Lady dawgs bball at #16 UK

[Tater]

Measuring stick game for us. 1st Q was tough with UK splashing 3s (mostly open looks) at 5/7. Difference in the game. Clark for Iowa started pushing the Women's game into utilizing more 3s but it's not near where it should be yet. Especially with players unable to dunk.

We're probably a 7 to 10 seed line type team. Playing like it too today.

[Tater]

Okot getting called on some tic tac stuff. Road game in the SEC. Wonder if she is stuck with just one more year to play having not been in the ncaa and overseas or if she can pull a Pavia and get some extra eligibility. If so, she'd be a monster year 3/4 playing the US game.

[BigDawg81]

They stink

[schddog72]

Measuring stick game for us. 1st Q was tough with UK splashing 3s (mostly open looks) at 5/7. Difference in the game. Clark for Iowa started pushing the Women's game into utilizing more 3s but it's not near where it should be yet. Especially with players unable to dunk.

We're probably a 7 to 10 seed line type team. Playing like it too today.

Well, we got the short end of the stick on this one. We getting out-played and out-coached badly.

[RockyDog]

Pee Wee Herman is no Vic

[Tater]

I mean sometimes your opponent is just on. Purcell still needs to build more but I'm seeing no quit in these girls. I just wish we had a couple of girls that would just splash from 3. But this is about the same as last year.

17 threes given up is insane. Tough game.

[ZedFedder]

Purcell is a good hype guy. They make great assistants but leave a little lacking as a head coach. Look at last year. We were top 20 and cruising, but then there was some internal drama and the team fell apart. I just like Jans way better. He is going to chew your tail, and you can play his way or you can sit. Purcell seems more of a player's coach, and not in a good way.

[EdwardDrayton]

We got rolled. Plain and simple.

[maroonmania]

Purcell is a good hype guy. They make great assistants but leave a little lacking as a head coach. Look at last year. We were top 20 and cruising, but then there was some internal drama and the team fell apart. I just like Jans way better. He is going to chew your tail, and you can play his way or you can sit. Purcell seems more of a player's coach, and not in a good way.

Jans was a proven head coach when we got him and THAT is what sets him apart from our other HCs and AD that are all learning on the job. Lemonis is the other exception as he at least had a few years at Indiana. So yes, I certainly have way more confidence in Jans than I do in Purcell or Lebby.

[ZedFedder]

Jans was a proven head coach when we got him and THAT is what sets him apart from our other HCs and AD that are all learning on the job. Lemonis is the other exception as he at least had a few years at Indiana. So yes, I certainly have way more confidence in Jans than I do in Purcell or Lebby.

Their approach and way of coaching is very different, that is for sure.

[Pancho]

Purcell has to deal with a totally different dynamic and has a big game staring him in the face next.

[basedog]

Not a good look last night from this team.

[NCMSTFAN]

No one has mentioned our Women's team until we get blown out. Until last night, we had only lost one game by 3 points and that was against a really good Georgia Tech team who are currently ranked #13 and are 15-0. Okot has the potential to one of the best bigs we've had, she is just still very raw and learning the game.

One reason we lost last night is because our best player has been streaky all season. Jerkaila Jordan had 17 points but went 7-21 to get that, that's 14 missed shots by her, it won't cut it against a good teams. I could list a few other reasons why but I will highlight Purcell. I like him and his enthusiasm but he is just too damn nice sometimes and his team takes on that identity, we need to toughen the hell up or we will be in the WNIT again.

[CaptainObvious]

This team doesn't have the depth to be NCAA competitive. They are only about 6 deep with maybe a 7th role player. I really thought Montague might become a player but she is too slow and clumsy with the ball. She gets shots blocked by shorter players because she literally cannot jump. eniya Russell is probably the second best and she is way too inconsistent and turnover prone. They will not beat a ranked opponent. Probably end up about 8-10 SEC. LSU, UK, Ole Miss, Arkansas, Texas, USCe, Tennessee, Alabama are unbeatable by this group.

[StarkVegasSteve]

No one has mentioned our Women's team until we get blown out. Until last night, we had only lost one game by 3 points and that was against a really good Georgia Tech team who are currently ranked #13 and are 15-0. Okot has the potential to one of the best bigs we've had, she is just still very raw and learning the game.

One reason we lost last night is because our best player has been streaky all season. Jerkaila Jordan had 17 points but went 7-21 to get that, that's 14 missed shots by her, it won't cut it against a good teams. I could list a few other reasons why but I will highlight Purcell. I like him and his enthusiasm but he is just too damn nice sometimes and his team takes on that identity, we need to toughen the hell up or we will be in the WNIT again.

