Tommy's Scheduling Skepticism

[arxpert]

After Norfolk State, we will be playing the annual "1 game a week" nonsense...

Tommy does this. I don't believe there is a good reason to schedule it this way. He can get away with it vs Cupcakes, but we have 2 big games setup.

UCLA into UCONN is going to be difficult, but it will also help prepare the team for the fight to come.

I truly do not understand why he does this seemingly every year.

Win, Lose... doesn't really matter.

It is simply not good to be going from a fairly Good pace of a schedule to just hitting the brakes completely on the season like this.

Auburn and Alabama will just be slogs to wait for.

I don't see the benefit from us not scheduling them differently.

For this reason I have cause for concern. It is difficult to keep a team motivated when they play 3 games over 15 days.

This is not Football Tommy.

[KansasCityCats]

It allows time to recover from lifting, practice (without specifically preparing for the upcoming opponent) and avoid constant travel.

Once conference play begins, basketball life is hectic, especially considering the random locations of Big-12 opponents.

Although the players are young and strong, their bodies need a break (especially guys like Boswell, who can be found on 4th Ave during off-days) 🙃

[arxpert]

It allows time to recover from lifting, practice (without specifically preparing for the upcoming opponent) and avoid constant travel.

Once conference play begins, basketball life is hectic, especially considering the random locations of Big-12 opponents.

Although the players are young and strong, their bodies need a break (especially guys like Boswell, who can be found on 4th Ave during off-days) 🙃

Boo Boo Boswell was not mentally prepared for "UofA" lifestyle.

I think it is hard to keep focus even when you aren't paid Millions to play sports as a teenager.

I don't see why Tommy had to schedule 2 of the tougher games this way. He could have done it with cupcakes or "good" cupcakes that are projected to be in March Madness like 13-15 type seeds...

I don't quite understand the method to the madness. You didn't explain it any better to me.

These are Professional Contracted Workers. They don't need this much rest. I would be shocked if any of them actually "Lift". Especially In-Season where most small injuries could occur or begin at the gym if not careful.

Most of the Lifting is off-season work. I can't even imagine Gilbert Arenas picking up a weight unless it was to bop someone over the head with it.

[KansasCityCats]

Rounds is one of the best, if not the best, trainer in the country. With a full week off, they're absolutely in the weight room. Nobody will overwork but it's nice to not have 2-3 days between games EVERY week.

[mvpreed2]

It is SUPPOSED to be to allow your team to rest/relax/recoop and to allow you and your staff to gameplan and make adjustments from the previous four games.
The problem is that Lloyd does not make adjustments.

I will start by saying I have not WATCHED the last two games because they were not available to me.
From the highlights that I have watched from the NAU/UCLA games, Lloyd has a lot of adjustments he needs to make with this team on the defensive end if they are going to live up to the hype.
I normally don't buy into it because I am anti-homer, but THIS team does have Final Four potential IF Lloyd is able to make the proper adjustments.
#BearDown

[KansasCityCats]

Lloyd made major adjustments at halftime of the UCLA game.  The Cats were aggressively attacking the basket and limiting turnovers.  On defense, we didn't try to "switch back" after hedge screens at the top of the key, so UCLA didn't have any open looks from the perimeter.

Against NAU, no major changes were necessary throughout the game.  Our defense allowed us to play with freedom in the second half.  Once we were up 56-21, Aristode was given the green light.

[arxpert]

The problem is that Lloyd does not make adjustments.

Tommy does not adjust, but I will say that in the UCLA near-disaster, he was tough enough to keep Koa out of the game down the stretch and not just play him to play him. He did rely on the best possible strategy for a change. That is technically an adjustment. But we are also lucky that Delly stepped up and Bradley is the type of PG he is that attacks the rim instead of chucking up shots.

In other words - the adjustment was to not just re-insert Koa with 4 fouls and a bunch of time to go, knowing we were down and UCLA would have just attacked Koa and probably forced getting easier 2's or Koa would have fouled out anyway and it would have disturbed the flow. Mick the Gollum couldn't make an adjustment since Tommy was stubborn (in the right way) and he just saw his team dwindle out to the end.

[arxpert]

UCLA didn't have any open looks from the perimeter.

UCLA is not a team anyone should be scared of from the perimeter, but the way Tommy coaches Defense, EVERY team is a threat from 3pt land. So there is really nothing more to be said about that. "Make or Miss" basketball is the brand Tommy likes to play.

[KansasCityCats]

That's typically true but Bilodeau, Clark and Dailey are all pretty good outside shooters, regardless of Arizona's defensive style.

In the second half, our opponent's open looks were blanketed, as opposed to the start of the game, which the high screens opened up the Bruins' outside game. 

[arxpert]

That's typically true but Bilodeau, Clark and Dailey are all pretty good outside shooters, regardless of Arizona's defensive style.

In the second half, our opponent's open looks were blanketed, as opposed to the start of the game, which the high screens opened up the Bruins' outside game. 

So you are trying to say that Tommy just preferred to make UCLA "Prove It From Deep" for a whole Half of the game before adjusting? That only speaks to what I say about Tommy.