6 losses hurts, especially with the KSU and NC State losses looking worse as the season goes on.
Hawkeye Women's BBall Season 2022-2023
- Thread starter huntermmm
- Start date
Here's a reaction article I did after the second Top 16 reveal:
https://iowa.rivals.com/news/wbb-selection-committee-second-top-16-reveal
https://iowa.rivals.com/news/wbb-selection-committee-second-top-16-reveal
Wouldn’t a loss by OSU help protect Iowa’s downside in terms on NCAA seeding? Been struggling to figure out Iowa’s rooting interest tonight. Does 2 vs 3 seed matter in BTT? Not sure.
Kevin McGuff has mellowed significantly through the years. He is almost likable now. If nothing else, a win by Ohio State will show that Maryland is still not invincible like the last Iowa game seemed to indicate.
Ohio State buzzer beater didn't get off in time, Maryland wins. Although, even if Maryland loses this game, and Iowa also loses to Indiana on Sunday, Maryland will still win the tiebreaker against Iowa, won't they? Iowa will have two losses to the top team Indiana, while Maryland will only have one.
Clark's buzzer-beater stole the headlines, but thought I'd reflect on some other highlights:
-We committed only SEVEN turnovers as a team. That's our second lowest total of the season (the lowest being six against Belmont back in November). That's simply an amazing number against a defense as disciplined as Indiana.
-Kate Martin played a near perfect game. 19 points on 6-9 shooting, 3-4 from three, 4-5 from the line, 4 assists to just 1 turnover. I'm so glad she's coming back next year. She may not be the best on our roster at any one single offensive skill, but she's the second (or third) best at just about everything! Driving, passing, shooting, cutting, facilitating from the high post. Every team needs that kind of player. She also defended Berger much better than in Bloomington. Yes, Berger still shot 8-15 from the floor, but a lot of that was her midrange jumper simply being on point today. Our defense is designed to give her that shot. Kate did a much better job not letting her get to the rim as much.
-Warnock, Martin, and Marshall were a combined 7-13 from 3! Even if you count the 3 misses from Affolter and Davis, 7-16 is still a great number. We are at our best when Caitlin is attacking the basket and kicking to open shooters. By scheming heavily to prevent that dump pass from Clark to Czinano, Indiana left them open, and we converted those opportunities.
-We committed only SEVEN turnovers as a team. That's our second lowest total of the season (the lowest being six against Belmont back in November). That's simply an amazing number against a defense as disciplined as Indiana.
-Kate Martin played a near perfect game. 19 points on 6-9 shooting, 3-4 from three, 4-5 from the line, 4 assists to just 1 turnover. I'm so glad she's coming back next year. She may not be the best on our roster at any one single offensive skill, but she's the second (or third) best at just about everything! Driving, passing, shooting, cutting, facilitating from the high post. Every team needs that kind of player. She also defended Berger much better than in Bloomington. Yes, Berger still shot 8-15 from the floor, but a lot of that was her midrange jumper simply being on point today. Our defense is designed to give her that shot. Kate did a much better job not letting her get to the rim as much.
-Warnock, Martin, and Marshall were a combined 7-13 from 3! Even if you count the 3 misses from Affolter and Davis, 7-16 is still a great number. We are at our best when Caitlin is attacking the basket and kicking to open shooters. By scheming heavily to prevent that dump pass from Clark to Czinano, Indiana left them open, and we converted those opportunities.
Fantastic video. As a WNBA fan I remembered this moment but didn't recognize the exact play.
Does anyone have thoughts on whether Sydney Affolter will improve her 3 pt shot in coming years?
Btw, just think if we had beat Maryland, and that shot was for the B10 title............
Boiled down to the loss at Illinois on the New Year's day. We knew it would be tough sledding at Maryland.
I'm far from an expert on shooting, but her shot looks funky to me and she doesn't shoot it with much confidence. I also think if the coaches wanted her to try a big mechanical change they would've tried it by now.
She might improve some from the 20% she's at right now, but I don't think she'll get close to 40% and 30% might even be a stretch.
I hope so, I keep thinking about Martin watching her effort. Kate really emerged as a shooter her junior year where by year end she was solid.
Watched her a lot in AAU leading up to Iowa and she shot the 3 pretty well. Her shot looks flatter now, however. Shooting pocket seems good; it takes her a while to get it gone, though, too.
It's a good question about Affolter's shot. O'Grady, Stuelke, and Affolter will likely play quite a lot of minutes together in the next two years, and that's a lot less shooting than we are accustomed to having.
I think confidence is more the issue. She had a few games where she's been money from three and others where she's off. I think getting her more minutes and a longer leash will do her a lot of good in regaining her form.
Yes, I am hoping that's a focus for her over the off-season because I love her game-- she's scrappy and puts it all out there as a competitor. She rebounds well and has had some good drives to the basket, but 3-point consistency is key at this level. If she tweaks her form a bit and gets enough reps, that would be huge for us to space the court and for her to ultimately stay on the court more.
