calhoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 4,352
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Post by calhoya on Nov 24, 2021 8:11:54 GMT -5
After watching a few games SDSU is nowhere near the team they were the past few years at least not yet. They can play defense but can't score. Not sure what happened to Bradley's jumper but it's not going down for him right now though we know he can make them. If Aminu can contain him and we rebound we should stay in this one. If Aminu wants to prove he is an NBA player these are the games that will impress scouts. If we leave Bradley open I could see this being an elixir game for him. The whistle will also play a big role in this one. They get to the line a lot. I have this bad feeling that Tim is going to pick up 2 early fouls which we can't afford. If the refs let them play that would be an advantage for us. On offense Dante will be the key. He has to play a smart unselfish game. If he can set us up for easy buckets we can score enough. If he tries to do too much it will be a disaster. This is a game we should try to run on every miss to get a shot up before they get set. If this game is played with us in the half court advantage SDSU. They will try to slow the game down and we can't let them. We need to try to get to our season average of 74 possessions. We have to be ready to take the open shots when they present themselves. We can't overpass thinking we will get a better shot because we probably won't. If we aren't ready we could look like the Butler offense yesterday versus Houston. I am not sure they are a tournament team this year. If they were in the Big East I think they would be near the bottom with us. We won't be the favorites but it's a more winnable game than it looked like preseason. I think regardless how this one turns out we leave Anaheim 1-1. Beating SDSU and losing to USC would be the better of the two 1-1 possibilities. I think that this is a fair assessment of SDSU. Having watched every minute of every game the Axtecs and Hoyas have played this year, I honestly don't know what either team is going to be come February. As you can tell from my prior posts, I have been disappointed in Bradley, not so much for his final stats, but rather his inefficiency in running the team. Recalling what he looked like last year makes me think he could break out at any time but until that actually happens I cannot see the Aztecs going far, even in the MWC. Mensah is a bigger worry as he has played well and I just do not see the Hoyas having anyone inside who is ready to stop him. It could be a matter of letting him get his points, using three posts and 15 fouls and focusing on stopping the other Aztecs. After all is said and done the issue is which team is more likely to gel and it comes down to how well a young athletic, Hoya squad handles its first road trip, a late start and a very decent to good defense versus the ability of SDSU to get a veteran group to blend together and produce more consistent offense. This will be a challenge for Ewing and the coaching staff to see if they can get this young group of players focused and disciplined in a game that is certainly winnable. Making no predictions and while I think that the Hoyas need it more as part of their maturation process, I would feel more confident of their chances if this was game 7 or 8 instead of game 4.
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Post by professorhoya on Nov 24, 2021 8:19:18 GMT -5
After watching a few games SDSU is nowhere near the team they were the past few years at least not yet. They can play defense but can't score. Not sure what happened to Bradley's jumper but it's not going down for him right now though we know he can make them. If Aminu can contain him and we rebound we should stay in this one. If Aminu wants to prove he is an NBA player these are the games that will impress scouts. If we leave Bradley open I could see this being an elixir game for him. The whistle will also play a big role in this one. They get to the line a lot. I have this bad feeling that Tim is going to pick up 2 early fouls which we can't afford. If the refs let them play that would be an advantage for us. On offense Dante will be the key. He has to play a smart unselfish game. If he can set us up for easy buckets we can score enough. If he tries to do too much it will be a disaster. This is a game we should try to run on every miss to get a shot up before they get set. If this game is played with us in the half court advantage SDSU. They will try to slow the game down and we can't let them. We need to try to get to our season average of 74 possessions. We have to be ready to take the open shots when they present themselves. We can't overpass thinking we will get a better shot because we probably won't. If we aren't ready we could look like the Butler offense yesterday versus Houston. I am not sure they are a tournament team this year. If they were in the Big East I think they would be near the bottom with us. We won't be the favorites but it's a more winnable game than it looked like preseason. I think regardless how this one turns out we leave Anaheim 1-1. Beating SDSU and losing to USC would be the better of the two 1-1 possibilities. I think that