Nebraska @ Kansas

[Noah121]

I just got done with my conference. I saw that it's 31-28, Huskers at halftime. I saw Anthony from the back as I turned on the TV, but I'm turning the TV to the Big 12 network for the Husker men's game, who lead the Wildcats at halftime, 32-30. (Plus, the radio is ahead of the TV.)

[Noah121]

A backdoor leads to a Montgomery layup as the Huskers go ahead 35-33... before a Redmon foul for an and-one opportunity. Foul trouble has plagued the Huskers, it seems.

[Noah121]

KU calls a timeout after a near-travel by Catic...
Both teams are running and missing. It's 35-all with about 15 minutes left.

Come on Huskers... stay with it! Don't rush it and play your own game!

[Noah121]

**HONK** Tay Hester draws a charge and McCray picks up her third foul! Still 35-35 with 15 minutes to play.

Uh-oh... there's a three-alarm problem outside my dorm heading for the union or one of the Greek houses. Wonder what happened...

[HuskerFan86]

Kaitlynn Burke is making a lot of nice passes this game, but man, I wish she could shoot. Wide open layups and jump shots have looked ugly coming off her hand tonight.

Cory's playing well, Nique is playing a very efficient game with 8, and Redmon and Neals have contributed. Turner needs to pick it up in a big way though.

C'mon Huskers let's win this, it's there for the taking!!

Edit: Vonnie looks like she's on drugs! So many turnovers and she losing track of the ball so much. Ivana Catic is outplaying her!

[Noah121]

Very sloppy... another Husker turnover. How many giveaways do both teams have right now?

KU scores and it's 37-39.

Huskers work it around... and Periago misses a long jumper.

[Noah121]

We've got good hustle on these offensive possessions, but we're not FINISHING! We have to do that... and Turner can't let Catic burn her again and again.

It's 37-41, KU leads with about 13 minutes left.

[Noah121]

I think I know what grade is likely to be merited in ball handling for this game...

Morris was fouled and is shooting 2. It's 39-43, Jayhawks lead after a rebound-and-score from Redmon. Both FTs fell and it's 39-45.

Whoops... Redmon fouls and has four now.

[HuskerFan86]

We can't win without Turner on the floor and playing well.

[Noah121]

Argh! Huskers have totally blown it and it's 39-50 all of a sudden. Missed layups, turnovers, and bad play.

[HuskerFan86]

Turner looks a step slow, something is really not right with her tonight. Ivana Catic is running circles around our backcourt right now:confused:

There's still time, but Turner and Montgomery are going to have to catch fire.
And we need Redmon and Hester to stay on the court.

[Noah121]

Kuhlmann picks off the ball... but then an illegal screen gives Redmon her fifth foul. We're going to have to work even harder now!

[Noah121]

About 5 minutes left and KU leads by 14. We're totally being neutralized!

EDIT: 666th post.

[HuskerFan86]

Sutherland and Catic won this game for KU. Montgomery and Kelley came to play, Redmon and Hester played hard but made stupid fouls, and Turner never got off the bus.

We totally could have won this game.:mad:

[Noah121]

Tay Hester leaves the game with 5 fouls and trail by 15 with 3 minutes left. This one's over...

[Noah121]

I can only take Matt & Jeff's testimony, since I'm not there and am only watching on TV. They said that the Huskers have been playing hard, but just couldn't hit any shots. The tons of turnovers that I have heard in the second half were what killed us. Execution has not been here all the year on the road.

[Noah121]

Sidhu fouls with 9 seconds left... why? It's just academic at this point, but still... 57-70 is the final score.

[Cyclones Rule]

Wow, KU has come alive. The rematch with them in Ames is going to give me nightmares.

[Row6Seat10]

The KU defense and their offensive rebounding won this game for them. The Huskers played hard yes, but man they have got to get some shots to start falling the second half on the road. I thought both Vonnie & Nique were trying to do too much. Vonnie seemed like she was in another world out there at times. And she got the "what for" every time she came to the bench! Nicole Neals came to play though. She gave us a great defensive game and has in my mind earned more minutes with her play tonight.

This is a great road trip every year but it's a lot better when you can come home after a win. As it was we were still bitchin' when we went by the casinos 30 miles north of Topeka! :mad:

[ChipperF1]

"We totally could have won this game.

Watching the point of the game from the 12 minute mark of the second half to the 6 minute mark. I don't think we win even if we weathered the storm.

Kansas channelled a lot of Bret "The Hitman" Hart last night, The excellence of execution.

