The next 2 games we are going to need to see major FH minutes

[Alsacs]

Louisville presses and we need ball handlers. Gbinije is going to need help and obviously the best guard to help with pressure/ball handling is Frank Howard.

Pitt is so physical and plays tough man-to-man defense. You need to be able to put the ball on the floor and penetrate. As Pitt doesn't give up open looks they foul a lot.

Against UL/Pitt I would love to see this lineup MG/FH/MR/TR/ and one of DC/TL. Cooney needs to be a 6th man role in these games. We need his Senior leadership and grit but against UL and Pitt they are bad matchups for him. I would play FH 15-20 minutes just against these type teams.

When we go to UNC/FSU Cooney will have better matchups than pretty much anyone else on teams. Cooney has been really good against UNC.

 

[Eric15]

Louisville presses and we need ball handlers. Gbinije is going to need help and obviously the best guard to help with pressure/ball handling is Frank Howard.

Pitt is so physical and plays tough man-to-man defense. You need to be able to put the ball on the floor and penetrate. As Pitt doesn't give up open looks they foul a lot.

Against UL/Pitt I would love to see this lineup MG/FH/MR/TR/ and one of DC/TL. Cooney needs to be a 6th man role in these games. We need his Senior leadership and grit but against UL and Pitt they are bad matchups for him. I would play FH 15-20 minutes just against these type teams.

When we go to UNC/FSU Cooney will have better matchups than pretty much anyone else on teams. Cooney has been really good against UNC.

I think Frank has a lot of potential, but he really needs to find some go-to offensive moves that can get his shooting percentage above 23%. BJ and Ron got killed on this board last year for their terrible shooting and they were both over 30% from the field. Perhaps it's partly Boeheim's fault for making him play tentative by not having a green light to shoot at all.

 

[RF2044]

Louisville presses and we need ball handlers. Gbinije is going to need help and obviously the best guard to help with pressure/ball handling is Frank Howard.

Pitt is so physical and plays tough man-to-man defense. You need to be able to put the ball on the floor and penetrate. As Pitt doesn't give up open looks they foul a lot.

Against UL/Pitt I would love to see this lineup MG/FH/MR/TR/ and one of DC/TL. Cooney needs to be a 6th man role in these games. We need his Senior leadership and grit but against UL and Pitt they are bad matchups for him. I would play FH 15-20 minutes just against these type teams.

When we go to UNC/FSU Cooney will have better matchups than pretty much anyone else on teams. Cooney has been really good against UNC.

No way--we can't afford to play 4 on 5 offensively for lengthy stretches like you advocate.

Frank should definitely see a lot of minutes--due to the fact that we'll need to rotate guys to keep them fresh. Howard can get an increase in minutes against Louisville, but not at one player's expense--he'll get expanded PT by subbing for G and Conney and Mali, even if just to get those guys a quick blow.

Wouldn't surprise me at all to see Howard play 15 minutes or so on Wednesday, effectively spelling three different positions, providing some additional ball handling against pressure, masking a lack of depth, and enabling those three guys to get a few precious moments of rest so that they don't wear down over the course of the game. That group of four players can work in any number of various combinations.

 

[Alsacs]

I think Frank has a lot of potential, but he really needs to find some go-to offensive moves that can get his shooting percentage above 23%. BJ and Ron got killed on this board last year for their terrible shooting and they were both over 30% from the field. Perhaps it's partly Boeheim's fault for making him play tentative by not having a green light to shoot at all.

Frank can penetrate and get others good looks. When G has to do this he can't get open looks as much. With FH on the floor we can run plays for G.

I am not saying bench Cooney. He should play the bulk of the minutes but against Pitt/UL they ate bad matchups for Cooney. We need to give a lot more minutes to FH in these games.

 

[Alsacs]

No way--we can't afford to play 4 on 5 offensively for lengthy stretches like you advocate.

Frank should definitely see a lot of minutes--due to the fact that we'll need to rotate guys to keep them fresh. Howard can get an increase in minutes against Louisville, but not at one player's expense--he'll get expanded PT by subbing for G and Conney and Mali, even if just to get those guys a quick blow.

Wouldn't surprise me at all to see Howard play 15 minutes or so on Wednesday, effectively spelling three different positions, providing some additional ball handling against pressure, masking a lack of depth, and enabling those three guys to get a few precious moments of rest so that they don't wear down over the course of the game. That group of four players can work in any number of various combinations.

We play 4 on 4 with Cooney on the floor against these teams.

They are bad matchups for Cooney. We need ball handling against UL and we need people who can put the ball on the floor against Pitt.

 

[OrangeDW]

I think Frank has a lot of potential, but he really needs to find some go-to offensive moves that can get his shooting percentage above 23%. BJ and Ron got killed on this board last year for their terrible shooting and they were both over 30% from the field. Perhaps it's partly Boeheim's fault for making him play tentative by not having a green light to shoot at all.

