RE: Game 26, Elon
I posted the following in the "MBB Disappointment " thread on January 14. I thought it would be instructive to revisit now.
This team has been somewhat frustrating because there is considerable talent and that talent has not been maximized as reflected in the win-loss record. The reasons for this are numerous (No particular order):
1) We have barley played a game this season when everyone was healthy and in game shape We are probably the healthiest we've been all season. Trending up.
2) Rowley's has yet to find his 3-pt stroke. Rowley is still struggling offensively. He buried a couple 3s at NU, but did not follow it up. Rowley playing to his abilities could put this team over the top. No Change.
3) Milon is shooting okay from 3, but not as well as last year. Without checking his numbers, my sense is Milon's shooting has improved. He's also not just content to be a 3-pt shooter in recent games. Trending up.
4) Too many unforced TOs. This remains a problem. Still too many silly, unforced TOs. Figure this one out and we could really make some noise. No change.[/color]
5) Stretches of game with poor shot selection. We are getting better here (see below), but still have a tendency for poor shot selection when we build a lead. I get the sense the guys forget the formula the instant they get comfortable. Great teams play the same whether they're down 10 or up 10. Also on this front we are attempting for fewer 3s overall, which is a positive development. It took a while, but the staff/players realized we can't rely on the same offensive formula from past seasons. Trending up.
6) Free-throw shooting woes, particularly from Pierce. FT shooting has markedly improved, especially Pierce. Trending up.
7) Knight is a foul magnet (partly his fault with some silly fouls, some horrendous refereeing). Knight has gotten better here. It has been several games since he's picked up a silly foul. No more trying to dribble the ball up the court or drive the lane from outside the arc. I also think as Knight makes a name for himself around the league he gets the benefit of more calls (or non-calls) from the refs. Trending up.
8) Knight not getting enough touches in post. Kudos to Shaver here. There has been a concerted effort the past few weeks to run the offense through Nate and get him the ball on the block. Most designed plays coming out of TOs are now designed to get Nate the ball down low. Last two games demonstrate merits of this adjustment. Consistently getting the ball to Nate also means fewer and shorter offensive droughts. Trending up.
9) Meshing youth and veterans, taking time in OOC to find and establish rotation. We have settled into a rotation and found some continuity. Play of Audige has been amazing to behold. Getting CJ more minutes by rotating him at PG was also a great move. Trending up.
10) No single/great answer at PG. Loewe brings the best defense and is decent finishing around the rim, but has not been able to knock down open perimeter shots. Scot has shown well for a freshman, but shows his inexperience. Both with a few bad TOs most games. I am in favor of sticking with the combination of Loewe and CJ at PG and not bringing Scott back into the "normal" rotation. Nothing against Scott, but Loewe brings better defense, rebounding, and finishes well around the rim.
So, from my perspective the team has improved in 8 of the 10 problem areas identified a month ago, with two unchanged. The ride has not been smooth, but the final destination is still achievable with this group. We can't ask for much more than what we are getting from the underclassmen. Assuming we don't backslide anywhere, I see two things critical to our chances of success in March.
1) We have got to take care of the ball. TOs have absolutely killed us. Need to cut the TOs in half most games.
2) Upper classmen (Nate, Rowley, Milon, and JP) need to consistently play to their potential. We can't afford nights where multiple upperclassmen are off their game. We win almost any game where at least 3 of these 4 are on their game.
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