Late stuff (SMU game)...

[gary-7]

...and this win was all about 3 words: Effort, effort and effort.

Ok, this will be short as I am sleep-deprived right about now, but again, in a shout-out to my friend @Tarheel75 , EFFORT overcomes a lot, and it did tonight.

- the main thing we had to overcome was a glaring SIZE difference across the board, and we set out to negate that right off the reel with defensive EFFORT. Eliot set the tone out of the gate, after rescuing a possession with a shot-clock 3, picked his much bigger counterpart for a lay-up. That was far from the end, as there was a team-wide effort to be the aggressors --- a very refreshing turn of events

- That team effort extended to HELP, with active hands causing TOs and thwarting their offensive actions. we also went after their paint shot attempts with a vengence, and Wash set the tone there by rejecting their Big's first attempt. Little would come easy for them in a game that saw defensive effort endure.

- Also, effort was a big part of keeping them off the offensive glass --- everyone seemed to be going to the boards and shutting them off from loose balls

- The effort showed up on the other end with everyone running the floor with a purpose

- although it wasn't always pretty, we beat Enfield's 1-3-1 with INSIDE-OUT action that gave us the optimum rhythm-3 looks and we got off to a good start knocking those down to stake our early lead (for a change). Speaking of that, good to see Drake step into his 3 looks with confidence, and RJ looking more like himself on deep balls

- we got the "A" announcer crew, but on the bad side, the zebras were absolutely awful, starting with hideous invented calls on EC and JWash for their second early fouls, respectively, and ending with RJ taking a head-butt on what should've been an offensive foul, BUT the good news was WE got away with some mayhem of our own and thus got rewarded for being aggressive

- Finally, good to see Seth back and Withers may have played his best game, but there's still no good reason for Cade to have a DNP. Need to do better with that. Other than that though, The starting lineup feels right, with Seth as the super-sub as I alluded to previously.

Anyway, THAT is how you attack an attacking team --- with EFFORT on both ends. Let's bring that to Raleigh Saturday...

 

[Ozheelfan]

Thanks for the write up as always Gary.

I finally got to watch this one on the ESPN app and some things stood out like, well we say down here, stood out like dogs' balls:

Washington is long, and today he held his ground pretty well, but he has to gobble up rebounds better considering that 7-4 wingspan.
Withers really is the definition of a 3am hookup... looks like a 10 in the taxi and a 2 once you sober up.
Seth is our best defensive player, Drake is easily second best, but the whole team defended well in this one - thanks to as you said, effort
It was great to see RJ get into his offensive stride, and he looks so much better coming off screens or getting the ball while on the fly out on the wing, but his dribbling beyond the arc is not fun to watch... at... all.
Jackson managed the frustration of not scoring really well, he finished with a lot of points, but they didn't come easily and yet he impacted the game in a ton of other ways, including defense.
Lubin played serviceable minutes, enough to help, not too much to hinder.

And on to Elliot.... in a previous thread I was hounded for saying that Elliot is extremely talented. I didn't respond because I wanted to watch a full game before trying to back up my viewpoint. Now I'll repeat it:

• Elliot is extremely talented, but not yet mature, as you'd expect a kid just a few months older than my son (who is also extremely immature)
• He overplays on defense at times, and that leads to real and phantom fouls being called on him
• He also pushes passes that he shouldn't, and has begun trying to squeeze bad passes - whether this is him trying to impact tempo or if he's being instructed to run those sorts of plays we don't know, but there are some he should be holding back on.
• But, he also controls the tempo and spacing better than anyone else on the team. His pitch ahead passes are fabulous, he rarely holds the ball long in the half court set, and he is willing to back away from the 3pt line, several metres in fact, to open up the court for cutters, passing and movement.
• Just watch how the team moves and plays with him on the court, and off - night and day like different.
• Often none of this is reflected in numbers, so posters like sjung/nathanfeilder won't get it, but it affects the entire flow of the game. I admire and respect RJ for everything he's done as a Tar Heel, but he plays best off the ball, and coming off screens, not as a primary ball handler.
• It's also interesting to note, the only time SMU pressed full court was when Elliot went off with his fourth foul - he can break a press too easily.
• Elliot can be emotional, and that emotion ties in with his need for maturity. He's not a pro yet, and that may be good for him and UNC, because a Jnr Cadeau would be very, very good.

