Memphis Post Game Thread

[CardiacAndre7]

Best news that came out of this is Zanetto looked like an absolute idiot

 

[Horatio]

Not good.

Just tape. Like a sprain.

 

[TheChamps990411]

McNeeley drove to the hoop a bunch early in the game and had a defender riding him the whole way and they didn’t call jack. Memphis defenders had hands on players all game long and should have been called for a lot more fouls, given how tight they called it on UConn. All that said I give credit to Memphis on winning this game. Hunter shot 7-10 from three and was pretty amazing today.

Hunter is a kid whos been around for a while and when you have open threes because the defender cant keep up you should hit 7/10. Mahaney was awful and overall the defense was bad.

 

[navery12]

We need to play a bunch of levels better to beat one of those top 5 matchups.

We do, but I also expect that to happen if we get there. Result was bad but I thought there was a lot to like today and some encouraging signs for going forward

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

You do stuff like this and wonder why you get hit with a tech when it matters.

This is childish.

 

[AntG168]

We do, but I also expect that to happen if we get there. Result was bad but I thought there was a lot to like today and some encouraging signs for going forward

It really comes down to guarding better at the point of attack. I liked the spot zone defense to hide mahaney too

 

[AllHusky]

Hurley just brought a team that should have lost by damn near 20 in regulation to a situation where we win the game if not for consecutive pathetic calls from the officials. Not worried about Hurley

I was worried about Hurley when he was doing yoga with Bilas!

 

[JustbrewitMan]

Some positives from this game, in no particular order:

-I think we have 3 guys who are ready and willing to take & make big shots, maybe even 4: Alex, Solo, Liam, and Hass

-All of Hass's 3s looked pure...even the crunch time ones. His 9/10 FTs and perfect during crunch time can't be discounted. We don't even have a chance to tie or win that game without his performance in crunch time

-We saw some of the past 2 years' beautiful offense here-n-there. It was mostly with Alex finding cutters or drive/kicking, but its there. Even Samson had a great high/low dish to a cutter.

-Reed needs to be our starter. Guy is just a force on offense and had some ridiculous post moves against a quality 5. What a felonious coaching job Howard did at Michigan

-Stewart looked absolutely fabulous in the 1st half in a long run forced by most of the starters getting into foul trouble. I need to rewatch the 2nd to really try and figure it out but he should have gotten more minutes.

-Our press was very very effective and disruptive. Hopefully we throw it at a team every now and then as a different look and not just when we are behind and desperate.


Some general observations:

-Memphis definitely played like a team of dudes with dozens (for some, hundreds) of CBB games of experience. Even though they don't have a lot of team experience, their gameplan/offense (lots of iso-driving, iso-creating 3's) didn't demand a lot of cohesiveness

-I thought Bilas did a real nice job announcing and commenting on players and refs. He thought the Tarris offensive foul was lame and should've been a play-on, the Liam OTB was a trash call, didn't like the foul calls on Solo (when his face got in the way of a Memphis elbow), and Liam's strip-steal at the end of the game (but understood why the called it). He likes us and gives us a pretty fair shake. Rightly pointed out how Memphis was just absolutely abusing Mahaney as the weak link on the defense whenever he was on the floor.

-The Memphis Centers (Cisse in particular, I think) were really chippy & chirpy. They were constantly slapping away Reeds/Samson's hands, trying to instigate sheisse, talking tons of trash. On more than one occasion, it drew the refs over, who every time seemed to let them continue their antics and gave warnings to our dudes. It's gamesmanship, I know, but still kinda lame, and it finally culminated in Samson's T. Thankfully, it got bailed out by the dumb Memphis dude running over and bumping Samson after he pushed Cisse (?), who, although he couldn't be budged by SJ all game in the paint, reacted as if Samson hit him with a classic Street Fighter Hadouken blast...

 

[superjohn]

We do, but I also expect that to happen if we get there. Result was bad but I thought there was a lot to like today and some encouraging signs for going forward

I didn't like how we didn't seem able to stay in front of anyone, it seemed like Memphis was always getting in the lane but credit goes to Memphis for shooting out of their minds. In overtime it kept looking like we would pull away and Memphis kept drilling contested deep shots. Sometimes a team is just in the zone.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

I didn't like how we didn't seem able to stay in front of anyone, it seemed like Memphis was always getting in the lane but credit goes to Memphis for shooting out of their minds. In overtime it kept looking like we would pull away and Memphis kept drilling contested deep shots. Sometimes a team is just in the zone.

