Ok, I'll say it. I think we are better than last year

7,079 Views | 46 Replies | Last: 4 yr ago by historian
ChapBear
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Not without LC of course and the next game should tell us a lot but we may be more productive in the low post with Queen & Erin offensively. Defensively we will definitely miss Kalany no question. We have a true point guard so we should not have a drop off there. Cox, Nylissa and add Bickei are incredible at the high post. I am excited by Bickel's game without the brace. Didi is all conference talent with her improved offensive skills an Juicy & Moon are both All Conference level performers at shooting guard. After the HBU game, Cooper has the potential to as good as some of our best point guards and Oliver is something special - both of them. It will take them a while to jell, but by season's end - watch out.
geewago
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I think we're just as good as last year, with a healthy Cox of course. By the end of the year who knows. Smith has made a leap from last year IMO. Queen should be awesome by tournament time. Bickle and the two Olivers are steadily improving.
Hairy Bear
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I felt coming into this season that our team would be a little better. The graduate transfers help to make it so. And look at the upperclass experience and Smith. The most recent game was as close to perfect, at least through the first half, as I have seen at Baylor. Injuries can always change the forecast, but my goodness, what a team. A test may take place in the St. Thomas tournament if Cox is unable to go. Watched South Carolina against a Maryland and SC looked good, a better team than last year even though they are assimilating a number of freshmen, still an early indicator if Cox is out. I hope that Cox will be ready for UCONN, another early test.
BU71
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Hairy Bear said:

I felt coming into this season that our team would be a little better. The graduate transfers help to make it so. And look at the upperclass experience and Smith. The most recent game was as close to perfect, at least through the first half, as I have seen at Baylor. Injuries can always change the forecast, but my goodness, what a team. A test may take place in the St. Thomas tournament if Cox is unable to go. Watched South Carolina against a Maryland and SC looked good, a better team than last year even though they are assimilating a number of freshmen, still an early indicator if Cox is out. I hope that Cox will be ready for UCONN, another early test.
CKM said the team is good, she just doesn't know how good. With Cox out teams will try to drive the paint more, how the team steps up to that challenge will tell us a lot. This year we may see more people getting quality minutes after conference starts. If this is the case teams may wear down in the forth quarter. Many things have to come together but this team may be a monster. Best wishes for a complete LC recovery.
ABC BEAR
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We should be better than last year. If not, all of our high-powered recruiting efforts will only be useful at maintaining our previous best effort, which we cannot rest upon. The best thing for BUWB is for this year's team to put last year's team in the rearview mirror and morph to a higher level. I hope we never get to the point where we talk about how good we used to be rather than how good we are going to be.
DanaDane
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This team, at this point, is nowhere even remotely close to being as good as last year's team at this point.
geewago
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DanaDane said:

This team, at this point, is nowhere even remotely close to being as good as last year's team at this point.
Are you Hambones brother ?
Dcheetah
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Let me watch USF and see if I agree. We did not took sharp or very good vs ASU at the beginning of the year last year. We had good games prior (S. Caro) but really took off after UConn when our 3pt D came together consistently and we seemed to play more confidently imposing our will on almost everyone we played.
57Bear
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DanaDane said:

This team, at this point, is nowhere even remotely close to being as good as last year's team at this point.
What is your basis for this statement?
DanaDane
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57Bear said:

DanaDane said:

This team, at this point, is nowhere even remotely close to being as good as last year's team at this point.
What is your basis for this statement?

We had a reasonably healthy and very proven front court last year at this time. Smith is gonna be a great one but she is nowhere near Kalani's level at this point and Cox is already showing signs of potential chronic injuries.

Some of you think our dominance over 3 schools playing with front courts a half foot shorter than our front line means we are already as good as we were last year. It's okay to wave your pom pons and enjoy the blowout victories that always occur when Top 20 teams aren't playing each other in WBB. But, you will find out this team has work to do quickly with a step up in competition over the next few weeks, particularly if Lauren doesn't get healthy.

