Swish Appeal - NCAA Tournament 2013: The Spokane bracketBasketball is basketball.https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/49391/swish-fave.png2013-04-02T11:00:04-04:00http://www.swishappeal.com/rss/stream/38986512013-04-02T11:00:04-04:002013-04-02T11:00:04-04:00How Cal survived poor shooting to make Final Four
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/eeqL5PIhVIUcjqUT0qy_1ADw6sY=/0x847:3456x3151/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/10838539/20130401_jla_an2_496.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>All season long the California Golden Bears have battled to prove themselves and pull out close games on pure heart. So it's fitting that it took overtime to beat the similarly gritty Georgia Bulldogs to make a first-ever trip to the Final Four. </p> <blockquote align="center" class="twitter-tweet">
<p>I envisioned this in my mind, but the reality is better than I could have imagined. Because of the people I'm with. <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23CalWBBallFam">#CalWBBallFam</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23FinalFour">#FinalFour</a></p>
— Lindsay Gottlieb (@CalCoachG) <a href="https://twitter.com/CalCoachG/status/318976350797066240">April 2, 2013</a>
</blockquote>
<p>
<script src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>To put the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/california-golden-bears">California Golden Bears</a>' <a target="_blank" href="http://www.calbears.com/sports/w-baskbl/stats/2012-2013/wbkcagaa.html">65-62 overtime win</a> over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/georgia-bulldogs">Georgia Bulldogs</a> in context, it helps to return to mood of the media after a few non-conference games.</p>
<p>Perhaps the best way to describe it would be uncertainty.</p>
<p>After <a target="_blank" href="http://www.calbears.com/sports/w-baskbl/recaps/112412aab.html">a physical 72-56 win against the Georgetown Hoyas</a>, there was a question about how Cal would compare to teams in the Big East, traditionally a much stronger conference than the Pac-12. Their<a target="_blank" href="http://www.calbears.com/sports/w-baskbl/recaps/122212aab.html"> 88-79 win against the Kansas Jayhawks in late-December </a>was a big deal because it was coach Lindsay Gottlieb's first win over a ranked opponent as Cal's head coach and the program's first home win over a ranked opponent since 2009. Even <a target="_blank" href="http://www.calbears.com/sports/w-baskbl/recaps/122912aaf.html">the George Washington win</a> was special in that it continued a program-best 10-1 start, which had people talking about whether the team could challenge the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/stanford-cardinal">Stanford Cardinal</a> in conference play.</p>
<p>Setting aside the GW game, those non-conference wins at home weren't easy. The road, with a tough loss to Duke and a close win against Northwestern, weren't any easier. During conference play, there were plenty of scares with a number of games coming right down to the wire or going overtime even before they were pummeled by UCLA in the Pac-12 tournament.</p>
<p>At some point, you had to accept that this team was very good - and that the nation's comparable teams weren't quite as good - but all those close wins and sometimes ugly performances made it hard to figure out just how good this team could become.</p>
<p>In short, to begin this season it was an open question as to <i>whether</i> they could beat Stanford and figuring out a way to outlast Stanford - a mainstay in the Final Four in recent years - in the NCAA Tournament seemed ambitious.</p>
<p>Yet the milestones kept rolling in for this team throughout the season, the team secured a two-seed in the 2013 NCAA Tournament and then made their way into uncharted territory by advancing to the program's first-ever Elite Eight, one round further than arch-rival Stanford. Now here they are headed to the Final Four for the first-time ever after facing a series of similarly hard-nosed, rugged teams and eventually beating the team that beat Stanford.</p>
<p></p>
<div class="read-more">
<b>More</b>: <a href="http://www.swishappeal.com/2013/4/2/4173134/ncaa-womens-basketball-tournament-2013-california-vs-georgia" target="new">Cal advances to first-ever Final Four</a> <a href="http://www.swishappeal.com/2013/3/6/4066002/ncaa-womens-basketball-california-golden-bears-pac-12-champions" target="new">From talented recruits to Pac-12 champions</a><a href="http://www.swishappeal.com/2013/4/2/4173370/ncaa-womens-basketball-tournament-2013-california-final-four" target="new">Cal's music video: "Started From the Bottom"</a>
</div>
<p>And fittingly, the win that propelled them into the Final Four was a close win in overtime that was mostly ugly, particularly when you look at the numbers.</p>
