MALIBU, Jan 14 – Pepperdine was supposed to host Gonzaga for their second West Coast Conference (WCC) game on Monday night. The game, though, turned into a basketball clinic as the Bulldogs took Pepperdine to school.
Pepperdine entered the game with negative expectations, and their predictions turned out to be absolutely correct. The WCC Preseason Coaches’ poll predicted The Waves to finish sixth in a league of eight. From the looks of it on Monday, Pepperdine has accepted their destiny. Why?
Gonzaga on the other hand expects to finish first in the WCC and they showed it all night long. Ignoring some sloppy play in the first half due to a break-neck pace (we’re talking fast here!), Gonzaga found the bottom of the net on nearly every three-point shot taken. They came down with the 50/50 rebounds, gathered the loose balls, and countered The Waves with reckless abandon. The Bulldogs entered the game knowing they would dominate and they never hesitated to ask for Pepperdine’s opinion.
Not much can be learned from a game in which one team provides almost no resistance. Gonzaga showed it could beat the stuffing out of their WCC little brothers and Pepperdine wasted a perfect opportunity to triumph with national exposure. The take-away message from this game does not come from the game itself but from how these two teams will handle their next opponents after such a lopsided contest.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Monday, December 31, 2007
Paddling Upstream
SACRAMENTO, Dec. 31 – The University of Portland Pilots and the Sacramento State Hornets squared-off for their respective last non-conference game. The Pilots came to the match after playing a soft schedule for a WCC team, but their record forecasted a potential win over the Hornets.
Consistent with their record, the Pilots played with authority right out of the gates, going up by as much as nineteen points after the first ten minutes of play. The factor that secured their win, though, was not this run. It was their composure at the line when the Hornets tried later to close the gap. During that time, Portland made over 90% of their free throws. Effortlessly.
The Hornets did not give up after the initial Pilot run, but spotting the opposition an early 19-point lead never makes life easy. Their best attempt to go ahead came early in the second half when they decreased the deficit to seven, but they just couldn’t take psychological control of the game: Their greatest strength, phenomenal shooting, never showed up, and they drove strong to the basket no more than two times during the entire contest.
The final warm up to the main conference schedule showed Portland taking control of the flow of the game, from start to finish. This ability will be critical, as WCC coaches have picked Portland to finish last. Sacramento, on the other hand, showed once again that they do very well when they are offensively aggressive. To win, they need to be aggressive for 40 minutes.
Next up, the Pilots begin play in the WCC; the Hornets in the Big Sky.
Consistent with their record, the Pilots played with authority right out of the gates, going up by as much as nineteen points after the first ten minutes of play. The factor that secured their win, though, was not this run. It was their composure at the line when the Hornets tried later to close the gap. During that time, Portland made over 90% of their free throws. Effortlessly.
The Hornets did not give up after the initial Pilot run, but spotting the opposition an early 19-point lead never makes life easy. Their best attempt to go ahead came early in the second half when they decreased the deficit to seven, but they just couldn’t take psychological control of the game: Their greatest strength, phenomenal shooting, never showed up, and they drove strong to the basket no more than two times during the entire contest.
The final warm up to the main conference schedule showed Portland taking control of the flow of the game, from start to finish. This ability will be critical, as WCC coaches have picked Portland to finish last. Sacramento, on the other hand, showed once again that they do very well when they are offensively aggressive. To win, they need to be aggressive for 40 minutes.
Next up, the Pilots begin play in the WCC; the Hornets in the Big Sky.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Victory at the Line
BOISE, Dec. 14 - The Boise State Women's Basketball Team hosts Sacramento State tomorrow afternoon. Both teams enter this contest having just played down to the wire. The Broncos recently lost a heartbreaker to Arizona, and the Hornets slid past Pacific in the final seconds. With these close contests still in mind, the Bronco-Hornet match-up is sure to be an emotionally charged game, placing composure at a premium.
Sacramento State has been shooting the lights out, especially from 3-point range. Their fundamentals have improved throughout every game, but turnovers--fueled by low-level anxiety--remain an Achilles’ heal. If the Hornets can transform their collective apprehensiveness into confident aggressiveness, they will handle the ball as well as they shoot. The result: an easy win.
Boise State, in contrast, enters the game undefeated at home and with a winning record. This certainly is evidence that they play composed when presented with home-court advantage. To win, their composure will need to be complimented by shooting that is on pace with the Hornets. More importantly, they will need to add to their productive offense a solid defense… and keep out of foul trouble.
On paper--by the numbers--shooting is even between these two teams. The game, then, will be won by the squad that is better able to earn time at the free-throw line. A sustained, aggressive posture on offense, and few mental mistakes on defense, will thus determine the champion.
Who's going to take it strong to the rim? Tune in and find out!
Sacramento State has been shooting the lights out, especially from 3-point range. Their fundamentals have improved throughout every game, but turnovers--fueled by low-level anxiety--remain an Achilles’ heal. If the Hornets can transform their collective apprehensiveness into confident aggressiveness, they will handle the ball as well as they shoot. The result: an easy win.
Boise State, in contrast, enters the game undefeated at home and with a winning record. This certainly is evidence that they play composed when presented with home-court advantage. To win, their composure will need to be complimented by shooting that is on pace with the Hornets. More importantly, they will need to add to their productive offense a solid defense… and keep out of foul trouble.
