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Quick stuff (ND game)...

gary-7

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...and I don't care how ugly it got, we needed that one!

I'm gonna start by pointing to a moment --- our first possession of the second half we come down in Secondary on the initial iteration. If you go back and watch the replay you should notice that every movement is just a tad behind where it should be --- giving me a bit too much time to vicariously call out "SWING iT!" before the ball was reversed to the Trailer and then "GET IT TO HIM!" before the ball was subsequently mercifully dumped to the block for the layup. The good news there was that ND hadn't regrouped enough to take advantage of our tardiness and we scored on a textbook (albeit somewhat slow-motion version) of our Secondary Break.

- I bring up that vignette because it capsulizes where we are at this point of development --- at any given time we have at least 2 or 3 guys who are still thinking before they execute. And if you recall most of the rest of the game we frequently gave defenders way too much time to react... and they did:

- ND's defensive strategy was predicated on dropping-four into the paint on every post entry, and in many cases it was our lack of crispness and/or aggression on moves that afforded them that extra second or two to pull that off. We don't run our post game like Wilt Chamberlain-era block isos, it's supposed to be post-and-go --- and if the drop-step or move is not there, kick it out and re-post. Again, our lack of crispness allowed ND to swarm like Georgia fire-ants.

- Contained within that is some optimistic news, i.e., that this can only get better. And to our credit, as frustrating as the game was to watch with miss after miss after miss from close, we sure as hell committed to getting the rock inside. And had we made even a respectable percentage, the game would not have been close.

- and trust me, our official 34.8% FG number is exaggerated in our favor, since tips don't count as attempts unless they go in. Kennedy Meeks may have missed a lotta first shots, but when he played volleyball with it he most always made the tip-in. And tip it like you mean it!

- speaking of which, how in the HELL we only got to the line for 7 FTs in each half is a damned mystery, but as is said here often, you hafta finish thru contact! Good news is our Bigs made a good pct of their attempts at the line.

- About the freshmen: Boy, I hope Sharpe stays for another season --- such a top-end for him. Kessler needs a season to grow into his body and a summer in the weight room, but he'll get there. Puff did some nice things with his length and didn't blow any defensive assignments this time that I noticed. Walton getting as much run as he is comes from the two things he brings right now --- spot-up shooting and post entries --- so he needs to keep hunting his shot, because the defensive end is still a big ol' yikes. The real groaner right now is from the PG position. They're both trying but neither Caleb nor RJ came up that way --- just gotta keep plugging and hope the lights come on.

- Leaky seems to be settling in to his role better, and has been much more effective since he's showing a willingness to take it to the rack or the block --- made a huge shot for us down the stretch. Also, it was good to see him make that first 3. He just needs to make one once in a while so they won't totally back off. That being said, damn son... you've been here too long to be getting burnt on a backdoor from the damned elbow on a pass from the ball-side block.

- Ball and player movement --- day late and a dollar short. Bigs hafta learn to kick out but the other guys need to move their asses for passing angles as well! And I know for a fact we have a nearly daily drill for 3-on-2/2-on-1, but some of our breaks make me wonder sometimes.

- Good on Roy for coming out in 44 in the last ND possession to disrupt their play. Unfortunately, RJ blew his assignment (despite Plates trying to coach him before the inbound) and let his guy get a free run but kudos to the other guys for stopping the ball and forcing a tough shot. Speaking of AP, I'll rewatch to be sure but i think he pitched a shutout on his assignments and in stops. As with Walton, I would like to see AP hunt his shot, and he also has a nice drive game I'd like to see more of.

Anyway... I'll say it again, because there ain't words for how much we NEEDED that one to come out right for the good guys. A loss at the buzzer today would've been a psychic setback from hell. Hopefully now this will serve to be just the opposite as we venture down to the netherworld of Coral Gables... :cool:
 
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Yes. Unless you catch and shoot, tips are freebies on official stat sheets.
Reason I ask that is because I used to watch games on the gamecast before streaming tv was a thing and I would remember possessions where we would rack up 4 rebounds in 2 seconds with "missed tip shot" between every rebound. We used to rack a ton of rebounds up this way.

