The Downside

[SWC75]

- The problem with “bottoming out” is the “out” part. Obviously that performance isn’t going to beat Kansas State or anybody else we might play after that. We have to get a lot better in a hurry.

- It was a ”perfect storm” of lousiness. KJ and CJ were 2 for 12 from the field in the first half. Dion Waiters scored 12 in that half but never scored again. He should dominate a game vs. a team like this. We gave up 6 of 8 shooting inside the arc in the first half to a team that averaged three inches per man shorter than ours. (The second half was 6 for 18.) Down the stretch we “protected” the lead with a bunch of stupid fouls. Somehow, we won anyway.

- One of our problems is that, lacking any kind of post-up inside game, we have no ability to take advantage of a favorable height differential. We are a jump-shot/dribble drive team. Height doesn’t help us at all on offense.

- Another problem is that we can’ face our own medicine. We have no idea how to attack a zone. The best way is to put a guy at the top of the key and have him shoot, pass or drive from there. We have several guys who could do this but we play ring-around the rosie until somebody jacks up a trey. We were 1 for 13 from the arc in the first half. The ‘1’ is bad but so is the ‘13’. We weren’t making shots. We weren’t getting to the line. We weren’t setting up anything. We looked like what we hope other NCAA teams will look like when they face our zone- confused and ineffectual.

- What has happened to CJ Fair? Since becoming a starter, he’s 2 for 14 from the field and has scored 5 points in 52 minutes. He missed 5 of 6 shots in the first half an all of them were wide-open.

- Where is Kris Joseph’s shot? He was 0 for 5 from three point range and 3 for 10 over all. Since senior day he’s 10 for 33 and 4 for 18 from the arc. Flat out, we can’t win in this tournament if he continues to shoot like this.

- Where is the aggressive, trapping, pressuring defense that produced so many turnovers and fast breaks early in the year? Does Fab’s absence mean we can’t play like that any more? Or does it mean we have to play like that or the season will end?

- I received my copy of “Orange Glory” today. I watched part of it before the game and part afterwards. I kept comparing this team to the national champions. Christmas and Keita vs. Forth and McNeil. Joseph vs. Anthony. Warrick vs. Fair or Southerland. McNamara vs. Jardine. Duany vs. Triche. Pace and Edelin vs. Waiters. It’s not really there, is it?

- I spent halftime in the back yard, watching my tulips grow. It was more fun than the first half. I wonder what they’ll look like on Saturday?

 

[newmexicuse]

I think we know how to attack a Zone. Problem is that CJ is the key guy IMHO. He has that little 10 to 15 footer that he can hit from the "inside" of a zone D & he can also still dribble penetrate from there if necessary. Problem was - he had 4 or 5 of those great looks early & couldn't sink em. If he makes those, I think a lot of other things would open up.

 

[SWC75]

I think we know how to attack a Zone. Problem is that CJ is the key guy IMHO. He has that little 10 to 15 footer that he can hit from the "inside" of a zone D & he can also still dribble penetrate from there if necessary. Problem was - he had 4 or 5 of those great looks early & couldn't sink em. If he makes those, I think a lot of other things would open up.

CJ's misses were more from the side. I'd like him to be at the top of the key.

 

[SoBeCuse]

More James in the top of the key. Nice recap as always, sir.

 

[AccuRater]

In all my years of following SU basketball, I don't recall a team that produced so many ugly wins. These games not fun to watch.

 

[SoBristol]

"we have several guys who can do this [set up at foul line, take that shot, or drive/pass]" -- except we really don't. We have one guy -- CJ. The others (Kris, James, Rak) have never done much scoring from that point.

To attack a 2-3 zone (in addition to that high post threat), you want a couple of high percentage shooters who can find an opening at the top of the key, the corner, or the creases. You might like a low post scorer, inside passing (as G-town and Louisville do against our zone), and a second forward who can finish inside.

We didn't have a lot of those ingredients working yesterday. Simple facts are that our two better guards aren't zone busters from the outside, and our two centers don't provide much inside scoring. We have to get James, Kris, BT and CJ good shots (we did), and they have to make them (other than James, they didn't). And, we need to get turnovers and get out in transition before the zone sets up (not enough of that).

 

[tbonezone]

i don't know what the official vegas over/under for alley oops thrown down was but under crowd is eating steak and lobster while the over money chokes on cheezits.

 

[SBU72]

-
- I spent halftime in the back yard, watching my tulips grow. It was more fun than the first half. I wonder what they’ll look like on Saturday?

If you did that during the last 2:40 of the game, you would have been able to see them come to full bloom!

 

[newmexicuse]

CJ's misses were more from the side. I'd like him to be at the top of the key.

That is the traditional talking heads solution to attacking a zone. It doesn't really matter if the ten to 15 footer is made from there or the baseline. The key is to be able to make a short shot from the interior of the Zone to force the Zone to collapse around the shooter. That will open up passing lanes, driving lanes, and the trey on the first or second pass after a kick out.

 

[SWC75]

That is the traditional talking heads solution to attacking a zone. It doesn't really matter if the ten to 15 footer is made from there or the baseline. The key is to be able to make a short shot from the interior of the Zone to force the Zone to collapse around the shooter. That will open up passing lanes, driving lanes, and the trey on the first or second pass after a kick out.

I didn't know I was a talking head. I think it works better from the top of the key because it's the center of the court and that maximizes your opportunities to pass for a lay-up or open shot compared to something from the side.

 

[tbonezone]

when playing the zone being carved up by good interior passing scares me more than the trey.

 

[newmexicuse]

I didn't know I was a talking head. I think it works better from the top of the key because it's the center of the court and that maximizes your opportunities to pass for a lay-up or open shot compared to something from the side.

SWC, I have the highest regard for you. I hope you did not mis-interpret - please - re-read - I did not call you a talking head, it is simply that you happen to be saying what they always say. Sometimes the talking heads get it right.

I have no argument that the top of the key is a good place to attack from. Maybe it is even the best place to attack from. My point is that a ten to fifteen foot shot needs to be made from somewhere - anywhere - inside the Zone to break it down. I think CJ is easily best equipped amongst all of our players to make that shot. If he is more comfortable shooting from the baseline then that should be our attack point. But, the attack point is totally secondary to the execution - the shot must be made. Right now we are not making that shot & until we do we will struggle against any zones that we face. In your OP you said we have no idea how to attack the Zone. That is the statement that I disagreed with, I thought we ran the right plays & got the right shots - at least early in the game. The fact that we couldn't make those shots is what hurt us. We knew what to do, we simply did not get it done in yesterday's game.

Brandon is another player we have who has sufficient size and a good mid-range shot. Perhaps, he should have become that interior guy when CJ wasn't getting it done. Problem with that though, is if you bring Brandon inside then you lose one of our two best trey shooters on the kick. So, I would start to work inside out w CJ, but then try Brandon if necessary. I really don't see anybody else on our roster who has the ideal game to get it done.