University Athletic Association

[TheKatzInTheHat]

Going back to the old question. I think that the Brandeis women's team last year was the best I've seen. I think they got screwed in the seedings (how didn't they host a pod last year?) and ended up going head-to-head against those Bowdoin women who happen not to lose at home very often. Still, even with that, they gave Bowdoin a win for their money. I mean this was a game not many people gave them a chance but they fought back and fought back and had the game tied late in the second half.

They lost Clancy and Demartino off that roster from last year and it's turned out to be a lot more than they can handle at times. Clancy was huge for them in the tournament last year and Demart was their all-time leader in assists and while I think the point guards for Brandeis this year have done a great job, they miss her ability to just calm everyone down at times.

That being said, I hope that d3hoops.com pick of Brandeis as the most likely to disappoint is erased quite early.

BachDog, I disagree with you assessment of Malcolm and Capra. Malcolm has been double and tripled teamed all year, i think a lot due to Clancy not being there. I think it's just been tough for her to get open and score and at times she seems frustrated. And Capra is the one player who seems to be moving the entire game. She played the tournmanet last year with her arm hanging by a thread on that shoulder.

I do like what i saw with NYU this year. The biggest problem i can see for them is if one team can shut down McEntee (or get her in foul trouble) because none of the other players seem to be true scorers. But if she's going they have a pretty lethal inside/outside game that can bury whatever team they play.

[BachDog]

Believe it or not, Katz, I agree with your assessment on NYU. Although, I haven't yet seen anyone stop McEntee. That's not bias or anything, I haven't seen it happen. Sometimes I think she is being stopped and then by the end of game she has 24 points. A lot of that has to do with how many points at the stripe she takes (last game against Brandeis it was 17 points from the line). She will take it to the basket, get fouled, make 2 shots.

But, if someone does figure out a way to stop McEntee, you're right, the only true "scorer" on the team is Ryba. Ryba vacillates between being an all-conference player and a non-issue, but she can play too. NYU thrives when they play McEntee in the post and have their perimeter game work off of that, not the other way around. Also, take into consideration that three other NYU players average double figures in points, and two are averaging over eight points.

As for Malcolm, is it just me, or do the double and triple teams really affect her? I mean, at times in both the NYU at Brandeis game, and the Brandeis at NYU games, she just looked flat out tired. I know she's a big girl, tough as nails with some pretty post moves, but it's a long season and I think she's tired...Hopefully this week they're are well rested. The thing I respect most about Brandeis is their defense. They can win on defense in the first round (not a given), maybe the second round as well. They need their seniors to be leaders and then they have a shot.

Brandeis last year was a really, really great team. I think a lot of pressure was off Malcolm, and the difference this year is that the pressure IS on her. How she deals with that pressure will be the deciding factor I think. How does the starting five of Maine-Farmington stack up against Brandeis do you think?

[Father Dust]

All BrW teams since 2003-04 have been top notch teams and deserving of their respective Top 25 status.  The 03-04 team, however, while maybe not the "best" should be recognized bc they turned the program around.  That season they went from UAA doormats to legitimate contenders and, I would think, made the program a viable choice for talented recruits.  The team had great chemistry, was unselfish (led UAA teams in assists w/481), played hard nosed D and knew how to get the ball to their best player and scorer (Fitzpatrick/55% FG), who was also regularly doubled and tripled.  With outstanding frosh Malcolm & Grzyb coming off the bench they were solid and exciting.  A crucial away loss to UC late in the season probably nixed any outside chance for NCAA's.  Just my two cents.........Anyway, good luck to both woman and men in the tourney.  Kudos to all the players and coaches.      P.S. they beat NYU twice that year........ maybe for the first time?

[pureshooter]

  father d,
             what happened to grzyb anyway, i didn't think she graduated. did she leave?

[TheKatzInTheHat]

Gryzb is still here but she left the team. I think if they had her last year, they would have been even better. The one thing they lacked last year seemed to have been depth at the shooting guard spot and she would have definitely given them that.

