Stats don"t lie

[real fan]

Just continue to wonder why our defense gets the blame for our losses when our stats prove otherwise:
Bradley leads the league in turnover margin at +1.88, 2nd in steals at 6.9, 2nd in 3 point field goal percentage defense at .299, and 3rd in defensive field goal % at .409.
The offense scores 63 points a game which is 9th and only ahead of Drake in the league, yet, we have the leading scorer in the league in Andrew Warren who averages 19 points a game , does anybody else recognize this problem?
Why in the heck are we not working a lot more on the offense and figure out a way for us to score at least 70 or more a game as that is where the problem lies , not the defense.
Our Sweet 16 team did not play very well until mid January and the thing that I remember to be the turning point was our players were told to get at least 1 post pass touch per possession on offense, it got O"Bryant more involved plus it gave our 3 point shooters better open shots, it virtually changed the season when that adjustment was made.

[bigdaddystuck]

I have been saying this as well. We are playing good D, just not turning those stops into points on the offensive end! I still think that if we can get the offense figured out, meaning have someone else who can score on a nightly basis, then we can still be very competitive and win some games. Not hard for other teams to figure out that we are a 1 trick pony right now on offense!

[bu fan 9]

When your bigs can't finish and your guards can't shoot you don't score many points. I guess your only hope is to get more stops.

[squirrelgotdead]

When your bigs can't finish and your guards can't shoot you don't score many points. I guess your only hope is to get more stops.

Bingo. This team is limited offensively in what it can do. Egolf and DSE are slumping. So, you only have 2 guys who are scoring: AW and Lemon. Teams know Andrew is going to be taking 70% if not more of the shots and therefore it's easy to shut us down on "O".

It's not a matter of the defense not being good, it's a matter of the defense not being good enough.

It's the same problems we had with rebounding from 2004-06. It's not that the rebounding numbers weren't good. It's that we weren't doing enough in that regard. We weren't getting those extra possessions that could have made us more successful. Finally from January 2006 on, that was addressed.

That's not being negative, that's simply a realization of this team's situation...it can't slip from where it is, but in order to be successful, they are going to have to have nights where defensively they shut teams down completely. And that's not going to happen every night.

This team's offensive opportunities are going to need to increased by extension of our defense.

[FlyingSpaghettiMonster]

When your bigs can't finish and your guards can't shoot you don't score many points. I guess your only hope is to get more stops.

Agreed. The talent on offense just isn't there. Players can overcome a lack of talent with good effort in defense and rebounding. Unfortunately, the team just isn't good.

[BUFAN]

Bingo. This team is limited offensively in what it can do. Egolf and DSE are slumping. So, you only have 2 guys who are scoring: AW and Lemon. Teams know Andrew is going to be taking 70% if not more of the shots and therefore it's easy to shut us down on "O".

It's not a matter of the defense not being good, it's a matter of the defense not being good enough.

It's the same problems we had with rebounding from 2004-06. It's not that the rebounding numbers weren't good. It's that we weren't doing enough in that regard. We weren't getting those extra possessions that could have made us more successful. Finally from January 2006 on, that was addressed.

That's not being negative, that's simply a realization of this team's situation...it can't slip from where it is, but in order to be successful, they are going to have to have nights where defensively they shut teams down completely. And that's not going to happen every night.

This team's offensive opportunities are going to need to increased by extension of our defense.

I hate to sound like a broken record, but when JL goes out on the recruiting trail he does not look for shooters, rebounders, or defenders. He never has and probably never will.

[BradleyBrave]

I hate to sound like a broken record, but when JL goes out on the recruiting trail he does not look for shooters, rebounders, or defenders. He never has and probably never will.

I don't agree with that, especially not the shooters bit. Crouch, Norris, Milos, and Eastman were all tabbed as 'shooters'. Some have worked out, some have not.

[it's boogie time]

As noted by other posters, the 4 assists - 19 turnovers against Utah paints a detailed picture of the BU offense. The defense that SIU had during the last decade would have problems overcoming that.

[AZ BU Fan]

Stats don't lie, but people using stats.......maybe distort the truth!

