(01-03-2020 11:28 PM)pesik Wrote: temple can easily play their way back in...win their next 5 and temple might even be seen comfortably in...
but thats the issue and how realistic it is ... 4 of your next 5 houston, Wichita, @SMU, cincy and the 1 bad team in that stretch runs a zone..
and its hard to address the issues -when that stretch is starting in just 3days
(UCF and Tulsa) were supposed to be 2 of your easier games
At 9-4,
Temple can definitely play their way into the tournament, despite this loss. They were bound to be upset in a couple of their road games in the nation's 7th-ranked BB conference.
It's a long flight home from Tulsa, and the team will have enough time to do some necessary soul searching.
Crushing losses can dent a team's morale,
or make a team more determined to play better going forward. In Temple's case,
such losses have often triggered a marked improvement in play. With a HC like Aaron McKie, given his work ethic and determination, the latter may be the most likely outcome. If so, the Tulsa loss could lead to a positive turning point in Temple's season.
In this regard, if throwing a "determination" switch is what is needed,
it may turn out to be helpful that they'll be playing a challenging stretch of games within 4 days, rather than stewing in misery. They will, no doubt, have some intense practices over the weekend.
Yes,
McKie will have to make a significant effort to teach his team to perform much more effectively against zone defenses. This is a sina qua non for a successful season. Fortunately, he spent his career at Temple mastering the intricacies of the Litwack-Chaney matchup zone defense.
In order to accomplish this,
he is probably going to have to set aside significant scrimmage time playing his starters vs bench in zone offense vs. zone defense for the next few weeks. You can't learn to attack a zone in live game situations. It has to be mastered in practice scrimmages.
An added benefit to zone D scrimmaging would be that it would enable McKie to employ an effective zone defense at times, when their man to man defense isn't getting the job done (it has failed in their 4 losses). Most successful NCAA teams are capable of playing an effective zone defense.
Temple can get back on track quickly by winning 3 of the next 5 games:
vs. Houston (Tues Jan 7), vs. Tulane, vs. Wichita St., @ SMU, vs. Cincy
Winning 2 of the 3 games with UH, WSU, & UC, on their home court, would be of particular importance. These games are likely to be well attended by Philadelphia CBB fans, despite UH coming during winter break. Temple is probably more likely to play with determination - - in front of the team's core fan base - - after the stinging loss to Tulsa. The Tulane game will be tantamount to a must-win, and it's fortunate that the game @ SMU comes later in the stretch.
It's early yet, and it's likely to get more interesting.
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