Senior Leadership

[ATL MU Warrior]

Well, if we find out after the fact about infighting and a team divided, sure.  Of course, Sam, Joey, and Markus were all banged up that season, too.   But injuries are just an excuse, not a reason, when a player is wearing an MU uniform.

Not the cause, the results.  Doesn't need to be infighting

[Zog from Margo]

Sometimes a team needs a guy that's just cocky, ultra-competitive, not afraid to be a bit of an a-hole on the court, and good enough to back it up. That attitude can be infectious (see TKO and Diener).

[The Sultan]

Sometimes a team needs a guy that's just cocky, ultra-competitive, not afraid to be a bit of an a-hole on the court, and good enough to back it up. That attitude can be infectious (see TKO and Diener).

I don't think that's their problem.

[GoldenEagles03]

There are two problems:
a) Joplin.  When he doesn't have the ball, he's like a 6th defender.  His screens are terrible and he brings his defender into the action to help on the ball which takes opportunities away from Kam.  When he does have the ball, he's a turnover.  Jop is the worst player on the team bar the walkons and just needs to sit.  You can see that he's causing chemistry problems because he's taking opportunities away from better players.  Sit him, replace him with anyone, and the team will improve.  Give him a little run after the first tv timeout and if he makes his first shot he can play longer.  If he drives or misses, he gets yanked. 
b) There is no offensive system.  I see others saying that the system is fine.  The system is now out of date and too easy to defend.  Look at Xavier and Creighton and (god forbid - with a guy I think is a horrible head coach) Villanova.  They have an offensive system that gets easy buckets and open 3's.  Nevada Smith has to go and Shaka needs to hire an offensive coordinator to put in a system.  Last year's system was better because 15 PNR per game is tough to defend.  Why they don't run more PNR this year is a mystery. 
I'm not anti-Shaka yet because I think culture is important, but if there are not changes immediately - changes which are sooooo obvious - then I'll have to stop supporting Shaka.  Both of the above problems are on Shaka. 

I agree with B.

Listened a Pitino interview where he said he's installing 5 new plays to keep defenses on their heels. We don't have plays. We run basic pro-style pick and pops. It can be difficult to defend, but definitely not when you can't shoot.

They need sets. The announcers mentioned at least 4 times yesterday how Marquette had no one in the paint on offense. 5 guys just standing on the perimeter waiting for the ball handler to make a move.

[The Sultan]

I agree with B.

??? B was full of absurd statements.

There is no offensive system.  I see others saying that the system is fine.  The system is now out of date and too easy to defend. 

So he starts with there is no system...but then has complaints about the system. (So he contradicts himself immediately.) Furthermore, how is the system "out of date?" Was it not out of date two months ago?

They have an offensive system that gets easy buckets and open 3's.  Nevada Smith has to go and Shaka needs to hire an offensive coordinator to put in a system. 

Marquette is getting PLENTY of open 3s. That's not the problem. They aren't hitting them. So defenses sag, limit ball movement, and collapse on players when they get into the lane. I'm not sure what the "system" is supposed to do when players simply aren't hitting shots.

Furthermore the idea of Smart getting rid of Nevada Smith is ABSOLUTELY hilarious considering what Shaka's teams have done offensively up until the last few weeks.

[#UnleashSean]

I agree with B.

Listened a Pitino interview where he said he's installing 5 new plays to keep defenses on their heels. We don't have plays. We run basic pro-style pick and pops. It can be difficult to defend, but definitely not when you can't shoot.

They need sets. The announcers mentioned at least 4 times yesterday how Marquette had no one in the paint on offense. 5 guys just standing on the perimeter waiting for the ball handler to make a move.

That's called a 5 man out. It's deliberate.

[The Sultan]

That's called a 5 man out. It's deliberate.

Correct. Furthermore, it was understandable why they moved to it before the season began. Gold is a different type of big than Oso.

And it was working...until the shooting went downhill.

[#UnleashSean]

Correct. Furthermore, it was understandable why they moved to it before the season began. Gold is a different type of big than Oso.

And it was working...until the shooting went downhill.

I'd like to see someone other then ross make use of the dunk position. But alas, poor ben just wants to shoot. Could be so strong from that spot.

