I don't care what measure you use...

[HoustonCuse]

Hypothetically, let's say that the tourney starts this weekend.

All the "rah rah, we're 28-1" arguments aside, would people be confident going into the tourney with the team playing as they have been of late?

At what point in the season should we stop dismissing the team's W-L record? After 30 games? 40? What if Syracuse gets to the final four playing games like these? Will you say - well they are in big trouble playing like this! Sure they are 37-1, but that is a misleading stat!! We're doooooomed!!!

 

[Rossco123]

I agree with you. and quite frankly, I think a lot of it was BT. He lost the ball for a breakaway that broke the scoring drought. And came back with back to back forced shots. I don't think we will do that against a blue chip opponent.

BT is a possession ball player. He is not Dion. He needs to mature an realize his role in the scheme of things. I think JB was hoping it would end this way when he sat Dion down. If BT doesn’t doesn’t get it, we will lose some close ones .

 

[samspann1]

At what point in the season should we stop dismissing the team's W-L record? After 30 games? 40? What if Syracuse gets to the final four playing games like these? Will you say - well they are in big trouble playing like this! Sure they are 37-1, but that is a misleading stat!! We're doooooomed!!!

I should have known better than to expect a legitimate answer to my question.

 

[A Clockwork Orange]

Hey look, I get it. I am not thrilled with the offense either, but look at the facts: We just held a 10 win BE team to 48 points and beat them by a comfortable margin. They have the best defense in the league in terms of PPG. They are a team our fans couldn't care less about so there was no crowd energy. And we won. We win all these games where we look a little odd. Remember when the big question was "SU hasn't been tested, how will they react?" Well now the story is: SU has been tested and players have stepped up bigtime. We have a winning mentality. Scoop has been awesome. Joseph rises when the team needs a lift late in games. There are a lot of positives if you want to see them. Waiters and Triche will not stay in their funks.

No doubt Houston, the players have stepped up big time and keep winning. That's a positive, and a testament to the mentality of the team. What I'm looking for (just once in these last couple of games) is a dominant performance befitting a team with a 28-1 record. The defense is there, the offense isn't, and it needs to get there quickly. My main concern is we're going to run into a Butler type team in the tourney that can shut us down offensively, limit turnovers, dominate the boards, and not allow us to get out in transition. Maybe there's not a team that can do that, but Notre Dame certainly still looks like a candidate, and I'm sure there are others.

With that said, there is something to be said for winning regardless of anything else. I just don't think we should be hanging tight with Rutgers and USF this late in the season. I don't care what USF's record is, they aren't a team in our class and shouldn't be down 1 with less than four minutes to play. I'm just looking for that step-on-the-throat performance. They had a great opportunity for that tonight, and didn't make it happen.

 

[BlueCurtain]

USF came back when they went away from full-court pressure. If it got you 26 straight points, why let up?

I forgot, we're only 5-deep in the 2nd half and have to conserve our energy.

 

[Cusefan95]

Hypothetically, let's say that the tourney starts this weekend. All the "rah rah, we're 28-1" arguments aside, would people be confident going into the tourney with the team playing as they have been of late?

I would be less confident now than I was three weeks ago. I'd hoped that Dion would at least maintain his level of play, it looks like he's regressed. Thought Fab would continue to improve all year, he is not the dominating force I'd hoped he'd be at this stage of the season. A half court offense that was so–so a month ago looks god awful at times now. Yes, they're winning - but honestly losing in the sweet 16 wouldn't shock me at this point.

 

[Rossco123]

Do you believe we'll turn it on against better teams? I hope so.

This is exactly the way UConn climbed the ladder last year. Learn and move on . It’s far from pretty but it works. JB isn’t done learning.

 

[cusetown1]

What in the last couple of games has given you the impression that they'll be fine? I'm not trying to be combative, and I'm glad and relieved they are winning these games. I just can't see what it is that makes people so confident. They have played middling Big East teams (despite their record USF is a middling Big East team) to the wire. One at home, and one on the road. Two games don't make a season, but to me it's disturbing that they can't get out of their own way on offense, and need to be reminded throughout the game that they need to be rebounding the ball.

