More Board Meltdown

[Tonka]

I'm sure glad the season isn't just 6 or 7 games long or I think we would have fans jumping off a bridge. Maybe many of us were foolishly optimistic about our expectations this year. I think the prediction thread for our season record was started after knowing about KM and we definitely knew RM was not coming back. Yet, many of us were pretty optimistic with our predictions.

As bad as it may seem to some, the season's really going to come down to conference play and there is plenty of time to clean things up. Most of the things I see that I don't like, I think can be cleaned up.

We still should be 10-4 going into the conference. Worst case 9-5 and best case now would be 11-3. Sure, not the 12-2 or 13-1 that I would have liked, but with all the injuries and no RM it is what it is.

Looking at our conference ahead, it scares the crap out of me after seeing how we are playing. But, I don't see us continuing this play. We will clean things up. Roy made a great comment about lack of perfect execution. I agree with that. But, our execution can get better. You got to think that Crews will get better as well. It's not like he was at the helm the whole off-season. He hasn't been running the show in 3 years and with all his experience there is a difference between supporting the head coach and running the show. He will get better. Will he become RM? Nope. Never.

KM's injury is even a bigger setback than I thought. His leadership is needed on the floor. I'm sure without RM and having the best player in a boot on the sidelines gets in the head of some of the guys. If that is the case, his return should really spark the team. I think KM will make everybody better. The injuries have to be deflating to the whole team. Your best player with a broken foot. Your star recruit with a bad knee. JJ not 100%. One of your bigs who can give minutes in a sling. It all adds up.

The good news is that KM and KC will be back. KC sooner than later and KM before conference play. That in itself will give a big spark. I think Crews will get better. Our lineups should balance out more.

On another note, did we just take 3 free throw shots last night? They took 22. How is that even possible?

All in all, I am not in the negative, meltdown mode that happens to many on this Board just yet.

[Box and Won]

On another note, did we just take 3 free throw shots last night? They took 22. How is that even possible?

And two were on a technical.

[Bizziken]

I'm glad New Mexico is doing well...that could be a redemption game for us, especially if we're healthy.

Kansas and Washington probably won't be 'perceived' as bad losses...Santa Clara will

I need to start seeing better D from this team before I can start getting excited again

[jbizzle09]

And two were on a technical.

And the other one on a dunk by Loe where they were forced to blow the whistle for an and one. While we settled on the three-pointer for the most part to spur our offense due to the 2-3 zone, both Dwayne and Jett were taking the ball inside a great deal, as was Loe. The fact that Washington only got whistled for 10 personal fouls (half of which I think were offensive) gave them a really big home court advantage last night.

[moytoy12]

And the other one on a dunk by Loe where they were forced to blow the whistle for an and one. While we settled on the three-pointer for the most part to spur our offense due to the 2-3 zone, both Dwayne and Jett were taking the ball inside a great deal, as was Loe. The fact that Washington only got whistled for 10 personal fouls (half of which I think were offensive) gave them a really big home court advantage last night.

Evans was getting hammered on his drives last night.

[Billiken75]

Watching most of the game, here are my thoughts:

1) we win this game with KM;

2) the FT differential is crazy - I didn't realize we were playing at Cameron - we got "homered" big time;

3) too many turnovers - we need to get crisper and smarter - KM return will help;

4) Cory got into early foul trouble but ended up with only 3 fouls in 14 minutes of play - he needed to be in the game more;

5) I am liking Manning - I hope he gets more minutes;

6) Barnett has to be able to score - if not, let Carter take those minutes;

7) I wouldn't mind Crews calling a few timeouts when needed;

I so miss Majerus on the sidelines.

[ACE]

There have been several frustrations and disappointments so far, but one of them for me is not having Carter. I'm not saying his presence would have turned any losses into wins, but with KM out this was a real opportunity for him to gain some experience. Remember how much KM improved from the beginning of his freshman season to the end. I was thinking that Carter was capable of something similar with some playing time. Let's hope he gets back soon.