[GoldenEagles03]

That's called a 5 man out. It's deliberate.

Which doesn't work well when you can't shoot. The looks remain good, they just can't shoot and aren't just going to magically break out.

Gotta find ways to get to the basket, draw fouls.

5 out can be tough to guard, but it gets easier to guard when you wear it out and run the same constant motions out of the one set.

[The Sultan]

Gotta find ways to get to the basket, draw fouls.

They had 57 two point shots yesterday - presumably all from the lane. And shot 42% on them. Not good.

Again, since they don't have a post up type of offense, it gets really hard if you don't hit shots. I don't think anyone thought THIS team would shoot 32.4% from three. That is ultimately the problem.

[Vander Blue Man Group]

I agree with B.

Listened a Pitino interview where he said he's installing 5 new plays to keep defenses on their heels. We don't have plays. We run basic pro-style pick and pops. It can be difficult to defend, but definitely not when you can't shoot.

They need sets. The announcers mentioned at least 4 times yesterday how Marquette had no one in the paint on offense. 5 guys just standing on the perimeter waiting for the ball handler to make a move.

The team doesn't have a secondary creator like it had with Oso last season. That facet has been a huge loss. 

[#UnleashSean]

Which doesn't work well when you can't shoot. The looks remain good, they just can't shoot and aren't just going to magically break out.

Gotta find ways to get to the basket, draw fouls.

5 out can be tough to guard, but it gets easier to guard when you wear it out and run the same constant motions out of the one set.

Huh? Maybe 5th-8th grade 5 man out is designed to Chuck up open 3s. But the bigger picture in the 5 man out is all the open lanes for drives and cuts. Which marquette excels at getting to. They just shot 42% from 2point.

[BCHoopster]

Which doesn't work well when you can't shoot. The looks remain good, they just can't shoot and aren't just going to magically break out.

Gotta find ways to get to the basket, draw fouls.

5 out can be tough to guard, but it gets easier to guard when you wear it out and run the same constant motions out of the one set.

Offense ran beautifully when they had a center who could run the pick and roll, right now they are lacking that person, get very few easy buckets. Secondly they do not make open shots and time to recruit a kid who has a jump shot.

[GoldenEagles03]

They had 57 two point shots yesterday - presumably all from the lane. And shot 42% on them. Not good.

Again, since they don't have a post up type of offense, it gets really hard if you don't hit shots. I don't think anyone thought THIS team would shoot 32.4% from three. That is ultimately the problem.

The problem appears to be that anytime Joplin or Gold come to screen for the ball handler, it is an automatic pop. There is rarely, almost never, a roll. Our forwards don't like playing near the basket and that's a problem. Taking shots inside the arc is one thing, but getting good ones is another thing. Their most open looks have been 3s and that's why I think they settle for them.

Ben had a perfect opportunity for a layup or dunk yesterday and he pulled up for a floater...someone needs to remind him he's 6'11" and would be tough to guard in the paint. We need our forwards to be willing to get to the basket.

[Big Papi]

Yes.  If Kam and Joplin hit 3's at a rate consistent with their first 3 seasons, most of the angst would never have happened.   Alas.

Maybe they were getting better looks and shots with 2 of the all great passers in MU history. 

[GoldenEagles03]

The problem appears to be that anytime Joplin or Gold come to screen for the ball handler, it is an automatic pop. There is rarely, almost never, a roll. Our forwards don't like playing near the basket and that's a problem. Taking shots inside the arc is one thing, but getting good ones is another thing. Their most open looks have been 3s and that's why I think they settle for them.

Ben had a perfect opportunity for a layup or dunk yesterday and he pulled up for a floater...someone needs to remind him he's 6'11" and would be tough to guard in the paint. We need our forwards to be willing to get to the basket.

And I think Royce helps a lot in this area. He can play well at the basket and with his back to the basket.

[#UnleashSean]

The problem appears to be that anytime Joplin or Gold come to screen for the ball handler, it is an automatic pop. There is rarely, almost never, a roll. Our forwards don't like playing near the basket and that's a problem. Taking shots inside the arc is one thing, but getting good ones is another thing. Their most open looks have been 3s and that's why I think they settle for them.