This is how it is in the NBA and it is how I thought it was in college basketball also.

"Offensive rebounds and shot attempts: You'll often see a player like Kevin Love tap a ball at the rim, miss, tap again, miss, tap again, and finally make the ball. If the statistician felt each tap was a put-back attempt, then obviously each one is considered an additional rebound as you need control (rebound) over a ball before attempting a shot with it.

Note: If there is doubt as to whether a put-back tap is an actual attempt (and therefore first a rebound), the statistician presumes it's a rebound and a shot if the ball hits the rim or backboard."

I always assumed a tip that hits the backboard or rim was a missed shot and rebound. I'm gonna go back at the play by play on espn now and look at it.
 
...and I don't care how ugly it got, we needed that one!

I'm gonna start by pointing to a moment --- our first possession of the second half we come down in Secondary on the initial iteration. If you go back and watch the replay you should notice that every movement is just a tad behind where it should be --- giving me a bit too much time to vicariously call out "SWING iT!" before the ball was reversed to the Trailer and then "GET IT TO HIM!" before the ball was subsequently mercifully dumped to the block for the layup. The good news there was that ND hadn't regrouped enough to take advantage of our tardiness and we scored on a textbook (albeit somewhat slow-motion version) of our Secondary Break.

- I bring up that vignette because it capsulizes where we are at this point of development --- at any given time we have at least 2 or 3 guys who are still thinking before they execute. And if you recall most of the rest of the game we frequently gave defenders way too much time to react... and they did:

- ND's defensive strategy was predicated on dropping-four into the paint on every post entry, and in many cases it was our lack of crispness and/or aggression on moves that afforded them that extra second or two to pull that off. We don't run our post game like Wilt Chamberlain-era block isos, it's supposed to be post-and-go --- and if the drop-step or move is not there, kick it out and re-post. Again, our lack of crispness allowed ND to swarm like Georgia fire-ants.

- Contained within that is some optimistic news, i.e., that this can only get better. And to our credit, as frustrating as the game was to watch with miss after miss after miss from close, we sure as hell committed to getting the rock inside. And had we made even a respectable percentage, the game would not have been close.

- and trust me, our official 34.8% FG number is exaggerated in our favor, since tips don't count as attempts unless they go in. Kennedy Meeks may have missed a lotta first shots, but when he played volleyball with it he most always made the tip-in. And tip it like you mean it!

- speaking of which, how in the HELL we only got to the line for 7 FTs in each half is a damned mystery, but as is said here often, you hafta finish thru contact! Good news is our Bigs made a good pct of their attempts at the line.

- About the freshmen: Boy, I hope Sharpe stays for another season --- such a top-end for him. Kessler needs a season to grow into his body and a summer in the weight room, but he'll get there. Puff did some nice things with his length and didn't blow any defensive assignments this time that I noticed. Walton getting as much run as he is comes from the two things he brings right now --- spot-up shooting and post entries --- so he needs to keep hunting his shot, because the defensive end is still a big ol' yikes. The real groaner right now is from the PG position. They're both trying but neither Caleb nor RJ came up that way --- just gotta keep plugging and hope the lights come on.

- Leaky seems to be settling in to his role better, and has been much more effective since he's showing a willingness to take it to the rack or the block --- made a huge shot for us down the stretch. Also, it was good to see him make that first 3. He just needs to make one once in a while so they won't totally back off. That being said, damn son... you've been here too long to be getting burnt on a backdoor from the damned elbow on a pass from the ball-side block.

- Ball and player movement --- day late and a dollar short. Bigs hafta learn to kick out but the other guys need to move their asses for passing angles as well! And I know for a fact we have a nearly daily drill for 3-on-2/2-on-1, but some of our breaks make me wonder sometimes.

