Butler Game Thread

[77ncaachamps]

Too many missed 3s.  We live and die by them.

This. It also kills or grows confidence quickly. The former was MU, the latter was Butler in the 2nd half.

[Dr. Blackheart]

63 point half

[MerrittsMustache]

People talk about how Crean never made good in game adjustments, but holy smokes I think Wojo is way worse.

I've said this over and over. I believe Wojo can gameplan but once the opponent adjusts, he can't counter.

This team is painful to watch. At halftime, I told my wife that I wouldn't be surprised if Butler won by 10. Only off by 2.

[JakeBarnes]

Too many missed 3s.  We live and die by them.

Honestly, I felt like they needed to do more drive kick 3s in the 2nd half. Felt like they settled for aimless drives for the majority of it

[jonny09]

So do coaches get the blame for a collapse like this in the NBA or NFL? 

[Mr. Sand-Knit]

We looked good in the first half when.... Hauser was playing the 5 or when Heldt was playing the 5 moving his feet and providing help and challenging on the boards. 
Fisher is the fools gold on this team

[tower912]

People talk about how Crean never made good in game adjustments, but holy smokes I think Wojo is way worse.

His options were, after the way the second half was being called and foul trouble....  1.   Put Heldt in and play zone.   2.   Go small and hope to keep making shots.     That's it.    The players weren't playing defense.    They showed they could in the first half and quit in the second.   

[MattyWarrior]

Thought our D was getting better,not!! Fish looks awful and the lead that never was..

[Mr. Sand-Knit]

Fisher 0 fgs, 1 reb!!!!!!!, 5 fouls
The dog wont hunt!!
Wojo ur loyalty is killing them!

Too bad there is not a stat for standing their and watching the game go by, he would lead pomeroy in that stat.

Tommy Lasorda once told me there are two types of players.  Those that make it happen n those that watch it happen.  Well...

[MattyWarrior]

Holtman and Chabatz make me sick to my stomach

[Afroman]

His options were, after the way the second half was being called and foul trouble....  1.   Put Heldt in and play zone.   2.   Go small and hope to keep making shots.     That's it.    The players weren't playing defense.    They showed they could in the first half and quit in the second.   

Put in Heldt? Do you watch him when he's in the game? He would be average in the WIAC.

[tower912]

So you are admitting Wojo had no options. 

[Afroman]

I would play the walk-on Franklin over Heldt.

[brewcity77]

I've said this over and over. I believe Wojo can gameplan but once the opponent adjusts, he can't counter.

This team is painful to watch. At halftime, I told my wife that I wouldn't be surprised if Butler won by 10. Only off by 2.

I think the problem isn't his inability to adjust, it's that he doesn't adjust as much with the lead. Against Pittsburgh, Wisconsin, and now Butler, we tried to hold leads while the other team adjusted. You need to adjust your play whether you are ahead or behind because they WILL adjust.

[Mr. Sand-Knit]

Rewatch the first half when heldt was in... Then watch fisher. 

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

I would play the walk-on Franklin over Heldt.

Now you're just being a troll if you weren't already.

[tower912]

I would play the walk-on Franklin over Heldt.

That is dumb. Flat out, overreacting myopic fan stupid.    Like every other player, Matt has good games and bad games.   How long ago did he play heroically against Seton Hall down the stretch?

[muguru]

No worries all...most are happy with the progress Wojo has made, and where the program is under his leadership.

[cheebs09]

I thought Matt's defense was a high point of that first half. He's much better at providing help on guys driving than Fischer in my opinion.

[GoldenEagles1990]

Need to give Fischer the Ol' Lane Kiffin treatment and leave him behind, huh?

[Hards Alumni]

So do coaches get the blame for a collapse like this in the NBA or NFL?

They sure as hell don't get contract extensions.

[dgies9156]

I didn't watch the game but my basketball IQ tells me something really, really went wrong if we blew a 16 point lead at halftime.

