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WBB Game Thread: lowa @ Drake

Drake played very well and it was a tough environment for Iowa but they fought through it. Was surprised Affolter didn't get some minutes with Martin struggling but Lisa tends to shorten the bench and stick with what's proven.

Belmont is favored to win the MVC this year, but Drake should be able to challenge them. #4/#5 Louisville struggled at Belmont today too, winning 75-70 and Belmont comes to Iowa City on the 20th which should be a good challenge.
 
Seems a year ago, we struggled early. Clark wasn’t shooting well and too many turnovers. got spanked by ISU. We only had 11 turnovers today. Not a great overall game. But I think the team will settle in
 
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It was an in state battle. Drake played very well and they are a good team. We did what we had to do to win when we were not at our best.
This. Remember the UNI football game in 2009 when it took blocking TWO FG attempts in a row, (impossible), to pull out a win in Kinnick no less, and then we're probably a Pick six Rick injury away from being #1 and playing for a title. These instate rivalry games mean a ton to the underdogs, and are never what they seem on paper...
 
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So I also think most people on here look down on the mid majors. As a fan of both Iowa and Drake I think as @kceasthawk said, this game means a lot to Drake. The Power 5 teams have almost every advantage and rarely go on the road as “there’s nothing to gain for them.” Actually think this was really good for the hawks to come out of this with a win.
 
So I also think most people on here look down on the mid majors. As a fan of both Iowa and Drake I think as @kceasthawk said, this game means a lot to Drake. The Power 5 teams have almost every advantage and rarely go on the road as “there’s nothing to gain for them.” Actually think this was really good for the hawks to come out of this with a win.
Absolutely. One of the reasons, (not just the officials mess), you don't see the men playing at UNI anymore. Their pretty solid some years, made up mostly of Iowa kids who would have liked to go to THE University of Iowa, and their going to play their asses off.....
 
So I also think most people on here look down on the mid majors. As a fan of both Iowa and Drake I think as @kceasthawk said, this game means a lot to Drake. The Power 5 teams have almost every advantage and rarely go on the road as “there’s nothing to gain for them.” Actually think this was really good for the hawks to come out of this with a win.
So true. With the NET ratings system they use now though you could definitely argue there is benefit to going on the road to a quality mid major. If Drake can finish in the top 75 of the NET, which they certainly look poised to do, this will be a Quad 1 win on our resume. Drake had a down year last year (19-14 overall record) and still finished NET #80, and they are better this year.

Very interested in the outcome of the Drake/Nebraska game next weekend.
 
Popped into the thread here and saw a lot of disappointment in the rebounding effort. They grabbed 14 offensive boards (5 by Monika) and 12 in the second half for a total of 14/54 chances or 25%.

Defense grabbed boards on 29/37 chances or 78% probably want to see 30-32 there, but overall this was a very good effort on the glass.
 
The team is lazy on defense and out of position way too much. As good as CC is, she can be a lot better than what she is on defense. Certainly could be she's tired, but that's on the coaches to give her a rest and trust some more of the bench. The bench has some really nice players that can hold their own (need some more scoring). Consistently giving up the backdoor today and not adjusting to the cuts Drake was making was purely a lack of effort and awareness. Czinano and Warnock are big liabilities on defense. Honestly liked that towards they end of regulation, Stuelke was in there instead of Warnock who had a rough game. Czinano you just have to live with much like Garza because she's such an offensive weapon. For this team to make a deep tourney run, they will have to improve on defense and that may mean sitting some starters for periods of time.
 
#4 is a joke ranking.
#5 got beat by 12 this week. #7 barely beat another Missouri Valley team. #8 only beat Southern by 24 (instead of the 53 we beat them by).

Until someone tells me all the teams that are definitely better than Iowa, I'm going to say the ranking is fine. Outside the top 2 teams, it's a crapshoot this year.
 
Drake played very well and it was a tough environment for Iowa but they fought through it. Was surprised Affolter didn't get some minutes with Martin struggling but Lisa tends to shorten the bench and stick with what's proven.

Belmont is favored to win the MVC this year, but Drake should be able to challenge them. #4/#5 Louisville struggled at Belmont today too, winning 75-70 and Belmont comes to Iowa City on the 20th which should be a good challenge.
Syd, Shateah and Taylor all should have gotten minutes. Perhaps Goodman also with Addy getting into foul trouble (someone said she banged her knee last game so maybe not playing her was precautionary.

