Congrats From A Shocked Aztec Fan

[SteveAztec]

I am not shocked that Syracuse won the game, but I am shocked at how the Aztecs played. We haven't seen that all year.

I wasn't all that worried about seeing a good zone for the first time this season because we have some really good shooters. Once again it was proved that good defense beats good offense.

I see many in San Diego talking about how we "just didn't shoot well". That is true. I hear how many "open shots" we missed. That is true. But here is what really happened. The Aztecs knew they needed to hit our outside shots. The Zone not only took away some open shots for the Aztec shooters, it also "rushed" the Aztec shooters who were truly open. True that the Aztec didn't shoot well, but the Syracuse defense and length (and reputation) caused that.

I wasn't real happy with our offensive game plan but then looked at the game. We were up 19-18 and we did that by hitting a player at the free throw line. That player turning and moving toward the basket, then hitting the open man. A couple of Aztecs turned the ball over in the middle on that strategy and the players seemed to move away from hitting the man at the charity stripe. At that point it was all on our outside shooting and the players were rushing their shots.

Hats off to Syracuse. They looked tough and I am anxious to see you guys move on in the Tourney.

Hats off to my Aztecs that played their hearts out for 40 minutes and for a really nice year of 24-5. (or whatever it ended up)

***Long Live Monty Montezuma***

 

[rrlbees]

I am not shocked that Syracuse won the game, but I am shocked at how the Aztecs played. We haven't seen that all year.

I wasn't all that worried about seeing a good zone for the first time this season because we have some really good shooters. Once again it was proved that good defense beats good offense.

I see many in San Diego talking about how we "just didn't shoot well". That is true. I hear how many "open shots" we missed. That is true. But here is what really happened. The Aztecs knew they needed to hit our outside shots. The Zone not only took away some open shots for the Aztec shooters, it also "rushed" the Aztec shooters who were truly open. True that the Aztec didn't shoot well, but the Syracuse defense and length (and reputation) caused that.

I wasn't real happy with our offensive game plan but then looked at the game. We were up 19-18 and we did that by hitting a player at the free throw line. That player turning and moving toward the basket, then hitting the open man. A couple of Aztecs turned the ball over in the middle on that strategy and the players seemed to move away from hitting the man at the charity stripe. At that point it was all on our outside shooting and the players were rushing their shots.

Hats off to Syracuse. They looked tough and I am anxious to see you guys move on in the Tourney.

Hats off to my Aztecs that played their hearts out for 40 minutes and for a really nice year of 24-5. (or whatever it ended up)

***Long Live Monty Montezuma***

your coach hit it on the head in the post game presser about the 3’s. He said some were open looks, but a little deeper than normal. We knew that but it’s hard for a player during the game to understand it. You may think you’re wide open but your a foot further out or maybe in an area that’s not your sweet spot.

 

[djorange1989]

Steve, everyone on here knows what I think of the Aztecs, my daughter goes there so they are my second favorite team and I think they have a terrific program. They fell into the trap that so many teams do in the tourney against us: Settling for what seem to be open threes but they are threes that are increasingly deeper and rushed. Watch our Sweet 16 game against Indiana in 2013 and Elite 8 game against Oklahoma in 2003, two number one seeds who looked lost against our zone, it has been happening for years. I still have not been able to see a game at Viejas but I am going to one of these days and I look forward to it!

 

[djcon57]

your coach hit it on the head in the post game presser about the 3’s. He said some were open looks, but a little deeper than normal. We knew that but it’s hard for a player during the game to understand it. You may think you’re wide open but your a foot further out or maybe in an area that’s not your sweet spot.

It absolutely was that yesterday. They were shooting waaaay deep.
also they were dribbling right into the center looking to score, not to dish out for the open 3.

kudos to OP for the post. Always a hard day after you lose in the tourney

 

[Oakland]

I am not shocked that Syracuse won the game, but I am shocked at how the Aztecs played. We haven't seen that all year.

I wasn't all that worried about seeing a good zone for the first time this season because we have some really good shooters. Once again it was proved that good defense beats good offense.

I see many in San Diego talking about how we "just didn't shoot well". That is true. I hear how many "open shots" we missed. That is true. But here is what really happened. The Aztecs knew they needed to hit our outside shots. The Zone not only took away some open shots for the Aztec shooters, it also "rushed" the Aztec shooters who were truly open. True that the Aztec didn't shoot well, but the Syracuse defense and length (and reputation) caused that.

I wasn't real happy with our offensive game plan but then looked at the game. We were up 19-18 and we did that by hitting a player at the free throw line. That player turning and moving toward the basket, then hitting the open man. A couple of Aztecs turned the ball over in the middle on that strategy and the players seemed to move away from hitting the man at the charity stripe. At that point it was all on our outside shooting and the players were rushing their shots.

Hats off to Syracuse. They looked tough and I am anxious to see you guys move on in the Tourney.

