1. Lack of minutes so far for Heldt and Amin. Foul trouble is coming. Which segues into....
2. Who guards the widebody 4's when Henry inevitably gets into foul trouble?
3. How will Traci hold up against the elite guards in the league?
4. How will MU handle pressure from good teams when Traci gets into foul trouble?
5. Who is going to lead when Henry is sitting on the bench in foul trouble?
6. Defense? When is Wojo going to get buy-in on the defensive end?
7. Third rebounder.
8. Lack of motion on offense from perimeter players.
The answer to several of these questions is for JJ, Duane, and Sandy to step up and play like they have been through the league grind before. The league is really good, there are no off nights, and somebody has to take the lead and show this team how to grind out wins.
All great points. I cant honestly feel super excited about the win streak, because honestly the teams MU played are nowhere near the level of competition that the BE offers. Ill wait to see what the team looks like a couple games in. Heck, wednesday might be a good enough indicator.
The team learned how to win by beating cupcakes. To their credit, beating LSU, ASU, and Wisconsin are at least competent, high-major opposition, but at the end of regulation in those games, we were a combined +3, so it's not like we coasted at all.
What worries me is that we looked lackluster in the last two home games. Maybe it was because we played poor competition for a long time and the team knew they could somewhat mail the effort in, but maybe it was because those teams scouted us better. If that's the case, I'm a bit worried about what happens when we start to see veteran Big East teams in the next week.
I'm hoping for a 3-1 start from this team. Expecting 2-2, but wouldn't be surprised by 1-3, which would definitely mean we need to improve and fast.
Quote from: brewcity77 on December 29, 2015, 01:31:06 PM
Maybe it was because we played poor competition for a long time and the team knew they could somewhat mail the effort in, but maybe it was because those teams scouted us better.
I didn't like the effort on Sunday either but then I started to think. These guys all went home right after the Monday game. There are a lot of freshman for whom this was their first trip home. Then with Christmas on a Friday they certainly didn't travel until Saturday. Guys like Haanif and JJ probably weren't back until later on Saturday. Then you have maybe 1 or 2 short practices to get ready for a 1 PM game Sunday. They probably weren't mentally back from Christmas. Now they've had 3 days to become basketball focused and a Coach who wasn't pleased with the effort. I'm hopeful they'll come out intense Wed night. By the same token I'm hopeful that SH is rusty for the first 10 minutes having not played since before Christmas. Lets get a lead and hold them down.
Quote from: tower912 on December 29, 2015, 01:23:10 PM
1. Lack of minutes so far for Heldt and Amin. Foul trouble is coming. Which segues into....
2. Who guards the widebody 4's when Henry inevitably gets into foul trouble?
3. How will Traci hold up against the elite guards in the league?
4. How will MU handle pressure from good teams when Traci gets into foul trouble?
5. Who is going to lead when Henry is sitting on the bench in foul trouble?
6. Defense? When is Wojo going to get buy-in on the defensive end?
7. Third rebounder.
8. Lack of motion on offense from perimeter players.
The answer to several of these questions is for JJ, Duane, and Sandy to step up and play like they have been through the league grind before. The league is really good, there are no off nights, and somebody has to take the lead and show this team how to grind out wins.
All very legitimate concerns, and the first 5 games will tell the tale I believe. I do think Sandy and Duane will step up respectively to really contribute on both ends of the floor. I think Duane and Haanif can be acceptable in getting the ball up the court should Traci be in foul trouble/not playing well. Not sure a lot of teams in the BE will press but we'll see.
I really do think Wojo's be experimenting with these guys so that comes to an end and we'll see what the permanent solution looks like. I think we go 2-0 to start conference.....but from there I need to think on it.
Quote from: tower912 on December 29, 2015, 01:23:10 PM
1. Lack of minutes so far for Heldt and Amin. Foul trouble is coming. Which segues into....
2. Who guards the widebody 4's when Henry inevitably gets into foul trouble?
a) Sandy - our best defensive player
3. How will Traci hold up against the elite guards in the league?
a) we all know the answer, the real question is "how bad can it be/will it get"
4. How will MU handle pressure from good teams when Traci gets into foul trouble?
a) see answer to #3
5. Who is going to lead when Henry is sitting on the bench in foul trouble?
a) Sandy
6. Defense? When is Wojo going to get buy-in on the defensive end?
a) Sandy
7. Third rebounder.
a) Sandy / JJJ
8. Lack of motion on offense from perimeter players.
a) Sandy / JJJ
These guys need to step up!
My concern is Luke Will have to be Stronger & Tougher on his Finishes, Big difference between him and Henry.
Quote from: tower912 on December 29, 2015, 01:23:10 PM
1. Lack of minutes so far for Heldt and Amin. Foul trouble is coming. Which segues into....
...
3. How will Traci hold up against the elite guards in the league?
...
These two items strike me.
1. If Wojo subs well (and I think he will)...Heldt and others can cover decent "hold the fort" minutes to spell the Henry/HenryLuke/Luke rotation...and avoid the fouls in the first place.
3. And we don't have another point do we. I think we will lose a game to a good pressing team because of this. That's our lot...
