Re: The 2021-2022 Season Thread
Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2022 10:46 am
No word on Aiken other than he is still part of the team unless choo has some insider info
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No word on Aiken other than he is still part of the team unless choo has some insider info
If we can cut the turnovers to no more than 10 per game, we’re winning by bigger margins, especially against also-rans like Washington and ASU.SabinoDrifter wrote: ↑Tue Jan 04, 2022 7:07 am You know you can score when you turn it over 21 times and still average 1.23 points per possession.
Turnovers have been the sticking point recently. We've averaged 17 per game over our last 3 games, which would put us close to the bottom ten nationally.SabinoDrifter wrote: ↑Tue Jan 04, 2022 7:07 am You know you can score when you turn it over 21 times and still average 1.23 points per possession.
It's not the end of the world to have an issue in early January, but turnovers and mental mistakes would be #1 on my list of things that need to be improved on.
I saw a tweet that said it was Wise, Budinger, and Hill in 2009 against Stanford.MountainCat wrote: ↑Mon Jan 03, 2022 8:55 pm So when’s the last time we had three players score 20 points or more in a game?
Yeah. In that win-or-go-home situation, you really need to have a few core metrics on your side. Team FG%, team FT%, defensive efficiency, and I'd include turnovers in this list. In a game with bad reffing or a red hot opponent, these core areas can keep the game close.Spaceman Spiff wrote: ↑Tue Jan 04, 2022 10:36 amIt's not the end of the world to have an issue in early January, but turnovers and mental mistakes would be #1 on my list of things that need to be improved on.
Tenn is a great example. The reffing wasn't good and we weren't stellar in other areas, but it was a winnable game minus our turnovers and other mental mistakes. To go far in the tourney, you probably see at least one game where you take bad reffing, shoot poorly or the opponent gets hot. Not giving possessions away is at a premium in those games.
Along with the not giving possessions away, the offense rebounds were also an issue in both the Tenn and UW games which is not a good trend. UW got 12 offensive rebounds and Tennessee got 16. That definitely needs to be cleaned up.Spaceman Spiff wrote: ↑Tue Jan 04, 2022 10:36 amIt's not the end of the world to have an issue in early January, but turnovers and mental mistakes would be #1 on my list of things that need to be improved on.
Tenn is a great example. The reffing wasn't good and we weren't stellar in other areas, but it was a winnable game minus our turnovers and other mental mistakes. To go far in the tourney, you probably see at least one game where you take bad reffing, shoot poorly or the opponent gets hot. Not giving possessions away is at a premium in those games.
There were at least three defensive possessions in the second half where we were in great rebounding position but the ball bounced out hard and went right to a Washington player. Not a ton you can do about that, and it shows that you still need a little luck when it comes to loose balls.gronk4heisman wrote: ↑Tue Jan 04, 2022 11:04 amAlong with the not giving possessions away, the offense rebounds were also an issue in both the Tenn and UW games which is not a good trend. UW got 12 offensive rebounds and Tennessee got 16. That definitely needs to be cleaned up.Spaceman Spiff wrote: ↑Tue Jan 04, 2022 10:36 amIt's not the end of the world to have an issue in early January, but turnovers and mental mistakes would be #1 on my list of things that need to be improved on.
Tenn is a great example. The reffing wasn't good and we weren't stellar in other areas, but it was a winnable game minus our turnovers and other mental mistakes. To go far in the tourney, you probably see at least one game where you take bad reffing, shoot poorly or the opponent gets hot. Not giving possessions away is at a premium in those games.
But there were also about 5-6 possessions where we were got outhustled for the ball which irks me even more. I believe on one possession UW got 2 consecutive offensive boards and then nailed a 3 pointer.Chicat wrote: ↑Tue Jan 04, 2022 12:19 pmThere were at least three defensive possessions in the second half where we were in great rebounding position but the ball bounced out hard and went right to a Washington player. Not a ton you can do about that, and it shows that you still need a little luck when it comes to loose balls.gronk4heisman wrote: ↑Tue Jan 04, 2022 11:04 amAlong with the not giving possessions away, the offense rebounds were also an issue in both the Tenn and UW games which is not a good trend. UW got 12 offensive rebounds and Tennessee got 16. That definitely needs to be cleaned up.Spaceman Spiff wrote: ↑Tue Jan 04, 2022 10:36 amIt's not the end of the world to have an issue in early January, but turnovers and mental mistakes would be #1 on my list of things that need to be improved on.
