RobHowe
Administrator
Top-Seeded Hawkeyes Play Host to No. 8 Mountaineers in NCAAs Monday
Breaking Down Iowa-West Virginia Matchup
- Thread starter RobHowe
- Start date
Should be a fascinating matchup. The Hawks can get sloppy and turn the ball over, and WV's style looks like that's what they're built create. If the Hawks limit their turnovers, and hit a good % of 3s, they should come out on top. But we all know this team is reliant on 3s and CClark. If those things don't work, any team is capable of moving on vs the Hawks.
SwirlinLingerie
Well-Known Member
The match-up makes me pucker up.
I'm not sure how much playing at home helps Iowa in this one. West Virginia's path to victory will be physical perimeter defense and turning the game into a grind. Not having Davis as another ball handler is potentially problematic for this one.
Now maybe the Hawks come out whipping the ball around the perimeter, the threes are falling, Carver is on fire, and it turns into a festive goodbye party.
But if Caitlin is struggling a bit from 3, and Gabbie is off, then Iowa might need to grind out an ugly game. The crowd will have some angst at that point, and everyone involved may have flashbacks to Creighton. The pressure is all on Iowa at that point.
I'm not sure how much playing at home helps Iowa in this one. West Virginia's path to victory will be physical perimeter defense and turning the game into a grind. Not having Davis as another ball handler is potentially problematic for this one.
Now maybe the Hawks come out whipping the ball around the perimeter, the threes are falling, Carver is on fire, and it turns into a festive goodbye party.
But if Caitlin is struggling a bit from 3, and Gabbie is off, then Iowa might need to grind out an ugly game. The crowd will have some angst at that point, and everyone involved may have flashbacks to Creighton. The pressure is all on Iowa at that point.
STILLBUSTER
Well-Known Member
Also nervous about this one. WVU watched what HC did to CC - jumped her in the alley and turned it into a street fight. WVU has more size, skill and depth that could keep it up - tag team style - all game to keep her frustrated. CC doesn't help herself by losing her emotional discipline when she's shooting poorly.
There's only 1 solution to keep her head straight and that's for her to hit the first one and steamroll them for 7-8 3's. From there, she'll be able to also start carving them up and fouling them out. Got a feeling she's gonna break out of her shooting funk, remind everyone who they're messing with and leave her sneakers on her logo spot!
STILLBUSTER
Well-Known Member
Indeed ... follow Dad's advice!
As for her "image" ... CC is the tamest / most humble of all the stars.
- Devil Reese is a taunting "C" - regardless of opponent. On display again vs Mid-Tenn.
- Watched entire ISU-Stanford game and when Brink fouled out (great call on a complete mugging of Crooks) literally read her lips saying "Fv@& U" to either a fan or the old-man ref who made the call as she walked off the court.
I was going to post something similar. WBB really does kind of have a little pro wrestling vibe to it, where coaches and players enjoy being the heal. It's also always been allowed to be much more physical than the men's game so it's also a bit more emotional too.Indeed ... follow Dad's advice!
As for her "image" ... CC is the tamest / most humble of all the stars.
- Devil Reese is a taunting "C" - regardless of opponent. On display again vs Mid-Tenn.
- Watched entire ISU-Stanford game and when Brink fouled out (great call on a complete mugging of Crooks) literally read her lips saying "Fv@& U" to either a fan or the old-man ref who made the call as she walked off the court.
BigD
Well-Known Member
Wow, almost prophetic.
Great win today but definitely a tough win. Hats off to West Virginia for battling in such a tough arena. Hopefully the Lady Hawks play better away from home at the next game. They will need to.
Indeed ... follow Dad's advice!
As for her "image" ... CC is the tamest / most humble of all the stars.
- Devil Reese is a taunting "C" - regardless of opponent. On display again vs Mid-Tenn.
- Watched entire ISU-Stanford game and when Brink fouled out (great call on a complete mugging of Crooks) literally read her lips saying "Fv@& U" to either a fan or the old-man ref who made the call as she walked off the court.
Brink has always been like that...she has some stank to her game, some trash talk, some fire, etc. I think that is critical to survive in the sport, so I love to see it. Now some do it on the down low, and some do it for all to see, but everyone needs that mean streak.
Clark has the same, but she sometimes struggles to harness it, and it works against her. She made a lot of progress in controlling it through her sophomore and especially junior years, but I think this year the stress is wearing on her, and she is reverting. No one gets mugged and held like her, and no one in sports has been under a microscope like this since Tiger Woods. That adds up over time, and for her, it has manifested as more complaining and some very demonstrative releases of emotion on court.
My hope is that winning that last Carver game is a huge weight off the team's shoulders, and they can play more freely from here on out. Most experts did NOT pick them to advance to the Final Four, so they can finally play like the hunter instead of the hunted. There is no getting away from the spotlight for this team, but they have already cleared their biggest emotional hurdle of the postseason.
Last edited:
Also, I think players like Clark and Brink have gotten a lot longer leash on this behavior than someone like Angel Reese because they are pretty and white (a potent combination for getting positive attention from the media). That is why some made such a big deal over Clark's demonstrative F-bombs vs. WVU: "I can't believe this pretty white girl swears, heavens to Betsy, someone think of the children!" Anyone paying attention has watched her (and all other WBB players) do this her whole career, but she still has a certain image based on who she is and where she grew up, and the F-bombs ran counter to that image.
The sooner we accept that WBB is cutthroat competition with tons of passion, just like MBB, the better we all will be.
The sooner we accept that WBB is cutthroat competition with tons of passion, just like MBB, the better we all will be.
