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Looks like the tougher the defense gets on JC, the more rattled he becomes. He doesn't look like the same player from last season. If Iowa St and FGC can do this to him it could be a long season. He will face much tougher defense from here on out.
Looks like the tougher the defense gets on JC, the more rattled he becomes. He doesn't look like the same player from last season. If Iowa St and FGC can do this to him it could be a long season. He will face much tougher defense from here on out.
Are you sure... the Mouthpieces think the MVC is may be way down this year... so maybe some non-con games he will be frustrated... but after that... ?
Wow. The first 10 minutes reminded me of Rutgers last year. Everything started to click, and we started to see how talented this group is. The next 30 reminded us that we have 7 newcomers and we aren't quite sure how to play at the DI level yet. I guess I will run down what I think.
Ruffin - A nice 2 minutes, but I think it's bad that I trust 2 or 3 other guys with the ball more than I trust our 5th year senior point guard. In poker they call it 'tilt', and Ruffin gets 'on tilt' way more than someone of his age, experience, and accolade should ever get.
Crouch - Started off on fire, and really disappeared. When teams close out and double team him, he usually handles it. What bothered me tonight is that he looked more unsure than I have ever seen him.
Warren - What an enigma. Our 'Big 3' were non-existent most of the game, and I think AW was the biggest culprit. He missed his first 2 open looks, and unfortunately he seems to shut it down offensively if those first couple don't drop. We can't have that.
Salley - Best game of the year. For the first time in 4 games, he mattered.
Wilson - Best game of the year as well. I never want him handling the ball or shooting free throws that matter, but I liked his confidence from 3 and moreso his activity on the glass.
Collins - I wish I knew what he did wrong. I would like to be in the film room to hear the critiques. Credit Steve Merfeld, who works with the bigs, for getting this talent to progress every game. I'm not sure why he continues to get slighted for lesser talented bigs like Salley and Singh (his minutes have mysteriously disappeared), but he needs to play 20+ every night. Why not Jim?
Cole-Scott - Still getting used to this level. I am sure people are ready to write him off and declare him a bust, but I would like to preach patience with him. He starred his whole career, starred his first game at BU, and is still learning this level and where he fits in here. If you want to expect Will Franklin, fine. Please take a look at his numbers for his first 8-10 games at BU and then talk to me about TCS. He'll be fine, his progression is just taking a bit longer.
Maniscalco - Best game of the year. The team was better with him running the point than Ruffin. Would like to see him pop another jumper or 2, but rock-solid game for the freshman.
Egolf - His progress is so encouraging. Better and better every game. He's got a great looking jumper, but I am waiting for him to get any consistency with it. Can he post up at all? He's big and can jump, why not some more action down low?
Singh - Not much here. Not enough minutes yay or nay.
Dave Snell - He is, hands down, one of the BEST play-by-play men in America. No doubt in my mind. But why does he have to make excuses for Ruffin playing like a high schooler in the last 10 minutes tonight? It wasn't the floor that made Ruffin make terrible decisions tonight, it was Ruffin getting out of control, and on 'tilt. What's wrong with asking Ruffin in the postgame how he was able to perservere despite poor play, rather than lobbing him the floor excuse as to why he played bad?
Chuck Buescher - Man, it must be hard for CB to ask guys postgame questions when he already knows the answers.
Florida-Gulf Coast - Give them some credit. They played very good defense, ran their sets, and didn't back down or give up when they could have. They are long, athletic, and very well coached. I think they can win some games this year. To me, they were as good as UIC, maybe better.
Tonight was scary, in more than one way. We saw how 'scary' good this unit can be. We also saw how 'scary' this unit is in terms of chemistry and consistency. To a man, the newcomers played better than the vets tonight. My guess on that is because they are doing exactly what their told, and relying on the system more than their abilities. I would encourage our vets to do the same thing. The system will allow their abilities to shine through, just as it did last year. Trust it.
Wasn't it Ruffin's three 3-pointers that kept us out ahead of those guys?
I guess I was watching a different game. Nobody had a problem with Ruffin's dribble-drive and dish last year when the team moved to get into position to allow him to dish... that's not happening yet, instead Ruffin drives in, can't find anyone and either needs to shoot or just drives out the other side.
Wasn't it Ruffin's three 3-pointers that kept us out ahead of those guys?
I guess I was watching a different game. Nobody had a problem with Ruffin's dribble-drive and dish last year when the team moved to get into position to allow him to dish... that's not happening yet, instead Ruffin drives in, can't find anyone and either needs to shoot or just drives out the other side.
We saw the same game. Ruffin had a couple of key 3's. He also had several possessions that allowed an inferior opponent to remain in the game. There were several possessions where you count on your 5th year senior point guard to calm the team down and ensure a good possession and a good shot. I rarely trust Ruffin to do that. How often does he drive the lane and not jump in the air indecisively? That's a fundamental mistake that he makes often. A lot of his mistakes don't show up in the box score, but they're things that a 5th year starting point guard should not make.
Wasn't it Ruffin's three 3-pointers that kept us out ahead of those guys?
I guess I was watching a different game. Nobody had a problem with Ruffin's dribble-drive and dish last year when the team moved to get into position to allow him to dish... that's not happening yet, instead Ruffin drives in, can't find anyone and either needs to shoot or just drives out the other side.