<blockquote align="center" class="twitter-tweet">
<p>This is RAD!!! <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23NikeRules">#NikeRules</a> RT @<a href="https://twitter.com/nikebasketball">nikebasketball</a>: @<a href="https://twitter.com/calwbball">calwbball</a> Tonight, the Bears did the trapping. <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23GoBears">#GoBears</a> <a href="http://t.co/ia526aB6Rx" title="http://twitter.com/nikebasketball/status/318934762414809089/photo/1">twitter.com/nikebasketball…</a></p>
— Kai Felton (@coachkai) <a href="https://twitter.com/coachkai/status/318979333408579585">April 2, 2013</a>
</blockquote>
<p>
<script src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<h4>Key statistic: Cal's ball control<br>
</h4>
<p>First, it's been a while since I've watched a game in its entirety in which both teams have had an effective field goal percentage under 40%. Neither team hit double digit scoring in the first 12 minutes of the game. And when you consider that Cal put up 70 shots to Georgia's 63 for the entire game...well, that's a lot of bricks to witness.</p>
<p>That means that every means of creating extra possessions took on greater significance. And as long as we're talking about poor shooting and extra possessions, it's Cal's ability to limit turnovers - something they've done exceptionally well at all season in part because teams play a sagging zone against them - that might be most impressive here.</p>
<p>
<style type="text/css"></style></p>
<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="100%">
<colgroup>
<col width="65*">
<col width="53*">
<col width="47*">
<col width="45*">
<col width="46*">
</colgroup>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td align="center" width="25%" height="18">
<p> </p>
</td>
<td align="center" width="21%">
<p><font face="Verdana"><b>eFG</b></font></p>
</td>
<td align="center" width="18%">
<p><font face="Verdana"><b>Tov%</b></font></p>
</td>
<td align="center" width="18%">
<p><font face="Verdana"><b>Oreb%</b></font></p>
</td>
<td align="center" width="18%">
<p><font face="Verdana"><b>Fta/Fga</b></font></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center" width="25%" height="18">
<p><font face="Verdana"><b>Georgia</b></font></p>
</td>
<td align="center" width="21%">
<p>39.68%</p>
</td>
<td align="center" width="18%">
<p>13.43%</p>
</td>
<td align="center" width="18%">
<p>36.36%</p>
</td>
<td align="center" width="18%">
<p>28.57%</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center" width="25%" height="18">
<p><font face="Verdana"><b>Cal</b></font></p>
</td>
<td align="center" width="21%">
<p>37.86%</p>
</td>
<td align="center" width="18%">
<p>10.05%</p>
</td>
<td align="center" width="18%">
<p>50.98%</p>
</td>
<td align="center" width="18%">
<p>34.29%</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center" width="25%" height="18">
<p> </p>
</td>
<td align="center" width="21%">
<p> </p>
</td>
<td align="center" width="18%">
<p> </p>
</td>
<td align="center" width="18%">
<p> </p>
</td>
<td align="center" width="18%">
<p> </p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center" width="25%" height="18">
<p><font face="Verdana"><b>Weighted</b></font></p>
</td>
<td align="center" width="21%">
<p><font face="Verdana"><b>eFG%</b></font></p>
</td>
<td align="center" width="18%">
<p><font face="Verdana"><b>Tov%</b></font></p>
</td>
<td align="center" width="18%">
<p><font face="Verdana"><b>Oreb% <br></b></font></p>
</td>
<td align="center" width="18%">
<p><font face="Verdana"><b>fta/fga</b></font></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center" width="25%" height="18">
<p><font face="Verdana"><b>Georgia</b></font></p>
</td>
<td align="center" width="21%">
<p>0.18</p>
</td>
<td align="center" width="18%">
<p>-0.28</p>
</td>
<td align="center" width="18%">
<p>-0.61</p>
</td>
<td align="center" width="18%">
<p>-0.12</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p align="center"><i>Four Factors statistics for California-Georgia in the Spokane regional final.</i></p>
<p>A few people have talked about this game going at Georgia's pace and to some extent it did, but Cal did a great job of controlling the ball and not allowing the Bulldogs to establish the type of turnover differential that would help get them a bunch of easy scoring opportunities in transition.</p>
<p>That becomes even more impressive when considering the way Georgia forced turnovers throughout the season: their opponents' turnover rate was over 25% entering the tournament. For Cal to turn the ball over just nine times in a game that went overtime against this team was huge.</p>
