cncchris33
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A 96-83 win is not a bad start to the Rick Barnes era. Definitely a tale of two halves though, and fatigue seemed to take hold at around the 15:00 mark of the 2nd half. Not sure why Shembari Phillips didn't play. Just like when JRich was out of the game last year, when Moore and Punter aren't playing, we are at a severe disadvantage.
The Good...
1. Offense looked really good, especially in the first half.
2. We shot really well from outside, and won the shooting battle in all three phases. 44.9% overall (31-69), 36.1% from 3 (13-36), 80.8% from the FT line (21-26). Love to see us hitting FTs, esp. Armani and Punter, because they will likely shoot a lot of them. They were a combined 17-21.
3. Armani Moore has really, really improved his jumper. He shoots like that (10-19 overall, 4-6 from 3), he has my permission to keep firing. He took over the game offensively. He also dominated the boards and led all players with 10 rebounds.
4. Punter's shot looks much better. It didn't fall for him a lot tonight (6-17 overall, 1-8 from 3), but it definitely looked smoother.
5. The team as a whole shot really well from the perimeter, more so in the 1st half. We cooled off after halftime, but it was encouraging to see so many different guys hit from the perimeter. Four guys (Moore, Mostella, Baulkman, and Hubbs) each hit multiple 3s. 36 total shots from 3 is probably too much, and on a cold shooting night, that probably leads to some bad losses.
6. Rebounding was really good on both ends. Moore and Reese especially strong on the boards. We only gave up 8 ORebs, and had 12 ourselves. Kyle Alexander had 4 ORebs (5 total in only 10 minutes played).
7. 19 assists to only 11 TOs is very encouraging too given our lack of a true PG. Lots of ball movement in this game. It got real sloppy in the 2nd half, and only having 11 TOs actually surprises me in retrospect. Mostella and Hubbs really need to work on taking care of the ball.
The Bad...
1. Awful perimeter defense. Our assignments, switches, and team defense looked really good at times, but our 1-on-1 defense on the perimeter looked awful in several instances. Mostella and Hubbs were both beaten badly 1-on-1. #1 blew by Hubbs a half-dozen times, and Mostella fouled his man a lot after being beaten and finihed with 4 fouls in 21 minutes.
2. Transition defense was bad as well as we were beaten down the floor for easy baskets on several occasions. The post players, especially the younger guys seemed to struggle getting back and checking a man in transition.
3. Fatigue was an issue and we got real sloppy with the ball in the 2nd half. Of our 11 TOs, I'd venture to guess 80% of them came in the final 15 minutes of the game. Punter actually had to commit an intentional foul to get a breather. With the increase in possessions, this college basketball season could be about who has the best conditioned team and the deepest bench.
3. I was really looking forward to seeing McGhee and the newcomers. None were overly impressive. Schofield looks stiff and overweight still, but was strong on the boards (6 total in 11 minutes). Alexander needs to add weight but had some big rebounds. Kasongo didn't get to play much, but was OK in his limited time (1-1 from the field on an OReb and putback). McGhee still can't defend without fouling (3 fouls in 6 minutes), but did take a nice charge in the paint.
4. Mostella looked sloppy and uninterested on both ends. Started out with 2 quick defensive boards and a made shot or two, then took the night off mentally. Lazy defender, but hopefully an inferior opponent led to the poor effort. He isn't a player whose fire I thought I'd have to question, but he needs to turn it up a notch defensively.
5. Hubbs tied for team lead in TOs, and really needs to work on his ball-handling. His HS coach really did him a disservice by making him play in the post because he retarded his growth as a guard/SF. He has a nice set shot, but he will rarely ever be able to take his man off the dribble.
6. We don't seem to have any explosive athletes that can make a quick step and get to the basket unimpeded. Armani can get there, but he relies more on strength and smarts than sheer athleticism. We lack a player with blow-by ability. Punter is our closest thing to that I guess.
7. Perhaps it was by design, but I didn't see much in terms of set offensive plays. No backdoor cuts, no pick-and-rolls designed to free up a driving lane or set up an open perimeter shot. It really looked like a pick-up game for us offensively. We did pass the ball effectively on the perimeter to find open shooters, but I'd like to see us get some easier points in transition and in the paint.
Bottom line...
