Guru’s WBB March Madness - I: SEC Opens With Three Wins
It has been two weeks since the toughest conference in America, the Southeastern, has played a game, the longest layoff of any conference.
In the Covid atmosphere, teams have gotten used to breaks.
But now every game is an elimination game. Even if most of the league teams are favored in the opening games, the other teams have a hunger to measure up with the SEC, with veteran coaches trying to make a career win. None did.
All three SEC teams won on opening day and advanced to a win away from the Sweet 16, as six games to the championship kicked in.
Interestingly enough, all the top seeds plus a No. 2 played Sunday.
The winners advanced to the Round of 32, which is good enough for next season’s media guide.
Tennessee 79, Middle Tennessee State 55
The Lady Vols earned their 17th win with several runs and second-half dominance.
UT refugee Anastasia Hayes had a good game and scored 22, but only six until the closing minutes of the first half.
Rennia Davis showed her form with 22, Rae Burrell with 18.
The Lady Vols get the Big Ten’s Michigan on Tuesday for the Sweet 16 qualifier.
This is the kind of game Pat Head used to schedule; Play every women’s team in the state.
With good opposing coaches as she spread the word about women’s hoops.
No other team in America has played in every NCAA tournament.
This was a tournament game on network TV.
They have beaten MTSU 21 straight times. They lost in the first round for only the second time in program history in the previous tournament.
For the current No.13 Lady Vols, a rebuild of the legacy under coach Kellie Harper starts with an in-state team.
This is the better typical fourth-place in the Southeastern Conference is than a champion of another conference comparison.
This is Middle Tennessee’s 19th NCAA Tournament appearance and 10th under coach Rick Insell.
Guess what?
His son is Matt Insell, a recent Mississippi coach who has game planned against the UT upperclassmen.
MTSU had four double-figure scorers, led by junior Anastasia Hayes at a sparkling 20.8 points per game. That was the focus of the UT defense.
She started her career at Tennessee as the best of what was the best recruiting class in America.
She was the SEC 6th Woman of the Year as a freshman, finishing with averages of 9.3 points and 3.5 assists.
Obviously, she was the first player off the Lady Vol bench, 27 times, playing in every game, averaging 24.3 minutes.
She scored in double figures 18 times. Her 3.5 assists per game was fourth all-time by a Lady Vol freshman. She finished second on the team in assists (114) and steals (44).
In the SEC Tournament, she led the Lady Vols against No. 8 South Carolina with 17 points, four assists and four steals.
But the previous UT coach was already showing burnout and she fled the team to go back home. What a marvelous circle of life brings her back to the spotlight against her original team.
But there is also her sophomore sister, Aislynn Hayes (14.0), Courtney Whitson (10.8 with 7.1 rebounds) and Deja Cage (10.8). the latter two with 54 3s each.
The Hayes played in their hometown, Murfreesboro.
There was a vertical challenge. As we have documented, UT is the tallest team in its conference, with seven players 6-0 or better. Those scorers on MTSU are all 5-8 or less.
Tennessee answers the points with seniors Rennia Davis (17.2), an Associated Press All-American, Kasiyahna Kushkituha, (6.5), juniors Rae Burrell (16.8, with 92 3s), and sophomores Tamari Key (8.8) and Jordan Horston (8.7).
The break allowed more recovery to rookie point guard Marta Suarez. She started 14 games before a leg injury and played in eight with limited minutes since.
“We’ve been able to get some time off and focus on academics,” Harper said.
Another weird Covid impact is the idea they will not be back to campus for weeks, if they win.
“We’re looking forward to the opportunity that we have to go down and keep playing some basketball at the NCAA Tournament,” she said.
They spent a week learning about MTSU.
”This is probably the first year in a long time that I haven’t been able to catch many of their games. I’ve seen them play quite a bit, historically.
“They’re usually really good at what they do. They don’t overcomplicate things. They make the game very simple, and they execute very well, whether that’s on the offensive end or the defensive end.
That’s what I know about his program and how he coaches. I have a lot of respect for them.
“Actually, it was more than one summer; I played for him a few years in AAU.
“He was the high school coach at Shelbyville, and I played at White County, so I also played against him growing up.
“And then, honestly, as a head coach when I was at Western Carolina and at Missouri State we played Middle.
“So, like I said earlier, I’ve been very familiar with them throughout the years, and what their program does.
“Talking about playing against a coach that I played for, I did have the opportunity to play against Pat a couple times.
