danger danger LAST THREE GAMES

[lichoya68]

yup big problem we are shooting only 20% from three the last three games >:(BIG problem if that continues come on hoyas HIT SOME shots ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D PLEASE ;D ;D ;D ;D ITS FEBRUARY

[tashoya]

That's a lot of emoticons even for you lic. You're right about the outside shooting though. We need to pick it up or we're going to end up on the wrong side of many Providence-esque games.

[professorhoya]

As bad as we played vs West Virginia we were still able to cut the lead to 4 points. I think that shows that this team isn't totally reliant on the 3 like past teams. The half and full court press and ability to run can keep this team in most games despite an off shooting night or problem with a muscle big opponent down low.

[Nevada Hoya]

If we shoot a decent percentage from 3, we win. Have to correct this.

[skyhoya]

We are now into the BE schedule, some coaches have figured out how to slow III's offense down over the years. Need to add some new wringles. Like the traps with our long armed team. Need to step up on some new techniques.

[gtowndynasty]

Not as worried about the percentage. If you are shooting well from the outside, well go inside. My issue is when we are not shooting well, we continue to jack up threes.

Also, as sky pointed out, the teams we are playing know our stuff. Huggins has our number. Need to modify our gameplan to account for this next time. Cincy does too. They make the game ugly, but a W is a W. They will use their guards and quickness to get into passing lanes and grab and hold to prevent backcuts. They also play a four guard lineup so getting it into Nate early could yield dividends.

[bmartin]

Huggins does not have some secret strategy. If they do not double the low post, Henry and other post players have to be able to score or draw fouls until the opponents are forced to double. If defenders are in our shooters' faces on the perimeter, our guys don't have to drive all the way to the rim, but they have to be able to dribble into a seam and threaten a mid-range shot or force a hedge or help defender to react. Just swinging the ball around the perimeter is not enough to get the defense out of position. Hollis especially cannot allow defenders to deny him so easily on the arc. If they are going to play him tight 23 feet out he has to take them for the 12 to 15 footer or make the defense collapse toward him and hit an open man. He can't let them take him out of the offense for long stretches.

[sleepy]

Jan 8, 2012 23:56:51 GMT -5 bmartin said:

Huggins does not have some secret strategy. If they do not double the low post, Henry and other post players have to be able to score or draw fouls until the opponents are forced to double. If defenders are in our shooters' faces on the perimeter, our guys don't have to drive all the way to the rim, but they have to be able to dribble into a seam and threaten a mid-range shot or force a hedge or help defender to react. Just swinging the ball around the perimeter is not enough to get the defense out of position. Hollis especially cannot allow defenders to deny him so easily on the arc. If they are going to play him tight 23 feet out he has to take them for the 12 to 15 footer or make the defense collapse toward him and hit an open man. He can't let them take him out of the offense for long stretches.

Thank you. It's not what the other teams are doing or even what our III is doing or the offense. It's our players that are the problem. This happens every single year at some point, and like I said at the beginning of the season, will determine the outcome of our season. Shots stop falling at some point, and that point seems to be now for us, and players need to attack the basket when that happens. Your aren't going to regain your shooting confidence by chucking up more and more shots from outside. You need to start scoring in other ways and then your shot will start falling again. A good example would be Jason in the Marquette game. He built his confidence by attacking the basket and then he was able to knock down some big three's at the end
Another issue is the type of three we shoot. Just because it's "open" doesn't mean it's a good shot. Shots that result from good ball movement, and inside outside play, will generally have a better chance of falling because the shooter will be able to have his feet set and step into the shot. This would be better than just passing it around the perimeter and shooting it a foot outside the line because there is no defender there.
Hopefully this team figures it out because some learn slower than others. We haven't played very well well consistently since the Louisville game, and I don't think we'll have fixed the issues in the one day we've had off. Hopefully improved defensive intensity will help us hold off Cincy tomorrow, but it is going to be very very difficult.

