Baylor Ends Season for Gophers

Baylor’s Sophia Young showed why she is an All-American, when she almost single-handedly ended the Gopher women’s basketball season Sunday night in the NCAA tourney in Tempe, AZ.

In the much-anticipated matchup between Baylor’s Young and Steffanie Blackmon, and the Gophers’ Janel McCarville and Jamie Broback, Baylor’s inside tandem outplayed the Gopher duo and the Bears advanced with a 64-57 victory. Young, a 2nd team AP All-American who can jump out of the gym, scored 26 points on 12 of 21 from the field, many of her shots contested by McCarville and other Gopher defenders. Blackmon, a 3rd team AP All-American, scored only 10 points on 4 of 12 shooting.

McCarville, the Gophers’ lone senior, had 16 points on 6 of 16 shooting. She also had 11 rebounds, 4 blocks, 4 assists, and 5 turnovers. Broback, who had led the Gophers in scoring for 7 straight games, was held to only 4 points on 2 of 9 shooting.

The Gophers, who competed in their 3rd straight Sweet Sixteen game and finished with a 26-8 season record, used good outside shooting by its perimeter players to trail by only 34-31 at the half. Shannon Bolden, April Calhoun, and Kelly Roysland all contributed in the 1st half as the No. 3-seeded Gophers tried to beat the team that won the Big 12 regular season and tournament titles. The Gophers grabbed the lead early in the 2nd half before Baylor and Young went on an 11-3 run from which the Gophers were never able to recover.

Baylor (30-3) advanced to an Elite Eight game against No. 1 seed North Carolina, with the winner advancing to the Final Four in Indianapolis.

Notes and Observations:

• The departure of Janel McCarville will leave a big void for next year’s Gopher team. On the other hand it will open up some minutes for some of her talented underclassmen teammates. Liz Podominick played very well toward the end of the year and she’s probably the favorite to replace McCarville in next year’s starting lineup. Podominick, who scored 10 points and grabbed 5 rebounds against Baylor, will give the Gophers another strong post player who can rebound. She’s not nearly as athletic as McCarville (who is?), but she’s capable of averaging double figures and maybe 7 to 8 rebounds per game. Natasha Williams and Lauren Lacey should also compete for a lot more minutes. A more experienced Williams as an upperclassman might have had a chance to defend Baylor’s Sophia Young. The Gophers might need some of Lacey’s offensive abilities and, as a result, she’ll have a chance to get a lot more playing time if she’s able to improve defensively.
• Maybe the biggest question about next year’s team revolves around who’s going to be able to get the ball to Broback. McCarville was hands-down the team’s best passer this year, and she and Broback often assisted on each other’s baskets. The Gopher perimeter players are not great passers, although Calhoun has racked up some nice assists since she has moved to the point guard position.
• Look for the Gophers to rotate 4 or 5 perimeter players again next year, with Calhoun to probably get the most minutes and Roysland to probably continue to get more minutes. Bolden and Shannon Schonrock will solidify the rotation. Freshman Brittney Davis, who missed most of the season due to illness and then academic ineligibility, will have a chance to compete for minutes, along with incoming freshman Emily Fox. Davis, by many accounts, could give the Gopher guards some much-needed quickness. Fox, on the other hand, might be able to create shots and she might turn out to be the Gophers’ best passing perimeter player.
• Incoming freshmen Fox, Ashley Ellis-Milan, and Katie Ohm will all have a chance to earn minutes, but don’t expect much next year, especially at the beginning of the year. All 3 of these players, however, appear to have the talent to contribute significantly to the program by the time they are upperclassmen.
• Without spending a lot of time researching incoming 1st-year players for other Big 10 teams, here’s a preliminary rundown of what the Conference standings could look like at the end of next year:
  1. Ohio State. Jessica Davenport and Brandi Hoskins return. Enough said.
  2. Michigan State. Lindsey Bowen and Liz Shimek return. Can this team survive the loss of heart-and-soul player Kristin Haynie and dependable post player Kelli Roehrig.
  3. Purdue. Katie Gearlds, Erin Lawless, Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton, and Sharika Webb return. This team has a lot of talent, but they underachieved this year. Also, they’re not a physically or mentally tough team. If talent can overcome lack of toughness, they could finish as high as 2nd. If not, they could finish as low as 5th.
  4. Gophers. Could finish as high as 2nd. Could finish as low as 6th, but a better chance for 2nd than 6th.
  5. Iowa. Just missed the NCAA tourney this year. Should be better next year. Krystal Smith, Johanna Solverson, Kristin VandeVenter return.
  6. Penn State. With 5 departing seniors and 3 players dismissed from the team for reasons unannounced, this program may spend the next 2 or 3 years in unfamiliar territory, the middle of the Conference standings.
  7. Wisconsin. Jolene Anderson and Janese Banks return. Could finish 6th.
  8. Michigan
  9. Illinois
  10. Northwestern
  11. Indiana

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