I don't want to crap on the women's team because I really do like Sam. I think he's a hell of a recruiter and a really good coach, he's just not Vic Schaefer. I think the days of the women consistently outdrawing the men 2:1 and being something people discuss day in and day out are over. Schaefer caught lightning in a bottle here, akin to how Summitt built up Tennessee. The men at the time SUCKED and no one wanted to watch but wanted to watch basketball. At Tennessee, the men make 2 tournaments from 83-98. Meanwhile Summitt wins 6 national championships in that time frame. They also both tapped into the community and made the community and the fanbase feel part of the program. Whether that was taking pictures with kids, signing autographs, making sure all the players were at the camps, etc. I have often thought Vic was probably a better marketer than he was a coach, and he was a hell of a coach.

[KentuckyDawg13]

The team and coaches were NOT prepared for this game.
Sam needs to learn in-game coaching...

[State82]

I don't want to crap on the women's team because I really do like Sam. I think he's a hell of a recruiter and a really good coach, he's just not Vic Schaefer. I think the days of the women consistently outdrawing the men 2:1 and being something people discuss day in and day out are over. Schaefer caught lightning in a bottle here, akin to how Summitt built up Tennessee. The men at the time SUCKED and no one wanted to watch but wanted to watch basketball. At Tennessee, the men make 2 tournaments from 83-98. Meanwhile Summitt wins 6 national championships in that time frame. They also both tapped into the community and made the community and the fanbase feel part of the program. Whether that was taking pictures with kids, signing autographs, making sure all the players were at the camps, etc. I have often thought Vic was probably a better marketer than he was a coach, and he was a hell of a coach.

This is spot on. Just a real shame that things turned out like they did with the program. I had really gotten all in on it during that run. It was a lot of fun.

[StarkVegasSteve]

This is spot on. Just a real shame that things turned out like they did with the program. I had really gotten all in on it during that run. It was a lot of fun.

And I'll be honest, no one is to blame but Vic Schaefer. At the end of the day, he wanted a program losing 2-3 mil per year to be funded like a program that makes 2-3 mil per year. Heck he wanted it funded like football. We gave him everything he wanted other than additional funding, of which you could argue he already was being given too much. I mean we treated him and his family like the first family of Mississippi. We gave him a salary that people who had actually won a national championship weren't making. We buried some stuff that would've not cast his son in the best light. We went out of our way as a university for that family in a way I have never seen us do. We didn't bow down to Mullen like we did Schaefer.

[NCMSTFAN]

I don't want to crap on the women's team because I really do like Sam. I think he's a hell of a recruiter and a really good coach, he's just not Vic Schaefer. I think the days of the women consistently outdrawing the men 2:1 and being something people discuss day in and day out are over. Schaefer caught lightning in a bottle here, akin to how Summitt built up Tennessee. The men at the time SUCKED and no one wanted to watch but wanted to watch basketball. At Tennessee, the men make 2 tournaments from 83-98. Meanwhile Summitt wins 6 national championships in that time frame. They also both tapped into the community and made the community and the fanbase feel part of the program. Whether that was taking pictures with kids, signing autographs, making sure all the players were at the camps, etc. I have often thought Vic was probably a better marketer than he was a coach, and he was a hell of a coach.

This is a great post and I can't argue with anything you said.

I like Purcell also, he's a great recruiter, he loves his players and he is fun to be around. But that doesn't always translate to wins and there are some toughness issues I've seen in all 3 of his teams since he's been at State. Losing Vic was tough, he had us in the National spotlight, we were going to National championship games and we top 2 or 3 in the SEC. That's just a tough act to follow but every single one of his teams were disciplined and tough as nails. We lack that with Purcell's teams but I will continue to watch and support.

[NCMSTFAN]

This team doesn't have the depth to be NCAA competitive. They are only about 6 deep with maybe a 7th role player. I really thought Montague might become a player but she is too slow and clumsy with the ball. She gets shots blocked by shorter players because she literally cannot jump. eniya Russell is probably the second best and she is way too inconsistent and turnover prone. They will not beat a ranked opponent. Probably end up about 8-10 SEC. LSU, UK, Ole Miss, Arkansas, Texas, USCe, Tennessee, Alabama are unbeatable by this group.

To be honest, I don't like Purcells rotations. Not sure how close you follow the games but Destiney McPhaul needs more of Deshields minutes, she's just more productive. Jerkaila needs to stop shooting so much and I'd like to see Prater and Ward get a few more minutes. Montague has been a disappointment as you mentioned, she was supposed to be our replacement for Carter.

