Some positives from a stressful win

[perryhawk]

The obvious is Keegan's performance....really no need to say more.

So, this team needed that test. They played a physical and athletic team on a night when the good guys weren't shooting well. They got defensive liabilities exposed.

The next best thing is, they fixed it. First, Fran tried to get after them to fix the man to man defense...subbed guys in, etc. In the second half when those first efforts didn't work, he switched to a zone AND put a defensive line up out there that go the job done.

Those moves should be a learning experience for the whole team.

Perkins clearly had his best game after the first two games where it seemed like he struggled just to play a role. In this game he played exactly the role we needed. He was a real difference maker. His defense and very efficient offense, were vital to turning things around.

Ulis played a good strong game at the point....as quick as Joe is, Ulis seems to know how to use his body and positioning better than Joe on defense. Ulis also runs the team efficiently. The next step for AU appears to be finding when, where, and how to take good shots.....as much as this schedule is not fan friendly....these are exactly the types of things that can get addressed.

Fran coached a good game....key players stepped up and took control when they needed to. Our guys played an effective zone defense.....and shot GREAT from the free throw line...wow, I did not expect this team to shoot free throws this well.

This game was uncomfortable to watch....but was good for development. Go Hawks! Can't wait for Thursday night!

 

[Jizzer]

If Perkins and Joe would play together, with Keegan, we are really sound defensively.

 

[Packer54]

The obvious is Keegan's performance....really no need to say more.

So, this team needed that test. They played a physical and athletic team on a night when the good guys weren't shooting well. They got defensive liabilities exposed.

The next best thing is, they fixed it. First, Fran tried to get after them to fix the man to man defense...subbed guys in, etc. In the second half when those first efforts didn't work, he switched to a zone AND put a defensive line up out there that go the job done.

Those moves should be a learning experience for the whole team.

Perkins clearly had his best game after the first two games where it seemed like he struggled just to play a role. In this game he played exactly the role we needed. He was a real difference maker. His defense and very efficient offense, were vital to turning things around.

Ulis played a good strong game at the point....as quick as Joe is, Ulis seems to know how to use his body and positioning better than Joe on defense. Ulis also runs the team efficiently. The next step for AU appears to be finding when, where, and how to take good shots.....as much as this schedule is not fan friendly....these are exactly the types of things that can get addressed.

Fran coached a good game....key players stepped up and took control when they needed to. Our guys played an effective zone defense.....and shot GREAT from the free throw line...wow, I did not expect this team to shoot free throws this well.

This game was uncomfortable to watch....but was good for development. Go Hawks! Can't wait for Thursday night!

I missed it....why was Chris out last night?

 

[Packer54]

I missed it....why was Chris out last night?

Sorry...Kris.

More coffee please

 

[Slim45]

If Perkins and Joe would play together, with Keegan, we are really sound defensively.

Our best defensive unit would be joe,ulis,perkins,keegan. Depending on opponent, rebraca or kris/pat. Rebraca did look pretty good on d the 2nd half last night, hopeful he can wall up against bigger 5’s in BIG. Problem with a lineup like that tho is scoring. Pretty much zero proven shooting with that lineup. Team looked like garbage last night an Fran did a good job of mixing and matching guys till he found a lineup that worked. That will be key this yr with the inexperience on the team, guys are going to have off nights and finding the right combo will be crucial.

 

[unoHawkeye]

Good recap Perry - agree across the board! Maybe NC Central is actually decent, maybe not. Regardless, this team responded to adversity and bench players stepped up, which is what you want to see in these early games!

 

[1911_Bandit]

Sorry...Kris.

More coffee please

Non-covid-related illness.

 

[perryhawk]

Sorry...Kris.

More coffee please

Pretty sure I heard it was the flu…

 

[EduNeerHawk]

Our best defensive unit would be joe,ulis,perkins,keegan. Depending on opponent, rebraca or kris/pat. Rebraca did look pretty good on d the 2nd half last night, hopeful he can wall up against bigger 5’s in BIG. Problem with a lineup like that tho is scoring. Pretty much zero proven shooting with that lineup. Team looked like garbage last night an Fran did a good job of mixing and matching guys till he found a lineup that worked. That will be key this yr with the inexperience on the team, guys are going to have off nights and finding the right combo will be crucial.

