I was away and didn't get to watch the game. Glancing at the box score- assist to TOs was a big improvement in the correct direction. Still more turnovers than I'd like but it was at least offset by sharing the ball. Defend, maintain the assist/TO ratio, and getting healthy should translate to better results.

It was a game the Tribe could have won. The play in the first part of the second half was much better, but we struggled at both ends in the last few minutes. There has been improvement, but not enough being short-handed to win either Saturday or Thursday. That, being said, Radford was pretty good.

I still think the key to the long term success of the team will be defensively. While it was nice to see Jihar make some shots and for LJ and Chase to continue their fast progression, the defense is still where significant gains have to be made. When teams continually shoot 60-70 percent, it is not all hot shooting. The difference is we now appear to have some guys quick enough to guard the dribble penetration and guys tall enough to rebound. When Milon, Rowley, and Pierce are fully healthy, we have enough shooters and plenty of guys who can get a good shot within the offense. That is even without considering how good offensively Nathan is and continues to be.
But, in order for the team to be at the top of the CAA and to win in March, they have got to be able to get stops and rebounds at the defensive end. In all of the last 4 games, there was an opportunity to seize the game with the lead in the 2nd half. As long as we don't defend, we won't get the 12 to 14-0 runs that help break a game open. Not discouraged though, I see real potential and improvement showing. Also, Nathan played very hard, very well and very smart last night. He just needed some of the inside defensive help that Pierce or perhaps Harvey can provide when the team is fully healthy. I think all the guys will benefit later in the season for this early season challenge with lots of minutes. The injuries over the last 2 games have also given more minutes to Jihar and Luke/Thornton which hopefully will help all of them. No easy games though except for William Peace possibly all year. So the testing will continue.

(11-21-2018 10:11 AM)Tribeheart Wrote:  Williams and Milon, have got to pick up their defensive side, or both, may (should) lose minutes to freshmen as we hit CAA play.

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Milon was not playing due to medical reasons....hard to complain about his defense then...

(11-21-2018 12:31 PM)wmmii Wrote:  

(11-21-2018 10:11 AM)Tribeheart Wrote:  Williams and Milon, have got to pick up their defensive side, or both, may (should) lose minutes to freshmen as we hit CAA play.

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Milon was not playing due to medical reasons....hard to complain about his defense then...

I think we know he wasn't referring to the Radford game. It's no secret that Milon's defense isn't his strong suit.

With Pierce and Milon not playing, Nathan played *a lot* more than he usually does, and it showed at the end of the game. He was gassed, but I can't think of any stretch where he could have gotten a rest. Radford's defenders against him had 4 and 5 fouls (should have been 5 for both, but reffing was pretty bad last night) and their starter couldn't stay on the floor. If Pierce had been available to take over the offense for 3 minutes, we win the game.

I understand both sides of the beef between Rocco & wml33t. I was having the same argument in my head in the first half. Although the results were largely the same, Radford had to work for shots last night and High Point didn't in the first game. Radford is better than High Point by a lot. Even though Radford's numbers don't suggest any improvement, last night was the first time we looked like we could play defense since Tarpey left. I can't wait for Audige and Owens to acclimate to college speed. All 5 freshmen have me excited for what is yet to come.

My thoughts:

Defense has looked better against ND and Radford. Radford is a good team and made a lot of difficult contested jumpers and drives.

We have 5 freshmen that are all capable of contributing immediately at the CAA level of play. Let that statement sink in.

If we had been healthy throughout the preseason and start of the season we would have a winning record right now, likely 4-1, with wins at UIC, ND and home against Radford.

While its great for the underclassmen to be getting this experience and it will speed their development, the injuries are hindering Shaver's ability to establish the rotation he will take into CAA play.

I'm amazed by Nathan's soft touch and variety of release points around the basket. Great job foul shooting too. Would like to see Nathan get on the boards more defensively.

Scott and Loewe will be fine in the long run. Remember the debates some had on here during Cohn's first year questioning if he was ever going to be the answer at point and some calling for Tot to replace him. In crunch time they are so committed to the drive and kick that they are making bad decisions instead of just taking what the defense is giving them. It will come...

Glad Jihar finally found some offensive success. He had been a liability due to his low shooting percentage in previous games, where is was taking and missing quality shots. Still think he's the odd man out once everyone is healthy, but hopefully last night was the boost in confidence he needed.

I'm as bummed as anyone about our record right now, but I'm not discouraged and think this team will put it all together in the second half of the season.

I am excited about the team so far, just not the end result. But, we haven't yet gotten to see the full Tribe team on the floor. To get where they want to go, they will have to defend. I think Knight, Pierce, Harvey, Audige and Owens can defend. Blair, Scott and Loewe should be decent defenders as well. I think you have somewhat of a trade off with Milon, Rowley and Williams. If they are hitting their shots, making free throws, not turning the ball over, and helping on the boards, then they are a plus on the floor. But, it might not be feasible to have all 3 on the floor together for long. There is also experience and leadership gains potentially with Milon and Rowley. With 5 freshmen, there is a learning curve for both our style and the lineups on the floor. But, I'd bet the ones that play better defense play more as the year goes on. I think we are going to find this year and next that the Tribe can get more defensive stops and rebounds and be a prolific scoring team(just not at the 17-18 level). Will be curious to see if we use more of the 1-3-1 zone or any press during the nonconference remaining schedule. Might be tough right now with all of the minutes the freshmen are playing.
Winning the league will be very difficult. Riller, JWF, Pusica, and Cacok are going to be difficult for anyone in the CAA to stop. But, when you look at our players now, there is hope. Clearly, I was a Kool Aid drinker on the team and its nonconference record. I have to believe these November experiences are going to help the team overall down the road in February and March. Remember, the Tribe finishes the regular season with a tough 5 of 7 road games to finish the regular season. By then, we will need all the defense and depth we can find.