The season collapsed with DJ's foot. Just an entirely different team. It's too bad. BTW Pitt won't be able to hit anything against UCOnn.
Shut it down.
Why worry? It's over. Truth is, with or without DJ, this team was very limited on the interior. Not sure the results would be different with him, maybe the scores would be closer.
Quote from: 4everwarriors on March 04, 2009, 08:45:09 PM
Why worry? It's over. Truth is, with or without DJ, this team was very limited on the interior. Not sure the results would be different with him, maybe the scores would be closer.
Correct. With the possible excetion of UConn, the results would have been the same, but in the end, we had noting for Thabeet and Robinson, nothing for Clark and Samuels, and nothing for Blair and Young. Not much our PG was gonna do about that.
I don't think we've lost a game because we didn't have DJ so far.
Quote from: TJ on March 04, 2009, 08:57:15 PM
I don't think we've lost a game because we didn't have DJ so far.
I think UConn could have been different, but I'm about 51% on that. The fears people had about this team's weakness are being realized, and are now even more pronounced due to DJ absence on the perimeter.
+1 these were three probable losses at full strength.
We lost to the #!, #2. #6 teams. UNC probably would lose two of those games. Time to move on.
Quote from: Nukem2 on March 04, 2009, 09:04:52 PM
We lost to the #!, #2. #6 teams. UNC probably would lose two of those games. Time to move on.
Agreed. I went into these 5 games looking for 2 wins. That hasn't changed.
Quote from: NavinRJohnson on March 04, 2009, 09:03:00 PM
I think UConn could have been different, but I'm about 51% on that. The fears people had about this team's weakness are being realized, and are now even more pronounced due to DJ absence on the perimeter.
Agreed
I think we could have beaten UConn, with or without DJ. I guess this contradicts myself, but I think that if you switch the order and give us a loss to Pitt when DJ goes down and a week to prepare for UConn at home sans DJ I like our chances. I still don't think replacing DJ with Acker was the reason we lost that game though. Somehow it makes sense in my head.
We just need to get into the NCAA and start playing some teams out of our conference.
I'm worried if, and only if, we have to play a UConn, Pitt, or UL in the first or second round of the tourney
Quote from: TJ on March 04, 2009, 08:57:15 PM
I don't think we've lost a game because we didn't have DJ so far.
Really? Lose you best assist guy, one of your leading scorers and a great on-ball defender and it has no impact? Funny, we have not won a game since he got hurt. But, according to you there was no impact.
Quote from: 79Warrior on March 04, 2009, 09:25:58 PM
Really? Lose you best assist guy, one of your leading scorers and a great on-ball defender and it has no impact? Funny, we have not won a game since he got hurt. But, according to you there was no impact.
Which games would we have won? I could make a case for UConn, but @UL or @Pitt? Did you have those games in the win column before DJ got hurt?
Quote from: NavinRJohnson on March 04, 2009, 09:36:38 PM
Which games would we have won? I could make a case for UConn, but @UL or @Pitt? Did you have those games in the win column before DJ got hurt?
You honestly think with how the game turned out and how lost we looked on offense during the UL game that DJ wouldn't have made a difference?
I said it on the other board and I'll say it here, one of the things we miss most about DJ is that he knew when to feed certain guys and when to avoid certain guys depending upon how they were playing. Jerel killed us with his shooting against UL, and there's no way he gets those shots with DJ there, because DJ would have been looking to Wes and Lazar or creating on his own.
I think we miss DJ's defense more than anything. Just look back to what he did at the beginning of conference play against Reynolds and Vaughn. Not much we could do against some of these inside guys but we've gotten killed by Price and tonight Fields goes for 17 on top of Blair and Young's big night. I'm very worried to see what's going to happen with Flynn and Devendorf on Saturday. :-\
Quote from: 79Warrior on March 04, 2009, 09:25:58 PM
Really? Lose you best assist guy, one of your leading scorers and a great on-ball defender and it has no impact? Funny, we have not won a game since he got hurt. But, according to you there was no impact.
James had his strengths, but he also had his weaknesses. His defense against Uconn would have helped. He hit his first three agsint Uconn. He also did that against South Florida and finished 1-7 or worse and we lost the game. South Florida has 20 losses. We are a good team, but we are a step down from Louisville, Uconn and Pitt and would not have won those games with James.
Quote from: GO_MU02 on March 04, 2009, 09:54:19 PM
I think we miss DJ's defense more than anything.
