GO COLORADO!

[zip]

The Buffs are up over North Carolina 62-49 with 6:29 to go. Way to go Colorado - KEEP IT UP!

[anntaylor]

Colorado is playing great tonight! Looks like an upset in the making - GO BIG 12!

[YCN]

Bjorklund has been unstoppable all night. North Carolina has tried, but all they've been able to do is pile up personal fouls.

She's playing like an All-American tonight. If CU plays Villanova, I've got to say that I think CU can get it done.

[zip]

You bet, CU can take Nova - pretty handily too - I would think!

And the Lobos are making short shrift of Mississippi State too! It's a great day any time an SEC team goes down!

[YCN]

It would seem that the balance of power may be shifting in women's basketball.

I'm extremely encouraged that New Mexico and Colorado are easily defeating heavily favored opponents.

It certainly bodes well for the other Big 12 teams in their games tomorrow.

[YCN]

zip, does Nova have anybody to defend Bjorklund? Her moves are getting so polished on offense, and she seemingly has lost any fear of hard contact.

I'm VERY impressed with the way CU has played in the last two games. If they continue to play this way they could go far.

[Bball Girl]

The teams in white were sucking that thin air! Way to go Buffs and Lobos!

[YCN]

North Carolina is continuing to foul like crazy with 2 minutes left down by 18 points.

They need to accept their defeat, and get ready for next year.

[zip]

YCN,

I've only seen Nova play once - part of one game this weekend and I've watched so many games, I just don't remember much about their post. My guess is no - there's not many teams that can handle Bjorklund - but I'm not sure. I just know that I was extremely unimpressed with Nova's play and I thought there were several Big 12 teams that looked like they could take them.

[YCN]

Nova shoots extremely well, hardly ever turns the ball over, and doesn't foul.

In short, they drive opposing teams crazy. I don't believe, however, that they have any answer for a really skilled big post.

Bjorklund might score another 30+ against them, too.

[Bball Girl]

Tera Bjorklund was just incredible tonight. I agree with Tracy Warren? she is one of the most underrated centers in the country. We know what an all around player she it, now the country is finding out too.

Looks like UNC outrebounded CU especially on the offensive end, but when you're not making your shots...well.

One into the Sweet 16 (plus UNM) three more tomorrow night!

[SKATERBOY]

I said when colorado came to the erwin center that colorado had a great team. they are fundamentally sound and well coached. the score did not reflect how close the game was actually. i think they were the hardest big 12 team that we (texas) had to match up against all year. they need to get the respect they deserve. I hope Texas, Texas Tech, & Kansas State all win tomorrow so we have (4) teams in the sweet 16. And we will be saying who said the big 12 was down this year??

[YemenBear]

The 1st of 4 from the Big XII punch their ticket to the Sweet Sixteen. Way to go Lady Buffs! Fagan and Bjorklund provided a terrific one-two punch.

The more I see of Ceal Barry, the more I really like this coach. Great positive energy on the sidelines. Consecutive trips to the round of 16 ain't too shabby.

Sic Em,

[35TangoTango]

Way to go, Buffs!!

Remember back in February when everyone was wondering "where did Bjorkland go"? She's back and then some! I can't think of any player who has improved as much from the beginning of the season to now! We talked about Villanova - heck, I'm not sure Tennessee has a stopper for Tera, the way she's playing now!

[Press]

Dang, CU looks like their on a mission. The best two games I've seen them play all year. Congrats!

[Jimi]

Whoo HOOOO!! Way to go BUFFS!!!!

[Dale8R]

One of my very favorite teams beats one of my VERY least favorites. How good does it get?

Should have mentioned, I am with Bill Fennelly on this one.

[This message has been edited by Dale8R (edited 03-24-2003).]

[DblT81]

Let me add my congratulations to Colorado on the great win!

Go Tech beat UCSB!
Go Texas beat Arkansas!
Go Kansas State beat Notre Dame!
Go Big 12!
Go Teams in Fly Over country!

[unkiemark]

Just returned from the game. It's hard to know where to start. CU is playing some of its best post season basketball ever.

Remember CU lost very early in the season to Villanova, it was their only non-conference loss of the season.

In her post-game comments Ceal made two interesting comments. She stated that winning in the Big 12 is often more challenging than winning in the NCAA tourney. She also stated that no Big 12 team would allow CU to get off 21 three pointers in a game.

The unsung hero for the Buff over the last ten games or so is Maria Billingsley. She is steady, steady, steady. And she is playing some serious defense too. She had UNC's best player Coretta Brown tonight. Brown was a non-factor. Against BYU she had MWC POY Erin Thorn and held her to 10 points, all in the first half.

UNC tried three players and a 1-3-1 zone against Tera in the first half. Obviously it didn't matter much.

Had UNC not pounded the boards they would have lost by 40+ points. Their game was all chuck and chase.

Kate Fagan has really produced in the NCAA tourney. She has 11 treys in two games. It's exactly what the Buffs need to keep things flowing on offense.



