Arkansas Little Rock (12/29/11)

[TheTastyGreek]

UNT - 19 Points in the first half – 47% from the foul line

ULAR – 50% from 3-point line/9 of 18 – 72% from foul line

Just got out played by 3 & 10 Team

Happy New Year

UNT came into the game in the top fifth nationally shooting free throws. We had a bad game shooting free throws. We are not a bad free throw shooting team.

UALR came in to the game ranked 307th in the nation in 3 point percentage. They had a good game shooting 3 pointers. They are not a good 3 point shooting team.

This sucks. Terribly. TERRIBLY. No need to make it worse than it actually is, though. This game doesn't need any help or exaggeration to make it a painful disaster.

Happy New Year to you, too.

[GrandGreen]

i believe the foul trouble is because he is not a center and mentally collapses when trying to guard one at the college level. he will play the 3 at the next level and he needs to be playing it at this one now. his dribbling skills are light years beyond J.W.'s and I would love to see him get a few more touches on offense. This would give us a threat similar to Tristan with someone that isnt afraid to take it to the basket and get the other team in foul trouble.

This could easily be done while giving J.W. the same amount of minutes since he could sub either Tony or Alzee. The only playing time change I can foresee with this type of adjustment is less Walton and more Zo. Of course, if Ked is going to miss time none of this matters.

A 3 would eat Mitchell alive right now, he couldn't guard a 6'10 Englishman playing on the outside.

[Maduro]

A 3 would eat Mitchell alive right now, he couldn't guard a 6'10 Englishman playing on the outside.

Only 1 of his fouls tonight came on the perimeter and that was because "Floppy the Englishman" earned himself an oscar. The mid-court steal attempt was about as ticky-tack as it gets. Every center he has matched up with has torched him with elementary head fakes with their backs to him. I say move him and at least TRY... there is no way it would be a worse result then what happened tonight with our perimeter D.

I'm not going to disagree with the media and nba scouts about his footwork and dribbling until I get to see him in a position he is comfortable with. We are squandering our time with Tony using him as a Center. After 5 games, the highest rated recruit in our school's athletic program history is being statistically hustled by Odufuwa at the same position.

Personally, I believe J.W. possibly had his best game tonight with some great defense and no turnovers (that i can remember, correct me if I'm wrong). I'm totally fine with his minutes but I think they should be disbursed with him as a reserve. The missed shots and lack of penetration from him have hurt every game. I don't think I can blame the system for that since Tristan never seemed to have an issue with Kedrick and Odufuwa filling up the lane.

I hate debating this side of a hypothetical situation since I know good and well I will never see Tony at the 3... I just believe we are not taking advantage of something special.

Edited December 30, 2011 by Maduro

[DJstars21]

Only 1 of his fouls tonight came on the perimeter and that was because "Floppy the Englishman" earned himself an oscar. The mid-court steal attempt was about as ticky-tack as it gets. Every center he has matched up with has torched him with elementary head fakes with their backs to him. I say move him and at least TRY... there is no way it would be a worse result then what happened tonight with our perimeter D.

I'm not going to disagree with the media and nba scouts about his footwork and dribbling until I get to see him in a position he is comfortable with. We are squandering our time with Tony using him as a Center. After 5 games, the highest rated recruit in our school's athletic program history is being statistically hustled by Odufuwa at the same position.

Personally, I believe J.W. possibly had his best game tonight with some great defense and no turnovers (that i can remember, correct me if I'm wrong). I'm totally fine with his minutes but I think they should be disbursed with him as a reserve. The missed shots and lack of penetration from him have hurt every game. I don't think I can blame the system for that since Tristan never seemed to have an issue with Kedrick and Odufuwa filling up the lane.

I hate debating this side of a hypothetical situation since I know good and well I will never see Tony at the 3... I just believe we are not taking advantage of something special.

I agree.

Truth is he's playing out of position because we are thin at that position. He's 6'8 2(something), put him on the perimeter (on offense) and give him space to find his grove, isolate him in the post. This guy has Kobe's stature, with Lebron's aggression. He should be playing with his talents, not against them. The other less talented players should be the ones having to adjust. This team should have a Chris Paul/Blake Griffin type dynamic with Mitch and CJ.

It's frustrating seeing his talent not being utilized. You use a hammer for nails, not a screwdriver.

Additionally, people bashing the coaching clearly have never played competitive basketball. The team is losing because they are unable to make shots. They are in position to make shots, they're just not making them. That falls on the players shoulders and their extra time in the gym, not the coach. This is college, not high school. They should already be players, coach can only put them in a position to apply their talents. We sink that shot in the fourth and that's a W. A win is a win, no matter the margin. String 20 close wins together and voila, great season.

Edited December 30, 2011 by DJstars21

[Army of Dad]

String 20 close wins together and vuala, great season.

I almost never do this, but that word is a pet peeve of mine and I can't help it.

Voila is the spelling you are looking for. To be fair, your attempt was closer than a DRC writer one time 'bwallah'.

The points in your post are pretty good though.