Disagree. While we certainly miss his D, what we miss most is his quarterbacking on offense. Matthew and McNeal are doing too much catching the ball on the wing with the defender in proper position and having to beat at least two guys to get a score. James has the ability to disrupt the defense with pentration, which causes defenses to scramble and switch, which in turn gives our wings room to operate. Now we all remember those games where James didn't do those things and settled for the jump shot and those are the games that we struggled (see USF). But without him, that's our offense every game. I liked that Acker at least looked a little more at trying to penetrate tonight. He was overmatched physically tonight, but at least he's trying to do the right thing.
Quote from: 79Warrior on March 04, 2009, 09:25:58 PM
Really? Lose you best assist guy, one of your leading scorers and a great on-ball defender and it has no impact? Funny, we have not won a game since he got hurt. But, according to you there was no impact.
Didn't say no impact, and by the end of the season we may lose a game because DJ's out. But for the last three his absence was not the reason.
Quote from: TJ on March 04, 2009, 11:02:15 PM
Didn't say no impact, and by the end of the season we may lose a game because DJ's out. But for the last three his absence was not the reason.
I can't for the life of me see how you could have watched the Louisville game and not thought to yourself, "With DJ we probably win that game."
I know we lose last night if we had Chris Paul at the point, but both the UConn and the the Louisville games were games that DJ could have made the difference. I know there's no way to prove or disprove it, but I'm pretty confident we'd have stolen at least one of those two with a healthy James. There is an enormous trickle down effect to every aspect of our game without him.
This guy has been our only point guard for the past 4 years! He's a lock down defender on a team that desperately needs one to allow the wings to help out on the post. Can't understand why anyone would think his absence doesn't cost us 10 points a game.
While I am disappointed we lost these three games (I was hoping to steal one) I am not discouraged. When the season started we all looked at the schedule and said, "Man, if we can get 2 out of those last 5, I think we will be looking pretty good". Well here we are. Chance to secure two of the final 5 by winning at home on Senior Day. In the words of Big Black. Do work son.
Quote from: Strokin 3s on March 05, 2009, 08:25:54 AM
While I am disappointed we lost these three games (I was hoping to steal one) I am not discouraged. When the season started we all looked at the schedule and said, "Man, if we can get 2 out of those last 5, I think we will be looking pretty good". Well here we are. Chance to secure two of the final 5 by winning at home on Senior Day. In the words of Big Black. Do work son.
+1. Buckets.
Only one we shouldn't have lost was USF. To only have one slip up, finish 5-4 on the road in conference, and have a chance at 13 wins was on the high end of predictions before the season started.
Like I said last night... once we get through the BE, we won't face teams as good as UL, UConn, and Pitt until the Sweet 16 (provided we get there).
Also, you never know who can step up in March- see Chapman, Joe. March 2003. Who knows what could happen.
Quote from: CTWarrior on March 05, 2009, 08:12:50 AM
I can't for the life of me see how you could have watched the Louisville game and not thought to yourself, "With DJ we probably win that game."
I know we lose last night if we had Chris Paul at the point, but both the UConn and the the Louisville games were games that DJ could have made the difference. I know there's no way to prove or disprove it, but I'm pretty confident we'd have stolen at least one of those two with a healthy James. There is an enormous trickle down effect to every aspect of our game without him.
This guy has been our only point guard for the past 4 years! He's a lock down defender on a team that desperately needs one to allow the wings to help out on the post. Can't understand why anyone would think his absence doesn't cost us 10 points a game.
I watched the Louisville and thought "with McNeal we probably win that game." If you want to attribute his bad night to a lack of DJ, that's fine, but I saw a winnable game that we just lost. We weren't turning the ball over, we handled the press fine, defense was ok... all the areas that we were worried about were fine. We didn't score. That's it.
Quote from: TJ on March 05, 2009, 12:29:42 PM
... all the areas that we were worried about were fine. We didn't score. That's it.
I was worried that we wouldn't run any offense because out point guard would never get closer than 25 feet from the basket with the ball in his hands and that McNeal and Matthews would have to create one on two because nobody on Louisville had to worry about our point guard penetrating, finding Lazar at the foul line, hitting a cutter or doing anything else helpful in terms of scoring points.
I was right to worry.
Quote from: TJ on March 05, 2009, 12:29:42 PM
defense was ok... all the areas that we were worried about were fine.
Really? You mean you didn't notice Andre McGee abusing Acker?
The guy averages 5.4PPG this year and had a grand total of two games where he'd scored in double figures going into our game. He scored a career high 16 with Maurice guarding him. That wouldn't have happened with DJ on him, James shut down far far better players than Andre McGee...Maurice can't.
The defense looked okay because MU got lucky and guys on UL that normally hit shots didn't. But Acker's individual defense was brutal.
worrying is like a rocking chair. it gives you something to do but won't get you anywhere.