This thought just dawned on me. I’m thinking we were mentally prepared to play Auburn, and didn’t get any reps in practice breaking those traps. Didn’t help that we are short of solid ball handlers.
What is it that Lykes does in dribbling in one spot that allows a defender to approach him and then tie up the ball? Happened at least twice today. Very maddening—and should be coachable.
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Your last sentence was the key. The dribbling clinics in our losses this year still give me nightmares. Move the damn ball!
Fred is right though…it is coachable, and I guarantee it will be addressed.
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I think it’s much more like the Arkansas/Missouri game back in 94. They couldn’t do anything right and Arkansas did little wrong. Arkansas hit on every cylinder that game like the Aggies did today. Mizzou went on to be undefeated in their conference and made a run into the NCAA.
We looked tired. Of course, we usually can’t shoot worth a darn from the outside and that continued today. The first half was fraught with several careless offensive turnovers. A&M shot lights out at the start. We dug a hole, got JD in foul trouble, didn’t have a ball handler. Game.
You beat the press and traps with good passes. Stop dribbling one dribble earlier and pass it. “One pass is good, two passes is better, and three passes is a layup.” Yeah, I know its not middle school travel ball but that line still resonates.
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Yes it does. Trying to knock holes in the floor gets you in deep trouble! The passive attitude Lykes and others had today with the ball just shows the lack of focus the hogs had today. Notae failed to lead that didn’t help either. You can’t lead in foul trouble.
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If you don’t attach the basket when a team presses you then they accomplish their goal, shorten your possessions and take bad shots. It’s not always the turnover though we had plenty. It would be what I would use against us in the NCAA. Lack of a point guard makes it effective.
At times we attacked it fine, but lots of bad passes.
The major problem was on defense, where we repeatedly over-rotated and left guys free to shoot the three ball. Notae did that several times, and he was not the only one.
In some ways the game was a very mild gift, because it lets Muss and the staff coach up how to handle it better. It’s pretty likely somebody else will try something similar in the NCAAs.
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It’s nice knowing Muss will not leave any stone unturned. It’s not always been the case. Would just like to see us take better care of the ball, That and attack the basket when we get pressed until they stop trying
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