Nevada Hoya
Blue & Gray (over 10,000 posts)
Posts: 18,432
|
Post by Nevada Hoya on Feb 4, 2021 13:45:08 GMT -5
Game absolutely slipped my mind; too interested in the chalk talk by the track team. What a wonderful surprise today. What were they - 7.3% chance of winning? Go Hoyas!!! Hate to point out the obvious Nevada, but what I get from your post is that our best chance of beating Nova Sunday is if you don't watch the game😎 Maybe I will just tape the game on Sunday. If we win, I will watch the game; if not, I will do the same as the 1985 NCAA final - never watch the replay.
|
|
smokeyjack
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 1,299
|
Post by smokeyjack on Feb 4, 2021 14:14:39 GMT -5
Yep, that was the best game GU has played from tip to whistle in a long time - def more than a full year. Great contributions from literally everyone - with stellar games from Juggy and Bile. Dante got diced frequently by MZ, but he kept on grinding, worked his tail off and protected the ball. I'm not sure he's ever going to be able to finish at an efficient level in the BE, but I think the next big step for him will be using kickouts or finding bigs off his drives for easy buckets. He's a little too circus-finish focused at the moment, and other than the occasional trip to the line, that doesn't work out so well for him.
Pickett shot the ball much better (squint at the 5 TOs). And Q continues to add bits to his game. He will be something if he ever develops any semblance of a left hand. And maybe Pat's best coaching job to date. He was very quick to react to issues last night, had them ready to attack Creighton's lack of size with the lob and Chud-to-Q dump down and obviously stressed guarding the three.
Keep it rollin'! Why not? 2-0 since layoff/refresh/reset!
|
|
|
Post by michaelgrahmstylie on Feb 4, 2021 14:21:49 GMT -5
One thing I noticed about the play last night is all the guys were having fun, letting the game come to THEM and covering for each other beautifully. I wonder where they learned that. Couldn't have been from a coach who is a terrible Xes and Os guy.
|
|
DudeSlade
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
I got through the Esherick years. I can get through anything.
Posts: 1,209
|
Post by DudeSlade on Feb 4, 2021 14:27:56 GMT -5
More than anything I'm happy to say I can see real, true development in this game from earlier in the season -- both on an individual basis and a team basis.
Team-wise: - Better pick-and-roll defense: We handled them generally much better with the drop defense by the big man (Q or Tim usually) and the other defenders staying within arms range of the shooters, not hedging down to the driver as much. It ended up with a couple easy layups, but not too many, and it prevented a very good shooting team from getting as many open 3 as we would have given up earlier in the year. It's not perfect, but it was much better. And it caused a good number of turnovers too. - Improved 3 point defense: weird to say when they still hit 10/26 (38.5%), but we had hands in faces more often than the past, stayed home on the shooters more, and trusted our bigs to patrol the middle more, not hedging down as much, plus we hustled to close out more. Earlier in the year, I could have seen Creighton putting 15-20 3s up against us. - More hustle & sustained energy throughout the game: we had one stretch near the end of the 1st half when we had a poor rotation in and Creighton went on an 8-0 run before Carey hit his little floater. But besides that, we showed hustle and energy both defensively and offensively sustainably through the whole game. No late game letdowns or falling asleep defensively like earlier in the year. - Quicker ball movement: the ball wasn't stopping as much. Dante & Jahvon still occasionally stop ball, but less than before and you expect guards to try to make things happen. Less stopping the ball by Bile, Pickett, and Wahab especially. Kept it moving side-to-side more. As noted earlier in the thread, lack of a great dribble driver like Mackinjo hurts us a bit, but Dante is starting to figure out (though he needs to recognize when to go up and when to dump it to the big more). - Better job going inside-out: Earlier in the year, it seemed dump it down low and pray was a common offensive set. I saw more movement by guys off-ball when the ball went inside, which created some good passes for open shots, but also prevented the defense from collapsing as much on the big man. We also got Tim, Q, Bile, & Pickett the ball closer to the basket and behind the defense on lobs more than earlier in the year. - Turnovers: I know we still had 13 turnovers, but it felt like those occurred in really small spurts or at the end of the clock and Creighton just played good defense. We had fewer bonehead, sloppy, and over-trying turnovers than earlier in the year, and importantly, someone -- usually Harris or Blair -- slowed us down and got the game back under control after a couple bad possessions instead of continuing to pile on -- that's how you stop spurts from going on forever.