Great post Perry and agree with everything you are saying.....

We do not have a great baseline yet really for any team's performance but folks need to go the link below and see how well we are playing versus the rest of the conference. There have been a few tough match-ups with the Gavitt games going on and the B1G is sucking with these games but most teams are playing lesser comp at this point and the margin of win for the Hawks below PU is very impressive and not anywhere close to no proven shooting.....that's a ridiculous comment averaging 93 pts/game....holy get a clue.

They way we matched up down the stretch with the final five defensively to secure the win and score 86 points was impressive. Just keep winning, get Kris healthy and keep the team healthy and this will be a fun team to watch. Looking forward to Thursday night at 6 pm.

Big Ten Conference

The official 2021-2022 Men's Basketball cumulative statistics for Big Ten Conference

bigten.org

 

[Hawksfor3]

Ulis played a good strong game at the point....as quick as Joe is, Ulis seems to know how to use his body and positioning better than Joe on defense. Ulis also runs the team efficiently. The next step for AU appears to be finding when, where, and how to take good shots.....as much as this schedule is not fan friendly....these are exactly the types of things that can get addressed.

Perkins clearly had his best game after the first two games where it seemed like he struggled just to play a role. In this game he played exactly the role we needed. He was a real difference maker. His defense and very efficient offense, were vital to turning things around.

Absolutely agree. Great effort by these two.

 

[JEDN]

Only thing I would disagree with your OP Perry is that even though Ulis has decent quickness he not as quick as Joe T.

 

[Bro D]

I'm happy it was a close game. Need to have a few of those before we start playing the big boys

 

[HoustonREDHawk]

Tough game to watch, but Perry was dead on that it gave Fran something to use for teaching. Sometimes you have bad shooting, like last night, and fortunately the FT shooting bailed the team out. JBo was really pressing, and I think that might have affected the whole team. Kris not playing kind of screwed up the rotation and forced Keegan to play more, but maybe it finally gave Perkins the opening to break out. I really like the energy he brings. Big downside that needs work was how easy it was to get into the lane for layups. I think Patrick in particular looked like he had very heavy feet at times.

 

[Franisdaman]

The obvious is Keegan's performance....really no need to say more.

So, this team needed that test. They played a physical and athletic team on a night when the good guys weren't shooting well. They got defensive liabilities exposed.

The next best thing is, they fixed it. First, Fran tried to get after them to fix the man to man defense...subbed guys in, etc. In the second half when those first efforts didn't work, he switched to a zone AND put a defensive line up out there that go the job done.

Those moves should be a learning experience for the whole team.

Perkins clearly had his best game after the first two games where it seemed like he struggled just to play a role. In this game he played exactly the role we needed. He was a real difference maker. His defense and very efficient offense, were vital to turning things around.

Ulis played a good strong game at the point....as quick as Joe is, Ulis seems to know how to use his body and positioning better than Joe on defense. Ulis also runs the team efficiently. The next step for AU appears to be finding when, where, and how to take good shots.....as much as this schedule is not fan friendly....these are exactly the types of things that can get addressed.

Fran coached a good game....key players stepped up and took control when they needed to. Our guys played an effective zone defense.....and shot GREAT from the free throw line...wow, I did not expect this team to shoot free throws this well.

This game was uncomfortable to watch....but was good for development. Go Hawks! Can't wait for Thursday night!

Should NC Central really be testing us though?

The biggest question marks continue to be:

* The 5 (center) position. This game was not good for development there because we barely saw Josh (he played one minute & picked up 2 fouls) and we didn't see Riley.

* Outside shooting


We should be 6-0 heading to Virginia.

Anything else? This board will melt down.

 

[WinOneThisCentury II]

I'm not a basketball expert...but I don't believe the other team should be able to get to the rim consistently in the first 20 minutes of any game. That was ridiculous. This was a team that we should have had solid scouting reports on and should have known their action offensively. Although some of those layups were contested...it still doesn't justify that somehow they got in the paint in a one on one situation. You STOP penetration with team defense.

This is nothing new for Fran's teams. I've said it over and over, but they need to hire a defensive minded coach to improve that side of the ball. There are several mid major teams that play great defense...hire one of those guys. How many years have we seen this same thing...over and over again...we break down defensively...or can only play zone against athletic teams. It's clear Fran can't improve this team defensively.

