My Take

[sutomcat]

Interesting game. The clash in playing styles was fun to watch. Really like watching a wide open basketball game, without anyone holding the ball or trying to run a lot of set plays.

Thought the key to the game was the inability of Arkansas to defend Syracuse. They tried to play man early and got beat up. Just could not cover our guys going to the hole, and still left players open outside for open 3s. Horrible job defending JS. They left him open outside the circle forever, even when playing man. Did they bother to watch film at all?

We also hurt them on the offensive boards. They are a small team, played 2 guards and 2 small forwards most of the game and we were able to get a bunch of second chance points.

They switched to zone but it really didn't help much. They didn't get back on defense as fast as they needed, MCW pushed the ball up court really fast, and we got a lot of easy semi-transition baskets. We ended up scoring what, over 90 points with almost no true inside game, largely because we didn't need it. Strange.

It is also strange to get a win when you make as many fouls as we did. I credit Arkansas with doing a good job getting the ball into the paint, and then doing a good job finishing plays, drawing fouls and often converting as well. They have some really good athletes on that team. The little guy that scored all their points were terrific getting his shot off inside against much bigger players. He has some Kemba Walker in him.

Wasn't really happy with our interior defense...part of the problem was the quality of the Arkansas athletes, but part was just bad defense on our part. We aren't helping as much as we need to, aren't challenging drivers as strongly as we need to, we are letting players get good position and then making stupid fouls. The problem is especially bad when Coleman is in...we get torched inside then as he continues to play weak matador-like defense. It happens with freshmen. He will get better. I am actually a little more concerned over what Christmas and Keita did. They have to improve.

Thought MCW and Triche were again great up top in the zone. They rarely got the ball into the paint from where they defended, they got some steals/easy baskets and appeared to intimidate Arkansas. Not sure we have ever had as good a pair of defenders up top in the zone.

Thought MCW was player of the game...he was exceptional on offense and defense, personally destroyed the Arkansas press and was able to get into the paint for an easy basket or dish seemingly whenever he wanted to. His defense and rebounding on the defensive end were also stellar.

JS again played great but he is not the force MCW is on defense and he had some struggles against the Arkansas pressure defense. Still, another great effort from him. Wow, he can score baskets fast when he is on. Loved the alley oop dunk on the feed from CJ.

Thought CJ did a good job. Made some mental errors, tried to do too much a few times. Wasn't his best effort but he played a big role breaking the press and his floor game was pretty solid.

BT played great defense, got some really nice rebounds and 50-50 balls. Was too aggressive on offense for much of the game, too many turnovers and missed shots and then, out of the blue, when SU was in serious trouble for the only time in the game, he had a great stretch to rescue his game and break the game open for Syracuse. Not real consistent but overall, another good effort from him.

Christmas had a disappointing game but I think it was kind of predictable. With the speed and athletes Arkansas had on the court, JB was not going to play 2 bigs at the same time and if you are only going to play one big against a fast team, while Rakim runs well, Keita is your guy. Anyway, Rak had the bad pass to MCW into the stands, missed a dunk, and generally looked tight out there.

DaJuan had some struggles getting up and down the court but he hustled while in there and he competes for rebounds really well for a true frosh. Looks like he is rushing when he gets the ball in scoring position, way too tight but they should come with time. This was just not the kind of a game he will excel in.

TC got a lot of playing time, again shot the ball poorly, again looked good on defense and again, salvaged some offense by attacking the hoop. Looks like he will draw a lot more fouls that you might think from someone expected to be a long range shooting specialist. I like his aggressiveness. Think he is going to be fine.

Really nice victory. Arkansas is a good team. They will get an NCAA bid and win a lot of games this season. Love their intensity. They never gave up even though we hit them in the jaw with haymakers a number of times. Will be fun to see how they do in the SEC this season.

Biggest news out of this game was how well MCW handled the pressure. He looks like he is going to be fine in conference play against tough man defense. We will find out for sure in about a month.

 

[igor]

Interesting game. The clash in playing styles was fun to watch. Really like watching a wide open basketball game, without anyone holding the ball or trying to run a lot of set plays.

Thought the key to the game was the inability of Arkansas to defend Syracuse. They tried to play man early and got beat up. Just could not cover our guys going to the hole, and still left players open outside for open 3s. Horrible job defending JS. They left him open outside the circle forever, even when playing man. Did they bother to watch film at all?

We also hurt them on the offensive boards. They are a small team, played 2 guards and 2 small forwards most of the game and we were able to get a bunch of second chance points.

They switched to zone but it really didn't help much. They didn't get back on defense as fast as they needed, MCW pushed the ball up court really fast, and we got a lot of easy semi-transition baskets. We ended up scoring what, over 90 points with almost no true inside game, largely because we didn't need it. Strange.

It is also strange to get a win when you make as many fouls as we did. I credit Arkansas with doing a good job getting the ball into the paint, and then doing a good job finishing plays, drawing fouls and often converting as well. They have some really good athletes on that team. The little guy that scored all their points were terrific getting his shot off inside against much bigger players. He has some Kemba Walker in him.

