no lead safe with Lon

[sperry]

This is a big post season for Lon.

 

[Laxtothemax12]

this team has what I call the snowball effect--when things start to go south, it just snowballs down the hill and keeps getting bigger and bigger. Eventually, someone on this team needs to step up and bring everyone together in moments and games like these. This team honestly could have the Big 12 wrapped up tonight with this and other games they couldn't close out.

 

[papaP]

Adjustments...Adjustments! Lon why didn't you switch up the defense you are being totally out coached in these comebacks....oh man

 

[cjhsooner]

I do not think this was on Kruger as much as others do. Iowa State missed a lot of shots in the first half. They were getting decent looks all game, and they just happened to fall in the second half. OU's offense was not great the whole game, and when Iowa State started hitting everything, it fell apart on OU. Quit trying to pin this all on Kruger. Everyone played a part in this loss. Just look at Tashawn's tweet. Kruger can't play defense. He calls it, and if Iowa State runs a better play, tough cookies. This was not all on Kruger.

 

[JBaker]

I do not think this was on Kruger as much as others do. Iowa State missed a lot of shots in the first half. They were getting decent looks all game, and they just happened to fall in the second half. OU's offense was not great the whole game, and when Iowa State started hitting everything, it fell apart on OU. Quit trying to pin this all on Kruger. Everyone played a part in this loss. Just look at Tashawn's tweet. Kruger can't play defense. He calls it, and if Iowa State runs a better play, tough cookies. This was not all on Kruger.

What you said just isn't true. It's not that Iowa State started hitting open shots they were missing in the first half. They weren't getting open shots in the first half. Plus, they attempted twelve more shots in the second half than the first due to forcing TOs and us not generating TOs.

Like you said, Kruger calls the defense. And for 15 straight minutes, the defense that he called got beat by the same play over and over and over. Yet the defense never adjusted.

 

[DenverSooner]

When things aren't going your way and the other team is on fire you have to have somebody shut them up, somebody who the whole team looks to to make a play. I thought buddy and cousins played great and are very good college players but they aren't that type of guy. I will say Buddy tried to do it today and I think he's gone. It's between him & Ellis for POY.

No. You have to run your offense and play defense. Taking heroic shots is a low percentage solution to a problem (meaning it works a low percentage of time) Running offense and playing defense is a high percentage solution to the same problem.

OU tried to force things turned the ball over and gave up about 15 straight points with almost no shot attempts and the few that were made were low percentage shots that were forced.

 

[BCSooners]

No. You have to run your offense and play defense. Taking heroic shots is a low percentage solution to a problem (meaning it works a low percentage of time) Running offense and playing defense is a high percentage solution to the same problem.

OU tried to force things turned the ball over and gave up about 15 straight points with almost no shot attempts and the few that were made were low percentage shots that were forced.

They ran their offense and it was 30 seconds of not getting any good looks then forcing a bad shot. It's hard to play defense when ISU has figured out our defense, the crowd got into it, and they were hitting shots. So in that case you need someone to stop the bleeding and shut the crowd up for a moment. I'm not talking about 15 foot fade-away hero shots, I'm talking about someone you can give the ball to with 10 seconds on the shot clock who you can trust to make the right play and either get himself or a teammate a good look.

 

[cjhsooner]

What you said just isn't true. It's not that Iowa State started hitting open shots they were missing in the first half. They weren't getting open shots in the first half. Plus, they attempted twelve more shots in the second half than the first due to forcing TOs and us not generating TOs.

Like you said, Kruger calls the defense. And for 15 straight minutes, the defense that he called got beat by the same play over and over and over. Yet the defense never adjusted.

Then let's fire Kruger! Good luck getting any coach worth a damn to come here! They see a coach winning 20 games 3 straight seasns getting fired, why would they come here?

 

[DenverSooner]

They ran their offense and it was 30 seconds of not getting any good looks then forcing a bad shot. It's hard to play defense when ISU has figured out our defense, the crowd got into it, and they were hitting shots. So in that case you need someone to stop the bleeding and shut the crowd up for a moment. I'm not talking about 15 foot fade-away hero shots, I'm talking about someone you can give the ball to with 10 seconds on the shot clock who you can trust to make the right play and either get himself or a teammate a good look.

No they didn't. They turned the ball over several times. They sat around on the perimeter and did not play inside out. Hield looked to force things doing exactly what OU fans are calling for only it didn't work because it is low percentage basketball. Had he gotten a hot hand, it would have been great. However, had OU fed the ball to the post and played inside out without the turnovers, they probably win the game.

 

[campbest]

The problem with the defense wasn't really schematic the second half, all ISU was doing was running a dribble-weave, which is looking to get someone going down hill to make a play. When that happens, at some point as an individual, you have to say "this guys isn't getting by me". They did, and with no rim protection, got plenty of lay-ups.

 

[BCSooners]

No they didn't. They turned the ball over several times. They sat around on the perimeter and did not play inside out. Hield looked to force things doing exactly what OU fans are calling for only it didn't work because it is low percentage basketball. Had he gotten a hot hand, it would have been great. However, had OU fed the ball to the post and played inside out without the turnovers, they probably win the game.

