OU - Kansas Game Thread

[BlackwellSooner]

I made mention a few days ago about this KU team and their proclivity to play teams tough, even while losing. I had a bad feeling that if we showed up flat, we could lose this game. Regretfully, that happened.
Fact: KU was riding a 6 game losing streak coming into tonight's game.
Fact: Five of those six losses were in single digits, the one two digit loss was to Texas, losing by 11.

The Hawks lost by 8 to Okie State, 3 @ WVU, 6 @ TCU, 4 @ Okie State, and 5 to KState, the same team that swept us this year.

Yeah, we should have beaten them, but KU is probably just THAT far off from being a decent team, not quite able to get over the hump in a lot of games this year.

Us shooting 8% from BTA didn't help, either.

 

[Mike Rafoneman]

This team wanted to travel during the NCAA not stay in Norman and host.

That must be it. They hate playing at home and wanted to lose.

You guys saying they weren't motivated and all of this other crap crack me up. Ever played sports? If so have you ever wanted to lose? Every game athletes are motivated to win. Period. They may not play their best or play their hardest but they were not playing to lose. They had a really bad night against a team, as it was pointed out above, that is better than their record, are well coached and have an All Big 12 star player who dominated early.

 

[35TangoTango]

We let them shoot 60% for most of the first half. Good defense the second half, but we couldn't hit a shot either half. They defended us strong on the perimeter leaving Gardner one on one with KK. The two pretty much canceled each other out. Our problem was that we missed about a zillion 5 - 8 foot running jumpers. Poorest shooting night we've had at home.

 

[SoonerNorm]

Poor night on O for sure but Kansas barely had 50 points with a minute or so left. Not sure how that is a bad defensive night. The girls had an off night- especially on O. Blame it on the snow, the tip time adjustment, over looking Kansas, or Sr. Night, but.it was just a weird night. In fact it was one of the strangest I can ever remember and I've only missed 1 home game in the last 11 years.

Nobody wanted the ball. The rotation got messed up and nobody found a rhythm. Every time it looked like someone was about to get going they'd fire up a brick or miss a bunny. Neither Gioya or Peyton got good looks. I think part of it was that they had grown so accustomed to being zoned that the man D all night messed with them. Whatever it was their movement off the ball was not at its best and they were not getting great looks.

Tough game to watch but this may be a blessing in order to get their minds right just before tourney time.

Oh and last thing... a 3 seed??? I like this team a lot & NO ONE is going to want to see us pop up in their bracket but they are not one of the best 12 teams in America right now. Can we all agree to that?

I disagree about our defense. Gardner was eating Kaylon up inside the first half. I believe she had 16 points at halftime if I'm not mistaken. We needed to give Kaylon some help as Gardner was too much for Kaylon. We did a better job on her the second half but she had already inflicted a lot of pain by then.

 

[Sweetest OU Girl]

I disagree about our defense. Gardner was eating Kaylon up inside the first half. I believe she had 16 points at halftime if I'm not mistaken. We needed to give Kaylon some help as Gardner was too much for Kaylon. We did a better job on her the second half but she had already inflicted a lot of pain by then.

It was interesting that Sherri described it quite differently than that.

She explained Gardner's success this way: "We were not following the game plan".

Then she went on to say "We were getting blown by off the bounce and KK was going to help, and our cover down was not there".

Looking at the box score it is clear that at least on offense, KK was the only one who showed up tonight. 20 points (on 57% shooting) and 7 offensive rebounds.

It was disappointing, but I hope the girls can move on and get ready for Monday night.

 

[Mike Rafoneman]

I disagree about our defense. Gardner was eating Kaylon up inside the first half. I believe she had 16 points at halftime if I'm not mistaken. We needed to give Kaylon some help as Gardner was too much for Kaylon. We did a better job on her the second half but she had already inflicted a lot of pain by then.

Norm, I get what you're saying but disagree. Gardner was getting unreal looks early and was making it look easy because of her positioning. They shot 51% in the 1st but scored under 30 because it was almost all her. That wasn't all Williams fault though. I was originally disagreeing with the guy who said horrible defense is why we lost and that is absolutely not true. We held them to like 27% in the 2nd. It was a rhythm and offensive problem.

 

[BigT14]

I didn't watch the game, It's recorded. I saw the box score, you can't win games with only 2 players in double figures. Not sure I will watch the game.

 

[SoonerinNC]

Gardner was getting open a lot because KayKay was helping on the penetrating guard.

But the only reason we lost was because we missed a ton of open pretty easy shots and they did a good job of covering Little.

 

[Sooner Cal]

The reason we lost is we didn't respect the opponent, plain and simple. Against Baylor, we moved without the ball. Today, we watched the dribbler move.

At the end, we put it all on Kay Kay, who I thought felt the pressure.

I understand why we started Whitney, but that was a bad move. Team was slow getting going and never got offensive confidence.

