WBB: Landmark Conference

Started by Dave 'd-mac' McHugh, February 20, 2007, 07:24:46 PM

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Dave 'd-mac' McHugh

Quote from: ronk on February 02, 2017, 09:19:03 AM
Quote from: saratoga on February 02, 2017, 07:49:13 AM
A few things are unfolding with the Lady Royals this year & specifically over the past 4 games.

Catholic developed the template of how to give them a good game & teams with a certain type of makeup are following suit.

When teams have let them bring the ball up & pass around the perimeter, they can easily get in their rhythm & play inside/out.

When things are going good, they nail a few threes's, teams react & put more pressure outside and then Scranton counters with getting the ball in low to their two bigs and off they go, rout is on.

Catholic changed two dynamics on them that both Etown & Moravian have also applied.

*Put pressure on the ball & make Bridgett work so hard on that end that she doesn't have the freedom to make easy passes inside or freely float outside after she does give up the ball for relatively easy looks at the 3. Teams are putting a lot of pressure on the ball because she's not a true point & they know the Scranton offense runs through her.
This is putting more pressure on some other kids to hit some shots or to handle the ball so Bridgett can get free & it's just not getting done.

*Secondly, teams have gotten a little wiser & have stopped playing into the Lady Royals hand by trying to shoot over them.
The teams with quick guards have simply been beating the Scranton guards off the dribble & going in for layups as they move their bigs away from the lanes & then Scranton's interior defense is out of place & slow to react weak side to these drives.
It also results in teams like Catholic & again last night with Moravian in dishing to their bigs when Scranton's bigs do step in to take the lanes away and it also opens up the oppositions outside game as now the Scranton defense has been totally sucked in.
In this process, both Catholic & Moravian nailed just enough from the outside to frustrate the Lady Royals when they would finally close the runway to the basket.
These drives also created 2 quick fouls on Alexix and effectively took her out of the first half after playing only 6 minutes.

I think it also needs to be said that their freshman lock down defender has also been out the past 6 games with a foot injury but the reality is 2 weeks ago this very same team won in Bethlehem by 22.

If you look back at the season, there were signs of this issue (guards getting beat off the dribble) going back to the Neumann, Washington & Lee & first Etown game which the Lady Royals did not put away till very late.

Teams with slow or inexperienced guards will be no match for Scranton.
Teams that have not only quickness but some talent & can get their interior people involved will continue to give them fits.

It may be time to mix in a zone on this type of team to take away the driving lanes & force teams to try once again to beat them over the top or try forcing the ball in the paint.

That's the million dollar question the coaches need to soon figure out, otherwise; the Lady Royals may soon be playing themselves out of the playoff picture.

They can be taught the zone but one thing I know you can't teach & that is speed...and they just don't have much of that this year.

Clearly not time to panic, but it is time for some adjustments, otherwise Groundhog Day (the movie) has already arrived.

Saratoga,
You're giving away the blueprint for the opposing coaches who couldn't figure that out on their own.  ::)

I think the proof is that coaches have figured it out on their own... there is plenty of video out there and if you think coaches are getting scouting reports here... you are nuts. LOL
Host of Hoopsville. USBWA Executive Board member. Broadcast Director for D3sports.com. Broadcaster for NCAA.com & several colleges. PA Announcer for Gophers & Brigade. Follow me on Twitter: @davemchugh or @d3hoopsville.

gordonmann

Saratoga:

Excellent analysis. Thanks.

Royals81

Saratoga,

You're correct about the Lady Royals missing the freshman lockdown defender.
In the first 11 games, the defense allowed an average of 48.8 points per game.
In the 9 games since her injury, the defense has allowed an average of 56.9 ppg.
In the 3 losses, the defense has allowed an average of 76.7 ppg.

This year's team isn't as consistently strong defensively as last year's.
Last year's captains did the "heavy lifting", which allowed the 'Big 3" to play within their comfort level.
Whereas last year you had seniors in the supporting roles, this year you have freshmen plus juniors who didn't play much last season.