Tenn is a great example. The reffing wasn't good and we weren't stellar in other areas, but it was a winnable game minus our turnovers and other mental mistakes. To go far in the tourney, you probably see at least one game where you take bad reffing, shoot poorly or the opponent gets hot. Not giving possessions away is at a premium in those games.
I think it's probably a combination of style and lack of secondary ballhandler behind Kerr (Larsson and Kier are 1st and 2nd in TO% on the team). For reference, Gonzaga is 6th in pace and top 60 in turnover%, so it's definitely something the Cats can clean up.Beachcat97 wrote: ↑Tue Jan 04, 2022 8:11 amIf we can cut the turnovers to no more than 10 per game, we’re winning by bigger margins, especially against also-rans like Washington and ASU.SabinoDrifter wrote: ↑Tue Jan 04, 2022 7:07 am You know you can score when you turn it over 21 times and still average 1.23 points per possession.
Is it just that we’re playing at a faster pace and that the TOs are more likely with this style of play?
I get the impression from this team at times that they're so confident in their ability to get out and run and score points that they neglect basic responsibilities: boxing out, following missed shots, taking care of the basketball, etc.EastCoastCat wrote: ↑Tue Jan 04, 2022 1:12 pm
I think this was the first game I saw where we played fast, but not too smart for big chunks of the game.
Cleaning up unforced errors is always a thing. The key I think for us is to make sure if we turn it over, it's in trying to make a play.SabinoDrifter wrote: ↑Tue Jan 04, 2022 1:17 pmI think it's probably a combination of style and lack of secondary ballhandler behind Kerr (Larsson and Kier are 1st and 2nd in TO% on the team). For reference, Gonzaga is 6th in pace and top 60 in turnover%, so it's definitely something the Cats can clean up.Beachcat97 wrote: ↑Tue Jan 04, 2022 8:11 amIf we can cut the turnovers to no more than 10 per game, we’re winning by bigger margins, especially against also-rans like Washington and ASU.SabinoDrifter wrote: ↑Tue Jan 04, 2022 7:07 am You know you can score when you turn it over 21 times and still average 1.23 points per possession.
Is it just that we’re playing at a faster pace and that the TOs are more likely with this style of play?
Are we even eligible to schedule anymore OOC games? All these days off are making the basketball season drag on.Longhorned wrote: ↑Wed Jan 05, 2022 10:25 am Does anybody know what's going on? Is our program forced to either schedule some mediocre mid-majors or else not play games? Because teams that are supposed to play us won't schedule games with Arizona?
UCLA is hiding behind the idea that the PAC controls conference matchups and all they can do is schedule non-conference foes, so it’s out of their hands as far as scheduling Arizona.Longhorned wrote: ↑Wed Jan 05, 2022 10:25 am Does anybody know what's going on? Is our program forced to either schedule some mediocre mid-majors or else not play games? Because teams that are supposed to play us won't schedule games with Arizona?
I understand your reasoning, Chi, but why the f would Cronin be afraid to play anyone? His team is coming off a FF, returned everyone, and has only dropped one game. Unless most of their key players are out (which is possible), I don't see why UCLA would be ducking teams. Cronin's a fiery little bastard. Doesn't strike me as a chicken.Chicat wrote: ↑Wed Jan 05, 2022 10:33 am We all know that’s bullshit. If UCLA wanted to play Arizona this week they would have gotten the conference on a call and told them to make it happen. Instead they fill that Thursday slot with LBSU and now can say sorry, there’s no room for a conference game.
Mick Cronin is a coward. He’s ducking us so they don’t get run off the court after not playing for a month.
