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

[ras]

This is a game we should have won if Champ and  Wheeler didn’t have awful games. We would have been .500 BE record and a bubble team and singing a different tune. We are St Johns.

 

[guinness77]

Wow…Champaigne had the ball, on the elbow, one-on-one, down 1, last possession and PASSED??

 

[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? 

Nope, never came back in. How do you sit the two hottest guys on the floor the last, like, 8 minutes of the game?

I don’t want to hear nothing about guys being in because of “defense.” We routinely give up 80 a night.

 

[usguard]

Says a lot

 

[guinness77]

lol what a terrible loss. Creighton didn’t even play good down the stretch. 

 

[Dal975]

I've noticed that the in-game highs with Mathis are quite high, but the lows are quite low.  Very little in between.  He seems to frequently be in the middle of a game changing "run" or as with last night, the big three point play to put us in front, and several other really nice sequences, but then later on you have the open 3-point clang and a couple of other head scratchers that send things the other way quickly.  I guess you have to live with the inconsistency as overall he provides big east level talent however erratic, and options behind him even more limited in various ways, but this type of inconsistency (not just game to game, but in-game as well) is emblematic of team as a whole and a common ingredient in the disappointing season.  Not going to blame him for the final sequence, he was in a tough position and did draw some contact.  Game was lost on a slow burn with Champ and Wheeler's shooting throughout.

 

[IDRAFT]

In the last few minutes of the game, to be fair, Champagnie had some big defensive plays in the paint that were very important. I want to start with that.

Now about the last seventeen seconds. Overall, for close to three years the end of game offense has been dribble around for too long and then panic. It's also the end of half offense. So, the only thing that was giving me any confidence was the law of averages. 

But the play was as good a play as you could design this time. SJU was down one point, they didn't need a three. And they got Champagnie the ball isolated on a smaller defender, at most twelve feet out. Yet he passed the ball so fast it was like he thought it was a time bomb. 

Be honest. If the roles were reversed and Hawkins got a shot from that exact same spot on the floor with Wusu guarding him and he hits it folks would be killing CMA for giving up that look. Actually, you guys would be killing him if he missed it.

SJU got a great look and Champagnie froze. He's still a kid, this is college basketball and stuff happens. 

Now anyone who wants to pile on CMA for still having Wusu inbound the ball from the backcourt at the end of games - I'm all in for that! Continuing to use him in that role is now beyond stubborn.

 

[lawmanfan]

I can't disagree with Boo and IDraft about Anderson's stubborn streak when it comes to Wusu and Mathis.  He clearly believes in Mathis as an offensive option even though his offensive skill set consists almost entirely of "put your head down and get to the rim" - just as he believed in Dunn who had essentially the same skill set.  And he clearly believes that Wusu can be molded into a point guard and in-bound passer, despite the inconsistent results to date.

There are definitely some plus aspects to his patience/stubbornness, but there are some minuses as well.

 

[lawmanfan]

Wow…Champaigne had the ball, on the elbow, one-on-one, down 1, last possession and PASSED??
 

Guinness out here "live tweeting" the game the day after the game.  Classic!  But pretty damn accurate observations.  /media/kunena/emoticons/cheerful.png

 

[Section9]

If you look at Anderson's late game strategy on an ongoing basis, you realize, that with very few exceptions, he goes with the guys he "trusts" down the stretch.  That 'trust" is built up over a period of time and based on many factors. He has not gone with the hot hand in a particular game if it's not one of his "trust" guys.

I'm def not defending Anderson,  but based on his body of work YTD and poor free throw shooting, I can see why he had Stanley sitting.  Smith not so much.

 

[bucketshardy]

Night to digest what we all witnessed.... ughh.... such a sinking feeling. 

I feel as though there have been three games this year where there was a ton of engagement from the administration/ students / social media / etc... Kansas / Providence / Creighton.... and all three were emotional letdowns. Our fans / students were really engaged in all three of these games and the team just failed to pull through. 

I arrived about 10 mins before tip- and man, was i shocked at the lack of people there.... but that changed drastically 5-10 mins into the game. Ton of fans- real engaged throughout. Kudos to those who showed up. 