 

[517ELYDR]

I have no problem with minutes being spread relatively equal, Keegan needs most minutes but otherwise go with best combinations, whose playing well that night. See team as 9 deep with Sandfort #10.

 

[TheTruthTheWholeTruth]

There were quite a few heavy favorites who struggled with their opponents last night. Rutgers, UCF, Alabama, Notre Dame, ISU etc. CBB is a different animal. It can be difficult to play optimally multiple times/week, especially when the opponent isn’t well respected.

Iowa got punched in the nose in the first half last night. I thought they responded well on the defensive end in the 2nd half by holding NC Central to 25 second half points

 

[SDHawkDoc]

There were quite a few heavy favorites who struggled with their opponents last night. Rutgers, UCF, Alabama, Notre Dame, ISU etc. CBB is a different animal. It can be difficult to play optimally multiple times/week, especially when the opponent isn’t well respected.

Iowa got punched in the nose in the first half last night. I thought they responded well on the defensive end in the 2nd half by holding NC Central to 25 second half points

The first half was dreadful defensively, but they certainly did turn it around in the second half. And it's not like we haven't seen Fran teams struggle at home against similar opponents in the past.
My hope for the team has always been that they would learn and improve as the season progressed and be peaking in March. It was never likely that they would have smooth sailing from the start, even against paid for sparring partners.

 

[SI_NYC]

I'm happy it was a close game. Need to have a few of those before we start playing the big boys

It may have been close at one point but Iowa won by 17, yet many keep saying it was a close game. I don’t get it.

 

[Hawkeye Marching Band]

I'm not a basketball expert...but I don't believe the other team should be able to get to the rim consistently in the first 20 minutes of any game. That was ridiculous. This was a team that we should have had solid scouting reports on and should have known their action offensively. Although some of those layups were contested...it still doesn't justify that somehow they got in the paint in a one on one situation. You STOP penetration with team defense.

This is nothing new for Fran's teams. I've said it over and over, but they need to hire a defensive minded coach to improve that side of the ball. There are several mid major teams that play great defense...hire one of those guys. How many years have we seen this same thing...over and over again...we break down defensively...or can only play zone against athletic teams. It's clear Fran can't improve this team defensively.

IIRC, the announcers said NCCU is a team full of transfers and with so many new faces there can be no scouting reports early in the season. Even so, the defenders were much slower than they were in the first two games. Fortunately, the unit that finished the game stepped it up.

 

[Ronman]

Speaking of last night, Oregon got obliterated by BYU, 81-49, in their own invitational. Feel so badly for the Quackers!

 

[SDHawkDoc]

Speaking of last night, Oregon got obliterated by BYU, 81-49, in their own invitational. Feel so badly for the Quackers!

Yikes. And oregon was #12 in the AP. That is a butt kicking.

 

[Slim45]

Great post Perry and agree with everything you are saying.....

We do not have a great baseline yet really for any team's performance but folks need to go the link below and see how well we are playing versus the rest of the conference. There have been a few tough match-ups with the Gavitt games going on and the B1G is sucking with these games but most teams are playing lesser comp at this point and the margin of win for the Hawks below PU is very impressive and not anywhere close to no proven shooting.....that's a ridiculous comment averaging 93 pts/game....holy get a clue.

They way we matched up down the stretch with the final five defensively to secure the win and score 86 points was impressive. Just keep winning, get Kris healthy and keep the team healthy and this will be a fun team to watch. Looking forward to Thursday night at 6 pm.

Big Ten Conference

The official 2021-2022 Men's Basketball cumulative statistics for Big Ten Conference

bigten.org

Bahahaha please tell me in a lineup of joe, ulis, perkins, keegan, rebraca who the proven shooters are?! Hell out of our whole roster the only proven shooter we’ve got is jbo! We’re 24/72 from 3 these first 3 games and Jbo has made 10 of the 24 on 22 attempts. That means the rest of the team is 14/52…just under 27%! Just because we’re averaging 93/gm doesn’t make us a good shooting team.

 

[PHawkKenyon]

I missed it....why was Chris out last night?

Non Covid related. Should be back tomorrow if he feels up to it.

 

[kceasthawk]

Should NC Central really be testing us though?