Quote from: Loose Cannon on December 29, 2015, 02:43:41 PM
My concern is Luke Will have to be Stronger & Tougher on his Finishes, Big difference between him and Henry.
You beat me to this point. Luke can
play much better be dominant, but he needs more fire in his game. Hopefully, someone elbows him in the chops and wakes him up.
Quote from: Crean to Ann Arbor on December 29, 2015, 03:40:52 PM
You beat me to this point. Luke can play much better be dominant, but he needs more fire in his game. Hopefully, someone elbows him in the chops and wakes him up.
I don't buy the "more fire" bit. Luke plays hard, but he mostly plays below the rim.
Nattering nabobs of negativism. All of you!
We have the most talented team we've had in a long time. Yes, we ate a bit too much sugar. But I suspect either LSU or Wisconsin would overall fare reasonably well in our conference. Maybe Wisconsin less so now with Bo gone buteven so this game was not easy and they won't be an easy out in BIG play.
Let's face it. We have very good players in our starting five. Our bench is a bit shallow at the power forward/center positions, but we have strong depth at the guard and shooting forward position. I agree that JJJ, Duane and Wally probably will have to step up against tough competition.
We are way too freshmen (thanks Hillbilly for the gift that keeps on giving) . We will make mistakes. Our coach is young but shows incredible promise and the improvement of the team since Iowa should not be underestimated. We will lose games we should have won. And, God willing, we will win games we should lose too. Are you listening Villanova, Xavier, Butler and Georgetown? I'll bet their coaches are taking us seriously!
We'll get there. I still think we're a viable NCAA team, but we will have to take care of business.
As for you nabobs, I am sure glad the internet wasn't commercially around in 1977 (notwithstanding Al Gore's claim that he invented it). I can only imagine what would have happened after we lost to Louisville after Al announced his retirement or when we lost to Wichita State in our last home game of 1977.
Quote from: brandx on December 29, 2015, 03:55:55 PM
I don't buy the "more fire" bit. Luke plays hard, but he mostly plays below the rim.
I agree that he tries hard. I don't think that he's at all lackadaisical. Yet, against Presby he was missing bunnies and was playing too carefully - probably to avoid fouling. What I want to see from him is more assertion. He started last season like gangbusters when he became eligible at semester break. Maybe he was psyched from having to watch from the bench for the first semester. It seems to me that he needs to get out of his head and start trying to kick butt, not just try to play well. Then again, assertive players usually don't transfer due to homesickness.
Quote from: Crean to Ann Arbor on December 29, 2015, 04:09:14 PM
It seems to me that he needs to get out of his head and start trying to kick butt, not just try to play well.
I agree with this.
Quote from: dgies9156 on December 29, 2015, 04:02:13 PM
Nattering nabobs of negativism. All of you!
Let's face it. We have very good players in our starting five.
As for you nabobs, I am sure glad the internet wasn't commercially around in 1977 (notwithstanding Al Gore's claim that he invented it). I can only imagine what would have happened after we lost to Louisville after Al announced his retirement or when we lost to Wichita State in our last home game of 1977.
One of the all time great political quotes from an exceptional politician - exceptional for being the only Vice-President to resign from office due to criminal charges.
I don't agree about having very good players in our starting five. PG is a weakness. Traci Carter likely will be very good some day, but I don' think he's there yet - he just happens to be our best option at this point.
Quote from: brandx on December 29, 2015, 03:55:55 PM
I don't buy the "more fire" bit. Luke plays hard, but he mostly plays below the rim.
Yup! Our white guys can't jump. The undersized Blue Hose were killing us under the basket.
Quote from: dgies9156 on December 29, 2015, 04:02:13 PM
We have very good players in our starting five.
We are starting 3 freshmen as we enter conference play. One is a lottery pick. The other two are erratic. Take out the twin towers. Which of the other 3 starters start for any other team in the Big East?
Quote from: tower912 on December 29, 2015, 04:57:44 PM
We are starting 3 freshmen as we enter conference play. One is a lottery pick. The other two are erratic. Take out the twin towers. Which of the other 3 starters start for any other team in the Big East?
Sandy probably could. Plays defense and stretches the floor.
Quote from: ChitownSpaceForRent on December 29, 2015, 04:59:31 PM
Sandy probably could. Plays defense and stretches the floor.
Maybe. What other team needs a glue guy at the 3?
I think we all agree this team has not been tested. First test is SH. It will be the first real indication where this team is going. Don't worry, we will know soon enough. Look at the games we play by Jan. 16. Our season will either be on the fast track up or on its way to, "wait until next year" land.
Quote from: tower912 on December 29, 2015, 05:11:01 PM
Maybe. What other team needs a glue guy at the 3?
Talking bottom feeders or top 5 teams? Cause Depaul and St. Johns could use all the help they can get. Seton Hall, Creighton and even Georgetown too.
Quote from: ChitownSpaceForRent on December 29, 2015, 05:19:22 PM
Talking bottom feeders or top 5 teams? Cause Depaul and St. Johns could use all the help they can get. Seton Hall, Creighton and even Georgetown too.
They need lead scorers. Does Sandy fill that role? BTW, I think he can before he graduates.
