PITT Postgame

[IthacaMatt]

It was a good win. Give credit where credit is due. Autry was better today and maybe we are starting to make more shots.

Having Donnie out there opens things up for everyone else. It's great to see. I think all these perimeter guys are going to get more and more effective over time. Teams are going to double Donnie. We're just getting started with this offense. Giddyap!

 

[phsyra]

Good post Hyatts.

I was wondering how many would notice that we were running different sets in the motion offense. Big change. Lots more off ball movement, multiple screening weak and strong side, down screens to low block, staggered screens, and pick and pops (Freeman mostly, but I believe they ran a couple of sets for Betsey). Less of an emphasis of trying to "pressure the rim" (Red's term) via dribble penetration.

As Pitt chipped away, Red attempted to control the clock and reverted back to the same old stuff. But it wasn't all Red. The turnovers and lapses in attention to detail is a player thing.

We did run better sets on offense. It was noticable.

 

[LpoolNative]

Ken Pom up to 64

Oh shoot! Let’s gooo

 

[OrangeFoo]

Good post Hyatts.

I was wondering how many would notice that we were running different sets in the motion offense. Big change. Lots more off ball movement, multiple screening weak and strong side, down screens to low block, staggered screens, and pick and pops (Freeman mostly, but I believe they ran a couple of sets for Betsey). Less of an emphasis of trying to "pressure the rim" (Red's term) via dribble penetration.

As Pitt chipped away, Red attempted to control the clock and reverted back to the same old stuff. But it wasn't all Red. The turnovers and lapses in attention to detail is a player thing.

This. I’m not saying keep Autry or don’t…. But you can see Autry improving his coaching in almost real time. The offense had some really good sets and generally lots of good motion. He diversified his D with M2M, full court pressure and zone. The FT shooting is objectively and visually better… I no longer close my eyes when Kyle/JJ are at the line. In another year or two I think you are looking at a pretty good coach I suspect.

I’m not as down on his sub patterns as most, for decades we have been begging for a coach who has a consistent substitution pattern so players would get a shot to show what they got. Now Autry is doing exactly that and people complain. With the high pressure D these guys play, Autry needs to sub liberally. The other issues are that Kingz, Kiyan, George are all wildly inconsistent and George and Kiyan struggle on D.

I also get the JJ usage… we have exactly one guy who can create his own shot on the whole team, and as inconsistent of a shooter he is, at least he has moments when he can get hot. I have seen NOTHING from Kingz/George all year beyond a spurt here or there and fwiw they play more than JJ and their 3pt shooting is basically all the same. But in a half court set JJ gives you a shot to score which is more than I can say about the other guys.

Anthony shoudn’t be even in the convo…. He is getting big boyed on a regular basis which means he can’t get to his spots on offense or finish drives and he is getting abused on D. If he is not hitting threes he isn’t offering much. He need major strength improvement this offseason.

What I would like to see more of…

a more consistent offense. They still go iso ball… pound the ball into the ground way too much.

More pick and roll with freeman as the pick guy. Not sure why we are using Kyle instead. More Freeman in the high post.

The defensive intensity we saw in December… it’s hard to play a full season at “level 5” (sorry had to do it)… but can we get back to 75% of that? Way too many easy buckets last night for a team that prides itself on D.

It really is too bad that Donnie got hurt… I suspect we would be in the convo for a top 8 seed if he had played the whole year.

 

[SmilinBob]

Having Donnie out there opens things up for everyone else. It's great to see. I think all these perimeter guys are going to get more and more effective over time. Teams are going to double Donnie. We're just getting started with this offense. Giddyap!

Another way Freeman helps the offense is getting defensive rebounds and leading to more fast breaks.

 

[DomeHolmes]

i generally like to see the starters no more than 30-35 minutes a game. george tipped out a bit heavy at 38 today and i believe his play suffered for it down the stretch.

This is true but the last 2 games he played lots of minutes and JJ didn’t play 10 mpg at PG, which is preferable, so Red kind of has to walk a fine line here.

 

[capeorange]

Monster Dunks! 83% from the line! George needs to get a rest from time to time, his mistakes/ TO's at the end of the last 2 games are probably a result of being gassed.
It was a fun game to watch.

 

[RedtheGOB]

Didn’t think Freeman would be this much of an upgrade for the team but he is - particularly he comes up huge because Kyle goes for so many blocks that we were getting killed on the boards - Freeman totally addresses that - let lone he is a good defender he’s our best FT shooter, best 3 point shooter and best scorer

Donnie is great at positioning for rebounding on defense. Just one or two over the back or calls when they push Donnie makes a huge difference for keeping the other team less aggressive on the boards.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Donnie is great at positioning for rebounding on defense. Just one or two over the back or calls when they push Donnie makes a huge difference for keeping the other team less aggressive on the boards.

It helps him that Soare and Kyle box out pretty well. That opens up the rebounds for the weakside guy - which is often Donnie.

 

[DomeHolmes]

I missed pieces but watched the score updates. Gotta be honest I'm not sure how people can crap on this result so much.

