UNO Game Thread

Not sounding very good. I noticed that Carlino has only taken like three shots and Jajuan has not even scored.

77-68 Omaha leads. Not fast enough on defense, not efficient enough on offense. Carlino has been woeful.

5:46 to play.

JJ played so bad in the first half I don't think he is even playing much of at all in the 2nd....Carlino just launched a deep 3 ...5 seconds into the shot clock......

We just aren't very good....can't defend at all and can't rebound.....and this isn't a big team

Uno shooting like 60%

I knew MU was going to be bad this year but not this bad.

Homer just said "At least when they score they score quickly"....so we got that going for us which is nice.....

Thanks for the updates guys.

Carlino has been just horrid.......

Providence over Florida State 80-54. The rest of the Big East is taking care of business. MU not so much.

93-85, we're going to lose this. Ouch.

Worst loss since?

CollegeHoopNews ‏@CollegeHoopNews 2m2 minutes ago
Good win for Providence today 80-54 over Florida State. LaDontae Henton had 24pts for the Friars. #Friars

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Markedman

Worst loss since?

---

Have been trying to think of one. They recently converted from d2 to d1 if that puts things into perspective.

Really want to hear wojos post game comments. Nevermind the lack of talent, He's clearly not getting through to these guys. Transition defense and patience on offense are things he preached prior to and during the game and the players didn't give a damn about either.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by WindyCityGoldenEagle

Really want to hear wojos post game comments. Nevermind the lack of talent, He's clearly not getting through to these guys. Transition defense and patience on offense are things he preached prior to and during the game and the players didn't give a damn about either.

---

Way to early to make a statement like that. It's a bad loss, but this is a young inexperienced team, these things happen.

The bench can often be the best motivator, but that is a hollow threat with just nine eligible players on the roster. Wojo currently has little choice but to play guys regardless of how they follow the game plan.

Tough to see where we're at considering how I felt less than 2 years ago coming off an Elite 8. When it looked like we had Vander, Jamil, and Davante all coming back as seniors, quality developing depth in Steve, Juan, CO, and Derrick, and a landmark class with Deonte, Duane, and Jajuan. Who would have imagined it would all turn into what feels kind of like a dumpster fire this quickly?

It's not fair to put this all on Wojo. He is trying to manage another guy's players, and has very few guys with much defensive acumen. But still, this could be a tough season to watch. Hopefully they will develop and start to get it, but if not, how long will it take to really retool the roster? Fischer, Heldt, and Ellenson give us some size, and you figure the defense almost has to get better as these guys figure it out, but it could be 2-3 years before we really see what Wojo wants to do here.

It is always iffy when a new coach comes along. I think this team would look better under its old coach. There is a learning curve for the players, and for the coach, who just coached his third collegiate game. it looks like this season might not turn out to be better than expected, like I hoped. But it will have some good points, and the future is bright.

I think it is a bit of a cop out to say that this is another guy's players. He's had eight months to make them his players. Now I am not jumping off the ledge here, but this looks like a young team coached by someone without a great deal of experience. How they rebound from this over the next two weeks I think is going to tell a lot about how this season is going to pan out.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Alan Bykowski, "brewcity77"

Tough to see where we're at considering how I felt less than 2 years ago coming off an Elite 8. When it looked like we had Vander, Jamil, and Davante all coming back as seniors, quality developing depth in Steve, Juan, CO, and Derrick, and a landmark class with Deonte, Duane, and Jajuan. Who would have imagined it would all turn into what feels kind of like a dumpster fire this quickly?

It's not fair to put this all on Wojo. He is trying to manage another guy's players, and has very few guys with much defensive acumen. But still, this could be a tough season to watch. Hopefully they will develop and start to get it, but if not, how long will it take to really retool the roster? Fischer, Heldt, and Ellenson give us some size, and you figure the defense almost has to get better as these guys figure it out, but it could be 2-3 years before we really see what Wojo wants to do here.

---

When we went to the Elite 8 we had better guard play. Today, we have guards that can score but can't defend or guards that can defend that can't score. In a guards game that's not ideal.

We can score points. We can't stop anyone. Maybe we should try a zone or pack line defense.

I was more worried about the offense than the defense. Wojo has been publicly stressing defense. Aside from forcing turnovers what is different about the defense Wojo is trying to run? Does he not have the right personnel to run what he wants?

Say what you want about Buzz, but that guy adapted to his personnel.

I definitely see the deficiencies, just amazing how we feel so far so fast. That got me thinking of the differences between the team Buzz inherited and the one he left us with. What I wouldn't give for a Dwight Burke type on this team. And when you look at the Amigos they were all pretty good two way players. Same with Lazar. As good a recruiter as Buzz is, Crean did a much better job assembling a team.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MUwarrior1090

We can score points. We can't stop anyone. Maybe we should try a zone or pack line defense.

