Gameday Thread: No. 25 Baylor Faces Undefeated No. 1 UCLA in Coretta Scott King Classic

Yes!

For the record, I did not think we would win this one. After seeing the game, i became increasingly frustrated watching us miss so many layups (and free throws). We also shot 28%. Oh well.

27.5% from the field

Geez with some of the reactions after the game you'd think we weren't playing #1 today. UCLA is very good and Nete was a no-show so that makes it near impossible to win. Kayla and Yaya kept us within arms length for the first half. We regroup and learn to play against 6'7 and get ready for TCU and Prince in a game that really matters.

Betts had 24 points, 9 rebounds and 9 blocks and bothered countless other shots.

We shot 27 % from both the field and the 3 point line.

UCLA did not play their A game today.

I don't want to play UCLA or South Carolina in the tournament.

Prince isn't near as good as Betts, but the TCU Coach is very good.

True Grit said:

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27.5% from the field

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We need shooters!

That's fair.

With that screwed up logic they should have just stayed in texas, this is a disgrace to the tradition we once had that was earned by a certain coach.

Agree. Betts is elite. Neither Prince nor Lee are near as good as she is. If she stays healthy, not sure anyone will beat UCLA this year.

Maybe usc.

blackie said:

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rileyroo said:

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For the record, I did not think we would win this one. After seeing the game, i became increasingly frustrated watching us miss so many layups (and free throws). We also shot 28%. Oh well.

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I will agree with you on the free throws and not expecting to win, but we have never been a good free throw shooting team for as long as I can remember. That is where my agreement ends.

Do you think UCLA's defense (and all-around height advantage) had nothing to do with that 28%? And for the guy that harps on not doubling Betts. At times we tripled on her. They just threw it up and we can't get that high. Same deal on a lot of offensive rebounds she got where we had position with multiple players around her. She just jumps and towers above all of our girls. And they are not void of shooters. Double and triple team Betts and leave them open for kickouts. They were/are just a more talented, deeper, and most important, taller team than us. But please take any potshots you want at the coaches for not having or doing this or that.

The layups.....very few were actually not contested and I suspect that it is a lot like teams ran into when we had Griner. It looks like it is open but in your head you are thinking about where the swat is going to come from and it causes you to rush even when it doesn't arrive. We were playing against the best defense we have played against all year, and until the tournament, probably the best we will see.

The margin of victory was 15 points. We were 15 points midway through the first quarter. We held our own from that point. You do realize that South Carolina lost to them by the same margin. Someone else mentioned UCLA didn't play their best game.....based on what? Sure, don't give our defense any credit for causing them problems.

This was a good game to play for the team.

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I didn't say that I was displeased with the results. I thought we fought hard especially after that 17-2 run at the beginning. Where I will disagree is blaming our low shooting percentage on "contested shots". We missed numerous wide open mid-range shots and threes. Of course Betts contested many of the shots around the rim. Many of our missed layups were after we got around their D. I can think of three at the end by Jada Walker. They were open layups. I was watching with two other BU fans and they felt the same way. You can't leave that many points on the board against good teams.

I will never be satisfied with losing. I do think this will help as the season progresses..

buildabear1 said:

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With that screwed up logic they should have just stayed in texas, this is a disgrace to the tradition we once had that was earned by a certain coach.

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OK, I'll lay this out one more time as I have seldom seen any posts from you. For the others, I apologize for the duplication.

We had an elite coach. Our elite coach decided to go somewhere else. You can shout to the rooftops as to the circumstances of why she is no longer here. But she left. Nobody on this team in the last 4 years or any of our coaches had anything to do with that or had any kind of control over it. The players we had got thrown under the bus along with the fans. The point is that an elite coach left the team and more significantly left without ANY warning that she was leaving.

EVERY team that has lost an elite coach has taken a fall, when that coach left and all but ND (a special case in my mind because of the aura that surrounds the school) have taken many years to get back to where they were, if they even have. Stanford is seeing that this very year. UConn will likely see it also when Geno's time is over. And all of these teams had ample warning the coach would not be there the next year and had plenty of time to plan for the event. We had no notice. Recruits are not going to continue to immediately flock to a school that had an elite coach that no longer has that coach for some period of time. They come to the school because of the coach, not the school.

We dropped as we should have, but this staff and these players kept the boat from sinking. I think they have done a d**n good job of not missing the tournament, keeping the string of 20 wins alive, and staying in a position to challenge for a conference championship, and at the same time show elite players that the program is still relevant and worth considering. TN for example, is still trying to get back and they had perhaps the most elite coach at the time of any with a program that was "storied" to say the least.

You just don't lose an elite coach and expect NOT to have difficulty getting back to where you were, especially now with all the parity we are seeing in the sport. This game showed that we can compete with the best, even when we don't have all the parts to do so. The job for the staff is to get those parts in here to move back to the next level. They withstood the shock to the program.

rileyroo said:

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blackie said:

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rileyroo said:

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For the record, I did not think we would win this one. After seeing the game, i became increasingly frustrated watching us miss so many layups (and free throws). We also shot 28%. Oh well.

