The missing ingredient.....

Quote from: we are sju on January 11, 2014, 04:33:39 PM

Not a knock on Harrison but despite all that top 20 talent we do not have a difference maker on offense that can consistently score. Harrison is best suited to be Robin. Harkless would have been the guy by now but that is what we are missing.

We don't have any top 20 talent.  We have that next tier of recruit that is either very skilled and lacking athletic ability (Harrison) or extremely athletic with limited skill (everyone else).  Jordan is the closest we have to a blue chip.

you dont need top 20 tent, you need teamwork and consistent effort.  Witness George Mason, VCU, Gonzaga in recent years.  Also a coach like Jimmy Larranaga would help.  Get a good NY guy.  They are all over the c ountry and SJU hires lavin?

Quote from: sjm2164 on January 12, 2014, 03:15:34 PM

if you are spotty on offense - have to play defense  - other than pointer and obepka's blocks  - and if you want t to count balamou there is not another good defensive player on the team. The team defense is awful. Grapping, clutching, out of place - I can go on and on. This team is going nowhere unless the defense improves. Really hard team to watch.

They hold Villanova to 35% FG and you think the problem is the defense? Have to disagree.

This team is solid overall on defense because of the athleticism our players have. We have no closers on offense. WASJU said it best, Harrison is a Robin. We have no Batman. Also, good coaches recognize the strengths and weaknesses in their players and play them within their scheme accordingly. Lavin's lineups do not reflect this approach. For example, why Dom is EVER trusted to take the ball upcourt when the other team is pressing is beyond my comprehension.  low basketball iq can be successfully handled by a good coach. 

Quote from: Marillac on January 12, 2014, 02:59:10 AM

Quote from: we are sju on January 11, 2014, 04:33:39 PM

Not a knock on Harrison but despite all that top 20 talent we do not have a difference maker on offense that can consistently score. Harrison is best suited to be Robin. Harkless would have been the guy by now but that is what we are missing.

We don't have any top 20 talent.  We have that next tier of recruit that is either very skilled and lacking athletic ability (Harrison) or extremely athletic with limited skill (everyone else).  Jordan is the closest we have to a blue chip.

You're right, we don't. 
What top 20 recruit does Villanova have?    Or Georgetown?     Did I miss the blue-chip prospects on Xavier or Wisconsin?   Some of those squads have a borderline top20 guy like Josh Smith or Dekker.. but that's right where Jordan was placed by most evaluators.

These teams have talent comparable to us, the biggest difference is the coaching staffs.   

I would never say you need top ranked talent.  Those teams you listed wouldn't touch 90% of the kids on our roster, because they recruit guys that fit their style and their program.  To build that type of program you need more than three years.  You need kids to take redshirts, kids willing to play limited minutes for a year or two, and you need veteran players with experience.  Most of all you need a core of kids with incredible SKILL.  Skill and experience together is the only way you can overcome a big physical talent disparity.

Look at how seemlessly Xavier passed the torch from Prosser to Matta to Miller to Mack, making  13 of the last 16 NCAA tournaments through four coaching changes. All four coaches have made at least three NCAA tournaments and they have all advanced in the tournament. 

You don't need top ranked talent.  My only point was that we don't have top 20 talent like the poster mentioned.  That is a different ball game.  Those guys are typically more complete players with a much higher likelihood of success.

Quote from: sjm2164 on January 12, 2014, 03:15:34 PM

if you are spotty on offense - have to play defense  - other than pointer and obepka's blocks  - and if you want t to count balamou there is not another good defensive player on the team. The team defense is awful. Grapping, clutching, out of place - I can go on and on. This team is going nowhere unless the defense improves. Really hard team to watch.

They hold Villanova to 35% FG and you think the problem is the defense? Have to disagree.

Seriously.  If this guy wants a list of reasons why we lost, defense would be the last on that list.  I'd start the list with our production from the SF/3rd guard position compared to what Nova got from Bell/Hart.
 
