My Hawaii Game Thoughts

[Diehard Pony]

Odd, with a title such as this one I should have something profound to say, but I don't think that is going to happen.

Attended tonight, as always, with my pair of diehard fans. As a trifecta, we have missed very few home games over many years.

I know we all like to jump all over the lack of attendance as the core problem, but in my opinion it is not. Some have suggested that we just send them on the road which we just did, and they came back 0-2. Playing poorly against WAC competition year in and year out is not going to get anybody excited about coming to an SMU basketball game. I think we have all come to agreement on that in prior threads.

The first half of tonight's game looked to me and my buddies like they were mailing it in. Same goes for the first 10 minutes of the second half. SMU, not Hawaii, took the fans out of the game from the opening tip. Quite frankly I was shocked that the fans got into the game when the Ponies finally woke from the dead in the last 10 minutes. I had never seen a more moribund crowd, and you can include me in the group.

The end was exciting, and without a huge coaching blunder (and/or pitiful execution) at the end of the game (i.e., no foul until 1.9 sec left) we actually might have pulled it out.

I will not stop going, nor will I stop hoping, but this was a team that provided my trifecta with some real hope early in the season, and now we are 7-7, and 1-3 in WAC play. I really believe, in the absence of dramatic turnaround, this has to be Mike Dement's swansong.

Please forgive my theraputic rambling. It's something I must do maintain my marginal sanity.

[Hoop Fan]

Diehard, I hate to kick a guy when hes down about his livlihood, but Dement is done here. I don't really think he is enjoying himself or wants to be here now anyway. Its all stale. He needs a change, SMU needs a change. It happens in life. I am in the middle of one now in my career. Hey, I got so busy over the holidays that I still havent watched the Purdue tape. Maybe I was saving that one for a rainy day. Well, its clearly a terrential downpour right now.

[Mustangs35SMU]

I just think we need to get over the attendence issue. We have the fans that we have and hte only way to get more fans is to win. The only way to win is scoring more than the other team. Which doesnt happen a lot at SMU for the sports that people actually go to. Almost all of us here are Diehard fans and if we werent we wouldnt hang around a school that goes 0-12 in football. Has dropped 3 straight in basketball in the WAC and doesnt get much NationalAttention. Im just thankful that wehave the fans that we do. Now onto the game tonight. I have no idea what was happening tonight. I checked the score at halftime and we were down by 10?! WTF! Then all of a sudden we're down by 1 with like 15 seconds left or whatever it was. Something has to change just like Hoop fan said. I dont know what but something has to change.

[scottsportshawaii]

Great Game Tonight! Talk about a scare when SMU went on a 14-0 run. You have a very good three point shooting team. In you opinion, did SMU play poorly tonight?

Here is this weeks "Sports Angel" Courtnee

<img src="http://www.sportshawaii.com/images/courtneethumb.jpg" alt=" - " />

Sports Hawaii

[PG]

Did we play poorly? No, we didn't even play for 35 minutes. It absolutely kills me to see this team simply go through the motions game after game. There was nothing positive from this game. Nothing. We continue to let our opponents take it right to us. I think we are a lazier defensive team than the Mavs. We don't even attempt to close out on shooters. Can somebody please attack the glass one time and actually go get a rebound? How many rebounds have to hit the floor before we get one? We only get rebounds when the ball comes to us. I guess the rebounding totals evened up in the 2nd half but it seems like Hawaii was getting an offensive board or two or three on every possession.

We have the most boring, uninspired offense I've ever seen. It's so incredibly basic, yet we still can't execute a damn thing. No ball movement, no cutting, no screening, no nothing. When we do get the ball low (and that was even a real chore tonight, considering we can't make an entry pass to save our lives), we have two baby big men who won't take it strong. How many times do they have to get it stripped before they decide to go up strong. Don't go around the defender, go at him. Hell, mix in a dunk once in a while (and I don't mean on a broken play where there's no one within 10 feet).

Bottom line, this team has no collective sack. There's no toughness. They don't respond to anything the coach tries. Game day is just another day to them. There's no one on that team who will kick over a chair or get in anyone's face. They don't hold themselves accountable for poor play. There's no sense of urgency. Whatever happens, happens. They'll go to practice tomorrow and get ready for San Jose. They'll probably come out flat again as usual. Same song, next verse. If they do win, great. Won't mean a thing to them. The beat will go on.