---

I was thinking about a zone but how well would it work with such a small team? Seems like the gaps in the zone would be bigger and easier to exploit.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by TheSultan

I think it is a bit of a cop out to say that this is another guy's players. He's had eight months to make them his players. Now I am not jumping off the ledge here, but this looks like a young team coached by someone without a great deal of experience. How they rebound from this over the next two weeks I think is going to tell a lot about how this season is going to pan out.

---

8 months isn't really that long, is it? Love him or hate him, I do think Chicos' philosophy about giving a coach 5 years before you really evaluate him is fair. I'm not saying you can't make some judgments earlier than that, but 8 months in the career of a college player is a pretty short time period.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Alan Bykowski, "brewcity77"

I was thinking about a zone but how well would it work with such a small team? Seems like the gaps in the zone would be bigger and easier to exploit.

---

Yeah, I'm not sure. What I do know is that the high, tight ball pressure isn't going to work when the guards can't stay in front of their man. Breaks down the entire defense right from the point.

The worst for me was in the second half when Carlino got blown by, chased his man, and fouled him from behind. One of those awful fouls you can see coming from a mile away. And a fifth year senior...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Alan Bykowski, "brewcity77"

The worst for me was in the second half when Carlino got blown by, chased his man, and fouled him from behind. One of those awful fouls you can see coming from a mile away. And a fifth year senior...

---

Derrick and Juan each had 2 bad turnovers in 2nd half when MU had tied the score or went up by 2. More senior leadership.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Alan Bykowski, "brewcity77"

I was thinking about a zone but how well would it work with such a small team? Seems like the gaps in the zone would be bigger and easier to exploit.

---

Yep not enough height or length to be effective in a Zone. Forget pressure and get the heck back on defense.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MKE_GoldenEagleFan

Way to early to make a statement like that. It's a bad loss, but this is a young inexperienced team, these things happen.

---

Agreed that it's early but after three games how can you say anything but hes not getting through to them. If you listened to him all week as well as during the huddles in today's game he preached patience on offense and transition defense. The players placed zero emphasis on either - how can you not say that? Can it change?...of course. But as of three games, experience or not, they are not hearing his message - it's evident.

As I've been posting for quite a while, this really is a rebuilding year from all perspectives. Just what it is. Enjoy watching the young guys develop. The seniors are not gonna win any games, so their PT should decrease as the season progresses.

With basically 7 guys he was willing to play today, Wojo had little options.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Halo

With basically 7 guys he was willing to play today, Wojo had little options.

---

Wonder what the deal is with Dawson... Two DNPs in a row with only 4 minutes in the UTM game.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Nukem2

Wonder what the deal is with Dawson... Two DNPs in a row with only 4 minutes in the UTM game.

---

He stinks? That's my guess.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kneelb4zerg

He stinks? That's my guess.

---

Wow...that was cruel and crude.... (:

It's a little blunt, but Dawson is obviously not as good as some people think he is.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by TheSultan

It's a little blunt, but Dawson is obviously not as good as some people think he is.

---

Not blunt, just unseemly crude.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by TheSultan

It's a little blunt, but Dawson is obviously not as good as some people think he is.

---

Quite honestly, a number of players are no where near as good as fans had hoped. The ripping of Wojo on the other boards by some is pathetic. He was dealt a shi##y hand. Hard to believe JJJ was a Top 40 player. I just don't see it. No front line. Dawson can't even get off the bench to call a timeout. Is he that bad? This team is in a world of hurt. Luke will help but this is still going to be a very long season.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by 79warrior

Quite honestly, a number of players are no where near as good as fans had hoped. The ripping of Wojo on the other boards by some is pathetic. He was dealt a shi##y hand. Hard to believe JJJ was a Top 40 player. I just don't see it. No front line. Dawson can't even get off the bench to call a timeout. Is he that bad? This team is in a world of hurt. Luke will help but this is still going to be a very long season.

---

I don't think Wojo is completely without blame here. He wasn't dealt a "sh**y" hand. He was dealt an incomplete team with a lot of athleticism and talent. Certainly enough to be able to beat Nebraska-Omaha at home. I am also concerned about transition defense and hustle in general. In many ways that's a coaching issue. Someone floated elsewhere that he might be used to dealing with players who have had better coaching in high school - that Duke targeted those types of players. And we have talked before how raw Deonte and JJJ were when they got to MU. Maybe he is just learning that.

Now I am not going to throw a freshman coach under the bus after three games just like I am not going to throw a freshman player under the bus. I think Wojo is going to have a bright future as a head coach. But he has things to learn and experience as well. If it were easy, everyone could do it.