My Take (It's Clear to me)

Ugh. Could only read half of this.

 

!

 

I did not see today's game, but I reviewed the stats. They made 11 FGs more than we did on 8 more shots. They also outrebounded us. Pullin, Clayton, Samuel, Aberdeen, and Condon shot a combined 1-13 from 3. We shot 23% overall and got blown out by a team that only shot 33%. This game's dismal 3-point shooting was not the deciding factor, but keeping our percentage up around 35% or higher would have put much more pressure on Tennessee and perhaps caused breakdowns in their execution.

We had 19 offensive rebounds, but they had 30 defensive rebounds. I don't know how many of those offensive rebounds we converted but when a team gets 30 defensive rebounds the other team is shooting horrendously (Us). Condon, Aberdeen, and Pullin shot a combined 4-25 or 16% but took 42% of the shots. How does that happen in an era of analytics? Golden has to identify the focused shooters early and go to them early, late, and often PERIOD. Richard was on today but unlike when he went 0-7 a few games ago from 3 he only got 4 shots from 3 but made 2. Someone on the coaching staff needs to start paying attention. There are too many glaring slip-ups in the basic strategy they are sleeping on. Sometimes Pullin will be hot and sometimes Richard will be hot. The coaching staff needs to get a feel for which player is in a zone and map out shots for them.

This has been the story with us for the last 10 years. We are 7-1 when we shoot 33% or higher from 3 this year. And 5 of our 6 losses have come when we shot 31% or less. That is a 2% differential in game outcomes just from the 3-point line. In fact, 3 of the 6 losses we lost by 1 3-point shot. (one of those we lost by 4 so technically we needed at least another FT to tie). So in three games- had we shot even 32% and not even 33% we would have either won or forced overtime.

This team HAS to learn how to grasp the importance of draining threes. They played 6 games where they hit 35% or higher from 3. All wins. That's not "lights-out" shooting which tells you how good this team is. They don't have to shoot exceptionally well from 3 to have a chance just one-third of their shots from 3 and they are generally going to win or at worst tightly contest the outcome.

We are one or two shots made away per game from being a top-25 team. Drill this into their heads and they will value possessions more intensely.

Ole Miss, Tennessee, and Wake Forest were the only blowout games that every team is going to have perhaps once or twice a year no matter how focused they are.

Bigs should ONLY be taking 3s when the game is not a contest or when we are up double digits. We need to give shot opportunities to Richard, Pullin, Clayton, and perhaps Kugel and Rishwain.

 

The Gators got man handled by Tennessee on the inside. Couldn't penetrate or create shots. The Vols just were at a different level.

 

And they pressured us all over the court with a very effective switching defense that made it very difficult to get up a shot, especially a 3 point shot. Most of our shots were forced, thus the low %. Wish our guys played with that type of defensive cohesion and intensity.

 

We got very few open shots yesterday. The Vols’ defense was suffocating.

 

We need our bigs to score. I wish they could get Condon to shoot more from the top of the key. Haugh should be playing small forward instead of power forward and get him comfortable shooting from the wings. We got killed playing guards on knecht. But this, unless we are playing at warped speed, has been our problem all year. Everyone we lose to have good size, 6’6” or taller at small forward, handle the ball well and can shoot over whoever the guard we put on them. Wake Forest, ole Miss, Tennessee. This trend will continue unless we change. Of course this allows other teams to focus on push out defensive play and cut off our threes. A Non existent scoring inside game is killing us.

 

WE MISSED A LOT OF BUNNIES and Kugel wanted to complain to the refs too much. 3-4 times he was looking at them for a call, need to get past that and just play, Kugel is this year's version of Kowocie Reeves

 

Reeves is having a good year thus far with 33 minutes of play, 12 point and 4 rebounds per game. Only three Gators average better.

 

There are plenty of basketball reasons why we lost to the Vols, but none of them require a made-up story of the guys not liking each other.

 

Better Players, Better Coaches, simple. I was just lending help! LOL

 

It was by far the best defense we've faced this season. I had said before the game we needed great passing to win this one. We didn't get it.

 

We have a ton of individual talent, especially when compared to last year. But I don't see the SEC-type toughness, physically and mentally, that it takes to succeed at this level of play.

 

Did Condon have a great game? It looked like Australian Rules Football out there at times.

 

He left shaking his head because the refs kept calling fouls on him for shepherding when he lined up as the designated ruckman. But he did leave the crowd in awe when he kept kicking the ball into the goal.

 

I’d modify this to: Players gotta play better; coaches gotta coach better.

 

I have no idea what your words mean but I get the gist.






Fair dinkum!

 

Sounds about right for Australian Rules Football, mate.