Slow-down basketball

It may not be as exciting (for some folks) to watch, but it has this advantage: it cuts down on the scoring opportunities of the opponents. The better slow-down teams usually play disciplined, high-percentage offenses, and by limiting their opponents possessions, they say to the opponents, "If you are going to play sloppy, then we are going to cut down on your chances; so if you want to beat us, you are going to have to play a more efficient style of ball." Since they by design play efficient ball, they are one leg up on the opponents from the start. It doesn't always work, but there is logic behind it.

ASU week

Nothing like it!

Safe ball handling

If you want to see a player who values the ball, check out Tim Jarmusz, a 6-6 Senior for Wiscomsin. He has the fifth most minutes on their team (22 per game), but he has committed only THREE turnovers in the entire season. Pretty remarkable.

The Board

It is amazing how essential the message board has become to the core group of Trojan fans. It has been down for a couple of days, and already it feels like withdrawal.

coincidence?

I wonder if it is a coincidence that our current four-game win streak coincides with the improvement in play of our post men? Over those games, the numbers of Courtney, Derrick and Montrelle has been at least solid, and in a couple of cases outstanding. Granted that in the one game our 3-point shooting probably would have won the game regardless, but still I think those numbers are revealing. Our guards are good enough this year that our post play does not have to be outstanding, but it needs to be solid and consistent. It has been that over the last four games, and we have won all four.

Florida SBC coaches

The two Florida SBC coaches appear to have improved their respective programs. And the conference certainly needed that in a year when everyone else seems to be down. I think of the two that Mike Jarvis probably is a better coach, but Isiah has brought publicity and some significant talent to FIU. I wonder how long they will stay.

Pity the poor post men

They are at the mercy of the guards. Their opportunities to score are limited by how willing the guards are to throw them the ball. Or, they can get rebounds. So you would think rebounding would be very important to them.

tournament time

I am a little more optimistic about this team's chances in the SBC tournament than I have been some of the others, simply because we have more offensive weapons. However, we do lack that lock-down defensive culture that Little Rock teams have had in the past, plus we have zero inside game. So, we are still a long shot at best.

funny

If we went undefeated, there are still some people who would refuse to give Steve Shields any credit.

No room for error

Because of the almost complete lack of any interior offense, this program has placed itself in a position of having no room for error. We can still win games because we shoot the 3 so well, but if we have any hiccups at all - look out!

A clean program

It really is a pleasure to be able to root for a clean program - one you do not have to be ashamed to be associated with. If the only thing you care about is winning ballgames, then you don't care, but I do care. I recognize that programs may have NCAA violations from time to time. Who can keep up totally with all that red tape? But some programs are just awash in sleeze, and I am happy that Little Rock is not one of them.

favorites?

My three all-time favorite Trojans:

Zack Graber
Rashad Jones-Jennings
John Fowler

My kingdom for a post man

We are utterly one-dimensional right now. We just have no inside offense at all. We have turned out to be a very good 3-point shooting team, but when we run into a team that has guards better than we are, we are in trouble, because we have no Plan B inside game. But we played well against Troy, and squeaked out a win a home. Maybe we can do enough of that to get a bye in the tournament.

frustrated

I am really, really frustrated with this team right now.

The unappreciated factor

The whole nature of basketball is geared toward offense. The public address announcer cannot break in after a steal or a block or a shut-down sequence to notice the play publicly. The only plays that get named are scoring. People who follow basketball don’t notice non-stats: shots prevented, for instance. But preventing a score is just as important to the final margin as scoring. Some folks won’t admit that, but it nevertheless is true. Defense is the unseen, unappreciated factor.

What difference does it make?

If the only game that counts is the one that sends you to the NCAA, what does it matter if you play badly during the season? Who cares?

Great quote about Pitt

http://msn.foxsports.com/collegebasketball/story/pittsburgh-panthers-dodge-bullet-with-win-at-providence-010411

"This is a team. Not one that’ll overwhelm you with speed, athleticism or even talent, but one that will continue to rack up victories."

Disgusted by Northwestern

I want the Wildcats to win. I am really rooting for them. But you can't always play "clean uniform" basketball shooting non-violent 3's and not rebounding. At some point you have to get down and dirty and mix it up. Good grief!

not too bad shape

I’m not entirely happy about where we are at this point. There were a couple of games we could have and should have won, such as the Denver game just past. But all things considered, we are in a good position to make a good run in the SBC regular season. We won’t be the favorite by any means, but probably in the top third, perhaps.