What was last night?
A. A young team that turned the corner - its only up from here!!!
B. A bit of an anomaly - We play hard, but SH also had an off night.
C. Stars aligned for a single game - we will come crashing back down to earth next game :(
Are 'B' and 'C' not the same thing?
If this team can learn how to defend and rebound on a much more consistent basis like they did last night it could be the start of a nice stretch. Hopefully they can bring that same effort and intensity against lesser opponents.
All of the above. It was a glimpse at the upper end of this team's potential. And, the best MU can play against a Seton Hall team that has been away from home for a week. I accept that there will be bad games from this team. Last night's game does not change the structural weaknesses of this team. But, for the first time, I now believe that this team can get hot at the right time and do some damage in the tourney. Not saying it will, but I can see what a nasty match up MU could be if hitting on all cylinders.
Quote from: Benny B on January 10, 2018, 09:47:45 AM
Are 'B' and 'C' not the same thing?
Sorry, I meant A to be more of a "This team as turn the corner and will compete with the best teams in the league and be a top 4 team. B is the team is still progressing but will be in the middle of the pack. And C is that this was a 1 time thing and we will end up competing but falling just a bit short.
SHU didn't challenge our tiny guards defensively all night and everyone else stepped up and held their own.
Remember, even though SHU had an off game, this is also a team that lost @Rutgers.
They were riding a hot streak and might be coming down just a bit (was an impressive win @Butler)...I am not saying we beat them every time, but maybe give some credit to our guys that we might be able to consistently compete with SHU.
I think last night was some A and some B. This was easily our best defensive game of the year, so I doubt we'll be able to keep up that same kind of pressure and rebounding. But it was also a big confidence booster, giving several guys some solid highlight reel material that will hopefully have a positive impact moving forward. When a team knows that they're capable of playing at a high level, it can help them keep their heads up when shots aren't falling or when they make a few bad plays.
My ?analysis? is the ?To think that I saw it on Mulberry Street? thread.
Quote from: Boozemon Barro on January 10, 2018, 09:56:24 AM
SHU didn't challenge our tiny guards defensively all night and everyone else stepped up and held their own.
They did, but I think it was detrimental to their offense. They tried to back down and post the guards quite a bit, but that also made it easier to clog up the paint, giving Delgado less room to operate.
A good team playing near (but not at) their ceiling beating a very good team playing close to their floor
It was a great night and a wonderful victory. And now it is time to tap the brakes. Still young. Still tiny starting guards. One good defensive game does not equal good defense in the next game. The upside is now we know what the ceiling is for this team. And it is good. But there are still a whole bunch of conference games to go. And MU is one injury away from having it all fall apart.
At least, this is the message that I hope the coaching staff is delivering to the players. And hopefully they are buying in and working even harder.