[JettFlight5]

That was a very bad loss last night.

We all miss Rick...a lot.

I was one of those who was foolishly optimistic coming off last year. It was fun to be relevant, and have commentators talking about how good this team was 1 year ago. So there's work to be done.

[jbizzle09]

I will also say that Manning was getting screwed with the foul calls against him when defending N'Diyae. Even Detlef Schrempf (doing commentary) stated that he didn't believe Manning actually touched him on any of the 3 foul calls, that he merely kept his hands up and stopped his progress. There was another game changing call late in the game where it was clear that Evans dribbled the ball off of a Washington defender's foot and they called it out on Evans. It was an easy call for the ref to make and he blew it, making it another turnover on Evans. This was during the late part of the game when the Bills were trying to claw their way back.

The refs didn't win the game for Washington. But I think the disparity in calls did lead to some frustration for the Bills (especially Evans) and there was definitely a 'homerish' feel to the calls, especially after Romar got T'd up complaining to the refs early on. After that T, N'Diyae and Gaddy were getting the whistles everytime they had the ball near the basket in the first half.

[moytoy12]

There have been several frustrations and disappointments so far, but one of them for me is not having Carter. I'm not saying his presence would have turned any losses into wins, but with KM out this was a real opportunity for him to gain some experience. Remember how much KM improved from the beginning of his freshman season to the end. I was thinking that Carter was capable of something similar with some playing time. Let's hope he gets back soon.

At a minimum, he'd give MM/JJ some rest.

[moytoy12]

I will also say that Manning was getting screwed with the foul calls against him when defending N'Diyae. Even Detlef Schrempf (doing commentary) stated that he didn't believe Manning actually touched him on any of the 3 foul calls, that he merely kept his hands up and stopped his progress. There was another game changing call late in the game where it was clear that Evans dribbled the ball off of a Washington defender's foot and they called it out on Evans. It was an easy call for the ref to make and he blew it, making it another turnover on Evans. This was during the late part of the game when the Bills were trying to claw their way back.

The refs didn't win the game for Washington. But I think the disparity in calls did lead to some frustration for the Bills (especially Evans) and there was definitely a 'homerish' feel to the calls, especially after Romar got T'd up complaining to the refs early on. After that T, N'Diyae and Gaddy were getting the whistles everytime they had the ball near the basket in the first half.

The Manning calls were bad. Really bad. JM has a nice shot from 12-16 feet.

[RB2.0]

This is a terrible loss for us. Worse than maybe Santa Clara (at least on the same level). This Washington team lost at home to America East powerhouse Albany...at home and got blown out by Colorado St. I would say this is definitely cause for major concern. The season is quickly getting away from us and there are really no signs of it getting. KM will be a huge lift but the A10 is loaded this year and with Loe playing like total garbage, we have no inside presence.

We are barely beating teams we should crush and losing every game we should keep close or win. Exception is the Kansas game where we actually looked decent.

[JettFlight5]

This is a terrible loss for us. Worse than maybe Santa Clara (at least on the same level). This Washington team lost at home to America East powerhouse Albany...at home and got blown out by Colorado St. I would say this is definitely cause for major concern. The season is quickly getting away from us and there are really no signs of it getting. KM will be a huge lift but the A10 is loaded this year and with Loe playing like total garbage, we have no inside presence.

We are barely beating teams we should crush and losing every game we should keep close or win. Exception is the Kansas game where we actually looked decent.

Washington is this year's McKendree/UMSL. I agree that the best game the Bills played all year was the loss to Kansas. That could be problematic when the team's best performance was in a loss.

[jbizzle09]

I didn't realize that we barely beat A&M. I must have been watching a different team that beat A&M by 21.

[Littlebill]

Washington is this year's McKendree/UMSL. I agree that the best game the Bills played all year was the loss to Kansas. That could be problematic when the team's best performance was in a loss.

hey now, thats an insult to us at mckendree..... LOL. Anyways, I thought we played very well at times against A&M....