We have a CHANCE to be as good, if not better, later in the season but we are nowhere near that right now. I will say that Cooper displays certain PG characteristics at this point that would lead one to believe she may be as good of a contributor as Chloe over the course of the year.
DanaDane
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57Bear said:

DanaDane said:

This team, at this point, is nowhere even remotely close to being as good as last year's team at this point.
What is your basis for this statement?
So turnabout is fair play. You tell me why they are.
57Bear
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DanaDane said:

57Bear said:

DanaDane said:

This team, at this point, is nowhere even remotely close to being as good as last year's team at this point.
What is your basis for this statement?
So turnabout is fair play. You tell me why they are.
I didn't say that they were, I simply asked for your basis for your seemingly strong opinion. They are a different team this year, particularly in speed. It's hard to make a direct comparison, but some of our players have definitely made progress from last year. I believe that at this point CKM is trying to figure out what she has and how to best use the talent against opponents with varying capabilities. We don't have a lot of playing experience by our two graduate transfers. We have several games upcoming which will help to answer the question, but the answer may well be that the two teams are not directly comparable. I think that CKM is very excited about this team.
57Bear
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We don't have a lot of playing experience by our two graduate transfers, but I am encouraged by what I have seen.
blueeyedbear
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57Bear said:

We don't have a lot of playing experience by our two graduate transfers, but I am encouraged by what I have seen.

What ????
Coop started as a Freshman - scored an average of 16 points in the two games we played against SC last year. Degrate averaged double figure minutes in her two years at Tech.
They both are seasoned veterans and even if they weren't they will be because of how hard the team goes at each other in practices.
geewago
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blueeyedbear said:

57Bear said:

We don't have a lot of playing experience by our two graduate transfers, but I am encouraged by what I have seen.

What ????
Coop started as a Freshman - scored an average of 16 points in the two games we played against SC last year. Degrate averaged double figure minutes in her two years at Tech.
They both are seasoned veterans and even if they weren't they will be because of how hard the team goes at each other in practices.
I don't think that's what 57bear meant. Based on context it seemed to me the point was that the two GT's don't have a lot of playing experience with the team. But it's very encouraging to see how well they are already meshing in.
chorne68
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I sure hope you are right. I doubt it. We lost two great players. We need players to step up.
57Bear
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geewago said:

blueeyedbear said:

57Bear said:

We don't have a lot of playing experience by our two graduate transfers, but I am encouraged by what I have seen.

What ????
Coop started as a Freshman - scored an average of 16 points in the two games we played against SC last year. Degrate averaged double figure minutes in her two years at Tech.
They both are seasoned veterans and even if they weren't they will be because of how hard the team goes at each other in practices.
I don't think that's what 57bear meant. Based on context it seemed to me the point was that the two GT's don't have a lot of playing experience with the team. But it's very encouraging to see how well they are already meshing in.
Thanks geewago. That's what I meant. They are new to the CKM team and her leadership. Both have had good performances against our early competition. Better competition coming up.
fubar
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Based on the performances to date, it is absurd to make any comparison between this year's and last year's teams. Jeebus ... we don't play our first opponent with a pulse this year until Tuesday.
Gunter gleiben glauchen globen
SirBearALot
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We have more potential to be better than to be worse. Easier rotation of players keeps all involved.. Erin is very good and Tea is in most ways better than Chloe.. Didi is improved offensively and so is Moon , we are better, UConn game will be the measuring stick.. our conference may be weaker with UT down and Iowa St. may be down some too.. we will see.
setshot
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We should be equal or better at three positions by conference play: PG, SG, PF (Didi). The loss of Cox changes the equation, and we don't know how this foot problem will play out.

have seen too many fine players subside back into in-and-out, up-and-down performers because of foot injuries, and while this is called a pre-stress fracture condition, Cox is both very large and very active and that constitutes a source of concern for me. Without her we are still an outstanding team, but with her we are a great team, perhaps as fine a defensive lineup as we have seen in the women's college game. We will just have to wait and see how this develops.