I think you are spot on but don't think we wouldn't be doing the same thing if the shoe were on the other foot.Chicat wrote: ↑Wed Jan 05, 2022 10:33 amUCLA is hiding behind the idea that the PAC controls conference matchups and all they can do is schedule non-conference foes, so it’s out of their hands as far as scheduling Arizona.Longhorned wrote: ↑Wed Jan 05, 2022 10:25 am Does anybody know what's going on? Is our program forced to either schedule some mediocre mid-majors or else not play games? Because teams that are supposed to play us won't schedule games with Arizona?
We all know that’s bullshit. If UCLA wanted to play Arizona this week they would have gotten the conference on a call and told them to make it happen. Instead they fill that Thursday slot with LBSU and now can say sorry, there’s no room for a conference game.
Mick Cronin is a coward. He’s ducking us so they don’t get run off the court after not playing for a month.
Omg...Sean's payback TO in the Pac tourney is one of my favorite Miller era memories.dovecanyoncat wrote: ↑Wed Jan 05, 2022 12:16 pm This is Mickey Boy's version of Steve Alford calling timeout in order to get his team organized.
I loved when Miller did that. He certainly is a badass.Beachcat97 wrote: ↑Wed Jan 05, 2022 12:24 pmOmg...Sean's payback TO in the Pac tourney is one of my favorite Miller era memories.dovecanyoncat wrote: ↑Wed Jan 05, 2022 12:16 pm This is Mickey Boy's version of Steve Alford calling timeout in order to get his team organized.
That might have been the highlight of Miller's time here for me. Blowing Duke off the court in 2011 is the other big contender, but shoving it in UCLA's face was so great.BBQ wildcat wrote: ↑Wed Jan 05, 2022 12:27 pmI loved when Miller did that. He certainly is a badass.Beachcat97 wrote: ↑Wed Jan 05, 2022 12:24 pmOmg...Sean's payback TO in the Pac tourney is one of my favorite Miller era memories.dovecanyoncat wrote: ↑Wed Jan 05, 2022 12:16 pm This is Mickey Boy's version of Steve Alford calling timeout in order to get his team organized.
I mean, if it clucks…Beachcat97 wrote: ↑Wed Jan 05, 2022 12:00 pmI understand your reasoning, Chi, but why the f would Cronin be afraid to play anyone? His team is coming off a FF, returned everyone, and has only dropped one game. Unless most of their key players are out (which is possible), I don't see why UCLA would be ducking teams. Cronin's a fiery little bastard. Doesn't strike me as a chicken.Chicat wrote: ↑Wed Jan 05, 2022 10:33 am We all know that’s bullshit. If UCLA wanted to play Arizona this week they would have gotten the conference on a call and told them to make it happen. Instead they fill that Thursday slot with LBSU and now can say sorry, there’s no room for a conference game.
Mick Cronin is a coward. He’s ducking us so they don’t get run off the court after not playing for a month.
I 100% agree with all of this, but it won’t stop me from accusing Cronin of ducking us on purpose. If he wanted to make it happen like Lloyd indicated Arizona did, it would have happened. Now we’ll play them as part of some three game week when we 100% didn’t have to. Which is weird when you consider his concern for his players conditioning.dmjcat wrote: ↑Wed Jan 05, 2022 12:04 pmI think you are spot on but don't think we wouldn't be doing the same thing if the shoe were on the other foot.Chicat wrote: ↑Wed Jan 05, 2022 10:33 amUCLA is hiding behind the idea that the PAC controls conference matchups and all they can do is schedule non-conference foes, so it’s out of their hands as far as scheduling Arizona.Longhorned wrote: ↑Wed Jan 05, 2022 10:25 am Does anybody know what's going on? Is our program forced to either schedule some mediocre mid-majors or else not play games? Because teams that are supposed to play us won't schedule games with Arizona?
We all know that’s bullshit. If UCLA wanted to play Arizona this week they would have gotten the conference on a call and told them to make it happen. Instead they fill that Thursday slot with LBSU and now can say sorry, there’s no room for a conference game.
Mick Cronin is a coward. He’s ducking us so they don’t get run off the court after not playing for a month.
