Been covered before I know but this is what is most frustrating to me. Would I prefer to start strong, sustain through the middle of the game, and then finish strong - of course. But basketball is often a game of runs - you can watch almost any game on any given night (pro, college, doesn't matter) and teams (even good ones) will go on extended droughts a couple times each game. So that is not what bothers me the most. To some extent that is normal and expected.
Except for Toledo, Mooney and crew have had us in position to win every game with +/- 5 minutes to go, so scoring droughts or not, the games have been there for the taking. But our down the stretch offense has always been to play tight, play not to lose instead of to win, play safe, eat the clock, etc. I hate that way of playing but I do think that it can still work with a veteran, composed, experienced group that knows how to break an opponents will.
We don't have that right now. We have a group of guys that, while they are fairly experienced as individuals, they have not played together as a group much. We have a freshman point guard who is playing his first games in 2 years, has the expectations (right or wrong) of filling a Spider legend's shoes, and is struggling to play with consistency. We have a trio of transfers that have shone at times but struggled some as well. We don't have a Gilyard, Anderson, type that can control and finish out a game.
So I'll give Mooney credit that he has put together a solid roster and a team that is close. His Achilles heel though continues to be the end of games. If adjustments aren't made quick then things could get really ugly again.