I agree, though, with the argument that the team a few years ago with Fitzpatrick may have had the best players but they didn't seem to gel as a team until the end (when they took home the ECACs). If this group can get together and gel, they can be dominant. But the problem is that they've been way too streaky at times. I disected this as big runs during the NYU game:

0-7
3-16
14-5
7-0
2-14
12-4

They certainly have the ability in there but streaky play like that can bury a team and this team has a lot of young players who play regularly...

I really think they can make it out of this first round game, but they need to play their defensive game. They came into the NYU games ranked 10th in the nation in scoring defense and gave up a season high 79 points. If they do that, they're probably going to lose against UMF.

[newtonnancy]

no matter what the previous years Brandeis teams set the table for this years fairly safe seeding, when you think about the 2 ECAC teams, they really got shafted out of an NCAA bid, I remember 2 years ago clearly when they were 20-4 during the regular season with the final day loss to NYU at NYU and I was shocked they didn't get in. They could have done some damage. BUT, those 2 ECAC Championships set the table for a program that had NO REPUTATION, well a bad one as they had like 9-10 losing seasons prior, guess they had to prove the program deserved to be in, then last year they got as tough a draw as you could get.......so this years squad benefited from those who came before. Let hope they can take advantage of it.

[pureshooter]

 have not seen umf play this year, so i don't know what style they play.
  wheaton let brandeis of the hook earlier this year, losing the game after leading by 4 w/27 seconds left.
brandeis is big,great in the halfcourt set. but any team that can push it could give them some trouble. but simon can coach

[newtonnancy]

OK

[newtonnancy]

Keys to the women's tournament game
By Zach Aronow
As the Brandeis women's basketball team heads off to Emmanuel to take on Maine-Farmington, here are some keys that we at the Hoot feel are necessary for the Judges if they hope to advance deep into the playoffs.

1. Ball movement and shot selection. With Caitlin Malcolm '07 facing double and triple teams in the middle, it is vital that the Judges are able to make passes along the perimeter and work for the open shot. Criticism has been that the team has been at times ineffective in moving both with and without the ball, throwing it around before settling for a long-range shot. The offense needs to work the ball and make those high-percentage shots.

2. Drive the lane. Brandeis was second in the UAA with a 73.6% clip from the free throw line. NYU struggles aside, free throw shooting has been a hallmark for the Judges. With that in mind, the team needs to drive the lane, pick up the fouls and make the baskets at the free throw line.

3. Jaime Capra '08. With Malcolm facing a swarm every time she has the ball, Capra has become the offensive powerhouse, leading the way with 15.1 points per game. As a result teams are likely going to try and double her along with Malcolm. Tying in once again with good ball movement, the Judges need to do what they can to help Capra get the open looks. When she gets going, it makes getting inside the post easier for all. As Coach Carol Simon stated, Capra does have the advantage of being a perimeter player which makes her tougher to defend.

4. Depth. What the team lacks in experience (compared to last year's squad), they make up for in depth. Rookie guard Jessica Chapin '10 is a spark plug off the bench, averaging 7.9 points per game and was second on the team in three-point field goal percentage. Fellow rookie guard Lauren Rashford '10 also provided support in the form of 27 steals along with 3.3 points. Cassidy Dadaos '09 in her first full year provided four rebounds along with 3.9 points, and Carmela Breslin '10 in 17 games, shot a scintillating .438 clip from beyond the arc.

5. Who steps up for the post-season? This ties in with the importance of depth. Observers watching last year's post-season squad expected Malcolm or Capra to lead the way and instead saw the team get past Salem State. Thanks for that success went to Christine Clancy '06 and Alison Chase '07, the pair of whom almost single-handedly succeeded in pushing Brandeis past Bowdoin College. If Malcolm and/or Capra struggle, who will provide the heroics?

