Forecast for Duquesne
- Thread starter UR80sfan
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No, we played crappy defense against both. Scoring defense is scoring defense man, it’s not somehow “better” because the other team shot a high percentage. They shot a high percentage because you don’t play very good defense.
Duquesne scored ~1.09 points per possession against us, and they have averaged ~1.02 points per possession this year. Considering we were the home team, and allowed them to score more efficiently than they normally do, I would say that our defense was relatively poor.
Scoring defense is not all the same. It is a factor who you play, and how the game is going. To say otherwise pretends that every opponent and every possession will always be the same. Dayton was 28-38 (74%) from 2, with layup after layup. Duquesne was 16-27 (59%) from 2 with fewer layups. Dayton missed numerous open 3s and Duquesne made and missed some well guarded 3s. I really don't know how you could watch both games and say we did not play much better defense against Duquesne than Dayton, but no worries if you do. We can just disagree, and I already said it is fine if you disagree with my saying we played good D against Duquesne, but I stand by that comment and not sure why it has to turn into a major argument.
Exactly.
I think you accidentally made the point for the other side. A road game at Dayton can't be equally compared to a home game with Duquesne.
Regardless, another loss that shouldn't have been.
At the end of the game the ONLY thing that really matters is points. We did not play good enough defense or offense to win the game. Pick.
Right just because the other team scores more points than us, that doesn't really tell the story.
We are a bad defensive team. That’s the bottom line. You don’t need stats when you watch us play to know our defense is awful. We give up way to many open layups and wide open 3 point shots. We also allow way to much dribble penetration because we struggle to stay in front of opposing teams guards. It’s been a problem for YEARS now, yet we continue to sit in the matchup zone and expect a different result. I think one of CM’s weaknesses as a coach is his unwillingness or inability to coach multiple defenses or his stubbornness to not try something different when what you are doing is not working.
It’s not a major argument, you’re just a sensitive sort.
74 points is 74 points. Not a good defensive outing.
At least I am using stats, and talking about how the game was played to make my point. All you are doing is looking at total points as a tell-all. Sorry, but I like my way better, but no big deal. We can disagree.
Who you are, who you play, and what style of play you play is definitely a factor. I keep hearing Virginia when talking about defense. Well, Virginia has been built on defense for years. If they give up over 60 points, they probably played a bad defensive game, while most any other team in the country would consider that a good defensive game. If our style of play means our offensive stats are consistently better than are defensive stats, and we lose 74-68 while going 2-11 from 3 and 55% from the FT line, I think it is accurate to say we played good D and our O lost us this game.
I believe they average 32% and if you take away the bank shot they shot 31%. Defense can help but simply being hot or cold can have a huge impact on the percentage from 3. Watching the game it looked like they were getting open looks in the first half just missing them. On 2 point shooting I think defense is more important. By the way according to the NCAA stats more 70% of teams shoot 32% or better.
You are correct, and it is applicable to the majority of the last 2 seasons. No matter how people try to slice & dice it, the record reflects it.
It was not an ally-oop but Gilyard's dish to a driving Cayo for the tomahawk slam was electrifying. I see many nice dunks and alley-oops in his future.
lol. come on, fan. did I misinterpret the intent of your post? you implied we'd be a better foul shooting team with a tough no-nonsense guy like Coach K who'd be some kind of late night hard-ass if Duke shot fouls as bad as us.
I just pointed out that they do. so I guess Coach K's rumored midnight foul shooting seminars aren't the answer.
Duke's #1 despite weak foul shooting and weak 3 point shooting, though I'm sure they work on both a ton. Duke out-athletes everyone these days, despite some flaws. even Coach K can't make his kids make foul shots.
I 100% acknowledge that context is important, obviously the game is played at both ends of the floor. It doesn't change that in isolation our defense is nowhere near good enough right now to win games against middling or good opponents, nor has it been most of this season or last season. We are super reliant on having good offensive output to win, particularly against marginal to good teams. Just because we score enough points to beat someone doesn't mean our defense looks good.