- Good on Roy for coming out in 44 in the last ND possession to disrupt their play. Unfortunately, RJ blew his assignment (despite Plates trying to coach him before the inbound) and let his guy get a free run but kudos to the other guys for stopping the ball and forcing a tough shot. Speaking of AP, I'll rewatch to be sure but i think he pitched a shutout on his assignments and in stops. As with Walton, I would like to see AP hunt his shot, and he also has a nice drive game I'd like to see more of.

Anyway... I'll say it again, because there ain't words for how much we NEEDED that one to come out right for the good guys. A loss at the buzzer today would've been a psychic setback from hell. Hopefully now this will serve to be just the opposite as we venture down to the netherworld of Coral Gables... :cool:

Man I enjoy these so much from somebody that knows how to analyze the game. I can break down if an umpire is good or sucks, but not so much on a hoops court. It’s cool to get your perspective after each game, really helps to bring some things into focus.
 
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4:24Day'Ron Sharpe missed Layup.57 - 57
4:20Armando Bacot Offensive Rebound.57 - 57
4:20Armando Bacot missed Layup.57 - 57
4:19Armando Bacot Offensive Rebound.57 - 57
4:19Armando Bacot missed Layup.57 - 57
4:19Day'Ron Sharpe Offensive Rebound.57 - 57
4:19Foul on Cormac Ryan.

I'm not sure how many tips happened in this sequence or if they were catches and gathers or not. You may be right. I think there was more tips here. Not sure.
 
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Reason I ask that is because I used to watch games on the gamecast before streaming tv was a thing and I would remember possessions where we would rack up 4 rebounds in 2 seconds with "missed tip shot" between every rebound. We used to rack a ton of rebounds up this way.

"Offensive rebounds and shot attempts: You'll often see a player like Kevin Love tap a ball at the rim, miss, tap again, miss, tap again, and finally make the ball. If the statistician felt each tap was a put-back attempt, then obviously each one is considered an additional rebound as you need control (rebound) over a ball before attempting a shot with it.
That's actually the point --- if every time you got a hand on a carom toward the basket you were credited with an offensive rebound the numbers would be staggering. Unless they've changed it, in HS and college you don't get credit for the OReb nor charged for a shot attempt unless you happen to tip it in, or at least get a legit follow shot off (the latter part indeed being a judgement call, like if the player has actual control over the ball with one hand as he tries the put-back).
 
4:24Day'Ron Sharpe missed Layup.57 - 57
4:20Armando Bacot Offensive Rebound.57 - 57
4:20Armando Bacot missed Layup.57 - 57
4:19Armando Bacot Offensive Rebound.57 - 57
4:19Armando Bacot missed Layup.57 - 57
4:19Day'Ron Sharpe Offensive Rebound.57 - 57
4:19Foul on Cormac Ryan.

I'm not sure how many tips happened in this sequence or if they were catches and gathers or not. You may be right. I think there was more tips here. Not sure.
Yeah, as I said in the last post above, it is a stat-keeper's judgement call for sure.
 
Thanks for your overview Gary

Any player not named Sharpe went 15 /50 in this game=30%. Day'Ron was 9/19.
15 Assists on 69 shots is a piss poor ratio and needs to improve.
If the official score keeper counts taps as shots, then he needs to also count them as offensive rebounds.

As I recall, those are not counted either way, unless they are a make. It's frustrating to see so many close shots missed, however, Sharpe and Kessler did not get the calls they were entitled to as well. Lots of fouls by ND in the post and no calls by the officials and that had me irritated the entire game.

Looks as though the lineup changes are showing some improvements in play on both sides of the ball. The guards are still trying to force low bounce passes into the post.
That's a no no anytime, but particularly when your playing against a sagging zone, which ND was in most of this game. These guys needed a shot of confidence, and this win however ugly can certainly be a stepping stone in that direction.

If Walton can continue to hit from long range, I think this may help others to step up and start to make some, as increased confidence will make you a better shooter. The game of team basketball is funny & strange that way at times. Walton & Puff had a good outing I thought. Also noticed that Caleb's minutes were reduced drastically, as he played only 15 minutes or so. He still is a TO machine, and has to come to grips with that even though he had only 1 & Davis had 2.

