Wichita State At Cincy

[Shox The Revenant]

I think we are at that point

There's a team just to the north of us, who is ranked (NOT KU), that starts no seniors and whose lineup is comprised of 6'4", 6'2", 6'5", 6'5" and 6'7" guys. Combined, they shoot 47% from the field and 38.5% from the three point line (three of those guys shoot 40, 40 and 44 percent respectively from the 3 pt line) and play in the number one ranked conference in terms of strength.

The Shox are similar in size but shoot much worse - 40% from the field overall and 32% from the 3.

It's very clear that shooting is this team's downfall and I've hung on for the entire year thinking that their shooting will improve as the season progresses. Youth and size has nothing to do with a person's ability to shoot a basketball accurately - this northern team dispels any truth to that thought process. I might just have to accept that this team has hit the ceiling in terms of FG accuracy.

[MelvinLoudermilk]

I may have missed it but has GM’s post game presser been posted? I watched Cincinnati’s but can’t seem to find ours

[Dan]

Here’s the standard last second play when you have to go the length of the court. There is a second longer on this play which gave them time for a layup.......
https://youtu.be/5hdWdvsQE9w

or this...

https://collegebasketball.nbcsports.com/2020/02/01/elijah-joiners-buzzer-beater-gives-tulsa-win-over-no-23-wichita-state-video/

[Kung Wu]

Should not have laughed... I’m sorry

And this ALSO made me laugh. hahaha

[WSUwatcher]

GGG post game on radio "someone has to step up and hit a shot. If you are going to shoot the 3, you have to make the 3. But we have to find someone to make a shot. We shot what, 27% from 3, that's not going to do it"

Really? That's how you are going to open your post game radio comments after you literally did zero coaching the last 3mins of the game? For 37mins you watched your team miss wide open 3 after wide open 3. Yet here it is, ~3min to go, down by 2 on consecutive possessions....result: Missed 3pt shots both times. Fast forward and the game is tied at 60 on consecutive possessions.... result: Same thing, no offensive plays ran to get anything at or going to the rim. Missed 3s and game lost. That said, the couple times we went towards the rim, we missed the layup, but at least you had a chance. and then there's 3.5sec.... man....I'm not a $3mil coach, but.... Stevenson & Etienne cross screening for each other just above the FT line, to get a shooter moving the right direction.... you know, like most coaches do it..... and how Tulsa did it... But instead you chose to once again throw your players under the bus. Great coaching. Starting to think its not the players egos getting in the way.

Down the stretch just dictate your players not shoot 3s unless your name is Tyson. There was no need to keep trying to get the 3 when your team cannot shoot the 3. Drive it, maybe you get fouled (doubtful), maybe you get an easy dump off. But for the love of basketball, COACH YOUR TEAM. They need you. I did come away with 1 positive..... he realized 52 wasn't getting it done and put him where he needs to be until he can prove otherwise.

Actually, Slalom, Mike and Bob said on the broadcast that the late possession where Stevenson missed (another) three was one where they had a play to run, but Erik decided to keep the ball and make a one-on-one play. That's the kind of thing, I suspect, that Marshall was talking about when he said that if you're going to taker the shot you need to make the shot -- and he's exactly right. That's not throwing one's players under the bus; it's reality and accountability, and to say otherwise is a downright stupid use of a stupid cliché. If you're going to play, and you're capable of making shots, at some point you just need to do it.

If I had Jarron Cumberland on my side, I'd let him do that kind of thing, and if it didn't work I probably wouldn't complain -- sometimes you're going to hit shots, sometimes you aren't. But Erik isn't Cumberland, and except for a little over one half of one game, he hasn't been hitting shots since he hurt his hand diving for the ball on that ill-fated east coast trip. I love Stevenson's hustle and aggressiveness and his confidence, but confidence has to be tempered by reality. And that means that if you're in a slump you may want to help a guy who's shooting better than you are get the ball in position to make a play for the team.

[RoyalShock]

Actually, Slalom, Mike and Bob said on the broadcast that the late possession where Stevenson missed (another) three was one where they had a play to run, but Erik decided to keep the ball and make a one-on-one play. That's the kind of thing, I suspect, that Marshall was talking about when he said that if you're going to taker the shot you need to make the shot -- and he's exactly right. That's not throwing one's players under the bus; it's reality and accountability, and to say otherwise is a downright stupid use of a stupid cliché. If you're going to play, and you're capable of making shots, at some point you just need to do it.

I could be remembering this wrong (or I have the wrong possession in mind), but at the start of that possession didn't Erik try to get the ball to Jamarius, but the Cinci defender denied the pass, forcing Erik to improvise? If so, you have to credit Cinci for blowing up our play before we could even get it started.

