MUScoop

ND really hanging in at the Zoo.

Carleton Scott has been money for them since coming back..

Quote from: 77ncaachamps on January 24, 2011, 07:19:58 PM
ND really hanging in at the Zoo.

Carleton Scott has been money for them since coming back..

It pains me to say it, but the Irish are very impressive in an extremely difficult place to play.

I dont care if some of you think he has an attitidue...I would take Ben Hansbrough on our squad any day of the week.

If Pitt loses to ND, should Dixon hire a good bench coach to help him Xs and Os?  I've see a lot of Hansborough layup drills this game.

I guess you have to get a win any way you can but for a skilled team like ND to play stall ball I think it's pathetic. It also doesn't hurt that this may be Pitt's most sluggish performance at home since Godzilla was roaming Edo.

It'd be pathetic if they had depth.

Watching Hanbrough get layup after layup after layup against Pitt is deja vu. Said it when we beat the Irish by 22 and I'll say it again. I'd take the "punk" on my team any day - kid can ball.

Quote from: Lennys Tap on January 24, 2011, 07:48:54 PM
Watching Hanbrough get layup after layup after layup against Pitt is deja vu. Said it when we beat the Irish by 22 and I'll say it again. I'd take the "punk" on my team any day - kid can ball.

Same move too. Ben is all right.  No help side from Pitt which is very unusual for Dixon's teams.  Great road win for the Domers.

But, but, but ... I just read 200 posts since Saturday night that stopping Hansborough is as easy as a designing a competent defensive scheme.  

Allowing Hansborough layup after layup is proof that Dixon is a bad Xs and Os coach ... definitely not a rising star.

Quote from: AnotherMU84 on January 24, 2011, 07:54:06 PM
But, but, but ... I just read 200 posts since Saturday night that stopping Hansborough is as easy as a designing a competent defensive scheme.  

Allowing Hansborough layup after layup is proof that Dixon is a bad Xs and Os coach ... definitely not a rising star.

Yeah, that was the only bad defensive game for MU, lol. 

The Buzz worship is hysterical.

Huge win for ND winning at Pitt.

Quote from: AnotherMU84 on January 24, 2011, 07:54:06 PM
But, but, but ... I just read 200 posts since Saturday night that stopping Hansborough is as easy as a designing a competent defensive scheme.  

Allowing Hansborough layup after layup is proof that Dixon is a bad Xs and Os coach ... definitely not a rising star.

Same move...MU stopped it in Milwaukee, why not South Bend? He doesn't make that move against a zone. He lit us up for 28 and shot 67%  Yes, it is lay-up practice.  Dixon should have adjusted.  You can keep blustering about it, but MU does not play GREAT team defense for 40 minutes.  ~80% of the trips resulted in points at UND in the 2nd...same with UL on the road back.  A team needs stops on the road like UND did tonight--plain and simple.  

In Milwaukee, Hansbrough played off of the ball and MU denied catches.    Their PG had a career game because we weren't helping off of him.    Scott is also a game changer, as his shooting keeps the big wing from helping.    Nice win for ND,   Dixon, who may or may not be a bright young star based on whether or not he is job hunting, had extra time and still couldn't stop Hansbrough in his own gym.   Maybe we should give credit to Hansbrough.   Well done, young man. 

Quote from: Dr. Blackheart on January 24, 2011, 07:59:11 PM
Same move...MU stopped it in Milwaukee, why not South Bend? He doesn't make that move against a zone. He lit us up for 28 and shot 67%  Yes, it is lay-up practice.  Dixon should have adjusted.  You can keep blustering about it, but MU does not play GREAT team defense for 40 minutes.  ~80% of the trips resulted in points at UND in the 2nd...same with UL on the road back.  A team needs stops on the road like UND did tonight--plain and simple.  

No Carlton Scott in Milwaukee. He is huge for them and allows Hansbrough to play his game.

