Settle the @$#% down, please.

[GopherBlood777]

Battle will have his degree, so he can grad transfer I'm thinking if Garcia leaves it'll be to get a pro contract somewhere. Also we're in an era where kids are on their 4th and 5th school, they'll figure out away to get eligible as the NCAA has lost their backbone. Ultimately I just don't think there's away we can play winning basketball with both Battle and Garcia in roles that they're going to be happy with. Battle can't guard on the perimeter, Garcia feet are too slow to guard anything that isn't a five and he's too soft to guard fives. A line up with both of them in it is a defensive liability. Of course other guys could leave and they could both be here and we can be a dangerous offensive team if both are playing well, but it just doesn't work defensively

Good point on the grad transfer aspect, that completely alluded me.

 

[leib0039]

Violent agreement. I care less about wins and losses right now, as long as some underlying metrics are improving a la Rutgers and defense. That’s what building a foundation looks like.

I will never remember this ha so leave it up to someone else but just to lay down a marker on this as of 12/13/22. Beware, some of these are UGLY and we really have nowhere to go but up.

Offense
301st Off eff
358th FT%
309th 3pt%
258th 2pt%
161st TO/Ast ratio

Defense
280th in total reb %
187th in def reb%
88th in block %
339th in steal%
187th in def eff

 

[Holy Man]

I see all of this talk about things being different with quick turnarounds due to the portal, etc. etc. etc. I get it... we all want a winner and we want it now. The fact of the matter is that there are 350+ D-1 basketball teams out there including 65 Power 5 schools. Every single program is trying their hardest to win games but there is only one winner for each game over the course of a season.

Of the 65 Power 5 schools, this means that only 33 are likely to have winning records in conference in any given year. There are at least 15 teams across the Power 5 conferences who are always going to be at the top due to their historical success. That leaves the other 50 teams to jockey around trying to be one of the only 18 remaining teams to gain a winning conference record. Yes... you read that right. Only about 36% of your average Power 5 teams can have a winning record in their conference.

Many here seem to think that it should be expected that the Gophers should be a year-in/year-out winner. The fact is that we are likely never going to break into the top 15 Power 5 programs. We will almost certainly always be scrapping and fighting each year to win ALONG WITH 49 OTHER PROGRAMS who are trying just as hard.

We can all hope that someday we can maybe climb into the top half of the "Other 50" programs and have more good years followed by some down years. We've taken a risk with an unproven coach on a whole-scale tear down remodel of the bones of this program to hopefully build the program back up versus doing a bunch of cosmetic patching by recycling coach after coach.

After a few years, we'll see whether we are building something worthwhile. If so, we will all celebrate. If not, we will start over and try again... ALONG WITH ALL OF THE OTHER 49 PROGRAMS that keep trying right alongside us.

We are stuck with this coaching staff this year. We are stuck with these players this year. We are NOT going to be in the tournament this year. NOTHING is happening this year!

Many of you want to eat a chocolate cake today but the team is still mixing the batter. They will likely have to fish some eggshells out of the batter but hopefully we can get this thing in the oven soon. The journey is often wraught with challenges but it makes success all the sweeter. Enjoy the journey or you will risk missing out on the bulk of your life.

I’m not enjoying this journey.

 

[Go Gophs]

I see all of this talk about things being different with quick turnarounds due to the portal, etc. etc. etc. I get it... we all want a winner and we want it now. The fact of the matter is that there are 350+ D-1 basketball teams out there including 65 Power 5 schools. Every single program is trying their hardest to win games but there is only one winner for each game over the course of a season.

Of the 65 Power 5 schools, this means that only 33 are likely to have winning records in conference in any given year. There are at least 15 teams across the Power 5 conferences who are always going to be at the top due to their historical success. That leaves the other 50 teams to jockey around trying to be one of the only 18 remaining teams to gain a winning conference record. Yes... you read that right. Only about 36% of your average Power 5 teams can have a winning record in their conference.