<p>But you can also see how much Cal helped themselves on the offensive boards: they grabbed the rebound on slightly more than half of their own missed shots giving themselves second chance scoring opportunities. And in a tight battle with poor shooting like this one, that makes a difference -no matter what you think about their weaknesses or how they respond to the zone defenses that nearly every opponent has thrown at them, what has consistently helped them hang around to put themselves in position to win even on awful shooting nights has been their offensive rebounding.</p>
<p>Ironically in light of the large offensive rebounding differential, Georgia actually won the battle of second chance points 18-17.</p>
<h4>Georgia statistical MVP: Anne Marie Armstrong's rebounding takes the game to OT</h4>
<p>Although Reshanda Gray controlled the boards with a game-high 8 offensive rebounds, perhaps no second chance scoring opportunity played a larger role in this game than Georgia senior forward Anne Marie Armstrong's offensive rebound and putback with seven seconds left in regulation.</p>
<p>Whereas Cal's post rotation is arguably the most powerful left standing, Armstrong's quickness helped her find her way to two of her four offensive rebounds in the final 13 seconds of regulation that led to the putback. It was a fitting moment for a player who came up big statistically despite not being a focal point of Georgia's offense.</p>
<p>With 5-for-7 shooting from the field and a pair of threes, Armstrong finished the game with a game-high true shooting percentage of 85.71% to go with her team-high offensive rebounding percentage of 13.19%.</p>
<h4>Key player: Shacobia Barbee's aggression keeps Georgia alive in overtime</h4>
<p>Following her clutch performance in Georgia's upset of Stanford, freshman Shacobia Barbee came through again with 4 of the team's 10 points in overtime.</p>
<p>Although she wasn't terribly efficient (once again), her ability to get to the line 9 times and finish with a double-double (team-highs of 14 points and 10 rebounds) as a guard was impressive. Similar to the point above about Cal's ability to overcome poor shooting with ball control and offensive rebounding, Barbee's ability to get to the line for easy points and Armstrong's clutch rebounding (is that a thing?) made the difference for Georgia.</p>
<h4>Cal statistical MVP: Layshia Clarendon</h4>
<h4></h4>
<blockquote align="center" class="twitter-tweet">
<p>Layshia Clarendon named the Spokane Regional Most Outstanding Player!</p>
— Cal Basketball (@CalWBBall) <a href="https://twitter.com/CalWBBall/status/318954226413871104">April 2, 2013</a>
</blockquote>
<p align="center"><i>'nuff said.</i></p>
<p>There's a lot that could be said about Clarendon's performance against Georgia and in the tournament so far that's probably worth a longer (WNBA Draft-related) piece. But for now, let's keep the focus on the narrative of the season: even on a night where Clarendon's efficient scoring really stood out, it's still the team's identity as a balanced and versatile unit that has to define this win and their path to the Final Four.</p>
<p>Wade Watch list selection Gennifer Brandon was held scoreless on 0-for-7 shooting, but Talia Caldwell went 5-for-10 with 10 points and Gray had a team-high 11 rebounds. Brittany Boyd had a sub-par night and had to sit after picking up a pair of fouls early in the second half, but Clarendon stepped up to run the show in her absence and kept the team in the game. Afure Jemerigbe didn't knock down the threes that Georgia's zone offered her, but came up with two blocks in the final two minutes of regulation to preserve Cal's slim lead a little longer.</p>
<p>Eliza Pierre was Eliza Pierre.</p>
<p>That's what's make Cal so difficult to beat: you can zone 'em up and try to force a poor shooting night and they'll get the boards. You can be fortunate enough to catch Brandon on an off night when layups are rolling off the rim, but they'll find another option in the post. You can take Boyd out of the game and Clarendon steps up to run the team. And, again, Eliza Pierre is just going to be everywhere even if she doesn't score a point.</p>
<p>Cal is flawed and in the lead-up to the Final Four those flaws will probably be dissected used to dismiss Cal as a feel-good underdog that got a little lucky that both Penn State and Stanford were knocked off by others. But the reason they're here, well exceeding preseason expectations of all except the most optimistic fans, is that they simply haven't succumbed to the obvious weaknesses that lead to games like this one.</p>
<p><i>For more on Cal's path to the Final Four, check out <a target="_blank" href="http://www.swishappeal.com/2013/3/22/4134610/ncaa-womens-bracket-2013-spokane-preview-predictions">our Spokane region storystream.</a></i></p>
https://www.swishappeal.com/2013/4/2/4173514/ncaa-womens-basketball-tournament-2013-california-vs-georgiaNate P2013-04-02T10:00:09-04:002013-04-02T10:00:09-04:00Should Georgia have fouled Cal at the end of OT?