 

[womenssports]

Poor night on O for sure but Kansas barely had 50 points with a minute or so left. Not sure how that is a bad defensive night. The girls had an off night- especially on O. Blame it on the snow, the tip time adjustment, over looking Kansas, or Sr. Night, but.it was just a weird night. In fact it was one of the strangest I can ever remember and I've only missed 1 home game in the last 11 years.

Nobody wanted the ball. The rotation got messed up and nobody found a rhythm. Every time it looked like someone was about to get going they'd fire up a brick or miss a bunny. Neither Gioya or Peyton got good looks. I think part of it was that they had grown so accustomed to being zoned that the man D all night messed with them. Whatever it was their movement off the ball was not at its best and they were not getting great looks.

Tough game to watch but this may be a blessing in order to get their minds right just before tourney time.

Oh and last thing... a 3 seed??? I like this team a lot & NO ONE is going to want to see us pop up in their bracket but they are not one of the best 12 teams in America right now. Can we all agree to that?

If we beat OSU and are runner-up in the Big 12 conference tournament, I think we get a 6 seed, possibly a five. I believe I may have felt different a week ago. It won't be long until we know and then we can argue about what our seed should have been. Would I love to have a 3 or 4? Sure, but just do not believe that the starters plus Maddie can put together a game in which four of these players play their B plus games. Do not think two of the players have played a B plus game as yet. Basing that statement on what I believe they can do, which is, of course, speculation.

 

[Vinny78]

I think everything coupled with the high that we were on after the Baylor game…we didn’t handle this opportunity the way that we should have. I share that responsibility. It goes back to me. I have got to do a better job of getting them to move on.”

I Agree with Sherri

 

[35TangoTango]

I think everything coupled with the high that we were on after the Baylor game…we didn’t handle this opportunity the way that we should have. I share that responsibility. It goes back to me. I have got to do a better job of getting them to move on.”

I Agree with Sherri

That puts Sherri in the same boat with Kim.

 

[KCRuf/Nek]

Nice to see Sherri taking the blame but if the guys can't get up for a game they need to as well as should win, on Senior night, then it falls in their laps. And Baylor was Wednesday, not that afternoon.

Nothing from Peyton, Gabbi and Ortiz

Yeah. Those three.

 

[Sweetest OU Girl]

That puts Sherri in the same boat with Kim.

I have to disagree with you on that. Kim does not even deserve to be on the same cruise ship with Sherri. There is much more to coaching than just wins and losses and championships. We want and cherish those but the K's antics are inexcusable - and cannot be condoned. Especially the foul language.

 

[YCN]

We were probably overlooking KU a bit with the game at Stillwater on Monday, but we couldn't put the ball in the bucket and gave up a ton of offensive rebounds.

The Jayhawks picked the right time to play their best game of the year, and we weren't ready for it.

 

[SoonerNorm]

I have to disagree with you on that. Kim does not even deserve to be on the same cruise ship with Sherri. There is much more to coaching than just wins and losses and championships. We want and cherish those but the K's antics are inexcusable - and cannot be condoned. Especially the foul language.

A lot of coaches use foul language, including some OU coaches.

 

[Oliver Hardy]

I've lip-read the F word coming out of some of the girl's mouths on occasion.

It was in the last game or two I think I lip read "bullsh**" come out of Sherri's mouth after a bad call. I could be wrong about that, however, maybe that's what I said and her lips just moved in sync with mine.

 

[Vinny78]

I have to disagree with you on that. Kim does not even deserve to be on the same cruise ship with Sherri. There is much more to coaching than just wins and losses and championships. We want and cherish those but the K's antics are inexcusable - and cannot be condoned. Especially the foul language.

Yep, she is on a different cruise ship, the Winning one with conference and national championships. I want to be on that ship. And I agree with Norm, even our women's coaches curse some. I was at almost every Billy Tubbs game and they cursed like sailors BUT won like nobody's business AND OU fans loved him and them. Stoops and his crew curse like crazy and I be every coach does, even gymnastics, JUST WIN BABY!!!

 

[Sweetest OU Girl]

Agreed Norm. But that does not make it a good characteristic to role model for students.

Lots of athletes beat up women it seems. That does not somehow condone it. Not even suggesting that foul language is in the same league as abuse of course. Just using a similar argument.

A few years ago one of the Big-12's most popular men's BB coaches (not currently at an Oklahoma based University) spoke to a large contingent of Oklahoma teachers. He could not even control his language in front of them. He has not been invited back by that group - but they still recall it as a big negative - and were a bit shocked by it in that context.

 

[rocjunkie]

Tango Tango is right on the money. We played well enough defensively to win this game. We shut down Gardner in the second half, our inability to hit a shot or make layups was our down fall. Second half rebounding lacked a lot to be desired. Shooting 8 percent from behind the arc at home is unforgivable, time to move on get ready for OSU and the Big XII. We didn't exactly help ourselves for the first rounds of the NCAA's, but it will depend on how we perform this coming week.