“You know, those moments are neat, when you have a relationship across the floor and you know them so well. And again, there’s just so much respect there.
“We’ve tried to have a combination of practice, to stay sharp, to get better at some things, review some things and add a few wrinkles here and there.
“ We balance that with rest time to get our bodies well. We were pretty beat up coming out of the SEC Tournament, so this has been a good time for us to try to get healthy.
“We’ve tried to enjoy each other. We had a practice on the outdoor court, which was fun. We used that as a really light day.
“We traveled Wednesday. I knew things are going to look different for us when we get down to San Antonio.
“So, we want to get a lot of the heavy stuff done before we leave .
On the potential road ahead of the Lady Vols in the tournament: “You could pick it apart. I’ve always felt like you get to the tournament, and you’re excited about whatever seed you are and whatever seed you’ve earned, but the games are more about match-ups.
“The numbers, at this point, don’t matter. It is about how you match up with the particular team that you’re going to be playing. I’m sure that there are teams in our region that we match up well with, and I’m sure that there are teams that we don’t match up well with.
“They didn’t get my opinion when they started putting those together. I didn’t get to say who we would want to play. There are so many good teams. At this point, you have to be your best, regardless of who you are playing.
“‘Oh, I think the mental break is as much needed as the physical break. I think sometimes they need a refresher. Now, obviously, you don’t want to be rusty when game time comes, so hopefully we can ramp it back up before we hit the court, but there is a mental fatigue that I think players go through.
“You know, our league was unbelievably tough and competitive all season long and through the tournament, so I think just getting a chance to breathe a little bit and even to focus on something else for a little bit – some academics – I think it’s been good for our team.”
On being only the second women’s coach and only active one to lead four different schools to the NCAA Tournament: “It means I’ve had really good players wherever I’ve been.
“We’ve been able to enjoy the selection show multiple times. I tell you what, there are a lot of talented players out there that never have a chance to play in the NCAA Tournament, so I never take that for granted. I’m just really grateful that I’ve been in really good positions to be able to coach teams that could compete at that level.
“I’ve always thought that, in an athletic department, success breeds success, especially when you have teams of like sports.
“So, your basketball (teams), when they’re succeeding together, I think it gets everybody excited about the sport and about our university and our athletic department. Hopefully they’ll come ready and they’ll be tough and compete. We’re excited about them and watching them and supporting them, and hopefully we can follow suit on Sunday.
“You know, I think when you pull for each other and you build on each other’s success, it’s just a snowball effect and you just ride that. I hope our fans are excited.’
’’Honestly, I hadn’t thought about (being the Tennessee coach in the NCAA tournament.) When you put it like that, it’s a big deal. It’s pretty cool. We’re a tournament sport. You work all season and have a great season and the journey is such a big part of what we do.
“It brings you here. It brings you to the NCAA Tournament. That’s what this program has built its legacy on: winning.
“To be able to lead this program into the NCAA Tournament, it’s exciting times.
“This game feels like it is a long time coming. We’ve been off for a long time and have been down here in San Antonio for a few days.
“ We’ve got a tough opponent that knows how to win, and they’ll be very disciplined and have a game plan that they’ll come out and execute. We have to be locked in. You don’t just walk out here and win, you have to walk out and be a really good basketball team to continue to advance.”
She worked to eliminate the on-site distractions caused by the NCAA mishandling workout venues and other preparations.
“There is a lot there. On the way down, we didn’t know what it would look like. We talked to the team about handling whatever it is.
“It’s not going to look normal, and we knew it wouldn’t look normal. It’s not been perfect. There have been some things, obviously, that we would like to change, but our players have really handled everything well.
“They have moved from event to event very well, they’ve been flexible, and for us, we’re handling things.
“It is disappointing when you see the pictures and you see the discrepancies between the two tournaments. I think it’s really disappointing. But when you’re around our team here, they’ve been grateful. They have been wonderful to deal with, and I think they are just excited to play basketball.
“The practice times have been a bit all over the map, in terms of what times they have been. You might have an early one, and you have a practice then a COVID test. With the COVID test, you’re allowed an hour-and-a-half to two hours from door-to-door to get that finished and finalized. So, that has taken up quite a bit of time.
“Once we were out of quarantine, we were able to move into a meeting space, where we can kind of watch film, the players can come do treatment and they can have study halls. Meals have been, basically for the most part, delivered, so they come in boxes and you’re having meals in your room by yourself.
