SWC75
Bored Historian
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- Aug 26, 2011
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- I got home and went to Cuse.com to print out the box score so I could do this report and do the figuring for Net Point, etc. I clicked on ‘Box Score’ and get a page with this message: “Something went wrong, Please send details of the events leading up to this error to support@sidearmsports.com
Yeah, something went wrong alright. I’m not sure what Sidearm sports is going to do about it.
- The game was another chapter of gut-punch theater. We had 9 games this year decided by 5 points or less or in overtime and we were 2-7, beating Florida State 63-60 and Georgia Tech 74-73. We lost toa terrible Georgetown team 75-79, to a down Virginia team 69-74, to U of Miami after having an 18 point lead 87-88 and 72-75, to Wake Forest when we had a 2 point lead and the ball with 10 seconds left, 74-77 in overtime, 71-76 to FSU in the rematch in our place and, 79-88 in OT to North Carolina with another inbounds play being a problem. You’re not going to win all those games but if we did, we’d be 22-9 right now.
- A familiar story: a big man killed us. Jordan Miller, (actually not all that big at 6-7) scored 25 points, (including their last 6) and pulled down 13 rebounds. On our side Bourama Sidibe played well but went out with 13:28 left and never returned. He was wearing an orange shirt on the bench down the stretch of the game. I assume his knees were hurting too much to use him. I was disappointed that nobody asked Jim about that in the presser. Frank Anselem played 25 minutes without getting a shot off. He’s played 78 minutes in the last four games and gotten 1 shot off. He’s definitely the 5th option but the defense gets to go 5 on 4 with Frank in there. And John Bol Ajak gave us a performance that harkened back to Tony Scott’s legendary heading-down-the-mountain-with-no-breaks debacle against Minnesota in the NCAAs all those years ago. JBA seemed to have his own game plan which had nothing to do with what anybody else was doing. He attempted a 15 foot jump shot, committed 2 fouls and made a bad turnover. But the biggest failure was to allow Miller to get the rebound on Moore’s miss at the end and put it in the basket to give Miami the lead with 13 seconds left.
- Both Miami games featured not only an 18 point lead but specifically an 44-26 lead. But they were different games. The Canes erased our lead early in the second half, (at the 14:07 mark), of the first game and led most the way from that point on. In this game we got our 44-26 lead early in the second half, (at the 17:32 mark). Mia hit a couple of shots to make it 44-30 and Jimmy Satalin said “The nice thing about an 18 point lead is that you can give up a couple of buckets and you’re still ahead by 14 points.” Ugh. It became an 0-13 run to make it 44-39. Eventually, Miami got to within three points at 49-46 at the 10:30 mark. We were going to have to gut this one out. But we pushed it to 53-46, then 56-48, the 62-52 and led 70-60 at the 2:29 mark. I was thinking that we’d held them off this time.
- But I was worried even before the game that we had only one point guard and he was Joe Girard, who makes 2-3 bad turnovers a game and I knew Miami would use constant defensive pressure to wear him down. Practically whole team was going to be playing 40 minutes due to the injuries. The possibility of a late melt-down was always there and it happened. It didn’t help that we play an offensive game based on spacing and like to milk a lead. It meant that when an SU player got the ball, he was widely separated from hit teammates and his first instinct once he got the ball was to hold onto it and no make a risky pass. I allowed the defense to close on the man with the ball and trap him with a thicket of arms and legs like a venus fly-trap closing around a hapless insect.
They also knew who to go after. Cole Swider has had some big games down the stretch but his ball skills aren’t good enough to handle pressure yet, (which is why he needs another year at this level). Trap him and the ball is yours.) He had 4 turnovers.) He and Joe on the sideline play made the two huge turnovers that really let the game get away.
- The game was also a classic demonstration of how protective defensive pressure can delay the offensive team from getting into their offense and force them to hurry things when they do. Swider, in particular, also has trouble getting his shot off under defensive pressure. He was 14 for 21 against North Carolina but 1 for 4 against Duke and 2 for 9 in this game. They but off Jimmy Boeheim’s drives to the basset and he missed 10 of his last 11 shots. Joe Girard scored 17 points but was 4 for 14 from the field. He missed all 5 of his two point shots including one that could have given us the lead at the end.
