cncchris33
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I wasn't able to watch much of the Butler game because of family obligations. I only caught a couple minutes of the 1st half and the last 4 minutes of the 2nd.
Watching the NCSU game reminded me of just how maddening this bunch will be though. Everything they apparently did right vs Butler, they did wrong vs NCSU. As well-coached as the Butler game was, this game featured little in the way of adjustments. On the court, we are seeing players who are either slow to learn, or hard headed enough to keep making the same mistakes game after game.
The Good...(this won't take long)
1. Welcome back Detrick Mostella. You want to see better shooting numbers from him, but the aggression and killer instinct is very refreshing (ahem...R. Hubbs III). Mostella was active on both ends, and somehow managed to finish tied for 2nd in total rebs. as the smallest guy on the floor for us.
2. Josh Richardson is such a pleasure to watch, and I really feel bad for that kid having to spend his senior season on a rebuilding team. He really deserves better, but his leadership is invaluable and will be sorely missed next year. 17 pts, 3 rebs, 5 assts and 0 TOs.
3. Speaking of TOs, we only had 5, which is really nice to see for a team with no real PG. Some of our shot selection basically equated to additional TOs, but in the traditional sense, we took care of the basketball.
The Bad...
1. This just in; Ralston Turner is still open, and is still hitting shots from 27' out. The constant inability to locate and close out open shooters is troubling. Turner hit 4 open 3s in a span of 3:08 midway through the 1st half. That is inexcusable, but not nearly as inexcusable as the open looks he continued to receive in the 2nd half after that 3-minute barrage. Again, we let one player single-handedly beat us with complete indifference to whether he was defended or not. Turner shot 18 times, and 17 of them were from deep. How do you even allow a guy like that to get off 17 shots?!?!?!?
2. This will again be an unpopular opinion, but Armani Moore has to play better. 6-17 from the field (35%) from your "PF" is really inefficient. In the last two games, he is 8-25 from the field (32%). He contributes in so many other areas that it almost feels unfair to pick on his shooting percentage, but for a team that struggles to score, he simply has to provide more offense if he is going to shoot 17 times.
3. Defensive rebounding is an embarrassment. Not sure how else to say it anymore.
4. We still foul more than any team I can remember, and roughly 70%+ of them are lazy and careless reach-ins or blocks resulting from improper positioning and not moving their feet. 28 fouls led to 34 FT attempts.
5. Speaking of fouls, fair or not, the book is out on Tennessee with officials. We are seen as a team that fouls a lot (understandably so), and it garners us no favor from officials. Some of our players' reactions after even the most obvious fouls borders on hilarious. Derek Reese hip-checked a guy like a dog in heat, knocking him clear out of bounds on the baseline in front of the NCSU bench, and throws his hands up in the air with a look of disgust.
6. Interior defense looked lost at times, especially during the alley-oop fest where we seemed to be confused on how to protect the paint in a zone defense. Reese was responsible on two of those I'm pretty sure, but I could be wrong.
7. Kevin Punter has played well the past two games, but he goes quiet far too often after quick starts. His last two games are probably his best stretch of the season, and I'd like to see him continue to be aggressive offensively for 40 minutes.
8. I'm real close to giving up on Robert Hubbs. Jordan McRae has been the popular example of reasons not to bail on Hubbs just yet, but Hubbs has about one-hundredth of Jordy's passion and offensive aggression. If you don't want it for yourself, few are willing to just give it to you. Hubbs doesn't strike me as someone who wants it. I'd love to be wrong here.
9. The press isn't really working right now, and I'd personally like to see us abandon it if it simply leads to quick open looks in transition. I know it is a staple of Tyndall's philosophy, but we have to execute it better, or it results in easy/open looks for the other team. I only remember forcing 1 TO from it all game, and it was late in the game.
10. Jabari McGhee only played 6 minutes. Why?
Overall...
A really pitiful performance considering that we continue to allow the same mistakes to doom us (defensive rebounding, fouls, and an inability to locate shooters). I had really hoped that this team would rally around the win over Butler and use it as a catalyst. Instead, they reverted to their same bad habits from the first six games, and let a very winnable game slip through their fingers. Still a chance to go 8-4 out of conference, which is probably a net win for this bunch.
