Thanks for that link TIS....something I noticed though is GG has to start stepping up. At least in rebounding. His scoring has been way off, and I don't know if it's just me, but his hands aren't as soft as they were in the first few games this year, he never seems ready for the dish to him, and he is not finishing except on breakaways. Another thing I saw that I liked as a team was the blocked shots average. not too bad for a team without a true big
He's indirectly taking up some space and attention down low. Freeing up Moe and his length to board. But I see Gift getting frustrated. But he is alone down low really so staff needs to temper that.
Yeah, that is a good point in terms of for Moe, however I still think he has butter fingers lately on some nice inside passing.
I have no clue nor does probably any poster on here. But I do think its the reason we have a too many scoreless lulls each game.
Agreed. I think Gift has looked tired of late too. Have to wonder at what point does playing 38 mins a game catch up to these kids.
Forgive me for my ignorance cuz I've only played pick up games and some intramural, but is there that big of a difference if they play 30-32 minutes like most teams, then 36-38 on this team?? Perhaps there is a big difference, I was just wondering for people that have maybe played more than just in the school yard or gym in some pick up games if there is a big effect or not. I give these kids credit for busting their butts every game, and every practice, I was just wondering.
There's a significant difference. It's not so much about the minutes you play (in terms of game time) as it is the minutes you rest (in terms of real time). Games take roughly 2 hours. With halftime removed, it's about 50 minutes to play each half. Every 2 minutes of game time is about 5 minutes of real time. So the difference between playing 32 and 38 game minutes is 15 minutes of actual time. When you consider how hard these kids play and how physical the game is, 15 extra minutes on the bench vs. on the court goes a long way towards keeping the body fresh or draining it.
Obviously there are a number of factors that go into how taxing game minutes are (pace of that particular game, style a team plays, the conditioning of a player, etc.), and we are seeing right before our eyes how possible it is for kids to play extremely hard for 38+ minutes and win. I think the concern though - and Moose referenced this earlier in this thread I believe - is more about what impact this has over the long haul of a season as opposed to within a single game. These kids have incredible motors, as good as I've ever seen; despite the ugly offensive play and bad loss, I wasn't even slightly annoyed after the Louisville game because of how hard they continued to play defensively right until the last minute. But at some point it might catch up to them a bit (also, hopefully, might not).
Since they essentially have no choice but to continue to play them these huge minutes in games, I was very glad to hear Dunlap mention after the Cincy game how aware they are trying to be of keeping their legs fresh. I'm sure the coaching staff can't practice them as hard as they might a team with 13 scholarship players. A strict 7 man rotation is likely unchartered territory for everyone, coaches included, so everyone is learning on the fly what the best coarse of action is and reacting. Which is exactly what is happening.
