Very quick stuff (UVA game)...

[gary-7]

...and it was all about the start.

Yes, this is a game we should win, but what you look for at the outset is effort and urgency from the tip, and in that sense we got it. That staked us to a big lead, and frankly, it's a damn good thing, as some inexplicable moves kept letting UVA hang around.

So, some very quick stuff:
- from the positive aspects, the new starting lineup seems to work --- we're bigger and match up better. Powell, Withers and Lubin are energized in their new role, while Seth, Ian and JWash seem to be thriving as a "bomb squad" of sorts (with Cade finally getting into the act a bit).

- That size set the tone on the boards vs a typically "physical" UVA bunch, and we impressively outboarded them by 14, including 11 offensive rebounds.

- speaking of "physical", yeah --- grabs and head-butts and screens that looked like bouncers escorting drunks outta the bar... and of course, pretty-boy Cassell and his robots were numb to it. On that note, that "flagrant" on Wash was utter bullshit. Friggin #4 had his damn head buried in Wash's chest, so wtf do they expect is gonna happen?

- with all that said, it's a damn good thing we got those offensive rebounds and 2nd chances because during all the too damn many minutes EC was on the bench (seriously, WTF?) our offensive continuity would predictably stall, and only the board-work and guys inventing shots gave us points.

- On the invented shot front, thankfully Ian was feeling his offensive mojo again, as that bailed us out of more than one of those bad possessions.

- On the clunky side, geez we are bad at post entries. Rust, I suppose, huh? And when your 6'10 guy is being fronted in a mismatch, throw it in HIGH! Sheesh....

- Finally, we didn't see much multplicity on defense, but once we got the cushion, we were able to keep enough distance without it. Really think we're gonna need it Monday in a tough road game.

Anyway, that's it. Early effort allowed us to have a TCB game, but there was too much unevenness thereafter for my blood. Again, we better bring it in Tallahassee on the stupid short turnaround, as they're always dangerous down there. Starting off the way we did today would be, well, a good start...

 

[r_u_worthy]

Good summary, G. The quick start was reallly the story of this one. The lead flexed between 20 & 7 from that point. 81 points against the bump & grind is certainly good enough. If Withers can bring that on a consistent basis. I’m not talking about the 4 or 5 treys, I’m talking about the hustle, rebounding and edge. I think this team needs that. If Coach can keep that in the positive direction, I love it frankly.
EC is such a home run hitter. So much talent and he sees the game better than most. If he just starts accepting some singles and doubles a bit more often and cuts down on the strikeouts he will be all he can be.
I really like Ian and Drake taking the ball at the end of the clock. That was something that stood out to me. I like them in the closer role. I’d rather have 6’6” and 6’4 taking their man as opposed to 5’10 or 6’ against length.
I know these are not great teams the guys are going against of late, but it is nice to see them taking the game in the first 10 minutes.
Big one on Monday in a place that is always tough it seems. I hope we can get up and down a bit and not walk it up and go at that length. Need to be multiple and not let them get comfortable on O.

 

[Goheels83]

How about Withers turning into Brady Manek! Lol!

 

[gary-7]

How about Withers turning into Brady Manek! Lol!

Don't jinx it....

 

[dtodd4475]

Took care of two of the dregs of the league handily at home. Nice to see. Jumped on both early, and cruised, withstanding some mild runs, that were quickly pushed back to 14/15 whenever they broke single digits.

Cap Jack and Withers shooting it like they did at Syracuse makes for a much easier afternoon. Finally got back to a good % from the charity stripe as well.

Virginia still rarely sends people to the offensive boards, which is nice for our front line. Virginia is a really bad team, handled them as such.

Quick turnaround for middling Florida State, huge game to not let slip away, with a couple more cellar dwellers to follow before the dook finale of the regular season, all are must wins up to the finale. SMU, Wake, and Pitt going down helps as well. Finish strong fellas !!!!

 

[gary-7]

Good summary, G. The quick start was reallly the story of this one. The lead flexed between 20 & 7 from that point. 81 points against the bump & grind is certainly good enough. If Withers can bring that on a consistent basis. I’m not talking about the 4 or 5 treys, I’m talking about the hustle, rebounding and edge. I think this team needs that. If Coach can keep that in the positive direction, I love it frankly.
EC is such a home run hitter. So much talent and he sees the game better than most. If he just starts accepting some singles and doubles a bit more often and cuts down on the strikeouts he will be all he can be.
I really like Ian and Drake taking the ball at the end of the clock. That was something that stood out to me. I like them in the closer role. I’d rather have 6’6” and 6’4 taking their man as opposed to 5’10 or 6’ against length.
I know these are not great teams the guys are going against of late, but it is nice to see them taking the game in the first 10 minutes.
Big one on Monday in a place that is always tough it seems. I hope we can get up and down a bit and not walk it up and go at that length. Need to be multiple and not let them get comfortable on O.