There are several good reasons for the Bruins to duck us:
1) It may be the biggest PAC12 game of the year and they don't want to play us just after coming back from a long Covid pause
2) They will get zero revenue from actual fans in the stands (the UA game is one of the few games they have each year where the stands are more than half full)
3) There probably are conference/TV revenue considerations. There may be a better time to reschedule the game so the conference gets more TV money
All of that being said if the conference wants to play a full slate of games I think they need to be more proactive and schedule games in whatever timeslots are available.
I have never met a basketball play who is symptom free who goes two weeks without doing anything basketball related. This isn't like football where you need a whole team. Hell I was just a normal student and I rarely went two weeks without playing some basketball, and you are telling me these guys who want to make a career out of basketball didn't touch a basketball in two weeks?Chicat wrote: ↑Wed Jan 05, 2022 12:49 pmI mean, if it clucks…Beachcat97 wrote: ↑Wed Jan 05, 2022 12:00 pmI understand your reasoning, Chi, but why the f would Cronin be afraid to play anyone? His team is coming off a FF, returned everyone, and has only dropped one game. Unless most of their key players are out (which is possible), I don't see why UCLA would be ducking teams. Cronin's a fiery little bastard. Doesn't strike me as a chicken.Chicat wrote: ↑Wed Jan 05, 2022 10:33 am We all know that’s bullshit. If UCLA wanted to play Arizona this week they would have gotten the conference on a call and told them to make it happen. Instead they fill that Thursday slot with LBSU and now can say sorry, there’s no room for a conference game.
Mick Cronin is a coward. He’s ducking us so they don’t get run off the court after not playing for a month.
Lol!!!!!Chicat wrote: ↑Wed Jan 05, 2022 12:49 pmI mean, if it clucks…Beachcat97 wrote: ↑Wed Jan 05, 2022 12:00 pmI understand your reasoning, Chi, but why the f would Cronin be afraid to play anyone? His team is coming off a FF, returned everyone, and has only dropped one game. Unless most of their key players are out (which is possible), I don't see why UCLA would be ducking teams. Cronin's a fiery little bastard. Doesn't strike me as a chicken.Chicat wrote: ↑Wed Jan 05, 2022 10:33 am We all know that’s bullshit. If UCLA wanted to play Arizona this week they would have gotten the conference on a call and told them to make it happen. Instead they fill that Thursday slot with LBSU and now can say sorry, there’s no room for a conference game.
Mick Cronin is a coward. He’s ducking us so they don’t get run off the court after not playing for a month.
This.Alieberman wrote: ↑Wed Jan 05, 2022 12:56 pm So.... what / when is our next scheduled game?
What freaks me out is that as soon as all of these other teams get off of Covid protocols..... it will probably be our turn to have Covid run through our program....
Yep. The idea that the #5 team in the country were all just sitting in their dorm rooms for two weeks playing Xbox and eating Papa Johns is downright hilarious. They may not have been officially practicing but that doesn’t mean they weren’t working out and playing.gronk4heisman wrote: ↑Wed Jan 05, 2022 12:55 pmI have never met a basketball play who is symptom free who goes two weeks without doing anything basketball related. This isn't like football where you need a whole team. Hell I was just a normal student and I rarely went two weeks without playing some basketball, and you are telling me these guys who want to make a career out of basketball didn't touch a basketball in two weeks?Chicat wrote: ↑Wed Jan 05, 2022 12:49 pmI mean, if it clucks…Beachcat97 wrote: ↑Wed Jan 05, 2022 12:00 pmI understand your reasoning, Chi, but why the f would Cronin be afraid to play anyone? His team is coming off a FF, returned everyone, and has only dropped one game. Unless most of their key players are out (which is possible), I don't see why UCLA would be ducking teams. Cronin's a fiery little bastard. Doesn't strike me as a chicken.Chicat wrote: ↑Wed Jan 05, 2022 10:33 am We all know that’s bullshit. If UCLA wanted to play Arizona this week they would have gotten the conference on a call and told them to make it happen. Instead they fill that Thursday slot with LBSU and now can say sorry, there’s no room for a conference game.
Mick Cronin is a coward. He’s ducking us so they don’t get run off the court after not playing for a month.