Official Ole Miss Thread

[LHS81]

What you usually see when SMU plays a close game against a "name" opponent. A play designed to chase away Nyakundi from getting an open shot, while Patsevich shoots a brick.

[Mustangs_Maroons]

Yep, Pats was not hitting many jumpers ay all tonight.

Good coaches design final plays for their best players and shooters. Doh must have forgotten that basic principle. Losh was not making shots tonight.

methinks you're grinding an axe, when the reality is that the kid just missed. Lots of stuff to pile on Doh about, that play sure isn't one

No axe to grind but I can express my observations from watching the game. I'm sure not a basketball expert but when I watch final plays from good teams that win, they almost always have their best player/shooter take the final shot. When they don't take the shot, they use them as a decoy to set up a better shot for a teammate.

From my observations of watching a few limited games, I have noticed that Doh makes random substitutions and has failed to lead his team to 2 victories against OSU and Ole Miss. I have also noticed that J-Frog was schooled against OSU and in my opinion lacks the court vision to help the other positional players. These observations were again on display tonight. Maybe this is not representative of how the season has gone. What I do know is that this is Doh's sixth year on the hilltop and the team still can't seem to win on a consistent basis. We'll be joining the BE soon and IMO the team will have to step up, and I believe it all starts with the coach.

[hoopmanx]

No axe to grind but I can express my observations from watching the game. I'm sure not a basketball expert but when I watch final plays from good teams that win, they almost always have their best player/shooter take the final shot. When they don't take the shot, they use them as a decoy to set up a better shot for a teammate.

From my observations of watching a few limited games, I have noticed that Doh makes random substitutions and has failed to lead his team to 2 victories against OSU and Ole Miss. I have also noticed that J-Frog was schooled against OSU and in my opinion lacks the court vision to help the other positional players. These observations were again on display tonight. Maybe this is not representative of how the season has gone. What I do know is that this is Doh's sixth year on the hilltop and the team still can't seem to win on a consistent basis. We'll be joining the BE soon and IMO the team will have to step up, and I believe it all starts with the coach.

I'm not debating anything you say, other than the designed in bounds play. Let's be real, there is no iso'ing in college ball. Its not like you just toss the ball to Dirk, clear out, and watch him work. Our best scorer is a catch n shoot specialist that has nothing else in the arsenal. He can't create off the bounce, at all. The odds of designing a play for Rob, when that's all the defense is focusing on, makes limited sense. The goal is to get the ball to a capable player/shooter, for a clean look, in a spot they are comfortable in. To that end, they designed a very good play.

As for the rest of it, specifically Frog, I'd agree. We need defense from the position & more north/south action

[JasonB]

I think it is pretty easy to see where we are at.

Against certain teams, our guards are going to be able to break the other team down, which will create open shots for our shooters. In those games, we will put up 70 (see SE Mizz game).

Against most other teams, our guards can't break the other team down. We will get some easy layups off of nice passes because of the princeton. But our shooters can't create their own shots, so it will be difficult to score. In those games, we will play enough D and a slow enough tempo to keep the game close, and it is a 50/50 game.

There were three things that turned last year around for SMU. One was better defensive play. The second was a third scorer, which appeared in conference play. The third was that JFrog was much more aggressive in conference play and drove to the hoop.

This year's team is much more balanced from a scoring perspective, so I am not as much worried about a third option needing to develop. We aren't throwing a lot of incompetent players on the court, so we don't need a pick me up.

The defense seems to be coming together okay as well.

So, what we are missing is the ability to break the other team down. We need JFrog of the end of last year, Manual to develop the aggressiveness, or Jones to be more aggressive on the wing.

Until that happens, we are just going to see games like this against teams who have good defensive guards. We don't have that classic big to throw it down to on the post and drag the perimeter defense back. We have to have some penetration from the guards.

[ontheedgeofmyseat]

Not sure why a kid who hit zero shots tonight takes the game winner...maybe the theory was "he's due"??

[WildBillPony]

I was able to catch about half the game and it seemed SMU was always shooting 3's and no effort to work the ball inside. . Does SMU have no inside game or is that part of the Princeton office?

Yes, the Princeton offense does call for the ball to be worked inside.This team is either not coached to finish off inside or the players are inherently too tentative.

[PonyPlayer4]

Where is Travis Bickle? Losh had the chance to shut everyone up, but missed again.

[2ndandlong]

Losh's dunk was Fox Sports play of the game - I presume because Belarussians can't jump.

