THESE TORTOISES CAN OUTRUN MOST HARES! IF YOU DON'T FEEL LIKE RUNNIN - DON'T PLAY'EM!

On Saturday November 27 we play Maryland in the Thanksgiving                           Tournament in The Bahamas. They have all their starters back from last season, when they led the nation in scoring with an average of 91 points per game. They ended the season ranked #9 after losing to the Longhorns in the Sweet Sixteen. I recounted Vic Schaefer's brilliant defensive strategy in a previous blog piece. Texas held Maryland to 61 points - thirty points below their season average. In the NCAA 2021 preseason rankings Stanford is #3 and Maryland is #4.  

In the Big 10 Tournament in March, they thoroughly dismantled Iowa in every respect. In World War II the Poles actually used their cavalry to try and stop Hitler's Wehrmacht and their Blitzkrieg warfare. I was reminded of that mismatch in the first five minutes of the Big Ten Championship game. Iowa was missing and Maryland was rebounding, which led to a three or four person fast break, and either a layup or a wide-open three pointer off the break. They hit their first nine shots. Iowa looked like the Polish cavalry. By the time their defense got down the floor - Maryland had scored and was running back on defense. Sort of the reverse of the tortoise and the hare.

The score at the end of 90 seconds was 13 to 5 and by the end of the first quarter it was 30 to 18 and it got worse from there.

My point here is that Brenda has got these girls revved up to a fever pitch and they love running and winning big. For the Terrapins the shot clock is irrelevant. They run and shoot fast - there aren't many passes. Everybody can shoot and everyone can dribble drive and they aren't shy about either. Who needs passing?

So, how do we stop this herd of blitzturtles? 

Defense, defense, defense - rebound, rebound, rebound and then, we  outrun'em and outshoot'em. If we go into this game with tired legs from our battle with South Florida the day before - we'll look like Iowa and get shellacked. We have to be loaded with energy, quickness, and speed. Nobody drives our lane to an uncontested layup. No Terrapin gets an open three ever. Chloe Bibby hit three out of four in the first four minutes with no one near her. Mimi Collins hit two out of three against no defense.

You've got to be totally ready for this bunch of gunners from the opening tip. We'll probably see a starting lineup like this:

Ashley Owusu      6'-0"    Jr.     Strong, nimble point guard.

Diamond Miller    6'-3"   Jr.     Quick, agile leaper.

Chloe Bibby          6'-1"  Grad  Lethal shooter.

Katie Benzan         5'-6"  Grad Top 3 Pt. % shooter in Div 1 @ 50%.

Mimi Collins         6'-3"   Jr.     Shooter. Rebounder.     

Another important opportunity to show the WBB world that we're the defending NCAA champions. 

GO CARDINAL! WE CAN DO THIS!