Are we really just going to be that team all year that can get up on teams to any number, but let the leads melt away?
Tonight was finally a nice display of coaching. Maybe WVU wasn't full strength like in the Bahamas, but they did try 29 3's.
That has been the formula vs Tommy for his whole tenure. We have won a ton of games, but the ones we lose seem to mostly be when teams hit their 3's.
Key takeaway tonight: Caleb Love stopped killing us.
And I am not sure if my eyes are deceiving me, but what was Carter Bryant's FG% tonight? 100% ??? 1 Foul?? One? Yet he still wasn't allowed to have Usage?
Henri Vessaar continues to play good basketball. Unsung by large.
Clearly this is Bradley's team. I think it can finally be stated without any argument.
I would like to see Tommy stop the bleeding more often. Tonight, I felt he did a good job of stopping WVU's runs when the momentum was shifting.
As I have said in some other posts ---> I think Tommy is pretty good at drawing up plays out of Timeouts. When you need to stop a run, the Timeout is usually the weapon, but when you can combine the Timeout with a good play design and score, it is double as impactful.
This is the benefit of a willingness to adapt as a Coach. Playing some Half Court basketball isn't going to kill anyone. It is the way this team will play at it's best potential. The more we can get used to it, the better as we get into the "Alps" of the Conference slate where the competition steps up multiple levels. Especially after we reach the half way marker when everyone is scrapping for wins.
Right now, we are doing everything I said we needed to do. Stack up wins early and often since our big disappointments. I was hoping we would beat UCLA to solidify this run, but this is just about as well as we can hope for at the moment.
We are still Hunting. Not the Hunted. I don't want to be ranked. We don't belong in the Top 25 right now. However we are closing in on a chance to be ranked around #25 if we can win maybe 6 more games in the next 8.
Still a long way to go before we can garner even 1 ounce of respect outside of our little community, but we will take any wins, any way we can get them. Especially when on the road even if WVU didn't play that guy who killed us in the Bahamas.
Onward and Up,
Beardown.
Quote from: arxpert on January 07, 2025, 07:09:30 PMAre we really just going to be that team all year that can get up on teams to any number, but let the leads melt away?
Tonight was finally a nice display of coaching. Maybe WVU wasn't full strength like in the Bahamas, but they did try 29 3's.
That has been the formula vs Tommy for his whole tenure. We have won a ton of games, but the ones we lose seem to mostly be when teams hit their 3's.
Key takeaway tonight: Caleb Love stopped killing us.
And I am not sure if my eyes are deceiving me, but what was Carter Bryant's FG% tonight? 100% ??? 1 Foul?? One? Yet he still wasn't allowed to have Usage?
Henri Vessaar continues to play good basketball. Unsung by large.
Clearly this is Bradley's team. I think it can finally be stated without any argument.
I would like to see Tommy stop the bleeding more often. Tonight, I felt he did a good job of stopping WVU's runs when the momentum was shifting.
As I have said in some other posts ---> I think Tommy is pretty good at drawing up plays out of Timeouts. When you need to stop a run, the Timeout is usually the weapon, but when you can combine the Timeout with a good play design and score, it is double as impactful.
This is the benefit of a willingness to adapt as a Coach. Playing some Half Court basketball isn't going to kill anyone. It is the way this team will play at it's best potential. The more we can get used to it, the better as we get into the "Alps" of the Conference slate where the competition steps up multiple levels. Especially after we reach the half way marker when everyone is scrapping for wins.
Right now, we are doing everything I said we needed to do. Stack up wins early and often since our big disappointments. I was hoping we would beat UCLA to solidify this run, but this is just about as well as we can hope for at the moment.
We are still Hunting. Not the Hunted. I don't want to be ranked. We don't belong in the Top 25 right now. However we are closing in on a chance to be ranked around #25 if we can win maybe 6 more games in the next 8.
Still a long way to go before we can garner even 1 ounce of respect outside of our little community, but we will take any wins, any way we can get them. Especially when on the road even if WVU didn't play that guy who killed us in the Bahamas.
Onward and Up,
Beardown.
good write up. I like the will and grit we've been playing with lately..sucks we blow leads like we have. But feels good to know we still fight to the end and come out on top
We will be in a much better spot in the Others Receiving Votes section if we finish strong this week. Then, if we win both games the following week, there's a decent chance we will be ranked again. If Tom does his job, I believe they can cut your ETA in half.
