Poor defense and we struggled to score entire second half...

[RF2044]

...and hung tough until the end. I didn't think we were out of it until we came up empty on that possession where we got the offensive rebound for a second possession, only to come up empty. Played the #4 team tough right down into the last minute.

Might have been different if a few shots had dropped. Dammit.

 

[Briancuse]

We were outclassed tonight.

 

[Shark58]

Obama!!!

 

[jdubs30]

Surprised we were that close considering how bad Rak and Cooney were...G was sick in the 1st half but quiet in the 2nd. Big props to Tyler, he proved tonight he can be an offensive threat; can't wait to see him next year.

 

[Ghost]

Officiating was so bad at times. It pained me. I can't even think about the game.

I don't even think we got the worst of it necessarily. Outside of maybe Okafor not getting his fifth it may have helped us more. I'm not sure - so many bad calls I can't even make sense of it any more. It's like they want me to hate college basketball.

 

[NineOneSeven]

Cooney's worst game of the year, imo. Had a great start too.

 

[NineOneSeven]

Officiating was so bad at times. It pained me. I can't even think about the game.

I don't even think we got the worst of it necessarily. Outside of maybe Okafor not getting his fifth it may have helped us more. I'm not sure - so many bad calls I can't even make sense of it any more. It's like they want me to hate college basketball.

It was awful all around

 

[RF2044]

We were outclassed tonight.

I think their depleted roster has a lot more talent than our depleted roster, but I don't agree. We weren't outclassed today. We didn't play good defense. We missed too many free throws. We were down 4 with 2 1/2 left to play. We didn't get outclassed.

 

[RF2044]

Officiating was so bad at times. It pained me. I can't even think about the game.

I don't even think we got the worst of it necessarily. Outside of maybe Okafor not getting his fifth it may have helped us more. I'm not sure - so many bad calls I can't even make sense of it any more. It's like they want me to hate college basketball.

Agreed. Officiating was terrible, entire game, both ways. That non-call on Okafor could have really benefited us, but I think Bilas nailed it in the telecast with his assessment of how ridiculously bad the officiating was.

Sadly, it is the norm rather than the exception in today's college basketball.

 

[tptcuse]

We looked like a 16-8 team, missing four star players we thought we would have, battling the 4th ranked team in the country, and coming up short. We definitely gave it our all.

 

[Ghost]

It was awful all around

I know. It's just so odd watching games officiated. Early in the game Plumlee did the same move two or three straight times - couple dribbles then heaves himself into Rak and tosses ball at the rim.

First time, foul on Rak. Second time, no call. Third time, offensive foul maybe (or maybe another no call)? It was the same thing each time. The third may have been my imagination.

Nothing makes sense!

 

[Libero2]

Cooney's worst game of the year, imo. Had a great start too.

Still not as bad as the St. John's game. At least he got steals and drives to the rim where he could (should?) have gotten a whistle to help him out

 

[Briancuse]

I think their depleted roster has a lot more talent than our depleted roster, but I don't agree. We weren't outclassed today. We didn't play good defense. We missed too many free throws. We were down 4 with 2 1/2 left to play. We didn't get outclassed.

If you were picking sides, the first two players you would take would be Okafor and Winslow, they were the better team tonight.

 

[two3zone]

The Rak/Okafor matchup lost is this game.

 

[wallacecuse]

...and hung tough until the end. I didn't think we were out of it until we came up empty on that possession where we got the offensive rebound for a second possession, only to come up empty. Played the #4 team tough right down into the last minute.

Might have been different if a few shots had dropped. Dammit.

I wish Gbinije had been more aggressive down the stretch...Kaleb shooting 3s is not a good look.

 

[tptcuse]

The Rak/Okafor matchup lost is this game.

Okafor lives up to all the hype. No question.

 

[dasher]

We were outclassed tonight.

we were hardly outclassed. Outclassed is being pounded. We were in the game till the end. We need more players. Two of them are on the bench injured.

 

[Briancuse]

we were hardly outclassed. Outclassed is being pounded. We were in the game till the end. We need more players. Two of them are on the bench injured.

Outclassed, meaning they had more talent.

 

[Ghost]

The Rak/Okafor matchup lost is this game.

Honestly, it was 7-3 Okafor in the first half. Rak wasn't exactly dominated. He was god-awful on offense, but was holding his own. In the second half, well, Okafor was getting very easy looks because we allowed penetration and Rak was still getting the same contested looks each possession.

Okafor had 3 or 4 wide open dunks early in the second half that made the separation look more severe than it was head-to-head. That's on the guards allowing penetration - not Rak v. Okafor.

Ultimately it wasn't quite as bad as the numbers say. Rak created a decent amount of offense out of the post. Played decent d, altered shots...

Offensively...he was putrid finishing. Blah.

I don't think that match-up is what lost us this game. Not at all.

 

[dasher]

Outclassed, meaning they had more talent.

That isn't my definition of outclassed. Every team we play has a better pt guard than we do.

 

[Briancuse]

That isn't my definition of outclassed. Every team we play has a better pt guard than we do.

Mine is when a team has more talent, the effort was great tonight. Not having the better pg is a big problem, its the most important position in college bball.

 

[reedny]

Their guards penetrated our zone at will in the second half .. and got easy buckets when Rak was forced to move up and take the driver -- who just dished to Oakafor. That was the difference in the game ... we couldn't defend in the second half and their defense actually stepped up.

I feel bad for Rak in this game ... he is better than he played and the -ing ball would just not fall in... that and the incompetent ref with the slicked back hair can't do his job.

But I do have to give credit to gutsy performances tonight from Tyler Roberson and Mike G... huge huge games for us.

 

[dasher]

Mine is when a team has more talent, the effort was great tonight. Not having the better pg is a big problem, its the most important position in college bball.

I believe that we will see silent G at the pt even more next year. The outside of G, cooney and Richardson.

 

[Madbiker]

We had our chances. The game was there to be had. Rak had a terrible game. Missed 12 shots within 1-2 feet from the rim. Almost all were short. He really hurt his draft status today. Okafor was dominant. Rak looked like a guy who will be playing in Turkey. Feel for him. Again our FT shooting really hurt us. In games against top competition can't shoot less than 50 % and win. Rak missed a front end of a 1&1 which was followed on the next possession by Roberson missing both of a 2 shot foul. That stopped our comeback. G was great. Roberson showed he has a lot of potential. We have a big problem at PG. And not having any quality subs who can score makes Cooney play 40 minutes and he was gassed which really hurt his shooting in the 2nd half.

 

[RF2044]

If you were picking sides, the first two players you would take would be Okafor and Winslow, they were the better team tonight.

No, Christmas would be the second player.

And as stated above, I think that their talent > our talent. That's why they are a top 5 ranked team and we are 16-8. But we went toe to toe with them and more than held our own. Shots didn't drop today that we've made all year, because most teams don't have an imposing defensive presence like Okafor inside. We didn't play all that particularly well, and still made it a close game at the end.

"Outclassed" would mean that they ran us off the floor and we couldn't compete. We competed fine--just didn't play well enough.