“We did have to travel over to Austin to practice on Friday, and we had to leave here at 6:30 in the morning on Friday to go over and practice. So, that was after coming off a late-night practice, and we walked off the court at 9 p.m. on Thursday night. So, logistically, things haven’t been the easiest, but we’ve handled it.”
She continued to learn about MTSU.
“Well, there are a couple things, obviously. Annie (Anastasia) Hayes is a terrific and dynamic scorer for them. She does a great job getting to the basket and getting herself to the free-throw line.
“Their system is set up for her to do that, because they are putting four shooters behind the 3-point line and they are going to spread you out.
‘Basically, it is saying, pick what you want to do. Do you want to help off on to her, and she’ll kick to 3s, or do you want to let her go one on one, and she’s a 26-point scorer going one-on-one?
“That is where they present a challenge to anybody they are playing, and you’ve got to decide how you’re going to guard.
“ I think, defensively, they’ve got some players that’ll get after you, and they’ll try to pressure the ball a bit and try to deny some passes. Then they are going to play hard, they are going to be very well disciplined, and they’re going to play hard and not back down.”
Besides the idea Hayes started at UT then transferred away from the previous coach, there is the overall footprint on the state.
“Coach Insell has meant a lot to girls’ basketball in the state of Tennessee, and obviously women’s basketball on a national scale as well.
“Growing up in the state in the time he was coaching a powerhouse in Shelbyville, you knew who he was, and you know he was consistently producing All-Americans and national championship teams.
“I had an opportunity to play for him in AAU for a few summers, I loved playing for him, and he does a great job motivating his players. I really have a lot of respect for him in how he coaches and what he’s been able to do.
“So, I think it’s such a winning program, and he has a lot of respect in our community. I think that it is a big game for the state of Tennessee.
“The good thing is, we are not going into this game saying, ‘Let’s get the offensive boards, we haven’t done that this year, so let’s try that.’ We’re going in to do what we’ve done all year long, and I think that’s important.
100 percent, I think I could’ve answered that question for him, and I would’ve known that’s what he would say, just because of size and stats to be honest with you.
“But they’ll be disciplined, they’ll box out, and we will have to be really good on the boards to be able to continue to outrebound our opponents.”
MTSU would have started their season with Louisville and Vanderbilt, but Covid canceled those. They lost three before defeating NCAA qualifier Troy well into December on their way to the Conference USA title at 17-7, an automatic qualifier.
it started tight with the stars – Davis and Anastasia Hayes – propelling each offense . UT was more energtic, with a 154-5 led that did not hold. MTSU Methodically used defense to cut into it.
UT led by six at the quarter break. MTSU continued its comeback with a 14-10 run to start the second. The Lady Vols had no solution for Anastasia Hayes, inspired against the team that shoved her aside. Sometimes, that is all it takes.
Neither side could gran momentum. Aislyn Hayes and Alexis Whittington were more help to Anastasia Hayes. No Lady Vol except Davis had more than four. Would she tire out?
UT had more rebounds but it didn’t seem to matter. UT was shooting 10 percent better but it didn’t seem to matter. MTSU hit 10-of-18 points in the stretch and that is what kept it even.
The Raiders led by four with four minutes left in the half. Key rejected a shot. MTSU missed the shot clock. Key got fouled and tied it at 34 with free throws.
Anastasia Hayes rose to 16 halftime points . She was inspired off her old mates. She was blocked, Burrell took the drive the length of the court.
She was fouled. hit both free throws and tied it.
MTSU had the last possession,. UT forced another shot clock violation but did nothing with the possession. Davis had 13 and Burrell nine.
MTSU’s Whittington and Aislyn Hayes were stuck on seven for most of the quarter. Middle Tennessee’s six 3s—two by Whitson -- to one by UT kept them in it.
It was 36-all to open the second half. Tennessee won the first quarter 21-18. MTSU did the same in the second.
Davis scored first. Anastasia Hayes missed. Burrell traveled on a breakaway. UT was running. Key was fouled on a drive. UT formed a zone with its taller players. They forced three turnovers, or as many as the Raiders had in the opening half It was a 6-0 run.
They were encouraged by the idea they were competitive in every game except the SEC tournament blowout by South Carolina.
Anastasia Hayes finally got points at the line. Burrell answered with a jumper and the lead stayed at six.
MTSU’s first basket at the half was a 3 by Cage. UT kept a 10-0 edge in the paint. Kushkituah scored twice. The lead grew to 14.
