OSU vs. WSU game thread

Couple things I see. Lack of quickness. No shot crators that can finish. Mikala could do that and did it many times.
That is one area we are hurt. Another is defensive rebounding and getting turnovers. We had 18 to their 8. They got 20 more attempts. On offense.He wants to play slow but it is not close to working. At least Slats teams could do it. Paul Valenti could too. The last thing is our big. She just cannot do much. As for Coaching He is no dummy. He believes in His system. Teams have learned to play us. We need speed in a couple players and Skills in finishing.

So, you’re happy with a crappy team? Good for you.

They would have already won 3-4 more games this year with her.

This season has made it so clear how good Kennedy Brown was as a freshman last year. Kennedy's interior defense, and, her rebounding, were impressive. Having Kennedy on the floor made it difficult for teams to double Taylor Jones. Taylor is learning what it means to have a target on your back this season.

On a positive, I am already impressed with TvO. She was cool as a cucumber, and, she just finished high school and really hasn't had many practices to learn the offense. Really impressive. Good for the coaches getting her some important minutes.

On the less than impress: As good as Aleah is playing, I'm not liking the offense where our point guard dribbles around for most of the play clock. I remember when that was going on with Sydney Wiese. I can see doing it some of the offensive sets, but not EVERY offensive possession.

Let's get the other players involved in the offense. Let's try some new things like having Mitrovic and Jones on the floor at the same time. Add Taya, Aleah, and another guard. Mix it up. Taylor needs some help down low until we get KB back.

The one thing that has not changed from last year to this year is Goodman dribbles far too much. It stifles the offense but maybe that is the offense. Apparently rueck likes it because it continues unabated.

In this weird year, I have tried to be less results-oriented with this team and more focused on watching the growth (or anticipated growth). This game really puzzled me, especially given we had seen WSU once already, so we should have been able to game plan a little better.....some random thoughts:

Aleah really brought it today, but she is really trying to carry this team, and I think she did run her tank towards "empty" by the end. We haven't really had a schedule that develops those basketball legs or rhythms, but I think we need more involving of others in order for this team to win.
Surprised we didn't go after Molina a bit in the first OT after she rang up her 4th foul, would have been nice to get her out of there.
Our play calling at the end of the OTs had me scratching my head.
We sure did fumble around with the ball a lot, left shooters open, dribbled into double and triple defenders, had poor rebounding (mostly with poor rebounding position), got outmuscled on a lot of 50-50 balls.
We need someone cut from the Taylor Kalmer / Destiny cloth - have the ability to accelerate on the dribble, zip across the midcourt line and break the press - I thought it might be Jazz by this point in her career.
This is year two in the team being "soft"/weak/not up to snuff in the screen game. Our guards don't go a great job running their defender into the stationary big at the arc, the big doesn't get stationary and present themselves as imposing presences to the defender (I notice both Taylor and Jolena turn at the last second and almost avoid contact with the defender who is right in the grill of our dribbling guard). WSU was right up in the grill of our guards, refs were letting it happen, and we didn't deliver any teeth rattling screens to discourage the practice. Yes, you might get a foul, but you also might get their guards to be looking for the screen a bit more........
We seem to have abandon the "station the big at the FT line, hands on knees to indicate just how set they are, and have the guard rub the defender off the screener" play - is it because our guards don't have the handle/speed to pull it off?
The team needs to practice FTs - with stats like today in the post, if I had enough bench I might employ a "hack-a-Shaq" approach.....
Taylor bringing the ball down more on rebounds like Jolena than Jolena keeping the ball high like last year's Taylor. 
Talia's outing was very promising. The transfer game has not served us well thus far, I expected more given the resumes of the players that transferred in. I don't know how much of that is the fact we weren't able to integrate them through the course of a normal season.

What will be interesting to see is how much of this team's weaknesses are schedule/covid/practice/etc related, and how many are more us not responding adequately to change around us. It seems like teams like the 'ucks have recruited a lot of scoring firepower and want to get in a track meet with you. Teams like USC/ASU and now WSU have decided to badger the heck out of you, play really tight/aggressive D, and see how you respond. We have been a finesse team with key stars in key roles in the finesse game that made us tough to play.........this year our finesse has left us, and we don't seem to be countering well (yet). 
My hope is that with enough of a pre-season and cupcake hunting early in the year, the team can get in synch, and we can get back to the rarified air we've all enjoyed most of SR's coaching tenure, but I will admit there are nights, like tonight, where I am a bit more concerned.

Go Beavers!

Missing....currently: Van Oelhoffen

Exactly, if the refs are letting the game be physical then play the same way against your opponent.  The Beavers aren't known to be physical but you have to step up if the refs are going to let things go.