Not a lot to be taken from an exhibition game against a D2 team, but it looks like the additional possessions created by the shorter shot clock will make for a more exciting brand of basketball than we've seen over the last 4 years. Good start followed by a lackadaisical finish.
The Good...
1. Offense looked really good, especially in the first half.
2. We shot really well from outside, and won the shooting battle in all three phases. 44.9% overall (31-69), 36.1% from 3 (13-36), 80.8% from the FT line (21-26). Love to see us hitting FTs, esp. Armani and Punter, because they will likely shoot a lot of them. They were a combined 17-21.
3. Armani Moore has really, really improved his jumper. He shoots like that (10-19 overall, 4-6 from 3), he has my permission to keep firing. He took over the game offensively. He also dominated the boards and led all players with 10 rebounds.
4. Punter's shot looks much better. It didn't fall for him a lot tonight (6-17 overall, 1-8 from 3), but it definitely looked smoother.
5. The team as a whole shot really well from the perimeter, more so in the 1st half. We cooled off after halftime, but it was encouraging to see so many different guys hit from the perimeter. Four guys (Moore, Mostella, Baulkman, and Hubbs) each hit multiple 3s. 36 total shots from 3 is probably too much, and on a cold shooting night, that probably leads to some bad losses.
6. Rebounding was really good on both ends. Moore and Reese especially strong on the boards. We only gave up 8 ORebs, and had 12 ourselves. Kyle Alexander had 4 ORebs (5 total in only 10 minutes played).
7. 19 assists to only 11 TOs is very encouraging too given our lack of a true PG. Lots of ball movement in this game. It got real sloppy in the 2nd half, and only having 11 TOs actually surprises me in retrospect. Mostella and Hubbs really need to work on taking care of the ball.
The Bad...
1. Awful perimeter defense. Our assignments, switches, and team defense looked really good at times, but our 1-on-1 defense on the perimeter looked awful in several instances. Mostella and Hubbs were both beaten badly 1-on-1. #1 blew by Hubbs a half-dozen times, and Mostella fouled his man a lot after being beaten and finihed with 4 fouls in 21 minutes.
2. Transition defense was bad as well as we were beaten down the floor for easy baskets on several occasions. The post players, especially the younger guys seemed to struggle getting back and checking a man in transition.
3. Fatigue was an issue and we got real sloppy with the ball in the 2nd half. Of our 11 TOs, I'd venture to guess 80% of them came in the final 15 minutes of the game. Punter actually had to commit an intentional foul to get a breather. With the increase in possessions, this college basketball season could be about who has the best conditioned team and the deepest bench.
3. I was really looking forward to seeing McGhee and the newcomers. None were overly impressive. Schofield looks stiff and overweight still, but was strong on the boards (6 total in 11 minutes). Alexander needs to add weight but had some big rebounds. Kasongo didn't get to play much, but was OK in his limited time (1-1 from the field on an OReb and putback). McGhee still can't defend without fouling (3 fouls in 6 minutes), but did take a nice charge in the paint.
4. Mostella looked sloppy and uninterested on both ends. Started out with 2 quick defensive boards and a made shot or two, then took the night off mentally. Lazy defender, but hopefully an inferior opponent led to the poor effort. He isn't a player whose fire I thought I'd have to question, but he needs to turn it up a notch defensively.
5. Hubbs tied for team lead in TOs, and really needs to work on his ball-handling. His HS coach really did him a disservice by making him play in the post because he retarded his growth as a guard/SF. He has a nice set shot, but he will rarely ever be able to take his man off the dribble.
6. We don't seem to have any explosive athletes that can make a quick step and get to the basket unimpeded. Armani can get there, but he relies more on strength and smarts than sheer athleticism. We lack a player with blow-by ability. Punter is our closest thing to that I guess.
7. Perhaps it was by design, but I didn't see much in terms of set offensive plays. No backdoor cuts, no pick-and-rolls designed to free up a driving lane or set up an open perimeter shot. It really looked like a pick-up game for us offensively. We did pass the ball effectively on the perimeter to find open shooters, but I'd like to see us get some easier points in transition and in the paint.
Bottom line...
Not a lot to be taken from an exhibition game against a D2 team, but it looks like the additional possessions created by the shorter shot clock will make for a more exciting brand of basketball than we've seen over the last 4 years. Good start followed by a lackadaisical finish.
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