The anticipated run was under way, interrupted only by three fouls on Burrell.
Kushkituah had two, both offensive fouls on drives, but then she took an offensive rebound for a score and was fouled.
Tennessee was playing SEC style. One on possession, they grabbed three offensive rebounds, now up to 17. Horston followed a breakaway and smacked the ball out of bounds. Aislyn Hayes hit a 3 for her 12th point.
Tennessee made it a 13-point quarter advantage with her final shot of the quarter. She had 17, already doubled with 10 rebounds.
Playing their game, the Lady Vols maintained, starting fourth, 12-5.
The early rust was knocked askew. Go away, small conference team.
Harper could begin formulating “they were a worthy opponent,” speech. ABC started showing UT interviews during times out.
It was a 24-point lead with four minutes left.
Relentless, the Lady Vols kept the pressure on. Harper managed to get three subs into the NCAA record book with limited minutes.
The stars took a late-game bench break.
Anastasia Hayes showed well enough but couldn’t do it ll herself, which was apparently the MTSU offensive plan.
She scored the majority of her second-half points late, against the UT mop-up crew and finished with 26, but 9 -of-25 to get there. When you blow the big revenge factor, you are a distraction at best.
Her sister scored 15; each had three 3s.
Davis, of course, was elegantly efficient with 24 and 14 rebounds. Burrell scored 22, Key 13 and Kushkituah 10. Jordan Walker had 13 rebounds, a career high.
Harper said, immediately after the game at courtside, “The message wasn’t different as far as execution, we just had to use our length. Our communication was excellent. We were patient in a lot of our possessions, Once we were patiently aggressive, we had it.
“We set the tone in the third quarter on how we were going to guard. Kasi and Tamari both established themselves.
“Before the game I told this was a long time coming, not just counting the two weeks off.
“ I hate that we did not have the opportunity last year to learn and grow from it. We worked a lot on our patience offensively, finding things but not forcing us.
“Jordan Walker gets into it. She is hard-nosed. Someone forget to tell her she is not as big as the others.
“We have been working a lot on the small forward position, especially without Marta Suarez.
“We’ve been practicing a lot on our one. As the game went on, we got better and better. I was excited to see our bigs in the lineup in the third. {Davis and Burrell) are two dynamic who are hard to guard. We got them in transition.
“We’ve had our share of adversity, injuries, Covid. It’s not been easy for them. There’s no doubt that you have to overcome it. We have handled it. We don’t panic, we overcome it and we come out in the third quarter and win it.”
South Carolina 79, Mercer 53
OK, so it’s no surprise when a No. 1 seed drops a No.16.
South Carolina did the expected in its opener.
The 23-12 start was enough to hold No. 6 seed Mercer at bay.
Coach Dawn Staley has done anther remarkable job leading a team with three sophomore starters, the youngest in the NCAA tournament.
None of her players have NCAA tournament experience, yet here they are.
She is undoubtedly one of the top two coaches in the league this season according to social media reports.
The best team in the league, the conference tournament champ and No.1 national seed matched its three-game win streak accomplished in the league tournament against the best in in the Southern Conference, a16 seed with a four-game win streak.
Despite not being the highest ranked SEC team nationally, at No. 5, the former top-ranked team in the nation is among the legitimate favorites to win it all. But the six games required now starts with the Bears.
SC outscores the Bears (19-7) by eight points per game; each side allows 59.
SC starts 5-9 sophomore zoomin’ Zia Cooke (15.9 points per game), 6-5 sophomore center Aliyah Boston (13.7.with 11.7 rebounds and 74 blocks), 5-7 junior guard Destanni Henderson (12.6 with 135 assists), 6-2 junior forward Victaria Saxton (8.7 with 33 steals ) and 66-a sophomore guard Brea Beal (7.5).
Saxton and Beal have missed only one start. Boston is a first team Associated Press All-American and one of four finalists for the Naismith Player of the Year.
“No matter who you play, you’re going to have to play,” coach Staley said.
“And it’s the first round, it’s the second round. As you advance into this tournament, it gets harder and harder, no matter if it’s parity-filled or not, it just gets harder.”
This is her ninth straight NCAA appearance, even if the majority of the players have never been in one.
“Your preparation is the same but it just seems like it’s always an uphill battle for us anyway. So we’ll look at it that way no matter who we’re playing. We got an uphill battle that we feel real good about. And we control our own destiny. If we don’t beat ourselves up, I like what we’re doing out there on the floor.”
