WICHITA STATE (8-6, 0-1) at TEMPLE (7-7, 0-1) Game Thread

[WuDrWu]

There are 3 things that are currently bothering me about our play. (Ok, it's more than 3, but for me personally, these are really needling me)


1. The next time we set a good solid pick on a pick and roll, and have the ball handler set up the pick and use it correctly, will be the first time we do it this season. (This is a problem across basketball, but we are particularly bad).

2. We routinely make soft, floating passes that lead to deflections, steals, atomic bombs, etc. And not only are our passes slow and soft, they rarely hit the receiver in a place where he can shoot (that is a more difficult skill to perfect, admittedly). The first part, the soft, slow passes has to be fixed.

3. We are weak with the ball. I'm ok with being weak overall (if that's because you want to have a team that's quick and fast and not slowed by too much bulk....we certainly are not, but you have to start somewhere, again, if that's the plan) but I am NOT ok with the other team just taking the ball from us or stealing outlet passes because we aren't strong with the ball.


Watch the next game and see if you agree.

[Shocktoberfest]

2. We routinely make soft, floating passes that lead to deflections, steals, atomic bombs, etc. And not only are our passes slow and soft, they rarely hit the receiver in a place where he can shoot (that is a more difficult skill to perfect, admittedly). The first part, the soft, slow passes has to be fixed.

Too freaking many one-handed passes. Way too many.

[Kung Wu]

There are 3 things that are currently bothering me about our play. (Ok, it's more than 3, but for me personally, these are really needling me)


1. The next time we set a good solid pick on a pick and roll, and have the ball handler set up the pick and use it correctly, will be the first time we do it this season. (This is a problem across basketball, but we are particularly bad).

2. We routinely make soft, floating passes that lead to deflections, steals, atomic bombs, etc. And not only are our passes slow and soft, they rarely hit the receiver in a place where he can shoot (that is a more difficult skill to perfect, admittedly). The first part, the soft, slow passes has to be fixed.

3. We are weak with the ball. I'm ok with being weak overall (if that's because you want to have a team that's quick and fast and not slowed by too much bulk....we certainly are not, but you have to start somewhere, again, if that's the plan) but I am NOT ok with the other team just taking the ball from us or stealing outlet passes because we aren't strong with the ball.


Watch the next game and see if you agree.

Only thing I can add is ...

4. Too many of our non-PG guards are holding/dribbling the ball too long. But I think maybe that's part of what you are talking about in #3.

[shoxtop]

Only thing I can add is ...

4. Too many of our non-PG guards are holding/dribbling the ball too long. But I think maybe that's part of what you are talking about in #3.

We have PG guards?

[shockerfan]

There are 3 things that are currently bothering me about our play. (Ok, it's more than 3, but for me personally, these are really needling me)


1. The next time we set a good solid pick on a pick and roll, and have the ball handler set up the pick and use it correctly, will be the first time we do it this season. (This is a problem across basketball, but we are particularly bad).

2. We routinely make soft, floating passes that lead to deflections, steals, atomic bombs, etc. And not only are our passes slow and soft, they rarely hit the receiver in a place where he can shoot (that is a more difficult skill to perfect, admittedly). The first part, the soft, slow passes has to be fixed.

3. We are weak with the ball. I'm ok with being weak overall (if that's because you want to have a team that's quick and fast and not slowed by too much bulk....we certainly are not, but you have to start somewhere, again, if that's the plan) but I am NOT ok with the other team just taking the ball from us or stealing outlet passes because we aren't strong with the ball.


Watch the next game and see if you agree.

I don't have to watch the next game to see if I agree.

I already agree lol. Good post!

[SubGod22]

Eagle - 'You have to soak it in': Four ways Wichita State basketball can learn from Temple loss

1. Wichita State’s offensive problems by the numbers

It’s obvious WSU has a shooting problem, but the numbers laid out through 15 games is still staggering.

The Shockers are on pace for their worst 3-point shooting season since 1998, as the team’s long-range accuracy has dipped to 29.5% for the No. 312 mark in the country.

