Postgame Thoughts... Houston (NCAAT)

[OrangeinDC]

Much more fun posting in the postgame thread after a win.
-i’ve seen a lot of complaints about taking Jesse out of the game at the end of the first half. The kid had played an incredibly long stretch so I can see why JB wanted to rest him. Obviously Houston went on a run. But that is not why we lost the game.
-we lost because we scored 46 points. Jarreau’s defense on Buddy was exquisite. Even though he came in banged up he was outstanding defensively. As well as the rest of the team. Really nobody on our team performed well on the offensive end.
-Our bigs had opportunities but could not convert. We forced a number of terrible shots which we did not do in the first two rounds. Buddy was a big problem in that regard and I would have liked to have seen him recognize when he was open versus when he was forcing up incredibly difficult bad shots.
-The AG experience was one of the weirdest ones I have seen. The kid is so athletic and has a nice shot when set. He comes across well off the court but for some reason it always seems he is about getting his. This program has never been about that and maybe this was just a bad fit from the beginning. To go where he was earlier in the season to where he is now is a poor reflection on both the player and the staff. Somebody should have been able to figure something out. But how is that kid still taking bad shots?
-ironically AG actually went to the basket on a couple of occasions and finally got back to the foul line where he can do damage.
-nitpicking here but I was a little disappointed in Kadary’s effort in the final few minutes. Young kid I understand but you have to play to the gun.
-as JB said there will be guys in the portal but it is all about Kadary. He has every right to believe he should be starting and playing 30 minutes and it is up to the staff to keep him from leaving. If they have to tell Joe he is coming off the bench next year that is what they have to.
-I could have done without JB‘s Snark at the press conference particularly the veiled shot at the three guys who left last year. I know he was disappointed but he should be better than that.
-Looking ahead to next year if we can have a core of Buddy, Kadary, Q, Williams, Jesse, Braswell, JG3 and a transfer big who can board, that can be a really good team. I also expect Frank to be a contributor. This was always supposed to be a borderline redshirt year for him.
-I really admire Braswell for having the season he did. But he has to learn how to put the ball on the floor as he was exposed last night.
-Marek was not perfect but he was a great Orangeman who helped us win a ton of games and played with great heart. I don’t know what else he can accomplish at Syracuse and my guess is that he leaves to go play at home for money. I also assume with no inside information that the following will not be back: Bourama, AG, Woody, maybe JBA and someone who will surprise us. The transfer rule will really hurt the college game. Woody is a perfect example of a guy who should be like Kris Joseph, work hard, earn his minutes and wait his turn and become a great player here. It wasn’t like he was a five-star recruit who came in and expected to play big minutes. But these kids want to play immediately and my guess is that he leaves which bums me out because he is just the type of 4 year player I want us to have.
-What a ride this season has been. All those early season battles versus Bryant, Northeastern, the Buffalo AG block game, the ACC ups and downs. We were done like dinner after Georgia Tech. And somehow we went on a run which ended up with beating two really good teams in the tournament and getting to the Sweet 16.
-Finally this board is great. I really enjoy interacting with you guys. We all are crazy about this team and live and die with each possession. We know who the true fans are and this board is a tremendous resource and community those of us who really care about our program.

Good post, I agree with a lot of your points.

My only question would be, when Buddy forces a shot or starts with the 10 second back down, do you consider that hero ball, selfish or trying to get his? Same with Joe, does his weird jack ups and drives make him selfish, or look like he's trying to get his?

I really don't think they are doing any of these things, they are all kids just trying to contribute the way they know how (which is why they need coaches and coaching), yet I don't see how AG get's these labels when no one else does.

Buddy - Bad shots, bad defense or bad game(s), he needs to play thru it
JG - Bad shots, bad defense or bad game(s), he's recovering, needs to play through it because we don't want to lose him mentally (although he will get yelled at sometimes). Maybe it's just me but he also appears to always have something to say to JB.
AG - Bad shots, bad defense or bad game(s), bench him, he's selfish, a head case, low IQ basketball player...

Trying to figure out what the differentiators are.

 

[OrangeinDC]

It is very detrimental in a huge game for the guy that takes the first shot to fire an air ball and set the tone especially when that guy has been MIA for the last 3 weeks.

But buddy and a couple other players shot air balls soon after, didn't see them get benched. I think AG drew 3 or 4 fouls on their players in quick fashion. I'm not saying kid is beyond reproach or shouldn't be held accountable by the Coach but I think a few of the guys should have been pulled for some of their mistakes at times during the game as well.

 

[NineOneSeven]

We got their best shooter saddled with 2 fouls early. Could have been a great opportunity. Sadly the offense overall was brutal.

 

[Millhouse]

Where was SDSU?