Look the problem is you can't concede on anything. Kneepad had it right in the beginning. The D may have been "good for us" but it wasn't good. You pushed back on that and off it went. Then the stats show Duq outperformed normal results. I mean 46% is pretty good.
heck can you even concede we intentionally scheduled weak? That was a good one you hung onto for a while, even trying to compare our OOC as very similar to some past schedules. LOL.
Cayo has a bright future. My tongue in cheek comment was more out of frustration at seeing our opponents routinely throw down alley oops and other dunks while our guys struggle to finish at the rim and have their shots altered or blocked. I know...a layup counts the same as a dunk...and 3's are even better but those kind of plays are indicative of our overall lack of athleticism and strength even against an average A-10 team like Duquesne. Those explosive plays also electrify the home crowd. I know we are young but it always seems like our guys need to hit the weight room in comparison to conference opponents. This is not an attack on the players...I'm just tired of watching this finesse system with no rebounding and guys who are always a year or two away physically.
Partially misinterpreted there Sman...............free throw shooting and any scoring is essential particularly to a team like Richmond that struggles to put points on the board especially in the waning moments of games. And yes I prefer a coach like Coach K and Coach Tarrant who push the players. Don't know how often after midnight but more than once after returning from an away game and after home games the players with Coach K present were in Cameron shooting free throws. No coach can as you phrased it "make his kids make foul shots" but any coach can sure instill in the players that the free throw shooting needs to be better and work will be done to aim for that result. Part of the problem is that our starters particularly Gilyard and Golden are visibly exhausted by crunch time and that affects free throw shooting. My reference to Duke's rankings and record were that Coach K, the leader in Division 1 with 1,114 wins and 340 losses, knows where to place the focus in order to give Duke the best chance of winning. What we are doing is not working as evidenced by our record this year, last year, and the continuing downward trend. Unfortunately losing is becoming a way of life. That needs to change. Certainly there are many possibilities of what can be changed. Staying status quo leads to more of the same - mounting losses. Unacceptable. Instead of making excuses we need to make changes.
that's all true and well said. but it's been on these boards many times that we aren't good at foul shooting because we don't work at it. which isn't true.
we've got some good foul shooters but they don't get as many attempts as our lesser foul shooters. Cayo and Golden take the most due to their aggressive styles, and while they are improving year over year, neither will likely ever be an 80% FT shooter.
as for Gilyard, he's awesome and had another great game. I guarantee he's not looking for excuses for the misses. he wasn't any less tired on his last attempt which he made. it's a matter of focus. and sometimes you miss. but we have bigger problems than foul shooting to address.
we've got some good foul shooters but they don't get as many attempts as our lesser foul shooters. Cayo and Golden take the most due to their aggressive styles, and while they are improving year over year, neither will likely ever be an 80% FT shooter.
as for Gilyard, he's awesome and had another great game. I guarantee he's not looking for excuses for the misses. he wasn't any less tired on his last attempt which he made. it's a matter of focus. and sometimes you miss. but we have bigger problems than foul shooting to address.
I kind of agree about them practicing FTs, but how can team after team players coming and going, be bad FT shooters? Especially under pressure
This.
We didn't make stops down the stretch. Our defense has to be better at crunch time. This was said by:
Beckwith
Black
Cayo
Fish
Wallace
This is a weird problem for sure. We've been decent, not great, the last two years, around 71% and ranked in the top 150 by team. This year, around 67% which has us around 250 in the country. Going back to TJ's junior year...Dreadful. 66% and over 300 in the country. You have to go back to 2012-13 to the last time we were in the top 100 (72.2%).
