Can't disagree with any of this, but he sat the last two minutes of the UNC game (when we really needed him) because his play on the other end of the floor is just awful. He has to figure out how to play defense.
Actually, he didn't. I just went back and watched the end of the game (and most of the second half). He got yanked by JB with 3:08 left, yelled at for part of a minute while Lydon gave up a dunk on his side coming too far out on Jackson, UNC scored again on a Jackson floater in the lane, G threw the ball away (2 points for UNC), and then JB put Roberson back in with 1:49 left in the game. And he played the rest of the game, acting as the ball contest on the press which resulted in no turnovers and a couple easy dunks for UNC.
The reality is that none of our wings did well in the second half in the zone. That's because Roy adjusted to the wings coming out so high and contesting 3-pointers that UNC wasn't taking because they were shooting 18% for the game. I can give you examples for all three with the time stamp to prove how easily we got picked apart.
By the way, JB yanked him because he got called for a foul in the middle of the zone that resulted in a made basket with very little actual contact. Lydon got dragged low to defend a guy near the block but closer to the baseline, the UNC guy hit a cutter to the middle of the zone, and Roberson came over from the other side to defend. One thing we do very badly as a team is allow a shooter to make a shot after we foul them (Lydon at under a minute gives up a reverse and gets called for the foul for example). I hate giving up an and-1.
Roberson did a couple things badly I noticed. In the press, he has his arms up when the ball is out of bounds, but not as much when the first pass is made and he comes over to trap. He needs to use that length more.
He also got caught outside the 3 line with the ball and nowhere to go with it. He has to be stronger with the ball, but the guards need to come get it from him. He ended up throwing the ball away at about 7:55 left trying to get the ball to G who was going more toward the hoop instead of straight to Roberson to get the ball. Cooney couldn't break free and help and ended up not getting back in time after the TO and it resulted in a layup at the other end.
I know Cooney had a great game offensively, but the times I saw our zone most shredded in the second half was when the ball was on his side of the court, regardless of who the wing was behind him. I don't know if it's coincidence or because he's not contesting the pass to the foul line or if he's just late getting out to the shooter on the wing and that slows the wings slide back to his normal spot closer to the basket. It does seem like Cooney goes lower toward the foul line when the ball is on the opposite side than G. That could be part of the reason he's slower to get out to the shooter.
