There is hope

[Cuse House]

Probably not going to be a popular opinion but I am not as down after the game as most. Offense was terrible, but I was pretty encouraged by the defense and also effort to the final minute.

What was disappointing is that I thought we would be more crisp with our time overseas, but the competition was poor.

I still like the pieces we have. I think most of our shots particularly by Buddy, were rushed because UVA plays really tight man to man. We have good shooters, I expect us to shoot well this season and I expect as we move forward that this will be an outlier (34 points better be).

Bottom line, it’s one game against the defending Champs, who execute their defense flawlessly. We have a very young team and we will improve.

Hughes can score against anyone and it’s going to come down to our young guys finding their roles and playing within themselves.

Still believe we are a tournament team that will look much better in the coming weeks.

 

[OrangeFoo]

I tend to agree with this... even though UVA was a brick-fest the feel of the game felt different. We didn't drag every possession to the end of the shot clock and the D looked pretty solid to me. I think starting Marek at the 4 was a great move by JB... It addresses our rebounding and interior D weakness while allowing us to play our best playmaker. However if this is going work JB HAS to resist the temptation to play Marek at the 5... he has 15 fouls at the 5 on the bench and he can't be afraid to use them.

I think there were a few compounding factors that led to Wednesday's debacle
- JB's strategy for beating UVA's d has always been to spread out the UVA D and letting our superior athleticism take over, essentially playing a 4 out offense. I suspect that the main reason we didn't set screens is that the pack line D is really good at switching pick and bringing multiple together only helps their D. I actually don't disagree with the strategy but for whatever reason our guys could not get by their guys which took plan A out of play. Given that we have a brand new team and this was game 1, my guess is we didn't have time to install a plan B.
- Marek didn't play in Italy because of his fingers so the team is still getting used to him
- Gurrier was supposed to start at the 4, but based on my observations I'd say he's not close to ready. JB seems to agree has QG got yanked from the starting lineup
- Carey is supposed to get this team into our offense but he struggles against man pressure to get the ball across half court to the 3 point line where we set up the offense. And even once he gets there I don't see any real ability to create for others versus shot hunting for himself.
- If Girard is going to be the lead guard... and when he's on the court the other guys naturally defer to him and let him be lead guard, I don't think the rest of the team knows what he wants to do and where he wants people. Kind of like a new QB and new set of WRs need time together
- Buddy's shot wasn't falling... there were a number of shots that he would normally hit that didn't fall today
- Marek's shot wasn't falling... there were shots that he would hit that didn't fall today

My main concerns:
- We didn't get one fast break opportunity to my recollection. Not sure what happened to pushing tempo after rebounding or turnovers before that clearly didn't happen.
- Our team can't get by anyone... this is across the board... even Carey and Hughes couldn't get by anyone. Is UVA that fast?
- Add the UVA guy to the list of ND and BC big, goofy dudes who we have somehow have no ability to stop. - - Not to pile on Sidibe, but I'm going reiterate my earlier observation that we are in the worst position at the 5 than we have been in a LONG time. JB HAS to let Edwards and JBA get some run... we can't get through another season with Marek at the 5 because we don't have Brissett this year at the 4, instead we have a much less physically imposing Gurrier at the 4.

I think the fast break and not being able to get by anyone will be resolved and I think sooner rather than later Girard is inserted into the starting line up at the 1 and Carey goes to the bench. The main question I have is whether JB will give Edwards/JBA a chance or whether we will be automatically handicapped by playing Marek at the 5.

 

[Cappy3]

I tend to agree with this... even though UVA was a brick-fest the feel of the game felt different. We didn't drag every possession to the end of the shot clock and the D looked pretty solid to me. I think starting Marek at the 4 was a great move by JB... It addresses our rebounding and interior D weakness while allowing us to play our best playmaker. However if this is going work JB HAS to resist the temptation to play Marek at the 5... he has 15 fouls at the 5 on the bench and he can't be afraid to use them.

I think there were a few compounding factors that led to Wednesday's debacle
- JB's strategy for beating UVA's d has always been to spread out the UVA D and letting our superior athleticism take over, essentially playing a 4 out offense. I suspect that the main reason we didn't set screens is that the pack line D is really good at switching pick and bringing multiple together only helps their D. I actually don't disagree with the strategy but for whatever reason our guys could not get by their guys which took plan A out of play. Given that we have a brand new team and this was game 1, my guess is we didn't have time to install a plan B.
- Marek didn't play in Italy because of his fingers so the team is still getting used to him
- Gurrier was supposed to start at the 4, but based on my observations I'd say he's not close to ready. JB seems to agree has QG got yanked from the starting lineup
- Carey is supposed to get this team into our offense but he struggles against man pressure to get the ball across half court to the 3 point line where we set up the offense. And even once he gets there I don't see any real ability to create for others versus shot hunting for himself.
- If Girard is going to be the lead guard... and when he's on the court the other guys naturally defer to him and let him be lead guard, I don't think the rest of the team knows what he wants to do and where he wants people. Kind of like a new QB and new set of WRs need time together
- Buddy's shot wasn't falling... there were a number of shots that he would normally hit that didn't fall today
- Marek's shot wasn't falling... there were shots that he would hit that didn't fall today

