Tech - Vandy game halftime observations...

[YCN]

Tech leading 37-28.

Marsha Sharp's squad looks clearly superior to Vandy. Chantelle Anderson has been somewhat neutralized by timely double-teams and denial of the entry pass. Klimesova has been Vandy's most effective player, but looks somewhat limited when playing outside of 12-15 feet. The rest of Vandy's squad looks very average, without any superior ball-handler on their club. I am frankly surprised that they are ranked ahead of ISU and OU.

Tech played a heady first half, outhustling Vandy repeatedly. The team shot well, and took pretty good care of the ball.

Watch out for 6-5 freshman center Cisti Greenwalt, who was NM player of the year last year. She looks to have the skills to be a dominant player with experience.

[YCN]

As anticipated, while Vandy made a couple of modest runs at Tech, in the end there just wasn't enough horsepower available to defeat a multi-talented Tech squad.

Klimesova and Anderson were almost the entire offense for Vandy, which gave me the impression that while they are a formidable team, they are highly limited in their offensive options. The tall Anderson seems to play inches shorter than her size, and can disappear at times in crucial stretches of the game.

Tech had significant contributions from nearly every player that got any significant minutes in the game. In the end, this was probably the biggest difference between the two team. While Vandy will likely fall only 2-3 positions in the polls, in my mind they don't deserve to be a top 10 team.

#13 Tech 81, #3 Vandy 71.

[This message has been edited by YCN (edited 12-29-2001).]

[Jennifer]

Great win by Tech!

Vandy's Anderson and Klimesova had 52 of their 71 points, while Tarr, Perkins, and Ritchie all had double figures for Tech.
Here's the boxscore http://livestats.www.fansonly.com/livestats/FANSlive/w-baskbl/22802/

[SwoopesMVP]

This was a great win for Tech!!! They were in control from the beginning and never trailed after Vandy got the first point. With Pierson suspended and Brown on the bench with nagging shoulder and knee injuries...these girls played great TEAM ball today!

Great passes in this game...very fun to watch. It's great to see tech finally play a full 40 minutes of basketball and not lose their intensity.

Cisti will be amazing some day! Anderson just went straight up over Cisti for easy points...had about an inch on Cisti...wasn't much Tech's freshman could do to defend her, but she tried her best. Anderson also got away with going over-the-back of Tech's post players on many, many occasions. Didn't understand the officiating in this one...lots of no-calls on Vandy's travels and over-the-back rebounds. Oh well, Tech won regardless. Both teams fared well on the offensive end with Vandy shooting 49%, and Tech shooting 48%. The difference in the game was defense, 3-pt shots and number of possesions...Tech took 67 shot attempts to Vandy's 57. Good to know that Tech can beat a top-ranked team even when that opponent is shooting well.

Like these numbers:
81 pts, 10 treys, only 6 turnovers to 21 assists and 9 steals against the 3rd-ranked team in the nation...keep it up ladies!!

[SPhilbrick]

Congratulations to TT for a fine win over Vanderbilt.

This will go a long way to taking over as the top conference.

[YCN]

SwoopsMVP, was it just me, or did it seem like Tech was never extended by Vandy in this game?

Anderson and Klimesova certainly got their points, but beyond that Vandy has very little. Their guard play is suspect, with no player that they can trust not to turn the ball over against a high-quality defender. Their passing game seemed only to consist of passing along the perimeter until they could set up a lob to Anderson or a bounce pass to Klimesova attacking the baseline.

I expected more from Vandy than what they brought, considering their #3 ranking. In my opinion this Vandy team won't be a serious threat to reach the final four this year because of a lack of a supporting cast.

But I could just be underestimating Tech's performance, which was certainly more than adequate. Cisti needs to learn how to anticipate the fadeaway jumper, so that she can go vertical and force players to alter the arc on their shots. Once she does that, she will be a formidable center indeed.

