My only complaint about JB tonight

[CuseFaninVT]

Pulling Roberson with 2 minutes left because he was pissed at him for the foul in the paint (which was on the floor and was absolutely NOT a shooting foul). Roberson was key for keeping us in the game tonight. He was insane on the O boards, getting so many tips to keep the ball alive. Taking Roberson out and keeping Lydon in there makes us so much weaker.

 

[FrancoPizza]

Pulling Roberson with 2 minutes left because he was pissed at him for the foul in the paint (which was on the floor and was absolutely NOT a shooting foul). Roberson was key for keeping us in the game tonight. He was insane on the O boards, getting so many tips to keep the ball alive. Taking Roberson out and keeping Lydon in there makes us so much weaker.

My main issue is why the wings were not told to stop playing so high. The last 10 minutes of the game Carolina ran the same post play where their bigs crashed hard to the hoop and our forwards were consistently a step out of position. They weren't killing us with the 3 so just no excuse to overcommit with that 4-1 zone look that we've been trotting out. I was waiting for JB to call timeout and make an adjustment.

 

[SoBeCuse]

The wings were also playing that high against Clemson and they slaughtered us inside. I thought it was a good call on Roberson.

 

[iommi]

My main issue is why the wings were not told to stop playing so high. The last 10 minutes of the game Carolina ran the same post play where their bigs crashed hard to the hoop and our forwards were consistently a step out of position. They weren't killing us with the 3 so just no excuse to overcommit with that 4-1 zone look that we've been trotting out. I was waiting for JB to call timeout and make an adjustment.

Great post. Roberson got abused in the "4-1." We have been so bad at defending the baseline and the backdoor cutters all year.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

Great post. Roberson got abused in the "4-1." We have been so bad at defending the baseline and the backdoor cutters all year.

It's an impossible task, isn't it? Ask a kid to play the foul line extended and then get back to the baseline instantaneously - just can't be done.

 

[OrangeDW]

It's an impossible task, isn't it? Ask a kid to play the foul line extended and then get back to the baseline instantaneously - just can't be done.

Jerami Grant and Wesley Johnson are not walking through that door. Make an adjustment. Scrubby mid-majors...guard the 3s. UNC? Make them chuck it from the cheap seats.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

Great post. Roberson got abused in the "4-1." We have been so bad at defending the baseline and the backdoor cutters all year.

Lydon got crushed just as badly.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

Jerami Grant and Wesley Johnson are not walking through that door. Make an adjustment. Scrubby mid-majors...guard the 3s. UNC? Make them chuck it from the cheap shots.

Seriously, pulling out Wes Johnson is a joke. He wasn't good at that either.

 

[OrangeDW]

Seriously, pulling out Wes Johnson is a joke. He wasn't good at that either.

Yes he was. So was CJ Fair. About as good as you can expect. It's a tough job, no question.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

Yes he was. So was CJ Fair. About as good as you can expect. It's a tough job, no question.

I don't remember that at all. I also remember how weak Wes was at boxing out. He relied so much on his athletic ability and was so thin he got pushed around a ton.

 

[Halfmooncuse]

If only Hopkins coached tonight we would have won.

 

[OrangeDW]

I don't remember that at all. I also remember how weak Wes was at boxing out. He relied so much on his athletic ability and was so thin he got pushed around a ton.

8.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks(mostly from behind or the weakside). I feel like he was one of our better guys back there.

 

[FrancoPizza]

I don't remember that at all. I also remember how weak Wes was at boxing out. He relied so much on his athletic ability and was so thin he got pushed around a ton.

I think we're getting a little off topic. The point is it doesn't matter if Wes Johnson or grant or fair were playing tonight. As you said it's an impossible task to cover that much ground. This 4-1 crap is a recent wrinkle that JB has become fond of. The Wes Johnson team never played that high. but regardless that over pursuit is guaranteed to give up a corner 3 or a 2-on-1 under the basket.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

I think we're getting a little off topic. The point is it doesn't matter if Wes Johnson or grant or fair were playing tonight. As you said it's an impossible task to cover that much ground. This 4-1 crap is a recent wrinkle that JB has become fond of. The Wes Johnson team never played that high. but regardless that over pursuit is guaranteed to give up a corner 3 or a 2-on-1 under the basket.

You know what, you're absolutely correct. UNC shot like 18 percent from 3 tonight, but JB had our wings still playing foul line extended and higher. That has to adjust when we are getting killed inside like tonight, which is exactly what I thought would happen all game long.

 

[dasher]

I don't remember that at all. I also remember how weak Wes was at boxing out. He relied so much on his athletic ability and was so thin he got pushed around a ton.

I disagree. Wes was really good at the wing. It was one of the reasons that zone that year was so good.

 

[FrancoPizza]

You know what, you're absolutely correct. UNC shot like 18 percent from 3 tonight, but JB had our wings still playing foul line extended and higher. That has to adjust when we are getting killed inside like tonight, which is exactly what I thought would happen all game long.

At this point we'll have to hope JB can sneak a 6th player on the court. 3-3 zone would be impenetrable... but then again maybe JB would still go 4 high. But 4-2 is better than 4-1.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

At this point we'll have to hope JB can sneak a 6th player on the court. 3-3 zone would be impenetrable.

He'd still be playing a 4-2...

 

[jncuse]

At this point we'll have to hope JB can sneak a 6th player on the court. 3-3 zone would be impenetrable.

I would prefer him, creating a "malfucntion". speeding up the clock by 20%.

 

[Ghost]

If only Hopkins coached tonight we would have won.

I think that's the one thing we can all agree on.

 

[FrancoPizza]

Now that I've had a chance to reflect on things - it's pretty apparent JB switched to the 4-1 with BMK. The problem is that there are very few human beings, let alone Div 1 centers, who can fly out to challenge the open corner 3 when there is an overload. Keita was nimble enough. But no center before or since has the quickness to do that. And if you're that quick you're probably not a bruiser.

Unfortunately there is no counter to 2 bigs attacking the hoop as Carolina did... unless Patrick Ewing is walking through that door.

Sigh. Can we get back to basics and not ask our personnel to be superhuman freaks?

 

[Madbiker]

JB knows where each guy is supposed to be on defense. He clearly was not happy with Roberson and Malachi on defense the last 5 minutes. He was letting them know it. That's how they will learn and get better.

 

[Cusefan0307]

G and Cooney are good on d, but...

The back line is as weak as it's ever been.

 

[Kowbelkat]

JB knows where each guy is supposed to be on defense. He clearly was not happy with Roberson and Malachi on defense the last 5 minutes. He was letting them know it. That's how they will learn and get better.

Sometime stuff looks good on paper or a white board but in practicality doesn't work like the 4-1 zone it didn't work tonight or at Clemson or Miami or St. John's etc...

 

[OttoMets]

I don't remember that at all. I also remember how weak Wes was at boxing out. He relied so much on his athletic ability and was so thin he got pushed around a ton.

He could've been good with more developmental time (Wes was, as far as zone understanding, essentially a second-semester freshman in his career here), but this jibes with what I saw that year. Hyper-athletic forward who wasn't sure where he needed to be a lot of the time but was able to recover and block weaker players' shots.

Except in the last Georgetown game, where John Thompson took full advantage of his struggles.