Menu
What to watch for in tonight's NCAA championship game
DePauw has a talent advantage in every game it plays, but tonight's national championship will put the team to the test.
The Wisconsin-Whitewater Warhawks are extremely DePauw-like.
The Warhawks rely on depth and balanced scoring. Their guards are excellent defenders and their post players are capable on both ends of the court.
___
Individually, the teams matchup extremely well.
Guards
UWW's best scorer is junior guard Mary Merg, who hit a pair of buzzer-beaters in the national semifinal game to get her team to the final.
Similar to DePauw's Savannah Trees, Merg has tremendous range and is capable of scoring off the dribble. DPU senior Kate Walker will likely begin the game defending Merg, but look for DePauw to switch on high screens to protect from her outside shooting.
On the other, Walker will probably be defended by Kaitlyn Thill. Thill has a habit of picking up the opposing point guard full-court. This strategy has not worked well against Walker in the past because she is an excellent ball-handler and decision maker. Look for Thill to layoff Walker a bit and pick her up at half court.
Similarly, when Thill advances the ball DPU's Ali Ross will be on her the whole way. Before the season started, Ross was asked by Tigers' coach Kris Huffman to handle the other team's point guards. She has done a remarkable job and often makes two or three game-changing defensive plays.
Ross, offensively, is an able outside shooter but her best skill is driving to the basket and drawing fouls. Ross is often the fourth or fifth option offensively. She will be defended by Merg.
Small forward
While the guards will be switching defensive assignments, the forwards should play everything straight across.
UWW's Megan Theune will have the tough assignment of trying to stop DPU sophomore Savannah Trees. Trees can score from anywhere and has a devastating pull-up game that breaks the opponents will late in the shot clock, but Theune might be up to the task.
In the national semifinal Theune spend the first half defending Amherst's Marcia Voigt. During that time, Voigt was 1-for-11 and kept off balance the whole time. After Theune picked up her second foul, Voigt caught fire.
While Theune is not dynamic offensively, she is capable of knocking down a shot when she's open. Theune is often used to set screens for Merg on the wing, and Trees will have the option of switching to Merg or trying to slow her down so Walker can catch up.
Post players
In the low post, the Warhawks will have an advantage in size but not athleticism. Each of the UWW post players, Cortney Kumerow and Lisa Palmer, had a double-double in yesterday's overtime win. Kumerow played the full 45 minutes.
Alison Stephens will defend Palmer and Ellie Pearson will be on Kumerow. Palmer spends more time on the block, and Stephens will be vital in her rotations and help-side defense.
Kumerow is the Warhawks primary screener in pick-and-roll plays at the top of the key. This should play into DePauw's hands. The Tigers will be able to switch Pearson onto the ball-handlers (Merg or Thill) and not sacrifice defense. Pearson is one of the best post defenders in the country, but she is quick enough to stay with guards on the perimeter.
Pearson has come on this postseason and played with a fire and passion that has to be seen to be believed. She will do whatever it takes to help her team. Although she is not an elite scorer, she took over the offense for stretches Friday night because her teammates weren't yet ready for the moment. Pearson answered the call, knocking down 18-footers and driving at her taller defenders. Kumerow will have her hands full if Pearson decides to score.
___
Big-picture
The Tigers like to push the ball up the court and reach into their 11-deep rotation as they wear out the opposition. The Warhawks aren't afraid to push the ball either, but no one has the depth of DePauw.
The teams have extremely similar personalities. Both are relaxed and loose, but with a competitive fire.
UWW has dedicated its season to Alex Scarbro, a freshman during the 2011-12 team who died on Nov. 24. After last night's semifinal, Amherst's head coach suggested the Warhawks had a guardian angel looking out for them. The UWW players agreed, saying it sometimes feels like there is a sixth player on the court with them.
DePauw has its own motivation. Junior Alex Gasaway, the team's leading scorer, severely injured her knee in practice during the team's conference tournament. Although Gasaway has been fighting through the pain to contribute, she is playing only a limited number of minutes. Gasaway is beloved by her teammates and they have said numerous times in the postseason that they are working hard for because she deserves to be on the court with them.
The teams tip-off at 7 p.m.