WNIT Round One: Creighton

[JackJD]

Re: WNIT Round One: Creighton

Returned home about an hour ago. Creighton's shooting in the second half was unbelievable. I haven't looked at the official stats but I think they made their first 9 or 10 shots of the second half. They shot about 33% in the first half but in the second half had to be over 70%. At the same time, they played tough defense and we went cold.

I heard the Bluejays shot about 33% for their last three games of the season and it looked like they were doing that again this game.

And then they got hot. #3 finished the game with 29 points.

It was frustrating to watch but, wow, what a great season for the Jackrabbits. We'll miss the seniors (Grimsrud had some classic Grimsrud blocks in the first half: arms stretched high, like a fence the BlueJays couldn't get over. Grimsrud wasn't always the smoothest-looking player on the court but she got the job done and had some key blocks and rebounds. Wish we always had a Grimsrud on the team).

[Nidaros]

Re: WNIT Round One: Creighton

Returned home about an hour ago. Creighton's shooting in the second half was unbelievable. I haven't looked at the official stats but I think they made their first 9 or 10 shots of the second half. They shot about 33% in the first half but in the second half had to be over 70%. At the same time, they played tough defense and we went cold.

I heard the Bluejays shot about 33% for their last three games of the season and it looked like they were doing that again this game.

And then they got hot. #3 finished the game with 29 points.

It was frustrating to watch but, wow, what a great season for the Jackrabbits. We'll miss the seniors (Grimsrud had some classic Grimsrud blocks in the first half: arms stretched high, like a fence the BlueJays couldn't get over. Grimsrud wasn't always the smoothest-looking player on the court but she got the job done and had some key blocks and rebounds. Wish we always had a Grimsrud on the team).

I can not disagree, it was a very successful season, that ended sooner than we would have liked, but thats how it works. I heard nothing but great things about Ms. Grimsrud, and that her plans are in the medical field. She will do well. I believe Scotty Kwas has commented a number times that Courtney always has a textbook in front of her on road trips. That would be hard for most of us to do, as no doubt, we kind of want to be a tourist especially if its a place you have never been before. Good Luck Ms. Grimsrud and Andrea Verdigen the other senior. The entire team is a hugh credit to SDSU for all their work on and off the court. Having the highest GPA is a great stat to have and sure it would have been great to march on through the brackets. Next year we get another chance to follow a great bunch of young women.

[RowdyRabbit]

Re: WNIT Round One: Creighton

The thing that drives me nuts the most is how seemingly little a lot of Creighton fans care about how their womens team is doing....at least the ones that visit the fan boards. Still not even a mention of what their women are doing on their boards, unless there is a board I haven't found.

[jackmd]

Re: WNIT Round One: Creighton

Too hot, couldn't stop them in the second half. Their coach made some adjustments and his players responded. Better team won last night. Some around me were a little critical of Andrea for not penetrating/scoring. She had her hands full just getting the ball up the court. Fun game to watch.

[Jacks-02]

Re: WNIT Round One: Creighton

The thing that drives me nuts the most is how seemingly little a lot of Creighton fans care about how their womens team is doing....at least the ones that visit the fan boards. Still not even a mention of what their women are doing on their boards, unless there is a board I haven't found.

They may not have great fans on the message boards, but they had the loudest bunch of visiting fans for a women's team that I've seen in Frost in awhile.

[NorCalJack]

Re: WNIT Round One: Creighton

First off, I want to thank both Andrea and Courtney for their great careers. Not just on the BB court, but as representatives of this university. They have and will continue to represent this university long after they leave. They entered the program knowing that they could not play for a conference title or be eligible for the NCAA's.

I also want to thank AJ and the coaching staff. I think they got as much from this team as you could expect. When we were 6-5, I really thought we would be lucky to get to 20 wins this year, considering we could not play in the conference tourney. I thought we would have to win at least two WNIT games to make it to 20 wins. Somehow, and I'm not even sure how they did it, but they went 17-1 to end the year. That may have been the best BB that has been played by an SDSU team ever.

Next year's team should be better than this year's team. We only lose one starter and a post player. We already have a deep bench and it really will not be depleted, but may become even deeper. Next year we are eligible for the NCAA tourney. Every game will be magnified next year, because our RPI will determine the seeding we get, if we make the tourney. If the RPI is high enough (Top 40), we may be able to get an at large bid. This year we had a series of injuries that cost us a few games that we should have won. We also lost out on a quality opponent in Western Kentucky. That also hurt our strength of schedule. I expect our schedule next year to be another good schedule, with a BCS school coming to Frost in non-conference play. We did get a few votes again for the Top-25 poll, and I could see us getting more votes again next year if we have a strong start to the season.

Another factor that contributed to the slow start this year (6-5 after 11 games) was the post-Vogel effect. It took a while for the team to establish leadership, since most of the players on the team had always relied upon Megan to be the leader on and off the court. I feel that the injuries also contributed in delaying the establishment of leadership. At the end of the year, I would say that Jen was the leader of this team. I expect her to take that role again next year.

That being said, I too feel numb today. I don't like the feeling, however I would take this feeling over frustration any day. The women had another fantastic year. Sometimes within the emotion of disappointment we forget how fortunate we have been to have a team like this to cheer for. Most mid-major programs don't get to play in post season tourneys that often. We have been very fortunate to play in the last two. The women have show great character in both victory and in defeat. I am proud to be a Jackrabbit.

