(01-13-2017 01:24 PM)goherd24herdfans Wrote: (01-12-2017 10:07 PM)HerdAlum83 Wrote: (01-12-2017 09:55 PM)goherd24herdfans Wrote: (01-12-2017 09:43 PM)Ole Blue Wrote: 62-49 with 3 to play. Great defense by the Raiders
Don't confuse a cold shooting night with good defense. This was about as bad a game as we could play. Sloppy, unforced turnovers all game and awful shooting night. It happens. Be a different story in huntington ot a neutral court.
It was good defense man. We weren't making much, but that started because just like last season we struggled to get good looks against the 1-3-1.. They took us deep into the shot clock several times as we looked confused as how to attack.
Now, true, we did miss our share of open looks, but that extended 1-3-1 gave us fits, forced us into several bad shots which took us out of our rhythm and rattled our confidence which then impacted our open looks.
Hats off to Davis and Middle Tennessee, they are the only team who has figured us out. Now to see if Danny can figure out that 1-3-1. You don't see that defense in the NBA. I said before the game that this one would be decided on if we had learned how to attack their zone. Oh well. This is a tough road swing and a split would still keep us in really good position going forward. On to UAB.
Not when you miss open shots. Defense gets credit for wide open missed shots. We couldn't throw it in the ocean from any part of the floor. Just wait, its not long til that vaunted 1-3-1 is in Huntington, where fans will actually be there to see it in person. We will see how it goes but id bet we aren't looking at less than 80 pts. The 1-3-1is far less responsible for our loss than our lack of rebounding especislly on the defensive glass. You can't hand the other team 20 extra shots a game
We didn't get many open looks last night, not until Middle had already stretched the lead out. By that point our guys were so rattled from the defensive pressure earlier they were rushing the open looks they did get, which led to a lot of our misses.
The defense slowed us way down, made us think instead of just play way too much. And I'd also credit the defense for a lot of those rebounds that Middle got. Many of their boards were on long rebounds, and I credit the defense with a lot of those because instead of being in position to run those long rebounds down, our guys were trying to get out on the break. They were desperate to get running and try to pick up the pace and not allow Middle to set up their defense. That's all well and good, that's how we want to play, but you got to get the ball first.
You can try and discredit Middle's performance all you want. But, that doesn't make Marshall any better. We got outplayed last night and this wasn't a game the Herd lost, it was a game Middle won. Accept it.
In Huntington, we very well may put up 80 on them. Doesn't mean that we will win and doesn't mean we'll be effective offensively. In two losses to Middle last season we put up 74 and 90. The 1-3-1 was a big part of both of those losses despite our scoring, we weren't efficient had several turnovers in both games and were playing from behind almost all of the game both games. This wasn't about being on the road, this wasn't about an off night shooting, although those things played a part in it. It was still mainly about the fact that Middle gives us matchup problems, especially in that zone.
We've got a lot of season left, and hopefully, when they come to Huntington it'll once again be a matchup for control of first place in CUSA. Then hopefully we have figured out a way to counter the zone and the matchup problems Middle presents and we can get a win. But, for right now, you just tip your hat to Middle for a good win and you go back to work at getting better.
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1st place on the line. MARSHALL at MTSU 8pm EASTERN beIN Sports
