What's this team missing?
- Thread starter BloodyBuddy
- Start date
Idk, I guess I have to eat my words. I could have sworn that this team was better defensively than last years. And yesterday, we had stretches where we played tough defense i thought. Especially Monte. We just can't sustain it. That Baylor run in the second half, in about 40 seconds, we missed two 'wide open' good looks from 3, and Baylor made two contested 3's. If its the other way around we win the game. Baylor's defense gives you all kinds of 3's. We just couldn't hit them yesterday. As for the 94 pts., it seems like a ton but we also had to put them on the line a lot at the end.
Whether it's coaching or the players themselves, they are missing the ability to compete for an entire game. They've shown their capable of great things. But until they play a complete game consistently, they aren't playing to their full potential and they'll fall short of their goals.
I think after watching our horrible interior defense yesterday that what this team is missing, is Dustin Hogue. I think having DH last year hid some of the defensive weakness of Georges, Nader and even McKay. We are a better offensively but we have guys being asked to play Hogues role who just don't have the ability on the defensive end. The good news is, in the big 12, Baylor is one of only the teams with multiple bigs who can bully us down low. No matter who we play at that spot, the "4" spot is our weakest spot defensively, that kills you against a team like Baylor.
Georges Niang is one of our best defenders. He is more active helping and making his guy work than McKay is.
This isn't rocket science. Our team is at their best when they are running up and down the court making plays in transition. We saw it at the beginning of the game. To be able to play that style, you have to get consistent defensive stops and force turnovers. It's that simple. We have to be more aggressive defensively, especially McKay. There's no reason he should end a game with less than 4 fouls.
This isn't rocket science. Our team is at their best when they are running up and down the court making plays in transition. We saw it at the beginning of the game. To be able to play that style, you have to get consistent defensive stops and force turnovers. It's that simple. We have to be more aggressive defensively, especially McKay. There's no reason he should end a game with less than 4 fouls.
I am late to the thread, and haven't read it all, but this is ABSOLUTELY the answer. Both mental and physical toughness. (Just saw Clone_12 said it too)
Mentally, they still let offense drive defense. If someone misses an open shot (Nader), or thinks they got fouled (Jameel), they all go into pout mode on defense. What's the opposite of spurtability? Collapse-ability? It's been there for a while and seems unlikely to change now. Maybe Prohm needs to go full Bobby Knight on them, idk.
Physically, guys like Kane and Ejim and Houge provided a lot of physical toughness that is totally absent now. Just zero interior defense. Jameel can block shots, but he has no idea how to use his body at all and is usually out of position - he is still very raw as a basketball player. He needs to play meat grinder for an hour a day. And Georges and Nader are both guards trapped in a forwards body.
If you look up TOUGHNESS in the dictionary, there is a picture of Kantrail Horton, chewing gum, sweat glistening on his head, dribbling a basketball, and looking into your eyes like he is going to murder you.
Who are the 6 people so far that voted for "Swagger"?
Wow, are you guys wrong. This team has way too much swagger, that's their problem. All swagger and not enough desire, hustle, toughness, will, pride, etc.
After the loss yesterday Monte Morris basically said..... "We lost. It is what it is.". Uhhh... wut? That's it? It is what it is? Ummm... you just lost your chance to win the Big 12 yesterday most likely. It was a HUGE loss, and you should be ticked at yourselves for not playing like you know you're capable of.
It's as if he's already got one eye on the NBA and one eye still in this season. Like he just wants to get this season over with and move on the pros and make tons of money.... which I hate to say it.... isn't likely to happen for him right now.
They play with a lackadaisical attitude, and after the game they seem to not really care they lost either. I don't get it? They play well below their talent level most nights IMO. I'd almost rather have a team that isn't as "talented" but plays well above their talent level most nights. It's much easier to cheer for that than a team that feels they don't need to work hard or constantly give great effort for 40 minutes every game.
Wow, are you guys wrong. This team has way too much swagger, that's their problem. All swagger and not enough desire, hustle, toughness, will, pride, etc.
After the loss yesterday Monte Morris basically said..... "We lost. It is what it is.". Uhhh... wut? That's it? It is what it is? Ummm... you just lost your chance to win the Big 12 yesterday most likely. It was a HUGE loss, and you should be ticked at yourselves for not playing like you know you're capable of.
It's as if he's already got one eye on the NBA and one eye still in this season. Like he just wants to get this season over with and move on the pros and make tons of money.... which I hate to say it.... isn't likely to happen for him right now.
They play with a lackadaisical attitude, and after the game they seem to not really care they lost either. I don't get it? They play well below their talent level most nights IMO. I'd almost rather have a team that isn't as "talented" but plays well above their talent level most nights. It's much easier to cheer for that than a team that feels they don't need to work hard or constantly give great effort for 40 minutes every game.
Fans should take post game statements from players with a grain of salt. These are kids that, outside of Georges, have little desire to talk to some 40-year-old reporter about why they lost the game. D-1 athletes mostly laugh at obsessive fans like us. They put in hours and hours of hard work. We sit and watch the games. They are far more invested in the success of the team than some dork with 40,000 posts on a message board.
This team lacks a Dustin Hogue, DeAndre Kane, or Curtis Stinson type toughness and effort. Those guys would bet ticked off after losses. They would take it personally. They had pride.
I want to see some guys on this year's team show that kind of attitude. It is not acceptable to lose, or that should be the mentality anyway.
Only 2 guys playing at or above potential. Niang and Thomas. I'd triangle and 2 those two the rest of the year if I'm coaching against ISU, and we're done.
I'm not saying you're wrong. I'm saying judging a player's pride by how they talk to the media is probably not accurate.
The triangle and two isn't magic. We just did a horrible job of trying to get it to Niang. We have a few too many guys on the team that don't understand their role or how good Niang is. I thought Prohm should have had Niang bringing the ball up.
Out of curiosity, I'm watching the UCLA game from 2000.
They were far from perfect, as a matter of fact they had quite a few miscues in the 1st half.
It was a different team, different situations, etc., but the natural determination that was instilled almost looks foreign. Everyone's just completely dialed in like they woke up in that mode.
Good example: Nurse hits a 3 to go up 30-23, and ISU gets back and is in UCLA's face like they're behind or something.
I actually thought this ISU team had a bit of that at Cincinnati and Oklahoma. I'm just not sure where it goes.
They were far from perfect, as a matter of fact they had quite a few miscues in the 1st half.
It was a different team, different situations, etc., but the natural determination that was instilled almost looks foreign. Everyone's just completely dialed in like they woke up in that mode.
Good example: Nurse hits a 3 to go up 30-23, and ISU gets back and is in UCLA's face like they're behind or something.
I actually thought this ISU team had a bit of that at Cincinnati and Oklahoma. I'm just not sure where it goes.
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