This team is not that far from being a pretty fair team. We just cannot get over the hump.

(01-03-2010 09:24 AM)MICHAELSPAPPY Wrote:  This team is not that far from being a pretty fair team. We just cannot get over the hump.

Last year we were winning all the close games. This year we are losing them. There is little margin for error in Sun Belt conference games. I felt we were a middle of the road team in the conference this year. Bounces would determine if we were 11-7 or 7-11. Unfortunately, 7-11 sounds pretty good right now. We do have 8 home conferences games, but while I haven't checked the data, I don't think we've had nearly as good a record at Stephens as we did at Barton and Alltel (discounting the Sydney year, of course). Some said that opposing team's shooters had a hard time adjusting to the background (open space) at Barton. May be something to that. Opposing shooters seem to love Stephens.

(01-03-2010 09:45 AM)mjs Wrote:  

(01-03-2010 09:24 AM)MICHAELSPAPPY Wrote:  This team is not that far from being a pretty fair team. We just cannot get over the hump.

Last year we were winning all the close games. This year we are losing them. There is little margin for error in Sun Belt conference games. I felt we were a middle of the road team in the conference this year. Bounces would determine if we were 11-7 or 7-11. Unfortunately, 7-11 sounds pretty go right now. We do have 8 home conferences games, but while I haven't checked the data, I don't think we've had nearly as good a record at Stephens as we did at Barton and Alltel (discounting the Sydney year, of course). Some said that opposing team's shooters had a hard time adjusting to the background (open space) at Barton. May be something to that. Opposing shooters seem to love Stephens.

I guess, I'm bored today. So I looked at our home record the past 15 years (I didn't count Sydney's year). At Barton and Alltel we were 108-21 a winning percentage of 84%. At Stephens we have been 44-21 a winning percentage of 68%- and that includes 2 Division championships. Not really sure why, but we certainly have not made Stephens a place that opposing teams fear. Ironically, I think Barton was a place that opposing teams really didn't like to play in.

(01-03-2010 09:24 AM)MICHAELSPAPPY Wrote:  This team is not that far from being a pretty fair team. We just cannot get over the hump.

There are several reasons why we are losing close games. At the end of the games, when they are close, we don't play as a team. Individuals make up their minds that they're going to win the game by themselves and try to do it all alone. Just watch some of the games. Some of our players haven't yet learned that you can't shoot over skyscrapers inside. Stevie Moore never learned it in 3 years, and some of our guys are still learning. You play as a team, you have a lot of options. You try to do it one on one, you're limited. There is enough blame to go around. I'm not singling out any one player. There are several who, once they go inside, we could have open shooters on the perimeter, but they're determined to take the shot themselves, and throw up bad shots that don't go in.

I'm not saying not to try and penetrate and get a good close in shot, but if it's not there, there is normally someone open. If you just look at the shooting averages, Ricky and Matt should be taking the open shots when the game is on the line. Not an opinion. That's a fact. Unless of course you've made up your mind, so don't confuse you with the facts.
Last four minutes of the game, I want my best shooters taking the shots. And we're not doing that. It looks as though someone is determined to have some players taking the majority of shots, even though it's obvious they're not the best shooters. Just look at the stats.
Opinions may vary, but stats don't lie.