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Why defense is the difference in Sooner women getting off the NCAA bubble
The idea of defensive threshold, or how much space a player should afford an offensive opponent, was somewhat foreign to Ana Llanusa in high school.
The former Choctaw star says she frequently guarded the opposing team’s worst player, as a means of protection. Llanusa’s fouls often came on the offensive end and she couldn’t afford any more.
But as an Oklahoma freshman, she thinks a lot about her threshold.
“Arm’s length away is usually good for me,” Llanusa said.
Llanusa’s biggest strides her rookie season have come on the defensive end, where mastering technical aspects like threshold and active hands help keep her on the floor for longer stretches.
And those aren’t just focal points for her.
OU (11-11, 6-5 Big 12) is trying to play its way off the NCAA tournament bubble as it hits the Big 12 regular-season home stretch, beginning with No. 21 West Virginia at Lloyd Noble Center (Saturday, 2 p.m., FSOK).
The Sooners’ schedule strength remains ranked No. 2 nationally, according to the NCAA’s official Ratings Percentage Index, which helps smooth over the fact they haven’t won three games in a row this season.
But they’ll need such a streak to reach the program’s 19th straight NCAA tournament, and defense — far more loyal and easier to travel with than high percentage shooting — remains the key.
The Sooner guards might bear the heaviest burden in that quest. They certainly do against West Virginia (17-5, 5-5), which possesses 41.7-percent long-range shooter Naomi Davenport in its dynamic backcourt.
OU’s perimeter responsibilities are magnified due to lack of depth behind center Vionise Pierre-Louis, whose fouling opportunities decrease when opponents are forced into contested jump shots.
“That’s something that we did do a great job of against Kansas State, keeping a high hand up against a shooter at all times. We were really disciplined at that, I was pleased,” OU coach Sherri Coale said of a 68-49 win Wednesday over the Wildcats. “But West Virginia will have way more athleticism, so you gotta be able to do both of those things, keep them in front and keep a high hand.”
OU is second-to-last in the Big 12 in field-goal percentage defense (41.2) and scoring defense (72.9), but in terms of scoring output the Sooners are on their best three-game swing of the season, allowing an average of 57 points, eight points better than any previous string. Kansas State’s 49 points were the second fewest OU has allowed all season. Coale is cautious to describe it as a trend, but it’s a signal.
“[Kansas State] missed some open shots. Maybe we had something to do with that, maybe we didn’t. But I do think we did some really good things and I thought we played hard,” Coale said.
Dwelling on NCAA tournament seeds is premature, Coale added. Llanusa seemed to agree: “We know that if we continue to play hard we still have a chance. Worrying is not a thing for us,” she said.
Guarding better would be more productive than looking ahead.
“I think still, when we go into a game we’re not necessarily, we don’t have that perimeter [stopper],” Coale said. “We’re still kind of guarding by committee on the perimeter.”
Tyler Palmateer
CNHI Sports Oklahoma @TPalmateer83
The idea of defensive threshold, or how much space a player should afford an offensive opponent, was somewhat foreign to Ana Llanusa in high school.
The former Choctaw star says she frequently guarded the opposing team’s worst player, as a means of protection. Llanusa’s fouls often came on the offensive end and she couldn’t afford any more.
But as an Oklahoma freshman, she thinks a lot about her threshold.
“Arm’s length away is usually good for me,” Llanusa said.
Llanusa’s biggest strides her rookie season have come on the defensive end, where mastering technical aspects like threshold and active hands help keep her on the floor for longer stretches.
And those aren’t just focal points for her.
OU (11-11, 6-5 Big 12) is trying to play its way off the NCAA tournament bubble as it hits the Big 12 regular-season home stretch, beginning with No. 21 West Virginia at Lloyd Noble Center (Saturday, 2 p.m., FSOK).
The Sooners’ schedule strength remains ranked No. 2 nationally, according to the NCAA’s official Ratings Percentage Index, which helps smooth over the fact they haven’t won three games in a row this season.
But they’ll need such a streak to reach the program’s 19th straight NCAA tournament, and defense — far more loyal and easier to travel with than high percentage shooting — remains the key.
The Sooner guards might bear the heaviest burden in that quest. They certainly do against West Virginia (17-5, 5-5), which possesses 41.7-percent long-range shooter Naomi Davenport in its dynamic backcourt.
OU’s perimeter responsibilities are magnified due to lack of depth behind center Vionise Pierre-Louis, whose fouling opportunities decrease when opponents are forced into contested jump shots.
“That’s something that we did do a great job of against Kansas State, keeping a high hand up against a shooter at all times. We were really disciplined at that, I was pleased,” OU coach Sherri Coale said of a 68-49 win Wednesday over the Wildcats. “But West Virginia will have way more athleticism, so you gotta be able to do both of those things, keep them in front and keep a high hand.”
OU is second-to-last in the Big 12 in field-goal percentage defense (41.2) and scoring defense (72.9), but in terms of scoring output the Sooners are on their best three-game swing of the season, allowing an average of 57 points, eight points better than any previous string. Kansas State’s 49 points were the second fewest OU has allowed all season. Coale is cautious to describe it as a trend, but it’s a signal.
“[Kansas State] missed some open shots. Maybe we had something to do with that, maybe we didn’t. But I do think we did some really good things and I thought we played hard,” Coale said.
Dwelling on NCAA tournament seeds is premature, Coale added. Llanusa seemed to agree: “We know that if we continue to play hard we still have a chance. Worrying is not a thing for us,” she said.
Guarding better would be more productive than looking ahead.
“I think still, when we go into a game we’re not necessarily, we don’t have that perimeter [stopper],” Coale said. “We’re still kind of guarding by committee on the perimeter.”
Tyler Palmateer
CNHI Sports Oklahoma @TPalmateer83
