(01-15-2022 09:44 AM)PojoaquePosse Wrote:  

(01-15-2022 09:04 AM)Outsider Wrote:  

(01-15-2022 03:45 AM)NMSUPistolPete Wrote:  

(01-14-2022 10:32 PM)DZ1 Wrote:  

(01-14-2022 08:18 PM)Outsider Wrote:  I definitely don't see us returning. We have always been outsized, but lately we are getting outhustled and outcoached. That is unlike us. Hopefully we just end up with a decent season. One of the key guys that could have helped us out in the paint last night was out for COVID. That's not why we lost though. GCU planned and executed well and showed they deserve the chance to return.

Yesterday was by far GCU's best game. Everyone was hitting their shots which is not normal. We shall see if GCU can replicate that on Saturday against Tarleton in front of a national audience.

Living in Arizona. So, I have probably seen more Lopes games than Aggie games in recent years. Thursday, I watched to GCU game during the commercials of the Aggie game. And, from what I saw, the ACU game was the Lopes best performance as a team this season. McGlothan and Cherry were making the presence felt. And, Stone probably had his best game as a Lope since he was first signed a year ago. NMSU has as much talent as GCU, maybe more. But with GCU essentially playing two point guards in their starting lineup (Blacksher and Woods), GCU's offense appears to be more fluid than NMSU's; when Blacksher and Woods teammates are making shot. Blacksher and Woods create a lot of pick and rolls and off the ball cuts for their bigs with their dribble penetration. On the other hand, NMSU scores more points on average than GCU but it is done more through one-on-one isolations and perimeter ball rotation for the open look. But I will say, besides Montre Gipson's occasional scoring bursts, NMSU might have played their best team defense of the season on Thursday. The help defense by our big men was good.

My issue is that's 3 teams in a row that were hitting their shots like no other night. Who was the common opponent? How does one of the nation's top defenses have such luck happen to them 3 games in a row? Our fans think it was just an "off night" each time. The other teams were just "bigger/faster" than us. They were just "shooting well". To some degree that is true, but to at least an equal degree, allowing such great shooting on the opponent's part is on us. Why would that pattern stop with NMSU?

Maybe you are not one of the nation’s top defenses after all.