Pitt Postgame Thoughts

[NorSyr66]

For Taylor to be effective in the game our guards have to be rolling and being difference makers. In games like today when Mintz is struggling then Taylor hurts us. I think Taylor has a role on this team and is a great piece to a winning team as he rarely is going to make big mistakes that will hurt us. If the offense isnt being carried by others then Taylor isn't a good choice.

I feel Bell would be better suited as a scorer off the bench.

I hear what your saying but what a let down it would be if Bell comes in and shots blanks like today. You need instant spark and energy coming off the bench that can do things offensively and defensively. No the role Bell is suited for.

 

[llandz]

We beat Pitt!

Don't strain your brain, lol "thoughts" Just had to go there before reading through this thread...

 

[bevosu]

They have somewhat opposite problems.

Taylor can't get shots. Some of it's self inflicted. But now that we're in the ACC, he's just not going to get looks. Things big down when the ball hits his hands.

Bell can get shots but is streaky and his game isn't well rounded. Big liability on the boards. Actually defends alright and contests at the rim somewhat but isn't a ballhawk like Copeland.

There's a different world where Benny doesn't get in trouble early in the year and Bell and Taylor aren't both starting at the beginning of the season.

That universe probably has a Syracuse team that's a little ahead of our current squad.

He'd get looks if Sherman was the PG. At this point, Taylor looks like a guy who can do a few things well, but his shooting seems to take a hit when he's pressured or shooting off a dribble. Sherm would tell him to plant. Sherm would figure out how to get him open looks. With time for him to set up, he'd probably be a much more consistent and confident shooter.

Eventually, maybe Q can help in that regard.

 

[llandz]

Liked that he went to the bench 2 mins into the second half and not 7

Have to mention our strength and conditioning here. First of all Benny has not played this many minutes and he held it together. All of the players did. They didn't lose their legs and they did not get winded. And man to man and our style of play is a lot more running.

 

[50YRsofCuse]

While the bench today was great today, I was very happy to see that the team did not dwell on its 3 pt shooting and recognize that it could score by taking the ball to the basket.

Was also glad that players hit a 3 pt shoot a couple of times but did not continue to force to Jack them up when the shots were not there.

They went inside most of the 2nd half to Brown, Williams and Quadir and they delivered.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

He'd get looks if Sherman was the PG. At this point, Taylor looks like a guy who can do a few things well, but his shooting seems to take a hit when he's pressured or shooting off a dribble. Sherm would tell him to plant. Sherm would figure out how to get him open looks. With time for him to set up, he'd probably be a much more consistent and confident shooter.

Eventually, maybe Q can help in that regard.

This is the thing though, he receives the pass in terrible position to shoot, even when he's open.

It's not something even Sherman Douglas fixes. It's something Taylor needs to work on.

 

[llandz]

One other Benny accolade. He is a great passer. He threw passes through the eye of a needle. Other than the TD pass to the 3rd row, his passes were spot on.

EDIT...I see somene else had already mentioned this. But I will keep my post up because it is worth mentioning again.

 

[rrlbees]

Liked that he went to the bench 2 mins into the second half and not 7

He brought brown in 2 mins in but Q and Benny came in 4 mins in.

 

[CLMintz]

Huge win!
-Benny was excellent. 15 and 7 is what we all were hoping for before the season from him. He finally rebounded and maybe the effort from him on the boards will become consistent. We can hope.
-Quadir was excellent. A couple of loose turnovers but we don’t win without him.
-Brown as usual played his arse off. Could have done without the three but his defense was superb.
-don’t want JJ’s effort to be lost in this one. That three-pointer was huge and he took care of the ball and had some big shots going to the basket.
-Judah may have had his worst game of the season. Most of that was on the defensive end when he kept making poor gambles which led to two on ones in the half court and easy baskets for Pitt. Once again, he left himself no room for error foul wise by committing stupid fouls 40 feet away from the goal. His three was a huge part of our comeback.
-our team defense was excellent for the most part. We would not have won that game last year by sitting back in the zone. I love the energy that this team is showing.
-Red may have made a couple of mistakes late, most notably not setting up inbound plays with a timeout and inexplicably putting in Cuffe in instead of Taylor. Also thought he went with Bell for too long. But other than that he coached a great game and was smart enough to ride the hot hands late. Most importantly, I just feel like there is a different vibe with this team. They are playing hard all the time and seem to be playing well together.
-so good to see us play well against a quality opponent and come out with a deserved win against a team I hate who has had our number. The last minute was unnecessarily stressful but who cares. Let’s enjoy this one. Happy new year to you guys.

For Taylor to be effective in the game our guards have to be rolling and being difference makers. In games like today when Mintz is struggling then Taylor hurts us. I think Taylor has a role on this team and is a great piece to a winning team as he rarely is going to make big mistakes that will hurt us. If the offense isnt being carried by others then Taylor isn't a good choice.

I feel Bell would be better suited as a scorer off the bench.

Judah was not struggling he was just not making shots. He had 5 assists, 3 steals, 12 points, a timely 3 ball, 2 free throws to put us up, a great dunk off a JJ lob, a great lob to Benny, played pressure defense, and played a solid floor game getting the team into their sets. Just because he didn’t score as much as usual doesn’t mean he struggled. Plus he showed great energy and leadership. His coach and teammates liked what he brought I’m sure. You clearly don’t know the game. There’s more to the game than scoring.

 

[CLMintz]

GREAT effort by the Orange!!
I didn't know Q could shoot FTs like that.
PITT is physical/they're good. But CUSE "stoned" them in the 2nd half.
Can we get that effort on the road?
Autry has the team finding itself...learning their roles.
If Mintz can put up and shut up, we will be a tough out come March.

