(POST GAME) Creighton, Wed., Feb. 23, 6:30p, FS-1

[SJU61982]

Less Wusu please. He does not have it now. Was brave and helpful freshman year but struggling with decision making this year. 

Also baffled by the underusage of Stanley in 2nd half.


 

Goes back to my general point:  this head coach is obsessed with defense too much.  I thought Jarvis and Norm were the same way, but they're nothing compared to Anderson. Sometimes, it seems like defense and/or practice habits are all this coach bases playing time on.

I'm sure Wusu and Mathis work hard in practice (they certainly do in the games), but if that's why they're playing, then, to quote a former Big East guard, "you're talking about practice.  Not the games."

He even praised the scoring of Smith and Stanley in the postgame.  So coach, why, when you need a basket at the end, were Wusu and Mathis in the game instead of them?

Someone in the rookie forum said the players let the coach down tonight (I'm sure he was talking about Champ and Wheeler).  Maybe, but didn't coach also let Smith and Stanley down, by not giving them a shot, on a night where they clearly had it going?

 

 

[gman]

I can only go off The box score since I couldn’t watch, but it sounds brutal.

I can’t recall a game ever with us shooting 80 shots, 60 from 2 pt range and only getting to the line 9 times. That sounds like a lot of brick laying. 

 

[Mug Costanza]

Creighton made 65% of their 2s. I'm on the side of Soriano needing to have his minutes restricted against certain teams, specifically those with more athletic bigs that could shoot. Creighton with Kalkbrenner is not one of those teams. Soriano's defensive presence was missed bigtime tonight

 

[RedStormNC]

Can't blame this loss on Soriano missing.
Just a month ago vs same team, Soriano was invisible - only 12 min, 1 reb & 2 points, while Kalbrenner had 11 reb in 26 min.

They unfortunately lost Nembhard for final 12 minutes and we couldn't capitalize.
Wheeler & Champ continuing to lay bricks was painful..Good for Stanley to shine and Pinzon to have a few good minutes

This was a tough loss, yet another example of how the whole season has been. 

I'm sure all the Anderson lovers will find many reasons to counter that and call it a moral victory with team playing hard, keeping it close whole game, learning to play together and thru adversity, knowing roles and developing the players for next year along with the attendance that is a sign of continuity.

I'm not buying what those are selling.

 

 

[usguard]

Nice on point

 

[usguard]

So once again we are here that we have to win the BE tournament  which in all probability will ever happen.
Anybody question coaches ext , He coach’s ,he picks the players he has to do with development etc etc
so if blame is to be who gets it.unless we want to continue after 3 yrs just to say we need more time
sooner or later the best of fans get to the point of enough .realize we all have different levels but this yr was really expecting 
a really good yr with a trip to the NCAA
Hate always saying wait until next yr hope that’s not a slogan on our locker door
Guess I am just upset

 

[otis]

Creighton made 65% of their 2s. I'm on the side of Soriano needing to have his minutes restricted against certain teams, specifically those with more athletic bigs that could shoot. Creighton with Kalkbrenner is not one of those teams. Soriano's defensive presence was missed bigtime tonight

—-
Spin any way you like, but a loss is a loss; a 15- 12 overall record; and a 7- 9 in conference record speaks for itself.

 

[redmanwest]

montyaloofah post=459883Less Wusu please. He does not have it now. Was brave and helpful freshman year but struggling with decision making this year. 

Also baffled by the underusage of Stanley in 2nd half.


 

Goes back to my general point:  this head coach is obsessed with defense too much.  I thought Jarvis and Norm were the same way, but they're nothing compared to Anderson. Sometimes, it seems like defense and/or practice habits are all this coach bases playing time on.

I'm sure Wusu and Mathis work hard in practice (they certainly do in the games), but if that's why they're playing, then, to quote a former Big East guard, "you're talking about practice.  Not the games."

He even praised the scoring of Smith and Stanley in the postgame.  So coach, why, when you need a basket at the end, were Wusu and Mathis in the game instead of them?