The team is shooting 66.9% on free throws, which ranks No. 301 in the country and is also on pace for the program’s worst mark since 1998.

Most troubling, however, WSU is producing shots at the rim at the 15th-highest rate in the country, per CBB Analytics, but its shooting percentage at the rim is ranked No. 333 in the country.

“This isn’t something where I can go in and spend an hour and then all of a sudden I’m good at it,” Mills said of WSU’s shooting woes.
.....
Mills sees good intentions with WSU players attempting to make a play, but would like to see more dump-off and kick-off passes instead of forced shots. WSU assists on fewer than 43% of its made baskets and ranks No. 326 in the country in assist percentage.

You don't have to be into analytics to understand or see any of this. Selfish play and piss poor movement of both the ball and players is a recipe for disaster, or our current season.

2. Where progress is being made with WSU’s defense

One encouraging aspect of Sunday’s game was WSU’s defense, which held Temple to 0.92 points per possession to snap an eight-game streak of allowing better than 1 point per possession.

Peel back the numbers further from Synergy’s tracking data and WSU’s defense limited the Owls to 0.70 PPP on 73 half-court chances, its lowest mark since holding Western Kentucky to 0.57 PPP in the half court in the second game of the season.

By Mills’ own tracking, WSU’s defense registered a 71% contest rate — below the desired goal of 80%, but trending in the right direction.

Not sure how encouraging this is. These numbers have looked decent against bad teams all year. Maybe I'll have belief the defense is showing signs of improving when good teams stop dominating these numbers.

3. Where the Shockers still struggle on defense

After ranking among the nation’s top transition defenses early in the season, the Shockers have plummeted down the rankings because their live-ball turnovers have skyrocketed.

The constant stream of turnovers and bad misses, which act as turnovers, have put WSU’s defense in compromising situations all too regularly. According to Synergy, WSU’s defense has allowed 1.12 points per possession in transition in the last seven games, a mark that would rank No. 316 in the country.

Of course we ranked better when playing bad teams.

Taylor does a good job, but I'm still not buying in until we see some signs of life (for more than 8 minutes) against good teams. I don't want to see any rah rah we're turning a corner when we're playing teams towards the bottom of the conference.

[Kung Wu]

We have PG guards?

Don't know but we have lots of non-PG guards.

[Stickboy46]

Don't know but we have lots of non-PG guards.

We also have lots of non-shooting shooting guards

[ShockBand]

We also have lots of non-shooting shooting guards

Actually, they shoot plenty. They are non-making shooting guards.

[Dan]

https://news.yahoo.com/soak-four-ways-wichita-state-114931380.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall

it would be easier if the yahoo link were posted....

[Dan]

How about this quote when talking about our defense?

“One of the things we tell our players is if they’re dribbling, we’re probably doing things right,” Mills said on his radio show. “If they’re not dribbling, we’re probably doing things wrong. So we’re trying to contest a certain amount, but we also want a certain shot type.”

ok - what about when we're on offense because it seems like we do more dribbling than any team in the country?

[SubGod22]

https://news.yahoo.com/soak-four-way...ycsrp_catchall

it would be easier if the yahoo link were posted....

Is it? I just open all Eagle links in Private Window and have zero issues at all.

[pinstripers]

"Most troubling, however, WSU is producing shots at the rim at the 15th-highest rate in the country, per CBB Analytics, but its shooting percentage at the rim is ranked No. 333 in the country."

Can this be true? Sweet Jesus !!!

[Stickboy46]

"Most troubling, however, WSU is producing shots at the rim at the 15th-highest rate in the country, per CBB Analytics, but its shooting percentage at the rim is ranked No. 333 in the country."

Can this be true? Sweet Jesus !!!

I'm curious if there are stats that rank "quality" of shots at the rim. We have some extremely low quality shots at the rim IMO

[Stickboy46]

Actually, they shoot plenty. They are non-making shooting guards.

A WSU Tradition like no other!