And those adjustments were not forthcoming from Fred today. Nevada in foul trouble and the refs calling it if you looked at a guy. So we don’t drive the ball and just heave 3s on tired legs. A lot of guys wanted there’s. Not a good look at all. Nevada played poorly and we let them get out with a W on our floor.
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MBB Game #2, (L, 66-69), Thu, 11/26 vs Nevada @ PBA, (Game Thread, Recap & Box Score)
- Thread starter Red Don
- Start date
And those adjustments were not forthcoming from Fred today. Nevada in foul trouble and the refs calling it if you looked at a guy. So we don’t drive the ball and just heave 3s on tired legs. A lot of guys wanted there’s. Not a good look at all. Nevada played poorly and we let them get out with a W on our floor.
First, if our legs are tired the second game into the season, and the first game we played almost 10 deep, that’s a problem. Our legs were fine. Second, don’t get too caught up in the Home court thing this year, unless we start allowing fans. Third, that was a split crew, with a couple of B1G guys who were calling phantoms because the were anticipating too much, and a guy who generally lives in the Big 12 and wasn’t whistle happy. Hard to get a feel when the crew isn’t consistent.
Nevada played far worse in the first half, and we didn’t capitalize on the TOs. If Cambridge hadn’t been lights out, we’d have had a lead going into halftime. The second half they played smarter. Our guys hit some shots, and we got glimpses of just how good this group can be. Not B1G title good, but fun good. Kobe and Trey seemed like they understood what we needed to do, and Delano and Stevenson also had a grasp of going more to the basket. Lat and Teddy needed to get on the same page with them, and Yvan and Thor just had a bad day. They have some growing pains to deal with, but there were some signs that made me feel decent about the season.
I still wish we’d see more off the ball screening in the game. Watching some Zags vs KU showed the benefit of a team that gets guys popping open because of those type of screens.
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It wasn’t the fact that it was only the second game, but the 24 hour turn around. And the way they called the game didn’t hurt us any more than Nevada. We should have taken advantage and not just kept launching 3s. Getting out rebounded by a zillion is a bad sign in the league we’ll be playing in. When one guy scores 16 straight, adjustments aren’t being made. Bad loss.
24 hour turnarounds aren’t anything challenging, trust me, and we aren’t playing some 6 man rotation. Most of the guys we have are used to 3 games in a day when playing in tournaments on a travel team, so legs are not dead. Cambridge got really hot, and we took a few minutes to get someone who could cover him, but once we did, he scored 2 points the rest of the game. I’d say that’s making a successful adjustment. Nevada was the bigger inside team, and most write ups pointed to that as their advantage on us. Last night’s hot 3 point shooting was likely to blame for tonight’s continued effort from range. We should have come closer, but driving against their bigs probably wasn’t the best idea, so the midrange would have been the answer. Personally, I love midrange, but Fred and 90% of coaches these days don’t, so don’t expect that for now. The officiating was odd, and I thought it was hard to follow.
I loved our ability to disrupt passing lanes, and converting the early turnovers could have changed the game. It wasn’t a good loss, but I don’t find your assessment to be particularly accurate or compelling. We need some adjustments, but I saw plenty of positive to work off of.
The rebounding stat is misleading. We missed 18 more shots than they did. That's a lot more opportunities for a defensive rebound for Nevada. We were also +12 in turnover margin meaning we got an additional twelve possessions that didn't start with a defensive rebound. Usually, if you are badly beaten on the boards, you defend a lot more shots than you take. We took quite a few more shots than Nevada. We'll struggle on the boards against some teams and there were some frustrating reboudning sequences yesterday but we're in far better shape than a year ago in that respect.
We lost because we shot poorly. It definitely was not a good loss but I wouldn't put it in the bad loss column. We had the athleticism to be in position to win a game when we were shooting incredibly poorly. Like Lars, I'd like to see more screens off the ball. I 'd like to see a mid-range game, too, but agree it's not something that's in vogue.
We're going to be a dangerous team to play and will be fun to watch, especially when our shots are falling, but are still probably a year away from being truly good.
Appreciate all the responses. I figured they would be coming. I don't expect any negative views on Hoiberg to be popular at this point. Lars played the game at a high level, and has forgotten more about hoops then I'll ever know. Even Lars said "All it takes is a little adjustment by Fred". My point isn't to "panic", but just to mention that I didn't see that adjustment in game and it was disappointing. I don't think Nevada is very good, and that game was there to be taken.