Ivana Catic played the best I've seen her play ever. Sunderland was good. McCray was a very solid decoy. Morris was aggressive at both ends. Kansas was just sharper. They were crisp on offense. They got after us on defense. They pounced on our weaknesses and that is what did the job. When Nebraska is in the game where they need to execute, forget about it. This team just doesn't have the knowledge or fundamentals to win those type of games. We have to make games a pier-six brawl and the Jayhawks just spread us out and wouldn't let such a game happen.

Vonnie Turner has taken most of the conference slate off. Seeing her play poorly shouldn't be too much of a surprise. Her defense, or lack thereof, is surprising. She must have been playing hurt or something because she really showed about a 50% effort last night and that isn't going to get things done.

Last night wasn't such much about what the Huskers did wrong, but more about what the Jayhawks did right. Kansas has really come together since the start of February. The team I saw last night, and the team I saw against Iowa State really makes me wonder how different would this team be with April Goodrich healthy and developing well.

The Jayhawks impressed me last night. They played a smart, aggressive basketball game and were clearly the better team.

OVERALL OUTLOOK: 13-14, 4-10 in the Big 12. We need to get above .500 or forget about the WNIT. That means we have to run the table before the inevitable loss in the Big 12 quarterfinal, if we get to the Big 12 quarterfinal.

For Kansas? Hmm, you perhaps annouce when WNIT tickets could be on sale. :)
If nothing else, this group of kids turned back the Bonnie Hendrickson Doomsday Clock a few minutes.

[PlayingTag]

I would just like one person to explain our offensive philosophy? The only one who provides any degree of organized offense is Montgomery. Hester, Turner and Kelley seem to be freelancing their way through the season. Am I wrong?

Chipper, do you care to provide ann overview of Yori's offense?

[mred]

Last night wasn't such much about what the Huskers did wrong, but more about what the Jayhawks did right. Kansas has really come together since the start of February. The team I saw last night, and the team I saw against Iowa State really makes me wonder how different would this team be with April Goodrich healthy and developing well.

Here's hoping they keep things rolling against Baylor for the sake of all the other teams battling for the 2-5 seeds. :)

We need to get above .500 or forget about the WNIT.

I don't know if you mean literally or figuratively, but a .500 record on the nose is good enough for the WNIT. Winning the final two regular-season games would secure that, although an invite isn't guaranteed. One more regular season loss and Nebraska has to win two tournament games.

[ChipperF1]

"but a .500 record on the nose is good enough for the WNIT.

There's not many ways Nebraska can end the season dead on .500, nor could the end on .500 and not get the Katherine Harris treatment without gaining a win against a team they won't beat.

I'd rather get the next three games we play and show the WNIT committee a winning record, as flimsy as such a record could be.

[ChipperF1]

"Chipper, do you care to provide ann overview of Yori's offense?

I can explain how the Yori SwingWing works in detail, but before you can really get into specifics, the offense requires a solid level of skill and game savvy. The problem is you have a team that in many ways lack the basketball knowledge to reach that level of savvy.

Thus the best way to describe the offense?
whatever gets the ball in the hole.

This year's offense is hampered by a mix of inconsistency, injuries and we have a group of players who's role have expanded who don't have the basketball knowledge. If the game is a chess match and it comes down to talent and execution, we fall short and that why our offense is misfiring in my opinion.

Not having Kelsey Griffin hurt this team. Ray Charles can see that. The SwingWing offense relies a great deal on having inside players who are skilled around the basket, skilled with moving without the basketball and can get in the scrum. Kelsey Griffin gives you that. Danielle Page gave you that. Cory Montgomery only gives you half of that. Cat Redmon gives you a third of that. Jessica Periago gives you maybe of tenth of that.

"Hester, Turner and Kelley seem to be freelancing their way through the season. Am I wrong?

Is Turner "freelancing". No. She has to play an extended role offensively and in some ways its above her skillset at this time. This kid hasn't advanced her game to meet that challenge, and add to that she drawing more attention than she did last year. Having a Kelsey Griffin inside can hide some sins.

Dominique Kelley at times makes some strange decisions with the ball and tries to force things, and couple that with a skillset that still needs some fine tuning, you have problems.

Tay Hester has never been an offensive threat, but that isn't her main job and has never been. Her job is to play tight defense, hustle, and get rebounds. She's the muck and grinder and she's done solid with that job. She's had to carry more offensive load because Turner and Kelley haven't been productive. Her role expanded, and she doesn't have the skills to meet it consistently.