I think it's because he's taken so few shots, and brings something else to the table. Patterson and BJ took enough shots for their low %'s to matter more, especially when BJ's strength was his outside shooting, and when Patterson didn't really offer much on the offensive end(decent playmaker and passer, but not as good as Howard).

Howard is clearly improving our team's offense with his passing, so his low % on few shots doesn't hurt as much.

 

[reedny]

No way--we can't afford to play 4 on 5 offensively for lengthy stretches like you advocate.

Frank should definitely see a lot of minutes--due to the fact that we'll need to rotate guys to keep them fresh. Howard can get an increase in minutes against Louisville, but not at one player's expense--he'll get expanded PT by subbing for G and Conney and Mali, even if just to get those guys a quick blow.

Wouldn't surprise me at all to see Howard play 15 minutes or so on Wednesday, effectively spelling three different positions, providing some additional ball handling against pressure, masking a lack of depth, and enabling those three guys to get a few precious moments of rest so that they don't wear down over the course of the game. That group of four players can work in any number of various combinations.

Agree. JB's bringing in Howard as much as possible .. and taking the hit on his D and his offense. He's so good at set-up that this skill outweighs his other deficits ... as long as he doesn't shoot much. Even more importantly, it keeps G/TC as "fresh" as possible, and we're lucky that (although FH plays only one spot) Mali and G can play both SG and SF when Howard's in, so the rotation works.

 

[skurey]

Always down for more Howard

 

[RF2044]

We play 4 on 4 with Cooney on the floor against these teams.

They are bad matchups for Cooney. We need ball handling against UL and we need people who can put the ball on the floor against Pitt.

Not really--because Cooney is a threat from three.

That's a very stratified opinion. I'm sure the anti-Cooney crowd [not suggesting you are one] will agree with you.

Others will not.

 

[Cusefan0307]

I wouldn't be surprised if we see that four guard lineup we saw a bit yesterday, especially against Louisville. It will be difficult for them to guard our shooters if we break the press.

 

[pulaski74]

I think Frank has a lot of potential, but he really needs to find some go-to offensive moves that can get his shooting percentage above 23%. BJ and Ron got killed on this board last year for their terrible shooting and they were both over 30% from the field. Perhaps it's partly Boeheim's fault for making him play tentative by not having a green light to shoot at all.

I seem to remember Sherm getting alot of little 8 to 10 baseline shots, not sure of this, but could be helpful for fh.

 

[rrlbees]

We play 4 on 4 with Cooney on the floor against these teams. They are bad matchups for Cooney. We need ball handling against UL and we need people who can put the ball on the floor against Pitt.

Cooney had struggled against them in the past. But vs Pitt this season he was the leading scorer and second leading rebounder. FH will get PT replacing Cooney, G and Mal. But Cooney isn't going to the bench. 4 on 4 is a lot better than 4 on 5. And you can be assured that Dixon will place a lot of attention on Cooney.

 

[Newhouser]

Pace and tempo. Chaotic pace favors Louisville. We need to take care of the ball and get back on D. Make them play the zone. Missed 3's translate into fast breaks. We need to keep the floor balance and get back.

 

[Jasoncuse]

Howard doesn't have a good handle, so I'm not sure how much he's going to help. He just isn't strong enough with the ball. Any time he's faced pressure D, he's melted down, IMO. Sure, he can look good against BC, GT, Wake and those types, but it's a lot different facing the pressure of a L'ville.

Of course, Cooney and G aren't great ball handlers either, so it could be tough all around. Malachi should handle it more.

 

[RF2044]

Howard doesn't have a good handle, so I'm not sure how much he's going to help. He just isn't strong enough with the ball. Any time he's faced pressure D, he's melted down, IMO. Sure, he can look good against BC, GT, Wake and those types, but it's a lot different facing the pressure of a L'ville.

Of course, Cooney and G aren't great ball handlers either, so it could be tough all around. Malachi should handle it more.

That's the move--have a non-point guard handle the ball, neutralizing their on-the-ball pressure, which is better from their guards.

 

[Brooky03]

I think Frank has a lot of potential, but he really needs to find some go-to offensive moves that can get his shooting percentage above 23%. BJ and Ron got killed on this board last year for their terrible shooting and they were both over 30% from the field. Perhaps it's partly Boeheim's fault for making him play tentative by not having a green light to shoot at all.

He only averages 2 shots per game. 23% doesn't mean much when you shoot so little.

 

[SoBeCuse]

I think the plan is to just have as many hands on deck from the ballhandling angle so we don't get worn out. It's the right move. I think JB knows this game is a big one to 'steal' with how they are sliding and now with Mahmoud out.

