GDT: NIT Round 1 vs Mississippi State

[basebill123]

I think we’ll be surprised how good we are next year.  As much as French and Goodwin were needed to revitalize the culture of the program and overall competitiveness, there were significant gaps, particularly on offense that both of them caused.  Neither had a true position which caused confusion for opponents when we were on or when we had a matchup advantage but when we faced a good defense or shooting was off, we had no offensive structure to fall back to.  Bully ball was needed after the time but I think we saw that it had it’s ceiling.  We have a lot of experience coming back, I’m looking forward to see Yuri and Perkins leading with Hargrove’s athleticism and energy, Okoro’s true big man skillset, and some actual plays to get GJ open once he gets his mojo back. 

[BilliesBy40]

14 minutes ago, billikenfan05 said:

Okoro will make people forget about Hasahn

I like Okoro and I expect his production to be roughly the same as Hasahn (which isn’t a knock on Okoro).

[majerus mojo]

3 hours ago, Billboy1 said:

Would not be surprised if JG transfers due to way he was used.

I hate when this chatter gets started but I’ve def thought maybe he was buried because Ford already knows a transfer is coming? His usage did a total 180.

1 hour ago, brianstl said:

Next year could very well turn out to be different.  If Okoro is 100% back, he is by far the most complete big man in the A10.  You only get a big man with his size and skill set once a decade in the A10.  He is the type a player, barring defections, the returning roster can ride to an A10 championship.  
 

I don’t think the team would have the upside potential this season’s had, but with a 100% Okoro the downside potential next year I think is lower.  I think next year’s roster is easier for a guy like Ford to coach. Ford isn’t meant to coach a roster built for Tom Izzo.

As you said many (guilty) expected this to be the “most talented roster ever”— and in theory we are only losing Goodwin if Okoro is as good as the above.
 

So, an upgrade on French (and a lot of that “most talented” talk expected 2020 French, not 2021 French) and we need our deep roster to make up for JG on the glass/defensively. Running the offense through Perkins, with Yuri directing/flanked by GJ/TJ/FT/DJ on the perimeter doesn’t sound half bad. 

[Dr. Holly Hills]

I think the most perplexing thing in Ford’s tenure was his response to French’s career struggles at the ft line..  “well, he makes more of them in practice “...

 

[3star_recruit]

 I wished for a happier ending to Bully Ball but it wasn't meant to be.  I figured this game for an L if we couldn't force their longer, more talented team into a lot of mistakes.  It almost worked.

The challenge for Yuri, Perkins, Okoro and a combo guard to be named later is to lead the offense to the next stage of development.

[Bill03]

Reason: They lost the ability to Shoot! COVID killed them! Sad!

[wgstl]

3 hours ago, billikenfan05 said:

Okoro will make people forget about Hasahn

I’m not sure about this.  But I hope 

[Bay Area Billiken]

4 hours ago, Bill03 said:

Reason: They lost the ability to Shoot! COVID killed them! Sad!

The SLU season ends in the NIT. The Billikens had their chances vs. Miss. State, but could not hit the big shot to put them over the hump.
 

SLU finishes 14-7, 7-1 before the Covid outbreak and quarantine, 7-6 after it. The team was nationally ranked for 4 weeks, never recovered in '21.  The 7-1 pre-quarantine record included wins over Power 5’s LSU and NC State, both of whom are still playing in the NCAA and NIT, respectively. 

[CBFan]

10 hours ago, billikenfan05 said:

Joelabs, Brighton and Bonner. Troll so hard universit

You can add billiesby40 to the list.

Showed up on the thread after the game was over to give us his educated opinion of coach Ford. 
He flatters himself.

I look forward to next season with Coach Ford at the helm.  I am even more excited to attend games again.

[CBFan]

8 hours ago, 3star_recruit said:

 I wished for a happier ending to Bully Ball but it wasn't meant to be.  I figured this game for an L if we couldn't force their longer, more talented team into a lot of mistakes.  It almost worked.

The challenge for Yuri, Perkins, Okoro and a combo guard to be named later is to lead the offense to the next stage of development.

What is your opinion of the defense I did not think the team defended as well they have and that hurt the team as much as scoring droughts.

[slu72]

1 minute ago, CBFan said:

What is your opinion of the defense I did not think the team defended as well they have and that hurt the team as much as scoring droughts.

Our perimeter D was hurting before the Covid. It stunk post covid. I think this played the largest part in our decline. Way too many uncontested 3's, and we couldn't counter as our 3% went MIA. 

