James with a HUGE game

[ImperialOrange]

that won't look like it in the box score.

Huge grabbing boards, great movement in the zone, 2 blocks, 2 steals, and a great play at the end when he could've dunked but pulled the ball back out to burn 20 more seconds off the clock.

Having he and CJ on the wings is what makes our team go on both ends of the court.

 

[edowd26]

no one played poorly... I also thought Grant was fantastic in limited minutes.

 

[Orangezoo]

grant was huge in his limited time- had a couple really big rebounds.

 

[OrangeYaGladi]

Man I thought Southerland had a terrible game. Oladipo locked him down (no shame in that) but James also threw in about 4 horrible, horrible turnovers for good measure.

 

[Reyes39]

Thought a few passes he made after that nice one to Grant were a little confusing but great game overall for Dirty

 

[ImperialOrange]

no one played poorly... I also thought Grant was fantastic in limited minutes.

Had 3 blocks and his height gave IU fits. I've been saying all week that I didn't think Zeller was 7'0 and Grant and Baye were both as tell or taller.

 

[ImperialOrange]

Man I thought Southerland had a terrible game. Oladipo locked him down (no shame in that) but James also threw in about 4 horrible, horrible turnovers for good measure.

When Oladipo was on him he drew him away from the play and allowed the rest to play 4 v 4. He also opened MCW up for the game he had because no one else could guard him. Not sure he had 4 terrible turnovers? The box score only has him with 2 but i missed the first 5 mins of the second half with computer issues so maybe I missed em?

 

[edowd26]

Had 3 blocks and his height gave IU fits. I've been saying all week that I didn't think Zeller was 7'0 and Grant and Baye were both as tell or taller.

our athleticism was something zeller hadn't seen before. We just have 3 of them that he needed to shoot over.. and he couldn't

 

[Libero2]

When Oladipo was on him he drew him away from the play and allowed the rest to play 4 v 4. He also opened MCW up for the game he had because no one else could guard him. Not sure he had 4 terrible turnovers? The box score only has him with 2 but i missed the first 5 mins of the second half with computer issues so maybe I missed em?

They all came in the first 5 mins or so of the second half. Quite likely could have been credited to Rak, but they were on James.

 

[JohnCuse44]

Southerland was huge on the boards tonight an took the pressure off MCW on the offensive end.

 

[Cuse_1999]

When Oladipo was on him he drew him away from the play and allowed the rest to play 4 v 4. He also opened MCW up for the game he had because no one else could guard him. Not sure he had 4 terrible turnovers? The box score only has him with 2 but i missed the first 5 mins of the second half with computer issues so maybe I missed em?

Than you. Crean putting Oladipo on James opened it up for everyone else. James was valuable in just that his rep drew Oladipo. When they swtitched Oladipo to MCW in 2nd half we weren't as good

 

[mountaincuse]

James making that early three was huge as it keep Oladipo on him longer.

He made some pour pass decisions in the second but just about everyone did.

His biggest mistakes were that stupid foul on the and when he decided to press instead of shout on the broken fast break

 

[phil77]

JS was terrible with the ball tonight. He was great on D tonight.

 

[RF2044]

Man I thought Southerland had a terrible game. Oladipo locked him down (no shame in that) but James also threw in about 4 horrible, horrible turnovers for good measure.

I don't agree. There's more to the game than just scoring, and James played solid defense and was active today. It just wasn't his night offensively--tonight, he was the decoy, and his teammates benefited. We made IU pay for overcommitting to taking Southerland away offensively.

Kudos to Brandon / MCW for stepping up in his stead.

 

[Shawn91111]

He played above average defense tonight, so I will live with the turnovers

 

[jekelish]

Offensively? He was pretty nonexistent. But that was maybe the best I've ever seen him play defensively. He was outstanding on that end of the court, which is probably something none of us expected from him, and helped us win the game. He was one of the key reasons Zeller and Watford were taken out of the game.

 

[Van111]

Just got back from the game, and what really showed through was the poise this team had right from the get go. Was I nervous, yes, but this team moved the zone tonight. It looked like an Indiana player was always open, but as soon as he touched it he had 2 hands in his face. The Cuse also cut the dish into the center of the zone for much of the game and passing on the outside was contested all night. No, I don't agree with anyone who said anyone who played had a bad game. Some bad momenets, yes, but they all found a way to make the difference in this one tonight.

 

[Rocco]

Man I thought Southerland had a terrible game. Oladipo locked him down (no shame in that) but James also threw in about 4 horrible, horrible turnovers for good measure.

I actually thought JS was high for a minute there...

 

[mbcuse]

JS had one of his best defensive performances I can remember from him but just as importantly I thought he didn’t force the offense with a really good defender on him. I’m sure they figured if they took his offense out we would really struggle to score.

 

[kirbivore]

Man I thought Southerland had a terrible game. Oladipo locked him down (no shame in that) but James also threw in about 4 horrible, horrible turnovers for good measure.

James is the ultimate specialist. He looks very uneasy outside his comfort zone of shooting the 3. That early 2nd half turnover was cringe worthy. When he caught the ball on the post he had no idea what to do. Even Raf was saying "just turn around and shoot over the smaller defender" As long as he stays on the court the other team has to respect his game and the other guys benefit. When he leaves the game the offense grinds to a halt.

 

[JoeSU]

When Oladipo was on him he drew him away from the play and allowed the rest to play 4 v 4. He also opened MCW up for the game he had because no one else could guard him. Not sure he had 4 terrible turnovers? The box score only has him with 2 but i missed the first 5 mins of the second half with computer issues so maybe I missed em?

Yes, exactly. It's a real credit to Southerland that Crean elected to play the first half with his best defender on him. A bad game is when you shoot like 2-10; JS only took 3 shots the entire game. Obviously, our offensive strategy was not to use high screens to have JS jacking 3s. JS had a couple of bad plays, and I wouldn't say he had one of his best games, but overall I thought he contributed in a a lot of ways (team-leading 7 RBs, 3 blocks, 2 steals).

I also agree that Grant gave us some quality minutes. I think he could be a really good player before his career is over.

 

[ImperialOrange]

Yes, exactly. It's a real credit to Southerland that Crean elected to play the first half with his best defender on him. A bad game is when you shoot like 2-10; JS only took 3 shots the entire game. Obviously, our offensive strategy was not to use high screens to have JS jacking 3s. JS had a couple of bad plays, and I wouldn't say he had one of his best games, but overall I thought he contributed in a a lot of ways (team-leading 7 RBs, 3 blocks, 2 steals).

I also agree that Grant gave us some quality minutes. I think he could be a really good player before his career is over.

I think Grant will be a stud player next year and moving forward. As soon as the game slows down for him, he'll be a nightmare for other teams to deal with.

Bonus from last night is that he played in HS w/ Oladipo and essentially gave our team the inside scoop on how to play against him.

 

[cuseincincy]

A little hyperbole on both sides of this. James was not great or terrible last night. Agree that having Oladipo guard him opened everything else up. Honestly I felt that since they were taking JS away from SU as a 3 pt shooter that we should have seen a little more of Grant.When you take 3 pt shooting out of the equation I think Grant brings more to the table.