I think the staff is just preparing Howard more this week because of the matchup. Hopefully he'll hold up. His handle is more/less serviceable and I love his court vision big time. I'm not as high on him as others on this board but hoping he'll hold up tomorrow. His offense I'm not sure what to think. If he's been instructed to basically not shoot it's because he can't make anything in practice. He's not getting "Boeheimed" or anything. Also, is he fully back from his H.S. injury? Just curious.

Next year I like our ability at lead guard quite a bit more as every day passes and the more I see Battle (and Howard). I've been as critical as anybody with our lead guard/ballhandling problems the past few years (including Ennis). I never thought Kaleb belonged from the beginning. Howard belongs. Now, I think Tyus Battle is a way more dynamic player and talent. I fully expect him to be the lead guard but we will be fine when Howard is on the floor and Battle moves over.

 

[Madbiker]

Howard FG%: 2-pt 32%, 3 pt 7% (1-14).
Frank has a role to play in limited minutes. It's hard to keep a guy who doesn't score and doesn't need to be guarded on the perimeter on the floor for any extended time. He needs to develop some semblance of a perimeter shot for next year. If he does he can be very good because his passing skills look great.

 

[rrlbees]

Fwiw vs Pitt the first time we only had 10 turnovers which is less than our season average of 12.

 

[Alsacs]

Fwiw vs Pitt the first time we only had 10 turnovers which is less than our season average of 12.

Ball handling isn't why Pitt I would play FH more. Pitt plays tough physical half court defense and locks Cooney down well.
Cooney is good in transition when he can just let it fly or when we run plays for him. Against Pitt he won't get many clean looks as you have to penetrate against Pitt on offense.

The first game Gbinije had an awful game because he couldn't break down the Pitt D. If Howard helps out there G can be freed up to do more.
Nobody wants Cooney benched but of all the ACC teams we play these 2 teams are probably among his worst matchups. Thus these games I would play him less and FH more.

 

[rrlbees]

Ball handling isn't why Pitt I would play FH more. Pitt plays tough physical half court defense and locks Cooney down well. Cooney is good in transition when he can just let it fly or when we run plays for him. Against Pitt he won't get many clean looks as you have to penetrate against Pitt on offense. The first game Gbinije had an awful game because he couldn't break down the Pitt D. If Howard helps out there G can be freed up to do more. Nobody wants Cooney benched but of all the ACC teams we play these 2 teams are probably among his worst matchups. Thus these games I would play him less and FH more.

Cooney was the leading scorer first Pitt game. I'm sure FH will be used like he has been recently.

 

[Alsacs]

Cooney was the leading scorer first Pitt game. I'm sure FH will be used like he has been recently.

I looked at the box score. Roberson/Cooney 15 points. If Cooney goes 3 for 5 from 3 again we likely win this game. As G and MR are playing a lot better now.

If we get 20-25 points from Roberson/Cooney per game we will be a very dangerous team.

 

[RF2044]

I looked at the box score. Roberson/Cooney 15 points. If Cooney goes 3 for 5 from 3 again we likely win this game. As G and MR are playing a lot better now.

If we get 20-25 points from Roberson/Cooney per game we will be a very dangerous team.

A biger question in my mind is how are we going to rebound. Pitt absolutely victimized us on the boards in the first game. Their offense sucked, but they corralled an absurd number of offensive boards, which enabled them to eventually score.

A few games later, after JB's return, our rebounding ratcheted up a notch. It's going to have to stay strong against Pitt to prevent a repeat performance to those @#$'s.

 

[Knicks411]

A biger question in my mind is how are we going to rebound. Pitt absolutely victimized us on the boards in the first game. Their offense sucked, but they corralled an absurd number of offensive boards, which enabled them to eventually score.

A few games later, after JB's return, our rebounding ratcheted up a notch. It's going to have to stay strong against Pitt to prevent a repeat performance to those @#$'s.

It's interesting, overall we're 329th in defensive rebounding % (65.3%). In ACC play only though, we're 12th out of 15, at 66.7%. Granted, that's not much of an increase, but we were brutal at times earlier in the year. But even in the last few games; Virginia tech had a 44% offensive rebound rate, FSU was over 50%. Louisville and Pitt are both in the top 20 in the country in offensive rebounding. I'd think the only chance Pitt really has is to do great work on the offensive glass.

 

[Alsacs]

A biger question in my mind is how are we going to rebound. Pitt absolutely victimized us on the boards in the first game. Their offense sucked, but they corralled an absurd number of offensive boards, which enabled them to eventually score.

A few games later, after JB's return, our rebounding ratcheted up a notch. It's going to have to stay strong against Pitt to prevent a repeat performance to those @#$'s.

Pitt's best offensive against forever has been a missed shot and offensive rebound put back. They have their bigs attack the glass as Pitt really hasn't had good shooting teams ever.