Topic: GAME THREAD - MU vs FAU

[Herdiowa]

The only thing exciting about Herd bball now is the anticipation of who we will see in rotation game to game


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I have to disagree.  You always the drama of whether Dan will step down after the season or not.

[coalherd]

9th straight loss, with 8 of them being by double digits.  Coach says its "youth" and team is trying hard.  Can't use the "youth" excuse and, if valid, that's on him and his flawed recruiting strategies and failures.  Don't dispute that team is giving effort.  Bottom line is that Danny won't acknowledge this team lacks ENOUGH Quality and experienced TALENT to be a realistic contender in CUSA basketball this season.

[herd2win]

Unacceptable to say we are losing because of youth.

[parshall2marshall]

Outside of FIU, which of those other two can we beat? I ask because I haven't really followed the conference this season.

As for today, this team continues to show it cannot shoot the ball. 13% from three, if I remember correctly. Defense is like always. No change there. They shot 43% for the game and D'Antoni says that's okay. What? Good defenses don't allow that. As for the effort, I'm glad they didn't quit. Tavion needs to be rested more in the game. As far as I can remember, he didn't come out in the 2nd half. Tough homestand coming up.

Based only on the fact that neither is staying in CUSA.  ;D  ;D  ;D ;D

[RollingThunder80]

https://youtu.be/y2EEgqxynaE

Post game interview

DD pitched the youth excuse again.  That is infuriating to me.  Whose fault is that buddy? You just lost 9 in a row with 100% your guys. Are the guys playing hard? Yes absolutely no one questions that.  The problem is it?s year 8 and you and your crew sat at ease for too long and look what happened?.we are woefully outmatched game after game after game.

[herdfan129]

I just could not watch today...I don't enjoy it as I should.  Looked afterward at boxscore and thread...could not see why Obinna was seemingly ineffective.   I did not see foul trouble...and few shots.   He seemed to be coming on strong and then just disappears.  Does anybody know why?

Because Kinsey shoots it every time he gets the ball and DD allows it.

[herdfan129]

I thought Braun provided good minutes today. Kid played very hard, grabbed rebounds, and a lot of loose balls.

[GreenWhite]

Because Kinsey shoots it every time he gets the ball and DD allows it.

I've said that before.

[lexkyherdfan]

DD pitched the youth excuse again.  That is infuriating to me.  Whose fault is that buddy? You just lost 9 in a row with 100% your guys. Are the guys playing hard? Yes absolutely no one questions that.  The problem is it?s year 8 and you and your crew sat at ease for too long and look what happened?.we are woefully outmatched game after game after game.

He may be finally playing a few of the actually young guys now but why is that?  We are way into the season and he didn?t play them early.  And if we are having to play young guys then whose fault is that?  He needs to stop that excuse. We are going through motions just like Doc did with football his last few years but at least Docs last year we lucked into the championship game. 

I do like DD and want him to be successful but if he can?t see the recruiting is an issue then he needs to walk away. 

[wasbarryb]

For me, even worse than the we're young excuse is the I don't know what to do admission.

I admire honesty and admitting you don't know what to do is honest, but it's his job to either know or be able to figure out what to do.  Accepting a pay check when you aren't able to do the job is also a matter of honesty.  If he can't figure out how to solve the problem then it is time to admit it's time to go.

[herdfifteen]

His bringing up that we are young as an excuse has me worried he is in the process of telling us he plans to return. He compared our lineup on the floor with our opponent but fails to mention this youthful lineup hasn?t been playing this year, until now.

[svherd]

I would say he will come back for one more year and announce at the beginning of next year, he is retiring.

[wlf]

Starters can?t shoot because they never could except Taylor and his shot and offensive confidence is all screwed up. Fricks can shoot and seemed to be  a D1 prospect before his injury.

The other shooters don?t play because they?re not D1 talent for various reasons. We?ve tried them all. You can?t do what you can?t do.

[Garbanjo]

His bringing up that we are young as an excuse has me worried he is in the process of telling us he plans to return. He compared our lineup on the floor with our opponent but fails to mention this youthful lineup hasn?t been playing this year, until now.

Our roster is atrocious for his style so it?s not gonna get better next year

Can?t shoot, can?t dribble

I can?t see the new AD keeping DD

[MUonium]

half these players need to quit or be let go after this year

[miltonherdfan]

I thought Braun provided good minutes today. Kid played very hard, grabbed rebounds, and a lot of loose balls.

he did.  but he's a 22% shooter, he's not a solution to our problem.

[MidlandKnight]

he did.  but he's a 22% shooter, he's not a solution to our problem.

I don't think the sample size is big enough to tell how effective he will be. Braun has played in eleven games (six of those game being five minutes or less), three were in November, six in December, and two in January. A perfect example of my biggest complaint against Danny, with the exception Kinsey, Taylor, Oak, and George nobody else on this team knows their role or has the confidence to play into their role. The message by the coaching staff has been pretty clear, they are grasping at straws.   

[MidlandKnight]

Our roster is atrocious for his style so it?s not gonna get better next year

Can?t shoot, can?t dribble

I can?t see the new AD keeping DD

I was listening to former college coaches Tim Welsh and Tom Browning this morning on ESPNU radio. They were discussing the transfer portal and how coaches that didn't adapt and successfully use the portal would find it tough to maintain or develop a winning program. Essentially said those programs would find their better players transferring and relying on freshmen to replace them.

I couldn't help but think of Danny.