We have a very powerful post game and are not taking full advantage of this to date.
The biggest issue is getting the ball into the post correctly and efficiently by primarily the guards and Leaky most times. Walton is doing much better with entry passes than any of those I have mentioned. We won, and that's good. Lots of room to improve still, but taking better care of the ball ( 8 TO's ) is a start. I believe I am correct that we had 6 TO's the first 5-6 minutes and only to 2 from that point on. That's acceptable for sure.

We need to raise our scoring production by another 10-15 PPG, and we are going to be fairly tough to beat.
 
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We have a very powerful post game and are not taking full advantage of this to date.
The biggest issue is getting the ball into the post correctly and efficiently by primarily the guards and Leaky most times. Walton is doing much better with entry passes that any of those i have mentioned. We won, and that's good. Lots of room to improve still, but taking better care of the ball ( 8 TO's ) is a start. I believe I am correct that we had 6 TO's the firs 5-6 minutes and only to 2 from that point on. That's acceptable for sure.

We need to raise our scoring production by another 10-15 PPG, and we are going to be fairly tough to beat.
Yep, the first few minutes were fugly and more of the same we've seen with ball security. It's a good sign (I hope) that we tightened up with the rock after that.
 
I was so confused from the Ga Tech box scor3le. Sharpe with only 6 shots. Glad to see he got almost 20 today. Kid is a beast. Keep him and Walton in the starting rotation.
 
Thanks for your overview Gary

As I recall, those are not counted either way, unless they are a make. It's frustrating to see so many close shots missed, however, Sharpe and Kessler did not get the calls they were entitled to as well. Lots of fouls by ND in the post and no calls by the officials and that had me irritated the entire game.

Looks as though the lineup changes are showing some improvements in play on both sides of the ball.
The guards are still trying to force low bounce passes into the post.

We need to raise our scoring production by another 10-15 PPG, and we are going to be fairly tough to beat.
1. It's getting worse each season. I recall similar things as DES got near retirement. Yet kay continues to get the whistle home or away.:mad: I truly despise ACC officials.
2. Caleb should continue to start over RJ right now.
3. Agree, this team should be able to score 80 on an average night.
 
Thanks for the write-up Gary, but today forced me to change my views on this teams offensive strategy.

Out of the ‘Big 4’ only two were effective, Kessler was not good and Brooks was borderline abysmal.

And yet, throughout the second half the ball kept getting dumped into the post amongst an ocean of defenders while the best shooting Tar Heel languished on the sideline with narry a play drawn up for him.

Bacot and Sharp impacted in the low post, but I don’t think they should play together... today was a day when leaky could have been used to guard the stretch 4 and Roy could have used an extra shooter on the wing.
 
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Sharpe played 29 minutes with 2 fouls. If he had committed fouls at his normal pace we lose this game. Hopefully this means that he's getting it. What I miss most the last couple of years is the big runs UNC teams have always made at the end of the first half and beginning of the second half, fueled by defense.
 
Sharpe played 29 minutes with 2 fouls. If he had committed fouls at his normal pace we lose this game. Hopefully this means that he's getting it. What I miss most the last couple of years is the big runs UNC teams have always made at the end of the first half and beginning of the second half, fueled by defense.
He had a pretty easy assignment today, someone named Matt Zona seemed to play most of the minutes at center. That explains most of the fewer fouls compared to say an Iowa or Texas game. Problem is a lot of the top teams will have dangerous centers.
Thanks for the write-up Gary, but today forced me to change my views on this teams offensive strategy.

Out of the ‘Big 4’ only two were effective, Kessler was not good and Brooks was borderline abysmal.

And yet, throughout the second half the ball kept getting dumped into the post amongst an ocean of defenders while the best shooting Tar Heel languished on the sideline with narry a play drawn up for him.

