I had a few thoughts

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

1. I now concede Derrick is limited, although I continue to believe its lack of confidence.
2. Why is Juan not taking jumpers? He can shoot. I just wonder if he's got a red light.
3. There is something up with Davante. I don't know if it's frustration about what's gone on thus far, or what. But he's just not the same player.
4. This Burton has some serious potential. He's reminds me of former Illini Kenny Battle.
5. I really like JuJuan, but he makes freshman mistakes.
6. Mayo is the exact same player he was when he arrived. An average (at best) shooter and a poor decision maker. I don't know if he's uncoachable or what, but at this point I'd rather see Jake or JuJuan in the game.
7. Great game by Otule.
8. Solid game by Jamil.
9. Bow ties are for posers...but I still love Buzz.
10. Tough loss, but  didn't expect a W.
11. I find this team more interesting to watch than last years. The NCAA run was great, but I like this team better.

[Markusquette]

11. I find this team more interesting to watch than last years. The NCAA run was great, but I like this team better.

You must enjoy the bad side of interesting then.  Not sure many others are with ya here!

[MU82]

11. I find this team more interesting to watch than last years. The NCAA run was great, but I like this team better.

A train wreck is more interesting than an uneventful trip, but I'd sure rather be party to the latter than the former.

[chren21]

If you listen to buzz post game after samford they all have red light until they get a paint touch.  He calls it red light green light actually.  Listen to that if they hAve podcast.

[connie]

11. I find this team more interesting to watch than last years. The NCAA run was great, but I like this team better.

My frustration outweighs the interest. Derrick is frustrating whenever he has the ball.  Jamail is frustrating in that the flashes he shows have not become come consistent, and as frustrated (or constipated) as Gardner always looks--that's how frustrated I am at his play. 

[willie warrior]

If you listen to buzz post game after samford they all have red light until they get a paint touch.  He calls it red light green light actually.  Listen to that if they hAve podcast.

More Buzzspeak.

[Goose]

Gardner is not even close to the same player this season. It comes down the fact that he is often on the court with guys who cannot score and D can pack it in on him. He would be our best weapon if teams had to defend to guards.

[ATL MU Warrior]

If you listen to buzz post game after samford they all have red light until they get a paint touch.  He calls it red light green light actually.  Listen to that if they hAve podcast.

This is retarded.  I get what he is trying to do but it's obviously not working.  He needs to let the guys shoot if they are open and in rythym.  Creighton was daring anybody to shoot, and nobody would.  Pretty easy to play defense that way.  Too predictable.  

[Da 'Lanche]

I'm not frustrated with Jamil at all.   Last night I felt only JW, CO, DB, JJ and JT came to play.   Wilson has stepped up and, minus some of the careless turnovers, is playing like our best player.  But, what can he do when his supporting cast many times on the floor is such a handicap offensively.   He is being forced to play point (and at several times was playing point with Derrick Wilson in the game....huh???).   There is little to no spacing because nobody takes JA or DW seriously as an outside threat.   Where Jamil thrives....on the break, has been basically eliminated because we have nobody to run the break.   Did you see DW try to run a fast break or two last night....wow, really poorly down and made passes that nobody could finish.

I love Deonte's game and am glad he is getting a lot more minutes.  JJJ is on the rise (he should be getting more minutes than Mayo and Thomas at the 2).   Buzz not only needs to step up his game on rotations, game planning (um, guard the perimeter against a team like Creighton) but he should never, ever wear a bow tie again!

Mayo is such a disappointment...I think we are a better TEAM without him on the floor.   Davante is either uber-frustrated, disengaged, or the lack of any consistent perimeter game has rendered his game moot.   

I wish we would either play Steve Taylor or not...he seems to be in no-mans land.

The season is not lost, but it is close.   This could have been an opportunity to turn the tide but it put us even further away from success.   I think the rotations need to limit down to those that give us the best opportunities and include major minutes for JW, DB, JJJ, and everybody else in rotational minutes. 