One commentator has already designated NaLyssa Smith as the top sophomore in the country, and I don't have to be a partisan to agree with that assessment. She is not the defensive force that Cox is, but is in my view her equal as a rebounder and her superior as a scorer. Playing with Cox, other teams cannot focus on her, but at this point I believe her to be on her way to being an all-time Baylor Great. Her combination of physicality and skill, combined with speed and mental toughness is rare and we are fortunate to be able to watch her continue to develop.

Where this team is far superior to last year's group is in depth. The five (six, with Trinity Oliver) frosh were not as a group ready to take the floor against strong Power Five teams, Smith being the exception. This year, in addition to the ever developing Moon Ursin, there is not a single player off the bench who is not ready to contribute at both ends of the floor. There is not a huge drop off when Mulkey chooses to play them as a unit.

Finally, let me say a word about DeGrate. We have not had a backup post player with her experience and scoring ability, together with defensive and rebounding in the deep paint. With Cox out for a time, she will get major minutes and will make the most of them. This will only strengthen the team when Lauren returns. If there is a comparison to be made it must begin with the depth of the bench, and no Lady Bear team has come close to that of this group. They will wear teams down and the team speed will have its way in late game situations because of that.

But Cox must be in that lineup if they are to win it all again.
ChapBear
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One small example of the depth of this team was illustrated by the HBU game during which the subs dramatically extended the lead in the fourth quarter. This almost never happened with previous teams.
Eball
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I hope all returners are as good if not better than last year. LC because of injuries may not be. Certainly her absence is a negative. No one is replacing everything Brown gave us. She was a security blanket. We will miss her presence. EDG is an option a good one we did not have off bench last year but she does not replace Brown or what Brown brought us. Cooper maybe as good or better than Jackson but it is too early to know for sure. Jackson meshed with the team and filled a role. Cooper's role is still being defined. Smith is great but just a sophomore getting used to starting. We will be a very good team. It will be tough to be better than a National Championship team!
blueeyedbear
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57Bear said:

geewago said:

blueeyedbear said:

57Bear said:

We don't have a lot of playing experience by our two graduate transfers, but I am encouraged by what I have seen.

What ????
Coop started as a Freshman - scored an average of 16 points in the two games we played against SC last year. Degrate averaged double figure minutes in her two years at Tech.
They both are seasoned veterans and even if they weren't they will be because of how hard the team goes at each other in practices.
I don't think that's what 57bear meant. Based on context it seemed to me the point was that the two GT's don't have a lot of playing experience with the team. But it's very encouraging to see how well they are already meshing in.
Thanks geewago. That's what I meant. They are new to the CKM team and her leadership. Both have had good performances against our early competition. Better competition coming up.
Stand corrected
DanaDane
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Yeah......not so much. Supporting cast still has a long way to go. Almost no production against South Carolina from Queen or Degrate and got absolutely pounded on the boards without Cox. Smith and Egbo WILL be really good. Just not there yet.
highplains
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We are not as good at the point yet as we were last season. DeGrate is playing very, very few minutes because she is overweight and unable to get up and down the court. That was her problem during her entire time at Tech. I don't know why we took her in unless it was a sentimental Waco move. In spite of our post talent, we will miss Brown more than many fans think. We have no one on this team who has a low post presence as good as Brown on either end of the floor. We have a lot of young talent but they have a long way to go. When Cox returns and if she can play up to her standards, then we should still win the conference and make a postseason run. However, we are not as good as last year and may not get there at any time this season.
ChapBear
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Ttt
blueeyedbear
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Well so much for Oklahoma State was going to be a trap game for the lady bears.
I really like what I saw vs OSU especially the threes !! 8/13 for 61.5% with 4-5 contributors - we maintain that average throughout the schedule and we are a nightmare to defend. Glad Kim has greenlighted Juicy, Cooper, Cox and Bickel for the three. Great to see Oliver hit her first three. The fast break shows potential but Lauren has to be more careful on her half court outlet passes as teams are going to be sending a spy back to pick em off sooner or later and the mid range shooting is improved from last year where basically it was Jackson only and the DEFENSE most of the time is stellar just need for it to be for 40 minutes.
Egbo was very good on the boards but 2 for 7 has to get fixed. I thought Moon was very good and she needs to shoot that sweet midrange more often (she really puts the "jump" back into jump shot) her passing has vastly improved !!! I loved CJ but Cooper is an upgrade on both sides of the ball.
What I liked the most was when Lauren was stripped of the ball at half court Moon and Cooper both ran down the guard to challenge the steal - talk about dual jets
Then there is Smith - OMG She could seriously challenge Sabrina and Lauren for POY if she keeps it going. Right now she is at another level of play.