On paper--by the numbers--shooting is even between these two teams. The game, then, will be won by the squad that is better able to earn time at the free-throw line. A sustained, aggressive posture on offense, and few mental mistakes on defense, will thus determine the champion.
Who's going to take it strong to the rim? Tune in and find out!
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
A Half-Court Game
SACRAMENTO, Dec. 10 – Sacramento State’s Women Basketball will square off against Pacific in the Hornet’s Nest at 7:00pm on Tuesday evening. These two teams have recently been on the losing side of several close games, but both created wins against San Jose State. This game is sure to go down to the wire, just as it did last year, when Pacific pulled ahead in the final stretch to win by seven.
The Tigers approach this game with a solid resume: close losses, but to good teams. By the numbers, they shoot as well as their opponents, and on average, they out rebound them. With these advantages, however, they have won only 3 of 8 games. Their weak spot -- evident most when they play defense -- is their composure.
In the other corner are the continually-improving Hornets. They shoot as good, if not better, than the teams they have faced thus far, and they move the ball with ease when they are focused on playing a team game. Their concern has been -- and in this game will continue to be -- figuring out how to produce a sustained, aggressive offensive front that is high on confident passing and shooting, and low on nervousness.
This game will be won when Sacramento State has the ball. If the Hornets play aggressively, then they will get the Tigers into foul trouble and end the game on top, as they did with San Jose State. On the flipside are the Tigers who, with sound defense, could capitalize on their opponent’s mistakes and put a halt to their losing streak.
Two losing streaks will enter the game; only one will leave. Who will it be? Tune in Tuesday!
The Tigers approach this game with a solid resume: close losses, but to good teams. By the numbers, they shoot as well as their opponents, and on average, they out rebound them. With these advantages, however, they have won only 3 of 8 games. Their weak spot -- evident most when they play defense -- is their composure.
In the other corner are the continually-improving Hornets. They shoot as good, if not better, than the teams they have faced thus far, and they move the ball with ease when they are focused on playing a team game. Their concern has been -- and in this game will continue to be -- figuring out how to produce a sustained, aggressive offensive front that is high on confident passing and shooting, and low on nervousness.
This game will be won when Sacramento State has the ball. If the Hornets play aggressively, then they will get the Tigers into foul trouble and end the game on top, as they did with San Jose State. On the flipside are the Tigers who, with sound defense, could capitalize on their opponent’s mistakes and put a halt to their losing streak.
Two losing streaks will enter the game; only one will leave. Who will it be? Tune in Tuesday!
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Hornets Don Apprehensiveness as USF Cruises to a Win
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec 5 – Wednesday evening saw the match-up of two great shooting teams, as the University of San Francisco Women’s Basketball team hosted the Sacramento State Hornets in San Francisco. The Dons were looking to add a win to surpass .500 on the year, while the Hornets needed a win to build much-needed confidence before the holiday season. With the shooting capability of these two teams being about equal, the decisive factors would be ball control and composure.
The game -- as close as it was in the first half -- ended when the second half began. The Dons came out aiming to share the ball and minimize mistakes, and it worked. A positive attitude, timely shooting, and fundamentally sound defense further squelched potential runs by the Hornets. Their minimal trips to the foul line showed the Dons lacked sustained aggressiveness on offense… but fortunately for them, it was not necessary.
This game, however, was never totally in the bag for the Dons. Fueled by consistent and frequent three-point shooting, the Hornets pieced together several small runs in the first half that found them holding the lead on two occasions. Compared to the Dons’, though, the Hornets took fewer risks and attacked less often when behind. Perhaps more importantly, whereas the Dons demonstrated a presence of lighthearted dominance on the court, the Hornets appeared nervous and apprehensive about their misfortunes.
The Hornets clearly have the skill needed to compete with any team on their schedule. This is not an issue. In this game, though, they found themselves on the short end of lightheartedness, positivity, and collective spirit. On the flip side were the composed Dons, with fewer unforced errors: They answered every successful Hornet possession with increased focus and collective effort. In the end, turnovers and assists tell the story.
The game -- as close as it was in the first half -- ended when the second half began. The Dons came out aiming to share the ball and minimize mistakes, and it worked. A positive attitude, timely shooting, and fundamentally sound defense further squelched potential runs by the Hornets. Their minimal trips to the foul line showed the Dons lacked sustained aggressiveness on offense… but fortunately for them, it was not necessary.
This game, however, was never totally in the bag for the Dons. Fueled by consistent and frequent three-point shooting, the Hornets pieced together several small runs in the first half that found them holding the lead on two occasions. Compared to the Dons’, though, the Hornets took fewer risks and attacked less often when behind. Perhaps more importantly, whereas the Dons demonstrated a presence of lighthearted dominance on the court, the Hornets appeared nervous and apprehensive about their misfortunes.
The Hornets clearly have the skill needed to compete with any team on their schedule. This is not an issue. In this game, though, they found themselves on the short end of lightheartedness, positivity, and collective spirit. On the flip side were the composed Dons, with fewer unforced errors: They answered every successful Hornet possession with increased focus and collective effort. In the end, turnovers and assists tell the story.
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