Isnt the idea of CFH's D to stop what a team does best, and make the weakest link beat ISU? Most teams are not deep enough to do that, KU is.
Isnt the idea of CFH's D to stop what a team does best, and make the weakest link beat ISU? Most teams are not deep enough to do that, KU is.
Yes, they are multi-dimensional . Most teams aren't (both offensively and defensively). When you play a team like Kansas, they can beat you in so many different ways.
We have to help so much with their post players because they are too tall and athletic to defend. By helping down on defense, we leave way too many shooters wide open. They were getting some very wide open looks last night.
Royce doesn't sweat enough
This is something I did last year, and may again this year at the end of conference play, but it kind of explains the feeling you're having. As an ISU fan, you aren't entirely incorrect but there is an explanation as to why you're right, but also wrong at the same time.
Scoring Outbursts & Their Victims 2.0 |
Is it just me or does it seem like whenever we play in conference an opponents player goes off for the game of their life? How come none of our players have done this? We only have 3 players who score consistently. Kane, Niang, Ejim. When is someone else going to step up and put in twenty?
I posted the stats in the Embiud/Wiggins thread, but Kansas has had a career high game from 5 different players over the last 5 games we've played them.
Is it just me or does it seem like whenever we play in conference an opponents player goes off for the game of their life? How come none of our players have done this? We only have 3 players who score consistently. Kane, Niang, Ejim. When is someone else going to step up and put in twenty?
We actually have a few 4-star players (Morris, Thomas, Kane) so don't be selling our team short. On the other hand, I see what the OP was saying. It has happened historically throughout conference play. Naadir Tharpe played out of his mind in the first KU game this year. Will Spradling more than doubled his scoring average against us last Saturday. Wiggins went for a career high Wednesday night. Jonathan Holmes made our defense look totally inept. Buddy Hield couldn't miss a 3 when we played OU. Dusty Hannah's looked like Jimmer Fredette against us. Someone will always go off.Listen, we have at best 3 star players, who get coached up beyond their level and play as close to the 5 STAR talent as we can. We were within 1 pt of KU under 5 minutes left and then committed two turn overs and a techinical that gave them the lead for good. KU had more height, Embiid under the board gets the most rebounds and block the most shots, we have to double him to stop the easy scores by him in the paint, that means one of KU sharp shooters will be uncovered, if they make the shot we look bad. We can't go pure man to man, we have to double down on Embiid. We have been the closest to KU than anyone else in the conference.
With Fred we have begun to believe we can win every game. Before Fred we hoped to have a winning season and we didn't. So if your ego can't handle the "TRUTH", we are good but not good enough yet, we could have beaten KU at home but didn't. Let it go and move on to the next CHALLENGE.
Go CYCLONES, beat OU!
We actually have a few 4-star players (Morris, Thomas, Kane) so don't be selling our team short. On the other hand, I see what the OP was saying. It has happened historically throughout conference play. Naadir Tharpe played out of his mind in the first KU game this year. Will Spradling more than doubled his scoring average against us last Saturday. Wiggins went for a career high Wednesday night. Jonathan Holmes made our defense look totally inept. Buddy Hield couldn't miss a 3 when we played OU. Dusty Hannah's looked like Jimmer Fredette against us. Someone will always go off.
IN past seasons, we've been burned by the liked of Elijah Johson, Perry Ellis (B12 semis last year), and Keiton Page just to name a few. I credit this more to defensive assignments than anything. The aforementioned group of athletes "went off" because defensively, we were comfortable allowing these guys open looks as opposed to someone else perceived to be a greater threat. I.E. when Hannah's went off, we were focusing more on stopping Jordan Tolbert and Denad Krstic. When Elijah Johnson went for 39 last year, we were focused on shutting down McLemore. When guys like Tharpe went off, it was because Wiggins was targeted, then the next game Tharpe was targeted and Wiggins went off. We simply do not have enough bodies to shut down every possible scoring option on a team. That is the one glaring difference between this team and the '99-'00 team. Defense is nowhere close to this teams strong suit.
I honestly think, and I'm going to be an armchair coach for a minute, that if Hoiberg utilized the bench he has a little bit more (I'm talking 4-5 min. for Percy, Edozie, SDW etc.) our guys would be more fresh at the end of games when they need to pull stops and they can better avoid foul trouble as well, whereas Percy/Edozie/SDW are each good for a hard foul or two if need be. Nothing is inherently wrong with only 7-man rotations, but our guys are literally facing giants game in and game out. That can really wear on a player, and it is evident that it wears on our guys at the end of games when we're trying to claw back from behind. I don't advocate we switch to Fran's 11 or 12 man or whatever rotations, but nothing seems wrong with giving 2 or 3 more SCHOLARSHIP players a reason to stay in Ames. You think SDW signed at ISU to ride pine for 2 years? Don't be surprised if he is lost as collateral in the off season.
Going with the "Is it just me?" theme, I swear almost everyone makes their first 3 against ISU and if they don't they will make 2 out of the first 3.
Going with the "Is it just me?" theme, I swear almost everyone makes their first 3 against ISU and if they don't they will make 2 out of the first 3.