Many here seem to think that it should be expected that the Gophers should be a year-in/year-out winner. The fact is that we are likely never going to break into the top 15 Power 5 programs. We will almost certainly always be scrapping and fighting each year to win ALONG WITH 49 OTHER PROGRAMS who are trying just as hard.

We can all hope that someday we can maybe climb into the top half of the "Other 50" programs and have more good years followed by some down years. We've taken a risk with an unproven coach on a whole-scale tear down remodel of the bones of this program to hopefully build the program back up versus doing a bunch of cosmetic patching by recycling coach after coach.

After a few years, we'll see whether we are building something worthwhile. If so, we will all celebrate. If not, we will start over and try again... ALONG WITH ALL OF THE OTHER 49 PROGRAMS that keep trying right alongside us.

We are stuck with this coaching staff this year. We are stuck with these players this year. We are NOT going to be in the tournament this year. NOTHING is happening this year!

Many of you want to eat a chocolate cake today but the team is still mixing the batter. They will likely have to fish some eggshells out of the batter but hopefully we can get this thing in the oven soon. The journey is often wraught with challenges but it makes success all the sweeter. Enjoy the journey or you will risk missing out on the bulk of your life.

That kind of seems like a give up attitude or a concession that Gopher basketball just doesn't have a chance.

Also, all I want is a tenure like Clem had. That to me, was as good as can be expected around here. Currently, we are not close to it. The barn is dead, no one watches the team on TV, no local recruits want to come here. DEAD.

It is going to take winning with less talented players for this to ever turn around. To do that you need an identity.

 

[GopherBlood777]

I see all of this talk about things being different with quick turnarounds due to the portal, etc. etc. etc. I get it... we all want a winner and we want it now. The fact of the matter is that there are 350+ D-1 basketball teams out there including 65 Power 5 schools. Every single program is trying their hardest to win games but there is only one winner for each game over the course of a season.

Of the 65 Power 5 schools, this means that only 33 are likely to have winning records in conference in any given year. There are at least 15 teams across the Power 5 conferences who are always going to be at the top due to their historical success. That leaves the other 50 teams to jockey around trying to be one of the only 18 remaining teams to gain a winning conference record. Yes... you read that right. Only about 36% of your average Power 5 teams can have a winning record in their conference.

Many here seem to think that it should be expected that the Gophers should be a year-in/year-out winner. The fact is that we are likely never going to break into the top 15 Power 5 programs. We will almost certainly always be scrapping and fighting each year to win ALONG WITH 49 OTHER PROGRAMS who are trying just as hard.

We can all hope that someday we can maybe climb into the top half of the "Other 50" programs and have more good years followed by some down years. We've taken a risk with an unproven coach on a whole-scale tear down remodel of the bones of this program to hopefully build the program back up versus doing a bunch of cosmetic patching by recycling coach after coach.

After a few years, we'll see whether we are building something worthwhile. If so, we will all celebrate. If not, we will start over and try again... ALONG WITH ALL OF THE OTHER 49 PROGRAMS that keep trying right alongside us.

We are stuck with this coaching staff this year. We are stuck with these players this year. We are NOT going to be in the tournament this year. NOTHING is happening this year!

Many of you want to eat a chocolate cake today but the team is still mixing the batter. They will likely have to fish some eggshells out of the batter but hopefully we can get this thing in the oven soon. The journey is often wraught with challenges but it makes success all the sweeter. Enjoy the journey or you will risk missing out on the bulk of your life.

Most people aren't even upset up with the actual win/loss column. There is no discernable identity on offense or defense which is causing concern. It's year 2 and there should be a clear system in place even if it is not translating to wins at this stage. You are missing the point many have already made and jumping the gun to accuse others of wanting chocolate cake. We don't even know the recipe at this point to continue with your analogy.

