Rotation today?

[Elonsmusk]

Feel Shaka has done a very good job all season long having a pulse on the game and playing time.  However, today wasn't very good.  The box score is wrong, Stevie Mitchell did NOT play 18 minutes...must have gotten him and Oso/Elliott confused.

Trey Alexander looked really uncomfortable against Stevie in the first half for the brief stint Stevie played, and Alexander was really shaky with the ball against Kolek in the last 5 minutes.  Alexander hasn't played PG all season long.  Greg Elliott has had defensive lapses multiple times in each of the last few games and his 3 pt shooting has been 7 of 36 in the last 10 games.

O-Max only had 22 minutes as well.  This was a game we should have won.  Hopefully we see an adjustment in the NCAA with Kam and Stevie elevated over Greg.

[1SE]

Greg has been awful since the winning streak.

[CountryRoads]

When omax got an And1 and Shaka subbed him out immediately for Greg was the most wojo thing ever. I think Greg missed a shot and turned it over on the first 2 possessions he was in there.

Shaka had no feel for this game. Going small and playing with a high pressure defense would have been much more effective than dicking around with the 2 bigs. They went small late and almost came back and won. 

[MuggsyB]

Feel Shaka has done a very good job all season long having a pulse on the game and playing time.  However, today wasn't very good.  The box score is wrong, Stevie Mitchell did NOT play 18 minutes...must have gotten him and Oso/Elliott confused.

Trey Alexander looked really uncomfortable against Stevie in the first half for the brief stint Stevie played, and Alexander was really shaky with the ball against Kolek in the last 5 minutes.  Alexander hasn't played PG all season long.  Greg Elliott has had defensive lapses multiple times in each of the last few games and his 3 pt shooting has been 7 of 36 in the last 10 games.

O-Max only had 22 minutes as well.  This was a game we should have won.  Hopefully we see an adjustment in the NCAA with Kam and Stevie elevated over Greg.

GE was huge in some of our games earlier in the year.  But he's had a very rough month of hoops.  Defensively it's more than "lapses".  He struggles mightily to put it mildly.

[Elonsmusk]

When omax got an And1 and Shaka subbed him out immediately for Greg was the most wojo thing ever. I think Greg missed a shot and turned it over on the first 2 possessions he was in there.

Shaka had no feel for this game. Going small and playing with a high pressure defense would have been much more effective than dicking around with the 2 bigs. They went small late and almost came back and won.

Lol.  Don't remind me.  I mean unless O-Max asked out at that point for some reason, that was a bone-headed substitution. 

[MuggsyB]

Lol.  Don't remind me.  I mean unless O-Max asked out at that point for some reason, that was a bone-headed substitution.

So what's your closing 5?

[Mu8891]

Shaka coached today like Wojo.

Team looked unmotivated.... They were flat .  He did not make adjustments at halftime.  Made bad substitutions.  The team has no chance next week unless HE is better.

[Elonsmusk]

So what's your closing 5?

Depends on the flow of the game/matchup..but in a game like today where you have Trey Alexander playing out of position at PG you load up on him with your best on ball defender - Stevie. 

In my opinion the best 5 players on the team are Kolek, Kam, Morsell, O-Max, Justin.  Oso has been a bit of an enigma lately.  The staff says he's a very good ball-handler and passer, he shoots FT's well, yet he doesn't seem to play make a whole lot.  He needs another two years in the weight room, and he'll be a VERY good player as a Senior.

[MuggsyB]

Depends on the flow of the game/matchup..but in a game like today where you have Trey Alexander playing out of position at PG you load up on him with your best on ball defender - Stevie. 

In my opinion the best 5 players on the team are Kolek, Kam, Morsell, O-Max, Justin.  Oso has been a bit of an enigma lately.  The staff says he's a very good ball-handler and passer, he shoots FT's well, yet he doesn't seem to play make a whole lot.  He needs another two years in the weight room, and he'll be a VERY good player as a Senior.

I think we agree here.  It seemed to me out of nowhere Djop played a lot to close the show today.

[TSmith34, Inc.]

Agree, one of Shaka's few bad rotation games, but this one was a huge clunker.

Stuck with both Kur and Oso way too long; Justin was far more effective on Kalk. Pulled OMax, who was having a solid game. Greg was an unmitigated disaster. Why oh why can't he stay on his feet?? He tried a shot, again fell down, was late getting back on defense as a result, then went to cover the guy that was already being covered, and gave up an uncontested three to Hawkins. Ugh.

I'd far rather suffer through any defensive mistakes the freshman make. And yeah, Stevie was again hounding them on defense, I have no idea why he got so few minutes.

