Current Roster

[moytoy12]

what would it have changed?

Using bench probably wouldn't have changed anything. However, maybe an offense geared towards driving to the hoop as opposed for settling for jump shots with 5 seconds on the shot clock could have made a difference.

RM is the basketball guru, not me. Surely he could have tried something different after we only scored 1 point in the first 8 and 1/2 minutes. I don't know if it would have changed anything, but could it have been any worse?

[cheeseman]

Using bench probably wouldn't have changed anything. However, maybe an offense geared towards driving to the hoop as opposed for settling for jump shots with 5 seconds on the shot clock could have made a difference.

RM is the basketball guru, not me. Surely he could have tried something different after we only scored 1 point in the first 8 and 1/2 minutes. I don't know if it would have changed anything, but could it have been any worse?

He did change some things for the second half - they drove more but were getting shots blocked. They were so tentative as the misses piled up that nobody wanted to shoot - even KL! Bottom line is when things started to go bad early, nobody had the spine to say it stops with me. We have a 4 players who play hard - look at our defense - but they simply do not have enough talent to overcome an off night. 16% shooting - Larry Bird could not have helped last night. This team simply has to decide that they are going to score whether by getting to the line or making shots. Many of those drives last night that they missed or got blocked were partly their fault - they were trying to avoid getting fouled instead of taking hard to the hoop they were trying to turn their bodies and get it to lay up around the player. When your shots are not falling then you drive for the basket hard and hope for the foul. They did not seem willing to do that last night.

[brianstl]

He did change some things for the second half - they drove more but were getting shots blocked. They were so tentative as the misses piled up that nobody wanted to shoot - even KL! Bottom line is when things started to go bad early, nobody had the spine to say it stops with me. We have a 4 players who play hard - look at our defense - but they simply do not have enough talent to overcome an off night. 16% shooting - Larry Bird could not have helped last night. This team simply has to decide that they are going to score whether by getting to the line or making shots. Many of those drives last night that they missed or got blocked were partly their fault - they were trying to avoid getting fouled instead of taking hard to the hoop they were trying to turn their bodies and get it to lay up around the player. When your shots are not falling then you drive for the basket hard and hope for the foul. They did not seem willing to do that last night.

I know you are exaggerating, but I think Larry Bird would have helped a lot last night. This team really doesn't have a player that is capable of carrying this team on his back. That is the whole problem.

[kmbilliken]

Using bench probably wouldn't have changed anything. However, maybe an offense geared towards driving to the hoop as opposed for settling for jump shots with 5 seconds on the shot clock could have made a difference.

RM is the basketball guru, not me. Surely he could have tried something different after we only scored 1 point in the first 8 and 1/2 minutes. I don't know if it would have changed anything, but could it have been any worse?

RM did a great job with halftime adjustments. We scored almost twice as many points in the second half. C'mon, we're Bills fans. We've seen plenty of bad times. What's a butt kicking here or there in a down season? We've got Rick Majerus as our coach, a new on campus arena we've been pining for for years, and the best recruiting class in years coming in with legitimate expectations it won't be a once every four years occurance. We've never had that. The calvary is on the way, it just won't arrive until next year.

All this negativity is starting to sound like my exwife. She was an ND grad and bitched at me for years for being so loyal to a bunch of "losers". It got so bad I had to choose between the Bills and her. I made the right choice and I intend to revel in it.

[satrap]

The calvary is on the way, it just won't arrive until next year.

You need a CT scan of the head if you think that next year a few freshman are going to be "the cavalry." The cavalry is coming tomorrow night to slaughter us. Get a clue.

[brianstl]

You need a CT scan of the head if you think that next year a few freshman are going to be "the cavalry." The cavalry is coming tomorrow night to slaughter us. Get a clue.

I think you need a few of the crown and cokes Box had last night.

[Westy03]

I think you need a few of the crown and cokes Box had last night.