Watching the NCSU game reminded me of just how maddening this bunch will be though. Everything they apparently did right vs Butler, they did wrong vs NCSU. As well-coached as the Butler game was, this game featured little in the way of adjustments. On the court, we are seeing players who are either slow to learn, or hard headed enough to keep making the same mistakes game after game.
The Good...(this won't take long)
1. Welcome back Detrick Mostella. You want to see better shooting numbers from him, but the aggression and killer instinct is very refreshing (ahem...R. Hubbs III). Mostella was active on both ends, and somehow managed to finish tied for 2nd in total rebs. as the smallest guy on the floor for us.
2. Josh Richardson is such a pleasure to watch, and I really feel bad for that kid having to spend his senior season on a rebuilding team. He really deserves better, but his leadership is invaluable and will be sorely missed next year. 17 pts, 3 rebs, 5 assts and 0 TOs.
3. Speaking of TOs, we only had 5, which is really nice to see for a team with no real PG. Some of our shot selection basically equated to additional TOs, but in the traditional sense, we took care of the basketball.
The Bad...
1. This just in; Ralston Turner is still open, and is still hitting shots from 27' out. The constant inability to locate and close out open shooters is troubling. Turner hit 4 open 3s in a span of 3:08 midway through the 1st half. That is inexcusable, but not nearly as inexcusable as the open looks he continued to receive in the 2nd half after that 3-minute barrage. Again, we let one player single-handedly beat us with complete indifference to whether he was defended or not. Turner shot 18 times, and 17 of them were from deep. How do you even allow a guy like that to get off 17 shots?!?!?!?
2. This will again be an unpopular opinion, but Armani Moore has to play better. 6-17 from the field (35%) from your "PF" is really inefficient. In the last two games, he is 8-25 from the field (32%). He contributes in so many other areas that it almost feels unfair to pick on his shooting percentage, but for a team that struggles to score, he simply has to provide more offense if he is going to shoot 17 times.
3. Defensive rebounding is an embarrassment. Not sure how else to say it anymore.
4. We still foul more than any team I can remember, and roughly 70%+ of them are lazy and careless reach-ins or blocks resulting from improper positioning and not moving their feet. 28 fouls led to 34 FT attempts.
5. Speaking of fouls, fair or not, the book is out on Tennessee with officials. We are seen as a team that fouls a lot (understandably so), and it garners us no favor from officials. Some of our players' reactions after even the most obvious fouls borders on hilarious. Derek Reese hip-checked a guy like a dog in heat, knocking him clear out of bounds on the baseline in front of the NCSU bench, and throws his hands up in the air with a look of disgust.
6. Interior defense looked lost at times, especially during the alley-oop fest where we seemed to be confused on how to protect the paint in a zone defense. Reese was responsible on two of those I'm pretty sure, but I could be wrong.
7. Kevin Punter has played well the past two games, but he goes quiet far too often after quick starts. His last two games are probably his best stretch of the season, and I'd like to see him continue to be aggressive offensively for 40 minutes.
8. I'm real close to giving up on Robert Hubbs. Jordan McRae has been the popular example of reasons not to bail on Hubbs just yet, but Hubbs has about one-hundredth of Jordy's passion and offensive aggression. If you don't want it for yourself, few are willing to just give it to you. Hubbs doesn't strike me as someone who wants it. I'd love to be wrong here.
9. The press isn't really working right now, and I'd personally like to see us abandon it if it simply leads to quick open looks in transition. I know it is a staple of Tyndall's philosophy, but we have to execute it better, or it results in easy/open looks for the other team. I only remember forcing 1 TO from it all game, and it was late in the game.
10. Jabari McGhee only played 6 minutes. Why?
Overall...
A really pitiful performance considering that we continue to allow the same mistakes to doom us (defensive rebounding, fouls, and an inability to locate shooters). I had really hoped that this team would rally around the win over Butler and use it as a catalyst. Instead, they reverted to their same bad habits from the first six games, and let a very winnable game slip through their fingers. Still a chance to go 8-4 out of conference, which is probably a net win for this bunch.
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