What it comes down to is the book is out on us. Teams know what they need to do to keep it close, and that's what they're doing. It's a testament to the team that they keep pulling these games out, but regardless of what people are saying, this type of basketball isn't what wins the tournament. The defense is great, the offense needs to start clicking.

finishing off what I couldn't finish on my phone. It's a tremendous grind right now for them. Looking passed a team like USF who needs a high profile win and on to the defending National Champion who also needs a profile win. They played when they needed to play tonight that's all you can say right now.

 

[A Clockwork Orange]

This is exactly the way UConn climbed the ladder last year. Learn and move on . It’s far from pretty but it works. JB isn’t done learning.

I hope you're right, and I have faith in JB and the team. It's just not really showing itself on the court right now. Maybe this team is just on cruise control until March, who knows?

 

[KingOtis]

What it comes down to is the book is out on us. Teams know what they need to do to keep it close, and that's what they're doing.

I'm as concerned as you are. I'll say this, though. It's the Big East teams that have the book on us. There's a chance that our opponents will look clueless against the zone all the way to New Orleans. Great coaches like Roy Williams, Billy Donovan, Bill Self, Jon Calipari and Tom Izzo haven't been able to figure us out after numerous opportunities. That has always been our advantage in the tournament.

But I felt a lot better about the 02-03 team at this stage, and the 09-10 team as well. Not to mention some of the teams that flamed out early.

 

[A Clockwork Orange]

finishing off what I couldn't finish on my phone. It's a tremendous grind right now for them. Looking passed a team like USF who needs a high profile win and on to the defending National Champion who also needs a profile win. They played when they needed to play tonight that's all you can say right now.

True.

 

[cusetown1]

What in the last couple of games has given you the impression that they'll be fine? I'm not trying to be combative, and I'm glad and relieved they are winning these games. I just can't see what it is that makes people so confident. They have played middling Big East teams (despite their record USF is a middling Big East team) to the wire. One at home, and one on the road. Two games don't make a season, but to me it's disturbing that they can't get out of their own way on offense, and need to be reminded throughout the game that they need to be rebounding the ball.

What it comes down to is the book is out on us. Teams know what they need to do to keep it close, and that's what they're doing. It's a testament to the team that they keep pulling these games out, but regardless of what people are saying, this type of basketball isn't what wins the tournament. The defense is great, the offense needs to start clicking.

the book is out on everybody right now. It's being able to execute when needed and combat adjustments that will win tourney games.

 

[samspann1]

This is exactly the way UConn climbed the ladder last year. Learn and move on . It’s far from pretty but it works. JB isn’t done learning.

Who's our Kemba?

 

[longtimefan]

I agree with you. and quite frankly, I think a lot of it was BT. He lost the ball for a breakaway that broke the scoring drought. And came back with back to back forced shots. I don't think we will do that against a blue chip opponent.

I didn't think either drive was forced. That's what we've been wanting Triche to do--be aggressive offensively. He was right at the rim on both shots, and just didn't finish.

But, he did not have a good offensive game. Nor did Waiters and Fab.

[Sorry for repeating your point 44cuse. I didn't see your post.]

 

[cusetown1]

Scoop is our Kemba. I feel very confident saying that. That guy is ready for any situation.

 

[SoBeCuse]

Tonight we could have blew this team out but forced transition shots drives, layups and didn't. Thats ok though we won comfortably.[/quote]

Umm...no. USF played really poorly on offense for the second part of the 1H and most of the 2H. They got easy buckets in the 2H because of our poor shots on offense and our defensive rebounding woes (again). We get routed tonight by a good offensive team. Sure we'll take the W but there is NOTHING wrong with crticizing this team again with the poor offense and rebounding. Really questionable officiating tonight. Seems like it evened out for both sides but it looked pretty bruising out there.

