Biggest Surprise

[muwarrior69]

Not if by double digits

So all games decided by less than double digits don't matter. So UConn beating Nova by 8 or losing to them by 8 doesn't matter? I'm not a stat guy so please explain it to me.

[Uncle Rico]

So all games decided by less than double digits don't matter. So UConn beating Nova by 8 or losing to them by 8 doesn't matter? I'm not a stat guy so please explain it to me.

The bigger the win, the better

[lawdog77]

I think Shaka was 5-2 in 5 point games last year, so maybe he needs to go into concussion protocol ?

[Uncle Rico]

I think Shaka was 5-2 in 5 point games last year, so maybe he needs to go into concussion protocol ?

We don't talk about the past on Scoop

[We R Final Four]

Chase Ross' rapid development on the positive.....Jop's lack of defensive development is the negative.

[MU82]

I think Shaka was 5-2 in 5 point games last year, so maybe he needs to go into concussion protocol ?

The biggest surprise is that Shaka got stoopid in close games, and was also so stoopid that he had us pull away to win other games instead of keeping them close so our record in close games would be better.

The other big surprise is that Shaka failed his first test (again).

[The Sultan]

You brought it up, it is listed as a choice for biggest surprise and has been imo the biggest flaw of this team. Feel free to ignore it.

I brought it up to confirm brew's point that it really isn't a problem.

[The Sultan]

So all games decided by less than double digits don't matter. So UConn beating Nova by 8 or losing to them by 8 doesn't matter? I'm not a stat guy so please explain it to me.

The current Scoop narrative is that we are both winning games too easily and not losing them by large enough margins. Apparently this will hurt is come March or something.

[MuggsyB]

The current Scoop narrative is that we are both winning games too easily and not losing them by large enough margins. Apparently this will hurt is come March or something.

That's not the narrative.  Stop conjuring things from thin air.  All of us would like to win every game by 50 points Fluffy but that's obviously not realistic.  I and others have mentioned that we are 0-4 in close games because......well.....we're 0-4 in close games.  And we at minimum should have won two of them and more likely 3 of 4.  To completely disregard some of our performances in tight games down the stretch is foolish.  We will need to find a way to slam the door in these potential contests and it could be the difference in making the tournament and or advancing in the NCAA tournament. 

[jfp61]

You brought it up, it is listed as a choice for biggest surprise and has been imo the biggest flaw of this team. Feel free to ignore it.

Panda thinks Marquette should have played their walk-ons more against Creighton. gotta get that close game experience.

[GoldenEagles03]

What did I miss with Keeyan?  He is a walk-on?

[Uncle Rico]

That not the narrative.  Stop conjuring things from thin air.  All of us would like to win every game by 50 points Fluffy but that's obviously not realistic.  I and others have mentioned that we are 0-4 in close games because......well.....we're 0-4 in close games.  And we at minimum should have won two of them and more likely 3 of 4.  To completely disregard some of our performances in tight games down the stretch is foolish.  We will need to find a way to slam the door in these potential contests and it could be the difference in making the tournament and or advancing in the NCAA tournament.

Eat at Arby's

[The Sultan]

That not the narrative.  Stop conjuring things from thin air.  All of us would like to win every game by 50 points Fluffy but that's obviously not realistic.  I and others have mentioned that we are 0-4 in close games because......well.....we're 0-4 in close games.  And we at minimum should have won two of them and more likely 3 of 4.  To completely disregard some of our performances in tight games down the stretch is foolish.  We will need to find a way to slam the door in these potential contests and it could be the difference in making the tournament and or advancing in the NCAA tournament. 

Who said I was disregarding performances down the stretch? I am saying that worrying about losing close games, while also being 10-4, is foolish. This team could easily be 12-2. That's a good thing...not something to worry about.

[panda]

I brought it up to confirm brew's point that it really isn't a problem.

If it isnt a problem, we'd have a better record.

Hopefully it's simply early season, lack of cohesion. Otherwise the team has been awesome.

[GoldenEagles03]

Who said I was disregarding performances down the stretch? I am saying that worrying about losing close games, while also being 10-4, is foolish. This team could easily be 12-2. That's a good thing...not something to worry about.

Close games have been an issue, but so have games away from home.

Marquette has 2 wins away from home and 1 is a true road game.  Neither Georgia Tech nor Notre Dame is a quality team this year.  We need to beat a quality team on the road to build some confidence in both the road and close game departments.  Villanova is the perfect opportunity to do both.

[PGsHeroes32]

Biggest surprise for me is how good the offense is. Sure, against really good defensive teams like Purdue and Miss State it was horrid for large stretches. But that happens.

My optimism for this year was that I did believe all guys would improve, especially the Core 4. TK and Kam are basically what I expected them to be based off how much they showed last year(tho like everyone Kams crafty layups are def a surprise) but Omax and Oso's impacts all around are better than I even imagined when trying to be an optimist this year. Except Oso free throws thats a surprise the other way.