Thanks, but I do hafta inject one crucial thing here --- and PLEASE do not take this is in any way as negative towards you or your post:
As for EC, while I get what you're trying to say, I cringe at the same time. Last week the ACCN ran several classic UNC-dook games, and I rewatched Ed Cota and Kendall Marshall throw several errant passes, that if Eliot had thrown them, would have elicited absolute howls from this board. Yet, back then we didn't so much as blink an eye.

Y'see, like Eliot, they were both great PGs trying to make plays, so sometime there will be TOs, PLUS... both Eddie and Butter were passing to guys who were WAYYYY better at receiving than our current bunch (who too often can't seem to catch a damn cold). I mean, let's get real --- can you imagine EC having the likes of Jamieson or Z or HB or Henson or Reggie or VINCE MF-ing CARTER on the receiving end?

So, what I am saying is, let's get real. We've seen this all season --- when Eliot is out, our offense stagnates. Fortunately, tonight we had some guys bail out bad possessions with created shots or put-backs, but as we know, that hasn't always been the case.

So yeah, I'll say it without mitigation: Barring injury or foul trouble, EC not playing 30+ minutes is simply malpractive.

 

[gkss]

Not a lot to add to gary-7, as he spot on with the breakdown. I didn’t see a lot of emphasis on the concepts that I think makes us a complete basketball team-defensive pressure with more pressing and trapping, more ball movement with a commitment to feeding the post and vertically attacking the rim, getting some easy buckets with a secondary break, and limiting our “one on one” play. Another member of our forum noted that we attempted to press and trap and that Virginia got a couple of layups off of it. I must of stepped away briefly and missed that, but I have witnessed how it has been a positive for us in limited usage. I also feel we gave Virginia too many layups and open threes. EC has to be on the floor to keep our offense in a flow and attacking the defense with vertical action. I want and expect EC to be creative. I like seeing Cade out there some. He seems to be gaining some confidence. We need to utilize all of the tools in our belt, and we’re going to need them to finish strong. We don’t need to worry about getting into the dance. We need to execute one possession at a time on both ends. Can’t have a letdown against the Noles. Going to need to play 40 minutes of good basketball on the road. Thanks to gary-7 for the time and analysis, and input from posters on our forum. As always, Go Heels!

 

[big_deez]

Overall it's a win and it's much better to see these guys playing with some effort and having fun. I actually like the lineup changes, HD mixing it up seems to help.

 

[39 Feet Above Sea Level]

On an afternoon when RJ’s shots aren’t going in (except free throws), it’s gratifying to see Ian, Jae’lyn
and Cade hitting from outside. Ven-Allen has been giving us some big minutes over the last few games as well.
As gkss stated, we gotta use all the tools in our belt against the Noles on Monday. Go Heels!

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

Loving the big lineup. I wouldn't mind seeing a little more of Ian (shooting well) and Elliot (under control), but the recent results make me wonder how many more games we might have won if Hubert had committed to going big earlier in the season.

So . . . how much bigger are we?

Pomeroy's usage-weighted height stat ranks us #314 in the nation (last in the ACC) with an average height of 76.3 inches. That's 3.5 inches shorter than Duke (79.8), on average. Three inches shorter than our next foe, FSU (79.3).

If I calculated correctly, yesterday's minutes-weighted lineup had us averaging 78.9 inches. That's 3rd in the conference, after only Duke and FSU, and tied for 9th in the nation.

Huge difference.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

RJ has been one of my favorite players for the last 5 seasons. I think I was the first person on this board to advocate that we should recruit him. I preface my question with those observation because this is not an attack on RJ. With that preface, here's my question: Do we really need Elliot and RJ on the floor together so much?

Elliot no longer needs training wheels. And RJ's shot continues to suffer (I thought he was finally back a couple of weeks ago, but apparently I was wrong).

Yesterday's lineup worked quite well. But I suspect it would have been even more convincing if Hubert gave Elliot and Ian a couple of RJ's minutes each. Just a few, not a lot.

