Trouble. Right Here in River City.

[Bizziken]

Maybe we should start McBroom and bring Jett off of the bench like last year. Before the season started we wondered if this was going to happen, and so far it hasn't. I really don't have much confidence in our backcourt bench at this point, so Jett would provide a little depth there. It also gets McBroom some more minutes.

I see a few people comparing last year's schedule to this one's...I think that's a bad idea. We had the opportunity to knock off 6 ranked teams last season, and we won 5. The remaining schedule has MAYBE 3 games left against Top 25 caliber teams (VCU x2, UMass). Probably 4 at the most (Dayton?, an A-10 Tourney Game). There is no way we will have the resume that we did last season. Our Non-Conference resume is pretty much shot...wins @ Valpo, @ Vandy, and Indiana State would be 'okay' but not marquee. We can't afford mistakes like Rhode Island this year...

[RiseOfTheBillikens]

Maybe we should start McBroom and bring Jett off of the bench like last year. Before the season started we wondered if this was going to happen, and so far it hasn't. I really don't have much confidence in our backcourt bench at this point, so Jett would provide a little depth there. It also gets McBroom some more minutes.

I see a few people comparing last year's schedule to this one's...I think that's a bad idea. We had the opportunity to knock off 6 ranked teams last season, and we won 5. The remaining schedule has MAYBE 3 games left against Top 25 caliber teams (VCU x2, UMass). Probably 4 at the most (Dayton?, an A-10 Tourney Game). There is no way we will have the resume that we did last season. Our Non-Conference resume is pretty much shot...wins @ Valpo, @ Vandy, and Indiana State would be 'okay' but not marquee. We can't afford mistakes like Rhode Island this year...

that is what scares me... we are gonna need quality wins to build a resume. We now have little to no room for error against the lesser teams if we want an at large bid.

[moytoy12]

that is what scares me... we are gonna need quality wins to build a resume. We now have little to no room for error against the lesser teams if we want an at large bid.

I figure there will be a lot of teams similarly situated. We'll likely have conference games against ranked opponents. That's how many big conference teams gain quality wins.

Avoid bad losses, take care of business for the rest of the out of conference schedule and be a top 3 finisher in conference and I think we'll be fine.

[RiseOfTheBillikens]

I figure there will be a lot of teams similarly situated. We'll likely have conference games against ranked opponents. That's how many big conference teams gain quality wins.

Avoid bad losses, take care of business for the rest of the out of conference schedule and be a top 3 finisher in conference and I think we'll be fine.

I agree but we have no butler this year in conference. I guess a lot depends on how well our competition in the a10 does. Hoping for Dayton and UMASS to keep up the good play.

[ARon]

I see this has restarted the, "DE should be the 4" debate.

In some situations I can see Crews going with that but I suspect it is not his preference. If the goal is to draw the defense out to create room for DE (or Manning if he is on the court), I wonder if we will begin to see Lancona get more minutes. If JB shows himself to be too unreliable as a defender and shooter, it seems to me that he would be your best bet for a frontline perimeter threat.

[cheeseman]

I see this has restarted the, "DE should be the 4" debate.

In some situations I can see Crews going with that but I suspect it is not his preference. If the goal is to draw the defense out to create room for DE (or Manning if he is on the court), I wonder if we will begin to see Lancona get more minutes. If JB shows himself to be too unreliable as a defender and shooter, it seems to me that he would be your best bet for a frontline perimeter threat.

Why on earth would you ever specifically try to open the middle for JM? - he only plays a few minutes a game and most of the time he is either fouling, missing his shot except for that little jumper, dropping a pass, or not being able to grab a rebound. He is in there only to give RL a breather so just tell him to clog the middle and try to get a rebound.

[bbtds]

We do miss Mitchell.

Before I'd do her, I'd want to know what miss Mitchell looks like.

[slufanskip]

Before I'd do her, I'd want to know what miss Mitchell looks like.

I call BS on that. 2 1/2 beers and you know you don't give a damn

[Clock_Tower]

I see this has restarted the, "DE should be the 4" debate.

In some situations I can see Crews going with that but I suspect it is not his preference. If the goal is to draw the defense out to create room for DE (or Manning if he is on the court), I wonder if we will begin to see Lancona get more minutes. If JB shows himself to be too unreliable as a defender and shooter, it seems to me that he would be your best bet for a frontline perimeter threat.

