A couple points...

[BostonOrange]

1. We are an ugly team. And we are flat out bad on offense. This wasn't Louisville we were playing against and we still just can't get much done offensively. Really poor and sometimes bordering on embarrassing.
2. But...we play really good D. The guards especially are just so solid - they are so big and recover to so well that they are really hard for teams (especially mediocre teams) to deal with.
3. One important coaching point - JB moved MCW off the ball in the last 5-6 minutes when Cal pressed and I bet we'll see that against pressure from now on. Triche is pretty solid bringing it up against pressure, but struggles big time to get things done going to the hole. MCW is the opposite - he'll give it up against pressure but he can make plays - not perfectly but reasonably well - in the lane. Makes sense to flip flop them good call by JB.

 

[JohnCuse44]

We play like that against Indiana and we lose.

 

[BostonOrange]

We play like that against Indiana and we lose.

I don't think there is any doubt about that. (if Ind gets there). But, I think we as fans tend to think we are worse than we actually are because we stink on O but are really good on D. Makes for ugly games that are hard to watch...

 

[arrow2arinzesknee]

We play like that against Indiana and we lose.

If we score more points than then we won't, which is what happened tonight

 

[Flacusian]

I feel pretty certain we won't play like that against Indiana or Temple. This game was an outlier within the context of their last 6 games. I expect a return of the awesome Cuse which plays both outstanding defense and respectable offense on Thursday nite.

 

[JohnCuse44]

If we score more points than then we won't, which is what happened tonight

Our defense was great as always. If we are that impotent offensively against Indiana we are going to get smoked. Should we be praying right now that they lose?

 

[jekelish]

We play like that against Indiana and we lose.

And the award for Most Obvious Statement of the Night goes to...

 

[texascpa]

Here's a point: WE'RE GOING TO THE SWEET SIXTEEN!

 

[billsin01]

1. We are an ugly team. And we are flat out bad on offense. This wasn't Louisville we were playing against and we still just can't get much done offensively. Really poor and sometimes bordering on embarrassing.
2. But...we play really good D.

This is a very sober, accurate post. To me, Triche embodies this team in a lot of ways -- has some serious holes in his game, at times looks really bad, but does a lot of little things well and seems to do enough to make himself a successful player. His game tonight was really basically atrocious and I think he's a complete liability from the line late, BUT he did some nice things going to the basket, helped with ball handling and was a key part of a really strong defensive effort. As ugly and annoying as his game was tonight, it was good enough.

 

[wadegarrett]

We lo

This is a very sober, accurate post. To me, Triche embodies this team in a lot of ways -- has some serious holes in his game, at times looks really bad, but does a lot of little things well and seems to do enough to make himself a successful player. His game tonight was really basically atrocious and I think he's a complete liability from the line late, BUT he did some nice things going to the basket, helped with ball handling and was a key part of a really strong defensive effort. As ugly and annoying as his game was tonight, it was good enough.

We absolutely lit up the best defensive team in the country last Saturday for 25 minutes. We have it in us, it just all starts with Triche.

 

[billsin01]

We lo

We absolutely lit up the best defensive team in the country last Saturday for 25 minutes. We have it in us, it just all starts with Triche.

But there's a huge difference between pointing to 25 mins of one game and a whole season's worth of evidence. This is a team that can look good for stretches, even long stretches, but also a team that really, really, really struggles to ever find that sort of consistency offensively.

 

[wadegarrett]

But there's a huge difference between pointing to 25 mins of one game and a whole season's worth of evidence. This is a team that can look good for stretches, even long stretches, but also a team that really, really, really struggles to ever find that sort of consistency offensively.

I agree that looking at the season as a whole, our offense has been weak, but the real season just started and we recently played 7 great halves of basketball in the big east tournament showing that we can string a couple good offensive games together. What I saw tonight wasn't encouraging, but we do know they can get it going

 

[BostonOrange]

But there's a huge difference between pointing to 25 mins of one game and a whole season's worth of evidence. This is a team that can look good for stretches, even long stretches, but also a team that really, really, really struggles to ever find that sort of consistency offensively.

Yeah I agree...we can look good for stretches, especially when JS is raining threes, but we struggle to sustain it. I mean...our guys just have holes - MCW can't shoot at all and turns it over a lot, Triche has been terrible on offense for 6 weeks, JS is one dimensional, the bigs can't finish. We just aren't going to score a ton of points. But...all those guys I just trashed are do bring certain things to the table just not consistently. And we play very good defensive. So...who knows...

 

[44cuse]

I feel pretty certain we won't play like that against Indiana or Temple. This game was an outlier within the context of their last 6 games. I expect a return of the awesome Cuse which plays both outstanding defense and respectable offense on Thursday nite.