Edited December 30, 2011 by Army of Dad

[UNT90]

Only 1 of his fouls tonight came on the perimeter and that was because "Floppy the Englishman" earned himself an oscar. The mid-court steal attempt was about as ticky-tack as it gets. Every center he has matched up with has torched him with elementary head fakes with their backs to him. I say move him and at least TRY... there is no way it would be a worse result then what happened tonight with our perimeter D.

I'm not going to disagree with the media and nba scouts about his footwork and dribbling until I get to see him in a position he is comfortable with. We are squandering our time with Tony using him as a Center. After 5 games, the highest rated recruit in our school's athletic program history is being statistically hustled by Odufuwa at the same position.

Personally, I believe J.W. possibly had his best game tonight with some great defense and no turnovers (that i can remember, correct me if I'm wrong). I'm totally fine with his minutes but I think they should be disbursed with him as a reserve. The missed shots and lack of penetration from him have hurt every game. I don't think I can blame the system for that since Tristan never seemed to have an issue with Kedrick and Odufuwa filling up the lane.

I hate debating this side of a hypothetical situation since I know good and well I will never see Tony at the 3... I just believe we are not taking advantage of something special.

Two of his fouls last night were on the perimeter, one on an outside jumper by the 6'10" guy in the 1st half and one 30 feet from the basket for his 4th foul in the second half. Inexcusable.

TM is trying to find his way in this offense right now, an offense that relies on very little movement in a post up, kick out game. Problem is no one on this team has a post up game and no one can consistently hit an outside shot. This team should be pressing as long as it can to take advantage of their athleticism and hide the terrible outside shooting.

I wish I shared some of y'alls optimism, but this team has some serious problems that it has shown little progress in solving. It needs to find answer quick, or else they could find themselves looking at an 0-3 or 0-4 conference record.

[Green P1]

I expected this team to struggle deep into the season, but i also expected signs of steady improvement that really ain't there. Without any veteran leadership this group is lost out there. Of our 3 returning players we've got a hustle guy, a ballhog and an ogar. Nice useful players, but no one that can steady the ship when the young guys get discombobulated.... Which happens a lot.

Edited December 30, 2011 by Green P1

[Harry]

I agree.

Truth is he's playing out of position because we are thin at that position. He's 6'8 2(something), put him on the perimeter (on offense) and give him space to find his grove, isolate him in the post. This guy has Kobe's stature, with Lebron's aggression. He should be playing with his talents, not against them. The other less talented players should be the ones having to adjust. This team should have a Chris Paul/Blake Griffin type dynamic with Mitch and CJ.

It's frustrating seeing his talent not being utilized. You use a hammer for nails, not a screwdriver.

Additionally, people bashing the coaching clearly have never played competitive basketball. The team is losing because they are unable to make shots. They are in position to make shots, they're just not making them. That falls on the players shoulders and their extra time in the gym, not the coach. This is college, not high school. They should already be players, coach can only put them in a position to apply their talents. We sink that shot in the fourth and that's a W. A win is a win, no matter the margin. String 20 close wins together and vuala, great season.

You are absolutely right about the team shooting especially free throw shooting!

[KRAM1]

I take full responsibility for this loss. I am out of town for the holidays, San Diego...and yes, I played golf at Torrey Pines....but, I made the decision to leave the wife in San Diego and head home to Denton in time for both the Dec. 31st games. So sorry for the loss folks...my bad...I'll accept full responsibility for this one.....see you for the double home win day on the 31st.

[emmitt01]

A win is a win, no matter the margin. String 20 close wins together and vulva, great season.

Fixed

[UNT90]

I take full responsibility for this loss. I am out of town for the holidays, San Diego...and yes, I played golf at Torrey Pines....but, I made the decision to leave the wife in San Diego and head home to Denton in time for both the Dec. 31st games. So sorry for the loss folks...my bad...I'll accept full responsibility for this one.....see you for the double home win day on the 31st.

I've seen your outside shot, and trust me, nothing you could have done would have helped.

[Maduro]

Two of his fouls last night were on the perimeter, one on an outside jumper by the 6'10" guy in the 1st half and one 30 feet from the basket for his 4th foul in the second half. Inexcusable.

sorry, i didn't think that the entire court behind the 3 point line should have been considered the perimeter. They were both standing on the letters in "North Texas" at mid-court.

I agree that this kind of foul trouble is inexcusable and I would love to see us make some changes to prevent it.

kudos to the guys below me at the bottom of 106 for unleashing hell on the refs after the shooting foul behind the arc.

[Green Lantern]

Rough from the line but he did had 8 rebounds and 9 assists. I like that he filled up the stat line. Mitchel playing 13 minutes and Hogans playing 16 was a bit impact down low on a team that has 3 6'10" players. We still should have dominated this game from the start. Its time for someone to light a fire under these young men!

Agree in the sense that I'm happy that he still found a way to be productive with his minutes, but let's not pretend that the offensive success on this team (from the beginning of the season to now) doesn't flow through CJ.

