1/6 - MBB vs. Boston College

[Connell62]

I didn't see all the interaction you mentioned but it doesn't surprise me. You can't argue that CDS didn't deserve a T as he was way out of the coaching box and barking pretty hard. But I expect Ayers called it to try and protect his young official. If that had been a veteran official I expect he wouldn't have called it from across the floor and would have let the close official make his/her own call about the T. But Ayers as I said was going to protect a young official regardless of right/wrong.

I too thought the refs impacted the game but I am more focused/concerned about the way we played the second half - an inability to match BC's increased intensity with an 18 point lead. BC played intense and chippy - both sides of what should be called - and we didn't match it. It has been a recurring problem. That is our issue and bigger than the refs (grrr). I was happy to see CDS get pissed during this game as I have been worried / wondering if the team wasn't taking on the stoic personna I was seeing on TV from CDS. I don't think a coach has to go all Bobby Knight/K all the time, but I am not sure stoic is the best college approach. Getting this right is to me the far and away number 1 issue to address the rest of the year (playing with intensity not necessarily the coach's approach - I just find that relationship interesting).

I didn't disagree with the technical, but completely understood why he went off. I was just providing some context.

 

[YlJacket]

I didn't disagree with the technical, but completely understood why he went off. I was just providing some context.

Didn't mean to imply you did. I was using the global "you" but wasn't clear
Context was helpful at least to me

 

[LargeFO]

We just can't seem to play 2 halves.

One game we'll have 45 points 1st half and then 20. Or the other way around.

 

[MtnWasp]

I agree with Stoudamire, when the team defends well, we get into transition and score. When we are scoring, we are energized on defense. When the team is in the half court and laboring to score is when the team's defense is bad. So, we look like gangbusters when everything is clicking, but if the opposition makes a defensive adjustment, we can look real bad.

 

[Tommy_Taylor_1972]

The perimeter defense by GT is simply lazy. There is a difference between settling for being "around" the shooter and actually contesting a shot. Combine that with also not really being much good at preventing dribble penetration, and you get BC hitting at a ridiculous 67% clip from the floor in the second half and nearly 56% from the floor and 52% from three. You don't see numbers like that when a team is competing defensively. And it was the same thing we saw in the second half of the FSU game.

B.C. made half time adjustments to their D and Gt didn't answer. B.C. scored 20 points off of 11 GT turnovers, with Kelly alone having 5 turnovers, two were critical, momentum changers. He continues to show up on the negative side of the ledger.

Can't defend like we have seen in the last two games and expect to win an ACC game. The loss of composure and self-destruct mode we showed at the pivotal moments of games has got to be stowed. Stoudamire talked about "competing" at the pre-game press conference, and he was right. That is the issue. The opposition is showing more competitive toughness than we are.

MtnWasp, what I saw in the BC game was a team coming to Atlanta ready to play and playing for a full 40 minutes. Coach Earl Grant, who played his college ball at D2 Georgia college in Milledgeville 1998-2000 and likely put lots of focus on this game in his home state. Our team is not conditioned yet to play hard defense and then run the break and get 5 players down to set for the three pointers, or the guards driving with no rebounders present. I think it is more physical that mental that 2nd halves are less intense. I do know that guards who drive the lane and kick it out use up lots of energy, especially in getting back on defense against running teams.

Down by 17 at half, Earl made a defensive adjustment to better cover the hot shooters and close out our inside game. Mental mistakes happen more when physical fatigue happens, whether mental mistakes of coaches getting technical fouls triggered by emotions or players calling unnecessary time outs. Playing most of the 2nd half with one time out hinders in-game adjustments. The two players in their post game interview correctly put the blame on themselves as letting up knowing that they should have had a second half like the first half. They did not mention the officials nor anyone else, only looking inward. That is what will make for winning more games, being better conditioned and not making mental mistakes which lead to physical mistakes. It make take playing up to 10 players in every game to accomplish the above if the philosophy is to go full speed 40 minutes every game. The better conditioned a player is, the quicker he can recover and get back in the game.