Hats off to my Aztecs that played their hearts out for 40 minutes and for a really nice year of 24-5. (or whatever it ended up)

***Long Live Monty Montezuma***

I was surprised that Mitchell wasn't at the high post a lot - seemed like the obvious guy to me. Is he known as a bad passer or has a bad handle?

 

[Mr Aztec]

My perspective
Early on, the Aztecs had lots of open 3s, but very few were dropping. Normally, a fair amount of those drop. After a while, the zone was in their collective heads and they lost any confidence they had. They would penetrate and then not take the shot. They became very timid. Couple that with Buddy hitting contested shot after contested shot and that broke them mentally. I thought the first 4 point play was a game changer. That was a bad call. It was still 19-18 with 5 minutes to go. That is when the Aztecs really fell apart and struggled badly. Out of all the 3s in the first half, most of the Aztecs looks were uncontested and good looks. The Aztecs ran into a buzz saw . Buddy carried the team until everyone else woke up. A good 24 hours for the Orange. Nice win and Gtown got curb stomped. Congrats on the victory. Good luck against the Mountaineers.

 

[Mr Aztec]

I was surprised that Mitchell wasn't at the high post a lot - seemed like the obvious guy to me. Is he known as a bad passer or has a bad handle?

He is a good passer and has good handles. When he was in the high post, he was timid and could have had a 12-15 foot turnaround. He made a living with that shot all year.

 

[Col. Bleep]

I am not shocked that Syracuse won the game, but I am shocked at how the Aztecs played. We haven't seen that all year...
Hats off to Syracuse. They looked tough and I am anxious to see you guys move on in the Tourney.
Hats off to my Aztecs that played their hearts out for 40 minutes and for a really nice year of 24-5. (or whatever it ended up)

***Long Live Monty Montezuma***

Thanks for the post.
It's tough to do when your team gets ousted from the tournament.

Bill Raftery hit it several times during the game.
The Orange 2-3 is different from any zone most teams have seen for reasons stated above...length, range and experience.

The best way to beat it is usually to force the zone to move...and put someone at the elbow who can shoot or dish.
When a team starts bombing its usually cooked...even a solid team like SDSU.

There was another factor last night that people probably didn't notice unless they're Syracuse fans. The emergence of Jesse Edwards as a defensive force in the middle. The Orange now seem to have a bona fide rim protector.

 

[syrBossHogg]

You guys have a good program, I'm sure the way these past two seasons is pretty tough to swallow but you guys will get over the hump soon.

 

[SteveAztec]

Steve, everyone on here knows what I think of the Aztecs, my daughter goes there so they are my second favorite team and I think they have a terrific program. They fell into the trap that so many teams do in the tourney against us: Settling for what seem to be open threes but they are threes that are increasingly deeper and rushed. Watch our Sweet 16 game against Indiana in 2013 and Elite 8 game against Oklahoma in 2003, two number one seeds who looked lost against our zone, it has been happening for years. I still have not been able to see a game at Viejas but I am going to one of these days and I look forward to it!

You will love Viejas Arena. I had season tix there since it opened until Covid 19.

 

[SteveAztec]

I was surprised that Mitchell wasn't at the high post a lot - seemed like the obvious guy to me. Is he known as a bad passer or has a bad handle?

The game plan was for Mitchell at the high post. He has had short streaks of turnover problems but has been much better this season.

Matt is normally a good passer.

 

[sufandu]

My perspective
Early on, the Aztecs had lots of open 3s, but very few were dropping. Normally, a fair amount of those drop. After a while, the zone was in their collective heads and they lost any confidence they had. They would penetrate and then not take the shot. They became very timid. Couple that with Buddy hitting contested shot after contested shot and that broke them mentally. I thought the first 4 point play was a game changer. That was a bad call. It was still 19-18 with 5 minutes to go. That is when the Aztecs really fell apart and struggled badly. Out of all the 3s in the first half, most of the Aztecs looks were uncontested and good looks. The Aztecs ran into a buzz saw . Buddy carried the team until everyone else woke up. A good 24 hours for the Orange. Nice win and Gtown got curb stomped. Congrats on the victory. Good luck against the Mountaineers.

A bunch of those were pretty deep. Do you guys normally shoot them that far out?

 

[SteveAztec]

A bunch of those were pretty deep. Do you guys normally shoot them that far out?

the range of shooting for the Aztecs was pretty similar all year long, including the Syracuse game. the only difference I saw in the Aztecs three-point shooting was that we rushed the shot.

 

[DoctorBombay]

My perspective
Early on, the Aztecs had lots of open 3s, but very few were dropping. Normally, a fair amount of those drop. After a while, the zone was in their collective heads and they lost any confidence they had. They would penetrate and then not take the shot. They became very timid. Couple that with Buddy hitting contested shot after contested shot and that broke them mentally. I thought the first 4 point play was a game changer. That was a bad call. It was still 19-18 with 5 minutes to go. That is when the Aztecs really fell apart and struggled badly. Out of all the 3s in the first half, most of the Aztecs looks were uncontested and good looks. The Aztecs ran into a buzz saw . Buddy carried the team until everyone else woke up. A good 24 hours for the Orange. Nice win and Gtown got curb stomped. Congrats on the victory. Good luck against the Mountaineers.

