Texas just got stronger
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That's one of the reasons why I picked them to win tomorrow. They are overdue and smarting from the OU loss where they just got outplayed. Almost every team gets nicked during the season, it's the ones that don't obsess on that who tend to win.
SoonerNorm
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I'm glad the girls are healthy again. I would say things in the Big 12 will get a little more interesting.
womenssports
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I have read that Kelsey Lang was injured and was still not back to 100 percent as of the game against OU. She didn't play in two games prior to conference play.
So, those two guards back and Lang healthier and they will be much stronger. Not many players play in the WNBA and I see (barring injury) Nneke and Lang being drafted and starting in their first season. Texas might have been ranked
a little high earlier in the season, but are probably a legit top ten team.
So, those two guards back and Lang healthier and they will be much stronger. Not many players play in the WNBA and I see (barring injury) Nneke and Lang being drafted and starting in their first season. Texas might have been ranked
a little high earlier in the season, but are probably a legit top ten team.
womenssports
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Yeah, just in time to welcome Tech to Austin today.
Maybe they won't be FULL strength and will probably be rusty...nothing to worry about.
So just curious, is the thought at Tech that they will be making strides in the next couple of years? I would really like to see them be a much better team than in recent years. They have gone through a rough patch for a few years but should be able to come back. Looking forward to it.
I think we have to wait to see what is up with Texas. Lang looks now about like she did earlier in the year when I saw her. She is just missing her shots, shots that were going in. She missed some easy jump shots in the lane that were shot too hard.
They are probably missing Atkins who was their best scoring guard. But, her absence doesn't account for the fact that Texas simply has no outside game. She only shot six threes in seven games, making three. Their three point shooting in non-conference where they were undefeated was only about 25%. If you can't hit from outside in the Big Twelve, you will probably see a defense like what OU put on the floor that concentrates only on the paint. Suddenly, you are losing the paint.
Texas beat Stanford, Tennessee (home), and Texas A&M (Little Rock), and their reputation is built on those wins. They are pretty good wins. Wouldn't mind having wins like that on our record. But, the A&M game was very close, and Texas was probably saved by their rebounding. Once in the conference, their shooting percentages have plummeted to about 35%. You can't win shooting 35%. If they hadn't had their best shooting percentage game recently against WV, they would have lost that game.
Game by game statistics for Texas:
http://www.texassports.com/cumestats.aspx?path=wbball&year=2014
They have Imani-Stafford back who missed some time earlier. They have Jones back. They have everyone back inside, players piled on top of players. But, they have a problem if they can't shoot threes enough to get any pressure off of their interior. Twenty-eight percent for the year is difficult to overcome.
I think Texas has the ability to be pretty good. But, I wonder if they would beat Stanford and Tennessee if they knew Texas couldn't shoot from outside? I think that has to improve. If they get better there, they can be a good team. I really like Enempkali, although I didn't appreciate some of the calls that she got in her favor. We had difficulty with Imani-Stafford. Let's just see if the guards can take some pressure off the interior.
They are probably missing Atkins who was their best scoring guard. But, her absence doesn't account for the fact that Texas simply has no outside game. She only shot six threes in seven games, making three. Their three point shooting in non-conference where they were undefeated was only about 25%. If you can't hit from outside in the Big Twelve, you will probably see a defense like what OU put on the floor that concentrates only on the paint. Suddenly, you are losing the paint.
Texas beat Stanford, Tennessee (home), and Texas A&M (Little Rock), and their reputation is built on those wins. They are pretty good wins. Wouldn't mind having wins like that on our record. But, the A&M game was very close, and Texas was probably saved by their rebounding. Once in the conference, their shooting percentages have plummeted to about 35%. You can't win shooting 35%. If they hadn't had their best shooting percentage game recently against WV, they would have lost that game.
Game by game statistics for Texas:
http://www.texassports.com/cumestats.aspx?path=wbball&year=2014
They have Imani-Stafford back who missed some time earlier. They have Jones back. They have everyone back inside, players piled on top of players. But, they have a problem if they can't shoot threes enough to get any pressure off of their interior. Twenty-eight percent for the year is difficult to overcome.
