Observations on NCAA's & the Future

[the green team]

My brain should be on meltdown, I've watched so much basketball this past weekend. I just watched my 1st NCAA Tourney Women's game of the year as Gonzaga beat 3rd Seeded UCLA at home in Spokane. I found it interesting watching a team that just dismantled us as if we weren't even on the floor- were pretty much the better team in the UCLA game. Their point guard Courtney Vandersloot, who wasn't overwhelming in the game here, surpassed 2,000 points and 1,000 assists in her career. No player, MEN or WOMEN in NCAA basketball history has ever accomplished that feat.

Gonzaga's Women's basketball is hardly a longtime power- their first tournament appearance was in 2007, now granted they've now made it 4 out of the last 5 years, unlike another Sioux oppenent Green Bay who has won their conference like every year for the last century (exageration, I know...but probably not that far off)

You look at those 2 teams and the players they have been able to put in their programs, the athleticism, the skill set, and basketball iq, and you realize how far we have to go to be one of those programs. And yet those institutions had to start somewhere- Gonzaga only recently,- Neither institution is going to overwhelm UND with more to offer in comparison- # of alums, majors offered, fan base, or even facilities. Granted both schools without football put their sole focus into basketball. I used to think back through our dominant D2 years that those teams could have been fairly competitive against those type of mid-majors, now I'm not so sure.

And after watching Williams from Hopkins on TV this past week/weekend. And seeing a little of Frydlund & Roerich over the past few years, I am certainly not convinced we are ready to get there.

If our goal is simply to go to the Big Sky, beat Montana then go to the tournament and lose, maybe. Because Montana went this year and I thought last years Sioux team would have beat this years Montana, unfortunately we were playing them with this years Sioux team. That shoudn't be our goal though, should it? Our freshman this year... are again- pretty ok, if we want to be good in the Great West or D2 power,ok, but I'm not getting the feeling that pieces or the future pieces are going to get us where we should want to go? Am I wrong? Agree or Disagree.

[Ole in MSP]

My brain should be on meltdown, I've watched so much basketball this past weekend. I just watched my 1st NCAA Tourney Women's game of the year as Gonzaga beat 3rd Seeded UCLA at home in Spokane. I found it interesting watching a team that just dismantled us as if we weren't even on the floor- were pretty much the better team in the UCLA game. Their point guard Courtney Vandersloot, who wasn't overwhelming in the game here, surpassed 2,000 points and 1,000 assists in her career. No player, MEN or WOMEN in NCAA basketball history has ever accomplished that feat.

Gonzaga's Women's basketball is hardly a longtime power- their first tournament appearance was in 2007, now granted they've now made it 4 out of the last 5 years, unlike another Sioux oppenent Green Bay who has won their conference like every year for the last century (exageration, I know...but probably not that far off)

You look at those 2 teams and the players they have been able to put in their programs, the athleticism, the skill set, and basketball iq, and you realize how far we have to go to be one of those programs. And yet those institutions had to start somewhere- Gonzaga only recently,- Neither institution is going to overwhelm UND with more to offer in comparison- # of alums, majors offered, fan base, or even facilities. Granted both schools without football put their sole focus into basketball. I used to think back through our dominant D2 years that those teams could have been fairly competitive against those type of mid-majors, now I'm not so sure.

And after watching Williams from Hopkins on TV this past week/weekend. And seeing a little of Frydlund & Roerich over the past few years, I am certainly not convinced we are ready to get there.

If our goal is simply to go to the Big Sky, beat Montana then go to the tournament and lose, maybe. Because Montana went this year and I thought last years Sioux team would have beat this years Montana, unfortunately we were playing them with this years Sioux team. That shoudn't be our goal though, should it? Our freshman this year... are again- pretty ok, if we want to be good in the Great West or D2 power,ok, but I'm not getting the feeling that pieces or the future pieces are going to get us where we should want to go? Am I wrong? Agree or Disagree.

Anyone who thought that UND when going D1 was going to be a major BB power in the country is pretty naive. The best I think that UND in either men's or women's BB can expect is a conference championship and getting into some post season play. Winning in the post season for UND or any other regional school is going to be very very rare. That is what we will have to live with.

[MoSiouxFan]

Anyone who thought that UND when going D1 was going to be a major BB power in the country is pretty naive. The best I think that UND in either men's or women's BB can expect is a conference championship and getting into some post season play. Winning in the post season for UND or any other regional school is going to be very very rare. That is what we will have to live with.

South Dakota State's women's team was one win away from the Sweet 16 2 or 3 yrs. ago; I think it was their first year of eligibility. I believe they lost to Baylor in OT or they'd have been in the Sweet 16, so it can be done. And, yes, it can be done by one of the Dakota schools. Maybe not on a regular basis, but it can be done.

[Ole in MSP]

South Dakota State's women's team was one win away from the Sweet 16 2 or 3 yrs. ago; I think it was their first year of eligibility. I believe they lost to Baylor in OT or they'd have been in the Sweet 16, so it can be done. And, yes, it can be done by one of the Dakota schools. Maybe not on a regular basis, but it can be done.

