Some interesting suggestions on the board...

[BostonOrange]

...about how we can be more productive offensively. My two favorite 2 are that

1. Cooney needs more minutes
2. Rak needs more touches on the low block.

I think it's worth pointing out that Cooney is shooting under 33% and Rak has absolutely no post game. I would bet that never once has JB ever uttered the words "we need to get the ball to Rak in the post" or "man we need to get Trevor involved"

I think our most realistic path to improvement is simply taking better shots. We aren't suddenly going to have a post game. I was in the camp advocating that DC2 needed more minutes because he was our only hope of a post game, but really he never gave JB much reason to play him more and at this point with the injury that ship has sailed. We also aren't going to suddenly have a go-to scorer like Melo or, to a lesser extent, Dion. But we can play a little smarter, a little more aggressively, and a little more together. Given the landscape of college basketball who knows, maybe that is enough to make a run.

 

[Toga]

Press 10-15 minutes a game in any game we are off our game (particularly if we are facing a zone).

 

[longislandcuse]

I think the more realistic suggestions that are also being thrown around are: Move MCW to off the ball and let Brandon run the point since he is terrible at being a 2g right now. Even though he plays starter minutes, just start Southerland and stop with this stupid token starter nonsense. When DC2 comes back let him and Rak split time at the 5 based on who is playing better and only use Keita as an emergency backup. Our defense is one of the best in the country, unfortunately our offense is one of the worst.. We need to do something and our best scoring lineups are a 5 of MCW/Triche/CJ/JS/Rak with limited minutes for Cooney/Grant and the integration of DC2 while eliminating Keita from the rotation. This is all just conjecture though since Boeheim will continue trotting out a starting lineup that has no spacing for about 30 seconds until Southerland comes in all the while playing his man-crush Keita the majority of minutes even though everyone can see he's a wreck out there with statistically data (+/-) to prove it.

 

[Hoov50]

...about how we can be more productive offensively. My two favorite 2 are that

1. Cooney needs more minutes
2. Rak needs more touches on the low block.

I think it's worth pointing out that Cooney is shooting under 33% and Rak has absolutely no post game. I would bet that never once has JB ever uttered the words "we need to get the ball to Rak in the post" or "man we need to get Trevor involved"

I think our most realistic path to improvement is simply taking better shots. We aren't suddenly going to have a post game. I was in the camp advocating that DC2 needed more minutes because he was our only hope of a post game, but realistically he never gave JB much reason to play him more and at this point with the injury that ship has sailed. We also aren't going to suddenly have a go-to scorer like Melo or, to a lesser extent, Dion. But we can play a little smarter, a little more aggressively, and a little more together. Given the landscape of college basketball who knows, maybe that is enough to make a run.

I am and will continue to be a big advocate of getting the ball down low to Rak. I don't even care if he scores. He needs to touch the ball inside so the opposition can't play defense on us 18-22 feet from the basket. We have seen what happens when teams play defense against us on the perimeter: we back up a few more feet and gun 25-30 three pointers. People argued that having JS would open up the floor, well guess what, no one can tell if this is true or not because Triche and JS ate perfectly content gunning 30 foot shots instead of trying to find where the court has "opened up."

 

[BostonOrange]

I am and will continue to be a big advocate of getting the ball down low to Rak. I don't even care if he scores. He needs to touch the ball inside so the opposition can't play defense on us 18-22 feet from the basket. We have seen what happens when teams play defense against us on the perimeter: we back up a few more feet and gun 25-30 three pointers. People argued that having JS would open up the floor, well guess what, no one can tell if this is true or not because Triche and JS ate perfectly content gunning 30 foot shots instead of trying to find where the court has "opened up."

You think getting the ball to Rak is going to open the floor? Why would any opponent ever leave a perimeter player to help on Rak in the post? It is basically just forfeiting a possession.

 

[Tobias Funke]

Dribble penetration is key, another thing that needs to improve is our positioning for offensive rebounds. We dd very little in regards to second chance points.

 

[Toga]

Holy crap! There are sets you can run against a zone that don't involve slow passing around the perimeter and jacking one up!

 

[dasher]

Holy crap! There are sets you can run against a zone that don't involve slow passing around the perimeter and jacking one up!

isn't izzo like 1-4 or 5 against jb?

 

[skurey]

Yeah guys JB has more wins than Izzo so he's obviously an inferior coach

 

[swish7]

... But we can play a little smarter, a little more aggressively, and a little more together. Given the landscape of college basketball who knows, maybe that is enough to make a run...

In a nutshell, that's what we need to do. Improve, come together, like so many other teams seem to do.

In addition to the clear issues at center, we do not have an experienced and vocal leader. Being vocal, it's just not in Triche, unless he's critiquing himself mid-game.. It'd be nice if he could step up and offset Southy's goofiness, and MCW's ridiculous turnovers. We need someone on the floor whom settles everyone down, and executes the game plan, assuming there is one.

