As badly as we wanted to dismiss UC's near collapse on Wednesday vs. ECU...they laid the foundation for a crushing home loss to UL today in the 2nd half of that game.

Here's the blueprint:

Bearcats are soft on the glass. Big guys are more interested in blocking shots than blocking out, and if you crash the glass you will get plenty of 2nd chances.

Capable of dominant stretches of play - but if you can maintain your composure and keep plugging, UC will let you back into the game.

Don't let their big men get off their short shots. If you have some defensive depth, don't hesitate to hack Maxiell and Hicks. When push comes to shove, they'll miss their free throws.

Stay aggressive. Coach Huggins is a master at defending your offensive sets but if things break down, just lower your shoulder and drive to the basket. Their perimeter defense is extremely shaky and even guards of marginal quickness can find their way into the lane. And remember - their big men love to block shots, so chances are they'll stray out to the foul line and leave the inside passing lanes wide open. Believe it or not, layups are not necessarily hard to get against UC.

When all else fails - ZONE 'EM. As with most UC teams, they're athletic enough to roll through a man to man, but throw a zone defense on 'em and they'd have an easier time deciphering the Dead Sea Scrolls.

And don't believe what you read about Kirkland. The numbers look good, but in big games when big baskets are needed, he disappears faster than liquid cheese on Michael Moore's coffee table.

We saw all this happen in the 2nd half on Wednesday, but ECU didn't have the personnel to make it all the way back. Today, UC paid for their easily corrected, yet frustratingly repeated transgressions.

My common rule of thumb in all sports - THE AGGRESSIVE TEAM WINS. When you're aggressive, you get your energy up, your confidence up, you get more benefit of the doubt from officials (hence the Garcia "block"), and you win.

Hats off to UL. They could've folded it - but they kept fighting and deserved it. They obviously read the scouting report.

UC had those problems long before the ECU game, and if it took someone looking at the ECU game to find that out they're either not a good coach or need a better scouting department.

I know. One thing that really has bothered me about this team and it started with the NCAA tournament loss at Illinois is how soft they are.

You would have thought they would have toughened up for the rematch with Illinois.

And in the second half they were soft again.

These years Bearcats may be nice guys.

I miss the tough Bearcats. That's probably why I just haven't been able to get into the excitement of this year as much.

I'm sure they will have tough teams again in the future. Maybe this team will even toughen up and show us something.

But right now other than Hicks they are a bunch of softies.

Well done, Carl. That was broken down perfectly.

BearcatCarl Wrote:As badly as we wanted to dismiss UC's near collapse on Wednesday vs. ECU...they laid the foundation for a crushing home loss to UL today in the 2nd half of that game.

Here's the blueprint:

Bearcats are soft on the glass. Big guys are more interested in blocking shots than blocking out, and if you crash the glass you will get plenty of 2nd chances.

Capable of dominant stretches of play - but if you can maintain your composure and keep plugging, UC will let you back into the game.

Don't let their big men get off their short shots. If you have some defensive depth, don't hesitate to hack Maxiell and Hicks. When push comes to shove, they'll miss their free throws.

Stay aggressive. Coach Huggins is a master at defending your offensive sets but if things break down, just lower your shoulder and drive to the basket. Their perimeter defense is extremely shaky and even guards of marginal quickness can find their way into the lane. And remember - their big men love to block shots, so chances are they'll stray out to the foul line and leave the inside passing lanes wide open. Believe it or not, layups are not necessarily hard to get against UC.

When all else fails - ZONE 'EM. As with most UC teams, they're athletic enough to roll through a man to man, but throw a zone defense on 'em and they'd have an easier time deciphering the Dead Sea Scrolls.

And don't believe what you read about Kirkland. The numbers look good, but in big games when big baskets are needed, he disappears faster than liquid cheese on Michael Moore's coffee table.

We saw all this happen in the 2nd half on Wednesday, but ECU didn't have the personnel to make it all the way back. Today, UC paid for their easily corrected, yet frustratingly repeated transgressions.

My common rule of thumb in all sports - THE AGGRESSIVE TEAM WINS. When you're aggressive, you get your energy up, your confidence up, you get more benefit of the doubt from officials (hence the Garcia "block"), and you win.

Hats off to UL. They could've folded it - but they kept fighting and deserved it. They obviously read the scouting report.

Quote:When all else fails - ZONE 'EM.  As with most UC teams, they're athletic enough to roll through a man to man, but throw a zone defense on 'em and they'd have an easier time deciphering the Dead Sea Scrolls.

I think this is a key point to look at with losses with UC.

Excellent over all post,Carl...

Excellent analysis BearcatCarl, particularly the point about Hicks and Maxiell being more interested in blocking shots than blocking out.

Just to clear it up, Carl made a great points, no doubt about that. I'm just saying that the seeds were planted in the ECU game. It was planted in the early part of the season when UC would start off slow and not bury teams until late. UC had a chance to bury Louisville and kept making silly mistakes and didn't keep up a concentrated effort. This should make them better for the NCAA Tournament, if they learn from it.

BearcatDave Wrote:I'm sure they will have tough teams again in the future. Maybe this team will even toughen up and show us something.

But right now other than Hicks they are a bunch of softies.

You know, I guess "toughness" is a desirable attribute for a basketball team, but right now I would just like to have some players with better basketball skills. I think we sometimes confuse toughness with smartness. I would take a skilled and smart team over a tough team anyday, although tthese attributes need not be mutually exclusive. :eek:

I agree. It's not that this team isn't tough. It's that they AIN'T smart. I'm not saying their dumbies intelligence wise..........I'm saying they don't play smart, basketball-wise.

What ever happened to exploiting the opponents weaknesses and simply shutting down their go-to-guy(s). Geez, Louisville had 2 guys in double figures..........is it that hard to figure out who to stop?

I agree about Max and Hicks trying to block everything. We need rebounds more than blocked shots.

The stupidity of their play bothers me more than anything.

Bearcattitude Wrote:I agree. It's not that this team isn't tough. It's that they AIN'T smart. I'm not saying their dumbies intelligence wise..........I'm saying they don't play smart, basketball-wise.



The stupidity of their play bothers me more than anything.

Interesting point you bring up. Huggs post game comments today were the same comments we hear after every big loss..."Guys just don't listen."

Huggs has been saying that for a while now....is it just his generic line or does he really continue to have players on the team that really don't listen and learn.

Billy_Bearcat Wrote:Huggs has been saying that for a while now....is it just his generic line or does he really continue to have players on the team that really don't listen and learn.

In my humble opinion, both.

I think it's a product of any Coach with confidence in their system - if the system is executed, then good things happen...ergo, when things go wrong, it's because guys aren't executing as a result of not listening in practice.

Agreed with most of the posts about playing smart being the problem rather than playing tough - but the two are often interchangable. When Max and Hicks play smart, they're in the lane blocking out and swatting shots in the context of the defense. When they're smart, it allows their toughness to shine through.

But I just thought they looked like scared rabbits in the 2nd half. Nobody wanted to step up and make a play.

And my current problem with Muhammad is not necessarily his shot selection - it's his lack of court leadership. Who is the guy exhorting this team on the court...getting everybody to the right spot...and holding people accountable for their mistakes? I don't see anybody doing that - it's the responsibility of everyone, but the direct responsibility falls on the point guard.

Would someone PUH-LEASE, for the love of all that is sacred and Holy, tell Roy Bright that he doesn't have to shoot every time he gets the ball?

Charlotte now becomes a must win game, or we could be looking at a 3 game home court losing streak by this time next week. I don't believe that can happen...but I didn't think we'd be blowing any 17 point leads this season, either.