Individually: - Tim: Looks like he's taken the biggest jump in the 3 week layoff. More in control, more aware positionally and body-wise, more vertical defensively instead of trying to slap down at everything, better position posting on offense. Looks like a useful backup now, which is a big step. - Qudus: Someone earlier mentioned his 15-footer and his up-and-under. Those were moves he didn't show earlier in the year and will make him that much harder to guard. - Pickett: Taking better shots. Moving the ball better. Still not great off the dribble, still a little weak offensively inside, but defensively hard not to recognize his improvement the last 3+ years. - Bile: Playing much more within himself and using his athleticism better. Not letting him try to be a point-forward is also helping (I can recall one time he tried against Creighton and it was disaster). Looks like he should absolutely stick in the starting lineup. Much better defensively than Carey. - Blair: Distributing better. Seems to trust his teammates more. - Harris: More in control. Starting to read the defense better. Staying on his man defensively better. Still not a game changer like he looked like he could be against St. Johns earlier in the year, but better than he's looked in most of the other games. He seems to just be growing as a frosh. - Sibley: Minor, but he at least looks comfortable being out there, which frankly is more than I could say earlier in the year. Really hope he advances a lot the rest of the way. I feel like one good game could launch him. - Carey: The one I'm not seeing any improvement from. I like the kid, but he's just kind of a placeholder out there for us right now. Needs to play harder defensively, though. Can recall a number of easy layups he just let go -- at least foul the guy and force him to earn it.
That's more than enough from me. But just happy to see development. I think that's really important not only for next year, but to see that quality from the coaching staff to believe in them too.
|
|
|
Post by hoyasaxa2003 on Feb 4, 2021 16:26:59 GMT -5
This was a great win, and fun to watch, too. Obviously, winning against a rank team is always great, but I think Creighton have some fans helped liven up the environment too. Winning always makes everything more fun.
There were a lot of positives obviously, and I give credit to Ewing, the coaching staff, and players for that. On offense, we shot extremely well, especially in the first half. Shooting nearly 50% on threes is not sustainable for the whole season, obviously, but our guys brought it last night when it counted.
I have been hard on Bile, but his last two games have been solid. Much of that is staying within himself. He still has the highest usage on the team this season, but he is definitely better used in the more limited role he's had in the last few games. If he can rebound, defend, avoid turnovers, and take open shots, he will help the team a lot. Pickett was also on fire from three, which helped a lot, but the 5 turnovers is still a lot.
One thing I like about Bile starting instead of Carey (as long as Bile stays within himself), is that he's not getting all of his minutes alongside Ighoefe, but he gets to play alongside Wahab too. I do not have the lineup stats, but I really have never liked that Ighoefe/Bile lineup, so minimizing that is good, I think.
I know a lot of you all pointed to defense being better. This is one area where I am just not seeing it. We allowed 1.05 points per possesion, which is not bad and certainly better than a lot of other games, but I would not call it great (or even good), either. Creighton missed a TON of open shots, and we had a lot of defensive breakdowns. But, we won, so I'll take it. I am just not convinced there has been a ton of progress on the defensive end, but we will see in the coming games. Hopefully it is progress.
But, it was a great win. I do not fault Ewing at all for sitting the freshman mostly in this game, aside from Harris. The more experienced guys were getting it done.
|
|
DudeSlade
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
I got through the Esherick years. I can get through anything.