The team does not have the chemistry and sr leadership present in most of these great teams we've had since 2010.

 

[BostonOrange]

I think the more realistic suggestions that are also being thrown around are: Move MCW to off the ball and let Brandon run the point since he is terrible at being a 2g right now. Even though he plays starter minutes, just start Southerland and stop with this stupid token starter nonsense. When DC2 comes back let him and Rak split time at the 5 based on who is playing better and only use Keita as an emergency backup. Our defense is one of the best in the country, unfortunately our offense is one of the worst.. We need to do something and our best scoring lineups are a 5 of MCW/Triche/CJ/JS/Rak with limited minutes for Cooney/Grant and the integration of DC2 while eliminating Keita from the rotation. This is all just conjecture though since Boeheim will continue trotting out a starting lineup that has no spacing for about 30 seconds until Southerland comes in all the while playing his man-crush Keita the majority of minutes even though everyone can see he's a wreck out there with statistically data (+/-) to prove it.

I like some those suggestions...I just wonder if it's too late for DC2 this year. But moving MCW off the ball a little more, and pressing a little more to get some tempo going make sense to me. As far as the token starter stuff ehh..I don't really think it makes much difference.

 

[tbonezone]

mr. peepers best figure out how to attack a defense with 6 1/2 sneakers in the paint cuz that's what we'll be seeing more of.

 

[Hoov50]

You think getting the ball to Rak is going to open the floor? Why would any opponent ever leave a perimeter player to help on Rak in the post? It is basically just forfeiting a possession.

Right now teams play half a man on Rak or even less and slightly shadow him.

I still don't know how anyone can judge how effective Rak can be. Since the Notre Dame game when he shot the ball 9 times and had 12 points in one of his best games of his career and against pretty good interior players he has shot the ball 14 times in the last 5 games. I'd be willing to bet 8-10 of those shots were follow up shot attempts.

Judging what Rak can and can't do is the doing the same thing the people who said Cooney was a lights out shooter based on exhibition games from last year. By no means am I saying Rak is going to put up 10 points a game, but I would much rather have us try to get him the ball down low and waste a few possessions a game than gun 30 footers and/or have MCW and Triche drive just inside the three point arc and jump into the air to pass the ball to the opposition.

 

[Hoov50]

In a nutshell, that's what we need to do. Improve, come together, like so many other teams seem to do.

In addition to the clear issues at center, we do not have an experienced and vocal leader. Being vocal, it's just not in Triche, unless he's critiquing himself mid-game.. It'd be nice if he could step up and offset Southy's goofiness, and MCW's ridiculous turnovers. We need someone on the floor whom settles everyone down, and executes the game plan, assuming there is one.

The team does not have the chemistry and sr leadership present in most of these great teams we've had since 2010.

Good point and you can't teach leadership. You are born with it or without it.

 

[tbonezone]

evidently you also can't teach players never ever to save the ball back underneath your own basket.(2x) altho that's JV 101.

 

[Bayside44]

I made my post about Coleman, but more realistically I like our press...we are long and rangy, we're going to need to change tempo come March when teams try to Butler / UVM / and now GTown us into Dean Smith's 4 corners abomination of the sport.

 

[SoBristol]

More interesting observations:
Play Rac more, cut Keita back to 10. (last night, Rac played 28; Keita 11)

Start James over Grant (last night we started OK with Grant -- actually had a nice early lead; JS started the second half, which didn't go so well)

Why sub Rac out at every mistake? (Rak played the first 8 minutes; came out for a breather of maybe 3 minutes; then returned)

Issues seem more basic -- can't let the opposing team's best player have a career game; have to find better shots than 3 balls late in the clock; have to find at least some occasional inside scoring.

 

[Opus]

We all know they are going to soldier on with the status quo. When is the last time *changes* have ever been made in a game let alone a season?

 

[Ghost]

...about how we can be more productive offensively. My two favorite 2 are that

1. Cooney needs more minutes
2. Rak needs more touches on the low block.

I think it's worth pointing out that Cooney is shooting under 33% and Rak has absolutely no post game. I would bet that never once has JB ever uttered the words "we need to get the ball to Rak in the post" or "man we need to get Trevor involved"

JB actually did say they need to get Rak more involved fwiw.

Other things JB has probably never said:

Let's shoot some 27 footers when we get up early! That's our strategy today, boys!

Don't drive to the hoop. At all if you can avoid it. Try to focus on shooting threes early in the shot clock.

Avoid CJ for long stretches if you can.

I feel like people keep taking the Rak argument and spinning into ppl advocating for Rak to become a centerpiece of the offense or something.