Was it an outlier in terms of the entire season? I don't think so. That is who we are.

FG%
BE Season: 41.5%
Tonight: 39.1%

3pt FG%
BE Season: 29.6%
Tonight: 40%

FT%
BE Season: 74.3%
Tonight: 63.4%

TO
BE Season: 11.2
Tonight: 15

Assists (lower tonight based on 41 FT attempts)
BE Season: 12.7
Tonight: 7

Steals
BE Season: 7.4
Tonight: 10

Blocks
BE Season: 5.7
Tonight: 3

So it's a tough call whether it was an outlier on the season. I'd say yes, but there were a lot of similarities as well.

-Shot the ball about the same
-Shot it better from three
-generated a few more steals
-didn't take care of the ball
-and shot ft's poorly

Perhaps the biggest similarity didn't show up in the stats. No passion and no energy.

So it's a bit of "we are who we are" and I hope that goes away next weekend. Win and advance. All that matters.

44cuse

 

[No Hoyas]

I don't think there is any doubt about that. (if Ind gets there). But, I think we as fans tend to think we are worse than we actually are because we stink on O but are really good on D. Makes for ugly games that are hard to watch...

makes us a big 10 team

 

[bballbeadle]

Let's hope we got it out of our system. One game does not necessarily impact the other - unless someone gets hurt, of course. It's hard to have 100% trust in our guys because they are so erratic.

Anyway, I'm going to bed. Good night, sleep"tight." I am sure most of this board will.

-Temperance Beadle Bug

 

[Flacusian]

Was it an outlier in terms of the entire season? I don't think so. That is who we are.

FG%
BE Season: 41.5%
Tonight: 39.1%

3pt FG%
BE Season: 29.6%
Tonight: 40%

FT%
BE Season: 74.3%
Tonight: 63.4%

TO
BE Season: 11.2
Tonight: 15

Assists (lower tonight based on 41 FT attempts)
BE Season: 12.7
Tonight: 7

Steals
BE Season: 7.4
Tonight: 10

Blocks
BE Season: 5.7
Tonight: 3

So it's a tough call whether it was an outlier on the season. I'd say yes, but there were a lot of similarities as well.

-Shot the ball about the same
-Shot it better from three
-generated a few more steals
-didn't take care of the ball
-and shot ft's poorly

Perhaps the biggest similarity didn't show up in the stats. No passion and no energy.

So it's a bit of "we are who we are" and I hope that goes away next weekend. Win and advance. All that matters.

44cuse

Nice analysis and supportive of your points. I've tended to partition the season into 3 distinct sections. 1. The early part of the season when we appeared to be playing well. 2. The dreadful end of the regular BE season. 3. The improved play which was on display for most of the last 5 games prior to the NCAA tourney. My outlier comment was based on utilizing as a basis for performance, the most recent section.

Based on the entire season, you are absolutely spot on.

 

[jdubs30]

We were pretty in 2009, 2010, and 2012.

Ugly is better.

 

[44cuse]

Nice analysis and supportive of your points. I've tended to partition the season into 3 distinct sections. 1. The early part of the season when we appeared to be playing well. 2. The dreadful end of the regular BE season. 3. The improved play which was on display for most of the last 5 games prior to the NCAA tourney. My outlier comment was based on utilizing as a basis for performance, the most recent section.

Based on the entire season, you are absolutely spot on.

And just to be clear...I didn't know the answer going in, so I wasn't trying to disprove anything you said. I was more just trying to ask the question (of myself I guess). Hope you didn't take it the wrong way. and, btw...I'm with you 100% on the season playing out in thirds.

I did just break out the Cal game vs our Away BE Conf schedule and will give you those results as well. I think it's basically the same.

44cuse

 

[Flacusian]

And just to be clear...I didn't know the answer going in, so I wasn't trying to disprove anything you said. I was more just trying to ask the question (of myself I guess). Hope you didn't take it the wrong way. and, btw...I'm with you 100% on the season playing out in thirds.

I did just break out the Cal game vs our Away BE Conf schedule and will give you those results as well. I think it's basically the same.

44cuse

It's all good!

 

[cuseattle]

We don't lose much out of conference. Hoping this continues. Go Orange!!!

 

[billsin01]

We were pretty in 2009, 2010, and 2012.

Ugly is better.

How is ugly better? we made the elite 8 last season and we're not there yet this year. We also won 30+ and we're not there yet. And that was sans Fab, obviously. We were also in the 09 sweet 16 and 10 sweet 16, the latter without arinze. I'd say it's tough to argue that the ugliness of this season is better in any appreciable way.