The only reason people think this team is dead is scheduling

[Jasoncuse]

It's a problem and it is happening too much. It's with most of the players. Their moves are very predictable as well and good defensive teams can eat them alive.

And it goes beyond turnovers. How many times have we seen our offense get knocked out of whack because MCW or Triche get the ball poked away or they pick up their dribble? Nearly every possession, it seems...

 

[RF2044]

you aren't going to get any arguments from me when it comes to raks playing time. IMO he should only come out. If he can't breathe .

I really wish I saw what some of you see in Rak. I was so optimistic heading into this season about the improvement he'd show, then hopeful that he'd put things together as a function of increased PT. Now, I'm resigned to the fact that he isn't markedly better than he was as a freshman.

Heading into next year, I'm really hoping that Coleman makes the sophomore jump, because I just don't have much faith that Rak will progress like he needs to. Would love for him to prove me wrong.

 

[anomander]

I really wish I saw what some of you see in Rak. I was so optimistic heading into this season about the improvement he'd show, then hopeful that he'd put things together as a function of increased PT. Now, I'm resigned to the fact that he isn't markedly better than he was as a freshman.

Heading into next year, I'm really hoping that Coleman makes the sophomore jump, because I just don't have much faith that Rak will progress like he needs to. Would love for him to prove me wrong.

It really isn't all rak for me . It's just as much as I think kieta is that bad

 

[RF2044]

It really isn't all rak for me . It's just as much as I think kieta is that bad

I hear you. Heading into the season, I was really confident that both Rak and Coleman would provide us [combined] with reasonable inside play. I figured that Coleman would struggle with defense [to say nothing of conditioning and foul trouble], but that he'd be able to finish inside and rebound a bit. I also counted on Rak doing more on the backboards and getting a dunk or two per game. Not a ton of production, but imagine if both were capable of doing something around 6 and 6 per game--that's what I expected them being capable of contributing. Neither of them is anywhere close.

I love the idea of Rak being a defensive anchor, rebounding the sh-t out of the ball, and maybe just putting the ball in the hole on fast breaks, the occasional offensive rebound / put back, or an alley oop here and there. Problem is, he doesn't do any of that with any consistency. To the detriment of the team.

Not having a low post threat kills us. I was very pleased with Rak's 1st half yesterday--problem is, he needs to do that EVERY game, not just every 10 games [Providence, ND, yesterday].

 

[mantonio]

I don't think the teams we have lost to are that good defensively. They are teams that take advantage of how games are officiated in the Big East. Many of the tactics used to defend us grab, shove, etc. are only allowed in the Big East and Big 10. In all other parts of the world at all levels these things are called fouls. That is why teams like Pitt, Louisville, Georgetown, even Marquette and Cincinnati can thrive in the Big East, but haven't won the NCAAs. Add to that the offensive fouls teams commit while screening at the top of the zone and you see some of the big reasons why we are losing.

I am not delusional enough to think we are a top 5 team, but I do think the way the Big East is officiated is a major factor in our current slump. You also have the fact that we are hesitant to get the ball inside even when Rak is having an excellent game and instead gun long three pointers. You can also say we don't and never have adjusted our game play accordingly based on how games are officiated or can't because we play zone and you have a team losing 7 of 12.

I also think lack of emotion and player leadership are large parts of the slump.

JB has never recruited for prison rules basketball. He gets players who play according to the intended rules...

 

[cuseattle]

JB has never recruited for prison rules basketball. He gets players who play according to the intended rules...

Should work in our favor in the ACC-and against Pitt.

 

[mantonio]

And it goes beyond turnovers. How many times have we seen our offense get knocked out of whack because MCW or Triche get the ball poked away or they pick up their dribble? Nearly every possession, it seems...

While I don't think those two are the best ball handlers in America, many of those steals are a result of the other team fouling them without a call by the refs. When you hand check & hip check the ball handler, you are FOULING them.

 

[anomander]

I hear you. Heading into the season, I was really confident that both Rak and Coleman would provide us [combined] with reasonable inside play. I figured that Coleman would struggle with defense [to say nothing of conditioning and foul trouble], but that he'd be able to finish inside and rebound a bit. I also counted on Rak doing more on the backboards and getting a dunk or two per game. Not a ton of production, but imagine if both were capable of doing something around 6 and 6 per game--that's what I expected them being capable of contributing. Neither of them is anywhere close.

I love the idea of Rak being a defensive anchor, rebounding the sh-t out of the ball, and maybe just putting the ball in the hole on fast breaks, the occasional offensive rebound / put back, or an alley oop here and there. Problem is, he doesn't do any of that with any consistency. To the detriment of the team.

