Freeman you've lost your mind

I usually like Freeman's articles but this one is flat out crazy. Women's basketball hasn't improved at all, it's still dull and full of mistakes. Half of the so called basketball players in women's hoops look like they just started playing ball the day of the game and are only on the team because you need 5 people on the court at all times but there aren't 5 good players in the whole school so they just throw out anybody to fill a roster spot. And the other half who can play a little appear to have the same skill set as my 12 year brother and trust me when I say this, he sucks at basketball.

You talk about their fundamentals improving, that couldn't be the case because there are still far to many airballs every game, far to many missed lay-ups and far to many balls dribbled off people's feet. I don't know if there is something in the female anatomy or what but these women can barely dribble a ball and they call themselves basketball players.

Women's basketball will never be as exciting or as interesting as men's basketball because the women will never be as strong, fast or as good as men and they will end up looking just like fools while playing the game.

There is no change women's basketball still sucks as much now as it did when Cheryl Miller sucked at it back in her day.

Ban It!!!

The main difference is the breadth of quality players. I'm a UT alum so when I see a UT-UConn game it is acyually exciting and well played. However, there are very few teams on that level (UT, UConn, LSU, Stanford, Duke, UNC, and maybe one or two more). The men's game has so many more quality teams. The fact that Sienna can beat Vandy and Western Kentucky can make it to the Sweet Sixteen and Davidson reaches the elite eight and were a last second shot away from the final four tells me that the number of quality teams is better in the men's game.

Also, teams tend to rely on one or two players in the women's game (even for the elite teams). Look at how many players can produce for Kansas and Memphis or even my Tennessee Vols. The teams are just deeper.

That being said, I always carve out time to watch the top women's teams play because when Tennessee plays LSU or Duke plays UNC, you will see a good game.

Well, the haters are certainly out in force today.

This kind of came up during the finals last  year, when every game that the Lady Vols played, for example, was a grind it out, low-scoring, defensive contest - not fun to watch.

But as Summitt pointed out at the time, the scoring in the men's game goes down during this time of year as well, as everyone picks up their defensive intensity.

*You* don't like women's basketball, that's fine. No need to pour cold water on the people who do like it.

I'm disturbed by this article. I've played basketball my entire life...ever since my father put a basketball in my hand when I was 6. Twenty-five years later I'm still playing and coaching. It is a passion of mine and has brought great things in my life.

Why compare the women's game to the men's game? Are we still comparing women to men? We are fundamentally different and always will be. When has the women's game needed to catch up? Women's basketball has always been about team play and fundamentals. Which to the public could be viewed as boring. Most of men's basketball, especially the NBA, is about flash. Yawn! Dunking is exciting? I don't say wow when a guy dunks...99.9% of them can...so it really isn't a big deal.

Don't get me started on the NBA...it is a joke. I find the NBA very boring...they go up and down the floor, no one plays actual defense and it is ALL about the profit...how can I get mine. It is not about the game of basketball and certainly not about the team aspect. Which I would never want to teach kids this.

Saying women's skills are finally close to men's. When weren't they? Is it because the scores of women's games are low? The score has nothing to do with how the game is played...it is a result of the game. Women can shoot, dribble, etc. as well as, if not better than men. I see men bounce balls off their knees, throw it to the other team, shoot air balls, throw it out of bounds...every player has the potential to make a turnover. It has nothing to do with acutal skill level...it is human error.

There is no doubt that the NCAA tournament is exicting on both sides. That's the point of it. It is also the one time during the season when you can watch women's games on tv. Other than that, ESPN had women's games on 1 night a week this season. Wow with that exposure I can see how the fan base stays where it is.

The WNBA is improving because the quality of players has increased and so has the number of quality of players. This is because of evolution...not the desire to "catch" up with the men. They certainly aren't playing because of the money. Majority of WNBA players also play overseas...they make more money there. They also play for their countries. Which is more than I can say about the men...USA men's team...what a sad state of affairs. It should also show you something.

Yes, yes, I know. I am biased. I am a woman basketball player. I am also a student of the game and appreciate the effort and mindset it takes. Maybe just maybe we all should look through new glasses and see the game for what it should be...a team sport regardless of gender.

Would I watch Missouri against Northwestern women's basketball? No. Would I watch Oklahoma State and LSU? Absolutely.

I'm sorry, but I don't agree with Freeman.  I watched more womens' bball this year than any before because my school played reasonably well, but I still think it is equal to a boy's high school JV level of playing ball.  Even the "Elite" teams to me appear painfully slow.  The only reason the women shoot halfway decent from outside is because the defense is far to slow to close out on a shooter when a skip pass is made.  A 5'8" guard closing out on a three point shooter should be, and is easy to shoot over. 

And why are there so few women who can shoot a fundamentally sound layup with either hand?  WAY too many women make a little jump stop and shoot a short  little jumper - in transition.  This is why they miss so many layups - because they're not really layups.  They can't go up off one foot with one hand getting the ball closer to the glass.  Also their inability to leap makes height much more of an advantage than it is in a men's game.  Slow tall women dominate the women's game (i.e. Candace Parker).  She is amazingly slow and not that great of a defender.  But while in the men's game you can have a guy barely over 6' tall score over a seven footer, a 5'8" women's player taking it to the rack over a 6'4" women's player stands very little chance of not getting her shot blocked.  But they still try to do it.

And when the offense breaks down, women act as if they've never  played the game without a set offense, and usually make an ill-advised pass or force up a really bad shot.  They simply are unable to improvise as well as men.

Youbetcha1....

You make some good points and I was with you when you said "why compare the two games" but you lost me when later on you compared them.

• You are partially right about dunking.  It's not a sign of skill but only of athleticism.  However, it does add excitement to the game and the fans love it.  I appreciate a dunk when it is does over a defender, as an alley oop, or on a fast break.
• The NBA is horrible and I would watch a college game over an NBA game any day.  The NBA has forgotten how to play basketball and that is why we continue to have trouble in international competitions despite the higher level of talent here.
• This is where you lost me...the women's skills were never and still are not equal to the men's skills.  There may be women who are much, much better than most of the women but on average most of the women cannot dribble well, cannot shoot with either hand, cannot pass, and cannot catch a pass as well as the men. 
• You said "Women can shoot, dribble, etc. as well as, if not better than men".  If by men you mean any joe blow off the street and by women you mean the absolute greatest women ball handler of all time (I have no clue who that might be), then I agree with you.  If you're comparing men basketball players to women basketball players then you are sadly mistaken.

When it matters most, yes, the women are actually BETTER than the men.