Someone in the rookie forum said the players let the coach down tonight (I'm sure he was talking about Champ and Wheeler).  Maybe, but didn't coach also let Smith and Stanley down, by not giving them a shot, on a night where they clearly had it going?

Regardless, those 2 guys were not getting the ball for the last shot.  Posh should be the go-to guy at this point of the season, given as someone else pointed out, he will either come through or die trying.  He would not accept taking a weak or heave.  I'd have liked to seen Pinzon inbound the ball at the end.  Hard to say coach overemphasizes defense since we're the highest scoring team n the conference (or second highest) and our defense is not that great (second half of first half yesterday an exception).  I guess he just goes with the "experience" factor in those situations.  IDK.
 

 

[ejoyce]

Terrible games by Champagnie & Wheeler...Posh, Mathis, Stanley & Smith literally tried to will this team to a W.  Mind blowing that Omar & Smith were not on the floor at the end of the game...I thought Pinzon played well with limited minutes in his first game back.  Omar Stanley will be a stud, I just hope it's not at another school.  Lastly, I know I'll be crucified for writing this but Champagnie is a big player in small games and a small player in big games.  I hope he realizes he's nowhere near NBA ready.   A very disappointing loss.  

 

[MainMan]

I agree.

 

[MainMan]

Coach drew a play that had Champ in the post backing down a smaller, less athletic defender. 
That's as high a percentage play that you can draw up for this team. It was a good play.

Champ passed it away when there was no reason to - the help had not yet arrived. His confidence was shot. It was the anti-Jimmy Chitwood moment. 

Mathis driving to the basket is actually another high percentage play on a team that doesn't have many. He initiated contact to draw a foul that wasn't called, the shot he put out rimming off. Fini. 

Stanley played like a madman out there - his best game of the season. Sure would like to have seen more. Smith played very well for the first time in a long time.

But do you go with the hot hand from the normally cold player?

Or the cold hand for the normally hot player?

Meh, whatever.

This season feels like it was lost a long time ago so this one doesn't hurt me as much as it seems to hurt others. 

 

[BrooklynRed]

Champy had 2 games last year w/ 13 points or less.  He has 8 games this year w/ 13 points or less and still a few games to go.

Because his ppg are similar to last year, I sort of thought he is playing similar to last year.  But that is not true.  He is dramatically worse this year then last year.  A huge step back.

 

My wife has been saying for a while that Champ has been inconsistent this season.  Your comparison is very indicative of such.

 

[GardenCity62]

Main Man posted that Anderson drew up a play for Champ at games end where he would get the ball in the paint being guarded by a smaller man. This play should have been called ten times last night . Champ didn’t have it so you try to help him get on his game and one way is setting up plays for him in the paint and getting him to the foul line where I think he got to once,
Eighty field goal attempts and was it nine free throws on a night when nothing is going in and you don’t run plays that get you to the foul line. If this doesn’t tell Anderson he needs help on the offensive side of the ball nothing will.
 

 

[mjmaherjr]

Less Wusu please. He does not have it now. Was brave and helpful freshman year but struggling with decision making this year. 

Also baffled by the underusage of Stanley in 2nd half.



 

Goes back to my general point:  this head coach is obsessed with defense too much.  I thought Jarvis and Norm were the same way, but they're nothing compared to Anderson. Sometimes, it seems like defense and/or practice habits are all this coach bases playing time on.

I'm sure Wusu and Mathis work hard in practice (they certainly do in the games), but if that's why they're playing, then, to quote a former Big East guard, "you're talking about practice.  Not the games."

He even praised the scoring of Smith and Stanley in the postgame.  So coach, why, when you need a basket at the end, were Wusu and Mathis in the game instead of them?

Someone in the rookie forum said the players let the coach down tonight (I'm sure he was talking about Champ and Wheeler).  Maybe, but didn't coach also let Smith and Stanley down, by not giving them a shot, on a night where they clearly had it going?


