SIUC GDT

[majerus mojo]

No offense but we were up 17 with 3 minutes to go. We are under manned at the moment, we just need to get healthy to get rolling

We were up 17.. but the entire game it was around 12 after we went up 12 to start... they outscored us in the second half (while also using a 7 man rotation). I agree we need to get healthy, absolutely. And not usually accustomed to complaining after wins.. just cannot comprehend what Crews is doing out there half of the time. He went without subs for 12 mins straight at one point. We aren't missing any bigs and still got demolished on the boards. On offense, we're living or dying by the 3. Just swing it around the outside until someone decides to let it fly.. it's frustrating to watch. Also tired of hearing, "Well, we don't match-up with (team with smaller forwards) well"... Who says we have to be the ones that don't match-up? Remember Memphis?

Have you guys seen VCU? KM can't come back soon enough.

[thetorch]

Manning showed what he can bring to us. He played 3 defensive possessions and was altering shots every time down. He's a strong post defender. Loe & Remuken aren't. There weren't any postups, backdoor plays, or missed switches while Manning was on the court. I'm not saying he deserves 30 minutes a game but more than 3 with all our injuries.

We didn't play great but Ellis & Jett playing half speed and Evans in foul trouble along with all our other injuries to get out with a double digit win is not that bad.

[AlumniFan]

I think people are being overly negative today. We led the entire game despite being undermanned, especially with Dwayne in foul trouble.

I chose to focus on some of the positives. DE looked solid. Mike Had 9 points, 8 assists, 3 steals and 2 turnovers. Considering we don't push the ball much 8 assists is really good. Cory once again looked solid I thought; his dunk was fun.

Loe played awful for a large part of the game, very weak with the ball. But he did play much better towards the end I think. Grabbed some boards and got fouled twice trying to post up.

Not a great game but let's get healthy and see what we have against Washington. I don't think it was a horrible performance.

+1

[moytoy12]

I don't think folks are being overly negative. Crews' decision are baffling at best. I don't think anyone is saying manning is Hakeem the dream, but fuok, give the guy some minutes. We have 6 somewhat healthy players.

Agree with Roy, wtf with no guys rebounding a free throw?

We played JD...why?

The offense looks like absolute crap. And I don't think it is the PG play. What we have right now resembles the sodie offense. That's not good.

DE has been in a lot of foul trouble already. Is the coach working through this with him?

[jbizzle09]

I don't think folks are being overly negative. Crews' decision are baffling at best. I don't think anyone is saying manning is Hakeem the dream, but fuok, give the guy some minutes. We have 6 somewhat healthy players.

Agree with Roy, wtf with no guys rebounding a free throw?

We played JD...why?

The offense looks like absolute crap. And I don't think it is the PG play. What we have right now resembles the sodie offense. That's not good.

DE has been in a lot of foul trouble already. Is the coach working through this with him?

Drew did not play tonight. Not sure how this got started.

[moytoy12]

Drew did not play tonight. Not sure how this got started.

Ok. I hit the bar at that point in the game. I'll give crews credit, he didn't f that up.

[moytoy12]

Another thing, that SIU-c team was god-awful. They might be the worst team we play this year.

[billiken_roy]

I don't think folks are being overly negative. Crews' decision are baffling at best. I don't think anyone is saying manning is Hakeem the dream, but fuok, give the guy some minutes. We have 6 somewhat healthy players.

Agree with Roy, wtf with no guys rebounding a free throw?

We played JD...why?

The offense looks like absolute crap. And I don't think it is the PG play. What we have right now resembles the sodie offense. That's not good.

DE has been in a lot of foul trouble already. Is the coach working through this with him?

no way this is soderberg offense. lisch and drejaj and perry were always moving when they didnt have the ball. and he had four guys hitting the boards on offense. the crews nonattack resembles nothing i have ever seen in college basketball. i was thinking a better comparison would be maybe 6th grade y ball offense where 3-4 players on the floor have no experience and were just there to hang out with their friends.

[moytoy12]

no way this is soderberg offense. lisch and drejaj and perry were always moving when they didnt have the ball. and he had four guys hitting the boards on offense. the crews nonattack resembles nothing i have ever seen in college basketball. i was thinking a better comparison would be maybe 6th grade y ball offense where 3-4 players on the floor have no experience and were just there to hang out with their friends.