When Oso has the ball I geniuniely feel as confident in him as any MU player dating back to the amigos. It just always feels like he knows he to spin for a hammer dunk. When to finesse in the lane for a hook. When to drop some ridiculous no look dime. When to dribble it back out himself. Hes far from flawless and had a dumb no look last game but Im also confident when hes making decisions.

Omax as others have mentioned is getting more and more in control as the season goes on. He still spins widely a bit and travels or nearly travels in the paint. But hes gotten really good. And his ability on D to lock down and turn D to O is so fun.

Also I love the solidness to Stevie. His shot still sucks something awful. But hes good at knowing when to get a look at the rim. Rebounds well for his size and is tough even trying to get his own miss. D is awesome. And hes also the guy in transition I think who forces it the least. He knows when to slow it down and run offense. Or to make a play at the hoop whether its a pass or himself.

Keep developing the offense all year and things will be fun.

[The Sultan]

If it isnt a problem, we'd have a better record.

Hopefully it's simply early season, lack of cohesion. Otherwise the team has been awesome.

It would be a bigger problem if we got blown out in those games.  It would be a bigger problem if more of our wins were closer than they have been.

[panda]

It would be a bigger problem if we got blown out in those games.  It would be a bigger problem if more of our wins were closer than they have been.

As you speak in hypotheticals, I'll circle back to reality. We've played four close games and lost each of them.

I believe we can improve in tight games as we grow tighter as a unit and roles are more defined, but as it stands today, this team has not performed well in close games.

[The Sultan]

As you speak in hypotheticals, I'll circle back to reality. We've played four close games and lost each of them.

I believe we can improve in tight games as we grow tighter as a unit and roles are more defined, but as it stands today, this team has not performed well in close games.

<sigh>

Unfortunately you don't seem to get it. Losing close games is being overstated as a problem here.

[PGsHeroes32]

As you speak in hypotheticals, I'll circle back to reality. We've played four close games and lost each of them.

I believe we can improve in tight games as we grow tighter as a unit and roles are more defined, but as it stands today, this team has not performed well in close games.

They havent, and its annoyed me too because we could have at least 2 more wins.

But his point is we are still regularly blowing teams out. Which is a good thing. We are to this point never getting blown out, which is also a good thing.

As frustrating as it is to lose close ones(especially providence) its still better to lose games like that then get swept off the floor.

In a perfect world we would have a bunch of blow out wins and 4-0 in close games and be undefeated. But lets be honest, we are not that good of a team.

Im confident at some point we will win a close game or 2. Sadly I also believe we will get smacked a time or 2. Thats still 1-1 or 2-2. And has a better chance of being worse for our NET.

[MuggsyB]

Close games have been an issue, but so have games away from home.

Marquette has 2 wins away from home and 1 is a true road game.  Neither Georgia Tech nor Notre Dame is a quality team this year.  We need to beat a quality team on the road to build some confidence in both the road and close game departments.  Villanova is the perfect opportunity to do both.

Exactly.

[The Sultan]

They havent, and its annoyed me too because we could have at least 2 more wins.

But his point is we are still regularly blowing teams out. Which is a good thing. We are to this point never getting blown out, which is also a good thing.

As frustrating as it is to lose close ones(especially providence) its still better to lose games like that then get swept off the floor.

In a perfect world we would have a bunch of blow out wins and 4-0 in close games and be undefeated. But lets be honest, we are not that good of a team.

Im confident at some point we will win a close game or 2. Sadly I also believe we will get smacked a time or 2. Thats still 1-1 or 2-2. And has a better chance of being worse for our NET.

Thank you. Exactly.

[The Sultan]

Close games have been an issue, but so have games away from home.

Marquette has 2 wins away from home and 1 is a true road game.  Neither Georgia Tech nor Notre Dame is a quality team this year.  We need to beat a quality team on the road to build some confidence in both the road and close game departments.  Villanova is the perfect opportunity to do both.

Didn't you think we would lose to both GT and ND?

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Going 0-4 in close games is concerning.

I would be much more concerning if those 4 losses were blowouts and our wins were all close.

[panda]

They havent, and its annoyed me too because we could have at least 2 more wins.

But his point is we are still regularly blowing teams out. Which is a good thing. We are to this point never getting blown out, which is also a good thing.

As frustrating as it is to lose close ones(especially providence) its still better to lose games like that then get swept off the floor.

In a perfect world we would have a bunch of blow out wins and 4-0 in close games and be undefeated. But lets be honest, we are not that good of a team.

Im confident at some point we will win a close game or 2. Sadly I also believe we will get smacked a time or 2. Thats still 1-1 or 2-2. And has a better chance of being worse for our NET.

I agree with most of this. Saying at least we didn't get blown out is just an ignorant statement. The facts are we've lost four close games to three probable tournament teams. To say it's not a present concern is ignoring facts.

Now, I do believe we will improve in end of game situations as the season moves on as we learn from our mistakes. I'm very happy with where the team is at now if my only concern is losing tight games to good teams. But it's a concern.