Quote from: Azfansincebirth on January 07, 2025, 07:16:50 PMQuote from: arxpert on January 07, 2025, 07:09:30 PMAre we really just going to be that team all year that can get up on teams to any number, but let the leads melt away?
Tonight was finally a nice display of coaching. Maybe WVU wasn't full strength like in the Bahamas, but they did try 29 3's.
That has been the formula vs Tommy for his whole tenure. We have won a ton of games, but the ones we lose seem to mostly be when teams hit their 3's.
Key takeaway tonight: Caleb Love stopped killing us.
And I am not sure if my eyes are deceiving me, but what was Carter Bryant's FG% tonight? 100% ??? 1 Foul?? One? Yet he still wasn't allowed to have Usage?
Henri Vessaar continues to play good basketball. Unsung by large.
Clearly this is Bradley's team. I think it can finally be stated without any argument.
I would like to see Tommy stop the bleeding more often. Tonight, I felt he did a good job of stopping WVU's runs when the momentum was shifting.
As I have said in some other posts ---> I think Tommy is pretty good at drawing up plays out of Timeouts. When you need to stop a run, the Timeout is usually the weapon, but when you can combine the Timeout with a good play design and score, it is double as impactful.
This is the benefit of a willingness to adapt as a Coach. Playing some Half Court basketball isn't going to kill anyone. It is the way this team will play at it's best potential. The more we can get used to it, the better as we get into the "Alps" of the Conference slate where the competition steps up multiple levels. Especially after we reach the half way marker when everyone is scrapping for wins.
Right now, we are doing everything I said we needed to do. Stack up wins early and often since our big disappointments. I was hoping we would beat UCLA to solidify this run, but this is just about as well as we can hope for at the moment.
We are still Hunting. Not the Hunted. I don't want to be ranked. We don't belong in the Top 25 right now. However we are closing in on a chance to be ranked around #25 if we can win maybe 6 more games in the next 8.
Still a long way to go before we can garner even 1 ounce of respect outside of our little community, but we will take any wins, any way we can get them. Especially when on the road even if WVU didn't play that guy who killed us in the Bahamas.
Onward and Up,
Beardown.
good write up. I like the will and grit we've been playing with lately..sucks we blow leads like we have. But feels good to know we still fight to the end and come out on top
Appreciate the time you took to reply. I think that this team continues to play for each other. That is something that cannot be over looked. Once that changes, we will be in dark times.
But for now, these games have been helpful to the players and I believe Tommy needed these wins. He just recruited Bryce James. He seems to be gaining some control back over the situation.
We cannot expect to go undefeated from here, but we do need to win the games we are supposed to win. Even if we are playing "ranked" teams that don't really belong being ranked.
I think the "Sticktoitiveness" so far has led to KJ Lewis having his first Breakout performance. He doesn't need many, but every once in a while we need each of our main players to be able to step up like tonight and make sure the job gets done.
Quote from: |ᴘ|ʀ|ʏ|ᴍ|ᴇ| on January 07, 2025, 08:29:31 PMWe will be in a much better spot in the Others Receiving Votes section if we finish strong this week. Then, if we win both games the following week, there's a decent chance we will be ranked again. If Tom does his job, I believe they can cut your ETA in half.
I agree about this, but for just the Right Here, Right Now, we are Game To Game. I like where we are at the moment. I don't think we are ready to climb back into that Top 25 area and then become the Hunted. A little more time... maybe if we can keep this going, in a few weeks, we can be playing some SERIOUS games "AT HOME" where we have our "vaunted McKale Advantage" that I never really think we have.
But if it does exist, then the timing can line up nicely.
I dont read your post as you picked WVU to win. Shows what you THINK you know, but you are no EXPERT!
Quote from: lsg_da_apache on January 08, 2025, 09:45:59 AMI dont read your post as you picked WVU to win. Shows what you THINK you know, but you are no EXPERT!
I don't take that personally. This team has only won what? 2 games vs teams that are above the level of ITT Tech? and WVU played without the guy who single handled beat us last time too... So what level did we really play WVU at?
Quote from: lsg_da_apache on January 08, 2025, 09:45:59 AMI dont read your post as you picked WVU to win. Shows what you THINK you know, but you are no EXPERT!
Also, my user name is Arxpert. Not Expert... But I do appreciate anyone who may consider me an expertologist in the field of Sports and Sports Debate.
Yes, Expertologist. Look it up on Google. Expertology is a real thing.
Quote from: lsg_da_apache on January 08, 2025, 09:45:59 AMI dont read your post as you picked WVU to win. Shows what you THINK you know, but you are no EXPERT!