The biggest question marks continue to be:

* The 5 (center) position. This game was not good for development there because we barely saw Josh (he played one minute & picked up 2 fouls) and we didn't see Riley.

* Outside shooting


We should be 6-0 heading to Virginia.

Anything else? This board will melt down.

And Virginia doesn't look like they're playing very well either. Yes there is a Santa claus.....

 

[perryhawk]

Should NC Central really be testing us though?

The biggest question marks continue to be:

* The 5 (center) position. This game was not good for development there because we barely saw Josh (he played one minute & picked up 2 fouls) and we didn't see Riley.

* Outside shooting


We should be 6-0 heading to Virginia.

Anything else? This board will melt down.

I certainly get the question....and basically agree with the question (should they be testing us?) but the fact is that they did. When Fran made the adjustments and the right players were actually playing defense, we handled them like we should.....but for 3/4ths of the game it felt like we could get beat.....that's why I have refered to watching the game as uncomfortable.

I agree that the 5 spot is still the weakest on the team....I think that clearly lessens can be learned about the need for post players to move their feet quickly, anticipate where you need to be, know what you need to do when quick guards are driving to the basket....and learn these lessons quickly or you will be sitting on the bench in foul trouble.

Outside shooting will be decent some nights and not so much on others....so playing good defense is what can win you those games when the shooting isn't great.

This board would melt down if we lose one of these cupcake games....but, look what happens anytime something goes wrong. There a lot of very emotional fans who espouse their thoughts based on the emotion of the moment......so, this is similar to the sun coming up tomorrow.

 

[djwoody]

We held them to 25 points when Fran decided to play Ulis and Perkins most of the second half. Rebraca is averaging 8 boards a game, he’ll get better. I thought Kris Murray would’ve been a big help last night. As for Keegan. Wow.

 

[perryhawk]

George Mason just won at Maryland….

 

[RocknRollface]

Bahahaha please tell me in a lineup of joe, ulis, perkins, keegan, rebraca who the proven shooters are?! Hell out of our whole roster the only proven shooter we’ve got is jbo! We’re 24/72 from 3 these first 3 games and Jbo has made 10 of the 24 on 22 attempts. That means the rest of the team is 14/52…just under 27%! Just because we’re averaging 93/gm doesn’t make us a good shooting team.

So it doesn't take great shooters to score allot of points?

Is that the point?

 

[BirdistheWord]

PG Observations:

I like Joe T. for his toughness and aggressiveness but the offense just seems herky jerky and disjointed when he is running the point. Not every single play but overall. He has improved his short range game and is a minor threat from 3. He tends to play smaller than his height when driving to bucket/hangs in air too long? His defense is very feast or famine as he goes for steals but does not generally stay in front of his man. He is one of the most athletic on the team and is a very good defender, but tends to under perform vs athleticism.

Ulis seems very mentally tough, very even keel and runs the offense much more smoothly. Very fluid. He is incredibly efficient with the ball. Not an amazing passer but not afraid and makes good decisions. His shooting is still TBD but has nice form on FT's, can get to the bucket and did make a 3 last night. Still a ways to go on scoring.
HIs defense is underated, he does a great job of making his man work, stays in front of them and plays great help defense.

I just like when Ulis is out there. Team runs more smooth, his defense is more consistent and just makes better overall decisions.

 

[Slim45]

So it doesn't take great shooters to score allot of points?

Is that the point?

No…it doesn’t. Especially when we’re playing these garbage teams that are over matched at every position. Enlighten me on these “great shooters” we have on the team. Ill wait

 

[Franisdaman]

No…it doesn’t. Especially when we’re playing these garbage teams that are over matched at every position. Enlighten me on these “great shooters” we have on the team. Ill wait

and i think that will be our achilles heel; the better teams will force us into jump shots

and when we drive to the hoop? if there is a lane to drive thru, the better teams are just as big and athletic, if not more

most predicted iowa to finish 9th or 10 in the B1G. unfortunately, i think they are going to be right.

 

[Slim45]

and i think that will be our achilles heel; the better teams will force us into jump shots

and when we drive to the hoop? if there is a lane to drive thru, the better teams are just as big and athletic, if not more

most predicted iowa to finish 9th or 10 in the B1G. unfortunately, i think they are going to be right.