Go State!!!
Go Jacks!!!

[bigticket1]

Re: WNIT Round One: Creighton

Too hot, couldn't stop them in the second half. Their coach made some adjustments and his players responded. Better team won last night. Some around me were a little critical of Andrea for not penetrating/scoring. She had her hands full just getting the ball up the court. Fun game to watch.

Looking at the box score,it is amazing we stayed as close as we did when you see that their starting guards out-scored ours 48 - 0.I think a year of experience for Macie and Kristin,plus adding Jill Young and Vanessa Johnson to the mix will give us more consistent scoring and penetrating ability in the backcourt.

[RowdyRabbit]

Re: WNIT Round One: Creighton

They may not have great fans on the message boards, but they had the loudest bunch of visiting fans for a women's team that I've seen in Frost in awhile.

Thats very true...I was very impressed by their fans at the game.

Also, this, pulled from the box score is going to give me nightmares for at least a couple weeks....

03 Woodard, Kelsey..... g 11-14 3-4 4-5 0 3 3 0 29 1 3 0 0 33

[NorCalJack]

Re: WNIT Round One: Creighton

In reading an article from GoJacks.com, it was stated that the SDSU women's team is 92-7 at home over the last 7 season. We have only lost one game at home in each of these 7 seasons. That is truely an amazing stat and we may never witness another stretch of basketball like this again. In comparison, Tennessee is 91-8 at home during the past 7 seasons.

Now before Mrs. Filbert takes offense to me mentioning that, I understand that Tennessee has a much tougher schedule than SDSU. But you have to start somewhere and you have to play who is on your schedule. What AJ has been able to do these past few years is truely remarkable. I'm glad he came back this year and hope he stays a long time.

The transition from D-2 to D-1 is almost over. However, SDSU as a university is still transforming itself into a top notch university within the Midwest. We are still upgrading our athletic facilities, Dykhouse Fieldhouse, Women's BB locker rooms, Baseball and Softball fields to name a few. We are upgrading our academic facilities. The university is still growing at a fast pace. Even the new logo will change our image to some extent, not that our image really needed to be changed. We are finishing our first year in the Summit League, which also changed its name and image. The university as a whole is in a better postion today than it has ever been and I expect we will be in a better position next year at this time also.

Sorry for rambling on, I'm just trying to show everyone that we should be enthusiastic about the big picture, rather than dwelling on the lost of one BB game last night.

Go State!!!
Go Jacks!!!

[sfsd]

Re: WNIT Round One: Creighton

The thing that drives me nuts the most is how seemingly little a lot of Creighton fans care about how their womens team is doing....at least the ones that visit the fan boards. Still not even a mention of what their women are doing on their boards, unless there is a board I haven't found.

Welcome to the realities of Division I basketball. Major and mid-majors schools - probably in the 80 percent range - don't care about or support women's sports. The Tennessee's and UConn's are very much the exception. It may be sad, but it's a reality.

Consider:

http://web1.ncaa.org/app_data/weekly...BBattend1.html

Note the number of major D-I schools below 2,000 average attendance.

[JackFan96]

Re: WNIT Round One: Creighton

Well ... I know what you mean, but maybe there will come a time, if we remain salty, that we'll look at it as a bit of a consolation prize ... kind of like some established programs do now. It would be sad, in a way, but it would mean we've seen a lot of success. One thing to consider about the NCAA tourney ... we might never host. Or it would be in Sioux Falls (just a guess), which stinks because fewer students will be there and, well, it adds another hour to my drive. Anyhow, that time could be awhile out. Let's enjoy the success wherever it leads us. It was another great season by the Jacks. Thanks, ladies!

The thing that drives me nuts the most is how seemingly little a lot of Creighton fans care about how their womens team is doing....at least the ones that visit the fan boards. Still not even a mention of what their women are doing on their boards, unless there is a board I haven't found.

[SturgisJeff]

Re: WNIT Round One: Creighton

Great season by the girls. Going to be a long wait till next season. That stat of home record over seven years is something, no wonder no one wants to come to brookings. any way thanks for the season state and now let the Megan Vogel watch begin.

[Jacked_Up]

Re: WNIT Round One: Creighton

One belated question. Why didn't SDSU have any cheerleaders or dance team members perform at the game? Both teams had pep bands, and Creighton had a small cheerleading squad, 5 members or so. SDSU had none. I think that dulled the atmosphere for the home team. Regardless, it was was a great season. Thanks, Jacks.

[JimmyJack]

Re: WNIT Round One: Creighton

One belated question. Why didn't SDSU have any cheerleaders or dance team members perform at the game? Both teams had pep bands, and Creighton had a small cheerleading squad, 5 members or so. SDSU had none. I think that dulled the atmosphere for the home team. Regardless, it was was a great season. Thanks, Jacks.

Spring Break.

[SUPERBUNNY]

Re: WNIT Round One: Creighton

Kind of a somber day today. I feel like I should be getting ready for another game tonight but it isn't meant to be. Such a great bunch of ladies! Already looking forward to next year because we are going to be TOUGH again.

I've heard AJ talk about challenging the players to leave the program better than when they got here. Andrea and Courtney certainly did that!

Looking forward to getting my Jacks fix at the new baseball and softball fields this spring.

I may still pregame tonight just because I like that part!

SUPERBUNNY