OkaForPrez
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We aren't our best game and we aren't are worst game.
We are a team that is inconsistent in our balance in the half court.
For this team to make a run, we must get consistent scoring inside the arch to force teams to pack it lower and open up our guard play. The Amida curl lob is a parlor trick that works against undisciplined and smaller frontcourts, but doesn't play against size and discipline which are the two words I would use first to describe SMU.
Amida has shown flashes of a toolkit down low, but not enough poise and footwork to be trusted to operate on the low block. Phil is getting better at finishing off of the glass and when the guards penetrate and create for him, but still cannot create for himself effectively.
It has to be Daniels. He has to be a threat from 12-15 feet, on the baseline and on the elbow. He has to finish tough, through contact and force the help. When he becomes a non factor, we do become "easy to prepare for" as others have said.
In the 5 losses Deandre played in (Cinci he was a DNP) Daniels is 9-32 for 28% inside the arch.
In all other games he is 77 - 151 for 51%. Nearly hitting twice as many shots and averaging an additional take per game.
Mandatory opposing view acknowledgements: I have not looked at the rest of the big 3's numbers during the losses and I imagine they are just as bad. Deandre did play well inside vs. Stanford (which just makes the other 4 even worse).
When Deandre is a consistent inside threat, we will be a more consistent offensive team in the half court.
Now, that being said, defense was the real problem yesterday. We gave up open 3s and consistently allowed them to get the ball deep into the paint after burning 30 off the shot clock. I thought that Ollie waited too long to bring Amida back in after he picked up an early 3rd foul off ball in the 2nd half. He didn't come in until the 8 min mark IIRC and immediately changed the game. We couldn't get any traction in the 2nd half even when we were getting to the line consistently through penetration because every trip back down the floor SMU scored on us. I think when you are in a 3-4 possession hole with 12 min to play you bring in the guy who can block shots and start the break. Take away points on one end and create easy ones on the other. This actually happened when he finally did get back in and lead to the only "red chant" of the afternoon. It was too little and the air went out of the gym when Deandre missed his open look to cut it to 2 and SMU came back down and made theirs. Maybe its a different game if this spurt happens earlier. Olander did play well in his minutes, but still conceded some points at the rim.
Larry Brown has now outcoached Ollie twice. Pitino as well. No shame in getting schooled by hall of famers. Great coaches don't allow us to mask our inefficiencies. We can't get easy buckets in the halfcourt if we can't penetrate and we can't stop easy baskets in the halfcourt if Amida is out of the game. As Bilas says, "basketball is a game of getting easy baskets."
Final thought, I like this SMU team. Take what you give them and make you earn everything you get. I hope they get matched up with a young talented and frenetic team like Kentucky or North Carolina. They will give them all sorts of trouble.
We are a team that is inconsistent in our balance in the half court.
For this team to make a run, we must get consistent scoring inside the arch to force teams to pack it lower and open up our guard play. The Amida curl lob is a parlor trick that works against undisciplined and smaller frontcourts, but doesn't play against size and discipline which are the two words I would use first to describe SMU.
Amida has shown flashes of a toolkit down low, but not enough poise and footwork to be trusted to operate on the low block. Phil is getting better at finishing off of the glass and when the guards penetrate and create for him, but still cannot create for himself effectively.
It has to be Daniels. He has to be a threat from 12-15 feet, on the baseline and on the elbow. He has to finish tough, through contact and force the help. When he becomes a non factor, we do become "easy to prepare for" as others have said.
In the 5 losses Deandre played in (Cinci he was a DNP) Daniels is 9-32 for 28% inside the arch.
In all other games he is 77 - 151 for 51%. Nearly hitting twice as many shots and averaging an additional take per game.
Mandatory opposing view acknowledgements: I have not looked at the rest of the big 3's numbers during the losses and I imagine they are just as bad. Deandre did play well inside vs. Stanford (which just makes the other 4 even worse).
When Deandre is a consistent inside threat, we will be a more consistent offensive team in the half court.
Now, that being said, defense was the real problem yesterday. We gave up open 3s and consistently allowed them to get the ball deep into the paint after burning 30 off the shot clock. I thought that Ollie waited too long to bring Amida back in after he picked up an early 3rd foul off ball in the 2nd half. He didn't come in until the 8 min mark IIRC and immediately changed the game. We couldn't get any traction in the 2nd half even when we were getting to the line consistently through penetration because every trip back down the floor SMU scored on us. I think when you are in a 3-4 possession hole with 12 min to play you bring in the guy who can block shots and start the break. Take away points on one end and create easy ones on the other. This actually happened when he finally did get back in and lead to the only "red chant" of the afternoon. It was too little and the air went out of the gym when Deandre missed his open look to cut it to 2 and SMU came back down and made theirs. Maybe its a different game if this spurt happens earlier. Olander did play well in his minutes, but still conceded some points at the rim.
Larry Brown has now outcoached Ollie twice. Pitino as well. No shame in getting schooled by hall of famers. Great coaches don't allow us to mask our inefficiencies. We can't get easy buckets in the halfcourt if we can't penetrate and we can't stop easy baskets in the halfcourt if Amida is out of the game. As Bilas says, "basketball is a game of getting easy baskets."
Final thought, I like this SMU team. Take what you give them and make you earn everything you get. I hope they get matched up with a young talented and frenetic team like Kentucky or North Carolina. They will give them all sorts of trouble.