[SwoopesMVP]

I think Vandy is a great team, legit top 10...but so is Tech. Just as Vandy's points all came in the paint, Tech's all came on jumpers and treys. Tech only had 14 points in the paint, while Vandy only hit one trey. Just goes to show that Vandy had better post players whereas Tech's guards were much better. The defense Tech's guards played against Vandy was great...they had hustle and discipline and didn't let Vandy's guards get open looks...perhaps this is why Vandy's game looked one-dimensional. Tech's players were just quicker and more athletic. There does seem to be a depth issue with Vandy -- Tech has more talent across the board and was able to utilize that today. But still, the majority of Tech's offense was from the 3 guards while Vandy's was from the 2 posts. Vandy is a very good team and will be contenders for the elite eight or final four, I'm sure. I wouldn't try to down-play Tech's great win over a great opponent. It was good for Tech's confidence and gave them a good look at a zone defense. It will be great experience come conference play when Tech takes on the likes of OU and ISU. Hope this is a preview of what's to come. With Amber, Jia and Nat on the floor against a zone...LOOK OUT!

[elfdenmom]

I thought Vandy played a heck of a game, but I believe that Tech played the best forty minutes of basketball I have seen them play since the national championship game against Ohio State in 1993.

They never let up and that was TEAM basketball at its best! When Amber, Natalie and are "on" they are awsome! Jia played a great heady game and Cisti's progress is incredible, but it didn't end there. "T" played great, Candice played great, Casey and Jolee made huge plays, too. I LOVED IT!

[ISU3PointLand]

Great win for Tech! Plus it was just nice to see Vanderbilt brought back down to Earth. The Big XII is proving which is the better conference this year. But the conference battles in the two conferences are going to be brutal!

The Big 12: ISU, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Colorado, Texas, Baylor and Kansas State are going to beat up on one another.

The SEC: Just in the "Eastern Division" you have Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Florida, South Carolina and Georgia. They will all have to play each other twice! With the western teams of Auburn, LSU, and Mississippi State, they could easily have 8 teams make it to the big dance.

Just think, the Big 12 and SEC could account for a full 25% of all the teams that make the NCAA tournament this year.

Congrats to Colorado and Tech. Both great wins!

[YCN]

I don't think 8 teams from the SEC is going to happen this year.

Florida has zero quality road wins in non-conference play this year, and looking at their remaining schedule, getting 16 wins might even be difficult.

South Carolina is probably close to a lock if they can get at least at least 6 conference wins.

Tennessee, need we say more - they'll be there.

Vandy troubles me. They are extremely short on quality players. If either Anderson or Klimesova goes down with injury, their prospects look glum. They did beat CU at home, but have no quality road wins. No disrespect to Texas Tech, who I thought played an excellent, top 10 quality game today - but Vandy is still at risk of not going to the dance.

Georgia is very likely in the dance, as I can't imagine them winning fewer than 19 this season.

Auburn has no quality road wins, and might finish with only 16-17 wins, which would put them on the bubble.

LSU is in big trouble. They have no quality wins, and four losses to ranked teams with 7 wins against a dubious group of teams. Their best win was by 1 point against Virginia Tech at home. They have no depth, are very young (something like 12 years of letter experience for the entire team; they have no height with any experience, and a tough schedule. In short, I don't think they will win 15 games.

Mississippi State could be a bubble team or a solid entry in the dance. They don't have any quality road wins, but have beaten Maryland and NC State at home. They have eight remaining games against teams currently ranked in the top 25, and I rate 5 of those as probable losses. That would still give them a probable minimum of 20 victories, assuming no upsets and/or injuries.

So there you have it. I see Tennessee and Georgia as in the dance, South Carolina and Mississippi State as likely, Florida and Auburn as iffy, and Vanderbilt and LSU as not making the field.

For the SEC to have 8 teams in the dance looks very unlikely to me, and it is possible that the conference could have as few as 5. This just isn't an up year for the SEC.