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/FK8dlaUOkIYMZS58n-j7qVGmN2w=/0x26:400x293/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47828191/large_swishappeal.com.minimal.0.png" />
</figure>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://bearinsider.com/news/story.php?article=551">Ted Lee of BearInsider.com</a> brought up a question that crossed my mind after the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/california-golden-bears">California Golden Bears</a>' overtime win over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/georgia-bulldogs">Georgia Bulldogs</a> to advance to the Final Four: should Georgia have fouled at the end of that overtime period?</p>
<blockquote>
<div>They chose to defend the possession, which chewed up more than 20 seconds and meant that they wouldn't get the ball back until there were less than 40 seconds left...If they fouled Cal, whether the Bears made zero, one, or both free throws, it would still be a two possession game and they'd have have about a minute left to work with. Cal hadn't shot free throws well all game, and it was missed free throws that were a big reason why the game went into overtime. But after Clarendon's lay-up gave Cal a six point lead with 38 seconds left, Georgia [wasn't] able to [score] until there [were] 16 seconds left, but down four, it was all but hopeless.</div>
</blockquote>
<p>Two things to add to this: first, for those still unfamiliar with Cal, it's not only that they were 12-for-24 last night but also that they're just not a good free throw shooting team period - they only shot 61% for the season.</p>
<p><i>For more on Cal, check<a target="_blank" href="http://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/california-golden-bears-womens-basketball"> out SB Nation's California Golden Blogs</a>. For more on Cal's path to the Final Four, check out<a target="_blank" href="http://www.swishappeal.com/2013/3/22/4134610/ncaa-womens-bracket-2013-spokane-preview-predictions"> our Spokane region storystream</a>. </i></p>
https://www.swishappeal.com/2013/4/2/4173430/ncaa-womens-basketball-tournament-2013-california-vs-georgiaNate P2013-04-02T02:27:05-04:002013-04-02T02:27:05-04:00Cal started from the bottom, headed to Final Four
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/gpWlAm-rKxt3jy2mXzcxxIjfACY=/4x0:3997x2662/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/10807477/20130401_mje_an2_789.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Video for the California Golden Bears' song "Started From The Bottom" released prior to the Sweet 16, but no less relevant as they head to the program's first-ever Final Four.</p> <blockquote align="center" class="twitter-tweet"> <p>Started from the bottom... Now my whole Cal team's going to NEW ORLEANS!! <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23finalfour">#finalfour</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23stilldancing">#stilldancing</a> <a href="http://t.co/RGhc2PmWpA" title="http://instagram.com/p/Xl3eIkDfJV/">instagram.com/p/Xl3eIkDfJV/</a></p>— Charmin Smith (@21charmin) <a href="https://twitter.com/21charmin/status/318967734593536000">April 2, 2013</a> </blockquote>
<p><script src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>What can you say about this <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/california-golden-bears">California Golden Bears</a> team's journey except <em>wow</em>?</p>
<p>norcalnick of SB Nation's California Golden Blogs concisely summed up how this game fit neatly into this team's season narrative.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The game was played at Georgia's pace. The Bears couldn't hit shots. Free throws weren't falling. I doubt it was Lindsay Gottlieb's idealized version of Cal Basketball. But special teams rise above it. This team has done so all year long.</p>
<p>I don't know what the ultimate legacy of this team will be. But that should be a part of it. One thing I can guarantee is that for the rest of their lives, they will carry an obvious legacy: a spot in the Final Four.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>If the win over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/georgia-bulldogs">Georgia Bulldogs</a> wasn't a fitting way for this team to be the first non-Stanford Pac-12 participant in the Final Four in 27 years, I'm not sure what is.</p>
<p><em>For more on Cal, check </em><a href="http://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/california-golden-bears-womens-basketball"><em>out CGB's women's basketball section</em></a><em>. For more on Cal's path through the tournament, check out </em><a href="http://www.swishappeal.com/2013/3/22/4134610/ncaa-womens-bracket-2013-spokane-preview-predictions"><em>our Spokane region storystream</em></a><em>.</em></p>
https://www.swishappeal.com/2013/4/2/4173370/ncaa-womens-basketball-tournament-2013-california-final-fourNate P2013-04-02T00:20:56-04:002013-04-02T00:20:56-04:00Cal advances to first-ever Final Four with OT win