Ben had a perfect opportunity for a layup or dunk yesterday and he pulled up for a floater...someone needs to remind him he's 6'11" and would be tough to guard in the paint. We need our forwards to be willing to get to the basket.

I don't think we're in a disagreement that both jop and gold should get inside more

[GoldenEagles03]

I don't think we're in a disagreement that both jop and gold should get inside more

It's weird to me. Joplin actually looks strong when he makes a point to back down a defender and go off 2 feet. He usually does it once every game or at least every few games...then he just goes away from it. Ben almost never tries.

At least when Ben misses 3s though, he doesn't force. If Joplin is missing 3s, he has no problem going 0-6 to try and shoot his way out of it.

I still feel confident they can figure it out. Just frustrating seeing them continue to do the same old same old.

[Pakuni]

Lol. Yes.  It's amazing these changes that are "sooo obvious" can't be seen by the head coach. 🙄🙄🙄

One month of bad ball and Scoopers want to throw out what has been successful for the previous three seasons.

Again the collective resilience of tissue paper.

Fan resilience? That's new one.

Anyhow, at what point should a coach say "this isn't working, maybe we need to adjust?"
Six weeks? Two months? A couple of seasons?
I'd always been under the impression that coaches should adjust as circumstances dictate, not based on an arbitrary timeline.

[The Sultan]

Fan resilience? That's new one.

Anyhow, at what point should a coach say "this isn't working, maybe we need to adjust?"
Six weeks? Two months? A couple of seasons?
I'd always been under the impression that coaches should adjust as circumstances dictate, not based on an arbitrary timeline.

Yeah I have addressed this already. Not many adjustments that can be made when you're not shooting well.

[MU82]

I would be shocked if Shaka made any changes to the starting lineup. He may get Zaide, Owens, and Parham a lot more playing time, but the starting group will remain the same. Hamilton also needs more time so Shaka can figure out if he can really play or not. At this point, it is all about next year.

High-level coaches simply don't think like this - especially coaches of ranked, 20-win teams that are locks for the NCAA Tournament.

The development of next season's team will take place in the summer, early fall and then into the season, not in a few games at the end of this one.

Now, Shaka very well might play the younger guys more - as he did last night - but he won't do so because he's looking ahead to 2025-26. If he does so, it will be because he thinks playing those guys will help the team for the remainder of this season.

Regardless, I'm just telling you that Shaka Smart doesn't think the way you're talking about. No coach of any NCAA Tournament-bound team does. Period.

[Pakuni]

Yeah I have addressed this already. Not many adjustments that can be made when you're not shooting well.

Why are they suddenly not shooting well? Just a run of bad luck?
And either way, if your team is showing you it can't be effective when so reliant on threes, can't they adjust? Or are they somehow bound to an offensive system that poorly matches their skills?

And why are teams (not named DePaul and Seton Hall) shooting so well against MU's defense? More bad luck? Or have teams adjusted to what MU wants to do defensively?

[GoldenEagles03]

I would be shocked if Shaka made any changes to the starting lineup. He may get Zaide, Owens, and Parham a lot more playing time, but the starting group will remain the same. Hamilton also needs more time so Shaka can figure out if he can really play or not. At this point, it is all about next year.

Ya. I'd doubt it too. If he did start Zaide for say, Joplin...it wouldn't be permanent. It'd be more of a wake up attempt.

Doubt it'll happen though.

[The Sultan]

Why are they suddenly not shooting well? Just a run of bad luck?
And either way, if your team is showing you it can't be effective when so reliant on threes, can't they adjust? Or are they somehow bound to an offensive system that poorly matches their skills?

And why are teams (not named DePaul and Seton Hall) shooting so well against MU's defense? More bad luck? Or have teams adjusted to what MU wants to do defensively?

Don't know.
No
Yes they can adjust
No but options are limited with this roster.
Because we are not a great defense without turnovers.
No.
They haven't had to. SHU and DPU got good looks too.

[mileskishnish72]

Yes, we're 20-7. It's about how we got there - 18-3, then 2-4. If we got to 20-7 by reversing those segments, there'd be a lot less bitching. People are seeing a trend and they don't like it. People are worried that it will continue.