------------------
MarkW

[zip]

I thought the same thing re: 3's and the Big 12 - it just wouldn't happen or at least not nearly as many. I kept thinking that NC would surely step up and defend the 3, but no, CU just keep swishing them! Go Big 12!

[JohnHenry]

HOT DOG !

I knew this CU team could take UNC. As someone else posted yesterday, UNC would probably have been pushing CU for 4th in the Big 12, so this was a pretty even matchup (seeds be damned) with the advantage of home court for the Buffs. Tera was lights out tonight. UNC definitely has the athletes to run with anyone, but they play undisciplined when they get in a hole and jack up a lot of bad shots. If not for their offensive rebounding, this one could have been a lot uglier.

Way to go Buffs!

http://hoopscoop.net/ubb/cu.gif !

[This message has been edited by JohnHenry (edited 03-24-2003).]

[kate dawg]

Yeah baby yeah!
I think the Buffettes got sick of hearing that they didn't belong. That they weren't in the top 50 before the season even started.

They haven't played this well all year. Here's hoping they can keep it coming...GO BUFFS!!! Bring it!!!

[dem]

Those of you who saw the early season CU-Villanova game, can you give us some thoughts about what you would be looking for in a (potential) re-match?

[PeachBasket]

Hi, I generally lurk here but it sounds like you could use a few thoughts about Villanova from a fan of one of its Big East rivals.

Playing against Nova has all the charm and excitement of root canal. Harry Peretta's system slows the game down to a crawl, and forces the opponent to beat the Wildcats. They won't beat themselves, they don't make many mistakes, they led the nation in lowest TOs per game. Even the 8.9 TOs per game exaggerates the situation somewhat. In any game, 3 or 4 of those TOs are 30-second violations, and that's part of the system. Peretta would rather see a 30-second violation than a forced shot. Some teams try to wear their opponents down physically, Nova tries to wear you down mentally. Those who remember the Pete Carrill men's teams at Princeton have a good feel for the kind of game Nova brings. By the late stages of the game opponents tend to break down mentally, lose focus, make unforced errors, largely because of having to play 30 seconds of defense every time down the court. The Villanova defensive scheme is also stultifying, lots of matchup zones.

They don't have much size, and can be vulnerable to a team that can go over the top to a low post player. This bodes well for Colorado, with the way Bjorklund is playing. The only Wildcat with much size is Jana Rediger (6-3), and she tends to be a bit foul-prone. Much of the time Nova won't have anyone over 6-1 on the court. However, an excellent post player sometimes isn't enough to beat them, Virginia Tech's excellent 6-4 center Ieva Kublina exploded for 24 points and 17 rebounds against Nova, and the Wildcats still won by 5. They mix up their defenses really well, making incremental shifts on almost every possession, another way of disrupting the flow of the game.

When you see the Wildcats take the floor, they may not look as athletic as they really are. It's all part of the Peretta plan, don't be fooled, they are excellent athletes, some of their players have outstanding sports pedigrees. Courtney Mix's father Steve Mix was a long time NBA player; Nicole Druckenmiller's brother Jim is an NFL quarterback.

And then there's Trish Juhline. Nobody runs defenders off picks the way TJ does. The Villanova game plan must include a half-dozen different sequences of screens set up to give Juhline her choice of curl routes, and when she's open she almost never misses. The Buffs will need to help out on defense, call the picks, and always always always make the switches to keep someone on Juhline.

Final note: Villanova may have lost 5 games this year, but four of those losses were by an aggregate of 9 points. Only UConn's 58-38 regular season win over the Wildcats was a one-sided affair, and as you may have heard reported, Nova did something to balance that account in the Big East tourney.

[ChipperF1]

Another fine defensive effort by Vichy Colorado when its counts most. This is just like last year. Strong defensive effort against solid talent. Plus, Ceal Barry flat outcoached Sylvia Hatchell. I LOVE IT!

But a caveat for the next round. There's been some sniffing about how porous Team Knuckleball is.
Villanovocaine is a nasty system if you aren't prepared to play. I don't think it will be a problem this time for Colorado, but I wouldn't count the win just yet.

Also a second caveat to the Colorado faithful
A great game by Tera Bjorklund. She was locked in on it, aggressive and simply destroyed UNC

But she doesn't always maintain that focus for consecutive games.

Last night, Tera was True Grit, but she's more often than not been True Britt in the next contest. I hope she keeps the focus and sends the Philadelphia Dentist home.

[Jennifer]

Way to go Colorado! Bjorkland is playing like an AA late in the season. I think they could take GW or Villanova.

Now let's go KSU, Texas Tech, and Texas.

ps So, 2 of 6 losses of the #2 ACC team came at the hands of the #4 & #5 Big 12 teams, and one wasn't even close. http://hoopscoop.net/ubb/smile.gif Way to go Big 12.

[Bball Girl]

Agree about Maria....Hatchell made a comment about not having to worry about the PG for CU since it had been done for committee much of the season. But Maria showed why she's been the PG of choice lately with mature and steady play. Ceal looked like she was going to burst out singing and dancing at the end of the game.