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/FK8dlaUOkIYMZS58n-j7qVGmN2w=/0x26:400x293/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47828191/large_swishappeal.com.minimal.0.png" />
</figure>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p>What's fascinating about this game is that Georgia is a rugged team that made the proceedings ugly, only for Cal to beat UGA @ its own style</p>
— Matt Zemek (@MattZemek_CFN) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattZemek_CFN/status/318932002927693825">April 2, 2013</a>
</blockquote>
<p>
<script src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</p>
<p>The fascinating thing about <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/california-golden-bears">California Golden Bears</a>' season is that they've repeatedly shown the ability to adapt to the situation at hand.</p>
<p>Yes they stumbled against Duke, Stanford, and UCLA, but what made this such a great team to follow is that no matter how opposing teams tried to exploit their flaws as a unit, no matter how many weapons were taken away, or no matter which players simply suffering through off days, they've managed to keep winning.</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.calbears.com/sports/w-baskbl/recaps/040213aab.html">Tonight's 65-62 overtime win against the </a><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/georgia-bulldogs">Georgia Bulldogs</a><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/georgia-bulldogs"></a> was just the latest in a season of hard fought wins in which they had every reason to give up but stuck to their game plan, played within themselves, and somehow pulled out a win.</p>
<p><i>To celebrate with other Cal fans, check <a target="_blank" href="http://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/2013/4/1/4173084/final-four">out California Golden Blogs</a>.</i></p>
https://www.swishappeal.com/2013/4/2/4173134/ncaa-womens-basketball-tournament-2013-california-vs-georgiaNate P2013-04-01T20:43:53-04:002013-04-01T20:43:53-04:00How Georgia upset Stanford to get to the Elite 8
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2dq_Z3EHiYaooodHQkUt3gtzV3c=/0x67:4000x2734/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/10794967/20130330_pjc_an2_141.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The original plan was to post this breakdown of the Georgia Bulldogs' upset of the Stanford Cardinal earlier this morning. Then the Louisville Cardinals upset the Baylor Lady Bears and trumped the writing of that. But before Georgia plays for a chance to go to the Final Four, let's briefly take stock of how they took down the Cardinal. </p> <blockquote align="center" class="twitter-tweet">
<p>With Nneka graduated, Kokenis out, several youngsters, so much on Chiney ... Stanford overachieved to get a No. 1 seed this year. <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23ncaaw">#ncaaw</a></p>
— Mechelle Voepel (@MechelleV) <a href="https://twitter.com/MechelleV/status/318207402673577984">March 31, 2013</a>
</blockquote>
<p>
<script src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>As much as I thought that <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/california-golden-bears">California Golden Bears</a> coach Lindsay Gottlieb was the clear choice for Pac-12 Coach of the Year, legendary <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/stanford-cardinal">Stanford Cardinal</a> coach Tara VanDerveer was arguably just as deserving.</p>
<p>This was not the Stanford squad of the last few years that featured multiple future WNBA players and All-Americans - this year's Cardinal team had some major questions going in that ended up looming larger as the season went on.</p>
<p>Depth was a concern for the Cardinal for most of the season as junior Chiney Ogwumike carried much of the responsibility for success this season. Losing Toni Kokenis for 15 games - and her clearly not being 100% when she did play - was huge and left them with really only one ball handler with any experience in Amber Orrange. Sophomores Taylor Greenfield and Bonnie Samuelson were both inconsistent on the wings, which made them a less balanced team.</p>
<p>And yet they won 17 straight games against Pac-12 opponents to take the conference title, beat the then-seemingly unstoppable Baylor Lady Bears, and entered the Sweet 16 as a #1 seed with a 33-2 record against one of the toughest schedules of the year.</p>
<p>Most reasonable people would be perfectly willing to look at a team with that story and give them a pat on the back for even getting to the Sweet 16 - it's not at all a stretch to say Stanford overachieved to even get as far as they did this season.</p>
<p>Although it was unexpected for them to lose prior to the Elite Eight, Georgia was a team well-equipped to exploit weaknesses that had to be evident to anyone who had watched Stanford for more than a couple of games. And pulling off <a target="_blank" href="http://www.gostanford.com/sports/w-baskbl/stats/2012-2013/ncaareg1.html">a 61-59 upset</a> wasn't so much about Georgia doing something magical as much as it was about them exacerbating Stanford's major weaknesses.</p>
