.0%).

Kelsey leads the team in total rebounds with 212 (6.4 rpg). Imani has the highest rpg average at 7.1 rpg (184 total rebounds). Brianna (4.3 rpg), Ariel (3.4 rpg), Brady (3.2 rpg) and Empress (3.5 rpg) provide strong support on the boards for Kelsey and Imani. Brady (3.2 apg), Empress (2.6 apg) and Celina (2.3 apg) continue half the 15.1 apg that the team averages. Ariel (32), Brooke (32) and Brianna (30) top the team in steals. The team has 156 blocks with Imani (56) and Kelsey (47) adding over a 100 to that total.

Nine of the players average between 29.9 mpg (Brady) and 13.0 mpg (Krystle). Kelsey, Ariel, Empress, and Brooke join Brady in averaging over 20 mpg. Imani, Brianna, Krystle and Celina average in the teens although Imani has played 30 and 31 minutes in the last two games. The starting lineup the last two games has been Imani, Brady, Empress, Celina and Brianna.

Projected starters based on the last game:

Texas____________________UConn
Imani (6-7 Jr. C)___________Tuck (6-2 RS Soph. F)
Brianna (5-9 Soph. G)_____Stewart (6-4 Jr. F)
Empress (5-7 Jr. G)________Nurse (6-0 Fr. G)
Celina (5-8 Jr. G)__________Jefferson (5-7 Jr. G)
Brady (5-11 RS Jr. G)______Mosqueda-Lewis (5-11 Sr. F)

Tuck is the main post that will stay in the paint for UConn although she does shoot a number of 3s. Stewart’s ability to play inside and outside will cause some matchup problems for Texas as they will either guard her with a smaller player or have Kelsey, most likely, guarding her as she moves between the 3pt line and the paint. For Texas, one player they do not want to leave alone is Mosqueda-Lewis, UConn’s number one 3pt shooter who is connecting on half of her 3pters. She takes just over ten 3s a game. The Huskies ability to space their offense so well forces the defense to scramble, giving UConn an open shooter if they swing the ball around and they are very good at doing just that.

For UConn, the issue will be stopping the Texas inside game, whether it is one player or the twin towers, without getting into foul trouble. For the Horns to allow their posts room to make their moves, they have to be able to hit enough shots from outside to keep UConn from collapsing inside. While the Texas stats don’t look that good over the season, the fact is that the last ten games has seen the Texas guards step up and make those plays that allow Imani, Kelsey and Brianna room to operate inside.

Season Record: Texas (24-10) & UConn (34-1)

Season Statistics__________Texas_______UConn
Scoring_____________________2317________3141
Pts per Game______________68.1_________89.7
Scoring Margin____________9.2__________+42.3
FGs—made/attp.__________872-2043____1229-2259
FG%_______________________42.7%_______54.4%
FGs made per game_______25.6_________35.1
FGs attp. per game________60.1_________64.5
2pt FGs—made/attp.______744-1614____937-1542
2pt FG %__________________46.1%________60.8%
2pt FGs made per game___21.9_________26.8
2pt FGs attp. per game____47.5_________44.1
3pt FGs—made/attp.______128-429_____292-717
3pt%______________________29.8%_______40.7%
3pt FGs made per game___3.8__________8.3
3pt FGs attp. per game____12.6_________20.5
FTs—made/attp.__________445-647_____391-546
FT%_______________________68.8%_______71.6%
FTs made per game_______13.1_________11.2
FTs attp. per game________19.0_________15.6
Rebounds________________1443_________1549
Rebs. per game___________42.4_________44.3
Rebounding margin_______9.7_________+13.4
Assists____________________514_________763
Assists per game_________15.1_________21.8
Turnovers________________551_________437
TOs per game____________16.2_________12.5
TO margin_______________-1.0__________+5.7
Assist/TO ratio___________0.9__________1.7
Steals____________________247__________359
Steals per game_________7.3___________10.3
Blocks___________________156___________281
Blocks per game________4.6____________8.0
Attendance_____________59628________119761
Home game average____17-3385_____14-8554

Pts. per Period___1st______2nd_____OT1_______OT2_____Game Average
Texas_____________32.8_____34.4_____0.6________0.3______68.1
UConn____________47.7_____41.7_____0.3________-0-_______89.7