Just a stupid post. I assume you never pick Arizona to lose, so you have zero credibility because you've been wrong 5 times. Teams win games they are not supposed to win and lose when they are expected to cruise.
Quote from: TucsonTruckStop on January 09, 2025, 07:38:10 PMQuote from: lsg_da_apache on January 08, 2025, 09:45:59 AMI dont read your post as you picked WVU to win. Shows what you THINK you know, but you are no EXPERT!
Just a stupid post. I assume you never pick Arizona to lose, so you have zero credibility because you've been wrong 5 times. Teams win games they are not supposed to win and lose when they are expected to cruise.
Yeah well some of your shit is stupid too. At least I don't bring hella long post about his own biased opinion. Arx is only a self proclaimed expert and he has no credibility about his long ass rants. I think most would agree with me on this and I hope he reads this too. I am in Tucson if anyone wants to come see me about it!
Frankly we are close to the same team I thought we were after the non-con. 2 things that have changed and will give us a slight push to make the tournament. 1. The B12 is just not as good as we thought. 2. As bad as the new additions are, we never expected HV to contribute like he has. If CBryant can play well enough to earn 20 -25 min per game, those will replace the transfer class.
Quote from: lsg_da_apache on January 09, 2025, 07:44:11 PMQuote from: TucsonTruckStop on January 09, 2025, 07:38:10 PMQuote from: lsg_da_apache on January 08, 2025, 09:45:59 AMI dont read your post as you picked WVU to win. Shows what you THINK you know, but you are no EXPERT!
Just a stupid post. I assume you never pick Arizona to lose, so you have zero credibility because you've been wrong 5 times. Teams win games they are not supposed to win and lose when they are expected to cruise.
Yeah well some of your shit is stupid too. At least I don't bring hella long post about his own biased opinion. Arx is only a self proclaimed expert and he has no credibility about his long ass rants. I think most would agree with me on this and I hope he reads this too. I am in Tucson if anyone wants to come see me about it!
Is someone forcing you to read it? Also, typing like a tough guy is a bit different than actually being able to handle yourself, so just stop.
Relax and debate civilly.
It's almost Game Day bros.
Lsg, you just hopped on the shout channel complaining that I was sticking up for Arx. I am not sure what your angle is here. You literally came on the post he created and trolled him. I could care less about Arx, but we don't censor what peoples opinions here. Then you say you were in Tucson to meet anyone who disagreed with you; when in fact you were on your way home to Whiteriver. You are in the wrong on this one my friend.
Quote from: lsg_da_apache on January 09, 2025, 07:44:11 PMI am in Tucson if anyone wants to come see me about it!
This is actually the dumbest post ever written on this entire forum. Ever. Congratulations.
Quote from: arxpert on January 11, 2025, 09:29:18 PMQuote from: lsg_da_apache on January 09, 2025, 07:44:11 PMI am in Tucson if anyone wants to come see me about it!
This is actually the dumbest post ever written on this entire forum. Ever. Congratulations.
Whatever
Seems like this is still who we are. We are getting these big leads and somehow finding our way to being up 8-10pts with like 5min to go after dominating all game and it is the opponent's ball.
Just luckily, lately those teams are missing or we are getting the ball back and putting in a dagger of sorts.
It is very difficult to stop momentum late in CBB games. Lucky we were at Home last night or we may have blew it.
Not sure how many home games we have left, but we need to win as many of them as possible and steal as many on the road as we can.
We are Game-To-Game. I don't care about our Win Streak. This is a race to 20 wins in the regular season right now and surviving this year with some dignity.
Predictably Predictable.
As soon as Tommy took Carter out of that game we folded. Tommy actually calls for the terrible 3pt shooting. Around the 11min mark in the 2nd Half, we made a nice push back. We had the best defense we could possibly put out there. It didn't matter if Carter missed 2 FTs, Awaka made 2 FTs. In the end it wasn't easy for Texas Tech to do what they do against that lineup. Caleb got his 3pt shot off (Fouled, made 3 FT), we had the game slowed down to a pace we could compete. Bradley had a wide open 3 (miss), but within the flow.
Unfortunately Tommy cost us this game. I think he is too set in his ways. Dell Orso is not the type of guy to be playing these types of dog fights. Absolutely useless. No peripheral stats.
Henri was not up for the more Athletic challenge today. Tommy had no strategy for it either. In these types of games, Henri needs to be the Step Out shooter. Not trying to bully inside. He will never win those battles. Terrible coaching.
