Why we should "bench" Southerland-hear me out

[orangefan13]

if I was Crean I would have Olidipo harass MCW.

We would just run a Keita/Rak screen and roll and would neutralize that.

 

[jdubs30]

if I was Crean I would have Olidipo harass MCW.

If Oladipo isn't on MCW then Crean f'ed up big time. But this where our advantage lies

VO on MCW to start the game= Hulls or Ferrell on Southerland
Sheehey at the 3, VO at the 2 so they can better handle our size= 1 less ball handler for IU

Triche is the x-factor here. He'll have Ferrell or Hulls on him exclusively he HAS to play big tonight; drive, post up, etc.

 

[anomander]

If Oladipo isn't on MCW then Crean f'ed up big time. But this where our advantage lies

VO on MCW to start the game= Hulls or Ferrell on Southerland
Sheehey at the 3, VO at the 2 so they can better handle our size= 1 less ball handler for IU

Triche is the x-factor here. He'll have Ferrell or Hulls on him exclusively he HAS to play big tonight; drive, post up, etc.

that is my exact assessment. This game shapes up for Triche big time. IU is the one with the match up problem. Triche absolutely will have to exploit his advantage. Triche is arguably the most physical guard in the country when he wants to be. IF, and it's a big IF, Triche decides to attack the hope Ferrell won't stand a chance. We just need good Brandon to show up 1 more time.

 

[senorpalmer]

You could argue that any starter cannot afford foul trouble (excluding the center spot). But lets face it, the core 4 are all gonna need to play big minutes from here on out. No deviating from the game plan this late in the year, gotta hit the opposition in the mouth with the best they have and what got the team this far. And should JS get in foul trouble, I for one have confidence in Grant to at least hold his own out there.

 

[jekelish]

We would just run a Keita/Rak screen and roll and would neutralize that.

Since when has running a pick and roll with either Keita or Rak been deemed a good thing?

 

[orangepassion]

No one's saying Southerland doesn't need to play big minutes-The point is whether bringing him off the bench for a few minutes keeps him out of foul trouble and psychologically helps the team in the 2nd half.

 

[sufandu]

I say still start JS but sit him for 5 minutes if he picks up a quick foul, and if he gets two in the first half, sit him for the rest of the half. If he gets to three early in the second half, sit him for 5 minutes again and keep subbing in and out to try and keep him at three until 6-7 minutes to go. This is all assuming the game stays close or we have the lead while he's out.

 

[Sgt Cuse]

I, too, would have preferred it. Would give the spark off the bench and really reduced/almost eliminated foul problems. It would have made it easier for JB to give time to his sub Grant. Now it will be difficult to get Grant time. He's going to be used as a foul related player, and that is his role now.

But that ship has sailed. I don't see shaking things up now. On that boat is also DC2. Similar to Dirty, if DC2 could see first half minutes, the bigs foul situation would be solved. Let's hope they both see time and do well in the first half.

 

[orange79]

Since when has running a pick and roll with either Keita or Rak been deemed a good thing?

Well, it did work once.

 

[SUbear]

Well, it did work once.

None of this matters this game will be won or lost by whether Triche is the good or bad Triche. If Triche scores fifteen and does not turn the ball we win. If he does poorly we will have a tough time winning this game.

 

[HarrisonJBounel]

None of this matters this game will be won or lost by whether Triche is the good or bad Triche. If Triche scores fifteen and does not turn the ball we win. If he does poorly we will have a tough time winning this game.

Much the same could be said of our all key players - if we play well, like the first half of each of Pitt, GT, and UL, and put together two good halfs - we win. Get good shots, don't turn it over, stay out of foul trouble, play solid D, minimize their offensive rebounds - we win. If we play our game to our strengths, and play with confidence - we win.

If we play like that, we can beat anybody in this tournament, including Indiana, including Duke, including Louisville.

 

[SWC75]

I like the idea of the opposition's best defender guarding a guy 30 feet from the basket. I sure hype Crean puts Oladipo on Southerland.

