One game doesn't make a season...especially one as long as basketball. Yet I feel like BC will look back on this game as a wasted opportunity. It was a chance to get a decent road win and start the season on a positive note. Instead this veteran team looked lost for long stretches and dropped a game in OT to Providence. It is the type of loss that shifts a team from a lock to a bubble. At least that is what I am telling myself. Because the other explanation for the poor performance -- that we are not that good -- means the season will feel even longer. These are my thoughts. Feel free to share yours.
Likes
-- Ryan Anderson's offensive productivity. He got his points within the flow of the game. I also think the new defensive rules will help him. Bigger defenders will have to give him a little more space.
-- Garland Owens looks athletic. He ran well and finished on a nice alley oop. He played a lot of minutes for a freshman and didn't make many mistakes. I hope he can use that to play better D.
-- Tying the game in regulation. The only true bright spot for me was the team's ability to overcome a late deficit and get it to OT. Maybe this was a bad night and they can play that well under pressure if they need to later in the year.
Dislikes
-- Offensive pace. This team is supposed to score over 70 a night. They only crossed that threshold because of OT. On way too many possessions, the guys were slow in the half court. There was no sense of urgency. No sense of purpose with the passes and way too much hesitation. The guys looked like they had never played together. Where is the anticipation of your teammates? Why didn't we drive more when they were crowding the perimeter and why didn't we get more transition points?
-- Turnovers. Too many of those TOs were errors, not great Providence D.
-- 3-point shooting. It is one thing to miss a bunch but even worse to not take more. Wasn't that supposed to be a calling card?
It is only one game but this team needs to regroup quickly. They need to make better decisions, shoot better and not waste so much time and possessions. If they don't this season will be over before we even play an ACC game.
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11 comments:
With Syracuse, ND and L-Ville in the ACC we are going to HAVE to make some sacrifices with regards to our admissions standards in order to be a NCCA tournament team.
That was LIKE watching Cornell play Providence.
We were in the game but JUST DID NOT have the horses/confidence to finish the game.
Aside, the Boston Globe article today was bizarre.
Couldn't agree with you more...team looked slow and uninterested. We really need to figure out how to get inside. Frustrating game.
No need to lower standards. Bc has been there before and will again. plenty of top teams have high standards.
While a win would have been nice, we need to calm down already.
Although we are not Michigan State, they don't mind early season losses in order to get ready for the long haul season.
You can't win unless you are not afraid to lose.
We were rotating some new faces in last night, and that might take a little while.
We are light years ahead of a couple of years ago IMHO.
I watched the second half. Providence was an organized disaster. Basically, they had one player who took all the shots, Cotton. Bill Raftery said that they should double team him. He just kept putting them up. BC has no inside presence. They do a weave on the outside looking for a three. There outside game is good but they need an inside presence like Jared Dudley. The very good teams have a big inside core. BC won't be able to compete.
I agree with JBQ; the lack of a strong inside presence is a big problem. Providence showed how easy it can be to clog the perimeter, particularly in the OT, when Rahon looked like a man on an island watching the water rise looking in vain for a boat. With three PC defenders at the top of the key, there should've been boats down low.
The lack of movement toward the hoop was also alarming. I'm confident that Donahue and the team learned something last night, and that they'll improve, but I don't know where that inside presence is going to come from.
Let the countdown to the Bruce Pearl era begin, Donahue is a glorified high school coach!
Anyone know where I can re-watch the game? Had to miss it because of Marine Corps birthday celebration.
Nap, err and Happy Birthday.
It took Donahue 7 years to get a winning record at Cornell. He is recruiting the same players yet he is competing in the ACC now. I think it will be a long season. Actually, I think it will be a long 2 seasons before Brad Bates does anything.
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