...and any questions?
I sure as hell hope not. Pretty much every question --- about what this team CAN be, SHOULD be, but too often so far has NOT been --- was answered in microcosm tonight.
Thus, I'm gonna start right here:
- Hubert and staff, my brothers, meet me at Camera 3: PLEASE... just forget 2021-22 ever happened. Sure, that was a great coaching job to get a roster to the FF that frankly had no business there...; BUT, that was then. Y'all properly spent all last summer and camp reinstating
Carolina basketball, and in the first half tonight we finally got to see the fruits of that, and it was no fluke. Then, we tried to give it back, and that too was no fluke --- it was OVER-coaching.
- First, let's get one thing straight: TN played well --- not just in the second half --- folks, they shot 53+% in the first! So, how'd the score end up 61-39? Easy. we actually got a FAIRLY reffed half, and we played OUR game --- full-court transition-fueled Carolina basketball, led by our generational PG (yes, that's what I said). BUT, in the second we played THEIR game --- half-court basketball, and that direction was coming from the bench. Too damned many called plays, too much iso. Barnes is a prick, but his teams defend the half court well, and they stymied much of what we tried to do there. So that's the question: You KNOW they want to slow us down, and you KNOW the invented calls were coming, so.... WHY give them what they want?
- Yet another reason to stay outta half-court ball, #3 was a match-up nightmare for us --- we don't have anyone like Leaky to check a guy his size and skill --- and geez, our running game had neutralized him. We did throw some 30 and 40 to thwart him late, but mostly we were sitting ducks in the second half. (BTW, that was a terrible call on Seth when he rolled his ankle).
Ok... other stuff:
- Our ball-movement in the first half was a thing of beauty. And we play with so much more CONFIDENCE when we run at our tempo, and that tempo, folks, starts with #2 at the helm and unleashed.
- Speaking of tempo, in the first half we were pitching ahead and running it right up their backs after MADE SHOTS.
- Withers... just a bad night. We need more from ya moving forward, young fella.
- Back when I used to run the post-entry station at camps, the nastiest trick I taught to get the rock past an aggressive defender was "zip it by his ear" (which can be dangerous in the wrong hands). I hope y'all saw EC pull that off in
transition. Wow, I bet that dude's ear is still whistllin'
- Good thing we made FTs. Mando's improvement there especially continues to be big.
- Nice to have three guys with 20+, but again....... because tempo.
- With that said, after one important second-half 3, instead of looking at the crowd, RJ should've been pointing to the passer, given that Cadeau's pocket pass hit him right in the damn gut when he should've been looking
- Finally, well... it's already been said. PLAY OUR GAME AT OUR TEMPO. And the SCREAMING OBVIOUS path forward starts with the starting lineup --- EC/RJ/Ryan/Ingram/Bacot. That frankly is the biggest no-brainer in the history of no-brainers. I really hope no one embarrasses themselves by arguing otherwise at this point.
Anyway... I'll always take a win over Barnes. Just wish I could've enjoyed more than 20 minutes of it. We've got an opponent comng up that will run with us. Let's hope we relish it and start that game with our best feet forward.....
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