 

[Wet_Blanket_Guy]

I doubt both Battle and Garcia will be here, especially if Fox, and Ihnen are here and healthy and Evans coming in. They just don't fit well together, too many guys for two spots, plus someone will need to go (shouldn't be a problem in this era) if we are to bring in a transfer guard along with Christie to have more competitive options in the back court

Garcia and Battle are far superior to Fox and Ihnen…stop thinking otherwise…and that’s not saying a lot BTW

 

[Dupreefor3]

Garcia and Battle are far superior to Fox and Ihnen…stop thinking otherwise…and that’s not saying a lot BTW

I didn't say they were, so your reading comprehension is off. Talking about fit not ability, try to keep up buddy. Battle and Garcia are not going to be able to co exist on a winning team unless one of them is willing to take a cut in minutes, and we both know the answer to that question. I won't repeat my reasoning since it's already in a post you either didn't read or didn't understand

 

[Wet_Blanket_Guy]

I didn't say they were, so your reading comprehension is off. Talking about fit not ability, try to keep up buddy. Battle and Garcia are not going to be able to co exist on a winning team unless one of them is willing to take a cut in minutes, and we both know the answer to that question. I won't repeat my reasoning since it's already in a post you either didn't read or didn't understand

My comment gets at Garcia and battle should not have their minutes cut for ihnen and fox. Which is part of your comment.

Maybe cut battle’s minutes for JOJ and cut garcia’s minutes for Payne (as evans will be C).

 

[Ewert86PC]

All I know is that I'm not going to watch much Gopher BB this season. You can argue about the why's and wherefores about this teams performance, but when I have watched games this season it has been embarrassing. That is enough for me. I don't want to feel bad about Gopher MBB. I'll find other things to do than watch this team play like U13 against the National Team.

 

[ecoperson]

I’m not enjoying this journey.

Time to find a new hobby. One of my most memorable hikes involved hiking through acres of invasive Himalayan blackberries overlooking the Columbia River in Oregon. Tore my shirt, tore my pants, tore my socks, tore the laces on my boots, had cuts all over my arms and legs... it was all worth it when I got to this amazing spot on a secluded beach on an unusually warm and sunny fall day several years ago.

 

[Holy Man]

Time to find a new hobby. One of my most memorable hikes involved hiking through acres of invasive Himalayan blackberries overlooking the Columbia River in Oregon. Tore my shirt, tore my pants, tore my socks, tore the laces on my boots, had cuts all over my arms and legs... it was all worth it when I got to this amazing spot on a secluded beach on an unusually warm and sunny fall day several years ago.

I’m familiar with the analogy and plenty of experiences. All of them, like yours, you knew the destination. We don’t know ours and have been on it since the late 90s.

 

[ecoperson]

Most people aren't even upset up with the actual win/loss column. There is no discernable identity on offense or defense which is causing concern. It's year 2 and there should be a clear system in place even if it is not translating to wins at this stage. You are missing the point many have already made and jumping the gun to accuse others of wanting chocolate cake. We don't even know the recipe at this point to continue with your analogy.

I seriously love the analogy! I guess I am not having as much of a problem seeing the system. I see it and I see the players are not able to currently execute it.

The 8 billion dollar question is does the coach scrap the system to coax out a few more wins or does he keep running the system as he has with the the hopes that the personnel eventually grow into and asp it?

If he does the former, he doesn't prepare the players for next year and goes through this all over again. If he does the latter, they may look bad at times but hopefully improve this season and beyond.

 

[BarnBurner]

I see all of this talk about things being different with quick turnarounds due to the portal, etc. etc. etc. I get it... we all want a winner and we want it now. The fact of the matter is that there are 350+ D-1 basketball teams out there including 65 Power 5 schools. Every single program is trying their hardest to win games but there is only one winner for each game over the course of a season.

Of the 65 Power 5 schools, this means that only 33 are likely to have winning records in conference in any given year. There are at least 15 teams across the Power 5 conferences who are always going to be at the top due to their historical success. That leaves the other 50 teams to jockey around trying to be one of the only 18 remaining teams to gain a winning conference record. Yes... you read that right. Only about 36% of your average Power 5 teams can have a winning record in their conference.