this is a fair assessment of SDSU. Having watched every minute of every game the Axtecs and Hoyas have played this year, I honestly don't know what either team is going to be come February. As you can tell from my prior posts, I have been disappointed in Bradley, not so much for his final stats, but rather his inefficiency in running the team. Recalling what he looked like last year makes me think he could break out at any time but until that actually happens I cannot see the Aztecs going far, even in the MWC. Mensah is a bigger worry as he has played well and I just do not see the Hoyas having anyone inside who is ready to stop him. It could be a matter of letting him get his points, using three posts and 15 fouls and focusing on stopping the other Aztecs. After all is said and done the issue is which team is more likely to gel and it comes down to how well a young athletic, Hoya squad handles its first road trip, a late start and a very decent to good defense versus the ability of SDSU to get a veteran group to blend together and produce more consistent offense. This will be a challenge for Ewing and the coaching staff to see if they can get this young group of players focused and disciplined in a game that is certainly winnable. Making no predictions and while I think that the Hoyas need it more as part of their maturation process, I would feel more confident of their chances if this was game 7 or 8 instead of game 4. Not worried about Mensah. Best Ghanaian basketball player of all time is probably Ben Bentil and then there's a huge drop off after that for 2nd best. Ghana is not a basketball playing nation. Can't even list the number of Nigerian players who have had better careers than Ben Bentil, there's so many. I'm sure Mensah is a quality 4th year senior but I don't think it anything Big Tim, Mutombo and Malcolm can't handle. I think we'll also see the arrival of Dante Harris' Curtis Staples 3pt shot in this game. Predict 4-5 3s.
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aristides
Bulldog (over 250 posts)
Posts: 341
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Post by aristides on Nov 24, 2021 9:33:58 GMT -5
After watching a few games SDSU is nowhere near the team they were the past few years at least not yet. They can play defense but can't score. Not sure what happened to Bradley's jumper but it's not going down for him right now though we know he can make them. If Aminu can contain him and we rebound we should stay in this one. If Aminu wants to prove he is an NBA player these are the games that will impress scouts. If we leave Bradley open I could see this being an elixir game for him. The whistle will also play a big role in this one. They get to the line a lot. I have this bad feeling that Tim is going to pick up 2 early fouls which we can't afford. If the refs let them play that would be an advantage for us. On offense Dante will be the key. He has to play a smart unselfish game. If he can set us up for easy buckets we can score enough. If he tries to do too much it will be a disaster. This is a game we should try to run on every miss to get a shot up before they get set. If this game is played with us in the half court advantage SDSU. They will try to slow the game down and we can't let them. We need to try to get to our season average of 74 possessions. We have to be ready to take the open shots when they present themselves. We can't overpass thinking we will get a better shot because we probably won't. If we aren't ready we could look like the Butler offense yesterday versus Houston. I am not sure they are a tournament team this year. If they were in the Big East I think they would be near the bottom with us. We won't be the favorites but it's a more winnable game than it looked like preseason. I think regardless how this one turns out we leave Anaheim 1-1. Beating SDSU and losing to USC would be the better of the two 1-1 possibilities. I like Tim; but I don't see a whole lot of drop-off between him and Wilson and Mutombo at this point of the season. I see 15 fouls to give at that position. I'm more worried about giving up too many fouls than whether it forces one player to sit.
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Post by hibernatinghoyafan on Nov 24, 2021 11:06:24 GMT -5
Not sure how much basketball people have been watching early on, but the quality has been horrendous on a game to game basis for most teams. I clearly don't think we are a top 20 team, but there's no reason we shouldn't be on the bubble this year and it starts with this game. Need to take SDSU so we get a shot at a very average USC team. Think this game could really catapult our season and think this tournament is a great match-up for ourselves. USC doesn't shoot the 3 ball well either and their best player is Boogie Ellis who will have Dante draped all over him. Fingers crossed we get a hot shooting night from Rice as he can add a whole different dimension to the offense by himself. Aminu needs to stay on the court and play within himself and we really need Don/Dante to be efficient.
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Post by professorhoya on Nov 24, 2021 11:30:55 GMT -5
They won't know what hit em when the Curtis Staples 3pt shot rises to the ascendency.