My main concerns:
- We didn't get one fast break opportunity to my recollection. Not sure what happened to pushing tempo after rebounding or turnovers before that clearly didn't happen.
- Our team can't get by anyone... this is across the board... even Carey and Hughes couldn't get by anyone. Is UVA that fast?
- Add the UVA guy to the list of ND and BC big, goofy dudes who we have somehow have no ability to stop. - - Not to pile on Sidibe, but I'm going reiterate my earlier observation that we are in the worst position at the 5 than we have been in a LONG time. JB HAS to let Edwards and JBA get some run... we can't get through another season with Marek at the 5 because we don't have Brissett this year at the 4, instead we have a much less physically imposing Gurrier at the 4.

I think the fast break and not being able to get by anyone will be resolved and I think sooner rather than later Girard is inserted into the starting line up at the 1 and Carey goes to the bench. The main question I have is whether JB will give Edwards/JBA a chance or whether we will be automatically handicapped by playing Marek at the 5.

You can’t fast break when you don’t rebound. When a 5-8 guard outrebounds everyone on your team, that’s a major issue.

 

[NKR1978]

Probably not going to be a popular opinion but I am not as down after the game as most. Offense was terrible, but I was pretty encouraged by the defense and also effort to the final minute.

What was disappointing is that I thought we would be more crisp with our time overseas, but the competition was poor.

I still like the pieces we have. I think most of our shots particularly by Buddy, were rushed because UVA plays really tight man to man. We have good shooters, I expect us to shoot well this season and I expect as we move forward that this will be an outlier (34 points better be).

Bottom line, it’s one game against the defending Champs, who execute their defense flawlessly. We have a very young team and we will improve.

Hughes can score against anyone and it’s going to come down to our young guys finding their roles and playing within themselves.

Still believe we are a tournament team that will look much better in the coming weeks.

Everyone hopes your right; the main issue is that it's now 6 straight bubble seasons.

 

[rrlbees]

I tend to agree with this... even though UVA was a brick-fest the feel of the game felt different. We didn't drag every possession to the end of the shot clock and the D looked pretty solid to me. I think starting Marek at the 4 was a great move by JB... It addresses our rebounding and interior D weakness while allowing us to play our best playmaker. However if this is going work JB HAS to resist the temptation to play Marek at the 5... he has 15 fouls at the 5 on the bench and he can't be afraid to use them.

I think there were a few compounding factors that led to Wednesday's debacle
- JB's strategy for beating UVA's d has always been to spread out the UVA D and letting our superior athleticism take over, essentially playing a 4 out offense. I suspect that the main reason we didn't set screens is that the pack line D is really good at switching pick and bringing multiple together only helps their D. I actually don't disagree with the strategy but for whatever reason our guys could not get by their guys which took plan A out of play. Given that we have a brand new team and this was game 1, my guess is we didn't have time to install a plan B.
- Marek didn't play in Italy because of his fingers so the team is still getting used to him
- Gurrier was supposed to start at the 4, but based on my observations I'd say he's not close to ready. JB seems to agree has QG got yanked from the starting lineup
- Carey is supposed to get this team into our offense but he struggles against man pressure to get the ball across half court to the 3 point line where we set up the offense. And even once he gets there I don't see any real ability to create for others versus shot hunting for himself.
- If Girard is going to be the lead guard... and when he's on the court the other guys naturally defer to him and let him be lead guard, I don't think the rest of the team knows what he wants to do and where he wants people. Kind of like a new QB and new set of WRs need time together
- Buddy's shot wasn't falling... there were a number of shots that he would normally hit that didn't fall today
- Marek's shot wasn't falling... there were shots that he would hit that didn't fall today

My main concerns:
- We didn't get one fast break opportunity to my recollection. Not sure what happened to pushing tempo after rebounding or turnovers before that clearly didn't happen.
- Our team can't get by anyone... this is across the board... even Carey and Hughes couldn't get by anyone. Is UVA that fast?
- Add the UVA guy to the list of ND and BC big, goofy dudes who we have somehow have no ability to stop. - - Not to pile on Sidibe, but I'm going reiterate my earlier observation that we are in the worst position at the 5 than we have been in a LONG time. JB HAS to let Edwards and JBA get some run... we can't get through another season with Marek at the 5 because we don't have Brissett this year at the 4, instead we have a much less physically imposing Gurrier at the 4.

I think the fast break and not being able to get by anyone will be resolved and I think sooner rather than later Girard is inserted into the starting line up at the 1 and Carey goes to the bench. The main question I have is whether JB will give Edwards/JBA a chance or whether we will be automatically handicapped by playing Marek at the 5.

good post. I still maintain two things. Rebounding will be our biggest weakness. And Goodine will eventually be our best all around PG.

