Guard Alexis Morris of LSU was observing closely how Iowa guarded South Carolina on the perimeter during Friday’s Final Four victory, which concluded in a 77-73 victory.
Morris stated, “I watched the game, and I’m watching them guard South Carolina,” according to ESPN’s Andrea Adelson. “I doubt they could protect us in that manner. It is not possible, in my opinion, for you to simply leave us or me exposed on the outside. Personally, I think it’s really disrespectful, so I’m going into the game with that mindset. You will need to watch out for us. That’s just my competitive nature and my desire to succeed.”Iowa gave South Carolina shooters a wide space in an attempt to block off the paint. Given that the Gamecocks’ three-point shooting was one of their few weaknesses, it was a reasonable strategy. According to Her Hoop Stats, they had a 31.0 percent season shooting percentage from beyond the arc and only 16.5 percent of their score came from threes, good for 351st place.
Raven Johnson hammered down three of her six shots, making the Hawkeyes pay for their careless defense.However, as a team, South Carolina only made 4 of 20 shots, therefore Lisa Bluder, the head coach of Iowa, was rewarded for her calculated risk.Regarding Morris’s comments, there was a degree of discourtesies involved. When a team gives an opponent enough time and space to set up a jumper, that team is conveying a message. It is evident that it does not think the player will convert, thus at that point there is no reason to guard them.But as long as a strategy is legal, a coach should not be concerned about how it is seen by others.
It will be up to Morris and her teammates to make their shots if Iowa attempts the same strategy in the national championshipgame.LSU, similar to South Carolina, has not relied on the three-ball. Although the Tigers shoot 33.7 percent from long range, their 19.4 percent three-point attempt rate ranks 350th nationally, according to Her Hoop Stats.
Angel Reese is a given if this season has taught us anything about Kim Mulkey’s team. The sophomore forward struggled against Miami in the Elite Eight, but he bounced back with a 24-point performance against Virginia Tech in the Final Four.
Reese is definitely too good to be eliminated from the game, therefore it will be important to restrict her impact. Whether Morris and her teammates can take advantage of the opportunities they’re going to get around the arc will determine whether LSU wins on Sunday.