ARon. DE playing the 4 is a present reality - not just "in some situations." During the WSU, DE was a non-factor in the first half (2 points on a fast break opportunity) and then became our primary threat/go to guy on offense in the second half (16 points). Last night, DE played the 4 nearly the entire game (sometimes the 3 with RA/GG) and the end result is that DE scored 17 points -- all from the inside/FT line. The negative, of course, is that DE will have an increasingly difficult time scoring as teams continue to double/triple team him. Unlike last year, there is no "surprise factor" and DE can no longer "sneak" inside looking like a small forward/wing and then post his man up inside and score while CE and RL would draw their men to the perimeter. This year, DE (probably only 6'4") is lining up as the 4 and is being defended as the 4 (not the 3). The negative, of course, is that RA gets his time limited when this happens and I just don't believe that DE will be able to score (consistently against the better teams) lining up as the 4.

IMO, DE's game has not changed but the guys around him have changed. RA/GG are not good complements to DE like CE was. This year, reports had indicated that DE developed an outside shot. To date, I have not seen this shot and this lack of a shot is what is killing this team and making our best player ineffective at the 3. In fact, DE's shot appears to be worse than last years. Add to this that RL's shot has gotten worse, that JJ's shot has gotten worse, that MM has not stepped up his game and JB has not come thru and it is no wonder that we are struggling -- even against Rock U!!

All is not lost. We still have a ton of talent/experience. IMO, though, AM must be a starter come January/A10 Conference season. MM and JJ can split time until one of them realize that this is their Senior year and that the team desperately needs them. RL will need to handle the 5 and if his shot is off, then so be it, but JM will need to be a more effective back-up to him (that 10 footer during WSU game in the second half is proof that JM has the physical ability to contribute). This, of course, leaves us to the 3 and 4. IMO, JB will need to go back to a 15 mpg guy (but play more if his shot is on during a given game). Right now, it sure appears that JC has plans for TL to be on the floor along with DE and that RA will get minutes when DE gets a breather. If JM does not improve, RA may get minutes at the 5. MC's time will hopefully come, but his year, only if he makes his outside shot. As to GG, sorry but I have personally seen enough of him for the year.

[DirtyRican]

Marshall outcoached Crews in this game. Maybe not X/Os but in how he handled foul trouble. I thought Crews brought Loe back in too early and could have went another direction even if we played small for awhile. Not having Loe (or the threat of him) in the game the last 3 minutes killed us. We did not play from the inside out and they knew this.

[slufan13]

I know I've been down on him but Barnett is certainly not the problem with the team right now. I think the fact that no one has stepped up behind Dwayne as a consistent go to option is very concerning especially considering the success that our seniors have had in their careers. Barnett was never supposed to be a 25+ minutes a game guy, but he’s being forced into it. Now he isn’t shooting or playing well especially against good teams, but I think he might be a little out of his role. You’re seeing a lot of him because you need to open the paint for Dwayne. Last year that was Cody’s role. I really hope Lancona can step up and kind of take that over (at least partially). Rob has been decent in the post and not great outside so that isn’t opening it up much for Dwayne and for our guards to drive to the basket. I hoped that by his senior year Dwayne could’ve developed a consistent outside shot but unfortunately that hasn’t happened. I think McBroom is our best option from deep so I’d like to see him get more playing time. His defense hasn’t been good but he can definitely shoot and score. Glaze just seems to be a guy who clogs up the paint more. He’ll go for every rebound though and that’s important. Manning actually is decent from 10 feet and he’s been fine defensively. I want to see more Agbeko but like others have said, he just doesn’t seem to fully get it yet and that’s understandable considering how long he’s played the game. I think he really comes on late in the season. Crawford doesn’t seem good enough right now, and I don’t think we can count on him. Key is for our senior guards to play like seniors with tons of experience like they should. McCall needs to shoot more and stop driving to the basket and avoid contact. Jett needs to draw contact. Even when he isn’t hitting free throws, at least get the guys into foul trouble. Lancona needs to step up. He seems close. Evans needs to keep doing what he’s doing. Barnett needs to stay within his role and not try to do too much.

