We can afford giving up some offense for solid defense against inferior teams. But not once the clear formula for defending us is out there and we're facing teams with ample firepower. With opponents sagging into a zone, Holle has to score in transition and hit at least a third of her threes. Great Longhorn, but she has to be MUCH more effective through the rest of March.
Of course, Holle's not the only one. Nobody really looked that good on offense today. Staley told her D to simply ignore Harmon, and we saw how that turned out. Just a discouraging overall team effort, even if partly due to fatigue.
We didn't give up all that many points, but I thought we had major issues on D. Whether mainly because we were exhausted or simply facing superior athletes, we were regularly getting beaten one on one. I know Vic detests the zone, but if you're always losing drivers on high screens (whether switching or not) and giving up a parade of layups, you simply have to try something else. Especially when tired, we just aren't quick enough to stay in front of good ball handlers driving off the wings. Burned time and again, leading to layups and/or fouls.
I think we're somewhere between the third and sixth best team in the land. Hope we prove to be better than that, but it will take a real surge in our play to change my mind.