It's getting a little late in the season to still be a work in progress, but I don't think many realized just how much Jaclyn and Noelle contributed to the team's overall success last year.

saratoga

Thanks Gordon.

I think Royals 81 makes a couple excellent points when contrasting last seasons Lady Royal team vs. the current one.

The loss of the two co-captains (Noelle & Jackie) has had a much larger impact on the team than many would have thought at the start of the season.

Noelle was constant motion...she played hounding D, would take pressure off Bridgett by handing the ball, she'd drive to the basket & left alone, she'd kill you with the 3.

Jackie usually drew the assignment of one of the oppositions top scorers, she'd hit the boards and was always waiting on the perimeter for the pass that would lead to her draining another 3. Always calm, always focused.

They provided the Lady Royals with great D and 5 scoring options from anywhere on the court and they made everyone else that much better.

Another great point is that Noelle & Jackie did the "heavy lifting" last year.
This was evident almost every game as teams that tried to pressure Bridget found that she could give the ball with confidence to the seniors & they would then find her coming off screens for the open look or provided quality options to reset the offense.

This year, the newer players are just not yet providing the secondary support the big 3 need on both the offensive & defensive ends & we're kind of where we're at because of it.

Trevor is a great young coach & he'll get the student athletes he needs that play the game his way.

Let's also remember that he's not even had his first recruiting class yet and the results have been pretty remarkable.

Morale of the story...two pretty much unheralded members of last years team are having their importance realized now when we see the defensive breakdowns & the lack of scoring options from all 5 on the floor.

Hard to believe only two weeks left to the season.
The tough part is, if some adjustments aren't made & some kids don't step up...they'll be only two weeks left to the season.








lefty2

#949
Saratoga, I'm not sure if Trevor is terrific, but he definitely isn't young.
The person who says something can't be done shouldn't stand in the way of the one who's doing it.

saratoga

Lefty:

Compared to me, even Dave is young.  ;)

ronk

 A battle today @ DuFour with the Lady Royals on top by 2 over the Cards. Bridgette Mann with 8 important defensive rebounds and some good offensive moves. Good defensive efforts on both sides and they took away what worked for each in the previous game. With 1 week to go, a 3-way tie for 1st is a possibility but needs a win by Drew over Moravian to happen after Moravian edged by Juniata today. E-town, Susquehanna, and Drew are battling for the final tourney spot.
  Four Landmark teams are in the first week of regional rankings, reflecting their nonconference record of 39-5.

ronk

 Lady Royals hang on despite the efforts of Susquehanna(minus 2 starters) 70-60. If Moravian beats Catholic Saturday, the Lady Royals finish 3rd and will travel to the 2nd seed next Wednesday. Moravian and Catholic would be tied @ 12-2 and the tiebreaker(#7) would be strength of schedule; going in to tonight's games, Moravian's would be higher by .005(.575 vs .570), but Catholic would have closed the gap by playing E-town while Moravian was playing Drew. Don't know what the updated SOS would be after tonight or how it would change on Saturday with Catholic(21-3) vs Moravian(19-5).
  If Catholic wins Saturday, then they are 1st and if Scranton beats Goucher, then Scranton would win the tiebreaker for 2nd seed(and the home game) over Moravian by virtue of splitting with Catholic while Moravian would have lost both to Catholic.   

saratoga

One of the few times I'd be pulling for the Cardinals.

Then again, the Lady Royals are undefeated on the road & lost 3 straight at home for probably the first time ever this year.

I guess we'll know by late Saturday afternoon.