They departed immediately for San Antonio, packing for more than one weekend.
“This team’s identity is a lot different than last year’s team,” Staley said. “So, this team is just continuing trying to figure it out. Last year’s team really knew what our potential was and how to cater to that. This year, we’re just trying to figure it out and they’re just trying to find their way, just play their best basketball on each day and not look ahead and just be in the moment.”
Boston is likely the best player in the SEC. She is a legitimate All-America.
“We’ve definitely gotten so much closer as the season went on,” she said. “And I just think we’re ready to go into San Antonio as a team, ready to play as a team and just kind of do everything together. We have such a great relationship on and off the court, so that’s definitely an important aspect to how successful we are.
“I was so excited,” Boston said. “I had my phone ready to record everybody’s reaction. I was like, ‘This is the best time of my life.’ My family group chat’s talking about, ‘Oh my gosh, I think it’s happening. I think it’s their turn.’ I was like, ‘Yes!’ ”
The Southern Conference champs Bears were led by 5-6 junior guard Amoria Neal-Tyson, (16.9 points per game). In her conference semifinal, she hit a career best 34 points and 13 made field goals. She was 9-of-10 from the field in the opening half, 4-of-5 3s. She hit 54 3s this season, making more than a third of them.
The support staff was 6-0 senior forward Jaron Dougherty (16.2,with 9.6 rebounds), 5-7 senior guard Jada Lewis (14.3) and 6-0 senior swing Shannon Titus (13, with 67 assists). The 6-0 players represented what little height Mercer had . The Bears were vertically challenged. A game of guards also favored SC.
Coach Susie Gardner has led the Bears since 2010.She was a three-year assistant at Florida and led Arkansas for four .
She was a four-year starter at Georgia and a grad assistant there, so she knows the toughness of the SEC.
But not as elite tough as SC.
A 23-10 first quarter set the tempo, even if SC was having some control problems. In the second quarter they already had seven turnovers and a 6-0 Bears run to start the second. SC looked rusty, 2-of-7 from the line. Boston had seven with six rebounds. Saxton scored eight, 3-of-3 from the field, 2-of-2 at the line. It was 8-2 Bears early,
A 3 by Lewis and a Neal-Tyson layup made it made it a two-point game. Then it was tied as Mercer was winning the quarter 15-4 on a 7-0 run. Boston interrupted the scheme with an old-fashioned three -point play. Bit the 16 seed looked unafraid, even if they could never take the lead.
Saxton’s 10th point extended the SC cushion, Two Littleton free throws out the difference at five. Saxton scored again, a 6-0 push. Littleton forced foul, hit two free throws. Boston finished well, with a Boston score.
Lewis interrupted it with a 3, their first points in the final 3:24. Boston hit a 3 at the buzzer and it was 43-32.
As ragged as they had played, they were still the superior team and forced a 20-20 quarter.
Boston had already doubled, 15 points and 10 rebounds, 6-of-9 from the field. Saxton had 12. The starting guards were scoreless, which has not happened this season. Three Bears had eight each. SC had a 14-6 bench advantage.
Staley had said the plan was to work through Boston, using the original starter with man-to-man defense.
The lead grew to 22 in the third. SC was up to 16-of-20 in the third quarter.
Boston had that many as well. Saxton had 19 points, 7-of-9 from the field, 5-of-5 from the line against a 20 career high. They let her get one more point in the final minute. Boston got to 20 as well. The Bears took advantage of SCF rest periods and scored five straight. Still, it was 64-47. SC was in cruise control.
When Staley played her starters, it was not really competitive. So much for the Southern Conference.
It ended with Staley’s 500th career win, 328 at SC.
SC will take on Oregon State on Tuesday night, the Pac 12 an upgrade to the challenge.
SC is without its lone senior, guard LeLe Grissette, the top substitute in minutes played.
Her career ended with a right lower leg injury in the SEC Tournament championship game .
She concludes her senior season averaging a career-high 6.7 points on 50.0 percent field goal shooting. She pulled down 4.2 rebounds per game as well.
She scored in double figures five times, including four SEC games, and twice posted a season-high of 13 points, most recently against No. 17 Kentucky. SC won three of four SEC Tournament championships and was in the NCAAs every season in which one was contested.
The 6-foot-2 defender played in 125 games with six starts. In full-court pressure, using her height and athleticism to be as disruptive as possible to opposing guards.