 

[bke1984]

Ah, that's the problem. I've now moved from blaming the refs to blaming you. Clearly you have powers and doomed us when you stopped watching. Why do you hate us, bke?

(Seriously though, totally agree with you comment re. giving up 57 pts. Ridic.)

Even worse - I was at a uGA gymnastics meet with my family while I was watching. My wife went there and my daughter loves gymnastics. So it could be my fault…

To be fair, I was dressed head to toe in Tech apparel and was silently cheering for NC State…

 

[78pike]

MtnWasp, what I saw in the BC game was a team coming to Atlanta ready to play and playing for a full 40 minutes. Coach Earl Grant, who played his college ball at D2 Georgia college in Milledgeville 1998-2000 and likely put lots of focus on this game in his home state. Our team is not conditioned yet to play hard defense and then run the break and get 5 players down to set for the three pointers, or the guards driving with no rebounders present. I think it is more physical that mental that 2nd halves are less intense. I do know that guards who drive the lane and kick it out use up lots of energy, especially in getting back on defense against running teams.

Down by 17 at half, Earl made a defensive adjustment to better cover the hot shooters and close out our inside game. Mental mistakes happen more when physical fatigue happens, whether mental mistakes of coaches getting technical fouls triggered by emotions or players calling unnecessary time outs. Playing most of the 2nd half with one time out hinders in-game adjustments. The two players in their post game interview correctly put the blame on themselves as letting up knowing that they should have had a second half like the first half. They did not mention the officials nor anyone else, only looking inward. That is what will make for winning more games, being better conditioned and not making mental mistakes which lead to physical mistakes. It make take playing up to 10 players in every game to accomplish the above if the philosophy is to go full speed 40 minutes every game. The better conditioned a player is, the quicker he can recover and get back in the game.

I'm not trying to be a smartazz but what adjustment did they make to better cover the outside shooters AND close out the inside game? Seems every coach in the nation would love to follow that script. It seems to me that if you are going to better cover the hot outside shooters then you are sacrificing the ability to close out the inside game which normally requires the outside defenders to double down on the inside. So what exactly was the adjustment?

 

[Tommy_Taylor_1972]

I'm not trying to be a smartazz but what adjustment did they make to better cover the outside shooters AND close out the inside game? Seems every coach in the nation would love to follow that script. It seems to me that if you are going to better cover the hot outside shooters then you are sacrificing the ability to close out the inside game which normally requires the outside defenders to double down on the inside. So what exactly was the adjustment?

Basketball is a team sport of 5 players on the court at any one time. Defense is played both on the ball and off the ball, all 5 doing their part, whether it is a zone defense or a man-to-man defense. Good teams play both historically. I know today that fans get excited about 3-pointers, dunks, and man-to-man defense, but that is only part of the game and not a strategy. This team will be good enough to beat weaker, peer, or stronger team when they have all five defenders working together and helping each other out. Offense is the same way with each of the five players working in unison, especially in the movement offense our team uses. The guy with the ball may be able to beat his guy outright for a shot. The others get in position to screen and roll, rebound, or be open for a pass. This is all basic fundamentals of team basketball, and must be taught well before playing at division 1 level and must be reinforced daily in order to win at that level.

I suspect that many recruits today have not experienced that much team play coming up in a way to consistently win games. Our players appear to have most of the individual skills but the coach is trying to instill the team concept to beat teams. Every player on the roster has a complex individual and team job both offensively and defensively, with our with out the ball or guarding their assignment, either zone or man defense.

Coach Stoudamire has been on winning teams and knows how to do that, including two state championships, two PAC 10 conference championships, and a final four (collegiate record 100-25). He has played in the NBA for years more than most. He understands what it takes to come from the inner city tar courts to be a team player to win at all levels. It takes time to convert his current individual players into a consistently winning team, and they show now they are learning to be that. They blame themselves for not winning.

