seniorsooner
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- Nov 10, 2008
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I actually turned the game off at the 14 minute mark in the 2nd half, because there was no point in watching any more. I saw us again get out quicked, out hustled, out defended, out rebounded, out shot, etc, by a mid major team that was picked 6th in their conference in the preseason media poll.
Even though Willie put up 30, he looks disinterested for large stretches of the game. I am looking at the box score and he shot 20 times, but I have a feeling most of those shots came after I turned the game off because he could not have possibly shot it 10 times in the 1st half. This team desperately needs him to take over games to have any chance at winning right now, and he seems either unable or unwilling to do it.
Our post game is terrible right now. Gallon and Fitzgerald look like bulls in a china closet, particularly Fitzgerald. I don't know how many times in the 1st half I watched him bull into defenders and turn it over. Coach is having a hard time even keeping him on the floor because of this. While Wright plays hard every night, and won't typically beat you with mistakes, the guy is a role player. Time and time again we settle for jump shots because we have no threat of posting up and scoring the basketball. Teams obviously are aware of this and are smothering our perimeter players.
Beyond all of this we are simply getting out worked. To get outrebounded by San freaking Diego by 9 is pathetic and embarrassing. They had FIFTEEN offensive boards in the game. Part of the problem is that far too often we come down and jack up outside shots with no one underneath to rebound. I witnessed TMG do this a few times in the game. The fact that we are being out worked also manifests itself on the defensive end. With the exception of maybe the first two minutes of the second half I'm just not seeing any defensive intensity. You have to WANT it, particularly when we're struggling to make things happen on the offensive end as we are right now. I just don't see that type of want to from our team.
I really question our scheduling this year. I know we want to challenge ourselves to prepare ourself for conference play, and I know we want quality wins on our resume come tournament time, but with a team this young you are setting yourself up for disaster. If you go into conference play with 5 (or more) losses already you have really put yourself behind the eight ball when it comes to even getting into the tournament. Unless we see some very rapid development from several players on this team it is very, very possible that we will not be in the field of 64 come March. You've got to wonder if Coach is kicking himself a bit over the scheduling right now.
It is now gut check time. We need to win our next 2 games in this tournament. If we drop another one we will already have 3 losses and those losses all will have come to teams that are outside shots to make the NCAA tournament. I am left feeling dejected and disappointed. I will never quit on this team, and will continue to support them, but it's very hard to be optimistic right now.
Even though Willie put up 30, he looks disinterested for large stretches of the game. I am looking at the box score and he shot 20 times, but I have a feeling most of those shots came after I turned the game off because he could not have possibly shot it 10 times in the 1st half. This team desperately needs him to take over games to have any chance at winning right now, and he seems either unable or unwilling to do it.
Our post game is terrible right now. Gallon and Fitzgerald look like bulls in a china closet, particularly Fitzgerald. I don't know how many times in the 1st half I watched him bull into defenders and turn it over. Coach is having a hard time even keeping him on the floor because of this. While Wright plays hard every night, and won't typically beat you with mistakes, the guy is a role player. Time and time again we settle for jump shots because we have no threat of posting up and scoring the basketball. Teams obviously are aware of this and are smothering our perimeter players.
Beyond all of this we are simply getting out worked. To get outrebounded by San freaking Diego by 9 is pathetic and embarrassing. They had FIFTEEN offensive boards in the game. Part of the problem is that far too often we come down and jack up outside shots with no one underneath to rebound. I witnessed TMG do this a few times in the game. The fact that we are being out worked also manifests itself on the defensive end. With the exception of maybe the first two minutes of the second half I'm just not seeing any defensive intensity. You have to WANT it, particularly when we're struggling to make things happen on the offensive end as we are right now. I just don't see that type of want to from our team.
I really question our scheduling this year. I know we want to challenge ourselves to prepare ourself for conference play, and I know we want quality wins on our resume come tournament time, but with a team this young you are setting yourself up for disaster. If you go into conference play with 5 (or more) losses already you have really put yourself behind the eight ball when it comes to even getting into the tournament. Unless we see some very rapid development from several players on this team it is very, very possible that we will not be in the field of 64 come March. You've got to wonder if Coach is kicking himself a bit over the scheduling right now.
It is now gut check time. We need to win our next 2 games in this tournament. If we drop another one we will already have 3 losses and those losses all will have come to teams that are outside shots to make the NCAA tournament. I am left feeling dejected and disappointed. I will never quit on this team, and will continue to support them, but it's very hard to be optimistic right now.
