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SFN & Techies,
Using a Droid Razr Maxx. The site resolves in half screen format (to the left side). You have to enlarge it. Happens on every refresh. The response box is extremely touchy and you lose text. It also reverts to a wider screen and you can not see all the text. The older format was easy to use. This one is not.
However, on a PC, it is much better. Mobile needs to be reviewed.
ON THE GAME…I was there. Upper level of GC was not used. Three sections of one end zone were blocked. Crowd was decidedly RED. Looked like a PNC game. Unfortunately, not a LOT of energy from RED…Admittedly the pep band and the Announcer (OMG….what a MORON. He is a throwback to the PROJECTION ENUNCIATION of the 60’s…I had a few lessons….IRRITATING) kept TALKING. The music was blaring….it was TOUGH to get any “opponent” cheers going.
The Team, save Vandy looked OK at the outset. Vandy was AWOL. Gott pulled him and spent more time with him, 1 on 1, than I have seen this year. We never had any interior play. We seemed to be waiting for a gift basket of rebounds, rather than getting in position and getting them.
When TJ is the leading rebounder…we have a problem. We finally climbed out of the hole we dug towards end of H2.
THEN, we came out like a team that had had it’s rear chewed out and all the perks such as the NCSU Equivalent of Sweet Carolines REMOVED. That worked for a while and you can not keep that mental edge or intensity….so it faded.
BUT, we did have a sizeable lead. We played tentatively and UNCG (even HB Wes) stepped up. We missed critical FT’s and TJ threw away the ball…but God bless him, he is our scorer.
Cat scored more points, but still seems intent on improving his APPG than dishing off. TJ looked like Whitt had been coaching him or maybe Gott and he decided to try out his new 3-pt shot. 3 PT Shooting is NOT TJ’s strong point.
The RED Crowd really got into it within the last 5 minutes. I personally think they should have been chosen POG…
UGLY WIN….but a W.
Hats off to the Lady Wolves….what a season. Pity the poll filler-outers don’t recognize that.My non-conference assessment. We struggle to shoot the ball outside the paint, and we’re not great defensively, which means we’re in for a rough season unless one, or both, improve significantly, or we began to play a different style that masks our deficiencies.
Warren has a knack for scoring, moves well without the ball, gets to the boards, and scores well in transition, but he’s not going to beat most 3’s in the ACC off the dribble. When the shot clock winds down, he still needs someone to get him a good look.
Barber is a game changer for us but he’s been erratic. He gets into the paint so easily, but he’s not a great finisher yet and he doesn’t find the open man often enough. Lewis benefited last year from playing with a highly efficient offense that rarely saw zones. His inability to beat his man, penetrate a zone, make the 3 consistently, or play defense just makes it hard to get him on the court.
I still think our best lineup is 1 big, doesn’t really matter who (Vandy, Anya, Freeman, Washington) and Warren, Turner, Lee, and Barber. Turner has to play more. I know he takes ill advised shots but he’s still the best option from 3. We’re going to struggle to rebound regardless of who’s in the lineup, so you might as well score the ball.
Great assessment Whiteshoes. You captured the essence of this team perfectly. 13 games into the season, and the team still hasn’t figured out the zone. Unfortunately you need to be able to score from outside to discourage zone defenses, and other than Turner (and Cat from time to time), we have nobody. I thought Dez might help in that area, but it doesn’t look like that will happen.
RedIsGood,
Last night the radio guys (and maybe Gott) talked about how Lee has been improving. He was interviewed last night and was in double figures. At the game, he looked like one of the guys who had their head(s) on straight.
Look at his stats….I did not do a thorough analysis, but he seems to be coming around and will be a contributor….and probably keep his starting job.
TJ “TRIED” to be Whitt last night….needs more work or else all Whitt showed him was the great PASS of 1983. Turner never got in the groove last night.
Pitt Panthers will be a real test…
Today, the team went to the infirmary to get their rear ends treated from the excessive verbal abuse (and possible physical injury) that Gott used at half and also later on…
BUT….a W is still a W….and as Jimmy V said….no one looks at the difference in the scores a year from now nor how pretty or ugly it was….
I read some of these comments and I wonder what some of your expectations were at the beginning of the year. If you aren’t pleasantly surprised by this team I think you may need to re-calibrate.
As far as not fairing well against the zone I don’t see how you say that. I have seen us slash though, shoot over, lob over, dribble through and offensive rebound against the zone. In fact I think we were a little surprised by not seeing the zone that much last night.
Tennessee stomped a Virginia team that I believe was a top 25 squad not too long ago. After the first 3 teams this conference is wide open. Everybody relax.
^I reserved all expectations until I’d watched a few games. If healthy, and if we can consistently improve, the pieces are in place to hover around .500 mark, perhaps exceed that mark in the ACC and punch a tournament ticket.
After a few years watching Gottfried’s teams, I’m still puzzled. This team has a chance to be his best defensive team. It needs to be in order for this team to excel. Unlike past teams, we’re simply not efficient enough on the offensive end to be able to offset poor defense. According to Kenpom, we rank 107 in adjusted defense and 64 in adjusted offense. And the level of competition doesn’t give much room for optimism.
