Game Thoughts

by **PonyDoh** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 4:48 pm

jtstang wrote:
gostangs wrote:Huh? The zone is used when you are out manned - which we were by a team with better athletes on average. It is not uncommon.

It is uncommon for winners. Our best runs in the second half last night came when we were playing an agressive man to man. Were you even watching the game?

There are some very successful college teams that run almost exclusively zone. Hell, possibly the best teams in recent history, Tark's early 90s UNLV teams, ran tons of zone, specifically the amoeba. Syracuse runs mostly zone and always has etc. Its doesn't keep you from winning, just like playing man doesn't give you a better chance at winning. Its all about how you run it. If it's your primary, and you're great at running it, it can be very successful. If you are running it poorly, you give up tons of looks. We run it poorly. That said, we aren't great in man either

by **Peruna88** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 4:58 pm

RGV Pony wrote:kinda wish we had a big man coach.

Yeah, it's too bad that the great Ira Terrell is available to work with the kids and no one asks him. He's ready and willing.

by **Buckethead** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 5:06 pm

Our problem is: we only have 3 starters. McCoy, Williams and Faye are the 3 starters the rest are all roll players. We still need to find 2 more good players, either by developing from within or recruiting them.
Where Bamba was catching the ball in the post was not the problem. He takes for ever to make his one move and the guy guarding him last night out weigh him by at least 75 pounds. Bamba should be a force on the defensive end and score his points off of put backs.
We are a better team than we were last year. But until we find 2 more quality players to play with McCoy, Williams and Faye last night was what we have to look forward to this year. Don't get me wrong I like to win as much as the next guy, but last nights game was at least entertaining.

by **gostangs** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 5:25 pm

Yes I was watching the game. You might not want to comment on basketball since you may not know enough about the game if you think zone D cannot be used by winners "at this level".

I prefer us in man to man also - but Doh likes to mix it up to keep the offense off balance - I dont think he has much choice - we can't hang with a team like UTEP (or Memphis) for a full game man to man - expecially since they have us on team depth, as well as overall athleticism.

by **jtstang** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 6:20 pm

A zone when your down with 5 minutes to go will get you exactly what you had last night--not enough time left to finish the rally. Zones are for teams that are lazy and/or out of shape.

by **papawasamustang** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 7:36 pm

I've seen UTEP play several x's & I thought the key to the game would be Culpepper. If he's hot, it will be a tough game. If he's not, then we have an excellent chance of winning. U know Jackson is going to score but the key is stopping #3 & we never were able to identify the shooter & stop his wide open looks (seems to be an ongoing problem so far this year).

McCoy had a couple of open looks early in the game & to UTEP's credit they made him work extremely hard for everything he got.

The difference in the game was guard play. 3 & 12 scored 50 points between them. Our starting backcourt had 19.
Also, we are just very soft in the middle. Nothing new, but in the second half we gave UTEP too many 2nd & 3rd chances, many off of missed FT's, that eventually led to scores. The rebounding stats for the game are misleading.

McCoy & Willimas need to get Faye involved more earlier in the game. I notice he gets out on the break really well & is wide open many times on the wing off the break & we don't get him the ball. Faye is very good in transition & this could lead to many easy baskets if they can get him the ball in the open court.

Anyway, don't believe in this we played hard, good effort, UTEP was a better team crap. UTEP is a good team that we should have beat.
Now the question is can we win on the road. We will find out Wednesday @ Rice.

by **RGV Pony** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 7:38 pm

jtstang wrote:A zone when your down with 5 minutes to go will get you exactly what you had last night--not enough time left to finish the rally. Zones are for teams that are lazy and/or out of shape.

you're right. A lot of you won't like hearing this, and it's not a comparison talent wise, but situation wise. When we pulled to within 3, and later when we pulled to within 5, I turned to my stepdaughter-who's been to a Duke game at Cameron with me-and told her that if this situation came down up there, you'd see the home team slapping the floor with both hands and cranking up the intensity on the man to man. Instead, we got called for a foul, they hit both free throws, we went down to the other end, missed a tip-in, then another basket for UTEP, then we traveled, I think.

by **PonyDoh** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 8:07 pm

jtstang wrote: Zones are for teams that are lazy and/or out of shape.

No offense, but that's a damn joke. Tell that to Syracuse who has a natty this decade. As I said before, tell that to Tark, he made the amoeba famous and has over 700 wins, not to mention the most dominant championship team in the past 30 years.

by **PonyDoh** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 8:15 pm

jtstang wrote:A zone when your down with 5 minutes to go will get you exactly what you had last night--not enough time left to finish the rally

Sorry I didn't comment on this in the last post. I do agree w/this. As I said before, zones are effective if they are your primary and you're damn good at running them. That said we aren't effective in a zone and its certainly the wrong defense when you are behind and it's late. Have to force the action in that situation.

by **George S. Patton** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 8:22 pm

Meanwhile Christian's boys over at TCU knocked off UNLV last night, 80-73. He's had 16 games. Doherty's had 2-plus years.

The worst thing that could happen to Doherty is that Christian catches lightning in a bottle, has a winning record and gets the Frogs into the postseason.

That should be a thing that makes every SMU follower go hmmmm.

by **angryfan04** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 8:52 pm

Our zone would be effective if we had Carmelo Anthony

by **gostangs** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 10:01 pm

If anyone thinks we win that game playing man to man for the entire game you are smokin something. The zone is for teams that are playing better athletes - as we were.

That said - I agree it was the wrong choice to end the game. Our only shot at that point was to man up - which we are surprisingly good at in spurts.

by **H-E-B Mustang** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 11:23 pm

Zone defenses can be very effective if you have the right athletes playing it. There is a reason why the NBA outlaws zones. Our problem has always been that we play a lazy zone. Our players just walk around reacting too slowly to the ball movement. Good passing breaks it easily. If we're going to play a zone, what we need to do is play a match-up zone which is much more aggressive.

by **RGV Pony** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 11:26 pm

New Mexico St under Neal McCarthy was a Top 15 team about 5 years in a row using the 1-3-1 matchup zone. During that time they were the only team to beat eventual national champ UNLV. They had a 5'11 point guard most of the time...but by and large had better athletes than we do now. It was a very active zone, creating turnovers etc. Like most zones, those teams that beat them got hot from the outside...I remember Anderson Hunt doing so specifically.

by **angryfan04** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 11:32 pm

How about putting some pressure on the ball? I would say that about 80% of the time last night we really put no pressure on the ball and essentially allowed UTEP to run whatever they wanted. I hate how we don't challenge the ball handler a lot of the time and allow him to pretty much go whichever way he wants to go.

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