...and there's never been a more welcome win, just for the sake of those kids.
- Sure, beating State almost seems like a given anymore --- and truth be known, the game should never have been that close --- but seeing the sheer combination of joy and relief on our guys' faces when it was finally over, actually getting to the buzzer without somebody raining in some improbable heart-breaking shot on us was nothing to sneeze at. Good on em!
- When they posted the graphic on TV in crunch-time that we are the worst FT shooting team in the ACC, perhaps we should thank them for the reverse jinx --- because making those FTs was the reason we won this one. And gotta feel good for Garrison making so many, after having struggled so mightily at the line this season, and with State obviously targeting him for late fouls.
- Fortunately we did good work on the boards, because truth be known there were multiple ugly possessions that we saved with offensive rebounds. And with some of the easy looks we allowed off defensive breakdowns, cleaning the defensive glass was important as well.
- All that being said, I would be dishonest if I didn't get real here. And if some don't like it, welp, I don't really care.... because it is what it is. Roy basically spotted them 20 points by trying to fit square pegs into round holes. To be sure, I cringed when I saw the starting lineup, but even I didn't know it would be that bad. Bad, as in spotting State a 10-0 lead (and a 15-3 advantage overall) in the first half, and then doing the same damn thing again to give them a nifty 12-5 run to start the second. The issue was glaring --- not having the positions properly covered. I've said it a hundred times --- position numbers matter in our system. Playing Brob at the 2 isn't fair to him nor to the team. He's a 3 in our system, as is Leaky, and he's out of sorts elsewhere. And we just can't afford to play without a legit 2 on the floor. It mucks up both our offense and defense, and tonight was case in point. Bottom line is NOBODY on this roster other than Keeling or Platek should ever man the 2 ---there's just no good reason for it. Those hideous 11-ish minutes without a proper 2 on the floor? We lost 27-7. The rest of the game we won 78-52. I love ya, Roy but please get past your legendary stubbornness with this. Now healthy we have the ingredients to play with anybody --- we just need those ingedients deployed in the right mixtures. Chemistry and stuff.
Anyway, at this point a win was like finding water in a desert for sure. And grabbing one in a Michael Stephens game is even better. Time to go up to Syracuse, put our best foot forward and disect that zone...
- Sure, beating State almost seems like a given anymore --- and truth be known, the game should never have been that close --- but seeing the sheer combination of joy and relief on our guys' faces when it was finally over, actually getting to the buzzer without somebody raining in some improbable heart-breaking shot on us was nothing to sneeze at. Good on em!
- When they posted the graphic on TV in crunch-time that we are the worst FT shooting team in the ACC, perhaps we should thank them for the reverse jinx --- because making those FTs was the reason we won this one. And gotta feel good for Garrison making so many, after having struggled so mightily at the line this season, and with State obviously targeting him for late fouls.
- Fortunately we did good work on the boards, because truth be known there were multiple ugly possessions that we saved with offensive rebounds. And with some of the easy looks we allowed off defensive breakdowns, cleaning the defensive glass was important as well.
- All that being said, I would be dishonest if I didn't get real here. And if some don't like it, welp, I don't really care.... because it is what it is. Roy basically spotted them 20 points by trying to fit square pegs into round holes. To be sure, I cringed when I saw the starting lineup, but even I didn't know it would be that bad. Bad, as in spotting State a 10-0 lead (and a 15-3 advantage overall) in the first half, and then doing the same damn thing again to give them a nifty 12-5 run to start the second. The issue was glaring --- not having the positions properly covered. I've said it a hundred times --- position numbers matter in our system. Playing Brob at the 2 isn't fair to him nor to the team. He's a 3 in our system, as is Leaky, and he's out of sorts elsewhere. And we just can't afford to play without a legit 2 on the floor. It mucks up both our offense and defense, and tonight was case in point. Bottom line is NOBODY on this roster other than Keeling or Platek should ever man the 2 ---there's just no good reason for it. Those hideous 11-ish minutes without a proper 2 on the floor? We lost 27-7. The rest of the game we won 78-52. I love ya, Roy but please get past your legendary stubbornness with this. Now healthy we have the ingredients to play with anybody --- we just need those ingedients deployed in the right mixtures. Chemistry and stuff.
Anyway, at this point a win was like finding water in a desert for sure. And grabbing one in a Michael Stephens game is even better. Time to go up to Syracuse, put our best foot forward and disect that zone...