<h4>Key statistic: Georgia's free throw rate</h4>
<p>It's not often that we'll point to a team's free throw rate as the key factor to winning games, but the disparity between the two teams' free throw rates is telling.</p>
<p>
<style type="text/css"></style></p>
<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="100%">
<colgroup>
<col width="34*">
<col width="28*">
<col width="24*">
<col width="24*">
<col width="53*">
<col width="58*">
<col width="36*">
</colgroup>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td height="18" width="13%">
<p> </p>
</td>
<td width="11%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>eFG%</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="9%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>Tov%</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="9%">
<p style="margin-left: -0in; margin-right: -0.19in;" align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>Oreb%</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="21%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>Fta/Fga</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="23%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>Adj Synergy</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="14%">
<p align="CENTER">Ast/FGM</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center" height="18" width="13%">
<p><font face="Verdana"><b>Georgia</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="11%">
<p align="CENTER">39.68%</p>
</td>
<td width="9%">
<p align="CENTER">8.88%</p>
</td>
<td width="9%">
<p align="CENTER">32.61%</p>
</td>
<td width="21%">
<p align="CENTER">31.75%</p>
</td>
<td width="23%">
<p align="CENTER">0.32</p>
</td>
<td width="14%">
<p align="CENTER">36%</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center" height="18" width="13%">
<p><font face="Verdana"><b>Stanford</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="11%">
<p align="CENTER">41.67%</p>
</td>
<td width="9%">
<p align="CENTER">12.72%</p>
</td>
<td width="9%">
<p align="CENTER">35.71%</p>
</td>
<td width="21%">
<p align="CENTER">9.09%</p>
</td>
<td width="23%">
<p align="CENTER">0.23</p>
</td>
<td width="14%">
<p align="CENTER">32%</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center" height="18" width="13%">
<p> </p>
</td>
<td width="11%">
<p> </p>
</td>
<td width="9%">
<p> </p>
</td>
<td width="9%">
<p> </p>
</td>
<td width="21%">
<p> </p>
</td>
<td width="23%">
<p> </p>
</td>
<td width="14%">
<p> </p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center" height="18" width="13%">
<p><font face="Verdana"><b>Weighted</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="11%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>eFG%</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="9%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>Tov%</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="9%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>Oreb%</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="21%">
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Verdana"><b>Fta/Fga</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="23%">
<p> </p>
</td>
<td width="14%">
<p> </p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center" height="18" width="13%">
<p><font face="Verdana"><b>Georgia</b></font></p>
</td>
<td width="11%">
<p align="CENTER">-0.20</p>
</td>
<td width="9%">
<p align="CENTER">0.32</p>
</td>
<td width="9%">
<p align="CENTER">-0.13</p>
</td>
<td width="21%">
<p align="CENTER">0.48</p>
</td>
<td width="23%">
<p> </p>
</td>
<td width="14%">
<p> </p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p align="center"><i>Four Factors statistics for Georgia's upset of Stanford in the Sweet 16.</i></p>
<p>The adjusted synergy rating - a junk stat that I use to describe how well a team moved the ball - is a good place to start here: that is an extremely low number for Stanford.</p>
<p>Deconstructing that number a bit, move to the assists per field goals made column is helpful: for the season, Stanford had an assist to field goal ratio of 51.75%, which is solid. The numbers above indicate a game that was largely predicated on scoring from one-on-one plays. And with neither team shooting over 30% from the 3-point line nor 40% overall, you get a game that absolutely didn't favor Stanford - the Cardinal normally thrive on scoring efficiency and were less equipped to win without it. </p>
<p>So how do you score when nothing's going in and moving the ball isn't exactly working? Attack the basket and draw fouls. That's why Georgia's ability to get to the line was so significant: they made up for poor shooting overall by getting to the free throw line at more than three times the rate of Stanford. The fact that they barely shot over 50% (11-for-20) is almost irrelevant - free throw rates also indicate an ability to get shots around the rim where you're more likely to get fouled. Georgia was a bit above their season rate (28.90%) while Stanford was well below their season rate (27.81%).</p>