[DanMcQ]

www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/georgetown-vs-cincinnati-hoyas-slumping-from-three-point-range/2012/01/08/gIQA8iJ7jP_story.html

Thompson said Sunday that he’s not overly concerned about the three-point slump, in part because this season’s team is better equipped to handle one.

“We’re not a team that doesn’t want to make threes,” he said. “In years past, some would say we lived and died by the three. But I think this team, because of our versatility and the different ways we can score, it’s not as important. . . . I just think the ball hasn’t gone in two out of those three games.”

With the West Virginia clinging to a 41-37 lead, Clark missed from beyond the arc. At the other end of the floor, Mountaineers senior Kevin Jones sank a three-pointer 14 seconds later, making it 44-37. Starks and Greg Whittington each misfired from long range attempts on the Hoyas’ next two possessions, and the hosts pulled away.

“That sequence was important,” Thompson said. “It was a stretch where, three possessions in a row, we took threes. This team doesn’t have to do that. At least two of those were not good shots. We were trying to answer them, as opposed to, ‘Let’s get the best shot.’ ”

Another area where Thompson would like to see improvement is on the boards. The Hoyas have been out-rebounded in each of the past three games, including a 37-31 deficit Saturday.

“A lot of times, when it comes to rebounding, the focus on the front court,” Thompson said. “We need our perimeter guys to do a much better job of getting in there and running down rebounds, to help and support the guys in box-outs down there.”

[calhoya]

The Hoyas current Big East statistics are certainly an indication of recent struggles. Although the season is still early and a couple of games can really impact these stats, JT III clearly needs to focus on some improvements. With our inside game struggling as Henry has fallen in love with those little jump hook shots that roll off the rim (not enough arc or use of the backboard), being able to have a consistent 3 point threat on the floor at all times will open up the lane for the rest of the offense. Other than Hollis and a streaky Clark/Starks, there is really no one else who has proven able to hit the outside shot consistently.

Scoring 15th
Defense 4th
FG % 6th
3FG% 12th
FT% 11th
Rebounds 12th
Rebound Margin 10th
Assists 15th
Turnover Margin 12th

[lichoya68]

hit SOME threes JUST some ok and win

[ScreamingHoya]

Year after year it's the same story- live and die by the three. Sorry to borrow a term from the ESPN reporters, but with our "length" this year, this has to change- if shots aren't falling, we've gotta be able to use our size inside to get points, or at least knock down some mid range jumpers.

[HoyaSinceBirth]

Jan 9, 2012 10:48:10 GMT -5 ScreamingHoya said:

Year after year it's the same story- live and die by the three. Sorry to borrow a term from the ESPN reporters, but with our "length" this year, this has to change- if shots aren't falling, we've gotta be able to use our size inside to get points, or at least knock down some mid range jumpers.

Like we did against Marquette.

I don't think we exactly were trying to live and die by the 3 against WV we only took what? 14 or so. We have a below average ratio of 3PA/FGA. It was the timing of some of those 3's like when we shot 3 in a row that was costly not that we were taking 3's. We do not live and die by the 3. We still get most of our offense from 2 pt baskets. This year more than ever we score in a variety of ways. We're getting more points from going to the FT line this year, from offensive rebounds, from driving the lane. I'm not sure why people are choosing to be willfully ignorant of the differences in this years team from last years and previous iterations.

[ColumbiaHeightsHoya]

Also need to hit free throws. Some of our guys who are normally great free throw shooters (Clark, Thompson) haven't had it going the past few games. That was an aspect of Austin's game that was great. Gotta pick that up. The threes will come.

[calhoya]

Jan 9, 2012 11:29:35 GMT -5 ColumbiaHeightsHoya said:

Also need to hit free throws. Some of our guys who are normally great free throw shooters (Clark, Thompson) haven't had it going the past few games. That was an aspect of Austin's game that was great. Gotta pick that up. The threes will come.