This was my take as well. I saw alot of open threes and whether it was adrenaline, the spotlight, or whatever, none were dropping...except for Buddys!

 

[CardiacCuse]

This was my take as well. I saw alot of open threes and whether it was adrenaline, the spotlight, or whatever, none were dropping...except for Buddys!

yeah especially in the first half they just missed wide open "normal" shots.

I think a lot of people with orange colored glasses are putting that on the zone when in my opinion it had more to do with SDSU than anything. they choked.

The 2nd half was different...they were broken and didnt approach busting the zone well at all.

The zone played prtty good overall and is working well enough to win...but a better team makes a bunch of 3s last night...UVA wouldve made a bunch, imo, for example.

I hope the team realizes it and tries to be even better.

 

[Oakland]

yeah especially in the first half they just missed wide open "normal" shots.

I think a lot of people with orange colored glasses are putting that on the zone when in my opinion it had more to do with SDSU than anything. they choked.

The 2nd half was different...they were broken and didnt approach busting the zone well at all.

The zone played prtty good overall and is working well enough to win...but a better team makes a bunch of 3s last night...UVA wouldve made a bunch, imo, for example.

I hope the team realizes it and tries to be even better.

I didn't see a lot of wide open 3s for SDSU. Shakel got a couple early but after that they seemed to be scrambling on offense.

 

[Orangezoo]

yeah especially in the first half they just missed wide open "normal" shots.

I think a lot of people with orange colored glasses are putting that on the zone when in my opinion it had more to do with SDSU than anything. they choked.

The 2nd half was different...they were broken and didnt approach busting the zone well at all.

The zone played prtty good overall and is working well enough to win...but a better team makes a bunch of 3s last night...UVA wouldve made a bunch, imo, for example.

I hope the team realizes it and tries to be even better.

The first ten minutes were essentially a carbon copy of nearly every other game. Guys were right, amped up and struggling to make shots. They did a better job getting into the game offensively as a team than we did but Buddy offset that by himself. After that point the open looks were sliced in half or more and frustration and impatience kicked in. There is no doubt in my mind they felt they could punch us in the mouth early with their defense and then hitting some outside shots and get a decent lead to nurse. It was a lot of physical and emotional energy to expend for being down a point.

 

[orangefog]

I didn't see a lot of wide open 3s for SDSU. Shakel got a couple early but after that they seemed to be scrambling on offense.

Yeah, once the defense settled down, they were closing out really well. So, after that, when they had a clean look they rushed it, because they were expecting someone to close out quickly.

 

[rrlbees]

the range of shooting for the Aztecs was pretty similar all year long, including the Syracuse game. the only difference I saw in the Aztecs three-point shooting was that we rushed the shot.

your coach said the zone forced them to take deeper ones than normal.

 

[kcsu]

SU pushed out by a good 3 feet. The middle was there but between Edwards and Bras stepping up we held our own. If Buddy hadn't been hot early it would have been a completely different game. He was unconscious.

 

[two3zone]

The first ten minutes were essentially a carbon copy of nearly every other game. Guys were right, amped up and struggling to make shots. They did a better job getting into the game offensively as a team than we did but Buddy offset that by himself. After that point the open looks were sliced in half or more and frustration and impatience kicked in. There is no doubt in my mind they felt they could punch us in the mouth early with their defense and then hitting some outside shots and get a decent lead to nurse. It was a lot of physical and emotional energy to expend for being down a point.

Jesse also came in which changed the game defensively for us, think we had that 18-0 run when he came in, Braswell and Kadary shortly after. Just a totally different defense with that second unit out there.

 

[CardiacCuse]

I didn't see a lot of wide open 3s for SDSU. Shakel got a couple early but after that they seemed to be scrambling on offense.

buddy and JB both mentioned it in the presser...SDSU missed some open shots.

I'm not trying to be a downer just seeing it for what it was...the zone is much improved ...but it still gives up open 3s...especially with the starting unit.

If people expect every team to shoot like SDSU they are gonna be in for a rude wakening. my opinion.

i can see it now...people will say the zone didnt play as well...when it will probably have played exactly the same as it did in this one.

 

[rrlbees]

buddy and JB both mentioned it in the presser...SDSU missed some open shots.

I'm not trying to be a downer just seeing it for what it was...the zone is much improved ...but it still gives up open 3s...especially with the starting unit.

If people expect every team to shoot like SDSU they are gonna be in for a rude wakening. my opinion.

i can see it now...people will say the zone didnt play as well...when it will probably have played exactly the same as it did in this one.

their coach said they missed some open looks but they were deeper than what they were used to. And that’s the pointing the zone.

 

[Trueblue25]

Big fan of the sdsu fan base. Hoping they can take over the West from Oregon, USC and BYU now that Zona’s a big ugly ‘ol dumpsta.

 

[SteveAztec]

your coach said the zone forced them to take deeper ones than normal.

I will disagree with our coach.