I think Texas has the ability to be pretty good. But, I wonder if they would beat Stanford and Tennessee if they knew Texas couldn't shoot from outside? I think that has to improve. If they get better there, they can be a good team. I really like Enempkali, although I didn't appreciate some of the calls that she got in her favor. We had difficulty with Imani-Stafford. Let's just see if the guards can take some pressure off the interior.
mgood1
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We're hoping for it, of course.
Most of us thought hiring Kristy Curry was a step in the right direction. We all saw where that went. :facepalm
Marsha Sharp's worst conference record ever, SWC or B12, was 8-8.
Curry's best season at Tech was 8-8 in conference.
Candi Whitaker is a very young head coach. We're waiting to see what she can do.
Whitaker (then Candi White) played for hall of fame coaches in high school, junior college (current OSU coach Jim Littell), and college (Marsha Sharp). So she knows what good teams look like.
I have no doubt she can coach. When a Whitaker-coached UMKC team played at Tech a few years ago, I thought we were outcoached. I thought Tech won because they were bigger, stronger, and faster. Not because they played better. I wondered then what that coach could do with Texas Tech's resources. Whether or not she can recruit the talent needed to compete at the upper level of the Big 12 seems to be the question. I think she got a future star in Dayo Olabode. Next year we have Japreece Dean coming in. Supposed to be an outstanding point guard on the level of an Erin Grant or a Monique Smalls. We'll see. Coach Whitaker does have the advantage of telling potential Lady Raiders "This is where I chose to go to school."
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mgood1
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Then Tech will game-plan to slow down their inside scoring and Texas will hit threes today at a rate that will boggle the minds of ISU fans.
I think Texas Tech may have a problem trying to get the really big names to come to Lubbock. It's a nice town, but it isn't as exciting as some venues. It takes a person who wants that life style.
That being said, the Big Twelve has long prospered by being very successful with recruits that nobody has ever heard of. I don't remember any prospect listed by Prospect Nation mentioning that they were big fans of Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State, or Texas Tech, at least recently. Most kids have no idea who Sheryl Swoopes was, and the excitement that she brought isn't even a memory. Yet, Tech, Kansas State, Iowa State, Baylor, and OU built national powers without any big name recruits. I don't think Tennessee knew who any of the players on the 2005 Baylor or 2002 OU teams were until they were successful in college. Iowa State seems to do very well with players that weren't known outside of Minnesota, Iowa, or South Dakota. It is curious that despite his success, Fennelly doesn't seem to attract superstars from across the country---ever. But, I think most coaches want to avoid Iowa State in their bracket.
There are still a lot of very talented players in places like Canyon or New Mexico that would love to go to Lubbock, and Tech can be a power again. It takes finding an occasional star in the sagebrush, and they do exist.
That being said, the Big Twelve has long prospered by being very successful with recruits that nobody has ever heard of. I don't remember any prospect listed by Prospect Nation mentioning that they were big fans of Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State, or Texas Tech, at least recently. Most kids have no idea who Sheryl Swoopes was, and the excitement that she brought isn't even a memory. Yet, Tech, Kansas State, Iowa State, Baylor, and OU built national powers without any big name recruits. I don't think Tennessee knew who any of the players on the 2005 Baylor or 2002 OU teams were until they were successful in college. Iowa State seems to do very well with players that weren't known outside of Minnesota, Iowa, or South Dakota. It is curious that despite his success, Fennelly doesn't seem to attract superstars from across the country---ever. But, I think most coaches want to avoid Iowa State in their bracket.
There are still a lot of very talented players in places like Canyon or New Mexico that would love to go to Lubbock, and Tech can be a power again. It takes finding an occasional star in the sagebrush, and they do exist.
I did see Jones hit 3 of 3 one day, but she seems to be the only one who looks comfortable shooting outside, maybe Sanders. But, Sanders hit one that almost bounced over the backboard before falling straight down into the basket. They look insecure outside.Then Tech will game-plan to slow down their inside scoring and Texas will hit threes today at a rate that will boggle the minds of ISU fans.