KJ Lewis will like to have this one back. He is the guy who should be able to compete and he did defensively, just not offensively. Since he has been offensively-challenged all season, I won't rip him too hard. He is solid Defense.
Townsend shouldn't be getting 9 shots. This isn't March Madness #13 Oakland vs #4 Texas Tech. He is a true Role Player. Tommy has this whole thing backwards making Townsend and Del Orso into true starters. You put Mid Majors our there like that, you get Mid Major results. You might get 1 game here and there, but you aren't going to win consistently. How many times have you seen a Cinderella win 6 games in a row in March Madness? Very rarely.
Carter Bryant 4-5 from the field, dominating, playing elite offense and defense, but isn't allowed to keep going. We needed a 12-16 type game today from someone and Tommy just makes sure it never happens. As soon as we get something cooking with him, Tommy yanks him out. I have no positive words left for it. This is criminal and personal now.
I don't think Caleb Love is throwing games. I think Love is the type of guy who has tried every possible way. He tried to do it all. He tried to step back and watch. He tried to be a role player. When he sees ineptitude, his competitive spirit takes over to a detriment. I don't blame him anymore. Caleb Love and Tommy Lloyd are a terrible fit together. The accolades don't matter.
We were a juggernaut in a powderpuff Conference like the 12 Pack. He was very average in the Big12 and anytime we go on the Road, there is going to be a rabid fanbase just licking their chops waiting to clown us.
Tom is so bad this year. Was there even a game plan at all? Rosters have changed from year to year, but one thing has remained the same every season: there is zero requirement to box out at Arizona. That is 100% on the coach for not demanding it. Carter's limited minutes are laughable. Townsend getting extended minutes is even more laughable. Who would have thunk that playing a 6'6 PF that can't defend might present some serious matchup problems at some point? Brilliant. It's not even about Trey though. It's not about Caleb jacking threes either. Tom calls all the shots. He can make any adjustment he wants any time he wants, and his decision making has been absolute ass without Rick Fois to yell logical shit in his ear all game. Our players shouldn't be put in positions to fail like this.
I would wager Carter transfers after this season
Quote from: FOOS on January 18, 2025, 04:15:09 PMI would wager Carter transfers after this season
I still think he is going Pro. Dalen Terry couldn't shoot the ball. Still can't. He showed up to the combine, the pro's got out their measuring tape and he ended up like #16 overall?
Carter CAN shoot the ball and has the measurables. It is solely Tommy who refuses to let him play. There's just no excuse anymore.
There's no "earn" vs not "earn" for minutes.
Carter was 4-5 today and went 2-3 from 3 for a team that struggles hitting 3's. It is illogical what Lloyd is doing and not doing unless anyone wants to start a discussion about Tommy throwing games.
Arizona was the underdog (betting) going into this game and a significant one at that. It is almost as if Tommy puts the call in and his competitive edge is in getting the kids paid via Gambling.
The 2 or 3 runs we had where we got back to a tie game or within punching distance of running past Tech, Tommy took out the players from that formula.
Texas Tech gets credit for winning, but I am going to still say Tommy beat Arizona. There is no legitimate reason we couldn't win the game other than Tommy choosing to do everything he could within his power to lose the game.
If Carter starts a game 0-6 from the field then I am not sure if Tommy will command him to take 20 more shots and go 2-26 on the day or if Tommy will have someone go to his apartment and pack his bags to throw him out of town.
I think Tommy has an issue with Carter at this point.
I think he stays if KJ goes pro. Carter knows that he'll be the focal point of the offense next season.
If you watch his emotions from the bench, he always has a smile and encourages his teammates, regardless of playing time. I think he's enjoying the experience and would be a lottery pick after his sophomore year if he waits.
I guess it depends on next year's projected roster, which is currently fluid.
There is zero evidence that Carter is frustrated or feeling under appreciated. In fact the opposite is true to anyone who watches the games. Carters problems are on the defensive side of the ball and that's why he's not getting more minutes. We can put all the emphasis on three point shooting but defense will always trump offense in organized basketball. ADO has actually improved significantly on the defensive side of the ball which is why he's playing more minutes. He's not a great defender but he rotates like he is suppossed to. Carter isn't there yet. Maybe he goes pro, but Daley Terry is a poor example of leaving early. He doesn't play any significant minutes for a bad team. Carter works his tail off and is a high character kid. My guess is he stays for his sophomore year and becomes a top ten pick. Another year of college will turn into a decade long NBA career and hundreds of millions of dollars. Dalen Terry is not getting hundreds of millions.