They turned the ball over because the situation got the best of them and they didn't have anyone to turn to to stop the bleeding. They tried to go inside and Thomas couldn't do anything; didn't draw double teams, didn't finish shots, missed free throws. You make my point about Hield not being the guy to turn to when everything is going wrong, we don't have one which is none of the players' fault. Hield can't get to the rim or pass well enough to be that guy, that's why when he tries to be that guy it doesn't go well because he is a scorer not a creator. Also the offense wasn't the problem like you are saying with the turnovers (we only had 12) and inside-out, we gave up 59 points in a half.

 

[stormspencer]

The problem with the defense wasn't really schematic the second half, all ISU was doing was running a dribble-weave, which is looking to get someone going down hill to make a play. When that happens, at some point as an individual, you have to say "this guys isn't getting by me". They did, and with no rim protection, got plenty of lay-ups.

Yep...didn't keep their man in front of them....it's that simple. As good as a defensive team as we are (and we are really good as a unit), we are not so good at individual "one on one" type defense. Cousins, imo, is our best individual defender and he was getting schooled in the 2nd half. If a team has good individual skill players and decides to spread the floor and run iso on us, it exposes a weakness that we have a hard time countering.

 

[SilliSooner]

Yep...didn't keep their man in front of them....it's that simple. As good as a defensive team as we are (and we are really good as a unit), we are not so good at individual "one on one" type defense. Cousins, imo, is our best individual defender and he was getting schooled in the 2nd half. If a team has good individual skill players and decides to spread the floor and run iso on us, it exposes a weakness that we have a hard time countering.

That's when you go to a zone. We won't get as many turnovers but you don't let them ISO. When you zone, if they can find the open man and are still hot from outside they might still beat you. But they'll have to be hot as a team which is less likely than one or two players catching fire.

I thought we lost that game in the first half by not taking advantage and piling on more points while they were sputtering. We ended the half with a nice lead but we blew chances to be up by 6 or 8 more, which can make a difference.

 

[BoulderSooner]

That's when you go to a zone. We won't get as many turnovers but you don't let them ISO. When you zone, if they can find the open man and are still hot from outside they might still beat you. But they'll have to be hot as a team which is less likely than one or two players catching fire.

I thought we lost that game in the first half by not taking advantage and piling on more points while they were sputtering. We ended the half with a nice lead but we blew chances to be up by 6 or 8 more, which can make a difference.

they had just hit 3 of 4 shots from 3 and you want to go zone??

 

[SilliSooner]

they had just hit 3 of 4 shots from 3 and you want to go zone??

Absolutely. Instead of one hot shooter taking every shot, you have a better chance of making them switch shooters. Rarely are all the outside shooters hot.

Plus, someone like Lattin needs to be at the peak or wing of a zone to run guys off the three. It's a strategy for stemming momentum.

 

[BoulderSooner]

Absolutely. Instead of one hot shooter taking every shot, you have a better chance of making them switch shooters. Rarely are all the outside shooters hot.

Plus, someone like Lattin needs to be at the peak or wing of a zone to run guys off the three. It's a strategy for stemming momentum.

so you want to play a zone that (we have only played 2-3 this year) that we have played 0 min of this season?

 

[WTSooner]

Zone would have been a bad idea.

 

[sooner 1234]

we got absolutely ABUSED in man the last 15 minutes. How can you saying anything other then what we did would have been bad?

I would rather give up the some threes then let a team run an isolation play every trip down for a gimme basket.

Iowa state quit using screens and we didn't have a player who could body up Niang.
It was like playing your much younger brother in a game of one on one...... overpower him and get an easy bucket every time.

Im betting a 6'8 230 forward isn't going to break a zone with dribble penetration, the iso wouldn't work.

Regardless something should have been tried differently. How can you stick by continuing a Man when we gave up 59 in a half??

 

[JBaker]

Then let's fire Kruger! Good luck getting any coach worth a damn to come here! They see a coach winning 20 games 3 straight seasns getting fired, why would they come here?

If you read my post and got "fire Kruger" out of it, then I don't know what to tell you.

Why is it that there can be next to no reasonable discussion here after a loss? It's either the world is crumbling and we need to clean house, or anybody that doesn't just accept the loss is too negative and shouldn't be a fan.

Why can't we just say that it was a horrible game to lose, a massive choke job, poor effort, and poor coaching... But there's still basketball left to be played, and we've got a coach and players who we hope can learn from those mistakes.

 

[sheepdogs1]

If you read my post and got "fire Kruger" out of it, then I don't know what to tell you.

Why is it that there can be next to no reasonable discussion here after a loss? It's either the world is crumbling and we need to clean house, or anybody that doesn't just accept the loss is too negative and shouldn't be a fan.

Why can't we just say that it was a horrible game to lose, a massive choke job, poor effort, and poor coaching... But there's still basketball left to be played, and we've got a coach and players who we hope can learn from those mistakes.

We can just say that and should not have to worry about the ego driven back patters who feel compelled to hand out gold stars to those they deem as true fans while trashing the leftovers. You'd think some posters have a detailed architectural plan of a gallows pole in case they cannot accept some of the content contained within certain posts.