 

[RP12]

RJ has been one of my favorite players for the last 5 seasons. I think I was the first person on this board to advocate that we should recruit him. I preface my question with those observation because this is not an attack on RJ. With that preface, here's my question: Do we really need Elliot and RJ on the floor together so much?

Elliot no longer needs training wheels. And RJ's shot continues to suffer (I thought he was finally back a couple of weeks ago, but apparently I was wrong).

Yesterday's lineup worked quite well. But I suspect it would have been even more convincing if Hubert gave Elliot and Ian a couple of RJ's minutes each. Just a few, not a lot.

No way to run the counter factual but I will always believe this team would have been better by March without RJ returning. That said, yes the ball being in his hands so much will be their downfall when they regress to the mean shooting 3s and/or play decent teams. RJ is a great scorer for his size and plays as hard as anyone but he is in no way a PG, way to often stopping a break by himself, missing easy scoring plays for others inside (rewatch his best dump off yesterday and it took 3 beats too long) and dribbling the air out of possessions. The self inflicted stagnant stretches have kept and will continue to keep this team from winning tight games against plus competition.

 

[DSouthr]

Got to get this off my chest right now, we were on the verge of blowing this game out, until the refs decided they needed a closer game and robbed, yes robbed the Heels of their momentum. That T on JWash, he was simply trying to spread out and the defender held his head in such a way that Jalen could not avoid him. Apparently it is totally fine to head butt a player, as RJ was head butted, but don't try to spread out when your defender decides to tuck his head in to your body? That T on JWit, so the other teams bench can say or motion in any way they want but JWit was not allowed to say something back to them? No warning, just blow the whistle? IN a physical game that the refs allowed, emotions get ramped up and I could live with the Ts if we got the pay back calls on our end, that didn't happen. I saw and heard the arguments from the commentators, I strongly disagree with them.

Amazing what happens when you try to match up size as best you can, when you do not have to begin every game in a hole due to being so small. I do strongly believe that our back court needs to get bigger and the way to do that is starting Jack at the 2 and either Cadeau or RJ start at the point while the other comes off the bench. I have said several times, I don't really care which one starts and which one doesn't and I don't care which one is which.

Back to back big time games from JWit, I don't know how long he can keep this up but gosh darn it has been huge for us these last 2 games. Cappy Jack, when that kid can see his shot drop you can see the confidence grow in his face and he seems able to carry it from 1 half to the next. He relies a bit to much for my confidence on that step back trey from deep corner but when he hits one he hits more. Still like to see him hunt the big men out in space for those drives and maybe work some 2 man game when he does. And talk about a 2 man game, Cadeau executed a wonderful opps to Lubin, had to re-watch that a couple times. Lubin sets the screen and rolls for the sweet opps from Cadeau, work of art!

 

[tarwhiz]

I am with you.
Who is on the floor at pg doesn't matter nearly as much to me, as NOT having them both on the floor together .
I think Hubert has made this adjustment in the last few games and the scores have reflected that.
There will be people from both camps saying EC needs more minutes or that R.J needs more min.
I am in the camp that them playing together should be limited like this going forward and Ian should play 25 plus min per game.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

Back to back big time games from JWit, I don't know how long he can keep this up but gosh darn it has been huge for us these last 2 games.

He'll have an off game at some point and all the JWit bashers will be back in force in a flash. But it's been nice to see him get some praise for a change.

 

[Archer2]

Withers’ lack of production for most of the season has warranted criticism, just as his recent production has prompted praise. That’s the way it works in sports, and in life generally.

 

[2DDIMOND]

Withers’ lack of production for most of the season has warranted criticism, just as his recent production has prompted praise. That’s the way it works in sports, and in life generally.

You can’t put up numbers & show what you have if you’re not on the court. It’s up to Hubert to give him the PT & he has the last couple games. Maybe too little too late but I hope not.

 

[alabamaheel]

RJ has been one of my favorite players for the last 5 seasons. I think I was the first person on this board to advocate that we should recruit him. I preface my question with those observation because this is not an attack on RJ. With that preface, here's my question: Do we really need Elliot and RJ on the floor together so much?

Elliot no longer needs training wheels. And RJ's shot continues to suffer (I thought he was finally back a couple of weeks ago, but apparently I was wrong).

Yesterday's lineup worked quite well. But I suspect it would have been even more convincing if Hubert gave Elliot and Ian a couple of RJ's minutes each. Just a few, not a lot.