14th

 

[CousCuse]

But buddy and a couple other players shot air balls soon after, didn't see them get benched. I think AG drew 3 or 4 fouls on their players in quick fashion. I'm not saying kid is beyond reproach or shouldn't be held accountable by the Coach but I think a few of the guys should have been pulled for some of their mistakes at times during the game as well.

Buddy sat out a lot. If your in a terrible slump, it seems beyond reason to look to take the fist shot like that.

 

[Scott11]

Good post, I agree with a lot of your points.

My only question would be, when Buddy forces a shot or starts with the 10 second back down, do you consider that hero ball, selfish or trying to get his? Same with Joe, does his weird jack ups and drives make him selfish, or look like he's trying to get his?

I really don't think they are doing any of these things, they are all kids just trying to contribute the way they know how (which is why they need coaches and coaching), yet I don't see how AG get's these labels when no one else does.

Buddy - Bad shots, bad defense or bad game(s), he needs to play thru it
JG - Bad shots, bad defense or bad game(s), he's recovering, needs to play through it because we don't want to lose him mentally (although he will get yelled at sometimes). Maybe it's just me but he also appears to always have something to say to JB.
AG - Bad shots, bad defense or bad game(s), bench him, he's selfish, a head case, low IQ basketball player...

Trying to figure out what the differentiators are.

I think your questions are fair. To me one of the biggest factors into whether a shot is a bad one is how much time is left on the shot clock. A second factor is how much dribbling and stopping the ball occurs before the long-distance shot.
I think JG3 has been extremely guilty of poor shot selection. We saw it last night when he forced up an air ball in the lane against a much bigger player. Throughout the season we have seen him fire up long, off balance three pointers off the dribble. I and many others have been very critical of Joe in that regard.
As for buddy I would’ve liked to have seen him be more selective with his shots Last night. But overall I have thought his shot selection has improved as the season went along. Yes the back downs in the lane can take too long but usually in the second half of the season they have resulted in good looks.
With AG it seems that once he gets the ball he is more likely to launch an off-balance three pointer or keep dribbling and then launch as opposed to resetting the possession. It seems pre-determined that he will shoot regardless of what the defense is giving him or not giving him. Three pointers are made at a much greater rate when the player is set and not shooting up dribble. I would hazard a guess that the majority of his shots feature neither of those criteria. How often when he shoots the ball do you think to yourself yes that is a good luck as opposed to I wish we could’ve been more patient?
So to answer your question more directly I would agree that all three of them have been guilty at times of poor shot selection but AG and JG3 have been more guilty.

 

[OrangeinDC]

Exactly, I agree Kadary can be real good and is a bonafide PG. however he played 23 minutes and did not do anything that would make anyone say if he played more we win. Stat line very comparable to Joe.

People just complaining because they love to complain when things go wrong. They would do it better due to their vast knowledge or their agenda.

Cuse

Buddy sat out a lot. If your in a terrible slump, it seems beyond reason to look to take the fist shot like that.

I agree.

Didn't say that was a good decision or shot, it just wasn't the only one.

Buddy did sit out more that usual but not for a bad play specifically (he had a few), but he wasn't having a great game and JB rightfully gave him some time on the bench.

 

[Trueblue25]

The loss hurts less than the hangover

 

[MikeSU02]

I think your questions are fair. To me one of the biggest factors into whether a shot is a bad one is how much time is left on the shot clock. A second factor is how much dribbling and stopping the ball occurs before the long-distance shot.
I think JG3 has been extremely guilty of poor shot selection. We saw it last night when he forced up an air ball in the lane against a much bigger player. Throughout the season we have seen him fire up long, off balance three pointers off the dribble. I and many others have been very critical of Joe in that regard.
As for buddy I would’ve liked to have seen him be more selective with his shots Last night. But overall I have thought his shot selection has improved as the season went along. Yes the back downs in the lane can take too long but usually in the second half of the season they have resulted in good looks.
With AG it seems that once he gets the ball he is more likely to launch an off-balance three pointer or keep dribbling and then launch as opposed to resetting the possession. It seems pre-determined that he will shoot regardless of what the defense is giving him or not giving him. Three pointers are made at a much greater rate when the player is set and not shooting up dribble. I would hazard a guess that the majority of his shots feature neither of those criteria. How often when he shoots the ball do you think to yourself yes that is a good luck as opposed to I wish we could’ve been more patient?
So to answer your question more directly I would agree that all three of them have been guilty at times of poor shot selection but AG and JG3 have been more guilty.

Buddy at least seems square and in control when he shoots.

Joe has to compensate for his size so he is shooting / releasing from really bad angles. And, it's not like he has a huge vertical on his jump shot or long wingspan. He's really out of sorts if he's shooting off the dribble. His catch and shoot looks are just so much better.

AG has that scissor kick that drives me nuts.

 

[CousCuse]

I agree.

Didn't say that was a good decision or shot, it just wasn't the only one.

