WSU vs SMU Game Thread

[wusphlash]

Also, we only had 8 or 9 turnovers but how many just dumb basketball. Too many.

And to disagree, I wouldn't categorize us as bad defensively. We're not as good as some teams in the past but we're also better offensively. Every team is different. Still wouldn't bet against us.

[Play Angry]

Our KenPom rank for adjusted defense fell to 55 this evening. If the season ended today, this would be our lowest mark since 2010 when we finished with a defensive rank of 69. Need to find that lid soon.

[Zubcut]

I watched some SMU games earlier this season and was completely unimpressed with Milton. He was invisible for huge stretches, erratic shooter, bad defensively and loose with the ball. I was thinking "this is the pre-season player of the year?" He looked like none of that tonight. It looked like he was talking the match-up with Landry personal. Shamet was good tonight but Shake was all-world.

[Zubcut]

Our KenPom rank for adjusted defense fell to 55 this evening. If the season ended today, this would be our lowest mark since 2010 when we finished with a defensive rank of 69. Need to find that lid soon.

I think this team needs another pre-game talk from X and Antoine Carr.

[Shaqness]

Make your money Gregg. Play angry and MTXE don't mean s**** if your game plan sucks.

[ShockerPhi]

Our defense isn't what it was, sure. I think we might be a little spoiled. But our defense definitely wasn't bad. We started guarding Milton better (except when we put Austin on him, which was confusing), but the dude COULDN'T MISS! I mean how do you play defense on a guy when he's 30 feet from the basket and just cranks one and swishes it... TWICE. He Goudelock'd us twice. Plus a couple of heavily contested 3s going in and his team mates doing the same.

Some more of SMU's wide open baskets didn't come easy. It was after we pressed them into oblivion, but some loose balls went their way and the ball ended up in the hands of someone alone under the basket. Just bad luck, but great awareness by SMU. They didn't panic. They played a perfect game. What are you gonna do?

[ShockerFever]

I think this team needs another pre-game talk from X and Antoine Carr.

I think this team needs a visit from Chris Jans.

[ShockerFever]

The biggest difference between the current team and previous teams (Baker/FVV/Cotton Era) are the amount of deflections and atomic bomb steals/turnovers that were forced. We just don't see picks in the passing lanes like we did with those players. Also, we don't have the rim protector gang like we had in the past. People severely underestimate having an EO or Coleby in the middle and what it did to the dribble-drive and penetrating offenses.

And yes, generally this team is a little too nice. Not a bad thing and the comparisons are unfair to the previous era, but that's the big difference IMO on the defensive side of the ball. Oh and maybe a little Mr. Jans.

[Dan]

Landry needs to put this team on his back. Waiting till it’s too late sn’t gonna cut it. He needs to drive and be selfish with the ball, like Milton, Trae Young, etc. I don’t wanna see guys like Zach Brown taking our shots, Landry needs to take that burden on.

[ShockdaWorld]

Completely agree. It seems like he spends too much time early in the game being unselfish and trying to get everyone involved and then has to take over late to try to make up the difference when we're behind. I want to see him take over from the start. Everyone else will catch on or get the hell out of the way.

[Rlh04d]

We always seem look so hesitant and confused against a decent zone.

[ShockerFever]

On the whole we didn't play a terrible game. We did have a lot of really STUPID, low-IQ turnovers. We're not used to that but that's the norm now for this bunch so get used to it. ZB took about 2 too many 3's. Willis deserved more minutes IMO.

We nearly caught em at the end AFTER SMU shot lights out, hitting contested junk from 40 feet out. They wanted it. They fed off the atmosphere. They HORSE'D it in a way that would make Creighton proud. Can't really stop that when it starts going.

I thought it was a little dirty how SMU was constantly stalling on the in-bounds after made baskets in the second half (especially late). Any reason why they weren't given delay of game warnings that we always seem to get? I bet they wasted 1 minute or 2 of game clock pulling off that BS.

Hopefully we learn and can punch em right back in Dallas.

[ShockingButTrue]

I really think we 'grind it out" too much on offense; our personnel has change - we actually still need to get good shots, but more possessions and not so tentative. Defense still needs to be the staple.

I have to agree with this assessment on all counts. It was sort of noticeable the first time for me when we played ND, who I know is a good team, in that as we were losing the game in the 2nd half we would come down on offense and pass the ball endlessly in the half court, possession after possession. The Shockers DID NOT attack the D at any point in the second half, that I recall, and it appeared to be the same ploy this evening.

All the nit-picking aside, SMU looked pretty good. But then again, so did Arkansas St.

[Shockers5150]

McDuffie needs to start. Landry should never sit.

[mjbaker84]

make your damn free throws, game is different with those 5 missed free throws! The shockers have been lucky in other games that the missed free throws haven't cost them.

[Zubcut]

We always seem look so hesitant and confused against a decent zone.

Our offense really wasn't the problem. Our 3pt% was only 37% but we shot 53% overall. We had 24 assists to their 10. This was the rare case where one-on-one basketball beat team basketball. We outrebounded by 7 a team that only missed 17 shots! That's unbelievable.

[Rlh04d]

Our offense wasn't the problem in the second half. It was a pretty significant problem in the first half when we allowed them to dictate the game for long stretches.

I agree that we ultimately lost this game because they simply shot incredible in one on one situations. But we had plenty of opportunities to dismantle them in the first half and we let them not only hang around but dictate the game. We had 16 points shooting 35% ~15 minutes into the game.