Virginia Gameday...

[BBCuse]

The irony

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[ForCuseSake]

This one is tough! If your bringing in Anderson for one ACC game, it stands to reason that he would play against the rest of the conference. If the coaches want more physicality and size, no one else on the roster matches up with what Anderson brings. But Thomson is a good player, and he fits in with the rest of the offense so well. Perhaps, whatever he lacks in brute strength, he can make up for in shooting accuracy and
smarts. Anderson hasn't looked comfertble as a middie so far this year, which complicates things.

I don't see them splitting up the first line midfield, they've played together all season and have seen a ton of time. Perhaps you could replace Rhoa with Thomson, since English and Leo are familiar with Thomson from playing on the same line last year, but I don't know. Rhoa would go from getting a shorty as a 1 to getting poled as a 2. Could Hottle/McCarthy exploit that? As much as Rhoa could as a 1?

I'm not sure what the coaches will do (I did not see them starting Anderson coming, at all). I would guess that Thomson gets his old spot back, with Anderson being a "break in glass in case of emergency" contingency" and the second line stays together, despite their struggles. Either way, having lots of good players is a good problem to have. Hopefully it's making game planning for SU that much more difficult.

I love the ball movement offense. When all 6 guys are focused the system piles up goals.

But when they get in a funk, as they too frequently have for a full quarter or more, I want one guy out there who has the size and athleticism to take it to cage.

I generally lean toward talent over system fit. As you said, great “problem” to have deciding between Thomson, Deere & Anderson.

My concern is Gary has been very slow to change offensive personnel in game. And I don’t get that at all - you have capable options, make some subs and see what works!

 

[kismet35]

This one is tough! If your bringing in Anderson for one ACC game, it stands to reason that he would play against the rest of the conference. If the coaches want more physicality and size, no one else on the roster matches up with what Anderson brings. But Thomson is a good player, and he fits in with the rest of the offense so well. Perhaps, whatever he lacks in brute strength, he can make up for in shooting accuracy and
smarts. Anderson hasn't looked comfertble as a middie so far this year, which complicates things.

I don't see them splitting up the first line midfield, they've played together all season and have seen a ton of time. Perhaps you could replace Rhoa with Thomson, since English and Leo are familiar with Thomson from playing on the same line last year, but I don't know. Rhoa would go from getting a shorty as a 1 to getting poled as a 2. Could Hottle/McCarthy exploit that? As much as Rhoa could as a 1?

I'm not sure what the coaches will do (I did not see them starting Anderson coming, at all). I would guess that Thomson gets his old spot back, with Anderson being a "break in glass in case of emergency" contingency" and the second line stays together, despite their struggles. Either way, having lots of good players is a good problem to have. Hopefully it's making game planning for SU that much more difficult.

I bet it was a tough decision for the coaches to start Anderson (more on that later). Joey and Trey have great chemistry (even though a few of Trey’s goals didn’t drop when they should have), and you can clearly see it in their body language. After a play, I always tend to watch the players' body language—how they celebrate and interact after a goal. You can tell a lot from that... Joey and Trey act like good friends playing ball in the backyard—it’s evident in their celebrations and how they acknowledge each other after a goal. Tim Leonard breaks it down perfectly... The D of Virginia is tall and lanky, so they probably would’ve put a shorty on Trey (like last year with Mule)... but having Anderson in there forces them to respect the power he brings. You do have to wonder about the chemistry moving forward... seems like Trey is a well-liked teammate. Not bashing anyone here, but I assume Anderson has a big personality (I think that comes with the territory)... It will definitely be interesting to see how things unfold. Anderson did look really comfortable driving and diving into pressure—good call by the coaches. Go Orange!