But there is no way around it...
last night was a missed opportunity to get a rare win on the road.
If this team continues to play with that same type of approach then we will be in a lot of games down the stretch of conference play.
Here are somethings I liked about last nights game:
We responded really well when ISU kept making baskets. Once we got the lead back under 8 we kept close up until the end.
However, we never had any great defensive stands in the last 5 minutes. When we did play good defense it seemed they would get their offensive rebound. This was only toward the end of the game when each possession mattered more because we did a good job minimizing offensive rebounds in 1st half and the beginning of 2nd.
Offensively, we seemed to run some really good sets to either get Forte a look and then Nash if nothing was there for Forte. We always seemed to be looking for opener shooters and slashers like Shine and Newberry.
Hickey did a decent job of protecting ball, playing D, and moving offense but we need him to score. We also need Cobbins to get his put backs and junk points. He will never be a go-to post player but he has to make those bunnies plain and simple.
Shine is the guy we have been looking for. I think there have been some hesitancy from Ford and the fans parts to just accept that Shine is better than his other higher rated counterparts.
Time for Shine to get the start vs UT IMO. Newberry does great but we can't play UT with that small of a 1,2,3 early on in game.
Nash is still an enigma. He could very well be the most dominant Big 12 player when he decides he wants to play that way but the play where he pouts and looks away from Forte and misses pass to him is a summary of his career so far. He did seem to respond well after and I think he means well but we need him to play like a leader from here on out.
Hopefully this game shows this team that they can play on the road with anyone and gives them a blueprint on what needs to be done. We have 3 more very tough games in a row now. Gotta keep battling like that and hope we pull one out.
last night was a missed opportunity to get a rare win on the road.
If this team continues to play with that same type of approach then we will be in a lot of games down the stretch of conference play.
Here are somethings I liked about last nights game:
We responded really well when ISU kept making baskets. Once we got the lead back under 8 we kept close up until the end.
However, we never had any great defensive stands in the last 5 minutes. When we did play good defense it seemed they would get their offensive rebound. This was only toward the end of the game when each possession mattered more because we did a good job minimizing offensive rebounds in 1st half and the beginning of 2nd.
Offensively, we seemed to run some really good sets to either get Forte a look and then Nash if nothing was there for Forte. We always seemed to be looking for opener shooters and slashers like Shine and Newberry.
Hickey did a decent job of protecting ball, playing D, and moving offense but we need him to score. We also need Cobbins to get his put backs and junk points. He will never be a go-to post player but he has to make those bunnies plain and simple.
Shine is the guy we have been looking for. I think there have been some hesitancy from Ford and the fans parts to just accept that Shine is better than his other higher rated counterparts.
Time for Shine to get the start vs UT IMO. Newberry does great but we can't play UT with that small of a 1,2,3 early on in game.
Nash is still an enigma. He could very well be the most dominant Big 12 player when he decides he wants to play that way but the play where he pouts and looks away from Forte and misses pass to him is a summary of his career so far. He did seem to respond well after and I think he means well but we need him to play like a leader from here on out.
Hopefully this game shows this team that they can play on the road with anyone and gives them a blueprint on what needs to be done. We have 3 more very tough games in a row now. Gotta keep battling like that and hope we pull one out.
