On Women's Basketball

Missouri review

Posted by: Tony Bleill

Thursday, November 20, 2008 7:56 AM

Yes, I'm aware Missouri was picked to finish last in the Big 12. Yes, I know it wasn't pretty for much of the first half and parts of the second half. Even Jolette Law admitted that much. But Wednesday's 65-55 Illinois victory against Missouri, in my opinion, is a better win than it appears on the surface.

To me, the important things were the contributions by the freshmen, especially Macie Blinn and Lydia McCully. Blinn eagerly looked for her shot, knocked 'em down with confidence and showed some versatility, scoring off the dribble and via spot-up perimeter shots. Blinn has been billed as a sharpshooter, and there's reason to believe she can provide some much-needed -- MUCH-NEEDED -- offense from that spot. Law seems to have confidence in the freshman's ability to score.

As for McCully, she displayed the ability to score when it was presented to her. Her decision-making wasn't always the best, but she had good instincts as far as when she should look to shoot. That's a tricky thing because most first-year players are either too aggressive or too timid. Law apparently liked her work, too, because McCully played all 40 minutes.

The other factor I liked was the Illini overcame the loss of Chelsea Gordon, who didn't play at all in the second half after suffering an ankle injury late in the first. Granted, Gordon isn't a scorer and her contributions are limited to the defensive end, for the most part. But she's a veteran, and she can provide some degree of leadership and stability for decidedly young team. If nothing else, Gordon's absence guarantees there'll be another freshman on the floor. And that means that whenever she's out -- or Lacey Simpson or Jenna Smith -- the Illini will have three freshmen on the floor. That's a near-impossible task, but the Illini managed to overcome it, which is a good sign for them.

Other random thoughts:

--Smith seemed to make a concerted effort to use her right hand more. Like many lefties, Smith has been pegged as someone who prefers to go to her left. Against Mizzou, she repeatedly dribbled to the right and/or shot with her right hand. Her first three shots -- and five of her first eight -- were right-handed. Though she struggled with it Wednesday, Smith is capable of effectively using her off-hand. If nothing else, it gives the defense another dimension to prepare for. If she's willing to mix up her repertoire like that, it only helps her in the future.

--Missouri was hurt badly by foul trouble. Jessra Johnson's and Shakara Jones' foul troubles, I thought, had a bigger impact on the Tigers' offense than their defense. Johnson and Jones are the team's best offensive weapons, and they played 19 and 23 minutes, respectively. When they were in the game together, which was rare, the Tigers' offense enjoyed some success.

Missouri coach Cindy Stein made a thinly-veiled reference to the officiating. Like any smart coach, she couched it in the form of something else. Check this out: "It's tough," Stein said, "because we are allowed to play a lot more physical in the Big 12. But we have to adjust to it."

That's true. But the Tigers' defenders were too often caught out of position, or were reaching instead of moving their feet. I'm surprised they had that much trouble defending the Illini, who rarely score 65 points. And while Missouri found plenty of foul trouble, it didn't show up in the free throw numbers. Missouri shot 12 foul shots, Illinois 14.

--The crowd was listed at 1,192. It clearly was dampened by the 8:30 p.m. tipoff. It also included Gordon's beau, Arrelious Benn.

--As I mentioned in the game story, the Illini freshmen are off-limits to the media. The only exception, to my knowledge, was in Fort Wayne on Friday, when a Greenville (Ohio) paper came over to cover Blinn's college debut. Instead of sending the reporter home empty-handed, Jolette Law allowed him to speak with Blinn.

It's an unfortunate decision, one not rooted in logic. These freshmen have been interviewed repeatedly in high school. Shoot, I interviewed Lana Rukavina and Blinn at least twice apiece since the time they committed as juniors. Plus, it isn't as if the freshmen are being hounded by the notorious "Connecticut horde." The media contingent covering the UI women's basketball program consists of yours truly and the Daily Illini. Sometimes, a TV reporter will show up. That's hardly a tough chore for any freshman, let alone one as accustomed to handling the media as the current group of players.

In any event, that's why you're not getting any quotes from the freshmen. (Josil, in particular, is a great quote. I loved the conversation I had with her when she committed last winter.)

 

 

 

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