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Messages - jaybird44

#556
Region 1 women's basketball / Re: NESCAC Hoops
March 20, 2011, 12:10:39 PM
I hope you are not insinuating that Wash-U neglects academics in favor of making sure its basketball program remains successful.  I'm told that the university doesn't recruit players who score less than a 30 on the ACT.  For those of you who haven't taken the ACT, a 30 is an exceptional score.  That is climbing a mountain in rarified air, very near the summit of perfection.  I thought I did well when I scored a 21 on it many, many moons ago.  So, on that point, don't imply that Wash-U recruits players that can't spell "cat" by spotting them the "c" and the "t". 

Secondly, if you are still seething about the eligibility of Jaimie McFarlin, the Most Outstanding Player of last year's Final Four, just because she was granted a 5th season via a red-shirt situation...well, you need to take that up with the NCAA.  It gave McFarlin and Sean Wallis 5th seasons because they lost nearly all of a season due to injury.  Go take your troubles and put them on the NCAA's doorstep.

Amherst certainly deserves its newly-won national championship.  The Lord Jeffs played exceptional defense and made some gutsy shots to earn the title.  But, don't try and sully Wash-U's championship last season with subtle and flawed innuendo, while you celebrate Amherst's.  That dog won't hunt or even get off the porch.
#557
I will do so!  Would love to meet the folks that frequent these hallowed boards...
#558
I, for one, am looking forward to seeing all of the teams in the Final Four, because each has a unique ingredient that it will bring to the Final Four soup.

Wash-U brings the national championship trophy that it has defended very well, getting through arguably the toughest quadrant of the overall bracket.  Plus, it was able to do so without its top two post players, who were injured during the past two games.  A very tight-knit unit (a pair of sisters in the backcourt, and two starters back) with a very deep and productive bench, some of whom were on the team last season.  And, Nancy Fahey has won 85% of her games in 25 years of coaching, along with a record five national titles.

Illinois Wesleyan has had a great season, capped to this point by a comeback for the ages...down 23 points at one stage in the first half, and down 9 points with 3:00 to play vs. George Fox.  The team willed it way to victory, to secure the cherished home court advantage for the Final Four...something that has eluded many hopeful hosts (no pun intended) in the past 5-10 years.  The Titans hope to continue its role as Wash-U's kryptonite, defeating the Bears in 4 of their last 5 meetings--including a 63-58 victory early this season on a neutral floor at DePauw.

Amherst returns to the Final Four after the disappointment of losing in OT to Wash-U last season, but seemingly brimming with confidence, a swagger, and a chip on its shoulder after bringing back everyone from last March.  Jaci Daignault and Sarah Layman will be tougher to beat, with last year's experience seared in their minds...and I wouldn't be surprised if every player was secretly clamoring for a shot to gain revenge and dethrone Washington in the title game.

And, then there's Christopher Newport.  I am eager to see Chelsea Schweers in action...anyone who can put up Pete Maravich-type numbers and an insane 2800+ points in a career, is worth five times the price of admission.  Pouring in 129 treys at a 51% clip this season?  Mind-boggling.  And, hey, so what if the Captains may have had the weakest quadrant?  They dispatched their first two opponents by an average of 24 points, and pulled out their last two wins against teams who were a combined 54-6.  No one handed them a free pass, so the Captains are deserving of a trip to the national semifinals.

So, let's stop sniping at every little perceived blemish of these teams, and get out and watch the games in person or watch and listen to your preferred choice of play-by-play accounts.  It should be a very memorable Final Four. 

I can't wait to call the Wash-U games...and it's only Monday!  I'll be ready to leap out of my skin when Friday rolls around...
#559
Multi-Regional Topics / Re: NCAA Tournament
March 12, 2011, 08:42:20 PM
Don't be too sure about that...Wash-U defeats Chicago 63-58 to return to the Final Four...stopping Chicago's 21-game winning streak...Wash-U defeated 4 teams in the Top 10 to return to Bloomington.

Amherst is a great team, but I don't think it needs to be handed the trophy just yet...
#560
Wash-U leads Chicago at halftime, 33-22.  Wash-U was down 11-2 early after shooting just 1-for-13 from the floor.  However, Claire Schaperkoetter stopped that run with a basket, and the Bears proceeded to make 11 of their last 17 shots of the half.  Kathryn Berger and Brianne Monahan have 10 points each, with all of Bri's points coming from the bench.  Already a career high, by far, for her.

Meghan Herrick has 9 points to lead Chicago, who shot just 26% from the floor in the first half and 3-12 from 3-point range.  Bryanne Halfhill is 1-10 from the floor, and Morgan Herrick is 1-7. 

When Monahan, Jenny Lloyd, and Schaperkoetter combine for 15 first-half points, en route to an 11-point lead, that is a great omen for Wash-U.

Still a half to play, so I can't get too excited just yet...
#561
Wash-U wins 72-53 over #1 and previously-unbeaten Thomas More, dominating the second half after holding a one-point lead at halftime.  Five Wash-U players were in double figures:  Dani Hoover 14; Kristen Anda, Kathryn Berger, and Claire Schaperkoetter had 11 each, and Alex Hoover had 10.  Berger added 13 rebounds to the cause as well.

