Georgetown @ Marquette 12/30/17 Discussion

[DanMcQ]

Have at it.

[hoya1984]

Same bull different characters.

[RockawayHoya]

Will be at this one in person. Looking to see the following:

Improved clock/possession management: If we have a lead towards the end of the game, milk the clock a bit and reduce possessions... don't take bad shots early. If we have timeouts at the end, use them to our advantage.

In-game adjustments: If there's something that the opponent is doing to hurt us (we can't guard one guy man-to-man, other team goes zone to slow down our bigs, etc.), I expect to see some scheme adjustment sooner rather than later (or not at all). The staff has limited talent on the squad, but it's their job to put them in the best position to succeed.

Quicker subs for guys who make stupid mistakes: When someone tries to go 1 on 3 on a fast break, he sits. When someone jacks a 25 foot 3 early in the shot clock and completely out of the flow of the offense, he sits. If someone turns the ball over due to an unforced error, he sits. Team has to be made to learn to value possessions, because in close games they make or break you. Thus far in close games, they have broken us.

None of these things involve upgrading our talent overnight or teaching skills that guys can't possibly learn in 3 days. They've made progress in a lot of areas so far this year (conditioning, strength, effort), but it's on the staff and the players to both continue improving.

[calhoya]

Watched Marquette against Xavier tonight. Think that the Hoyas will again struggle on defense. Not saying the Hoyas cannot win but would not be surprised by a sizable double digit loss to another so-so team. Ewing has got to coach around the flaws on his team. Marquette is a better team than Butler.

[mfk24]

We'll have the frontcourt advantage again. Marquette has 2 in their starting 5 listed under 6 feet but Rowsey is the guy for them, and we have to throw everything we can at him. He was taking and hitting from NBA range last night. I think for us offensively, they're not as well suited to go zone against us, given the size of their backcourt, so we should be able to play through the post which is clearly our objective.

[GUJook97]

Yeah, I thought Marquette played as well as they could have last night offensively. Hopefully, they cool off and this is a let down after Xavier. I’m guessing fans won’t be as interested.

[vv83]

This game should be fun to watch - both teams should be able to score. We'll struggle with their guards, they'll struggle with our big men. They will likely play some kind of sagging D to challenge our guards to shoot. It think Mulmore and Mosely need to start taking wide open 3s if guys sit way back on them. Neither are consistent shooters, but I think if they take the shots consistently and confidently, they can make enough of them to perhaps force more honest defensive play, and open up more room inside for Derrickson and Govan. If they could just hit 35% I think it would do the trick. Mosely shot 3s well as a HS senior, and Mulmore actually shot over 35% last year - but was super tentative in taking the shot.

[prhoya]

Dec 28, 2017 14:21:59 GMT -5 mfk24 said:

We'll have the frontcourt advantage again. Marquette has 2 in their starting 5 listed under 6 feet but Rowsey is the guy for them, and we have to throw everything we can at him. He was taking and hitting from NBA range last night. I think for us offensively, they're not as well suited to go zone against us, given the size of their backcourt, so we should be able to play through the post which is clearly our objective.

I think they'll follow the Syracuse and Butler recipe of packing the lane and daring us to shoot. Until we hit those shots, that's what we'll see.

[iowa80]

Dec 28, 2017 15:21:58 GMT -5 prhoya said:

Dec 28, 2017 14:21:59 GMT -5 mfk24 said:

We'll have the frontcourt advantage again. Marquette has 2 in their starting 5 listed under 6 feet but Rowsey is the guy for them, and we have to throw everything we can at him. He was taking and hitting from NBA range last night. I think for us offensively, they're not as well suited to go zone against us, given the size of their backcourt, so we should be able to play through the post which is clearly our objective.

I think they'll follow the Syracuse and Butler recipe of packing the lane and daring us to shoot. Until we hit those shots, that's what we'll see.

Yes, and I'm hoping that Blair is the eventual solution.  As we've said here, he has the stroke to make the shot when unguarded.  0-4 last night, but 11-12 from the line indicates someone who should be able to make an open three.  Mulmore won't shoot from deep and Dickerson can't, but I suspect Blair is just suffering from first year nerves and inexperience.

[jester]

Completely agree, teams will dare us to shoot. I like that Jagan even if he cant hit from outside can drive in control and create angles better than Mulmore and Dickerson. He tried some wide open floaters from a couple of steps two games ago and missed, but if he can make that shot and continue to attempt it he can take advantage of the space guards are giving and does not need to settle for jumpers. Big key here too is Kaleb - is he a guy who can hit from outside in BE games consistently? if he can, we are SO much better. If not, and he has to drive into a packed lane, we are much easier to guard.

[Bigs"R"Us]

Johnson can't put up 2 points in 31 minutes as a junior- ain't gonna cut it.

[jester]

Mulmore leads us in 3pt percentage at 47%, yet as attempted less 3s this year than our center.

Mulmore has 26 TOs to 26 FG made.

Jamarko has 34 Tos to 35 FG made.

Dickerson has 12 TOs to 15 FG made.