Montgomery's shooting and rebounds have been the only consistent pieces of the offense, but I wouldn't term it as "organized" because organization requires 5 parts working as a unit and Nebraska many times has problems getting two to work in that mode on offense. And that will happen when key parts are missing and the replacements parts have to grow into the job.

The recent winning streak shows what this team can bring to the table. We can play tough defense. We can rebound the ball, take care of the ball and slow ourselves down a little bit and put some plays together. When we do that, we give ourselves a chance. But to do that, we have to do the muck and grind well and last night we didn't do that to the level that Kansas did. Team may have more talent than us, but we can't afford to let them outwork us and last night the Jayhawks did.

Now how much of that can we put on Connie Yori, because you are going to put a lot of this Yori. My answer to that question is not nearly as much as you probably would.

Yori will take some of the heat. After all, a coach takes the fall. But I can't put all of a subpar year by Turner or Kelley on Yori. Tay Hester is about as good a player that she's going to be. Montgomery's tendenitis is a pain for her, but her defense wasn't good when she's healthy. Catheryn Redmon is raw and needs seat time. Yes, we know Burke, Neal and Kuhlmann aren't very good. But the whole team showed over the last few games that when they come to compete, they compete. We managed to get two hard-fought wins against teams have shown more than way have and could still get into the postseason which would benefit this club.

A coach alone can't give you that, only the ballplayers can make that happen. As critical as I may be at times about Coach Yori, I can't put all that on her for this year. If anything I put a great deal more on a team that at times felt sorry for themselves when they needed to put their backs into it and work as a unit.

At the beginning of the year, I figured this team would close ranks early and no, it wouldn't get style points, but it would get results. It didn't happen until recently, but the lasses can still make a run. Its up to them.

Two more games in the regular season and then we head to OKC. My lasses, regroup, refocus and lets get Colorado and Oklahoma State.

[PlayingTag]

Chipper, I don't want to go on about this, because frankly I am sick to death of discussing and talking about it. I think discussing the AIG bailout would be more productive. . . but

I'll add a few words anyway. You posted that Hester is "about as good as she's gonna get", AGREED, you post that, Kuhlman, Burke and Neal "aren't very good", AGREED, but you want to lay this problem on the kids. I DON'T AGREE.

A large responsibility of a coach in Yori's position is bringing in B12 quality kids, but she hasn't. I happen to be in a position that I did see all of the kids you cite prior to being recruited here. And it was clear that none of the 4 was skilled or talented enough to play in this league. Burke's shooting was the exception, but her shot has been MIA since she stepped on this campus. IMO, we have the worst talent in the league. And that has to lay at Yori's feet.

And I know you don't want to discuss it, but there are at least two kids who play in Lincoln who could have made an immediate impact on this program, but YORI didn't give more than a weak (late) attempt at either one. Maybe neither would have come, BUT, she DID NOT TRY. And since by your own admission she is having a problem getting talented out of state kids to come here, I would think she would move heaven and earth to try to get the ones from in the state to stay here. Of course, maybe she really does think Houser is too small and Kastanek not athletic enough. And if she really does/did think this, then she is unable to judge talent.

You don't want to go there, so I will. This job is over Yori's head. If, as a NU fan, you are happy with occasional NCAA appearances, and even a first round win every so often, then you should have no complaints, Yori is your coach. But if you think we can. . should be better, could be better . . .then Yori needs to move on. In the final analysis, you have to have the players to win in the league, and we don't. Blame whoever you want, or offer this excuse or that excuse, but the truth is, we aren't good enough and Yori isn't doing a good enough job.

In this season of "change", its time for a real one for the NU women's program.:mad:

[ChipperF1]

"Chipper, I don't want to go on about this, because frankly I am sick to death of discussing and talking about it.

Pardon me but you asked my opinion on this so I gave it. ;)

If you don't want to "go on about this"? Then don't. You are the only Nebraska partisan here who continually has to mention the tired "Hauser-Kastenek aren't coming" smack. The rest of us here are talking about how the lasses could still make the WNIT, even in a year that is been frustrating and difficult for the team.

They aren't going to school at Nebraska-Lincoln for whatever reason. It's their college experience. It's their time. Let....It.....Go.....


But of course, you have stated what you want...what you really, really want

"In this season of "change", its time for a real one for the NU women's program."

So to make sure I get this right. If you were the Athletic Director at Nebraska you'd fire Connie Yori right now...yes?