Kentucky 71, Idaho State 63
Kentucky won the middle quarters, 35-13. Even a 32-24 deficit in the fourth only made it interesting. They held the opponent nine below their average.
Rhyne Howard scored only 14, but she wasn’t needed as coach Kyra Elzy worked 13 players into the NCAA record book, including 10 bench points from Blair Green. She had two of the eight teams 3s. Chasity Patterson matched Howard with 14.
At No. 18 nationally, the Kats made a 10th appearance in the past 11 tournaments.
Fourth-seeded Kentucky (17-8) took on 13th-seeded Idaho State (22-3) in the premier setting of the Alamodome in an early afternoon start.
Kyra Elzy did not waste her inherited talent, keeping the program among the best in the nation.
Most possibly she is the conference coach of the year, the first in program history to direct a team to the NCAAs as a rookie.
It is the fourth time Kentucky earned a No. 4 seed, the 11th time UK has been a top-four seed in the event and the first since 2017.
Kentucky is 6-3 all-time as a four seed with an Elite Eight and two second-round appearances.
UK was last a four seed in 2017 when they hosted the first and second rounds in Memorial Coliseum.
Kentucky is 21-15 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
The best finishes for UK came in 2013, 2012, 2010 and 1982 when the Wildcats fell one win shy of the Final Four.
This is Kentucky’s 16th all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Kats are 13-3 all-time in first-round games and have won 12 straight.
UK is 6-5 against teams that make up the 64-team NCAA Tournament field.
Superlative guard Howard has earned consideration on every national awards list.
She is a first team Associated Press All-American and one of four finalists for the Naismith Player of the Year
She is among the best three players in the league, the only player in the nation averaging more 20 points per game with at least 7.3 rebounds per game, 70 assists and 50 steals.
She leads the Kats in scoring, rebounding and assists, second in steals and third in blocks.
Howard has hit a team-best 49 3s. Half of her 22 games played this season are against ranked opponents and in those games Howard is averaging 22.3 points per game with 6.7 rebounds per game and hitting 47.1 percent from the field with 3.0 assists per game and 28 steals.
She needs to flourish in this national spotlight.
Senior 5-5 guard Patterson (12.6 with 63 assists) is the only other double-figure scorer.
If Howard is held to an off night, UK is in trouble. Dre’una Edwards (9.5) only started 11 games, but played in all of them, averaging 19 minutes, less than a half. The 6-2 sophomore emerged big time in a few games. Junior guard Robyn Benston started never and averaged 18 minutes a game, missing one game. KeKe McKinney, a 6-1 senior, started 24 of 25 games, with 74 rebounds. Green, 6-0 junior guard, is in the tradition of UK guards of seasons past, grinding in all 25 games.
Patterson, in what may be her last tournament, said. “For us, being intense on both ends of the court, playing our game, getting up in transition for Kentucky women’s basketball, we are grateful.
“Everyone on the team can definitely score, so I feel I have an (expanded) role in the tournament. We‘re treating it like any other game on the schedule, even with (Covid) protocol. We took a mental break, tor rejuvenate. It’s going to be a very good game.”
Elzy said, “I’ve been focused on our team. The bigger issue for me is how did we get here and where are we going from here. Our Region is extremely tough, but, you know, your focus has to be one day at time, to respect every opponent. This is the time we have played for all year.
“I’m experiencing all kinds of emotions, It’s a focus mentality.”
Idaho State was the regular-season and tournament champions from the Big Sky, so it is another SEC chance to prove the No. 5 team in the league is better than another conference’s champ. The Bengals are averaging 72.2 points per game, limiting opponents to 58.9. Remarkably, UK averaged an almost identical 73 while allowing 65.8.
Idaho State hit 6.4 3s per game and had a plus-5 rebounding margin.
Dora Goles led them with 12.4 points per game and has hit 44 3s. Diaba Konate is averaging 11.7 points per game with 104 assists. Estefania Ors and Callie Bourne are both averaging 10 points per game, Bourne leading the team with 8.4 rebounds per game.
“Just an overall excitement, this is what you play for,” Elzy said. “March Madness, here we are.”
“We’re excited. We were excited to see our name pop up on the screen,” Elzy said.
Iowa awaits on Tuesday for chance at the Sweet 16,the second SEC-Big Tenconfrontation that day.