What exactly are all of you that have given up on Rak watching that makes you think the offense is prolific enough that it's not worth throwing it in there a couple times per half? For years, BT could have one good half shooting threes every 5 games and ppl would talk nonstop about how he would be the best darn three point shooter ever if he just got his confidence up.

Rak played well against ND and Providence - maybe he'd be somewhat capable if he got the same kind of leash, and was allowed to play through a mistake or two or touched the ball one in awhile. He gets yanked more than (insert bad joke).

I just don't get it, is Triche hitting 50% in some bizarro world - are the guards getting to the rim at will and ESPN is just not showing it or keeping stats on it?

Blah. Rak 25 minutes, DC 10-15, Baye - ummm, sometimes. Throw it inside a few times to the post - see what happens. Maybe they get better with more touches, maybe they just play more active. It can't hurt. I don't think they will be much better either, but I think it'll pay dividends in other areas.

 

[Marsh01]

JB actually did say they need to get Rak more involved fwiw.

Other things JB has probably never said:

Let's shoot some 27 footers when we get up early! That's our strategy today, boys!

Don't drive to the hoop. At all if you can avoid it. Try to focus on shooting threes early in the shot clock.

Avoid CJ for long stretches if you can.

I feel like people keep taking the Rak argument and spinning into ppl advocating for Rak to become a centerpiece of the offense or something.

What exactly are all of you that have given up on Rak watching that makes you think the offense is prolific enough that it's not worth throwing it in there a couple times per half? For years, BT could have one good half shooting threes every 5 games and ppl would talk nonstop about how he would be the best darn three point shooter ever if he just got his confidence up.

Rak played well against ND and Providence - maybe he'd be somewhat capable if he got the same kind of leash, and was allowed to play through a mistake or two or touched the ball one in awhile. He gets yanked more than (insert bad joke).

I just don't get it, is Triche hitting 50% in some bizarro world - are the guards getting to the rim at will and ESPN is just not showing it or keeping stats on it?

Blah. Rak 25 minutes, DC 10-15, Baye - ummm, sometimes. Throw it inside a few times to the post - see what happens. Maybe they get better with more touches, maybe they just play more active. It can't hurt. I don't think they will be much better either, but I think it'll pay dividends in other areas.

I hear you on rak and the bigs. I get that. What really bothers me is that would it kill rak to grab an offensive board and get a putback? I watch hours of college hoops every day and i see guys with far less athletic ability grabbing offensive boards and scoring points in that regard.

That is my gripe with him. If you know you are the 5th option on offense then hit the damn offensive glass and at least create some opprtunities on that end.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Ghost]

I hear you on rak and the bigs. I get that. What really bothers me is that would it kill rak to grab an offensive board and get a putback? I watch hours of college hoops every day and i see guys with far less athletic ability grabbing offensive boards and scoring points in that regard.

That is my gripe with him. If you know you are the 5th option on offense then hit the damn offensive glass and at least create some opprtunities on that end.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I concur on this one. He should be more productive in that area. We're not a very good team in that area.

 

[BostonOrange]

JB actually did say they need to get Rak more involved fwiw.

Other things JB has probably never said:

Let's shoot some 27 footers when we get up early! That's our strategy today, boys!

Don't drive to the hoop. At all if you can avoid it. Try to focus on shooting threes early in the shot clock.

Avoid CJ for long stretches if you can.

I feel like people keep taking the Rak argument and spinning into ppl advocating for Rak to become a centerpiece of the offense or something.

What exactly are all of you that have given up on Rak watching that makes you think the offense is prolific enough that it's not worth throwing it in there a couple times per half? For years, BT could have one good half shooting threes every 5 games and ppl would talk nonstop about how he would be the best darn three point shooter ever if he just got his confidence up.

Rak played well against ND and Providence - maybe he'd be somewhat capable if he got the same kind of leash, and was allowed to play through a mistake or two or touched the ball one in awhile. He gets yanked more than (insert bad joke).

I just don't get it, is Triche hitting 50% in some bizarro world - are the guards getting to the rim at will and ESPN is just not showing it or keeping stats on it?

Blah. Rak 25 minutes, DC 10-15, Baye - ummm, sometimes. Throw it inside a few times to the post - see what happens. Maybe they get better with more touches, maybe they just play more active. It can't hurt. I don't think they will be much better either, but I think it'll pay dividends in other areas.

I think there is a distinction between 'getting Rak more involved' and 'giving it to him in the post'. I do think that it is difficult for guys when they literally haven't touched the ball for 10 minutes, so I get that argument to an extent. But I think the best way to do it is to have him come up to the high post and run some plays through him, get him more involved in pick and rolls, etc. I've seen him make maybe 10 post moves this year and I honestly can't remember him ever scoring. Maybe he drew a couple fouls but that's it. His scoring against ND and Prov wasn't a result of dumping it down to him on the block.