I really don't think the coaches know what they have. Monica looked to be hurting late. You could tell the game was taking a toll her as Drake was very physical with her.

Bluder should have called a TO early when Iowa got behind and sent her message to her starters that they have to play defense to stay in the game. McKenna has 11 points but she and Martin both clearly struggled on defense.

But I agree Drake was highly motivated and shot very well. Iowa missed a lot of bunnies as Drake did a great job clogging the paint. Drake played physical and things were a little chippy. The refs should have done a better job. Also Drake got a TON of favorable calls. Katie Dinnebier drew a lot of favorable calls. There was on where the Iowa defender was straight up and Katie contorted to wrap around the defender and score. Great shot by Katie but absolutely no foul as the Iowa player did not make contact and Katie initiated everything.

Drake is a good team but with better game management we probably win by 10. I just hope the coaches can learn to trust the bench or we might not be so lucky in some of the future games on the schedule.
 
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https://www.goiowaawesome.com/iowa-...ball/2022/11/6093/4-iowa-92-drake-86-survival

Here's my recap of the Drake game. I think Iowa's lack of a rotation contributes to the defensive issues. If the starters know they have to go 35+ minutes, it's hard to sell out on defense. The lack of defensive effort leads to so many easy baskets.

I hope Coach Bluder gets more players involved in the Kansas State game.
Don't we have to say at some point with this roster that they kind of just are what they are? They just aren't very good defensively. Haven't been for 2+ years with the exact same starters playing most of the minutes. I don't think it's for lack of trying. They do give honest effort, they just aren't very quick and don't have anyone who can protect the rim. Good opponents are going to score against Iowa.

Yes, playing more people could improve the defense marginally, but at what cost? Iowa is exceedingly fun to watch, they share the ball and when the 3's are going in they are a sight to behold on that side of the floor. A very efficient post player, with a PG who is one of the top players in the country and 3 other players who (when making shots) space the floor and make them very difficult to guard. This was a good win for Iowa. Hope they can relax and play somewhat free rather than trying to live up to a #4 ranking.
 
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I understand the short bench and playing who you trust in a close game in front of a hostile crowd, but it seems like McCabe plays ok defense and might have hit some threes. I think shateah has shown some defense as well and her size may have helped on some of those drives. OGrady on defense never seemed to settle in, but she can be better on defense than Monica, but I think they were trying to draw fouls and thought they needed Monica's offense. This was an ugly win on the road, but hopefully it helps them get better.
 
Stulke needs more minutes - Not sure where they come from, but guessing some combination of MW, GM, and KM. Just look at her production and minutes played. If she got 20+ minutes, I think she'd average close to a double-double. I think she could be Freshman of the year in the Big10 if she gets more time - just not sure where it's going to come from. The other option is to try someone from the bench. At the very least, they give you fresh legs. KM and GM don't bring a lot to either end - they may hit a 3 every now and then, but given the number of minutes they play they don't produce much on the stat sheet.....

Great to have Monica back, but I'm afraid it's hindered OGrady (and other bigs) development. I was afraid that would happen when she announced she was coming back. She's a great player and will help a lot this year, but they're going to need a lot of improvement from the other bigs....
 
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Don't we have to say at some point with this roster that they kind of just are what they are? They just aren't very good defensively. Haven't been for 2+ years with the exact same starters playing most of the minutes. I don't think it's for lack of trying. They do give honest effort, they just aren't very quick and don't have anyone who can protect the rim. Good opponents are going to score against Iowa.

Yes, playing more people could improve the defense marginally, but at what cost? Iowa is exceedingly fun to watch, they share the ball and when the 3's are going in they are a sight to behold on that side of the floor. A very efficient post player, with a PG who is one of the top players in the country and 3 other players who (when making shots) space the floor and make them very difficult to guard. This was a good win for Iowa. Hope they can relax and play somewhat free rather than trying to live up to a #4 ranking.
Great post. They are what they. I’m along for the ride, and hoping for a top 15 finish and a Sweet 16. That would also mean a good Big Ten season.
 