[cheeseman]

11 hours ago, Billboy1 said:

Sorry meant GJ

Until he figures how to fulfill his role he will continue to find himself used this way.  Bottom line he is suppose to be a sniper who has at best been inconsistent - not even streaky, you could live with that.  He has to learn how to make the most of his opportunities - its called putting on your big boy pants.  I am not chasing him away but he really can only look in the mirror and see he let himself down.

[Dr. Holly Hills]

GJ needs to learn a dribble step back or something.  He has only been a catch and shoot guy.  Also he only ever shoots from the corners or low wing areas, so he’s pretty easy to defend.

that being said, if he would have made the shots he had when he was open, we would have won 2-3 more games this year.  Maybe a packed house at the fitz will help his depth perception next year!

[3star_recruit]

2 hours ago, CBFan said:

What is your opinion of the defense I did not think the team defended as well they have and that hurt the team as much as scoring droughts.

The fact that we had been able to bully bigger teams for so long is really amazing.  But there's plenty of game tape on us now.  Call attention to our physicality.  Draw fouls.  Stretch the defense and shoot over our shorter players.  We can still be a successful program with the current level of defense if we slightly improve the offense.  And there's certainly a lot of room for improvement in the offense.  

[David King]

9 hours ago, Schasz said:

Enough time has passed since Crews was given the keys to Majerus team that I don't recall who the Bills other options were for HC. Frankly, I wasn't big on Ford as HC and would shed no tears if he found a better gig and left the Bills now.

Many here, not including myself, wanted Bryce Drew. TFord was a better hire than that. I just wish P.J. Carlesimo hadn’t turned down the job.

[Littlebill]

1 hour ago, CBFan said:

You can add billiesby40 to the list.

Showed up on the thread after the game was over to give us his educated opinion of coach Ford. 
He flatters himself.

I look forward to next season with Coach Ford at the helm.  I am even more excited to attend games again.

Chill

[BilliesBy40]

1 hour ago, CBFan said:

You can add billiesby40 to the list.

Showed up on the thread after the game was over to give us his educated opinion of coach Ford. 
He flatters himself.

I look forward to next season with Coach Ford at the helm.  I am even more excited to attend games again.

I waited until the end of the season to share my opinion and ask a legitimate question. I actually contemplated doing so before the game but decided against it to respect the team. What is this message board for if posters can’t question our highly paid coach after our most disappointing season in modern history?

[davidnark]

We just became so easy to scout. Pack it in and force us to shoot over you. Guard the drive and give the outside shot to Yuri and Goodwin. Expect Yuri to pass after he penetrates. Quickly close out on Gibson. Play physical with Perkins. Guard French's spin move. Recognize the athleticism of Thatch, Jacobs, and TJ, so force them to beat you with basketball skill.

It today's game where most teams feature 3-5 guys on the court who can consistently make outside shots, we often had just 1 on the court at a time. Knowing this fact, I would have gone 10 deep and played a mix of full and half-court pressure defense all the time to accelerate our strengths and limit everything I described above. 

[Old guy]

Victory has many fathers, defeat is an orphan. This is a quote from Napoleonic times, not sure if it was from Napoleon or one of his generals. We lost last night, period. There were as many reasons for this loss as anyone may think. From my point of view the 34 day pause imposed by SLU (and St. Louis) Covid restrictions threw a monkey wrench into what should have been a steady progress of improvement in the way we played. I believe Miss State played most if not all of its scheduled games and did go through the process of improvement through frequent playing and constant practice. We did not have this. A lot of teams had less strict restrictions and therefore had an advantage over us. This is my opinion, agree or disagree with me as you wish.

[dennis_w]

8 minutes ago, Old guy said:

Victory has many fathers, defeat is an orphan. This is a quote from Napoleonic times, not sure if it was from Napoleon or one of his generals. We lost last night, period. There were as many reasons for this loss as anyone may think. From my point of view the 34 day pause imposed by SLU (and St. Louis) Covid restrictions threw a monkey wrench into what should have been a steady progress of improvement in the way we played. I believe Miss State played most if not all of its scheduled games and did go through the process of improvement through frequent playing and constant practice. We did not have this. A lot of teams had less strict restrictions and therefore had an advantage over us. This is my opinion, agree or disagree with me as you wish.

agree, some of the players were just not the same post covid, jacobs was having star like moments before covid and post covid he just did not seem to have the bounce

[billikenbill]

1 hour ago, davidnark said:

We just became so easy to scout. Pack it in and force us to shoot over you. Guard the drive and give the outside shot to Yuri and Goodwin. Expect Yuri to pass after he penetrates. Quickly close out on Gibson. Play physical with Perkins. Guard French's spin move. Recognize the athleticism of Thatch, Jacobs, and TJ, so force them to beat you with basketball skill.

