Game 27: GMU (21-5 / 12-1) at vcu (21-5 / 11-2) on Saturday, February 22, at 4:00 PM.

[2011WinOverVillanova]

Do you think the Penn St NIT 2009 game helped build towards 2011? Do you think maybe we need to crawl before walk?

 

[EXpatriot13]

Do you think the Penn St NIT 2009 game helped build towards 2011? Do you think maybe we need to crawl before walk?

We’ve been crawling for 14 years.

 

[GMU79]

14-4 or 15-3 would be still amazing for our program. The schedule on paper gets easier but none of these teams will be easy. Hopefully we can take care of business.

Having a point guard isn’t going to solve all offensive efficiency woes. Sure it can help bring the ball up and maybe we move the ball a little more. But we don’t score in enough possessions for it to matter. Our guys just don’t put the ball in the hoop enough. Period.

In addition, both Maddox and Anderson are at career low percentages. I’m not sure how you can plan for that, when both of these guys addressed the need for shooting.

If someone has more of a technical answer on what is wrong here I’d love to hear because I really don’t know what else the staff could have done. They brought in the right pieces and depth. There’s just under performance.

True, a PG is not going to solve our scoring woes. That's why I also said shooters.

 

[jruby]

Do you think the Penn St NIT 2009 game helped build towards 2011? Do you think maybe we need to crawl before walk?

Nit is a clown show now. Not sure it matters at all with new format. The 10 auto bids from power 5 ruined the whole thing.

 

[GMUgemini]

Do you think the Penn St NIT 2009 game helped build towards 2011? Do you think maybe we need to crawl before walk?

That was a young team: Long and Tate were sophomores, Pearson, Morrison, and Cornelius were freshmen; Hancock wasn’t even on the team yet.

5 of these players (at least) will be gone next year.

Now will it teach Skinn and his staff some things? Maybe. But this game just feels like a situation where Skinn doesn’t have the resources to be able to recruit someone who can play defense like Woody Newton at the same time as shoot like Max Shulga.

 

[GunstonGlazer]

This was a tough one… we’ll bounce back in the A10 tourney I have faith!

 

[jruby]

Here’s crazy idea, win Wednesday clinch top 2 seed. Play bench last 3 games for next year as last 3 games do not matter.

 

[Leesburg Chankenstank III]

This was a tough one… we’ll bounce back in the A10 tourney I have faith!

We will! Tonight sucked but the team now realizes what needs to be done to get over the hump.

 

[EXpatriot13]

For the basketball folks out there, are we just cooked offensively against really good teams? We had a week to prepare for this game and got completely exposed on that end of the floor. Players under-performing/not good enough? Offense too easy to game plan against? It’s discouraging to watch a team be so good defensively, but then cancel that out with total dysfunction offensively.

We’re way too one sided to beat really good teams like vcu. Seems we need a miracle adjustment offensively (unlikely at this point) or hope we don’t see them in DC. Anything can happen but impossible to hide from this type of result.

 

[GSII]

For those posting about our offensive woes, imo, there is too much freedom. We run a big to the top to screen and there's no contact to create an actual screen. If watch watch Duke, they screen and re screen you to death. And they play D. We play D yes, but offense needs help.

At times, get some plays to get our shooters open for EASIER shots than what we see Maddox, for example, trying to create. Yes a PG would help but no more than the shooting ability of Maddox and Anderson without structure it rots especially vs good teams.

 

[DRK331]

Tony Skinn post game presser:

x.com

x.com

Tony Skinn post game presser

 

[GMUgemini]

For those posting about our offensive woes, imo, there is too much freedom. We run a big to the top to screen and there's no contact to create an actual screen. If watch watch Duke, they screen and re screen you to death. And they play D. We play D yes, but offense needs help.

At times, get some plays to get our shooters open for EASIER shots than what we see Maddox, for example, trying to create. Yes a PG would help but no more than the shooting ability of Maddox and Anderson without structure it rots especially vs good teams.

I would say two things really limit the offense:

1) we rely too much right now on the weave to try to get penetration. This allows us to find mismatches, but it also prevents us from properly spreading the floor because we constantly have 2-3 players in close proximity (the two handing it off, and a lot of time a third player making a screen).

2) we don’t have a true three level scorer. Anderson is a set shooter, Maddox has a nice shimmy and a good mid-range shot, but rarely ever takes it all the way to the rack. When O’Connor has been at his best he could be that guy, but he’s been limited lately and has always been inconsistent, Woody Newton and KD seem suited for the job but Woody doesn’t quite have the handles in traffic to do get to the rim and KD is just a wild card and often plays out of control.

We could use a PG who can be that three level scorer and know when to push the pace, when to take it himself, and when to give it up to one of our set shooters on the perimeter.

 

[Falco]

We needed Kolek tonight.

 

[2011WinOverVillanova]

We could use a PG who can be that three level scorer and know when to push the pace, when to take it himself, and when to give it up to one of our set shooters on the perimeter.

How much is realistic to expect us to try to get one? 250K a year for one player?

 

[Falco]

How much is realistic to expect us to try to get one? 250K a year for one player?

Polite was cheap

 

[2011WinOverVillanova]

^ - Mr. Met or Mr. Orioles I think we have a vcu troll who just wants to laugh at us and pour salt in our wounds. Ban this scum please.

 

[mkaufman1]

^ - Mr. Met or Mr. Orioles I think we have a vcu troll who just wants to laugh at us and pour salt in our wounds. Ban this scum please.

Handled, thanks for reporting. He’s actually a friend-emy of mine.

 

[WillWeaverRVA]

Well, that was something else. I was pretty worried after the first half after you limited us to 22 points but I think attrition quickly mounted as the second half started, we went on our run, and you couldn't recover. This is still one of the best Mason teams I've watched despite your loss today and there might yet be some postseason potential. Lunardi even has you as his first team out right now (not out of the question with a weak bubble, teams with a NET as low as 77 have gotten at-large bids).

 

[Patriot Lawdog]

Maybe I’m not being realistic, but I say this every year. Tournament basketball is tougher for vcu because all that hand checking BS they do at home gets called on the road or neutral courts. I don’t fear vcu away from Siegel. Do we have offensive issues? Clearly, but if we can somehow get Anderson on track and Woody can keep it up I think we’ll be ok. I’d love to get another shot at them in DC. 21-6 ain’t bad. Keep the faith everyone!

 

[NewPatriot]

Well, that was something else. I was pretty worried after the first half after you limited us to 22 points but I think attrition quickly mounted as the second half started, we went on our run, and you couldn't recover. This is still one of the best Mason teams I've watched despite your loss today and there might yet be some postseason potential. Lunardi even has you as his first team out right now (not out of the question with a weak bubble, teams with a NET as low as 77 have gotten at-large bids).

Hey Will, i want to compliment on your weather tweets...very accurate and educational.