B1G Game 11: Gophers Visit Michigan State (2-5-24)

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Ignatius L Hoops

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SPRINGBOARD​

Minnesota’s 69-50 demolition of Michigan State at Williams Arena on alumni day in front of 5,000 enthusiastic fans should’ve been a launching pad to the season’s second half. Instead, the Maroon & Gold belly flopped in Madison, flailed about leaderless in Champaign, and were washed ashore in the wake of the Lady Lions motorboating away from Mill City. Now, after a brief drying off period, comes a rematch with the spoiling for revenge Spartans in East Lansing.

While Minnesota has gone 0-3 since the last meeting, Michigan State is 3-0 with wins over Purdue 97-70, Michigan 82-67 and @ Rutgers 82-64. And aesthetically, MSU is running a ball movement offense that we thought we’d see from the more stagnant Gophers. Michigan State is 5th in the B1G averaging 78.6 points per conference game. Minnesota is 10th at 65.8. The numbers are closer on the defensive side with the Gophers holding opponents to 69.5 points per game (5th in the B1G) compared to the Spartans 71.8 (10th).

Neither team is tearing it up from three: MSU is 72-246 (.295 which is 13th in the B1G) and Minnesota is 68-213 (.319 which is 10th). However, The Spartans lead the B1G in turnover margin at 5.90 per game compared to the Gophers 1.60 which is 7th. That’s a big, unmistakable gap.

Like Minnesota, Michigan State has an injury shortened roster. They lost Gabby Elliot, Isaline Alexander and Mary Meng to season ending injuries early in the campaign. The Spartans dressed nine players for the Rutgers game; but they generally run a seven-player rotation.

STARTERS (BIG TEN STATS)

Julia Ayrault is a 6’2” graduate guard (playing the post) averaging 15.2 points and 7.6 rebounds in 26.0 minutes per game. In her last three games she’s gone 18 points and 9 rebounds, 19-9 and 19-6. Ayrault is the one Spartan in the top ten of B1G ten scorers-she’s 10th.

Moira Joiner is a 5’10” graduate guard averaging 13.0 points and 4.2 rebounds in 33.6 minutes. Joiner scored 14, 12, and 10 points in her last three games. She dished out 6 assists against Rutgers.

DeeDee Hagemann is a 5’7” junior guard averaging 10.7 points and 2.6 rebounds in 32.7 minutes. She scored 20 versus Michigan and had 7 assists versus Rutgers and 8 versus Purdue.

Abbey Kimball is 5’10” sophomore guard averaging 7.7 points and 1 rebound in 24.2 minutes. She dropped 16 points against Rutgers.

Jocelyn Tate is a 5’10” junior swing player averaging 6.6 points and 5.8 rebounds in 27.3 minutes. Tate scored 14 against Michigan and picked up a technical during the Rutgers game.

OFF THE BENCH:

Theryn Hallock is a 5’10” sophomore guard averaging 13.9 points and 2.5 rebounds in 25.3 minutes. Hallock scored 24 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists against Purdue and 16 points against Rutgers. She’s playing starters minutes off the bench,

Tory Ozment is a 6’1” graduate swing player averaging 10.7 points and 5.7 rebounds in 23.8 minutes. Ozment had 23 points and 8 rebounds against Purdue.

Michigan State has settled into mid-season form while Minnesota is struggling to find a form. Nevertheless, despite the experience difference between the two teams, the Gophers hope to again find enough favorable matchups to provide a boost for the stretch run.
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Hopefully they can find some flow to their offense instead of dribble, dribble desperation shot. Battle had a tough start against PSU with TO’s. Probably related to a new line up. Hope they had a good few days of practice and come out with more intensity than they’ve shown the last 3 games. Go Gophers!
 

www.thenexthoops.com

‘A connected spirit’: Robyn Fralick is more than a basketball genius - The Next

A look behind the scenes at what's allowed Michigan State's new head coach to have so much success during her first season in East Lansing.
www.thenexthoops.com www.thenexthoops.com

Good article on Robyn Fralick

‘The numbers to show it’​

After two 8-21 seasons at Bowling Green, the Falcons took a giant leap forward in 2020-21, finishing 21-8. The hallmarks of Fralick’s success started to recrystallize: play fast, share the ball, take smart shots.

By 2022-23, when the Falcons finished 30-7, Fralick’s team attempted the most field goals in the country, had the seventh-highest number of steals per game and the 11th-best assist-to-turnover ratio. They also had five players who averaged 10 points or more per game.

In her first season at Michigan State, it’s been no different. The Spartans have five players averaging double figures and another averaging over nine points per game. They also rank first in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio and fourth in 3-pointers made.

