Does Mercer ever attempt a three where the shooter doesn't fall down at the end?

This team has been steady, consistent and relentless. So many times in recent years you'd go to a game not knowing which team would show up. This year, the Bucs have been focused and ready to take care of business most every night. Look around at the ups and downs that even top teams experience in conference and you realize that that consistency is a pretty rare commodity.

A couple of points though - this consistent pressure still delivers explosive moments that rank up there with the best in recent memory. Pocket picking steals leading to full out breaks and thunderous slams. Games that were close and suddenly are over. There have been plenty of those moments this year.

Secondly, the emphasis on steadiness can lead you to miss how much this team has changed over the season. Perhaps in part because of the emphasis on defense and the lack of charismatic 'swagger' type players that the Bucs have had going back to Skeeter Swift (more recently Cromer, Guyn, Bello, Jalen Riley). The Bucs came into conference as the worst 3 point shooting team in the SoCon, both in shooting percentage (about .313) and makes per game (about 7.1). In 8 conference games the Bucs have rocketed to .429 3 pt%, second only to Wofford at .441. The Bucs make 8.4 three's per game in conference compared to 7.1 per game OOC. They haven't done this by any radical change in approach or sets. In fact they are attempting FEWER 3's per game in conference (19.5) than they were out of conference (22.6). That's the definition of increased efficiency - trying something less often but succeeding more often. Near as I can tell, it's been an organic growth from the offense as players are more confident in the options than they were out of conference.

2 point FG% has also increased from .537 OOC to .578 in the SoCon. That pulls up the 2 pt FG% on the season to .553, 27th in D1!! https://www.teamrankings.com/ncaa-basket...-point-pct

So while we've all gotten used to marveling at the Bucs consistent defense, we've missed their evolution into a strong, balanced OFFENSIVE powerhouse. It's not the total points that matter here, but the sheer efficiency of the scoring.

As Running_Fool remarked leaving the game, it's a mark of how the Forbes era has spoiled us that we walk out of a solid 9 point win over a pretty good team that plays everbody close and go "meh".

(01-25-2018 06:06 AM)etsubuc Wrote:  As for whether this team is more fun to watch than last year's team, generally speaking I would say very much so. As I have pointed out before, I don't like when our "offense" is basically to come down the floor and put up a contested 3. Even if we hit them, I just don't like that style of play. We have a long history of individuals who would bail us out of games, and lose others, by taking those shots on a regular basis. I like team basketball, and I feel this year has been a consistently better "team". We have experimented with different lineups, play a different style pretty much every game depending on the opponent, etc. Of course, our offense played pretty much the style of play that I dislike last night, but other nights we focus on our inside game instead.

You know, that's a very good point, and well-expressed. I have to say it's a valid argument. Maybe less 'exciting' sometimes, but nevertheless interesting because you really *don't* know how we'll win this next one.

(01-25-2018 08:41 AM)BigIslandBuc Wrote:  

(01-24-2018 10:45 PM)squeak Wrote:  Is this team more fun to watch than last years team?

This team is like watching a farmer grinding corn in a old time mill. Coach turns the handle slowly and relentlessly and by the time the game is over there's the meal. This game was especially that way. Mercer, even up till a little over 2 minutes to go, thinks it's still in the game and has a chance to go ahead and then the game is over and they're looking around at each other wondering what happened. We will need to play better than this against Wofford I would think, but I am beginning to wonder. We have had mediocre performances overall in a few games lately and it just seems that the incessant grinding finally gets to every team we face.

Also well-expressed. Watching corn be ground may not be the most action-packed thing to do, but the meal is tasty. The guys all bring their lunch buckets over from campus and just clock in. Everybody knows their job (which may vary sometimes day-to-day) and they just go ahead and do it.

More fun to watch? Debatable. This team is more of a pleasure to watch, I insist. The ball movement is crisp, the screens are sharp, the weave is not a bore. The defense is relentless, enough said there. Who needs swagger when you got poise?

I am not an expert on B.B. technical things but I do know one thing: I really like this team!

(01-25-2018 09:12 AM)Bennett42 Wrote:  I would agree with the above. Not a lot of flash, but they get the job done. One thing that i pointed out last night to somebody that was going for the first time this year is that this team is confident and cool. They don't let the tightness of a game get to them..well, except Xavier. At no point last night did I feel they would lose the game, it was just a little too close for my comfort. Under the former regime I couldn't have said that.

I was disappointed with the defense in the first half on Cohn. Too many easy drives in to the basket, but "In Forbes we trust" and in the second half the adjustments they made pretty much shut him down.

Good solid win.

Xavier loss was best thing that happened this year in retrospect. This team grew up in that game. Maybe didn’t “learn how to win” but certainly learned how to lose and took it to heart.

(01-25-2018 10:23 AM)swvabucsfan Wrote:  This team has been steady, consistent and relentless. So many times in recent years you'd go to a game not knowing which team would show up. This year, the Bucs have been focused and ready to take care of business most every night. Look around at the ups and downs that even top teams experience in conference and you realize that that consistency is a pretty rare commodity.

A couple of points though - this consistent pressure still delivers explosive moments that rank up there with the best in recent memory. Pocket picking steals leading to full out breaks and thunderous slams. Games that were close and suddenly are over. There have been plenty of those moments this year.

Secondly, the emphasis on steadiness can lead you to miss how much this team has changed over the season. Perhaps in part because of the emphasis on defense and the lack of charismatic 'swagger' type players that the Bucs have had going back to Skeeter Swift (more recently Cromer, Guyn, Bello, Jalen Riley). The Bucs came into conference as the worst 3 point shooting team in the SoCon, both in shooting percentage (about .313) and makes per game (about 7.1). In 8 conference games the Bucs have rocketed to .429 3 pt%, second only to Wofford at .441. The Bucs make 8.4 three's per game in conference compared to 7.1 per game OOC. They haven't done this by any radical change in approach or sets. In fact they are attempting FEWER 3's per game in conference (19.5) than they were out of conference (22.6). That's the definition of increased efficiency - trying something less often but succeeding more often. Near as I can tell, it's been an organic growth from the offense as players are more confident in the options than they were out of conference.

2 point FG% has also increased from .537 OOC to .578 in the SoCon. That pulls up the 2 pt FG% on the season to .553, 27th in D1!! https://www.teamrankings.com/ncaa-basket...-point-pct

So while we've all gotten used to marveling at the Bucs consistent defense, we've missed their evolution into a strong, balanced OFFENSIVE powerhouse. It's not the total points that matter here, but the sheer efficiency of the scoring.

As Running_Fool remarked leaving the game, it's a mark of how the Forbes era has spoiled us that we walk out of a solid 9 point win over a pretty good team that plays everbody close and go "meh".

Running_Fool: My words exactly! How spoiled have people become when they're complaining about "not flashy enough?" C'mon.... I think we can all agree that we all want to win. This is team is doing that, and a win on Saturday and this team has a stranglehold on the SoCon regular season and automatic NIT bid at the very least.