Is it just me, or does this team struggle mightily in the first 5-10 minutes of every game? What can the team do to fix that problem? I'm sick of watching and going to games and seeing our team's offense struggle to get baskets. I hate the fact that in the first 10 minutes of every ball game we dig ourselves a hole that in most cases we can't get out. It was clearly evident in last season's tournament and doesn't seem to get any better. Is it our starting lineup? Is it our bigs? Is it our guards? I can't put my finger on it, but it sucks watching our team struggle on the offensive end at the open of every game.
It's brutal, especially when you are standing for the first field goal.
My recollection is this was the case for the past few games, except ND, where they came out, kicked butt, and took names for the first few possessions (forcing a time out by Brey).
I would like to add another question withrespect to our home games. Is it our fans. I was watching on TV last night, so correct me if I am wrong but the place seemed dead. The last time we played in front of a pumped up home crowd was ND and that is the last time we played well.
This obviously will not solve our road woes.
Quote from: mosarsour on January 30, 2008, 01:00:30 PM
Is it just me, or does this team struggle mightily in the first 5-10 minutes of every game? What can the team do to fix that problem? I'm sick of watching and going to games and seeing our team's offense struggle to get baskets. I hate the fact that in the first 10 minutes of every ball game we dig ourselves a hole that in most cases we can't get out. It was clearly evident in last season's tournament and doesn't seem to get any better. Is it our starting lineup? Is it our bigs? Is it our guards? I can't put my finger on it, but it sucks watching our team struggle on the offensive end at the open of every game.
I agree... and that's why I thought maybe pressing early might change the pace up for the guys and just get them to "play" instead of just trying to "execute". I know execution is important to this team, but I think they are so athletic that maybe they just need to put the foot on the throttle and "play" a little more.
Sometimes its it seems like the guys need to work up a full sweat and get knocked around a little bit before they come alive.
Also, something to keep in mind is MU's bench is relatively deep and we know how hard their workouts are. So, part of their advantage would be wearing teams down as the game goes on... BUT that doesn't mean they should fall behind bad teams.
We will see what happens Saturday. I'm predicting a win... but I wouldn't bet the house on it.
Quote from: 1990Warrior on January 30, 2008, 01:10:27 PM
I would like to add another question withrespect to our home games. Is it our fans. I was watching on TV last night, so correct me if I am wrong but the place seemed dead. The last time we played in front of a pumped up home crowd was ND and that is the last time we played well.
This obviously will not solve our road woes.
The place probably seemed dead because I don't think there was a huge crowd there due to the weather conditions.
When we start off the game well it's almost as if we're unstoppable... (i.e. Notre Dame). When we start off with a ton of energy and shooting lights out there's no looking back. It brings up the team's confidence, which I think is the deciding factor of how we play, and ultimately, the outcome of the game.
However... when the game starts and we look a little sloppy, the players' confidence goes down and we end up looking horrible.
I think the problem is that since we have no inside presence or reliable shooters, we struggle to find a rhythm initially. This is particularly true if we miss our first few open shots and then the guys start to press. Once we find a rhythm and get some confidence, we seem to be OK. But lately, the shots have not been falling early and its been ugly at times.