[klong-dog]

We're not going to the Dance. We still start SEC play 0-6. 1-5 at best. And finish 6-12 in the league at best. Sam teams are too soft and too careless with the ball. Even though last night only had 10 turnovers, which is great for this team.

[StarkVegasSteve]

This is a great post and I can't argue with anything you said.

I like Purcell also, he's a great recruiter, he loves his players and he is fun to be around. But that doesn't always translate to wins and there are some toughness issues I've seen in all 3 of his teams since he's been at State. Losing Vic was tough, he had us in the National spotlight, we were going to National championship games and we top 2 or 3 in the SEC. That's just a tough act to follow but every single one of his teams were disciplined and tough as nails. We lack that with Purcell's teams but I will continue to watch and support.

I've seen this statement a lot and although I have never followed the women's team very closely, I followed it closely enough to tell you that those last few teams were not as tough as his early teams. You could start to see the cracks forming in 19 and definitely in 20. He got away from recruiting the Dillingham's and started recruiting the Rickea Jackson's. Obviously the talent of Jackson was far superior but the problems she brought with her persisted into the next regime of McCray-Penson. I also thought she had a tough draw because she had so many personalities to manage and was trying to replace the best coach in program history.

[NCMSTFAN]

I've seen this statement a lot and although I have never followed the women's team very closely, I followed it closely enough to tell you that those last few teams were not as tough as his early teams. You could start to see the cracks forming in 19 and definitely in 20. He got away from recruiting the Dillingham's and started recruiting the Rickea Jackson's. Obviously the talent of Jackson was far superior but the problems she brought with her persisted into the next regime of McCray-Penson. I also thought she had a tough draw because she had so many personalities to manage and was trying to replace the best coach in program history.

The Rickea Jackson players came because of what he started building due to winning. We got to the NC games because of the gritty tough players like Dillingham, Jazz Holmes, Danberry, Morgan William etc... After we started winning he was able to attract Rickea, Matharu, Jamaya Young, Espianoza-Hunter etc. And that's when things started falling apart for him, then he bailed. Vic had trouble coaching the highly recruited diva type players, but he still had some tough teams I'd take any day.

[StarkVegasSteve]

The Rickea Jackson players came because of what he started building due to winning. We got to the NC games because of the gritty tough players like Dillingham, Jazz Holmes, Danberry, Morgan William etc... After we started winning he was able to attract Rickea, Matharu, Jamaya Young, Espianoza-Hunter etc. And that's when things started falling apart for him, then he bailed. Vic had trouble coaching the highly recruited diva type players, but he still had some tough teams I'd take any day.

Oh his teams from 2012-2017 were as tough as they come. You and I agree though that he had trouble coaching the diva type players. I don't think we ever would've fallen off under Vic and missed the tournament but I think 2021 would've been a downish year for him and start to kind of reload the talent. He would've had pieces to build around though. I thought Doug Novak's team was tough as nails, but had no talent to work with. I find it interesting that Sam's best team had a lot of that talent on it. Obviously the year is still early, but looking at their schedule, it does them no favors in the first 10 games.

[CaptainObvious]

This team is Sharon Fanning-ish. Good in the non- conf portion of the schedule but likely to be in the lower 1/2 of SEC play.

[No BS Dawg]

This year?s team also played one of the easiest non-conference schedules in the country. It is pathetically bad. It in no way prepared them for what SEC play would be like. Go look at Kentucky?s non-conference schedule compared to ours. Very different.

[Tater]

Charlie Creme has us a 9-seed line today.

Lot of people overreacting to last nights game. Yes Kentucky is better than us. It was a road game and they played their best game. Part of it was coaching, but you can't coach going 7/8 from 3. Just an unreal game for her last night. A normal game out of one player from them has this being a more realistic 10 point beating.

Long season to go. Bounce back with a good fight Sunday and it'll feel better. Get drubbed again and then the fanbase will be out due to just a shitty schedule draw. Sounds a lot like the Men's team getting a rough schedule to start 1-8 or whatever it was in SEC play.

[schddog72]

This team doesn't have the depth to be NCAA competitive. They are only about 6 deep with maybe a 7th role player. I really thought Montague might become a player but she is too slow and clumsy with the ball. She gets shots blocked by shorter players because she literally cannot jump. eniya Russell is probably the second best and she is way too inconsistent and turnover prone. They will not beat a ranked opponent. Probably end up about 8-10 SEC. LSU, UK, Ole Miss, Arkansas, Texas, USCe, Tennessee, Alabama are unbeatable by this group.

Have you looked at Arkansas lately? The others, I agree with your assessment, except I would add Auburn and Oklahoma.