I haven't looked at any of the stats, so I am not making a point about BU's defense, or offensive shooting %'s, but, I do have a question....

Are shooting percentages affected by the number of shooting fouls the defending team commits?

Any impact on BU and opponents' low shooting percentages so far, and, do low FT % figure into low scoring averages....

Statistics need to be tempered as well by the comparison of a team's games against BU vs all the other games they play against other teams. For example, if Utah normally scores 90 PPG, and shoots 50% from the floor, but only scores 70 vs BU, with 30% from the floor, I get excited about BU's defense.

[squirrelgotdead]

I don't agree with that, especially not the shooters bit. Crouch, Norris, Milos, and Eastman were all tabbed as 'shooters'. Some have worked out, some have not.

And I also think to an extent Egolf was recruited as a shooter/ISO guy. Due to our interior limitations, he's not had much opportunity to play on the perimeter.

But it was clear when he played as a frosh, the impression I had is that is where JL ideally wanted him to play.

[real fan]

I don't agree with that, especially not the shooters bit. Crouch, Norris, Milos, and Eastman were all tabbed as 'shooters'. Some have worked out, some have not.

I disagree with that assessment also, Will was a good scorer in high school and we were told he could even make the 3 point shot, for whatever reason our bigs do not develop over the years and have trouble finishing shots at the basket, I can remember several bigs in the Stowell era that came in and looked horrible their freshman and sophomore years yet were very good players their jr. and senior seasons, you have to develop your big players over time if you expect for them to contribute down the road, A.T. and W.E. have been here for 4 years, one of the appears to have a lot of potential while the other one seems to really not have improved much at all.

[Future Walk-On]

We have the worst finishing bigs in the country.

I think AW should be the only one to shoot. He needs 45 looks a game IMO.

[Chico]

If you think stats don't lie, read page D2 of the PJS today.

[Out of Balance]

I don't agree with that, especially not the shooters bit. Crouch, Norris, Milos, and Eastman were all tabbed as 'shooters'. Some have worked out, some have not.

Does Eastman know how to work to get himself open to take a shot! He does not even look like he's looking for a shot Milos doesn't get a chance to really play When he does get in, if he miss's a shot, fouls or does anything that gives JL a reason in his book to pull him, he's OUT of THERE Jimmy did it with DA! If these guys are truly, shooters, then they need to play more and get into their shooting rhythm I agree with real fan, in that the bigs need to have a touch each procession, to look to score or pass back out! Can't establish any type of O if you don't have a inside/outside game If AW don't get some help and he remains the only focus of other teams, we maybe looking at another lost player to a injury
And if you are looking for DSE to be a scorer, not going to happen And playing Woods for what ever reason and not playing MK and JE is not even explainable, Lord Have Mercy If this continues they need to be looking to play else where next year
How many points can/will JK and JE score from the pine

[amckillip]

Does Eastman know how to work to get himself open to take a shot! He does not even look like he's looking for a shot Milos doesn't get a chance to really play When he does get in, if he miss's a shot, fouls or does anything that gives JL a reason in his book to pull him, he's OUT of THERE Jimmy did it with DA! If these guys are truly, shooters, then they need to play more and get into their shooting rhythm I agree with real fan, in that the bigs need to have a touch each procession, to look to score or pass back out! Can't establish any type of O if you don't have a inside/outside game If AW don't get some help and he remains the only focus of other teams, we maybe looking at another lost player to a injury
And if you are looking for DSE to be a scorer, not going to happen And playing Woods for what ever reason and not playing MK and JE is not even explainable, Lord Have Mercy If this continues they need to be looking to play else where next year
How many point can/will JK and JE score from the pine

WHAT? You know DA was a walk-on? Jimmy gave him way more time than most coaches would and it paid off. Then, after saying he didn't play the walk-on DA enough you criticize him for playing Woods, who by all accounts is more ready for D1 than Danny was. Finally as if I didn't agree with this post enough, you say that DSE can't be a scorer!!!! Have you DSE play? He's a natural born scorer! Ay ay ay...