Bacot and Sharp impacted in the low post, but I don’t think they should play together... today was a day when leaky could have been used to guard the stretch 4 and Roy could have used an extra shooter on the wing.
I kind of have to agree that this is worth trying. There are some small improvements on offense but not enough. We're still not scoring enough to win much, so something needs to change. Leaky could beat more fours off the dribble, and fours can't usually beat him off the dribble, unlike the quicker guards he often mans up against. Would potentially let us have two shooters in Walton/Platek/Davis/Puff (and Harris?), in addition to whoever's at point guard.
 
Gary it’s funny you mention Meeks. I was watching that game and thinking of Meeks when we kept missing so many put backs. I wish someone had this stat but Meeks had to be over 90% on his tap-ins after a missed shot. Ever since Meeks left out bigs don’t shoot through contact very well. Seems like they are expecting contacting and don’t get it or just expect it and heave it up. Maybe it’s just my imagination be cause it seems to be a miracle for us to hit 80pts anymore. As everyone keeps says as soon as we can start hitting that open outside shot it will stop teams packing the paint against us.
 
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Good analysis amigos. Relief is what l felt when the final buzzer sounded; certainly the team did too.
As Gary pointed out, had we hit some of the ten+ bunnies that we missed, we would have won easily.
Keep coaching them up Roy; keep em healthy, keep on playing hard. Once the shots start dropping .... 😀
 
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Interesting game for sure but right off the bat, credit where it is due... Laz, yesterday, put on a show for NBA scouts and if they are worth their pay checks they had to come away from that game watering at the mouth for him to be available when their team drafts next. You kidding me, how many college teams have a 7ft guy that is going to nail 7 of 11 treys and most of them from well past NBA range? We can fuss about how he was defended all we want but reality is 7ft centers in the college game taking treys well past the NBA range is usually what you want them to do? Really impressive stuff from that kid.

2 really important aspects to this game, 8 TOs (ball security happened) and we hit a decent % of our free throws (one of Dean's foundational components of a winning team). I mention these 2 aspects as keys because in these 2 areas we had been so poor at in most of our games so far but in a 1 point win (the margin of a single free throw) that becomes critical.

Leaky Black, didn't love his defensive effort, he is supposed to be our defensive stopper and he frankly got burned to often. But on the other hand, FINALLY saw him get more offensively aggressive. At his length he should be able to take advantage of most wing defenders by going hard to the rim, he did on that last play and we won the dang game because of it but he did the same a couple of other times for scores as well.

Brooks, wow, his head just does not seem to be in the right place, seems to me to sulk a bit at times if he does not get the ball on his initial push. You see the difference between he and Sharpe or even Bacot, they keep working when their initial push gets stalled and it seems to effect his defensive play, it isn't pre-season NCAA AA effort, it isn't 3rd team all ACC effort. I get that the defenses are looking at him as a primary threat but Sharpe and Bacot are out playing him so far. He is just not in sync, right move by Roy starting Sharpe.

Walton is becoming a real game changer, while I knew the kid could shoot, shooting does not always translate high school to college and a lot of times even when it does it takes a while. While his defense is a work in progress he just plays with a maturity that defies his age on the offensive end. Talked about it before but it is just so clear, kid simply takes great shots, great shots that he does not rush. If he does not have the clean shot off the initial catch he pump fakes and lets his defender fly by, re-gathers off a dribble or 2 and splash. It is the fact that he just is not rushing himself, the game has not got his head sped up, Gut used to tell his big men but it applies to all players, "be quick but don't hurry", Walton's game defines that on the offensive end. A rushed shot is a bad shot so don't take a bad shot. Either make the shot you have a good shot or pass it and that is what I see that kid doing, taking great shots, letting the ops come to him within the natural flow of the game, love watching that from him! He is giving us better spacing than we had with the Love/Davis back court, even vs a team like GT that sagged everything in, they had to respect him as a shooter.

