DanMcQ
Moderator 
Posts: 30,560
|
Post by DanMcQ on Jan 26, 2022 11:09:09 GMT -5
Defense is job 1 this Saturday.
|
|
calhoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 4,352
|
Post by calhoya on Jan 26, 2022 11:33:42 GMT -5
Have to admit, it's getting harder to get up for these games. What I saw last night was a team hanging its head after every mistake, unfocused and dispirited in its play, and generally defeated the minute they fell behind by double digits. Had not seen that before, and I am afraid the losses and criticism, however justified, are stripping this group from their spirit. It's a downward spiral and one that seems to have no end in sight. The value of a win right now cannot be understated, but without some defense and an end to the individual play on offense, I do not see Butler as even a close game, particularly on the road.
|
|
drquigley
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 3,382
|
Post by drquigley on Jan 26, 2022 11:57:19 GMT -5
Have to admit, it's getting harder to get up for these games. What I saw last night was a team hanging its head after every mistake, unfocused and dispirited in its play, and generally defeated the minute they fell behind by double digits. Had not seen that before, and I am afraid the losses and criticism, however justified, are stripping this group from their spirit. It's a downward spiral and one that seems to have no end in sight. The value of a win right now cannot be understated, but without some defense and an end to the individual play on offense, I do not see Butler as even a close game, particularly on the road. Agree 100% with everything you said but we seem to love Hinkle and I just have to believe that after the game last night these kids have to show some pride (also I think maybe Ryan earned more PT and may be a factor). |
|
|
|
Post by ColumbiaHeightsHoya on Jan 26, 2022 12:02:04 GMT -5
Butler Stinks. We need to beat this team. If we can manage any semblance of defense, we can win. They don't have size and athletes like UConn. The one kid was hitting threes against us the last game. I oddly feel good about this one.
|
|
DonkDonk
Bulldog (over 250 posts)
Posts: 428
|
Post by DonkDonk on Jan 26, 2022 12:26:04 GMT -5
Agree, we won't get dominated on the boards like we have been recently, we usually do well at Hinkle, and I bet we get our first BE win of the season.
|
|
bluegray79
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 1,091
|
Post by bluegray79 on Jan 26, 2022 12:31:56 GMT -5
I also worry for about the players losing hope and not liking being on the team. They seem to be a close group if what we see of their on-court huddles, mutual support, and the excitement they feel on the bench when we look good counts for anything.
Coach Ewing talks about staying positive as the team struggles, but the way he looks during the game, the critical tone in the huddles and post-game pressers (again, if we can fairly draw any valid conclusions from those -- after all, we are not in that locker room or at practices) -- I don't know if Coach's rhetoric is balanced by genuine encouragement and a culture of positivity. Maybe that's where Crouch and others come in.
So, yeah, a win would go a long way to lifting everyone's spirits -- I also feel good about this one, esp. as PE has decided to give the majority of minutes to 7-8 guys. We have found something of a scoring touch. Can we hold Butler under 70? That's just 3 point less than last game with them. Put that together with better scoring on our end, and I think we can do it.
Let's go!
|
|
rhw485
Silver Hoya (over 500 posts)
Posts: 742
|
Post by rhw485 on Jan 26, 2022 12:56:54 GMT -5
Have to admit, it's getting harder to get up for these games. What I saw last night was a team hanging its head after every mistake, unfocused and dispirited in its play, and generally defeated the minute they fell behind by double digits. Had not seen that before, and I am afraid the losses and criticism, however justified, are stripping this group from their spirit. It's a downward spiral and one that seems to have no end in sight. The value of a win right now cannot be understated, but without some defense and an end to the individual play on offense, I do not see Butler as even a close game, particularly on the road. 100% agreed. I basically never miss a game on TV, and try to go to any game in tri state area. And this is where apathy sets in. I had to turn the game off after the Tim flagrant. I'm not going to plan my Saturday around making sure I watch this game live. I'll tape it, I'll eventually watch after my kid goes to bed, I'll comment if there's actually something worth discussing, but if the diehards on the board can't stand it anymore, there's no further down to go. As for the game itself, our defense is the definition of insanity, doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Until the approach on that end changes, the outcomes will continue to be the same. I refuse to believe the defensive talent accumulated is 315th in the country, between Little Rock and Wright St |
|
bluegray79
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 1,091
|
Post by bluegray79 on Jan 26, 2022 20:07:17 GMT -5
Anybody watching Butler & Creighton right now? Butler is up by 19 with 8 mins left 2nd half. Creighton can't figure them out and Butler is having its way. Don't like what more Butler confidence means for Saturday.