[Buzz Williams' Spillproof Chiclets Cup]

If you listen to buzz post game after samford they all have red light until they get a paint touch.  He calls it red light green light actually.  Listen to that if they hAve podcast.

"How many times are we gonna pass the ball before we take a shot?"
"Four, coach."
"FOUR!"

[tower912]

I am in agreement with a lot of what PRN said.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/ncaa/men/gameflash/2013/12/31/90781/#boxscore
1.  Jamil can be so good if he just brings it every possession.  Defensive rebounds into pull up jumpers, running the point well, decent defense on Dougie.    Get angry, Jamil!
2.   Loved the defensive intensity.   The traps were effective for a while.   Creighton is just a good passing team and eventually made MU pay every time it wasn't perfect.
3.  Held a high scoring team to 67 on their floor
4.  Gardner is a liability right now.   Give his minutes to STjr and Deonte.   Ride Otule as long as you can.
5.  9 assists for a game?
6.  Rebounding is solid.
7.  JJJ and Deonte continue to impress, but still have a ways to go.
8.  Juan, you need to play hard and smart every game.  
9.  Todd, ditto.
10.  Loved the bow tie.    So Buzz.
11.  Vander leaving has cost this team a great deal. 

[4everwarriors]

And, the Bluejay defense held their opposition to 49.

[tower912]

And, the Bluejay defense held their opposition to 49.

MU's shooting held it to 49.   

[connie]

 

MU's shooting held it to 49.   

Yeah, I don't think we can put this all on the stifling Bluejay defense.

[CTWarrior]

1.  I thought Jamil Wilson played great, but he's being asked to do too much.  Chasing McDermott all over the place then playing point while Derrick Wilson stands around the low post.  I understand why Buzz tried putting Derrick down low, if his guy is going to stand there anyway, may as well out Derrick down there in hopes of freeing up players elsewhere. 
2.  Of course, if Derrick isn't going to play the point, there is no logical reason to have him on the floor.
2.  Deonte Burton, Jake Thomas, Chris Otule were solid.  Burton particularly defended McDermott pretty well when he was assigned to him.  I think he is fine in a straight man to man defense, but struggles with the switching and rotations.  I am really looking forward to watching him for the next 3 1/2 seasons.
3.  We just don't have a point guard.  We move the ball around better and get better shots and driving lanes whenever Derrick Wilson sits.  Unfortunately, we are also much sloppier/turnover prone when he sits. 
4.  Gardner cannot get the ball on the low block in a position to score with the teammates he has.  Our lack of outside threats are just killing him.  Otule, due to his sheer size and the relatively minimal defensive pressure he seems to attract, actually may be a little more offensively effective in some of these situations.
5.  We miss Blue, but we miss Cadougan more.
6.  Anderson has to take the uncontested 3.  He can make a high enough percentage of those to make the defense play him honest.  I like him on the floor, but he has to be a threat.

[bilsu]

I think Buzz paint touches work, if you have the right players. This team does not have the right players. I also think assist to basket ratio is overrated. Agianst Samford we assisted on something like 19 out of 22 baskets and they were talking about how good that was. I am thinking that means we got no baskets off drives or offensive rebound put backs. The statistic's value is very misleading as to the quality of your points. As far as red light green light, if MU is not going to shoot before they get a paint touch, if I were the opposing coach I would put all 5 playings in the paint so MU could not get a paint touch and let the shot clock expire.

[The Equalizer]

I think Buzz paint touches work, if you have the right players. This team does not have the right players. I also think assist to basket ratio is overrated. Agianst Samford we assisted on something like 19 out of 22 baskets and they were talking about how good that was. I am thinking that means we got no baskets off drives or offensive rebound put backs. The statistic's value is very misleading as to the quality of your points. As far as red light green light, if MU is not going to shoot before they get a paint touch, if I were the opposing coach I would put all 5 playings in the paint so MU could not get a paint touch and let the shot clock expire.