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Great post. They are what they. I’m along for the ride, and hoping for a top 15 finish and a Sweet 16. That would also mean a good Big Ten season.
Agree. Of course I want them to get to a Final 4 but they aren't like South Carolina or UConn where they walk on the court and are going to make it hard for the other team to score with size and athleticism. They just don't have that. I'll choose to enjoy watching them play and hope they can have a great season.
 
TAKEAWAYS FROM THE GAME

1) Huge contrast in rebounding from first half to the second half
- 1H: Offense- 2/20 (10%) Defense- 13/17 (76.5%)
- 2H/OT: Offense- 12/34 (35.3%) Defense- 16/20 (80.0%)
- Czinano (5), Stuelke (3), Davis (2) combined for 10 second half offensive rebounds

2) Free throw shooting has to improve and is expected to improve
- 11/20 (55%) in regulation and 17/30 (57%) for the game
- 54/81 (66.7%) on the season
- The team was 84.6% from the line last year. If they do that in regulation and shoot 17-18/20, they probably win by 8-10 points.

3) Rebounding was better, but the overall defense was not great.
- Too many times Drake was able to drive to the hoop, face cut or back cut to the hoop for passes
- 48 points in the paint allowed - 77.4% of their non-3pt/FT points came in the paint
- Thought Molly Davis played some good defense
- They did force Drake into 23 turnovers and turned that into 21 points - Molly Davis, Gabbie Marshall and McKenna Warnock each had three steals

4) McKenna Warnock needs more shots and Gabbie Marshall needs to start making shots
- Warnock is very quietly shooting 43.4% from behind the arc for her career and she was 3/5 Sunday. Need to find a way to get her more looks outside because she shoots it very well.
- On the other hand, Gabbie Marshall is 2/12 (16.6%) from outside and 5/19 (26.3%) from the floor. She has to get going.

5) Hannah Stuelke can be a key contributor off the bench, but won't be until she gets a little more controlled
- She is averaging a foul every 4:52 so far this year which means she will average 3 fouls over 15 minutes. Going to be hard to get her to the 20 minutes that Lisa Bluder thinks she can play if she fouls at that rate
- However, she is averaging 26.2 points and 17.0 rebounds per 40 minutes, including 5.0 offensive rebounds.

6) The team only turned it over 11 times yesterday and it led to just 9 Drake points. Second chance and points off turnover battle was won 33-17 by Iowa

7) Surprised Sydney Affolter and Taylor McCabe did not play a single minute of the game.
- Bluder said she thinks they will play more players in future close games, but it depends on the situation, how practice has been, etc

8) Drake is a good basketball team and they will be a contender in the MVC this year
- First tough environment, overtime, bad free throw shooting, Caitlin Clark shot 9/28 and the defense struggled to stop scoring in the paint and Iowa still found a way to win
- Iowa also shot 33/79 (41.8%) from the floor and 9/27 (33.3%) from 3pt range, which is below their 50.2% and 36.1% average a year ago.
- 13/20 meetings have been decided by 13 points or less. 5 of last 8 by single digits. Iowa has won 19/20, which means this game wasn't much different than the norm for the series.

Warren Nolan RPI site projected 76-71, so they did not expect Iowa to walk in and walk out with an easy win. Plenty of things to clean up of course, but certainly not a bad win to have in the third game of the season.
 
I think that game was exactly what the Hawks needed….. Dan Gable used to slap his wrestlers in the face before they took the mat….. he did pretty well…… think this might be the Iowa women’s proverbial slap in the face

Bluder should have their full attention now….. they’ll be fine
 
It was an in state battle. Drake played very well and they are a good team. We did what we had to do to win when we were not at our best.
Sorry, They really shouldn't struggle against Drake. It looked to me like they believe the polls and walked in there thinking they were going to roll. Team is definitely overated.
 
Sorry, They really shouldn't struggle against Drake. It looked to me like they believe the polls and walked in there thinking they were going to roll. Team is definitely overated.
13 of the last 20 meetings against Drake have been decided by 13 points or less. 5 of the last 8 by single digits. Having talked to players and Coach Bluder ahead of the game, they were well aware that Drake was a good team and the environment was going to be tough.
 
