AU women

[arktiger1975 536]

Fought hard vs the best team in the nation tonight, but the Gamecocks gradually pulled away. It wasn't looking too good a few weeks ago, but we have had some good wins lately, and I am definitely seeing improvement over the past few years. Just have to keep it up!

[tigeraddikt 1,616]

4 hours ago, arktiger1975 said:

Fought hard vs the best team in the nation tonight, but the Gamecocks gradually pulled away. It wasn't looking too good a few weeks ago, but we have had some good wins lately, and I am definitely seeing improvement over the past few years. Just have to keep it up!

Yeah Dawn Staley essentially has a traveling All-Star team each year. The AU women hung in there for a quarter and a half, which was much longer than I expected.

Edited February 2 by tigeraddikt

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,706]

Defense looked really quality for about 2 1/2 quarters. Our team kinda subsists on those tough midranges and contested lays, but what really made the LSU game different is that they won the 3 point battle handily (and got a few more shots from the “others”). 
 

SCar really has the makeup of a champion. Never got panicked, always played the game the right way whether they were up or done. Once their two guards came in and started draining 3s in the 4th, it was a wrap. Even if we weren’t already out of tricks to throw by that point, I think having to account for the outside shooting + Cardoso…would’ve been impossible 

 

Really good effort, especially on defense. Just gotta hope Harris can finally add on the level of talent we have now without a glut of subtractions 

[TD1 231]

15 minutes ago, Dual-Threat Rigby said:

Just gotta hope Harris can finally add on the level of talent we have now without a glut of subtractions 

I really hope she can get some big wins in the portal. We'll suffer a huge loss by losing our only real playmaker in Honesty. She's carried our team in many games. I think that our starting PG, Mingo-Young. is out of eligibility as well. 

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,706]

4 hours ago, TD1 said:

I really hope she can get some big wins in the portal. We'll suffer a huge loss by losing our only real playmaker in Honesty. She's carried our team in many games. I think that our starting PG, Mingo-Young. is out of eligibility as well. 

Yeah they're basically the fulcrums of the offense more or less. I used to think that was by design, but I'm not sure how skilled on the O end some of those other gals are. Shaw was a 5 star level talent that hasn't really panned out that way, and their other guard Marshaun hasn't really been...it. At least offensively. They're gonna have to find someone else out there 

[WillMunny 1,383]

She has turned around the women's team faster than Bruce did with the men's team.

[arktiger1975 536]

17 hours ago, WillMunny said:

She has turned around the women's team faster than Bruce did with the men's team.

Well, I wouldn't say the turnaround is complete, but we are getting there. It did take Bruce a while though. Longer than anyone thought. I still remember a lot of people (me included) in full blown panic mode after we lost to Mizzou in the 2017 SEC tournament. People were staring to really question whether he was going to get it done or not. Then the breakthrough happened in 2018. Now Coach Harris needs her breakthrough.

[TigerTennis80 345]

I'm certainly encouraged by what Coach J has done thus far. But knowing that we lose Honesty & Jamaya after this year makes me concerned about the positive momentum continuing into next season. I'm hoping Shaw develops into the player we think she can be (& that she sticks around!), & that Coach J has a good run in the portal & on the recruiting trail. I know progress is often not straightforward, but I really want it to be in this case. I enjoyed beating LSU & Bama so much & want that feeling to continue! Now let's get a couple of good road wins & get off the bubble!

Edited February 4 by TigerTennis80

[arktiger1975 536]

Maybe I should take back what I said.

[AU9377 5,023]

On 2/2/2024 at 6:37 PM, WillMunny said:

She has turned around the women's team faster than Bruce did with the men's team.

We remain in the bottom tier of teams in the SEC.  The issue Johnnie is going to run into is being compared to other coaches in the league.  Particularly Miss. State.

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,706]

They really do have a puzzling problem with fast first quarter starts and non-existent ability in the 3rd quarter. My brain would tell me that’s bc they depend on two people for virtually all the offense, but that would be absolving how bad the coaching has been in managing momentum in that quarter

In either case, I don’t think it’ll be fixed at this point in the season, so we’ll see how it goes going forward. 

[tigeraddikt 1,616]

On 2/5/2024 at 7:14 PM, Dual-Threat Rigby said:

They really do have a puzzling problem with fast first quarter starts and non-existent ability in the 3rd quarter. My brain would tell me that’s bc they depend on two people for virtually all the offense, but that would be absolving how bad the coaching has been in managing momentum in that quarter

In either case, I don’t think it’ll be fixed at this point in the season, so we’ll see how it goes going forward. 

And to complete the formula…they comeback like gangbusters in the 4th, only to fall just short. Shows that they do actually have energy and playmaking ability in the 2nd halves of games.