[Bigs"R"Us]

All of Mulmore's threes are on wide open looks. Mac is going to come in next year and drill these in defenders' faces on step backs.

[jester]

Dec 28, 2017 16:05:39 GMT -5 Bigs"R"Us said:

All of Mulmore's threes are on wide open looks. Mac is going to come in next year and drill these in defenders' faces on step backs.

Agree - he also has a lot of wide open looks hes passing up.

[iowa80]

Dec 28, 2017 15:56:58 GMT -5 jester said:

Mulmore leads us in 3pt percentage at 47%, yet as attempted less 3s this year than our center.

Mulmore has 26 TOs to 26 FG made.

Jamarko has 34 Tos to 35 FG made.

Dickerson has 12 TOs to 15 FG made.

I like your field goal to TO ratio.  Mulmore is the only guard with an assist/TO ratio over 2 (2.1). Caleb is the only other player, also 2.1

[mapei]

Dec 28, 2017 15:50:50 GMT -5 Bigs"R"Us said:

Johnson can't put up 2 points in 31 minutes as a junior- ain't gonna cut it.

True, but that was his only bad game so far. He's been playing great IMO.

[calhoya]

Dec 28, 2017 16:26:21 GMT -5 mapei said:

Dec 28, 2017 15:50:50 GMT -5 Bigs"R"Us said:

Johnson can't put up 2 points in 31 minutes as a junior- ain't gonna cut it.

True, but that was his only bad game so far. He's been playing great IMO.

I think that Kaleb has definitely improved under Ewing. I attribute that to hard work and commitment. Yet, given that other teams have figured out that the Hoyas cannot shoot from deep, it is imperative that he become a factor in games where the Hoyas are dealing with a decent opponent packing it in. Against Richmond, Syracuse, North Texas and Butler, Kaleb attempted a total of 7 3pt shots. He made 3. Not a bad percentage but nowhere near the contribution needed from someone with one of the higher percentages on the team. Part of the problem is that he cannot create his shot, but needs to have the time and space to get off the jumper. Quality teams will guard him closely and he simply has to find a way--or the coach does--for him to contribute more in these games. Effort is not the problem, but this team is not good enough to have an experienced junior be a non-factor on offense. I can see Pickett and Blair improving their shot over the course of the season, but there is always a downside to relying upon freshmen in tough end of game situations. Govan and MD do not handle the ball much and therefore are at the mercy of the guards/wings to get their opportunities. Kaleb can be more involved in bringing the ball up court and though he does not have a great handle, he is not any worse than the alternatives.

[vv83]

Dec 28, 2017 15:56:58 GMT -5 jester said:

Mulmore leads us in 3pt percentage at 47%, yet as attempted less 3s this year than our center.

Mulmore has 26 TOs to 26 FG made.

Jamarko has 34 Tos to 35 FG made.

Dickerson has 12 TOs to 15 FG made.

This is a really telling set of stats. When your point guard is even in TO/FG ratio - well, we must have played pretty well otherwise to have not lost a game in regulation time yet this season!

[Bigs"R"Us]

Butler being ice cold from deep helped get us a sizable first half lead.

[vv83]

Dec 28, 2017 16:48:43 GMT -5 calhoya said:

Dec 28, 2017 16:26:21 GMT -5 mapei said:

True, but that was his only bad game so far. He's been playing great IMO.

I think that Kaleb has definitely improved under Ewing. I attribute that to hard work and commitment. Yet, given that other teams have figured out that the Hoyas cannot shoot from deep, it is imperative that he become a factor in games where the Hoyas are dealing with a decent opponent packing it in. Against Richmond, Syracuse, North Texas and Butler, Kaleb attempted a total of 7 3pt shots. He made 3. Not a bad percentage but nowhere near the contribution needed from someone with one of the higher percentages on the team. Part of the problem is that he cannot create his shot, but needs to have the time and space to get off the jumper. Quality teams will guard him closely and he simply has to find a way--or the coach does--for him to contribute more in these games. Effort is not the problem, but this team is not good enough to have an experienced junior be a non-factor on offense. I can see Pickett and Blair improving their shot over the course of the season, but there is always a downside to relying upon freshmen in tough end of game situations. Govan and MD do not handle the ball much and therefore are at the mercy of the guards/wings to get their opportunities. Kaleb can be more involved in bringing the ball up court and though he does not have a great handle, he is not any worse than the alternatives.

Kaleb brings some real good things to the table in terms of defense, rebounding, hustle and smart play. But almost all his points are going to come off transition, offensive boards, and guards finding him on cuts or for kick-out wide open 3s. If he tries to do much more than that, it will likely result in turnovers and bad misses. It would be great if he could give us 10 points a game, but I don't think that is a realistic goal for BE play, and it would likely be counterproductive if he tried to score that much. he'll have some games where he puts up more games, when we get out in transition a lot or when the flow of the game brings him some open looks that he knocks down. But we really don't want kaleb trying to create by putting the ball on the floor in any kind of half court traffic, that is not his game.