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There was not a lot of good to report on tonight. It's one thing to lose, but among teams we have played with a pulse, this is the third straight time we have been beaten soundly. Granted, all of them have come on the road, but still, we're 4-3 right now in what is a pretty bad conference and it doesn't seem like strides are being made.
1. As awesome as it is when Boatright goes into Iverson mode when we're down 15, I have to wonder why he's so reluctant to shoot early in games. I get that he's the point guard and is looking to establish his teammates early and worry about himself later, but when the kid is draining step-back threes in situations where the defense knows he is taking a step-back three, it's a bit perplexing that he will turn down wide open shots with such frequency. If Boat takes 20 shots a game from here on out, who is objecting?
2. Turnovers are a killer with this team. You're not going to beat good teams, much less on the road, with seventeen of them. And it isn't like there was one outlier that skewed the total - Boat, Purvis, Hamilton, and Samuel all recorded 3+.
3. The half-court defense was subpar. Samuel and Boatright both gut back-cut for buckets within a span of like four minutes in the second half.
4. When impartial spectators are beginning to recoil in angst when Hamilton puts the ball on the floor, you know he needs to become a better ball-handler. He's in a tough spot trying to beat smaller defenders off the dribble, but still, if he wants to get to the next level he needs to tighten it up.
5. Speaking of, I don't get why we don't see more of D-Ham at the four. We saw it for a couple minutes tonight and it didn't really hurt us on defense with Brimah shadowing every post-up. I love what Facey provides, but the kid hasn't scored since November and the half-court offense has been an atrocity.
6. These two statements are not mutually exclusive: the coaching staff we have is one of the best in the country, and they are not blameless for the way this team is performing. The zone offense is beyond baffling at this point - we're trying to set high ball screens for Terrence Samuel instead of feeding Hamilton at the foul line.
7. I don't care if we go 3-40 from three, you have to take them when your open, otherwise the offense devolves into an endless weave of drive-and-kick that amounts to nothing. When you don't have a post-up threat or a slasher who can finish at the rim (I thought Purvis would help us in this respect, but he doesn't appear to have the same lift he did at N.C. State), you'd better be able to hit threes.
Bright days are ahead for this program, but I am beginning to worry that they won't be seen until next year. Don't take my word as the gospel, as I declared that we should be content with a tournament win or two last year...this is just beginning to feel like one of those bridge years.
1. As awesome as it is when Boatright goes into Iverson mode when we're down 15, I have to wonder why he's so reluctant to shoot early in games. I get that he's the point guard and is looking to establish his teammates early and worry about himself later, but when the kid is draining step-back threes in situations where the defense knows he is taking a step-back three, it's a bit perplexing that he will turn down wide open shots with such frequency. If Boat takes 20 shots a game from here on out, who is objecting?
2. Turnovers are a killer with this team. You're not going to beat good teams, much less on the road, with seventeen of them. And it isn't like there was one outlier that skewed the total - Boat, Purvis, Hamilton, and Samuel all recorded 3+.
3. The half-court defense was subpar. Samuel and Boatright both gut back-cut for buckets within a span of like four minutes in the second half.
4. When impartial spectators are beginning to recoil in angst when Hamilton puts the ball on the floor, you know he needs to become a better ball-handler. He's in a tough spot trying to beat smaller defenders off the dribble, but still, if he wants to get to the next level he needs to tighten it up.
5. Speaking of, I don't get why we don't see more of D-Ham at the four. We saw it for a couple minutes tonight and it didn't really hurt us on defense with Brimah shadowing every post-up. I love what Facey provides, but the kid hasn't scored since November and the half-court offense has been an atrocity.
6. These two statements are not mutually exclusive: the coaching staff we have is one of the best in the country, and they are not blameless for the way this team is performing. The zone offense is beyond baffling at this point - we're trying to set high ball screens for Terrence Samuel instead of feeding Hamilton at the foul line.
7. I don't care if we go 3-40 from three, you have to take them when your open, otherwise the offense devolves into an endless weave of drive-and-kick that amounts to nothing. When you don't have a post-up threat or a slasher who can finish at the rim (I thought Purvis would help us in this respect, but he doesn't appear to have the same lift he did at N.C. State), you'd better be able to hit threes.
Bright days are ahead for this program, but I am beginning to worry that they won't be seen until next year. Don't take my word as the gospel, as I declared that we should be content with a tournament win or two last year...this is just beginning to feel like one of those bridge years.