[hoopmanx]

Not sure why a kid who hit zero shots tonight takes the game winner...maybe the theory was "he's due"??

staff & players still believe Losh is one of the teams best shooters, despite never hitting lol. His rep was as a shooter, and he routinely nailed 3 or so 3s in juco. I don't know what the hell is going on w/the kids jumper, but despite what everyone thinks, as you stated, he was 0-6 from 3, before the designed inbounds

[ponyscott]

Not sure why a kid who hit zero shots tonight takes the game winner...maybe the theory was "he's due"??

staff & players still believe Losh is one of the teams best shooters, despite never hitting lol. His rep was as a shooter, and he routinely nailed 3 or so 3s in juco. I don't know what the hell is going on w/the kids jumper, but despite what everyone thinks, as you stated, he was 0-6 from 3, before the designed inbounds

And his shots are not even close...they are hitting the base of the basket and everywhere else and are not even close. He is also pushing the shots from his arms and not getting under his shot with his legs.....its not pretty. He just doesn't have it....pleeease stop playing him.

[ponyscott]

They got the ball to the high post sometimes but most of the time the high post was trying to set a screen on the ball at the high post?.....get it to the high post against a 2-3 zone and reverse and pass to the gaps down low...overload the zone and if no shot, reverse it. If we have good passers why then weren't we passing to the gaps and reversing to break the zone down. They were just satisfied with one or two passes then a 3 pointer launch. You still have to work it down low to keep the zone honest.
And again Losh wasn't even rimming out his hots which would mean that he was just a little off, as they were not even a shooters miss, just clunkers and air.

[EastStang]

We were what about 33% shooting? You don't win games lobbing up bricks all day. Can't expect to get many O bounds with our size. Samparrissas has no business shooting threes. He must have missed at least 6 shots from 3 range. His technique is terrible. He shoots his jumper (or set shot) before he hits the zenith of his jump, thus causing a flat shot and almost no backspin. its an easy bad habit to get into when you are shorter, and in practice it probably works, but in a game with a quicker pace and amped up nerves, its poison. He needs someone to work with him on that. If they do, and if it sticks, he could average 25 a game from the top of the key. When we had the lead the game was ours to win, and we couldn't convert wide open looks. The good was that our guys were getting wide open looks outside, the bad was that they couldn't convert those looks. Other than hurrying their shots a little, I didn't see any other really bad techniques. The other goods were that they hustled and played to the end and they played excellent defense. That will keep them in games.

[ponyscott]

Open looks with a shooter that's hitting 25-30% isn't a way to win games. There is maybe a real reason why he happens to so open late in the game????

[whitwiki]

Where is Travis Bickle? Losh had the chance to shut everyone up, but missed again.

Didn't hear from you after the La. Tech game when he scored 11. He has a high basketball IQ and had good looks. Do you think Michael Jordan was a good player? He missed more game winners than he made. Losh, J-Frog, and Rob N and then draw straws for the other two starters. We have NO inside threat. Oh Lord, please help us recruit another Papa Dia, an inside presence.

This team plays hard just not talented. Our coaches put them in a position to win. They are unfortunately showing us they can't ( yet) close out games. Not losing faith in them.

Losh is a smart player, but don't ever compare him to MJ.

[ponyscott]

Open looks with a shooter that's hitting 25-30% isn't a way to win games. There is maybe a real reason why he happens to so open late in the game????

Ponyscott - did you forget about La. Tech. If Losh doesn't get 11, we go 0-3 on this swing. I am tired of seeeing these little guys - 6"0" -6"6" running around out there. Let's find a post presence in recruiting. I got spoiled with Papa. It opens up everything when you got someone like him that commands the ball and then can finish or make free throws. Make it a priority in recruiting.

These guys play hard and was really impressed with Rob's screening throughout the game allowing his teammates to get open looks. See I notice those things like with Harp, Haines, Losh etc from last year's team. They wouldn't dare shoot but did all the other little things - thus 20 wins. Memphis, Southern Mississippi, Oral Roberts, Jacksonsonville, Northern Iowa on the road, etc...........Little things win games.

But Travis even a blind squirrel gets a nut every now and then. That was one game out of many----If Jfrog really can't score this year....yet ( although he did score last night), then why do we have a liability attempting to shoot the ball and in critical situations? That's 3 on 5 by my count. Nothing against the kid, but you have to perform to earn the minutes.