It is definitely our achilles heel right now. And it will absolutely be the game plan of opposing teams to pack the lane and make us hit shots and force them to adjust. I think we have guys that can shoot well, but will be streaky. Again, jbo is the ONLY proven shooter we have. I think Sandfort is going to see way more time than people think because he can shoot. Still think we finish better than 9th in conference.

 

[2432Hawk]

Tough game to watch, but Perry was dead on that it gave Fran something to use for teaching. Sometimes you have bad shooting, like last night, and fortunately the FT shooting bailed the team out. JBo was really pressing, and I think that might have affected the whole team. Kris not playing kind of screwed up the rotation and forced Keegan to play more, but maybe it finally gave Perkins the opening to break out. I really like the energy he brings. Big downside that needs work was how easy it was to get into the lane for layups. I think Patrick in particular looked like he had very heavy feet at times.

Patrick aggravated an ankle last night..... he needs to learn when someone is under you on a dunk, hold on till it's clear. On that 1st half backdoor from JBo he came down on and tweaked an ankle. He had both really badly sprained in the pre-season and missed a lot of time.

 

[EduNeerHawk]

So it doesn't take great shooters to score allot of points?

Is that the point?

Yeah....this is my response but the guy is an idiot and I see he responded and he still doesn't get what averaging 93 points per game means. Call em bucket makers then....we have quite a few of them. Oh...already noted Maryland scored 66 points at home and George Mason scored 77.....go Bahahaha on their board about shooters.

 

[Franisdaman]

Patrick aggravated an ankle last night..... he needs to learn when someone is under you on a dunk, hold on till it's clear. On that 1st half backdoor from JBo he came down on and tweaked an ankle. He had both really badly sprained in the pre-season and missed a lot of time.

oh, man....

 

[Slim45]

Yeah....this is my response but the guy is an idiot and I see he responded and he still doesn't get what averaging 93 points per game means. Call em bucket makers then....we have quite a few of them. Oh...already noted Maryland scored 66 points at home and George Mason scored 77.....go Bahahaha on their board about shooters.

Yeah, im the idiot. 93/gm against 3 300+ ranked teams. Then pointing to maryland v george mason as some kind of example. Yeah im the idiot. Bucket getters lol so tell me what’s going to happen, without effective shooters, when we play a team that is as athletic and the same size as us? You think we’re just going to bully our way into the lane for layups? No, they’re going to pack the lane and force us to make shots.

 

[perryhawk]

Only thing I would disagree with your OP Perry is that even though Ulis has decent quickness he not as quick as Joe T.

I agree that he isn't as quick as Joe.....I didn't think that I said that but certainly didn't intend to.

 

[topherchris20]

I'm not a basketball expert...but I don't believe the other team should be able to get to the rim consistently in the first 20 minutes of any game. That was ridiculous. This was a team that we should have had solid scouting reports on and should have known their action offensively. Although some of those layups were contested...it still doesn't justify that somehow they got in the paint in a one on one situation. You STOP penetration with team defense.

This is nothing new for Fran's teams. I've said it over and over, but they need to hire a defensive minded coach to improve that side of the ball. There are several mid major teams that play great defense...hire one of those guys. How many years have we seen this same thing...over and over again...we break down defensively...or can only play zone against athletic teams. It's clear Fran can't improve this team defensively.

They were almost all transfers, I think. Would make a scouting report tough when they've only played a few games.

 

[topherchris20]

I certainly get the question....and basically agree with the question (should they be testing us?) but the fact is that they did. When Fran made the adjustments and the right players were actually playing defense, we handled them like we should.....but for 3/4ths of the game it felt like we could get beat.....that's why I have refered to watching the game as uncomfortable.

I agree that the 5 spot is still the weakest on the team....I think that clearly lessens can be learned about the need for post players to move their feet quickly, anticipate where you need to be, know what you need to do when quick guards are driving to the basket....and learn these lessons quickly or you will be sitting on the bench in foul trouble.

Outside shooting will be decent some nights and not so much on others....so playing good defense is what can win you those games when the shooting isn't great.

This board would melt down if we lose one of these cupcake games....but, look what happens anytime something goes wrong. There a lot of very emotional fans who espouse their thoughts based on the emotion of the moment......so, this is similar to the sun coming up tomorrow.

Lessens what?