Should be a tremendous game tomorrow night...Wash-U meeting Chicago for the 3rd time this season, with a Final Four berth at stake!
#562
Wash-U leads by a point at halftime, 28-27, after being down by as many as 7 points in the first half.  Claire Schaperkoetter leads the Bears with 8 points off the bench.  Alison Long leads Thomas More with 9 points.
#563
Chicago is very well-balanced, and can adapt well to different styles of play from its opponents.  The Maroons' Achilles heel may be turnovers...up until the final game of the regular season against Wash-U, they averaged 18 turnovers per game.

In that season finale, Wash-U forced 9 turnovers in the first half, but only got 8 points out of them.  For the game, Chicago had 15 turnovers, but Wash-U only got 15 points out of them. 

That trend continued last weekend...Chicago had 22 turnovers vs. Hanover, but Hanover only got 11 points from them.  Granted, that game was pretty much over at halftime.  But, Calvin forced 17 turnovers from Chicago, but only got 19 points from them. 

You're not going to reasonably get 2 or 3 points from every opponent turnover, but a team should probably shoot for 1.5 points from opponent turnovers.  If Wash-U could have achieved that, it would have had 7 extra points, making that game much closer at the end.  If Calvin gets 1.5 points per Chicago turnover, it would have had 6 extra points, and perhaps escapes with a victory.

Therein lies the rub, as the old saying goes:  you have got to get maximum points from turnovers against a team like Chicago.  Easier said than done, because Chicago doesn't give up freebies...it gets back quickly on defense to stop a lot of easy lay-ups, and then its half-court defense gets to impose its will, anchored by Simpson and Morgan Herrick.

A tough and frustrating day/night occurs as a result, at least for the last 20 Chicago opponents.
#564
I agree with you regarding Bri...I suspect that she and Monson both will get substantial minutes if Sayers and Rettig are hampered by their injuries next weekend.

I would have liked a video feed, too...I just followed the Live Stats while making dinner, and I wondered if Berger had an off-night, or if she was tagged by the Hope coaching staff as the person that would not beat them under any circumstances.  Not a bad ploy, considering the Hoovers were not offensively aggressive when the Bears faced Hope early in the season.  But, that sister act is clearly not afraid to carry a lot of water for the team if Berger is shut down.

I also wanted to see what was making Snikkers take so many 3-point shots.  Was she not wanting to mix it up inside?  Was she being double-teamed and pestered by smaller guards?  I would think, as a senior, that Snikkers would gleefully want to take on a sophomore (Sayers) and freshman (Rettig)...compared to what she faced in the title game last season (Jaimie McFarlin).  Snikkers could have elicited a lot of fouls, and made hay at the free throw line...and the rest of the team could have benefited by getting bonus free throws early in each half.  That, IMHO, would have produced more points that Snikkers' 3-point shots, and perhaps could have given Hope a win.

Just my two cents, which was trading at 1.8 cents when the market of public opinion closed on Friday...
#565
I have no info on Chicago, but Wash-U's Kristin Anda played center after Sayers and Rettig both suffered knee injuries.  This may be the moment where Anda takes a big step forward in her development as a future starter...the Bears will need another double-digit night from her in their next matchup vs. Thomas More.

Also, Monika Monson...a little-used senior post player that averages well over 20 points per 40 minutes of action may have a spotlight shine on her next weekend, to spell Anda inside.

The Hoover girls...what more can be said about their poise and coolness under fire?
Dani with 15 second-half points, including the last 8 for Washington...after Alex roared out of the gate with 11 points in the first few minutes of the game, and ends up with 16.

I thought that the Bears could pull off the win, if they played their usual great defense, made some key shots, and outrebounded Hope.  Turnovers nearly sank them, but the Hoovers and Anda would not let the Bears lose tonight.

Congrats to Wash-U!
#566
Region 7 women's basketball / Re: MIAA
March 05, 2011, 07:43:46 PM
I'm more concerned about the two fouls each on Alex and Kathryn Berger.  Berger fouled out vs. Chicago in the last game of the regular season, and Wash-U suffered a rare home loss as a result.
#567
Wash-U up 39-26 at halftime vs. Denison.  Bears have shot 57% from the floor, and 6-for-8 from 3-point range.  Kathryn Berger of Wash-U leads all scorers with 11 points, including 3-for-5 from 3-point range.

Denison has been held to 9-for-27 shooting, and 4-for-12 from beyond the arc.
#568
Wash-U up 37-21, with about 3:00 to play in the 1st half vs. Denison.
#569
Multi-Regional Topics / Re: NCAA Tournament
February 28, 2011, 11:59:00 AM
Wash-U is 185-7 in its last 192 home games.  308-24 at home since the 1986-87 season.
#570
By the way, our webcast will begin at 12:30 p.m. Central Saturday, 15 minutes earlier than usual.  It will be Senior Day for both the women and men, and there's a lot to cover before the leather orange sphere is tossed up.