It today's game where most teams feature 3-5 guys on the court who can consistently make outside shots, we often had just 1 on the court at a time. Knowing this fact, I would have gone 10 deep and played a mix of full and half-court pressure defense all the time to accelerate our strengths and limit everything I described above. 

You called it. Definitely a missed opportunity. Still, it had to be hard to figure that the shooting percentages of Jacobs, Jimerson, and Perkins would sink like they did. Has' didn't seem to be the same player until yesterday, and Thatch's and Hargrove's improvement wasn't enough to pick up the slack.

Hoping next year will allow a full return to summer workouts, and a regular schedule to see if they can put it together. Hope our guys get plenty of shots up, and everyone, and I mean everyone, gets their shots in arms as the Billikens need a shot at redemption next year.

Edit to add this question: With Okoro a sit one transfer, does he get this year back and have three seasons of eligibility remaining if he wants to use them?

[Schasz]

53 minutes ago, davidnark said:

We just became so easy to scout. Pack it in and force us to shoot over you. Guard the drive and give the outside shot to Yuri and Goodwin. Expect Yuri to pass after he penetrates. Quickly close out on Gibson. Play physical with Perkins. Guard French's spin move. Recognize the athleticism of Thatch, Jacobs, and TJ, so force them to beat you with basketball skill.

It today's game where most teams feature 3-5 guys on the court who can consistently make outside shots, we often had just 1 on the court at a time. Knowing this fact, I would have gone 10 deep and played a mix of full and half-court pressure defense all the time to accelerate our strengths and limit everything I described above. 

We did see a good spurt in the 2nd half when the full court press worked. I thought inserting Terrence Hargrove in the starting 2nd half lineup was a big reason it worked as he was a real menace. The head scratcher for me was he was taken out for Thatch then Miss State gained control again. I'm fine if TH got a breather not like he's ever played big minutes any time this season, but the damage was done after he was put back in.

[3star_recruit]

1 hour ago, davidnark said:

We just became so easy to scout. Pack it in and force us to shoot over you. Guard the drive and give the outside shot to Yuri and Goodwin. Expect Yuri to pass after he penetrates. Quickly close out on Gibson. Play physical with Perkins. Guard French's spin move. Recognize the athleticism of Thatch, Jacobs, and TJ, so force them to beat you with basketball skill.

It today's game where most teams feature 3-5 guys on the court who can consistently make outside shots, we often had just 1 on the court at a time. Knowing this fact, I would have gone 10 deep and played a mix of full and half-court pressure defense all the time to accelerate our strengths and limit everything I described above. 

I would love for the combo guard to be named later to be as quick as Yuri.  We have some leapers but we don't have the foot speed and ballhandling on the perimeter that we did with Jett, McCall and Mitchell. We have high jumpers that are heavily dependent on Yuri to get them the ball.  If you slow down Yuri, you neutralize the other guys.

[Scoop]

Gut wrenching season but I am all in on Ford. Guy has been dealt some bad hands. Remember how loaded we were gonna be in just our 2nd year after a complete rebuild? Then situation 2 happened. We had Henriquez and our all freshman team Bishop ready to join Bess, DJ, Has & JGood. Didn’t happen. We were gonna loaded the next year with Santos and our local Gordon. Santos gets roped into Situation 2 which was worse than the late call in the VCU game this year and Gordon turns out to be a complete knucklehead. We still make the tourney. Last year we were playing well then we have the 1st pandemic in 100 years. Then we get Covid crushed again this year. Yes, it is hard being a Bills fan but not much Ford could do about these scenarios. That being said, I hope everyone returns and is on board with team blue and kicks some ass. JGood should consider a proper send off in a packed Chaifetz while breaking every Billiken record. I need a mental break and a full season of Cards baseball to reset the batteries. Go Bills.

[almaman]

2 hours ago, Old guy said:

Victory has many fathers, defeat is an orphan. This is a quote from Napoleonic times, not sure if it was from Napoleon or one of his generals. We lost last night, period..

quoting your contemporary?