You can blame it on Wojo all you want but to give up 63 points in a half aint on Wojo, it's on the guys. NBA teams don't do that and they get eight more minutes per half than we do! At some point you have to play defense and stop fouling out. We also have to be patient and not willing to jack up threes from lala land. In fact, part of what the problem of the Saturday DePaul game may have been was the mistaken belief that our guys can hit from anywhere anytime. Fact is, a great shooting team only hits about 40 percent of their threes and if you don't have a drive-and-dish or inside game, you have the capability to let a team on the ropes back into a game.

The sad thing is that this team has only been blown out of three games this year -- Villanova (who is Number 1 in the country), Wisconsin and Michigan (maybe they are in a giving mood to the Big 10). The rest of our losses, Seton Hall, Pittsburgh and now Butler, were easily winnable games. Imagine where we would be if we had one even two of the three (Seton Hall and Butler would be my choice). If we want to make the NCAA, these are the games we have to win.

At this point, if we go 10-8 and make the NCAA, we'd be a 9 to 10 seed and likely would have to play a Wisconsin or Butler caliber team on a neutral court. Unless we grow quickly, it is hard for me to imagine we're good enough to make it past the first day of the tournament.

[muguru]

I didn't watch the game but my basketball IQ tells me something really, really went wrong if we blew a 16 point lead at halftime.

You can blame it on Wojo all you want but to give up 63 points in a half aint on Wojo, it's on the guys. NBA teams don't do that and they get eight more minutes per half than we do! At some point you have to play defense and stop fouling out. We also have to be patient and not willing to jack up threes from lala land. In fact, part of what the problem of the Saturday DePaul game may have been was the mistaken belief that our guys can hit from anywhere anytime. Fact is, a great shooting team only hits about 40 percent of their threes and if you don't have a drive-and-dish or inside game, you have the capability to let a team on the ropes back into a game.

The sad thing is that this team has only been blown out of three games this year -- Villanova (who is Number 1 in the country), Wisconsin and Michigan (maybe they are in a giving mood to the Big 10). The rest of our losses, Seton Hall, Pittsburgh and now Butler, were easily winnable games. Imagine where we would be if we had one even two of the three (Seton Hall and Butler would be my choice). If we want to make the NCAA, these are the games we have to win.

At this point, if we go 10-8 and make the NCAA, we'd be a 9 to 10 seed and likely would have to play a Wisconsin or Butler caliber team on a neutral court. Unless we grow quickly, it is hard for me to imagine we're good enough to make it past the first day of the tournament.

At this point, I'd just be happy with them getting in and taking my chances.

[Mr. Sand-Knit]

I thought Matt's defense was a high point of that first half. He's much better at providing help on guys driving than Fischer in my opinion.

BINGO
We dont need points from the 5 we need a defensive post presence!!!

[JakeBarnes]

I didn't watch the game but my basketball IQ tells me something really, really went wrong if we blew a 16 point lead at halftime.

You can blame it on Wojo all you want but to give up 63 points in a half aint on Wojo, it's on the guys. NBA teams don't do that and they get eight more minutes per half than we do! At some point you have to play defense and stop fouling out. We also have to be patient and not willing to jack up threes from lala land. In fact, part of what the problem of the Saturday DePaul game may have been was the mistaken belief that our guys can hit from anywhere anytime. Fact is, a great shooting team only hits about 40 percent of their threes and if you don't have a drive-and-dish or inside game, you have the capability to let a team on the ropes back into a game.

The sad thing is that this team has only been blown out of three games this year -- Villanova (who is Number 1 in the country), Wisconsin and Michigan (maybe they are in a giving mood to the Big 10). The rest of our losses, Seton Hall, Pittsburgh and now Butler, were easily winnable games. Imagine where we would be if we had one even two of the three (Seton Hall and Butler would be my choice). If we want to make the NCAA, these are the games we have to win.

At this point, if we go 10-8 and make the NCAA, we'd be a 9 to 10 seed and likely would have to play a Wisconsin or Butler caliber team on a neutral court. Unless we grow quickly, it is hard for me to imagine we're good enough to make it past the first day of the tournament.

There I disagree. I think Marquette wins today on a neutral court. Home cooking happens. Today it happened. Learn what went well in first and what failed in second half and move on to the next one.