5 thoughts you might have missed if you didn't see any....

[LA_Mustang]

of the games that you didn't already know because you didn't see the games (sorry, Norm)......

- McCoy is going to be a great player....he’s already very good. But from what I saw, he’s our best scoring option (when Papa disappears) and it is never a good thing when your PG is your best scorer (Hop years).
- Williams is better than I expected. He has the ability to score at this level, and we all know that is what this team desperately needs
- Our defense against the 3 is completely unacceptable....it seems like we have this problem every year but last night was ridiculous - 13 of 23....come on. Doherty has to address that quickly. When we’ve got a shot blocker like Bamba in the paint, there’s no excuse for open outside looks....close out on guys and if they drive, they get introduced to Bamba
- FT shooting is equally as frustrating. Otis at the line – oh my.....and the rest of the guys aren’t much better.
- I think this team will win some they shouldn’t and lose some they shouldn’t, and will make for a .500 season.

[Stallion]

I agree. McCoy has great speed, outstanding body control, poise and is one of those guys that can create his own shots. Based on last nites performance, he was far ahead offensively than any SMU freshman PG that I have seen-and I've seen them all since 1966. Hopkins would be in that mix but that was an impressive performance-Cool performance. Butch Moore and Billy Allen were probably better at creating shots for teammates and playing the traditional PG role but McCoy has them both on athletic ability. Even the few shots he missed were wonderful attempts to attack the basket when most of the rest of the team had no idea how to create a shot. Williams noticed what McCoy was doing and followed in his big second half.

Don't know what to say about Fall or Dia-an absolutely horrendous performance. In one key stretch, Dia was beaten for 3 straight offensive rebounds within 2 minutes. SMU would have been right there if they can put anything in the hole. Fall still thinks he's 6-5 instead of 7-1 at least offensively. Although Illinois St certainly deserved to win with outstanding 3 point and FT Shooting. SMU would have been right there with an average performance by Dia and Fall or either/or. Instead they got NOTHING.

[ponyboy]

So is McCoy really a 2? Or is he forced to shoot due to lack of support?

[The PonyGrad]

Part of the IllSt game were ugly but the worst things about the game were things we can improve on. The offense and FT shooting. There were some bad TOs attempting to work the ball inside.

[LA_Mustang]

So is McCoy really a 2? Or is he forced to shoot due to lack of support?

the later....he's a true PG with scoring ability.

[papawasamustang]

of the games that you didn't already know because you didn't see the games (sorry, Norm)......

- McCoy is going to be a great player....he’s already very good. But from what I saw, he’s our best scoring option (when Papa disappears) and it is never a good thing when your PG is your best scorer (Hop years).
- Williams is better than I expected. He has the ability to score at this level, and we all know that is what this team desperately needs
- Our defense against the 3 is completely unacceptable....it seems like we have this problem every year but last night was ridiculous - 13 of 23....come on. Doherty has to address that quickly. When we’ve got a shot blocker like Bamba in the paint, there’s no excuse for open outside looks....close out on guys and if they drive, they get introduced to Bamba
- FT shooting is equally as frustrating. Otis at the line – oh my.....and the rest of the guys aren’t much better.
- I think this team will win some they shouldn’t and lose some they shouldn’t, and will make for a .500 season.

First, I question Robo for opening the game in a zone. From what I have seen so far, our pressure man to man d ain't bad, except Bamba comes too far out from the basket. McCoy & Williams do a nice job with this.

Second, I question Robo for his "yo yo" approach to the player rotation.
It was especially poor late in the 2nd half in the Alabama State game.
In my opinion, he is over coaching. I see alot of this situation type sub patterns in the NBA. This ain't the NBA. Put your best players on the court & get on with it.

Third, I'm waiting on Malone to find his game. He is one of the few players who can create his own shot & we need his scoring. As I mentioned before last years season, he has a chance to be the best player of his recruiting class. He's athletic, long, can create. Just needs minutes.

#4-If RN is the best shooter Robo has coached he needs to get him on the floor & spot him up on the wings/corners. It doesn't appear he can create his own shot off the dribble.

#5 Otis- love the Charles Oakley style of play & attitude.

#6-Papa & Dia have disappointed. The real problem with these 2 is they don't have anyone to get after it with everyday in practice. I think they will be fine but in order for this team to be above avg. they are both key.
Looks to me like they are rushing their shots.

#7- If Faye is really the dominating player Robo said he can be @ Conference USA media day then we really have a chance to surprise some people.

I would back off the McCoy & great statements. He is just a freshman.
But I will say that from what I have seen we have more to be excited about with this squad & its future than we have in along time.

[DiamondM]

Bamba and Papa both just looked soft. I expected that from Bamba, but Papa just looked kind of lazy out there -- not sure what is going on. As Stallion said, if these guys had just an average night, we would have been right in this game.

Disagree on the free throw issue, I was pleasantly surprised last night, especially with improvement. Otis is terrible, that is true. But Bamba has improved a lot since he first got here and went 2-2 last night. (He was just over 71% for the season last year). Hopefully, Coach can help Otis improve like he has done with Bamba. Other than Otis, last night the team went 14 of 17 at the line -- 82%.

Walker had a nice shooting night coming of the bench. Maybe without the pressure of starting point, he can get his shooting stroke going on a consistent basis.

With 10 minutes left in the game, the team could have just folded and lost by 25. They didn't. They fought back to within 7, but just couldn't get over the hump or stop those clutch 3s by ISU. Ryan Harp had a block that should have been called a jump ball and possession should have gone to SMU in the last 5 minutes, but instead ISU ended up hitting a big bucket to stop the SMU run.