Regarding the Big 12, there is no doubt that OU, ISU, TT and BU will be in the tourney, and among the other teams CU, UT, KSU and UM look to have the best shot.

[schooner2]

Originally posted by YCN:

Vandy troubles me. They are extremely short on quality players. If either Anderson or Klimesova goes down with injury, their prospects look glum. They did beat CU at home, but have no quality road wins. No disrespect to Texas Tech, who I thought played an excellent, top 10 quality game today - but Vandy is still at risk of not going to the dance.

So there you have it. I see Tennessee and Georgia as in the dance, South Carolina and Mississippi State as likely, Florida and Auburn as iffy, and Vanderbilt and LSU as not making the field.


For Vanderbilt to not go to the NCAA Tourney would probably be nearly unprecedented considering they are currently ranked third in the nation. Would take them going sub-500 in conference, which I guess is what you are saying. Considering how you feel the SEC will be weak this year relative to the past few, am surprised you think there will be enough teams to give the Commodores that many losses.

[YCN]

schooner, the SEC is loaded with tall and talented post players.

Since from what I have seen the only real collateral that Vandy has is 2 quality post players, it makes their presence on that team very precious. While I would like to see women's basketball seasons played without injury, it is also a fact that season-ending injuries have been virtually an epidemic in the last few years. If both Anderson and Klimesova both are able to complete their seasons, I see no reason to think that Vandy won't make the NCAA tournament, in spite of their current lack of quality wins.

However, being a realist, it is very likely that all those talented teams in the SEC will focus heavily on Anderson/Klimesova, and do everything they can to stop or slow them down.

So who steps up to take the pressure off of those two? - I don't know, and nothing seen today makes me think that anyone on the Vandy team can.

[schooner2]

I understand you don't think they are very good. But, given their current ranking, they'd have to lose at home to Penn State and then go at least 6-8 if not worse in the SEC. Just trying to quantify what you are saying. I guess 6-8 could happen. But I'd give better than 50-50 odds they play better than 6-8 in conference.

[YCN]

You are correct there, schooner.

It's the makeup of the team that I don't like. Against Tech today Klimesova scored 26, Anderson scored 26. The entire rest of the team scored a total of 19 points. Any team whose talent is so focused on one-sixth of their team has a problem, unless they have a player like Jackie Stiles or Wilt Chamberlain.

I'm not saying Vandy won't make it; just say that I am skeptical of their accomplishments so far. I didn't see quality passing or ballhandling from the "other" players for Vandy today, and maybe that is just an aberration.

Let's just let the season play out, and see what happens. I'll stick to my guns though, and say that Vandy is no threat for the final four.

[DblT81]

Originally posted by YCN:
I didn't see quality passing or ballhandling from the "other" players for Vandy today, and maybe that is just an aberration.



Or maybe that was quality man to man defense by Texas Tech.

[YCN]

I've got to disagree with you there, DblT81.

I watch a lot of women's basketball and Vandy was questionable in their ability to sustain possession in the backcourt. None of their players there has a natural feel for dribbling and controlling the ball in traffic. The main scheme of their offense is to rotate the ball on the perimeter until either Chantelle can be lobbed or bounce-passed to, or Zuzi can be fed on a trek to the bucket. There isn't a high degree a versatility there, just a high degree of execution.

None of the Vandy players other than Anderson/Klimesova have game - if Vandy was missing those 2 players they wouldn't win more than 4 games in the Big 12.

[DblT81]

Well YCN, join the crowd.

Since you're the expert, I defer to your vast knowledge of the SEC.

I've seen Tech play a few times in Coach Sharp's 20 years. They play good defense from time to time and can make some players on other teams look pretty average.

If Vandy's other players are just average, they can still do well with just Anderson & Zuzi. See Baylor, 2000-2001. Vandy is not a top 3 team obviously but they are not chopped liver either. Vandy's success in the post season and the early WNIT was not just luck.