From the Pitt TO at the 5:40 min mark where they were battling back Pitt made one more real basket, a 21 foot pullup 2 pointer from Cummings, lowest % shot in basketball. Then with 20 seconds left of garbage time we let them score another lay up. How can people be so upset when we give up 2 points in the last 5 mins of a game on the road, even against a bad Pitt team.

My biggest gripe was the end of the 1st half we had a 16 point lead with a min left and Kingz missed a wide open 3. Then we gave them 2 buckets and went into the half with just 11.

Not the worst problems to have.

I think people perceived Pitt as really bad. But recently beat PSU by 35, and hung with Miami and Clemson, (and Cummings played out of his mind just to keep it respectable). So not the cakewalk maybe some expected.

Kiyans production and Betseys minutes are small gripes. I agree last minute of the first half was a let down.

One complaint that is legit IMO had nothing to do with Pitt. 8/11 of our turnovers came from George and Donnie and they were pretty much all unforced. A few led to easy buckets. Stop doing dumb stuff and we would have won by 20.

 

[Cusefan0307]

I think people perceived Pitt as really bad. But recently beat PSU by 35, and hung with Miami and Clemson, (and Cummings played out of his mind just to keep it respectable). So not the cakewalk maybe some expected.

Kiyans production and Betseys minutes are small gripes. I agree last minute of the first half was a let down.

One complaint that is legit IMO had nothing to do with Pitt. 8/11 of our turnovers came from George and Donnie and they were pretty much all unforced. A few led to easy buckets. Stop doing dumb stuff and we would have won by 20.

Some weird one off results, but they aren’t good. I think Georgia Tech is better. Capel is likely headed to his 5th losing season in 8 years there. He has to get fired, right? He’s made one tournament. It’s insane how bad their program is.

 

[richmondcuse03]

Good post Hyatts.

I was wondering how many would notice that we were running different sets in the motion offense. Big change. Lots more off ball movement, multiple screening weak and strong side, down screens to low block, staggered screens, and pick and pops (Freeman mostly, but I believe they ran a couple of sets for Betsey). Less of an emphasis of trying to "pressure the rim" (Red's term) via dribble penetration.

As Pitt chipped away, Red attempted to control the clock and reverted back to the same old stuff. But it wasn't all Red. The turnovers and lapses in attention to detail is a player thing.

Great points. I noticed a few new plays and designs I hadn’t seen all year. It was just the late game stuff that frustrates me but I also get killing clock against a team that isn’t shooting particularly well. Thought it was one of Red’s better coached games. I was screaming for a timeout when Pitt was cutting the lead as I thought guys were losing focus and playing too sloppy. I think he can get better at knowing when the team needs to be yelled at.

 

[EnviroSciGuy]

What?

After the regular season, the ACC holds a conference tournament. The lowest seeds play first, starting on Tuesday. This is pretty similar to other bracketed, single-elimination tournaments designed to crown a champion.

 

[Dcuse]

After the regular season, the ACC holds a conference tournament. The lowest seeds play first, starting on Tuesday. This is pretty similar to other bracketed, single-elimination tournaments designed to crown a champion.

Yes, we all know this. What’s the relevance of bringing up finishing ninth right now?

 

[orange79]

Yes, we all know this. What’s the relevance of bringing up finishing ninth right now?

As the poster said, to avoid playing on Tuesday.

 

[MikeSU02]

Some weird one off results, but they aren’t good. I think Georgia Tech is better. Capel is likely headed to his 5th losing season in 8 years there. He has to get fired, right? He’s made one tournament. It’s insane how bad their program is.

He’s 100% toast after this year.

 

[MikeSU02]

Any road win is a good win.

I thought the zone was terrible. We stopped them maybe one time playing it.

George was great in the first half and poor in the second again. I think we need to give him more of a breather.

Kingz is just a bit off. All his misses are so close.

What else can anyone say about Donnie and Kyle. They are our two best players.

JJ had his best game in a calendar year. Some are going to think that he’s changed a corner, but I’d be cautious buying into him playing that well going forward based on the past 15 or so games against power opponents.

Red still messes with our game flow with mass subs. It’s a big reason we lose momentum. Most of the turnovers are correctable and unforced.

This was basically going to be my post.

Road conference wins are key, no matter who you play.

JJ had a great game. Kudos to him.

George seems reticent at times and at this point I have no idea why. It’s either his own doing, Red or some combo.

There will be one random upcoming game where Kingz hits like 7 threes.

Donnie has so much talent, it’s great to see. He has to get his body right this offseason even if he’s going pro.

Kiyan needs to work on a few things, but he also just needs to get stronger.

Super worried about these late game scores shrinking once we start playing better teams, but a wins a win for now.

Love William Kyle. This team is really easy to root for.

 

[jimb]

Any road win is a good win.

I thought the zone was terrible. We stopped them maybe one time playing it.

George was great in the first half and poor in the second again. I think we need to give him more of a breather.

Kingz is just a bit off. All his misses are so close.

What else can anyone say about Donnie and Kyle. They are our two best players.

JJ had his best game in a calendar year. Some are going to think that he’s changed a corner, but I’d be cautious buying into him playing that well going forward based on the past 15 or so games against power opponents.

