Is Boston for SC stoppable?

[visitingcock]

She really has arrived this year as a truly elite player. While she still has the (very) occasional game where you think, “a bit of a down game” those have become quite rare and she is simply unstoppable in the low post. I thought she was overly lionized her first two years as her consistency and her averages were not high enough to be considered truly elite, but she has really stepped it up and is now the most consistently dominant player in the country. Sob! If only…

I don’t think she was overlionized as a freshman when she was THE post player who posted a 30-1 record while beating Baylor, UConn, Maryland, Miss State x 2 and a number of other ranked teams. She was everything and more that you could want from a freshman.

However, she showed little improvement as a sophomore. ( organized, Off-season training was limited by Covid)

She hit the conditioning hard after her sophomore season and it shows. Shedding pounds and converting baby fat to muscle allows her to run the court better and to play as hard in the fourth quarter as the first. She also plays smarter.

 

[Happydad745]

Boston is the key to S.C. defense...she posts up really well, blocks out other rebounders and puts up the bunnies without much variation.

 

[housekeys]

There are a few things that can stop Boston and SC, but it all depends on how well the strategy is implemented. In other words, all of the strategies come with the "easier said than done" firmly prepended.

In general, you want to get Boston further away from the basket as possible. Obviously getting her in foul trouble will do the trick. A lot depends on the refs, so unless bribing them is part of the plan, I would not count on it.

The strategy most in our control is to simply have UConn's ONO and AE knock down outside shots. This certainly limits Boston's defensive rebounds. But the problem is not the defensive rebounds she gets, but rather, the offensive rebounds

SC wins games because they always have more shot attempts than their opponent. If they do not have this advantage, they will likely lose any shooting contest against good offensive teams (like UConn). To limit their attempts, a team must prevent second chance attempts (i.e. offensive rebounds) and turnovers. Turnovers are critical, but another thing that is under UConn's control, though SC will have something to say about that.

To limit offensive rebounds from Boston, you can "try" a box and one, with the "one" instructed not to leave the paint area under the basket and mainly stay between Boston and the rim. The other four players must put enough pressure on the perimeter to force Boston to come out and set picks in order to free up the SC guards. You hope that SC's guards have a hard time getting shots off. If Dawn decides to "just launch the shots" and keep Boston down low to clean up the mess, well then it is just a matter of how well we box out.

Double teaming Boston and "make other's beat you" is another strategy, which I consider a last ditch effort, and personally do not like. But what do I know?

Easier said than done because Boston is very good, so are SC's guards and their coach. Much better than some here give them credit for.

PS. For those who dread the mention of UConn, as we are counting the eggs before the chickens (or something like that), just substitute Creighton, or another opponent, if that makes you feel better.

 

[GoChips20]

Agree, I think they would be good without Boston. Remember Cardosa is a star herself, put up huge numbers at Syracuse and would be in the conversation for best C of her class, probably just behind Brink. Amihere and Feagin are way above average too. SC probably has the best starting C and the best backup C in the country.

Obviously limiting the probable player of the year is important, but beating their bigs is not a very realistic goal for their opponents. Beating their wings and guards is. In our case hanging in their with their bigs and not getting in foul trouble would be key factors. Boston's style of play gets opposing bigs in foul trouble all the time. They have 5 very good ones we have 3, and two of ours Liv and Aaliyah are foul prone, Dorka not so much. We have little room for error with our 3 big rotation. Maybe we could go small ball against some teams for part of the game, but SC is not one of those teams.

On the other hand we are better and deeper on the perimeter, just the opposite of the situation with the bigs, so that is our strength and edge.

I’m the worst about picking out minutiae in posts about broader topics, but I appreciate the mention of Brink as the best C in that class. Brink has NPOY potential IMO; she looked fantastic last night and is one of the more underrated players nationally given her gaudy high school ranking and relatively limited media coverage.

 

[visitingcock]

I’m the worst about picking out minutiae in posts about broader topics, but I appreciate the mention of Brink as the best C in that class. Brink has NPOY potential IMO; she looked fantastic last night and is one of the more underrated players nationally given her gaudy high school ranking and relatively limited media coverage.

She just spends too much time on the bench. When she is in the game, she is a force. As to media coverage - blame Larry Scott.

 

[01Neaggrad02]

Why is everyone so concerned about South Carolina???? They have not looked good recently. From the SEC Tourney to the game the other day they look beatable. The team that worries me is Stanford. Why is no one talk about Stanford?

 

[GoChips20]

Why is everyone so concerned about South Carolina???? They have not looked good recently. From the SEC Tourney to the game the other day they look beatable. The team that worries me is Stanford. Why is no one talk about Stanford?

I think it's because when you are #1, you are #1 until someone knocks you off, and despite the aesthetics that hasn't happened to SC. We don't always (or often) play beautiful basketball, but our rebounding and defense give us a chance to win every time we take the floor.

