Two things about last night's game. One- The offensive foul called on Jordan near the end of the game was a hometown call. There was no way he fouled. In fact he was fouled and it should have been called a block on the Creighton player. As his shot went in, that was potentially a 3 point play that essentially meant the game. Two- has any team tried a box and one on McDermott and juist tried to keep the ball away from him? I seem to recall Georgetown did that to Mullin with great success.
Up Next: Creighton
- Thread starter rawdognyc
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Branch played 23 minutes and gave us very little. He played the first 4 minutes of the second half, and not his fault alone but thats where the game was lost. Dom only played 12 minutes and was on the bench to start the second half. I have not knocked the coach all season because I believe it's up to the players to play. Doms on the team to create havoc with Creighton's offense to start the second half. Thats a part of the game we have had trouble with. Why was Branch out there. You sayin Branch has the short leash, but he got 23 minutes. Dom , who we needed out there got 12 and was on the bench at the worst time possible. Not saying Branch not useful, but I think he plays timid. We never gonna win with offense. I want the wild guy out there going full speed. Of course I might be wrong, but I have given up our winning with a conventional offense.
JackofVirginia
Active member
Exactly, Dom is starting to remind me of a G'town player with his classless fouls.
Dom is a specialist. That D on McD was special. Was that play the start of our first half run? Still think Dom should be starting the second half. Of course the team coming out like like delicate flowers made me sure I was right. If Branch had made a play during that time I might have thought it was the way to go. Pointer had 3 assists in a few minutes in the first half, team had 5. I can buy Branch being out there when Sheed sits, but why 3 guards when we defending Godzilla. Branch gonna bite his toe?
It seems to me Lavin wants either Branch or Greene on the court at all times. Both have limited skills and are terribly inconsistent from one game to another and being juniors who have logged major minutes are not going to improve.
Last night Obepka showed a few offensive moves and if he ever going to improve offensively he should be playing more. I think more minutes to Pointer , Sanchez or God's Gift at the expense of Branch or Greene would help the rebounding and defense.
Maybe it is the three years of watching them but I'm giving up on them. Where is Felix?
Last night Obepka showed a few offensive moves and if he ever going to improve offensively he should be playing more. I think more minutes to Pointer , Sanchez or God's Gift at the expense of Branch or Greene would help the rebounding and defense.
Maybe it is the three years of watching them but I'm giving up on them. Where is Felix?
JackofVirginia
Active member
Mark, unfortunately Obepka didn't guard him on the perimeter. If you look at the replay which I did four times, as a Creighton player dribbled to the right, for some unknown reason CO left McDermott and started to drift back toward the basket. As a result he was late to get around a pick. What was he thinking? Hence, one of the Fox analyst asked, " How do you leave McDermott alone"?
JackofVirginia
Active member
We have to do something about our switching on picks. Afterall, besides McDermott taking smaller guards into the pivot, how about their 6'11" center eating up Branch and Hooper on a switch. You got to talk to each other!
JackofVirginia
Active member
Well, it looks as if sitting on the bench motivated Obekpa. I was surprisingly impressed with his aggressive moves inside. Don't stop now. But I also look at God's Gift and wonder how he feels after limited minutes last night. Afterall, he was playing a lot more recently. Mind games?
I think the Marquette blog put it best:
http://www.anonymouseagle.com/2014/1/29/5357484/1-29-around-the-big-east
PRO TIP: Guard the guy who's shooting 4-8 behind the arc on your last defensive possession of the game, even if the plan all game long was to let him do whatever he wanted. I mean, REALLY? You're going to let McDermott just wander down the court and camp out behind the arc so Jahenns Manigat can just toss him the ball that easily?
Im pretty sure Jamal was on the court for a big part of our second half run. Cant remember the time and score exactly. He didnt have his best game thats for sure, but unlike dom, he has to be respected on offense. He may not hit the jumpshot but if he gets in the lane he can create a shot for someone else. The other teams literally give Dom 5 feet of room. It is like playing 4-5. His defense is so overrated it is unbelievable. He had a blocked shot in the first half which to a casual observer may have looked like a great play, but in reality if you really looked he slowed up to let the guy go in for the layup so that he could attempt the block instead of just sprinting ahead and forcing him to take a tough shot. It is false hustle, and he does it EVERYTIME. If I could have anyone on the team get less then ten minutes it would be dom. Its said to, becasue he has so much potential, I just have never seen a player play so far away from his strengths. He should be going after every offensive rebound, he should be killing people with solid, not cheap, screens, and he should be a monster on the baseline. Instead he wants the ball 30 feet from the hoop on offense and he wants to reach 90 feet from the rim on defense. Its sad really.
I thought we played great defense McDermott was unstoppable and made difficult shots. I know CO could have guarded better the last play . But compared to his previous few games his offence made 180 degree turnaround, he was actually looking for the ball. We didn't look too good on offence ,scored a lot on turnovers. There was 1 play when DLO took an off balance 3 while being guarded and there was an unguarded Hooper just to the left of him. Have to pass the ball there. Dissapointing loss , Hopefully we can keep working on our difficiencies and improve. I also was thinking that it might have been worth trying a box and 1,since McDermott beat us singlehandedly.
I dont think branch has played a complete year yet with us, let alone 3. Major minutes for us? When, the last 2 games? Pointer should not get more minutes than Branch, this is a basketball game, not a combine.
Agree with a lot of what you said. That shot Dlo took was a poor one and Lav took him immediately out for it. Thats a change.
I'd rather have Branch on the floor during a bad game than Dom at his best. I can't believe I am writing this after the year he had last year and what I expected of him. He has flatout regressed, and he has no sense of his identity on the basketball court. Literally, out of the ten players on the court t any given time, Dom is the least likely to get an offensive rebound. Sad.
Dom is a mistake waiting to happen late in any game and his rebounding #s have quickly turned from disappointing to disgusting. His defense is so overrated because he makes 2-3 sensational plays every game, but nearly all of them have nothing to do with solid on-ball defense. In fact, most are born from his mistakes or risks.
Dom is a mistake waiting to happen late in any game and his rebounding #s have quickly turned from disappointing to disgusting. His defense is so overrated because he makes 2-3 sensational plays every game, but nearly all of them have nothing to do with solid on-ball defense. In fact, most are born from his mistakes or risks.