Could not agree more. Hollis really was off the last game.

[SFHoya99]

Jan 9, 2012 11:24:39 GMT -5 HoyaSinceBirth said:

Jan 9, 2012 10:48:10 GMT -5 ScreamingHoya said:

Year after year it's the same story- live and die by the three. Sorry to borrow a term from the ESPN reporters, but with our "length" this year, this has to change- if shots aren't falling, we've gotta be able to use our size inside to get points, or at least knock down some mid range jumpers.

Like we did against Marquette.

I don't think we exactly were trying to live and die by the 3 against WV we only took what? 14 or so. We have a below average ratio of 3PA/FGA. It was the timing of some of those 3's like when we shot 3 in a row that was costly not that we were taking 3's. We do not live and die by the 3. We still get most of our offense from 2 pt baskets. This year more than ever we score in a variety of ways. We're getting more points from going to the FT line this year, from offensive rebounds, from driving the lane. I'm not sure why people are choosing to be willfully ignorant of the differences in this years team from last years and previous iterations.

Yep.

Hoya 3PT %: 34.7% (146th in the country)

Hoya 3p point attempts as a % of total FGA: 31.4% (200th in the country)

Hoya % of points from 3pters: 24.9% (235th in the country)

We don't live and die by the three, at least not any more than most teams in college basketball. Perhaps it's more accurate to say college basketball lives and die by the three?

Henry failing to establish himself down, turnovers and our mediocre to poor defense in the second half (they shot 64% from 2) were just as to blame for the loss.

[OldHoyafan]

It must be emphasized that what makes this team have more potential to win games this year than last year's team is its ability to play better defense not better offense. Clark and Starks are not better scorers than the guys they replaced i.e, Freeman and Wright. Should we expect Thompson to hit 47 per cent from 3pt land like he did last year?, no because his role has increased and there will be more shots to take. Likewise with Clark. Starks and Whittington are still unknowns as to their 3pt proficiency. Lubbock and Otto I don't think will be great 3pt shooters but can hit an occasional 3pt shot to keep defense honest. The Hoyas strength this year is their length on defense especially with Thompson and Whittington's ability to play the two guard on defense. This team's potential claim to fame this year will be it's defense like the old JT2 teams. If they play good GEORGETOWN defense they will win, if they don't then they probably will lose in the BE because there won't be many "who can outscore the other" games.

[NCHoya]

Well, at least one good thing that comes from the first set-back of the season is it raises the level of discussion on this board and brings out the good analysis I always look forward to reading.

My take is, it is too early to make grand conclusions one way or the other. I still think WVU simply knows how to play us, and as important, has the players to play us that way. They have great 3pt defense and know their big guys are usually better than our big guys. That gives them a structural advantage and we saw the result. Poor rebounding, low 3pt % and difficulty finishing in the paint are the result.

I also do not think this team is too dependent on the 3, however, I do think there are only a few guys that should have the green light - Hollis, Jason, Markel. Everyone else really needs to have an excellent look. We need to expect that this team, given its youth, will take some inappropriate shots. Like the quote from JT3 says - "we were trying to answer them" instead of working for a better shot. That is what young teams tend to do.

Also, this idea that a freshman in January is like a sophomore is bunk. Our freshman have exactly 4 big east games under their belt and as other teams get the scouting report on them, they will have to adapt the way they play the game probably for the first time in their life. That takes time and we all need to understand we will lose games because of it.

I could not agree more with oldhoya, this team will live and die by defense this season. That is the one thing the freshman should be able to pick-up and be better at versus previous JT3 teams because of their length and athleticism. Again, defense is mostly attitude so we will see if the youngsters can carry the right attitude game in and game out, but I do not feel offense will be the real culprit this season.

[lichoya68]

WE DIED BY TURNOVERS LAST NITE TURNOVERS WERE THE DAGGER