Many here seem to think that it should be expected that the Gophers should be a year-in/year-out winner. The fact is that we are likely never going to break into the top 15 Power 5 programs. We will almost certainly always be scrapping and fighting each year to win ALONG WITH 49 OTHER PROGRAMS who are trying just as hard.

We can all hope that someday we can maybe climb into the top half of the "Other 50" programs and have more good years followed by some down years. We've taken a risk with an unproven coach on a whole-scale tear down remodel of the bones of this program to hopefully build the program back up versus doing a bunch of cosmetic patching by recycling coach after coach.

After a few years, we'll see whether we are building something worthwhile. If so, we will all celebrate. If not, we will start over and try again... ALONG WITH ALL OF THE OTHER 49 PROGRAMS that keep trying right alongside us.

We are stuck with this coaching staff this year. We are stuck with these players this year. We are NOT going to be in the tournament this year. NOTHING is happening this year!

Many of you want to eat a chocolate cake today but the team is still mixing the batter. They will likely have to fish some eggshells out of the batter but hopefully we can get this thing in the oven soon. The journey is often wraught with challenges but it makes success all the sweeter. Enjoy the journey or you will risk missing out on the bulk of your life.

1. We all want a winner.
2. Most dont expect immediate success. Most are more than willing to have some level of patience - however, dont expect fans with many decades of fandom, season ticket purchases, donations, etc to sit back quietly and watch trash. Not going to happen. Especially after hiring two "green" head coaches back to back.
3. Most do expect improvement, relatively quickly.
4. MN too a flyer on a head coach that had no previous head coaching or lead assistant experience. After.......
5. MN hired a head coach in RP that had all of one year of head coaching experience.
6. MN administration is the real culprit. Horrid all around.
7. MN can be a top half Big 10 BB team. No question. Nice try at saying MN is relatgated to crap.

Your attempt to lecture is cute, just not effective.

 

[GopherBlood777]

I seriously love the analogy! I guess I am not having as much of a problem seeing the system. I see it and I see the players are not able to currently execute it.

The 8 billion dollar question is does the coach scrap the system to coax out a few more wins or does he keep running the system as he has with the the hopes that the personnel eventually grow into and asp it?

If he does the former, he doesn't prepare the players for next year and goes through this all over again. If he does the latter, they may look bad at times but hopefully improve this season and beyond.

So what is this team's identity, and why are they falling short? You seem to have all the answers so I think this would be a good opportunity to put everyone at ease.

 

[ecoperson]

I’m familiar with the analogy and plenty of experiences. All of them, like yours, you knew the destination. We don’t know ours and have been on it since the late 90s.

Excellent point. Many times we know our destination in life but many times we don't. We fuddle around and we look back in 70 years and remark on what a good life we've had.

Basketball is different in that we all want to win as the end goal. It is hard to be patient and enjoy the journey because we see others win now and wonder why we can't have that now as well.

Unfortunately, we just can't. 50% will lose in every team sport. This is not our year. It was clear as mud once I saw Battle and Carrington step onto the court a few times. I thought that the slop that I was seeing was due to their absence but it was not improved by their return.

Oddly, I would argue that Battle coming back at less than 100% has actually caused the team to take a step back. Battle is putting up forced shots in an effort to work his way back. He is not playing strong D. His teammates are deferring to him as the 'man' but he isn't up to the task.

We can only hope that each player digs deep and embraces the little things that will make a difference. An extra pass can often lead to someone who is more open.

 

[bga1]

That kind of seems like a give up attitude or a concession that Gopher basketball just doesn't have a chance.

Also, all I want is a tenure like Clem had. That to me, was as good as can be expected around here. Currently, we are not close to it. The barn is dead, no one watches the team on TV, no local recruits want to come here. DEAD.

It is going to take winning with less talented players for this to ever turn around. To do that you need an identity.

