This team plays tight

[Pony81]

The reason we lose to markedly inferior teams is because these kids play tight. If the coaches would let these kids be athletes and hoop it up with teams that don't have nearly as much talent - the result would be a win.

Play long possession, ball control against Memphis, Houston ect. . That way you slow down teams that are much better athletically.

Last night during almost every 2nd half possession we ran the clock down to 3-4 seconds. I can see that if you are up by 15-20 but when the other team is down by 2 you got to score points.

These kids play tight and don't look like they are having much fun.

We are a long standing D1 program struggling to win against very, very poor teams with zero recruiting bases.

[MustangIcon]

While I have listened to other games on the radio, I don't want to comment on something I have not been with my own eyes but I can agree with you based on the two games that I saw in person. Some of the guys seemed so concerned with being in the right spot and running the offense properly that they tossed aside their ability to just play ball. It is a coaches job to get the guys running the offense properly but being able to adjust to what the defense gives you. Hopefully this will get better as the season goes on and the guys continue to improve.

[SMUFan]

It's not uncommon for a team full of freshmen to play "tight" or make brain-cramp mistakes. They're freshmen. They're going to make athletic plays we haven't seen around here in a long time, but then they're going to do some stupid things that cost games, even against bad teams. If we blow leads like this when the guys are a year older and have been through it before, then we should be concerned. The talent is there, but the learning process is still very much underway.

[CarMichael]

With the level of talent that will be available for the next few years, SMU may need to be a "system" team if they are going to compete with good mid-major teams. It is hard to get good team play out of a group that features four freshmen unless the rookies come in with fundamental skills and are highly coachable (UNC in 2006 or WVU in 2003). You are probably right that SMU would have done better against bad teams if Doh had turned them loose. However, it might be better for the future if he makes them try to do the team stuff until they get it. If fans and players stick with it, you might have a pretty team to watch in a couple of years. Sorry that things have been mostly ugly so far.

(UNC fan)

[papawasamustang]

Show me a team that plays tight & I will show you a losing team with a coach that needs to stop over coaching.