Not having a low post threat kills us. I was very pleased with Rak's 1st half yesterday--problem is, he needs to do that EVERY game, not just every 10 games [Providence, ND, yesterday].

I totally agree. I know a lot is on him but he's got a different personality. It almost seemed he needed his confidence built up instead of continually brought down . At times it seems he almost plays scared and basketball is something you can't do while scared

 

[RF2044]

I totally agree. I know a lot is on him but he's got a different personality. It almost seemed he needed his confidence built up instead of continually brought down . At times it seems he almost plays scared and basketball is something you can't do while scared

I forgot to mention above that I'd hoped that being force fed and infusion of minutes late last season after Fab's suspension would pay dividends this year for Rak. He definitely improved his physique a bit and got bigger and stronger, but his game doesn't seem any more refined like I'd hoped.

 

[Cuseology]

Please stop the bellyaching about the refs. We have been in the BE for 30+ years where they have called it this way forever. Further, as someone noted in a different thread, many of these BE refs also ref ACC games so we will see them again. If other teams are punching you in the mouth and you dont eventually get up and punch back, then it is on you.

Moving screens happen in college bball all over the country, not just the BE. Even Rak and Baye routinely move on their screens.

We are not losing because of the refs. We are losing because we are not playing well, and frankly because this team really has not been that good all year unless they can score in transition. That is it. Moving to the ACC thinking we will get more favorable calls is another fantasy. Either we toughen up as some of our more success teams have, or we lose.

 

[SoBeCuse]

Please stop the bellyaching about the refs. We have been in the BE for 30+ years where they have called it this way forever. Further, as someone noted in a different thread, many of these BE refs also ref ACC games so we will see them again. If other teams are punching you in the mouth and you dont eventually get up and punch back, then it is on you.

Moving screens happen in college bball all over the country, not just the BE. Even Rak and Baye routinely move on their screens.

We are not losing because of the refs. We are losing because we are not playing well, and frankly because this team really has not been that good all year unless they can score in transition. That is it. Moving to the ACC thinking we will get more favorable calls is another fantasy. Either we toughen up as some of our more success teams have, or we lose.

Bravo. Couldn't agree more. Georgetown fouling on every possession as someone foolishly posted earlier?? Please. I'm tired of the bellyaching as well.

 

[Jasoncuse]

While I don't think those two are the best ball handlers in America, many of those steals are a result of the other team fouling them without a call by the refs. When you hand check & hip check the ball handler, you are FOULING them.

Come on, man...I see defense like that everywhere and I see ballhandlers who struggle so much less than our guards. That's just another excuse when the players need to be better with the ball and their fundamentals. MCW gets ripped cleanly EVERY GAME.

 

[mantonio]

Come on, man...I see defense like that everywhere and I see ballhandlers who struggle so much less than our guards. That's just another excuse when the players need to be better with the ball and their fundamentals. MCW gets ripped cleanly EVERY GAME.

I have watched every game, & he is picked clean ONCE in most games. This is not true when he played PITT, 'Quette, & G'town. They hand check him 95% of the time, with the refs only calling it less than 30% of the time.

Again, MCW is no Allen Iverson, but he is not as bad as those teams make him appear because of their brutality. This is not football, & the Big East is shameful for trying to make it like that.

 

[Jasoncuse]

I have watched every game, & he is picked clean ONCE in most games. This is not true when he played PITT, 'Quette, & G'town. They hand check him 95% of the time, with the refs only calling it less than 30% of the time.

Again, MCW is no Allen Iverson, but he is not as bad as those teams make him appear because of their brutality. This is not football, & the Big East is shameful for trying to make it like that.

That happens on every level of basketball. Kids are coached to screen their defender from the ball, protect with their off arm/body and keep their dribble low to avoid getting picked. MCW doesn't do any of that well. Triche does a solid job of all that up top, but once he makes a move, the fundamentals disappear and he struggles hanging onto the possession.

Seriously, enough with the ref excuses. I don't see many other teams in the BE struggle nearly as much with ball handling as our guys do. There's a reason defenders play our guys tight and physical. They know they'll turn it over.

 

[SoBeCuse]

I have watched every game, & he is picked clean ONCE in most games. This is not true when he played PITT, 'Quette, & G'town. They hand check him 95% of the time, with the refs only calling it less than 30% of the time.

Again, MCW is no Allen Iverson, but he is not as bad as those teams make him appear because of their brutality. This is not football, & the Big East is shameful for trying to make it like that.