Why do you need to insult Judah like that. He had a very productive game, just didn’t score as much as usual but had 3 steals, 5 assists to go along with 12 points one was a timely 3 and two free throws to put us up. Judah is still the engine that makes them go coach Red admitted that. He leads the team in 3 categories and is showing great leadership. His floor game was solid along with his pressure defense. Sometimes gambles too much but he’ll work that out. But don’t want him to lose that aggressiveness. Two of those fouls were questionable. Red got a tech for one of them. It was a good team win and Judah was a big part of it. Period. So stop hating on him.

 

[CLMintz]

^^^

They’ve always been tough that hasn’t been the issue. They’ve not just always executed well and made good decisions.

 

[kuethstheman]

Concerning Bell and Taylor, they have their limitations but two things:

They should be getting lots more open looks from kick-outs. With JJ and Judah's driving ability, the openings are there but they rarely look to pass out. Kick-outs should also be available off the PnR from McLeod, but he isn't capable. So, they end up either forcing shots (Bell) or not taking any (Taylor).

Having Bell and Taylor on the perimeter helps keep the middle open for our slashers. Not insignificant.

If we were willing/capable of using them, they could be extremely valuable on offense. It just doesn't seem to be in the cards on this team.

Even so, they're limited, unable to rebound or defend against better teams.

 

[AZOrange]

This team is so much better than where we were. Could you imagine a guard to guard alley oop in the last 4 years?

 

[OttoinGrotto]

This team is so much better than where we were. Could you imagine a guard to guard alley oop in the last 4 years?

I, uh... I mean, maybe one where the guy makes the catch and layup in one motion, but... no.

 

[shandeezy7]

This team is so much better than where we were. Could you imagine a guard to guard alley oop in the last 4 years?

Depends on how many trampolines were involved.

 

[bballbeadle]

They’ve always been tough that hasn’t been the issue. They’ve not just always executed well and made good decisions.

So how are you related to Judah? Brother? Sister? Father? Grandma?

This can be a hard place for a family member. People can be and will be critical of all players and things. We don’t all think alike.

I think Judah is marvelous. You should be proud. (But if you have his ear, please mention to him that he should take it back several notches with the refs. Maybe not talk to them at all. Just play his game.)

 

[althea]

So how are you related to Judah? Brother? Sister? Father? Grandma?

This can be a hard place for a family member. People can be and will be critical of all players and things. We don’t all think alike.

I think Judah is marvelous. You should be proud. (But if you have his ear, please mention to him that he should take it back several notches with the refs. Maybe not talk to them at all. Just play his game.)

I believe CLMintz has stated he is Judah’s grandfather.

 

[pearl31]

I just keep coming back to-
Our most relied-on scorer had a subpar game and we shot miserably as a team from 3... and still comfortably beat a good team, scoring 80+ in the process

 

[NYCorange]

I just keep coming back to-
Our most relied-on scorer had a subpar game and we shot miserably as a team from 3... and still comfortably beat a good team, scoring 80+ in the process

Yup, I think we're pretty good-- at least at home.

The other thing I keep coming back to is that everyone feels like it we only had a good perimeter shooter, we'd be so much better. I'm think JJ could be that guy. He's shot 8-17 from 3 over the past 6 games (including today's 1-5 effort) and he was supposed to be a top shooter in HS before his injury. If he continues shooting close to that clip, he makes us even more dangerous, to say nothing of improving his NBA stock.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

I just keep coming back to-
Our most relied-on scorer had a subpar game and we shot miserably as a team from 3... and still comfortably beat a good team, scoring 80+ in the process

Yeah, so I've been thinking about this a little and your comment crystalized something in my brain - unlike recent years, we can win in a few different ways this season.

We have had some wins where we've shot pretty well. We've had games where we defended well and won. We've had some games where we got to the line a bunch, or did a good job getting transition buckets on offense.

That's partly thanks to the depth. But we have a few different formulas for victory, which is nice.

The thing we have to watch for is that every game something or some things are working and we can compete against an opponent that takes something away.

 

[Irt4su]

I'm telling you... it's all because of that assistant-HC we hired after Maui.

Bahahaa

 

[tptcuse]

Don't strain your brain, lol "thoughts" Just had to go there before reading through this thread...

LOL. I was just starting a postgame thread since the usual people hadn't started one yet. I did eventually give actual thoughts.

 

[rocklloyd]

I, uh... I mean, maybe one where the guy makes the catch and layup in one motion, but... no.

I mean for years we struggled with simple layups. This seems like heaven

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

Bench them for whole games. Seriously, if any of them portaled they could be replaced. Just use them when you have to. They are downgrades from our best 5. Taylor is not an ACC pf. He could play some at the 2 and 3 until Chance is healthy. Bell is one dimensional and McLeod is slow.

So you admit, Taylor is out of position. Hard to blame the kid for that. Of the starters, he is the only one who consistently rebounds.

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

Yup, I think we're pretty good-- at least at home.

The other thing I keep coming back to is that everyone feels like it we only had a good perimeter shooter, we'd be so much better. I'm think JJ could be that guy. He's shot 8-17 from 3 over the past 6 games (including today's 1-5 effort) and he was supposed to be a top shooter in HS before his injury. If he continues shooting close to that clip, he makes us even more dangerous, to say nothing of improving his NBA stock.

Folks keep talking NBA for Judah and JJ. I said before, Q has the most NBA potential on this team in my opinion*. He is a 6’6” Dramon Green, but with a great attitude. Wait until he gets a serviceable outside shot and losses some of the showboat moves (not all) from his game.
(*Note: I have never seen Westry play)