It didn’t just seem like that, it was that. Aidan, Hass, Solo and Ross could not stay in front of either guard. It was really hard to watch. Solo has all the tools to be a good defender, but he simply is a bad defender.

 

[Jumpman62114]

Until we get some stability from the PG position, the ceiling of this team is quite limited. Against higher level teams with quicker/physical guards, Mahaney becomes unplayable on both ends. I think we’ll need to mix in more zone this year strategically. The overall lack of 1 on 1 shot creation/ penetration is a bit unnerving. I think we need to expedite Nowell’s development and give him some min.

Loved Reed’s game today. Offense should run through him more like what we did with Adama at times.

 

[JohnFSilver]

if Samson didnt lose his starting spot after this idk what it will take.

Why do we care about starters? I want Reed for 25 minutes, Samson for 15. I think that’s fair. Johnson can be good, but he has to defend better.

 

[superjohn]

I didn't think Ross looked like Dr. J today or last game. He had 2 assists and then a full line of zeros today in 15 minutes and got smoked on defense.

 

[ctbro1999]

I want to see more Nowell, less Mahaney. Maybe Mahaney can take on more of a Joey C role off the bench.

 

[Edward Sargent]

Don’t like quote Danny. Sounds like you feel entitled

 

[87Xfer]

Don’t like quote Danny. Sounds like you feel entitled

Not a great look to be sure.

 

[JustbrewitMan]

FWIW I fully expect Memphis to shoot 3/22 from 3 tomorrow vs. MSU.

 

[cullaville]

But he wasn't wrong.

he wasn't wrong but he has to realize what he is doing. It seems the ref gave him time to complain and the assistant coach tried to hold him back Make your point and shut up.

graet what he has done for the program

 

[RuffRuff]

It didn’t just seem like that, it was that. Aidan, Hass, Solo and Ross could not stay in front of either guard. It was really hard to watch. Solo has all the tools to be a good defender, but he simply is a bad defender.

Solo dumbounds me. His line today in 23 minutes was 5 fouls, three 3s and 1 assist. 0 rebounds. He is one dimensional on a roster where we need far more from our 2G than just a jump shooter. I mean to watch him off ball but I honestly forget he’s on the floor at times. For a kid with such elite physical tools I don’t know what goes on upstairs. He is dawgless.

 

[bendm]

Why do we care about starters? I want Reed for 25 minutes, Samson for 15. I think that’s fair. Johnson can be good, but he has to defend better.

You don’t think it would make a difference if Ross and stew started instead of Alex and Liam?

 

[RuffRuff]

I didn't think Ross looked like Dr. J today or last game. He had 2 assists and then a full line of zeros today in 15 minutes and got smoked on defense.

The sophomore leap NBA talent hype was 100% bonafide hot air.

 

[Huskyforlife]

I just don’t know why people think Mahaney off ball would make his shots go in? He also played plenty of minutes with Diarra today. Mahaney at the 2 just makes our defense worse.

 

[Tenspro2002]

Don’t like quote Danny. Sounds like you feel entitled

No, he's right.

We're back to back champs and deserve more respect than we've been getting. He rightfully pointed this out last year too.

 

[uconngb]

Stewart was feeling it. Ride the hot hand.

Why?? Let’s leave him on the bench. Much smarter move.

 

[jibsey]

Solo dumbounds me. His line today in 23 minutes was 5 fouls, three 3s and 1 assist. 0 rebounds. He is one dimensional on a roster where we need far more from our 2G than just a jump shooter. I mean to watch him off ball but I honestly forget he’s on the floor at times. For a kid with such elite physical tools I don’t know what goes on upstairs. He is dawgless.

You may have missed that they drove on him to get the 5 fouls and those were great guards playing well. I mean the other team and players get no credit? It’s always our players doing something wrong? Bilas said a number of times that shots were being made when well guarded. It happens.