6. Offense wins games, defense wins championships. Brandeis finished first in the UAA in scoring defense and 3-point defense. This will be helpful because the Maine-Farmington Beavers have a very strong offense, led by the potent trio of center Kari Simpson (15.8 points, 8.6 rebounds per game), guard Karen Sirois (12.0 points, 4.7 assists) and NAC Rookie of the Year Caitlyn Laflin (14.2 ppg). If Brandeis wants to advance, they need to keep at least two of them in check; the stats indicate Brandeis has the capability to do it.

7. The last major key is simply consistency. Three out of the Judge's five losses came from a very poor performance in one half that offset a great performance earlier or later in the game. In both of their meetings against NYU, Brandeis was undone by a poor second half performance. In New York last Saturday, the Judges trailed by 16 and were unable to close the gap. While it is true that in a tough conference like the UAA, teams will struggle for a stretch, the fact remains that Brandeis cannot start or end sluggishly and expect to advance.

There you have it – seven keys to Brandeis victory. It might be easy to admit that these keys are rather obvious and could apply to anyone, but after all, it is taking care of the important business that makes a contender. Last year, Brandeis nearly knocked off a team that went to the "elite eight" and with their depth and skill level, there is good reason to assume that the Judges can at least match their progress from last year, and even surpass it.

[sean-o]

   About the Maroons, Nancy. I really like their team. I think the #1 (on WBCA, not D3) was preliminary, but they are an explosive team, when they're on. What do you think was the catalyst to the downfall?? Was it too hyped up? They are so dangerous (ask Wash. U.) it would have been great if they could have turned it around.

There are a few reasons,  but one you cannot underestimate is how dependent this team was on its freshmen. Don't get me wrong: They were great and a big part of the reason the Maroons were so good this year. But you're talking about a conference with some of the nation's best coaches, who can expose flaws of inexperience. Chicago lost five of seven games by five points or less, so you're not talking about a team lacking talent but rather the closing touch.

Definitely ask Wash U if you want to get a feel of how dangerous Chicago was. The two games this season were grind-it-out battles, and the Bears took the last affair on some incredibly classy performances by Schell and Parker. Both teams deserved a win, but Wash U earned the victory with some great late play.

On Chicago's side, that showed that were a tournament-worthy team this year (in terms of quality, not necessarily credentials) and that another season learning their ever-developing offense should prove wonders.

[DutchandDeis]

On the keys to Brandeis going far, I think it all comes down to who can step up, specifically in the post position.  They've had to rotate the 2nd post all year, with Orlando and Dadaos playing big roles but others seeing some time as well (Wells saw a good amount of time for the first time since UAA play started really).  Last year they had Clancy inside, who I agree was a big, probably underrated, part of their success.  This year, they're deep in guards, but will definately need that 2nd post to score some points, if not just free up Malcom.

[mark_reichert]

Believe it or not, Katz, I agree with your assessment on NYU. Although, I haven't yet seen anyone stop McEntee. That's not bias or anything, I haven't seen it happen.

Depends what you mean by stop:

http://bearsports.wustl.edu/womensbball/GAME18.HTM

She had 13 rebounds, but only 13 points, which is low for her.

[howardjp]

70-40 Judges over UMaine-Farmington, with about 13 minutes left, Jamie Capra has 31, too bad she can't shoot ....

[howardjp]

Final score, Brandeis 90, UMF 66, Capra 33 points.

Onward!

[BachDog]

Depends what you mean by stop:

http://bearsports.wustl.edu/womensbball/GAME18.HTM

She had 13 rebounds, but only 13 points, which is low for her.
[/quote]

Mark,
If a double-double is a stop, I must be talking about a different sport where over ten points and ten rebounds is bad. It doesn't matter what's "low" for her, a double-double is a double-double. Go to www.nyu.edu/athletics and look at the boxscores there and you'll see a pretty distinct transition in McEntee's game that is palpable (she wasn't even top scorer in most of the contests until a quarter into the season). Jess doesn't need to score thirty points a game if other people (over thirty point victory last night, Ryba with sixteen) can share the burden.

Now that about that Wash. U game, look at the next game (the one where Wash U. lost by thirty!) and Jess wasn't the high scorer there either. What's your point??