USC 81 Arizona 64
The host Trojans assisted on 22 of their 27 FGM, and they did so in the darndest fashion.
Juju Watkins threatened to break down her defender one-on-one, until one or two Wildcats went to help. Then Watkins gave up the ball to get 4 assists, and if the ball kept moving, Padilla had 7, Forbes and Bigby 4 each.
USC probably doesn’t care how they win, as long as they continue winning.
When Watkins scored 51 at Stanford, the witty halftime question for Coach Gottlieb was how’d she like it if they won by Ju going for 50 while the others did not (which was what happened). “I wouldn’t get mad at it”, said Coach Gottlieb.
USC is no longer the team I watched dominate Fullerton St. in December. Every Trojan made an assist, 25 on 33 FGM in sum.
I thought they might be Gottlieb’s best team yet, displacing her 2013 Cal team with multiple professionals-to-be. Fullerton St. is #251 NET, however, while half of USC’s conference opponents are in the top 25.
Which conference is Arizona joining after the Pac-12 dissolves? If the Wildcats are going to a league where they’re expected to stand out, they shall.
Nebraska 82 Iowa 79
Someone somewhere is laying the blame for Iowa’s upset loss on Caitlin Clark, who scored 0 points in the fourth quarter. It was the first time that Clark didn’t score in the fourth, and she missed a 3-pointer that would’ve tied the game at 0:05. She was 8 points shy of tying Kelsey Plum’s all-time scoring record, and someone, I’m sure, will surmise that she plainly choked.
Rubbish, but I wrote that in a minute without contemplation, and it’ll strike a chord with sports bar simpletons.
I haven’t heard anyone ask lately whether Iowa will fall apart in the absence of Monika Czinano. That issue is settled — Clark is improved, while the most points scored this season by a Hawkeye is 47 by Hanna Stuelke.
Oregon St. 65 Colorado 59
The Beavers led by 22 after three quarters. I can’t say the game wasn’t as close as the final score suggests, because I’m not sure how Colorado won the fourth quarter 21-5. Had the Buffaloes finally solved Beaver defense. Did OSU lapse mentally.
Go back one year, when I was in love with Oregon St. After the Beavers lost their second conference game, I said they were the best 2-loss team in the league. Then I said they were the best 3-loss team, and 4-loss team.
I had to stop, because the Beavers continued losing, and calling them the best n-loss, best n+1-loss, best n+2-loss team might’ve resembled damning them with faint praise, or mockery.
This 2023-24 Beavers are smaller and faster than the 2022-23 Beavers, which has enabled them to play better team defense.
Smaller and faster also prompts more ‘4 out, 1 in’ on offense, which is so beneficial for Raegan Beers that her FG% is better than her FT%.
Maybe I was right about peaking too soon as a hazard for Colorado. Today I wonder how much room for improvement is in Oregon St.
Utah 70 Oregon 48
After an injury hobbles a team, one of the dumb questions that sports media asks repeatedly — in the case of Kneepkens, I did — is ‘who makes up the lost production’.
What can a coach say besides ‘everyone’?
In theory, it’s everyone, but there’s usually a standout in execution. Utah’s mostly been playing short two — Vieira became a MIP candidate in Palmer’s absence. Wilke is blossoming during Young’s recovery, improving from 5 ppg to 11 ppg since the SoCals visited Huntsman.
Dasia Young became a starter Dec. 7, and three days later filled the all-important role as 2nd-high-scorer-after-Pili vs. South Carolina. In the Utes’ win vs. UCLA Jan. 22 made 4-of-6 3FG, when it looked like she might establish herself as a major producer in place of Kneepkens.
Then she regressed to 2-for-6 and 4-for-11 at the Oregons. The senior is a streaky shooter — only once did her FG% fall between than .400 and .556.
Young’s defense somewhat compensates the streaky shooting. Utah doesn’t have another defender like Dasia Young. Johnson is a sponge for offensive fouls, and Vieira surprises ballhandlers
from behind — they do their best defensive work on the ball; Young frustrates them off the ball.
Wilke’s a better fit in Utah’s offense; Young’s a special defender.
Young also has two years of experience as a Ute, which serves as a tiebreaker (if you want to look at it that way). Wilke isn’t a typical sophomore; she started 29 games for Wisconsin.
We can compare them, but we’d rather have them both available and playing at the next level.