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I will agree with you on the free throws and not expecting to win, but we have never been a good free throw shooting team for as long as I can remember. That is where my agreement ends.

Do you think UCLA's defense (and all-around height advantage) had nothing to do with that 28%? And for the guy that harps on not doubling Betts. At times we tripled on her. They just threw it up and we can't get that high. Same deal on a lot of offensive rebounds she got where we had position with multiple players around her. She just jumps and towers above all of our girls. And they are not void of shooters. Double and triple team Betts and leave them open for kickouts. They were/are just a more talented, deeper, and most important, taller team than us. But please take any potshots you want at the coaches for not having or doing this or that.

The layups.....very few were actually not contested and I suspect that it is a lot like teams ran into when we had Griner. It looks like it is open but in your head you are thinking about where the swat is going to come from and it causes you to rush even when it doesn't arrive. We were playing against the best defense we have played against all year, and until the tournament, probably the best we will see.

The margin of victory was 15 points. We were 15 points midway through the first quarter. We held our own from that point. You do realize that South Carolina lost to them by the same margin. Someone else mentioned UCLA didn't play their best game.....based on what? Sure, don't give our defense any credit for causing them problems.

This was a good game to play for the team.

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I didn't say that I was displeased with the results. I thought we fought hard especially after that 17-2 run at the beginning. Where I will disagree is blaming our low shooting percentage on "contested shots". We missed numerous wide open mid-range shots and threes. Of course Betts contested many of the shots around the rim. Many of our missed layups were after we got around their D. I can think of three at the end by Jada Walker. They were open layups. I was watching with two other BU fans and they felt the same way. You can't leave that many points on the board against good teams.

I will never be satisfied with losing. I do think this will help as the season progresses..

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I will agree with you on the last statement. I certainly believe it will help. It was a good opportunity and game to play for us.

Blackie, neither team played their best game. Baylor played hard, the effort was present. UCLA is difficult to play, they have size and length. Hopefully this will result in our ladies improving from this experience. I think our coaching staff must step up their recruiting.

Your comment above regarding Griner is spot on. When you have size and length it is intimidating, those folks that think layups should be automatic, have never had one swatted 5 rows up. In a game against Iowa State, Lauren Cox blocked a shot on the baseline up into the stands, That changed the mindset of the Twister Sisters on any shot taken near Lauren

DFW Bill said:

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Blackie, neither team played their best game. Baylor played hard, the effort was present. UCLA is difficult to play, they have size and length. Hopefully this will result in our ladies improving from this experience. I think
It will. Our coaching staff must step up their recruiting.

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I don't think the coaching staff would disagree, but do any of us really know what is keeping players that might come here to go elsewhere, especially with all the additional variables that are now present caused by the portal and NIL?

It would seem the immediate improvement that could help this year is for Vonleh to stay on the court instead of the bench. Plus side it gives Kyla and Kayla more court time. But downside, it is a wonder we did as well as we did today with no real bulk or experience in the post. She has got to stop fouls that should be able to be avoided.

blackie said:

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DFW Bill said:

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Blackie, neither team played their best game. Baylor played hard, the effort was present. UCLA is difficult to play, they have size and length. Hopefully this will result in our ladies improving from this experience. I think
It will. Our coaching staff must step up their recruiting.

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I don't think the coaching staff would disagree, but do any of us really know what is keeping players that might come here to go elsewhere, especially with all the additional variables that are now present caused by the portal and NIL?

It would seem the immediate improvement that could help this year is for Vonleh to stay on the court instead of the bench. Plus side it gives Kyla and Kayla more court time. But downside, it is a wonder we did as well as we did today with no real bulk or experience in the post. She has got to stop fouls that should be able to be avoided.

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I remember at one point during Queen's sophomore season that Coach Mulkey said that they, as a coaching staff, had to figure out how to put Queen in positions where she wasn't inclined to foul. She said it was as much their responsibility as hers because of the system they were playing. She said it was something they needed to really figure out to allow her to flourish. I truly believe that our post experience has to stay on the court. And while it is Vonleh's responsibility to do so, the coaching staff needs to put her in a position to succeed. They need to make sure she has the chance to be successful. That is what a coach does. Otherwise, there is no reason for a post to come and play at Baylor. They have to have room to succeed. It's painfully simple.

Bear3 said:

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UCLA beat South Carolina by 15 points, same as Baylor. UCLA is Elite Team with Elite center. Baylor and most other teams are not going to beat them this year!!!!!!!

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Yes, but I'm tired of saying that Baylor is not elite or is almost elite. And I've said it for years, so I'm partially calling fowl on myself. CNC has had time to recruit and build. I said it ealirer. I hope this game proves to her that at the college level, size is important. Betts is a rare player. But they had size at every position. We do not. We also struggled to rebound. I know we rebound well against the talent we've played, but you have to find a body to block out. And there needs to be a system that showcases what a post can do. The fact that our posts bring the ball down every time and Kayla has shown minimal improvement over her three years. There are simple fixes that just aren' happening. CNC needs to surround herself with the best, and right now, whoever is coaching our posts, they aren't the best. It's painful to listen to announcers work hard to not mention the obvious.