It felt really good to get that win today. Much needed. I hope we can keep it up and improve down the stretch and compete for the championship. It is going to be tough though.
There is still something off with this team right now. I can't explain it. I'm surprised at the lack of feeding Perea, and Cromer has been a bit rusty in the last few games. Maybe just mid-season blues or looking ahead to UTC.
I also thought that apart from one offensive foul called wrong, that the officiating might have been the best I've seen inside Freedom Hall in a few games. Those out of bounds calls were correct, imo.
(This post was last modified: 01-23-2017 09:35 AM by ekxixis1984.)
(01-23-2017 09:34 AM)ekxixis1984 Wrote: There is still something off with this team right now. I can't explain it. I'm surprised at the lack of feeding Perea, and Cromer has been a bit rusty in the last few games. Maybe just mid-season blues or looking ahead to UTC.
I also thought that apart from one offensive foul called wrong, that the officiating might have been the best I've seen inside Freedom Hall in a few games. Those out of bounds calls were correct, imo.
I actually thought Cromer looked a lot better yesterday but yeah the Furman game he and everyone else struggled badly. Yesterday, apart from the turnovers, I thought we played pretty well. It's just that Wofford played just as well, they are much better than their record indicates. The game at Wofford will be very difficult I'm afraid. We can't come out like we did against Furman and expect to compete.
(This post was last modified: 01-23-2017 09:42 AM by Bucster.)
I also believe that the officiating was overall pretty good in the Wofford game. I don't know if there is anything "off" about the team, I just think we have a better understanding of who the team is now. Perea is a good rebounder and can impact shots on defense, but isn't a special offensive player. I think we are going to end up being a guard oriented team with Burrell and Glass getting more time on the court together with less true inside post play by the end of the season.
I also thought that apart from one offensive foul called wrong, that the officiating might have been the best I've seen inside Freedom Hall in a few games. Those out of bounds calls were correct, imo.
I agree on the officiating. I was particularly impressed when the big "flop" by Wofford in 2nd half was a no call. I think the lead official we had yesterday does some ACC games; not sure.
And last week in a post about the Furman game I mentioned Mike Wood being in attendance; duh on me - he's been the coordinator of officials (men's basketball) for the SoCon since 2011.
Not to make too big a deal of it, but how do you all justify the traveling call on the Furman player (McGee?) who fell down after grabbing a rebound? There was absolutely zero attempt to "advance the ball".
In general, I thought the game was called pretty good, if exceedingly close. But, imo, there were errors. (There always will be.)
As far as the team's "slump", which is really just some sagging right now among a strong start across conference, I do attribute it largely to TJ Cromer's cooling performance. Defenses are closing on him and he's forcing a lot of shots that he's always forced--they're just not dropping as often recently. That said, Cromer did work some magic in the paint yesterday. Nonetheless, our offense does not set TJ up in the same way that he's required to make his own shot one on one, or make opportunities for others. I know shooing can be a fickle thing: guy gets one or two to fall and suddenly lights out, OR he hits a couple and goes cold after. IMO, the team needs to adjust and TJ needs to max out his assists when his own shot isn't dropping. If he can better limit his perimeter shot selection, I think that's the key to him rebuilding FG % and confidence. What I expect is him to keep shooting, though. So let's hope he starts hitting from deep again. The offense needs to work through Cromer, not on his back. Close losses to UNCG and less obviously Furman show up in the absence of 20+ nights from Cromer. If he can't hit, I know he can set someone up. D Payne not hitting recently complicates things. Is he affected by Cromer's energy right now?
On the other hand, we do not have a dominant post player, after all, or one who can really stretch the D, so it's making it harder to work the inside out game consistently against what have been strong post defenders at top of conference so far. Last night was great because the Bucs won a close game without any major runs. They did not live and die by the run, and they prevented any serious runs by Wofford. Keep up the defensive intensity, utilize the press, and on offense keep working the ball to the open/cutting guy. We need less heroics and more team wins like last night. Save the heroics for Chattanooga and the conference tournament!
(This post was last modified: 01-23-2017 12:39 PM by shampoo.)
(01-23-2017 09:34 AM)ekxixis1984 Wrote: There is still something off with this team right now. I can't explain it. I'm surprised at the lack of feeding Perea, and Cromer has been a bit rusty in the last few games. Maybe just mid-season blues or looking ahead to UTC.
I also thought that apart from one offensive foul called wrong, that the officiating might have been the best I've seen inside Freedom Hall in a few games. Those out of bounds calls were correct, imo.
When the feed comes in to Mosquera-Perea, there's a good chance he won't catch the ball. If he catches the ball, there is a good chance he will then lose it. Should he catch and maintain control of the ball, he has recently shown a good variety of offensive moves around the basket.
I thought Cromer did a better job of letting the offense come to him this game. He still has lapses on defense, which seem to result from lack of concentration more than lack of effort.
I don't know which offensive foul you disagreed with, but I didn't like the one they called on Cromer with 5 or 6 minutes left in the first half. I thought the defender behind Cromer tripped and/or pushed T.J. into the set defender. I hate the off-ball charge call anyway and wish they would only call it if they are 200% certain.
Overall, I think the officiating was excellent, as it has been for most of our games.
(01-22-2017 02:54 PM)GC_Buc Wrote: Off topic, McClung and the Gate City team are in attendance.
It may be off topic, but I'm very glad to hear it. The more I see of McClung, the more I hope he's a future Buccaneer. I hope he and the team enjoyed the game.
(01-23-2017 03:55 PM)Flippmb Wrote: Should he catch and maintain control of the ball, he has recently shown a good variety of offensive moves around the basket.
As long as he's going right. Wofford HEAVILY overplayed him to that side, often with no help defense available to his left. A nice drop step and a swing to his left would mean an easy bucket. But he doesn't appear to handle that well.
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Official Game Thread: Wofford (W 79-72)