Now before you answer that, lets review her CV.
2002-2003 : 8-20. First season cleaning the mess of the previous regime.
2003-2004 : WNIT qualifier. Had an outside shot at an NCAA tourney bid
2004-2005: WNIT qualifier
2005-2006: WNIT semifinalist
2006-2007: 22 wins. first NCAA tourney bid for Nebraska since 2000.
2007-2008: 22 wins. second consecutive NCAA tournament bid. Cards first NCAA tourney win for Nebraska in a decade.
2008-2009: The team could still reach the WNIT.

Now, again. If you were the Athletic Director at Nebraska you'd fire Connie Yori right now...yes?

[HuskerFan86]

Firing Yori really does sound ludicrous when you look at what she's done with a program that was in absolute shambles before she got here. We already had a coach that brought in the uber-talented players at all costs, even when they weren't right for the program, and look where it got us...The most underachieving, unhappy, and fractured team in the league by a wide margin. I personally don't want to go back to the days of Melody Peterson, Shannon Howell, and Katie Robinette...

And the real kicker is, we can still win with what we've got on the roster, even with the 3-4 recruiting mishaps. If we have our full allotment of players next year, I think the wins will pile up pretty fast. Who's front line in the Big 12 would you rather have next year instead of Griffin, Montgomery, Redmon, and Bober?

That's the deepest, most talented front line in the North by a wide margin, even if each player has limitations. Cory is playing at an all-conference level this year (even though her defense is lacking), Griffin has a history of dominating just about every frontline in the league, Redmon is getting better every game, and Bober brings size and leadership that very few teams in the Big12 wouldn't like to have on their roster.

The point guard spot is a big problem, but Kelley and Turner are serviceable as supporting pieces and each has shown flashes of being very solid. I still haven't given up on Burke, if she can just rework her shot and get it back to where it was before the broken finger. Even if all three incoming recruits are busts, Nebraska looks like an NCAA tourney team (on paper) with the potential to be even more.

[ChipperF1]

"Even if all three incoming recruits are busts, Nebraska looks like an NCAA tourney team (on paper) with the potential to be even more.

If and only if, Vonnie Turner gets her head screwed on right or that point guard coach recruited can take the job.

Kaitlyn Burke? She's good enough to get you beat at this point. She's a poor defender, can't create her own shot, and she seems to play with no confidence in herself.

[HuskerFan86]

With that much power inside, Burke doesn't need to create her own shot, she just needs to knock down 3 out of every 6 wide open shots she gets. Even against KU she had 3-4 wide open, unguarded shots, and those are only going to multiply with Griffin/Montgomery/Redmon forcing double teams down low.

It would be great if Burke was dynamic off the dribble, a great ballhandler, and lock-down defender, but she doesn't have to be for us to be good. She (or someone on the team) just has to knock down open perimeter shots. Based on her reputation, I think she has the most potential to become that shooter if she is healthy and confident.

The perimeter is definitely our weak point (as it has been even in the days of Hardy), but like you said, KG covers up a lot of sins by drawing double teams and straining the opponent's defense and Redmon is developing into the kind of player that can cover up a lot of defensive mistakes as well.

[ChipperF1]

"Burke doesn't need to create her own shot, she just needs to knock down 3 out of every 6 wide open shots she gets.

But someone has to create that open look, and that is where Nebraska is really weak. The point guard spot right now is a gaping hole. A quality qb opens up a great deal and makes this team better.

You mention Kiera Hardy. One thing Hardy could do well was create her own opportunity and hit that shot. Even with inside prowess, you don't win in womens basketball without a sound perimeter, even if with a strong inside game.

I think you oversell our interior players a bit. Kelsey Griffin is very good, but next year she has to reach up to be great. She hasn't shown she can consistently play equal to the billing you give her yet. Catheryn Redmon needs a lot of work in the offseason. She's gotten better, but she's very raw. The athleticism is there, but this kid has zero fine skills yet. Nikki Bober is in the same boat. She's has some much fine-tuning to achieve. On the plus side, Bober is a big body and she's willing to stick her nose in and use it.
Now Montgomery? Had a good year this year. Showed a lot, but her defense is what is keeping me from a full endorsement. I think of Danielle Page. Page's offense blossomed her senior year, but her defense and rebounding was there from the start. Montgomery is soft in areas where you can't be soft. This year was good for her because she was in situations where she had to compete and couldn't play soft and shy away.

And that is where I am a little skeptical for next year, because this team in too many instance this season did shy away and played soft. Instead of closing ranks and making every game an effort like their effort against Kansas State, the team knuckled under early on. We got down on ourselves a little too much. Fretted what we didn't have a little too much, and yes coach Yori did too at some points in December and January.

But the lasses have a good chance to turn it around, and its in reach.