Stats and stuff (ND game)...

[gary-7]

...well, Marcus and our 3 point shooting returned. 50% should have been enough but it wasn't.

- We had uncharacteristic live-ball TOs, Notre Dame took care of the ball. We only turned them over twice.

- Speaking of which, the official stats gave us 3 Fast Break points (it's hard to get breaks without TOs), but we still pushed the ball well and scored 33 off the Secondary Break

- Despite playing sequences of really good defense, we got hurt a few times by our Bigs losing sight of the ball in "help" situations... but then again, we also got hurt by some of their more desperate drives being bailed out by, um... interesting calls on our Bigs.

- We are really, REALLY missing Justin's offense. There is now a hesitation that he needs to overcome... ASAP. With his array of shots, 1/7 is not gonna get it.

- Still, and let's be honest, ND won it at the foul line. They made their FTs --- scoring 31 points from the line is awfully tough to beat.

- At halftime, in light of their 14-6 FT advantage (and having eyes), I made a note that the officiating was not awful, but "uneven" --- well, using that description for the second half would have been like calling the Pacific Ocean "moist". I'm not sure I can be as diplomatic as Adam Lucas, but I'll try --- by just noting they shot more FTs in the second half alone than we shot for the entire game... and it wasn't like we weren't taking it inside and to the rack or anything. And speaking of the second half, I guess I should refrain from pointing out 3 absolutely blown block/charge calls (that coincidentally all favored them) that resulted in us losing our lead. So I'll just give them credit for making their FTs --- I believe they hit like 16 in a row at one point --- instead of saying "38 Foul Shots my a$$"...

Anyway, however they happened... now we have our maximum acceptable 2 conference losses. We cannot afford to lose any more games. This is it....

 

[coryfly]

The block/charge calls where the most frustrating part of the officiating aspect. The call on Hicks was ok I guess but was really just a flop. I actually liked the no call on the Paige charge. No block and no charge because it was so late was ok with me. The next one that Berry (I think) took was bad though, especially considering the one they called on Hicks. However, the road games are kind of like that. It should turn in our favor after BC.

In general, with some of our bigs who continually get in foul trouble we have to recognize this is an issue. It isn't just on the bigs either. The guards have to do a better job of staying in front of guys, which is certainly very difficult in today's game. If it continues to be a problem part of the problem has to be our guys. The biggest three reasons we lost this game IMO were the turnovers, ball screen defense, and the offensive rebounds (which often lead to us fouling). None of that is on the officials.

IMO, even despite the deficits in penetration and offensive rebounding we can still be as good as anyone as long as we have everyone play decent. The biggest problem is over the past 7 games or so multiple players have played bad in various games. We don't have to have everyone play well. We just have to have guys not play awful.

 

[gary-7]

The block/charge calls where the most frustrating part of the officiating aspect. The call on Hicks was ok I guess but was really just a flop. I actually liked the no call on the Paige charge. No block and no charge because it was so late was ok with me. The next one that Berry (I think) took was bad though, especially considering the one they called on Hicks. However, the road games are kind of like that. It should turn in our favor after BC.

In general, with some of our bigs who continually get in foul trouble we have to recognize this is an issue. It isn't just on the bigs either. The guards have to do a better job of staying in front of guys, which is certainly very difficult in today's game. If it continues to be a problem part of the problem has to be our guys. The biggest three reasons we lost this game IMO were the turnovers, ball screen defense, and the offensive rebounds (which often lead to us fouling). None of that is on the officials.

IMO, even despite the deficits in penetration and offensive rebounding we can still be as good as anyone as long as we have everyone play decent. The biggest problem is over the past 7 games or so multiple players have played bad in various games. We don't have to have everyone play well. We just have to have guys not play awful.

The call on Hicks was a definite dookie flop, the replay was clear as a bell and it should have been called a block as Auguste actually initiated the contact. That's one out in the open an official just should not miss. And sorry, there is no way Paige's should have been a no-call... and JB was easily there in time and got absolutely flattened. 3 critical calls.

I also want folks to understand that our Guards were not the issue defensively. They are forcing as they are taught --- the Bigs are not always doing their jobs. And in all honesty, I really wish Roy would slightly modify his approach to half-court D. Roy's go-to defense is Dean's "22" --- an aggressive pressure version of our man-to-man that tries to deny even basic passes to the wings, as opposed to the base "21" that relies on gap control and backside help (zone principles). Dean started using more 22 in the mid-80s to force tempo and that fit Roy's preferences when he crafted his version of Dean's system.