Sounds great but all that, has factly depended on EC and foul trouble. Pick a game any game. lol

 

[alabamaheel]

I am with you.
Who is on the floor at pg doesn't matter nearly as much to me, as NOT having them both on the floor together .
I think Hubert has made this adjustment in the last few games and the scores have reflected that.
There will be people from both camps saying EC needs more minutes or that R.J needs more min.
I am in the camp that them playing together should be limited like this going forward and Ian should play 25 plus min per game.

Awesome post. I totally agree. I think most of the angst on this team is between our two pgs, or for some of you, the two players playing the pg position lol

 

[TPFKAPFS]

I like either PG running the offence but I do not think they work well together! Both have made strides on D but we become way too small when they are together and peeps have been taking advantage of this by posting or putting them in P&Rs with bigs! I must say the refs were horrible! I have never seen a more egregious Flagrant call in my life! I get the T on JWit but even that one proves this crew has some really thin skin!

Great Win and an awesome stretch. The team and our coaching staff deserve some real praise!

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

Withers’ lack of production for most of the season has warranted criticism, just as his recent production has prompted praise. That’s the way it works in sports, and in life generally.

Is it lack of production or lack of utilization? I lean toward lack of utilization.

If you look at JWit's per-40 numbers, a good argument can be made that he should have been given lots more PT.

Stat	Value	Rank on Team*
Points	14.9	5th
Rebounds	10.1	3rd
Assists	1.3	6th
FT%	72.2	4th
eFG%	63.5	2nd
3pt%	45.8	1st
2pt%	63.1	3rd
Blocks	1.0	3rd (tie)
Steals	1.0	5th

*among players getting meaningful minutes

 

[NathanFielder]

You can’t put up numbers & show what you have if you’re not on the court. It’s up to Hubert to give him the PT & he has the last couple games. Maybe too little too late but I hope not.

Withers has been a very inconsistent player his entire career. He has the tools and looks the part. But in high profile games, coaches typically play the players they trust the most. And I think it made sense that Hubert didn't trust Withers to play him starter-level minutes. Maybe I'm wrong there, but I can see his logic.

Hubert's tried some weird things to get this team going. He tried starting Powell at the 4 when the starting 5 was getting blown out by 20 in the 1st half in the beginning of the season. He tried starting 4 guards. And now he's back to starting Withers but with Lubin instead of Washington.

He's tried. And against 3 (let's be honest) bad teams, it has been successful. Maybe 3.25 if you consider the first 8 minutes at Clemson.

Quite frankly this latest adjustment will be ultimately judged whether or not they're competitive against Duke. I know people will bring up Florida State. But if they lost to Florida State but beat Duke, they're going to make the NCAA Tournament. If they beat FSU but lose uncompetitively to Duke, they probably have to at least make the ACC Tournament final to get in.

The returns are early and probably too early to make any declaration. Again, remember that a Withers starting at the 4 led to like 20 pt halftime deficits in the early part of the season. Maybe that was more on Washington, but Withers was part of that lineup. The returns are early. But at least they're positive.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

Sounds great but all that, has factly depended on EC and foul trouble. Pick a game any game. lol

Yes but.... It's Hubert who benches EC for long stretches. Often for most or all of the 1st half after he gets his 2nd foul. Whether or not it was a dumb foul (or even a real foul).

Sure, if EC is being reckless or is over-amped, sit him for a minute or 2, max. Talk to him (or have Marcus talk to him). Don't consign him to the bench for the rest of the half.

Maybe Hubert's quick hook for EC increased our chances of winning those particular games - although I'm not convinced the stats would bear that out - but it surely hasn't increased our chances of winning down the stretch, has it?

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

But in high profile games, coaches typically play the players they trust the most. And I think it made sense that Hubert didn't trust Withers to play him starter-level minutes. Maybe I'm wrong there, but I can see his logic.

Alternatively, by not trusting him early and often, Hubert arguably left JWit unable to develop into someone he could trust more.

Hubert has let RJ play through his shooting slump. I don't fault him for that - even though it doesn't seem to have paid off. But he hasn't let EC play through his immaturity, and he doesn't seem to have given JWit or Cade the chance to develop into trustworthy starters.

Those are on Hubert, imo.

 

[DSouthr]

Awesome post. I totally agree. I think most of the angst on this team is between our two pgs, or for some of you, the two players playing the pg position lol

In my view is the back court with them both on the floor is so small. Both give us different things this team does need but both cost us as well, the price to often is more than the return. Both need to play solid minutes but I think we need to minimize their time on court together. Even on the offensive end they seem to at times step on the others game in a way where the sum does not seem to be greater than the individual parts. The +/- from what I see is so close that I really don't care which one starts or who gets the most minutes.