Quote from: KansasCityCats on January 19, 2025, 10:09:31 AMI think he stays if KJ goes pro. Carter knows that he'll be the focal point of the offense next season.
If you watch his emotions from the bench, he always has a smile and encourages his teammates, regardless of playing time. I think he's enjoying the experience and would be a lottery pick after his sophomore year if he waits.
I guess it depends on next year's projected roster, which is currently fluid.
I think he is a Top 14 pick currently and could play up to Top 8 easily. Tommy just won't let him showcase his talent. So his Combine will do the talking. I would love to see Carter stay and compete alongside Bryce James on the court and in practice.
Quote from: Naterade on January 19, 2025, 12:56:40 PMCarters problems are on the defensive side of the ball and that's why he's not getting more minutes.
I don't agree. When Carter came in with around 11min left in the Tech game the other day, we were playing great defense. No one in College is supposed to be judged by Man To Man defense. The level of play is so different that unless you are some sort of enigma or a gigantic Center, a player like Carter should be judged by his "help defense". You speak about rotating. Del Orso has more experience, but he isn't a better defender than Carter. The length Carter has alone is enough to disrupt basically any player who isn't 6'11" and athletic.He is underutilized, underappreciated, and is riding out his contract. Hopefully he hangs around, but the NBA knows he is better than this. It's not some secret.Most players who are younger won't vocalize their issues because they are about their money. But as we see with Love, he has no problem showing his displeasure. He got his payday and may not make as much ever again.
When Bryant entered 6 min into the game, he immediately lost his man and compensated by leaving his feet, resulting in a hard foul, just seconds into the shift.
Lloyd left him in and didn't pull him into he did it again almost exactly four minutes later.
Quote from: KansasCityCats on January 20, 2025, 05:34:40 AMWhen Bryant entered 6 min into the game, he immediately lost his man and compensated by leaving his feet, resulting in a hard foul, just seconds into the shift.
Lloyd left him in and didn't pull him into he did it again almost exactly four minutes later.
This right here. It's so obvious that Carter struggles defensively. But he is capable of being a great defender once he gets used to the college level. I was way wrong about Del Orso early on. I hope Carter makes big progress this year because that's the only way we have a chance to make a run in the tourney.
Quote from: KansasCityCats on January 20, 2025, 05:34:40 AMWhen Bryant entered 6 min into the game, he immediately lost his man and compensated by leaving his feet, resulting in a hard foul, just seconds into the shift.
Lloyd left him in and didn't pull him into he did it again almost exactly four minutes later.
You said something interesting...
4 minutes later.
So it took Bryant a whole 4 minutes to make a mistake like that again.
Last I checked, it is a 40 minute game. There is no one in Carter's role/archetype playing better than Carter Two-Way currently. Whether we look every 4 minutes or Per40.
I love seeing his improvement. Bryant is making strides but Saturday was an exception, in terms of discipline. If he played the entire first half, he'd foul out at that pace.
Quote from: KansasCityCats on January 20, 2025, 05:50:32 PMI love seeing his improvement. Bryant is making strides but Saturday was an exception, in terms of discipline. If he played the entire first half, he'd foul out at that pace.
So let him foul out and learn his own lesson.
We were heavy underdogs in that game and he was the only one who patently showed up. So I would rather him go 8-10 from the field and foul out early in the 2nd half then be yanked out of the game and then not played-through when he gets back in.
Maybe Tom should hold the same standard of perfection for the rest of the team as he does for Carter.
Quote from: |ᴘ|ʀ|ʏ|ᴍ|ᴇ| on January 21, 2025, 09:49:29 AMMaybe Tom should hold the same standard of perfection for the rest of the team as he does for Carter.
I get the troll here, but there is truth to the trolling. Carter is here for a limited time. Like the McRib. If Tommy doesn't want to utilize his talent, so be it.
Quote from: arxpert on January 21, 2025, 03:07:22 PMQuote from: |ᴘ|ʀ|ʏ|ᴍ|ᴇ| on January 21, 2025, 09:49:29 AMMaybe Tom should hold the same standard of perfection for the rest of the team as he does for Carter.
I get the troll here, but there is truth to the trolling. Carter is here for a limited time. Like the McRib. If Tommy doesn't want to utilize his talent, so be it.
It's too accurate to be trolling. Very frustrating.