 

[Rossco123]

Who's our Kemba?

Who's our Kemba?

I don’t know and the court is still out on whether we need one.

 

[Knicks411]

I'm as concerned as you are. I'll say this, though. It's the Big East teams that have the book on us. There's a chance that our opponents will look clueless against the zone all the way to New Orleans. Great coaches like Roy Williams, Billy Donovan, Bill Self, Jon Calipari and Tom Izzo haven't been able to figure us out after numerous opportunities. That has always been our advantage in the tournament.

I know I read this a lot, but if it were true, wouldn't we have a better tournament record than we do? it isn't like we have a history of consistently outperforming our seed or anything like that.

 

[HoustonCuse]

I'm as concerned as you are. I'll say this, though. It's the Big East teams that have the book on us. There's a chance that our opponents will look clueless against the zone all the way to New Orleans. Great coaches like Roy Williams, Billy Donovan, Bill Self, Jon Calipari and Tom Izzo haven't been able to figure us out after numerous opportunities. That has always been our advantage in the tournament.

But I felt a lot better about the 02-03 team at this stage, and the 09-10 team as well. Not to mention some of the teams that flamed out early.

Come on men!! The 02-03 team was getting down by 15 to every team they played all through February!! They were relying on 2 FT's by Jeremy McNeil and 3 do-overs to beat PU as recently as 2/1. They played great against MSU and won a very close game, and unranked MSU mind you. They got down by 18 in the tournament to OSU. The world is not ending right now.

 

[HoustonCuse]

Who's our Kemba?

It's when we start needing a Kemba that you know we are dead meat.

 

[ORANGEsPHK]

For me I see a team that doesn't bring the intensity from the get-go from every position. Someone in the chat brought up where our players were when the other team was diving for loose balls and going strong for boards - we have the ability but just don't seem to bring it. KJo's drive, miss, rebound and put-back towards the end of the second half is the type of intensity we need every possession but we don't seem to really have it for the full 40 minutes like we did earlier in the season.

And yet, we were still able to put together a nice run and win the game when we were down quite a bit in the first. The fact that our half court offense is poor has been no secret, but I like that we were being more aggressive today instead of just jacking up three's. The team seems to be adjusting and learning, now we just have to shoot better and get rebounds. In the mean time, I'm pretty happy with the wins ... but I do get the concern with our offense, I don't see how it can't be a concern for any fan.

 

[rrlbees]

I agree with you. and quite frankly, I think a lot of it was BT. He lost the ball for a breakaway that broke the scoring drought. And came back with back to back forced shots. I don't think we will do that against a blue chip opponent.

he didn't lose the ball, he slipped and fell, and lost the ball. and how are layups forced shots? he blew by his guy and got to the basket. he didn't finish but they aren't forced shots. jb gave him credit for being aggressive and getting to the hole but he has to make those.

 

[dasher]

he didn't lose the ball, he slipped and fell, and lost the ball. and how are layups forced shots? he blew by his guy and got to the basket. he didn't finish but they aren't forced shots. jb gave him credit for being aggressive and getting to the hole but he has to make those.

he was taken out of the game shortly after that.

 

[rrlbees]

he was taken out of the game shortly after that.

yep, for not finishing. as was dion for not finishing and not running the play jb called.

 

[orangefan13]

I threw this stat in the other thread last 6 games since melo from the field...
34 percent tonight 50 against rutgers, 34 against ville, 59 against uconn, 34 against gtown, 55 against St Johns.

Of the three games we shot well against we blew St Johns out. Rutgers we didn't.
Uconn we sort of did. We were up by 8 at the half 10 two minutes into the second half, 8 with 9 minutes left in the game, 8 with just over 5 mintus, and won by 19.
Heck if it wasn't for rutgers staying in the game with us we would have blown out a opponent every other game (and that rutgers team has been good at home this year).

We might be overlooking how tough we have been the last few games. Especially considering the 10 game stretch we just went through.