This team is historically awful on offense...

[A Clockwork Orange]

I thought this team had the ability to be a solid offensive team. Good shooting and high basketball IQ led me to think they could really gel together and be a fun team to watch. Unfortunately when you have ZERO post presence and absolutely no one on the team that can effectively and consistently drive to the hoop you have a recipe for disaster.

For the first time ever, I actually turned the game off with about 5 minutes to go. It was that painful for me.

We have good shooters, I have no doubt about that. And good shooters certainly are a big component for a good team. Unfortunately, all our players can do is shoot. The word is out.
1) Press up and overplay on screens.
2) Don't give space to shooters.
3) Slack off on Sidibe down low for extra help in case someone gets by their guy (which rarely happens).

Teams have decided that they're okay letting the big guy beat them. Because they know they can't. Defenders are in our player's shorts, and unfortunately not one of them can easily drive by an even adequate man defender.

This is part of the reason you see Marek initiating offense and essentially playing a point forward role. And even that he is ill-suited to because he is not great off the bounce either.

I watched Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer the other night with my kids. It struck me that our team is like the Island of Misfit Toys. We have a lot of 'toys' that can't be used for what they were meant for because there are fatal flaws. The main flaw for this team is the lack of ability to drive the ball. God, what I would give for Tyus to be back on this team.

Unfortunately, this team will live and mostly die by how they shoot from the outside. More often than not (unless SU can get a solid post presence or Guerrier and Goodine learn to drive the ball consistently well) they will lose because of the gigantic deficiencies. I can't believe I'm about to say this, but I see this team playing in the very first round of the ACC Tournament and even struggling to get to .500 total on the season.

It's going to be a long year and I'm not sure the pieces are there long term for things to get better. You need talented athletes who can drive the hoop and pass or take it to the rim. It doesn't look like there is a player in next year's class that will fit that bill. Coach has given so much to the area and the university over the better part of 50 years. It's really depressing knowing his swan song (retirement after Buddy graduates) may end up leaving people with a bitter taste in their mouth and a real feeling that perhaps he should have left a couple of years earlier than he decided to.

 

[NineOneSeven]

Even having tyus wouldn’t have mattered too much, honestly.

 

[BludOrange]

They need to get out and run. This is not a team that is suited to slug it out in a half court game all game long. Push at every opportunity, even on made baskets by our opponent. Back to the runnin' days of the late 80's and early 90's. Utilize our youth and slender frames to wear down the opposing big boys and their starters. Press often and sub often. Can still be strategic with subbing, take Hughes and others out when there is a foul a minute before a tv timeout. Or just sub them out here and there for a minute or two. But run and create some flow of some sorts as the half court offense with no post presence and only two plays is not working. Can take advantage of the unpredictably in playing fast and defenders not being sure of what to do. Need to run and get them on their heels instead of them coming forward and being able to body us up and put their hands all over us. Need to play going downhill and not alow that to happen, they try to body up when coming at them, it usually will result in a foul, as the disruption of the forward moving player is more pronounced when playing fast.

Even our D is struggling in the half court game. I think a lot of that os the new 3 point line amd more kids being capable from bombing from deep and hitting. Hard to guard that bigger spacing for 30 full seconds on the zone. Sooner or later, they most likely will create an open shot if you pack it in or have to extend even further than years past. The inexperience all around and the smaller and slower guards also make it tough to cover that much more ground.