[BostonWu]

Too bad a young ES didn't have Fred or Ron to learn from. Bet Fred would of provided some much needed tough love. The lack of leadership on the current roster is concerning. Right now I only see one potential leader (from my outside fan perspective).

[BAShocker]

Hope we never have to play Cumberland again. But if we do, could we possibly get someone(s) to force him to pick up his dribble in the backcourt or at least by halfcourt? Instead, we race down, try to get set up outside the arc and hope to get a charge call...which I recall rarely happens with him.

[WstateU]

Who honestly believes we're going to win out to DFW?

[Slalomshocker]

You guys pointed out 1 possession out of 4. And if Cincy was able to blow up the first action on the play and Erik was then forced to dribble out front with 15sec left on the shot clock, then said play was very weak to start with. You always have a secondary action to a play for when the initial is covered up. That possession I will say was Erik’s decision. That’s one of 4 possessions I can think of that ended that way. Coach has the ability to sit kids that don’t listen & run the plays. All I’m saying is beating your head against the 3pt line over and over and over becomes beating your head against the brick wall they already built from that very 3pt line. Coach ‘em up, if they don’t follow the instruction (which is on the player) sit them down.

my point remains that I personally don’t see where coach is doing a lot to help put these kids in a position to succeed given their current abilities. Been that way since conference started. My opinion, from my experience.

[asiseeit]

Time now for a little ES defense. I won't necessarily defend his last couple shots other than he had the guts and confidence.
Those are both traits I like unless he simply ignored a set play that was not already blown up. If it was and there was not a
secondary play he could go to then I have no problem with him trying to create. Normally, he sees the court very well and
understands the game better than most. Was he being selfish and playing "hero" ball? Maybe, but I don't know and doubt anyone
else does either. No doubt in my mind had he seen an open team mate he would have made the pass. I'd like to see the
last couple minutes again. With that said I don't think it is fair he was charged a turnover on the long pass. It was ordered up by the
coaches and was very high risk. So, he did have four others which isn't great, however, he had three assists and three steals to
go with seven rebounds and a block. Not his best game by far but no one had a really good one. TW played well and so did NF in limited
minutes. JB played okay. The back up centers minutes combined were probably a little better than okay. TE did okay offensively
but lost his man 2-3 times in the first half giving up easy baskets. Have to consider play on both ends of the court. Who plays harder
than ES? NF plays as hard too. Wish posters would ease up a little and be more positive. Oh, kudos to DD's defense.

[Shockm]

Time now for a little ES defense. With that said I don't think it is fair he was charged a turnover on the long pass. It was ordered up by the coaches and was very high risk.

That long turnover wasn’t ordered up by the coaches. They ran the same play after the foul and the free throws with practically the same amount on the clock. The play had multiple options with players cutting deep (from the forecourt) which was obviously the most risky option and JB coming toward the passer from about the free throw line (maybe midway between the FT line and the half court line) to almost midway between the opposite free throw line and the half court line. JB was open both times and was the least risky option. He was most likely told to look at the longer pass options first to see if they were open and then to the shorter less risky options next. There is no way he was ordered to make a pass to anyone but instead he was asked to make a decision. Eric doesn’t second guess himself and that is a good trait but he does make a lot of high risk decisions. Often not for a good result imo.

[ShockRef]

Seeit,
Not only are you the king of the run on sentence, you are definitely the guardian of players, with a special preference for AM.
Trying to debate the count of a T/O against ES on the final pass is cute. Not accurate, but cute.
I do not like to trash on the kids - that's cause they are players and do what they are told ( most of the time).

However, the guy making the decisions gets paid a large sum of Benjamins to make the right ones.
He didn't earn his cash yesterday and any attempt to divert the focus of attention on it is laughable.

That is all.

[asiseeit]

1. I was not in the huddle on the 3/4 length court pass. There was no hesitation on ES' part so it looked to me like he was
trying to execute the play given to him. Another foot higher and two deeper and it might have worked.
2. No comments about the positive aspects of ES' game I mentioned?
3. I understand that the turnover has to be charged to ES just such a difficult pass to execute
4. I liked NF's play except for the three points given up fouling a three point shooter. It happens.
5. Enough mistakes to go around so why always single out one or two?
6. We need 4-7 guys playing well the same game
7. I apologize for so much posting

[1972Shocker]

It was a game we really didn't expect to win, but as it turned out, should have won, and a win there probably would have cemented our place in the dance.

I don't think it would have cemented anything. The Shocks would still have to finish strong over the final 4 games. But it certainly removes any leeway for a stumble down the stretch.