<p>That's the profile of a game that Stanford probably doesn't want to find themselves in very often.</p>
<h4>Key player: Shacobia Barbee has a game-high 12 rebounds</h4>
<p>One key player in that free throw effort was 5-foot-10 freshman Shacobia Barbee, who had a team-high 8 free throws attempts.</p>
<p>Even though she only made three of those free throws and was just 3-for-12 from the field, she figured prominently into that attacking mindset and came up with a number of big plays down the stretch.</p>
<p>One of those big plays was an offensive rebound with 28 seconds left with UGA up two points that led to a Jasmine James layup that put them up by four to essentially seal the game. And really the rebounding was her biggest contribution.</p>
<p>Barbee led the team with five offensive boards and 12 overall, twice her season average, largely by simply responding to the ball faster than whoever Stanford had on her.</p>
<h4>Stanford statistical MVP: Chiney Ogwumike accounts for 83% of Stanford's production</h4>
<p>With Ogwumike also stepping up for a game-high 12 rebounds, Georgia had to find someone to compete no that front and part of that answer was Barbee. The other part of this upset was that Ogwumike got so little help.</p>
<p>Setting aside that she had 26 of the team's 59 points, it's the scoring efficiency that contribute to that 83 percentage of valuable contributions: while she was 12-for-15, the rest of the team was 13-for-51. In short, she got very little scoring help, which has been a theme throughout the season.</p>
<h4>Georgia statistical MVP: Jasmine James ability to create scoring opportunities<br>
</h4>
<p>James' ability to create shots for herself was also a huge element of this game. When you look at a game between two teams not scoring efficiently, the team with a guard who can create her own shots has an advantage. Although neither James nor Orrange were efficient scorers, James' ability to create her own shots (24.92% usage rate) while also setting up scoring opportunities for others efficiently (game-high five assists, 3.33 pure point rating) was extremely significant.</p>
<h4>Athleticism keyed the upset</h4>
<p>Prior to the game I wrote that Georgia could end up beating Stanford for reasons similar to Cal: superior athleticism and a bit more depth ended up getting a win in a game that neither team was terribly efficient.</p>
<p>Although almost everyone wanted a rubber match between Cal and Stanford, this should be a very good matchup between Georgia and Cal for the right to head to the Final Four. Against Cal, rebounding will be an even bigger factor for Georgia but they have the athletes to go play for play with Cal's guards and perhaps disrupt Cal's offense in a manner similar to UCLA or, perhaps even more accurately, South Florida.</p>
<p>But the bottom line is that Georgia is a good team that earned their way here. Their inefficient scoring has hurt them at times, but they got the upset because they were able to find ways to overcome it, a fitting matchup for the California Golden Bears.</p>
https://www.swishappeal.com/2013/4/1/4171868/ncaa-womens-basketball-tournament-2013-georgia-upset-stanfordNate P2013-03-31T03:55:34-04:002013-03-31T03:55:34-04:00Clarendon leads record free throw rate in Cal win
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/FK8dlaUOkIYMZS58n-j7qVGmN2w=/0x26:400x293/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47828191/large_swishappeal.com.minimal.0.png" />
</figure>
<p>norcalnick of California Golden Blogs noted in his summary of the California Golden Bears' 73-63 win over the LSU Lady Tigers that Cal's ability to hit their free throws was what made an somewhat ugly game look fairly routine.</p>
<p>Yet the number of free throws they shot was not exactly routine.</p>
<p>Although Cal's free throw percentage (63.41%) was around their season average, Cal made (26) and attempted (41) the most free throws in an NCAA Tournament game in program history. Leading the way was star guard Layshia Clarendon, who finished with 19 points including a team-high 9-for-12 shooting from the free throw line.</p>
<p>norcalnick <a target="_blank" href="http://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/2013/3/30/4166606/bears-dominate-2nd-half-advance-to-elite-eight-over-lsu">summarized her performance in his recap</a>.</p>
<blockquote>
<p class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph4">Clarendon bounced back from a tough, 2 point 1st half to score 18, and quietly managed six huge steals to fuel Cal's transition game...Clarendon in particular impressed me. ESPN talked about how hard she had to work just to get decent looks. Credit LSU's defense for denying her in the first half. From that point on she refused to let that defense stop her, and any slight opening resulted in a jumper falling through the hoop.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Clarendon also added her name to the record books on the defensive end: her six steals were a career-high and a program record for the NCAA Tournament.</p>
