Jenny Yopp respects Ball State. But the Illinois State head basketball coach is more focused on what her team is able to do in preparing for Tuesdays 7:05 p.m. game with the Cardinals at Redbird Arena.
We have to improve our half-court offensive execution, said Yopp. We need better decision-making and better passing so that we can run our offense effectively. We have to get better at getting the defense to move in order to create opportunities for our offense to get the best shot.
Yopps youngsters are averaging just 58.2 points per game. The balanced scoring totals are led by freshman Katie Donovan, who averages 8.4 points per game. But the consistency hasnt been there, according to Yopp.
We have been inconsistent because we have not created enough action away from the ball, said Yopp. Also, with our style of play, pushing the ball up-court offensively will always be a big part of our offense, but it is important to recognize when we have those opportunities to run and when we have to go to our half-court offense.
Yopp is confident her team will get better.
Decision-making is one of those things that all teams do better as the season goes along, said Yopp, so I still believe what I said before the season began: well have a better team in late December than we had at the start of the season and a better team still by late January.
But, the immediate challenge is a Ball State team which is 3-2. The only BSU losses have been a two-pointer to Arkansas State and a 103-69 decision at No. 1-ranked Connecticut last week. Despite the score, the Cardinals impressed UConn coach Geno Auriemma.
Ball State, Tracy Roller and her staff were well-prepared, said Auriemma who saw BSU hang with his team until just before halftime. It was the best game anyone has played against us this year. Those shots they knocked in during the first half were huge.
Yopp agrees with Auriemma about Ball States offensive options.
Ball State is an experienced team with a lot of options on offense, said Yopp, whose 0-5 Redbirds are meeting Ball State for the first time. We expect them to challenge us defensively with the versatility of their players to score in the post and on the perimeter.
A decade ago, first-year BSU head coach Tracy Roller was coming to Redbird Arena as an Eastern Illinois player challenging Jill Hutchisons Redbird teams. Now, she features 2001 Mid-American Conference Player of the Year Tamara Bowie, whose 14.8 points per game combine with Jessica Reiters 16.4 and Johna Goffs 13.2 to give BSU a trio of top scorers. The Cardinals average 81.8 points per game and average 10.2 three-pointers per game.
Tuesdays game is the fifth of six games in a span of 12 days for the Redbirds. The rugged schedule ends with a 7 p.m. Thursday match against Illinois at the Assembly Hall.