I have watched this progression over the course of my Gopher addiction:

Musselman wanted to win every game all the time- said there was no other choice other than winning

Dutcher was a good recruiter and told us to expect our program to compete for a Big Ten Championship once every four years

Clem told us that his fine young men would put on 20-30 pounds over time and they would grow up into fine young men and we would get to the NCAAs and win the Big Ten when they matured

Monson told us that we were on probation but in a few years we might compete to be in the upper half of the Big Ten

Tubby yearned to play .500 ball in the Big Ten

Pitino just wanted to keep his job

Now -I am told that we will just never compete because there are only 33 spots and they are all taken and we should be pretty darn happy to be fans.

 

[ecoperson]

So what is this team's identity, and why are they falling short? You seem to have all the answers so I think this would be a good opportunity to put everyone at ease.

I don't have all of the answers. I am not a coaching savant. I am willing to let the team grow.

Virginia Tech is now in the Top 25. Purdue is now ranked #1 in the country. Michigan is going to be better than people thought. Mississippi State is 9-0 and ranked in the top 20. These are hardly the 4 teams you want to play while you are trying to break out of a funk.

Many posters saw some glimmers of hope in each of these 4 games- signs that the team is starting to get it. Let's see how they do with 3 match-ups against some non Power 5 teams over the next 3 weeks. There will be ample time to practice with winter break.

Young teams sometimes need a few confidence boosters to get them believing in themselves. The games over the remainder of December will tell us a lot about the future of this team over the course of this year.

 

[Dupreefor3]

My comment gets at Garcia and battle should not have their minutes cut for ihnen and fox. Which is part of your comment.

Maybe cut battle’s minutes for JOJ and cut garcia’s minutes for Payne (as evans will be C).

Again that's not what I said, Fox and Ihnen can handle back up minutes, if healthy, but Garcia and Battle just don't fit together in an era where it's a Guard's game. If one goes, the guy that should take those minutes isn't currently on the roster. We need a PG that can guard the one spot, someone that could co exist with Cooper on the floor. Whoever emerges from Carrington/Christie/Henley can compete for minutes at the three spot with JOJ, and for back up guard minutes as well.

 

[formerlybis]

I will never remember this ha so leave it up to someone else but just to lay down a marker on this as of 12/13/22. Beware, some of these are UGLY and we really have nowhere to go but up.

Offense
301st Off eff
358th FT%
309th 3pt%
258th 2pt%
161st TO/Ast ratio

Defense
280th in total reb %
187th in def reb%
88th in block %
339th in steal%
187th in def eff

What is the source of these numbers? I ask because I usually use t-rank (https://www.barttorvik.com) and while the MN numbers are bad, they're slightly better than this (Offense 239, Defense 174).

 

[Bad Gopher]

1. We all want a winner.
2. Most dont expect immediate success. Most are more than willing to have some level of patience - however, dont expect fans with many decades of fandom, season ticket purchases, donations, etc to sit back quietly and watch trash. Not going to happen. Especially after hiring two "green" head coaches back to back.
3. Most do expect improvement, relatively quickly.
4. MN too a flyer on a head coach that had no previous head coaching or lead assistant experience. After.......
5. MN hired a head coach in RP that had all of one year of head coaching experience.
6. MN administration is the real culprit. Horrid all around.
7. MN can be a top half Big 10 BB team. No question. Nice try at saying MN is relatgated to crap.

Your attempt to lecture is cute, just not effective.

Very nice summary; thank you.

Even the folks here who are less patient: I don't hear anything I'd consider unreasonable or unrealistic, especially in comparison to other similar situations. I know I'm in broken-record mode, but Otzelberger went on an NCAA Tourney run in a first year of a ground-up rebuild; Smith has the Utes in good shape in year 2; Gates is 9-1 in his first year at Missouri with a KemPom of 60; Mississippi State returned only three players and is still 9-0 in Jans' first year; Penn State was fine in Shrewsbury's first year and is a top 50 team in this, his second season.

These successes are obviously attainable, so asking the questions that are being asked is the farthest thing from unreasonable, especially when our team is sitting here, a good six and a half points worse than the second-worst team in the conference. The good news is that the average standard deviation of college basketball games is about 9 points, so it's likely we won't go winless in the conference schedule. That, however, is not what you want to be saying about your team in consolation.

