We said that last game against them and then we won 6 of 8 games before tonight.
The slip worked one time. Then we adjusted by having Polley show from the far corner the next time. It was good coaching and execution on the fly.
Look McDermott is a really good coach. Creighton didn't fire him for a reason despite him making a racial faux paus and it costing them their best recruit ever and a starting big man. But people pretending that Hurley didn't adjust or that McDermott didn't adjust to the adjustment, and then Hurley adjust to the adjustment weren't watching the game closely enough.
Here are coaching moves made by both coaches in pre-game or in-game today:
- Hurley began the game aggressively pressuring their SG-turned PG, with hopes of both forcing turnovers now and tiring him out to commit turnovers later. It started working by end of 1st half.
- McDermott used the same sag he used in the first game. Whaley and Jackson were even worse than 1st game from 3: 1/9 combined, all wide open. They go 3/9 we win. No Hawkins and Martin in foul trouble meant we pretty much had to play them.
- Hurley ran a nice play with the uncovered because of the sag Whaley setting a pick for Cole to get a wide open 3. Ran the same play a few more times, but Cole either missed or the guy fought around the screen.
- Then Hurley adjusted to sag by running spread Cole PnRs to take advantage of Kalkbrenner dropping in coverage. He brought us back into the game by making several mid range looks and 1 off the dribble 3.
- McDermott adjusted by blitzing the Cole PnRs.
- Hurley adjusted by immediately posting Sanogo 1v1 in the paint after the screen, the blitz allowing him to get deep position 1v1 with his best hand. He missed most of the shots (1/6 in the crucial stretch).
- McDermott started slipping his PnR screens instead of trying to attack the hard hedge (hard hedge was working). They scored once, then we adjusted as noted above.
- Hurley ran a beautiful play when we were down 3 with 1:45 left. It ran Polley off some screens, leaving Cole's man forced to help off him. Polley found Cole for the wide open 3. Clank.
- McDermott ran a pet play and had his 3rd string PG run a 2 man game with Kalkbrenner and Sanogo got caught in no-man's land. Perfect alley-oop with Sanogo's hand in his face.
I'm sure I missed some things. Just what I saw 3 beers deep from live action.