- Our defense was great at the beginning of the game. We kept great contact with the shooters and Miami was 1 for 11 from three point range. In the second half they eschewed the trey, going 2 for 7 and focused on getting the ball into the high post, which they did with ease and scored almost at will. They shot 26 for 38 on two point shots (68%) for the game and 17 for 23 in the second half (74%). We were an abysmal 9 for 35 on two pointers (26%) and were 4 of 19 in the second half (21%). That is ridiculous. And, statistically, this what decided the game. We were +2 in rebounds, -1 in turnovers, hit 8 more three pointers and 7 more free throws. Two point field goal percentage has been the best predictor of victory over the years in my numbers and that was totally decisive today.
- And yet we still could have won if we’d handled the pressure at the end of the game. It was 70-60 with 2:29 left. McGusty made a two pointer, Girard missed one, Moore made a trey, Buddy made a couple of free throws, McGusty another two pointer, Moore missed a trey but Miller layed it in, Swider got his pocket picked by Moore, Buudy fouled him, Moore missed but Miller tipped it in, Joe missed his jumper , Miller made two free throws and Jimmy missed they tying trey and we lost 72-75, a 2-15 run to close the game.
- And with that the dream of somehow pulling out the 52nd straight winning record and someday catching UCLA for the all-time record, (54), likely dies. We would have to beat Florida State to go 16-16, then upset Duke to go 17-16 and win another game to go 18-16 so we could absorb a loss and still had a winning record. That would put us in the finals with a chance to go to the NCAA tournament. If we lost that, we’d likely be invited to the NIT and if we went there with an 18-17 record, we’d have to win two games to clinch a winning record. Or we could turn the NIT down and keep the 18-17 record. But what are the odds of this team winning three games in three nights in Brooklyn, with the second one being Duke, who beat us by 20 and 25 points this year? If we’d won this game we could have beaten Florida State, lost to Duke and been 17-16.
- It will all be over soon. Maybe that should be on the Upside.
Yeah, something went wrong alright. I’m not sure what Sidearm sports is going to do about it.
- The game was another chapter of gut-punch theater. We had 9 games this year decided by 5 points or less or in overtime and we were 2-7, beating Florida State 63-60 and Georgia Tech 74-73. We lost toa terrible Georgetown team 75-79, to a down Virginia team 69-74, to U of Miami after having an 18 point lead 87-88 and 72-75, to Wake Forest when we had a 2 point lead and the ball with 10 seconds left, 74-77 in overtime, 71-76 to FSU in the rematch in our place and, 79-88 in OT to North Carolina with another inbounds play being a problem. You’re not going to win all those games but if we did, we’d be 22-9 right now.
- A familiar story: a big man killed us. Jordan Miller, (actually not all that big at 6-7) scored 25 points, (including their last 6) and pulled down 13 rebounds. On our side Bourama Sidibe played well but went out with 13:28 left and never returned. He was wearing an orange shirt on the bench down the stretch of the game. I assume his knees were hurting too much to use him. I was disappointed that nobody asked Jim about that in the presser. Frank Anselem played 25 minutes without getting a shot off. He’s played 78 minutes in the last four games and gotten 1 shot off. He’s definitely the 5th option but the defense gets to go 5 on 4 with Frank in there. And John Bol Ajak gave us a performance that harkened back to Tony Scott’s legendary heading-down-the-mountain-with-no-breaks debacle against Minnesota in the NCAAs all those years ago. JBA seemed to have his own game plan which had nothing to do with what anybody else was doing. He attempted a 15 foot jump shot, committed 2 fouls and made a bad turnover. But the biggest failure was to allow Miller to get the rebound on Moore’s miss at the end and put it in the basket to give Miami the lead with 13 seconds left.