“Grateful, excited, but this team has been resilient this year,” Elzy said. “We’ve had our ups and downs but I love how together we are. We battle together.
“You could see the caliber of play as you watched the SEC teams go up on the (NCAA Tournament) board,” Elzy said.
“The SEC was well-represented. Playing in this league, it forces you to put your best forward night in and night out. We are battle-tested. We have had to go against top-caliber teams all year long in this league. In order to prepare to be the best, you have to play against the best and we’ve done that night in and night out in this league.
“ Rhyne Howard is one of the best in the game,” Elzy said. “We’ve talked about it all year, her versatility and what she’s able to do offensively and defensively. But I think what makes Rhyne special is that she can play the 1-through-the-5 but she also makes people around her better. She has matured into a vocal leader this year and her teammates want to do well for her. I think having Rhyne is a big advantage.”
“I can always improve on everything, really,” said Howard. “But for sure, rebounding, assists, steals, continue to play defense. The other things will come, like scoring will come if I play defense harder.”
Elzy knows having Howard is important but she also knows that her team is better when multiple players contribute. She knows it will take that kind of output for a long stay in the postseason.
“In order for us to make a run, we have to sell out defensively, leave our heart on the floor no matter what defense we are in,” Elzy said. “Then, we have to have a balanced scoring attack. When we are at our best, we’re pushing the ball in transition and we have three to four people scoring in double figures.”
Elzy likes where her team is heading into the NCAA Tournament.
“As far as our team, we’ve had some of our best practices of the year,” Elzy said. “I like the energy, I like the focus and we are looking forward to going to Texas to make a run.”
The Kats packed to stay awhile in Texas, like most teams, not arriving game day and leaving immediately after.
Howard scored but two points in the first half. Idaho State’s Konate was 5-of-6 for 10.
But by the third, UK had tightened the defense, eventually causing 18 turnovers, 13 of them steals.
Howard was being outscored Konate,12-11, but that meant UK had stuffed her to two third-quarter points. So what if Konate won the individual matchup, 16-14, UK was focusing on a team win.
The Cats got a huge effort from its reserves . The bench outscored Idaho State, 31-8.
It’s the most UK bench points in an NCAA tournament. Overall, the Kats won rebounds 45-33, helping to overcome a subpar shooting day (38.1 percent).
Idaho State had a nice first-quarter splurge of seven to lead 18-8. and led 18-12 at the quarter break.
Patterson started the second quarter on a mid-range jumper, then Kat Jazmine Massengill scored twice around a 3 from Tatyana Wyatt. UK led 21-20.
Four straight points from Howard set halftime 23-22. UK won the quarter 18-6 . Konate led all scorers with 10 in the first half. Howard had six to lead Kentucky.
UK went on a 13-0 spree in the third and pushed the lead to 47-31. It was over.
Kentucky stretched the lead to 20, 51-31, early in the fourth after Patterson hit a 3, then made one of two at the line on UK's next possession. The Bengals scored the next 10 points to cut UK's lead to 10 with 6:21 to play. Kentucky stopped the run on an Edwards layup with 5:57to go, part of an 8-1 run the extended the lead back to 59-42 with 4:57 to play.
With Kentucky leading 69-53, Idaho State went on one last run, scoring seven in a row to cut the lead to 69-60, but only 14 seconds remained. Emma King hit a pair of free throws with 10 seconds left before Idaho State got a 3 at the buzzer..
Elzy won her first NCAA game as the UK coach. She remembered both her mentors, Pat head and Matthew Mitchell for getting her this far.
She said “movement within our offense: made this balanced scoring what she envisions, “Four or five passes gives you want the defense gives you.
“I thought on defense, we talked about dominating defensively, to see our intensity bother Idaho State. Our v\bench was huge. To make a deep run, you have to have consistently, We use the phrase ‘Step up’ and we did that today.
“We have the mindset to have fun. We earned our ticket to the NCAA tournament.”
The Bengals could take their 22-5 record home. UK sailed on at 18-8.
SEC NOTES: Two of the three conference teams in the women’s NIT lost early.
Missouri lost their opener and lost again in the consolation bracket.
Florida’s bad luck continued as they lost two starters to Covid considerations but won their first round by a point anyway, then lost in the second round with only eight players available.
Ole Miss won twice and plays Monday in the quarterfinals against Colorado with a guaranteed non-losing record which is why you play for 65th.
Shakira Austin has 42 points so far.
posted by Mel Greenberg | 11:26 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home