 

[hoopsupstate]

The biggest problem with this team is that it has ZERO physicality. They will get pounded all season. It’s really sad that this coaching staff can’t recruit a single post player who can score.

 

[HSPORANGE]

Ahh one game against the defending champs and yes the offense was horrific. Plenty of times to get things right. Biggest surprises for me was that Braswell did not get any run and how badly we were outrebounded. I liked the little I saw of Edwards off the bench. Very active. I get that people come here to vent after a loss but there are some seriously over the top people on here after a loss.

 

[OrangeFoo]

good post. I still maintain two things. Rebounding will be our biggest weakness. And Goodine will eventually be our best all around PG.

That's fair and I have no way of saying whether that will or will not happen. My observation of Goodine is that he's closer to being a redshirt candidate than he is to getting any serious run THIS year. Is he one for the future? I'm fascinated to see how the dynamic around Girard plays out... he seems to be an ultra-confident guy and at least right now when he's on the court the ball is in his hands for better or for worse. If Goodine is truly a better PG, will Girard give up the ball? Right now this isn't really a problem because I don't see anyone with close to Girard's ability to bring the ball up against pressure outside of Buddy and Hughes.

Agree on rebounding... not sure what the answer is there. Typically we have a 4 who is willing to do the dirty work and that just does not exist this year. I'm really worried that Hughes is going to get injured fighting for rebounds as he likes to mix it up... but we can't afford to have him hurt. My natural inclination is if you can't rebound well then you can't afford to get caught in half court grinders... you need to compensate by not letting teams get into their half court sets because once they do they are going to get two or three bites at the apple. But we seem to have that awesome combo of less physical guys who are also slower and less athletic, so I'm not sure what the answer is. If we don't make the tournament rebounding will be the main reason why.

 

[OrangeFoo]

The biggest problem with this team is that it has ZERO physicality. They will get pounded all season. It’s really sad that this coaching staff can’t recruit a single post player who can score.

You don't need to have a post player who can score to be physical.. see McNiel, Jeremy. The problem. with our rebounding isn't the 5, its the 4. Typically our "good:" rebounding teams have a solid rebounder at the 4 and this team is completely missing that between Guerrier and Marek. The problem only gets worse when Marek slides to the 5.

I will say the softness our interior D is all on the 5 however... I think we all need to hope that Sidibe wakes up or is replaced. His D on a guy he is more athletic than was pathetic.

 

[NineOneSeven]

Ahh one game against the defending champs and yes the offense was horrific. Plenty of times to get things right. Biggest surprises for me was that Braswell did not get any run and how badly we were outrebounded. I liked the little I saw of Edwards off the bench. Very active. I get that people come here to vent after a loss but there are some seriously over the top people on here after a loss.

I don’t care if they were playing the 85 Chicago Bears. 34 points is absolutely ridiculous regardless how good the opponent is (and they lost their 3 best players!).

 

[Trueblue25]

Need our guards to crash the boards, unfortunately I think that’s discouraged in the zone because it leaves the perimeter kickout wide open. I think Carey and Goodine have the athleticism to average 3 or 4 a game each which would help us immensely.

 

[Cuse House]

I don’t care if they were playing the 85 Chicago Bears. 34 points is absolutely ridiculous regardless how good the opponent is (and they lost their 3 best players!).

While I don’t disagree with what you said, I also think this was a product of young guards who are still unsure of themselves. In order to beat Virginia you have to get past their ball pressure. We were unable to do that in any capacity. I’m interested to see how JG3 and Goodine develop. I don’t think Carey will be the answer.

 

[Gabjon]

Center is the hardest transition from high school to college. I think both of the freshmen will be better than Sidibe by their Junior year, I doubt they will be ACC ready this year though. Guerrier is not ready either I question how much high level organized basketball he has played he looks like a guy played a lot of pick up ball, but doesn't when to cut or space out in a organized game.

I re-watched the game yesterday and can't stress how much our front-line was out played.

 

[81South]

Agreed. Get back to fundamentals...passing and moving off the ball. This will improve things dramatically.

 

[HSPORANGE]

I don’t care if they were playing the 85 Chicago Bears. 34 points is absolutely ridiculous regardless how good the opponent is (and they lost their 3 best players!).

Its one game and they did hold UVA to 48. I'm not ready to write off the season after 1 historically bad offensive performance.

 

[GooseMutt]

I am already burnt. Our constant failures are redundant. I want to be positive but I find myself kidding myself each year. Our program is not top tier anymore and I’m now willing to accept it. It makes no sense to me. I remain Orange but acknowledge the decline and don’t want to play the program but it’s the only constant.

 

[Brooky03]

I’m out of hope. Faith, too.

Just waiting to die an unsatisfied sports fan, at this point. Unfortunately, I’ve got like 40-50 years of waiting ahead of me.