01-08-2023, 05:38 PM | #11 |
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DDJ was a horrible matchup for Houston b/c of his size, and Houston hedges and traps off ball screens which is probably why they shouldn't have been running them with him.
They were targeting Skillings early but he adjusted and changed the momentum with his effort on the glass. Also had a very nice block on Defense. Davenport literally brought nothing to the game. There was absolutely no reason for him to garner those minutes. They didn't even try to get Nolley open looks in the 2nd half. Their game plan going into the 2nd half was to get him the ball in the post, which is normally an ok strategy but not against Houston. And it failed, miserably. MAW would have had a good game due to his scoring, but those turnovers were incredibly costly and were game changers. You cannot have that from your senior PG. At one point in the game UC had a lineup of Davenport, Skillings, Reed, Ezikpe, and MAW. Against the #2 team in the country that was a lineup he went with. SMH. |
01-08-2023, 05:41 PM | #12 |
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Decent effort - especially on the boards.. Just got outclassed by a much better team. Needed Davenport to have a few of his 3s fall.
I think we can win the rest of our home games with how we played today. |
01-08-2023, 06:13 PM | #13 | |
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He can ask, he can demand, but until he holds them accountable everything else is just words. Nolley is probably the top of my list who need to learn to stop taking plays off (0 rebounds, among other things). I know quite a few disagree with me, but Nolley really only excels as a shooter. Run him off the line and much like Davenport he disappears (as best). If you want to talk TO's, how about Nolley's 4 TO's, 0 assists and 0-4 from inside the 3 point arc. When we tried to run offense through him, it was a win for Houston. Could MAW have played a bit better, yes. But he had a very good game and was one of our best players (along with Lakhin) tonight. His 3 TO's were still less than our other veteran leaders (DDJ and Nolley, both with 4). Davenport led us in rebounds with 6 (tied with Lakhin), also had 3 assists and 0 TO's. He wasn't extraordinary by any means, but Skillings struggled on defense even in the second half. Davenport is at least a threat on offense and draws a lot more attention than Skillings. |
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01-08-2023, 06:35 PM | #14 | |
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My idea has been to use Skillings and DDJ (or MAW) as the wings with Nolley at the point. It doesn't mean the offense runs through Nolley, just that he's the guy with the ball at the top, and the screens are coming from Ody/Lakhin. The offense can be focused on anyone. Screeners can even be the focus if they slip, pop, or roll. Gonzaga does that with Timme or look at Creighton with Kalkbrenner. We could make Lakhin the focus of our offense that way. I think that would be a better use of our skillsets. Nolley and Davenport aren't good wings. Edit: Brannen actually liked to use the 5 man at the point in horns. He never had a great passing 5 though, so it usually just meant ball reversal. Loyola Chicago was really good using that system. The point is anyone can be at the top, it doesn't have to be a prototypical small quick ballhandling guard. Last edited by sedziobs; 01-08-2023 at 06:39 PM. |
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01-08-2023, 06:44 PM | #15 | |
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I did notice those Ody plays. Kalu got some time. He's a much stronger player, so he can at least hold his ground inside even if he can't do much else. Kalu had 3 rebounds in 9 minutes after sitting out the previous 4 games. |
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01-08-2023, 07:22 PM | #16 | |
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Yeah, I thought Kalu held his own for the most part. Had one nice bucket, fought for rebounds, didn't stand out for poor defense. He had a couple bad plays (a TO and had the ball ripped out of his hands on a rebound), but overall looked better than he has in the past. |
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01-08-2023, 07:28 PM | #17 |
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Wes needs an identity... I have zero clue the direction of this program.
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01-08-2023, 07:30 PM | #18 |
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Normal for Houston though. They foul a lot and have one of the worst free throw rates in the country at #341 (we're only slightly better at #313). Their offense is really set up for jumpshots and putbacks rather than drives to the basket.
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01-08-2023, 09:46 PM | #19 | |
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At least Jizzle and Griffith look good but they still need way more. Skillings will be a baller. Not sure about Reed. Still early but I have no idea what he brings to the table. It isn't shooting, athleticism, or height. |
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01-09-2023, 11:24 AM | #20 | |
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I fully expect several guys, with eligibility, on this roster to not be back next season. |
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