Hubie ripping Dixon afterward for the lack of their help defense.  Dixon used to get brain cramps in games but he has always been a great D coach.  Did he not watch MU tapes?  Agree on Scott...but Abro was MIA.  Not one shot tonight.

Quote from: Dr. Blackheart on January 24, 2011, 07:59:11 PM
Same move...MU stopped it in Milwaukee, why not South Bend? He doesn't make that move against a zone. He lit us up for 28 and shot 67%  Yes, it is lay-up practice.  Dixon should have adjusted.  You can keep blustering about it, but MU does not play GREAT team defense for 40 minutes.  ~80% of the trips resulted in points at UND in the 2nd...same with UL on the road back.  A team needs stops on the road like UND did tonight--plain and simple.  

This was their first road win of the year.  They were 0-3 on the road (three others were on neutral courts).  ND was 6 - 19 over the last two years on the road coming into this game.

Where have I heard similar stats this?  Hmmmm

Quote from: AnotherMU84 on January 24, 2011, 08:17:02 PM
This was their first road win of the year.  They were 0-3 on the road (three others were on neutral courts).  ND was 6 - 19 over the last two years on the road coming into this game.

Where have I heard similar stats this?  Hmmmm

I don't know. Where?

When ND's freshman point guard (Adkins) is in the game they are much easier to defend - let him handle and shoot all he wants, work hard to deny Hansbrough the ball and double him to make him give it up. When Atkins is out of the game Hansbrough plays the point - and with 5 shooters/scorers in the game and the ball in Ben's hands they are very tough to stop as witnessed by their stretch run against Pitt tonight.

ND is a senior led team and they can surprise much like us last year.

I'm glad ND won.  They are our best win, even if they were missing one of their best players.  With wins over Pitt, UCONN, Wisconsin, etc...they are a lock for the tournament.  They just have way too many solid wins not to be. 

Quote from: warriors1965 on January 24, 2011, 07:57:06 PM
Yeah, that was the only bad defensive game for MU, lol. 

The Buzz worship is hysterical.

I don't think it's a Buzz worship, I think some fans just realize how competitive college basketball truly is.  No one is saying this MU team plays great D.  Watching a Dixon coach team get beat on their own court just makes people realize how competitive the game is.  

ND has 5 senior starters, two of whom I think are 5th year seniors. With Hansbrough at the point they'll be a very tough out in March.

+1

I understand we lack on D.  It's easy to say the reason is Buzz is an idiot and cannot coach D and this is why Hansborough has layup after layup against us.  Then I watch ND go to #2 Pitt and Hansborough has layup after layup and they win.  Is Dixon an idiot too?  All these dummies with all this talent.  Such a waste!

This is why rail against the criticism of Buzz.  It is akin to complaining that we are not perfect.

Why not acknowledge that MU has a top 10 offense by most measures.  This is one of the best offenses we have seen in quite a while.  Then at least I know you are objectively watching the game and not seeking out things to complain about.

Quote from: AnotherMU84 on January 24, 2011, 09:10:52 PM
+1

I understand we lack on D.  It's easy to say the reason is Buzz is an idiot and cannot coach D and this is why Hansborough has layup after layup against us.  Then I watch ND go to #2 Pitt and Hansborough has layup after layup and they win.  Is Dixon an idiot too?  All these dummies with all this talent.  Such a waste!

This is why rail against the criticism of Buzz.  It is akin to complaining that we are not perfect.

Why not acknowledge that MU has a top 10 offense by most measures.  This is one of the best offenses we have seen in quite a while.  Then at least I know you are objectively watching the game and not seeking out things to complain about.

MU has had a thoroughly mediocre season so far, so however strong the offense is, it isn't good enough to overcome the porous defense.   

We'll see what happens during this crucial 3 game stretch...
The problems with defense and rebounding just stand out more.

Quote from: warriors1965 on January 24, 2011, 09:38:44 PM
MU has had a thoroughly mediocre season so far, so however strong the offense is, it isn't good enough to overcome the porous defense.  