Going down 10 early - up 7 at half - Seeing out lead slowly dissipate... Nembhard going down... losing the lead...going up 1 with 4 mins left...down 1 with .17 on the clock with the ball... such an emotional ride that was just life sucking for an irrational SJU bball fan. 

We are all arm-chair coaches, my take- think Champ started his iso too soon... would have given him the ball with 5 seconds left so he HAD to drive or shoot (maybe the National player of the week gets the benefit of the whistle...) ... ride or die with Champ right there. 

Great job by those who showed up. Crowd was electric- (except when we were down 3 under a min... the was a sense of defeat in the air...place was quiet) - got it back- all standing on what should have been the final possession- ready to explode when they took the lead...but alas...  Stanley was a revelation- excited to see what he becomes. Awesome to see Pinzon back out there. Missed Joel. 

Well... its BE Championship or bust now. Hope they just keep giving maximum effort- all we can hope for at this point. 

 

[lawmanfan]

If you look at Anderson's late game strategy on an ongoing basis, you realize, that with very few exceptions, he goes with the guys he "trusts" down the stretch.  That 'trust" is built up over a period of time and based on many factors. He has not gone with the hot hand in a particular game if it's not one of his "trust" guys.

I'm def not defending Anderson,  but based on his body of work YTD and poor free throw shooting, I can see why he had Stanley sitting.  Smith not so much.
 

Extremely accurate

 

[paultzman]

Well, Mike has his work cut out for him next season and hopefully he retains key returnees and adds a few quality pieces.  I assume an experienced guy like CMA has to realize his performance this year merits and requires self examination. Items like game management, especially at crunch time, balanced player rotations to ensure some offensive productivity, staying with guys who may be struggling but fit his blue collar mind set too long (while penalizing others), all seem fair game. This was the year staff expected the team to contend in top tier of BE and dance for sure. Obviously they are disappointed and hopefully learn from this underachieving season.

Wouldn’t it be ironic if they can add a few quality pieces and retain those kids we all see as solid and exceed this year’s outcome? Of course that may not happen, but it is time for this staff to overachieve next year when probably slotted as a lower tier team in pre season prognostications. Solid coaches find a way to do that, just look at the Creighton and PC this year. Anderson seems a proud, competitive guy, so let’s see what he can accomplish next year. If we remain irrelevant re NCAA T participation next season, it seems fair to doubt MA can get it done here.

 

[Mug Costanza]

Well, Mike has his work cut out for him next season and hopefully he retains key returnees and adds a few quality pieces.  I assume an experienced guy like CMA has to realize his performance this year merits and requires self examination. Items like game management, especially at crunch time, balanced player rotations to ensure some offensive productivity, not staying with guys who may be struggling but fit his blue collar mind set too long, but sometimes penalize others, all seem fair game. This was the year staff expected the team to contend in top tier of BE and dance for sure. Obviously they are disappointed and hopefully learn from this underachieving season.

Wouldn’t it be ironic if they can add a few quality pieces and retain those kids we all see as solid and exceed this year’s outcome. Of course that may not happen, but it is time for this staff to overachieve next year when probably slotted as a lower tier team in pre season prognostications. Solid coaches find a way to do that, just look at the Creighton and PC this year. Anderson seems a proud, competitive guy, so let’s see what he can accomplish next year. If we remain irrelevant re NCAA T participation next season, It seems fair to doubt MA can get it done here.

The problem is CMA has been coaching for 40 years now and I find it difficult to believe that he will be able to make great strides in improving the flaws that you mentioned in one offseason. Old dog, new tricks type of thing.

Let's hope CMA, Van, Shoes, and/or TJ can pull a rabbit out of their hat this offseason and land 1 or 2 high impact transfers while retaining the core pieces already here. If not, we're looking at the worst possible outcome of being projected to finish 10th but the season being spun as a success when we finish 8th. 