Red still messes with our game flow with mass subs. It’s a big reason we lose momentum. Most of the turnovers are correctable and unforced.

I'd like to see an honest discussion of the merits (or lack thereof) of Red's "mass substitutions." There must be reasons for why he does it, but in general I would say the results are seldom positive. Don't remember our Hall of Fame coach doing that, but I guess that's neither here or there.

 

[OrangeinBoston]

I'd like to see an honest discussion of the merits (or lack thereof) of Red's "mass substitutions." There must be reasons for why he does it, but in general I would say the results are seldom positive. Don't remember our Hall of Fame coach doing that, but I guess that's neither here or there.

Two reasons:

1. To give players court time - someone already said that Kiyan & White were already whining about time.
2. He has a deep team and will need contributions from them all down the stretch. So they have to play.

 

[Newhouser]

Two reasons:

1. To give players court time - someone already said that Kiyan & White were already whining about time.
2. He has a deep team and will need contributions from them all down the stretch. So they have to play.

You can give guys time without subbing three guys at once.

 

[Cheriehoop]

Two reasons:

1. To give players court time - someone already said that Kiyan & White were already whining about time.
2. He has a deep team and will need contributions from them all down the stretch. So they have to play.

It’s also changed quite a bit in just a few years since JB was coach to play just 7 or 8 players with a distinct bench of 5 or so developmental players who see little playing time their initial year. The player would lose a year and have to sit a year if they transferred. I can only imagine the exodus of impact players we would have lost if current rules existed. Now players are being paid, being sponsored by companies, represented by agents etc and they want to see their players have a role on the team. It’s a reason many experienced coaches have bailed - the changes affecting many of the systems they have successfully employed for decades now have pressures and circumstances they have little control over. In addition, you will hopefully have a deeper team as a result and one where players are used to contributing if injuries etc occur and gives players actual playing opportunity so their value is apparent publicly if they decide to test the “market”.

 

[Nicknack]

My random thoughts...

- Just fun to win, especially when we get a lead early like the last two games.

- I'm really encouraged by this team because it's easy to see a lot of things we need to improve on yet we're looking better and better. Like the commentator said a couple of times last night, when our offense is humming like it did for a good portion of the game, we can compete with anyone in the country.

- Like to see Red mix the defense up (finally). Good to see that we can give a team's offense a different look to disrupt their flow.

- George... the obvious is too many damn turnovers. That said, I think he can clean some of those up with better decision making. The last two games he had a couple of really silly turnovers - going for lobs that were poorly executed and probably not the right play.

- Sadiq... we need to get him more involved. He's one that I'm concerned about with his usage and production really tanking.

- Donnie is just fantastic. The one challenge though having him back is that Red must figure out ways to get the other guys (who were getting more minutes when he was injured) engaged (Betsey/Sadiq/Kiyan). This is a good problem to have.

- Give JJ credit for a great game. Fun to see him effective like that on offense. His style, when he's making shots, puts a lot of stress on the defense because of his ability to make his own offense.

 

[Cheriehoop]

You can give guys time without subbing three guys at once.

Easier to say than do when you have an expanded roster too. If you have 10 or 11 players who expect playing time , it’s difficult - ask any youth coach who has had to do it for ages. There are still only 200 minutes available in a game to be split between a roster despite the number of scholarship players expanding from 13 to 15. It’s why JB even with the lower 13 player roster limit never used the full roster limit and rewarded walk ons with scholarships - less players hopefully disappointed with their playing time and more playing time for the key players.

 

[Nicknack]

Easier to say than do when you have an expanded roster too. If you have 10 or 11 players who expect playing time , it’s difficult - ask any youth coach who has had to do it for ages. There are still only 200 minutes available in a game to be split between a roster despite the number of scholarship players expanding from 13 to 15. It’s why JB even with the lower 13 player roster limit never used the full roster limit and rewarded walk ons with scholarships - less players hopefully disappointed with their playing time and more playing time for the key players.

Yep. Totally agree. Red has a good problem on his hands... with Donnie back there aren't as many minutes to go around so he really needs to manage this effectively so Sadiq/Kiyan/Betsey remain engaged. However, he has got to ride the hot hand when one of these guys goes off.

 

[Otto21]

Like everyone, I want us to make the NCAA and I think it would be a shame for this team not to make it. I wouldn’t turn my nose up at a 7 seed ceiling like some who try their hardest to criticize and stay miserable. I’m frustrated about a lot of things like you all, but I really enjoy this team.

I have no idea about autrys understanding of Xs and Os. He sure doesn’t talk the talk. But what I LOVE is twofold: he’s arguably my favorite player ever, along with Moten, and this is a tough list because I have so many favorites. But second- I LOVE the team he tried to put together!! It is very Syracuse! Some think Kline got Kyle but that’s very misinformed- Autry wanted Kyle long before Kline arrived. I love the type of team Autry wants to have. That’s old school Cuse and what we grew up with. I want to win over all else but a new coach and staff could make us a Wisconsin! I want to win so badly but I would love to stay Cuse style! This is the closest I’ve seen in a decade or more