Texas opens against BYU

[carolann]

As last, Texas opens the season BYU. I know I don't have the basketball expertise of some posters but here are my notes anyway.

BYU has a published plan: (1) Keep the ball away from Stacy Stephens; (2) Play good defense, particularly in the post. I might advise the BYU players to watch out for Kaira White driving to the hoop but even so, I'm not sure they could do anything BUT watch. Kaira is not a speeding bullet running down the court but she has some moves. We might see a little of Coco Reed going to the hoop as well. Conradt likes Reed's ability to penetrate and finish and says Reed is the only freshman that she has to urge to shoot.

UT hasn't published a specific BYU game plan that I know of. I expect Texas to play pressure, in-your-face defense and try to keep the game at a run. I hope I see a few nice outside shots made while BYU is busy trying to shut down our posts.

Bottom Line --Texas has the athletes; they need to play the game. BYU seems to be a typical good team from a mid-level conference. These schools don't get the press and don't usually have players that were recruited by the high profile schools. These teams do play good, smart basketball and are ready to take advantage of a team that comes unprepared or plays sloppy.
In addition, BYU has one nationally recognized guard in Erin Thorn.

The Longhorns need to really focus tonight as they not only try to get the win but get prepared for tougher tests to come in the form of Wisconsin and possibly Florida at the Paradise Jam.

[carolann]

My team won http://hoopscoop.net/ubb/smile.gif Final Score was 90-74.

Kaira White did not make me look like a great talent scout/basketball analyst. http://hoopscoop.net/ubb/rolleyes.gif Oh, well. She gave up 2 baskets for every basket she made.

Alisha made a great return. I don't know how many points she scored and the boxscore is not out yet. She scored a lot! She played hard and really gave effort on defense as well as offense.

Asha Hill came in when Texas was down big (about 12 points) during the first half and really gave the team a lift with her defense.

Kenya does not look likely to get much rest this season.

About 10 players played and each player contributed something valuable.

BYU can really shoot! The players became desparate towards the end and started missing their shots but about mid-way through the 2nd half though, the team was 10 of 16 from 3 point range. As the Texas defense bore down, BYU started taking shots farther and farther out. Erin Thorn seems to have no range limit.

[Bevo]

Oh my, it is good to get the first game of the season under our belts! After a long offseason, it was great to see the team in action again. And the best sight of all? Looking down the bench and not seeing any of the players in street clothes or on crutches!!

This was a typical opening night, with lots of nerves and some sloppy play, but also some very bright spots. My strongest impression from the game...Alisha Sare is BAAACK!!! And with more energy and enthusiasm than ever. Last season's "sabbatical" seems to have rekindled her passion for the game. If anything, she was almost too hyped up tonight (sometimes celebrating a score too much instead of getting back on defense). She was great, hitting on 5 of 7 threes, I think, and also playing some solid defense.

Carolann, you are right about Kaira's inconsistancy, but in her defense, she is the one that got the offense on track by hitting a couple of three's when we were down 22-8 midway through the first half. Prior to that point, BYU seemingly could not miss, while we couldn't buy a basket. It seemed like the worst of last season was going to reappear again until Kaira hit from the top of the circle, and then we raced back to tie it up at 22.

The three freshmen that got into the game showed why this class has been so highly regarded. All in all, a solid performance in their first game. Heather in particular looked very comfortable in her starting role. I heard Conradt describe her as "the Natural", and indeed she seems very fluid and effortless on the court.

Stacy was her usual solid self, 13 points and 8 boards. It almost seemed like a quiet game from her and yet she ends up in double figures. I know BYU was keying their defense on her. Tracy hit some crucial jumpers as well. And Kenya was Kenya, all hustle and vocal in her leadership. As Conradt has said, this is Kenya's team, and right now she is the most indispensable player on the team (38 minutes tonight).

Depth will be key on this team and we have it. When you consider that 10 players saw action tonight and that Tai Dillard is still on the bench as she completes her recovery (she's listed as day-to-day at this point), this is going to be a very deep squad. I believe that all 14 players will make crucial contributions before the season is over.

Way to go, ladies! Now let's beat Wisconsin!

Hook 'em!

[schooner2]

Originally posted by Bevo:
My strongest impression from the game...Alisha Sare is BAAACK!!! And with more energy and enthusiasm than ever. Last season's "sabbatical" seems to have rekindled her passion for the game. If anything, she was almost too hyped up tonight (sometimes celebrating a score too much instead of getting back on defense). She was great, hitting on 5 of 7 threes, I think, and also playing some solid defense.


Glad to see her back. Although I'm sure I'd be disgusted by her enthusiasm if it was against OU, you gotta love the character she brings to the team.

http://hoopscoop.net/big12wbb/sare.jpg

[Bevo]

Some additional random thoughts:

Attendance was weak, only about 4,300 showed up.

The new Erwin Center configuration will be great if we can get some fans in there. I think it will be a factor in close games this year with the fans closer to the court and students and band behind the baskets.

Conradt had a pretty funny quote on the postgame radio interview. She was happy that we scored 90 and mentioned that last year it would take us three games to get 90 points.

BYU had some of the most beautiful shooting I've seen. Give 'em an inch and they drained it. But as a credit to the 'Horns, we actually out-shot them percentage wise for the game.

The competition gets tougher over the next few games with Wisconsin, Florida or USC, and LSU.