The crowns helped but people thinking that next years recruiting class is going to pay huge dividends next year are going to be in for a rude awakening. Will they help? of course but to think they are going to make a drastic change isnt smart. The freshmen are going to have a hard time adjusting to Ricks style just like this years team. I dont see next years team going to postseason, hope im wrong.

[STL Hoops Insider]

Well year two in the system should be much better for TL, KL, and BE, and Majerus has recruited players that fit his system, so I do think the improvement will be night and day. And if all the underclassmen dont come back, is there much doubt that Majerus will sign an instant impact player, maybe a JUCO, Harrellson?

[brianstl]

The crowns helped but people thinking that next years recruiting class is going to pay huge dividends next year are going to be in for a rude awakening. Will they help? of course but to think they are going to make a drastic change isnt smart. The freshmen are going to have a hard time adjusting to Ricks style just like this years team. I dont see next years team going to postseason, hope im wrong.

Sorry I got the crown and cokes thing mixed up. I am still mentally scarred from last night.

It can't be anywhere worse than last night with the the incoming players.

[Westy03]

It can't be anywhere worse than last night with the the incoming players.

Obviously...

[Iggy]

If the Bills score twenty points or more, take your ticket stub to any Pasta House and receive a buy one get one free pasta...

[billiken_roy]

He did change some things for the second half - they drove more but were getting shots blocked. They were so tentative as the misses piled up that nobody wanted to shoot - even KL! Bottom line is when things started to go bad early, nobody had the spine to say it stops with me. We have a 4 players who play hard - look at our defense - but they simply do not have enough talent to overcome an off night. 16% shooting - Larry Bird could not have helped last night. This team simply has to decide that they are going to score whether by getting to the line or making shots. Many of those drives last night that they missed or got blocked were partly their fault - they were trying to avoid getting fouled instead of taking hard to the hoop they were trying to turn their bodies and get it to lay up around the player. When your shots are not falling then you drive for the basket hard and hope for the foul. They did not seem willing to do that last night.

you know:

"nobody had the spine to say it stops with me"

"When your shots are not falling then you drive for the basket hard and hope for the foul. They did not seem willing to do that last night"

those two statements to be facts? no chance they were doing what they were told?

hard for me to believe that two assassins like lisch and liddell have become such. but if you know that to be the case then i have to wonder why that softening of their hearts has happened?

and one thing i noticed today from various posts was a common thread of the team once again running the shot clock down to the end again. something we hadnt seen the last 3 games and 4 minutes prior to last night and prior to the boot camp 3 weeks of 5 hour practices. if half of lisch and liddell's shots were forced shot clock shots that could have been makes if allowed to take the opportunity in rythym, that alone was 20 points. add to that, the fact that when the entire team is shooting that horribly, one would think it is time to tell our team assassin's lisch and liddell to take over and score at will, i.e. they should not have only taken 20 shots. they should have shot 40 shots. 40 shots in the rythym of the game that would have likely resulted in more points.

slaten said today and it was the first time i had heard this and i agree completely with it. this "step children stuff" is b.s. majerus knew up front who he had on this team and what he had. he raved about what he saw on tape with lisch and liddell. he raved about the heart and soul of meyer and polk. to now label them as step children is dispicable.

btw, this has been an unbelievably tough day. if the billikens set a record for horrible last night, i set a record for e-mails and voice mails from friends, workmates and business associates that makes my friend davidnark (which cheese, david is my friend. and major majerus is right i was giving him the business right back yesterday) look like my best choice for best friend.

i told myself to not post today. but cheese you finally pushed me over the line. hopefully we again go back to letting lisch and liddell carry the team first and foremost and decide the tempo and direction of the game. as fans we deserve that.