[MuggsyB]

Agree, one of Shaka's few bad rotation games, but this one was a huge clunker.

Stuck with both Kur and Oso way too long; Justin was far more effective on Kalk. Pulled OMax, who was having a solid game. Greg was an unmitigated disaster. Why oh why can't he stay on his feet?? He tried a shot, again fell down, was late getting back on defense as a result, then went to cover the guy that was already being covered, and gave up an uncontested three to Hawkins. Ugh.

I'd far rather suffer through any defensive mistakes the freshman make. And yeah, Stevie was again hounding them on defense, I have no idea why he got so few minutes.

Don't you think we also bite on shot fakes from the perimeter too much? 

[TSmith34, Inc.]

Don't you think we also bite on shot fakes from the perimeter too much?

I was just responding to the question about the rotation. Have no idea about the eShotFakeBite% TBH.

[Silkk the Shaka]

Don't you think we also bite on shot fakes from the perimeter too much?

I do, yes. A pretty shocking breakdown in fundamentals across the board from after the 2nd Villanova game on.

Watch the defense against Nova, very stingy & pesky but the footwork was great & they stayed in front of their man, contested without giving up positioning.

Now we just seem to be flying at guys on close outs at the arc and at the rim and all it takes is a couple ball fakes and the whole defense is put in the spin cycle.

Pretty confusing how that deteriorated like it has.

[Goose]

Yesterday was flat out ugly. I am not a big conference tournament guy and not upset they lost. That said, I am very upset on how they lost. A very poor performance across the board. They are running out of time and need to get a win next week.

[mugrad_89]

I'm still trying to figure out why they didn't press the entire game against a team that was without its starting PG.

[MDMU04]

I'm still trying to figure out why they didn't press the entire game against a team that was without its starting PG.

Pressing a team with a big like Kalkbrenner and a shooter like Hawkins would not have worked out very well.  Besides, Alexander has been pretty capable in the PG role since Nembhard went down.

[mugrad_89]

Pressing a team with a big like Kalkbrenner and a shooter like Hawkins would not have worked out very well.  Besides, Alexander has been pretty capable in the PG role since Nembhard went down.

Yes there are risks with Kalkbrenner and Hawkins, but I would've preferred the opportunity to wear down Alexander as the game went along and reduced his effectiveness.

[MuggsyB]

Yesterday was flat out ugly. I am not a big conference tournament guy and not upset they lost. That said, I am very upset on how they lost. A very poor performance across the board. They are running out of time and need to get a win next week.

Ty Goose for your clarity and sage remarks.  This is exactly how I feel, it's rather troubling how we played yesterday.  There are no excuses and we will be going home early if don't find a way to compete with far more discipline, poise, and leadership.  Yesterday our grades in these three categories were F, F, and F.  There's no way to sugarcoat it.

[SaveOD238]

I do, yes. A pretty shocking breakdown in fundamentals across the board from after the 2nd Villanova game on.

Watch the defense against Nova, very stingy & pesky but the footwork was great & they stayed in front of their man, contested without giving up positioning.

Now we just seem to be flying at guys on close outs at the arc and at the rim and all it takes is a couple ball fakes and the whole defense is put in the spin cycle.

Pretty confusing how that deteriorated like it has.

This season is really amazing if you split it into three segments.

From November thru the first Creighton game, Marquette ranked 177th in offensive efficiency (100.1 PPP) and 83rd in defensive efficiency (95.7 PPP).  BAD offense.  Average defense.

During the streak in January and early February, Marquette ranked 11th in offensive efficiency (116.9 PPP) and 6th in defensive efficiency (88.6 PPP).  Elite offense. Elite defense.

After the second Villanova game, Marquette ranks 62nd in offensive efficiency (109.9 PPP) and 165th in defensive efficiency (102.7 PPP).  Average offense. BAD defense.

Stats per Torvik.  PPP is points per 100 possessions.

[MU82]

Yesterday was flat out ugly. I am not a big conference tournament guy and not upset they lost. That said, I am very upset on how they lost. A very poor performance across the board. They are running out of time and need to get a win next week.

Goose, I agree with your sentiment on the conference tourney in general. I know many will disagree because unlike us they love the tourney, but it's almost immaterial IMHO. I wish we would have won but I'm not upset that we didn't.

I was en route to Seattle for the birth of our granddaughter yesterday, so I only saw the last 13 minutes of the game at an airport bar. Decent attempt at a comeback, but then too many boneheaded plays at the end. Saw the box score and read Scoop, and it looks like few if any MU players did well, and it sounds like Shaka didn't have a very good game, either.