 

[otis]

Well, Mike has his work cut out for him next season and hopefully he retains key returnees and adds a few quality pieces.  I assume an experienced guy like CMA has to realize his performance this year merits and requires self examination. Items like game management, especially at crunch time, balanced player rotations to ensure some offensive productivity, not staying with guys who may be struggling but fit his blue collar mind set too long, but sometimes penalize others, all seem fair game. This was the year staff expected the team to contend in top tier of BE and dance for sure. Obviously they are disappointed and hopefully learn from this underachieving season.

Wouldn’t it be ironic if they can add a few quality pieces and retain those kids we all see as solid and exceed this year’s outcome. Of course that may not happen, but it is time for this staff to overachieve next year when probably slotted as a lower tier team in pre season prognostications. Solid coaches find a way to do that, just look at the Creighton and PC this year. Anderson seems a proud, competitive guy, so let’s see what he can accomplish next year. If we remain irrelevant re NCAA T participation next season, It seems fair to doubt MA can get it done here.

The problem is CMA has been coaching for 40 years now and I find it difficult to believe that he will be able to make great strides in improving the flaws that you mentioned in one offseason. Old dog, new tricks type of thing.

Let's hope CMA, Van, Shoes, and/or TJ can pull a rabbit out of their hat this offseason and land 1 or 2 high impact transfers while retaining the core pieces already here. If not, we're looking at the worst possible outcome of being projected to finish 10th but the season being spun as a success when we finish 8th. 

 

[QueensBoy]

Sometimes I truly think none of you watch the full game and just remember certain plays...

1. I will again defend Wusu.  He did NOT shoot the ball well and took some quick 3s with 15+ seconds left on the shot clock.  They were "open" but probably rushed other than 1 on a kick out.  That being said, the ENTIRE team takes quick shots - it's part of the team's philosophy to speed up the tempo.  Champagnie took 8 HORRIBLE shots last night and he gets minimal heat for his decision making.  I don't get it.   Wusu played half as many minutes as Posh/Champagnie but had 5 assists to their 3 respectively.   No one wants to mention those...Wusu was the ONLY player on the court smart enough to double Creighton's big man who was working us down low.  That resulted in two massive defensive possessions in the final 3 minutes.  He also was switched onto the big man twice and was so strong he pushed him high enough out of the post that a post touch made no sense for the Creighton offense.  No one remembers his defense...And finally, the in bounds pass that resulted in his LONE turnover for the game. - watch the play again. Watch the defense, or lack there of.  NO ONE was guarding Stef Smith.  And instead of adapting, receiving the pass and attacking, Smith ran the play which was for him to screen (no defender to screen) for Wheeler without looking at the ball.  Think back to the Chiefs and Bills game where KC got a field goal with just 13 seconds left on the clock... Kelce and Mahomes realized the Bills defense was playing way off, and said screw the play this makes way more sense.  Well Wusu did that and Smith acted like a robot.  Blaming Wusu is asinine and the bench knew it because the assistants were all looking at Smith like wtf.  

2. Smith and Stanley did play great...on offense.  That run in the second half was fun but while we scored  so did Creighton.  I love Stanley but he was struggling to defend the pick and roll.  Checks in around 15 minute mark and comes out with 9 minutes left.  Give or take.  We were up 52-48 and scored went to 69-67 us.  Defense matters. 

3. The Champ post up possession - this "play" was run about 5 times before the last minute.  We scored 0 points out of it.  So it makes sense we go back to it. Let's think about the rest of the season...where does Champ score?  He gets pick and pop 3s, curl jump shots, transition baskets, back door cuts, and post ups probably in that order.  I don't understand why that's the play regardless of his mismatch.  Now, as for the execution - I thought it was a great job by Champ to get to the middle, and kick to an open Mathis.  First, the pass was off making a catch and shoot tougher than it should have been. Second, as that pass is making it's way to the corner Wheeler cuts from the wing to the block.  This clearly wasn't what was supposed to happen because the bench was screaming at him after.  My guess is he was supposed to stay out and have Mathis drive with more space where he could attack or kick to Wheels.  By cutting to the block on Mathis' side, he brought another defender to that area (Posh was also there)  - If I was coaching, I have Pinzon, Mathis, Posh, Champ and Smith or Wusu in. Much more space and many more options.  Can post Champ up or more likely just play PnR with Pinzon, posh, smith and Wusu with so much space/shooting available.  and then once you score you call timeout and get your defenders back in. 