I said rare, not ever. I was thinking of SDSU when I wrote that. WBB probably has a slightly higher chance than the MBB. SDSU WBB lost over the weekend again in the NCAA. Getting in the tourney is going to be the most we can hope for. Sad, but realistic sorry to say.

[star2city]

My brain should be on meltdown, I've watched so much basketball this past weekend. I just watched my 1st NCAA Tourney Women's game of the year as Gonzaga beat 3rd Seeded UCLA at home in Spokane. I found it interesting watching a team that just dismantled us as if we weren't even on the floor- were pretty much the better team in the UCLA game. Their point guard Courtney Vandersloot, who wasn't overwhelming in the game here, surpassed 2,000 points and 1,000 assists in her career. No player, MEN or WOMEN in NCAA basketball history has ever accomplished that feat.

Gonzaga's Women's basketball is hardly a longtime power- their first tournament appearance was in 2007, now granted they've now made it 4 out of the last 5 years, unlike another Sioux oppenent Green Bay who has won their conference like every year for the last century (exageration, I know...but probably not that far off)

You look at those 2 teams and the players they have been able to put in their programs, the athleticism, the skill set, and basketball iq, and you realize how far we have to go to be one of those programs. And yet those institutions had to start somewhere- Gonzaga only recently,- Neither institution is going to overwhelm UND with more to offer in comparison- # of alums, majors offered, fan base, or even facilities. Granted both schools without football put their sole focus into basketball. I used to think back through our dominant D2 years that those teams could have been fairly competitive against those type of mid-majors, now I'm not so sure.

And after watching Williams from Hopkins on TV this past week/weekend. And seeing a little of Frydlund & Roerich over the past few years, I am certainly not convinced we are ready to get there.

If our goal is simply to go to the Big Sky, beat Montana then go to the tournament and lose, maybe. Because Montana went this year and I thought last years Sioux team would have beat this years Montana, unfortunately we were playing them with this years Sioux team. That shoudn't be our goal though, should it? Our freshman this year... are again- pretty ok, if we want to be good in the Great West or D2 power,ok, but I'm not getting the feeling that pieces or the future pieces are going to get us where we should want to go? Am I wrong? Agree or Disagree.

In women's basketball, it is even more difficult to get top talent than in men's. Reason: women's basketball allows 15 scholarships versus 13 for men's. Essentially, there are nearly 200 players in BCS conferences that don't play, that in men's basketball would be on mid-majors.

Green Bay and Northern Iowa are probably the programs that we can best approach. What's been hurting is that NW Minnesota hasn't had the talent come out of that area that it had 10 years ago. Seemed like Iowa State used to have a huge fraction of its roster NW Minn and ND. That type talent just seems to have dried up.

[the green team]

In women's basketball, it is even more difficult to get top talent than in men's. Reason: women's basketball allows 15 scholarships versus 13 for men's. Essentially, there are nearly 200 players in BCS conferences that don't play, that in men's basketball would be on mid-majors.

Green Bay and Northern Iowa are probably the programs that we can best approach. What's been hurting is that NW Minnesota hasn't had the talent come out of that area that it had 10 years ago. Seemed like Iowa State used to have a huge fraction of its roster NW Minn and ND. That type talent just seems to have dried up.

That's a great fact about the added schollies, allowing the upper teams to stock pile talent. It definitely makes the challenge that much more difficult. You look at Green Bay- Northern Iowa, and there are players out there, but I tend to agree it has got be a battle to get them. Totally agree on the NW Minnesota talent, it's as if it has basically dried up. Now that we are nearly elgible maybe we will be more competitive for a Wahlin or isn't there a girl from Bemidji head to Minnesota?, in the future. Not saying were going to land a lot of them but a few is going to be essential moving forward.

[the green team]

Just looking at the tournaments, and see that both Green Bay & Gonzaga both are in the Sweet 16 in the NCAA. Both Toledo & Colorado remain alive in the WNIT. I'm not sure our strength of schedule will adequetly reflect the non-conference challenge that we subjected ourselves to, this season. Hopefully, it will benefit the Freshman to have seen just exactly how good they are going to have to get in order to be factor in the future. Lots of work has to be put in over the summer. If I actually had a say, I would put rollaways out in the Betty and they eat, sleep, drink basketball and the weightroom all summer long.

[coach daddy]

That's a great fact about the added schollies, allowing the upper teams to stock pile talent. It definitely makes the challenge that much more difficult. You look at Green Bay- Northern Iowa, and there are players out there, but I tend to agree it has got be a battle to get them. Totally agree on the NW Minnesota talent, it's as if it has basically dried up. Now that we are nearly elgible maybe we will be more competitive for a Wahlin or isn't there a girl from Bemidji head to Minnesota?, in the future. Not saying were going to land a lot of them but a few is going to be essential moving forward.

Even the guy at U CONN says the scholarship thing hurts Womens basketball. If he only had 12 to use he couldn't just stockpile talent. Last night he played 6 girls for the most part vs. Purdue (until the game was decided, then he put 2 more out there). There are 7-9 girls on his team that never play but are full scholarships. Imagine if those 7-9 could be dispersed around the country to other programs; more balance would create a better product.