 

[Bubspub88]

A week from March and we are asking questions that should have been answered by December. That falls on the hc in my opinion. Year 4 with Hubert and has anything really progressed? On the bubble late in the year, moderate success in hs recruiting and still trying to identify the team's identity in late February - this is not Carolina basketball.

This was not one of Bennet's UVa teams, this was a team that never should have been in the game playing in Chapel Hill, yet UNC just could not put it out of reach. Withers T was an example of letting emotions take control. I could understand a freshman making that mistake but not an upperclassman. I don't care what the bench is saying, you cannot react that way, especially with the ref 3 feet away.

 

[DSouthr]

Yes but.... It's Hubert who benches EC for long stretches. Often for most or all of the 1st half after he gets his 2nd foul. Whether or not it was a dumb foul (or even a real foul).

Sure, if EC is being reckless or is over-amped, sit him for a minute or 2, max. Talk to him (or have Marcus talk to him). Don't consign him to the bench for the rest of the half.

Maybe Hubert's quick hook for EC increased our chances of winning those particular games - although I'm not convinced the stats would bear that out - but it surely hasn't increased our chances of winning down the stretch, has it?

Most of the time Hubert benches every player that picks up his second foul in the first half, it has been on Cadeau to not pick up that dumb needless first half foul. Cadeau has been benching himself via his own actions.

 

[tarwhiz]

A week from March and we are asking questions that should have been answered by December. That falls on the hc in my opinion. Year 4 with Hubert and has anything really progressed? On the bubble late in the year, moderate success in hs recruiting and still trying to identify the team's identity in late February - this is not Carolina basketball.

This was not one of Bennet's UVa teams, this was a team that never should have been in the game playing in Chapel Hill, yet UNC just could not put it out of reach. Withers T was an example of letting emotions take control. I could understand a freshman making that mistake but not an upperclassman. I don't care what the bench is saying, you cannot react that way, especially with the ref 3 feet away.

The talking to the other teams bench after making a 3 happens literally every night in college basketball. Doesn't matter if it is a Sr or a Freshman. It is today's youth and how they express themselves.
It is rooted even deeper in society than a head coach stopping it in basketball.

 

[gary-7]

I am with you.
Who is on the floor at pg doesn't matter nearly as much to me, as NOT having them both on the floor together .
I think Hubert has made this adjustment in the last few games and the scores have reflected that.
There will be people from both camps saying EC needs more minutes or that R.J needs more min.
I am in the camp that them playing together should be limited like this going forward and Ian should play 25 plus min per game.

Sorry, but it matters --- a lot.

 

[_B5]

RJ has been one of my favorite players for the last 5 seasons. I think I was the first person on this board to advocate that we should recruit him. I preface my question with those observation because this is not an attack on RJ. With that preface, here's my question: Do we really need Elliot and RJ on the floor together so much?

Elliot no longer needs training wheels. And RJ's shot continues to suffer (I thought he was finally back a couple of weeks ago, but apparently I was wrong).

Yesterday's lineup worked quite well. But I suspect it would have been even more convincing if Hubert gave Elliot and Ian a couple of RJ's minutes each. Just a few, not a lot.

I’ve been thinking this since the start of the year. Our best line up is Elliott, Ian, Drake, Withers and Washington. This line up can run, and also has the size to defend.

 

[tarwhiz]

Sorry, but it matters --- a lot.

Depends on who is on the floor with EC and R.J.
The sentence above is not restricted to this year's roster.
R.J and EC both benefitted from last years roster.
Neither have seemed to reach those same levels of efficiency with this year's roster.
EC could be a huge beneficiary of next year's roster ( If he is at UNC).
My comments you replied to is based upon the 2025 roster.
Cadeau offensive efficiency is among the worst on the team rotation players.
R.J Davis is towards the top, if not the top in offensive efficiency. This is so, despite his poor shooting from the field.
I am OK with both starting because they are fresh and able to defend better early.
After the first half opposing coaches start utilizing their scouting reports and dial in on those mis matches two small guards provide.
Hubert has adjusted to that possibility here lately and it has paid off. Whether it continues to pay off, or Hubert reverts back is anyone's guess.
I hope EC is back next year without a real threat to his playing time, but in the present, it is what it is.

 

[TarHeelFanWV]

The difference has been Withers and Lubin. If they keep this up, we are a threat.. never thought id say that.

