How to beat USC women hoops

1 play faster than they do. USC is big and not especially athletic so if you press and play fast they’re likely to make more mistakes than you

2 USC is big but see above. Run on them and create easy baskets fouls and open 3s.

3 on defense see above. Guard the perimeter and let their big people go one on one or rotate off them in the lane. They are so slow that by the time they gather and go you’ll have rotated back. Even if not they only hit 50% of their two footers. So shut down the perimeter.

4 when juju isn’t running the o it’s stagnant. When she has the ball make her go left. She isn’t great left side. And deny her the ball if possible. Do so by coming off the middle and take your chances.

5 contest shots without fouling. Hard to do but don’t put usc on the line. Women don’t shoot well at all contested so stay on your feet. Hands up and even if you’re further back? And allow more looks? Don’t foul and give USC points

7 comments

7 Comments

rwc1952

Mar 31

in regards to your point in # 5 , of the few Trojan games I’ve watched it seems almost impossible for teams to avoid being called for a foul.

It’s obvious the SC game plan is to let the Watkins girl go 1 on 5 where she was taught well at a young age how to initiate contact with her shoulder and draw the foul. If you watch closely at times who’s really fouling who? credit to her for pulling it off.

Women’s basketball is pretty good, just too many whistles for my liking, let them play a little more.

Edited

Java

Mar 31

Replying to

It’s all under 7 feet. I don’t like that. It’s junior high hoops Or the hoops I’d play at the gym. Well no. I’m a little more vertical than they are

Anyway Watkins is a decent ball handler. Not superlative. She doesn’t good job of initiating contact. RemindsMe of Austin reaves. But her inability to go left is a problem

Java

Mar 31

Replying to

Btw I agree with you if Watkins is penetrating. But I maintain that flooding the perimeter. Leaving the middle open and getting a hand up to obstruct views is all you need in the women’s game outside the key because they don’t elevate and they aren’t used to being contested.

What’s interesting is to watch women’s basketball before the 3 point shot. Cheryl miller etc and the 84 Olympic team and now. It was a better game then. Now they are trying to be like the nba and Steph. Launch. Chase. Launch. Chase. Swing it around. Launch.

Not sure how great Cheryl was as an outside shooter but there was no 3 point shot then from the film I saw. I’d forgotten that.

Also millermayed with a men’s basketball and it changed the year after she left. How many more points does she have with a smaller ball and a 3 pt shot?