GDT: auburn

[Slufan10]

Anyone selling their Ford bobblehead?

[2010andBeyond]

30 minutes ago, ILbillikenfan said:

been a long time since I posted, season tickets holder…

these are some epic chokes this year, sure…but is anyone else still concerned about how jimmerson just has an insane ability to just completely vanish?  i’d have to dig around, but he has been a ghost in some major games.  now that he is basically, i guess, our end game scorer…how do we win these games with him as our guy?  6 shots tonight. 2 airballs. early…and when we needed a bucket, he just looks like a guy who wants nothing to do with that pressure.

This is because jimerson isn’t quick enough to keep up with high major D1 athletes. There is a reason he isn’t playing at Duke a la JJ Redick and it isn’t because he is too short or can’t shoot. Shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone at this point and I thought he played a solid game tonight. 

[NH]

19 minutes ago, ILbillikenfan said:

been a long time since I posted, season tickets holder…

these are some epic chokes this year, sure…but is anyone else still concerned about how jimmerson just has an insane ability to just completely vanish?  i’d have to dig around, but he has been a ghost in some major games.  now that he is basically, i guess, our end game scorer…how do we win these games with him as our guy?  6 shots tonight. 2 airballs. early…and when we needed a bucket, he just looks like a guy who wants nothing to do with that pressure.

No I’m not concerned. Gibson will struggle against guys who are quicker and longer like Auburn. The games he disappears are against squads like Memphis or Auburn. We don’t play teams like that very often.

[NH]

Shout out to the crowd tonight. It was great. Shout out to the guys that played their assess off. I understand why people will be frustrated and I am too. But I’m proud to root for these guys and they have some gd heart about them. Really really proud of the fight. Let’s start winning these close games and make the Travis complaints not matter anymore

[ARon]

3 hours ago, ILbillikenfan said:

been a long time since I posted, season tickets holder…

these are some epic chokes this year, sure…but is anyone else still concerned about how jimmerson just has an insane ability to just completely vanish?  i’d have to dig around, but he has been a ghost in some major games.  now that he is basically, i guess, our end game scorer…how do we win these games with him as our guy?  6 shots tonight. 2 airballs. early…and when we needed a bucket, he just looks like a guy who wants nothing to do with that pressure.

It’s almost like opposing defenses are making a point of denying him the ball and trying to stop him.

[slufan13]

I'm not concerned about anyone. Some guys had some bad stretches but that happens against top 15 teams. Overall we played well especially our top 6 rotation guys. We took our foot off the pedal (again) and we lost (again).

[BIG BILL FAN]

4 hours ago, NH said:

Shout out to the crowd tonight. It was great. Shout out to the guys that played their assess off. I understand why people will be frustrated and I am too. But I’m proud to root for these guys and they have some gd heart about them. Really really proud of the fight. Let’s start winning these close games and make the Travis complaints not matter anymore

only 8,012 mostly maskless individuals had to be  a major disappointment, but at least everyone was safe! 

[slu72]

The missed FT’s can be attributed to tired legs I think if we’re gonna be a running team it’s time to give guys like Strickland, Traore, Williams some minutes, say 5-7 at least.  We all oohed and aahed about our perceived depth at the beginning of the season. Where did it go is the question that needs to be addressed. No doubt losing Linssen hurt last night, but their was a W staring us right in the face and we turned our backs on it.  
This team can beat anyone in the A10, but it can’t do it on tired legs. 

[3star_recruit]

I think the late game collapses have less to do with tired legs and more to do with the full court pressure applied in the last 5 minute of games, the double teaming of Yuri and the the lack of secondary ballhandling in crunch time other than Nesbitt.  If Yuri and Nesbitt are expected to close out games, then Nesbitt has to become a more consistent offensive player throughout the game.  Right now, Jimerson is just a placeholder until Nesbitt is ready to step into the closer role.  Jimerson, as you would expect from a limited ballhandler, disappears against teams that can pressure the ball.

[slu72]

9 hours ago, thatskablamo said:

Danny, Bobby or Liz?