NCAA teams were 70%/69%, so they weren't on fire either. At one point fan2011 had posted that teams don't get a lot north of 75% or so but we do seem to be mediocre to poor.
it's not always a team-wide issue.
this year most of our guys shoot well but Grant and Nathan bring down the average a little.
last year Grant and Khwan were below average while Nick, Buck, Jacob and JJ were great.
2016/17 it was TJ and Khwan bringing down the average while SDJ, Nick, Buck and JJ were great.
on paper, we'll have a lot of good shooters next year. but the guys getting the lion's share of the FTs will still be Grant and Nathan.
this year most of our guys shoot well but Grant and Nathan bring down the average a little.
last year Grant and Khwan were below average while Nick, Buck, Jacob and JJ were great.
2016/17 it was TJ and Khwan bringing down the average while SDJ, Nick, Buck and JJ were great.
on paper, we'll have a lot of good shooters next year. but the guys getting the lion's share of the FTs will still be Grant and Nathan.
I believe that the answer to your question is largely because MANY things go into creating a culture of being a winner. An internal expectation of success.
Free throw shooting has to do with skill and confidence. The skill is built largely on repetitive motion (though other factors are involved). The confidence depends upon what is in the player's head and how they control their thoughts.
A lack of internal confidence (stress, pressure, nerves, doubting oneself, etc.) can cause a player to change their shooting motion. Even a very slight change in repetitive motion can alter results. It is the same principle that applies in nearly every precision endeavor (shooting a gun, archery, horseshoes, you name it).
Of course, every player is unique when it comes to individual confidence and skill. ** I have little doubt though, that a culture that includes an expectation of "here we go again" negatively impacts free throw success, especially when they count the most. The fear of losing AGAIN.
** Even the UR fan base has the expectation of "oh no, here we go again" when it comes to a Mooney led team during the crucial moments of a game. Expecting to fall apart and lose, you can feel it in the arena. This overarching mindset (culture) wasn't created by accident. An emphasis on "competing" instead of "winning" is just one example that illustrates my point.
Different coaches create different expectations. Coaches like Chris Mack (and many others) win everywhere they go. Manipulation of the mindset (culture) is part of their success.
https://triblive.com/sports/college...mbrot-duquesne-shoot-higher-than-just-finally
While we talk about competing, from Dambrot:
"It’s funny. Our radio announcer, Ray Goss, has been here a 1,000 years,” Dambrot said of Goss, who has a five-decade tenure on The Bluff. “And he said to me, ‘Well, that’s a good signature win.’ And I said, ‘Ray, listen. It’s a good win, beating Richmond. We haven’t done it in a long time. But that’s not really what I have in mind as a signature win.’
“A signature win for me is winning the A-10 tournament. It’s beating a top-10 team. It’s winning in the NCAA Tournament. That’s where my goals are. Now, look, I am not downplaying the win at Richmond. It’s a good win. It’s a good win for a young team. But it’s not a signature win. So that’s how I feel about it.”
While we talk about competing, from Dambrot:
"It’s funny. Our radio announcer, Ray Goss, has been here a 1,000 years,” Dambrot said of Goss, who has a five-decade tenure on The Bluff. “And he said to me, ‘Well, that’s a good signature win.’ And I said, ‘Ray, listen. It’s a good win, beating Richmond. We haven’t done it in a long time. But that’s not really what I have in mind as a signature win.’
“A signature win for me is winning the A-10 tournament. It’s beating a top-10 team. It’s winning in the NCAA Tournament. That’s where my goals are. Now, look, I am not downplaying the win at Richmond. It’s a good win. It’s a good win for a young team. But it’s not a signature win. So that’s how I feel about it.”
Really, why? Why can't Mooney say our goal is to win the A-10 tournament and gets win in the NCAA tournament. It really is not that difficult to say that publicly. But for some reason, he is utterly incapable of doing so.
I agree. You won't find very many coaches that don't state tangible goals for their teams success. Setting tangible goals is a great way to excite the players and the fan base. Saying we want to compete doesn't excite anyone, Winning excites people.
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