By Austin Badzik (@austinbadzik15):
With lots of exceptional talent throughout the NCAA, it has been difficult for San Jose State women’s basketball to match the level of competition.
The Spartans have dropped their last three and hold a 2-7 record, struggling to keep up with their non-conference opponents.
Nine games in, and SJSU has already seen two top-25 teams in UCLA (7) and Oregon State (19).
SJSU has the second youngest roster in the nation with 80 percent underclassman. A team with so much youth comes with growing pains and the Spartans have experienced exactly that early and often.
In the team’s season opener against No.7 Bruins, the Spartans got handed a 60 point loss 129-69. The 129 points scored by UCLA was a program record for points in a game. The Spartans were no match for the bigger, faster and stronger UCLA team.
The No.19 Beavers ran the Spartans out of the gym on Dec. 10, 110-62. The Spartans were outmatched from the start, and there was not a lot the team could do as Oregon’s State shot 64 percent from the field and 12-23 from deep.
These two blowout loses prove the Spartans have a long way to go before fully adapting to the game speed of high-level Division I basketball.
However, you have to be mindful that a Division I team this young is not going to have a chance against team’s like UCLA and Oregon State, at least not yet.
SJSU will remain competitive and continue to get better as a team, so with a roster so young, the future is bright. There is a lot of time for the team to get back on track, and it starts with their conference.
The Spartans have two more non-conference games against Nebraska (Dec. 17) and Southern Oregon (Dec. 20) before opening the conference schedule at home against Utah State on Dec. 28.