If Pigtail Boy has any eligibility left, Musselman can bring him to U$C and Big C will buy season tickets.

Many would say that was an ugly first half, but I see a lot of athletes playing really hard.
I love a defensive effort to shut down both star players. I think Iowa center could do some damage against Edwards if they gave it to her down there more.

UConn has three players with two vowels. Iowa should just go after them, gosh darn it!

Whichever of the two stars gets loose in the second half, and I think one of them will, should take it.

I am enjoying it very much!

Paige shuffles her feet into a travel habitually. Muhl has been given a wide birth, like Jorge was, and like everyone who guards Steph is, to grab, hold, push and hand check* with no whistle.

*Rule 10-1.4), where it is an absolute: Put your hands on a dribbler, and it is a foul.

Both centers are great

My bets washed. Clark f@ucked me on the missed FT so UConn covered by .5.
I won the Clark vs Paige stat lines


Degenerate gambler

HoopDreams said:

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Both centers are great

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Stulke was greater!

Decided by Clark missing a free throw and Iowa getting the rebound.

bearister said:

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My bets washed. Clark f@ucked me on the missed FT so UConn covered by .5.
I won the Clark vs Paige stat lines


Degenerate gambler

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Congrats.
I lost with Bueckers.
You get bragging rights here.

But that was a pretty good battle.

That was a BS call at the end. Moving screen. Jesus. How much did Iowa or whomever pay for that.

I can appreciate Geno losing it. That was simply LAME!!!!

bearister said:

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Based on your hoop analysis, the list of stuff you haven't heard of related to basketball is lengthy….and yes, it's that you are a perv.

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Hahaha
Screw you!
You laid 6 Likes on me with this one.
You suck, Bearister!

HoopDreams said:

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Both centers are great

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Maybe not as great as SC's Cardoso.

HoopDreams said:

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That might be a good strategy but can six players sustain a press?

concordtom said:

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wvitbear said:

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Also, Iowa beat South Carolina to get to the national championship. Is Connecticut better than South Carolina. If they meet, I am taking south Carolina. how about you?

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I've not seen South Carolina.
My comments are only based upon the extremely limited viewing of Uconn (last game) and Iowa 3x this year and 2x last year.

Bueckers starred as a freshman, no? Then suffered a terrible leg injury? She looked good in the last round, and I saw her doing things I hadn't seen Clark do. Im not very impressed with Clark's layup game, and think she simply gets off by fantastic confidence in letting those long bombs fly. Defenders are like "what? You're going to Jack from there?" It's very early Steph Curry!!

I simply concluded that Geno will
Pressure her the way we see Steph get pressured these days. Then players press and it can all go horribly wrong.

It sets up as a great show, these two top guards!! I commend them both very much.

Imagine if Clark were to come back again next year like Bueckers will - they could meet again in 12 months and a magic-bird thang could get going. Unfortunately, the wnba matchups are not going to grab the public's imagination the way lakers-Celtics did.

I look forward to see them together on team USA!!

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Congratulations!
As the game progressed, I thought the lack of depth was the difference.
UConn got tired and hurt and in foul trouble. Iowa had just that little bit more resilience.

Hoopdreams won all bets.

stu said:

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HoopDreams said:

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Both centers are great

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Maybe not as great as SC's Cardoso.

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Yeah. I was about to say when Stuelke went for the postgame… Cardoso is going to work her over like Mr T whipped Rocky, the first time.

Postgame focus is on that ****ty call.

Stuelke Looks so slender and doesn't look very tall. Surprised she was so good in the block, although she only got 3 rebounds

She will have a tough time with SC's huge center, but maybe their center gets if foul trouble?

Probably shouldn't call this in this moment, but it does look like a foul. I don't think they ever showed this angle during the game.

That’s a pretty easy call. If your explanation has to do with “how much time is left” that’s just weak. A foul is a foul and how do you know it doesn’t affect the play? The whistle blew right when it happened.
Love Taurasi but you don’t think she has a little bias lol? pic.twitter.com/wplyNx25rq

— MJ (@Ctownfan123) April 6, 2024

Becoming a fan of hers now too.

"Everybody can make a big deal out of that one single play, but not one single play wins a basketball game. ... There was a lot of mistakes that I made."

Paige Bueckers reflects on the offensive call late in the UConn-Iowa game. pic.twitter.com/w7SSocXDSa

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 6, 2024

concordtom said:

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Postgame focus is on that ****ty call.

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You make the call…

That’s a foul people. Sorry. https://t.co/SNA9fQuoPB

— Seth Davis (@SethDavisHoops) April 6, 2024

concordtom said:

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bearister said:

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My bets washed. Clark f@ucked me on the missed FT so UConn covered by .5.
I won the Clark vs Paige stat lines


Degenerate gambler

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Congrats.
I lost with Bueckers.
You get bragging rights here.

But that was a pretty good battle.

That was a BS call at the end. Moving screen. Jesus. How much did Iowa or whomever pay for that.

I can appreciate Geno losing it. That was simply LAME!!!!

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What are you talking about? Moving screens have always been a part of women's basketball.
Actually, I have no idea what I'm talking about.
Go Caitlin, go Iowa!

concordtom said:

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Postgame focus is on that ****ty call.

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It was an obvious, terrible illegal screen. Way worse than the clip you showed where the person may have lifted their pivot foot a tenth of an inch off the ground. Please watch other angles of the play.