Wasn't really happy with our interior defense...part of the problem was the quality of the Arkansas athletes, but part was just bad defense on our part. We aren't helping as much as we need to, aren't challenging drivers as strongly as we need to, we are letting players get good position and then making stupid fouls. The problem is especially bad when Coleman is in...we get torched inside then as he continues to play weak matador-like defense. It happens with freshmen. He will get better. I am actually a little more concerned over what Christmas and Keita did. They have to improve.

Thought MCW and Triche were again great up top in the zone. They rarely got the ball into the paint from where they defended, they got some steals/easy baskets and appeared to intimidate Arkansas. Not sure we have ever had as good a pair of defenders up top in the zone.

Thought MCW was player of the game...he was exceptional on offense and defense, personally destroyed the Arkansas press and was able to get into the paint for an easy basket or dish seemingly whenever he wanted to. His defense and rebounding on the defensive end were also stellar.

JS again played great but he is not the force MCW is on defense and he had some struggles against the Arkansas pressure defense. Still, another great effort from him. Wow, he can score baskets fast when he is on. Loved the alley oop dunk on the feed from CJ.

Thought CJ did a good job. Made some mental errors, tried to do too much a few times. Wasn't his best effort but he played a big role breaking the press and his floor game was pretty solid.

BT played great defense, got some really nice rebounds and 50-50 balls. Was too aggressive on offense for much of the game, too many turnovers and missed shots and then, out of the blue, when SU was in serious trouble for the only time in the game, he had a great stretch to rescue his game and break the game open for Syracuse. Not real consistent but overall, another good effort from him.

Christmas had a disappointing game but I think it was kind of predictable. With the speed and athletes Arkansas had on the court, JB was not going to play 2 bigs at the same time and if you are only going to play one big against a fast team, while Rakim runs well, Keita is your guy. Anyway, Rak had the bad pass to MCW into the stands, missed a dunk, and generally looked tight out there.

DaJuan had some struggles getting up and down the court but he hustled while in there and he competes for rebounds really well for a true frosh. Looks like he is rushing when he gets the ball in scoring position, way too tight but they should come with time. This was just not the kind of a game he will excel in.

TC got a lot of playing time, again shot the ball poorly, again looked good on defense and again, salvaged some offense by attacking the hoop. Looks like he will draw a lot more fouls that you might think from someone expected to be a long range shooting specialist. I like his aggressiveness. Think he is going to be fine.

Really nice victory. Arkansas is a good team. They will get an NCAA bid and win a lot of games this season. Love their intensity. They never gave up even though we hit them in the jaw with haymakers a number of times. Will be fun to see how they do in the SEC this season.

Biggest news out of this game was how well MCW handled the pressure. He looks like he is going to be fine in conference play against tough man defense. We will find out for sure in about a month.

u lisyened to dykes too much. dirty is unguardabe, he six 8 long and shoots 4 feet behind the arc. in addition he has super elevation

 

[SaltLakeOrange]

Agree that Arkansas is a better team than I expected. This will will look good come March!

 

[Toga]

Totally agree with that last sentence. Have been leery of MCW against pressure bringing the ball up. It was one of the unknowns. Scratch that off the list.

 

[OHIORANGES]

Interesting game. The clash in playing styles was fun to watch. Really like watching a wide open basketball game, without anyone holding the ball or trying to run a lot of set plays.

Thought the key to the game was the inability of Arkansas to defend Syracuse. They tried to play man early and got beat up. Just could not cover our guys going to the hole, and still left players open outside for open 3s. Horrible job defending JS. They left him open outside the circle forever, even when playing man. Did they bother to watch film at all?

We also hurt them on the offensive boards. They are a small team, played 2 guards and 2 small forwards most of the game and we were able to get a bunch of second chance points.

They switched to zone but it really didn't help much. They didn't get back on defense as fast as they needed, MCW pushed the ball up court really fast, and we got a lot of easy semi-transition baskets. We ended up scoring what, over 90 points with almost no true inside game, largely because we didn't need it. Strange.

It is also strange to get a win when you make as many fouls as we did. I credit Arkansas with doing a good job getting the ball into the paint, and then doing a good job finishing plays, drawing fouls and often converting as well. They have some really good athletes on that team. The little guy that scored all their points were terrific getting his shot off inside against much bigger players. He has some Kemba Walker in him.

Wasn't really happy with our interior defense...part of the problem was the quality of the Arkansas athletes, but part was just bad defense on our part. We aren't helping as much as we need to, aren't challenging drivers as strongly as we need to, we are letting players get good position and then making stupid fouls. The problem is especially bad when Coleman is in...we get torched inside then as he continues to play weak matador-like defense. It happens with freshmen. He will get better. I am actually a little more concerned over what Christmas and Keita did. They have to improve.

Thought MCW and Triche were again great up top in the zone. They rarely got the ball into the paint from where they defended, they got some steals/easy baskets and appeared to intimidate Arkansas. Not sure we have ever had as good a pair of defenders up top in the zone.

Thought MCW was player of the game...he was exceptional on offense and defense, personally destroyed the Arkansas press and was able to get into the paint for an easy basket or dish seemingly whenever he wanted to. His defense and rebounding on the defensive end were also stellar.

