Game thread....

How many times can we as fans bang our heads against the D Wilson/J Thomas wall this year? I think we can all agree that Buzz isn't stupid (note, not infallible, but also not stupid). If the solution was so obvious, we wouldn't be 11-9.

I also reject the notion that he is stubborn. This is a guy who adapts his style of play to suit the talent on hand every single year. Bo Ryan he is not.

Seriously, the argument that Buzz is either stupidly or stubbornly refusing to play the guys who give us the best chance at winning is extremely bizarre.

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Originally Posted by kneelb4zerg

Seriously, the argument that Buzz is either stupidly or stubbornly refusing to play the guys who give us the best chance at winning is extremely bizarre.

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It's used by people who need to have an excuse for why he is playing who he is playing.

I mean otherwise people would have to admit they are wrong.

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Originally Posted by mufansince72

You know what, maybe they wouldn't stop Nova's talented guards, but they may actually put up some points themselves, and demand to be covered on defense. There is something to be said for that as well. Last time I checked, the object of basketball is to score more than your opponent!

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Demand to be covered on defense? Did you watch yesterday at all? Villanova staying in man allowed them to cover Jake Thomas all day to take him away as a three-point threat. In addition, Villanova stayed up on Derrick throughout the game, not sagging off him as most teams have done as they shift into a zone. Our offense was NOT the problem. Villanova DID cover our guards. That's why Davante was able to have a field day in the paint. That's why Jamil was able to be efficient. That's why Mayo was able to score effectively all day.

Jesus, you'd think every single game is the exact same reading these posts. 'Nova did cover our two starting guards and that allowed the rest of our team to score on them nearly at will. Oh, and Derrick also had 7 assists and 5 rebounds to go along with his 6 points. Did those points created and possessions won not help our offense? Yes, Jake had a forgettable game, but it was because Villanova made him a defensive priority. It's not like he went 0/10 from the field, he only had 2 shots because they were staying close to him and not allowing him to get free shots.

The reality is that this team is just good enough to compete with most every team, regardless of the venue. However, it lacks the go-to guy to help win these close games against quality competition (and at this point, cannot count on that emerging). A bunch of near misses in recruiting, Vander unexpected leaving early, and Duane Wilson's injury are all contributing factors to this shortfall. Thankfully, the close recruiting misses in past classes have become hits and the unexpected fortune of getting a stud big transfer adds to a very promising future. Nova two years was 13-19, 5-13 in the Big East, and looked far worse then us this year. Now they are in the top 10 and look poised for a banner 2-3 year run.

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Originally Posted by kneelb4zerg

How many times can we as fans bang our heads against the D Wilson/J Thomas wall this year? I think we can all agree that Buzz isn't stupid (note, not infallible, but also not stupid). If the solution was so obvious, we wouldn't be 11-9.

I also reject the notion that he is stubborn. This is a guy who adapts his style of play to suit the talent on hand every single year. Bo Ryan he is not.

Seriously, the argument that Buzz is either stupidly or stubbornly refusing to play the guys who give us the best chance at winning is extremely bizarre.

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To be fair, I'm not sure why you think that's such a bizarre statement. Buzz has said himself, he plays the guys that have earned it the most. Just because you work hard in practice etc etc, does NOT mean you give the team the best chance of winning, and deserve to play more minutes than someone who doesn't work as hard but would give MU a better chance of winning. At some point, you have to get over your loyalty to certain players, and realize they probably work harder in practice because they have to to make up for a talent deficiency. Talent wins ball games, not necessarily guys who practice the hardest.

I Coach a baseball team in the summer and I had a situation similar to this. The guys that would come to practice every week would wonder why someone who almost could never make practice(this is an adult team by the way), would start for me. It's pretty easy...He gives me the best chance of winning. You may have been at practice every day and put in more time than he does, but if he's a better ball player and gives me a better chance of winning, that's who I'm going to play, but I appreciate your efforts and all you do to help the team in other ways.

Something tells me that coaching a college basketball team is a little different than adult, rec. league baseball.

It's very simple. If the more "talented" players, who you think can win MU more games, want to play, they should perform better in practice. I mean, if they are more talented, it should be simple right?

Yeah Nova defintely played us differently then most other teams have...it was really kind of bizarre to watch Gardner kill them because they stayed with Derrick and Thomas.

I would expect Wright to do it differently next time.......

I think we will see sagging man to man and zone from Providence which should provide more opportunites for Dawson and Thomas to make an impact......

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Originally Posted by TheSultan

Something tells me that coaching a college basketball team is a little different than adult, rec. league baseball.

It's very simple. If the more "talented" players, who you think can win MU more games, want to play, they should perform better in practice. I mean, if they are more talented, it should be simple right?

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Why?? Why should they have to perform better in practice?? You're talking about practice. Not a game, practice. More talented players can and typically do tend to "coast" in practice, but they are ready to go and give you everything come game time. Honestly, even if i was Coaching a college team and all that goes into that, I wouldn't let/want my more talented players to basically just "show up" for practice, and i don't think that's what happens, but if they give an effort, they will be in my starting lineup come game time, because they are the most talent i have and again, talent wins ball games more often than not.

Honestly, by "rewarding" less talented players because they work harder in practice is kind of "whacked out". I mean, are you TRYING to lose ball games?? Trying to send a message?? That's dumb, because college or not, the bbottom line is, you play to win the game. If you're not, you shouldn't be Coaching.

Because it is about rewarding good behavior that maximizes a player's potential. Look, if Jake Thomas is outperforming JJJ in practice...if he is playing to the game plan, understanding his role defensively, etc., starting JJJ over Thomas because of "potential" doesn't do Marquette or JJJ any good in the long run.

Furthermore I am not convinced that playing JJJ or Dawson would really improve MU's chances of winning anyway.

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Originally Posted by TheSultan

Because it is about rewarding good behavior that maximizes a player's potential. Look, if Jake Thomas is outperforming JJJ in practice...if he is playing to the game plan, understanding his role defensively, etc., starting JJJ over Thomas because of "potential" doesn't do Marquette or JJJ any good in the long run.

Furthermore I am not convinced that playing JJJ or Dawson would really improve MU's chances of winning anyway.

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On the other hand, many of us believe that playing Derrick and Jake together for extended minutes does not improve MU's chances of beating quality opponents. A real Catch-22 here..... We move on to the next game which provides another challenge for our starting guards in Bryce Cotton. Hoping for the best.