[billikenfan05]

I know I've been down on him but Barnett is certainly not the problem with the team right now. I think the fact that no one has stepped up behind Dwayne as a consistent go to option is very concerning especially considering the success that our seniors have had in their careers. Barnett was never supposed to be a 25+ minutes a game guy, but he’s being forced into it. Now he isn’t shooting or playing well especially against good teams, but I think he might be a little out of his role. You’re seeing a lot of him because you need to open the paint for Dwayne. Last year that was Cody’s role. I really hope Lancona can step up and kind of take that over (at least partially). Rob has been decent in the post and not great outside so that isn’t opening it up much for Dwayne and for our guards to drive to the basket. I hoped that by his senior year Dwayne could’ve developed a consistent outside shot but unfortunately that hasn’t happened. I think McBroom is our best option from deep so I’d like to see him get more playing time. His defense hasn’t been good but he can definitely shoot and score. Glaze just seems to be a guy who clogs up the paint more. He’ll go for every rebound though and that’s important. Manning actually is decent from 10 feet and he’s been fine defensively. I want to see more Agbeko but like others have said, he just doesn’t seem to fully get it yet and that’s understandable considering how long he’s played the game. I think he really comes on late in the season. Crawford doesn’t seem good enough right now, and I don’t think we can count on him. Key is for our senior guards to play like seniors with tons of experience like they should. McCall needs to shoot more and stop driving to the basket and avoid contact. Jett needs to draw contact. Even when he isn’t hitting free throws, at least get the guys into foul trouble. Lancona needs to step up. He seems close. Evans needs to keep doing what he’s doing. Barnett needs to stay within his role and not try to do too much.

What nobody is talking about is Jordair's aversion to contact lately. He drives away from the basket like a scared third grader. I'm not trying to insult him I'm just comparing his driving to the way I would drive to the hoop as a scared third grader unaware that I could draw a foul by going into the defender.

[slufan13]

What nobody is talking about is Jordair's aversion to contact lately. He drives away from the basket like a scared third grader. I'm not trying to insult him I'm just comparing his driving to the way I would drive to the hoop as a scared third grader unaware that I could draw a foul by going into the defender.

For sure. If I had to pick a guy that has been most disappointing so far it'd be Jett. He's not playing like himself

[bauman]

For sure. If I had to pick a guy that has been most disappointing so far it'd be Jett. He's not playing like himself

And while I really don't want to just pile on JJ, he is called by announcers the best defending guard in the A-10, but I have to question that since I have watched two "non-quick" guards (Baker and McCann), go by JJ while driving to the basket during the last two games. So far, he is clearly not what I expected this year. Couple the above defensive laspes with careless turnovers and a less than stellar shooting performance and I have to wonder, what's wrong? Is he hurt?

[Clock_Tower]

I know I've been down on him but Barnett is certainly not the problem with the team right now. I think the fact that no one has stepped up behind Dwayne as a consistent go to option is very concerning especially considering the success that our seniors have had in their careers. Barnett was never supposed to be a 25+ minutes a game guy, but he’s being forced into it. Now he isn’t shooting or playing well especially against good teams, but I think he might be a little out of his role. You’re seeing a lot of him because you need to open the paint for Dwayne. Last year that was Cody’s role. I really hope Lancona can step up and kind of take that over (at least partially). Rob has been decent in the post and not great outside so that isn’t opening it up much for Dwayne and for our guards to drive to the basket. I hoped that by his senior year Dwayne could’ve developed a consistent outside shot but unfortunately that hasn’t happened. I think McBroom is our best option from deep so I’d like to see him get more playing time. His defense hasn’t been good but he can definitely shoot and score. Glaze just seems to be a guy who clogs up the paint more. He’ll go for every rebound though and that’s important. Manning actually is decent from 10 feet and he’s been fine defensively. I want to see more Agbeko but like others have said, he just doesn’t seem to fully get it yet and that’s understandable considering how long he’s played the game. I think he really comes on late in the season. Crawford doesn’t seem good enough right now, and I don’t think we can count on him. Key is for our senior guards to play like seniors with tons of experience like they should. McCall needs to shoot more and stop driving to the basket and avoid contact. Jett needs to draw contact. Even when he isn’t hitting free throws, at least get the guys into foul trouble. Lancona needs to step up. He seems close. Evans needs to keep doing what he’s doing. Barnett needs to stay within his role and not try to do too much.

Who said JB "was never to be a 25+ minutes a game guy?" If I recall, RM recruited him and had nothing but high praise for JB. No, JB sat out a year, practiced and got stronger for an entire year, played extensively over these past two summers, played a limited role last year but still played, and now this year, he WAS counted on for being a 25+ minute guy. Now that JB is not getting the job done so far (though the season is still early and we will still need JB this year) you suggest he was not supposed to be a main contributor this year?? -- he is a 5th year Senior!!

But you are right, JB is not alone to blame. As to DE, where is your outside shot and your guard skills you have been working on these past 4 years? JM, when are you going to contribute more than a few baskets each game? MM, when are you going to lead this team like you did the end of your Sophomore year instead of deferring to our new Sophomore (AM)? JJ, are you hurt? If not, what's different this year?