Buzz draws up identical game-winner...with a twist

[strotty]

I thought Buzz was out-coached against Davidson, but I also thought he made the call of the game to help free up Vander Blue on the final play of the game for Marquette. It looked eerily similar to the Big East title winner, with a twist:

http://painttouches.com/2013/03/21/buzz-draws-up-identical-play-with-a-twist-for-game-winner/

[MerrittsMustache]

In what way was Buzz outcoached? Several posters have mentioned this but no one has elaborated. MU got good looks but shot terribly from the floor. Is that being outcoached?

[Big Daddy Z]

I think the Davidson coach blew it and should have played zone on final play...MU is not a good outside shooting team, yet he allowed a lay up by playing man...so who out coached who?

[NavinRJohnson]

I'd also like to know how Buzz was out coached, but another thing on that last play...having Jake Thomas in the game definitely paid off. His defender was never going to leave him. Seems they were equally or more worried about Blue kicking it out to him, than they were about Blue taking it to the basket.

[tower912]

I flat out reject the idea that Buzz got outcoached in this one.    MU held Davidson to 58 pts, well below their season average.    MU shot 30 % from the floor, and they were getting good looks.  They just kept missing shots they usually make from close range.   Even though MU out-rebounded Davidson, our put-backs weren't going in.   MU only had 9 turnovers, 3 in the first 2 minutes.   So, to sum up, MU had a great defensive plan, got the looks they wanted on offense, and simply couldn't make easy shots for the first 38 minutes.

Buzz has gotten outcoached this year, by Donovan, Pitino,  Brey, and Wardle.    Not yesterday.  

[Hards Alumni]

In what way was Buzz outcoached? Several posters have mentioned this but no one has elaborated. MU got good looks but shot terribly from the floor. Is that being outcoached?

I'm just playing devil's advocate here, but one could argue that the lineups Buzz was throwing out there were fairly ineffective.  Juan stunk it up, Jake Anderson didn't belong on the floor, and Todd Mayo was invisible.  Not having the guys prepared to better defend the 3 shot also hurt (Though, you could argue they adjusted really well... Davidson started 4/4 and finished 6/13).  You could also argue that MU won because a team that normally shoots extremely well from the charity stripe crapped their pants and shot a statistical outlier 63%.

Personally, I think that both coaches did an extremely good job.  MU looked bad because it could not hit a shot (35%) to save its life.  Davidson looked bad because they let MU get away from them at the end and got rattled... and because they couldn't hit their FTs to seal the game.

[CTWarrior]

You could also argue that MU won because a team that normally shoots extremely well from the charity stripe crapped their pants and shot a statistical outlier 63%.

Actually, it was one guy (De'mon Brooks) that went 5-11 from the FT line.  He's a career 72% FT shooter so if he shot his regular % he'd have made 3 more.  The rest of their guys were 9-11, which is excellent.  One guy having an off night from the FT line is not that uncommon at all.

3 points are huge because they lost by one, but when you consider Marquette left many more points than that on the table because of missed close range shots, it isn't that big.

[muwarrior69]

For a team that struggles to put the ball in the basket despite taking good shots the way we have over the last few games and still finds a way to win cannot be out coached. Davidson lost playing their A game albeit with one huge mistake (inbounds pass), we won playing our C-/D+ game.

[Abode4life]

I thought the Davidson coach did a good job when they would switch up defenses, but i wouldn't call it outcoached.  Especially in the first 10 minutes, we were getting a lot of good looks and we just weren't making them.

[frozena pizza]

Davidson looked bad because they let MU get away from them at the end and got rattled... and because they couldn't hit their FTs to seal the game.

Well in the last three minutes they converted 7/8 FT attemps.  The turnover was bad, but I can't say that Davidson choked this one away.  Jamil and Vander were simply unbelievable at the end.  The 2 of them combined for 13 points in the last 1:33 and did not miss a shot.  Wow.

[jsglow]

Strotty,

I must again compliment you on your outstanding analysis.

[MDMU04]

The only problem I have with the way Buzz coached yesterday's game was all of the substitutions.

Some of it may have been done in an effort to slow things down and to take some of the momentum away from DC.

But when a team is struggling so badly to get anything going on offense, is there a point where you have to leave your best players on the floor and let them figure things out? I think it would be pretty difficult for the guys to get in to any sort of rhythm when they are going to and from the bench every two possessions.

