I've only seen MU play one time this season, but have done my best to listen to the games on the radio as well. Maybe I am misreading things but the most disturbing trend I see emerging this year is not the poor outside shooting - - its the feeling that MU's aggressive play seems to be fueled by an efficient offense rather than an aggressive defense. The net: MU dials it up when the shots are falling, but when the bricklayers appear the team plays on its heels. See Idaho State, Hillsdale, NDSU as examples.
When this team does not shoot well, they seem to lose their edge, particularly defensively. Intensity is lost -- at least to a guy who is watching from afar. I'd sure like to see this team's intensity and edge built around a swarming aggressive defense - - if this team waits to make shots before dialing it up, they'll struggle against good teams IMHO.
I liken this to baseball where some teams are built on speed and some are built on power......speed never takes a day off, while power hitters can go into slumps multiple times during a season. In basketball, aggressive defense should never take a day off -- but you will have rotten shooting nights. And while its easier to set up pressure defense off of made baskets - - on your best night you'll only be able to do that half of the time. It seems to me that MU has the talent to suffocate teams defensively in the backcourt at any time during a game.
Just a thought.....
agreed.
i have seen this team compared to villanova last year -- if we had more cosistent shooting, i'd say the comparison is apt. we're not there.
imho, i'd like to see this team start looking more like uab a couple of years ago. they scored everything off of intense swarming defense. hell, they even gave dwade fits. and as you said, they never took a night off.
Actually, the overall defensive intensity was pretty high Saturday nite as per the 25 NDSU turnovers. The biggest problem I think is more on offense where MU continues to drive to the hoop too often and throw up some prayers. It gets contagious and the outside shots don't drop either. As with last year (and, more so this year without Novak) the guys need to put up on balance medium range jumpers and/or kick the ball out to an open teammate. Far too often, the ball is going all the way to the hole. NDSU just jammed the middle and the refs were also helpful to NDSU (which MU did not seem to adjust to). As such, the team gets down temprorarily on defense from time-to-time due to the offensive frustration. Lets face it, this team is not going to be consistently good from 3 point range. This, MU needs to be very good and consistent at the rest of its offensive game. The other perplexing thing on Saturday was TC's substitution pattern (if there was one). A lot of very strange lineups. Sometimes I believe TC (as he has in the past) experiments far too much in the early season games. I love TC. but his rotations sometimes just don't make sense?
Quote from: NYWarrior on December 04, 2006, 08:15:28 AM
I'd sure like to see this team's intensity and edge built around a swarming aggressive defense
So would Crean. I think it was Wesley who came out in a post game interview saying that "we needed to get excited about the whole game, not just offense." He also said that "we need to LOVE defense" since that's what fuels our offense. From his comments it makes it sound like they can turn their intense defense on and off, like you were saying. DJ better figure something out to pump this team up. Jerel can't do it alone with his Mcsteals!
or his McTurnovers or McForcedShots.
McNeal and James both need to learn to pass out while driving and not to get into stupid positions where they are forced to throw up crap. I think that is the single biggest thing behind TC's comments about no more pick up games. And once those two start, the rest of the team is forgotten about.
However, when they do the things they are supposed to--make an extra pass, find an open guy, pull up on a fast break when the other team is back, then we look like a top 10 team. IMO, it all starts going south with poor shot selection by McNeal and James.
Ziggy, either pass out or from time to time a pull up 5 footer would work as well.
Too many turnovers, charges and blocked shots on our drives to the hoop Saturday. That concerns me a great deal for this Saturday as well (not looking ahead, but do know UW will be planted like tree's in the lane waiting for the charge (or flop).