Danny. Ain’t nothing bad about Liz. 

[dlarry]

One more complaint then I’m moving on to the next one.

Missing the last free throw. Thats obviously the right call and most likely it doesn’t matter but how does Okoro not know the rule there?

Coming out of the TO doesn’t someone on the coaching staff tell him he can’t enter the lane until the ball hits the rim?

 

I also stack the lane with rebounders and quick leapers at that point. Okoro on the line Nesbitt, Hargrove, Thatch, Traore, Strickland some combination of those 4 battling for the ball.

[cheeseman]

1 hour ago, slufan13 said:

I'm not concerned about anyone. Some guys had some bad stretches but that happens against top 15 teams. Overall we played well especially our top 6 rotation guys. We took our foot off the pedal (again) and we lost (again).

I agree we have to keep our foot on the pedal the whole game.  If Ford turns away from what got him there to slow the game down you have to ask why - he has done this the last 3 of 4 games and he lost the three.  If he does this because Yuri is fatigued then he has to get Jones in the game more to give Yuri a rest.  I am not saying this is what is happening but something is causing him to play the clock this way.

[billiken_roy]

i had to attend a major shriner event last night so i was not in attendance and gave my tickets to my son so he could take 3 of his best friends to the game.   so i didnt watch till midnight.  no doubt we can play at that level.   other than smith imo we were every bit as good from my view on the couch.   very proud that we hung with them, but very disappointed with not being able to hold a double digit leade with 7 minutes to go.   

when snake pearl got the technical we should have been ready to step on their throat and won going away.   instead ease up and thought we could milk the clock?   if we had that lead with 2 minutes left vs that team i wouldnt feel confident enough to have done that.   particularly since nesbitt isnt a refined "mark it down" finisher yet.   

what is very head shaking imo, why (not that this is a new issue) ford hasnt spent the first 2 months of the season adding the likes of traore, strickland and williams to the mix enough we had the gas to finish the game.   sure they arent as good basketball players as ford's 8 man rotation.   we get that.   but they are very very very good athletes that offenses and defenses could have been used and developed that could have held that lead and then when that last under for minute timeout happens he has his entire front 5 back in the game to finish the game going away.

this game is on ford imo.   but it isnt a surprise.   he is what he is and is determined to play with 8 guys.   we all know that compared to previous rosters pre-ford, we dont have near the talent this team has and as someone else stated in this thread, the billikens get blown out.  

we need to destroy drake.  no mercy.

[Littlebill]

Didn’t read any of this, which is probably best for my mental health.

Outside of slowing it to a crawl, Okoro’s inability to defend a PnR correctly easily the difference maker down the stretch. Either have to come and trap the ball handler or go WITH the roller. Stood in no man’s land every time and gave up 8 or so points down the stretch. Kessler is awesome don’t get me wrong, but we gave him so many free dunks down the stretch. Ford almost blew a gasket after Okoro continued to make the same mistake over and over again after it was addressed initially

 

also- Nesbitt is awesome. Love the cajones to hit that 3 to tie it up late and how pumped he was. He’s an absolute psycho and I love him for it

[Gremio14]

10 minutes ago, Littlebill said:

Didn’t read any of this, which is probably best for my mental health.

Outside of slowing it to a crawl, Okoro’s inability to defend a PnR correctly easily the difference maker down the stretch. Either have to come and trap the ball handler or go WITH the roller. Stood in no man’s land every time and gave up 8 or so points down the stretch. Kessler is awesome don’t get me wrong, but we gave him so many free dunks down the stretch. Ford almost blew a gasket after Okoro continued to make the same mistake over and over again after it was addressed initially

 

also- Nesbitt is awesome. Love the cajones go hit that to tie it up late and how pumped he was. He’s an absolute psycho and I love him for it

Nesbit is a human highlight film waiting to happen.  The one on two basket he scored in the first half had even Pearl shaking his head. I actually get amped when he goes hero.