Yes...Ruffin hit a couple big 3s...and yes, we really needed someone to hit those shots...
But overall he did not do a good job at running this offense in the 2nd half...he did not provide a stabilizing influence like a senior point guard has to do when his team is panicking and losing their heads all around him...
He made some shots...yes...and I'm not discounting that...but it just seems when things start going poorly for this team, he decides to take things on himself too often and forces the action and makes low percentage decisions and takes low percentage shots.
I want to see this team run an offense when it gets into crunch time...I want to see ball movement that leads to an open shot...I want to see pick and rolls that lead to layups...I don't want to continue to watch this team resort to having Ruff pull the ball back out to half court with 8 seconds on the shot clock and then go 1-on-1...because for every great offensive play he makes from that isolation set there seem to be 3 or 4 possessions that get squandered without even getting a decent shot off...We have depth...we have talented players on the floor...we have a good coaching staff in place...so we should not have to resort to these "Hail Mary...Ruff or Bust" type of possessions as much as we have had to thus far this year...
If Ruff was getting penetration, drawing defenders, and dishing to the open man...I would feel more comfortable with the way he was running things...But so far this year, it just seems that he is constantly getting hung underneath the basket with nowhere to go with the ball...or he is forced to take one of those running 3s...and we just have too many possessions that are ending with turnovers or very, very low percentage shots...
I realize that Ruff is not your prototypical, old-school, pass-first type of point guard...and that is fine...he is a scorer and has the ability to create easy offense with his aggression and his athleticism...so you have to live with a turnover or a forced shot here or there...
I just want this team to run an offense...they did a great job of that last year...and I just didn't see any of that in the second half tonight. It seemed we continued to force things when the opportunities just weren't there and we relied too heavily on those lousy NBA isolation plays...
I hope this was a learning experience for everyone...the senior guards must take better care of the ball and Ruff must find a way to run this offense and get everyone involved if we are going to be successful...
-Suppose i'll chime in as well. Has anyone heard any post game interviews with Les on why DC isn't getting big minutes? Hes consistently almost doubled the full game output of Singh and Salley whenever one of them gets most of the minutes. I say play both of them at once. The short time DC did play, it was much easier for Ruffin and the other perimeter players to get it down low. I want 2 very good years out of DC, not 1 to 1.5. Put Salley in there for his D, DC alongside for the offense part and Crouch, Warren, Ruffin, Wilson and the gang on the perimeter. I know I heard at least 4 or 5 times at the game of fans shouting for Les to get DC in there for more.
-Refs were horrible in the second half. I think it was 7 fouls to none in the first 6 minutes of the half. Then magically when Les complains, the refs start calling little ticky tack stuff to even the fouls up. That really hurt our rhythm in my opinion as it got Ruffin and some others in early foul trouble thus causing timid defense. They didn't cause our turnovers but certainly had some affect on the defensive end as many layups were uncontested. One fan a few rows behind me kept calling the bald ref "skinhead".
-Turnovers, well, turnovers is the main ingredient to whats holding us back right now. I don't think last years team had this many high turnover games all season. 7 newcomers will certainly do that but most of tonights TO's were just forced passes and getting in a hurry. I have confidence Les will get the men under control. As for most of you mentioning Ruffs TO's. He did get a good licking from Les after his 5th or 6th TO. Les called him over during a free throw and hollered at him for a good minute at least.
-Can't complain about the shooting, roughly 45% overall tonight and 75+ points in 3 of the 4 games.
-Didn't see it mentioned but was that Z. Andrews behind the Bradley bench tonight? Looked like him anyways.
-I noticed a couple people said IA is a horrible team. Looks as though they have a good defense. Havn't allowed 50+ points in 4 games and has a rather low 60's scoring average. So what do you think? It's like the defense wins championships theory. Do you favor the offensive team or the defensive team. Only time will tell but being an away game on a neutral floor won't help any. Should be a good matchup and a W if the turnovers can be cut in half.
Now that all the talk has died down....and nobody wants to read more takes on the game....
Here are my thought...........
As long as we keep playing well enough to win, then take the "W" and watch the tapes to get better.
Sam Maniscalco plays really hard and is going to be great.
Recruits at the game:
I saw three kids....one white guy about 6-6, and another white guy about 6-8 sitting with Chuck Westendorf, and a 6-7 Black guy in the row behind them.
I did not recognize any of them.
Ex-BU players at the game:
Zach Andrews was right behind the bench. So was Gus Mason, and also Marcello Robinson.
I also sat with Dr. Rick Harris, one of Jim Molinari's first recruits in 1992, from Grand Rapids.
He is now a practicing physician in the area, and has a bunch of kids who all play soccer, not basketball!
ER3 -- I agree with what you are saying about the offense, I just don't place the blame on Ruffin, who I think is trying to run the offense the way it was run last year, but that some of our pieces aren't in place at the right times. He was rushing sometimes after FGCU caught up but I don't think he was the reason that FGCU caught us (I still think that was the refs 9! fouls to their 0 by the time they'd nearly caught us). Jeremy Crouch was the much more disappointing player to me last night, he was really out of sorts and I wonder if he isn't maybe still a little hurt or something.
Jason -- I totally agree. I'd like to see Salley and Collins in the game together a lot more often. I like Theron Wilson but I feel like we're playing a man down on offense when he's in the game. We get a lot more balanced between perimeter and paint when two bigs are on the court.
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