Huskers are 7-1 but have won all seven of their games in Lincoln. They lost big to UConn on the road. IMO-they have only played three legit opponents so far so their impressive stats may be "padded" against weak opposition.

Nebraska is a huge (tall) team and they're the best ball-handlers that Cal has faced this season. Two former PGs handle the ball well. The actual point guard, Rachel Theriot, possesses a 2.6:1 assists to turnover ratio. The team overall averages 22 assists while turning it over only 13 times per game. Nebraska is a deep team and rotates 8-9 players double-digit minutes per contest. They play two posts and three guards. Their best player is freshman Jessica Shepard. She stands 6-4 and grabs 7.8 rebounds per game. She leads her team is scoring w/ 19.3 ppg. The other post is another big frosh, Rachel Blackburn (6-3), who pulls down 8.1 boards on average. The CornHuskers out-rebound their opponents by a dozen per game, averaging 45...

Their second leading scorer is former Carondolet star, soph Natalie Romeo, at SG. She has hit 22 treys (40% accuracy) in eight games and averages 14.8 ppg. Romeo is deadly accurate at the foul line, converting 91% of her chances. Senior leader, Theriot, also can score, averaging 10.5 ppg and hits 83% of her charity tosses. Nebraska has been blowing out their opponents by 26.6 ppg (81 vs 54.4) so far...

Cal will need Courtney Range today to have a chance to rebound and score competitively with the Big Red. The Bears will need to play perhaps their second best game (next to Louisville) game of the season. If Cal's phenom frosh, Kristine Anigwe (6-4), matches up against Nebraska's incredible freshman, Jessica Shepard (6-4), it should be fun to watch. If one dominates the other, it could affect the outcome of the game. Cal guards will need to take care of the ball (Huskers force 18 TOs) and the team will need to collectively connect on 8 threes or more to emerge triumphant today.

Does anyone know if Courtney is ok to play?
GO BEARS!

Victory!!

Cal won in OT! Great win for the Bears against a brand name opponent.

Nebraska turned the ball over more than we did. As far as the big matchup, it was no contest. They were used to playing behind the opposing center and that was like a green light for Anigwe. Way too quick for the Nebraska big women. They all got in foul trouble the way that Anigwe usually does by putting her hands on people. Romero shot the ball well today, but didn't play point. She was also their weakest defender as several times we posted up on her. As good as she played I can't imagine her and Thomas together. Both are short and each needs a tall running mate for defensive purposes.

wvitbear;842616279 said:

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Nebraska turned the ball over more than we did. As far as the big matchup, it was no contest. They were used to playing behind the opposing center and that was like a green light for Anigwe. Way too quick for the Nebraska big women. They all got in foul trouble the way that Anigwe usually does by putting her hands on people. Romero shot the ball well today, but didn't play point. She was also their weakest defender as several times we posted up on her. As good as she played I can't imagine her and Thomas together. Both are short and each needs a tall running mate for defensive purposes.

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Any speculation why Nina didn't play more?
Oh, so we can't use not getting Romero as an example of LG's mediocre recruiting efforts? Some here will be so disappointed...

mbBear;842616574 said:

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Any speculation why Nina didn't play more?
Oh, so we can't use not getting Romero as an example of LG's mediocre recruiting efforts? Some here will be so disappointed...

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You are consistently the most whiny and annoying poster on here. Jesus. Don't question anything fans! If you question anything you will hurt feelings! Roses and sunshine always!

Romeo lit it up and would be a welcome addition to any Pac team. Glad she got to play in front of her family and drain 6 3 balls in the process.

I presume the reason Davidson did not see more action is because she was having trouble defending and rebounding against the much bulkier Nebraska big people. There are some technique issues there that still need to be addressed.

I still like Romeo. But off of this one game, I wouldn't see her starting at Cal over Thomas or Green. However, she would be highly valuable as a zone buster and instant offense off of the bench.