Talked to Ira T after the game an he reminded me that not only was this the 3rd game in 3 days, but that ISU won easily the night before with no player playing more than 25 minutes. Unfortunately, our guys had to go down to the wire. Maybe that explains the Bamba and Papa malaise last night.

[EastStang]

I suspect that Doh started in a zone to try and improve on the defensive rebounding. Defensive rebounding is about will. Are you willing to box out? Its not rocket science. A 6'5" guy can be effective at power forward if he simply knows how to box out. I remember watching Wes Unseld in the NBA. 6'7" center and yet game in and game out he got double digit rebounds, (some on one bounce) and this against the likes of Jabbar, Reed, McHale.

[LA_Mustang]

In one key stretch, Dia was beaten for 3 straight offensive rebounds within 2 minutes.

As East mentioned above - that is all about effort. I hope he gets his mind right because he has a world of talent.

[papawasamustang]

I suspect that Doh started in a zone to try and improve on the defensive rebounding. Defensive rebounding is about will. Are you willing to box out? Its not rocket science. A 6'5" guy can be effective at power forward if he simply knows how to box out. I remember watching Wes Unseld in the NBA. 6'7" center and yet game in and game out he got double digit rebounds, (some on one bounce) and this against the likes of Jabbar, Reed, McHale.

The flip side to that is what we saw last night. You give up a lot of good shots running a zone. The idea is to make them beat u from the outside, which they did. It is more difficult to rebound in a zone. Easier when you have a man to match up with & box out.

U are right about rebounding, its all about desire.

Again, I think this squad needs to come out every game with pressure man to man d. We have the right mix to do it now.

[EastStang]

Don't disagree with you pops. But was just explaining that perhaps that's why Doh tried the zone. This is the time of year to experiement and see what works and what doesn't. A 1-3-1 zone trap might also be effective with Fall in the back. You do give up rebounds with that zone, but you can force TO's as well. I am from the full court man to man press all game all over school of thought. But you have to have depth and talent to pull that off, otherwise, you're giving up dunks down court.

[Charleston Pony]

I'm assuming Doh started out in zone because of the fatigue factor...3 games in 3 nights and playing a team that had the luxury of resting their guys in a blowout win (and in the early game) the night before. All the talk about Dia being lazy...well, he looked pretty good in the Alabama State game. Let's hope Faye is eligible after the break and enters the rotation in the post...more guys in the rotation allows Doh to go with the guy who is "on" that night.

I'm still waiting for Malone to be "on" and to improve on the promise he showed last year.

[friarwolf]

I came away from this tournament feeling better about our team. I still think 15 wins is the max but I would love to be proven wrong.

Observations........ I really liked what I saw from Williams at the point. He does lots of little things that might get overlooked but are so important to a team. He expends lots of energy beating the press with his speed and quickness, guarding the other point and stopping dribble penetration, and pushing the tempo. All this saps his energy while conserving his teammates' energy. His play is going to allow McCoy to slowly learn running point at the D-1 level and more importantly, preserve McCoy's legs to use on offense when shooting the ball or penetrating. He does go into a shell when Doherty abuses him verbally so Doh, back off with the over the top crap. McCoy is a stud in the making and Walker has shown to be a nice instant offense guy which is a good thing. Bamba and Dia have got to stop getting pushed under the basket. This is basic stuff - keep position outside the hoop so missed shots don't bounce over you to a smaller opponent. Bamba needs to learn to use the glass on his hook shots........Dia seems to need to score early to get his confidence going. Otis is fun to watch - he's this year's Ritter with skills. Would like to see Malone and Nyakundi have some plays run for them - at least when they set a pick, roll and receive the ball back.........Last thing, Doh nearly handed the game to Alabama St with his overcoaching in the last minute of play. Less can be more, Coach...........

[papawasamustang]

I came away from this tournament feeling better about our team. I still think 15 wins is the max but I would love to be proven wrong.

Observations........ I really liked what I saw from Williams at the point. He does lots of little things that might get overlooked but are so important to a team. He expends lots of energy beating the press with his speed and quickness, guarding the other point and stopping dribble penetration, and pushing the tempo. All this saps his energy while conserving his teammates' energy. His play is going to allow McCoy to slowly learn running point at the D-1 level and more importantly, preserve McCoy's legs to use on offense when shooting the ball or penetrating. He does go into a shell when Doherty abuses him verbally so Doh, back off with the over the top crap. McCoy is a stud in the making and Walker has shown to be a nice instant offense guy which is a good thing. Bamba and Dia have got to stop getting pushed under the basket. This is basic stuff - keep position outside the hoop so missed shots don't bounce over you to a smaller opponent. Bamba needs to learn to use the glass on his hook shots........Dia seems to need to score early to get his confidence going. Otis is fun to watch - he's this year's Ritter with skills. Would like to see Malone and Nyakundi have some plays run for them - at least when they set a pick, roll and receive the ball back.........Last thing, Doh nearly handed the game to Alabama St with his overcoaching in the last minute of play. Less can be more, Coach...........

Good analysis. I saw alot of the same things u described.
Usually the offense is a little behind the D early in the season & I'm hoping that our shooting problems will improve dramatically as the season progresses. We actually have the look of a competitive D1 team & I'm really looking forward to seeing how Faye fits in. At 6'9 he should bring a whole new dimension we haven't seen in a long time.
I realize I'm a homer but I just don't see us finishing 11th in the conference as everyone has picked us to finish. I see us fighting it out in the middle of the pack. Its early & alot of basketball still to be played.
But I think we can all see the upside to this squad.