UConn probably has the most efficient offense in CWBB this season. But it can be disrupted. Most likely, the Horns will flash a variety of defenses at UConn as well as using different defenders on the players instead of relying solely on one player to try to shut down a specific UConn player. For some reason, it seems to be making the rounds that Texas is not a very good halfcourt team. Since our posts are the leading scorers and have the best FG% on the team, I don’t know why that particular rumor got started. Post play is our strength and basically every team we have faced has tried to take that away with zones and/or packing the defense inside. Our guard play was weak in mid conference play but has come on the last ten games. It’s not a coincidence that we have played our best in those games since the early part of the season.

UConn’s ability to run their offense so effectively puts a lot of pressure on the opponent to not make mistakes. Texas is best when running when possible and, when not, running their halfcourt offense without forcing the ball inside. This allows the team to control the pace of the game. It also limits the ability of opponents, in this case UConn, to use TOs to get easy pts.

To tweak a quote, many outside the Texas program and the Texas fans think that the Horns’ chances of winning against UConn are slim and none and that slim has left the building. However, they not looking at the dance floor where slim is having a great time twostepping with the Texas team.

Game time is 11 AM on Saturday with the game on ESPN. KVET 1300 AM will carry the radio broadcast.

For some reason, none of the ESPN experts are picking Texas to advance to the Elite Eight.

From the New Haven Register: Banged-up Texas next for UConn in NCAAs
http://www.nhregister.com/sports/20150325/banged-up-texas-next-for-uconn-in-ncaas

From texassports.com: Women's Basketball preview: vs. No. 1/1 UConn
http://www.texassports.com/news/2015/3/26/WBB_0326154820.aspx

From uconnhuskies.com: No. 1 UConn Heads to Albany for NCAA Regional Semifinal Tilt with Texas
http://www.uconnhuskies.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/032615aaa.html
 
Can't believe this game is almost here. Day and a half before we see how our Horns play against UConn. :hookem2:
 
I naturally lean to football but I seriously LOVE all UT sports - Women or Men.

I want UT to kick *** - win 'em all and earn championships in every sport we compete in !!!:hookem::bevo::texasflag:
 
There will be a watch party at Double Dave's, 3000 Duval. If you'll be able to attend, please text Susan P. at 512/809-8199 so she can get a count.
 
JoeDallas said:
It is encouraging that a prohibitive favorite can be beaten, but Louisville did it to Baylor by using a disgusting strategy, physically beating the hell out of Griner, slapping, scratching, you name it. Its still astounding that the refs let that go on. They also did it, of course, with some amazing three point shooting.
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I have re-watched that game...I saw Louisville's players (2 or 3 together) standing straight up, hands straight up, pressed tit to tit on Griner...it was physical, but I didn't see slapping or scratching...sorry, but I do not believe that type of overt roughing would not have been called...
 
The rumor got started that we have a bad half court offense because we have had a bad half court offense. That's how we lost all those conference games. Because of our center strength that's where we score most of our points, of course, so we have to go inside, but our guards are not top notch in a half court game. That's how everybody in the Big 12 kept our scoring average in the low sixties. Stop the Texas running game; pack the defense in the middle; slow down the scoring of the Texas bigs, and force the Texas guards to beat you from outside. So it's tempting to say "lets run" against UConn, but that's a fatal temptation, it seems to me, because we don't have the fire power to beat them in a high scoring game. They run way better than we do. We want to minimize the number of shots they take, because they shoot terrifically well. Obviously, when there are opportunities, we should fast break. It sounds weird to say we are not at our best in a slow half court game, then recommend doing just that; but as coaches often say, sometimes you have to pick your poison and take your chances. On the positive side, we really did look very patient and far more adept in our half court offense against California, so maybe that will carry over into the UConn game. If lightning strikes and we hit a bunch of threes, things might get really interesting. The coaches know better than I do, so we'll see what they decide.
 