[JettFlight5]

hey now, thats an insult to us at mckendree..... LOL. Anyways, I thought we played very well at times against A&M....

I went to McKendree before SLU as well.

Certain posters talk about those losses as the "as bad as it gets point".

[slufanskip]

I will also say that Manning was getting screwed with the foul calls against him when defending N'Diyae. Even Detlef Schrempf (doing commentary) stated that he didn't believe Manning actually touched him on any of the 3 foul calls, that he merely kept his hands up and stopped his progress. There was another game changing call late in the game where it was clear that Evans dribbled the ball off of a Washington defender's foot and they called it out on Evans. It was an easy call for the ref to make and he blew it, making it another turnover on Evans. This was during the late part of the game when the Bills were trying to claw their way back.

The refs didn't win the game for Washington. But I think the disparity in calls did lead to some frustration for the Bills (especially Evans) and there was definitely a 'homerish' feel to the calls, especially after Romar got T'd up complaining to the refs early on. After that T, N'Diyae and Gaddy were getting the whistles everytime they had the ball near the basket in the first half.

a 5 point game and a 22-3 foul shot differential, along with your best post defender spending much of the night on the bench due to fouls. I'd say we win a more evenly called game. Even make it a 22-15 foul shot differential we go 6-6 and we win. A team that plays as disorganized and I'll call it reckless defensively as Wash does not commit just 10 fouls in a game. ***, soft tems don't play entire games committing 10 fouls.

[Littlebill]

alright fair enough. I can easily see that. Overall, if Washington is "as bad as it gets", I don't think the world is going to end. UW was a game we should have won, but we are also forgetting the weird game time. That had to play a part in the rough game....right...? Maybe these next few games will build some confidence and maybe we can put together some momentum going into New Mexico, who is ranked now.

[Tonka]

I think Washington and Santa Clara will both win more games than people think this year. Yes, we should have beat them, but let's not paint them as a Rockhurst.

[RiseAndGrind]

I think Washington and Santa Clara will both win more games than people think this year. Yes, we should have beat them, but let's not paint them as a Rockhurst.

I'll give you Santa Clara, but UDub had previously lost to Albany and Colorado St. AT HOME.

[Duff Man]

Washington is KenPom 78 and RPI 20. This was always going to be a tough game even with Kwamain.

The Santa Clara loss was MUCH worse for the following reasons...

-we were double digit favorites against a non-BCS opponent

-we were playing at home

-we trailed by double digits for the bulk of the game

-we never looked like we had a shot at any point in the 2nd half

Every loss - even going back to last season - people act like the sky is falling. LMU. New Mexico. Dayton. Temple. UMass. Rhode Island.

The season is far from lost.

That being said there are a few things that stand out as recurring problems that Crews needs to address.

1) Rob Loe's role needs to be reduced. He cannot be allowed to guard the opposing teams first low post option. Let him start, fire up some 3s, and either ride his hot hand or sit his cold ass down. Remekun and Manning need to be guarding the opposing team's best low post players. Loe was eaten up by SIU's 6'5 power forward from Wentzville, I don't understand why he was allowed to guard 7'0 Aziz N'Diaye.

2) Cut down the undisciplined dumb fouls. Evans especially, but Jett and Remekun too. There is a fine line between aggressive and undisciplined play. Also - and this won't come up for a while - having the awareness of how games are called on the road. Evans and Jett are not going to get the calls on the drives on the road that they get at home. Going strong to the hole and waiting for the call is not a good plan against athletic teams - especially on the road. There needs to be a dump off pass to the open man in order to 'earn' the whistle.

3) McCall needs to be more assertive on offense. It's unrealistic to except him to step in and take over Kwamain's role, but he's shooting a high percentage from 3 and he's quick and good with the ball. TAKE MORE SHOTS!!! If he missed badly, so be it - but until Keith Carter gets healthy and shows he can do it - McCall is the best candidate we have to fill Kwamain's offensive leadership role.

