Apart from Rodney's moment of brilliance, that was an ugly win last night. I was actually more dispirited at times during that game than the Virginia game. At least Virginia's offensive efficiency was stunning. Cornell never looked that impressive. We just looked sloppy. Here are my observations.
- Obviously, we need to shoot free throws better. People have disagreed with me on Trevor's balance and low post scoring, but after watching last night, it's even more obvious that his only plan is to get fouled. All he ever does is a power move to the basket while throwing it up. If he's going to do that, he absolutely must make free throws.
- Colt and Ralph, and especially Ralph, can be very, very frustrating. Seriously, how hard is it to box out? Tubby needs to be screaming at Ralph every time that he doesn't box out, which is every time. Way too many offensive boards late because Ralph was standing under the rim looking up with his arms at his sides.
- The Freshman were exceptional. They brought a spark, Mo played huge, and is probably our best post finisher around the rim (seriously, think about it). Chip once again aggressively got to the basket and finished. Mav impressed me by playing calmly and getting the offense going. He still has no offense, and his d is suspect, but he managed the team well. Plus, the freshmen were running all over the place, playing aggressively, and they actually got out and ran a couple times.
- Devoe needs a lot of time. He had two nice jumpers that were reminiscent of last year, but other than that, he tends to dribble too much, and not rotate the ball quickly enough. He's obviously better off at 2.
- That was one of the worst games I've seen Blake play. Turnovers, open misses, missed free throws, etc. Plus, if you notice, he's usually the one late on people shooting open threes. He really struggles getting around screens. However, he still found a way to contribute. He's a great leader, even when playing poorly.
- I really love watching Rodney play. He does help on his perimeter D. Plus, I like seeing him take it to the basket (and hit his free throws, as I recall). He's obviously still limping though. That's probably why his jump shot was off last night.
- And one final thing. I never criticize this coaching staff. Tubby's way smarter than me. But can somebody explain to me why, against a team that ONLY made threes all night, we would ever switch to a 2-3 zone? Immediately after doing so, they had two or three wide open threes. I didn't like that call.
- Obviously, we need to shoot free throws better. People have disagreed with me on Trevor's balance and low post scoring, but after watching last night, it's even more obvious that his only plan is to get fouled. All he ever does is a power move to the basket while throwing it up. If he's going to do that, he absolutely must make free throws.
- Colt and Ralph, and especially Ralph, can be very, very frustrating. Seriously, how hard is it to box out? Tubby needs to be screaming at Ralph every time that he doesn't box out, which is every time. Way too many offensive boards late because Ralph was standing under the rim looking up with his arms at his sides.
- The Freshman were exceptional. They brought a spark, Mo played huge, and is probably our best post finisher around the rim (seriously, think about it). Chip once again aggressively got to the basket and finished. Mav impressed me by playing calmly and getting the offense going. He still has no offense, and his d is suspect, but he managed the team well. Plus, the freshmen were running all over the place, playing aggressively, and they actually got out and ran a couple times.
- Devoe needs a lot of time. He had two nice jumpers that were reminiscent of last year, but other than that, he tends to dribble too much, and not rotate the ball quickly enough. He's obviously better off at 2.
- That was one of the worst games I've seen Blake play. Turnovers, open misses, missed free throws, etc. Plus, if you notice, he's usually the one late on people shooting open threes. He really struggles getting around screens. However, he still found a way to contribute. He's a great leader, even when playing poorly.
- I really love watching Rodney play. He does help on his perimeter D. Plus, I like seeing him take it to the basket (and hit his free throws, as I recall). He's obviously still limping though. That's probably why his jump shot was off last night.
- And one final thing. I never criticize this coaching staff. Tubby's way smarter than me. But can somebody explain to me why, against a team that ONLY made threes all night, we would ever switch to a 2-3 zone? Immediately after doing so, they had two or three wide open threes. I didn't like that call.