The problem with constantly running 22 as a base defense is that it practically encourages teams to rely on dribble-drives off high ball-screens to counter the passing lane denials... and if we thus expect our Bigs to help high aggressively that spreads out the floor and makes low help more difficult. I have never liked the hard "hedge" and would much rather our Bigs use drop-switch-and-recovery which prevents penetration... and when you want to attack, go to a 32 style jump double off the ball screen.

Folks also should realize that Berry and Paige are terrific man-up and team defenders, but when you're in 22 on at least 80% of possessions eventually something is gonna break down behind them. As with all coaches who create their own version of Dean's system, Roy's tendencies fit what he's most comfortable with, but now the high ball-screen has become the scouting report remedy (as we see). A couple of minor tweaks could go a long way in mitigating that IMO.

 

[r_u_worthy]

I really don't get just staying with the same tactic on high ball screens when it isn't working? Was it the State game where Roy changed the scheme up and had the bigs play "flat" and deny penetration until the guards get off the screen? It sure shut down Barber's opportunities. I really would like to see more of that sprinkled in. Teams need to be made to look for Plan B.

 

[Heelicious]

The call on Hicks was a definite dookie flop, the replay was clear as a bell and it should have been called a block as Auguste actually initiated the contact. That's one out in the open an official just should not miss. And sorry, there is no way Paige's should have been a no-call... and JB was easily there in time and got absolutely flattened. 3 critical calls.

The three items you called out above, if those are called right, plus calling a travel (instead of a foul) on Vasturia tripping on Meeks feet..... If we got those calls, I'd be OK with the rest.

On them (ND) rebounding and blocking shots, I suppose they got away with quite a bit, that could be called, but you know what? If you go after the ball or the block aggressively, the officials overlook some contact. If you play meek (maybe a pun intended) you're never going to get the benefit of the doubt from the officials.

I officially think I may need some sort of therapy. I invest way too much emotion in Heels hoops. And these last two games are so frustrating because in both they could've won if they had gotten consistent 40 minutes of effort from all their guys. If the team just sucked, and you expected losses like this, at least I could take it because I wouldn't expect wins. Is it too much to ask, to expect what should be the best team in the ACC to beat one or two teams that are #3 - #6 in the conference?

At least last year, you could explain away that four teams in the ACC were head and shoulders better than UNC (Dook, UVA, Louisville, ND). All those teams lost huge pieces. From a talent and experience standpoint, nobody in the ACC should challenge us. I still think we can win the ACC - it is just so fricking frustrating that the team squanders away the conference lead, leaving them basically zero margin for error.

Jackson looks so shook right now. Either releasing the ball too soon or too late on almost every shot, and looking around / waiting for someone to block his shot in the paint. Doesn't even seem to be looking at the target (the rim or the box on the glass) when finishing inside.

But most of all - it just comes down to hustle and heart and "want to". I don't know if you can coach that. I don't know if any guys like Marcus or JB or Brice can say or do something in practice to hold guys accountable. Specifically right now, I don't think you could count on Meeks or Jackson to make an aggressive, killer instinct play, to save either of their lives. "If they are not wired that way" OK - then their spot is on the bench in crunch time. Like Marcus said after the game, they just NEED to find 5 guys who WANT to and DO show the effort to outfight the other team, rebounding, defense, etc.

Heck, at this point, I know his offensive skills, passing, catching, etc are limited, but Joel James shows more heart, aggressiveness, hustle, and is less likely to get owned by a 6'4" guy than Meeks - what a soft jolly jovial nice pu__y he is when it comes to crunch time. Name me a time this year when a game was close, and Meeks stepped up. I can recall one game where he had great hustle and a great overall game, but why is that one out of - say - the last 12?

That being said, again, NO WAY, can Luke Maye and Joel James be our front court on the floor at the same time. That is just an insane "we don't want to score or defend" lineup. A "we're just doing a test to see how long it takes us to give up our 15 point lead with this wacky lineup in the game" move. Sometimes I swear its those two guys PLUS Pinson in the game. Now that is one scary offensive lineup.

I hope Roy and Co. runs and works them and questions their manhood to a point that they are so PO'd they want to (figuratively) kill BC, just to show Roy. Hard to say if some on this team have that sort of self pride gene in them at all, which is scary for this team's prospects. I guess we'll see soon enough.

 

[gary-7]

I really don't get just staying with the same tactic on high ball screens when it isn't working? Was it the State game where Roy changed the scheme up and had the bigs play "flat" and deny penetration until the guards get off the screen? It sure shut down Barber's opportunities. I really would like to see more of that sprinkled in. Teams need to be made to look for Plan B.

Yep. I know he doesn't like to flat on teams with a rep for 3-pt shooting, but I think it's a better tactic in the long run, and throw in jump doubles to change up and cause duress.