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SFHoya99
Blue & Gray (over 10,000 posts)
Posts: 17,743
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Post by SFHoya99 on Nov 24, 2021 11:34:43 GMT -5
Yeah, that can’t be done efficiently. It’s really hard to play 9-10 efficiently given the constant stop-start of TV and other TOs. Guys need multiple trips and possessions to get in a rhythm on both ends. We’ve been over this dozens of times. ESPN the mag did a great piece on this like 8/9 years ago looking at Final Four teams of then previous 20 years and rotation averages. Sweet spot was just under 8 (like 7.8) and they also gathered some data on playing longer rotations and efficiency fell off a cliff in the high 8s. Therefore, it’s actually a mistake to play more than 9. I also suspect the real magic is playing 9 regularly and being able to pare that to your best 7 in game (a la Rice was off vs. AU, so you severely cut his minutes) to maximize efficiency. The “wave-after-wave” concept is oversimplified madness. Nobody tries that, nor should they. Respectfully disagree. It can be done when you have a deep bench- which most teams do not. I am upset every time I see no subs before the 16:00 mark in the first half. Sub early and often! I would add at least twenty, and perhaps as many as forty, to what we have been seeing. But why? Hardcore pressing isn't a regularly effective tactic even in college basketball anymore. It's a 40 minute game, and these players should be in shape. I'm trying to figure out what advantage any team gets by shuttling out their better players before fatigue makes them less effective? I get it. People really liked it FORTY YEARS ago. But we're now about the same distance away in time from those days as those days were FROM WORLD WAR II. changes, from the three point line to the level of carrying allowed to the overall talent level. I don't mind it right now -- give the players experience and a chance to prove they deserve time. But this is a relic of a different age when pressing was far more effective, and when Georgetown had far deeper talent.
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Post by hoyalove4ever on Nov 24, 2021 11:43:16 GMT -5
I like the idea of players running around like maniacs until they are winded, and then getting a breather. I like the idea of substitutions to cause chaos. Are their shooters in or out? Well, there were ten subs in the last three minutes. I like the idea of getting guys out to prevent key fouls. For instance, that should happen with Tim EVERY TIME there is a dead ball at the 17:15-16:01 mark. Get him out and avoid that first (or second) foul. So often that critical foul happens right before a dead ball. Why not get a sub in there for a minute or so and then put the starter back in after the break, or shortly thereafter?
The Hoyas are not going to be the most skilled or experienced team this year. I would like to see us do something different to give us an edge. I would like there to be something crazy that makes it hard to game plan against us. What we do have is a lot of bodies and a fair number of good raw athletes who are somewhat interchangeable. Again, I want to see us leverage that to our advantage.
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bostonfan
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 2,508
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Post by bostonfan on Nov 24, 2021 11:52:58 GMT -5
After watching a few games SDSU is nowhere near the team they were the past few years at least not yet. They can play defense but can't score. Not sure what happened to Bradley's jumper but it's not going down for him right now though we know he can make them. If Aminu can contain him and we rebound we should stay in this one. If Aminu wants to prove he is an NBA player these are the games that will impress scouts. If we leave Bradley open I could see this being an elixir game for him. The whistle will also play a big role in this one. They get to the line a lot. I have this bad feeling that Tim is going to pick up 2 early fouls which we can't afford. If the refs let them play that would be an advantage for us. On offense Dante will be the key. He has to play a smart unselfish game. If he can set us up for easy buckets we can score enough. If he tries to do too much it will be a disaster. This is a game we should try to run on every miss to get a shot up before they get set. If this game is played with us in the half court advantage SDSU. They will try to slow the game down and we can't let them. We need to try to get to our season average of 74 possessions. We have to be ready to take the open shots when they present themselves. We can't overpass thinking we will get a better shot because we probably won't. If we aren't ready we could look like the Butler offense yesterday versus Houston. I am not sure they are a tournament team this year. If they were in the Big East I think they would be near the bottom with us. We won't be the favorites but it's a more winnable game than it looked like preseason. I think regardless how this one turns out we leave Anaheim 1-1. Beating SDSU and losing to USC would be the better of the two 1-1 possibilities. I like Tim; but I don't see a whole lot of drop-off between him and Wilson and Mutombo at this point of the season. I see 15 fouls to give at that position. I'm more worried about giving up too many fouls than whether it forces one player to sit. I think Tim is limited in some ways, especially offensively, but he is a physical presence on the defensive end. Malcolm and Ryan have different strengths, but neither has shown the physical strength to compete against a really strong post presence (think Watson from Providence). If Tim can stay out of foul trouble he can provide an anchor on defense and protect the rim by contesting most drives, while doing a good job controlling the defensive glass. Anyone who plays as physically as Tim plays is going to get some fouls, he just needs to avoid the cheap, touch fouls. I don't see the Hoyas getting much offense out of the center position this year, but if they can effectively defend and do a good job rebounding, they can compliment the other players on the team. Ryan looks to have some offensive skills but he is going to need to get more comfortable with the speed and physicality of the college game before that offense starts showing up on a consistent basis.