A good win for UNC, I want the team to win, but I also feel change at the top will be needed at the end of the season. In fact, if Hubert finishes with a decent tourney run it'll be easier for him to gracefully step back rather than endure an embarrassing dumping after failure.

 

[tarwhiz]

Our best " Help the helper" game by far this season. This allowed us to freelance sudden double teams and finally made our defense disruptive rather than reactive.
Jackson showed a lot of maturity in not " hunting" shots just a t to continue his 20 points per game barage. He let the offense come to him.
Speaking of maturity, this has been the bugaboo for young Cadeau.
Yes he spaces the floor and his tempo and push ahead passes are assets, but his casual carelessness at times is infuriating.
SMU run in second half was fueled by turnovers and Cadeau finished the game with 1 assist to 4 turnovers in limited time due to fouls and efficiency.
We really need his maturity to fast track to be at our best.

 

[39 Feet Above Sea Level]

When our guys bring this kind of effort AND hit three pointers consistently, our front court
size mismatches are not as much of a glaring weakness. With both Cap’n Jack and Drake becoming
increasingly integral offensively, our offensive strengths become much more apparent and we
can be very challenging for most teams to defend.

Defense is about moving your feet and occupying the space that takes scorers out of their comfort
zones. It requires strict adherence to the goals and strategies established in practice.
Last night it crystallized into a needed victory that should absolutely boost our confidence.
Bring that attitude to Rawlee and get another victory on Saturday. ❤️⛹🏾‍♂️🏀 GDTBATH

 

[r_u_worthy]

One of, if not, the best performances on both ends of the floor for the team this season against a P4 (or is P5? in hoops?) opponent. The sustained effort on defense and the glass was really encouraging to see. It does seem to build off what was shown in the first 25 min at South Bend and that is another good omen (I hope). Of course Drake, RJ and Ian knocking down outside shots makes it all look a lot better. And when they started attacking that zone at the FT line, open shots were there to be made. Not a lot to add to what has been said. Hope the guys keep building on this and can string some dub's together!!

 

[TPFKAPFS]

I absolutely loved that freakin' game! The Dome was electric as well so the crowd should get some love too! The team started with maximum effort and only had one discernable lapse at the start of the 2nd half. Completely understandable since the game looked in hand, but this is also ultimately positive because our lads immediately responded and turned the heat back up! JWash made excellent strides toward his potential but I am still a bit concerned that he refuses to even look at the basket even when wide open. He will need to try harder to hold position and be strong and will need to face the basket and take shots with confidence. I have noted EC making strides to mature and I think he got better by not letting physical defense rattle him as much. I agree he will need to stop the hero type passes like that hook pass turnover he attempted to throw over their giant. Ian and Drake really impressed; RJ returned to RJ; JWit found his niche; Lubin did his dirty work and JB got a taste! I actually laughed out loud when one of the commentators said the bald headed ref was "one of the best refs in college" I will say they they were fair because both teams suffered phantom calls/no calls!

Moo is another opportunity to show this is a turning point not a blip so bring that extreme effort Family!

Hubs and his team did an excellent job and I am so proud of the team's growth!

 

[UNCPJH81]

I absolutely loved that freakin' game! The Dome was electric as well so the crowd should get some love too! The team started with maximum effort and only had one discernable lapse at the start of the 2nd half. Completely understandable since the game looked in hand, but this is also ultimately positive because our lads immediately responded and turned the heat back up! JWash made excellent strides toward his potential but I am still a bit concerned that he refuses to even look at the basket even when wide open. He will need to try harder to hold position and be strong and will need to face the basket and take shots with confidence. I have noted EC making strides to mature and I think he got better by not letting physical defense rattle him as much. I agree he will need to stop the hero type passes like that hook pass turnover he attempted to throw over their giant. Ian and Drake really impressed; RJ returned to RJ; JWit found his niche; Lubin did his dirty work and JB got a taste! I actually laughed out loud when one of the commentators said the bald headed ref was "one of the best refs in college" I will say they they were fair because both teams suffered phantom calls/no calls!

Moo is another opportunity to show this is a turning point not a blip so bring that extreme effort Family!

Hubs and his team did an excellent job and I am so proud of the team's growth!

AJ bitched about the crowd tonight in "3 Things". I didn't have an impression one way or the other watching the game on TV.