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TAKEAWAYS FROM THE GAME

1) Huge contrast in rebounding from first half to the second half
- 1H: Offense- 2/20 (10%) Defense- 13/17 (76.5%)
- 2H/OT: Offense- 12/34 (35.3%) Defense- 16/20 (80.0%)
- Czinano (5), Stuelke (3), Davis (2) combined for 10 second half offensive rebounds

2) Free throw shooting has to improve and is expected to improve
- 11/20 (55%) in regulation and 17/30 (57%) for the game
- 54/81 (66.7%) on the season
- The team was 84.6% from the line last year. If they do that in regulation and shoot 17-18/20, they probably win by 8-10 points.

3) Rebounding was better, but the overall defense was not great.
- Too many times Drake was able to drive to the hoop, face cut or back cut to the hoop for passes
- 48 points in the paint allowed - 77.4% of their non-3pt/FT points came in the paint
- Thought Molly Davis played some good defense
- They did force Drake into 23 turnovers and turned that into 21 points - Molly Davis, Gabbie Marshall and McKenna Warnock each had three steals

4) McKenna Warnock needs more shots and Gabbie Marshall needs to start making shots
- Warnock is very quietly shooting 43.4% from behind the arc for her career and she was 3/5 Sunday. Need to find a way to get her more looks outside because she shoots it very well.
- On the other hand, Gabbie Marshall is 2/12 (16.6%) from outside and 5/19 (26.3%) from the floor. She has to get going.

5) Hannah Stuelke can be a key contributor off the bench, but won't be until she gets a little more controlled
- She is averaging a foul every 4:52 so far this year which means she will average 3 fouls over 15 minutes. Going to be hard to get her to the 20 minutes that Lisa Bluder thinks she can play if she fouls at that rate
- However, she is averaging 26.2 points and 17.0 rebounds per 40 minutes, including 5.0 offensive rebounds.

6) The team only turned it over 11 times yesterday and it led to just 9 Drake points. Second chance and points off turnover battle was won 33-17 by Iowa

7) Surprised Sydney Affolter and Taylor McCabe did not play a single minute of the game.
- Bluder said she thinks they will play more players in future close games, but it depends on the situation, how practice has been, etc

8) Drake is a good basketball team and they will be a contender in the MVC this year
- First tough environment, overtime, bad free throw shooting, Caitlin Clark shot 9/28 and the defense struggled to stop scoring in the paint and Iowa still found a way to win
- Iowa also shot 33/79 (41.8%) from the floor and 9/27 (33.3%) from 3pt range, which is below their 50.2% and 36.1% average a year ago.
- 13/20 meetings have been decided by 13 points or less. 5 of last 8 by single digits. Iowa has won 19/20, which means this game wasn't much different than the norm for the series.

Warren Nolan RPI site projected 76-71, so they did not expect Iowa to walk in and walk out with an easy win. Plenty of things to clean up of course, but certainly not a bad win to have in the third game of the season.
I like what your said about Warnock shooting more. I'd like CC bulk shooting to come down to around 20/game especially when she's cold.

Spreading the shots around will make the team more versatile and We're harder to defend.

Also, Drake lead the mvc until KD was injured last year. If they stay healthy they'll win the mvc and be a tourney team.
 
It took about one minute of this game to make me feel like I was watching a replay of the Creighton game. Kinda the same feeling I had watching the football team vs SDSU: just more of the same from previous season. Drake women like Meyer and especially Dinnebier not intimidated by Caitlin because they've played against her since 9th grade. Rest of the Iowa team looked dazed most of the time. Hard to say someone didn't have a good game when they score 30+ points, but that's how I felt watching Monica.

We did survive, but after listening all off-season about how they kept reminding each other how the Creighton loss made them feel....Need to walk the walk ladies.
 
TAKEAWAYS FROM THE GAME

1) Huge contrast in rebounding from first half to the second half
- 1H: Offense- 2/20 (10%) Defense- 13/17 (76.5%)
- 2H/OT: Offense- 12/34 (35.3%) Defense- 16/20 (80.0%)
- Czinano (5), Stuelke (3), Davis (2) combined for 10 second half offensive rebounds

2) Free throw shooting has to improve and is expected to improve
- 11/20 (55%) in regulation and 17/30 (57%) for the game
- 54/81 (66.7%) on the season
- The team was 84.6% from the line last year. If they do that in regulation and shoot 17-18/20, they probably win by 8-10 points.