The traveling call I was addressing wasn't about no tenth of an inch. It's about the whole lifting of the pivot foot and getting an extra half step which can be elongated into a yard or two of extra distance. It's the euro step. I posted two videos about it subsequently and the second one is better than the first.
Keep your pot shots to OT, please. We're talking basketball here.

30 minutes postgame UConn
First half by the players after an initial Geno statement. Then Geno.

Big C said:

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What I really like in the women's game now, over the men's, is that the women tend to stay for four years (okay, more and more transfers, but still... ) and you get to know the teams, from season to season.

The men these days, I was able to follow the Cal roster, and Furd's a little bit, but not all the other teams. Makes it harder to be a fan of the game.

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You nailed it.
The endless player movement is horrendous.

Maybe schools will start tying money to years of service. The longer you stay (and make the roster) the more you get.

ducky23 said:

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The entire country is talking about an illegal screen in a women's college basketball game. That almost brings a tear to my eye.

In anyone's wildest dreams, could anyone imagine a world where women's college basketball is more popular than men's. It's crazy.

It'll be interesting if this is just a one year blip (because of a handful of really elite players led by Clark) or if the women's game can keep this momentum going. At this rate, as the men's game gets less and less "collegiate", is it possible that the women officially overtake the men in popularity in 10 years? Wouldn't necessarily bet against it

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Great post, but…

When fan groups start lusting over lists like this, THAT'S when the women's game has arrived to the men's level.
Because, can anyone here name any of these people?

https://www.espn.com/high-school/girls-basketball/recruiting/rankings/_/class/2024

HoopDreams said:

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concordtom said:

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Postgame focus is on that ****ty call.

---

You make the call…

That’s a foul people. Sorry. https://t.co/SNA9fQuoPB

— Seth Davis (@SethDavisHoops) April 6, 2024

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I thought Gabbie Marshall quietly played a fantastic game, got no mention of it.

Nika pestered Clark and got a lot of attention for it. Marshall did the same to Paige, then sold the moving screen well. She also hit an important 3 late in the game.
I thought she was going to get out-leveled in this game.

Two other Iowa players…

Molly Davis - injured senior starter missed the entire tournament, and yet Iowa has overcome! I bet she subs in late in Sunday as an emotional applause line if the game is decided, to take a curtain call.

Sydney Affolter filled in for Davis' starter spot and has been an important contributor!

Iowa has a good group. Kate Martin doesn't look like much but hit some buckets! She's a player, too!

I'd like to see Stuelke enter the heptathlon!

But, yeah, this post was about giving Gabby Marshall her flowers. Her mission was to mess it all up for Paige Bueckers, and she did so!

HoopDreams said:

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Stuelke Looks so slender and doesn't look very tall. Surprised she was so good in the block, although she only got 3 rebounds

She will have a tough time with SC's huge center, but maybe their center gets if foul trouble?

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Stuelke gets a lot by running the court. She'll beat Cardoso down court! SC guards will need to not let Clark dribble down court freely in transition, else she'll find Stuelke.

Once setup in half court, though, Stuelke is 6'2" to Cardoso's 6'7". Stuelke is just a sophomore vs projected #4 WNBA pick Cardoso.

SC also starts 6'2" Kitts, and come in with 6'3" Watkins and 6'3" Faegin off the bench.
Swat-kins had 20 rebounds vs NC St!

In other words, it's Stuelke who needs to be worried about foul trouble. She's fantastic, though.

"Nika pestered Clark and got a lot of attention for it."

She took 10+ points off Caitlin's scoring total by hand checking, holding, pushing, grabbing and bumping. In otherwords, she committed 15 uncalled fouls. NBA allows the same defense on Steph. The broadcasters were crickets on that illegal defending and only praised Nika.

bearister said:

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"Nika pestered Clark and got a lot of attention for it."

She took 10+ points off Caitlin's scoring total by hand checking, holding, pushing, grabbing and bumping. In otherwords, she committed 15 uncalled fouls. NBA allows the same defense on Steph. The broadcasters were crickets on that illegal defending and only praised Nika.

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Did you watch the first game of the night?
Refs didn't call squat!!!
No surprise this game was called loose.
Although, the first call against Nika was weak.

Maybe you're just bitter that you lost your $ bet.

concordtom said:

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HoopDreams said:

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concordtom said:

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Postgame focus is on that ****ty call.

---

You make the call…

That’s a foul people. Sorry. https://t.co/SNA9fQuoPB

— Seth Davis (@SethDavisHoops) April 6, 2024

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I thought Gabbie Marshall quietly played a fantastic game, got no mention of it.

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Agreed 100%

She was super aggressive and clutch in the final 5 minutes and got no love.

concordtom said:

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bearister said:

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"Nika pestered Clark and got a lot of attention for it."

She took 10+ points off Caitlin's scoring total by hand checking, holding, pushing, grabbing and bumping. In otherwords, she committed 15 uncalled fouls. NBA allows the same defense on Steph. The broadcasters were crickets on that illegal defending and only praised Nika.

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Did you watch the first game of the night?
Refs didn't call squat!!!
No surprise this game was called loose.
Although, the first call against Nika was weak.

Maybe you're just bitter that you lost your $ bet.

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When Clark shot that scud FT to deliver UConn the .5 coverage against the spread, I had a flashback of those Runnin' Rebs hot tubbing with Ricky The Fixer (UNLV tanked the Final Four game vs Duke in '91*).



*I was screaming "Fixed! Fixed!" throughout that game.

*Game ball goes to: HANNAH
STUELKE!