Sunday night bender, Mantonio? Come on, man.

 

[OHIORANGES]

You sure have long posts!
Totally disagree that "the only reason ... is scheduling." Is it a factor? Sure it is, but thre is a serious lack of confidence, hustle, team play and a HUGE inabiltiy to put the ball in the damn basket!

 

[NineOneSeven]

It should be mandatory over the next few days for every poster to read RICuse44's post.

 

[Ghost]

I really wish I saw what some of you see in Rak. I was so optimistic heading into this season about the improvement he'd show, then hopeful that he'd put things together as a function of increased PT. Now, I'm resigned to the fact that he isn't markedly better than he was as a freshman.

Heading into next year, I'm really hoping that Coleman makes the sophomore jump, because I just don't have much faith that Rak will progress like he needs to. Would love for him to prove me wrong.

He could have been markedly better - I still think the composition of this team and the coaching has hampered his progress to the point where he's been ruined for this season.

I'm not sure what player has ever progressed well under JB's pull at every mistake - I can't think of any. Never did much for a player like DNic early in his career. It's a mind-f**k - not much else. Maybe some players respond to it, but I can't think of any examples. Not only does it probably hamper a player's progression, but it also has to be frustrating as hell considering the leash some players get to make mistakes.

The guards barely ever feed the post - that doesn't help. When the post does get fed it seems like it's a forward most of the time.

In the past month or so I've seen him touch the ball at the top of the key twice, once yesterday, once against Marquette, against Marquette he had a nice assist to a cutting MCW, and yesterday he just tossed it back to BT or MCW. They don't involve him at all - not sure how anyone can accurately assess his skill set offensively based on the body of work tbh.

People can say that he sucks rebounding, but he's honestly the only player on this team that tries boxing out every possession. If anything his persistence in that area hurts him because he's always looking for his man, and not looking at where the ball is going. He's also rebounding against two or three ppl most of the time because our forwards cheat out so much that they're in the fray late. He's so focused on the box out that he generally loses the war - as opposed to someone like Fab that just hunted down the ball and was big enough to get over the other ppl down low. I will say he just doesn't seem like a great rebounder in general, but it's not lack of effort as most here like to say.

The lobs - no clue why he doesn't finish those. Huge What.

 

[orangecuse]

I don't disagree with you at all but how does that explain that we got totally blown out on Saturday. You can't believe that Georgetown is that much more talented than we are.

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They aren't. However, they play with a lot more heart than we do, it's quite evident. As Scoop stated after the Louisville game, it's one thing saying you want it, but talking the talk is a far cry from walking the walk (or having heart).

FWIW though, there have been some very unexpected lopsided games this year. Miami beating up Duke by two dozen or so, MSU doing the same to their rival UM, Baylor beating up KU yesterday, Duke destroying UNC...it happens...

 

[mikekan14]

Bad matchup? Elaborate a bit for me.

G'Town is a bad matchup because they have all the pieces that defeat our zone. Porter, Starks, and Smith-Rivera all shoot over 35% from 3. As usual, G'Town is one of the best passing teams, particularly interior passing. So they sit Porter at the foul line, a shot he can routinely make, and they play high-low or wing-short corner. G'Town has always been able to pass. Boeheim bets that other teams can't hit that foul line jumper, can't complete interior passes before our wing defenders crash down, or can't hit threes. That's why he's used the zone for so long.

Additionally, good rebounding teams give us fits too but I wouldn't say that G'Town dominated the glass on us.

Unfortunately, G'Town has shown they can execute all of those phases (twice). If they're executing and we can't get it up for rivalry games at home (in front of 35k) and on the road (in our BE finale) - then I think G'Town qualifies as a bad matchup.

Sure, if TCU could beat KU then we could catch lightning in a bottle and beat G'Town too but I'd have to agree that Vegas would make us underdogs in this matchup after the previous 2 outings.

 

[Garbs]

Cuse is 1-5 vs. the top 4 in the BE and 10-2 vs. 6-15

 

[SoBeCuse]

This SU team isn't scoring 60 on Miami, Duke, or Virginia. They simply cannot handle a good M2M or zone defense right now. It dosn't matter what conference it is.

 

[Cowtown]

No offense amigo, but the reason people may think "this team is dead" is because they've been playing like .

 

[SBU72]

No. The only reason people think this team is dead is because they can't score. It's that simple. I don't care how good the opponents are, 39 points. That's it. Don't over think this. Every team we play in march is there for a reason--they are good enough.

EXcuse me for quoteing JB, but the game is easier to coach when the ball goes in the basket.