It was nice to see the team play well well--looked more like UNC basketball than at any time I've seen this year. CJack seems to have a little more arc and some jump in his jump shot now, too. RJ played a lot of point, and not a great game at all by EC.

Let's bring to the Wuffies on Saturday.

 

[gary-7]

Our best " Help the helper" game by far this season. This allowed us to freelance sudden double teams and finally made our defense disruptive rather than reactive.

Yes^

Speaking of maturity, this has been the bugaboo for young Cadeau. Yes he spaces the floor and his tempo and push ahead passes are assets, but his casual carelessness at times is infuriating.
SMU run in second half was fueled by turnovers and Cadeau finished the game with 1 assist to 4 turnovers in limited time due to fouls and efficiency.
We really need his maturity to fast track to be at our best.

We do indeed need that. To be fair with the nuance, 2 of his TOs resulted from really bad uncalled fouls, but what frustrates me is he actually OVER-passes at times, as in passing for no good reason.

Now., that's normally not something one would complain about with your PG --- I mean, visions of Larry Drew endlessly pounding the ball still haunt my memory banks --- BUT, when it comes to making things work efficiently, the cross-courts on the Secondary, and especially those under token pressure are just not efficient.

Young fella can break down any defender on the bounce and is lightning quick off of that. If I was coaching him i'd be admonishing EC to use those mad skillz to stress the defense VERTICALLY as often and as soon as possible. It's great that he's a passing savant, but as Pistol Pete used to say, "if you dribble between your legs and don't go anywhere with it then you're just wasting everybody's time". Welp, same thing applies to passing.

Again, don't get me wrong: In general, moving the ball via the pass is almost always preferable to the bounce, but the PG has the leeway to move the D with the dribble and stress the rim himself. I wouild be telling Eliot to keep us attacking vertically as much as possible.

 

[notashelbyfan]

This was by far the best game we played all year, and the defense and effort was what they have needed in every game this year and they wouldn't be in the bubble position here in early January.

Im surprised you couldn't find any where in the write up to say a word about Powells effort and game, but then again you did need to make sure you had room to tell us how great EC was in a game he had 4 TO, 4 Fouls, and 1 Assist and how bad the referees sucked.

 

[montana_heel]

Totally agree. Intensity and and effort

Funny how much better all facets if the game improve with good defense. Like it feeds on it.

 

[gary-7]

Im surprised you couldn't find any where in the write up to say a word about Powells effort and game, but then again you did need to make sure you had room to tell us how great EC was in a game he had 4 TO, 4 Fouls, and 1 Assist and how bad the referees sucked.

I'm NOT surprised that either you can't read, or you just see what you want to see when you do.
Oh wait, or maybe you didn't know Powell's first name is Drake

Try growing a damn brain and take your tiresome douche-baggery elsewhere.

 

[NathanFielder]

Most complete performance of the season and it was great to see. I liked how they never really got threatened in the second half. Sometimes it looked clunky in the 2H but they probably need to learn how to play and protect that kind of lead too.

Good on Washington that he's been a legitimate rim protector the last couple of games and unsurprisingly it was 2 solid defensive performances. Things look really good when you're making shots and the other guys are missing shots.

SMU looks a little flawed to me. They've put some some zeroes against the best teams on their schedule, but credit to UNC for showing up and playing a relatively complete game. It won't be perfect for them. But there is a formula for this team to be a solid team. They need to play with defensive intensity for 40 minutes, the bigs need to at least hold their own for large stretches, and they need to make shots. And I don't think those 3 things are negotiable if they want to be the best version of themselves they can be.

I will say that Drake Powell looks like he's turning an offensive corner. If that's the case and he can be a consistent 3rd scorer who makes a couple of shots every game, then that opens up my imagination for what this team can be. I think there is a ceiling on this team, but as opposed to a team that will be on the bubble to make the NCAA Tournament (which is how I view this team right now). Maybe with a threat of Drake Powell, along with RJ finding his shot, and the continued emergence of Ian... Maybe you can explore a little bit more.

I'm not going to be too hard on Cadeau. Let's be completely honest with this team. They have a bunch of guys that have been really inconsistent this season. To expect that to suddenly snap and everyone to play at a high level every game is probably asking for a lot. They need enough guys to play well. I actually think it's a positive that Cadeau had several moments he would want back, yet UNC still played well despite that.

