Game 9, 2019-20: South Carolina (12/4)

[inthescoop]

May be an unpopular opinion, but I think that this is a good athletic group to try a zone defense with.

[umass2msu]

This is a game we SHOULD have won. Disappointed is an understatement. McCall... do NOT press all the time. Know your opponent so you know when to zone and when to press.

[TheInsider]

Not unpopular at all.. this team is talented. This loss is on coaching. It's ok to go away from what you think you are.. being a pressing team doesn't mean you have to do it against teams that break it easily which lead to them having way more FG attempts.

[UMassHoops]

MM better figure out pretty quick you can’t use a high school press against NCAA athletes.

[TheInsider]

SC had 11 more FG attempts and 10 more made baskets (hello lay-ups).. you can do the math. It's really not hard to figure out what the issue is. Honestly theres a reason why 99% of the other D1 teams in the country dont press 100% of the time.

[TruBluMaroon]

SC had 11 more FG attempts and 10 more made baskets (hello lay-ups).. you can do the math. It's really not hard to figure out what the issue is. Honestly theres a reason why 99% of the other D1 teams in the country dont press 100% of the time.

The higher FG attempts was a result of the more free throw attempts by UM.

[Jackson96]

Welp, they are young and bound to take some lumps and they are taking them. Turnovers have become an issue as they face bigger, stronger teams than they did earlier in the year. Defensive rebounding has been an issue since ‘Nam it feels like (well at least a few years now). The press is pretty crappy and there don’t seem to be many plan B’s floating around at that end of the floor. I don’t think the coaching staff has done them many favors the last few games.

I also don’t think St Johns, Rutgers or SC are particularly good teams but they are bigger, stronger and more athletic. They are better than we are at this stage. But we didn’t make any of them play lefthanded (as the Patriots press loves to say about Belichick.) I get wanting to instill a style and a culture. I also believe the best in-game coaches figure out how to give their teams the best chance to win. I don’t feel like that has happened recently.

All that said, I still feel pretty good about the future of the team — they do give a shit, they seem like good kids and there is some real talent there. I do have some real concerns about this vaunted press defense and the insistence to stick with it, but I am going to try and give it time.

Shit, though, having a young team is hard especially when it’s coming as part of a reset on top of a reset.

[bobolink]

that was awful, and it's on the coach. The press accomplished a couple things:
1. give away tons of layups, dunks, and easy offensive put-backs to an opponent that shoots poorly
2. wear out our own team, leading to mistakes when it counted the most late in the game

This makes 3 games in a row against P5 teams where both of these occurred. There will be freshman mistakes, like Sean East's bone-head foul with 1 second left in the first half, and pushing it to Djery on offense, but this one was mostly on the coach. The press will NOT work against better teams. It will NOT work on the road. It will work in at most 1 or 2 A-10 games.

Hate to lose against a very beatable SEC team, perhaps the weakest in that conference, and on our home court.

Not many positives here, although East and Chatman seem to be gaining even as they make mistakes.

[Jeff90]

I already vented about the constant pressing earlier as most of you did as well. That issue aside to be more positive We have a lot of talent and a lot of young talent. Still exited to watch this team grow. Coach please alternate your defenses a little more.

[Almontis]

This team has potential, but the coaching staff has to put them in better position to succeed.

It looks like Tony has his thing, and I noticed during timeouts, Paul Cormier talking animatedly to McCall.

I think they'll shake through this.

I also wouldn't move to zone so quickly given their rebounding inadequacy. They often play pretty good man defense when set. The press should be more strategic.. I think. The layup drill thing can't continue.

[vanmeter]

We have lost to four teams full of bricklayers. Why not play a half court defense and force them to make shots. Bad coaching can make up for lots of talent.

[DoctorJ]

Clearly we are still a work in progress. Glad I only heard it on radio and couldn't see the press.

So we clearly have work to do. Too many turnovers still.

I'd like to go into conference play still having more wins than losses. Next four games will be interesting to watch.

I don't want to get frustrated at a team full of freshmen and sophomores for not beating power five conference opponents.

[Jackson96]

These struggles have me struggling trying to balance the “they are young!” vs. “C’mon figure this shit out!” It’s hard - especially in the heat of the moment.

I just know after the first ten minutes, the defense was not good tonight — when they pressed, in the halfcourt, across the board really. Some of that is they are young and some of that is coaching I think. I am all for having a belief in your system but I am also all for figuring out how to make the other team have to do what they don’t do well.

At the other end they have some good stretches but they have to get stronger and smarter with the ball. I do think that comes with experience. Plus they right now here’s what they really have: a couple of shooters, a freshman big, and a freshman point guard who can be very effective but isn’t the most explosive kid out there. The rest are all role players at least at this point of their careers.

Maybe the Garcia kid everyone on Twitter is sporting pink steel about helps create offense. And maybe the press gets better with more bodies who are better suited to it like Garcia, McCory, and Walker. Maybe. Shit that’s next year though...

For now, I’ll settle for seeing improvements next time on the floor from everyone, including the coaching staff. And that especially goes for Bergeron’s choice in suit coats — fuck that thing was awful. Even more awful when you wear it while losing your fourth straight game.

[Acer71]

The potential is there and I still see a lot of fight in them, but man the coaching staff needs to help them on D! I mean I can't count the number of drives to the hoop they allowed!

[vanmeter]

I doubt Bergeron shops at Brooks Brothers.