Posts: 1,209
|
Post by DudeSlade on Feb 4, 2021 16:59:54 GMT -5
I know a lot of you all pointed to defense being better. This is one area where I am just not seeing it. We allowed 1.05 points per possesion, which is not bad and certainly better than a lot of other games, but I would not call it great (or even good), either. Creighton missed a TON of open shots, and we had a lot of defensive breakdowns. But, we won, so I'll take it. I am just not convinced there has been a ton of progress on the defensive end, but we will see in the coming games. Hopefully it is progress. I agree completely that we are not yet a good defense, but watching this game I felt like Creighton was the type of team that would have had a field day against the defense we played early in the season. This game looked like it had the possibility to go like the Villanova game and have us lose it in the second half as they started making more of their shots, but I thought we were improved enough from that game that it didn't happen. Still a ways to go, though, certainly.
|
|
calhoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 4,352
|
Post by calhoya on Feb 4, 2021 17:11:49 GMT -5
Yep, that was the best game GU has played from tip to whistle in a long time - def more than a full year. Great contributions from literally everyone - with stellar games from Juggy and Bile. Dante got diced frequently by MZ, but he kept on grinding, worked his tail off and protected the ball. I'm not sure he's ever going to be able to finish at an efficient level in the BE, but I think the next big step for him will be using kickouts or finding bigs off his drives for easy buckets. He's a little too circus-finish focused at the moment, and other than the occasional trip to the line, that doesn't work out so well for him. Pickett shot the ball much better (squint at the 5 TOs). And Q continues to add bits to his game. He will be something if he ever develops any semblance of a left hand. And maybe Pat's best coaching job to date. H e was very quick to react to issues last night, had them ready to attack Creighton's lack of size with the lob and Chud-to-Q dump down and obviously stressed guarding the three. Keep it rollin'! Why not? 2-0 since layoff/refresh/reset! I noted for the first time how quickly Ewing used his timeouts to settle the team before Creighton was able to have a sustained run. Quite a contrast to earlier in the year when we would let a team run off 8-10 points before getting the timeout.
|
|
Omega
Silver Hoya (over 500 posts)
Posts: 556
|
Post by Omega on Feb 4, 2021 17:42:27 GMT -5
I know a lot of you all pointed to defense being better. This is one area where I am just not seeing it. We allowed 1.05 points per possesion, which is not bad and certainly better than a lot of other games, but I would not call it great (or even good), either. Creighton missed a TON of open shots, and we had a lot of defensive breakdowns. But, we won, so I'll take it. I am just not convinced there has been a ton of progress on the defensive end, but we will see in the coming games. Hopefully it is progress. I agree completely that we are not yet a good defense, but watching this game I felt like Creighton was the type of team that would have had a field day against the defense we played early in the season. This game looked like it had the possibility to go like the Villanova game and have us lose it in the second half as they started making more of their shots, but I thought we were improved enough from that game that it didn't happen. Still a ways to go, though, certainly. Just Curious, how many open shots did the hoyas miss, how many bunnies did Q miss in the paint. For defensive ratings, Do they distinguish between missed open shots and contested shots? Maybe they were open and felt pressure, maybe maybe, maybe...the bottom line is the shots didn't go in.
|
|
tupac
Century (over 100 posts)
Posts: 220
|
Post by tupac on Feb 4, 2021 19:33:09 GMT -5
We have a couple players that’s active defensively and some that’s terrible
|
|
saxagael
Platinum Hoya (over 5000 posts)
Posts: 6,898
|
Post by saxagael on Feb 4, 2021 20:01:39 GMT -5
The other thing that stood out is how much the defense improved in the last two games than before the break. Even Blair is picking up good footwork and positioning, which he hadn't picked up in the 3.5 years prior. Way to go Blair! Also Blair's 6 assists were great to see (still not close to being a point guard, but involving teammates more and finding the open players is good). I thought when Dante first went to the bench and Blair played point, he did an excellent job. Blair did better than he has done, but still needs to see all the court better and get the ball out of his hands more quickly. There were quite a few open players in that stretch he didn't scan the court to find. PG is the hardest position on the floor and can take a couple years to shift into that role to start seeing the court very differently, and much like chess see the court one or more moves ahead. Blair is a good set shooter and has a good floater for soft drives to the basket.
|
|
bigskyhoya
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 1,094
|
Post by bigskyhoya on Feb 4, 2021 21:24:25 GMT -5
He can always improve but let's give Blair some credit. His handle is way better than it was in prior years.