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Post by professorhoya on Nov 24, 2021 11:59:35 GMT -5
Respectfully disagree. It can be done when you have a deep bench- which most teams do not. I am upset every time I see no subs before the 16:00 mark in the first half. Sub early and often! I would add at least twenty, and perhaps as many as forty, to what we have been seeing. But why? Hardcore pressing isn't a regularly effective tactic even in college basketball anymore. It's a 40 minute game, and these players should be in shape. I'm trying to figure out what advantage any team gets by shuttling out their better players before fatigue makes them less effective? I get it. People really liked it FORTY YEARS ago. But we're now about the same distance away in time from those days as those days were FROM WORLD WAR II. changes, from the three point line to the level of carrying allowed to the overall talent level. I don't mind it right now -- give the players experience and a chance to prove they deserve time. But this is a relic of a different age when pressing was far more effective, and when Georgetown had far deeper talent. Everyone's favorite coach, Shaka Smart runs his 40 min Havoc Press. Pitino's Louisville championship teams relied on the press. So while agree that ball handling and level of athlete have gotten better (which is why you rarely see the press in the NBA, even 40 years ag0) the press has been shown to still work at the college level.
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prhoya
Blue & Gray (over 10,000 posts)
Posts: 23,296
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Post by prhoya on Nov 24, 2021 12:13:09 GMT -5
But why? Hardcore pressing isn't a regularly effective tactic even in college basketball anymore. It's a 40 minute game, and these players should be in shape. I'm trying to figure out what advantage any team gets by shuttling out their better players before fatigue makes them less effective? I get it. People really liked it FORTY YEARS ago. But we're now about the same distance away in time from those days as those days were FROM WORLD WAR II. changes, from the three point line to the level of carrying allowed to the overall talent level. I don't mind it right now -- give the players experience and a chance to prove they deserve time. But this is a relic of a different age when pressing was far more effective, and when Georgetown had far deeper talent. Everyone's favorite coach, Shaka Smart runs his 40 min Havoc Press. Pitino's Louisville championship teams relied on the press. So while agree that ball handling and level of athlete have gotten better (which is why you rarely see the press in the NBA, even 40 years ag0) the press has been shown to still work at the college level. I haven’t watched MU play. Is Shaka using the havoc?
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SFHoya99
Blue & Gray (over 10,000 posts)
Posts: 17,743
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Post by SFHoya99 on Nov 24, 2021 12:25:30 GMT -5
But why? Hardcore pressing isn't a regularly effective tactic even in college basketball anymore. It's a 40 minute game, and these players should be in shape. I'm trying to figure out what advantage any team gets by shuttling out their better players before fatigue makes them less effective? I get it. People really liked it FORTY YEARS ago. But we're now about the same distance away in time from those days as those days were FROM WORLD WAR II. changes, from the three point line to the level of carrying allowed to the overall talent level. I don't mind it right now -- give the players experience and a chance to prove they deserve time. But this is a relic of a different age when pressing was far more effective, and when Georgetown had far deeper talent. Everyone's favorite coach, Shaka Smart runs his 40 min Havoc Press. Pitino's Louisville championship teams relied on the press. So while agree that ball handling and level of athlete have gotten better (which is why you rarely see the press in the NBA, even 40 years ag0) the press has been shown to still work at the college level. In spurts. I haven't watched Smart's team this year, but at Texas, he wasn't pressing all the time. Is he still doing havoc? Pitino's 2013 team selectively pressed.
