Red Flags from Marquette Game

[kyzrex]

Our perimeter defense and the ability to stop quick guards does scare me about this team. Making 4 of 22 3’s doesnt help either.

Yep

Especially the lack of ability to stop quick guards. I don’t see any solution to it either, not with the personal currently on the team. Although I do like having Naji out in front of the 1-3-1 and would like to see more of it.

[muskieman]

games are always about matchups. If it wasn't small guards it would be something else. The important thing is to manage the situation for instance Marquette. Marquette had numerous guys that could hit the threes and one of those guys killed us last year. This year X neutralized that player and while one went off he did it in an inefficient way 6-17 from the three. We also got "lucky" or played good enough D on the one that killed us last year holding him to 1-8 from the three and 6 -19 from the field. Next time they play Marquette that strategy may fail. The fact that Mack has multiple D's this year and he maybe working on others is something other coaches have to worry about. What Mack has to worry about on O is getting consistent scoring from his outside shooters and getting Tre better looks so the inside game does not become stagnant. the big east as everyone knows is no picnic in the park and any team can bite another team at the right time.

[XU80]

My take, is if we limit our turnovers there are very few teams in DI that can keep up with our offensive efficiency. Take care of the basketball and mix up the defensive looks and we are very difficult team to beat.

I think we had 3 TOs in the second half and Depaul's double digit lead evaporated. Same is true with ETSU.

VALUE EACH POSSESSION should be planted the team's mindset.

[X-lucidity]

So as not to drone on like an elderly lady at the Laundromat, this will be my last contribution to this rather silly thread. X has weaknesses…. Hate to break that to a few folks on this site. We are F-A-R from an imposing juggernaut. Let’s take a closer look, shall we? X has a very strong, above average, pair of seasoned shooting guards in Tre & JP. But neither are extremely athletic nor quick. X relies on two young players as their PG’s. Both are remarkably similar in nature as they are strong slashers, but not elite quick, and neither can scare an opposing D from beyond 10 feet. The Muskies have 3 post players that each brings a different set of skills to the table. Were we able to combine all these skills then that player would be fantastic, but also would have likely committed to Duke. So Mack must utilize these three like chess pieces and even play two at the same time once in a while. Then there is Kaiser Gates. Much more consistent this year and improved on D, but still gets lost at times in games. Lleaving us with our wild-card Naji. Incredible start to this year for Mr. Marshall yet even he regressed a bit versus DePaul. That’s it folks. That is the squad that some of you feel should be able to throw their uni’s onto the court and trounce every foe. Kyzrex said it very well a bit ago, “why worry” about our shortcomings? Every team in the nation has a few. When X is clicking, we can compete against anyone. As someone else wisely posted, it’s about game to game match-ups and the required adjustments. Enjoy this ride, 14-1 is, well, fourteen & one.

[Shadow]

Well said, kyzrex!

[madness31]

Mack has never been a good defensive coach. The team will not be a great defensive team because of it. They will especially struggle against quick guards with the ability to shoot as was mentioned many times.

What needs to improve is carelessness and lack of defensive intensity. Additionally Mack has to at least be competent as a coach on the defensive end. You do not play zone against a team with great shooters. He pulled us out just in time for X to win but it was complete ignorance to play it as long as he did against Marquette. Bad shooting happens but unforced turnovers is something the team must clean-up if they want to be a 1 seed at the end of the year.

The team will not be a great defensive team but if they play with intensity they will be good enough to outscore teams when playing smart offensively Shot selection is a problem right now. I don't know if guys are looking to be the hero or if they simply have no idea what the difference is between a good shot and a bad shot. This is another Mack weakness as good offensive players seem to have the green light to shoot anytime, anywhere. Luckily this team has had a higher basketball IQ than past teams and shot selection is improved but is trending the wrong way.

I tend to agree with another post that X talent is not elite. I do however believe the team has the ability to win the tournament if they clean up the areas they are currently struggling in. The team has plenty of shooters. There are guys that can get to the rim as well as a few do it all type players. The guards are big and rebound well. The bigs have diverse talents that can be utilized in various situations against any type of talent. The team also has depth. There are superior athletes and quicker players on other teams but that isn't what wins games.

I believe the recent team struggles are primarily due to the team being overly confident. They seem to believe they can simply turn up the intensity and win games when they need to. Thus far they have been correct with the exception of ASU. Hopefully knowing that Butler is a very good team will have them focused from tip-off. If not I suspect another loss will have to happen before the team gets refocused.