|
|
kbones17
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 1,186
|
Post by kbones17 on Feb 4, 2021 22:34:10 GMT -5
He can always improve but let's give Blair some credit. His handle is way better than it was in prior years. 100% percent better. When he was a freshman he treated the ball like a hot potato; immediate three point shot or pass it away (not assisting on a basket just getting it out of his hands) because his handle simply wasn’t good enough for a Big East guard. Now he can bring the ball up capably in most cases and initiate some offense.
|
|
dchoya72
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 3,488
|
Post by dchoya72 on Feb 5, 2021 7:41:09 GMT -5
Someone mentioned Bile and the toughness he brings and how that helps Jamorko I've seen the attitude..it's healthy. I would not call him an enforcer like Michael Graham was (nobody is saying that, I'm not either), but he's got some "don't take no crap and bully ball" in his game which is healthy for our young team! And he's got game. I like this!!
|
|
|
Post by aleutianhoya on Feb 5, 2021 8:12:44 GMT -5
This was a great win, and fun to watch, too. Obviously, winning against a rank team is always great, but I think Creighton have some fans helped liven up the environment too. Winning always makes everything more fun. There were a lot of positives obviously, and I give credit to Ewing, the coaching staff, and players for that. On offense, we shot extremely well, especially in the first half. Shooting nearly 50% on threes is not sustainable for the whole season, obviously, but our guys brought it last night when it counted. I have been hard on Bile, but his last two games have been solid. Much of that is staying within himself. He still has the highest usage on the team this season, but he is definitely better used in the more limited role he's had in the last few games. If he can rebound, defend, avoid turnovers, and take open shots, he will help the team a lot. Pickett was also on fire from three, which helped a lot, but the 5 turnovers is still a lot. One thing I like about Bile starting instead of Carey (as long as Bile stays within himself), is that he's not getting all of his minutes alongside Ighoefe, but he gets to play alongside Wahab too. I do not have the lineup stats, but I really have never liked that Ighoefe/Bile lineup, so minimizing that is good, I think. I know a lot of you all pointed to defense being better. This is one area where I am just not seeing it. We allowed 1.05 points per possesion, which is not bad and certainly better than a lot of other games, but I would not call it great (or even good), either. Creighton missed a TON of open shots, and we had a lot of defensive breakdowns. But, we won, so I'll take it. I am just not convinced there has been a ton of progress on the defensive end, but we will see in the coming games. Hopefully it is progress. But, it was a great win. I do not fault Ewing at all for sitting the freshman mostly in this game, aside from Harris. The more experienced guys were getting it done. I know others responded by pointing to pace-adjusted stats and they're right to do so. Statistically, our D was good. Just based on the eye test, I would say that our scheme was much improved and importantly seemed specifically designed to stop this opponent. We played a drop and we limited rotations. Everyone ran their players very hard off the three line. Sure, we gave up some open looks, but when we did, you heard the coaches correct the players on getting sucked in too far to help. We made an admittedly awful decision to go zone late in the game. But, and again this is important, we very quickly got out of it! I thought our scheme was much, much better. (I would note too that our offensive scheme was as well...not just trying to get the ball to the post but the way we did it.) Unlike some others....I'd still have liked to get frosh a minute or two. Getting Berger or Clark two mins each wouldn't have hurt.
|
|
hoyarooter
Blue & Gray (over 10,000 posts)
Posts: 10,212
|
Post by hoyarooter on Feb 5, 2021 20:34:39 GMT -5
I don't know that we can play better as a team than we did in this game. Cutting down on turnovers in the second half was huge. At halftime I expected this to go the way of the Nova and Butler games, and I think our improved defense, even if not great, and reduction of turnovers were the primary reasons. Creighton is a very good team, and this was a great win.
|
|
Bigs"R"Us
Platinum Hoya (over 5000 posts)
Posts: 6,642
|
Post by Bigs"R"Us on Feb 6, 2021 0:08:59 GMT -5
Bile’s emergence won us the last two games. Hats off to Pat with sticking with him. He must’ve been showing it in practices.
|
|