[TomW1365]

I like how he has a guy (J.Wilson) trail the cutter (Blue) for a possible tip in if he misses.  But if you watch the replay, Wilson slipped on the floor when he planted his foot to jump to a tip in (that wasn't needed).  How many times did we have a guy lose his footing yesterday?  Guys were slipping and falling all day.

[Abode4life]

The only problem I have with the way Buzz coached yesterday's game was all of the substitutions.

Some of it may have been done in an effort to slow things down and to take some of the momentum away from DC.

But when a team is struggling so badly to get anything going on offense, is there a point where you have to leave your best players on the floor and let them figure things out? I think it would be pretty difficult for the guys to get in to any sort of rhythm when they are going to and from the bench every two possessions.

I think the problem was Buzz was searching for a combination that could actually make buckets.  Thats why we saw Jake in there. (Meaning before the end of the game when he was in.) 

[RJax55]

In what way was Buzz outcoached? Several posters have mentioned this but no one has elaborated. MU got good looks but shot terribly from the floor. Is that being outcoached?

At least Bob McKillop can take solace right now that he "outcoached" Buzz Williams. Who wouldn't take that feat over a victory?

The whole debate is just silly and inane. This is the NCAA tournament, MU won, that's all that matters. Honestly, I don't care how the team did it or what happened. Unfortunately, the guy pushing this stupid argument is somebody that cares much more about winning internet arguments than cheering for MU.

[GGGG]

The only problem I have with the way Buzz coached yesterday's game was all of the substitutions.

Some of it may have been done in an effort to slow things down and to take some of the momentum away from DC.

But when a team is struggling so badly to get anything going on offense, is there a point where you have to leave your best players on the floor and let them figure things out? I think it would be pretty difficult for the guys to get in to any sort of rhythm when they are going to and from the bench every two possessions.

Have you not watched any Marquette games this year before yesterday?  The reason they struggle offensively isn't because they keep coming in and out of the games, it's because they can't really shoot all that well.  (Buzz has said the same thing.)  So what he is going is keeping guys fresh, grinding down the other team by throwing waves of people at them, and trying to find someone who is hot.  This is how they have done it all year.

[MDMU04]

Have you not watched any Marquette games this year before yesterday?  The reason they struggle offensively isn't because they keep coming in and out of the games, it's because they can't really shoot all that well.  (Buzz has said the same thing.)  So what he is going is keeping guys fresh, grinding down the other team by throwing waves of people at them, and trying to find someone who is hot.  This is how they have done it all year.

Yes, I have watched plenty of games this season. Buzz has always done this. It isn't something that is limited to this season either. I have always been irritated by the way he searches through his roster grasping as straws for a group that can score. The team wins consistently though so it is difficult to nitpick about it.

It is unusual and there has to be a reason why I've never seen another coach do it to the extreme like Buzz does. That was my point.

[tower912]

Substitutions?   Nobody is going to play 40 minutes.  Jamil committed his second foul with 8 minutes to go in the first half.    Vander earlier than that.    Somebody has to be out there.   I would like more Steve Taylor, but I acknowledge that he does not defend on the perimeter well.   With the mobility and shooting ability of Davidson's post players, playing CO and DG at the same time wasn't an option.  So, taking the foul situation in the first half, the need for rest, and the limitations of our players, what in the blue blazes is Buzz supposed to do?   He keeps running players out there until a combination clicks.   

[KenoshaWarrior]

Okay lets end this right now.

Fine you want to say Buzz was outcoached okay fine 
I will take the win instead of the "Better Coach"

[MDMU04]

Substitutions?   Nobody is going to play 40 minutes.  Jamil committed his second foul with 8 minutes to go in the first half.    Vander earlier than that.    Somebody has to be out there.   I would like more Steve Taylor, but I acknowledge that he does not defend on the perimeter well.   With the mobility and shooting ability of Davidson's post players, playing CO and DG at the same time wasn't an option.  So, taking the foul situation in the first half, the need for rest, and the limitations of our players, what in the blue blazes is Buzz supposed to do?   He keeps running players out there until a combination clicks.   

The point I was trying to make is that it might be difficult for a unit to find any sort of rhythm offensively - "a combination that clicks" when it seems like the same five guys are on the court for at most two possessions at a time. Give the guys a chance to play together for a few minutes.

That's it. I was questioning the approach. Apparently that's not allowed...even though I acknowledged that it is difficult to nit pick given the fact that the team wins consistently.

When did I say anything about playing guys for 40 minutes?