Maybe Tech isn't so bad without Pierson. Maybe Sharp is a good coach. Maybe OU should be #3.

[YCN]

Please don't be sharp with me - we both love basketball, and women's basketball to boot.

That doesn't make me right or you right, but it does mean we have our own opinions. I respect yours. And I am not in the least critical of Tech's performance against Vandy today.

The fact that I think Vandy is overrated has nothing whatsoever to do with my opinion of the quality of your team.

[dem]

A few things to keep in mind about Vanderbilt:

1) Their current personnel (minus newcomer forward Ashley Earley and center Candice Storey, injured last year) was good enough last year to beat Tennessee, Georgia, LSU (twice), Colorado, and finally to crush Iowa State on the way to an Elite Eight finish in the NCAA tournament.

2) Over their past 21 games (extending back to last season), their only losses have been to Georgia (in the SEC Tournament Championship), UConn, Tennessee, Notre Dame (on their way to the national championship), and yesterday to Texas Tech.

3) Point Guard Ashley McElhiney was good enough to have been selected to the U.S.A. World University Games team that won the gold medal in China this year.

4) They lead the nation (as of 12/17) in team field-goal percentage (57.2%), are fourth in free-throw percentage, and 12th in three-point percentage. Last year, they finished the season #1 nationally in field-goal percentage, and #4 in three-point percentage.

Now, there's no denying that their bench is thin, that they rely on good execution much more than athleticism, and that any injury that benches one or more of their starters will have an immediate negative impact (as happened last year when McElhiney was injured and they suffered a five-game losing streak). But if they all stay healthy, there's every reason to think they'll be in the NCAA tournament with a very good seed.

So why did they look so ordinary against Texas Tech? Well, it's looking like Tech is beginning to show exactly what seemed to be promised by last year's performance -- that when they put it all together, they are one of the very best teams in the country and can make even a top-ranking team look bad. (I'm glad Iowa State gets to play them in Ames this year!)

[This message has been edited by dem (edited 12-30-2001).]

[DblT81]

Here let me expound on what I previously said to make it clearer.

Well YCN, join the crowd. Lot's of people disagree with me so you can too.

Since you're the expert, I defer to your vast knowledge of the SEC. Based on all the posts above YCN, you seem to know quite a bit about the SEC this season, so I would guess you are a fan of an SEC team. Plus, you have seen a lot of women's basketball games. I haven't really seen too many SEC teams play this year so I can't opine on how Vandy will do in the SEC. Other than Tennesee on TV, the only SEC teams I've seen is Vanderbilt play Tech and LSU play Colorado. So you obviously have much greater knowledge than I do to comment about whether Vandy's players outside of Anderson and Zuzi are average.

I can comment on what I know and I know that
I've seen Tech play a few times in Coach Sharp's 20 years. They play good defense from time to time and can make some very good players on other teams look pretty average.

Still, if your opinion is correct, and I'm not saying it isn't, If Vandy's other players are just average, they can still do well with just Anderson & Zuzi. Vanderbilt can be a top team with two outstanding players and several average ones. See Baylor, 2000-2001. Baylor did very well last year with two outstanding players and several average ones. Vandy is not a top 3 team obviously but they are not chopped liver either. So I agree with overrated, but that doesn't mean I agree they are not still top 10 or at least top 15. Tech played very well today on home court with a good crowd but I believe from what I saw that Vandy could win this matchup if they played again. Vandy's success in the post season and the early WNIT was not just luck. Well, it wasn't. They must have a decent team to do that.

Ok. Maybe I should have put some kind of divider here before I made these general statements. But I don't know how anyone could take these personally. These are just some other thoughts I had about today's outcome, sorry if these offended you.
Maybe Tech isn't so bad without Pierson. Maybe Sharp is a good coach. Maybe OU should be #3.

[DblT81]

dem, I was working on mine when you posted yours. Wow. Very good points. You said it much better than I. Perhaps, I should just stop posting until I learn to say everything in a PC manner.