Whenever he's on the bench or struggling from the floor, the team's offense is in total disaray. Last night, he couldn't get his little runner in the lane to fall and had a tough night from the FT line. In the games that our offense has looked competent this season, he has been the spark plug to start it, then continues to facilitate for others.

One thing that I will say is that I've been totally impressed with CJ's rebounding.

[calvin]

UALR has a bad record but have had a tough OOC schedule and has been close in a majority of their games. No excuse for the loss, if we shoot free throws then we win. Not being able to shoot the ball from the outside is killing us.

Dont forget though that a lot of times on the court that we dont have one guy that played college basketball last year. When we have Roger, Chris, Tony, Alzee, and Jordan on the floor none of those guys played last year much less played together. Just think how much better Big George, Tristan, and Quincy Williams and all those guys were when they were seniors as compared to when they first started here.

I really thought we would be doing much better at this point then we are but I had no idea we would be this bad of a shooting team. But we are young, just got to be patient. UALR had a senior PG leading them down the stretch last night.

[Insideualr]

After reading the thread, I have a few random thoughts:

1. We (ualr) have a lot of of talent on this team. Talent good enough to start in front of guys that are upper classmen.

a. Jeeves was recruited by bcs schools and Georgia wanted him.

b. Will Nieghbor had plenty of bcs interest including Syracuse.

c. The two other freshmen that start are basketball players not athletes like most of Steve's teams.

I am not saying that our talent is better than unt just that a YMCA team did not drop by and happen to win last night.

2. Steve has done pretty good all time against unt, so coaching plays a part here. I can't believe jones stopped pressing after getting the lead back. Unt wins if they keep the press on.

3. We have been in the lead 10 times this year at the half, so the 3 -10 record is misleading. We are learning to win.

I think unt will get it going and fight for the division title again this year. I am hoping we can finish .500 in conference.

I always enjoy reading your board. Knowledgable fans and not a lot of flaming or trolls.

Good luck the rest of the way.

Edited December 30, 2011 by Insideualr

[TheTastyGreek]

I can't believe jones stopped pressing after getting the lead back. Unt wins if they keep the press on.

Part of the reason for this was that Chris Jones was sucking wind at the end of the game... We couldn't sit him, especially with Tony already fouled out. But 35 minutes on the floor and a steady run of press/trap in the 2nd half... I don't think he had the legs to continue pressing.

[Insideualr]

Part of the reason for this was that Chris Jones was sucking wind at the end of the game... We couldn't sit him, especially with Tony already fouled out. But 35 minutes on the floor and a steady run of press/trap in the 2nd half... I don't think he had the legs to continue pressing.

That is a good reason.

[MeanGreenTexan]

Part of the reason for this was that Chris Jones was sucking wind at the end of the game... We couldn't sit him, especially with Tony already fouled out. But 35 minutes on the floor and a steady run of press/trap in the 2nd half... I don't think he had the legs to continue pressing.

Whatever. This is just another excuse for LOSING.

I don't understand why Johnny just doesn't have the guys press during the entire game.

[DJstars21]

I almost never do this, but that word is a pet peeve of mine and I can't help it.

Voila is the spelling you are looking for. To be fair, your attempt was closer than a DRC writer one time 'bwallah'.

The points in your post are pretty good though.

Corrected!

[unachris]

kudos to the guys below me at the bottom of 106 for unleashing hell on the refs after the shooting foul behind the arc.

That was me and a buddy of mine. We are in those seats every game and are more than willing to take it to the refs if need be. I feel like if more people would stop sitting on their hands and actually cheer/heckle/boo/make any kind of noise, we might actually have a home court advantage. I hate paying for season tickets and seeing tons of horrible calls in our gym. We can do something about that, but it will require more people to actually care. Perhaps that is a discussion for another thread. Of course, it could just be the hip-hop in me talking.

[Army of Dad]

That was me and a buddy of mine. We are in those seats every game and are more than willing to take it to the refs if need be. I feel like if more people would stop sitting on their hands and actually cheer/heckle/boo/make any kind of noise, we might actually have a home court advantage. I hate paying for season tickets and seeing tons of horrible calls in our gym. We can do something about that, but it will require more people to actually care. Perhaps that is a discussion for another thread. Of course, it could just be the hip-hop in me talking.

We do our part for sure. In fact I kind of like the spacing we have on the north end. There are at least a couple of really vocal fans every other section or so. Now a bunch in every section would be better, but at least they will still feel some atmosphere no matter where they are on the court.

[MeanGreenDan]

We do our part for sure. In fact I kind of like the spacing we have on the north end. There are at least a couple of really vocal fans every other section or so. Now a bunch in every section would be better, but at least they will still feel some atmosphere no matter where they are on the court.

I feel like the fans who show up do a decent job at basketball games. It will just take more than 1,000 people in the building to actually make it work.

[Andrew]

We do our part for sure. In fact I kind of like the spacing we have on the north end. There are at least a couple of really vocal fans every other section or so. Now a bunch in every section would be better, but at least they will still feel some atmosphere no matter where they are on the court.

are you the bald guy with the beard....?