From the Daily Texan: Women’s basketball faces tough opponent, Connecticut, in Sweet 16 round

http://www.dailytexanonline.com/2015/03/27/women%E2%80%99s-basketball-faces-tough-opponent-connecticut-in-sweet-16-round


From the CTPost.com: Texas ready for matchup with UConn in Sweet 16

http://www.ctpost.com/sports/article/Texas-ready-for-matchup-with-UConn-in-Sweet-16-6163561.php
WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN: Texas freshman Ariel Atkins was 8 years old when she first met UConn junior Moriah Jefferson. Atkins says she looked up to Jefferson and Texas guard Empress Davenport, who played together for the Lady Panther AAU team in Texas. Atkins and fellow Texas freshman Tasia Foman played on a younger team in the same organization.

"They were so cool, and they were like big sisters to us," Atkins said.

Jefferson says she has similar relationships with most of the Texas team, playing either with or against them while growing up in Glenn Heights, Texas.
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From the Hartford Courant: Texas Women Return To Spotlight, But UConn Casts Big Shadow

http://www.courant.com/sports/uconn-womens-basketball/hc-uconn-women-texas-ncaa-0328-20150327-story.html
While the task is Texas super sized for the Longhorns, particularly dealing with UConn's defense, the Huskies will face a big front line highlighted by 6-foot-5 center Kelsey Lang and 6-7 Imani McGee-Stafford, the daughter of former Olympian Pam McGee.

"That definitely puts into perspective how well I need to play," said UConn's Kiah Stokes. "I just need to make sure they don't catch the ball in the block. And I need to make sure that I rebound. You need to be physically a bigger presence.

"And I am sure they are probably thinking they want to pound the ball inside on us, get me and Stewie [Breanna Stewart] in foul trouble. We need to be in the game, stay in the game and make sure they don't get easy layups against us."
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From the Hartford Courant: Capsule: Texas (24-10) Vs. UConn (34-1)

http://www.courant.com/sports/uconn-womens-basketball/hc-uconn-womens-capsule-texas-0328-20150327-story.html


From the AAS: UConn coach recalls everything being bigger at Texas

http://www.mystatesman.com/news/sports/uconn-coach-recalls-everything-being-bigger-at-tex/nkgw6/#429ca0c0.3503856.735684
Texas, which has outrebounded 31 of its 34 opponents, will have to utilize its height advantage to keep up with UConn, a team that has outscored its opponents by an average of 42.3 points a game.

“The biggest team we’ve played all year is South Carolina, and these guys are way bigger than South Carolina,” he said. “The first thing you notice about Texas is their size and how are you going to deal with that. The thing about this time of year is that you’re not going to change who you are and what you do for one team.”
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I feel good about this game. As others have said, we have to play smart basketball, not force the ball inside when the shot isn't there, limit TOs, etc. But getting the ball to our posts will still be key. I liked the comment someone made in another thread...that Imani is playing as if she finally realized she's 6'7...she has to be a factor for us to win this game, IMO. But even if our posts have a strong outing, and are on the floor together at points, this game is probably going to be determined by guard play. We have to draw the Huskies attention away from the inside, and that's going to take more than just one player stepping up, and hitting their shots. Our biggest advantage is the fact no one expects us to win - all the pressure should be on UCONN, and we need to play like we have nothing to lose. Because we don't. If we can do that, while avoiding the sloppy play that has plagued us at times this season, I like our chances. Bottom line UCONN is a great team, but they aren't unbeatable, and not only because of that early OT loss to the Cardinal. Yes, they had big wins vs. ND and Duke this year, but overall their SOS isn't close to that of other top programs...somewhere in the 30's, vs. #6 for the Horns. Their win vs. USF in the AAC championship was 14 pts, St. Johns was a 16 pt win, and ND was within single-digits at the half, before losing by 18. And that was early in the season, and I think the Irish, and their star freshman Turner, are much improved since that contest. All of these are solid, double-digit wins, but not the type of blowouts we've seen from past Husky squads. I completely agree with Coach Aston's comment after the win vs. CAL. We're getting closer to where we were during the first part of the season, but we're not quite there yet. And I take that to mean in terms of confidence, because I think we've made the necessary adjustments otherwise; let's see if we take that final step today. Go Horns!
 
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almost tipoff. watching the rerun of Imani's ESPN special they are showing leading into the game. :hookem:
 
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