 

Taking Stanley out when he was 7-8 or something like that I tried calling the police to report child abuse to force him to put him back in but bad phone reception in section 10

 

[lawmanfan]

Main Man posted that Anderson drew up a play for Champ at games end where he would get the ball in the paint being guarded by a smaller man. This play should have been called ten times last night . Champ didn’t have it so you try to help him get on his game and one way is setting up plays for him in the paint and getting him to the foul line where I think he got to once,
Eighty field goal attempts and was it nine free throws on a night when nothing is going in and you don’t run plays that get you to the foul line. If this doesn’t tell Anderson he needs help on the offensive side of the ball nothing will.

 

Dude, Champ was singled up on a smaller man repeatedly last night.  He shot 3 for 17, and almost all of his misses were in the paint.  I love the kid, but his play was probably 90% of the reason we lost last night. 

This team was built around the assumption that Champ would be a consistent 20 PPG scorer, and what you've seen this season is that when he does that we win and when he doesn't we don't.  There just aren't enough other offensive options to make up for nights when he doesn't have it.

The other 10% of the reason we lost last night is that Coach Anderson decided to play the last 4 minutes of the game without any offensive options on the floor.  A lineup of Wusu, Mathis, Nyiwe, Posh and Champ just doesn't give you anywhere to go with the ball.  Get Wheeler the ball in the corner instead of Mathis and instead of a drive to the rim to get stuffed by Kalkbrenner you get an open 3 from the corner.  Give it to Smith and you get a mid-range jumper.  It was not a good lineup decision down the stretch at all. 

But if Champ hits a few more runners in the lane and goes 6 for 17 instead of 3 for 17, none of that would have mattered.

Very frustrating night except that my guy O'Mar Stanley lit it up.

 

[salty dog]

We almost pulled it off with horrendous games by both Champagnie and Wheeler.  As I said in the game thread, if one of 'em played a decent game then the game would've been in the bag during the final 60 seconds. 

sadly Dink they didn’t and the question is why Also do you go down with the ship or do you try and stop the bleeding 
 

 

[guinness77]

I just want to make sure I got this right: I’m watching the game now: neither Smith or Stanley are on the floor the end of the game? 

 

[RJGBOOTSY]

 u are correct!!! very bad coaching in this game and all season. Has no feeling of game flow, is smiiten with certain players, terriible execution in half court sets especially when game is tight.

 

[ADORAZ]

Meh, this is why I don't get my hopes up. The moment this team has any type of expectations they collapse. Been this way for a long time now.

Still need a few more wins for the NIT, hopefully they manage to at least do that. Still wouldn't make this a successful season by any means, but would be less disappointing. 

 

[boo haarvey]

Coach drew a play that had Champ in the post backing down a smaller, less athletic defender. 
That's as high a percentage play that you can draw up for this team. It was a good play.

Champ passed it away when there was no reason to - the help had not yet arrived. His confidence was shot. It was the anti-Jimmy Chitwood moment. 

Mathis driving to the basket is actually another high percentage play on a team that doesn't have many. He initiated contact to draw a foul that wasn't called, the shot he put out rimming off. Fini. 

Stanley played like a madman out there - his best game of the season. Sure would like to have seen more. Smith played very well for the first time in a long time.

But do you go with the hot hand from the normally cold player?
Or the cold hand for the normally hot player?

Meh, whatever.

This season feels like it was lost a long time ago so this one doesn't hurt me as much as it seems to hurt others. 

I was struck by Anderson's comments during the presser.  When asked by Zach why Stanley and Smith didn't play the last 10 minutes, Anderson denied reality and said they did.  When asked by Zach why shooters were not in the game during the last play, he responded by suggesting Mathis was a "scorer" and said he should have taken the jumper.  I can't imagine a player on the team I'd less rather take a jump shot at the end with the game on the line.  It's one thing to make mistakes, it's another thing entirely to stubbornly repeat them and create an alternative reality when you're called out for making them.