Take a look at their shot chart, and it’s not much different from Karl Smesko’s Florida Gulf Coast Eagles, a program that’s perfected the 3s-and-layups philosophy. Fralick, though, doesn’t explicitly articulate the analytics of 3s and layups with her players.

“I think analytics are important. I don’t think they tell the whole story, but they’re an important part of the story,” Fralick told The Next’s Howard Megdal on Locked On Women’s Basketball. “But a lot of it is just that our offense generates shots in those spots, and they’re just better shots over the course of the entire game.”

The type of shots Fralick’s offense prioritizes is just one piece to the puzzle, though. They also like to play fast and they like to share the ball. Contrary to other teams that have more scripted plays — screen here, pass here, drive here — Fralick’s system gives her players the freedom to make decisions on the fly, almost like a quarterback reading the defense to decide which receiver to throw the ball to.

“The reality is it is harder to stop players when they’re just making a play,” Cameron explained. “We love allowing players the freedom. It’s a fun system to play in. It’s a fast tempo, fast pace. You empower the players to make some of their own decisions and put other people in the best position to be successful.”

For a player like Hagemann, the system’s been a perfect fit.

In just one season, she’s gone from averaging 9.3 points per game and shooting 39.5% from the field to averaging 12.8 points per game and shooting 50.3% from the field. Her 2-point percentage has jumped more than 10 points; her 3-point percentage has jumped nearly nine.

Other returning players have seen their numbers jump, too. Moira Joiner, a fifth-year, is flirting with a 50/40/90 (FG%/3-PT%/FT%) season. She averaged 10.1 points per game last year; now she’s tied with senior Julia Ayrault (who averaged 3.6 points per game last season) for the team’s leading scorer at 14.9 points per game.

Add in junior Jocelyn Tate, who followed Fralick from Bowling Green, and she’s provided a valuable bridge to the rest of the players learning how the system works.

“It makes it hard to guard because there are so many different things we can get out of it,” Tate said of Fralick’s offensive system. “It’s hard to scout us because you don’t really know what we’re going to do. We’re reading what the defense is giving us.”

The Spartans are pretty unequivocal in praising the offense. Lots of teams try to play a similar style of basketball; few have this level of success, particularly involving so many different players throughout the course of the game.

“I think everyone says you want to play fast. We have the numbers to show it, as far as possessions and how many shots we get,” Kasza said. “Everyone on any given night can be the leading scorer. … I do think we are unique in the pace and I do think we are unique in the way that we share the basketball.”
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Frink said:
Hope I'm wrong but this feels like it will be a rough one. On the road against a team that plays at quick pace and still adjusting to life without Braun.
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Yeah and I am guessing all the easy looks they missed when playing at the Barn won't be the case. Lowering expectations for sure the rest of the year lol
 

DietCokeFan said:
Yeah and I am guessing all the easy looks they missed when playing at the Barn won't be the case. Lowering expectations for sure the rest of the year lol
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That too. We certainly played well enough to win but MSU's poor shooting made it a blowout.
 






Frink said:
That too. We certainly played well enough to win but MSU's poor shooting made it a blowout.
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MSU shooting well from 3. We are going to have to score more in the paint n take it to the rim.
 

They need to bench Sophie Hart, missing every shot she takes. An awful lot of misses
 

Missed layups and no perimeter shooters. Coach P has an uphill battle.
 



Not a good effort by the Gophers so far. This is not a good shooting team at all. Poor finishes at the rim, turning the ball over and giving up offensive rebounds. They didn't play this poorly against Iowa. Not much positive this half.
 
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This is almost as bad as the Badger game. I know not having Braun is huge but was not expecting this
 

MSU almost as many points in the first half as they did the whole game the last time they played. Coach needs to bench the starters and play the bench. No energy, no fire from anyone.
 

Four under the basket and they don't get the rebound?

Also, clock awareness anyone?
 

Do we feel like the team might eventually start giving up?
 

gopherdudepart2 said:
Not a good effort by the Gophers so far. This is not a good shooting team at all. Poor finishes at the rim, turning the ball over and giving up offensive rebounds. They didn't play this poorly against Iowa. Not much positive this
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Battle literally looks like she doesn’t want to be out there. I’m sure it’s hard losing your best player; but good lord put up a fight and compete!
 




Once Braun went down, this week was always going to be a brutal week. The rest of the season will hinge on the Rutgers-Northwestern-Wisconsin stretch starting next week. Need 2, hopefully all 3 of those.
 




This is pathetic! No good ball handlers and no court awareness.
 


Revising over/under for remainder of season to 0.5 wins
 


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