Mr Sharpe, sir, you were a man beast yesterday, you simply imposed your will physically. There was no one on the court that could physically match your size and strength. He does need to adhere to Gut's words because he does at times rush himself a bit much resulting in missing to many bunnies but he as well is so strong and so active that he goes and gets his misses. A half a step slower may allow many of those bunnies to drop. That motor, that imposing size, beastly strength, and great set of mits, image him as a soph for us...
 
Thanks for the write-up Gary, but today forced me to change my views on this teams offensive strategy.

Out of the ‘Big 4’ only two were effective, Kessler was not good and Brooks was borderline abysmal.

And yet, throughout the second half the ball kept getting dumped into the post amongst an ocean of defenders while the best shooting Tar Heel languished on the sideline with narry a play drawn up for him.

Bacot and Sharp impacted in the low post, but I don’t think they should play together... today was a day when leaky could have been used to guard the stretch 4 and Roy could have used an extra shooter on the wing.

Oz

As I mentioned in my post above, foul calls were non existent on more than a few occasions. ND's players were allowed to hack and hip check with impunity against
both Kessler and Brooks, as well as Bacot & Sharpe. They were coached to do this, to be physical with our bigs and see if the officials would blow their whistles and it worked for them. Bacot & Sharpe are both physical players, so they are not as affected by physical play as are Kessler & Brooks, as these 2 are more finesse players than physical. Kessler will be much better with 10-15 pounds and S&C for next year.

If that officiating crew had called the fouling that they should have, we most certainly would have won by a good deal more..., perhaps even double figures. These kids will begin to figure out how to play against teams like ND who want to out physical or intimidate you and who clutch and hack to defend. A different officiating crew would have produced a much different foul call pattern I think, resulting in a less crowded post and more scoring for both Brooks and Kessler.
 
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They were coached to do this, to be physical with our bigs and see if the officials would blow their whistles and it worked for them.
Indeed, and a point I've made over and over again, that this has become a norm going back to Terry Holland at UVA and then, of course, the Rat. These days, pushing the "physicality" envelope to see what you can get away with is business as usual --- despite the seemingly annual officiating "points of emphasis" on reining in physical play.

Unfortunately and ironically, particularly as an inside player, you're likely to get a better shake from the zebras these days by fighting fire with fire, i.e., taking it to them. Hell, that's one reason Psycho was so frustrating to coach against --- he'd take it right thru a guy's chest and still got to the line a lot.

What was the Waco Kid's line in Blazing Saddles when Mongo came to town?
"If you shoot him you'll just make him mad."
 
Thanks '75 and Gary,

I get that the officiating was 'restrained' and definitely agree, with tighter calls the UNC bigs should have been living at the line.

But Brooks is a senior, and if we're still waiting for him to learn how to make mid-game adjustments, he'd better hurry up!

I'm sure I don't have to remind you of the old coaches mantra: "Doing the same thing over and over again whilst expecting different results is the definition of insanity"

Now I'm not calling Roy insane, but waiting for the refs to change the way they're calling a game, dumping the ball to your struggling senior big three, or four plays in a row, that is just stubborn.

Of course, I can't change what Roy does, but he proved this game that he can - note the TWO, yes TWO time outs in the final 30 seconds!!!! So maybe when he reviews the game tape he'll thing about some of those adjustments.

I think defensively Garrison was getting hosed by the L (alphabet) kid and either leaky or Puff probably would have done a better job there. And on offense, all the UNC bigs have to better recognise the double, triple team scrum and send the ball back out to the perimeter.....

Hell, after going 4-8 from outside I think Kerwin deserves a play or two designed for him!
 
Thanks '75 and Gary,

I get that the officiating was 'restrained' and definitely agree, with tighter calls the UNC bigs should have been living at the line.

But Brooks is a senior, and if we're still waiting for him to learn how to make mid-game adjustments, he'd better hurry up!

I'm sure I don't have to remind you of the old coaches mantra: "Doing the same thing over and over again whilst expecting different results is the definition of insanity"

Now I'm not calling Roy insane, but waiting for the refs to change the way they're calling a game, dumping the ball to your struggling senior big three, or four plays in a row, that is just stubborn.