4. Felt bad for the Creighton PG.  That kid is really good and I hope he recovers.  Loved McDermott's reaction - ran right over to the kid, held him in his arms the entire time.  

5.  I think Pinzon is an absolute stud.  Would love for him to start playing 20 mins per game and let him work through his mistakes and missed shots.  He's the future and next year the ball will be in his hands come crunch time.  He may even be the best option right now...

6. Champ lost this game.  Plain and simple.  Hoping he bounces back and has a strong BE tourney.  

 

 

[Mullins Revenge]

I agree on Pinzon.  He is a stud.  He needs to be the starting 2 next year.  Posh, Pinzon, Storr, Wheeler and Soriano is a nice starting 5.

 

[boo haarvey]

I agree on Pinzon.  He is a stud.  He needs to be the starting 2 next year.  Posh, Pinzon, Storr, Wheeler and Soriano is a nice starting 5.

Have you ever seen Storr play?
 

 

[Eric2]

Creighton is a team that turns the ball over often. Once they lost their starting point guard and with us missing Soriano, you would think we would press them full court the way we played Seton Hall in the 2nd game.  We were getting killed by their two biggest players who are also slow.  You would think speeding up the pace through the press when they had no real ball handlers could have helped.  How many competent ball handlers did they have left?
Also agree 100% with regards to Champ, he’s not an Alpha scorer.  When he’s off he quickly loses confidence and becomes hesitant.  Shooters/Scorers keep shooting believing next ones going in, he seems to shy away from taking over when he struggles early.  Unfortunately Mathis doesn’t hesitate and has no problem throwing up shots.   When you need a basket at the end, put in your 5 best offensive players at each position.  I don’t believe Mathis should be on the floor in that situation especially coming out of a timeout.  He doesn’t know what a good shot is, he just lets it go.  I feel Mathis and Coburn often drive to the hoop with no idea how they’re going to finish their drive.  Every now and then Mathis finishes fine but not often enough to trust him late in the game when you need a basket.  Champ posting up not a bad idea but he doesn’t have the greatest footwork or post moves.   He needs to work on some post moves/ footwork other than just turning around and throwing his body into the defender while hoping the ball falls in off the backboard.  They aren’t giving him those foul calls.  Villanova’s kids all know how to post and score, it’s a shame we don’t have a coach that can teach our bigs how to do what their little guys do.

 

[Redmen88]

Well, Mike has his work cut out for him next season and hopefully he retains key returnees and adds a few quality pieces.  I assume an experienced guy like CMA has to realize his performance this year merits and requires self examination. Items like game management, especially at crunch time, balanced player rotations to ensure some offensive productivity, staying with guys who may be struggling but fit his blue collar mind set too long (while penalizing others), all seem fair game. This was the year staff expected the team to contend in top tier of BE and dance for sure. Obviously they are disappointed and hopefully learn from this underachieving season.

Wouldn’t it be ironic if they can add a few quality pieces and retain those kids we all see as solid and exceed this year’s outcome? Of course that may not happen, but it is time for this staff to overachieve next year when probably slotted as a lower tier team in pre season prognostications. Solid coaches find a way to do that, just look at the Creighton and PC this year. Anderson seems a proud, competitive guy, so let’s see what he can accomplish next year. If we remain irrelevant re NCAA T participation next season, it seems fair to doubt MA can get it done here.

This was the game that we absolutely needed and was completely winable.  The team competed and went into halftime with a nice lead.  They were playing well.  The Creighton point guard goes down and MA needed to seize THIS MOMENT.  MA needed to grab these guys and will them into playing hard and winning this game.  What happens was we change nothing and lose the game.  This moment called for something that Creighton has not seen so that it would be difficult to handle with their PG out.  I realize Wheeler and Champ were not playing well but we were still winning the game .   This falls n coaching.  He should have used those time outs earlier and barked at the players to win this game with all in the line.  I am used to these outcomes and basically was not surprised.  Oh well, the SJ motto is we will get them next year... perhaps with all new players.