We'll see what happens during this crucial 3 game stretch...
The problems with defense and rebounding just stand out more.

Now this is interesting ...

MU has had a mediocre season so far.  I would agree with this in that we have had no bad losses and no good wins.  We have done what was expected and not much more.

That said, we play #5 Uconn tomorrow and we are the favorite!  

http://www.muscoop.com/index.php?topic=23894.0

KenPom, RPI Forecast and Vegas all have us winning.

So, how bad are we if we can be favored against the #5 team?  How many times since 1977 has MU been favored to beat a top 5 team?  I would guess not many.

So this is the state of our program ... we are stomping out feet in total frustration that we suck the night before we are favored to beat a top 5 team.

You'd think we were talking about Duke with expectations this high.

Quote from: AnotherMU84 on January 24, 2011, 09:50:27 PM
Now this is interesting ...

MU has had a mediocre season so far.  I would agree with this in that we have had no bad losses and no good wins.  We have done what was expected and not much more.

That said, we play #5 Uconn tomorrow and we are the favorite!  

http://www.muscoop.com/index.php?topic=23894.0

KenPom, RPI Forecast and Vegas all have us winning.

So, how bad are we if we can be favored against the #5 team?  How many times since 1977 has MU been favored to beat a top 5 team?  I would guess not many.

So this is the state of our program ... we are stomping out feet in total frustration that we suck the night before we are favored to beat a top 5 team.

You'd think we were talking about Duke with expectations this high.

Who cares? MU could be favored against the Dream Team and it wouldn't mean a thing. Come back tomorrow night and we'll talk results.

The only factor I can think of as to why we're favored is that it's a HOME game.

Other than that, edge should really be UCONN and MU deserves to be the underdog...
As then a W would be viewed as an "upset"...

Quote from: AnotherMU84 on January 24, 2011, 07:37:42 PM
If Pitt loses to ND, should Dixon hire a good bench coach to help him Xs and Os?  I've see a lot of Hansborough layup drills this game.

Really? So you think Buzz is the equal of Bo Ryan, or Mike Kryzewski, or any of the other great technical coaches out there? I have been one to call for a bench coach, and I don't see it as an indictment of Buzz. Buzz does some things great, and in other areas shows his inexperience. That's going to be a common thread for most anyone who is new to their profession, as Williams is. In every job I've ever had, there's been a learning curve. As you progress in a job, the idea is that you learn from those with more experience than you. The problem Buzz has is that he is the boss on the coaching staff. He doesn't have that experienced hand. What is wrong with the idea of him going out and bringing in a guy who has more experience at defensive coaching and designing plays?

For chrissake, it's not like suggesting a bench coach is calling for his head. I support Buzz and am appreciative for what he has done and I believe will continue to do. But if an experienced guy like Lavin is smart enough to see that he can benefit from a Gene Keady on his bench, why wouldn't an inexperienced guy like Buzz benefit from a similar figure.

Quote from: brewcity77 on January 24, 2011, 11:24:45 PM

For chrissake, it's not like suggesting a bench coach is calling for his head. I support Buzz and am appreciative for what he has done and I believe will continue to do. But if an experienced guy like Lavin is smart enough to see that he can benefit from a Gene Keady on his bench, why wouldn't an inexperienced guy like Buzz benefit from a similar figure.

+1

There is nothing wrong with having an experienced mentor next to you on the bench, in business, etc.  It's part of the growth process.

Buzz had what you suggest his first year in Dale Layer.  

Many times during the TOs, it was Layer designing the plays and Buzz was watching.

Bring back Layer?

Ben is a PRO...

...at using his off arm to ward. Mac mentioned how he uses the chicken wing to get past his defender on a crossover drive. I saw instances of this as well as his off arm ward to distance the defender.

Those are plays that take skill to sell, however.

Quote from: 77ncaachamps on January 25, 2011, 01:40:41 AM
Ben is a PRO...

...at using his off arm to ward. Mac mentioned how he uses the chicken wing to get past his defender on a crossover drive. I saw instances of this as well as his off arm ward to distance the defender.