Bizarre the way Auburn celebrated at half court after the game. Was like they had just won the SEC tournament. Guess a Billiken scalp is worth a lot more than it used to be….

[slu72]

To the above, there are Nesbitt moments where you’d swear the Legend had returned. He’s got to become more of our focus on offense. With more experience he could become our Perkins plug in. 

[slufan13]

A few semi off topic points

- That was an incredible college basketball game

- Credit to the Auburn fans. They had more fans that I expected and could be heard at times. 

- Auburn is good. We collapsed defending the pick and roll and took our foot off the pedal but they still made big time shots

- I want to play them every year. To me, SLU/Auburn could be one of those fun/competitive rivalries that doesn't rally make sense on paper 

[willie]

2 hours ago, BIG BILL FAN said:

only 8,012 mostly maskless individuals had to be  a major disappointment, but at least everyone was safe! 

You really are a jerk. 

[slufan13]

Player by player thoughts

Yuri: 6 turnovers but he was incredible. His defense in our 2nd half run was the best on ball defense I've seen from a Billiken

Nesbitt: He's going to be a superstar and he showed it last night. Had one big blown defensive assignment and thought he missed a couple opportunities to pass to an open man but he was great

Jimerson: Watched him closely for 5 minutes straight. He was pushed, pulled, bumped, held the entire time. He talked to the refs a few times about it. The 3 he hit from the corner was one of the quickest releases I've ever seen. He needs more than 6 shots though. I actually thought his defense was solid and that he played well considering how overmatched he usually is against more athletic teams. We tried to get him open but Auburn took him away. Want to see more of a killer mentality though. He's one of those guys where any shot he takes is a good one. Needs to be more assertive. I can live with his misses.

Hargrove: I've doubted him but he is just good. Shot was a little off last night but love his aggression.

Okoro: He was gassed. Blew defensive assignments and gotta make free throws. But he worked hard and showed he can play with the SEC big boys in the paint 

Linssen: We win that game if he doesn't get hurt. He wasn't great but having him and Okoro would have been the difference 

Jones: He looked overwhelmed although it was very limited minutes. 

Thatch: Nothing really of note. A few bad offensive possessions but he defended decently well. Pretty much who he is

Ford: He had a good gameplan. He got the team fired up to play. But man how many times is this team going to make the same 2nd half mistake. Auburn adjusted just like all teams do against us and made Yuri work to even get the ball across half court. We never adjusted

We are a good team. But too many opportunities have slipped away

[NextYearBill]

Hargrove will go down as one of my Top 5 bills

[Dr. Holly Hills]

11 minutes ago, NextYearBill said:

Hargrove will go down as one of my Top 5 bills

I thought he played great last night. 17 points and guarded an nba lottery pick all night and held him to 13 pts.

[Littlebill]

28 minutes ago, slufan13 said:

Player by player thoughts

Yuri: 6 turnovers but he was incredible. His defense in our 2nd half run was the best on ball defense I've seen from a Billiken

Nesbitt: He's going to be a superstar and he showed it last night. Had one big blown defensive assignment and thought he missed a couple opportunities to pass to an open man but he was great

Jimerson: Watched him closely for 5 minutes straight. He was pushed, pulled, bumped, held the entire time. He talked to the refs a few times about it. The 3 he hit from the corner was one of the quickest releases I've ever seen. He needs more than 6 shots though. I actually thought his defense was solid and that he played well considering how overmatched he usually is against more athletic teams. We tried to get him open but Auburn took him away. Want to see more of a killer mentality though. He's one of those guys where any shot he takes is a good one. Needs to be more assertive. I can live with his misses.

Hargrove: I've doubted him but he is just good. Shot was a little off last night but love his aggression.

Okoro: He was gassed. Blew defensive assignments and gotta make free throws. But he worked hard and showed he can play with the SEC big boys in the paint 

Linssen: We win that game if he doesn't get hurt. He wasn't great but having him and Okoro would have been the difference 

Jones: He looked overwhelmed although it was very limited minutes. 