<p><i>For more on Cal, visit <a target="_blank" href="http://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/california-golden-bears-womens-basketball">California Golden Blogs' women's basketball section</a>. For more on the tournament, visit <a target="_blank" href="http://www.swishappeal.com/2013/3/22/4134610/ncaa-womens-bracket-2013-spokane-preview-predictions">our Spokane region storystream</a>.<a target="_blank" href="http://www.swishappeal.com/ncaa"> </a></i></p>
https://www.swishappeal.com/2013/3/31/4166718/clarendon-leads-cals-record-march-to-the-free-throw-line-in-sweet-16Nate P2013-03-31T01:58:19-04:002013-03-31T01:58:19-04:00Cal advances to first Elite 8 in program history
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/FK8dlaUOkIYMZS58n-j7qVGmN2w=/0x26:400x293/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47828191/large_swishappeal.com.minimal.0.png" />
</figure>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p>Hey @<a href="https://twitter.com/calwbball">calwbball</a> Golden Bears you are moving on to the Elite 8 for the first time! <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23ncaaW">#ncaaW</a></p>
— NCAA Women's BKB (@NCAAWomensBKB) <a href="https://twitter.com/NCAAWomensBKB/status/318236550406213633">March 31, 2013</a>
</blockquote>
<p>
<script src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p>Congrats to <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23LSU">#LSU</a> on a great season. 22 wins, program's first Sweet 16 berth since 08 and putting program back on map nationally.</p>
— LSUWomensBasketball (@LSUwbkb) <a href="https://twitter.com/LSUwbkb/status/318236926639472640">March 31, 2013</a>
</blockquote>
<p>
<script src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</p>
<p>Cal moves on to the Elite Eight for the first time in program history with a 73-63 win over LSU tonight.</p>
<p>With the win, Cal will face the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/georgia-bulldogs">Georgia Bulldogs</a> for a chance to go to the Final Four.</p>
<p><i>For more fan reaction to the game, check out <a target="_blank" href="http://www.swishappeal.com/2013/3/30/4161908/2013-ncaa-womens-basketball-tournament-sweet-16-delaware-elena-delle-donne">our open thread for tonight's games</a>. For more on the Spokane region, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.swishappeal.com/2013/3/22/4134610/ncaa-womens-bracket-2013-spokane-preview-predictions">check out our storystream</a>. </i></p>
https://www.swishappeal.com/2013/3/31/4166630/ncaa-womens-basketball-tournament-2013-california-vs-lsuNate P2013-03-30T23:22:12-04:002013-03-30T23:22:12-04:00Georgia upsets Stanford in Sweet 16, 61-59
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/FK8dlaUOkIYMZS58n-j7qVGmN2w=/0x26:400x293/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47828191/large_swishappeal.com.minimal.0.png" />
</figure>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p>Top-seeded Stanford has been eliminated by fourth-seeded Georgia. <a href="http://t.co/fKYQNjvlcI" title="http://proxy.espn.go.com/ncw/boxscore?gameId=330890024">proxy.espn.go.com/ncw/boxscore?g…</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23NCAAW">#NCAAW</a></p>
— ESPN Women's Hoops (@ESPN_WomenHoop) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPN_WomenHoop/status/318195854534119424">March 31, 2013</a>
</blockquote>
<p>
<script src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</p>
<p>So I did think the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.swishappeal.com/2013/3/30/4165700/ncaa-womens-basketball-tournament-2013-sweet-16-spokane">Georgia Bulldogs had a good chance to win this game</a>: they're athletic and statistically similar to California Golden Bears in some key ways.</p>
<p>But I didn't think it would <i>actually </i>happen.</p>
<p>Georgia beat Stanford 61-59 after the Stanford Cardinal's execution fell apart in the final minute of the game.</p>
<p>Chiney Ogwumike led the Cardinal with 26 points and 12 rebounds but the Bulldogs were more balanced with three players in double figures, including Jasmine James with a team-high 16 points and game-high five assists.</p>
<p>Once again, Pac-12 fans miss out on the rubber match between Cal and Stanford because someone else stepped up to prevent them from advancing.</p>
<p>A lot more to say about this game, but<strike> I CAN'T BELIEVE THE CARDINAL DIDN'T LIGHT IT UP FROM THREE THE WAY THEY DID AGAINST MICHIGAN</strike> what surprised you most about this one?</p>
<p><i>To discuss this game, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.swishappeal.com/2013/3/30/4161908/2013-ncaa-womens-basketball-tournament-sweet-16-delaware-elena-delle-donne">hop on over to our open thread</a>. For more on the Spokane bracket, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.swishappeal.com/2013/3/22/4134610/ncaa-womens-bracket-2013-spokane-preview-predictions">visit our storystream</a>.</i></p>
https://www.swishappeal.com/2013/3/30/4166354/ncaa-womens-basketball-tournament-2013-georgia-vs-stanford-upsetNate P