It would not surprise me if this was part of McDermott's strategy last night.  We seemed to pass on a lot of open looks--not sure whether they passed specifically because of the red-light/green-light policy, or because Buzz simply hasn't unleashed certain players even if the ball has touched paint.

It would also be interesting to know how many of our 15 turnovers came while trying to get a paint touch instead of trying to work for an open shot.  The objective is not a paint touch--its an open, high-percentage attempt.

And if you have an open, high-percentage shot avaiable, it seems silly not to take it for the arbitrary reason that the ball has not touched the paint yet.   

[forgetful]

Gardner is not even close to the same player this season. It comes down the fact that he is often on the court with guys who cannot score and D can pack it in on him. He would be our best weapon if teams had to defend to guards.

Gardner is the exact same player.  Last year he was often not great.  Go back and look at the game logs, he often was held to low points/rebounds.  He excels when he is in a man to man with no help defense.  But all Bigs excel under that scenario, that is why most teams double the post.

In the past (mainly his freshman and sophomore years), teams would not double the post much at all.  This was unusual and allowed him to get a reputation as a brute-force scorer.  Teams adapted, but Gardner didn't try to learn counters to the new defense.  Rather, last year and this year he gets in a funk/bad attitude because defenses are playing him properly. 

If he was the Big East player of the year candidate that many here had hoped for, double teams and sagging defenses wouldn't matter.  Great players overcome these obstacles.  We threw doubles as McDermott all game...he scored 19 pts 7 rbs.  Davante got doubled and he pouted and gave up... 4pts 2 rbs 2 tos. 

If he thinks he is a star he needs to drop the attitude, put on his big boy pants and prove it.  Honestly, otherwise give his playing time to someone else.  His attitude is not helping this team. 

[Blackhat]

I had a few friggin thoughts too from what I saw:
1. Burton not very good at defense right now,  needs to put in more effort. D is effort.
2. Jamil Wilson....yeah, not a stud. ...sad that he can't be a supporting member on this team, not enough talent.
3.  Creighton has mojo at their place, like us at our place.

[john31]

When will change take place? Does the current strategy start to work or do lineups change?

[Markusquette]

I wish Steve would get some more time to at least try to get in a rhythm.  How is he going to gain any confidence when he gets 30 seconds to be in the game?  His regression is one of the stranger ones for any MU player lately.  I was expecting him to be one of their top guys this year (top 5).

[WarriorFan]

It's probably time to admit that out best shooter is actually Gardner.  I'd like to see him unleashed a bit.  Encourage him to take an open 3 rather than benching him for it.  Set him up for the free throw line jumper (set shot?) because he makes it.  Once he establishes this, then he can shot fake and drive. 

Let's face it, with no other shooters, this team needs the buckets and Gardner is not going to get much from the low post.

[keefe]

When will change take place? Does the current strategy start to work or do lineups change?

[connie]

Definitely no Real Chili!

[willie warrior]

I am in agreement with a lot of what PRN said.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/ncaa/men/gameflash/2013/12/31/90781/#boxscore
1.  Jamil can be so good if he just brings it every possession.  Defensive rebounds into pull up jumpers, running the point well, decent defense on Dougie.    Get angry, Jamil!
2.   Loved the defensive intensity.   The traps were effective for a while.   Creighton is just a good passing team and eventually made MU pay every time it wasn't perfect.
3.  Held a high scoring team to 67 on their floor
4.  Gardner is a liability right now.   Give his minutes to STjr and Deonte.   Ride Otule as long as you can.
5.  9 assists for a game?
6.  Rebounding is solid.
7.  JJJ and Deonte continue to impress, but still have a ways to go.
8.  Juan, you need to play hard and smart every game.  
9.  Todd, ditto.
10.  Loved the bow tie.    So Buzz.
11.  Vander leaving has cost this team a great deal. 

Gardner is not a liability. That all pro PG of ours has 3 assists to him all year--that's right 3. If you do nor have people that can get the ball inside, that is what happens. And keep slurping the Kool Aid.