Hate to say it, but I think Gabby actually shot better in high school. Changing her mechanics may still be getting in her head, especially on short and midrange shots that she used to make pretty well. in any event, though, it was good to see her get the ball to other good shooters for deeper outside shots. Her final pass to Cowling for Mikayla's final three point shot is exactly what we need from Gabby.

annarborbear;842616580 said:

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I presume the reason Davidson did not see more action is because she was having trouble defending and rebounding against the much bulkier Nebraska big people. There are some technique issues there that still need to be addressed.

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She is still getting overpowered. Still having smaller players taking the ball away from her when they both have two hands on it. Going to get pulled when that happens. Noticed that LG pulled Anigwe after she threw away her second pass in a short span. Good that she is passing back out but she seems to lead the players too much when she does.

GATC;842616603 said:

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She is still getting overpowered. Still having smaller players taking the ball away from her when they both have two hands on it. Going to get pulled when that happens. Noticed that LG pulled Anigwe after she threw away her second pass in a short span. Good that she is passing back out but she seems to lead the players too much when she does.

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It looks to me like she still tries to rebound by going straight up instead of boxing out and pushing back to let the ball come down in front of her. And on defense, she takes a good initial starting position, but can't seem to hold it. Maybe she will have to end up fronting people.

CalFanatic;842616577 said:

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You are consistently the most whiny and annoying poster on here. Jesus. Don't question anything fans! If you question anything you will hurt feelings! Roses and sunshine always!

Romeo lit it up and would be a welcome addition to any Pac team. Glad she got to play in front of her family and drain 6 3 balls in the process.

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Because I asked why Nina didn't play more? lol....
If you only saw my posts elsewhere, you would know that's not true. I was responding to a post that Romeo would not have fit-I didn't make that post but you come after me.
You call me whiny, because I think some of you don't appreciate a Final Four appearance and the recruitment of McD All-Americans. I never said anything about don't criticize. IF I gave a **** about what you thought, I would cut and paste some of my posts regarding football-its pretty much online with any of your "insightful and critical thinking."
Spare me your personal attacks. Stand by your posts, or don't post. Pretty simple.

annarborbear;842616583 said:

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I still like Romeo. But off of this one game, I wouldn't see her starting at Cal over Thomas or Green. However, she would be highly valuable as a zone buster and instant offense off of the bench.

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Romeo was never a good "fit" for Cal and I seriously doubt she would embrace the role that you suggest for her.

GoBears63;842616652 said:

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Romeo was never a good "fit" for Cal and I seriously doubt she would embrace the role that you suggest for her.

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That is sort of the challenge (in a nut shell) when you talk about recruiting quality depth? Why accept a role like that when you can go start at a good size program?
It sounds like you are hinting about other "fit" issues, but that aside, getting a quantity of good players is tough for any school not named UConn...

GoBears63;842616652 said:

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Romeo was never a good "fit" for Cal and I seriously doubt she would embrace the role that you suggest for her.

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You are probably correct. Mikayla Lyles was willing to play that role, but was not as talented as Romeo, and she also had many other interests at Cal besides basketball.

Random thoughts:
Those of you here who think Romeo would not have helped our Cal team: I question your basketball knowledge. She is the epitome of the type of player we need on this team (like Sabrina) Romeo can make the other players better with her passing, she fights to the floor for balls, she plays smart, sees the court, and her outside shooting? Are you kidding me?

What would have been wrong with Thomas at point guard, Romeo at guard? Then when you rest Thomas, Romeo goes to point. And when Romeo goes out Mo comes in. But I digress. I like our team but.....

LG and staff has to work more with the team in making more passes and less dribbling. Nebraska often moved the ball with out the ball touching the floor which led to their players being open for outside shots. Puts pressure of the defense. And we have to somehow work with our most talented Frosh center who gets double and tripled team to get the ball OUT to a lot of open team mates and not force it too much inside.The drawback here is she makes some great moves even in traffic. And she is a great free throw shooter to date. Hope and would like to expect us to get better as the season goes on.

Hmmm and who would she guard? Wouldn't that be a pretty small backcourt?