3) Rebounding was better, but the overall defense was not great.
- Too many times Drake was able to drive to the hoop, face cut or back cut to the hoop for passes
- 48 points in the paint allowed - 77.4% of their non-3pt/FT points came in the paint
- Thought Molly Davis played some good defense
- They did force Drake into 23 turnovers and turned that into 21 points - Molly Davis, Gabbie Marshall and McKenna Warnock each had three steals

4) McKenna Warnock needs more shots and Gabbie Marshall needs to start making shots
- Warnock is very quietly shooting 43.4% from behind the arc for her career and she was 3/5 Sunday. Need to find a way to get her more looks outside because she shoots it very well.
- On the other hand, Gabbie Marshall is 2/12 (16.6%) from outside and 5/19 (26.3%) from the floor. She has to get going.

5) Hannah Stuelke can be a key contributor off the bench, but won't be until she gets a little more controlled
- She is averaging a foul every 4:52 so far this year which means she will average 3 fouls over 15 minutes. Going to be hard to get her to the 20 minutes that Lisa Bluder thinks she can play if she fouls at that rate
- However, she is averaging 26.2 points and 17.0 rebounds per 40 minutes, including 5.0 offensive rebounds.

6) The team only turned it over 11 times yesterday and it led to just 9 Drake points. Second chance and points off turnover battle was won 33-17 by Iowa

7) Surprised Sydney Affolter and Taylor McCabe did not play a single minute of the game.
- Bluder said she thinks they will play more players in future close games, but it depends on the situation, how practice has been, etc

8) Drake is a good basketball team and they will be a contender in the MVC this year
- First tough environment, overtime, bad free throw shooting, Caitlin Clark shot 9/28 and the defense struggled to stop scoring in the paint and Iowa still found a way to win
- Iowa also shot 33/79 (41.8%) from the floor and 9/27 (33.3%) from 3pt range, which is below their 50.2% and 36.1% average a year ago.
- 13/20 meetings have been decided by 13 points or less. 5 of last 8 by single digits. Iowa has won 19/20, which means this game wasn't much different than the norm for the series.

Warren Nolan RPI site projected 76-71, so they did not expect Iowa to walk in and walk out with an easy win. Plenty of things to clean up of course, but certainly not a bad win to have in the third game of the season.
I was very surprised Affolter (or Wetering) didn't play against Drake. As undersized_post mentioned, Kate clearly isn't the same player with the mask on.

I agree that Warnock needs to get more shots, but they also need to be good shots. She shoots so well because most of her shots come when she's set and open. In a few games last year she tried rushing some shots to get them up and her mechanics broke down.

I'm not sure where McCabe would fit into the rotation. That's not a knock on her talent, but yesterday Marshall and Davis played 70 minutes combined while Clark 43. Unless we plan to play with 3 of Clark, Marshall, Davis, and McCabe for extended time, there just aren't enough minutes to go around.
 
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Sorry, They really shouldn't struggle against Drake. It looked to me like they believe the polls and walked in there thinking they were going to roll. Team is definitely overated.
And you say that because why?
 
Don't we have to say at some point with this roster that they kind of just are what they are? They just aren't very good defensively. Haven't been for 2+ years with the exact same starters playing most of the minutes. I don't think it's for lack of trying. They do give honest effort, they just aren't very quick and don't have anyone who can protect the rim. Good opponents are going to score against Iowa.

Yes, playing more people could improve the defense marginally, but at what cost? Iowa is exceedingly fun to watch, they share the ball and when the 3's are going in they are a sight to behold on that side of the floor. A very efficient post player, with a PG who is one of the top players in the country and 3 other players who (when making shots) space the floor and make them very difficult to guard. This was a good win for Iowa. Hope they can relax and play somewhat free rather than trying to live up to a #4 ranking.
That is a losing attitude. If you're the coaches you don't just play the starters because they're starters. You have to demand more. Defensively Gabbie played her ass off but even she was gassed because Bluder refused to go to her bench.

I don't know if the coaches are scared or just don't understand how much better defensively the 2nd team is.

Yes it's true that when the spacing is good and the shots are falling, the starting lineup is tough to guard. But the shots were not falling and the spacing was horrible, especially in the first quarter. Bluder should have gone to the bench and replaced Mckenna and Kate right away with Syd and Hannah or Shateah and Hannah. All three have rebounded their asses off the first two games and have shown they can get to the rim. Plus they are all better defenders.