Hopefully this continues. This kind of game hopefully shows them collectively that they're capable of playing well if there is a high level of intensity by everyone. The problem this season has been consistently stacking this kind of play. They've been able to do it 8 minutes here, 6 minutes there... Good to see them put together a complete game.

I know it's important to take this game by game. But it looks like they need to go 5-0 in their next 5. Maybe you accept a loss at Wake? If you do, gosh the standards have dipped hasn't it? But it's important that they take care of business against 5 pretty mediocre teams if UNC wants to prove that they're progressing and getting better. We'll see how they respond.

 

[Kool1234567]

Yes^


We do indeed need that. To be fair with the nuance, 2 of his TOs resulted from really bad uncalled fouls, but what frustrates me is he actually OVER-passes at times, as in passing for no good reason.

Now., that's normally not something one would complain about with your PG --- I mean, visions of Larry Drew endlessly pounding the ball still haunt my memory banks --- BUT, when it comes to making things work efficiently, the cross-courts on the Secondary, and especially those under token pressure are just not efficient.

Young fella can break down any defender on the bounce and is lightning quick off of that. If I was coaching him i'd be admonishing EC to use those mad skillz to stress the defense VERTICALLY as often and as soon as possible. It's great that he's a passing savant, but as Pistol Pete used to say, "if you dribble between your legs and don't go anywhere with it then you're just wasting everybody's time". Welp, same thing applies to passing.

Again, don't get me wrong: In general, moving the ball via the pass is almost always preferable to the bounce, but the PG has the leeway to move the D with the dribble and stress the rim himself. I wouild be telling Eliot to keep us attacking vertically as much as possible.

Tell me this and it’s something I noticed last night and I thought back to when Roy was coaching…He would be screaming bloody murder about getting the ball up the court as fast as we could….Last night I noticed far to many times both RJ and EC on rebounds and made baskets they walk it up…Why has Hubert gotten away from this…

 

[notashelbyfan]

I'm NOT surprised that either you can't read, or you just see what you want to see when you do.
Oh wait, or maybe you didn't know Powell's first name is Drake

Try growing a damn brain and take your tiresome douche-baggery elsewhere.

You said he stepped into a 3 and made it what about his floor game and his defense he was the player of the game IMO.

 

[gary-7]

Tell me this and it’s something I noticed last night and I thought back to when Roy was coaching…He would be screaming bloody murder about getting the ball up the court as fast as we could….Last night I noticed far to many times both RJ and EC on rebounds and made baskets they walk it up…Why has Hubert gotten away from this…

That has been inconsistent, and yeah, I've also noticed a disconnect at times. Haven't rewatched this one yet, but we were busting out hard when there appeared to be at least a chance of a primary Fast Break, but those other times, not so much, despite Hubert waving his arms, etc.

The more I see this I'm thinking it's a symptom of the Secondary not being utilized properly, i.e., under Dean and Roy we used to put pressure on retreating defenses by pushing tempo, shading from the middle to one sideline, pitching ahead down that sideline to force an initial defensive reaction, with the post dive at the block available for quick entries, and if not, triggering 1/2 court offensive motion on the reversal thru the 2nd Trailer.

Now however, Hubert has a Trailer running out to the perimeter and/or the other one stalling at the top of the key for a ball-screen (which I've complained about previously). All this does is clog up (and slow down) the action, and honestly, I believe this is ultimately what is deterring advancing the ball with pace in Secondary situations. I'm sure we all remember in the Dean/Roy Secondary everyone sprinted to their assigned lane, whether it was the rim-run, wide lane or the ball-handler, which even if we didn't get anything initially, allowed us to get into Freelance or called action much more quickly.

 

[NathanFielder]

Tell me this and it’s something I noticed last night and I thought back to when Roy was coaching…He would be screaming bloody murder about getting the ball up the court as fast as we could….Last night I noticed far to many times both RJ and EC on rebounds and made baskets they walk it up…Why has Hubert gotten away from this…

Not sure if you're asking for a faster tempo or just getting the ball past halfcourt faster. UNC is playing at a top 10 pace this season. They're averaging 74 possessions per game. This team would rank amongst the fastest paced Roy UNC teams.

I honestly think this team is a little better when they don't play as fast. But no one on this board will agree with me if I say they should play a tad slower, lol.

 

[gary-7]

You said he stepped into a 3 and made it what about his floor game and his defense he was the player of the game IMO.

