(M) Game #11 Florida Atlantic vs. Arizona (2023-2024)

[RawleArenas]

This loss hit me hard. Like Chi said, it can be extremely frustrating. It's difficult to watch the Cats lose poise and revert back to some of the bad habits that cost us the game down the stretch. That being said, I think the team will take a look at this game for the tournament simulation it was, and work to make gradual improvements during conference play.

I did observe something that no one else has pointed out. We don't play well when we're behind. It's such an unfamiliar experience that we tend to play more hurried and desperate. When you look at both the Purdue and FAU games, the energy that we take to come back typically hurts us during crunch time. When we play with even a slight cushion, we tend to relax a little bit and wait for that patented 'spurt of death' that puts the opposing team away. Going forward, I think CTL needs to be conscious of this, because in a tournament game everyone is going to expect us to choke because of our recent history. He might want to mix up defensive schemes to confuse and disorient the opposition. It's tempting to think that because you have athleticism you can get away with man to man and win most of the time. However, when you're in a cage match, winner- takes-all type of contest you can't wait till the second half to go to the 3-2 zone. In a single game elimination tournament, you have to have contingencies for every type of situation. It's why I give KU a ton of credit for how they game plan for conference and tournament games. They have mastered the art of playing the close game, probably better than any program in the country. CTL should take some notes from them.

When I was watching FAU I couldn't help but think that CTL needs to find international players that are ready to play the American game. A lot of the guys that he's recruited in the past are good and have pro potential, but need years of acclimation and development to make a consistent contribution (Ballo, for example). I mean Veesaar who was a fringe five star, hasn't showed me anything and I honestly don't think he will cut it unless something dramatic happens. If he was available and gave us 7 and 7 (which is marginal considering the hype surrounding him) we would have won both the Purdue and FAU games. CTL's short leash with his international players shows that they're not ready from prime time yet. It's the only area where I give CSM the nod over CTL. After Kyryl, every Euro he picked was solid to phenomenal. We had Dusan, Lauri and Azuolas, with the last two being All Americans. Heck, if Dusan played for Lloyd it would be him getting all of the accolades instead of Ballo and Dusan was a three star. Dusan would absolutely thrive in his system. CTL can get the guys in the door, but needs better evaluation help to make sure the guys are ready on day one.

As we look towards next year, it's clear we need more physicality and athleticism. Because Big 12 teams are more closer to FAU than any Pac team we will face. And it was clear that even with our talent, we need more depth that is ready to contribute in big games. If Krivas and Murauskas can't be trusted in big games, then he needs to make some more roster changes that will help us going forward. We need an athletic combo forward and wing that can help us defensively, who can also score when needed. Lastly, in our tournament games there is a good chance that our percentages will tank a bit because of the pressure of the moment. In those types of games, we have to be able to control the things that are dependent on effort, i.e. 50/50 balls, bunnies and rebounds. If we take care of business in that area, our ceiling rises dramatically.

[arizonawildcats]

[84Cat]