Sodie's offense also had a lot of passes around the perimeter and with 5 seconds left in the clock, someone would jack a shot. But I think you are right, Sodie's offense was more effective on the whole.

[AlumniFan]

Drew did not play tonight. Not sure how this got started.

I think it was from the ESPN box score that had Drew in there for a short time. I think it even showed he took a shot. I checked ESPN only because people on here were saying Drew played and since I was at the game and didn't remember Drew going in, I thought I may have missed something. Looks like ESPN had an error and I am guessing people not at the game checked the box score and THAT is where the "Drew played tonight" story started. Kind of bizarre.

[billiken_roy]

Sodie's offense also had a lot of passes around the perimeter and with 5 seconds left in the clock, someone would jack a shot. But I think you are right, Sodie's offense was more effective on the whole.

right now i would be thrilled if we passed the ball around. mostly one guy dribbles in place then a weak pick comes up on the ball, where the dribbler circles wide around the pick thereby letting his man follow along every time. and then we hand it to a player on the other side and repeat the above. then usually it is time to jack up a three or dribble the lane to the basket for a circus layup attempt. if there is a miss, we pray that evans can get the rebound and put it back in. that's our offense.

[thetorch]

right now i would be thrilled if we passed the ball around. mostly one guy dribbles in place then a weak pick comes up on the ball, where the dribbler circles wide around the pick thereby letting his man follow along every time. and then we hand it to a player on the other side and repeat the above. then usually it is time to jack up a three or dribble the lane to the basket for a circus layup attempt. if there is a miss, we pray that evans can get the rebound and put it back in. that's our offense.

We are missing the little things. I saw one really good perimeter closeout tonight, that was by Remuken, last year you'd see half a dozen. Picks are weak, the screeners are consistently out of position & not showing long enough. Our switches on defense are lazy. Loe & Remuken did one where they just left a guard wide open as both of them decided the other one had that man and ran back to the basket.

[jbizzle09]

Another thing, that SIU-c team was god-awful. They might be the worst team we play this year.

Doubtful. SIU-E, Tennessee-Martin, and EIU are all most likely worse teams. It is also possible that Fordham is worse now that Gaston is hurt. SIU-C isn't good, but let's try to step away from the ledge a bit. This is the same SLU team that beat A&M by 21 and were never in any danger of losing this game. I know it is the 'in' thing to panic about this team now, and there are legitimate questions about Crews' coaching philosophy, but I didn't see any danger signs in this game like many are seeing. We are incredibly short-handed now, and we won easily against a team we were supposed to win against.

Was it pretty? No. But were we ever in danger of losing the game? No, we weren't. Some games are just going to be 'Eh' games. Tonight was an 'Eh' game. No need to try to read more into it than is needed. It is a game where we did what we had to do and nothing else.

[slufanskip]

Why does JM need to be Hakeem to play a little. I always like when someone suggests a guy play someone else responds with it's not like he's an NBA all-star. It's games like this where we really need some inside play both offensively and defensively.

Why does RL either hang out at the 3 point line or look to post up where he can't get position. We seem to be able to find Cory at the free throw line facing the basket now and then, problem is that's not Cory's game. Why aren't we using RL there. When people zone us we have to attack the middle of the zone, doing that with Cory at the 5 is a waste as Cory is slow to move the ball out and can't hit the jumper from there consistently. RL could be and should be used there.

When they are zoning us what good does it do to have JJ at the top moving the ball around JJ is no threat to shoot from there. Also our 2 wings are to close to the top, they need to slide down a little lower. Spacing is your friend. We really don't utilize the corners at all.

I was completely confused watching the game last night. It was a win, and with our injury situation that's what counts, but our inability to adjust to anything baffles me.

[kmbilliken]

I must have missed the moments Manning has looked like Bill Russell out there.

Manning wasn't noticeable in his 3 minutes. That can be a good thing. Loe is usually noticeable losing his man or getting pushed around under the boards. If Loe doesn't score 12 points he is a liability. Last night he did so he was neutral. For him to be a plus he has to score big time because he is such a defensive liability.

[b.hayes]

Doesn't seem worth a new thread, but SIU just won against Fresno State (KenPom 121, played Texas close on the road). Maybe they won't be a 300+ RPI at the end of the year!