In my opinion, the players will come along with good effort, since they are underdogs in the remainder of this years' games, with all but two teams rated statistically overall at least three times better. All except the two who they lost to in the past 7 days, so they will seek revenge on the home courts of Boston College and Notre Dame. Winning attitude and team basketball taught and is learned, and it usually takes more that a year for players who have not experienced that. We will be just fine in the long run. That is why he has a 5-year contract. As Bobby Cremins told me last night, Damon will be fine and our team will win.

 

[78pike]

Basketball is a team sport of 5 players on the court at any one time. Defense is played both on the ball and off the ball, all 5 doing their part, whether it is a zone defense or a man-to-man defense. Good teams play both historically. I know today that fans get excited about 3-pointers, dunks, and man-to-man defense, but that is only part of the game and not a strategy. This team will be good enough to beat weaker, peer, or stronger team when they have all five defenders working together and helping each other out. Offense is the same way with each of the five players working in unison, especially in the movement offense our team uses. The guy with the ball may be able to beat his guy outright for a shot. The others get in position to screen and roll, rebound, or be open for a pass. This is all basic fundamentals of team basketball, and must be taught well before playing at division 1 level and must be reinforced daily in order to win at that level.

I suspect that many recruits today have not experienced that much team play coming up in a way to consistently win games. Our players appear to have most of the individual skills but the coach is trying to instill the team concept to beat teams. Every player on the roster has a complex individual and team job both offensively and defensively, with our with out the ball or guarding their assignment, either zone or man defense.

Coach Stoudamire has been on winning teams and knows how to do that, including two state championships, two PAC 10 conference championships, and a final four (collegiate record 100-25). He has played in the NBA for years more than most. He understands what it takes to come from the inner city tar courts to be a team player to win at all levels. It takes time to convert his current individual players into a consistently winning team, and they show now they are learning to be that. They blame themselves for not winning.

In my opinion, the players will come along with good effort, since they are underdogs in the remainder of this years' games, with all but two teams rated statistically overall at least three times better. All except the two who they lost to in the past 7 days, so they will seek revenge on the home courts of Boston College and Notre Dame. Winning attitude and team basketball taught and is learned, and it usually takes more that a year for players who have not experienced that. We will be just fine in the long run. That is why he has a 5-year contract. As Bobby Cremins told me last night, Damon will be fine and our team will win.

I agree with everything you said but it didn't answer my question. What was the defensive adjustment you refer to that BC made to "better cover the hot outside shooters AND shut down our inside game? What you describe above is Basketball 101 but it does not answer the question of what adjustment Earl Grant made at halftime to shut down both our outside shooting AND our inside game. Seems to me we just stopped hitting the shots we were making in the first half and they starting hitting all of their shots.

 

[Tommy_Taylor_1972]

I agree with everything you said but it didn't answer my question. What was the defensive adjustment you refer to that BC made to "better cover the hot outside shooters AND shut down our inside game? What you describe above is Basketball 101 but it does not answer the question of what adjustment Earl Grant made at halftime to shut down both our outside shooting AND our inside game. Seems to me we just stopped hitting the shots we were making in the first half and they starting hitting all of their shots.

To specifically answer your question about the two halves. BC's first half was well below their average stats in all areas and Georgia Tech was making 3 pointers like never before and our "big man" was not defended well inside. As averages go, Tech was not going to shoot as well the second half and resumed their 30% 3 point rate. I was not in the locker room, but I would have told my guys to back off a step from the hot shooters and the defenders away from the ball lean more to our freshman center, who was scoring well. And I would tell my 7 footer to stay closer to the basket because our center was quicker than him if he followed him away from the basket for high screens. So in the second half, we played our average game and they upped their game to their average. They are a better team in most stat areas that Tech and it showed in the second half when I think we were more fatigued. The sooner we get to basketball 101 fundamental level, the more we will win. And BC was a more mature team with no freshman starters. Time will tell.