JS again played great but he is not the force MCW is on defense and he had some struggles against the Arkansas pressure defense. Still, another great effort from him. Wow, he can score baskets fast when he is on. Loved the alley oop dunk on the feed from CJ.

Thought CJ did a good job. Made some mental errors, tried to do too much a few times. Wasn't his best effort but he played a big role breaking the press and his floor game was pretty solid.

BT played great defense, got some really nice rebounds and 50-50 balls. Was too aggressive on offense for much of the game, too many turnovers and missed shots and then, out of the blue, when SU was in serious trouble for the only time in the game, he had a great stretch to rescue his game and break the game open for Syracuse. Not real consistent but overall, another good effort from him.

Christmas had a disappointing game but I think it was kind of predictable. With the speed and athletes Arkansas had on the court, JB was not going to play 2 bigs at the same time and if you are only going to play one big against a fast team, while Rakim runs well, Keita is your guy. Anyway, Rak had the bad pass to MCW into the stands, missed a dunk, and generally looked tight out there.

DaJuan had some struggles getting up and down the court but he hustled while in there and he competes for rebounds really well for a true frosh. Looks like he is rushing when he gets the ball in scoring position, way too tight but they should come with time. This was just not the kind of a game he will excel in.

TC got a lot of playing time, again shot the ball poorly, again looked good on defense and again, salvaged some offense by attacking the hoop. Looks like he will draw a lot more fouls that you might think from someone expected to be a long range shooting specialist. I like his aggressiveness. Think he is going to be fine.

Really nice victory. Arkansas is a good team. They will get an NCAA bid and win a lot of games this season. Love their intensity. They never gave up even though we hit them in the jaw with haymakers a number of times. Will be fun to see how they do in the SEC this season.

Biggest news out of this game was how well MCW handled the pressure. He looks like he is going to be fine in conference play against tough man defense. We will find out for sure in about a month.

Good analysis. MCW gets an A+, but you gotta give Dirty an A++!

 

[SUMBA]

One of the NYC gang made the observation that MCW looked as if he was dribbling through traffic cones. Enjoy him while he is here because NBA scouts must be drooling over him. I almost always agree with you Tomcat, but with all due respect, I think James was the player of the game this time. As disruptive as MCW was on both ends, we could have easily lost this game if JS hadn't gone off.

Either way, I am glad they are on our side! LGO!

 

[JrodCuse]

Holy cow. MCW was 1 assist away from a triple double...

 

[SoBristol]

Tom -- very nice summary, as always. I agree with the comment above that JS was easily the player of the game, but credit to MCW as well. Now, MCW did have 6 turnovers, and 2 in the last 2 minutes were just careless plays by him. Sure the scouts are drooling, but opposing coaches will sure make note that MCW can be pressured and stripped in a 2 minute situation. Overall great game by MCW -- but man, keep it steady in the final 5 minutes.
Lots of folks say, as you did, that Cooney "will be fine". I know he can shoot it in warm-ups -- but he hasn't proved yet that he will be fine in games against real teams. Missing foul shots; driving off balance into traffic; rushing his shots; moving against the grain rather than squaring up. Lots to work on for Trevor. I hope he will be fine because we need him, but have to admit, I haven't been impressed by his game so far (other than he works on defense and gets some deflections)

 

[Oakland]

Christmas had a disappointing game but I think it was kind of predictable. With the speed and athletes Arkansas had on the court, JB was not going to play 2 bigs at the same time and if you are only going to play one big against a fast team, while Rakim runs well, Keita is your guy.

I am so tired of hearing this (because, apparently, it is true). BB is a big man's game. It would be nice to have bigs that would punish teams for having smaller players. I had hoped that Coleman would be that big, but unfortunately not.

 

[SBU72]

After looking at the box score, I find myself conflicted. Watching the game, I thought that SU had a ways to go to be a top 10 team they are ranked. It looked to me that JS rescued them. Then looking at the box score, things looked different. SU didn't shoot as bad as I though. Watching it looked l ike only JS could hit shots but BT, MCW and CJ hit a combined 19-41. The team shot over 61% in the 2nd half. Both signs that even if JS just hit his average, the team would have had enough to win. One weakness is that MCW was high in rebounding and it wasn't even close. Your pg was the high rebounder? Whoa! Also the team had a number of What momments where they just did not have their head in the game. Keita let the little guard drive around him becasue he turned his head away instead of paying attention to the man with the ball who he was guarding. MCW turned his head away and let the opposing pg pick his pocket when the guy was right there up on him. Somebody (BT?) let the ball get tipped on an inbounds play. All these things are just letting their guard down like they were playing Colgate or somebody. And lastly, I won't get started about the freshmen. I have been very disappointed in them so far.

 

[reedny]

Nice summary, Tom. I think the key to this game was in your 4th sentence -- where you noted that we survived this road trip with limited inside scoring, and a lot of guard penetration and outside shooting. A win is a win on the road, but I'd like to see our bigs defend a little better and score a little more.

Hats off to JS ... the pro scouts (who came to scout MCW) got an eye-full of a potential NBA 2-3 who dropped 35 points on national TV.