Breakdown:

Bell/Hart  -  49 minutes  - 18 points - 15 total boards - 6 offensive boards - 3 turnovers
Dom/Phil -  52 minutes  - 10 points - 9 total rebounds - 1 offensive board -  4 turnovers

We lost by 7 and Dom/Phil gave us an 8 point deficit in scoring.  We were out-rebounded by 9, and 6 of those are represented here.   We got a huge effort on the offensive glass from Jordan, Harrison and Sampson (+7 over their men), but squandered that here. 

Dom and Phil can't play against teams of this caliber. But they are not the only players who aren't delivering. Sampson is the guy I'm most disappointed in, after our coach, that is. He takes plays off, and he doesn't play with his head very often.

How can you jibe the "low bb IQ" tenet with the fact that we lead our league in lacking turnovers?

8 yesterday, only 3 entire second half, and a measly 6 on the road in a snakepit at Xavier.  If you were going to point to one statistical measure that points to high basketball IQ,  wouldn't this be it?

Quote from: sjm2164 on January 12, 2014, 03:15:34 PM

if you are spotty on offense - have to play defense  - other than pointer and obepka's blocks  - and if you want t to count balamou there is not another good defensive player on the team. The team defense is awful. Grapping, clutching, out of place - I can go on and on. This team is going nowhere unless the defense improves. Really hard team to watch.

They hold Villanova to 35% FG and you think the problem is the defense? Have to disagree.

Gave them 40 Ft's on 30 fouls.  Defense was a huge deficiency yesterday.

So the new emphasis is on hand checks but ref's don't call any real fouls down low.  I can't believe the contact they ignore (on both sides) while calling any incidental touch in the outside.  It is ludicrous.

Quote from: SJUFAN on January 12, 2014, 03:27:54 PM

Quote from: sjm2164 on January 12, 2014, 03:15:34 PM

if you are spotty on offense - have to play defense  - other than pointer and obepka's blocks  - and if you want t to count balamou there is not another good defensive player on the team. The team defense is awful. Grapping, clutching, out of place - I can go on and on. This team is going nowhere unless the defense improves. Really hard team to watch.

They hold Villanova to 35% FG and you think the problem is the defense? Have to disagree.

Gave them 40 Ft's on 30 fouls.  Defense was a huge deficiency yesterday.

exactly why cant people see this?

Quote from: carmineabbatiello on January 12, 2014, 07:07:08 PM

Quote from: SJUFAN on January 12, 2014, 03:27:54 PM

Quote from: sjm2164 on January 12, 2014, 03:15:34 PM

if you are spotty on offense - have to play defense  - other than pointer and obepka's blocks  - and if you want t to count balamou there is not another good defensive player on the team. The team defense is awful. Grapping, clutching, out of place - I can go on and on. This team is going nowhere unless the defense improves. Really hard team to watch.

They hold Villanova to 35% FG and you think the problem is the defense? Have to disagree.

Gave them 40 Ft's on 30 fouls.  Defense was a huge deficiency yesterday.

exactly why cant people see this?

Cuz I wouldn't chalk that up to defense, that would go towards the BB IQ argument IMO.

Quote from: carmineabbatiello on January 12, 2014, 07:07:08 PM

Quote from: SJUFAN on January 12, 2014, 03:27:54 PM

Quote from: sjm2164 on January 12, 2014, 03:15:34 PM

if you are spotty on offense - have to play defense  - other than pointer and obepka's blocks  - and if you want t to count balamou there is not another good defensive player on the team. The team defense is awful. Grapping, clutching, out of place - I can go on and on. This team is going nowhere unless the defense improves. Really hard team to watch.

They hold Villanova to 35% FG and you think the problem is the defense? Have to disagree.

Gave them 40 Ft's on 30 fouls.  Defense was a huge deficiency yesterday.

exactly why cant people see this?

Because it's one aspect of defense. Could they have done a better job moving their feet and not fouling? Perhaps, but to say it was a huge deficiency I don't believe is accurate given the fact we still held Villanova below there scoring average.     

Refs missed a bunch of calls. Watched the game with my dad. He isn't a basketball fan . But he saw Lavin going crazy. Think Lavin was right

The effort on D was better yesterday and against Cuse.  It was missing against G town and during the middle of the Xavier game.  It they made shots down the stretch yesterday and against Cuse the games would have gone down to the final possession.