To answer about the offense - it looked somewhat more free-flowing even last year, IMHO. It looked extra up-tempo yesterday, probably because we have more players than recently.
Guards passing the ball around until they jack up a shot at the shot-clock was NEVER an intended offense. And it has always been a case that the better the defense the worse the offense looked. I have heard a number of explanations, some of which I believe are possible.
In any case, RU has long lacked - I would almost say always lacked - a reliable inside game. While both TSB and Kia Vaughn were both capable and at times excelled, consistency was never the name of the game with either one of them. Can you name any other RU centers of talent???