Of course, I can't change what Roy does, but he proved this game that he can - note the TWO, yes TWO time outs in the final 30 seconds!!!! So maybe when he reviews the game tape he'll thing about some of those adjustments.

I think defensively Garrison was getting hosed by the L (alphabet) kid and either leaky or Puff probably would have done a better job there. And on offense, all the UNC bigs have to better recognise the double, triple team scrum and send the ball back out to the perimeter.....

Hell, after going 4-8 from outside I think Kerwin deserves a play or two designed for him!
They are designing plays for Kerwin. Watch the game again and look for it. The problem is that the perimeter players are hesitating before getting the ball to him which allows the defender to close the gap off the screen to prevent the top of the key open 3.
 
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They are designing plays for Kerwin. Watch the game again and look for it. The problem is that the perimeter players are hesitating before getting the ball to him which allows the defender to close the gap off the screen to prevent the top of the key open 3.

Well. I would refer you my most in the thread about scouting, and leave it at that.
As for Walton, IIRC he actually got 4 called for him and got 2 buckets from them.

Good points, I'll go back and look for those plays.
I suppose my frustration came from that stretch in the 2nd half where I think Brooks came up with nothing on 3-4 plays in a row....
 
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Very happy to see one of these close games go to the good guys after losing 7 of these types of games last year, it may not seen like much but for the guys to “break through” and pull this one out is a good confidence builder.

Nice to see Kerwin step up and knock in those 4 triples. He has also shown the ability to make the entry pass from the wing which is much needed. I think the next step will be him getting comfortable getting to the midrange because he may see more and more of his defender attacking him off the 3pt line and he’ll need to be able to pump that close out. Another part of his growth will be improving as as a screener and his movement off ball to get to his spots. Im interested in seeing what Puff can do over the next couple of games, he played about 9 minutes yesterday and it was a step in the right direction. We’re gonna need another guy who can put some points on the board and Puff can do exactly that from the oustide and by getting a few easy buckets here and there off putbacks ala Justin Jackson. I’m not sure how his minutes will shake out, but if he can give us 2 or 3 solid 2.5-3 minute stretches throughout a game that can be a big plus.

Day’Ron’s brings exactly the kind of energy this team needs. I absolutely loved that steal at the top of the key and him taking it all the way home for 2, a little Kennedy Meeks esque there. You have to love that motor, even though he may make some mistakes on both ends as he continues to learn him playing so agressive makes up for it some. It looked to me like he had a few more rebounds than it showed in the box score, nontheless scoring more than half of our points after halftime was huge.

Caleb also deserves a nod for hitting that 3 to get the comeback started. He also had a few nice deflections on the defensive end as well. There’s now ten games of film for him to watch, I hope he does a good amount of game study and starts to show improvement over the next few weeks. It’s also interesting to note that Caleb and RJ didn’t play any minutes together and also a couple of minutes with Leaky at the point, are these trends that we can expect for see moving forward? I’m not sure if we’ll see more of the Leaky PG minutes they weren’t that successful and it’s best he keeps improving at the 3.

After 5 turnovers in first 5 minutes, only 3 for rest of game, well take it even with the way Notre Dame defended us. Defensively, its just so frustrating to watch and I’m not very optimistic it will improve anytime soon, hopefully we can do enough offensively to get out of Coral Gables with a W and back home for a big game against Clemson Saturday.
 
Had to work so didn't watch but listened to radio broadcast. Montross said something that floored me. Sharps points were the FIRST time UNC has had a 20 point scorer all season. That is unbelievable. I think that shows how bad UNC is from three. That stable of big guys just don't have room to operate with defenses packing it in and no confident pg has resulted in limited fast break chances. Since I didn't see the game I cannot say whether the officials were good or bad but it is surprising that UNC only took 14 free throws in light of UNC's focus getting it inside combined with the size advantage.
 
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