I made passing mentions of several players --- nothing more, nothing less --- concentrating on TEAM effort, which was the story of this game as I saw it, in what I TOLD everyone would be a short post.

If that doesn't suit you, then post your compliments to whatever player you want to praise --- other folks do that --- but keep your damn sniping to yourself.

 

[tarwhiz]

Good synopsis. Also the dribble moves without going anywhere is

Most complete performance of the season and it was great to see. I liked how they never really got threatened in the second half. Sometimes it looked clunky in the 2H but they probably need to learn how to play and protect that kind of lead too.

Good on Washington that he's been a legitimate rim protector the last couple of games and unsurprisingly it was 2 solid defensive performances. Things look really good when you're making shots and the other guys are missing shots.

SMU looks a little flawed to me. They've put some some zeroes against the best teams on their schedule, but credit to UNC for showing up and playing a relatively complete game. It won't be perfect for them. But there is a formula for this team to be a solid team. They need to play with defensive intensity for 40 minutes, the bigs need to at least hold their own for large stretches, and they need to make shots. And I don't think those 3 things are negotiable if they want to be the best version of themselves they can be.

I will say that Drake Powell looks like he's turning an offensive corner. If that's the case and he can be a consistent 3rd scorer who makes a couple of shots every game, then that opens up my imagination for what this team can be. I think there is a ceiling on this team, but as opposed to a team that will be on the bubble to make the NCAA Tournament (which is how I view this team right now). Maybe with a threat of Drake Powell, along with RJ finding his shot, and the continued emergence of Ian... Maybe you can explore a little bit more.

I'm not going to be too hard on Cadeau. Let's be completely honest with this team. They have a bunch of guys that have been really inconsistent this season. To expect that to suddenly snap and everyone to play at a high level every game is probably asking for a lot. They need enough guys to play well. I actually think it's a positive that Cadeau had several moments he would want back, yet UNC still played well despite that.

Hopefully this continues. This kind of game hopefully shows them collectively that they're capable of playing well if there is a high level of intensity by everyone. The problem this season has been consistently stacking this kind of play. They've been able to do it 8 minutes here, 6 minutes there... Good to see them put together a complete game.

I know it's important to take this game by game. But it looks like they need to go 5-0 in their next 5. Maybe you accept a loss at Wake? If you do, gosh the standards have dipped hasn't it? But it's important that they take care of business against 5 pretty mediocre teams if UNC wants to prove that they're progressing and getting better. We'll see how they respond.

The Wake game is probably our best chance at another Q1 win. I think winning at Pitt, Clemson and Dook are much taller orders

 

[DSouthr]

Fantastic win, this team, their fans, and this program as a whole really needed this one, not just the win but how it happened. I really liked Hubert's substitution decisions in this one, havce not been able to feel that in a while.

It was a bit odd however, It was as if the whole team took turns as individual players of dominating for stints. Cadeau got us started from the tip with a brilliant 5pts, then it became Drake's time, on & on. Loved Jwash effort DEFENSIVELY with those huge blocks (but I am really pissed from his play last night). Seth was quiet offensively but his return was felt defensively. Lubin played much better than the last few games. Felt RJ was strong last night but his shot is still a bit off, 2 wide open mid range jumper misses puzzled me from RJ, and whats up with our 90% free throw shooter missing free throws more than normal lately, is it the hand injury now? I really hope his nose is not broken, it is interesting how that foul was called on RJ for hitting the guys head with his nose?

WoW, a actual JWith sighting, he had some solid minutes, I recall one trey from deep corner from him I did not like but I will take that if he plays like he did last night. James Brown, nice couple minutes, there is a player there, he needs to keep adding muscle and add a solid scoring move or 2 but if managed properly will be special come his Jr season, I am much higher on him than I was pre-season. I was beginning to feel he had beaten Claude for minutes and with Claude now "un-available" (not sure how much of that is publicly shared so I am not going to say more than "unavailable").

Cappy Jack, got lost on defense couple times but over all much better. Defensively for him, I think he is pretty darn stout on the ball, he just gets lost off the ball at time, so does Drake, but last night was much better. Jack is just so darn smooth, he was a focus from their defense last night, coming off 3 big time scoring games and what I absolutely loved is that he didn't go in to Caleb Love mode, he stayed in let the game come to you mode and his constant movement is just hard for a defense to handle, enjoy him while we got him! Oh yeah and Tyson, I liked his minutes last night... (no need to remind me he didn't play).