Any word on players leaving after the season? With four starters basically decided, I'm guessing there will be some attrition.
1) Clark
2) Martin
3) Marshall
4) Stuelke
5) O'Grady/Edinger (I don't remember a Bluder team playing w/out a true 5, so figure one of these 2 will start)
With Davis also in the mix I have to ask if McCabe and Affolter happy playing the minutes they are? Because I don't see their time increasing significantly next year. What about the others? Goodman, Gymfi, Wetering, etc? Also, will Bluder pursue any impact players (post or another G/F type) to ease the burden on Clark? Another consistent scoring threat would be nice.
The board claims Marshall is a lock down defensive specialist, but I'm not convinced of that. She's a liability on the other end where her defender either sags or clogs the lane when she passes and cuts as they know she's not a consistent scorer (though has a been slightly better recently)......I'd be happy seeing her minutes go to Affolter (who can drive and f inish) or McCabe (who is probably a better 3pt shooter).......
It will be an interesting off season......but I plan to enjoy the next few weeks and hope they can keep make a run......
1) Clark
2) Martin
3) Marshall
4) Stuelke
5) O'Grady/Edinger (I don't remember a Bluder team playing w/out a true 5, so figure one of these 2 will start)
With Davis also in the mix I have to ask if McCabe and Affolter happy playing the minutes they are? Because I don't see their time increasing significantly next year. What about the others? Goodman, Gymfi, Wetering, etc? Also, will Bluder pursue any impact players (post or another G/F type) to ease the burden on Clark? Another consistent scoring threat would be nice.
The board claims Marshall is a lock down defensive specialist, but I'm not convinced of that. She's a liability on the other end where her defender either sags or clogs the lane when she passes and cuts as they know she's not a consistent scorer (though has a been slightly better recently)......I'd be happy seeing her minutes go to Affolter (who can drive and f inish) or McCabe (who is probably a better 3pt shooter).......
It will be an interesting off season......but I plan to enjoy the next few weeks and hope they can keep make a run......
Breaking down Gabbie's 3P%
November: 24% (7-29)
December: 12.5% (3-24)
January: 36% (9-25)
February: 56% (14/25)
In conference play: 37.7% (23-61)
Regarding Gabbie's defense, for what feels like the millionth time, no one has claimed she deserves accolades for her work on that end of the floor. BUT *someone* in the starting lineup has to guard the other team's best scoring guard --- Taylor Mikesell, McKenna Marissa, Shyanne Sellers, Azzi Fudd, Diamond Johnson, Jazz Shelley, etc. Gabbie is currently the most skilled on our roster at that role. Over the past few seasons, our defense has gone from about an F to a C- in large part thanks to her improvements. Again, she's not elite nationally, but she's great relative to our roster, which is what matters when talking about lineups and playing time.
I do hope McCabe improves in the off season -- both physically and skill-wise -- to the point where she can take on more minutes off the ball without a significant defensive drop off. But as of right now, I view Gabbie returning as a positive thing. The coaches obviously see it the same way. I trust them to manage minutes at that position accordingly in the best interest of the team.
Overall, I'm tired of fans complaining about how bad our defense is then throwing out hypothetical lineups with complete disregard to defensive roles and matchups.
November: 24% (7-29)
December: 12.5% (3-24)
January: 36% (9-25)
February: 56% (14/25)
In conference play: 37.7% (23-61)
Regarding Gabbie's defense, for what feels like the millionth time, no one has claimed she deserves accolades for her work on that end of the floor. BUT *someone* in the starting lineup has to guard the other team's best scoring guard --- Taylor Mikesell, McKenna Marissa, Shyanne Sellers, Azzi Fudd, Diamond Johnson, Jazz Shelley, etc. Gabbie is currently the most skilled on our roster at that role. Over the past few seasons, our defense has gone from about an F to a C- in large part thanks to her improvements. Again, she's not elite nationally, but she's great relative to our roster, which is what matters when talking about lineups and playing time.
I do hope McCabe improves in the off season -- both physically and skill-wise -- to the point where she can take on more minutes off the ball without a significant defensive drop off. But as of right now, I view Gabbie returning as a positive thing. The coaches obviously see it the same way. I trust them to manage minutes at that position accordingly in the best interest of the team.
Overall, I'm tired of fans complaining about how bad our defense is then throwing out hypothetical lineups with complete disregard to defensive roles and matchups.
I posted this in another thread about Iowa WBB Big Ten Final Stats, but I will repeat it here. This team led the Big Ten in lowest opponent 3-point shooting percentage at 28.7%. I would have to say our perimeter defense, mainly Gabby but also Caitlin, was greatly improved this year. Last year we were 6th at 33.8%. What fans probably remember is Gabby getting no help when her player was allowed to turn the corner and all she could do was chase. Post defense is still a weakness of this team. I would have to do the research, but I recall, as undersized_post said above, a lot of high-scoring guards being under their averages against Gabby.
