This is probably one of the best all-around LG teams that I've seen in the last decade (outside of '08 and '06 maybe, where the Morales/Rogers teams had 28 and 27 win seasons).
Robin Selvig always has his ladies playing hard and locking down on the defensive end, but this year the LG have shown some offensive potential. They have a lot of confident outside shooters but the main difference I've noticed from this year is the ball movement. Lots of good back-doors, drive-and-dishes, and just good vision/awareness that you mentioned.
A lot of the offense (and smart plays) start with Torry Hill but it helps to have a spread out offense that is a threat from deep. Hill always seems to stay composed and although mainly a distributor, seems unafraid and very aware of when her team needs her to shoot. She stays dialed-in after an opposing team's defensive rebound and while others are getting back she has forced numerous turnovers before they are able to start their fast-break.
Cole is hard to defend because she shoots a high percentage from outside but also is the most aggressive player on this team and with her size, is strong going to the rim. Sullivan with her height, hustle, and spot-up shooting might be one of the bigger matchup problems for opposing teams. Rickman is solid and Carly Selvig shows flashes of great play. McCalle Feller sometimes makes me nervous with her style of play but she is all hustle and has become a legitimate scoring threat this year. Sims has really impressed with her solid play down low and an almost automatic mid range jumper. Off the bench, Valley, Vining, and Doran all make solid contributions and play very mature for their youth. It's too bad that Doran has missed some action from injury and imagine if Shanae Gilham wasn't recovering from surgery this year.
All that being said, there have been a few frustrating, smack-the-head moments that have held this team back (mostly due to moments of careless passing or being in control with the ball):
-I didn't get to see the NDSU game so I don't know what happened there, other than it sounded like a poor shooting performance. (NDSU is currently 3-14...ouch, need that one back).
-Earlier gainst Temple, I left thinking the LG really let a quality win slip away. A veteren player not diving on the floor for a loose ball, a couple of passes that were either lazy or unaware of the defense, not fighting for some rebounds where the LG already had position, and unusual poor help side defense. (Temple is a good team (9-7, RPI of 41) and will probably finish in the top 5 of the AAC which currently has 3 Top25 teams in it, including #1 UConn).
-I only got to listen to the Wyoming game but it sounded like the LG just got beat by a very good team that got going offensively. (Wyoming is a good team at (11-3) but only a RPI of 110, right now).
-Against Sac State, the LG got frustrated late as Sac continued to be the aggressor on offense. Again, some bone-headed/fatigued passes but I don't know how many times I was almost yelling at my monitor to take the ball to the hole once the LG broke the press and had numbers with nobody on the ball. Anyway, maybe it wouldn't have mattered because in Sac's last two losses to SUU and PSU, both broke the press but then tended to pull the ball back out and slow down the frantic Sac defense. So, staying composed and dictating tempo seems to be the formula to beating Sac State. (Sac State is (11-3) after dropping 2 straight; has been in the Collegeinsider.com's Top 25 poll for at least 3 weeks, reaching as high as #13; latest RPI of 71, though they were at #29 earlier; and has wins over Oregon and St. Mary's, both top 50 RPI teams and St. Mary's is #6 currently in the mid-major poll).
-Last night against UND, it seemed like the LG didn't have their normal confidence from the get-go. In the first half, they had a couple of break-aways where they failed to capitalize because of errant passes or inability to finish a shot inside. In the 2nd half (even after building a good lead), they seemed to play tight when players started getting in foul trouble. There was a lack of ball movement and a tentative offense for the most part (outside Cole and Feller). The last couple of minutes, UND almost gave the game back to the LG with their sloppy possessions from the LG's pressure. But, there were also a few uncharacteristic turnovers late on the LG that prevented the LG from taking back the lead (being uncomposed and dribbling over-and-back as well as a few more bad passes or just not being strong with the ball). It would have really helped to have had Cole and Hill in at the end. Win that game and the LG would have been in a 3-way tie loss-wise for the BSC lead. (North Dakota is (11-4, RPI of 75) with at least a 1.5 game advantage over everyone else in the BSC; 3 of their losses have come to #13 Iowa State, (12-6) Minnesota by 2, and (14-5) Iowa who was ranked #21 at the time; currently #28 on Collegeinsider.com's poll...should move into the Top 25 if they win against MSU on Saturday).
Anyways, I agree that this LG team with its talent, height, athleticism, heart, leadership, and (for the most part) smart play is more than a good team (I know, going out on a limb :lol: ) and they are definitely still a contender to win the BSC. (North Dakota is undefeated still but they have MSU and @Sac State the next two games. And with the BSC being a pretty good women's basketball league, any team is a threat. Even ISU and WSU gave UND good games. Plus, the top teams still have to come to Dahlberg where the LG are pretty much unbeatable in BSC play).
Looking even further ahead to the NCAAs, the BSC rep should get a favorable seed (maybe 10-13 range) if someone is dominant the rest of the way and it is Sac State, UND, or LG. The strength of the conference fueled by some good OOC resumes and the LG close games the last two visits to the tourney against UCLA and Georgia should help.
