SWC75
Bored Historian
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- Aug 26, 2011
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- As I mentioned in the write-ups of the Coach’s Show I did a study a couple of years back correlating each basketball stat to winning percentage and easily the most important stat was two point field goal percentage. We came into this game hitting 51.5% of our two point shots and holding the opposition to 40.5%, a huge reason why we were 18-1. In this game we were 16 for 47, (34.0%) and Villanova was 15 for 29 (51.7%). If we and the opponent had shot normal percentages, we would have been 24 for 47 and Villanova would have been 12 for 29 and we would have won by 17 points. All we really needed was for one more two pointer to go down in regulation and we’d be 19-1. We just screwed the pooch inside the arc.
- Our record when we slow it down to “protect” a lead is excellent but I’ve always wondered how many of those games we’d have won anyway if we just kept playing normal basketball. Is seeing a 10 point lead melt to 3 by the end really a ‘successful’ strategy? Even if we want to slow it down, I still think we should be running some semblance of an offense. JB has said of the teams we face that they make a mistake of running down the shot clock and then starting their offense with 5-10 seconds to go, saying that makes them easier to defend and puts too much pressure on them to score in a few seconds. Then why do we do it? At least we could keep our players moving and share the ball. That would keep the defenders moving and open up possibilities.
- Brandon Triche was one of those possibilities. After a slow start, he led the way to getting us that 6 point lead. He also was our primary scoring threat in overtime. He led the team with 23 points. But he couldn’t get the ball in those last possession of regulation because Michael Carter-Williams was pounding it into the floor. If he did what he did in overtime in the last minutes of regulation, there would have been no overtime.
- We didn’t do badly at the line overall, 24 for 35, (69%) but MCW missed our last three free throws in regulation, including the front end of a one and one and then missed two more in overtime. Brandon Triche also had an overtime miss that would have tied it.
- We got killed on the boards, 34-47. We can often make up for a deficit there with blocks and steals but we got 3 and 6 of those respectively. We never got out in transition in this game. It was half-court all the way.
- Mike was 4 for 17 with 4 assists and 5 turnovers. No he’s not the best point guard in America. Maybe someday.
- We couldn’t foul in the last 13 seconds with a 3 point lead. I’m sure JB told his players to go ahead and foul to prevent any two point score. They just didn’t get it done.
- Somebody always goes off when the lose. Darrun Hillard came in averaging 10.0 points per game and has 21 treys in 19 games. He was 8 for 11 from the field with 3 treys and scored 25 points.
- Too bad Jerami Grant, with his youthful enthusiasm, couldn’t play more than the 27 minutes he got before his 5th foul. He had 12 points and 5 rebounds before that and we likely win the game if he stays in. He’s got to learn that you play defense by moving your feet and you can’t do that if they are off the ground.
- If you find Trevor Cooney’s confidence, please mail it to him in care of Jim Boeheim.
- We are down to 8 scholarship guys and when two of them foul out we are holding it together with chewing gum and spit.
- I’m tempted to say that both teams started at 11AM but it’s not quite true. Counting the time out, we started 4 minutes and 27 seconds later when CJ finally sat us down. We overcame that 0-10 deficit but it still came back to haunt us at the end. In a close game, everything matters.
- Our record when we slow it down to “protect” a lead is excellent but I’ve always wondered how many of those games we’d have won anyway if we just kept playing normal basketball. Is seeing a 10 point lead melt to 3 by the end really a ‘successful’ strategy? Even if we want to slow it down, I still think we should be running some semblance of an offense. JB has said of the teams we face that they make a mistake of running down the shot clock and then starting their offense with 5-10 seconds to go, saying that makes them easier to defend and puts too much pressure on them to score in a few seconds. Then why do we do it? At least we could keep our players moving and share the ball. That would keep the defenders moving and open up possibilities.
- Brandon Triche was one of those possibilities. After a slow start, he led the way to getting us that 6 point lead. He also was our primary scoring threat in overtime. He led the team with 23 points. But he couldn’t get the ball in those last possession of regulation because Michael Carter-Williams was pounding it into the floor. If he did what he did in overtime in the last minutes of regulation, there would have been no overtime.
- We didn’t do badly at the line overall, 24 for 35, (69%) but MCW missed our last three free throws in regulation, including the front end of a one and one and then missed two more in overtime. Brandon Triche also had an overtime miss that would have tied it.
- We got killed on the boards, 34-47. We can often make up for a deficit there with blocks and steals but we got 3 and 6 of those respectively. We never got out in transition in this game. It was half-court all the way.
- Mike was 4 for 17 with 4 assists and 5 turnovers. No he’s not the best point guard in America. Maybe someday.
- We couldn’t foul in the last 13 seconds with a 3 point lead. I’m sure JB told his players to go ahead and foul to prevent any two point score. They just didn’t get it done.
- Somebody always goes off when the lose. Darrun Hillard came in averaging 10.0 points per game and has 21 treys in 19 games. He was 8 for 11 from the field with 3 treys and scored 25 points.
- Too bad Jerami Grant, with his youthful enthusiasm, couldn’t play more than the 27 minutes he got before his 5th foul. He had 12 points and 5 rebounds before that and we likely win the game if he stays in. He’s got to learn that you play defense by moving your feet and you can’t do that if they are off the ground.
- If you find Trevor Cooney’s confidence, please mail it to him in care of Jim Boeheim.
- We are down to 8 scholarship guys and when two of them foul out we are holding it together with chewing gum and spit.
- I’m tempted to say that both teams started at 11AM but it’s not quite true. Counting the time out, we started 4 minutes and 27 seconds later when CJ finally sat us down. We overcame that 0-10 deficit but it still came back to haunt us at the end. In a close game, everything matters.