Despite the explanations, I find getting outrebounded 49-31 troubling, and consistent with last year. People are all excited about creating mismatches with opposing posts on offense (by playing stretch 4s, having 5 offensive threats on the floor, etc.), but I'm not sure that will work in our conference. It's a recruiting philosophy that I question, and there's no help on the way in that regard (Bridenbach is more of the same). Fred said we took bad shots, but there were no in-game adjustments with that. And for some reason we didn't run the play called in the last 7 seconds.
I think the average fan looks too much at offense (recognizing the adjustment on Cambridge Lars mentions, although I would hope it would have been before he scored 16 straight). . I see us getting killed in the league on post defense and rebounding. I don't want to be a team that can't find a way to win when it shoots poorly. For now I won't argue anymore. We'll see where this is at when the season ends.
Despite the explanations, I find getting outrebounded 49-31 troubling, and consistent with last year. People are all excited about creating mismatches with opposing posts on offense (by playing stretch 4s, having 5 offensive threats on the floor, etc.), but I'm not sure that will work in our conference. It's a recruiting philosophy that I question, and there's no help on the way in that regard (Bridenbach is more of the same). Fred said we took bad shots, but there were no in-game adjustments with that. And for some reason we didn't run the play called in the last 7 seconds.
I think the average fan looks too much at offense (recognizing the adjustment on Cambridge Lars mentions, although I would hope it would have been before he scored 16 straight). . I see us getting killed in the league on post defense and rebounding. I don't want to be a team that can't find a way to win when it shoots poorly. For now I won't argue anymore. We'll see where this is at when the season ends.
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I missed the game, but from what I read here.... seems pretty typical of Nebraska. Hot one minute cold the next!
but again, that is just based on what I read here. 2nd game of the year, I am not going to complain much.
but again, that is just based on what I read here. 2nd game of the year, I am not going to complain much.
Nevada has shown everyone how to beat us. We're going to face the same strategy all year. Better get used to it. We will see a few more wins than last year. But this isn't going to be much of season to remember. Maybe it isn't a bad thing. Who knows how much of the season is going to played. This is not a year to have a championship team. I'm looking forward to next year already. Hopefully few COVID related problems and a full season with fans and a full complement of players will equal something special.
- good point on the adjustment to limit Cambridge. Credit Doc. He is an amazing asset for us.
As you mentioned, the rebounding piece is to be expected when deep 3s are going up and we aren’t playing someone in the lane. I actually liked our work on the defensive boards, at least for the most part, because we were getting bodies on guys we were giving up size to.
Hoping we don’t shoot well from 3 isn’t a strategy. If we’d hit in the mid to upper 20% range, we win. Teams will naturally have to extend their defense if we shoot a little better, and that will open up some penetration. If we don’t take it, then you can say the blueprint is in place. Let’s see more than 2 games from this group of completely new players before we decide they can’t play.
After Wednesday's game, I didn't see all those offensive weapons going cold at the same time in a game until the conference schedule. We had some lazy fouls that forced us to play ODrago more than I believe we should. Despite losing weight and being able to go stronger to the rim this year, he can still be a blackhole on offense. Working the ball to him when he's open under the basket should be a good thing and it still isn't. I appreciate his effort and attitude but where does his game fit into the Hoiberg philosophy?
Yeah. For basketball, two of the biggest stats are offensive rebound differential and turnover differential. Add those two together and you get how many extra possessions your team gained or lost.
I agree he’s got some challenges offensively, but for some odd reason, the guy does get open. He’s got to develop something he’s comfortable with and allows him to get the shot off quickly. I suggested a jump hook, but I haven’t seen him really try one. Fred will need a strong guy down low, especially in the B1G. I’m interested to see how Yvan and Eduardo can work the inside, either together or alternating.
I would like to see other options as well. I think he'd need to have more height and more wing span to get of a jump hook. He gets stuffed so often seemingly without ever getting fouled. It's difficult not to cringe when he gets the ball. Fred is a numbers guy. I am certain he will see how the offense runs or doesn't with him on the floor. Perhaps we'll see Eduardo.