This team is a very different team then from last years and CKM is letting them play that way while still dancing with the low post game that makes Baylor - well Baylor and that makes us better then last year
Jacques Strap
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If the team really is at 75%-80% like Cooper said after the Uconn game...well I'd love to see what 100% looks like.
bunation
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While there is excellent debate on the talent of this year's vs last year's, our present roster cannot replace the 6'7" of inside talent Miss Brown. What a blessing!

Should we meet Oregon in the tourney, our new roster may not matchup as well.
SirBearALot
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Oregon is over rated.. so is Oregon State.. I will place some $$ that UCLA may win the PAC 12.. (not much money though, my mouth can only hold a few dollars at a time..) ha
Polarbear
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Oregon State's core rotation includes four excellent and experienced perimeter players, with two Freshman posts (Taylor Jones and Kennedy Brown). They've not had many tests yet, so the Pac 12 Conference schedule will prove a lot about them as they get into playing Oregon, Stanford, and UCLA. I suspect they'll go as far as Jones and Brown are capable as going in their Freshman years.

UCLA is the curiosity, because of lack of size. I haven't seen them play, so don't have any feel for the quality of their players. What's interesting is that, looking at their top 7 core rotation players (leaders in minutes), they don't have a single player taller than 6'1". There are four players at 6'1", but none taller, so I'm wondering how they'll compete with the size they'll see against other top teams like Baylor, Oregon, Oregon State, or South Carolina.
HoustonBear15
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bunation said:

While there is excellent debate on the talent of this year's vs last year's, our present roster cannot replace the 6'7" of inside talent Miss Brown. What a blessing!

Should we meet Oregon in the tourney, our new roster may not matchup as well.
I think this year's team matches up way better with Oregon. Cox on Hebard and Didi on Ionescu. Let the others try to beat us.
bawitdaball
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We are definitely different than last year - and more balanced I feel like. If Cooper can maintain her confidence shooting and distribute the ball, we will be a hard out come March. It will be interesting to see how the Pac12 teams do come tournament time after beating up on each other all season. I used to always say that the Big 12 underperformed in the tournament because bodies were exhausted after a full season of banging against each other while UCONN usually coasted after the new year. Will be interesting to see how it affects the girls out west.
Eball
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Well not that anyone cares what I think...we were National Champs last year we have not replaced Brown and can't...We have replaced Jackson seemingly with a version that maybe a little better scorer threat from three and just as good if not better defender...however Jackson proved she was clutch and had a Champions heart we will just have to see how clutch Cooper is...she has been outstanding lately and her defense is much better than I thought it would be...however her performance against her old team was not good and she has had a few stinker games...If she stays at her current level though wow! We are really shooting more threes than we have in a while and we are making them...when you play defense the way we do, run the way we do, and shoot the three the way we have, no one can beat us not even last years team...however we will have a game or two where we don't hit the threes and struggle a bit and we will not have that big post (Brown) to save our bacon...we just need to hope we get on a hot streak during the NCAA's,,,overall I would say our players and bench are better than last year.

So in sum we maybe better than last year but we may not be able to repeat.
BUletters
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Lady Bears are faster and more athletic this year. Baylor men are proving that size is not always the winning factor. And we have tape from how AZ St beat both Oregon and Or St!
Discount our SC loss without LC and Tea trying too hard. Yes, we could be better than last year by March.
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