 

[Holy Man]

Excellent point. Many times we know our destination in life but many times we don't. We fuddle around and we look back in 70 years and remark on what a good life we've had.

Basketball is different in that we all want to win as the end goal. It is hard to be patient and enjoy the journey because we see others win now and wonder why we can't have that now as well.

Unfortunately, we just can't. 50% will lose in every team sport. This is not our year. It was clear as mud once I saw Battle and Carrington step onto the court a few times. I thought that the slop that I was seeing was due to their absence but it was not improved by their return.

Oddly, I would argue that Battle coming back at less than 100% has actually caused the team to take a step back. Battle is putting up forced shots in an effort to work his way back. He is not playing strong D. His teammates are deferring to him as the 'man' but he isn't up to the task.

We can only hope that each player digs deep and embraces the little things that will make a difference. An extra pass can often lead to someone who is more open.

Are you related to Jack Handy?

 

[leib0039]

What is the source of these numbers? I ask because I usually use t-rank (https://www.barttorvik.com) and while the MN numbers are bad, they're slightly better than this (Offense 239, Defense 174).

I went to https://www.teamrankings.com/ncb/ they just have a whole slug of stuff. I guess they could be not updated on one site or the other.

 

[Spaulding!No!]

I have watched this progression over the course of my Gopher addiction:

Musselman wanted to win every game all the time- said there was no other choice other than winning

Dutcher was a good recruiter and told us to expect our program to compete for a Big Ten Championship once every four years

Clem told us that his fine young men would put on 20-30 pounds over time and they would grow up into fine young men and we would get to the NCAAs and win the Big Ten when they matured

Monson told us that we were on probation but in a few years we might compete to be in the upper half of the Big Ten

Tubby yearned to play .500 ball in the Big Ten

Pitino just wanted to keep his job

Now -I am told that we will just never compete because there are only 33 spots and they are all taken and we should be pretty darn happy to be fans.

Yep. 3 coaches in a row who were simply cashing checks.

 

[GopherBlood777]

I don't have all of the answers. I am not a coaching savant. I am willing to let the team grow.

Virginia Tech is now in the Top 25. Purdue is now ranked #1 in the country. Michigan is going to be better than people thought. Mississippi State is 9-0 and ranked in the top 20. These are hardly the 4 teams you want to play while you are trying to break out of a funk.

Many posters saw some glimmers of hope in each of these 4 games- signs that the team is starting to get it. Let's see how they do with 3 match-ups against some non Power 5 teams over the next 3 weeks. There will be ample time to practice with winter break.

Young teams sometimes need a few confidence boosters to get them believing in themselves. The games over the remainder of December will tell us a lot about the future of this team over the course of this year.

"I guess I am not having as much of a problem seeing the system" - You in post #132

You made a definitive statement that you can't explain? Weird.

 

[formerlybis]

I went to https://www.teamrankings.com/ncb/ they just have a whole slug of stuff. I guess they could be not updated on one site or the other.

Unless I'm not seeing where the tempo-free stats are on the team rankings site, that looks like all the stats are per game. The tempo-free sites like t-rank and kenpom are better, IMO, and you'll see their predicted spreads on individual games are very close to what Vegas sets.

 

[leib0039]

Unless I'm not seeing where the tempo-free stats are on the team rankings site, that looks like all the stats are per game. The tempo-free sites like t-rank and kenpom are better, IMO, and you'll see their predicted spreads on individual games are very close to what Vegas sets.

I used only %'s so they are essentially tempo free yes. Off eff/def eff are points per 100 possessions, doesnt matter if you have 20 a game or 150. Same thing with reb%. Again, thats symantics, as long as you use the same base for the start and comparison i think its fine. If you use Torvik or Kenpom today and end of the year they should be the same, much like if i use team rankings.