Quote from: tower912 on December 29, 2015, 05:23:24 PM
They need lead scorers. Does Sandy fill that role? BTW, I think he can before he graduates.
let's not forget we have a very good 6 and 7 coming off the bench and one of those Frosh starters is in name only not minutes. Doesn't address the fact that those two are 2ish/3guard lines but by the middle of BE play other fan bases will be saying "wish we had 2 starters coming off the bench"
<insert emoji with blue and gold glasses>
Quote from: Crean to Ann Arbor on December 29, 2015, 04:27:20 PM
One of the all time great political quotes from an exceptional politician - exceptional for being the only Vice-President to resign from office due to criminal charges.
We love our Spiro. Probably the biggest reason no one ever dared take a shot at Richard Nixon!
Let's see where things go. I agree, we'll know soon enough.
Why take our 2 best players out of the equation? Of course we aren't very good if we don't have the best PF and the best C in the BE on our team. But we do.
You can say that about just about any team in the country. Take away 2 potential First Team All Conference players from a team and guess what? That team becomes a lot worse.
Our 6th man would be starting on almost any team in this conference.
We'll have ups. We'll have downs. We'll battle it out for 3rd-5th in the conference.
Quote from: wadesworld on December 29, 2015, 06:00:28 PM
Why take our 2 best players out of the equation? Of course we aren't very good if we don't have the best PF and the best C in the BE on our team. But we do.
You can say that about just about any team in the country. Take away 2 potential First Team All Conference players from a team and guess what? That team becomes a lot worse.
Our 6th man would be starting on almost any team in this conference.
We'll have ups. We'll have downs. We'll battle it out for 3rd-5th in the conference.
Bentil is better than Fischer this year.
MU's turnover rate is (rounded up) 20%. The MU players with a turnover rate of greater than 20% this season:
Starters:
Haanif 28.4%
Traci 27.5%
Bench:
Matt 34.8%
Sacar 22.8%
Seton Hall turns their opponents quite well.. let's hope for the best in this area, a'inal?
Quote from: muwarrior69 on December 29, 2015, 04:37:36 PM
Yup! Our white guys can't jump. The undersized Blue Hose were killing us under the basket.
I never said our white guys can't jump. But 6'11" guys should dominate underneath against 6'5" guys. Pretty simple.
If you are saying that Fischer plays above the rim, I don't know what to say.
Quote from: brandx on December 29, 2015, 07:34:50 PM
I never said our white guys can't jump. But 6'11" guys should dominate underneath against 6'5" guys. Pretty simple.
If you are saying that Fischer plays above the rim, I don't know what to say.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3IX_EdgjZA
Quote from: dgies9156 on December 29, 2015, 05:54:09 PM
We love our Spiro. Probably the biggest reason no one ever dared take a shot at Richard Nixon!
Let's see where things go. I agree, we'll know soon enough.
lol
Quote from: wadesworld on December 29, 2015, 06:00:28 PM
We'll battle it out for 3rd-5th in the conference.
I wish - no, on second thought, I'm glad - I'm not quite that optimistic.
Battling it out for 5th or 6th, I believe.
Ignoring a big margin win, which I do not think we will have I suspect Heldt and Anim will not get more than 12 minutes each in Big East play. They simply are not going to play. I also think in most games foul trouble will not be an issue and if it is we probably are not in the game anyways. A team that is able to get Henry and Fischer in foul trouble is going to walk all over Heldt.
Quote from: tower912 on December 29, 2015, 01:23:10 PM
1. Lack of minutes so far for Heldt and Amin. Foul trouble is coming. Which segues into....
2. Who guards the widebody 4's when Henry inevitably gets into foul trouble?
3. How will Traci hold up against the elite guards in the league?
4. How will MU handle pressure from good teams when Traci gets into foul trouble?
5. Who is going to lead when Henry is sitting on the bench in foul trouble?
6. Defense? When is Wojo going to get buy-in on the defensive end?
7. Third rebounder.
8. Lack of motion on offense from perimeter players.
The answer to several of these questions is for JJ, Duane, and Sandy to step up and play like they have been through the league grind before. The league is really good, there are no off nights, and somebody has to take the lead and show this team how to grind out wins.
The questions aren't answered. Bad rebounding. Bad defense. Traci in foul trouble. (though Haanif played well for a half). Foul trouble for the bigs leads to getting dominated on the boards. The upperclassmen did not step up other than sometimes Duane. Need to get tougher.
In the first half we had 17 rebounds and at least 10 of those were by Henry. Basically no one on our team was helping Henry rebound the ball. Foul trouble had nothing to do with it. Our team was much slower to reacting to rebounds than Seton Hall was. All the Seton Hall players had quick hands when it came to going after rebounds. We reacted slowly to live rebounds and I am not sure you can change that. If you look at the fouls Henry had two offensive charges and got a third foul on an offensive rebound by Seton Hall. I do not remembr his other foul. Fischer got two fouls on Seton Hall's offensive rebounds. Neither Fischer of Ellenson foul much when they are playing the initial defense. They get in trouble when we do not snare the rebound and they end up out of defensive position on the put back.