- Both Miami games featured not only an 18 point lead but specifically an 44-26 lead. But they were different games. The Canes erased our lead early in the second half, (at the 14:07 mark), of the first game and led most the way from that point on. In this game we got our 44-26 lead early in the second half, (at the 17:32 mark). Mia hit a couple of shots to make it 44-30 and Jimmy Satalin said “The nice thing about an 18 point lead is that you can give up a couple of buckets and you’re still ahead by 14 points.” Ugh. It became an 0-13 run to make it 44-39. Eventually, Miami got to within three points at 49-46 at the 10:30 mark. We were going to have to gut this one out. But we pushed it to 53-46, then 56-48, the 62-52 and led 70-60 at the 2:29 mark. I was thinking that we’d held them off this time.
- But I was worried even before the game that we had only one point guard and he was Joe Girard, who makes 2-3 bad turnovers a game and I knew Miami would use constant defensive pressure to wear him down. Practically whole team was going to be playing 40 minutes due to the injuries. The possibility of a late melt-down was always there and it happened. It didn’t help that we play an offensive game based on spacing and like to milk a lead. It meant that when an SU player got the ball, he was widely separated from hit teammates and his first instinct once he got the ball was to hold onto it and no make a risky pass. I allowed the defense to close on the man with the ball and trap him with a thicket of arms and legs like a venus fly-trap closing around a hapless insect.
They also knew who to go after. Cole Swider has had some big games down the stretch but his ball skills aren’t good enough to handle pressure yet, (which is why he needs another year at this level). Trap him and the ball is yours.) He had 4 turnovers.) He and Joe on the sideline play made the two huge turnovers that really let the game get away.
- The game was also a classic demonstration of how protective defensive pressure can delay the offensive team from getting into their offense and force them to hurry things when they do. Swider, in particular, also has trouble getting his shot off under defensive pressure. He was 14 for 21 against North Carolina but 1 for 4 against Duke and 2 for 9 in this game. They but off Jimmy Boeheim’s drives to the basset and he missed 10 of his last 11 shots. Joe Girard scored 17 points but was 4 for 14 from the field. He missed all 5 of his two point shots including one that could have given us the lead at the end.
- Our defense was great at the beginning of the game. We kept great contact with the shooters and Miami was 1 for 11 from three point range. In the second half they eschewed the trey, going 2 for 7 and focused on getting the ball into the high post, which they did with ease and scored almost at will. They shot 26 for 38 on two point shots (68%) for the game and 17 for 23 in the second half (74%). We were an abysmal 9 for 35 on two pointers (26%) and were 4 of 19 in the second half (21%). That is ridiculous. And, statistically, this what decided the game. We were +2 in rebounds, -1 in turnovers, hit 8 more three pointers and 7 more free throws. Two point field goal percentage has been the best predictor of victory over the years in my numbers and that was totally decisive today.
- And yet we still could have won if we’d handled the pressure at the end of the game. It was 70-60 with 2:29 left. McGusty made a two pointer, Girard missed one, Moore made a trey, Buddy made a couple of free throws, McGusty another two pointer, Moore missed a trey but Miller layed it in, Swider got his pocket picked by Moore, Buudy fouled him, Moore missed but Miller tipped it in, Joe missed his jumper , Miller made two free throws and Jimmy missed they tying trey and we lost 72-75, a 2-15 run to close the game.
- And with that the dream of somehow pulling out the 52nd straight winning record and someday catching UCLA for the all-time record, (54), likely dies. We would have to beat Florida State to go 16-16, then upset Duke to go 17-16 and win another game to go 18-16 so we could absorb a loss and still had a winning record. That would put us in the finals with a chance to go to the NCAA tournament. If we lost that, we’d likely be invited to the NIT and if we went there with an 18-17 record, we’d have to win two games to clinch a winning record. Or we could turn the NIT down and keep the 18-17 record. But what are the odds of this team winning three games in three nights in Brooklyn, with the second one being Duke, who beat us by 20 and 25 points this year? If we’d won this game we could have beaten Florida State, lost to Duke and been 17-16.
- It will all be over soon. Maybe that should be on the Upside.