Louisville vs Wake Forest

[TheRealVille]

Like you said "when the whistle blew". Defense let up. Walz didn't want a turnover or empty possession at that point.

Well, she was not happy and Walz looked to be apologizing to her. Something like, "my bad".

She hustled, made the steal and was in the act of scoring. Everyone on the court looked surprised when the whistle was due to a timeout.

Definitely hadn't seen that before in all my decades of watching UofL hoops, men or women.

And of course we didn't score on that possession after that timeout.

 

[JMS1947]

This team makes way too many turnovers. I think because they don't have a true point guard. Curry has
the needed skills but not the mindset for it, too many mental mistakes. Williams gets the ball down the
floor as fast as anyone I can remember, but then doesn't know what to do with it.
What is really troublesome, is all the tourovers our inside players (Cochran, Harris, Istanbulluoglu, Juffermans)
make. Also, we fall asleep on defense and allow wide open 3's or layups. Running suicides is a good cure for that.
Berry has issues on defence, but a 45% 3-point shooter should get more than 2 minutes.
This team is very frustrating.
I feel better!!!

 

[TheRealVille]

There's just not enough minutes for all the guards. If Walz plays Berry more, that's less time for Curry. Same with Arenas or Roberts or Williams.

Walz's biggest problem in my opinion is his frontline. Cochran and Harris are average at best and they're both head and shoulders better than any other front court player. Walz has no answer for when they get into foul trouble.

He has to go with 3 or 4 guards when he needs scoring if either Cochran or Harris is in foul trouble. That's not conducive to winning basketball against the better teams.

I think fans are really starting to question Walz's inability to recruit better front court players. He has a couple of newcomers that don't see the court over Instabullaguoglu and Juffurmans and that tells me they shouldn't have been recruited to play here.

This for me is easily Walz least talented team in a long while if not for his entire career at UofL. He has his work cut out for him if he's going to get this team to the NCAA tournament.

I hope I'm wrong and they turn a corner, but that game against WF was hard to watch. Walz's teams used to obliterate teams like WF, not struggle to beat them.

 

[nccardfan]

While it is true that Walz doesn't really use/recruit a true center position, he's had some pretty good bigs. Fuehring, Hines-Allen, Engstler, Dixon, Shook and to some degree, Cochran. His best teams are based on good guard play.

 

[2330859]

I see Harris and Cochran as more inconsistent than “untalented’; Harris for example was 8-10 against WF, and a week earlier Cochran was 6-9 against Miami. Admittedly, they have both underperformed much of this season, but I believe they can both contribute down the stretch.

 

[Bardman]

I see Harris and Cochran as more inconsistent than “untalented’; Harris for example was 8-10 against WF, and a week earlier Cochran was 6-9 against Miami. Admittedly, they have both underperformed much of this season, but I believe they can both contribute down the stretch.

I agree. They are talented, but, limited. Athleticism is a factor IMO. When I saw Hardy play earlier in the season I thought she had superior ‘bounce’ when compared to Harris and Cochran. Seemed like she could provide some rim protection. Maybe she is going to RS in order to develop her overall game some more. Istan and Juffer are more in the ‘plodder’ category. That is not a negative. I don’t recall names, but Notre Dame and Iowa both had posts who were not jumping-jacks. Instead they were space eaters who utilized their size and strength to move people, create space and make easy baskets. I think they both can develop into those types of players.

 

[TheRealVille]

I agree. They are talented, but, limited. Athleticism is a factor IMO. When I saw Hardy play earlier in the season I thought she had superior ‘bounce’ when compared to Harris and Cochran. Seemed like she could provide some rim protection. Maybe she is going to RS in order to develop her overall game some more. Istan and Juffer are more in the ‘plodder’ category. That is not a negative. I don’t recall names, but Notre Dame and Iowa both had posts who were not jumping-jacks. Instead they were space eaters who utilized their size and strength to move people, create space and make easy baskets. I think they both can develop into those types of players.

"Istan and Juffer" are a big downgrade for Louisville basketball as front court players. I don't think they will be here after the season.

Walz has to use the portal for what he can't get with HS recruits and that's talented and athletic front court players. If he doesn't, he will not see the final 4 again.

The portal has changed the women's game too. Coach Walz can't afford a drought like McDonnell has with the baseball program. If Louisville hoops is going to stay elite, Walz has to find ways to sign top front court talent.