|
|
EtomicB
Blue & Gray (over 10,000 posts)
Posts: 14,910
|
Post by EtomicB on Jan 26, 2022 20:39:14 GMT -5
Anybody watching Butler & Creighton right now? Butler is up by 19 with 8 mins left 2nd half. Creighton can't figure them out and Butler is having its way. Don't like what more Butler confidence means for Saturday. Bo Hodges being healthy makes them a much better team.. |
|
|
|
Post by RockawayHoya on Jan 26, 2022 21:17:22 GMT -5
Anybody watching Butler & Creighton right now? Butler is up by 19 with 8 mins left 2nd half. Creighton can't figure them out and Butler is having its way. Don't like what more Butler confidence means for Saturday. Bo Hodges being healthy makes them a much better team.. I think this is exactly it. He gives them a certain level of physicality that makes them difficult to play if you're not prepared to match it. We know there will be one team that will dig in defensively on Saturday. If we somehow make it two, it'll be a game. If not, expect more of the same. This would be another game where we should consider trying to press early and often, but that of course requires the staff to be open to making some wholesale adjustments. No indication yet that they're willing. |
|
hoyaroc
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 1,324
|
Post by hoyaroc on Jan 26, 2022 22:09:50 GMT -5
Anybody watching Butler & Creighton right now? Butler is up by 19 with 8 mins left 2nd half. Creighton can't figure them out and Butler is having its way. Don't like what more Butler confidence means for Saturday. Watching Marquette destroy Seton Hall in NJ. |
|
|
|
Post by hoyalove4ever on Jan 27, 2022 8:13:22 GMT -5
Would love to see us press for forty minutes nearly fullcourt, with tons of subs cycling in and out all game. Not holding my breath though.
|
|
SSHoya
Blue & Gray (over 10,000 posts)
"Forget it Jake, it's Chinatown."
Posts: 18,314
|
Post by SSHoya on Jan 27, 2022 8:28:19 GMT -5
Would love to see us press for forty minutes nearly fullcourt, with tons of subs cycling in and out all game. Not holding my breath though. Azinge era has begun! |
|
calhoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 4,352
|
Post by calhoya on Jan 27, 2022 9:04:21 GMT -5
I don't see it as being whether Butler is good or bad. This year in the BE most teams are both good and bad, depending upon the day. Almost impossible to determine which version of any team will show up--except so far with the Hoyas. The Hoyas have shown glimpses of what they can be and games against Providence and Nova provide that small glimmer of hope, but games like UConn, St. Johns and Marquette are more indicative of what the Hoyas have become. They are a fragile team, that struggles to stay disciplined on either end of the court and appears to play with an expectation that something will go wrong rather than any slight degree of swagger that they can win. Every game you can see the moment when the wind appears to go out of their sail and the collapse begins. Is it the coach, youthful and inexperienced players, fans (as PE Jr suggests) or something else. I think it is probably all of the above. Coach, players, fans and the University--we all own this mess and change needs to come at some or all levels to turn this around.
Beat Butler and play well--not a good half or a good 10 minutes, but a game that justifies the efforts of the coach and the players. It will help everyone regain focus a little as we head toward an off season where some serious questions about the program's future are certain to be asked.
|
|
vv83
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 1,326
|
Post by vv83 on Jan 27, 2022 10:18:27 GMT -5
I wish I could muster the even-handed optimism others have about the prospect of this season's team playing anything more than short 10 minute stretches of competitive basketball. But I just can't se it. The defense is too badly broken. Maybe we can win a couple of games -but honestly, it would surprise me if we win any. The mix of talent and coaching just is not there. I hope I am wrong, and the team makes the kind of significant defensive improvements necessary for even one win. But t can't see any reason to expect that this will happen.
|
|
hoyaguy
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 1,852
|
Post by hoyaguy on Jan 27, 2022 11:06:21 GMT -5
If butler doesn’t show up on key then we might not even need a full solid game but I would like to see one or maybe we even more than a half that shows fight and some consistency because coming back to DC with no wins next week would really hurt morale
|
|
KHoyaNYC
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 1,900 
|
Post by KHoyaNYC on Jan 27, 2022 16:08:32 GMT -5
This for me is the game that, if we lose, pushes the probability of going 0-20 over 50%.
|
|
hoyaboya
Blue & Gray (over 10,000 posts)
Posts: 12,381
|
Post by hoyaboya on Jan 27, 2022 16:19:46 GMT -5
This for me is the game that, if we lose, pushes the probability of going 0-20 over 50%. i am willing to take all comers that want to bet on the Hoyas going 0-20 in the Big East regular season. I've got the Hoyas with fewer than 20 losses. Who wants in on this? Name your price. |
|
|
|
Post by practice on Jan 27, 2022 17:23:43 GMT -5
This for me is the game that, if we lose, pushes the probability of going 0-20 over 50%. i am willing to take all comers that want to bet on the Hoyas going 0-20 in the Big East regular season. I've got the Hoyas with fewer than 20 losses. Who wants in on this? Name your price. Are you offering odds? Also, I think it would have to be 0 for the Big East regular season, not necessarily 0 for 20 ... w/Covid and everything. |
|
hoyajmw
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 1,031
|
Post by hoyajmw on Jan 27, 2022 19:06:47 GMT -5
Posting here because I stumbled on this interesting data site, linked below, that gives all sorts of rankings/ratings on performance AND schedule strength (in and out of conference, games left etc.) all the way back to the '97-'98 season. Initially found it as I looked for where our out of conference schedule ranked this year (#174 -- second weakest in Pat's tenure, "losing" only to the dreadful #323 his first year). Of further note, in the "last five games" power ratings, we are #210 to Butler's #151. All the various ratings and years can be pulled up via the link below. I thought other Unfrozen Caveman Alums out there might find the link/site useful, so here 'tis. www.teamrankings.com/ncaa-basketball/ranking/last-5-games-by-other |
|