Those are plays that take skill to sell, however.

Absolutely right about that. he gets away with that 3 or 4 times a game.

Getting tired of ND out performing us in Beast. Why? Why?
We have in Buzz we trust and 6 top 100 recruits on the team.

An all senior 5 on the floor.     In Rosiak's article, Buzz mentions that in South Bend, our defense did not do as good a job of defending Hansbrough before the catch, letting him get it too easily in spots he was comfortable.   

Let's see if we win, then we can celebrate.
Since we are favored, what does one say if we lose?

I am hoping for a victory--not quite as much as I would like to see us kick Boeheim's ass, though.

Quote from: warriors1965 on January 24, 2011, 09:38:44 PM
MU has had a thoroughly mediocre season so far, so however strong the offense is, it isn't good enough to overcome the porous defense.   

We'll see what happens during this crucial 3 game stretch...
The problems with defense and rebounding just stand out more.

At this point last season, MU was 11-8 overall and 2-5 in conference.
If this year has been "thoroughly mediocre," what was last? Really, really thoroughly mediocre?

Quote from: willie warrior on January 25, 2011, 06:05:45 AM
Getting tired of ND out performing us in Beast. Why? Why?
We have in Buzz we trust and 6 top 100 recruits on the team.

Wait ... what?
Why bother letting facts get in the way, I guess.

MU vs ND head-to-head in BE play: 7-4

BE records since 2005 ...
MU: 58-35
ND: 45-40

Other than that, they've outperformed MU in the Big East.

I was questioning N.D.'s legitimacy of a top 20 team last weekend....crow tastes pretty special for breakfast.

Impressive road win for N.D......I just threw up, a teeny bit, writing that.

Quote from: Pakuni on January 25, 2011, 08:02:03 AM
Wait ... what?
Why bother letting facts get in the way, I guess.

MU vs ND head-to-head in BE play: 7-4

BE records since 2005 ...
MU: 58-35
ND: 45-40

Other than that, they've outperformed MU in the Big East.

My frame of refernce has been the last two years. I hate ND and their arrogant fans, so perhaps that is coloring my perception--but I do believe that they have done better than us last year and this. And I do believe we have had better talent.

Quote from: willie warrior on January 25, 2011, 09:27:49 AM
My frame of refernce has been the last two years. I hate ND and their arrogant fans, so perhaps that is coloring my perception--but I do believe that they have done better than us last year and this. And I do believe we have had better talent.

The only way in which they did better than us in the BE last year was the game they played here.  They were playing terrible defense for most of the year and looking at an NIT bid at 6-8 before going on a tear and winning their last 4 conference games and first couple in the BET.  Still had a worse BE record than we did.

Just wait till next year, have you seen who is returning?  That whole team is Seniors, Hansborough, Scott, Abromitis, Martin, and Nash.  They will be absolutely awful next year as their best returning player is a Freshman in Eric Atkins.

Also, talk about a team with a short bench, they BARELY use any of their reserves, so basically next year they will have an inexperienced team with no returning talent for the most part.  I can't wait to see them suck and watch Digger cry.

Quote from: Lacrosse218 on January 25, 2011, 10:17:31 AM
Just wait till next year, have you seen who is returning?  That whole team is Seniors, Hansborough, Scott, Abromitis, Martin, and Nash.  They will be absolutely awful next year as their best returning player is a Freshman in Eric Atkins.

Also, talk about a team with a short bench, they BARELY use any of their reserves, so basically next year they will have an inexperienced team with no returning talent for the most part.  I can't wait to see them suck and watch Digger cry.

Three of those five are seniors academically, but still have eligibility left.  It was mentioned during last night's telecast.

Abro and Scott both sat out a season as underclassmen.  This is actually only Martin's second season playing after sitting out a transfer year and then tearing his ACL... though I'd imagine he'd only have one more year to play given the 4 in 5 rule, barring a special exemption from the NCAA.