[coalherd]

Stats in yesterday's loss at FAU tell me a lot about what's wrong with our program, IMO.  Guards are supposed to be, usually, among the, if not the, best outside shooters in most BB programs.  But as we know, our guards are struggling in that department, particularly from distance.

Well, yesterday we lost the rebounding battle by 7 or 8.  Had no offensive rebounding of mention down the stretch when trying to come from behind.  Stats in today's paper indicated that our top rebounders had 7, 6 and 5 total rebounds.  Those were by, respectively, Kinsey, Taylor and Early, ALL GUARDS, I believe, in our system!  Does anyone else wonder why that, other than just effort, Taylor, at 6'3", is game in and game out one of our rebounding leaders??  Otherwise, we had 4 total rebounds, in not a whole of minutes, from our 7-footer, Goran, and a WHOPPING 0 rebounds from OAK.  Yep, our two biggest guys on the floor came across with a vast TOTAL of FOUR rebounds!  Our other big man, Byers, who apparently envisions himself as our long-range sharpshooter and play making floor general, did not playl!  Apparently, his absence indicates that Danny D. has finally tired of that delusion!!

I can't help wondering if our front-line guys, including George when he is in, got a few more rebounds while playing that guys like Taylor, Kinsey, etc., wouldn't expend as much energy in that phase of the game.  More rebounds too, particularly on offense, could, and should, result in more put backs and close in shots, which would require defenses to play tighter D on the inside, freeing up our guards for lesser contested outside shots, including 3 pointers.  Don't get me wrong, I like the fact that Obinna has a decent outside shot, including from distance.  But Danny should STRONGLY emphasize to him that that should NOT be the main weapon in his offensive arsenal!  Coach needs to let OAK know that he needs more from him in REBOUNDING on both ends of the floor, and more scoring production on the INSIDE, in the lane, around the rim.  Blocking shots and shooting 3s should not be the main parts of Obinna's overall game, IMO.

Personally, when we have a big with the ball at the top of the foul land, in the post, instead of just o regular pick and roll, I would also like to see us employ more often cutters, slashers along the baseline towards the basket for back door layups, shots, from time to time.  We used to do it semi-regularly with success with C. J. Burks, and have done it infrequently with Darius George getting to the rim, with a dunk, etc.  But that's just my personal preference!

[2xBison]

I don't think the sample size is big enough to tell how effective he will be. Braun has played in eleven games (six of those game being five minutes or less), three were in November, six in December, and two in January. A perfect example of my biggest complaint against Danny, with the exception Kinsey, Taylor, Oak, and George nobody else on this team knows their role or has the confidence to play into their role. The message by the coaching staff has been pretty clear, they are grasping at straws.

Speaking of Braun and threes.  It seems we rarely move the ball quickly and hit a spotted up shooter for the three.  Even when Byers was getting time, he shot out front many times off the dribble, but in many cases he would be spotted up on weak side of floor and we wouldn't pass the ball for the shot.  I noticed Braun in the last game, he came in and shot two badly missed threes, then he hit a nice three.  I'm thinking o.k., he's at 33% today maybe he's settling in and can shoot some.  Soon after he made that three, TK has ball on strong side with three more MU players and the defense in center of floor or strong side, Braun is spotted up alone on weak side.  Do we throw it to him to shoot?  he just made a nice three and is open.  No, we don't.  TK has the ball, dribble dribble dribble then tosses it out of bounds with no look to the open shooter on other side of the floor.

[Biggreensportsfan]

That's our main problem maybe dribble, dribble  shoot or one pass or turnover, we have got to swing it til we get a open man or drive and dish it back out to a open man if we are going to shoot that many 3's. And I'm not a genius or a basketball coach but why in the hell isn't he putting Collins in the game. He watches him in practice everyday shoot 3's alot of them he is the most consistent shooter we have SMH.

[herd33]

Until we have a guard who is a threat to penetrate (and score) consistently, our offense will sputter. 
You can whip the ball around the 3-point line as fast as you like, but as long as the defense is in man-to-man it takes successful penetration to pull other defenders off their man to help.  Otherwise, you see what we are seeing each game- players having to create (and often force) their own shots.  I think that is a big part of why our shooting percentages (particularly from 3) are so low.

JMO

[RollingThunder80]

Until we have a guard who is a threat to penetrate (and score) consistently, our offense will sputter. 
You can whip the ball around the 3-point line as fast as you like, but as long as the defense is in man-to-man it takes successful penetration to pull other defenders off their man to help.  Otherwise, you see what we are seeing each game- players having to create (and often force) their own shots.  I think that is a big part of why our shooting percentages (particularly from 3) are so low.

JMO

Agreed 100%.  We just do not have a guard who can dribble drive and cut up the D.  Every good team has guys like that.  I will say I am less confident than you that we would make many more 3 balls even with better looks.  We havent made many of the few good looks we have gotten thus far this year.

[miltonherdfan]

Agreed 100%.  We just do not have a guard who can dribble drive and cut up the D.  Every good team has guys like that.  I will say I am less confident than you that we would make many more 3 balls even with better looks.  We havent made many of the few good looks we have gotten thus far this year.

agreed.  the 3-pt shot, for the most part, needs gutted from our offensive game plan.  i'm not saying 0 attempts.  but it should never be the 1st priority on that end of the floor.  & the next player that chucks 1 on a fast break would be grabbing a seat on the bench.

[coalherd]

Agree with most of the previous posts which seem to suggest we have a problem with (1) too much dribbling, and, especially when we aren't in a fast break but in our set offense, (2) too slow in ball rotation from side to side, etc., to try and get the best open shot.