Ignatius L Hoops
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DEJA VU
Last season, on the heels of two straight loses, Minnesota entered the fourth game of the B1G season 1-2 and facing, this will sound familiar, the Michigan State Spartans. In a season of must have games, the Gophers delivered a total team effort winning 83-77 at Williams Arena. Trailing 23-20 after the first quarter, the Gophers outscored the Spartans 21-13 in the second. The teams matched points the rest of the way. It was a tough, rugged game with Michigan committing 23 turnovers and Minnesota 16.
The Spartans return almost everyone from that match-up: McCutcheon scored 12, Allen 12, Colley 12, Cooks 11, Hollie 14 and Gaines 10. To this group, this season, the Spartans add touted freshman Nia Clouden. Minnesota was led by Bell 22, Wagner 15, Fernstrom 14, Pitts 8 and Bello 8. Wagner and Fernstrom have graduated and we’ve added Mercedes Staples and, well, Lamke (Annalese did not play in last season’s contest.
Michigan State’s (1-2) two B1G losses against Northwestern and Indiana were tight, lead changing battles. Facing Northwestern’s zone and occasional press, the Spartans tried to speed up the game and keep the Wildcats from setting up. Still, Northwestern clogged the middle enough to emerge with a 70-62 win.
The Spartans second loss, at Indiana, is probably more instructive because the Hoosier’s primarily play man defense. And after watching Illinois guards knuckle down in the second half and slicing and dicing the Gopher (1-2) defense on their way to victory, it’s with no little trepidation that we head off to East Lansing facing a team loaded with slice and dice guards whom can also knock down threes. While Illinois ran a lot of offense off a high screen; the Spartans love the horns set featuring two bigs (often Allen and Cookes) at the elbows and a ball handling guard at the top with a lot of options. Indiana did a fairly effective job of mucking up the Spartan options.
Indiana also did a pretty good job of attacking Michigan State on the right side baseline. Why that worked I’m not sure; but it was obviously a plan. Still, the back and forth game seemingly turned on two plays by Indiana’s Jaylen Penn. With 6 seconds remaining in the first half, Penn took the inbounds pass and dribbled the length of the court passing every Spartan on her way to a buzzer beating layup. Then with 45 seconds remaining in the game Penn launched a long three swishing the Hoosiers to a 65-62 lead that they never relinquished.
The good news: In B1G play the Spartans are a worse free throw shooting team than Minnesota. MSU ranks 13th (25-41 (.610)) and Minnesota 12th (41-63 (.651)). Unfortunately, Minnesota’s three point shooting is a nearly dormant 14th 9-36 (.250) while MSU is 7th 17-48 (.354). It’s going to take a Syracusan like effort for Minnesota to prevail.
Injuries: Shay Colley has been battling a knew injury. Colley did not start against Indiana; but did play 21 minutes off the bench.
Other Note: Minnesota has three players in top ten B1G minutes played: Pitts 39.0, Bell 37.7 and Bellow 37.3.
B1G win: Iowa 84-70
B1G loss: @Northwestern 62-70, @ Indiana 64-68.
Notable non-conference wins: Oregon 88-82, NC State 74-78 (in Cancun)
Starters (B1G Stats)
5’5” G Jr Taryn McCutcheon (7 assists versus Iowa)
6’4” C Sr Jenna Allen 14.7 ppg (20 points and 17 rebounds versus Iowa)
5’9” G Jr Shay Colley 12.7 ppg (28 points at Northwestern)
5’8” G Fr Nia Clouden 13.3 ppg (27 points versus Iowa)
6’0” F So Madrekia Cook (11 points and 7 rebounds versus Indiana)
Others
6’4” F So Sidney Cooks (12 points and 5 rebounds versus Indiana)
6’1” F Jr Victoria Gaines
6’0” F Jr Nia Hollie (10 points and 6 rebounds versus Iowa)
Last season, on the heels of two straight loses, Minnesota entered the fourth game of the B1G season 1-2 and facing, this will sound familiar, the Michigan State Spartans. In a season of must have games, the Gophers delivered a total team effort winning 83-77 at Williams Arena. Trailing 23-20 after the first quarter, the Gophers outscored the Spartans 21-13 in the second. The teams matched points the rest of the way. It was a tough, rugged game with Michigan committing 23 turnovers and Minnesota 16.
The Spartans return almost everyone from that match-up: McCutcheon scored 12, Allen 12, Colley 12, Cooks 11, Hollie 14 and Gaines 10. To this group, this season, the Spartans add touted freshman Nia Clouden. Minnesota was led by Bell 22, Wagner 15, Fernstrom 14, Pitts 8 and Bello 8. Wagner and Fernstrom have graduated and we’ve added Mercedes Staples and, well, Lamke (Annalese did not play in last season’s contest.
Michigan State’s (1-2) two B1G losses against Northwestern and Indiana were tight, lead changing battles. Facing Northwestern’s zone and occasional press, the Spartans tried to speed up the game and keep the Wildcats from setting up. Still, Northwestern clogged the middle enough to emerge with a 70-62 win.
The Spartans second loss, at Indiana, is probably more instructive because the Hoosier’s primarily play man defense. And after watching Illinois guards knuckle down in the second half and slicing and dicing the Gopher (1-2) defense on their way to victory, it’s with no little trepidation that we head off to East Lansing facing a team loaded with slice and dice guards whom can also knock down threes. While Illinois ran a lot of offense off a high screen; the Spartans love the horns set featuring two bigs (often Allen and Cookes) at the elbows and a ball handling guard at the top with a lot of options. Indiana did a fairly effective job of mucking up the Spartan options.
Indiana also did a pretty good job of attacking Michigan State on the right side baseline. Why that worked I’m not sure; but it was obviously a plan. Still, the back and forth game seemingly turned on two plays by Indiana’s Jaylen Penn. With 6 seconds remaining in the first half, Penn took the inbounds pass and dribbled the length of the court passing every Spartan on her way to a buzzer beating layup. Then with 45 seconds remaining in the game Penn launched a long three swishing the Hoosiers to a 65-62 lead that they never relinquished.
The good news: In B1G play the Spartans are a worse free throw shooting team than Minnesota. MSU ranks 13th (25-41 (.610)) and Minnesota 12th (41-63 (.651)). Unfortunately, Minnesota’s three point shooting is a nearly dormant 14th 9-36 (.250) while MSU is 7th 17-48 (.354). It’s going to take a Syracusan like effort for Minnesota to prevail.
Injuries: Shay Colley has been battling a knew injury. Colley did not start against Indiana; but did play 21 minutes off the bench.
Other Note: Minnesota has three players in top ten B1G minutes played: Pitts 39.0, Bell 37.7 and Bellow 37.3.
B1G win: Iowa 84-70
B1G loss: @Northwestern 62-70, @ Indiana 64-68.
Notable non-conference wins: Oregon 88-82, NC State 74-78 (in Cancun)
Starters (B1G Stats)
5’5” G Jr Taryn McCutcheon (7 assists versus Iowa)
6’4” C Sr Jenna Allen 14.7 ppg (20 points and 17 rebounds versus Iowa)
5’9” G Jr Shay Colley 12.7 ppg (28 points at Northwestern)
5’8” G Fr Nia Clouden 13.3 ppg (27 points versus Iowa)
6’0” F So Madrekia Cook (11 points and 7 rebounds versus Indiana)
Others
6’4” F So Sidney Cooks (12 points and 5 rebounds versus Indiana)
6’1” F Jr Victoria Gaines
6’0” F Jr Nia Hollie (10 points and 6 rebounds versus Iowa)