We won’t be finishing .500 in conference – at least not as it stands today. We have a LONG way to go to become a contender.
WTF was up with Warren at the end?
Was there an answer to this? I can make an educated guess, but given the cameras caught both the free throw confrontation and the hand-shaking scuffle, I would have expected it to come up in the post-game comments.
@Wulfpack did you think Syracuse entering our conference, Duke getting the next Carmelo and us losing our entire starting line up was the short cut to becoming a title contender?
Guys…we are a young team that is usually greater than the sum of its parts. Our only star caliber guy doesn’t really create his own shot, certainly in the half-court. Our fatal flaw is horrid FT shooting.
That’s a definitive recipe for inconsistency. We will look alternatively great, then awful. Sometimes in the same game. I am still quite confident we will be a mid-range ACC team, with doing better than that more likely than cratering.
Just relax and enjoy the ride.
Oh, and I think the fatigue is more mental than physical.
I surely did not, no. I knew we would struggle, and we have. Conference play will be very difficult.
@BJD95 I agree. After seeing ECU push Duke to the limit in Cameron I was terrified that we were going to be swept by ECU in B-Ball and Football. I enjoyed that game so much I went home and watched the replay. My face hurt I was smiling so much.
There is parity in college basketball. Don’t take wins for granted.
The Cat is a freshman and he will get better…
One observation…
He likes the ball at the top of key and his first impulse is to use his quickness to beat his man on the dance/dribble/drive.
OK… he doesn’t seem to have a whole lot of problems getting by people but…
He’s predictable… 90% to left; maybe 10% to the right… and he drops his head every time he goes by someone.
Which creates the “problem”… when he drops his head he can’t see his team mates who are open for a pass. By the time (two steps later) he get’s his head back up… the defense has collapsed on him and he’s up in the air with two or three defenders on him with no where to go and nothing to do but shoot what’s now a low percentage shot and “hope” for a whistle or try to make a pass somewhere….
If he makes the shot or gets the foul called… he’s golden but fundamentally these percentages are very much against him…
Solution: Practice, Practice, Practice… and more Practice….
1. Keep his head at top speed
2. See where his teammates are supposed to be… there should be one
on the blocks for the layout
sitting on the wing for the open jumper,
and one behind for the outlet…
and see where they actually are.
3. Think defensive help is always on the way…
And read the defense… see who’s collapsing and who’s not…
4. If the D collapses, Look for the pass first as the reads on #2 and #3 above indicate… and the shot second
If not, shoot the 8 foot jumper or take the ball to the basket…
5. Once he GOTT “all of this” working to the left…Develop the same move to the right with an equal effectiveness…Until he stops dropping his head… none of the rest of them will matter much…
For a demo… just watch how Tyler does it… most of the time…
The “big bonus” is that at the same time he’s doing all this… he making his team mates play better. Most of Vandy’s problems last night were that he just didn’t touch the ball enough… same for a few other of our guys.
#NCSU-North Carolina's #1 FOOTBALL school!bill- I see where you’re coming from (re: Cat) and I don’t necessarily disagree, but…
I like how low Cat gets when attacking a defender one-on-one. It contributes to his explosive first, second, and third steps, but he stays too low for too long. The issue, imo, is that he doesn’t look up until he’s in the lane handcuffed underneath someone’s armpit.
Call me overly optimistic, but I think this team will show much improvement as the season moves along. Most everyone in the conference is sporting 9-10+ wins as we conclude the “lite” part of the OC schedule and begin the ACC grind.
Although there is much work to be done fundamentally in areas such as FT’s, defensive intensity, rebounding and closing out games, there are some solids with this team. We seem to be taking better care of the ball with reduced turnover numbers. Youthful enthusiasm and talent is apparent with this team and it goes to the bench as well.
Huge unknowns that can derail the entire effort include key injuries, two or three scorers showing up in double figures on a consistent basis and maturation of these young guys. Some of these things can be learned/coached and some you either have or you don’t as a player (speed, athleticism, physical size).
Perhaps the most important element in the whole equation is Gott and his staff’s development throughout the season. Barring any catastrophic injury to key individuals, there is a lot to work with with this team. Teaching and learning can happen at an amazing rate if the student is willing. So far, these guys seem to be listening and applying it on the court.
There will be some freshman moments and perhaps some implosions along the way, but I see a work in progress with a lot more upside than we have seen in a number of years. Each game will provide a different and critical challenge, beginning with Pitt on Saturday.
^red… you got it…
the edit function here is restricted….
#1 above should have read… (Cat should…)” Keep his head UP at top speed all the time ”
It’s a common thing with guys who “dance” when they make that quick first step….
When their head bobbles their eyes close… and court vision is impaired until as you said they are two or steps down the floor.
Same thing happens to wide receivers on the football field… If their head bobbles when they run fast… they end up playing defensive back.And if you missed it…. the “view” from the baseline is posted here…
#NCSU-North Carolina's #1 FOOTBALL school!
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