Went to the ND game Saturday night. Here are some thoughts.
Man does South Bend has a lot of snow. They must have 18 inches to two feet on the ground. Oh wait, about the game ....
Lots of MU support. It clearly surprised and annoyed the ND faithful. One ND fan told me that only the Indiana game sees this much support in South Bend. The difference is they did not expect it from MU.
Junior is a natural born leader. When he was playing, it was Junior huddling the players on the court and talking to them. And, everyone seems to respond to him. Look for him to be the leader of the this team his senior year. Even if he is not the best player, leadership is a good quality in a PG.
Crowder was riding Vander during the game. When running to the other side and/or during stoppage, he was jawing with Vander. Apparently Vander is still struggling on "D." Too slow to recognize shifts and late to getting to his spot.
Butler missed a lot of easy shots in the second half. It looked like he was going up to draw contact and not make the bucket. I think that was the difference in the game, not Buzz's ability to call a TO to stop momentum.
Hansbourgh no look three when the shot clock was expiring was the turning point of the game. It happened right in front of me. He literally threw it (not shot) at the basket without even looking as the Buzzer was about to go off and hit nothing but net. We had played great D on that possession and it was really deflating. You could see it in our body language for the next few possessions. I'm sure this too is Buzz fault because we do not have a way to effectively defense the no look desperation chuck from three point land.
If you want to criticize this team, it would be they need to have short memories. Their defensive energy is really a function of how well they just did on the offensive end. That should not matter but it does. (In fairness, that was was painfully obvious that ND has the same issue, as do most teams.)
Finally back in the "shoot a 100 FT a day" thread. Someone suggested that the fans at the Bradley Center learn synchronized movements to throw off the FT shooter. ND did this to absolute perfection. Further the student section is right on top of the shooter, unlike the Bradley Center. The result was MU shot 15 for 17 from the FT line, our best FT% of the year (15 for 15 until DJO missed his last two late when it was out of reach). So, can we put to rest this idea that the student section is not doing enough to make the other team miss FTs. They are but what you have to remember is the guy shooting the FT is a D1 player and they can, and do, make these shots.
"Hansbourgh no look three when the shot clock was expiring was the turning point of the game. It happened right in front of me. He literally threw it (not shot) at the basket without even looking as the Buzzer was about to go off and hit nothing but net. We had played great D on that possession and it was really deflating. You could see it in our body language for the next few possessions. I'm sure this too is Buzz fault because we do not have a way to effectively defense the no look desperation chuck from three point land. "
So you display your man-crush on Buzz by saying he wasn't responsible for the desperation 3pt shot...ok.
How about Hansbourgh going in for uncontested layup after layup after layup after layup after layup after layup after layup after layup? I suppose Buzz deserves no responsibility for numerous defensive breakdowns?
His scheme is flawed and this will be exposed again and again, but it appears that MU has a very touchy-feely, kind fanbase and this doesn't matter. The MU job is a great one for a coach since you can thoroughly suck at part of your job and get no heat for it, whatsoever.
So, start a "Fire Buzz" website and wait for the $'s to roll in .
"Crowder was riding Vander during the game. When running to the other side and/or during stoppage, he was jawing with Vander. Apparently Vander is still struggling on "D." Too slow to recognize shifts and late to getting to his spot."
That's quite hypocritical of him...