There is one guy on this team who should be glad I am not his coach because I would LIGHT HIS ARSE UP in film review of this game, Jalen Washington! While he did actually take a for real face the basket jumper, missed it but baby steps with him I guess. But I have screamed for him to use his jump shooting, screamed at Hubert, at the guards, at Jalen for his abandoning his face up jumper. The last night 2 absolutely perfect wide open looks in his hands and he doesn't even consider taking the shot??? Bad enough that he didn't take either shot but to not even look at it, as if it never occurred to him? AJ had a pod or write up in last few days that he titled Jalen gets it, sorry AJ but no he don't!

On to the wuffs, do I even need to say that this UNC team simply can not afford to drop a game to the wuffies, better bring it like last night in the effort dept, Put those fleas infested mange covered canines back in the garbage dump you found them in!

 

[Mrs.Jeans15]

Good win bunch.

Keep letting the bigs get touches.

 

[DSouthr]

Our best " Help the helper" game by far this season. This allowed us to freelance sudden double teams and finally made our defense disruptive rather than reactive.
Jackson showed a lot of maturity in not " hunting" shots just a t to continue his 20 points per game barage. He let the offense come to him.
Speaking of maturity, this has been the bugaboo for young Cadeau.
Yes he spaces the floor and his tempo and push ahead passes are assets, but his casual carelessness at times is infuriating.
SMU run in second half was fueled by turnovers and Cadeau finished the game with 1 assist to 4 turnovers in limited time due to fouls and efficiency.
We really need his maturity to fast track to be at our best.

Yeah, in respect to Cadeau, I have shared a good bit of my concern with his maturity level, it shows itself in many different ways, kid is VERY emotional, good at times not good at times, that really needs to level out. You have to know as a player that when you pick up your second foul in the first half that you just are not going to play much more in that half. As a on ball defender the kid takes to many risks in the first half, he gets away with some but he also gets the whistle. You don't need to complain to the refs, make facial expressions to the ref, you are not going to change the whistle, those risks are better tried late second half, play solid and move your feet.

Kid plays on an emotional roller coaster, when it is good he is riding that high, results are amazing at times but the low part of the ride is really hard for this team to absorb to often. He needs to find more of a happy medium and just play, just move on to the next play.

 

[DSouthr]

This was by far the best game we played all year, and the defense and effort was what they have needed in every game this year and they wouldn't be in the bubble position here in early January.

Im surprised you couldn't find any where in the write up to say a word about Powells effort and game, but then again you did need to make sure you had room to tell us how great EC was in a game he had 4 TO, 4 Fouls, and 1 Assist and how bad the referees sucked.

It was a game we really needed, would I calls it our best game this season against a quality opponent, maybe not but definitely best game we have played since beating a darn good Dayton team. But considering how we have played lately, I can certainly understand the "this was our best game" feeling.

 

[gunslingerdick]

I hate to be the Debbie Downer here and I do acknowledge the effort was infinitely better. With that said, I don't think SMU is a good team. Their record is inflated because of a terrible schedule that had the likes of Cal Baptist, Tarleton St., Longwood and UNC Greensboro on it. They did beat LSU but I have no idea what that team looks like this year. They beat a terrible UVa team, beat what I suppose is a terrible BC team and got thumped by duke at home (duke is very good). They missed a lot of shots - some guarded and some not guarded.

I have kind of checked out on this season just because it has been too painful to watch. But I watched last night and again, while I appreciated the effort, I can't say that game is the type of game to draw me back in. I'm still super skeptical that this team can make the tournament.

 

[Bubspub88]

Not sure if you're asking for a faster tempo or just getting the ball past halfcourt faster. UNC is playing at a top 10 pace this season. They're averaging 74 possessions per game. This team would rank amongst the fastest paced Roy UNC teams.

I honestly think this team is a little better when they don't play as fast. But no one on this board will agree with me if I say they should play a tad slower, lol.

I want the inbounds made and the ball up court as soon as possible to see if you can get an easy one before the defense has a chance to set. I am just not confident in the half court sets as I see those turn into iso plays with too much dribbling.

If Drake can continue to gain confidence and RJ gets his mojo back that gives us 3 viable threats who can score off the dribble but within the flow of an offense. I want to see an up tempo pace but played with discipline. I think it was Wooden who said "be quick, but don't hurry".