I don't know about "needing" a win next week, but I sure want one. Two would be even better!

[Goose]

82

Congrats on the new addition to the family. They played sloppy and only nice stretch was in the late comeback. Sadly, the late comeback has its share of stupid decisions and that shut the door on them. I was hoping for a well played game by MU and did not care a great deal about winning and neither played out.

In many ways it comes down to shooting and getting hot. Elliott and Kam provided a great spark in Jan and we need one of them to heat it up. I have my preference on who has a better chance of that and I would play him, but one of them needs to get hot. I very badly wanted to get a victory, or more, next week and keep building for the future.

[NickelDimer]

Felt like Shaka got caught in the trap of sticking with what's familiar vs thinking outside of the box. This is particularly disappointing considering we'd already lost to this team twice and a bit of creativity was in order. All that said I still think the overall lack of urgency and IQ were bigger problems than the lineups

[MuggsyB]

Felt like Shaka got caught in the trap of sticking with what's familiar vs thinking outside of the box. This is particularly disappointing considering we'd already lost to this team twice and a bit of creativity was in order. All that said I still think the overall lack of urgency and IQ were bigger problems than the lineups

Well there are a couple of things we need to decide when it comes to rotations.  Our bigs were very productive early in the season but it's kind have gone to H.  And it's on both ends of the floor.  But while we may have to go small depending on the match-up, moving Lewis to the 5 could result in foul trouble for him.  I also don't think he's defended particularly well in recent weeks.   

As fo ther 3rd guard on the floor Goose is correct.  We desperately need offense from either Kam or GE.  Nevertheless, Stevie is clearly the best defender of the three.  I would be inclined to give Mitchell more minutes, and if we cannot play our 5's at all  go small more often.  There's no doubt with Mitchell on the floor teams can sag more which is a problem but his defense on the perimeter can provide a big spark and lead to transition offense.  I like the energy he brings.

[MU82]

82

Congrats on the new addition to the family. They played sloppy and only nice stretch was in the late comeback. Sadly, the late comeback has its share of stupid decisions and that shut the door on them. I was hoping for a well played game by MU and did not care a great deal about winning and neither played out.

In many ways it comes down to shooting and getting hot. Elliott and Kam provided a great spark in Jan and we need one of them to heat it up. I have my preference on who has a better chance of that and I would play him, but one of them needs to get hot. I very badly wanted to get a victory, or more, next week and keep building for the future.

Thanks. Our first granddaughter (and 4th grandkid) is in perfect health, as is her mom, and stuff like that helps me keep perspective about something like basketball.

Again, we agree about the team's route to NCAAT success. I'm hoping one or both Kam and Greg get hot, and if I were Shaka I'd give Kam a great run to get hot, as it looks like Greg's confidence is gone.

As fo ther 3rd guard on the floor Goose is correct.  We desperately need offense from either Kam or GE.  Nevertheless, Stevie is clearly the best defender of the three.  I would be inclined to give Mitchell more minutes, and if we cannot play our 5's at all  go small more often.  There's no doubt with Mitchell on the floor teams can sag more which is a problem but his defense on the perimeter can provide a big spark and lead to transition offense.  I like the energy he brings.

I have loved Stevie's recent contribution, but if you have Stevie, Kolek, O-Max and a 5 on the floor for D, that's a lot of guys who haven't shown they can shoot. Put in Morsell for the 5, and our already bad rebounding gets worse. It's a tough choice for Shaka.

[MuggsyB]

Thanks. Our first granddaughter (and 4th grandkid) is in perfect health, as is her mom, and stuff like that helps me keep perspective about something like basketball.

Again, we agree about the team's route to NCAAT success. I'm hoping one or both Kam and Greg get hot, and if I were Shaka I'd give Kam a great run to get hot, as it looks like Greg's confidence is gone.

I have loved Stevie's recent contribution, but if you have Stevie, Kolek, O-Max and a 5 on the floor for D, that's a lot of guys who haven't shown they can shoot. Put in Morsell for the 5, and our already bad rebounding gets worse. It's a tough choice for Shaka.

It is a tough choice.  It's very difficult to play our best offensive team on defense and our best defensive team on offense.  It really boils down to whether Kam or GE make threes or score the ball.  Part of the problem is they don't create a lot of offense off the dribble.  I think Shaka can use Mitchell to give some rest to Morsell during the course of the game but the overall decision has to be game to game.  If Kam and GE are not scoring the ball, even though they do create more open space, is it more valuable than Stevie's defense?