Buddy did sit out more that usual but not for a bad play specifically (he had a few), but he wasn't having a great game and JB rightfully gave him some time on the bench.

Why did Illinois let AG go? I don't want to dump on the guy because I really like him but he is wasting his potential and talent.

 

[OrangeinDC]

We got their best shooter saddled with 2 fouls early. Could have been a great opportunity. Sadly the offense overall was brutal.

I really thought we were going to attack him some more with those early fouls, but the only two players that could drive at him was Kadary and Griff. I love Bras and I think his D helped at points, however him out at the three point line fed right into Houston's game because he wasn't going to drive.

 

[jordville]

 

[OrangeinDC]

I think your questions are fair. To me one of the biggest factors into whether a shot is a bad one is how much time is left on the shot clock. A second factor is how much dribbling and stopping the ball occurs before the long-distance shot.
I think JG3 has been extremely guilty of poor shot selection. We saw it last night when he forced up an air ball in the lane against a much bigger player. Throughout the season we have seen him fire up long, off balance three pointers off the dribble. I and many others have been very critical of Joe in that regard.
As for buddy I would’ve liked to have seen him be more selective with his shots Last night. But overall I have thought his shot selection has improved as the season went along. Yes the back downs in the lane can take too long but usually in the second half of the season they have resulted in good looks.
With AG it seems that once he gets the ball he is more likely to launch an off-balance three pointer or keep dribbling and then launch as opposed to resetting the possession. It seems pre-determined that he will shoot regardless of what the defense is giving him or not giving him. Three pointers are made at a much greater rate when the player is set and not shooting up dribble. I would hazard a guess that the majority of his shots feature neither of those criteria. How often when he shoots the ball do you think to yourself yes that is a good luck as opposed to I wish we could’ve been more patient?
So to answer your question more directly I would agree that all three of them have been guilty at times of poor shot selection but AG and JG3 have been more guilty.

Scott11... really appreciate the even and thoughtful response.

I pretty much agree with everything you just said, it was not a good shot by AG, and I have no problem with coach pulling him out and settling him down.

With Buddy and the backdowns, it's all about matchups. If he has certain players guarding him it's become more of an asset for him, so I'm good with those occasionally. His shot selection has gotten better.

The thing with Joe and Allen, they both shoot those shots that frustrate the hell out of us, But, we have seen Joe hit the deep What shot, and we've seen Griff start off with a shot like yesterday and go off. We have seen both of them carry this team in certain games so I think I can live with some of that as long as they fix it or adjust as needed in the game. To be fair, Joe's shot selection has also gotten better through the season but if he's just launching it, sit him down. Griff, if he's not hitting shots, playing out of control or shooting some bull, sit him too and settle him down.

 

[miamicuse]

Can't say I was surprised. The surge at the end of the season was great, but Buddy shooting 48% from 3 is not sustainable especially with that defense from Houston.

 

[OrangeinDC]

Why did Illinois let AG go? I don't want to dump on the guy because I really like him but he is wasting his potential and talent.

I don't know and I won't pretend to. But it's not like the NBA, they didn't just let him go, he also decided to transfer for whatever reason. He selected us, he's here and one of ours. It's a good thing we don't expect college kids to come in as finished products. I think he's a good kid from what I've seen and I'd like to see him reach his potential and be successful whether it's here or elsewhere.

 

[kirbivore]

Houston favored by 8.5 over OSU.

Oregon St. plays the grimy type of game very well. In an expected rock fight I'll take the points.

 

[bpo57]

Oregon St. plays the grimy type of game very well. In an expected rock fight I'll take the points.

Yeah that many points could come in handy in a low scoring game. I do think OSU is going to struggle to score though.

 

[CousCuse]

Oregon St. plays the grimy type of game very well. In an expected rock fight I'll take the points.

money line +300

 

[kirbivore]

money line +300

It worked for me on Saturday, so once again I'll take Oregon St. plus the points, and sprinkling a little on the money line.

 

[CousCuse]

It worked for me on Saturday, so once again I'll take Oregon St. plus the points, and sprinkling a little on the money line.

I've seen a number of teams this season play their best game against Syracuse and then fall flat the next game. And OSU is a good team.

 

[two3zone]

I've seen a number of teams this season play their best game against Syracuse and then fall flat the next game. And OSU is a good team.

That should tell you something.

 

[CousCuse]

That should tell you something.

Such as?

 

[two3zone]

Such as?

Why is it multiple teams are playing their best games against us?

 

[CousCuse]

Why is it multiple teams are playing their best games against us?

Because their coaches get them frothing at the mouth to beat Boeheim and the Orange. It's their superbowl.

 

[Dinkyspond]

Every year after we get eliminated in the tourney, whether it's the title game or first round, it feels like there was a death in the family. I get very sad and stay down for about a good week.