Thatch: Nothing really of note. A few bad offensive possessions but he defended decently well. Pretty much who he is

Ford: He had a good gameplan. He got the team fired up to play. But man how many times is this team going to make the same 2nd half mistake. Auburn adjusted just like all teams do against us and made Yuri work to even get the ball across half court. We never adjusted

We are a good team. But too many opportunities have slipped away

Totally agree on the Linssen thought. I’m certainly not his biggest fan but we needed a change at the 5 last night and Traore isn’t really a real option yet

[TheA_Bomb]

From 247sports.com Auburn Undercover:

"Pearl said the high pick-and-roll with Green Jr. and Kessler, which resulted in a couple easy dunks as Auburn mounted its comeback, was the same offensive set Auburn used against Saint Louis two years ago, when the teams met in Birmingham. It worked then, and Pearl said it was run even more efficiently this time around.

"We showed it to the kids on film (this week)," Pearl said."

Yeah should have been ready for that and the easy lobs over and over to Kessler. 

they tried to double Smith but Kessler stepped up big. 

I'm not of the opinion that the A10 will be a cake walk.   It's down and the good news is someone will get the bid. 

[Taj79]

Some points not mentioned ......

The pick and roll:  how many times did the point guard drive from left to right, go off the Kessler pick, and then lob it to Kessler for the dunk?  Lots.  How many time did he make the same move going right to left?  None.  Yes,  Yuri's defense was maniacal at times but fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice, thrice, four, five times and what does that say?  Yuri was too gassed to compensate late.   Okoro did what he had to do to stop the guard's layup.  Kessler is like 7 feet plus and can jump well but every slam was for his right hand as well.  And the point guard was righthanded as well.

Yuri is the ONLY ballhandler right now.  How hard was it late to even get the ball in to anyone?  By the fourth quarter, Yuri is gassed.  Seems you can sub conditionally; get Jones and Traore in at the six minute mark and then put the main guys back in at the under 4 TO.  Sure, it's different with a healthy Linssen but still ... everyone watching knew we were gassed, especially Pearl.  And if our guys were gassed, why weren't the Auburjn guys?  Not like Pearl had a deep bench as well.

Trending.  We lost the same way to UAB and Belmont and we would have lost to BC if we weren't up by 23. We didn't lose at Boise because it was OT and we HAD to keep playing.     Seems to me Ford is showing his true colors here.  We upgraded the schedule but didn't upgrade the tendencies on the bench.

Opposing game plans.  Aren't they obvious now?  Beat the hell out of Collins, make him work, and put your most athletic three or four on Jimerson.  And then grab and hold him all you can get away with.  With the defenses doibg this, we need plays designed specifically for Nesbitt and Hargrove --- they are the only two athletes really out there who can go and create on their own.

I typed ball game before Nesbitt's tying three but I was tempted to type it at the 9 minute mark.  The minute Yuri started walking it up and dribbling just left of the half court line.  Yuri doesn't do this unless instructed to do so, right?  Isn't insanity doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results?  UAB.  Belmont.  Auburn.  Looking at next year, is Kellen Thames a viable second point guard?  Or do we really need another?  

Why can't we shoot?  We were outscored by 15 from three.  Even Mrs. Taj was stunned by the depth of some of Auburn's threes.  Yet our guys are always challenged to make even one it seems.  Outside of Okoro, we got 14 minutes from our "deep" bench.  It seems Ford became a spectator rather than a coach and game manager.  Where are our assistants advising Ford of the obvious shortcomings?  That's three losses that I place on Ford's late game MO.  

Tough one.  We had that one.  But we also had UAB and Belmont.  

 

 

[BIG BILL FAN]

50 minutes ago, willie said:

You really are a jerk. 

That’s fine Willie, but you are extremely naive if you don’t think a crowd of 8012 was disappointing. It should have been a sellout and would have, with just a little common sense. People belittling others for not being vaccinated and then parading maskless with a beer in their hands are hypocrites.... two thousand empty seats is a lot of revenue lost for a senseless mandate...