 

[Wet_Blanket_Guy]

Again that's not what I said, Fox and Ihnen can handle back up minutes, if healthy, but Garcia and Battle just don't fit together in an era where it's a Guard's game. If one goes, the guy that should take those minutes isn't currently on the roster. We need a PG that can guard the one spot, someone that could co exist with Cooper on the floor. Whoever emerges from Carrington/Christie/Henley can compete for minutes at the three spot with JOJ, and for back up guard minutes as well.

Best roster next year: starter / backup
Transfer PG (ultra fast) / Cooper
SG: Cooper / Christie / Carrington
SF: Garcia/ JOJ (strong summer of shooting) / Battle / Christie
PF: Battle/ Payne Thompson
C: Evans (shotblocking) / Payne

Betts will have to fit in somewhere with limited minutes.

Henley is 2 years away from contributing.

Really two of these three need to move on:
Fox, ihnen, thompson

 

[Wet_Blanket_Guy]

I don't have all of the answers. I am not a coaching savant. I am willing to let the team grow.

Virginia Tech is now in the Top 25. Purdue is now ranked #1 in the country. Michigan is going to be better than people thought. Mississippi State is 9-0 and ranked in the top 20. These are hardly the 4 teams you want to play while you are trying to break out of a funk.

Many posters saw some glimmers of hope in each of these 4 games- signs that the team is starting to get it. Let's see how they do with 3 match-ups against some non Power 5 teams over the next 3 weeks. There will be ample time to practice with winter break.

Young teams sometimes need a few confidence boosters to get them believing in themselves. The games over the remainder of December will tell us a lot about the future of this team over the course of this year.

If the Gophers don't beat these teams by 10+ points each, CBJ should be fired.

The fact that you made this comment is sad "Let's see how they do with 3 match-ups against some non Power 5 teams over the next 3 weeks." - We are a big ten program, it's a joke that we are even scheduling these teams.

The teams for reference:
Arkansas Pine Bluff #354 KenPom
Chicago State #343 KenPom
ALcorn State #266 KenPom

 

[ecoperson]

"I guess I am not having as much of a problem seeing the system" - You in post #132

You made a definitive statement that you can't explain? Weird.

Are you wanting me to tell you what plays they are running? If that's what you mean by system, I can't do that. I see a variety of offensive sets. Again, I am no savant so can only paint in the broadest of brush strokes. Like many teams in the B1G, I have seen some motion, some flex, some pick and pop. As to specific nuances, that is for someone with a lot more knowledge of the game than me.

What I can see is what Johnson has shared in several interviews about his vision for the team. This is a team that is hard-nosed and competes until the final whistle. I can not remember a time where I have seen a player take a play off whether up 20 or down 20. They may be over-matched at times but they don't seem to be out-worked. Ola-Joseph guarding Edey was an example of a player giving his all for the team.

Johnson was very enthusiastic during the off-season when describing the length of this team. I think that he expected more points in transition as the players jumped passing lanes leading to easy baskets. Unfortunately, the team has struggled with missed assignments, reaching, and getting smeared out on screens.

 

[Wet_Blanket_Guy]

Are you wanting me to tell you what plays they are running? If that's what you mean by system, I can't do that. I see a variety of offensive sets. Again, I am no savant so can only paint in the broadest of brush strokes. Like many teams in the B1G, I have seen some motion, some flex, some pick and pop. As to specific nuances, that is for someone with a lot more knowledge of the game than me.

What I can see is what Johnson has shared in several interviews about his vision for the team. This is a team that is hard-nosed and competes until the final whistle. I can not remember a time where I have seen a player take a play off whether up 20 or down 20. They may be over-matched at times but they don't seem to be out-worked. Ola-Joseph guarding Edey was an example of a player giving his all for the team.

Johnson was very enthusiastic during the off-season when describing the length of this team. I think that he expected more points in transition as the players jumped passing lanes leading to easy baskets. Unfortunately, the team has struggled with missed assignments, reaching, and getting smeared out on screens.

So his vision is gritty...ah the canned political equivalent of reducing crime.

As far as transition points...they are only ranked 345th in the country in fastbreak points (averaging 4.44 pts a game and a whopping 40 total on the season).