McKenna came back and made some shots but she was a defensive liability. Kate just didn't have a good game. Usually she's much more crisp so maybe you just let her take a seat and play the hot hand. And not getting Taylor McCabe any minutes is just idiotic. At the very least they could have put her in at the end of each quarter and tried to free her for a shot.

If Bluder can't figure out how to utilize her bench any chance of a Final Four goes out the window. I understand she is offensively oriented but at some point you have to shake things up even it's just for a stretch.
 
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I was very surprised Affolter (or Wetering) didn't play against Drake. As undersized_post mentioned, Kate clearly isn't the same player with the mask on.

I agree that Warnock needs to get more shots, but they also need to be good shots. She shoots so well because most of her shots come when she's set and open. In a few games last year she tried rushing some shots to get them up and her mechanics broke down.

I'm not sure where McCabe would fit into the rotation. That's not a knock on her talent, but yesterday Marshall and Davis played 70 minutes combined while Clark 43. Unless we plan to play with 3 of Clark, Marshall, Davis, and McCabe for extended time, there just aren't enough minutes to go around.
Davis and Marshall both played well but you could see how gassed they were. If Bluder plays McCabe 10 minutes and Davis/Marshall combine for 60 they have a chance to rest. We didn't have a lot of outside shots yesterday so I say give the other guards a breather and try to free Taylor on a screen.
 
It appears CC is susceptible to the yips.
Drake got in her head a bit.
Drake had 9 blocks to our 1. That should not happen.
Iowa looked like the hunted.
 
That is a losing attitude. If you're the coaches you don't just play the starters because they're starters. You have to demand more. Defensively Gabbie played her ass off but even she was gassed because Bluder refused to go to her bench.

I don't know if the coaches are scared or just don't understand how much better defensively the 2nd team is.

Yes it's true that when the spacing is good and the shots are falling, the starting lineup is tough to guard. But the shots were not falling and the spacing was horrible, especially in the first quarter. Bluder should have gone to the bench and replaced Mckenna and Kate right away with Syd and Hannah or Shateah and Hannah. All three have rebounded their asses off the first two games and have shown they can get to the rim. Plus they are all better defenders.

McKenna came back and made some shots but she was a defensive liability. Kate just didn't have a good game. Usually she's much more crisp so maybe you just let her take a seat and play the hot hand. And not getting Taylor McCabe any minutes is just idiotic. At the very least they could have put her in at the end of each quarter and tried to free her for a shot.

If Bluder can't figure out how to utilize her bench any chance of a Final Four goes out the window. I understand she is offensively oriented but at some point you have to shake things up even it's just for a stretch.
I do agree that they probably have to play the bench more. My issue is that outside of Stuelke (the freshman, sorry I'm mispelling) and Davis, I'm not sure there's a lot to be gained by playing the bench more. The other players are not better than the starters, and it's not very close.

It's why the recruiting since Clark came on board hasn't been over the top great. Yes, Iowa gets a lot of interest from girls wanting to play with Clark. But anyone coming in after her freshman year has been blocked for multiple years by all the other starters being here. It's a good news, bad news situation. Great to have experience, but there is a ceiling with the roster. I don't really know what the answer is. It's hard to just move out multiple-year starters who have played on teams that won a lot of games.
 
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Agr
I do agree that they probably have to play the bench more. My issue is that outside of Stuelke (the freshman, sorry I'm mispelling) and Davis, I'm not sure there's a lot to be gained by playing the bench more. The other players are not better than the starters, and it's not very close.

It's why the recruiting since Clark came on board hasn't been over the top great. Yes, Iowa gets a lot of interest from girls wanting to play with Clark. But anyone coming in after her freshman year has been blocked for multiple years by all the other starters being here. It's a good news, bad news situation. Great to have experience, but there is a ceiling with the roster. I don't really know what the answer is. It's hard to just move out multiple-year starters who have played on teams that won a lot of games.
Unless Clark just takes over in the tournament I fear you are correct with the current roster having a ceiling. Clear lack of athleticism. Stuelke hopefully will continue to come along quickly as we need that size and athleticism. She is a wild card to how much she can help.
 
I do agree that they probably have to play the bench more. My issue is that outside of Stuelke (the freshman, sorry I'm mispelling) and Davis, I'm not sure there's a lot to be gained by playing the bench more. The other players are not better than the starters, and it's not very close.