[Westy03]

you know:

"nobody had the spine to say it stops with me"

"When your shots are not falling then you drive for the basket hard and hope for the foul. They did not seem willing to do that last night"

those two statements to be facts? no chance they were doing what they were told?

hard for me to believe that two assassins like lisch and liddell have become such. but if you know that to be the case then i have to wonder why that softening of their hearts has happened?

and one thing i noticed today from various posts was a common thread of the team once again running the shot clock down to the end again. something we hadnt seen the last 3 games and 4 minutes prior to last night and prior to the boot camp 3 weeks of 5 hour practices. if half of lisch and liddell's shots were forced shot clock shots that could have been makes if allowed to take the opportunity in rythym, that alone was 20 points. add to that, the fact that when the entire team is shooting that horribly, one would think it is time to tell our team assassin's lisch and liddell to take over and score at will, i.e. they should not have only taken 20 shots. they should have shot 40 shots. 40 shots in the rythym of the game that would have likely resulted in more points.

slaten said today and it was the first time i had heard this and i agree completely with it. this "step children stuff" is b.s. majerus knew up front who he had on this team and what he had. he raved about what he saw on tape with lisch and liddell. he raved about the heart and soul of meyer and polk. to now label them as step children is dispicable.

btw, this has been an unbelievably tough day. if the billikens set a record for horrible last night, i set a record for e-mails and voice mails from friends, workmates and business associates that makes my friend davidnark (which cheese, david is my friend. and major majerus is right i was giving him the business right back yesterday) look like my best choice for best friend.

i told myself to not post today. but cheese you finally pushed me over the line. hopefully we again go back to letting lisch and liddell carry the team first and foremost and decide the tempo and direction of the game. as fans we deserve that.

Roy, im not sure if you watched the game or not but Liddell was driving the basket the whole first half and much of the second half and was getting blocked everytime because he wasnt going strong to the basket. Lisch had some tough shots but he also had looks that he normally drains, it just wasnt his night. As for the shot clock I agree, but when the other team knows that your point guard REFUSES to shoot it might be tough for the offense to get a good shot off especially when playing a zone. They werent even close to Polk when he would start the offense. As far as the stepchildren comment, I dont think he meant it in a bad way he is just saying he hasnt had them for 3 years. He has praised kevin luke and polk all year.

[3Jack]

NM

[mshonerkamp]

Man I was just reading a story about the bills and seen one of the worst things ever. How can a so called legendary coach make a comment saying i feel like a stepfather, i didn't pick them and they didn't pick me? Don't think that is very professional at all, and don't you think if our talent blows so much cuz we have no height that maybe he should wait to use that boring offense of his for his players. I'm no genius but I would think if you were undersized you would try to play a fast paced game, not run the clock down. OH well i hope i'm wrong but I don't see great things from Majerus for a long time. Good coaches don't make crappy excuses. I didn't see Roy Williams go into UNC and say oh we didn't win a championship my first year because they were Matt Daugherty players. This coach has let his name get to his head and it was lisch or liddell i would transfer if at all possible. All this joker does is dog them, doesn't outright say it, but we all ain't stupid.

[billiken_roy]

Roy, im not sure if you watched the game or not but Liddell was driving the basket the whole first half and much of the second half and was getting blocked everytime because he wasnt going strong to the basket. Lisch had some tough shots but he also had looks that he normally drains, it just wasnt his night. As for the shot clock I agree, but when the other team knows that your point guard REFUSES to shoot it might be tough for the offense to get a good shot off especially when playing a zone. They werent even close to Polk when he would start the offense. As far as the stepchildren comment, I dont think he meant it in a bad way he is just saying he hasnt had them for 3 years. He has praised kevin luke and polk all year.

no i didnt see the game (thank god and my daughter's game) my comments were based on the repeated references in the multitude of threads today that took me three hours to read starting at 2 pm, that referenced the deliberate style and then the shot clock rush to shoot. if that wasnt the case, so be it. i.e. when did tommie make his drives? was the team's offense through tommie and kevin first ala the previous three games, or did we go back to basically hoosiers ball? you tell me i didnt see it. i am going by what i read on the board.

[Quality Is Job 1]

This team simply has to decide that they are going to score whether by getting to the line....

They were awful at free throws, as well. The Bills went 5 of 10, while GW went 3 of 3 -- adding another sad dimension: they made a brutal lie of the proverbial and clichéd game-stat-to-watch of making more free throws than the opponent attempts leading to a win (half-kidding).