 

[tarwhiz]

I hate to be the Debbie Downer here and I do acknowledge the effort was infinitely better. With that said, I don't think SMU is a good team. Their record is inflated because of a terrible schedule that had the likes of Cal Baptist, Tarleton St., Longwood and UNC Greensboro on it. They did beat LSU but I have no idea what that team looks like this year. They beat a terrible UVa team, beat what I suppose is a terrible BC team and got thumped by duke at home (duke is very good). They missed a lot of shots - some guarded and some not guarded.

I have kind of checked out on this season just because it has been too painful to watch. But I watched last night and again, while I appreciated the effort, I can't say that game is the type of game to draw me back in. I'm still super skeptical that this team can make the tournament.

They played Miss St very close and that is a team full of MEN. ( Miss St that is)I think we caught them on an off night, and I don't think their front line is anything but big. That being said, this will be a nice win because SMU is going to beat some of the other top teams in the conference in Dallas, and we don't play them there.

 

[ACokeForRoy]

Only thing I didn't enjoy with this win is watching RJ dribble the air out of the ball down to a 10-12 second shot clock. This mostly happened when EC was out and he was running point. So frustrating watching everyone stand and watch him put on a dribble exhibition.

 

[gary-7]

They played Miss St very close and that is a team full of MEN. I think we caught them on an off night, and I don't think their front line is anything but big. That being said, this will be a nice win because SMU is going to best some of the other top teams in the conference in Dallas, and we don't play them there.

Actually, as a friend who was at the game related, they came out trying to imtimidate us and we reversed that crap early by getting in their faces and taking the fight to them.

SMU is a solid team with size and athletes but our effort allowed our talent to show through, which (contrary to what some fans seem to think) is still elite.

 

[gary-7]

Only thing I didn't enjoy with this win is watching RJ dribble the air out of the ball down to a 10-12 second shot clock. This mostly happened when EC was out and he was running point. So frustrating watching everyone stand and watch him put on a dribble exhibition.

Indeed. That scheme of isoing RJ at the top has never produced much of any good. It completely stops our vertical action. When RJ is at Point we need to be running full "motion".

 

[ACokeForRoy]

Indeed. That scheme of isoing RJ at the top has never produced much of any good. It completely stops our vertical action. When RJ is at Point we need to be running full "motion".

YES!

 

[CarolinaBlue5]

Only thing I didn't enjoy with this win is watching RJ dribble the air out of the ball down to a 10-12 second shot clock. This mostly happened when EC was out and he was running point. So frustrating watching everyone stand and watch him put on a dribble exhibition.

That is on Hubert..he tried to start milking the clock way too early..one of his many mistakes this year! you're talking about the end of the game?

 

[notashelbyfan]

I made passing mentions of several players --- nothing more, nothing less --- concentrating on TEAM effort, which was the story of this game as I saw it, in what I TOLD everyone would be a short post.

If that doesn't suit you, then post your compliments to whatever player you want to praise --- other folks do that --- but keep your damn sniping to yourself.

You praised your man crushes possible worse game all year as if he had a 12-15-9 night while pretty much everyone else had what their best game as a whole. He played 19 minutes i don't think it was a coincidence that the line up that got the most minutes together was RJ, Powell, Seth, Jackson, and Lubin. EC is a liability on defense and has been.

It's also not a coincidence that we had that game against one of the biggest teams we have played, and held the 2nd highest scoring team in the league to 17 points below their average.

 

[montana_heel]

Is it just me or does anyone else think we will have an easy basket going the other way every time RJ backs up with his dribble at the top of the key with less than 20 on the clock?

Hurts you twice with usually a bad shot and a quality one for the other team.

I physically groan out loud every time it happens.

 

[gary-7]

You praised your man crushes possible worse game all year as if he had a 12-15-9 night while pretty much everyone else had what their best game as a whole. He played 19 minutes i don't think it was a coincidence that the line up that got the most minutes together was RJ, Powell, Seth, Jackson, and Lubin. EC is a liability on defense and has been.

It's also not a coincidence that we had that game against one of the biggest teams we have played, and held the 2nd highest scoring team in the league to 17 points below their average.

LMAO. You got called out for your douchey post and now you're all pissy.

Everyone else ITT is trying to talk basketball, which you prove over and over you know next to nothing about. Do yourself and everyone here a favor and just stay TF away from my threads.