That was a classic game. One for the ages. The clash of different styles and seeing some great talent out there on both teams.
Clark is a truly transcendent offensive talent.
I'm really glad elite offense defeated offensive rebounding. It's just more enjoyable to me to watch. It's fine if people think differently.
I will be cheering for Iowa in the championship game.
EDIT: I think it's worth noting that it wasn't Clark's infamous outside shooting that beat South Carolina. Instead, it was her dribble penetration. Nobody on South Carolina could stop her one on one and they threw every single defender they had at her. She also ran the pick and roll well. Just masterful offense from Clark.
lynxmania wait a minute, i see that name change for the umpteenth time ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ the league truly is desperate tho for this to happen, you're not wrong once again LMFAO
Last Edit: Mar 31, 2023 23:02:09 GMT -5 by Deleted
lynxmania wait a minute, i see that name change for the umpteenth time ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ the league truly is desperate tho for this to happen, you're not wrong once again LMFAO
I just want someone good so can she just ya know Angela Bassett the thing right now
But she ain’t crying on the court so she probs back next year getting tripled teamed
formerly pickdiamondmillerchallenge lol formerly dmillerturnprochallenge ha formerly bostonturnprochallenge lol
lynxmania wait a minute, i see that name change for the umpteenth time ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ the league truly is desperate tho for this to happen, you're not wrong once again LMFAO
I just want someone good so can she just ya know Angela Bassett the thing right now
But she ain’t crying on the court so she probs back next year getting tripled teamed
i wonder if her or the team was bored at any one point this year... and then they go on to not win the National Championship, like is this something those seniors would want to spend another year of their lives going through again? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Last Edit: Mar 31, 2023 23:07:52 GMT -5 by Deleted
people are already saying Iowa's gonna win, like NO. SHUT UP. DO NOT. COUNT YOUR. CHICKENS. BEFORE. THEY HATCH.
Yeah, I think LSU's starting five is more offensively talented than South Carolina's. They have more outside shooters and Reese will terrorise them on the boards like Cardoso did. Maybe her finishing isn't as good as Cardoso's, but she can play a little further out and wreak more havoc defensively. I don't think Iowa will get away with invisible offensive performances from their other shooters again. It's a different challenge from South Carolina but not necessarily easier.
what LSU does have over South Carolina is more fiery personalities – both coach and players. they're gonna get pumped up if good things start happening, and they're more likely to gain momentum from going on even the smallest of runs. Iowa better be preparing & doing their homework tomorrow. pull out all the stops anyway.
Czinano... of course she can't defend or rebound against these bigger SoCar posts, but with 18 pts on 6-8 fg tonight, she's showing she can still be herself offensively against them, in large part due to Clark's presence and the game she's having. i wonder how the scouts will be viewing Czinano going forward. i'm not sure Megan Gustafson had an offensive performance against such a team like this. FWIW.
Y'all know I love me some Monika, but Megan also never had a guard like Clark passing her the ball. That goes a longggg way.
Beal has not defended Clark well down the stretch. Blown by three times. She's a good defender, but her reputation is overblown.
She -- and SC's other perimeter defenders -- benefit so much from having a literal army of shot blockers behind them usually. Much easier to look good when, if you get beat, your teammate blocks their shot anyway. SC's pick and roll coverage was a mystery tonight. Play after play Clark either drove straight to the rim or dished to a rolling Czinano, and there really wasn't a defensive adjustment against it.
Czinano... of course she can't defend or rebound against these bigger SoCar posts, but with 18 pts on 6-8 fg tonight, she's showing she can still be herself offensively against them, in large part due to Clark's presence and the game she's having. i wonder how the scouts will be viewing Czinano going forward. i'm not sure Megan Gustafson had an offensive performance against such a team like this. FWIW.
Y'all know I love me some Monika, but Megan also never had a guard like Clark passing her the ball.  That goes a longggg way.Â
right. that’s sort of the double-edge sword with Czinano that i think everyone more or less perceives when examining her as a prospect. it’s been so long since Czinano wasn’t able to play with Clark (2019-20 when the infamous Kathleen Doyle was the showrunner instead), that people probably doubt what she can do without that one-of-one PG who grabs all the attention. although even that season with Doyle as her PG, Czinano’s sophomore year, Czinano was putting up numbers pretty darn similar to what she’s putting up this year.
she’s been very consistent, for better or worse, the past four seasons. truly a system player, is what i’d say – especially considering Megan Gustafson who came before her, in those same spots on the floor for the Hawkeyes that Czinano’s still in now.
Few hours after the game, the lack of defensive adjustments by South Carolina really surprised me. No help defense on Clark drives even after Clark demonstrating that nobody on South Carolina could guard her individually? At least make somebody else beat you or make Clark finish over Boston, Amihere or Cardoso. Even the pick and roll defense - no attempts at double teaming to force the ball out of Clark's hands. I don't think it was Dawn Staley's best coaching effort and it's a bit disappointing to see after such a fine season from South Carolina.
for me, the lack of defensive adjustments from Staley was noticeable as it was surprising in real time. as i noted earlier, i get playing a conservative first half and then deciding to flip a switch sometime in the second half. but it never happened. even as it became clear as the game went on that Clark would take what the Gamecocks' normal defense was giving her with ease. it simply didn’t slow her down, or speed her up for that matter. imo the pace of the entire game was played to Iowa’s liking. Staley was content to play the whole game in an environment that Clark was downright comfortable in. did Staley underestimate Iowa and think her players' collective talent would simply win out without having to dig into any bag of tricks? if so, it’s almost disappointing, even as i was rooting for Iowa.
Staley’s lack of adjustments were so obvious, i kept questioning throughout the end stages of the game if she was very lowkey trying to throw the game so that Clark & Iowa could make it to the Title Game, in which the Hawkeyes winning it all would somehow benefit all of women’s basketball the most out of all the Final Four teams.
South Carolina's poor start and Boston getting in foul trouble set them back. Despite their strong defense, nobody on SC could defend Clark. I think Sunday's final will be the same. LSU doesn't have anyone capable of guarding Clark for 40 minutes.
Too much Cardoso, which showed (badly) on the defensive end. I lost track of how many times Clark was able to drive to the basket because she was out of position. Saxton was key to South Carolina's post defense all season but Staley mostly left her on the bench last night.
Cardoso is going to get exposed for her lack of defense next season if Boston goes pro. She'll be South Carolina's main post player assuming Saxton and Amihere also enter the draft.