Good point about Lyles, she was able to come off the bench and hit some big 3s cold. Not many can do that as they need the ball in their hands, kind of like Romeo needing the ball in her hands, quite a bit.

annarborbear;842616588 said:

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Hate to say it, but I think Gabby actually shot better in high school. Changing her mechanics may still be getting in her head, especially on short and midrange shots that she used to make pretty well. in any event, though, it was good to see her get the ball to other good shooters for deeper outside shots. Her final pass to Cowling for Mikayla's final three point shot is exactly what we need from Gabby.

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Considering that she shot 32% from the field last year and shooting 22% from the field this year, it does seem like it. She still has a pretty low release point.

There is hope. Jefflo became a better shooter and so did Boyd. But their form is better.

KA's passing will get better. She probably never really had to pass in HS and I'm not sure how much passing goes on in AAU games. Learning how to pass and when to pass takes times. Meanwhile 29 and 10 will do. A lot of the passing miscues come from the constant breakdowns between the guards and bigs in practice. They probably should do a lot more situational shell offense in practice as an entire group. Court awareness and teammate awareness comes with time and experience.
Romeo is fine where she is and playing with a bunch of seniors that allow her to just spot up. Having her would have been a luxury, but it would also be nice to have Bre and Jefflo and 10 other options I'm sure if LG knew the current circumstance she would have brought in other guards. The ship has sailed. Sometimes circumstance is the best teacher of methods and practices. I would think there is at least one solid shooter out there that is out there that can help. The best of the Mid Major type would be nice. I think the eye test can put a ceiling on how effective a coach can recruit...
I was really impressed with Gabby's toughness, playing through the tough shooting night and playing great Defense and creating plays for her teammates. Being a great teammate through adversity rewarded her with a W. Her shooting will come when she is more comfortable with her game. Leadership, selfless play, and mental toughness all displayed by Gabby is much more of premium than being able to shoot. Again as she works with the coaches each game her offensive game will mature. Patience!!!! I think the Nebraska game showed that she doesn't need to be a 3 pt shooter or balls to the wall scorer in order for the team to win. She needs to continue to get the rest of the team going by creating plays for her team and playing great defense. The overall growth from the team will come when Nina, Kc and Mo become more consistent in there opportunities on the floor. Continued timely outside shooting as group is much better than just one spot up shooter. The points are there ultimately it will come down to getting stops. Last year Texas, it came down to stops. The top 5 teams hold their opponents to half of what they score when playing unranked opponents.

longseeker;842616707 said:

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Random thoughts:
Those of you here who think Romeo would not have helped our Cal team: I question your basketball knowledge. She is the epitome of the type of player we need on this team (like Sabrina) Romeo can make the other players better with her passing, she fights to the floor for balls, she plays smart, sees the court, and her outside shooting? Are you kidding me?

What would have been wrong with Thomas at point guard, Romeo at guard? Then when you rest Thomas, Romeo goes to point. And when Romeo goes out Mo comes in. But I digress. I like our team but.....

LG and staff has to work more with the team in making more passes and less dribbling. Nebraska often moved the ball with out the ball touching the floor which led to their players being open for outside shots. Puts pressure of the defense. And we have to somehow work with our most talented Frosh center who gets double and tripled team to get the ball OUT to a lot of open team mates and not force it too much inside.The drawback here is she makes some great moves even in traffic. And she is a great free throw shooter to date. Hope and would like to expect us to get better as the season goes on.

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But Romeo made a decision based on seeing Jefflo in front of her for minutes?

After seeing Romeo play against Cal, I'm not sure she would be starting at Cal. She can shoot and plays hard, but did not show much else. I was not impressed with her ball handling or defense. Thomas is a pure PG who can also shoot when needed. So, if you play Romeo at the SG, who do you sit? LG is not taking Green, Cowling, Anigwe or Range off the starting five. However, I wish we had Romeo on the bench. Because of her offense, she would see plenty of minutes.

Part of the problem with the bushel full of talent in the class of 2014 was that the majority played the wing position (shooting guard or small forward): Mariya Moore (Louisville), Natalie Romeo (Nebraska) & Kelli Hayes (UCLA top 7 rotation). Hayes is a defensive stopper & energy provider off of the bench (20+ minutes per game). Hopefully, she won't torch the Bears for 24 points on Monday night...

GO BEARS!