It was the worst of halves, it was the best of halves....
First half:
Second Half:
The Good:
Adjustments, kids. Particularly of the halftime variety. I don't know what Dennis & Co said to those guys in the locker room, but the focus was much, much better. As a result, the horrifically bad passes, for instance, mostly went away.
Aside: I'm not exactly known as the "lock this guy up this early" guy, but I believe it's time to start having that conversation in earnest, if they're not already. Dude is likely the Coach of the Year in this conference, is starting to show what kind of in-game tactician he is, and we know he can recruit and assemble a roster. The whole thing is, in a word, remarkable.
It also helps when two of your main cogs get "on one". D'Moi Hodge & Nick Honor played out of their minds, particularly offensively,
The Bad:
My mood for most of halftime.
The Ugly:
Look, they won. They won convincingly. And they did it against a conference foe, on the road, who came into the game at 13-2 on their own floor. It's the proverbial "it's hard to win on the road" game, and the Tigers ultimately cruised. So no complaints there.
That all said, they simply refuse, by action or design, to defend the three-point line. I understand that they're trying to swarm the ball (in either M2M or zone) to overcome their lack of size. But even when given the opportunity, they rarely close out with high hands (with the notable exception of Aiden Shaw, of all people), often with hands by their hips. I know, I know. I'm an old guy now. But I can report from experience that it's a lot easier to shoot the ball when, effectively, no one is guarding you. And that happens a whoooooole lot.
This simply must improve.
Epilogue:
They took care of business, giving themselves more (needed) separation between themselves and the bubble. All in all, very encouraging.
First half:
Second Half:
The Good:
Adjustments, kids. Particularly of the halftime variety. I don't know what Dennis & Co said to those guys in the locker room, but the focus was much, much better. As a result, the horrifically bad passes, for instance, mostly went away.
Aside: I'm not exactly known as the "lock this guy up this early" guy, but I believe it's time to start having that conversation in earnest, if they're not already. Dude is likely the Coach of the Year in this conference, is starting to show what kind of in-game tactician he is, and we know he can recruit and assemble a roster. The whole thing is, in a word, remarkable.
It also helps when two of your main cogs get "on one". D'Moi Hodge & Nick Honor played out of their minds, particularly offensively,
The Bad:
My mood for most of halftime.
The Ugly:
Look, they won. They won convincingly. And they did it against a conference foe, on the road, who came into the game at 13-2 on their own floor. It's the proverbial "it's hard to win on the road" game, and the Tigers ultimately cruised. So no complaints there.
That all said, they simply refuse, by action or design, to defend the three-point line. I understand that they're trying to swarm the ball (in either M2M or zone) to overcome their lack of size. But even when given the opportunity, they rarely close out with high hands (with the notable exception of Aiden Shaw, of all people), often with hands by their hips. I know, I know. I'm an old guy now. But I can report from experience that it's a lot easier to shoot the ball when, effectively, no one is guarding you. And that happens a whoooooole lot.
This simply must improve.
Epilogue:
They took care of business, giving themselves more (needed) separation between themselves and the bubble. All in all, very encouraging.
