Game 33: Dartmouth (NCAA Tournament First Round)

After a two-week hiatus, we are back in action and this time it's win or the season is over. Luckily for us we get to play at the Friendly Confines of the Comcast Center where we have won 34 straight games. I am hope the place is rocking.

Earlier this week, Toliver and Coleman were named Second Team ESPN.com All-Americans, which is a joke, and are still alive for the State Farm All-America Team. Somehow Toliver was the only one who made the CBS Sportsline All-America Teams.

Dartmouth won the Ivy League to earn their bid into the NCAA Tournament. This is the second time we have played an Ivy League team in the first round in recent memory as we played Harvard a few years ago. The Big Green enters the game with a record of 18-10 and 13-1 in the Ivy League. Their last game was a win over Harvard on March 10, which essentially decided the league title. Their only common opponent was BC, which they lost to by 34.

PPG/OPP: 56.8/55.1
FG%:/OPP: .376/.367
3FG%/OPP: .323/.314
FT%/OPP: .696/.709
RPG/OPP: 38.7/33.4
ASSISTS/OPP: 9.8/12.1
TOS/OPP: 18.6/16.9
STEALS/OPP: 8.2/7.6
BLOCKS/OPP: 3.3/3.5

The Starters:
-Brittney Smith: a 6'1 sophomore forward who leads the team in scoring at 14.1, rebounding at 8.2 rpg and blocks at 40. She doesn't shoot 3s and only make 60 percent of her free throws. She can get into foul trouble.
-Koren Schram: a 5'7 senior guard who is second on the team in scoring at 12.1. Like Smith she has taken 307 shots this year with more than half coming from outside the arc where she shoots 34.1%. She doesn't attack the paint that much having only taken 80 foul shots. Leads the team in assists and steals and will help on the glass.
- Darcy Rose: 6'2 senior forward/center who is third on the team in scoring and second in rebounding. Doesn't shoot 3s but shoots 74.6 from the free throw line. Can get into foul trouble. Doesn't really block shots.
- Margaret Smith: a 6'1 junior guard/forward. 4th on the team in scoring and third in rebounding. Mainly stays inside the arc but has taken 39 shots from outside this year and made a third of them. Has only attempted 51 free throws all year.
- Meghan McFee: 5'10 sophomore guard. Has started 16 games this year. Shoots 34% from 3. Very rarely attacks the bucket. Will help distribute the ball. Third on the team in steals.

The Bench
- Betsy Williams: 6'0 junior guard. Shoots 27. 3% from the floor and 30.8% from behind the arc. She basically rotates with McFree at the guard slot. Doesn't help rebound that much. shoots 65.4% from the line.
- Cassie Cooper: 6'2 sophomore forward. Plays 15 minutes per game and has taken only 95 shots all year. will take the three (has taken 20), not a big rebounder, but a better passer.
- No one else on the bench has played more than 19 games this season or more than 5 minutes per game.

Keys to the Game
- Take the ball and go. Dartmouth has scoredmore than 70 only twice in 2009. They cannot keep up with us if we play our game. We can't let them dictate the pace on either end.
- Rebound. We have a little height advantage and she be able to use it.
- Take care of the ball. Just because it is Dartmouth doesn't mean we can play bad. We need to bring it for at least 25-30 minutes and put this game away.
- Getting rest for KT and Marissa.