 

[thompsjj]

Quite frankly, Hubert has started benching all but one of the players when they don't play effectively - he never benches RJ - never

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

Most of the time Hubert benches every player that picks up his second foul in the first half, it has been on Cadeau to not pick up that dumb needless first half foul. Cadeau has been benching himself via his own actions.

As I said, I don't mind HD benching EC after 2 fouls; I mind him sitting on the bench for long stretches. What does that teach? Let him calm down for a minute. Let Marcus talk it over with him for a minute. Then back in the game.

I often like the phrase "he benched himself" - but in this case I question it. Let him play through these mistakes, not sit because of them.

I think he'd be farther along if he played through his mistakes more.

 

[NathanFielder]

Alternatively, by not trusting him early and often, Hubert arguably left JWit unable to develop into someone he could trust more.

Hubert has let RJ play through his shooting slump. I don't fault him for that - even though it doesn't seem to have paid off. But he hasn't let EC play through his immaturity, and he doesn't seem to have given JWit or Cade the chance to develop into trustworthy starters.

Those are on Hubert, imo.

I don't view Withers' current hot streak as "development." He's playing well. Withers came into this season playing over 100 games and starting over 60 games. I don't know how much more development he was going to have by playing more early.

Also, Hubert did trust him early. His low in minutes played up until Alabama was 19 minutes. He played a lot. Then Hubert made the lineup change and obviously Withers' minutes fell.

I don't get the argument he hasn't let Cadeau play through his immaturity. He freaking starts Cadeau, then Cadeau picks up 2 fouls early. And Hubert believes in the auto-bench with 2 fouls. That's a coaching strategy we can debate because modern analytics say it's generally the wrong decision to auto-bench with 2 fouls. But Cadeau knows he's going to the bench with 2 fouls. Here's an idea... Don't pick up your second foul early in the 1H!

And if you think Cade can develop into a starter caliber player, then we disagree on his talent level.

Saying all of this now IMO is an awful lot of playing the results. If this team plays like this against Duke or whichever top 3 seed is in their ACC bracket, then I'll be more open to the argument. For now, Withers is playing really well and that's great. Hopefully that continues against another team UNC should beat and beat somewhat comfortably. Then hopefully that continues against the real teams that will be playing for something in March.

 

[NathanFielder]

The difference has been Withers and Lubin. If they keep this up, we are a threat.. never thought id say that.

We'll see. The difference may have been Syracuse, NC State, and Virginia are all no good.

They're playing well now. Hopefully, they play well in their next game and go from there. I don't think there should be any expectation of being a "threat." Just stack up good performances and live in the moment. Then hopefully things can take care of themselves.

They should beat Florida State. They're a road favorite against a pretty mediocre team. Just focus on putting together a performance worthy of a victory. This team hasn't earned the right to look ahead and imagine what they can be, lol.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

I’ve been thinking this since the start of the year. Our best line up is Elliott, Ian, Drake, Withers and Washington. This line up can run, and also has the size to defend.

I definitely like Drake at SF.

I get that having our most promising and most reliable players all jammed in the back court makes for problems. Do you go small to have more talent on the floor, or use your less-talented bigs to have better balance on the floor?

Hubert has mainly gone small all year. We have now seen some good results by moving away from that formula. Fluke or real benefit?

I'm guessing Hubert will stick with the big lineup tonight. But will he stick with it for long? And if it fails, will we ever see it again?

 

[thompsjj]

When Hubert benched Elliot in the UVA game he did not have two fouls.

 

[alabamaheel]

Yes but.... It's Hubert who benches EC for long stretches. Often for most or all of the 1st half after he gets his 2nd foul. Whether or not it was a dumb foul (or even a real foul).

Sure, if EC is being reckless or is over-amped, sit him for a minute or 2, max. Talk to him (or have Marcus talk to him). Don't consign him to the bench for the rest of the half.

Maybe Hubert's quick hook for EC increased our chances of winning those particular games - although I'm not convinced the stats would bear that out - but it surely hasn't increased our chances of winning down the stretch, has it?

But it’s foul trouble regardless of warranted or not. And do you not think those conversations haven’t already happened. You can watch it happen on the bench. He’s went in with two and immediately picked up the third several times. He’s also played several minutes with four fouls and done well. That just tells me it’s on him.

 

[alabamaheel]

I’ve been thinking this since the start of the year. Our best line up is Elliott, Ian, Drake, Withers and Washington. This line up can run, and also has the size to defend.

Just for thought, why do you believe hd hasn’t ran with this lineup? In my thoughts it’s foul trouble, inconsistency, and boneheaded moments.