Perimeter defense = sadness

[Stallion]

Battered Wife Syndrome....you be happy with an NIT final appearance. I'm hoping and counting on that LB and the team have much bigger aspirations and won't be satisfied with good results b/c they have great expectations of themselves. Being putrid for the last 25 years has warped so many minds around here its incredible.

Or maybe we have a bunch of you have never actually seen good football and basketball teams face adversity and overcome it. I was there when about 5 teams took SMU greatest modern day football team in to the wire like TCU in Ft Worth 16-13, UH 20-14 in Dallas, Baylor 22-19 in Waco and Tech 34-27 in Lubbock or trailing Arkansas in closing minutes in Texas Stadium or trailing Pitt in Cotton Bowl heading into 4th Q. Great teams overcome adversity even on days they do not play to their potential. Its one of the most important things I've learned as a fan for 50 years and its so damn exciting to watch a team reach in its guts and pull through. Somebody has got to make a play. Gut check time is why we love and remember sports

[LA_Mustang]

Nothing in your explanation is specific about basketball. LB always says he gets out coached. You said it was glaring and I would like to know specifically how he got out coached. I only saw half the game. I'm interested to know.

[Grant Carter]

Even LB has admitted he's been outcoached. I bet we would say the same about today's performance. Luckily for him he had vastly superior talent which bailed out the terrible perimeter defense.

"Luckily"[/quote]

ha! One too many letters. "Lucky for him"[/quote]
Huh? My point was that it is ridiculous to call it lucky that he has vastly superior talent.

[couch 'em]

Knowing nothing about bball defensive schemes....how would a team, ANY team, adjust to prevent these 3's? I had to listen on radio but everyone is saying they were contested shots.

[StallionsModelT]

Nothing in your explanation is specific about basketball. LB always says he gets out coached. You said it was glaring and I would like to know specifically how he got out coached. I only saw half the game. I'm interested to know.

Watch the rest and you'll find out

Seriously LB would acknowledge (as he's done numerous times) that he got outcoached. ECU has been one of the worst teams away from their home arena in college basketball and damn near won against a Top 25 team. I'd say you have to attribute a good bit of that to coaching.

[mrydel]

By the way, no where in his interview does he say he was out coached. I think he realizes we won.

[jimhagle]

We let them spot up and shoot 3s most of the game until they appeared to get tired near the end. I wonder why we are so are concerned with doubling down low with a team like EC whose inside game is anemic. I'd give up a 2 over a 3 any day in heavy traffic. This has been an issue at times this year. I am proud of what we have accomplished this year but this conference is nowhere near as good as it was last year.

[Mountain Mustang]

The final stats tell some of the story but not all of it. ECU shot 43% from 3, but until the last 4 minutes it was well over 50% - maybe 55%. A lot of these shots were contested, but they were unconscious. Threes were the ONLY thing that kept them in the game, and they couldn't sustain their unsustainable percentage. No one does what they did through the first 36 minutes of that game. I really don't think that's on us as much as it is a team catching fire.

[StallionsModelT]

We let them spot up and shoot 3s most of the game until they appeared to get tired near the end. I wonder why we are so are concerned with doubling down low with a team like EC whose inside game is anemic. I'd give up a 2 over a 3 any day in heavy traffic. This has been an issue at times this year. I am proud of what we have accomplished this year but this conference is nowhere near as good as it was last year.

X100000

Very happy that we won but this team is better than last year and we could be a tough team to beat in the tourney if we play better perimeter defense. Is it a personnel issue? I don't think so. RM, Sterling, and even Nic I would say are plus defenders. You could make the argument that Nic is at a disadvantage b/c of his height but all are good athletes capable of closing out on shooters. Sagging back and doubling the post when the clear strength of the team is our interior while teams are just kicking it out for wide open 3's seems odd. But hey "we do what we do".

[StallionsModelT]

The final stats tell some of the story but not all of it. ECU shot 43% from 3, but until the last 4 minutes it was well over 50% - maybe 55%. A lot of these shots were contested, but they were unconscious. Threes were the ONLY thing that kept them in the game, and they couldn't sustain their unsustainable percentage. No one does what they did through the first 36 minutes of that game. I really don't think that's on us as much as it is a team catching fire.

UConn and Tulsa say hi.

[SMU Section F]

[StallionsModelT]

You know you haven't arrived as a fanbase when you win games like this against teams you are overwhelmingly better than and any criticism is cast aside. It's going to take a few more years for the BWS to wear off. God help us with football

[mrydel]

I certainly want to win this tourney, but now we are playing to keep the rust from forming, and fine tune for the big one.

[GreenbeltPony]

UConn: 9 3s
Tulsa: 12 3s
ECU: 15 3s
Memphis/Temple: 18?

(just kidding)

[jimhagle]

The strength of our offense is down low yet Nic rarely gets clean looks or anyone else for that matter. And our post players have to struggle to get off shots too a lot. What are other teams doing that we aren't on defense then?