[2010andBeyond]

Washington is KenPom 78 and RPI 20. This was always going to be a tough game even with Kwamain.

The Santa Clara loss was MUCH worse for the following reasons...

-we were double digit favorites against a non-BCS opponent

-we were playing at home

-we trailed by double digits for the bulk of the game

-we never looked like we had a shot at any point in the 2nd half

Every loss - even going back to last season - people act like the sky is falling. LMU. New Mexico. Dayton. Temple. UMass. Rhode Island.

The season is far from lost.

That being said there are a few things that stand out as recurring problems that Crews needs to address.

1) Rob Loe's role needs to be reduced. He cannot be allowed to guard the opposing teams first low post option. Let him start, fire up some 3s, and either ride his hot hand or sit his cold ass down. Remekun and Manning need to be guarding the opposing team's best low post players. Loe was eaten up by SIU's 6'5 power forward from Wentzville, I don't understand why he was allowed to guard 7'0 Aziz N'Diaye.

2) Cut down the undisciplined dumb fouls. Evans especially, but Jett and Remekun too. There is a fine line between aggressive and undisciplined play. Also - and this won't come up for a while - having the awareness of how games are called on the road. Evans and Jett are not going to get the calls on the drives on the road that they get at home. Going strong to the hole and waiting for the call is not a good plan against athletic teams - especially on the road. There needs to be a dump off pass to the open man in order to 'earn' the whistle.

3) McCall needs to be more assertive on offense. It's unrealistic to except him to step in and take over Kwamain's role, but he's shooting a high percentage from 3 and he's quick and good with the ball. TAKE MORE SHOTS!!! If he missed badly, so be it - but until Keith Carter gets healthy and shows he can do it - McCall is the best candidate we have to fill Kwamain's offensive leadership role.

Manning hasn't shown the ability to play defense any better than RL. In fact he was much worse last night.

[jbizzle09]

I'll give you Santa Clara, but UDub had previously lost to Albany and Colorado St. AT HOME.

Colorado St was in the NCAA tourney last year and most likely will be as good if not better this season, as they returned some really good players and also added Colton Iverson, a very good big man. Losing to them, even at home, is nothing to be ashamed of. Albany was a CIT team last year. Not a good team, per se, but a potentially dangerous team that you can't take for granted, which it appears that Washington did, letting them stay in the game and then losing it at the very end.

In all likelihood, Washington will be at the same level they were last year. A team that wins 20+ games, is in the top 4 of the Pac-12 and a possible at-large candidate. This is not going to look like a bad loss by the end of the season.

[jbizzle09]

Manning hasn't shown the ability to play defense any better than RL. In fact he was much worse last night.

Actually, N'Diyae did most of his damage in the 2nd half, when Loe was on him most of the time. Manning played on him for about 6 minutes in the 1st half, and all N'Diyae did was go to the line (and go 2-6) due to Manning fouls (which I felt were phantom calls.) Objectively, I would say Loe did a worse job on him defensively, as we were in the lead when Manning played D on him, and lost it when Loe took back over in the 2nd half.

[Duff Man]

Manning hasn't shown the ability to play defense any better than RL. In fact he was much worse last night.

Loe is a 6'11" streaky 3pt shooting freak who cannot defend good players in the low post. He should get 8-15 minutes a game. I've lost patience with him. He's still getting pushed around like he's a skinny fresh fish. Loe has been given tons of minutes and has not developed into even a competent defensive low post player.

Manning on the other hand has upside as a low post player but has not been given an adequate chance. 73 minutes played in his entire Billiken career. When he's played, he's looked competent on offense (certainly more competent that Remekun looked at any point in his first 2 seasons) and unlike Loe, he looks like he might actually be able to play his position on the defensive side of the ball.

I get that Manning is still very much a work in progress, but all we really need from him is 10-15 minutes as Remekun's backup.