WNIT Round 2 vs. Portland @ GILL 4pm March 20

The passing was impressive.  The swinging of the ball from side to side, waiting for our BIGs to get in low post position was the best I've seen all season.  Rueck pulled Jelena after she had been in just over 1 minute and gave her some coaching at the bench.  Next time Jelena came in I watched her back down her post defender to the rim, receive the ball in the perfect position.  Jelena & Kennedy did a great job getting post position tonight and our perimeter players did a great job getting the ball to them.  Next season our BIGs will be much improved having so many touches without Taylor.  We'll miss Ellie and Taya (if Taya doesn't return) as they are cogs in the wheel of this offense.  Hopefully these 2 new recruits come up to speed quickly.  

First I want to say I hope the Beavs win the NIT. And second I hope their improved play over the past two games is due to something clicking in practice or due to game experience gained during the season. But not to rain on the parade it couldn't be the competition could it? Long beach state is at 130 in the NET ranking, Portland at 75. The three lowest pac12 schools are Washington at 95, cal at 88, usc at 74. Upcoming New Mexico is 101. 

True, but the "spilled milk" thoughts I've had watching the last two games, "Where the eff was this all season?"

With or without TJ the post play (inside out) should have been the focus. OSU had the height advantage over most teams and could have pounded the ball inside far more than they did during conference play. There is no way the team we've seen the last two games should finish 6-9 in Pac12 play.

Jelena was very honest about the fact she has been more aggressive/assertive in posting and creating better passing angles. I'd say the same is true with KB. But, that did not seem to be the focus of the offense no matter their post up positioning. In fact there were many times OSU had great post up positioning (including TC and EM) and almost ignored it.

TVO is a good offensive player but should never have been the focus or had to carry the team. She'll get her opportunities with a better inside/out game. I really look forward to the post game continuing to be the focus and not going away from it when there is a bit of a struggle. The ball movement and player movement was much better and not only were the points in the paint there, but wide open looks both midrange and deep.

Interviews:

Soundly beating a NET 75 Portland team is a quality win no matter how you slice it. I have a ton of respect for the UP team and their coach and I've watched a number of their games (online) this season. The Beavs were not NCAA Tourney material this year, so you play the hand that's dealt. That was a fun game to watch, and the final score - which looked like a blowout - does not really accurately reflect the battle that took place. Loved all the share-the-ball passing and the balanced attack. I was a little worried the shared approach would actually be more evident in UP's game than in in OSU's, but the Beavs beat them at their own game. Plus our inside attack was absolutely key - Cochrane did all that she could and she's a good one, but overall they really had no answer for us inside.

I think they tried to play like this all season, to a fault. Our bigs were not allowed to push to/hold their spots like they are now, and when they did, they were much less confident going up. Meanwhile our passes into the posts were often poorly timed, from bad angles and put in the wrong places. So some of it is the opponents, but some it is that it can take a long time to get on the same page on how to get the ball to posts where they need it. Seemed like our bigs sometimes asked for the ball to be placed in bad spots for them at times - guards have to shake them off like a pitcher in those situations.

The learning curve has been slower than hoped, for sure. Hopefully the NIT is establishing some things.

that’s what I thought but Callen is still moving the mic back and forth