Great post. I'll also add that Marshall has been one of the better three-point shooters in the country her first three years. She ranked in the 86th, 99th, and 92nd percentile in those three years. She's only at 32% this year, but as you point out she's been great in January and February.
McCabe looks like a great shooter, but she's going to have to be really good in her career to match or better Marshall.
I seem to recall speculation that Gabbie had a nagging shoulder injury that was affecting her shooting but not her defense earlier in the year. Seems believable.
Finally a poster who doesn't rag on the defense. I attend every game and their defense is pretty good. How good?? Taking a look at conference only stats, Iowa leads in FG percentage defense and 3pt FG percentage defense so stats don't lie.
Iowa has made huge strides on defense since the nadir of 2020-21. And some of their defensive numbers are quite good, including defensive rebounding rate, where Iowa is 6th in the country. As Mr_Galmaster notes, Iowa’s defensive shooting percentage numbers are really good in conference play. But realism and context are still called for in assessing Iowa’s defense on the whole.
Iowa is 13th in the league in opponent’s turnover percentage. The consequence of that is while Iowa is 2nd in conference play in defensive points per scoring attempt, Iowa falls to 7th in the league in defensive points per play. Because teams get so many shots against Iowa, they substantially outperform their shooting percentages. Iowa’s dreadful offensive rebounding rate also makes it harder to overcome the increased number of opponent shots due to lack of turnovers.
Iowa’s adjusted defensive efficiency (Her Hoop Stats) currently ranks 54th, 5th in the conference (IU 6th, MI 23rd, MD 29th, OSU 33rd). When you compare Iowa to everyone else, 54th is a bad spot to be in for the post-season. Since the advent of advanced WBB stats in 2009-10, only 3 out of the 48 final four teams have ranked 20th or lower (22nd, 32nd and 38th) in adjusted defensive efficiency. So making it to the Final Four looking like this year’s Iowa on defense seems virtually impossible.
But the Elite Eight and Sweet 16 perhaps tell a different story for Iowa, compared to most teams. Since 2009-10, 91.67% (44) of the 48 teams to finish in the Elite Eight ranked in the top 30 in adjusted defensive efficiency. But Iowa in 2019 is one of the 4 outliers. Likewise, 75% of the 96 teams to finish in the Sweet 16 since 2009-10 ranked in the top 40 in adjusted defensive efficiency. But the outliers include Iowa in 2021, the lowest ranked defense to finish in the Sweet 16 since 2009-10, and Iowa in 2015, the 5th lowest ranked defense to finish in the Sweet 16.
When you compare this year’s Iowa to other Iowa teams, there is cause for cautious optimism, even though doing it the Iowa way is a difficult path compared to the field. This year’s improved adjusted defensive efficiency rank of 54 is the same as it was when they reached the Elite Eight in 2019, much better than the 2015 and 2021 Sweet 16 teams, which were ranked 107th and 186th, respectively, and much better than last year’s rank of 99, when they lost to Creighton. Still, I was more optimistic earlier in the season when Iowa was hanging in the 30s in adjusted defensive efficiency.
This is an excellent point. Perimeter defenders look a hell of a lot better when they have elite shot blockers in the paint waiting to help. Our backcourt defenders don't have that luxury.
Thinking to next year…can any of our returning 4s or 5s shoot the 3? Correct me if I’m wrong but it doesn’t seem to be the case. Jada maybe?
Makes me wonder if next year might actually be the year we see 2 bigs on the floor at once — especially if Martin, Marshall (and McCabe) can keep hitting 3s at or above 40%.
But then again, maybe Bluder will just slide Kate to the 4 and start one of Kylie/Sydney. Probably more likely.
Makes me wonder if next year might actually be the year we see 2 bigs on the floor at once — especially if Martin, Marshall (and McCabe) can keep hitting 3s at or above 40%.
But then again, maybe Bluder will just slide Kate to the 4 and start one of Kylie/Sydney. Probably more likely.
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Hannah!!! This is awesome. I was hoping she'd make the All Freshman team but sadly she was snubbed in favor of the higher usage/volume freshmen on bad teams. But I did not at all expect her to get a 6POY nod!
I love how Caitlin winning POY was so unsurprising that no one even responded or liked this lmao
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I can imagine the outrage would have been epic if not. I am not one to vent much on the board, don’t like to read most, but that would have different!
Ediger's three-pointer looked decent in high school. She took some threes from Clark range. That's why I thought she might be a 4 at Iowa.
O'Grady can shoot the three (she's 1/5 in her career). Not sure we want her taking those, but her shot looks decent to my eye.
Stuelke was 29/83 (34.9%) from three in high school last year. She's 1/6 this year, but that gives me some hope that she could shoot the three okay with more reps. Then again Stuelke was also 66.8% from the line last year (she's 46.1% this year) so there's clearly something wrong with her shot, be it mental or physical.
I'm sure Indiana fans are bitching and moaning and crying their eyes out that it wasn't Berger
They are probably thinking of Holmes. She is definitely better than Czinano this year.