Lappe must be pinching herself after all the injuries and frustration, she's hung in there and continues to make key plays and key baskets. Scott was her usual tenacious self..What a great win for these 2 seniors and this team.

[Bob_Ballew]

Congrats to the Lady Buffs. I thought Sylvia Hatchel was going to have a stroke. The look on her face in the second half was priceless. CU's offense was really looking good last night. http://hoopscoop.net/ubb/smile.gif

Go Big XII!!

[swok34]

Remember back in February when everyone was wondering "where did Bjorkland go"? She's back and then some! I can't think of any player who has improved as much from the beginning of the season to now

I agree, Tera's playing excellent right now and has been for the past month.

Way to go Colorado!

[cyfanatic]

Way to go, Buffs! That should help ease some doubters minds!

[unkiemark]

Villanova defeated Colorado 59-54 on November 30 in Boulder. In that game 'Nova committed a total of five turnovers and was led in scoring by Trish Juline with 25 points. Courtney Mix added 13.

Bjorklund had 27 pts and 9 rebounds, playing all 40 minutes. Kate Fagan had 13 points.

'Nova was 7-23 from 3-point range while the Buffs were 1-5.

------------------
MarkW

[Dale8R]

Thanks to Peachbasket for stopping by and giving that scouting report.

[mred]

Originally posted by Dale8R:
One of my very favorite teams beats one of my VERY least favorites. How good does it get?

Should have mentioned, I am with Bill Fennelly on this one.

[This message has been edited by Dale8R (edited 03-24-2003).]

Just a little refresher on the wonderful UNC-ISU relationship...
http://cyclones.ocsn.com/sports/w-baskbl/recaps/012300aaa.html
Thanks, Colorado. http://hoopscoop.net/ubb/smile.gif

[This message has been edited by mred (edited 03-25-2003).]

[YCN]

mred, UNC was doing exactly the same thing last night. Hopelessly behind in the last 2 minutes of the game, they were pressing like crazy and fouling whoever had the ball.

I believe that a team should try their hardest to win, but nobody is going to erase an 18 point deficit in 2 minutes by fouling the best free throw shooting team in the Big 12. Colorado hit 15-16 FT's in the final 5 minutes of the game.

Hatchell obviously needs to learn when it is time to call of the dogs, and let her team lose with grace.

[BeBe]

ChipperF1 said:
A great game by Tera Bjorklund. She was locked in on it, aggressive and simply destroyed UNC

But she doesn't always maintain that focus for consecutive games.

Last night, Tera was True Grit, but she's more often than not been True Britt in the next contest. I hope she keeps the focus and sends the Philadelphia Dentist home.

This does not seem to have been a problem for Tera lately. If we look at her stats for the last 4 games (Big 12 and NCAA tournaments) we see the following:
vs UNC....points = 34; Hoopla points = 40
vs BYU....points = 11; Hoopla points = 28
vs UT ....points = 26; Hoopla points = 28
vs OU ....points = 32; Hoopla points = 23

Those look like some pretty good numbers to me. In the BYU game, she was constantly double- or triple-teamed and did her part by finding the open players and rebounding (7 assists, 11 boards and 5 blocks). She seems able to keep up the focus now. So hopefully next weekend will be a continuation of this one. I have my tickets for Knoxville!!!!!!!

[Go Buffs]

All I can say is WOW! CU has put together their two best games of the season at the right time. Let's hope it continues.

I am so thankful we play in such a tough conference that prepares its teams so well for postseason.

I have my ticket for Knoxville too...Just don't know yet how I am going to get there.

[swok34]

I recall that UNC/Iowa State game now that you mention it......

and Colorado is one team that one can't get away with foul, stop the clock, shoot free throws with.....just ask OU http://hoopscoop.net/ubb/wink.gif

[cyfanatic]

Thanks, MRED for the "refreshing reminder" link....wow, those were the days. It was great to see Lindsey and Stacy in the same picture. I totally remember that game, and agreed with Fennelly's decision to put back in the first string.

[dem]

That was quite a dramatic moment when Fennelly suddenly had all of his first-string players stand up and prepare to re-enter the game. The fans had the feeling that the cavalry had just arrived.

North Carolina had started ferociously pressing our end-of-the-bench players (including walk-ons) in the last few minutes of a completely out-of-reach game (down by 30). Fennelly had clearly pulled his starters in the first place precisely to avoid any more embarrassment to UNC. Hatchell responded by trying to cut the margin of victory -- NOT to win, that was never going to happen -- at the cost of embarrassing Iowa State bench players with loads of turnovers. Fennelly has never been more outraged in the five years I've seen him coach.

About one week later, UNC played Duke. Evidently, Gail Goestenkors is more familiar with Coach Hatchell and her methods. Duke blew UNC out of the water and ran the score up over 100 points.

[This message has been edited by dem (edited 03-25-2003).]