That's not the same as saying we are unbeatable. Certainly any team remaining is capable of knocking us out. I think there are probably folks within each fanbase of the top programs (SC, Stanford, UConn, etc.) that embody the sentiment their teams are the best and it would take a miracle to knock them off; I do think most SC fans, myself included, are very much aware of our mortality as a team and are taking no game for granted.

FWIW, I do agree Stanford looks exceptional and should be receiving more buzz.

 

[Conndog]

. UCONN has at least 15 personals to give at the 5 spot.

No, do you really want to put Boston on the line so much? She’s a very good FT shooter. Although she shouldn’t be able to get offensive rebounds from the line, I suppose.

 

[visitingcock]

Why is everyone so concerned about South Carolina???? They have not looked good recently. From the SEC Tourney to the game the other day they look beatable. The team that worries me is Stanford. Why is no one talk about Stanford?

Why do so few UConn fans give any respect to NC State?

 

[Waquoit]

Why do so few UConn fans give any respect to NC State?

For what?

 

[jazz]

28 points, 22 rebounds! If UConn meets SC, can Liv and Aaliyah keep Boston from dominating? Can Geno figure out some way to keep her off the boards?

She gets a lot of points off offensive rebounds. Assuming me get that far and SC does as well, we simply need to find boston when every shot goes up and put a body on her while at the same time boxing out the other players. I only saw some highlights but it looked like NC didn't put a body on boston. We cant turn and find the ball, because Boston will muscle her way in for the rebound, we have to find boston first and then find the ball.

Whoever is guarding Boston, I would tell them that their performance will be evaluated by how many rebounds boston gets, then we will (may) look at the rest of their contributions.

 

[faithfulfan]

You run her, she's slow, and usually plays less then 30 mins!

 

[visitingcock]

For what?

For having 31 wins and only three losses against a top ten SOS for starters

 

[nwhoopfan]

Just get her in foul trouble...brilliant idea, I wonder why no coach has ever thought of this before? From the times I've watched her, she's foul proof. Getting her in foul trouble is not possible, because the refs wont' call it. Over the back, lowering her shoulder and going thru defenders, just flat out shoving opponents, somehow the refs never see any of it. I sure do though. Good luck with that strategy.

 

[Kevin G]

She is unstoppable when the refs allow her to travel often and not call fouls that would eliminate her after the first quarter.

 

[Cornell Lt]

You can hope to slow her down but your not going to stop her. The only thing that might impact her is significant foul trouble

 

[CTBballfan243]

28 points, 22 rebounds! If UConn meets SC, can Liv and Aaliyah keep Boston from dominating? Can Geno figure out some way to keep her off the boards?

Don’t need to stop her. She will score her points and get her rebounds. Hold Boston to her average and the UConn needs to stop the other players and hold them to below their averages. Do that UConn wins. First need to get by a really really good NC State team.

 

[SCspur]

For having 31 wins and only three losses against a top ten SOS for starters

They’re definitely overlooking them.

 

[genzhusk]

They’re definitely overlooking them.

there’s already a separate thread about them. we’re def not overlooking them just because they’re not talked about in each active thread.

 

[huskiemaniac]

No. Two months ago I commented that I thought this year’s championship was South Carolina’s to lose. Three games into the tournament, nothing has happened to make me change my mind.

IF all the rotation players for us play the their best games of this season going forward, they can beat anyone left in the field. But will that happen?

So goes Boston, so goes SC. She’s a BIG TIME player that makes BIG plays in BIG games. She comes to play every game. 28/22 tonight. Be honest, who do we have that can stop her? She thrives on contact in the paint.

You are going to have to beat SC. They won’t beat themselves. I know this won’t be a popular take, but it’s an honest one. That lost to Kentucky in their conference championship was the wake-up call they needed. Before that loss, they had lost their sense of smell. They couldn’t smell themselves. After that loss, they got it back.

I still believe Stanford is the most complete team…

 

[SCspur]

there’s already a separate thread about them. we’re def not overlooking them just because they’re not talked about in each active thread.

Nah look at the prognosis thread. Some UConn fans are predicting a 20 point win and NC State hasn’t lost that bad all year and is a #1 seed. They should be respected.

 

[Stinger92860]

We will need to double, BUT if she passes out and SC is hitting shots, well that wont last long. one on one we also need to worry about potential foul trouble, especially if the game was called like yesterdays, 2nd half.

In any event we have other teams we need to beat and 80 more minutes of basketball before this becomes our problem. It would be a nice problem to have!

 

[Husky fanatic]

Stoppable? No. Containable perhaps

 

[Tonyc]

Well pack it in and force the SC guards to beat you.

 

[hookshot]

Boston is uncanny in always being in the right place at the right time, and she is surprisingly quick, when she needs to be, in getting there. Once she is there and has her feet set, it is like trying to move out an aircraft carrier. Hence, you need to anticipate her destination and path and provide interference all along the way. You need to body up and bump, bump, bump before her along the way, and generally make her less comfortable.