It's why the recruiting since Clark came on board hasn't been over the top great. Yes, Iowa gets a lot of interest from girls wanting to play with Clark. But anyone coming in after her freshman year has been blocked for multiple years by all the other starters being here. It's a good news, bad news situation. Great to have experience, but there is a ceiling with the roster. I don't really know what the answer is. It's hard to just move out multiple-year starters who have played on teams that won a lot of games.
You only have to be better when the game is played. If a player is having an off game, you go to your bench and at least try to change things up.

Syd and Taylor were both four star Top 100 recruits so there's a lot of upside with both of them. We don't know what they can really do until they get an actual chance. Syd has looked vastly improved and Taylor has held her own so far.

I think Syd and Taylor have very high ceilings. From what I've seen of Shateah she has a higher ceiling than the rankings project -- likely because she played for a small town school.

We also need to go to the bench to keep players legs fresh and keep players healthy. Marshall was clearly gassed and you could see how much of a physical toll the game was taking on Czinano. She was moving very gingerly last in the game.
 
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It appears CC is susceptible to the yips.
Drake got in her head a bit.
Drake had 9 blocks to our 1. That should not happen.
Iowa looked like the hunted.
I don't think she had the yips. Her 3-point shooting dropped off quite a bit from freshman to sophomore year, from nearly 41% to 33% last year. That is a big drop for a volume shooter like Clark. She did improve on her ability to get to the line, going from a little under 6 FTA per game as a freshman to just over 7 last year.

The goal for the opponent when playing Iowa isn't to stop Clark, no one really can as she can get her shot off most any time. It's to make her inefficient. When she's hitting nearly 41% of 3's at that high volume, that is special. When she's hitting 33% with a very pedestrian 1.6 Assist to turnover ratio (that's her career number), that is not efficient. The goal for most teams will be for her to have a stat line like she did against Drake. 9-28 on field goals and 4-14 on 3's. That's really all you can hope for when playing Iowa. She's so good she's going to get shots and she's going to get to the line. Can they make her work for those shots?
 
I don't think she had the yips. Her 3-point shooting dropped off quite a bit from freshman to sophomore year, from nearly 41% to 33% last year. That is a big drop for a volume shooter like Clark. She did improve on her ability to get to the line, going from a little under 6 FTA per game as a freshman to just over 7 last year.

The goal for the opponent when playing Iowa isn't to stop Clark, no one really can as she can get her shot off most any time. It's to make her inefficient. When she's hitting nearly 41% of 3's at that high volume, that is special. When she's hitting 33% with a very pedestrian 1.6 Assist to turnover ratio (that's her career number), that is not efficient. The goal for most teams will be for her to have a stat line like she did against Drake. 9-28 on field goals and 4-14 on 3's. That's really all you can hope for when playing Iowa. She's so good she's going to get shots and she's going to get to the line. Can they make her work for those shots?
Caitlin seems to have poorer games when she puts up a lot of shots; was this way in high school too. I understand that shooters need to keep shooting but sometimes it's better to take that inside and make some hay at the line.
 
Clark doesn't have the yips. It's just the law of averages. So far in 3 games she's shooting 56% from 2 and 36% from 3. Both are above last year's average even with the bad game against Drake. She was better than average against Evansville and Southern and had an off night against Drake. It happens.

The problem for Iowa is that when Clark has an off night, someone has to step up and fill her production. Czinano stepped up against Drake, but other than the 1 good shooting minute from Marshall and Warnock, no one else really did. That can't happen.
 
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Clark doesn't have the yips. It's just the law of averages. So far in 3 games she's shooting 56% from 2 and 36% from 3. Both are above last year's average even with the bad game against Drake. She was better than average against Evansville and Southern and had an off night against Drake. It happens.

The problem for Iowa is that when Clark has an off night, someone has to step up and fill her production. Czinano stepped up against Drake, but other than the 1 good shooting minute from Marshall and Warnock, no one else really did. That can't happen.
She put up a shot in OT from free throw line, unguarded and didn't even hit the net. To me she seemed to be forcing some shots. I would suggest she played stress free in earlier games.
This looked like Creighton 2.0 except for M.C. who was just in beast mode all night.
Clark's assists are much more consistent and a thing a beauty.
The chemistry in the law firm is pretty amazing.
 
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