Just keep winning & hold on to that number 1 Regional ranking regardless of where the game is.


ronk

 IF Moravian defeats Catholic Saturday, we may have to bring in Katherine Johnson of the movie Hidden Figures who computed John Glenn's flight trajectory to compute the tie-breaking SOS. After all, there's a midweek 8-hr bus trip vs a home game at stake. It doesn't get much more serious than that in D3 hoops.

ronk

 Lady Royals play excellent defense in taking Moravian's comeback punch from 13 down to win 71-60. Kudos go especially to Katie Broderick and Emily Sheehan for defending Camille McPherson(5-20, 0-6(3s)) and Lily Warhaftig for a number of steals, rebounds, deflections, drive to the basket, and very nice assist. In other words, she made a lot of plays.
  Catholic was extended by E-town but won in OT and will host the Lady Royals Saturday nite.
  I'll make the case that the Landmark should be a 4-bid NCAA conference. In addition to the primary criteria, the lowest SOS of the 4 is Scranton's .559(and all should increase after tonite's games), they had a nonconference record of 38-5, and 2 of them(Scranton & E-town) lost to no one outside of the 4. Moravian and E-town will probably teams 5 & 6 at the Mid-Atlantic slot of the selection table but I think they'll still get in.

gordonmann

Moravian was 8th and E'town wasn't ranked at all in the rankings released before today's games were played. E'town is 1-6 against regionally ranked foes, unless Moravian drops out of the final set of rankings, which wouldn't bode well for either team. At best the Greyhounds are deep on the bubble and E'town likely isn't on it at all.

http://www.d3hoops.com/notables/2017/02/women-regional-rankings-third

Big game by Emily Martin, though, who had a triple-double for the Blue Jays.

ronk

Quote from: gordonmann on February 23, 2017, 12:25:02 AM
Moravian was 8th and E'town wasn't ranked at all in the rankings released before today's games were played. E'town is 1-6 against regionally ranked foes, unless Moravian drops out of the final set of rankings, which wouldn't bode well for either team. At best the Greyhounds are deep on the bubble and E'town likely isn't on it at all.

http://www.d3hoops.com/notables/2017/02/women-regional-rankings-third

Big game by Emily Martin, though, who had a triple-double for the Blue Jays.

I was eliminating the 3 AQs ahead of Moravian and E-town in the regional ranking in saying they would be teams 5 & 6 in the slot.

Dave 'd-mac' McHugh

Quote from: ronk on February 23, 2017, 12:32:48 AM
Quote from: gordonmann on February 23, 2017, 12:25:02 AM
Moravian was 8th and E'town wasn't ranked at all in the rankings released before today's games were played. E'town is 1-6 against regionally ranked foes, unless Moravian drops out of the final set of rankings, which wouldn't bode well for either team. At best the Greyhounds are deep on the bubble and E'town likely isn't on it at all.

http://www.d3hoops.com/notables/2017/02/women-regional-rankings-third

Big game by Emily Martin, though, who had a triple-double for the Blue Jays.

I was eliminating the 3 AQs ahead of Moravian and E-town in the regional ranking in saying they would be teams 5 & 6 in the slot.

Still puts them on a very deep bubble. 3-bids, sure. 4... very unlikely. Certainly a chance, but enough upsets are already making it unlikely.
Host of Hoopsville. USBWA Executive Board member. Broadcast Director for D3sports.com. Broadcaster for NCAA.com & several colleges. PA Announcer for Gophers & Brigade. Follow me on Twitter: @davemchugh or @d3hoopsville.

saratoga

Whomever is calling the shots from the penthouse of the Landmark Conference headquarters needs a wakeup call.

The Scranton men are scheduled to play Moravian for the title at 4:00 tomorrow.

The Scranton women are scheduled to play for their title tomorrow in Washington at...you guessed it, 4:00.

Is it asking too much for someone to recognize this conflict and make a phone call or put in the bylaws that when situations such as this occur, games must be played at least 2 hours apart.

Believe it or not, some of us actually attend games & would also like to follow the "other" team online.

I wish Dave would change the mens game to 8:00 like they can somehow seem to play in the Centennial.

The leadership of this conference appears to be clueless.