 

[FreakTalksAboutSU]

Foul trouble is clearly a concern, but my bigger concern is freeing him up. There are stretches where he gets completely blanketed for long stretches and we have virtually no outside presence. These often correlate with the stretches where we just stagnate.

Dream scenario for me is Cooney makes 1 or 2 early, and can get just enough playing time that at least some of the perimeter attention is drawn off of JS.

 

[moqui]

I'm not trying to be a cynical smart ass, but clearly JB does need our advice.

This team did not develop the way any of us envisioned it: MCW has not yet become the flawless floor leader; Triche has never become the solid, consistent leader; Dirty never became the versatile player his physical skills hinted at; Fair is easily taken out of his game by good teams at crunch time; Rak never became the formidable power forward; DC2 has not become the go-to low post player.


And yet, somehow, JB has taken them to the BE tournament finals and into the 4th Sweet 16 in 5 years (something we have never before accomplished, by the way). He knows the players, their strengths, their weaknesses, better than any of us, and he is the guy who has figured out the combinations that have gotten them to this moment.

If the Orange lose, he is going to come in for the usual round of criticism and the usual crowd will call for him to step down. So let me say now - he is the chess master who played these flawed pieces and constructed two deep post-season runs that few anticipated just 2 1/2 weeks ago. I'll roll with his judgement over anyone else.

 

[Czar]

I'm not trying to be a cynical smart ass, but clearly JB does need our advice.

This team did not develop the way any of us envisioned it: MCW has not yet become the flawless floor leader; Triche has never become the solid, consistent leader; Dirty never became the versatile player his physical skills hinted at; Fair is easily taken out of his game by good teams at crunch time; Rak never became the formidable power forward; DC2 has not become the go-to low post player.


And yet, somehow, JB has taken them to the BE tournament finals and into the 4th Sweet 16 in 5 years (something we have never before accomplished, by the way). He knows the players, their strengths, their weaknesses, better than any of us, and he is the guy who has figured out the combinations that have gotten them to this moment.

If the Orange lose, he is going to come in for the usual round of criticism and the usual crowd will call for him to step down. So let me say now - he is the chess master who played these flawed pieces and constructed two deep post-season runs that few anticipated just 2 1/2 weeks ago. I'll roll with his judgement over anyone else.

We should applaud Jim for not fixing the pieces? For sake Triche isn't a finished project after starting every ing game of four years.

 

[orange79]

None of this matters this game will be won or lost by whether Triche is the good or bad Triche. If Triche scores fifteen and does not turn the ball we win. If he does poorly we will have a tough time winning this game.

I should have used the sarcasm font.

 

[moqui]

We should applaud Jim for not fixing the pieces? For sake Triche isn't a finished project after starting every game of four years.

or, simply accept the fact that he is a finished project, and it was our expectations that were incorrect

 

[Czar]

or, simply accept the fact that he is a finished project, and it was our expectations that were incorrect

Triche turned in his worse statistical year in his senior season. That's not failing expectations, that's just failing.

 

[SWC75]

I'm not trying to be a cynical smart ass, but clearly JB does need our advice.

This team did not develop the way any of us envisioned it: MCW has not yet become the flawless floor leader; Triche has never become the solid, consistent leader; Dirty never became the versatile player his physical skills hinted at; Fair is easily taken out of his game by good teams at crunch time; Rak never became the formidable power forward; DC2 has not become the go-to low post player.


And yet, somehow, JB has taken them to the BE tournament finals and into the 4th Sweet 16 in 5 years (something we have never before accomplished, by the way). He knows the players, their strengths, their weaknesses, better than any of us, and he is the guy who has figured out the combinations that have gotten them to this moment.

If the Orange lose, he is going to come in for the usual round of criticism and the usual crowd will call for him to step down. So let me say now - he is the chess master who played these flawed pieces and constructed two deep post-season runs that few anticipated just 2 1/2 weeks ago. I'll roll with his judgement over anyone else.

Every college basketball team is a jigsaw puzzle without all the pieces. All a coach can do is put them together as best he can. The players have to take it from there.