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Post by hoyawoodhoops on Nov 24, 2021 17:50:07 GMT -5
Back on the Board after a decades-long absence in honor of finally getting the Hoyas back in SoCal for a couple of games. I confess to lurking -- I'd prefer to think learning -- for the past number of years, but lost interest in the bickerfest that seemed to dominate too many of the threads. I won't claim to be the most knowledgeable X & O's guy on the Board, nor do I know as much about many of the potential recruits as some other posters, but unless you were present in MSG to watch my friend and classmate Mike Laska hold Pete Maravich to 20 points in the 1970 NIT, I've got you beat on longevity. As for the upcoming Wooden Classic games, I tend to agree with the assessments of the SDSU game of my fellow Californians hoyainla and calhoya, but would add a couple of caveats. As "Aztec Mesa" -- the SDSU Board -- reflects, San Diego State has shot very poorly from three-point land, but I've seen far too many miraculous cures for that malady when bad three-point teams take the court against the Hoyas to feel comfortable that will be the case tomorrow night. On our side of the ball, I really think it will be crucial which version of Rice shows up. If we get at least a facsimile of Sienna-Rice, I think we've got a great shot of winning. Finally, I worry a lot about the "we've got 15 fouls to give at the 5" analysis. SDSU is a very good foul-shooting team. We have been anything but. If we run into a whistle-happy refereeing crew, I see big trouble. In any event, I look forward to the rare opportunity to see our guys on the West Coast. Good to be back.
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s4hoyas
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 1,475
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Post by s4hoyas on Nov 24, 2021 22:16:18 GMT -5
I was at that NIT game...we lost a competitive game, in spite of Mike holding Pistol Pete to his (tied) lowest collegiate game point total...some inside guy by memory had a big game for them...Hester?)...this was before Big John took over...BTW, my favorite saying of his (e.g.when an opposing coach would flatter him/us pregame) was "fattening frogs for snakes..." Damn I'm old...prefer "older"
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dense
Platinum Hoya (over 5000 posts)
Posts: 5,007
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Post by dense on Nov 25, 2021 7:40:24 GMT -5
Everybody is worried about 3point shooting, need to worry more about rebounding. We have a bunch of guys who think they can out athlete guys for boards rather than actually putting a body on someone. I hope Tim stays out of foul trouble because he is the only big that sometimes attempts to box. Mutombo doesn't at all. And Wilson just tries to out jump.
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Post by professorhoya on Nov 25, 2021 8:52:21 GMT -5
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bigskyhoya
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 1,094
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Post by bigskyhoya on Nov 25, 2021 9:53:21 GMT -5
Looks like my cable provider in SE Florida, Hotwire, has the MSU-Uconn game at noon on ESPN2. Any other ideas about how to watch the game would be appreciated.
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Post by professorhoya on Nov 25, 2021 9:59:41 GMT -5
Looks like my cable provider in SE Florida, Hotwire, has the MSU-Uconn game at noon on ESPN2. Any other ideas about how to watch the game would be appreciated. It’s on at midnight not noon
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bigskyhoya
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 1,094
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Post by bigskyhoya on Nov 25, 2021 10:04:30 GMT -5
Looks like my cable provider in SE Florida, Hotwire, has the MSU-Uconn game at noon on ESPN2. Any other ideas about how to watch the game would be appreciated. It’s on at midnight not noon Well, that explains it. Thanks.
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DallasHoya
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 1,633
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Post by DallasHoya on Nov 25, 2021 10:23:36 GMT -5
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Post by HometownHoya on Nov 25, 2021 10:41:04 GMT -5
GAMEDAY!!!
Ready to see some HM competition! SDSU will be a good challenge for our young team and another W would be a huge step in the right direction. Feeling a bit sick this morning so won't go too long but this one will be won on offense. We know what the D can do and I trust that it will continue to improve but to beat SDSU we are going to make shots. Is it Don's turn to go 7/10 from 3? Can Dante find his rhythm and sink his shot? Will Aminu be draining his drives and earning AND-1s all game long? No matter what happens, I'm glad to watch the Hoyas on the court this Thanksgiving. Hope they get a good lunch and are ready for the late start!
GO HOYAS!! BEAT THE AZTECS!
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